======================================================================== ANTHOLOGY OF 3,000 SERMONS - VOLUME 1 by Various ======================================================================== The first volume of a massive anthology containing 3,000 sermons from diverse preachers throughout church history. A comprehensive preaching resource covering the breadth of Christian doctrine and practice. Chapters: 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Introduction 2. Alexander, Archibald (1772-1851) 3. Alexander - A Discipe 4. Alexander - A distant view of New York 5. Alexander - A Good Tree 6. Alexander - A Practical View of Regeneration 7. Alexander - A Word to the Young 8. Alexander - Almost Christian 9. Alexander - An Amiable Youth Falling Short of Heaven 10. Alexander - Answer to Prayer Long Deferred 11. Alexander - Christ the Believer's Life 12. Alexander - Counsels of the Aged to the Young 13. Alexander - Counsels to Christian Mothers 14. Alexander - Cross 15. Alexander - Day of Judgment 16. Alexander - Deceitfulness of Sin 17. Alexander - Fasting 18. Alexander - Fixedess of Purpose 19. Alexander - Future Punishment 20. Alexander - Godly and Ungodly 21. Alexander - Gospel no Failure 22. Alexander - Heaven 23. Alexander - Importance of Salvation 24. Alexander - Judgment 25. Alexander - Justfication by Faith 26. Alexander - King of Terrors 27. Alexander - Looking unto Jesus 28. Alexander - Lord's Day 29. Alexander - Love of the Truth 30. Alexander - Misery of the Lost 31. Alexander - Nature and Means of Growth in Grace 32. Alexander - Obedience to Christ Gives Assurance 33. Alexander - Our responsibility to the poor 34. Alexander - Peace of God 35. Alexander - Poor Man's Guide and Friend 36. Alexander - Practical Directions How to Grow in Grace and Make Progress in Piety.1 37. Alexander - Prayer a Priviledge 38. Alexander - Preparation for Death 39. Alexander - Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ 40. Alexander - The Value of Good Books 41. Alexander - Unsearchable riches of Christ 42. Alexander - Vital Piety 43. Alexander - Wells of Salvation 44. Alexander - What I Desire 45. Alexander - What the Disciples Saw 46. Alexander - Why halt between two opinions? 47. Alexander - You Fool! 48. Alexander -Evils of War 49. AlexanderJW - Letters to Young Ministers - On Devotion to the Work of the Ministry (1864) 50. AlexanderJW - The Cultivation of Personal Piety 51. Ames - Baptism 52. Ames - The Church Instituted 53. Ames - The Church Mystically Considered 54. Ames - Contentment 55. Ames - Covenant of Grace in the O.T. 56. Ames - Creation 57. Ames - Death of Christ 58. Ames - Decree and Counsel of God 59. Ames - Decrees of God 60. Ames - Definition or Nature of Theology 61. Ames - Division or Parts of Theology 62. Ames - Efficiency of God 63. Ames - End of the World, The 64. Ames - Extraordinary Ministers 65. Ames - Faith 66. Ames - Faith and Seeking God 67. Ames - Faith and Preparation 68. Ames - God and His Essence 69. Ames - Hearing the Word 70. Ames - Instituted Worship 71. Ames - Justification 72. Ames - Manner of Worship, The 73. Ames - Ordinary Ministers in the Church 74. Ames - Sanctification 75. Ames - Subsistence of God 76. AndersonR - Literal Interpretation of Scripture 77. AndersonR - Spirit Manifestation and the Gift of Tongues 78. Anonymous - The Consolation of the Sick 79. Anonymous - Hell's Torments 80. Arndt - Saint and the World, The 81. Arndt - Which World am I a Citizen of? 82. Arnot - Fruitful in Every Good Work 83. Austin-Sparks - A Child over the Nations 84. Austin-Sparks - Bethany, the Lord's Thoght for His Assembly 85. Austin-Sparks - A Vital Ministry in a Day of Transition 86. Austin-Sparks - Christian Service from God's Standpoint 87. Austin-Sparks - Coming Down From God Out Of Heaven 88. Austin-Sparks - Loose Him, and Let Him Go! 89. Austin-Sparks - A God That Hideth Himself 90. Austin-Sparks - A Man in Christ 91. Austin-Sparks - A Saviour to the Uttermost 92. Austin-Sparks - Because of the Blood of the Lamb 93. Austin-Sparks - God Needs Gideons 94. BarrettGA - Preparedness 95. Bartleman - Seeds of Revival, The 96. BatesW - Sermons on the Forgiveness of Sins 97. BatesW - Sermon on 1Jn 5:2 98. Howe - Funeral Sermon on the Death of Dr. William Bates, 99. Bavinck - Divine Trinity 100. Bavinck - History of Doctrine of Decree of Predestination ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ======================================================================== ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772-1851) ======================================================================== Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) biography ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: ALEXANDER - A DISCIPE ======================================================================== A DISCIPLE by Archibald Alexander "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." (Acts 11:26) A disciple is a learner, but a learner supposes a teacher. In reality, the visible church is only a school, where Christ is the great teacher. The word of God contains all the lessons which are inculcated in this school. But as Christ is the sum and substance of the word, he is not only the teacher, but the subject of the lesson taught! "This is eternal life, to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." "You have not so learned Christ, if so be you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." A genuine disciple is not only taught out of the word, but by the Holy Spirit. External teaching, however correct, is not sufficient. We need internal illumination by the Spirit. "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth." "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Not that this divine instructor teaches anything different from the word. No! He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us. He is the Spirit of truth, and will guide the disciples into all truth. "As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don't need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him." (1 John 2:27) He "reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment." But what are some of the lessons learned by the disciple in this school? 1. The worth of his soul. 2. The value of time. 3. Veneration for the holy Scriptures as the infallible rule to guide our faith and practice. 4. Our ruined and condemned state—"children of wrath, even as others," "dead in trespasses and sins," "without hope and without God in the world." 5. The Spirit convinces the human heart, or rather, gives the soul a glimpse of the indwelling sin, by which it is convinced of total depravity. Oh, what a multitude of evils; what a fountain of impurity; what a mass of corruption! The heart is found to be deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. There is found nothing in it truly good. What can be done? Where shall the sinner fly for relief? Where, but to the house of mercy—to the city of refuge? There stands One with wounded hands widely extended, who invites the perishing sinner to come to him for safety. The guilty soul hesitates—fears this invitation cannot be for one so unworthy. But no other door is open, and the kind, entreating voice is still heard, Come—"and him who comes, I will never cast out." It ventures—trembling, it advances—it throws itself into the arms of divine mercy, and is graciously received, without merit, without upbraiding; becomes a son or daughter by adoption, and if a son, then an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. 6. The disciple also learns to prize Christ above all people and above all treasures. "To you who believe, he is precious." He values Jesus above all price as his infallible Prophet, his sovereign King, as well as an atoning Priest. The disciple learns to roll all its burdens on the Lord, and learns to live outside of itself, by desiring vital supplies from Christ, day by day. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." 7. Again, the disciple is taught the beauty of holiness. Moral or spiritual beauty is the glory of heaven. External glory is nothing; but moral, divine excellence is the glory of God, comprehending all his divine perfections. To view this excellence, is the beatific vision in which the happiness of heaven consists. Oh, glorious state! Oh, blessed abode! 8. Finally, the disciple learns to know the reality and sweetness of communion with God. While many are contented to worship in the outward court, he desires to penetrate into the holy of holies, where he can hear the words of the divine oracle, and see the resplendent face of Immanuel. The apostle teaches that the most holy place is a type of heaven; and surely nothing on earth is more like heaven than intimate communion with God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: ALEXANDER - A DISTANT VIEW OF NEW YORK ======================================================================== A distant view of New York by Archibald Alexander Within that small space nearly half a million of souls are congregated. There are the rich and luxurious, living in splendid palaces, and faring sumptuously every day. And there are also the wretched, suffering poor, crowded together in dark alleys, and lying sick in garrets and obscure corners, destitute of every comfort. And yet these and all the intermediate classes are of one blood, and are all hastening to a similar end. If we could bring into one view the countless variety of feeling which at this moment agitates the breasts of this great multitude, what a strange spectacle would be exhibited. While some are rejoicing in scenes of mirth and revelry, others are groaning under the pressure of excruciating disease. While the rich and mirthful are indulging in the highest exhilaration, forgetful of the future, a far greater number are oppressed with poverty, and bowed down with incurable disease, or with the burden of increasing years. As the contrast, on such a view, would be great between the joys and sorrows of the inhabitants of a large city, the difference of moral character is no less marked. How many are employed in works of shame, which shun the light of day. How many minds teem with schemes of wickedness, a large part of which they are never able to execute. Providence often places a barrier in the way of those who enterprise schemes of villainy and murder. How should we rejoice, and be thankful, that in this emporium of America, where the practicers of enormous vice so abound, God has provided a conservative body, by whose influence the wickedness of the multitude of evil-doers is restrained. We speak not of the efforts of the magistracy, and the watchfulness and energy of the numerous police, the benefits of which, however, are inestimable; but our reference is to a class of men and women, found in every Christian denomination, who are not conspicuous in society, but who labor incessantly to check the progress of abounding iniquity. These true friends of mankind are found operating with inextinguishable zeal and indefatigable industry in disseminating gospel truth, in admonishing and exhorting transgressors, and in unceasing supplications to the God of all grace, to send down, in copious effusions, the influences of the Holy Spirit, for the conviction and conversion of sinners. Those church spires, which first meet the traveler's eye, and attract his attention in approaching the city, furnish interesting associations. As these point to heaven, they give us the delightful assurance that the fear of God is not banished from the place. There is here a worshiping people. Numerous assemblies flow into the spacious churches, whose doors are open to all on the Christian Sabbath. In these hallowed temples the preacher of the gospel dispenses "the word of life." Thousands and tens of thousands drink in the precious truth, and are enlightened, strengthened, and encouraged to go forward in their contest with the powers of darkness. The pulpit is God's device for the destruction of the works of the devil; no wonder, then, that Satan's greatest malice is directed against the pulpit. The influence of a sound, able, evangelical ministry on such a city is unspeakably great, not only in the positive good accomplished, but in the unknown evils which are prevented by the power of the truth on the consciences of men. It is only by the preaching of the gospel that a healthy tone of morals is preserved. By means of the sentiments often advanced in the public periodical prints, and by the influence of the theater, and even of legislative and judicial bodies, the standard of Christian morals is lowered. The conservative power against this tendency is the gospel. Take this away, and the deterioration of morals would be appalling. We cannot omit also those obscure, but truly benevolent and useful people, who are seen penetrating into the darkest recesses of vice and infamy, bearing in their hands precious tracts, and whose lips are ever ready to pour forth from a benevolent heart words of exhortation, admonition, and encouragement. The Lord prosper the self-denying company of tract distributers; they are more efficient, and no less necessary than the city watch. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: ALEXANDER - A GOOD TREE ======================================================================== A GOOD TREE by Archibald Alexander Trees are beautiful objects. If we had never seen this part of the creation before, we would be filled with admiration at the sight. A stately oak or cedar is really a majestic object. It stands firmly by its own strength. It raises its head towards the heavens, and spreads out its arms on every side; and when verdant, affords a canopy and grateful shade to the weary traveler, and a secure habitation for the birds of the air. Trees are the handsomest ornaments of gardens and pleasure-grounds. Eden itself, without trees, would have been shorn of its glory. But a tree laden with nutritious fruit is an object still more beautiful and interesting than the trees of the forest. What spectacle is suited to give more pleasure to the contemplative mind than a tree bending under the weight of precious fruit? Between natural and spiritual objects there is a striking analogy. Of this the sacred writers often avail themselves, to give a lively representation of important truths. The discourses of our Lord are enriched and adorned by the employment of striking emblems. His figures are almost all derived from natural objects. Among fruit-trees, the VINE is often mentioned in the Scriptures, because everywhere to be seen; and when loaded with fine clusters like those of Eshcol, the sight is most pleasing. To represent the vital union of believers to himself, our Lord employs the union of the branches to the vine. He is the vine, they are the branches; and the effect of this union is fruitfulness. As a branch severed from the vine cannot bear fruit, neither can believers without Christ. And the cogent motive to induce them to bear much fruit is, that their Father in heaven may be glorified. "Make the tree good, and his fruit good." "By their fruits shall you know them." No man, by merely looking at a tree, can tell whether it will bear fruit, or whether the fruit will be good or bad. When we see people making a good profession in the church, we cannot tell whether their religion is genuine or spurious, until we have an opportunity of seeing the fruits. When John the Baptist called men to repentance, he required them "to bring forth fruits fit for repentance." A godly life is the best evidence of sincerity in religion. How beautiful is a consistent Christian character. Such a one "does justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with his God." To his prayers he joins alms, and he abounds in every good work. As he makes his way through this sinful world, his bright example sheds a light on all around, and others seeing his good works are led to glorify his Father in heaven. He makes no ostentatious display of his religion; and yet his good deeds cannot be hidden--they are like the fragrant aroma, which betrays itself. He is not ashamed of Christ and his gospel, but glories in the cross, and esteems all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. As the true Christian advances in years, his fruits become more mellow and mature; and he goes on to bring forth fruit, even in old age. And finally, like a fruit fully ripe, he drops into the grave; but his works follow him, and he is blessed in death, as the voice from heaven declared, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 6: ALEXANDER - A PRACTICAL VIEW OF REGENERATION ======================================================================== A Practical View of Regeneration by Archibald Alexander [Published in The Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, volume 8 (1836).] That human nature has lost that moral purity and perfection with which it was originally endued, is a truth which lies at the heart of the Christian religion. Indeed, we see not how it can be denied by the deist, without casting a gross reflection on the character of God. It is only from the Scriptures, however, that we learn the origin of evil. Here we read, that God made man upright, but he hath sought out many inventions. Man being in honor continued not. When God created man he formed him in his own image and after his own likeness; and what that image consisted in, the apostle Paul informs us, when he speaks of the new creation. "And that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." The phrase "after God," means after the image of God. This is expressed in the parallel passage, "Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." By the fall this moral image was effaced. The mind which had been illumined by divine truth became spiritually blind; the heart whose exercises had been holy and harmonious, became corrupt, the hot-bed of every vicious propensity, and the center of darkness and disorder. Instead of moral beauty, there was now deformity. In the place of pure felicity, misery succeeded. The soul was now turned with aversion from God and holiness, and the affections attached themselves to the creature. Reason and conscience no longer had control over the inferior passions and appetites; but these, seizing the reins of government, urged man on to carnal indulgences inconsistent with purity and peace. Being now alienated from God, man became his own center around which he endeavored to make all things revolve, from which the most direful disorder ensued; yet he persists in acting upon this principle of supreme selfishness. Although this depravity was from its commencement total, inasmuch as all holy exercise and all holy motives were banished from the mind; yet is human iniquity capable of indefinite increase. Its natural progress is from bad to worse, without a conceivable limit. All therefore are not equal in sin and guilt. The same person is comparatively innocent when he commences his course, to what he becomes at the end of a long life of transgression. And the enormity of his guilt, as well as the obstinate perverseness of his evil nature, depends on the clearness of the light resisted, and the multitude of the mercies abused. Wickedness may attain its greatest visible height among the heathen, but in the sight of God, self-righteous Pharisees are more guilty than Publicans; and Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum will have a more intolerable doom than Tyre and Sidon, or even than Sodom itself. The deepest guilt is contracted under the clear sunshine of the gospel, and by those whose privileges, opportunities, calls and professions, lay them under the strongest obligations to love and serve their Creator. The proof of the wickedness of man is found in every part of the Bible; and it is a truth confirmed by all history and experience. That a reformation would be desirable, and that all men need to be made better than they are, will not be denied. But there is a deep-rooted opinion in the minds of men, that this reformation and return to the service of God, will be easy whenever they shall determine upon it. The need for supernatural power to regenerate the soul is not commonly felt; and when men begin to be convinced of their impotence as it relates to holy acts, they are prone to make their depravity, which is the only cause of their inability, their excuse. The necessity of regeneration arises from the fact, that man by the fall has become dead in sin. Spiritual life is extinct, and, therefore, if any are saved, they must be regenerated. Life cannot spring from death. Life is a gift of God in all cases. He breathed into man, when his body was formed out of the clay, the breath of life. It would be as reasonable to believe that the organized body could inspire itself with life, as that the dead soul can perform acts of spiritual life. All men having fallen into the same spiritual death, all need regeneration. Some men are amiable in their natural temper, and regular in their external behavior; but these also are naturally blind and depraved. They have no right apprehensions of God, no holy affections towards him, no cheerful and habitual purpose to serve him. They need therefore to be converted, however highly they may be esteemed among men. Though such, like the young ruler who came to Christ, may have many amiable qualities which entitle them to the love of their friends, yet, like him, they may lack one thing. Their hearts may be fixed, like his, on worldly objects. Let all such, therefore, be assured that, as well as others, they must be born again. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God searcheth the heart; and often that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Under a fair exterior there often lies concealed a heart full of unbelief, pride, and ingratitude. By the restraints of education, an enlightened conscience, and a regard to reputation, sin may be kept from breaking out into enormous and shameful actions; but the seeds of all iniquity are concealed in every heart. Men are satisfied commonly if they can so regulate their lives as to escape the censure of men, and the disgrace which follows wicked actions, but they pay little attention to their hearts which are as a cage of unclean birds. Most men are not in the habit of judging of their thoughts, imaginations and feelings, by the holy law of God, which condemns every wandering of desire, every unhallowed temper, and every want of supreme and perfect love. If we look upon our own hearts we must be convinced that all is not right within. If our hearts are naturally good, why do they turn away with strong secret aversion from the spiritual service of God? If our hearts are not dead to God, why are we not daily delighted with the contemplation of his glorious attributes? Why is prayer a burden? Why are we so entirely engrossed with sensible and worldly pursuits and pleasures? And if the moral and amiable need regeneration, what shall we say of the multitudes who are living in open rebellion against God? The profane, the unjust, the intemperate, the licentious, the scoffer, the false-swearer, the defrauder of the widow and the orphan, the sabbath-breaker, the liar, the neglecters of God's worship, the slanderer, and a multitude of others who live habitually in known sin, surely need to be reformed, and they will never be thoroughly reformed until they are regenerated. Such must put off the old man with his corrupt deeds, and put on the new man. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God who will abundantly pardon." There is an urgent necessity that every sinner should repent, for true repentance is unto life. And what our Lord declared to the Jews is true of all, and was intended for all. "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish," and Paul preached to the Athenians that "God now commandeth all men every where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, of which he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead." Evangelical repentance, conversion and regeneration, are substantially the same. They all signify a thorough change of views, affections, purposes and conduct; and this change is every where declared to be essential to salvation. And this is not a merely arbitrary constitution. No one is capable of the enjoyment of heavenly felicity who has never been born again. Without spiritual life, what would the sinner do in heaven? If men have no love to God, nor relish for his service, heaven is no place for them. Heaven is a holy place, and all the exercises and employments are holy, therefore, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." And to be holy, ye must be born again. Having considered the necessity of regeneration, we come now to speak of the power by which it is effected — of the instrument in accomplishing it — and of its nature and effects. Regeneration must be the peculiar work of God, because it is "a new creation," and no power but that of God is adequate to such a work. It is a resurrection from the worst kind of death, and none can inspire the dead with life but the Almighty. It is giving sight to the blind, and opening the eyes which never saw the light of day, to behold the beauty of holiness, and the glory of God; but the same power which in the beginning caused light to shine out of darkness, must shine into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. "Except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot see the kingdom of God." "The wind bloweth where it listeth, etc., so is every one that is born of the spirit." "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." Those who are the sons of God are not "born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Paul calls this change "the washing of regeneration," and "the renewing of the Holy Ghost." And David prays, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." But why multiply proofs of a truth so evident from reason as well as Scripture? If there be any such internal change of the heart, God must be its author; for how else could it be produced? "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." If a tree be evil, who can make it good, but he who created it? If the heart be deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, will it purify itself? If all the thoughts and imaginations of man's heart are evil and only evil and that continually, whence will spring a holy nature? For a sinner to regenerate himself would be as absurd an idea, as for a man to create or beget himself. It is God that begins this good work within his people, and he will carry it on. As God the Holy Spirit is the Author of regeneration; so the instrument employed is the Word of God. This is as clearly taught in Scripture as that God is the author or efficient cause. God is able to work without means, but both in the worlds of nature and grace it has pleased him to employ appropriate means for the accomplishment of his own ends. But although we know the fact that there is an established connection between means and ends; yet we are not competent to explain, in any case, how the end is produced by the means employed. Our animal frame is formed, and organized, and nourished, and kept alive, and recovered from disease by means adapted to these ends, but no one can explain the secret process of nature in these operations. Curious inquiries respecting the way in which the word is instrumental in the production of this change are not for edification. Sometimes regeneration is considered distinctly from the acts and exercises of the mind which proceed from it, but in the Holy Scriptures the cause and effect are included; and we shall therefore treat the subject in this practical and popular form. The instrumentality of the word can never derogate from the efficient agency of the Spirit in this work. The Spirit operates by and through the word. The word derives all its power and penetrating energy from the Spirit. Without the omnipotence of God the word would be as inefficient as clay and spittle, to restore sight to the blind. Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy over the dry bones in the valley of vision. Thus ministers are now sent to call upon those who are dead in trespasses and sins, to awake and arise from the dead, but none will obey their voice, unless a divine power accompanies their words. Men, it is true, are rational and accountable agents, and are therefore proper subjects of commands and exhortations; yet are they destitute of spiritual life, and no power but that of God as we have seen can communicate life. When the Spirit operates by the word, the soul before dead in sin is rendered susceptible of impressions from divine truth. The entrance of the truth under this divine influence gives light, and excites holy affections, which prompt to good purposes, and as a matter of course, the external actions are in obedience to the law of God. The man becomes a new creature. His wicked life is reformed. Actions before materially good are now performed from love to God and with a view to his glory. That the word of God is indeed the instrument or means of producing this change is evident from many plain testimonies of Scripture; such as the following, "The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." "The testimonies of the Lord are sure making wise the simple." "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." "Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever." Therefore the word of God is called "the sword of the Spirit," and is said to be "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner to the thoughts and intents of the heart." So in the exposition of the parable of the sower, our Lord says, "The seed is the word of God." And this seed, when sown on good ground bringeth forth fruit manifold. "For these are they which hear the word and receive it and bring forth fruit." The most precious seed never vegetates nor brings forth fruit, until it receives a vivifying influence from without; so the word of God, unaccompanied by the influences of the Holy Spirit, remains unfruitful, however often it may be heard or read; or however it may be treasured in the memory or theoretically understood. To have fruit it is not only necessary to have good seed, but good ground. Make the tree good and the fruit shall be good; for a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. There is need of a quickening influence on the dead soul of the sinner to render it capable of apprehending and appreciating the truth. In the order of causation life must precede action, but in the order of time the communication of life and the acts of the new creature are simultaneous. Lazarus was called from the dead by the voice of Christ, but he must have been inspired with life before he could hear that voice. But still it is proper to say, that he was called into life by the omnipotent voice of our Savior. So when the gospel is preached, the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live. Or we may illustrate the instrumentality of the word by the case of the blind man whose eyes our Lord opened. This man, when he first looked up, saw objects indistinctly, "men as trees walking;" but when he looked a second time, he saw things clearly. Christ caused this man to see by the light of heaven which shone around him; but the power causing him to see was exerted on the eye, removing the obstacles to vision, or supplying what was defective in the organ. As soon as this was done, the light was the medium of the perception of surrounding objects. Thus the soul of every man is by nature blind. The light may shine around him, but he comprehendeth it not. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." By the energy of the Holy Spirit this incapacity of spiritual vision is taken away; the eyes of the understanding are enlightened. The blindness is removed, and spiritual objects are perceived; but alas! with most, very indistinctly at first. "The light of the just increaseth more and more unto the perfect day." Truth is just as necessary to every spiritual act and exercise, as light is to vision. Where the truth is not apprehended there can be no faith, for faith is a belief of the truth; there can be no love, for it is by the truth that the excellencies of the character of God and Christ are made known. Without the knowledge of the truth, there can be no repentance, for this is the light which shows the holiness and extent of the law and the evil of sin. Thus it is evident that without the truth there can be no holy exercise and no true obedience. Therefore, we never find the Holy Spirit operating on adults but as accompanying the word of truth. We can conceive of a preparation of the heart to receive the truth before it is known, as in fact the knowledge of the truth is acquired very gradually. Thus we can conceive of a divine agency on the heart of a heathen, by which he would be disposed to receive the truth as soon as it should be made known. Such a divine influence does probably prepare the way for the success of the gospel; but where the word is never sent, there we have no evidence that the Spirit exerts his renovating influence on the minds of men. Thus also we can form some idea how infants are regenerated. As they are capable of no moral exercises at present, they do not need the truth; but the Spirit of God can so renovate their depraved souls as to render them capable of apprehending and feeling the truth, as soon as their faculties are sufficiently developed; whether in this world or in another. And as we are all by nature the children of wrath — conceived in sin — and dead, infants need regeneration as really as adults, and cannot enjoy the holy happiness of heaven without such a renovation of their fallen nature. From the connection which God has established in ordinary cases between the word and regeneration, we see the importance of sending the gospel to the heathen, and of having the good seed of the word sown as much as possible in every soul. The word should be preached in season and out of season, and the truth should be inculcated on the minds of children from their earliest years. Here is work in which all may engage and be useful. Hence also we learn how precious the book of God is which contains his holy word, and how desirable it is to have it faithfully translated into all languages, and circulated round the earth, until every family shall be in possession of the oracles of God. For not only in the preaching of the word of God, but also the reading of the Holy Scriptures, an effectual means of salvation. Agreeably to that in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation." Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, "for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." That usually a conviction of sin takes place previously to a change of heart, is a fact of common experience: and there seems to be a solid reason for this, that the sinful moral agent may be sensible of his miserable condition before he is delivered from it. As man naturally seeks to justify himself by his own righteousness, it is necessary that he should be cut off from this dependence on a broken law, which is now 'weak through the flesh,' and cannot bring him to life; and that he should see and feel that he is already justly condemned, and must despair of relief from the law. God permits the awakened sinner to try what he can do towards saving himself, until wearied with his own ineffectual efforts, he is brought to feel that he is indeed a lost sinner, and that there is no hope for him but in the sovereign mercy of God, on which he has no claim. It is suitable that when so great a benefit as pardon and eternal life is bestowed, it should be so conferred, as that the unworthy recipient should be fully convinced that it is a free gift, and an undeserved favor which might be most justly withheld. Otherwise the saved sinner would not feel a deep sense of his obligations; and his gratitude for free grace through eternity would not be so ardent. Some, however, are inclined to the opinion that conviction of sin, which is of any real value, is subsequent to regeneration, and forms a part of that evangelical repentance which all the chosen of God experience. They suppose, that mere legal terrors, which are often felt by the reprobate here, and by all the wicked in hell, can have no necessary connection with regeneration; and that that deep sense of the turpitude and demerit of sin, which commonly precedes a sense of reconciliation, and is by many thought to precede regeneration, is really a consequence of that spiritual change, and a sure evidence that it has taken place. As the question only relates to the order of the exercises of the true penitent, it seems unnecessary to occupy time in discussing it. On both sides it is agreed that mere legal convictions, however the conscious may be awakened, and the soul agitated with terror, are no evidences of a change of heart. And it is also agreed, that all regenerate persons are brought to a deep sense of the intrinsic evil of sin, and this leads them inevitably to the conclusion, that God would be just if he should inflict upon them the condign punishment which he has threatened in his word. Indeed, when the mind is spiritually enlightened to see something of the great evil of sin, the penitent soul cannot help taking the part of God against itself, and approving of its own condemnation. The question is sometimes asked, whether is regeneration an instantaneous or a gradual work? This is not a merely speculative question. If this is a gradual work, the soul may for some time, yea, for years, be hanging between life and death, and be in neither one state or nor the other, which is impossible. Suppose a dead man to be brought to life by a divine power, as Lazarus was, could there be any question of whether the communication of life was immediate? Even if the vital principle was so weak as not to manifest itself at once, yet its commencement must be instantaneous; because it may be truly asserted that such a man is dead or alive; if the former, life has not commenced, and whenever that state ceases, the man lives, for there is no intermediate state. So in regard to the communication of spiritual life, the same thing may be asserted; for whatever regeneration is, the transition from a state of nature to a state of grace must occur at some point of time, the moment before the sinner was unregenerate. This will be true even upon the principles of those who believe that the exercises of the regenerate man are not specifically different from those which are found in natural men under the common operations of the Spirit, but that the difference is merely in degree. For according to this theory, there will be some certain degree at which the man may be pronounced regenerate; at any inferior degree he is unregenerate; then the moment in which he passes from the next inferior degree to that in which regeneration consists is the moment of regeneration. We suppose that they who are pleased with this notion of the nature of regeneration would fix upon the time when pious feelings and desires become predominant as the period when the man is regenerated; but this must occur at some particular moment, and thus, regeneration is immediate and not gradual. By gradual regeneration, however, they may mean a gradual preparation for that state, by a continual increase of good desires and resolutions up to the time when the man becomes a true Christian. Upon this hypothesis, the correct way of speaking would be to say that the preparatory work was gradual, but regeneration itself was instantaneous. As if the change were compared to the entrance into some enclosure. The line of separation between the space within and the space without is passed in a moment; yet in coming to it many steps may have been required, and much time employed. But this theory of regeneration which makes it to be nothing else but an increase of previously existing principles is not consistent with reason, experience, or Scripture. Indeed, there would be no propriety in the use of the word on this hypothesis: for such a change would be nothing else but the growth of a principle already in existence. To regenerate is to beget again, to give origin to a kind of life not already existing in the person. Again, according to this theory, there may be an almost inconceivably small difference between the regenerate and unregenerate. Suppose the latter to have advanced to the point nearest to the line of demarcation, of course the difference between him and the man who has actually passed the line may be so small that it cannot be distinctly conceived: and yet one of these is supposed to go to heaven, while the other is sent to hell. It is true that grace in the feeblest saint prevails over sin and the world habitually; but sometimes iniquities prevail against him for a season, as in the case of David and Peter. Upon this theory the believer, in every such case, must be fallen from grace; for if regeneration took place when good affections predominated, when at any time they lose their predominance, the believer must have fallen from his regenerate state, which opinion is held by some Arminians, who maintain that both David and Peter had entirely lost the principle of grace and had fallen into condemnation. But the true Scriptural doctrine is, that there is a specific difference between the exercises of the regenerate and the unregenerate. In the one there is true faith, sincere love to God, and genuine repentance, whereas in the other, there are no such exercises, in any degree. There may be resemblances and counterfeits, but in souls dead in trespasses and sins, there exists no faith, no sincere love, nor any other exercise of the spiritual life. The carnal mind is enmity against, and is not subject to the law of God, neither can be. But when regeneration takes place, although the exercises of piety may for a time be feeble, yet everlasting life is begun; such a soul can never perish for it is united to Christ by an indissoluble union. The commencement of this work is often involved in much obscurity, as in the case of those who have been religiously educated, and have been early made the subjects of the saving operations of the Holy Spirit. Such persons having never run to the same excess of wickedness as many others, the change in their external conduct is not very perceptible; and having been regenerated at a period of life when their knowledge was small, and their judgment weak, they are unable to determine satisfactorily the nature of their early impressions. In consequence of this, and from observing a more remarkable change in others, they are led to call in question the reality of their conversion. Indeed, there is much danger lest unregenerate persons should, through the exceeding deceitfulness of the heart, confound the tender impressions which are sometimes experienced by youth religiously instructed, with the saving work of the Holy Spirit. External regularity and decency of deportment, with a respect for religion, and occasional fits of compunction, and strong desires of salvation, have induced many to cherish a fallacious hope; and sometimes pious parents and ministers from a solicitous desire to see the young taking their place in the church, have been accessory to this delusion. And the danger of deception is greatly increased, when artificial means of excitement are applied to a mind tenderly awake to the importance of religion. Under such influences, many, after a season of agitation, have experienced an animal exhilaration, or a calm which naturally succeeds a storm, and have hastily taken up the fond persuasion that they had experienced a change of heart, when all that has been felt is nothing more than the workings of nature, or at most the convictions and desires which arise from the common influences of the Spirit. When such persons are persuaded to enter the communion of the church hastily, one of two events will ensue. Either they will forsake their profession and fall back to the world; or they will become formalists, and perhaps hypocrites, for life; secretly practicing iniquity, and utterly neglecting the religion of the heart, and often of the closet, while their public duties in the church are regularly, and it may be zealously performed. For as such professors have it as an object to lead others to think well of their religion, they will sometimes affect a zeal which is not genuine, and will manifest a strictness bordering on rigor, in external rites and observances. The savor of piety is however wanting, and the spirit of Christian humility and meekness cannot be counterfeited: the very attempt betrays the want of these tempers. And God in his righteous providence often brings false professors into such circumstances, that their true character is manifested to all men. They are permitted to fall into disgraceful sins in the sight of men, or their secret crimes, in which they had long indulged, are made public. The conversion of some persons is so remarkable, either on account of the greatness and suddenness of the change, or the clearness with which God reveals Christ to their souls, that it is almost impossible for them to doubt the genuineness of their conversion. Such a case was that of Paul. Such also was the conversion of Col. Gardiner. The cases of John Newton and Richard Cecil are somewhat different. They had both gone to great lengths in infidelity and profligacy, so that the change was very great, yet it was not sudden but gradual. Still they seem never to have doubted of the reality of their change. The views and feelings of all regenerated souls are of the same kind, although they may be exceedingly different in degree, and greatly modified by a variety of circumstances. Probably every case of genuine religious experience has something peculiar. The circumstances which commonly give complexion to these exercises are constitutional temperament, early habits and associations, the doctrinal knowledge possessed, the degree of terror or pungency of conviction which preceded, and the nature of the truths which happen to be first contemplated by the regenerated mind. It is a vain thing, therefore, to attempt to give in exact detail and order, the exercises of the new creature. For one man to make his own experience the standard by which to measure all other Christians is as unreasonable as it would be to insist that all men should be of the same stature, strength, and complexion. But in the midst of this diversity there is a general likeness. The same truths operate on all, and the same affections are excited in all. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." Without undertaking to describe the feelings of the renewed man in their actual succession, we will speak of them in relation to the truths by which they are produced. A regenerated soul has views of God's holy character and of his law, different from any experienced before. The doctrinal or speculative notions may have been correct or extensive, but to the intrinsic excellence of spiritual objects, the unregenerate man is blind. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." The view now enjoyed may be faint and indistinct, but still it is of the right kind, and the emotions which accompany it are new. A reverential fear of God is spread over the soul; a holy awe takes possession of the mind. There is also a deeper impression of the presence, power and majesty of God. His holiness is most distinctly contemplated in the moral law, and we cannot behold the divine image in the glass, without a deep conviction of our own sinfulness, and lively sorrow for the sins which we have committed. These sins appear now to be exceeding base, and the soul is not only penetrated with grief, but overwhelmed with shame, ceases not to condemn itself for having consented thus to transgress a holy law, and is deeply humbled in self-abasement before God. There is no longer any disposition to entertain hard thoughts of God as being too severe, but he is fully justified in the inmost convictions of the heart, and the penitent, instead of excusing or palliating his own sins, takes upon himself the whole blame, and freely acknowledges that God would be perfectly just in the infliction of the tremendous penalty of his holy law. Indeed, the view of divine justice is sometimes so clear, and that attribute appears so excellent, that the enlightened soul cannot but approve his own condemnation. He fully acquiesces in the righteousness of the divine administration, although he should be sent to hell. "And if my soul were sent to hell, Thy righteous law approves it well." Another emotion which is common to all penitents, is a pungent sense of ingratitude to the best of beings and kindest of benefactors. There is no view which so certainly breaks and melts the hard heart as a sense of God's goodness; especially of his long suffering and patience which bore with us while we were wickedly rebelling against him. If tears ever flow, this feeling will draw them forth in copious floods. There is one view of sin however which produces an effect without parallel. It is the representation of its abominable nature in the cross of Christ, in the painful wounds inflicted on his body, in the ignominy to which he was exposed, and above all, in the vials of wrath which were poured out without mixture or mitigation on his holy soul. Here, as it were in characters of blood, we see depicted the unspeakable turpitude and guilt of sin. Here, at the foot of the cross, the love of sin receives a death-wound, and the heart is divorced from all its long cherished idols. Now the solemn purpose is formed to forsake sin, and to endeavor to live to God, in all holy obedience. Christ appears glorious and lovely not only as a Savior but as a Lord; and there is now no reluctance or hesitation about receiving him and trusting in him. For a while the convinced and humbled sinner is kept back from closing with the gracious terms of the gospel, by a legal spirit, by a sense of its own unworthiness, and a fear that if it comes it will not be received. It cannot conceive of that riches and freeness of grace which will welcome the chief of sinners to the house of mercy. A lingering thought of some previous cleansing or preparation; or at least of some deeper conviction, or more tender relentings, prevents a speedy approach to Jesus. But O, when he manifests his love which brought him from a throne to a cross, doubt and unbelief are driven away, and like Thomas, the believing penitent exclaims, "My Lord and my God." Where sin is truly repented of, there is always a willingness, and even a desire to confess it. Therefore we read, "That with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Our confession should be made chiefly unto God, for him have we offended. "Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil." And the sincere penitent spends much time in humble prostration of soul before God, confessing with brokenness of heart his multiplied and aggravated sins. He is ready to confess faults before men, and especially before the church, so far as it is thought to be for the glory of God and edification of the church. And if he has done injustice to individuals, he wishes to confess the wrong, and is anxious to make reparation, and even to do more. "Half my goods," said the converted publican, "I give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." The prayer of another publican was, "God be merciful to me a sinner." It must not be passed over, though it would be understood by every experienced reader, that such views as have been described cannot but enkindle a holy flame of love to Christ, and to his cause and people. True faith cannot exist without love — it works by love. The views of faith cause the love of God to be shed abroad in the soul, and a sense of his love enkindles ours. "We love him because he first loved us." God is love. This is the brightest and most amiable aspect of his character; and when that divine excellence is manifested in unparalleled love to us, it cannot but produce a powerful effect in winning the affections, and drawing forth the heart in returns of love to him, "who has loved us and given himself for us." Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends: but God hath manifested his love by giving his only begotten Son to die for us while we were enemies. The cross becomes the great point of attraction to the believer, and the center of his warmest affections. From this point radiate the brightest rays of the divine glory. From the cross go forth the most potent influences to conquer the world, and to draw all men to the Savior. The regenerate man lives by faith upon his crucified Redeemer. Paul's experience is this, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." The new life inspired in regeneration is a life of dependence — of entire dependence upon Christ. The love of God in Christ is the animating principle of the new creature. But graces rise not alone, they cluster together, and mutually support and adorn each other. Faith works by love; faith and love united generate hope; for the good which is loved and looked for, is not present but future. And when hope rises to assurance it brings forth joy; and a sense of God's favor, and confidence in his mercy and protection fills the soul with abiding peace; a peace which the world cannot give, but which Christ often breathes into the hearts of his disciples. "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled nor afraid." But although true religion consists essentially in right feeling, it does not stop there, but goes forth into outward acts of obedience. Prayer and praise are no longer a task, but a delight. Searching the Scriptures, and meditation on the works and word of God, become the daily employments of the genuine convert; and his progress in divine knowledge is often astonishingly rapid. He thirsts after the knowledge of God, and his prayers for divine illumination are answered by the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, who by degrees leads him into the knowledge of all necessary truth. The occasions of social and public worship are pleasant and refreshing to the renewed man, and the sacred rest and holy exercises of the Christian sabbath are in perfect correspondence with the taste and temper of his mind. He is ready to exclaim, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts, my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord." "One day in thy courts is better than a thousand." A renewed heart is not only a devotional but a benevolent heart. One of the strongest feelings experienced by the person truly converted is a desire for the salvation of others. This expansive desire may begin at home among his own kindred and friends, but it will go on to enlarge the circle until it has no other limits but the ends of the earth. Every man, however separated by distance or other circumstances, is viewed as a neighbor and a brother, and the desire of happiness for all who are not removed beyond the reach of mercy, becomes a cherished and predominate feeling, and prompts to active exertions as well as fervent prayers in behalf of those who are perishing in unbelief or for lack of knowledge. And the sincere inquiry is made, "Lord what would thou have me to do?" To promote the glory of God and the happiness of men are now the two great ends to which all plans and actions are directed. With cheerful alacrity and steady purpose the regenerated man begins a life of obedience and active usefulness. And as God has connected him with others by various relations, out of which spring an obligation to perform relative duties, he feels this obligation, and endeavors to fill up the circle of prescribed actions with diligence and fidelity. Whatever may be his condition in life, he will find enough to do. As a parent, a husband or wife, a child or brother, a magistrate or private citizen, a teacher or pupil, a master or servant, a friend or stranger, the law of God is so broad that it reaches his case and embraces every relation of human life, whether natural or artificial. The man who steadily performs these duties, and from day to day, like the sun, goes through his prescribed course, is indeed a regenerated man, for the tree is known by its fruits. As this world is a place of trial and discipline, the child of God is not only called to act with energy, but to suffer with patience. He who is taught of God learns to be submissive to the divine will, and to bear with fortitude those evils which are incident to pilgrims and strangers in this world. But while the regenerated man experiences those exercises of piety which have been mentioned, he is not free from feelings of contrary nature. The old man, or the deep-rooted principle of sin, has received a deadly wound in regeneration, but the carnal life lingers, and sometimes struggles with great force to recover the mastery of the soul. Innumerable corruptions are bred in the heart, and often these hidden evils are brought to view by the power of temptation, so that, for a season, "iniquities prevail," and the unwatchful Christian is led captive by his enemies; and if God did not reclaim him from his backsliding, he would be utterly lost. The existence, at the same time, of two opposite principles in the soul, of necessity produces a conflict. "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, so that we cannot do the things that we would." This spiritual conflict is very painful, and the Christian soldier is often astonished at himself, and is led to bewail his own imperfection and inconsistency. He finds his enemies to be much more powerful and obstinate than he expected, when he enlisted under the banner of the cross. He pleased himself then with the prospect of an easy victory, and an almost unresisted progress. Sin appeared to be dead; but the appearance was deceitful, it only lay concealed in the depths of a deceitful heart. And when he finds the strength of his corruptions, and the feebleness of his graces, he is often much discouraged, and greatly fears that he shall one day fall by the hand of some of his numerous enemies. The stability of the covenant of grace, and the faithfulness of God's promises, are not at first fully understood; but gradually the sincere convert learns to live by faith, knowing and feeling that all his strength and comfort are treasured up in Christ. And after many painful contests, and some shameful defeats, he has the pleasure of finding that his enemies give him less disturbance than before, and learns to resist them more successfully, by means of the word, prayer and faith. From what has been said we may deduce the following summary. 1. Regeneration is the commencement of spiritual life in a soul before dead in sin, by the omnipotent agency of God; and the exercises of this life are specifically different from all the exercises of an unregenerate heart. 2. The strength of the principle of life in the new birth, as in the natural birth, is exceedingly various; for while some are brought into the world of grace in the clear light of day, and are from the first active and vigorous, and enjoy much comfort in their pious exercises; others give very obscure evidence of being in possession of life, and remain long in a state of feebleness. Indeed, some are like children who seem at birth to be dead, but afterwards revive, and by degrees acquire vigor and maturity. But it by no means is a uniform fact that the children who are most healthy and vigorous at birth, continue to be so throughout life. Disease or other disasters may check their growth, and debilitate their constitution; while those who commence life in extreme weakness may acquire strength, and grow prosperously from year to year; so that, in mature age, they may have greatly surpassed many who were much more healthy and vigorous in the earliest stage of existence. Analogous to this are the facts observable in the spiritual life. 3. While some may experience this change so remarkably that they never can doubt of its reality, and can refer to the very day when they emerged from darkness to life, others, who nevertheless are truly regenerated, remain long in doubt about their spiritual state; and even when the evidence of their conversion becomes satisfactory, they are utterly unable to fix the precise time when they began to live. And it is probable that many who speak with confidence of the time and place of their new birth, mistake entirely respecting this point: the time to which they refer the commencement of their spiritual life, is more probably the season of some clear manifestation of the divine favor, when darkness and sorrow were succeeded by joy and peace; and yet the principle of life may have existed long before. There is good reason to think that the exercises of a soul under conviction are often those of the sincere penitent. 4. Spiritual life is progressive in its nature. Habitual growth in grace is the best evidence of its reality. Those affections and joys which are temporary, however high they may arise, are not the exercises of a new creature. Under the influence of a strong love of happiness and dread of misery, and the convictions of an awakened conscience, many are greatly concerned about their salvation, and are induced to attend diligently and earnestly on the means of grace, and often are deeply impressed and shed many tears; and from some latent principle in the human constitution an oppressive burden of misery may suddenly be succeeded by a feeling of pleasure and lightness, accompanied by the persuasion that sin is pardoned and God appeased. This change of feeling may have its origin merely in the animal frame or nervous system, and may be illustrated by the effects produced by physical causes, such as opiates, carminatives, nitrous-oxide, etc. Or these sudden joys may originate in some suggestion to the mind, as that our sins are pardoned, or that God loves us, and the delusion is more complete if this sudden suggestion comes clothed in the language of Scripture, as son or daughter "thy sins are forgiven thee." These false conversions soon die away, and like the seed on stony ground, bring no fruit to maturity. But genuine piety is a growing principle, and proves that it has deep root by its regular advancement towards perfection. This gradual process in piety is beautifully represented by our Lord under the figure of seed vegetating and going on to maturity. "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear." Growth in piety resembles the growth of the human body from childhood to manhood. No progress is visible from one day to another, but in months and years the increase is manifest. And as the body, while rising to maturity, may for a season be retarded or thrown back by disease, so also the health of the soul is sometimes deeply impaired, and the exercises of piety in such a state of declension, become extremely feeble. But from these diseases the Great Physician knows how to recover the souls which he has redeemed. 5. Genuine piety is a permanent and undying principle, and thus it may be distinguished from transient impressions, however powerful; yet we should not suppose that the exercises of the real Christian are uniform, or that all experience equal fluctuations of feeling. We cannot ascertain, much less describe, all the causes which may singly, or in combination, give complexion to the frames and exercises of a child of God; nor can we determine, in many cases, why one believer enjoys so much more tranquillity and cheerful hope than another, who may be equally sincere, and equally fervent in spirit. A melancholy temperament, or a disposition to anticipate the worse in all matters, and to contemplate the dark side of the picture, has doubtless a great effect in modifying the exercises of many pious people. They are naturally gloomy and desponding, and they bring this temper with them into religion. They are always full of doubts and fears, and though they do really possess the characteristics of piety, they will not be encouraged to hope with confidence. They hang their heads daily like the bulrush, and are of a sorrowful spirit, and refuse to be comforted. On the other hand, persons of a sanguine temperament, as in other things, so in religion, are disposed to view every thing in the most favorable light; and although their evidences may really be no clearer than his who is forever in doubt and distress; yet they cherish a favorable opinion of their spiritual state. That, however, which we wish to inculcate is, that true piety is an abiding principle, which, however the feelings may fluctuate, never becomes extinct. 6. One of the certain effects of divine illumination is an increasing knowledge of the sinfulness of our own hearts. These views of inbred corruption are indeed most appalling and discouraging; they are also unexpected; but they are among the most salutary with which we are favored; and they furnish the best evidence of the genuineness of a work of grace. Hypocrites may talk much of the wickedness of their hearts, and even exceed all bounds in the accusations which they bring against themselves; but their words are like the parrot's, without meaning; they would be offended if any one believed only a small part of their self-accusations. Their object is not to be thought corrupt and sinful, but humble and holy. True humility, however, arises out of this knowledge of our own hearts, and is proportioned to the degree of self-knowledge which we possess. These spiritual views also cut up by the root self-righteousness and self-dependence. The man who knows the corruption of his own heart, and the secret defects of his holiest emotions and best affections, will never be disposed to place the least dependence on his own works. This knowledge also stirs him up to prayer, by showing him his urgent necessities. 7. The truly regenerated man hates, opposes, and endeavors to extirpate all sin. He can say with David, "I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way." Although on certain occasions sinful propensities may gain a temporary dominion, and he may fall, like Noah, David, and Peter, into grievous transgressions; yet is not a sinful life the choice of his heart, nor is it his purpose to indulge in sin: and when overcome by its power, like an elastic body bent out of its usual position, he quickly returns to his habitual state of feeling and acting. He soon finds the pleasure of sin turned into wormwood and gall; he weeps like Peter when he reflects upon his shameful ingratitude; and like David in the fifty-first Psalm, he makes penitent confession of his sin, and earnestly prays for pardon, cleansing, the restoration of divine favor and spiritual joy. These falls are like broken bones or dislocated joints; they are apt to give pain in the retrospect as long as life endures; but God over-rules even our faults sometimes for good, by making them the occasion of teaching us more thoroughly our own weakness and the depth of our corruption, and by rendering us more watchful and more sensible of our dependence on divine aid for continuance in a state of grace. 8. As the word of God furnishes both the motive and the object of all spiritual affections, it cannot but be very dear to the renewed heart, especially as it reveals Christ in all his offices as the Redeemer of his people. As naturally and instinctively as the new born babe thirsts after the nutriment which flows from the mother's breast, so the young child of grace desires the sincere or unadulterated milk of the word, that it may grow thereby. "O how love I thy law" is the language of his heart. His estimation of the word is above all the most precious treasures of earth. "More to be desired than gold, yea than much fine gold." And pleasant as well as precious. "Sweeter also than honey or the honeycomb." Therefore, "he delights in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night." A lively relish for divine truth, and a cordial approbation of all God's word is one mark of a renovation of heart. Every true convert is a student of the Bible, a disciple at the feet of Jesus whom alone he acknowledges to be an infallible Teacher. The longer he lives the more highly does he appreciate the sacred Scriptures and he finds in them a well spring of life, a never failing source of consolation. 9. A regenerated man loves the people of God. "Hereby," says the apostle John, "we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren." This, in the religion of Christ, is considered to be a principle of vital importance. Our Lord himself inculcated no duty more frequently or more urgently. This he calls "a new commandment;" and, indeed, makes it the badge by which his disciples should be known by the world. "Hereby shall all men know that ye are my disciples by the love which ye have for one another." The apostles also, in their writings, exhibited the obligation of Christians to exercise this holy affection, with great clearness and frequency. Brotherly love, when genuine, is excited by the consideration that Christians are the redeemed, adopted, and acknowledged brethren of their Lord. They are loved for the Master's sake. And again, they are loved because they bear the image of Christ. Love to the brethren is a vital branch springing out of the root of love to God himself. "Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments." 10. A soul that is born of God ardently and habitually desires to glorify God by all practicable means. This is the highest end, as it is the daily end of all the real children of God. They do not wish to live for themselves, but for him who gave himself for them. They endeavor to ascertain, from a consideration of their own talents and circumstances, and from the aspects of Providence, in what occupation, station, or profession, they can serve God most effectually. And they gladly seize opportunities of advancing the interests of Christ's kingdom. Their faculties, their learning, their influence, power, and property, are all consecrated to God; and they consider themselves as stewards of these several talents, which they are under the most sacred obligation to improve for his advantage. This aim is not confined to actions comparatively important, but is extended to all the common concerns of this life. In eating, drinking, plowing, sowing, and in whatever they do, they study to glorify God. He who is born of God has his mind directed to God. He sets his affections on things above, and not on things on the earth. 11. A regenerated man has his will swallowed up in the will of God. "Thy will be done," is his daily prayer from his inmost soul. This acquiescence in the divine will is complete just so far as his heart is renewed, and every feeling of discontent, reluctance or opposition which he feels, in relation to God's administration, he condemns as sinful rebellion. When called to suffer, he bears the rod with filial submission, and though he may beg to be released from the pressure of heavy affliction, yet he asks this in submission to the will of God. If these chastisements, however grievous, can be for the glory of God, or so sanctified to him as to promote his faith and patience, he is willing to endure them, and even to have them increased. True piety never appears more genuine, and never more attractive, than when the people of God are suffering in deep affliction. Trials are to grace what the furnace is to metals: they prove its genuineness and purify it from its dross. Believers cannot know their own sincerity, nor the strength of their own faith, until they are tried. 12. The only other effect of regeneration which we shall mention is a grateful sense of the love and goodness of God. Gratitude is the soul of heart-religion. Unregenerate men may and often do experience a sensation of natural gratitude; and on some occasions it may come upon them with a gush of feeling. Such emotions are amiable and salutary, but they are transient, and involve no perception of the moral excellence of God. But the renewed man cherishes this lively sense of God's goodness continually. It is the most frequent emotion of the heart, and has the most powerful and practical influence upon his life. He is constrained by the love of Christ who died for him. He sees in the manifestation of that love, moral excellence beyond expression. It is the brightest point in his horizon. And the more he contemplates this glory, the more is he fired with the love of gratitude. His only wish to live, is for Christ: his strongest motive for wishing to depart, is to be with Christ. Heaven appears infinitely desirable because there, an eternity will be spent in praising the Redeemer. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 7: ALEXANDER - A WORD TO THE YOUNG ======================================================================== A WORD TO THE YOUNG by Archibald Alexander Beloved youth, when I, who am old, look upon your condition, I cannot but pity you. I do not envy your gaiety and pleasure. The cup which you hold in your hand is inebriating, it is poisoned! The pleasures which you are seeking are "the pleasures of sin," which are short-lived, unsatisfactory, and leave a sting behind. Many are cut down like the flower of the field in the midst of their earthly career. Oh how many are hurried away in an unprepared state. Many others, when the season of youthful gaiety and thoughtlessness is past, are visited with sore afflictions, in the suffering of which all their former pleasures are forgotten, and often embittered by the reflection that they were sinful pleasures, or were mixed with sin. Remorse for the sins of youth is an unwelcome visitant, but one which cannot easily be shaken off. When afflictions are sanctified they become real blessings. But many suffer who, instead of being made better, are made worse by all their sufferings. They become impatient, and murmur at the dispensations of God towards them, as though they were punished more than their sins deserved. Oh, young man, permit me to call your attention to your soul's salvation. This you cannot but know is your great, your highest interest. And why do you neglect it? Why do you put far off the evil day? Your continuance on earth is altogether uncertain. Prepare, I beseech you, to meet your God! "Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." You will lose nothing, but be great gainers, by giving your hearts to God in the days of your youth. "Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." A good conscience, and a lively hope of everlasting life, are the purest sources of joy upon earth. When affliction falls on the pious—and they are not exempt—there is a gracious promise that it will be for their good; yes, that it will work out for them an "exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Let the summons of death come when it will, they are ready. The day of death to such is far better than the day of their birth. Young man, as you have but one short life to live upon earth, have you no desire that it should be occupied in doing good? Are you willing, at the last account, which all must give, to be in the class of those who have lived to no good purpose, who have done nothing for the benefit of their race? You say that you intend to be pious hereafter. What a delusion! Evil habits will grow with your age, sinful desires will not be lessened but increased by indulgence. Old age, if you are permitted to reach it, will find you a hardened sinner; your conscience seared, and all your habits of iniquity confirmed. Oh, could you hear the wailings of a multitude of souls now in hell, methinks their lamentation would be that they procrastinated attention to the salvation of their souls. Why will you run the dangerous risk? Consider that eternal life and eternal death are now set before you; and God calls on you to choose which you will have. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 8: ALEXANDER - ALMOST CHRISTIAN ======================================================================== THE ALMOST CHRISTIAN by Archibald Alexander The almost Christian may have a speculative knowledge of all the leading truths of Christianity, and may be able to defend them. The almost Christian entertains a great respect for religion and its professors and institutions. The almost Christian feels a strong desire to enjoy the benefits of the gospel, and may often have his affections much moved, and may form many good resolutions; he may indeed possess a counterfeit of experimental religion, so like that it may deceive not only the man himself, but the most judicious ministers. The almost Christian may be exceedingly conscientious and exact in attending on all the external duties of religion; as touching these, he may be "blameless;" and in regard to zeal, he may be ardent, so as to put to the blush the real believer. He may also be liberal, and contribute liberally for the support of the gospel, and to feed the poor. He may become a popular preacher of the gospel, and be the means of the conversion of others. He may even go to foreign lands, to bear the glad tidings of salvation to the heathen. He may, in short, do everything which the real Christian does, and feel everything which the real Christian feels—but one. He fails in one single point, but that is an essential point. He never has given his heart to God. He loves the world better than he loves Christ. That most excellent gift of charity has never been poured into his heart. His religion may be all traced to the mere love of happiness, and the operations of a natural conscience, enlightened and awakened by the doctrinal knowledge of the truth. The apostle Paul teaches, that if a man without CHARITY, that is, love to God and man, should possess angelic eloquence, prophetic knowledge, and the power of working the greatest miracles; yes, if he should have zeal strong enough to make him a martyr, and liberality great enough to induce him to give away all his goods, it would "profit him nothing." Such a one would, after all, be only an almost Christian. The deceitful heart of man will turn itself into every conceivable form and shape but that of true holiness; of this it may assume the shadow, but never the reality. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 9: ALEXANDER - AN AMIABLE YOUTH FALLING SHORT OF HEAVEN ======================================================================== An Amiable Youth Falling Short of Heaven by Archibald Alexander "One thing you lack." Mark 10:21 The history of this young man is given by three of the evangelists, Matthew 19:1-30, Mark 10:1-52, Luke 18:1-43, in nearly the same words. It is therefore doubtless worthy of our marked attention. This youth possessed many things, and yet was deficient in one. He was rich. He was possessed of power, for Luke calls him "a ruler." He was remarkable for his morality. Few young men in our day could compare with him in this respect. When our Savior, to try him, mentioned several of the commandments of the second table, in which our duty to our fellow-men is enjoined, this young man was able to say, "All these have I kept from my youth up." And our Lord did not deny the truth of his assertion; yes, he admitted it, for Mark says, "Then Jesus beholding him, loved him." He was pleased with the purity and blamelessness of his external conduct. Yet this youth had no proper knowledge of the state of his own heart. His obedience was only like that of Paul when a Pharisee, "touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." This young ruler, however, was not ashamed to address Christ in the most respectful manner. He came, regardless of the sneers of his peers, and kneeling, said, "Good Master." He came to him as a serious inquirer. The question which he asked was the most important that he could ask, or that any man ever asked: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He was convinced that something was still needful, but he knew not what. He had heard of the teachings of Christ, and he was impelled by the serious impressions on his mind to break through every difficulty, and to inquire of the Master, believing that he could tell him what to do to secure this object of infinite value. And evidently, he was confident that he was willing to do whatever should be prescribed. Oh, deceitful heart; how little did he know of its true state! But Jesus knew, and in a moment brought him to a fair test. He knew that, notwithstanding all his fair professions, amiable character, and courteous demeanor—he was an idolater in his heart, and worshiped mammon with supreme affection. He therefore said, "Go, sell all that you have, and distribute to the poor; and come, follow me; and you shall have treasure in heaven." O what a test for a lover of riches! See, the young man's countenance changes; he remains silent. His heart is undergoing an evident conflict. Heaven and earth, with all their charms, are before him. For a moment, perhaps, he hesitates; for he sincerely wishes to possess eternal life—but, O upon what a hard condition! to give away all his riches, to which his heart was wedded! No, no! He cannot do it! See, he turns his back on the Savior! He turns his back on all the treasures of heaven! He goes away sorrowful indeed, very sorrowful to lose the opportunity of securing eternal happiness, but deliberately resolved not to relinquish his hold of this world. He will have his "good things" in this life, whatever may become of him in the next. Here is a picture of the true state of thousands—of thousands of well-instructed, moral, and amiable youth! But was not this a hard test? Was it not more than is required of others? Not at all. All may not, in fact, be put to this same test; but every true disciple has already passed this ordeal, and has renounced the world as a portion—as an object of supreme affection. And every true Christian, however much of this world he may possess, would instantly resign it all at the command of Christ. It is the characteristic of every genuine disciple, that, for the sake of Christ, he has been made willing to forsake father, mother, wife and children, house and lands, yes, life itself. It is true, this test, if made practical in our churches, would detect the hypocrisy of a multitude of professors; or rather, their lack of supreme love to Christ is already but too evident, from the ardor with which they pursue the world, and from their unwillingness to part with even a small portion of their wealth to promote the cause of Christ. This young man possessed many excellent qualities and advantages, and lacked but ONE THING. Yet that was the main thing—the one thing needful—a heart to love God supremely—a heart to prefer heavenly treasures to earthly riches. Though his character and conduct were so correct and amiable, yet his heart was not right in the sight of God. He went away sorrowful. But did he ever come back with a better mind? We do not read that he ever did. His sorrow was not that of true repentance; that is, repentance unto life. But his sorrow was "the sorrow of the world, which works death;" a sorrow which probably he has bitterly felt for eighteen centuries, and which will never cease! What good can his riches do him now? They only furnish fuel to the flame in which he is tormented! Let young men look at this! Let the lovers of riches look at this! Although neither the future course of this rich young man in this world, nor his final destiny, is given in the Scriptures; the probability is, that having turned his back on the Savior and on the heavenly inheritance, he relinquished all thought about his salvation from this time, and abandoned himself to the enjoyment of his idolized riches. Men who have for a time been under serious concern about the salvation of their souls, and afterwards turn back to the world, because they find the terms of salvation too difficult, commonly become more careless and more hardened than others. "Their last state is worse than the first." But though we have no record of the end of this rich young man, we have, from the lips of the Savior himself, an affecting account of the end of another rich man, who lived in splendor and pleasure on earth, but neglected piety and charity. The transition, in his case, from a sumptuous table, and from being clothed in purple and fine linen—to the torments of hell, is as great as the imagination can conceive! When he began to experience the keen anguish of future misery, O how bitter was his cry! "Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame!" But it was too late to pray. He had enjoyed his good things here—and torment awaited him in the world of woe! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 10: ALEXANDER - ANSWER TO PRAYER LONG DEFERRED ======================================================================== ANSWER TO PRAYER LONG DEFERRED by Archibald Alexander Half a century ago, the writer was accustomed to frequent places of worship where the houses were situated in a grove, or rather in the midst of the trees of a dense forest, and far from any human habitation. Although the meeting-houses, as they were then called, were frequently unfurnished—a mere shell without ceiling—yet there was a solemnity in these places of worship which was better adapted to promote devotion, than all the most splendid achievements of architecture. No somber light let in through painted windows ever affected my mind like the solemn shade and stillness of the natural growth of the forest. On a certain occasion, when the Lord's supper was about to be solemnized in one of these humble churches, I went early, that I might avoid the conversation and dust of the multitude on the road, and might have an opportunity of solitary meditation under the venerable trees which encompassed the house of prayer. I thought surely that I should be first on the ground; but I was mistaken. I saw an elderly gentleman, who had just secured his horse to a bough of a tree, coming towards the house to meet me; and upon his nearing me, I recognized an old acquaintance, at whose house I had lodged in my journeyings more than once. He had formerly been an elder in a Presbyterian church of some note, but had removed into a neighborhood where there were then scarcely any Presbyterians. Traveling ministers, however, often called upon him and preached in his house, or at some place in his vicinity. As I believed him to be a very pious man, well informed and zealous for the truth, I was pleased to meet with him and hold communion with him. After some general remarks, we got upon the subject of the efficacy of prayer; and as I was young, and he was aged and experienced, I was glad to throw the burden of the conversation on him, and he was not unwilling to speak on a subject which seemed to lie near his heart. In the course of conversation, he related to me a piece of his own experience. He said that his oldest son, who was a lawyer of some eminence, had as unblemished a moral character as any man in the land; and yet, though respectful to religion, he never had manifested any serious concern about his own salvation. "But," said he, "I have had such nearness to God, and such liberty in prayer for his conversion, that I believe those prayers will be answered in due time, whether I live to see it or not. Indeed," said he, "on one occasion I am persuaded that God gave me an assurance that my prayer in his behalf would be answered." This, I confess, appeared to me somewhat like enthusiasm, but I made no reply; and soon our conversation was terminated by the gathering of the people. I thought, however, that I would remember this matter, and from time to time make inquiry respecting the person whose conversion was so confidently expected by his father. Soon after this, the old elder was gathered to his fathers, and died in faith and peace. But residing far from his abode, I know not the particular exercises of his mind as he approached the borders of the other world. For some years I forgot the conversation, and made no inquiry; but some person who was acquainted with the family, informed me that after his father's death, this son fell into habits of intemperance; that, in fact, he became a mere drunkard, remaining at home and stupefying himself with alcoholic drinks every day. Such a case appeared to me nearly hopeless. I had seldom known a man thus brought under the power of strong drink to recover himself. I now thought that the good old father had been deluded by a lively imagination. And for many years every report respecting the son seemed to render the case more hopeless. But behold the truth and faithfulness of a prayer-hearing God. See an example of the efficacy of fervent and importunate prayer, though the answer was long deferred. This man, after continuing in intemperate habits until the age of seventy or more, has recently been completely reclaimed, and not only delivered from that vice, but soundly converted to God. He not only gives evidence of a change, but appears to be eminent in the practice of piety. If now living, and I have not heard of his decease, he must be about eighty years of age. How wonderful are the ways of God. His faithfulness never fails; it reaches unto the clouds. "Your faithfulness is unto all generations." "O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Habakkuk 2:3. Let pious parents learn never to give over praying for their unconverted children, however hopeless the case may seem to be, for God will in faithfulness hear their supplications, and answer them sooner or later in one way or another. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 11: ALEXANDER - CHRIST THE BELIEVER'S LIFE ======================================================================== CHRIST THE BELIEVER'S LIFE by Archibald Alexander Jesus is the believer's life, because he has redeemed him from death. The sentence of death, eternal death, has gone forth against every sinner. "The wages of sin is death." "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." From this curse all believers are delivered by Christ, who endured the curse for them. To such "there is no condemnation;" and they are adapted into the family of God, and made heirs of eternal life. They stand completely justified on account of the perfect righteousness of their Surety. This exemption from death, and title to life, could in no other way be obtained than by Christ's making a sacrifice of his own precious life. Christ is held forth as a Redeemer, and his great work as a redemption. The people redeemed are condemned criminals, who can be released in no other way than by the payment of a ransom. This Christ has paid, satisfying, by his "obedience unto death," both law and justice. Thus the believer has life, not by virtue of his own obedience, but only through Christ. His union with Christ gives him a title to the life which he has procured. Again, Christ is the source of spiritual life to the believer. By nature all men are dead in trespasses and sins. Spiritual life was lost to the whole human race by the transgression of Adam. If there were only a spark of life left in the human soul, it might be nourished, and by assiduous culture, might grow to maturity. But in man's corrupt nature there dwells no good thing. All the thoughts and imaginations of his heart are "only evil continually." To introduce life into the depraved soul, as much requires the exertion of omnipotence as to create man at first. God, who caused light to shine out of darkness, must shine into the heart. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sends forth, the soul is united to Christ, and from him derives life. Just as the branch derives nutriment from the vine, so the believer receives from Christ, his spiritual head, vital influences, by which he lives. This communication of life is called regeneration, or the new birth. People who experience this change are "born of the Spirit," "born from above." And as Christ is the author of this life in its commencement, so he is the cause of its preservation and growth. Every kind of life requires nourishment; and this spiritual principle, called by the apostle "the new man," must be fed. Christians are compared to "new-born babes," who naturally thirst for the pure milk of the word, that they may grow thereby. Their growth depends very much on their increase in knowledge; the word of God, therefore, is the means of the believer's advancement in the divine life. By the Spirit of Christ the word is made effectual; and Christ himself is the sum and substance of the word. The word testifies of him. The word exhibits Christ as "the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." As the body is supported and made to grow by bread, which is called "the staff of life," so Christ is "the bread that came down from heaven." The believer eats his flesh and drinks his blood, "not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but by faith." "The flesh profits nothing." Christ guards against any gross interpretation of his words by saying, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Spiritual life cannot be nourished by flesh. Another respect in which Christ is the life of the believer, is the resurrection of the body. "I am," says he, "the resurrection and the life." "He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." The bodies of believers are united to Christ as well as their souls. The saints do therefore wait and hope for "the redemption of the body," and they shall not be disappointed. For we "look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Finally, Christ will be the source of the believer's life through eternity. The union between Christ and his members shall never be dissolved. He will forever be the fountain from which their happiness flows. "He that has the Son, has life." "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." How emphatically may it then be said, that Christ is the believer's life. He is indeed "all in all." And they who have received the Lord Jesus, possess everything which they can really need. They are complete in him; for "of God, he is made unto them wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." "All things are theirs, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are theirs: and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 12: ALEXANDER - COUNSELS OF THE AGED TO THE YOUNG ======================================================================== COUNSELS OF THE AGED TO THE YOUNG Archibald Alexander, 1844 It is a matter of serious regret that young people are commonly so little disposed to listen to the advice of the aged. This prejudice seems to have its origin in an apprehension that austerity and rigor naturally belong to advanced years; and that the loss of all susceptibility of pleasure from those scenes and objects which afford delight to the young, produces something of an ill-natured or envious feeling towards them. Now it cannot be denied that some of the aged are chargeable with the fault of being too rigid in exacting from youth the same steady gravity which is fitting in those who have lived long, and have had much experience in the world: not remembering that the constitutional temperament of these two periods of human life is very different. In youth, the spirits are buoyant, the susceptibilities lively, the affections ardent, and the hopes optimistic. To the young, everything in the world wears the garb of freshness; and the novelty and variety of the scenes presented keep up a constant excitement. These traits of youthful character, as long as sin and excess are avoided, are not only allowable, but amiable; and would in that age be badly exchanged for the more sedate and grave emotions which are the natural effects of increasing years, and of long and painful experience. But it is greatly to be desired that the lessons of wisdom taught by the experience of one set of men should be made available for the instruction of those who come after them. We have, therefore, determined to address a few short hints of advice to the rising generation, on subjects of deep and acknowledged importance to all; but previously to commencing, we would assure them that it is no part of our object to interfere with their innocent enjoyments, or to deprive them of one pleasure which cannot be shown to be injurious to their best interests. We wish to approach you, dear youth, in the character of affectionate friends, rather than in that of dogmatic teachers or stern reprovers. We would therefore solicit your patient, candid and impartial attention to the following counsels: 1. Resolve to form your lives upon some certain principles, and to regulate your actions by fixed rules. Man was made to be governed by reason, and not by mere accident or caprice. It is important, therefore, that you begin early to consider and inquire what is the proper course of human conduct, and to form some plan for your future lives. The lack of such consideration is manifest in the conduct of multitudes. They are governed by the reckless impulses of the moment, heedless of consequences. They have fixed no steady aim and have adopted no certain principles of action. Living thus at random—it would be a miracle if they went uniformly right. In order to your pursuing a right path, you must know what that path is, and to acquire this knowledge, you must divest yourselves of thoughtless giddiness, you must take time for serious reflection. It will not sufficient, to adopt without consideration the opinions of your acquaintances, for they may have some sinister design in regard to you, or they may themselves be misled by error or prejudice. People already involved in dissipation or entangled in error, naturally desire to encourage themselves, by the number of followers whom they can seduce into the paths of vice. As reasonable creatures, therefore, judge for yourselves what course it is right and fitting that you should pursue. Exercise your own reason independently and impartially, and do not give yourselves up to be governed by mere caprice and fashion, or by the opinions of others. 2. While you are young, avail yourselves of every opportunity of acquiring useful KNOWLEDGE. Reason should guide us; but without correct knowledge reason is useless; just as the most perfectly formed eye would be useless without light. There is in every man a natural thirst for knowledge, which needs only to be cultivated and rightly directed. All have not equal opportunities of obtaining important knowledge: but all have more advantages for this object than they utilize. The sources of information are innumerable: the principal, however, are books and other people. In regard to the former, no age of the world which has passed was so favored with a multiplicity of books as our own. Indeed the very number and diversity of character and tendency of authors now create one of the most obvious difficulties to those who are destitute of wise advisers. It would be an unwise counsel to tell you to read indiscriminately whatever comes to hand. The press gives circulation not only to useful knowledge, but to error dressed up plausibly in the garb of truth. Many books are useless, others are on the whole injurious, and some are impregnated with a deadly poison. Waste not your time in works of idle fiction. Touch not the book which exhibits vice in an alluring form. Seek the advice of judicious friends in the choice of books. But you may also learn much from listening to the conversation of the wise and godly. There is scarcely a person so ignorant, who has lived any time in the world, who cannot communicate some profitable hint to the young. Avail yourselves, then, of every opportunity of learning what you do not know; and let not pride prevent you from seeking instruction, lest by this means you should betray your ignorance. Nourish the desire of knowledge, and keep your mind constantly awake and open to instruction from every quarter. But, especially, I would recommend to you the acquisition of self-knowledge. "Know yourself" was a precept held in such high esteem among the ancients, that the honor of inventing it was claimed for several of their wisest men; and not only so, but on account of its superlative excellence, it was believed by many to have been uttered by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi; at which place, as Pliny informs us, it was conspicuously written in letters of gold, over the door of the temple. And this species of knowledge is also inculcated in the Christian Scriptures as most useful and necessary. "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5) And in the Old Testament the value of this knowledge is also fully recognized, where we are exhorted "to commune with our own hearts", (Psalms 4:4) and "to keep our hearts with all diligence". (Proverbs 4:23) And the possession of it is made an object of fervent prayer: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts" (Psalms 139:23)—"Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind." (Psalms 26:2) As this knowledge is necessary to all, so it is placed within the reach of all. But it cannot be acquired without diligent self-examination. To this duty there exists in human nature a strong repugnance, partly from natural and partly from moral causes, so that by most it is entirely neglected, to their exceeding great detriment. But, when it is attempted, we are in great danger of being misled by self-love and prejudice. To acquire any true knowledge of ourselves, some good degree of honesty and impartiality is essentially requisite. But an honest desire to arrive at the truth is not the only prerequisite to self-knowledge. The mind must be enlightened in regard to the standard of rectitude to which we ought to be conformed. "The entrance of your Word gives light." (Psalms 119:130) The Word of God should dwell richly in us, and by the rules and principles of the sacred volume we should form all our sentiments respecting ourselves. This is the candle of the Lord which searches the inward parts of man; and without such a lamp it would be as impossible to obtain any considerable degree of self-knowledge—as to distinguish the objects in a dark room without a light. Self-examination, accompanied with a careful perusal of the Holy Scriptures, will lead us daily to a more thorough knowledge of our own character. Beware of the common illusion of forming your estimate of yourselves from the favorable opinions of those around you. They cannot know the secret principles from which you act, and flattery may have much influence in leading them to speak in your praise. Seize favorable opportunities of judging of the latent strength of your passions. The fact is that, until some new occasion elicits our feelings, we are as ignorant of what is within us, as other people. Study also your constitutional temperament, and consider attentively the power which particular objects and circumstances have over you. You may often learn even from your enemies and calumniators what are the weak points in your character. They are sagacious in detecting faults, and generally have some shadow of truth for what they allege against us. We may therefore derive more benefit from the sarcasms of our foes, than from the flattery of our friends. Learn, moreover, to form a correct estimate of your own abilities, as this is necessary to guide you in your undertakings. 3. Be careful to form good HABITS. Almost all permanent habits are contracted in youth, and these do in fact form the character of the man through life. It is Paley, I believe, who remarks that we act from habit nine times, where we do once from deliberation. Little do young people apprehend the momentous consequences of many of their most frequently repeated actions. Some habits are merely inconvenient, but have no moral quality; others affect the principles of our conduct, and become sources of good or evil to an incalculable degree. As to the former, they should be avoided, as detracting from our comfort and ultimately interfering with our usefulness; but the latter should be deprecated, as laying the foundation of a wicked character, and as standing in the way of all mental and moral improvement. 4. Be particular and select, in the company which you keep, and the FRIENDSHIPS which you form. "Tell me," says the proverb, "what company you keep, and I will tell you what you are." "Bad company ruins good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33) Vice is more easily and extensively diffused by improper companions, than by all other means. As one infected sheep communicates disease to a whole flock, so one sinner often destroys much good, by corrupting all the youth who fall under his influence. When wicked men are possessed of wit and fascinating personality, their influence is most dangerous to the young. We would entreat you, dear young friends, to form an intimacy with no one whose principles are suspicious. The friendship of profligate men is exceedingly dangerous. Listen not to their fair speeches, and warm professions of attachment. Fly from contact with them, as from one infected with the plague! Form no close alliance with such. No more think of taking them to your bosom, than you would a viper! Gaze not on their beauty, nor allow yourselves to be charmed with their fascination of manners. Under these specious appearances, a deadly poison lurks! "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers", (2 Corinthians 6:14) is the exhortation of Scripture. And what can be more unfitting and incongruous, than for an amiable and virtuous woman to be indissolubly united to an unprincipled debauchee? Or, for a good man to be married to a woman destitute of piety and virtue? Be especially careful, therefore, in forming alliances for life. Seek friendship with the wise and godly, and you will become wiser and better by converse with such. 5. Endeavor to acquire and maintain a good REPUTATION. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." (Proverbs 22:1) A ruined fortune may be recovered, a lost reputation never. Young men are often laying the foundation of a bad reputation, while they are thinking of no such thing. They never dream that the character which they attain at school or college will probably be as lasting as life. The youth who is known to be addicted to falsehood, knavery, treachery, etc., when arrived at the age of man, will be viewed by those who know him with distrust. A stain on the character is not easily washed out; at a distant period the faults and follies of youth may be revived to a man's confusion and injury. But especially is the female character exquisitely delicate. A small degree of imprudence will often fix a stigma on the mirthful young lady, which no subsequent sobriety can completely erase. We do not mean that the young should nourish a false sense of honor, which would lead them to fight and contend for reputation. The reputation which we recommend must arise from a life of consistent and uniform well-doing. Prize such a character, as of inestimable value to your own peace, and as a most powerful means of usefulness. The most potent human engine of utility is influence; and this depends entirely on reputation. 6. Manage your FINANCIAL concerns with economy and discretion. Avoid the inconvenience, embarrassment, and vexation of being in debt. Conduct your business with attention and diligence; and have your accounts in such a condition, that you will be at no loss to ascertain the true state of your affairs. Men often become unjust, and injurious to others, without having intended any such thing, merely by a confused and careless manner of transacting their business. Such a man, after a while, feels an unconquerable aversion to a scrutiny into his affairs. He shuts his eyes against the ruin which he is bringing on himself, and heedlessly rushes forward in the path which habit or fashion has rendered agreeable. When, at length, an exigence arrives which constrains him to adopt some measure to extricate himself from his difficulties, he is placed under strong temptation to resort to a course which is not strictly honorable. He persuades himself that, if he can save his credit for the present, he will be able to rectify everything by diligence and good fortune, and to preserve his friends from suffering on his account. But these efforts to recover lost ground commonly prove ineffectual, and render the situation of the person more involved than before. He finds, at length, that he is sinking; and this discovery often produces a desperate recklessness. He plunges deeper and deeper into debt, and often drags to ruin, not only his own family, but some of his friends who confided too implicitly in his truth and integrity. It is also too common for men who have failed in trade, to resort to means for the support of a helpless family, which a sound moral faculty never can approve. The temptation arising from the tender love of wife and children is indeed very strong, but not invincible. In the commercial world, there are many illustrious examples of merit, honor, and the strictest honesty in men who had it in their power to defraud their creditors, or deeply to involve their confiding friends; but who chose rather to look haggard poverty in the face, and to see their beloved families descending from affluence into the valley of obscurity, than to be guilty of a dishonorable act. And in the long run this turns out more to the benefit of those people, than any advantage obtained by a resort to shifts and evasions not entirely consistent with the highest integrity. He who sacrifices reputation for present comfort buys it at too dear a rate. The merchant who, when he fails, loses his reputation for truth and integrity, will meet with but little favor from the world, and will have very little chance of rising again. But he who has been unfortunate, and yet maintains his integrity and preserves his character unsullied, is often able to enter again into business under favorable auspices; and is encouraged and aided in his attempts to gain a living, by men of wealth and standing. Such a man is often successful to such a degree, that he has it in his power to compensate those from whom benefit was derived in the day of his calamity. Beware of being governed by ambition in your commercial enterprises. The pride of doing a large business, and of being considered as at the head of the profession, seduces many aspiring young merchants: and 'greediness of gain' tempts still more to engage in hazardous speculations, and to trade to an extent not authorized by the capital which they have at command. In this way bankruptcies become so common, that the event ceases to excite much surprise. Families delicately raised, and long accustomed to the luxuries as well as the comforts of life, are reduced to poverty. Multitudes of such families are found in our large commercial cities, who are really more properly the objects of charity, than is the common beggar who clamorously solicits your charity. The real privations and sufferings of such are not fully known; for, from the desire of avoiding the contempt and the pity of vulgar minds, such people spread a decent veil over their indigence, and prefer to pine secretly in poverty, rather than to seek relief by a public disclosure of their necessities. The Christian philanthropist will, however, seek out such sufferers, and will contrive methods of bestowing relief upon them in a way consistent with the delicacy of their feelings. The above remarks are particularly adapted to those who engage in commerce; but they are not inapplicable to others. It is true, integrity is the soul of a merchant; but it is a sterling quality which every man ought to possess; and all men are liable to be reduced to a state of indigence by a long series of adverse events. My counsel then is, that you commence and pursue business with prudence; and when unfortunate, that you so act as to preserve your integrity and your reputation, by resorting to no equivocal means of relief; but resolve to act in conformity with the strictest rules of justice and honor. 7. Aim at CONSISTENCY in your Christian character. There is a beauty in moral consistency, which resembles the symmetry of a well-proportioned building—where nothing is deficient, nothing excess. Consistency can only be acquired and maintained by cultivating every part of the Christian character. The circle of Christian virtues must be complete, without chasms or insincerity. A character which is well proportioned and nicely balanced in all its parts, we are not very frequently permitted to witness. For, while in one branch there is vigor and even exuberance, in another there may be the appearance of feebleness and fruitlessness. The man who is distinguished for virtues of a particular class, is apt to be deficient in those which belong to a different class. This is so commonly the fact, that many entertain the opinion that the same person cannot excel in every virtue. Thus it is not expected that the man of remarkable firmness and courage should at the same time be distinguished for meekness and gentleness. But after making due allowance for a difference of constitutional temperament, we must maintain that there is not, nor can there be, any incompatibility between the several virtues of the Christian life. They are all branches of the same root, and the principle which affords nourishment to one, communicates its virtue to all. As all truth is harmonious, however it may, on a superficial and partial view, seem to be contradictory; so all the exercises of moral goodness are not only consistent, but assist and adorn each other. This is so much the case, that symmetry of Christian character has, by some distinguished writers, been laid down as a necessary evidence of genuineness. And it has been insisted on, as probable, that where one virtue seems to exist in great strength, while others are remarkably lacking, it is a mark of spuriousness. There is much reason in this view of the subject; for men are frequently found whose zeal blazes out ardently and conspicuously, so as to leave most others far back in their shadows, while they are totally destitute of that humility, meekness and brotherly kindness which form an essential part of the Christian character. Some men are conscientious and punctilious in the performance of all the external rites and duties connected with the worship of God—who are inattentive to the obligations of strict justice and veracity in their fellowship with men. And on the other hand, many boast of their morality, and yet are notoriously inattentive to the duties of religion. Real Christians, too, are often chargeable with inconsistency, which arises from a lack of clear discernment of the rule of moral conduct in its application to particular cases; for while the general principles of duty are plain, and easily understood by all; the ability to discriminate between right and wrong in many complicated cases is extremely rare. This delicate and correct perception of moral relations can only be acquired by the divine blessing on our assiduous exertions. It is too commonly taken for granted that Christian morals are a subject so easy, that all close study of it is unnecessary. This is an injurious mistake. Many of the deficiencies and inconsistencies of Christians are owing to a lack of clear and correct knowledge of the exact rule of moral conduct. On no subject will you find a greater diversity of opinion, than in regard to the lawfulness or unlawfulness of particular practices. And even godly men are often thrown into difficulty and doubt respecting the proper course to be pursued. But while many cases of inconsistency arise from ignorance of the exact standard of rectitude, more must be attributed to heedlessness and forgetfulness. Many Christian people do not act sufficiently from principle, but too much from custom, from fashion, and from habit. Thus many actions are performed without any inquiry into their moral character. There is an dullness in that person's moral sensibility, which permits evils to pass without censure. Another cause of the inconsistency so commonly observed, is the prevalence which certain passions or appetites may obtain, in the time of temptation. The force of the internal principles of evil is not perceived when the objects and circumstances favorable to their exercise are absent. As the venomous adder seems to be harmless while chilled with cold, but soon manifests his malignity when brought near the fire—so sin often lies hid in the bosom, as though it were dead—until some exciting cause draws it forth into exercise. And then the person himself is surprised to find the strength of his own passions, above anything which he had before conceived. Thus men often act, in certain circumstances, in a way altogether contrary to the general tenor of their conduct. It is by no means a fair inference from a single act of irregularity, that the person who is guilty of it has acted hypocritically in all the apparent good actions of his former life. The true explanation is, that principles of action which he has commonly been able to govern and restrain, acquire, in some unguarded moment, or under the power of some strong temptation, a force which his good principles are not at that moment strong enough to oppose. The man who is usually correct and orderly may thus be overtaken in a fault; and as all people are liable to the same frailties, there should exist a disposition to receive and restore an offending brother, when he gives sufficient evidence of penitence. Man at his best estate in this world is an inconsistent creature. The only people in whom this defect is not observed are the men who by grace live near to God, and exercise a constant jealousy and vigilance over themselves. But when faith is weak and inconstant, great inconsistencies will mar the beauty of the Christian character. Young people ought, therefore, to begin early to exercise this vigilance, and to keep their hearts with all diligence, lest they be ensnared by their own passions, and overcome by the power of temptation. I counsel you then, my young friends, to aim at consistency. Cultivate assiduously every part of the Christian character, so that there may appear a beautiful proportion in your virtue. The reflections to which I have been led in speaking of consistency of Christian character, suggest the importance of urging upon you the government of your passions. A man who has no control over his passions is justly compared to a ship at sea, which is driven by fierce winds, while she neither is governed by the rudder nor steered by the compass. By indulgence, the passions gain strength very rapidly; and when once the habit of indulgence is fixed, the moral condition of the sinner is most deplorable, and almost desperate. To preserve consistency, it is necessary to be well acquainted with the weak points in our own character, to know something of the strength of our own passions, and to guard beforehand against the occasions and temptations which would be likely to cause us to act inconsistently with our Christian profession. Many men have successfully contended with their own passions, and although naturally of a hasty and irritable temper, have, by constant discipline, brought themselves into a habitual state of calmness—so that however they may be conscious of the strugglings of the natural passions, they are kept so completely under restraint—that to others they do not seem to exist! The anecdote which is related of Socrates and the physiognomist is instructive on this point. When the latter, upon examining the lines of the philosopher's face, pronounced that he was a man of bad temper, and exceedingly irascible, the disciples of Socrates laughed him to scorn, as having betrayed the weakness of his art by so totally mistaking the true disposition of their master. But Socrates checked their ridicule by acknowledging that his natural temper had been truly represented by the physiognomist, but that by self-discipline, he had been able to acquire such a mastery over his passions, that their existence was not apparent. To achieve a victory of this kind is more honorable than to conquer in the field of battle; according to that of the wise man, "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his own spirit than he who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32) And again, "He that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." (Proverbs 25:28) Learn then, my young friends, to bridle your passions, and govern your temper, from your earliest days. 8. Be CONTENTED with the station and circumstances in which Providence has placed you. Never repine at God's dealings towards you, nor envy those who are above you in worldly advantages. Consider not so much what you lack, as what you have; and look less at those above you, than at those in inferior circumstances. Accustom yourselves to look on the bright side, rather than the dark side of the picture. Indulge not in unreasonable fears, nor give way to feelings of despondency. Exercise fortitude and maintain tranquility of mind. Be not ruffled and disconcerted by every little cross event which may occur. Place not your happiness at the disposal of everyone who may be disposed to speak an unkind word, or to do an unkind thing. Learn to possess your souls in patience, believing that when appearances are darkest, the dawn of a more comfortable day is near. 9. Let your fellowship with others be marked by a strict and conscientious regard to truth, honor, justice, kindness and courtesy. We should certainly have recommended politeness, as a happy means of polishing social fellowship, and affording pleasure to those with whom you are conversant; but many are accustomed to connect an unpleasant idea with this word. But surely, genuine politeness, if not itself a virtue, spreads a charm and a beauty over that which is virtuous. And certainly there is no merit in awkwardness and clownishness. But our chief object under this particular is to urge upon you a constant and meticulous regard to the social virtues. Be honest, be upright, sincere, men of your word, faithful to every trust, kind to everybody, respectful where respect is due, generous according to your ability, grateful for benefits received, and delicate in the mode of conferring favors. Let your integrity be unsuspected. Never resort to any base or underhand measure: but let your conduct and conversation be characterized by frankness and candor, by patience, and a spirit of generosity and forgiveness. In short, "do unto others, as you would have them do unto you". (Matthew 7:12) 10. Do not live merely for yourselves, but also for the good of others. Selfishness contracts the soul, and hardens the heart. The man absorbed in selfish pursuits is incapable of the sweetest, noblest joys of which our nature is susceptible. The Author of our being has ordained laws, according to which the most exquisite pleasure is connected, not with the direct pursuit of our own happiness—but with the exercise of benevolence. On this principle it is, that he who labors wholly for the benefit of others, and as it were forgets himself—is far happier than the man who makes himself the center of all his affections, the sole object of all his exertions. On this principle it was, that our Savior said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) Resolve, therefore, to lead lives of usefulness. Be indifferent to nothing which has any relation to the welfare of men. Be not afraid of diminishing your own happiness, by seeking that of others. Devise liberal things, and let not covetous or avarice shut up your hand from giving to him who has a genuine need, and to promote the cause of piety and humanity. 11. Be faithful and conscientious in the discharge of all duties which arise out of the relations which you sustain to others. 'Relative duties' are far more numerous than all others, because the occasions requiring their performance are constantly occurring. The duties of parents, of children, of brothers and sisters, of neighbors, of masters and servants, of teachers and pupils, of magistrates and citizens, of the learned professions, of trade, of the rich and the poor—occupy a very large portion of the time and attention of every man. And these furnish the proper test of character. "He who is faithful in little—is faithful also in much." (Luke 16:10) And he who is not attentive to the daily recurring duties of his station—in vain claims the reputation of virtue or piety by splendid acts of public beneficence. "Though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and have not love—it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:3) 12. Exercise incessant vigilance against the dangers and TEMPTATIONS by which you are surrounded, and by which you will certainly be assailed. These dangers are too numerous to be specified in detail, but I will mention a few. Guard solicitously against all approaches towards infidelity. Reject unbelieving thoughts and skeptical doubts from the beginning. Even if the system of infidelity were true—it promises no comfort, and cannot possibly be serviceable to you. But the best security will be to study diligently the evidences of Christianity, and be ready to meet the cavils of infidelity at all points. Make yourselves well acquainted with the best authors on this subject, and let your faith rest on the firm ground of evidence. Another danger against which you must be watchful is pleasure—sensual pleasure. Worldly amusements, however innocent they may appear, are replete with hidden dangers. These scenes exhilarate the spirits, and excite the imagination—until 'reason' and 'conscience' are hushed, and the real end of living is forgotten. For the sake of pleasure, everything important and sacred is neglected, and the most valuable part of human life wasted in unprofitable engagements. Beware then of the vortex of worldliness, and especially of the least approach towards the 'gulf of intemperance'. On that slippery ground, many strong men have fallen, never to rise. The trophies of this insidious and destructive vice, are widely spread on every side, and the wise and the godly have come to the conclusion that there is no effectual security against this enemy, but in a resolute and persevering abstinence from inebriating drink. Seek your happiness, dear youth, in the pursuit of useful objects and in the performance of duty, and then you will be safe, and will have no reason to envy the votaries of sensual pleasure. 13. Govern your TONGUE! More sin, it is probable, is committed, and more mischief done, by this small member—than in all other ways. The faculty of speech is one of our most useful endowments, but it is exceedingly liable to abuse. He who knows how to bridle his tongue is, therefore, in Scripture, denominated "a perfect man." (James 3:2) Again, of him "who seems to be religious and bridles not his tongue", (James 1:26) it is declared that "this man's religion is vain". The words which we utter are a fair index of the moral state of the mind. "By your words," says our Lord, "shall you be justified, and by your words shall you be condemned." (Matthew 12:37) Not only are sins of the tongue more numerous than others, but some of them are the most heinous of which man can be guilty. That one sin which has no forgiveness, is a sin of the tongue. Not only should all profaneness, obscenity, and falsehood be put far away, but you should continually endeavor to render your conversation useful. Be ever ready to communicate godly knowledge, to suggest profitable ideas, to recommend virtue and piety, to rebuke sin, and to give glory to God. Beware of evil-speaking. A habit of criticism is one of the worst which you can contract—and is always indicative of an envious and malignant heart. Instead of prostituting this active and useful member to the purposes of slander, employ it in defending the innocent and the injured. Permit me to suggest the following brief rules for the government of the tongue. Avoid loquacity. "When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise." (Proverbs 10:19) If you have nothing to communicate which can be useful—then be silent. Think before you speak. How many painful anxieties would be prevented by obeying this simple, common-sense precept. Especially, be cautious about uttering anything in the form of a promise, without consideration. Be conscientiously regardful of truth, even in the smallest things—in all that you say. Never speak what will be likely to excite bad feelings of any kind in the minds of others. Be ready on all suitable occasions to give utterance to good sentiments, especially such as may be useful to the young. Listen respectfully to the opinions of others, but never fail to give your testimony, modestly but firmly, against error. "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29) 14. Keep a good CONSCIENCE. If wickedness had no other punishment than the stings of conscience which follow evil actions, it would be reason enough to induce every considerate man to avoid that which is productive of so much pain. No misery of which the human mind is susceptible, is so intolerable and so irremediable as remorse of conscience. The pain of conscience is liable to be renewed as often as the guilty action is distinctly recollected. It is true, the conscience, by means of error and repeated resistance to its dictates, may become callous—"seared as with a hot iron"; (1 Timothy 4:2) but this apparent death of moral sensibility is no more than a sleep. At an unexpected time, and in circumstances the most inconvenient, conscience may be aroused, and may exert a more tremendous power than was ever before experienced. The increasing guilt of sins committed, while no notice seemed to be taken of them—now demand and enforce consideration. Joseph's brethren seemed to have almost forgotten their unnatural and cruel conduct in selling him as a slave into a foreign country; but when many years had elapsed, and they found themselves environed with difficulties and dangers in that very land, the remembrance of their crime painfully rushed upon their minds, and extorted from them mutual confessions of their guilt. "God," said they, "has found out the iniquity of your servants." (Genesis 44:16) "And they said one to another, we are very guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore has this distress come upon us." (Genesis 42:21) Men often endeavor to escape from the stings of a guilty conscience by a change of place, but the remedy is ineffectual. The transgressor may traverse the widest ocean, transcend the loftiest mountains, and bury himself in the dark recesses of the desert—but he cannot fly so far, nor conceal himself so effectually, as to escape from his tormentor. In some cases the agonies of remorse have been so intolerable, that the guilty perpetrator of great wickedness has preferred strangling and death, to the miserable life with a guilty conscience, and the suicide has rushed uncalled into the presence of his Judge! And in other cases, men guilty of bloody crimes have found the pangs of remorse so intolerable that they have voluntarily given themselves up to justice; and by a voluntary confession, have convicted themselves, when no human witnesses were competent to prove their guilt. But what man is there who has not committed sins, the recollection of which gives him sensible pain? And such acts often stand out in sharpness, in the retrospect of the past. No effort can obliterate such things from the memory. We may turn away our eyes from the disagreeable object—but the painful idea will return again. And thus men whose consciences are not seared, are haunted by guilt as by a troublesome spirit; and often their sins find them out, and stare them in the face, when danger threatens, or when calamity has overtaken them. Why moral sensibility should be so much more exquisite at some times than others cannot be easily explained, but the fact is certain, and is probably familiar to the consciousness of all. There may indeed exist a morbid susceptibility, an unreasonable scrupulousness and terror of conscience, which is a real and distressing disease, and which yields only to physical remedies judiciously applied. Melancholy is not the effect of religious impressions; but is a state of mind of a most unhappy kind, produced by a derangement of the physical system, and which leads the subject of it to fix his thoughts on those things which are most dreadful and gloomy. The same is true in regard to insanity. Many people entertain strong prejudices against experimental religion, because they wrongly think that it endangers the reason, and drives the timid and weak-minded into mania. Now it is no doubt true that any strong emotion or passion may, when there exists a predisposition to the disease, disturb the regular exercise of reason; but that this danger is greater to people deeply exercised about religion than to others, is utterly without foundation. Fanaticism, it may be conceded, has a tendency to insanity. Indeed, it has long appeared to me that fanaticism, especially in its mildest forms, is nothing else than a species of insanity. I have upon no other hypothesis been able to account for the opinions and conduct of some people who have been led away into the excesses of enthusiasm. But what is the most effectual preservative from this kind of mental derangement? Is it irreligion, vice, and infidelity? By no means. People who take refuge in such things find them to be "refuges of lies". (Isaiah 28:17) The only effectual remedy against the misery of a disturbed mind and a guilty conscience, is true religion. For this wound, the ,balm of Gilead, is the only medicine which is proved by experience to be efficacious. He who is able to cherish a lively hope of happiness beyond the grave, who can look up to God as a reconciled Father, and who feels good will to all men—has surely within him the ingredients of a settled peace of mind. When I counsel you, my young friends, to keep a good conscience, I mean that you should, in the first place, endeavor to obtain this inestimable blessing by an application to "the blood of sprinkling". (Hebrews 12:24) Until the soul is justified and sin pardoned—there can be no true peace of conscience. While the law remains unsatisfied for us, and denounces vengeance against us for our sins, what in the universe can give us peace? But when by faith the soul apprehends the atonement, and sees that it is commensurate to all the demands of the law, and that in the cross, justice is not only satisfied, but gloriously illustrated—it is at once relieved from the agony of guilt, and the peace of God which passes understanding pervades the soul. The great secret of genuine peace is, therefore, living faith in the blood of Christ. But if you would preserve your conscience pure and enjoy peace, you must not only obtain forgiveness for the past, but must be very careful to sin no more in future. The law of God is exceeding broad and strict, and if we would preserve peace of conscience, we must conform our actions to its precepts with assiduous and holy diligence. A good conscience is always an enlightened conscience. Through error, a man may believe that he is doing God service—when he is persecuting His people; but such a conscience is not good. Men may act conscientiously and yet act very wickedly. I suppose that all the devotees of the most absurd and impious superstitions, act according to the dictates of conscience, even when they sacrifice human beings, and expose to death their own offspring, or themselves; but who would say that such a conscience was good? The correct knowledge of truth, therefore, lies at the foundation of a good conscience. Nothing is more important to man, than the truth; therefore "buy the truth and sell it not". (Proverbs 23:23) But too often conscience is not regarded when it correctly dictates what should be done or avoided. Amidst the cravings of sinful appetite, the storm of the passions, and the incessant bustle of the world—the whispers of conscience are not heeded. In multitudes of instances, where people do wrong, they have a premonition of the evil; or at least a suggestion that it is proper to inquire and consider what justice and duty demand. Some people are conscientious in great matters, who, in comparatively small concerns, seem to have no moral discernment. The habit of consulting the moral sense in all things, is of great importance. Before you act, consider; and beware of the false coloring which passion and self-interest throw around the subjects of duty. Lean to the safe side. Where an action is of dubious character, do not venture upon it. Be fully persuaded in your own mind, "for whatever is not of faith is sin". (Romans 14:23) Some people are conscientious and punctilious about little things, but careless about the weightier matters of the law. This is the conscience of a hypocrite. Others have a mind ill at ease, because the festering wound of guilt has never been thoroughly probed and cleansed, but merely externally healed. Their repentance has not been deep enough, nor universal enough; or some secret sin is still too much indulged. Now while these are the facts, a good conscience is an impossible thing. Sincere penitence, humiliation and confession—are God's prescribed remedy. Where these are lacking, the conscience will not be at peace. Now whatever may be the infirmity or moral defect which cleaves to us, it is odious in the sight of God, and tends to grieve the Holy Spirit. In just judgment, we are left to darkness, barrenness, and misery, because we have not sufficiently desired deliverance from sin; but have made vain excuses for our own faults. I would then counsel you, especially, to nourish the motions of the Holy Comforter. By His divine influences alone, a good conscience can be maintained. And if you are sensible that you have grieved the Spirit, so that you are left comfortless, never rest until you again experience the peace and joy which is the fruit of His indwelling. 15. Cultivate PEACE. Next to the blessing of peace with God and in our own conscience, is that of peace with our fellow men. "As much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men." (Romans 12:18) And again, "Follow peace with all men." (Hebrews 12:14) The real source of all the wars, contentions, and disturbances which are in the world, is the pride, the envy, the covetousness, and other evil passions of our nature. Eradicate these, and in their place introduce pure and kind affections, and you will experience a double peace—peace within, and peace with others. Every Christian temper is friendly to peace. I know, indeed, that Christ says that He came not to bring peace but a sword. But He refers not to the nature of His religion—but to the reactions which He foresaw would occur from the perverse opposition of men—to that which is godly. The genuine spirit and tendency of the Gospel is beautifully and emphatically expressed in the angelic anthem, sung by the celestial choir at the nativity of our Savior—"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." (Luke 2:14) All the adopted sons of God are sons of peace, and are peacemakers. "Live in peace," says Paul, "and the God of peace shall be with you." (2 Corinthians 13:11) Christian humility, meekness, and benevolence must, from the nature of the case, have a mighty influence in producing and maintaining peace. For, as the apostle Peter argues, "Who will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good"? (1 Peter 3:13) No system was ever so well adapted to produce universal peace as Christianity, and the only reason why this effect has not followed its reception everywhere, is that its true tenor and spirit have not been imbibed. Just so far as this blessed system is cordially embraced, it cuts up by the roots all causes of contention, except that which has for its subjects, sin and error. It teaches us not only to love our friends and brethren, but also our bitterest enemies, to return blessing for cursing, and kindness for ill treatment. Endeavor then to cherish habitually those kind affections which lead to peace; and while you seek peace in your own souls, make it an object to promote peace in the world, and covet the blessedness which is pronounced to belong to peacemakers. Their high honor it is to be denominated "the sons of God". 16. As "man is born to sorrow as the sparks fly upwards"; (Job 5:7) as no situation is exempt from the arrows of adversity—I would give it as a necessary counsel, to learn to bear AFFLICTION with fortitude and resignation. To dream of escaping what is appointed unto all, would be to fall wilfully into a dangerous delusion. Every man is vulnerable in so many points, that nothing short of a perpetual miracle could shield any one from the strokes of adversity. Indeed, piety of the most exalted kind, does not secure its possessor from affliction and persecution. Christ Himself suffered while in the world, and has left His followers a perfect example of holy fortitude and filial submission to the will of God. When sorely pressed with the inconceivable load of our sins, so that His human soul could not have sustained it unless supported by the divine nature, His language was, "Not my will but may your will be done." (Luke 22:42) Those afflictions which are allotted to the people of God are necessary parts of beneficial discipline, intended to purify them from the dross of sin, and to prepare them for the service of God here, and the enjoyment of God in the world to come. They are, therefore, to them, not penal judgments, but Fatherly chastisements, which, though "not joyous but grievous" (Hebrews 12:11) for the present, "afterwards work for them the peaceable fruits of righteousness". But whatever may be our moral and spiritual condition, whether we are friends or enemies to God, we must be subject to various afflictions. This is a dying world. The nearest and dearest friends must part. Death sunders the tenderest ties, and often pierces the susceptible heart with a keener anguish, by directing the mortal stroke to a dear companion or child, than if it had fallen on our own head. When I see youth rejoicing in the optimistic hopes and brilliant prospects which the deceitful world spreads out before them—I am prevented from sympathizing with their happy feelings, by the foresight of a speedy end to all their earthly pleasures. Their laughter will be converted into mourning. Their day of bright sunshine will soon be overcast with dark clouds; all their brilliant prospects will be obscured, and the overwhelming gloom of sorrow will envelop them. It is indeed no part of wisdom to torment our minds with vain terrors of evils which are merely possible. Many people suffer more in the apprehension of calamities, than they would if they were present. The imagination represents scenes of adversity in a hue darker than the reality. In regard to such evils, our Savior has taught us not to yield to useless anxieties about the future, but to trust to Providence. "Let tomorrow take care of itself." (Matthew 6:34) But that to which I would bring my youthful readers, is a state of mind prepared for adversity, of whatever kind it may be; that they may not be taken by surprise when calamity falls upon them. And when the dark day of adversity arrives, be not dismayed—but put your trust in the Lord, and look to Him for strength to endure whatever may be laid upon you. Never permit yourselves to entertain hard thoughts of God on account of any of His dispensations. They may be painful, dark and mysterious—but they are all wise and good. What we cannot understand now, we shall be privileged to know hereafter. Exercise an uncomplaining submission to the will of God, as developed in the events of Providence. Believe steadfastly that all things are under the government of God's wisdom and goodness. Remember that whatever sufferings you may be called to endure, they are always less than your sins deserve. Consider that these afflictive dispensations are fraught with rich, spiritual blessings. They are not only useful but necessary. We would perish with the wicked world, if a kind Father did not make use of the rod to reclaim us from our wanderings. Besides, there is no situation in which we can more glorify God than when in the furnace of affliction. The exercise of faith and humble resignation, with patience and fortitude, under the pressure of heavy calamity, is most pleasing to God, and illustrates clearly the excellency of that piety, which is able to bear up the mind, and even render it cheerful, in the midst of scenes of trouble. Bear then with cheerful submission the load which may be laid upon you, and learn from Paul to rejoice even in the midst of tribulation. And not only bear your cross with cheerful resignation—but endeavor to extract from sorrow—a rich spiritual blessing. While enjoying such an effectual means of grace, improve it to the utmost, to promote growth in the divine life. Be willing to suffer any pain which will render you more holy. Although we naturally desire uninterrupted prosperity, yet if the desire of our hearts was always given to us—it would prove ruinous. And when schooled in adversity, you will be better qualified to sympathize with the children of sorrow, and better skilled in affording them comfort, than if you had no experience of trouble. 17. My next counsel is that you set a high value upon your TIME. Time is short and its flight is rapid. The swiftness of the lapse of time is proverbial, in all languages. In Scripture, the life of man is compared to a multitude of things which quickly pass away after making their appearance; as to a runner, a weaver's shuttle, a vapor, a shadow, etc. All the works of man must be performed in time, and whatever acquisition is made of any good—it must be obtained in time. Time, therefore, is not only short, but precious. Everything is suspended on its improvement, and it can only be improved when present. It is no sooner present, than it is gone! So that whatever we do, must be done quickly. This precious gift is sparingly parceled out by 'moments', but the progression of these moments is rapid and uninterrupted. Nothing can impede or retard the current of 'the stream of time'. Whether we are awake or asleep, whether occupied or idle, whether we realize the fact or not—we are borne along by a silent but irresistible force! Our progressive motion in time may be compared to the motion of the planet on which we dwell, of which we are entirely insensible; or to that of a swift-sailing ship, which produces the illusion that all other objects are in motion, while we seem to be stationary. So in the journey of life, we pass from stage to stage—from infancy to childhood—from childhood to youth—from youth to mature age—and finally, before we are aware of it, we find ourselves declining towards the last stage of earthly existence. The freshness and buoyancy of youth soon pass away: the autumn of life soon arrives; and next, and last, if disease or accident do not cut short our days—old age with its grey hairs, its wrinkles, its debility and pains, comes on quickly. The period of old age, is described by the wise man as one in which men are commonly disposed to be grumbly and fretful, and to acknowledge that the days draw near in which they have no pleasure. "So remember your Creator while you are still young, before those dismal days and years come when you will say, "I don't enjoy life." That is when the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars will grow dim for you, and the rain clouds will never pass away. Then your arms, that have protected you, will tremble, and your legs, now strong, will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to chew your food, and your eyes too dim to see clearly. Your ears will be deaf to the noise of the street. You will barely be able to hear the mill as it grinds or music as it plays, but even the song of a bird will wake you from sleep. You will be afraid of high places, and walking will be dangerous. Your hair will turn white; you will hardly be able to drag yourself along, and all desire will be gone. We are going to our final resting place, and then there will be mourning in the streets. The silver chain will snap, and the golden lamp will fall and break; the rope at the well will break, and the water jar will be shattered. Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God, who gave it to us." (Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Ecclesiastes 12:7) Time wasted can never be recovered. No man ever possessed the same moment twice. We are, indeed, exhorted "to redeem the time", (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5) but this relates to a right improvement of that which is to come, for this is the only possible way by which we can redeem what is irrevocably past. The counsels which I would offer to the young on this subject are: Think frequently and seriously on the inestimable value of time. Never forget that all that is dear and worthy of pursuit, must be accomplished in the short span of time allotted to us here. Meditate also profoundly and often on the rapidity of the flight of time. Now, you are in the midst of youthful bloom, but soon this season will only exist in the dim shades of recollection, and unless it has been well improved, of bitter regret. If you will make a wise improvement of your time, you must be prompt. Seize the fugitive moments as they fly; for otherwise they will pass away before you have commenced the work which is appropriated to them. Diligence and constancy are essential to the right improvement of time. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) "Work while it is called today." (John 9:4) Walk while you have the light, for the dark night rapidly approaches when no work can be done. Let everything be done in its season. There is a time for all things; and let all things be done in order. The true order of things may be determined by their relative importance, and by the urgency of the case, or the loss which would probably be sustained by neglect. If you would make the most of your time, learn to do one thing at a time, and endeavor so to perform every work, as to accomplish it in the best possible manner. As you receive but one moment at once, it is a vain thing to think of doing more than one thing at one time; and if any work deserves your attention at all, it deserves to be well done. Confusion, hurry, and heedlessness often so mar a business, that it would have been better to omit it altogether. Beware of putting off the duty of today—on tomorrow. This is called procrastination, which is said, justly, to be "the thief of time". Remember that every day and every hour has its own appropriate work; but if that which should be done this day is deferred until a future time, to say the least, there must be an inconvenient accumulation of duties in future. But as tomorrow is to everybody uncertain, to suspend the acquisition of an important object on such a contingency, may be the occasion of losing forever the opportunity of receiving it. The rule of sound discretion is, never to put off until tomorrow—what ought to be done today. 18. Cherish and diligently cultivate genuine piety. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10) Early piety is the most beautiful spectacle in the world. Without piety, all your morality, however useful to men—is worthless to God. It is a branch without a root. True piety, above every other acquisition, enriches and adorns the mind of man; and it is especially congenial with the natural susceptibilities of the youthful mind. The vivacity and versatility of youth, the tenderness and ardor of the affections in this age, exhibit piety to the best advantage. How delightful is it, to see the bosoms of the young swelling with the lively emotions of pure devotion! How beautiful is the tear of penitence or of holy joy, which glistens in the eye of tender youth! Think not, dear young people, that true piety will detract from your happiness. It is a reproach cast upon your Maker, to indulge such a thought. It cannot be. A God of goodness never required anything of his creatures which did not tend to their true felicity. Piety may indeed lead you to exchange the pleasures of the theater and ballroom—for the purer joys of the church and prayer-meeting. It may turn your attention from books of mere idle fancy and fiction—to the Word of God—which to a regenerated soul is found to be sweeter than honey, and more excellent than the choicest gold; but this will add to your happiness rather than diminish it. We would then affectionately and earnestly exhort and entreat you to "remember now your Creator in the days of your youth". (Ecclesiastes 12:1) This will be your best security against all the dangers and temptations to which you are exposed; this will secure to you "the favor of God which is life, and His loving-kindness which is better than life". (Psalms 30:5; Psalms 63:3) Delay not your conversion. Every day is lost time, which is not spent in the service of God. Besides, procrastination has proved ruinous to many. Eternity is at hand; the judgment day must be met, and how can we appear there, without true piety? This is our only preparation and passport for heaven. Dear youth, be wise—and secure "an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading—reserved in heaven for you." Christ extends His arms of mercy to secure you. Angels are waiting to rejoice at your conversion and to become your daily and nightly guardians. The doors of the church will be opened to receive you. The ministers of the Gospel, and all the company of believers, will hail your entrance and will welcome you to the precious ordinances of God's house. And finally, remember that "now is the accepted time and the day of salvation". (2 Corinthians 6:2) 19. Seek divine direction and aid—by incessant fervent prayer. You need grace to help you every day. Your own wisdom is folly, your own strength weakness, and your own righteousness altogether insufficient. "Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them." (Jeremiah 10:23) But if you lack wisdom, you are permitted to ask; and you have a gracious promise, that you shall receive. Whatever we need will be granted, if we humbly and believingly ask for it. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (John 16:24; Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9) "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." (Php_4:6) Faith and prayer are our chief resources, under all the various and heavy afflictions of this life. When all other refuges fail, God will hide His people who seek Him, in His secret pavilion, and shelter them under the shadow of His wings. Prayer is essential to the existence and growth of the spiritual life. It is the breath of the new man. By this means he obtains quick relief from innumerable evils, and draws down from heaven blessings of the richest and sweetest kind. Possess your minds fully of the persuasion that prayer is efficacious, when offered in faith and with importunity, to obtain the blessings which we need. God has made Himself known as a Hearer of prayer: yes, He has promised that we shall have, as far as may be for His glory and our good—whatever we ask. The most important events may be brought about by prayer. One righteous man, by fervent and effectual prayer, has been able to shut heaven and open it again. How often did Moses by his prayers avert the divine wrath from the people of Israel! That man who has access to a throne of grace will never lack anything which is really needful. "God will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalms 84:11) "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them." (Ezekiel 36:37) Banish, as most unreasonable, the idea that prayer is a dull or melancholy business. Such a sentiment must have been invented by Satan; for it never could have been suggested by reason, or taught by experience. Fellowship with the greatest and best of all beings must be a source of exalted pleasure; and surely, man can have no greater honor and privilege conferred upon him, than to be admitted to converse intimately and confidentially with the God whom angels adore! The experience of every saint attests that "it is good to draw near to God"; (Psalms 73:28) and that "one day in his courts is better than a thousand". (Psalms 84:10) I need not be afraid, therefore, to counsel the young to cultivate the spirit of prayer and to be constant in its exercise. "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) "Be instant in prayer." (Romans 12:12) It will not spoil your pleasures, but will open for you new sources of enjoyment, far more refined and satisfactory than any which prayerless people can possess. Prayer is the only method by which fellowship between heaven and earth can be kept open. Often, too, in the performance of this duty, a taste of heaven is brought down to earth; and the pious worshiper anticipates, in some degree, those joys which are ineffable and eternal. Prayer will, moreover, be your most effectual guard against sin and the power of temptation: For Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. 20. I conclude my counsels to the young by a serious and affectionate recommendation to everyone who reads these pages, to make immediate preparation for death. I know that mirthful youth are unwilling to hear us mention the subject of death. There is nothing which casts a greater damp upon their spirits than the solemn fact that death must be encountered, and that no earthly possessions or circumstances can secure us from becoming his victims, on any day. But if it is acknowledged that this formidable evil is inevitable, and that the tenure by which we hold our grasp of life is very fragile, why should we act so unreasonably, and I may say, insanely, as to shut our eyes against the danger? If, indeed, there was no way of preparing to meet this solemn event, there might be some reason for turning away our thoughts from immediate destruction. But if by attention and exertion it is possible to make preparation for death, then nothing can be conceived more insane than to refuse to consider our latter end. How often are we called to witness the decease of youth in the midst of all their pleasures and prospects! Such scenes have been exhibited within the observation of all of you. Dear friends and companions have been snatched away from the side of some of you. The grave has closed upon many whose prospects of long life were as favorable as those of their survivors. Now, my dear young friends, what has so frequently happened in relation to so many others—may take place with regard to some of you! This year you may be called to bid farewell to all your earthly prospects, and all your beloved relatives. The bare possibility of such an event ought to have the effect of engaging your most serious attention, and of leading you to immediate preparation. Do you ask what preparation is necessary? I answer, reconciliation with God, and a fitness for the employments and enjoyments of the heavenly state. Preparation for death includes repentance towards God for all our sins, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and reliance on His atoning sacrifice, regeneration of heart, and reformation of life; and finally, a lively exercise of piety, accompanied with a comfortable assurance of the divine favor. In short, genuine and lively piety forms the essence of the needed preparation for death. With this your death will be safe, and your happiness after death secure. But to render a deathbed not only safe but comfortable, you must have a strong faith, and clear evidence that your sins are forgiven, and that you have passed from death unto life. Be persuaded then, before you give sleep to your eyes, to commence your return unto God, from whom like lost sheep you have strayed. "Prepare to meet your God." (Amos 4:12) "So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him!" (Matthew 24:44) Seek deliverance from the fear of death by a believing application to Him who came on purpose to deliver us from this bondage. With His presence and guidance we need fear no evil, even while passing through the gloomy valley and shadow of death. He is able by His rod and His staff to comfort us, and to make us conquerors over this last enemy! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 13: ALEXANDER - COUNSELS TO CHRISTIAN MOTHERS ======================================================================== COUNSELS TO CHRISTIAN MOTHERS Archibald Alexander When I address myself to Christian mothers, I do not mean to intimate non-Christian mothers stand in no need of admonition. Alas! that in a Christian country there should be mothers who have nothing of the spirit of Christ! Young people often promise themselves that they will attend to true religion after they are married and settled in the world. How preposterous is this! It ought rather to be their resolution not to think of entering into a state involving such weighty responsibilities, and the exercise of so many virtues—until they have become the possessors of true religion! Without vital piety how is it possible for any woman rightly to fulfill the duties of a wife, and especially of a mother? I feel that no woman destitute of religion is fit to become a wife and mother. Only think of it—an impious mother! If it were not so common, the very expression would excite emotions similar to those which we experience when we hear of an impious minister. I address Christian mothers, because from them alone can I expect a patient hearing. I address Christian mothers, because all mothers ought to be sincere Christians. Is there a person on earth, whose mind is so perverted by prejudice, as not to perceive a congruity between piety and this tender relation? It was formerly a current opinion, even among infidels that religion was an ornament and safeguard to a woman. I knew one distinguished man who had renounced all belief in the Christian religion himself, who encouraged it in his wife, and furnished her with all the necessary means of attending church; and when one of his friends complained to him, that his wife was becoming pious, which gave him great concern, he told him that he was a fool, for that nothing was more suitable and desirable than that a wife should be pious. Even infidels are constrained, like the demons of old, to give their testimony in favor of Christ. Many ungodly men desire to obtain wives of genuine piety, and few intelligent men in our country would be pleased with a female infidel. Such a character was so rare in Virginia forty years ago, when infidelity abounded among the higher classes of men, that when a certain lady was pointed out as the advocate of deistical opinions, it created a revulsion of feeling in almost every mind. Here I take pleasure in saying that in no class of society anywhere have I found examples of more pure and elevated piety than among the ladies of Virginia. And I have reason to believe that these examples have rather been increased than diminished since I left my native State. It may, in an important sense, be said that the Commonwealth has been preserved from utter destruction by the prudence, purity and piety of Virginian mothers. They have been the salt which has arrested the progress of moral corruption in the mass of society. Accordingly there is no country in the world, perhaps, where mothers are so much respected by their children, and have so great an influence over them. Ask almost any young Virginian where he will look for the brightest examples of moral excellence, and his thoughts will turn at once to the character of pious females, and perhaps to his own mother, if she happens to be pious. I recollect a young gentleman, who, although he had an uncommonly pious mother, broke over all the restraints of his education, and became a professed infidel and the advocate of licentiousness in its vilest forms; but a gracious God heard the unceasing prayers of his mother, and by means somewhat unusual he was converted from the error of his ways. In speaking of his former career—which he evidently did with shame and humility—he said, "I could get over all arguments in defense of religion but one, and that I never could eliminate, which was the pious example and life of my mother. When I had fortified myself against the truth by the aid of Bolingbroke, Hume, and Voltaire, yet, whenever I thought of my mother, I had the secret conviction which nothing could remove—that there was a reality in vital piety." I could soon fill my paper with salutary precepts for mothers; but this is not exactly what is needed. Knowledge as to maternal duty is widely diffused. The theory of education, as it falls under the direction of mothers, is perhaps sufficiently understood by most. What I aim at, is "to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance", (2 Peter 3:1) or in other words, to arouse them to the consideration of the importance of the station which they occupy, and to persuade them to exert that influence which they possess. I have often heard pious females complain that they had little or nothing in their power, and they felt as if they were almost useless members of society. This is an flagrant miscalculation. Their influence is silent and spreads imperceptibly—but it is real and effective. Piety is like light which cannot be hidden. The more it seeks concealment, and retires from public notice, the more brightly it shines. Female influence only ceases, or operates unfavorably, when women depart from their own proper sphere; or when they endeavor to obtrude themselves upon the notice and admiration of the public. As we are shocked with infidelity in a female, so female ambition is odious. Let the devoted mother exert herself in her own proper sphere, which is in the retirement of the domestic circle, and in constant and devout attendance on the worship of God. Let her look well to the affairs of her household. Let her manifest her graciousness and forbearance in the steady government of her children. Let her set an example of order, neatness, industry, and hospitality, and she will have enough to do. Every hour, and almost every minute, will furnish opportunity for the exercise of some virtue; and that Eye which goes everywhere will graciously notice, and bring to light too, those acts which are cheerfully and conscientiously performed. A mother cannot be placed in a more interesting field of labor than in the midst of a large circle of children. Here is her appropriate sphere of action. Here she has work enough to occupy her heart and hands. But some will be ready to think this is a narrow field in which to labor. They wish to act on a larger scale, and do something which will impact on the destinies of men—something more intimately connected with the conversion of the world. Some few women, by the possession of peculiar talents, and by being placed in peculiar circumstances, have been able to accomplish so much, that the world has been filled with their fame. Such was the brilliant course of Mrs. Hannah More, who by her benevolent exertions, and by her writings, became the benefactress of the human race. And such is now the luminous orbit in which Mrs. Fry moves. But it falls to the lot of very few of either gender to do good on what may be called a national scale. And if all should aim at such achievements, very little would be done. Much the larger part of the female gender must be contented to cultivate the small garden which providence has committed to them. But as the mothers in ancient Israel were solicitous to bear sons, in hope that they might enjoy the honor and unspeakable pleasure of giving birth to the promised Messiah, so mothers now may cherish the pleasing hope that of the first fruit of their womb, God will raise up men of renown, eminent ministers, devoted missionaries, distinguished philanthropists, wise statesmen, or even men of humble, exemplary piety in retired life. Hannah waited upon God for her Samuel; and no doubt before the child was born, she consecrated him to God from whom she received him; and when she embraced him in her arms, and nursed him at her bosom, she continually darted up petitions for God's blessing upon His own precious gift. And O! how richly was she rewarded! I have read or heard that someone asked an uncommonly devout woman how it happened that all her children became pious at an age so early. The good woman modestly disclaimed all merit or agency in the affair—but said she, "as many children as I have nursed, I never took one of them to my bosom to afford it the necessary nourishment—but at the same time I lifted up my heart in prayer to God for His blessing on the dear little infant." Would not this be a good rule for mothers universally to observe? Who can tell what the effect would be on the next generation? The question is often asked, "By whom shall Jacob arise?" (Amos 7:2,Amos 7:5) One answers one thing, and one another; but if I may be permitted to give a partial answer, though I believe a true one, I would say, by pious mothers. Yes, as a woman had the unspeakable blessing of being the mother of our Lord and Savior, so woman, collectively, shall be the mother of the church. Ten thousand Timothys on the knee, and with sweet and persuasive speech, instilling into their opening minds the words of those "Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15) A genuine and thorough reformation must commence in the family—which is the foundation of all social institutions, civil and religious. Here is the root whence springs the whole tree with all its spreading and towering branches. And if true religion, to be general, must begin in the domestic circle, to whom will belong the chief agency and the most distinguished honor? Undoubtedly to pious mothers. Theirs must be the hands which plant the precious seed; theirs the prayers and tears which water the growing plant; theirs the kind, seasonable, and well-adapted instructions which distill into the tender, susceptible mind like the gentle rain on the tender grass, or the more imperceptible dew upon the thirsty plant. Those are not the most important lectures which are, with solemn pomp, delivered in the schools and pulpits—but those which flow sweetly from the affectionate lips of mothers to their docile and interested group of little ones, gathered around their knees. No eloquence equals that of a sensible and pious mother, because no impressions made by human speech are so deep and indelible. These lessons, whether she knows it or not, she is engraving on tablets of human hearts—from which the inscription can never wholly be obliterated. Impression after impression may be made on the same—but these have the advantage of being first and deepest; and when all the others are gone, these will be left. In visiting a family belonging to my charge in Philadelphia, I observed a very brisk but old woman bringing chips into the house in her apron. I asked the lady of the house who it was. "It is my mother," said she, "but she no longer knows me." Upon inquiry, I found that she had forgotten everything except what had occurred in her early life. And though she had left Switzerland when a girl of fourteen, and had not spoken the German language since that time, yet she now repeats her German prayers aloud every night. It would be difficult to draw a definite line of distinction between a good mother and a good wife. The character of the latter must have an important bearing on that of the former. For a woman to perform her part well when united with a worthy and affectionate husband is comparatively easy; but when a pious woman of refined and susceptible feelings is connected with a man whose true character and temper have been destroyed by habits of intoxication—when she is treated with brutal tyranny, and even cruelty, to preserve equanimity, and to perform the duties of an obedient, respectful wife, requires the exercise of much self-denial. Such a situation is one peculiarly painful and trying to a pious mother—but it is one to which many excellent women, in our day, have been subjected. But the greater the trial, the more grace is needed, and the brighter the character which is enabled with meekness and fortitude to bear up under such a burden. If such a calamity should come on a woman of refined feelings at once, it would be overwhelming; but she is gradually prepared for the worst, and learns to discipline her passions, so as to exhibit no temper unsuitable to her station, and the tender relation of a wife. She avoids reproaches, and in her mouth there are no harsh reproofs. Some change in her appearance, and occasional spells of bitter weeping, when alone, will not escape the jealous eye of a drunkard; and it is not improbable that such symptoms of deep distress as these will only serve to provoke his ire, and cause him to rage more furiously, when under the influence of his inebriating cups. And what can she say to her children as they become capable of observation? She never mentions the subject to them, if it can be avoided; and when necessary, with no remarks which would tend to lessen their respect for an unworthy parent. She conceals from his children the faults and ill-treatment of the father as much as possible. And to all other people, however intimate their mutual friendship, her lips are sealed. This is the difficulty of patiently bearing this heavy burden, that it must be borne alone, in silence, without the usual relief derived from venting our sorrows into the bosom of a faithful, sympathizing friend. I know of no condition in human life, free from guilt, which is more deplorable than that of a lady of education, piety, and refined sensibility, tied to a brutal husband who is seldom in his right mind; or who, though for a season he may refrain, yet has his paroxysms of the worst species of insanity to which our race is subject. This leads me to remark, that the very best view which a wife can take of such a case is to consider it a real madness, and to feel and act just as if it was the effect of some physical cause. However difficult the practice of duty may be in such circumstances, I have observed not a few examples of such consummate prudence, Christian fortitude, and meek forbearance, as excited my admiration. As gold is purified by the fire of the furnace, so it is probable that some women, under the pressure of such afflictions, rise to an eminence of piety, to which in other circumstances they never could have attained. But I must not indulge myself in speaking in a strain too laudatory of Christian mothers. Some have great weaknesses, the effects of which upon the character and destinies of their children are very unhappy. I recollect to have once been acquainted with a Virginian planter of the best old stamp. He was rich, hospitable, kindhearted, and better than all, truly pious. When he heard the Gospel, his whole soul seemed to be laid open to the impression of the truth; and so susceptible was he, that often while the man of God described the love of a Savior, the large, and not unmanly tear would trickle down his cheek. He was a man without deceit; and you always might know where to find him. But I was grieved and surprised to find that his sons were all profligates. By drinking and gambling and other vices, they soon ruined their reputation, wasted their estates, injured their health, and shortened their lives. In searching for the cause of this wide departure from the example of a good and affectionate father, I traced it to the injudicious indulgence of a fond mother. Not that she wished her sons to become dissipated; but when they did wrong, she carefully concealed their conduct from their father, connived at their vices, and afforded them facilities of gratifying their corrupt propensities by plentifully supplying them with money. And with such care were their vices concealed from the unsuspecting father, that the first knowledge which he obtained was when his sons' ruin was completed, and their habits so fixed, that all regard to decorum was laid aside, and even the displeasure of a father could be braved. Another class of mothers, happily not numerous, injure their children by a too rigorous discipline. They expect by external restraints and confinements to preserve them from temptation. The general principle is good—but may be pushed too far. A gradual exposure to such temptations as must be encountered in the world, is safer than for a son to be suddenly subjected to the whole influence of the world at once. If children dislike the severity of the discipline under which they are placed, they will be ingenious in finding opportunities of evading a yoke which they do not like to bear. And when they get free from parental restraint, they will be apt to run to greater excess than others. While sober, consistent piety in mothers has a powerful and lasting effect on children, fanaticism has a contrary tendency. The children of parents who indulge in extravagant expressions of religious feeling, and whose religion comes on in violent paroxysms, are, in most cases, devoid of reverence for sacred things, and often show a disregard of moral principle. It is exceedingly important in the education and discipline of children, not to confound their notions of right and wrong by treating little matters with the same seriousness and severity as great. Our instructions and conduct towards children should be such as to present to their minds virtues and vices, according to a just graduation. If we pursue a peccadillo with as much severity as a great crime, the danger is that a great crime will be committed with as little sense of its evil as a fault of the minor class. It is also dangerous to proclaim a crusade against some one vice, and magnify its evil beyond all comparison, while other vices equally or more malignant pass unnoticed. So one virtue or duty may be held up so continually, and placed in such importance, that other virtues, equally important and valuable, are left concealed in the background. As in the Christian character, symmetry or a due proportion of every grace, is essential to perfection; so in teaching morality, a strict regard should be had to the magnitude and proportion of every part of the system. Let all VICE be treated as vice—but let not all vices be treated as equal. Let every VIRTUE occupy its proper place, and fill its due space. It is a good rule, even in the government of children, not to legislate too much. Vex them not with trivial and unnecessary rules. Train them to govern themselves as much as possible. That child who is obedient only when the eye of the parent is on it, has not been properly managed. Allow children liberty in such things as are innocent, and to which they are inclined by the instinct of nature. It is a poor, short-sighted plan to keep children moping all day over their books; they learn far more that is valuable while sporting in the fields, than we can teach them by such a process in the house. It is amazing how much they learn without effort, both of words and things. We may even goo too far, by inculcating piety upon their tender minds too incessantly. Mothers should watch the favorable moment for instilling religious instruction. One sentence at the favorable moment is better than a long lecture at an unseasonable time. Holiness cannot be rendered pleasing to the natural heart—but pious instruction may be made interesting. Indirect methods of reaching the conscience are often better than the more direct. Occasional remarks not seeming to be intended for them, are often noticed and remembered; especially conversation with godly visitors in their presence has a wonderful effect. Let your children come early into company, that they may hear—that is, if the conversation be edifying. By eliciting remarks on certain subjects from ministers and other pious people in the hearing of children, you will be likely to produce greater effect than if the same things were addressed directly to them by their parents. Family slander is an evil against which mothers cannot too sedulously guard. There are some families who are extremely cautious about speaking evil of their neighbors outside of their own homes; but when at home, they feel privileged, and in the presence of their children, allow themselves great liberties in traducing the characters of those with whom they are living, ostensibly, in the habits of friendly fellowship. This is not only an evil habit, and readily contracted by children—but it is the most effectual method of teaching them to play the hypocrite, by constantly assuming the appearance of friendship, and using the language of kindness—when a contrary feeling is habitually cherished. It is impossible to entertain sentiments of true friendship towards those whom we are in the practice of maligning every day. O mothers, guard your children against this common vice, so freely indulged, and so little censured by many. Akin to this—but less malignant, is the practice of ridiculing the foibles, and caricaturing the imperfections or personal defects of our friends. In some whole families there exists a talent for mimicry: they can so exactly imitate the tones, gestures, attitudes and manners of others, that the exercise of this faculty becomes a source of much amusement at the expense of their neighbors; especially when the quality or action imitated is a little exaggerated or distorted. This propensity should be carefully and resolutely repressed in young people. It is very apt to occasion a separation or alienation of affection among friends: for who among us is willing to be laughed at for the entertainment of others? There is no one thing on which mothers should insist more uniformly and peremptorily, than that their children should tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Lying above all other things may be said to be the vice of children. "We go astray from the womb, speaking lies." (Psalms 58:3) Children soon learn that others cannot look into their hearts: they will often therefore say what they know is not true, from the confidence that they cannot be detected. Keep a vigilant eye on this matter, and pass not slightly over an offence of this kind. Many worthy parents, I have observed, seem to know little or care little about the habit of fibbing in their children. Manifest by every proper means your utter detestation of lying, in all its kinds and degrees. I would also caution mothers against the foolish ambition of trying to make prodigies of their children, and against the vanity of so exaggerating their smart speeches and exploits as to make them appear to be prodigies. I would not be so rigid as to prohibit mothers from speaking of their own dear offspring, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak—but I may advise you not to make your children the everlasting theme of your conversation, morning, noon, and night. Rest assured that other people do not take as much interest in the subject as you do. And while I would commend those mothers who are diligent in the instruction of their children, I would respectfully say, be thankful that they are not idiots, nor deformed, nor destitute of the common sense of human nature; but be not anxious that they should be thought prodigies. Children may be so trained as to perform wonders—but what good can come of it? Do we not see pigs trained in the same way? Exercise a salutary discipline towards your children, even with the rod, when it is necessary—but let this species of discipline be the last resort, and used rather seldom. It is far better than isolating them in a dark room, or depriving them of necessary food—or anything which keeps the child a long time in a bad humor. But carefully avoid chastisement in the heat of passion, for this will do your children more harm than good. Keep your children as long as you can in your own house. Domestic feeling is a sacred tie which should be preserved fresh and strong—as long as possible. Often, mothers lose all their influence over sons by their being sent abroad to school. Have as much of your children's education, therefore, conducted at home, as is practicable. Be assured that no place is so favorable to the good feelings and morals of the young as the family circle, unless the family be destitute of religion and virtue; and for such I do not now write. Boarding schools for girls may be useful—but I would advise you to keep your daughters at home, under your own eye, and when they go to school in the day, let them come home by night. You may possibly find a better school by sending them abroad—but the sacrifice is too great, and the risk of evil habits and evil sentiments is not small. And as to your sons, if they must go abroad, place them in the family of some pious man, and under the maternal care of some pious woman, where they may find a substitute for parental attention. While absent, let them return home as frequently as they can, that what I have called the "domestic" feeling may be preserved. If your sons must be put to a trade, or become clerks in a store or counting-house, be very particular as to the character and conscientious fidelity of their master. It is lamentable to see how youth in these circumstances are neglected; and how they are exposed to temptations from which it is hardly possible they can escape without guilt and contamination. I would earnestly recommend it to mothers to keep up a correspondence, by letter, with their children when removed from the domestic roof: a single word of admonition and warning from a mother might be the means of reclaiming a beloved son from the verge of a precipice. But whatever else you neglect, omit not to follow your children, when absent, with your daily prayers. Very often, this is the only thing which is left to mothers. Their children are either removed far from them, or, if near, they have lost their influence over them. But there is One, who is near to them, and who can influence them. O mothers! plead for your dear offspring at the throne of grace; travail in birth for them a second time. God is gracious. God will regard the fervent, importunate cry of Christian mothers. Get friends to unite with you in social prayer. This leads me to speak of those societies called "Maternal Associations". If prudently and humbly conducted, they are calculated to be eminently useful. Let all parade and ostentation be avoided, and mothers may meet and pray for their dear children as often as they are disposed. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 14: ALEXANDER - CROSS ======================================================================== THE CROSS by Archibald Alexander Whence came the tree from which the cross was made? What has become of the particles of which it was composed? What hands were employed in preparing this instrument of a cruel death? To such questions no answer can be given--and none is needed. The cross was a common mode of punishment among several nations, and among the Romans was reserved for the punishment of slaves and the vilest malefactors. It was never made use of by the Jews. If they had had the power of execution in their hands when Christ suffered, the punishment for the offence alleged against him would have been stoning. But by the ordering of divine Providence, our Lord was put to death in that way which was accursed, according to the Jewish law; for it was written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." The death of Christ on the cross may well be reckoned mysterious, for it was at the same time a cursed and a blessed death. Christ was "made a curse for us," that he might deliver us from the curse of the law. And yet Christ's death on the cross is the most blessed event which ever occurred in the world; for on the cross the price of our redemption was paid. Christ "bore our sins in his own body on the tree." He died, "the just for the unjust," to bring us unto God. This led Paul to say, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." The cross is a center in which many lines of truth meet. The cross is an incomprehensible mystery. That God should be manifest in the flesh, is the great "mystery of godliness." That the Prince of life should be crucified, was an event which caused the angels to stoop from their celestial thrones, that they might gaze in amazement upon it. The prophets who predicted these events were perplexed at their own prophecies, "They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating, when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow." The truths which are exhibited in a clear and strong light by the crucifixion of Christ, are such as these: 1. The infinite evil of sin, which in order to its pardon required such a sacrifice. 2. The holiness and justice of God, which would not allow sin to pass without full evidence of the divine disapprobation, and his inflexible purpose to visit it with deserved punishment. 3. The wisdom of God, in contriving a method of salvation by which his own glory would be promoted in the eternal salvation of hell-deserving sinners. This wisdom is chiefly manifest in the incarnation of the Son of God, by which the divine and human natures are united in one person. 4. But the most wonderful exhibition of the cross is the mercy of God, the love of God to sinners—such love as never could have been conceived of, had it not been manifest by the gift of his own Son! "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 15: ALEXANDER - DAY OF JUDGMENT ======================================================================== The Day of Judgment by Archibald Alexander That a just God will render to every man according to his character and works, is a dictate of reason. Conscience also intimates to every man, when he sins, that he deserves to be punished; and when we see or hear of great crimes committed by others, such as murders, perjuries, robbery, or treachery, we feel something within us demanding that such should receive condign punishment. But we see that the wicked are not always punished in this world according to their evil deeds; it seems reasonable, therefore, to expect that there will be a judgment after death. We are not left, however, to the mere dictates of reason on this subject: God, in his word, has revealed in the clearest manner that there will be a day of reckoning at the end of the world. This day is appointed, and will certainly come. It is not so certain that we shall ever see the sun rise again, as it is that we shall see the day of judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ is also appointed to act as Judge on that day: "because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge that world in righteousness, by that man whom he that ordained." Acts 17:31. "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10. When this awful day will arrive is a profound secret, not revealed to any creature in the universe. But we know that it will come suddenly and unexpectedly on those who shall then be on the earth. As it was in the days of Noah and of Lot, so will it be in the day of judgment. Men will be pursuing their common worldly business and amusements, without apprehension of danger, when the sound of the last trump shall be heard — for the trumpet shall sound — and the Son of man shall be seen coming in the clouds of heaven. The race of man shall not cease from the earth until that day comes. There will then be a generation of living inhabitants, probably very numerous, in the world. These will never die as other men, but they will undergo a change equivalent to death and a resurrection; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, they shall be changed. But all they that are in their graves shall hear the voice of God, and shall come forth, great and small. No sooner shall the trumpet sound, than the scattered dust of unnumbered millions shall resume its proper place in every man. No matter where it lies, or how widely it may have been scattered, one word of the Almighty God is sufficient to bring it to its place, and animate it with new life. The multitude which will then start up into life cannot be conceived, it will be so great. There will stand Adam and all his posterity; there will stand those who lived before the flood, and those who have lived since; there will be seen the ancient patriarchs, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the inspired prophets and apostles; there will appear kings, emperors, nobles, and their subjects; the learned philosopher and the ignorant multitude; ministers and their congregations, parents and their children, masters and their servants — all, all coming forward to the grand tribunal. Not one of our whole race will be absent form this great assembly. There, reader, shall you and I stand, trembling or rejoicing. It is useless to inquire where room can be found for so great a multitude to stand, for this will be a day of miracles. All the wonders ever exhibited before will be nothing to the wonders of that day. Indeed, all that is natural will end on that day, and everything will be miraculous. The sun will no longer rise and set, the moon no longer give her light, and the stars shall no longer appear in the firmament. Heaven will appear to have come down to earth, for the King of kings and Lord of heaven will be visible to all, with his own glory and that of his Father. And all the holy angels will appear in attendance, standing round his throne, ready to execute his orders, whether of justice or of mercy. When all things are prepared — when the Judge has taken his seat on the tribunal and all men are brought before him, the judicial process will begin; "and the books will be opened." What books these are, except one, which is "the book of life," we are not informed; but we may be sure that one is the book of God's law, and another the record of human actions which is in the "book of" God's "remembrance." It is not necessary to think of more. These contain all that is necessary for conducting the trial of every man. The one contains the law, and the other the testimony. But every thing will be conducted with the most perfect equity. Every man will be judged for his own deeds, and according to that knowledge of the law which he had opportunity of acquitting. The omniscience of the Judge will enable him to estimate with perfect exactness all the circumstances of every action; every thing which aggravated guilt, and every thing which palliates it, will have due consideration. They who lived under the patriarchal dispensation, will be judged according to the light and advantages then enjoyed; they who lived under the Mosaical economy, will be judged by the law of Moses; and they who enjoyed the clear light of the gospel, will be dealt with in a manner accordant to their advantages; while they who enjoyed no external revelation, will be judged by that law written on the hearts of all men. The things which shall be brought under the eye of the Judge, and exhibited to the view of the universe, are, all deeds done in the body — whatsoever a man hath done, whether good or bad. Every secret thing. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14. Every idle word. "I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give a account thereof in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:36. The thoughts of the heart shall also be made manifest. Every unholy desire; every proud, envious, or malicious thought; every secret purpose of iniquity; every unhallowed temper; every rebellious and discontented and ungrateful feeling towards God and his government, will be brought into judgment. And the inquiry will extend not only to positive acts; but also to omissions of duty. Great as is the number of the acts of wickedness, the catalogue of omissions will be greater, and not less criminal. The first sin of this sort which will claim the attention of the Judge, will be the omission to entertain and cherish right sentiments towards God. No more heavy charge will be brought against any individual on that day, than that he neglected to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. This is the total violation of the first and greatest command, and the fountain of all other iniquities. The neglect to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ when he was offered to us a complete Saviour in the gospel, will, to the unfruitful hearers of the word, be an accusation of the highest kind. The heinousness and enormity of unbelief which now affects the consciences of men so little, will on that day appear in a glaring light. It will not be strange if it should call forth reproaches upon the unhappy culprit, from devils who never had a Saviour provided, and from heathen who never had a Saviour offered to them. In that account which our Lord has given of the process of the judgment, in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, the neglect of kindness to the saints, by visiting, comforting, and aiding them, is the only thing mentioned. Whatever else, then, may be noticed, we are sure this will not be forgotten. The whole passage is so solemn and interesting, that it deserves our deepest attention: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:31 - Matthew 25:46. And let it be well considered, that most of the sins which are mentioned in the discourses of Christ as the ground of condemnation, are sins of omission. The slothful servant, who prepares not himself, is the wicked servant, who wrapped his talent in a napkin and buried it, is condemned out of his own mouth. For "to him that knoweth to do good," of any kind, "and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17. Many who prided themselves in their inoffensive lives and harmless behavior, will find, when the books are opened, a catalogue of omissions which will startle them with horror, and overwhelm them with confusion. And as actions externally good will then be examined by One who has a full view of the motives from which they proceeded, and the end which the agent had in view, is it not certain that many religious actions will then appear to have been mere hypocrisy? that many actions, apparently just and benevolent, were mere efforts of pride and selfishness? and that a life civil and blameless in the eyes of men, was a mere cloak which covered a heart full of unclean lusts? Our most intimate friends here will be astonished when they see our secret iniquities and wicked motives exposed to view. Crimes the most detestable will be found in the skirts of those who passed through life without suspicion. O how many secret murders, perjuries, thefts, blasphemies, and adulteries, will then be brought to light! How much injustice, fraud, cruelty, oppression, pride, malice, revenge! The cries of the injured, the widow, and the orphan always enter into the ears of the Lord, and he now comes to avenge them. Cruel persecutors of God's church and people, though clothed in purple, and almost adored when living in the world, will now be brought to a severe account. The blood of the martyred saints from beneath the altar has been long crying out, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?" Revelation 6:10. And now the day of retribution has arrived. What will be the length of time occupied with the judgment we know not. It is called a day, but it will differ exceedingly from all other days; and in its duration, probably, as well as in other respects. Our wisdom is to attend to what is revealed, and to repress a vain curiosity in regard to other matters. We may rest assured that the whole process will be wisely conducted, and that complete justice will be done. The Judge of all the earth will do right. He will not condemn the innocent, nor clear the guilty. And his judgment will be most impartial. There will be no respecting of persons. The king and the beggar will stand upon equal ground, and will be judged by the same rule. Those who in this world were reviled and slandered, and had no opportunity of clearing up their character, will then be vindicated, and lies and reproaches will have effect no more. But here a serious difficulty occurs. It may be said, "If the law of God is the rule of judgment, and if all sins are brought into judgment, then certainly every human being must be condemned; 'for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.' According to this view, none can be saved." To remove this difficulty, let it be remembered, that besides the book of the law, there is another book which will be produced there, written from the foundation of the world. This is called the Book of Life. This contains the names — and they shall never be blotted out — of all those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. These he has undertaken to present to God without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. They will appear on that day clothed with the righteousness of the Redeemer. The Judge on the throne is their covenanted Surety. He answers to every accusation made against them. But notwithstanding "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus;" notwithstanding none can "lay any thing to the charge of God's elect;" yet they also shall be brought into judgment. When all things are prepared, and the whole assembly is collected before the august tribunal, a separation will be made of the great congregation into two parts, the righteous, and the wicked. The former will be placed on the right hand of the Judge, and with them he will commence. But no sooner shall their numerous sins be brought to view, that it will be made to appear that they are pardoned through the blood of Christ. When the books are opened, a long account will appear against them; but on the other hand, it will be seen that the whole is freely forgiven through the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. But a most exact account will be taken of all their good works; and they will be mentioned to their honor, and rewarded as though no imperfection had cleaved to them. The least act of kindness done to any of Christ's followers will be magnified and rewarded as if done to Christ himself. Even the giving a cup of cold water to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, shall not lose its reward. Persons in the lowest state, servants and slaves, who performed their duty faithfully, shall not be forgotten in that day, for "whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." Ephesians 6:8. But they who suffered persecution and death for righteousness' sake, will be most highly distinguished, and most signally rewarded. "Blessed are ye when me shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in heaven." Matthew 5:11,Matthew 5:12. They also who have labored much in promoting the Redeemer's kingdom, will receive a reward proportioned to their works of faith and labors of love. But none who have done good shall fail of their reward. Every one shall receive according to what he hath done; and every one will be satisfied; for the lowest place in glory is a situation too dazzling for our present conceptions, and the whole is a matter of pure grace. These works, considered in themselves, deserve no reward. But it is the will of God that every holy desire, every good word and work, in the members of Christ's body, should receive a mark of his favor, to the honor and glory of him who is their Head, and who died for their salvation. When the gracious sentence, "Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." is pronounced, the righteous shall be caught up to the Lord, and shall be seated by his side, and be united with him in the remaining transactions of that great day; for it is written, "The saints shall judge the world," and, "Know ye not that ye shall judge angels?" The case of the righteous being disposed of, then will come the awful transaction of pronouncing sentence on the wicked. They will, indeed, have anticipated the sentence. By this time they will be certain of their doom; but the scene itself will far exceed all apprehensions before entertained. To behold the face of inflexible justice turned toward them — to hear the irreversible sentence of condemnation, and that too from the mouth of the benevolent Son of God — to feel in the inmost soul the justice of the sentence — to be as certain of everlasting damnation as they are of existence — are things concerning which we can speak now, but of which we can form but very feeble conceptions, compared with the dreadful reality. In all his existence there will probably be no moment in which the sinner's anguish will be so poignant as in this, when the Judge shall say, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25:41. Every word in this tremendous denunciation will pierce through the soul with more insufferable pain than the thousand daggers. It is reasonable to think that every person against whom it is pronounced, will endure as much misery at that moment as in the nature of things is possible. And if this were all, the prospect would be appalling; but to be doomed to endless misery in fire, with the devil and his angels! — who can bear the thought without horror and dismay? Yet, as sure as God is true, will this sentence be executed on every impenitent sinner. Men may reason and cavil now, but then every mouth shall be stopped. That the cry of despair and horror will be heard through the great multitude, is certain — such a great and bitter cry as was never heard before. But it is all in vain; repentance comes too late. The day of grace is for ever past. The gospel dispensation is ended. This is the consummation of all things. No change in condition can ever be expected. They that are saved, have their salvation secured by the oath and promise of God; and they who are lost, have their damnation sealed for ever and ever by a judicial sentence which can never be revoked. And from this sentence there is no appeal. There is no higher tribunal to which the cause may be transferred. Neither can any resistance be made to the execution of the sentence. They who are now bold and daring in their blasphemies and rebellion, will then find that they are in the hands of a sin-avenging God. It will belong to the holy angels, who are mighty in power, to execute the sentence of the Judge. "So shall it be," said our blessed Saviour, "at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:49,Matthew 13:50. And it will be as impossible to escape as to resist. The rocks and mountains will not cover them. They cannot cease to exist. Go where they will, God is there to execute deserved wrath upon them. They will therefore be obliged "to go away into everlasting punishment." Matthew 25:46. The devil and his angels will also be judged on that day; but of the particular nature of the trial we are not informed. All that we know is, that "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude, ver. 6. They are now miserable, but their cup is not full; therefore they cried out when they saw Jesus, "Art thou come to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29. At the breaking up of this great assembly, the present system of the world will be destroyed. For "the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7. Reader, deeply fix in your mind the certainty and importance of the transactions of this last, great day. Meditate upon it as a reality in which you have a momentous interest. Let every other day, as it passes, put you in mind of this in which all others will end. Consider also that is draws near. Every moment bears us on towards the great tribunal. Mockers may say, Where is the promise of his coming? "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent hear; the earth also, and the works therein, shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10. O reader, whoever thou art, let me entreat you to inquire without delay, whether you are prepared for the scrutiny and judgment of this coming day. Have you made you peace with God? Have you repented of all your sins? Are you in union with Christ by faith? Have you any clear scriptural evidence that your sins are pardoned? What says conscience to these inquiries? Be assured, if your own heart condemns you, God, who is greater than your heart, and knoweth all things, will much more condemn you. But your situation is not like that of them whose day of grace is ended. You are yet in the place of reconciliation. You have yet a little time before you — God only knows how much. Now, then, hear the voice of warning — hear the voice of mercy. Now "strive to enter in at the strait gate." Now forsake your sins, and live. Accept the offered grace — "lay hold on eternal life." Let no consideration induce you to delay your conversion. The importance of salvation — the uncertainty of life — the danger of provoking the Holy Spirit to abandon you — the example of thousands who have perished by procrastination — should urge you to lose no time, but to fall in with the gracious invitation of the gospel. But if you will refuse, then prepare to meet an angry God. Harden yourself against the terrors of the Almighty; summon all your fortitude to hear your dreadful doom from the Judge of quick and dead. But I forbear — there is no fortitude or patience in hell. Reader, art thou advanced in years? Let thy gray hairs and pains and wrinkles admonish thee that thou art near to judgment; for what if death intervene, yet after death all preparation is impossible. Just as death finds us, so will judgment. "In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." Ecclesiastes 11:3. Consider also that the number of your sins is in proportion to the number of your days. Long life will prove a dreadful curse to those who die in their sins. But if thou art in youth, or in the vigor of manhood, remember that thy life is a vapor; that most men do not live out half their days: and that of those who shall appear before the judgment-seat, comparatively few will have finished their course of threescore years and ten. "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." Ecclesiastes 12:1 "Behold, the Judge standeth before the door." James 5:9. Others have been suddenly taken away from your side. They also intend to make preparation hereafter; but while they were pleasing themselves with the prospect of many years, and were saying, "Soul, take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up for many years" God said, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Be ye therefore ready also, for at such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." "Behold, the axe is laid at the root of the tree," and now perhaps thou art spared, on account of the prayer of some kind intercessor, for one year. This, for aught thou knowest, may be thy last year. If so, it behooves you to make good use of your time and privileges. Let the idea of the judgment be ever before your mind. There you must appear — there you must stand and render up your account — there you must be filled with overwhelming shame and terror — there you must hear the awful final sentence, which will fix your doom irreversibly, unless by a speedy repentance, and by faith in Jesus Christ, you flee from the wrath to come. May God, of his infinite mercy, cause the truths which you have read in this tract to sink deeply into your mind; and by the light of his Holy Spirit lead you to just views of your own condition, and to saving views of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer of lost sinners. Amen. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 16: ALEXANDER - DECEITFULNESS OF SIN ======================================================================== DECEITFULNESS OF SIN by Archibald Alexander All sin takes its origin from false views of things. Our first parents would never have sinned--had they not been deceived by the tempter. Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was beautiful, and she was persuaded also good for food, that is, pleasant to the taste and nutritious. Here was a deception. This fruit was never intended for nourishment, whatever might have been its flavor. It was intended for trial, and not for food. But the greatest deception practiced on our first mother by the arch deceiver was, that the eating of this food would make her wise to know good and evil, even as it is known to God. The deceitful words of the tempter wrought this unfounded persuasion in her mind. The desire of knowledge is natural, a part of man's original constitution, as well as the appetite for food; but these natural propensities are not to be indulged by every means, and gratified on all occasions, but should be kept under the government of reason and conscience. The brutes were made to be governed by appetite and instinct; but man is the subject of law, and he cannot but feel the binding obligation of law. He is a moral agent, and may properly be subjected to a trial whether he will obey the law of his Creator. How widely different does sin appear after it is committed--from what it did before. Passion or craving appetite creates a false medium by which the unwary soul is deceived, and led into transgression. After our first parents sinned, "their eyes were opened." A sense of guilt unknown before now seized them, and this was like a new vision—not of beauty, but odious deformity. Innocence was lost. Shame and confusion take the place of peace and purity. Unhappy change! The guilty pair are now sensible of their great mistake, of their guilty act, of their disgraceful condition, of their ruined state. Their whole race is ruined! What will they do when their Creator shall make his usual visit—heretofore so delightful and instructive? Hark, he comes—his voice is heard in the garden. The wretched culprits are seized with terror and consternation. Guilt causes them to flee from the presence of the best and kindest of fathers. They try to hide themselves. They run into the densest thickets of the trees of the garden. But they cannot conceal themselves from the eye of Omniscience. They cannot escape from the arm of the Almighty, much less resist his power. Behold, the Creator not finding his creature man in his proper place, sends forth a voice, which must have been like the most terrible thunder, when the awful sound penetrated his ear, and resounded through his whole soul: "Adam, where are you?" Trembling, the guilty pair come forth to meet the frowns of a displeased and righteous Judge. We need pursue the interesting history no farther at present. From this first transgression, by which sin entered into the world, we may form some idea of its deceitful nature. This first sin is a sort of example of all other sins. As they flow from this as streams from a fountain, they all partake of the poison of their origin. In all sin there is some bait—some apparent good—some expectation of pleasure or profit from unlawful indulgence. In all sin the mind is under a delusive influence. Right thoughts and motives are for the moment forgotten or overborne; the attention, like the eye of a beguiled bird, is fixed on a point from which it cannot be withdrawn. The enticement prevails, and guilt is contracted. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 17: ALEXANDER - FASTING ======================================================================== FASTING by Archibald Alexander Yesterday a pious young minister called upon me, and said he wished I would write a short article on the duty of fasting. He observed, that among Christians of our day he feared this duty was much neglected. I referred him to a valuable discourse of the late venerable Doctor Miller on that subject, published some years ago--which he said he had not seen. I told him that I was not in favor of periodic fasts once a week or once a month; that there were times when we ought not to fast--as our blessed Savior said to the disciples of John, in answer to their question, "Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples fast not? Can the children of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast." Yet soon after our conversion he determined to fast one day in the week; but after practicing this for some time, he found that it was degenerating into a formal observance, and he gave up the practice. He remarked that it was evident from one declaration of our Lord, that there were cases of obstinate evils from which deliverance was not obtained, without adding fasting to our prayers. The reference was to Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit, this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting." Fasting has made a part of all religions, true and false, and is much practiced among the heathen, the Jews, the Mohammedans, the Romanists, and the oriental Christians. And because the practice has been turned to superstition, Protestants have too much neglected this duty. But eminently devout men in all ages have found fasting an auxiliary to devotion and to the mortification of sin. Some professors neglect it altogether, under the false notion that literal fasting is not enjoined, but only penitence and abstaining from sin. There are, however, degrees of fasting, both as to the time of abstinence from food, and whether the abstinence be total or partial. The Ninevites, when brought to repentance by the preaching of Jonah, tasted neither bread nor water for three whole days. This was a severe fast. Daniel fasted for three full weeks; but this was not a total abstinence, for he says, "I ate no pleasant bread, neither came meat nor wine in my mouth." And Peter's fast, when he saw the vision of the sheet let down, was only until three o'clock. External fasting, without corresponding internal penitence and humiliation, is hypocrisy--and such fasting is severely reproved by the prophet. "'Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?" (Isaiah 58:3 - Isaiah 58:5) "Even now--this is the LORD's declaration--turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster." (Joel 2:12 - Joel 2:13) And our Lord warns us against ostentation in our fasting: "Whenever you fast, don't be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They've got their reward! But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that you don't show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16 - Matthew 6:18) One special occasion on which the apostles and their companions were accustomed to fast, was when ministers were to be ordained and sent forth. Thus we read in Acts 13:2, "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." And again, chapter 14:23, "And when they had ordained elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord." Is this practice now followed by those who ordain? As fasting renders some people sick, so that it hinders their devotion, such should adopt partial abstinence; for the Lord will have mercy, and not sacrifice. One end of fasting, is that we may "afflict our souls." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 18: ALEXANDER - FIXEDESS OF PURPOSE ======================================================================== FIXEDNESS OF PURPOSE by Archibald Alexander "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." Men are often the subject of strong impressions, and have their feelings strongly excited, when they are far from a fixed and deliberate purpose to devote themselves unreservedly to the service of God. Whatever vicissitudes of feeling and fluctuation of hope the real Christian may experience, his purpose never wavers. He may be strongly tempted, and carnal desires may plead against his course, and his self-denial may be painful, like plucking out a right eye, or cutting off a right hand; but still his determination is fixed that he will serve the Lord. Yes, when by some powerful temptation he is overcome, and is betrayed into sin, though he may for a season be in despair, yet his purpose is, that if he perishes, he will perish seeking mercy and trying to serve the Lord. Fixedness of purpose is a much better evidence of genuine piety than the most elevated feelings of joy; and this is an evidence which the Christian possesses in his darkest hours of discouragement. Our sensible feelings are much more connected with the state of the nervous system than is commonly supposed; but the steady, fixed purpose of the will, is a good evidence that the heart has been renewed. Our purpose may be stronger at one time than another, but it is always fixed. The writer has come upon following case. A careless and profane young man was awakened, and professed to be converted. His zeal was ardent, and his confidence strong. He relinquished a lucrative business that he might commence a course of education for the Christian ministry. After a while his zeal began to cool, and his prospect of success in preparing for the ministry being somewhat uncertain, he began to regret that he had commenced such a course. And worse than this, he began to repent that he had left the world, and had relinquished a profitable business for the sake of Christ. In a conversation which the writer had with him, he acknowledged that, he often hesitated whether he should continue to seek God, or go back to the world. This confession struck the writer with surprise, as he had before entertained a very favorable opinion of this man, and he could not reconcile such wavering with sincerity. After some time, the young man suddenly relinquished his studies, gave up his Christian profession, and plunged into more than his former dissipation. He became openly profane, and it is believed avowed his disbelief in the reality of true religion. The change in his course affected the pious with grief, and furnished occasion of triumph to the enemies of vital piety. But his course was short. Though possessed of a strong and healthy constitution, he was seized with an inflammatory fever, and died in horror and despair! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 19: ALEXANDER - FUTURE PUNISHMENT ======================================================================== FUTURE PUNISHMENT; or, THE UNIVERSALIST REFUTED Archibald Alexander No benevolent being delights in the suffering of others—for its own sake. But it is one of the clearest dictates of reason, that sin should be visited with punishment. Men may differ widely in opinion as to what sin is, in regard to many particulars, but everyone sees and feels the propriety of punishing crimes, which he acknowledges to be such, in proportion to their evil. Indeed, it would be difficult to give a definition of sin which does not involve this idea; and a better definition of moral evil could not easily be given, than that it is that which deserves punishment. None are found, therefore, who, while they acknowledge a difference between virtue and vice, deny that the latter deserves punishment. And as all sinful acts are not of equal malignity or turpitude, it will be agreed by all, that, in justice, everyone ought to receive just recompense according to his deeds; and that he whose sins are less, should not suffer equally with him whose sins are greater. Whether the end of punishment is always the good of the sufferer, is disputed. On this point it may here be observed, that that intuitive perception, which exists in every mind, of the connection between sin and punishment, has no respect whatever to the benefit of the guilty person. Punishment, according to the clearest and simplest idea of its nature, is some pain or loss to the person who endures it. Suffering which brings no injury to the sufferer, can scarcely be called punishment in a strict sense. In our intuitive, original judgment of the connection between sin and punishment—we regard nothing but the nature of the crime, the demerit of the act. No man needs to know more, or think of more, in determining that punishment is deserved, than that a crime has been committed. We may conclude, or rather conjecture, that the reason why we are so constituted as to be under the necessity of forming such a judgment, is because sin obstructs the general good, or is injurious to others, as we see that this is its tendency; but this enters not into our original conception. It is a clear dictate of the human mind, that if there be a crime, some punishment is due to it; and when the sin is atrocious, there is not merely a dispassionate judgment that it ought to be punished, but an earnest demand, an indignant feeling, a vehement desire that the guilty perpetrator of the act should suffer deserved punishment. These are the genuine feelings of nature, experienced by all men, in all countries, and in all ages; and no one is conscious that when they rise in his bosom, they are excited by a regard to the 'welfare of the guilty person'. The truth is, his welfare is so far from being regarded, that as far as he is considered as deserving of punishment, we do not consult his happiness and welfare. But on the contrary, our judgment is, that his happiness ought to be lessened, or taken away, to the extent of his guilt. Although we are so constituted as to perceive and feel that sin deserves punishment according to its evil, yet we have no precise standard of the degree of punishment which any sin deserves. Reason cannot tell how much pain is due to any particular offence: its clear perception goes no further than to the general proposition that it ought to be punished according to its desert, whatever that may be. Yet it has appeared exceedingly evident to most men, that although some degree of punishment follows sinful actions in this life, men do not receive here a full retribution for their crimes; since very often great transgressors are prosperous, and some of them die in the commission of atrocious sins. This has furnished the strongest of all the arguments which reason can discover, for a future state of existence. Indeed, admitting the fact that men are not rewarded and punished here on earth, according to their respective deserts, the conclusion is inevitable, if God is just. But some moral deists who could not deny the difference between virtue and vice, and that the former ought to be rewarded and the latter punished, held that virtue is its own reward, and vice its own punishment. That is, that good men, in the performance of good actions, and in the consequences which naturally follow them, have their reward; and that wicked men, in the remorse which attends the commission of sin and in its effects, suffer all the punishment which they deserve. Therefore they maintained that there is no future existence to be expected or feared. This theory, however grateful it may be to the wishes of wicked men, as freeing them from all apprehension of a future judgment, has found but few abettors. The reason is, that the evidence against its truth is obvious. All men must see, that crimes are not punished in this life according to their demerit. But in our times and in our country, a new phenomenon has appeared in the religious world. A sect has risen up calling themselves UNIVERSALISTS, who profess to receive the Bible as the word of God, and yet utterly deny all future punishment. From early times there have been a few people, among whom were some men of learning, who entertained the opinion that the punishment of the wicked in future world would not be strictly eternal, or without end; but they all held that the impenitent would certainly suffer deserved punishment after death. This scheme was defended on various principles, by different people; and the arguments of the same people were not commonly consistent with one another. At one time, they asserted that it would be unjust in the Ruler of the universe to make his creatures eternally miserable on account of the sins committed here in the course of a short life. But again, not satisfied with this ground, they resorted to the mercy and goodness of God as revealed in the gospel, and endeavored to prove that as God loved all his creatures equally, and that as Christ died equally for all, all would certainly be saved—if not here, yet, without doubt, hereafter. These topics of argument were popular, and many would have been the converts to this system, had it not been for a number of plain and stubborn texts of Scripture, which these men, with all their critical efforts, found to be rather intractable. Most people, too, feared to trust their eternal salvation on the criticisms of fallible men. They thought that, at last it might be found, that the words everlasting and eternal might mean endless punishment. Moreover, it was demonstrated by the defenders of the orthodox doctrine, that the two grand topics of argument used by the Universalists, were perfectly incompatible with each other; for if, in the nature of things, it was unjust to punish men with eternal misery, there was no need for a Savior to come into the world and die to prevent the Almighty from doing an act of flagrant injustice. Upon this principle, universal salvation would have occurred in due time as a matter of course; and therefore the death of Christ was unnecessary, and there was no occasion for mercy or pardon. But if they built their argument on the principle of God's mercy and Christ's death, and ascribe the salvation of all men to free grace, then it was manifest that had not this mediatorial scheme intervened, men must have perished forever; for there is no mercy or grace in redeeming from misery to which men were never exposed. This therefore, which was the principal argument, could not be employed without recognizing the justice of condemning men to endless punishment for their sins. But if that was the punishment to which men were condemned by the law, no reason could be assigned why rejecters of the gospel might not be left to suffer what was before due to them. Upon this ground, there was no presumption against the plain, literal interpretation of those texts which seem to represent future punishment to be eternal. And that which perplexed the subject still more, was the fact that no punishment mentioned in the Scriptures was so great as that threatened against those who refused to believe the gospel; whereas, according to this theory, the penalty of the law ought to be endless punishment, and the misery actually inflicted on those redeemed from the curse of the law ought to be something very different. Indeed, it was difficult to explain why they should suffer in the future world at all, if Christ died for them so as to free them from the curse of the law. Especially, it was almost incredible that they should suffer so long as the phrases used in Scripture, limit them as they would, must import. It was also a perplexing point to determine whether those severe sufferings for ages of ages, were penal, expiatory, or merely castigatory. If they maintained the first, how could they reconcile it with their cardinal position, that Christ redeemed all men from the curse of the law? If, after all, sinners might be left to suffer part of the penalty, why not all? But if the sufferings of the wicked in a future world are held to be expiatory, then they are saved independently of Christ, or their expiation must be added to his; both of which suppositions are derogatory to the Savior, and inconsistent with the radical principle of their system, that all are saved by grace, through the merit of Christ. And finally, if the punishment which sinners endure in hell is merely castigatory, why is it so long and so tremendously severe? This idea, however, is manifestly repugnant to the whole tenor of Scripture, which uniformly represents the sufferings of the damned as destructive, and never as beneficial. But even on the supposition that the punishment due to each sin was limited, and as short as any one might choose to make it; yet the punishment of the sinner might be justly without end, because, being a moral agent still, and under obligations to obey his Creator, from which he never can be released, he may be continually contracting new guilt; so that if one would suppose that the punishment of one sin was momentary, yet if the sinner in hell is every moment committing fresh sin, it does not appear how he can ever be released. There is no way by which this conclusion can be evaded but by supposing that men and devils in hell are incapable of sinning, or that the sins which they commit there do not incur any additional punishment. But neither of these positions can be maintained. That men whose nature is sinful, and who by long custom have formed inveterate habits of sinning, when removed to another world should cease to commit sin, is an unreasonable supposition; and to suppose that sin, in a future state, does not incur the curse of the law, or the displeasure of God, is equally unreasonable. God, from the holiness of his nature, must hate sin wherever it appears, and he always acts agreeably to his nature. To suppose men in hell to be divested of their moral agency, would be to suppose them in such a condition as scarcely to be capable of suffering for their sins. No doubt the devil sinned when he tempted our first parents, and in all his other temptations; otherwise he could not be called a murderer from the beginning, and a liar, and the father of lies. Indeed, no one who believes that there is a devil, doubts that he is continually sinning and rebelling against God; and I think it can scarcely be doubted that he will suffer punishment for these sins. Then what reason can be assigned why the reprobate from among men will not continue to sin in another world, and to heap up fresh wrath upon their guilty souls? Other formidable difficulties encumber this scheme of universal salvation. It was not easy to understand how the inhabitants of this prison were to be released: whether by a due course of law they should come out after having suffered the full demand of justice, and after having paid the last farthing, as the Scriptures speak; or whether the offers of the gospel should follow them there, and they should not be delivered until they cordially embrace the terms of salvation. Each of these plans has its peculiar difficulties. According to the first, Christ and his merits are completely set aside, and the sinner gets to heaven upon the strict principles of retributive justice; just as, among us, the convict comes out of the penitentiary and enjoys his liberty and the rights of a citizen when he has served out his time, in pursuance of the sentence of the law. But if the sinner comes out of hell by believing the gospel, then the gospel must be preached in hell—but by whom does not appear. And its efficacy there must depend on the Holy Spirit, or on the freewill of the creature. If the former, the Holy Spirit—I tremble to write it—must be poured out in hell—if the latter, it remains to be shown that severe pain will make men willing to believe. But if it depend on our freewill, and this may resist for ages of ages, why not forever? It may happen then, after all, according to this theory, that some sinners, by their obstinacy, will never be saved. And if efficacious grace rescues them, what reason can be assigned why that grace did not operate effectually in this world to prevent them from going to that infernal prison. But the difficulties do not end here. Suppose the prison doors thrown open, and the law to make no further demands, how is the miserable sinner to be fitted for the pure and blessed society of heaven? Whatever hell may be in other respects, surely it is no school of virtue—no place to acquire holy habits, and relish for the praises of a holy God; unless ages of blasphemy should be thought to prepare a sinner for the exalted hallelujahs of heaven; or the society of devils to qualify for the society of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. It is true forever, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, and it is demonstrable that there can be no enjoyment in that pure and blessed place for those whose minds are full of malignant passions. Universalists must therefore make it a part of their system to have the soul purified by regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. Or will they cast indignity on the office and work of the Holy Spirit, by maintaining that his peculiar work can be performed by the fire of hell? It is very remarkable that the holy Scriptures shed a clear light on the path which leads to future misery, but not a solitary ray on the way of escape from that dismal place. Yet, if this is a doctrine of the Scriptures, it is marvelous that they have never mentioned the case of any one saved from hell, nor left us a single hint respecting the method of passing the wide gulf which separates the two places. When the rich man in torment begged Abraham for a drop of water, we surely might have expected some word of encouragement to the poor sufferer, if that venerable patriarch had known anything of a passage from hell to heaven. But no; he seems to preclude all hope of the kind. "Between us and you," says he, "there is a great gulf fixed: so that those who would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence." Call this discourse a parable, or what you will, it matters not: no word is spoken respecting a way of escape from torment. Nor is there, from the beginning to the end of the Bible, one word to inform us of the method of being delivered from hell and prepared for heaven for those who once go away into everlasting punishment. There was still another defect in this scheme which, I doubt not, has had practically more efficacy in exploding it than all the rest. It cannot be concealed, and perhaps will not be denied, that the primary motive which has led men to Universalism, is the desire of removing from the minds of worldly and wicked men the dreadful apprehension of endless torments. I say worldly and wicked men, for the true Christian does not need this doctrine for his consolation. He is safe without it. Therefore the humble and devoted Christian is not commonly, if ever, the advocate of this system. It was a doctrine invented for the lawless and disobedient—a doctrine to bring comfort, not to penitent believers, but to impenitent sinners, who are not willing to forsake their sins. Now, it is manifest that the old scheme of Universalism, which admitted not only of future punishment, but of a duration of punishment which might, in some sense, be called everlasting, did but half answer the purpose contemplated. When the abandoned profligate, the murderer, the robber, the debauchee, the defrauder of the orphan and widow, and every description of ungodly men, saw eternity approaching, supposing that they firmly believed their own tenets, the prospect before them was appalling. What! to lie for ages of ages in fire, or in torment comparable to fire! The thought was intolerable. This subject brings to recollection a fact which occurred more than thirty years ago. A popular preacher of universal salvation thought it necessary to guard his doctrine against the common objection that its tendency was to encourage wicked men to continue in sin, whereupon he undertook to represent to his hearers how long future punishment might possibly last. And he took the illustration so often used by preachers who wish to give some faint idea of eternity, of a bird taking one grain of sand from the earth every thousand or million years until the whole was taken away, and bringing it back, grain by grain, after the same intervals: "so long," said he, "may some atrocious and obstinate sinners have to suffer in hell." A young man who had become a convert to this flesh-pleasing doctrine, upon hearing this representation, was struck with horror. No idea of a duration so long had ever before entered his mind, and he began to be seriously concerned how he should escape from sufferings so tremendous. And it is said that his conviction of danger was only removed by a believing application to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, as might be expected, he was no longer an advocate for the salvation of impenitent sinners. The reader, I think, will now be able to understand why Universalists* in this country—or at least some of them—have forsaken their old ground, and are now endeavoring to build on an entirely new foundation. They certainly avoid the last-mentioned difficulty of their predecessors. They now have made their doctrine palatable enough to the worst of sinners. There is no danger that the new doctrine, by its terrors, will drive any poor sinner to seek refuge in a crucified Savior. They preach no appalling doctrine of burning torments in hell for ages of ages. According to the new theory, ALL THAT THE MOST ENORMOUS SINNER HAS TO FEAR OR SUFFER, IS CONFINED TO THIS WORLD. Even if he should die blaspheming; by his own hand, as Judas; or in the act of giving command to commit complicated murder, as Herod, it matters not, all is safe: there is no judgment after death, no casting of soul and body into hell, except what takes place here; for as to hell itself, what is it, they ask, when critically explained, but the valley of Hinnom, outside of Jerusalem? Sinners, if this doctrine be true, may dismiss all their foreboding apprehensions. They may, indeed, "eat, drink, and be merry;" and if they will only make up their minds to bear the inconvenience which sin may bring upon them here—and few are restrained from the indulgence of revenge, ambition, avarice, and lust by this consideration—they may give full swing to their corrupt inclinations, and be just as wicked as they please. And indeed, if there be no future reckoning, the principal source of uneasiness to the sinner here will be removed, namely, the fear of judgment to come. This is indeed a glorious doctrine for impenitent sinners. They may even set their Maker at defiance, for they have nothing to fear from him after this life. Nothing which they can do will either retard or hinder their eternal happiness. * The Universalists of the old school have recently separated from those of the new school, and have taken the name of RESTORATIONISTS, leaving the old name UNIVERSALISTS to those who deny all future punishment. I was perhaps wrong in calling this a new doctrine. It is as old as the fall of man, and was distinctly preached in the garden of Eden, when the tempter said to the woman, You shall not surely die; and it has had a willing reception in the minds of many abandoned profligates and hardened apostates from the truth; but I do suppose they never anticipated the time when it should be gravely preached to them from the Bible, as the very essence of the gospel. In this respect, then, it may be called new; for surely no sect before our times, who professed to receive the Scripture in whole or in part, whether in the church or among heretics, ever held and taught such a doctrine as this. What I propose further in this tract is, to show that THIS DOCTRINE HAS NOT THE SHADOW OF EVIDENCE FROM THE WORD OF GOD TO SUPPORT IT. But here, I confess, I feel a difficulty in the very commencement. What, am I called upon to prove that doctrine false, which maintains that the New Testament teaches that the impenitent sinner will not be punished for his crimes after death? Why, it would be almost as reasonable to be required to refute the assertion that there were neither words nor letters in the Bible, or to demonstrate that he spoke falsely who should declare that there was no such book in existence. Some things are so manifest, that it would be ridiculous to attempt their proof by reasoning. In fact, reasoning and argument are not intended for truths so plain that he who runs may read them. Who would undertake to refute the fool who should insist upon it that the sun did not shine at noonday? Much like this, it seems to me, is the task I have taken upon myself. When I first heard of men who professed to believe the Scriptures, and at the same time denied all future punishment, I knew not how to believe it. But since that time I have had evidence enough of their existence, and have had the humiliation to be convinced that many follow their pernicious ways. But it may be asked, Why do these deceivers connect their doctrine with the BIBLE? Would it not be much easier to take the ground of infidelity at once, and depend upon 'reason' for support, instead of Scripture? It would seem so at first view, but this ground has been heretofore occupied without success. Infidelity is out of fashion, and as most people have a veneration for the Bible, they wish to avail themselves of these common sentiments in favor of the Scriptures; and by this means they get a handle for working on the credulity and prejudice of unstable souls, who are ever gaping after something new and strange in religion; "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." By the perversion of the sacred Scriptures, also, they are able to promise their followers not only exemption from future misery, but positive felicity in heaven, which they could not do on the principles of infidelity. Let us see, then, in what way the advocates of the complete and unconditional salvation of impenitent sinners attempt to defend their doctrine. The texts relied on are such as these: 1. "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall come and worship before him"—"all nations whom he has made shall come and worship before him, and glorify his name." Now, this text has nothing to do with the subject, more or less. It is obviously a prophecy of the universal spread of the gospel in the millennium, or glorious latter days of the church. This is a kind of universalism in which we rejoice to believe; for it is predicted by Him who cannot lie, that the earth shall in those latter days be full of the glory of God. Then, indeed, shall "the ends of the earth turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations come and worship before him." But I ask, What has this to do with the future salvation of those who never turn unto the Lord, nor render him any worship, but die in their sins? Whether the language of this prophecy is to be taken in its most unlimited signification, is a matter of no consequence. If not one unconverted sinner should, in those blessed times of gospel grace, be found upon earth, that will have no effect on the condition of those who continue in their obstinate rebellion until death. The text asserts nothing respecting past times, nor any times that may intervene before the blessed era of universal grace shall commence. 2. "The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner." This, I find, is a favorite text with the advocates of the doctrine under consideration. They have caught at the words recompensed in the earth, as if they furnished a proof that the sinner received in this world a full retribution for his crimes. But they must be very short-sighted critics, or must be confident that their followers have no discernment at all, or they would never have selected this passage of Scripture as the corner-stone of their fabric. The plain meaning of the wise man in this text is, that in the righteous dispensations of divine Providence, the righteous man shall receive some recompense for his good deeds, and much more will the wicked and the sinner be visited, even here, more or less, with divine judgments, by which a holy God testifies his displeasure against their evil ways. But does the text assert that their whole recompense shall be received in this world? It does not. And if it did, it would contradict the whole tenor of Scripture. But these pretended critics, in their haste to prove that the wicked sinners receive their whole recompense in the earth, forget to notice that the words are spoken primarily of the righteous, and therefore if the bare use of the word recompense proves that the wicked receive all their punishment here, then the righteous, as they receive their full recompense here, must expect no felicity hereafter. And so we have got round to the conclusion of the atheist or moral deist, that there is neither good nor evil beyond the grave. And let them escape from this conclusion if they can. But this is not all. Their interpretation of this text utterly sets aside the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is, according to this, no manner of need that Christ should die to atone for sin, or rescue the sinner from its punishment, for he bears the whole himself in the earth. He has his full recompense, and what need of a Savior to interfere in his behalf? 3. A third text alleged in proof of the non-existence of future punishment is, "The Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." Now it is plain, if this text furnishes conclusive proof that there will be no punishment of sin in the future world, it is equally as strong to prove that there is no punishment of sin in this world; and so it overthrows their fundamental principle, that sin is recompensed here. If sin deserves punishment, it is no how inconsistent with God's goodness to inflict it; and it is as little incompatible with this amiable attribute to inflict deserved punishment in the future world as in the present. All that it is requisite to be assured of is, that the pain inflicted is just. Manifestly, then, nothing can be inferred from this and similar texts unless we will draw conclusions in direct opposition to plain facts, and also to principles acknowledged by those who use the argument. Declamation concerning the goodness and tender mercy of God may beguile the simple, but will have no effect on those who know that the name of Jehovah, as given by himself, is, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in goodness and truth—but will by no means clear the guilty." Exodus 34:6, Exodus 34:7. 4. Another text adduced in favor of the salvation of all without future punishment is, that Christ "must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." But what has this to do with the question, whether the impenitent sinner shall be punished in a future state? And who before ever thought that in order to subdue an enemy, and put him under one's feet, it was requisite that he must be made completely and everlastingly happy? The apostle Paul, in this chapter, is treating of the resurrection of the bodies of believers to immortality and glory, and says nothing of the unbelieving and impenitent. But even if we should admit that by the all made alive in Christ the whole of mankind should be understood, the only consequence that can legitimately be derived from the words is, that all men will be raised from the dead by the power of Christ; a doctrine clearly taught in other parts of Scripture. But because all men shall be raised from the dead, that they may be judged according to the deeds done in the body, it does by no means follow that they shall all be received into heaven; for some will rise, as our Savior declares, unto the resurrection of damnation. 5. The only other text which I shall now consider, is, that "all things shall be reconciled to God." There are many texts in the Bible in which general expressions of this sort are used; but it is very evident that they are not always intended to embrace every individual of the human family. If we should interpret them without limitation or qualification, wherever they are found, we should inevitably be involved in contradictions and absurdities. According to this mode of interpretation, it might be proved as easily that all men will be lost, as that all will be saved. Every good interpreter of the Bible feels the necessity of comparing Scripture with Scripture, and deducing such a meaning from each passage as shall not be repugnant to the plain dictates of the Spirit in other places. Because it is said that the whole world lies in wickedness, we do not so understand the apostle as if he meant to teach that every man in the world was lying in wickedness, and that there was no Christian sanctified in part; but this is spoken of the greater number of men, or rather, of the heathen nations, who are commonly called the world in the New Testament. But we will now adduce TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE SUFFICIENT TO CONVINCE ALL HONEST INQUIRERS, THAT THE DOCTRINE OF UNIVERSALISTS IS IN UTTER CONTRADICTION TO THE WORD OF GOD. 1. Our blessed Savior says, "Fear not those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The same solemn truth is repeated in Luke: "But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell." Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:5. Here the casting into hell comes after the death of the body, and must therefore mean future punishment beyond the grave. The truth is so plain, that argument or comment seems to be superfluous: it cannot be made more evident. Feeling, however, a curiosity to know what gloss these deniers of all future punishment could put on a text so plain, we turned to a pamphlet written by one of their most popular preachers, and found that by being cast into hell, he understands, being thrown into the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem. The body, indeed, after being killed, might have been cast into this valley, but how the soul could be punished in this valley he has not explained; nor has he assigned any reason why being cast into this valley is so much more fearful than having the body killed by men. Such an interpretation is too absurd to require refutation. 2. "The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall come forth: those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation." John 5:29. These are also the words of Him who is TRUTH itself, and they teach as clearly as words can teach, that after the bodies of the wicked have lain for a time in the grave, they will come forth unto the resurrection of damnation. Is not this future punishment? What evasion can the most perverse ingenuity find here? They tell us that by graves we are not to understand literal graves, and that the death here spoken of is a moral, not a natural death. Well, then, what is the import of the passage? What, according to this interpretation, is the meaning of the resurrection to damnation? 3. "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." "Depart, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." "These shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal." Matt. chapter 25. Is there no reference to future punishment in these solemn declarations of our Lord? If not, then there is no reference to the future blessedness of the righteous. If ten thousand people were set to read this portion of Scripture, and each to declare what he believed to be the plain import of the words, can it be believed that there would be found one individual who would doubt whether or not future punishment was threatened here? Certainly not, unless he had been perverted by the false glosses of Universalist teachers. One of them, whose words are now before me, calls this a parable: "It is supposed," says he, "to furnish an argument in favor of endless happiness on the one hand, and ceaseless perdition on the other. But is there anything said in the parable about either endless happiness or ceaseless misery? No! there is not." How unscrupulous must that man be, who could allow himself to utter and print such a declaration. With such all reasoning is useless; and if Scripture testimony of the clearest and most solemn kind can be set aside by a positive denial of the plain, common meaning of the words, surely it is vain to cite Scripture in proof of any position. But these opposers of the truth, when a text is too evidently against their doctrine, and when they are not satisfied with their own attempts at perverting its meaning, do not scruple to call its authenticity in question. Thus, in regard to this text, the writer already referred to, after denominating the whole passage a parable, and denying that it contains the doctrine of endless happiness and ceaseless misery, apparently dissatisfied with his own exposition, says, "If Mark, Luke, and John believed that Christ taught the awful doctrine of endless woe and misery to any part of the human race, why did none of them record the parable? But neither the parable of the tares, nor any part of the 30th chapter of Matthew is to be found in either of the other evangelists. If they had known anything about these parables, and believed that they contained proof of so awful a doctrine as that of ceaseless perdition, would they have passed them over in silence?" Here the disregard to the authority of Scripture is manifest. Is not the clear testimony of one inspired apostle sufficient to establish a doctrine? A great part of what is read in the gospel of John is not recorded by any of the other evangelists; must it on this account be rejected? And if the passage does not teach the doctrine of future punishment, why are they so solicitous to get rid of it? 4. Our Lord, in the explanation of the parable of the tares, says, "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:40f11 - Matthew 13:43. And in the parable of the net cast into the sea, in the same chapter, our Lord, in the application, says, "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:47 - Matthew 13:50. In these passages the punishment threatened is to be inflicted by the ministry of angels at the end of the world, and must, of course, be future punishment. And as this tremendous punishment of being cast into a furnace of fire is threatened to all workers of iniquity, it must be endured after the resurrection. There is here no need of exposition. Every word is as plain as it is dreadful. There is no room for plausible evasion. The Universalist may say, as in the former case, that there is no account of this in the other evangelists. If that was an argument of any force, we might as well lay aside the Bible; but one "thus says the Lord" is enough: the testimony of one inspired apostle will satisfy everyone who believes in the inspiration of the sacred Scriptures. But although these parables are not repeated by the other evangelists, the same doctrine of future punishment is inculcated with equal clearness by them all, as will appear by the following testimonies. 5. Mark, chapter 9, records a discourse of Christ, in which the certainty and perpetuity of future punishment are taught as explicitly and strongly as they can be in words. "And if your hand offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched." And to give emphasis to this solemn declaration, our Lord repeats it on three different occasions. Surely it becomes us to tremble at the word of the Lord, and to obey his voice; by denying ourselves and repenting of our sins, rather than to invent such glosses as would make him speak in a way totally unworthy of a divine teacher. 6. Our next testimony for future punishment shall be taken from the gospel of Luke, chapter 16:19 - Obadiah Here we have set before us the different conditions of men in the state after death, in the case of two people—the rich man and Lazarus. It matters not whether this be considered the history of real personages, or a parable; the doctrine inculcated is the same. If the plainest words can teach anything, we are here taught that to some the state after death is a state of misery—hopeless, excruciating misery. The man here spoken of is expressly said to be dead and buried; and what our Lord testifies that he suffered; was after his death and burial. "The rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments." The dreadful nature of his suffering is strongly described in the words which he is represented as employing in his address to Abraham: "Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." And the hopelessness of his miserable condition may be learned from Abraham's answer: "Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." If this discourse of our Lord does not teach that there is misery to some men after death, then we may give up all hope of learning anything from his plainest and most pointed discourses. 7. The evangelist John also records clear and frequent testimonies of this doctrine. We have already cited one testimony from him. We give another: "He who believes on the Son, has everlasting life; and he who believes not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36. Here there is no room for any doubt on account of the import of particular terms. That the life here spoken of is life in a future state, cannot be denied, for it is expressly called everlasting life; and it is expressly asserted that unbelievers shall not partake of this life. Now if they are deprived of life in the future world, they are deprived of happiness; there is no medium between life and death, happiness and misery. Unbelievers must therefore be miserable in the future world. And this seems to be asserted strongly in the last words quoted: "And the wrath of God abides on him." These words do not merely signify that the unbeliever is under wrath while in this world, but that this is an abiding state. It is the contrast to the possession of eternal life. While the wicked are in this world, they are indeed under a sentence of wrath, but the execution of this wrath is reserved for a future state. The greatest sinners and most obstinate unbelievers live in ease and pleasure here, and do not suffer the wrath under the sentence of which they lie. But it will abide upon them, and the vials of this divine wrath will be poured out upon them to all eternity. 8. "I said, therefore, that you shall die in your sins; and where I go, you cannot come." John 8:21. With this may be connected several other testimonies in which it is clearly implied that the wicked cannot escape future punishment: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" "For what is a man profited, if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Luke 13:24; Hebrews 2:3; Matthew 16:26. 9. "But the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men." "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." "There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." Matthew 12:31, Matthew 12:32; 1 John 5:16. But if there is no future punishment, then this sin must be forgiven; or forgiveness is of no consequence to obtain future happiness. 10. "But woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed; it had been good for that man if he had not been born." Matthew 26:24. But if there will be no future punishment, Judas will fare as well as the greatest saint. Indeed, his case was more eligible than that of any of the apostles; for they lived in the midst of persecution, while he was enjoying pleasure. How, then, could it have been good for him never to have been born? According to Universalists, he has an eternity of bliss before him, and therefore, if he had suffered a thousand ages of years, it would be an infinite benefit to be born. 11. Let us now attend to a few testimonies from the apostle Paul. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. Here the just rules of interpretation require us to consider death, as it stands in contrast with eternal life, to be eternal death. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction." Php_3:18, Php_3:19. This destruction, which comes at the end of the sinner's course, cannot be natural death; for all are subject to death—the friends as well as the enemies of the cross. It is certainly a destruction which is peculiar to the wicked, and as it is their end, must be future punishment, or the second death. "Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God's judgment? Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed. He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth, but are obeying unrighteousness; affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. There is no favoritism with God. All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. (Romans 2:3 - Romans 2:12) The apostle is here laying down the principles on which the whole world will be judged at the last day; and can there be a doubt in any mind that the wicked are here threatened with future punishment? "When the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints." 2 Thessalonians 1:7 - 2 Thessalonians 1:10. The punishment here threatened is of the nature of vengeance—taking vengeance: it is to be inflicted on all who obey not the gospel when the Lord shall come; that is, at the day of judgment. The duration of the punishment is everlasting. In whatever sense this word is understood, the argument is equally conclusive in favor of future punishment. No testimony can be made more direct and explicit to prove future punishment than these words of Paul. We should be at a loss, if required to frame a declaration which should fully express the doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked, to invent one more clear and positive. "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. For we know Him who has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:26, Hebrews 10:27, Hebrews 10:30, Hebrews 10:31. Perhaps we have adduced more texts than are necessary; for if one were to rise from the dead and testify that there was a dreadful hell, these Universalists would not believe him. They will not believe Moses and the prophets; yes, they refuse to give credit to the repeated declarations of Christ himself and his inspired apostles. It is to be feared that some of them are of the number whom God has given up "to believe a lie" in just judgment, because they were unwilling to obey the truth. In regard to such, our labor will be altogether in vain; but there are many others who have been induced to lend a favorable ear to this flesh-pleasing doctrine, who have yet some respect for the holy Scriptures, and whose consciences are not yet seared as with a hot iron. To pluck some of these as brands from the burning, may be practicable. But our chief hope is to secure those from falling into the snare of the devil who are exposed to this soul-destroying heresy. THE LEGITIMATE AND PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FALSE DOCTRINE are of such an appalling nature, that if the propagators of it were not reckless of consequences, they would pause in their course, and hesitate about casting around them firebrands, arrows, and death. Greater mischief cannot be done to men, than by disseminating among them such erroneous opinions as remove from their minds those beneficial restraints which preserve them from giving indulgence to sin, or such as lull them into a false security, and persuade them to neglect attention to that preparation which is necessary to fit them for death and judgment. And if any opinion is dangerous above all others to the best interests of men, it is the one which I have refuted in this tract. Among the many evil consequences of this doctrine I would mention the following. 1. It does violence to the holy Scriptures, and perverts the plain and obvious meaning of numerous passages which speak of the future punishment of impenitent sinners. And if in one case we may thus set aside the express and repeated declarations of God, to accommodate the doctrine to our own reason and inclinations, the volume of inspiration is dishonored and rendered useless; for upon these principles we may reject every fundamental truth of the Bible. If the doctrine of future punishment is not taught in the Bible, neither is the doctrine of future happiness; for they are commonly taught in the same passages, and in similar language. 2. If it be true that sin is not punished in the future world, then it would follow that God exercises no moral government over the world; for in the present life the wicked often live at ease and are prosperous, while the virtuous are afflicted. This doctrine goes far to annihilate all difference between virtue and vice, for we must judge of these according to the treatment which they respectively receive from the supreme Ruler; but if there be no future punishment, there is no strong mark of disapprobation set on vice. A doctrine which involves such a consequence as this, must be false and dangerous. 3. If this doctrine should become general, human society could not exist. Like atheism, to which it is near akin, its malignant tendency is not fully seen while society at large is under the influence of a contrary belief. But take away from the minds of all men the fear of judgment and eternity, and this world becomes a scene of violence—an aceldama. All confidence among men would be destroyed; all the bonds of civil society would be severed. Do not say that vice might be coerced by the civil law—a vain hope. Where the whole mass is corrupt, laws are useless. What means of ascertaining the truth in courts of justice will remain, without which justice cannot be administered, if no man fears the consequences of perjury? Suppose a man who has no fear of judgment, to be solemnly called upon to declare the truth in a case where his own honor and interest, or that of some friend, is at stake; what is there to prevent him from perjuring himself? Or if he can gratify secret malice by swearing against the life of an enemy, what shall restrain him? He may reason with himself thus: "I know this is a wicked act, but it will serve my purpose, it will enable me to gratify my revenge; I have nothing to fear. Detection here is impossible, and hereafter I am sure of heaven, do as I will." What security should we have that our food and medicine would not be mingled with poison in every house? The men who propagate such doctrines, are manifestly pursuing a course destructive to the peace and good order of society. I would fully as soon have an atheist to bear witness against me on oath, or to sit in judgment as a juror, as one of these new-fangled Universalists. 4. If there is no future punishment, the wicked, who are driven away in their wickedness, are happier than the righteous who are preserved to suffer. The wicked antediluvians who perished in the flood, had a better portion and a richer reward than Noah; for they all escaped the troubles of life and went to heaven, while Noah and his family were subjected to innumerable hardships for some hundreds of years. The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were better off, though they were destroyed by fire from heaven, than righteous Lot, who escaped; for they were released at once from all pain and sorrow, but his afflictions were many. The wicked Canaanites were too bad to live upon earth, and therefore God enjoined it on Joshua to extirpate them; but not too bad to be admitted at once to heaven without any repentance or sanctification! Their lot was, therefore, greatly preferable to that of the Israelites, who endured many toils and sufferings. Upon this theory, Judas was rather benefitted than injured by his base and ungrateful crime of betraying his Lord, and by his suicide. Indeed, if there be no future punishment, and the next world be better than this, not only will suicide be innocent and beneficial, but there can be no great harm in murder. It only ushers a fellow-creature into superior bliss a little earlier than if he were left to die a natural death. 5. Upon the supposition that this doctrine is true, repentance is useless; neither is there any need of sanctification. Heaven is the sinner's right, without any condition or preparation. How the ungodly will be pleased with the place and its exercises, is another question. Whether dying will take away their disrelish for devotional exercises, is not explained. But there is no need of undergoing the sorrows of repentance for sin. This the Universalist acknowledges. A writer before referred to declares, that "there is not the least occasion for solicitude about salvation, neither is it in our power to promote or hinder it." We did suppose that the advocates of this doctrine would have pleaded for repentance, which is nothing else but a turning from sin to God, as useful to prevent evil in this life; but we find that in this we mistook their views, for the same writer asserts, concerning the evils which sin produce here, that "these consequences are inevitable, and cannot be escaped, even by repentance." What these men can preach, or why they should preach at all, we do not see. 6. Upon this theory there is no need of religion of any kind; no connection exists between religion and salvation—between the man who loves and serves God, and him who hates him and despises his service. Atheism is as good as piety; idolatry and heresy as safe as a way to heaven as truth and righteousness. The one thing needful is, to be fully persuaded that nothing is needful. If men are only informed that there will be no future reckoning, no condemnation of the wicked, no future punishment, they need know nothing else; and whether they believe it or not, all are in the safe way to heaven! We presume that the principal preaching of Universalists is on the single point, that the wicked have nothing to fear on account of their sins; for why should they disturb their hearers about believing or doing other things? But the benefits of this system will, in the future world, be as fully enjoyed by those who oppose the doctrine, as by those who believe and preach it. 7. This doctrine encourages men to continue in sing by removing all fear of future judgment and punishment. In this respect its tendency is as bad as atheism itself, for the most impious denial of a divine Being cannot promise more to its foolish votaries than exemption from judgment and future punishment. This species of Universalism is fraught with the very worst poison of atheism. It tells the sinner, that, let him act as wickedly as he will, or as he can, there is no fear of future misery. Indeed, it is in some respects worse than atheism, for it not only promises exemption from punishment, but the reward of eternal happiness to the impenitent sinner! It says to the atrocious murderer and cruel assassin, "You need fear no evil hereafter; though you should die in the commission of the foulest deeds, heaven, with all its glory and happiness, is yours." Is not this shocking to every honest mind? And what must the effect be on profane, cruel, and abandoned profligates? How pernicious its influence in the hour of temptation! Suppose an inexperienced youth in a place of trust to have imbibed this doctrine. An opportunity occurs of defrauding his employer of a vast sum of money, with the prospect of escaping detection. Well, what shall hinder him from enriching himself at once? If the belief of a future judgment were now to rise in his mind, he would be ready, like Joseph, to say, "How can I do this great evil, and sin against God?" But having no apprehension of any judgment to come, and sure of heaven, let him do what he will, he is led into temptation, and is deprived of every consideration which would lead him to resist it. Even the faint hope that there is no future punishment, has a powerful effect in leading corrupt men to commit atrocious crimes, although this hope is contrary to all that they have ever been taught; but who can calculate the influence of a persuasion that there is no future punishment for the greatest crimes, derived from men who pretend to be preachers of the gospel? Doubtless a large portion of the most abominable crimes that ever were perpetrated, owe their existence to a secret belief or hope of the truth of the very doctrine which Universalists preach. 8. It is a horrible consequence of this doctrine, that it puts it in the power of the sinner to blaspheme and defy Almighty God—with impunity! The malignant, ungrateful wretch, instead of praising, may blaspheme the great Jehovah every day of his life, and may die with horrid blasphemies on his lips, and yet he shall be rewarded with everlasting happiness! Indeed, as all the punishment of sin is supposed to be in this life, when a sinner commits some horrible crime in the last moments of his life, as in a late case where a man first shot an innocent person, and then blew out his own brains, where or how will he receive his due punishment? His death is but the pang of a moment, and if there be no retribution for such crimes in the government of God, it cannot be believed that he is a righteous moral Governor. 9. But how are sinners prepared for the enjoyment of the pure and elevated pleasures of heaven? The Scriptures everywhere teach the necessity of a change of heart, before sinners can enjoy the kingdom of God; and this is not an arbitrary appointment, but arises from the nature of the case. Reason and experience assure us that there must be a congruity between the state of the mind and those objects from which it derives its pleasure. Where no such suitableness exists, there is a natural incapacity for that particular species of pleasure. This is a fact so evident and so well understood, that it stands in no need of illustration. How then, we ask, can men of depraved habits, all whose moral sensibilities have been blunted by a long course of sinning, relish the pure and sublime joys of heaven without a change? Such men cannot endure the mention, much less the participation of holy exercises while here; nothing is so much the object of their detestation as spiritual religion. And there is no ground for the opinion, that death can make any radical change in the moral character and feelings. The wicked, therefore, who die in impenitence, never can go to heaven; and if admitted, they could have no real enjoyment themselves; while they would disturb the harmony and interrupt the felicity of that high and holy place. 10. This doctrine renders totally unnecessary the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ. For if the sinner is fully recompensed for his sin here, what need of a Savior to die for those sins, the punishment of which he himself endures in this world? But if the Universalist should choose to rest his doctrine on the ground that sinners would have suffered hereafter if Christ had not atoned for their sins, I would ask how long they would have suffered? Or in other words, what is the original penalty of the law of God? Now, if it can be shown that any future punishment in the Scriptures is threatened, it will be easy to show that the rejecters of the gospel, or impenitent sinners, will suffer that punishment; for what can be plainer than that the heaviest penalties, and those most clearly and repeatedly expressed in the word of God, are those denounced by Christ against those who refuse to believe his doctrine? If, then, men were exposed to any future punishment before Christ came, it is most evident that the impenitent are still exposed to the same, and greater. Therefore the Universalist doctrine cannot rest on this ground. And it is clear as anything can be, that, according to this system, there was no need of a Savior. Christ came without an errand, and shed his blood for no purpose, which is blasphemy. In conclusion, I would solemnly warn all who may cast their eyes on these pages, to beware of this pernicious doctrine, and not to encourage those who go about the country preaching this soul-destroying error. Only suppose for a moment that their doctrine is false, and in what a deplorable condition are their disciples! How dreadful their mistake! These deceivers endeavor to seduce men from the doctrine of Christ, by a great show of philanthropy and benevolence. They call the doctrine of endless punishment cruel and unmerciful, and rail against pious and orthodox ministers who hold it and preach it, as monsters of cruelty. This is a cheap way of showing benevolence. It is just that sort of philanthropy which an unfaithful watchman would exhibit, who should pertinaciously insist that there was no danger near, even when the enemy was in sight, and boast of his kindness because he would not allow the citizens to be awakened from their sleep. The belief that many millions of our race are living in misery, and that all of the hundreds of millions now on earth will, in a short time, be cut off by death, is no evidence of a lack of philanthropy. Benevolence does not consist in holding and teaching that men are liable to little or no misery, but in active exertions to relieve them from that evil which they suffer, and to arouse them to flee from the misery which impends. Which then, I ask, are the friends of men; those who endeavor to lull them into a fatal security in regard to the future, or those who faithfully warn them of their danger? Are they to be reckoned the truly benevolent, whose doctrine tends to encourage men in sin, and to induce them to think that repentance and reformation are useless; or those who labor to bring their fellow-creatures to forsake sin, and live piously and justly? Suppose the latter even to be mistaken, their error is on the safe side, and will hurt nobody; but if the Universalist should be in error, what imagination can conceive the dreadful consequences of his mistake? They say that the doctrine of endless punishment is "cruel and unmerciful;" this is true, if this doctrine is false. But this they cannot prove. It is customary with them to appeal to the tender feelings and sympathies of their hearers, and to conclude that if a parent would not inflict such a punishment on his children, much less will God on his creatures. But this is a false method of reasoning. An amiable child shudders at seeing a criminal suffer the just punishment of the law, but this is no argument against the punishment of the guilty. It would be easy to persuade a set of convicted felons that the law which condemned them was cruel and unmerciful, because they want to escape punishment, and do not take into consideration the important ends to be answered to the public by their punishment. Thus wicked men are easily brought to believe that the penalties threatened in the Scriptures are cruel and unmerciful; but such opinions ought to have no weight with the honest and impartial inquirer after truth. All comparisons on this subject fail; for neither parents nor civil rulers, nor any other beings in the universe, except the supreme Ruler, are under obligations to punish sin according to its merit. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord." Only God Almighty is capable of estimating the evil of sin, and of inflicting punishment in exact proportion to its evil. If reasoning from the sympathies of our nature, and especially from the tender feelings of parents, were of real force, it would be as conclusive against the judgments of God on individuals and communities in this world, as against future punishment. For what benevolent parent would subject his children to the innumerable forms of evil and suffering which are everywhere witnessed in our world? How many perish by shipwreck, by pestilence, by earthquakes, by oppression, by war, and by persecution! But because a kind earthly father could not endure to see his children suffer such things, must we conclude that it is an unrighteous thing in the Governor of the universe to recompense the wicked by such judgments? Or will these men deny that God has anything to do in bringing these evils upon men? How is it possible that reasonable men, with the Bible in their hands, can believe in the doctrine of Universalists? If they would only listen to the dictates of conscience, they never could think that there was no future punishment for sinners of the deepest dye. The very heathen, as many of them as believe in a future state, hold the doctrine of future punishment for the crimes of a wicked life. There never before was a sect of heretics who altogether denied the doctrine of future punishment. Even the Mohammedans maintain the doctrine of eternal punishment. Most Unitarians, however they may hesitate about everlasting punishment, teach the doctrine of future punishment. The maintenance of a tenet so absurd and dangerous seems to have been reserved for these last times, and is even now almost entirely confined to these United States. It seems to be the most desperate effort of the father of lies. As we said before, this doctrine had its origin in paradise, when the devil assured Eve that she will not die for her disobedience, (even thought God that they would die if they disobeyed). And was the very doctrine by which the grand adversary murdered our whole race; but never, until recently, could any number of men be found of sufficient hardihood to avow it as the main article of their creed. It contains within itself the virulent poison of all other errors and heresies; yes, it leaves in the distance every form of infidelity. Atheism, black and blasphemous as it is, is not so dangerous as this doctrine; for it as completely removes all restraint from the sinner as atheism, assuring the vilest sinners that they have nothing to fear hereafter; and not only so, but promising them the rich reward of eternal life. The prevalence of this soul-destroying error, in some parts of our land, is truly alarming. Every citizen, as well as every Christian—is bound to use his best endeavors to check the progress of an error fraught with so many dreadful consequences! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 20: ALEXANDER - GODLY AND UNGODLY ======================================================================== THE GODLY AND THE UNGODLY by Archibald Alexander The godly man is one that, being formerly in a state of sin and misery, both strange and backward to God and heaven and a holy life, and prone to earthly, fleshly pleasures is now, by the powerful work of the word and Spirit of God, converted to sincere faith and repentance; broken-hearted for his former sin and misery, flying to Christ as the only hope and physician of his soul, and so is made a new creature, having his heart set upon God and everlasting life, and despising all the pleasures of the flesh and the things of this world, in comparison of his hopes of glory; hating all known sin, and not willfully living in any, and loving the highest degree of holiness, and willing to use the means that God has appointed to destroy the remnants of sin, and bring him nearer to perfection. This is a truly godly man. And he who is not such is ungodly. He that yet remains in his natural, depraved state, and is unacquainted with this great and holy change; that has any sin that he had rather keep than leave, and any that he willfully lives in; and willfully neglects known duties, as one that had rather be free from them than perform them, and had rather live a fleshly than a spiritual and holy life, and is more in love with the creature than with God—with his life on earth in flesh and sin, than a life with God and his saints in perfect holiness—this man is undoubtedly a wicked and ungodly man, however civilly or religiously he seem to live in the world. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 21: ALEXANDER - GOSPEL NO FAILURE ======================================================================== THE GOSPEL NO FAILURE by Archibald Alexander The first sermon preached after the institution of the Christian church was the means of converting three thousand souls, and some of these stained with the crimson guilt of having participated in the crucifixion of Christ! Surely there was no failure here. Soon afterwards five thousand more were added to the church in Jerusalem. And not long afterwards a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith. The power of the gospel was manifest in the conversion of the people of Samaria, under the preaching of Philip the evangelist. And at Antioch a glorious work of grace was wrought through the preaching of the gospel. So also at Corinth, at Ephesus, at Philippi, at Thessalonica, and even at Rome. Glorious indeed was the success of the gospel when first promulgated. It was to the world as "life from the dead." It shed a marvelous light over those who had all their lives been walking in darkness, and dwelling in the region and shadow of death. We behold the triumph of the gospel in the conversion of the man who was its most bitter and determined opposer. Saul of Tarsus, who was destroying the church by a cruel persecution, dragging both men and women to prison and death, and whose burning zeal led him to extend the persecution to a foreign city--was arrested by the persecuted Savior, and made a chosen vessel to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to many heathen nations, and was the honored instrument of founding many famous churches. He did not find the gospel a failure. No! he found it to be the power of God unto salvation to both Jews and Gentiles. And in his days the joyful sound had gone out through all the world. Some good people are dreaming of a new dispensation, as though the present were ineffectual for the conversion of the world. To such we would say, "Do you expect another gospel to be revealed? Can you conceive of any better means for the conviction and conversion of sinners than the truths which we already have in the gospel? And can you conceive of a more powerful efficiency than that of the Holy Spirit?" If not, then discourage not the hearts and the hopes of God's people, but preach the gospel to every creature, and pray incessantly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 22: ALEXANDER - HEAVEN ======================================================================== HEAVEN by Archibald Alexander Heaven is a reality, not seen by eyes of flesh, but made known by revelation, and received by faith. Heaven is a rest from toil, trouble, temptation, and sin. Such a rest is very desirable, if it were only a sweet sleep; but heaven is more. It is a state of delightful activity. Every faculty and every affection will find appropriate exercise; and probably latent powers, not needed here, will there be waked into activity—powers suited to the new condition in which the soul exists. Heaven is full of light; all darkness and doubt are absent. Knowledge will there be clear, and will possess a transforming efficacy; still, knowledge in heaven will be progressive; the pleasure will partly consist in ever learning something unknown before. Heaven is a region of perfect love; all the heart and mind and strength will be exerted in love. And if the power of loving should, in the progress of the immortal soul, be increased a thousand-fold, all this increased ability will be kept constantly in full stretch by the loveliness and glory of the objects of affection. Christ is the center of attraction in heaven. From him radiate the rays of divine glory which enliven, attract, and beautify all the innumerable army of worshipers. Love in heaven is pure, perfect, and reciprocal. He who loves, cannot be satisfied without a return of affection. And the more exalted and excellent the character of the person beloved, the sweeter the sense of his favor. Heavenly joy consists in loving with all the heart, and in being beloved. As heaven is a society, the members are happy not only in loving their King, but in mutual love. There will exist no envy, nor jealousy, nor apathy. Every soul will be transparent to every other, and all will see that nothing but pure love exists in every heart. Heaven is a place of peace—sweet peace and uninterrupted harmony; all disturbing elements will be left behind. In the symbolical heavens of the Revelation, we read of wars; but in the heaven where saints and angels dwell and worship, war can have no place. The atmosphere of heaven is exempt from all evil; it is purity itself; all sin and impurity are denied admission into that holy place. Heaven is a place of song: high affections are expressed in celestial music. O how elevating, how delightful the melodies! Heaven is an unchanging state. All change is advancement in knowledge, in dignity, in happiness! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 23: ALEXANDER - IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION ======================================================================== THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION by Archibald Alexander In comparison with salvation, all other subjects are trivial. To waste time in the pursuit of wealth, or in the chase of sensual pleasure, while our salvation is not secure, is more than folly—it is madness. What, would you agree to dwell in the dark dungeon of despair forever and ever, for the sake of living a few years upon earth in a sumptuous house? Would you consent to endure the sting of the never-dying worm, and the torment of unquenchable fire, to all eternity, for the sake of gratifying your appetites and senses for a moment? No man would deliberately make such a determination; yet such is the language which many speak by their conduct. The world is pursued daily, at the risk of eternal damnation. The resolution of attending to the concerns of the soul at a later time, answers no other purpose than to lull the conscience asleep. Where have we known a person, by virtue of these flattering resolutions, change his conduct? The next day is like the one that preceded it. Every succeeding year passes by, like those that went before. No convenient time for repentance and reformation ever comes. Youth soon runs out in the giddy circle of pleasure and amusement. Middle age is completely occupied with cares and business; and old age, if it ever arrives, finds the heart hardened, the habits fixed, and the conscience seared. Death overtakes the unfortunate wretch. He dies as he lived, either goaded by guilt, or benumbed with stupidity. He dies, and sinks to hell, where there are no amusements to entertain, no business to engage, no error to becloud the mind. To fall into the hands of the living God, as an avenging Judge, is dreadful beyond conception! To be eternally miserable, overwhelms the thoughts, and we turn away from it with instinctive horror! Can you reconcile yourself to such sufferings? Can you dwell with everlasting burnings? Only try the torment of fire for a moment, and you will soon be convinced that the pains of hell are not to be supported with patience; but they are worse. Remorse and despair are worse than Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, heated seven times. No flames are equal to the raging of unrepented sin; no strokes of any enemy like the taunts of infernal spirits. If you had to endure this punishment only for a limited time, the hope of deliverance might help you to bear up under the dreadful weight of sorrow; but although many support themselves by such a hope here on earth, the miserable in hell have no such alleviation. The darkness which surrounds them is thick and horrible. No ray of light ever penetrates it. No gleam of hope ever mitigates the raging anguish of the lost soul. Consider also, that although your sins may not be openly flagrant, yet, as you have heard the gospel, and enjoyed many calls and warnings, and also many strivings of the Spirit—these will exceedingly aggravate your misery, and make your hell hotter than that of the miserable inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. The more comfortable you are in your worldly circumstances, the more miserable will your condition be. To be cast out from among affectionate friends, to keep company with monsters of depravity! To be cast out from fine houses, pleasant gardens, fertile farms, and downy beds, to be cast into a lake of fire! To be cast out from well-furnished tables, and generous wines and cordials, to be eternally famished with burning thirst, and no gratification ever obtained—no, not so much as a drop of water to cool the tongue! This is hell indeed! Suppose you were doomed to suffer the torment which a sinner in hell must eternally endure, for one hour in this world, would not the prospect of this doleful hour mar all your pleasures? In the midst of mirth, would it not make your heart sad; and would it not be ever present in your thoughts? You would be unable to compose yourself to sleep, or to betake yourself to your necessary business. You would consider yourself as an unfortunate wretch, and would perhaps regret that you had ever been born. Your friends would sympathize with you, and all around would look upon you with pity. But if, from an hour, the term of your punishment should be enlarged to a year, what would you do; how would you feel? Suppose you could endure the pain of a fiery furnace for a year without dying or losing your sensibility, and you knew that this was your certain doom—could you be at ease; could you contain yourself? Would you not disregard all pursuits and enjoyments which the world could propose; and would you not take up a continual lamentation over your unhappy case? Would you not call upon all to pity you, as the most miserable wretch that ever was born? And would you consider the wealth of a prince, the honor of a conqueror, or the pleasure of an epicure, any compensation for such dreadful sufferings? Would you not despise all these things, and say, "The more I enjoy these earthly delights, and the more I forget the misery which is coming upon me, the more intolerable will be my anguish when it arrives?" Should we be thus affected with an hour's or year's continuation of such sufferings as must be endured in hell, and shall we be indifferent to these same torments when their duration will be WITHOUT END? O God, what kind of infatuated beings are we? Surely man, of all creatures, is the most stupid in those things which relate to his salvation. ETERNAL PUNISHMENT! ETERNAL FIRE! EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION! What awful sounds are these! Who can fully understand their import? I extend my views forward to the day of judgment; but this great day, instead of bringing these sufferings to an end, is the date of their beginning in all their terror. What shall be endured before, is nothing to what comes after. The fire will then be kindled around both soul and body, which will never cease to burn. The sufferings of the soul in a separate state, will be like the anticipations of a criminal who is conscious of guilt, while confined in a prison before the day of trial. They shall then go away into everlasting punishment. Only put yourself for a moment in the place of one of those who are commanded by the omnipotent Judge to depart, under the vengeance of an everlasting curse. The feeling mind recoils from such suppositions with such repulsive violence, that it is almost impossible to induce men to fix their thoughts steadily on such subjects. But try, for once, the experiment. Overcome your natural reluctance, and imagine yourself to be in the company that will be driven off, by the command of the Judge, from the awful tribunal, into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. May I venture to suggest a few reflections which would probably arise in your mind in such a situation. "Well, the scene is ended—I now know, I feel the misery of my situation! Hope, my last comforter, is eternally fled. Despair has full possession; all is lost, eternally lost! All that I now have is a miserable, accursed existence! O that I could sink into nothing, and thus escape the wrath of my avenging enemy! But I wish in vain; exist I must. Hell is my portion! I already feel its overwhelming horrors! I am tortured with agonies, and torn with pangs which no words can describe. All passions assist in increasing my misery. I see others glorious and happy, but the sight greatly enhances my woe. I feel my envy and malice raging against them, and against their God and Savior; but my wrath is impotent; it recoils upon myself, and inflicts new wounds on my tormented soul. Was this the price at which I purchased the world and its pleasures? O wretch and fool that I was! Ah, where can I go? Is there any secure or even obscure retreat for me? No, no! I sink in flames. I go into everlasting misery! I go to be companions of devils! I plunge into the dark abyss, never to rise again! And my body, my old companion in sin, must be also tormented. My body is everlasting—to bear its part in the unquenchable fire!" But we cannot describe the anguish and despair of a lost sinner. The mere possibility of falling into such a state of indescribable anguish ought to fill us with trembling; and so it would, were not our minds blinded by the god of this world. Now reader, do you feel no concern about your salvation; or have you some method of easing your mind under these thoughts? I beseech you to consider well what the nature of that resource is. The first thought which occurs, by way of relief to your mind, is, perhaps, that these things cannot be so—that such torments will never be inflicted by a good and merciful God. This ground appears to many very plausible, and they rest upon it with the greater confidence, because it has the appearance of honoring the character of God, at the same time that it promises safety to themselves. But before you lean on this prop, look well, I beseech you, to its foundation. Consider, that before you can derive any rational comfort from this consideration, you must be able to demonstrate that the tremendous denunciations of God's word against sinners are false, or that he will forfeit his veracity, and never execute his own threatenings. Wretched indeed is that subterfuge—the safety of which depends on proving the God of truth a liar! No, sinner, God will not deny himself for the sake of your ease! He will not allow his word to fall to the ground to enable you to realize your vain and impious hopes. "He will by no means clear the guilty. Surely, O God, you will slay the wicked. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone; this shall be the portion of their cup!" If you have imbibed the pernicious heresy of those false teachers who tell you that there is no future punishment for transgressors, even if they should die in the commission of the most atrocious crimes; if you believe these men who dare contradict the plain declarations of God's word, your delusion will afford you only a temporary relief. It will be like shutting your eyes when borne by an irresistible torrent towards a frightful cataract. Your own conscience, if it has not lost all sensibility, will intimate to you, too plainly to be misunderstood, that there is punishment reserved for the wicked in the world to come. Lean not, then, I beseech you, on this broken reed, which will not only fail to support you, but will pierce you to the heart! But it is more probable that you seek relief from the apprehension of the wrath to come, in a vague hope of the mercy of God, of which so much is said in Scripture. The mercy of God is indeed a sure refuge for sinners, but it is never extended to the impenitent, who refuse to forsake their evil ways. If you will repent and believe the gospel, then will the Lord most graciously and freely forgive all your sins; but if you depend on the mercy of God to save you from hell—without being saved from sin—you trust in that which has no existence. God will not show mercy to obstinate rebels. The whole tenor of his word assures us of the certainty of this truth. But perhaps you expect and intend to turn from your sinful ways hereafter, and thus bring yourself within the influence of God's pardoning mercy. Well, if you should become a true penitent, and humble believer in Jesus, you will be saved. But before you cry 'peace' to yourself from this expectation, I beg you to consider that your continuance on earth is uncertain. What is your life? It is a vapor. We have visible demonstration that death comes upon many very unexpectedly; and although they had entertained the same hope of future repentance, we have solemn reason to fear that it was never realized. They died as they lived, and went to meet their Judge with the guilt of all their heinous sins upon their heads. And very often men are taken suddenly away, and have not a moment allowed for that last vain hope of the sinner—a death-bed repentance. And in other cases, reason is bewildered, and the feelings are stupefied; so that the person who lived carelessly has no concern about eternal realities. And when it is otherwise, and alarm seizes the guilty person, no help or comfort can be obtained, and he dies in fearful horror and despair. But if you should live for scores of years, you will never see the day when there will be fewer obstructions to your turning to God as there are now, and fewer inducements to cleave to the present world. Do you see men commonly forsaking the courses to which they have long been habituated? Or do you observe in the ungodly, that inclination to piety becomes greater by increase of years? You may live to be old and gray-headed, and yet remain unconverted, and go down to hell with a double curse on your head! There is no greater nor more dangerous delusion among men, than the procrastination of their conversion! While thousands lose their souls in consequence of it, not one ever puts his resolution into practice, unless some other influence than his own former purposes operates on him. Reader, awake! Eternity is just before you! Heaven or hell will soon be your everlasting abode! For heaven, you know you are not prepared. If you were admitted to that holy place, the exercises and employments of the inhabitants would be no way in accordance with the state of your heart. You have no love for the service and worship of God here on earth—and death will make no reformation in the sinner's heart. Then you must be excluded from heaven by the necessity of the case, unless you acquire new principles and a new taste. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." What you intend to do, do quickly, for the time is short. While you are halting between two opinions, the door of mercy may be shut forever. Seize the present moment; break off your sins by repentance; renounce all confidence in your own good deeds or righteousness, and trust alone in the atoning sacrifice of Christ! "Whoever believes in him shall not be ashamed." Cry mightily to him for mercy, and for the Holy Spirit to sanctify you and aid you in every duty. Search the Scriptures daily. Attend on the preaching of the word. Be one among the company who surround the throne of grace in social prayer. Avoid ensnaring company and dissipating amusements. Forsake all known sin, and see that you perform those external duties which have hitherto been neglected. If you have wronged or injured any, make restitution, or make amends, as far as is in your power. Abandon all quarrels and strife with your neighbors, and promote piety and good order in your own house, by reading the Scriptures, and calling upon God. But never think that external duties, or attendance on means and ordinances, however exact, is an evidence that your soul is saved. Never rest satisfied with your spiritual state, until you have evidence in a heart-felt sense of the burden of your sins, that you have in truth fled for refuge to the hope set before you in the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ, apprehended and received by faith, is the only safe sanctuary for a soul pursued by the demands of a broken law! O man, flee to this dear refuge, before the storm, which is black and lowering, overtakes you. "Lay hold on eternal life!" "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." See, the door of reconciliation is open. Jesus invites you to come to him for rest, and promises that he will not cast you out; yes, complains that you will not come unto him, that you may have life. Others are entering in at the strait gate—why do you delay? Instead of losing by coming to Jesus, even in this world, you will gain a hundred-fold. Godliness with contentment is great gain! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 24: ALEXANDER - JUDGMENT ======================================================================== THE JUDGMENT by Archibald Alexander And is it certain that I must appear at the judgment? Yes! "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." And must I there give an account of my actions? Undoubtedly! Everyone will be judged "according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad." And will my most secret iniquities be revealed in the light of that day? They will! "For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Must I render an account of my words as well as my actions? Assuredly! "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof, in the day of judgment." Will any account be taken of our thoughts, and of the desires and imaginations of the heart, on that day? Most certainly! For the heart is the source of all wickedness, and God knows and remembers every evil thought which ever passed through the minds of men: these come under the class of "secret things;" and it is written, "God will judge the secrets of men," in that day, "by Jesus Christ." Perhaps this relates to secret actions. Not alone; for it is written, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." Will all sinners fare alike on that day? All impenitent sinners will be condemned to everlasting misery; but there will be a wide difference between the punishment of those who sinned in ignorance, and those who sinned in the midst of light and against light. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Bethsaida and Capernaum. "That servant that knew his Master's will, and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with many stripes; while he that knew not his Master's will, and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." Every man shall receive according to his work. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men chose darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Is the judgment day determined? Yes. "For he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained." Is there reason to think that that day is near at hand? It is nearer now than ever before. It comes on apace; but of that day and that hour knows no man, nor the angels in heaven. Will any man be able to stand in the judgment? None but such as are clothed in the righteousness of Christ: these shall not only be acquitted, but their imperfect works of faith and labors of love shall be richly rewarded. All others shall be condemned. No man's morality or good works can stand the scrutiny of that day. All without saving faith in Christ will be cast into outer darkness; they will hear the Judge's sentence, "Depart, accursed, into everlasting fire!" ======================================================================== CHAPTER 25: ALEXANDER - JUSTFICATION BY FAITH ======================================================================== JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH WITH A SUMMARY VIEW OF THE DOCTRINE, AND ITS MOMENTOUS IMPORT by Archibald Alexander It shall be our endeavor to set before our readers a plain exposition of this great Christian doctrine as taught in the holy Scriptures, and as generally held by sound Protestants. We commence with some remarks on the scriptural meaning of the word "justification," as a mistake here may spread darkness over the whole discussion. The common acceptance of the word "to justify," in the Bible, is, to acquit from all charge, to declare the person to stand right in the eye of the law. It is the very opposite of "condemnation." And in this sense is the word commonly used among us. To "justify" is not, therefore, to infuse a principle of justice into the soul. It does not produce an inherent change of moral character. The import of this word is entirely distinct from that of "sanctification;" and this distinction must be carefully kept in view, if we would avoid error and confusion in the investigation of the subject. That the word is commonly used in this declarative or legal sense in the holy Scriptures, might be evinced by an induction of numerous passages; let a few, however, suffice. God is said to be "justified" when he speaks; that is, he appears to be just. Christ is declared to be "justified in the Spirit;" his true character was manifested and vindicated. "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked." Deuteronomy 25:1. Here we have the true import of the word as a forensic term, and standing in direct opposition to condemnation. And in Exodus 23:7, it is said, "For I will not justify the wicked;" that is, I will not pronounce the wicked to be just. And in Proverbs 17:15, "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord." But to render a wicked man inherently righteous, is so far from being an abomination to the Lord, that even to be the instrument of such a change is followed by a great reward. In the same sense is the word employed, Isaiah 5:23, where transgressors are characterized as those who "justify the wicked for reward." Solomon, in his dedicatory prayer, 1 Kings, 8:32, says, "Then hear in heaven, and do, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness." Thus also is the word used by Paul: "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies; who is he who condemns?" "By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight." "Being justified by faith—freely by his grace." And in Romans 4:5, God is said to justify the ungodly." Let it be distinctly borne in mind, that a state of justification is the very opposite of a state of condemnation, and there can be no material mistake respecting the true import of the word. He who is condemned is considered as a transgressor of the law, whose sins are still imputed to him; he who is justified is viewed as having, though not of his own, that which satisfies the law—he has the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputes not sin, but to whom he "imputes righteousness without works." The only method of obtaining the favor of God which reason and conscience dictate, is doing the will of God. Moral agents, put on probation, if they persevere in obedience during the period of their trial, are "justified," and confirmed in a state of integrity and happiness. When an accountable creature, or a race of accountable creatures, fails in obedience, the penalty of the law, whatever it may be, is incurred, and must be endured. Both justice and truth require the infliction of the punishment deserved, and threatened to transgressors. The justification of a sinner appears, therefore, at first sight, to be a thing impossible, in consistency with the divine attributes. To devise a plan by which sinners may be saved, and yet the law be maintained and justice satisfied, was beyond the wisdom of any creature; but what finite wisdom could not accomplish, the wisdom of God has found out; and to reveal this plan of salvation, and the terms on which the condemned creature may be made a partaker of it, is the great design of divine revelation. This is the mystery into which angels desire to look. It is the "good news "which the gospel announces. It will be a theme of adoration and grateful praise in heaven through eternal ages; and all who shall arrive at heaven by this method of salvation, will sing a song peculiar to themselves, in which no others of the heavenly army can join, "Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." To understand how God can be just, and justify the ungodly, let us contemplate the acknowledged circumstances of the case. God is a holy being, and his law is like himself, "holy, just, and good." This law cannot be set aside or changed, in mercy to the offender, without reflecting dishonor on the Lawgiver. Better there were no law, than that its claims should be disregarded. Better that all creatures should cease to exist, than that any dishonor should be cast on the truth or justice of God. If the infliction of the penalty incurred was not a righteous act, such a penalty never would have been annexed to the law. All hope of escape founded on the idea that the law of God may be set aside, or its demands relaxed, must be vain; and all such hopes are impious, as they are founded on the supposition that God will "deny himself." Does not every transgressor, then, appear to be shut up to death? Some may be ready to reply, that God is merciful as well as just, and the sinner may hope in his mercy; and that to insist upon the rigid execution of law in all cases, would expunge mercy from the divine attributes. It will also be alleged, that to represent the supreme Ruler as inflexible in his justice, and requiring the utmost farthing of what is due from his frail creatures, is to exhibit him in an unamiable light. This view of the subject seems plausible, and falls in with the prevalent opinions and feelings of men. But it ought to be considered, that if mercy be so essential to God, that he cannot but exercise it unless he shows himself severe and unamiable—then there is an end of justice. There can be no place for justice in the dispensations of such a merciful God. But "a God all mercy is a God unjust." And let it be considered again, that upon these principles there was no need of a Mediator to expiate our sins, and propitiate an offended God. To the sinner God may indeed appear lovely, as divested of his righteousness, and equally good to the transgressor and the obedient subject; just as the criminal condemned by human laws would esteem that judge amiable who pardoned his crimes, while upright citizens might view it to be inconsistent with his character as a righteous judge. But the inquiry should be, how would the divine character appear to intelligent and impartial spectators, if sin should go unpunished; how would this be viewed by the "holy angels?" And surely, with the word of God in our hands, we cannot hesitate to believe that God is just and holy, and that he "will by no means clear the guilty." But do not the Scriptures represent God as a merciful being; and are not all invited to take refuge under the wings of his mercy? Yes! this is undoubtedly true. No attribute is more frequently and emphatically ascribed to God than mercy, and by no other is his infinite and divine perfection more gloriously manifested. Throughout the holy Scriptures we have set before us a God both just and merciful. Those attributes, therefore, as they exist in God, must be harmonious, and the exercise of the one must somehow be consistent with that of the other. Let us, therefore, endeavor to discover how they may be harmonized, how the great Creator can be at the same time both "a just God and a Savior." One remark, before we proceed farther, seems necessary to prevent mistakes. There exists not the same necessity for the exercise of mercy as of justice. God is obliged by the rectitude of his nature to be always and in all cases just; but he is not bound in all cases where there are miserable sinners to exercise mercy. The example of the fallen angels settles this question. Such an idea of mercy would destroy every idea of justice. There could remain no place for its exercise. Mercy, from its very nature, is free. To suppose any binding obligation to show mercy destroys its nature; it would then be confounded with justice. The true ground of distinction between justice and mercy is, that while the first is obligatory, the last is free, and may be bestowed or withheld at the pleasure of him who exercises it. The true principle on which justice and mercy may be reconciled is, that the claims of justice must be satisfied in order to make way for the exercise of mercy. If no plan could have been devised by which the demands of the law—which are the same as the claims of justice—could be satisfied, then had the exercise of mercy been impossible in the government of a righteous God. But herein has the infinite wisdom of God been gloriously displayed by the plan of redemption: "Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." According to this glorious plan, justice and mercy are both manifested in the most conspicuous manner in the obedience of Christ unto death. In the cross these divine attributes not only harmonize, but shine forth with brighter rays than anywhere else. Let it not be forgotten, that the difficulty in the way of the exercise of mercy to sinners required to be overcome, was nothing else than the demands of inflexible justice, and the truth of God pledged in annexing the penalty of death to the law. No plan of reconciliation or justification which does not provide for the removal of this difficulty is admissible or possible. I wish this point to be clearly understood, and indelibly fixed in the memory of the reader, for otherwise he will be in danger of being misled by false theories. Let us then take an accurate survey of THE CONDITION OF A SINFUL MAN under the righteous government of God. We take for granted that the demands of the law of God are neither annihilated nor diminished in consequence of his transgression. Fallen man is as much under obligation to love God with all the heart, mind, and strength—as innocent man. It is a dictate of reason, that the obligation to obey any law—is not removed by transgressing it. Neither does the fact that the sinner has fallen under the condemnation of the law, free him from the obligation to obey it—nothing can be conceived more absurd. This supposes the enduring the penalty of the law to be a full equivalent for perfect obedience. According to this, the man who had stood in the pillory for perjury as long as the penalty of the law required, would be as deserving of esteem and of a reward as the man who had completely obeyed the laws of his country. Then let it be distinctly kept in mind, that on a transgressor the law has a double demand: first, the original requisition of perfect obedience; and secondly, a demand that the penalty, according to the demerit of the offence, be endured. And before he can be justified according to this law, both these demands must be met and satisfied. A mistake on this point has led many astray in regard to the nature of a sinner's justification. They have maintained that nothing else was necessary but that the Surety endure the penalty of the law, or make atonement for sin; and that nothing more is included in justification than the forgiveness of our sins. But if this were all, justification would leave the person in the same relation to the law in which Adam stood when created; that is, he would be free from the penalty, but would have no title to the reward of a righteous person. But the very word "justify" expresses much more. Strictly speaking, and excluding the merits of Christ, pardon and justification are incompatible; for the first supposes the person to have been a transgressor, the last that he has a righteousness fully answering the demands of the law; but when a sinner is justified by faith in Christ, while he receives remission of sins through his blood, he is accounted righteous by reason of the perfect obedience unto death of his Surety rendered in his behalf. Those who deny the necessity of the active obedience of Christ as included in the meritorious ground of a sinner's justification, are driven to the necessity of maintaining that the person must acquire a title to eternal life by his own obedience; and they suppose that this doctrine is inculcated in all those texts which speak of believers being rewarded "according to their works;" whereas, if eternal life was granted only in consequence of Christ's obedience, they allege all would share alike, and there would not be different degrees of glory among the saints in heaven. But this is to confound the title to eternal life—with the degree of happiness to be enjoyed. As to the title, all do stand upon a perfect equality. Heaven is as sure to the weakest believer as to the strongest; to the man who lived only to perform one good work, as to him who abounded in good works through a long life. But it does not follow from this that the happiness and glory of all believers shall be equal. All, it is reasonable to believe, will not have the same capacity of heavenly happiness; and it is fit that those who have labored most and suffered most—should enjoy most hereafter. This furnishes a good reason for what we find clearly taught by our Lord and his apostles, that in the day of judgment the good works of the righteous will be brought into public view, as well that they may furnish a measure of their respective rewards, as that they may furnish conclusive evidence of the sincerity of their profession. Although the active obedience of Christ, as well as his sufferings and death, are necessary to a justifying righteousness, yet there is no necessity nor propriety in curiously endeavoring to separate the parts of our Savior's finished work. As has been well remarked by a profound theologian, "In his sufferings he obeyed, and in his obedience he suffered." His mediatorial work, like his robe, cannot be divided into separate parts. Still, we can conceive of a distinction between that which was necessary to satisfy the precept, and that which was required to satisfy the penalty of the law. And if there were any uncertainty whether all the acts of Christ's obedience were strictly vicarious, yet it would be our safe course to exclude nothing which God has not excluded. When the apostle says, "by his OBEDIENCE many are constituted righteous," no man has a right to limit the word, which is left in the holy Scriptures without limitation. Having seen that in order to a sinner's justification, the law demands a righteousness which shall answer both its precept and its penalty, let us next inquire, HAS JESUS CHRIST THE MEDIATOR PROVIDED SUCH A RIGHTEOUSNESS? And here it is comfortable to the convinced sinner to learn that "He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes." That "He of God is made unto us righteousness," and is called "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." And that "there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." That "He who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." But why may not a sinner be justified by his own righteousness? For the best reason in the world: because he has none which will answer the law's demand. All will admit that the external obedience of an unrenewed man, whether to the moral or ceremonial law, cannot be a righteousness that a holy God can accept as the ground of his justification. Such a righteousness is indeed well described by the prophet as "filthy rags." That which has no particle of real holiness in it surely cannot answer the demands of that holy law which requires "truth in the inward parts," and perfect rectitude in every thought and desire. It is therefore universally agreed among Christians that "dead works," or mere external obedience, can justify no one. Still it is contended by some that the "new obedience" of a sanctified soul may, by a gracious God, be received as a justifying righteousness. Others, to be more conformable to the language of Scripture, ascribe our justification to the single grace of faith or act of believing. But we will now show that no works of ours, nor any holiness wrought in us, is the ground of our justification. The arguments from which it is evident, that our justification is not an account of inherent holiness, or good works proceeding from faith, are these: Justification is a sentence according to law; but the law demands a perfect righteousness: the imperfect, though sincere obedience of the believer, is not a ground on which God, as a righteous Judge, can pronounce the sinner justified. Even if the believer could attain to perfection in this life—which none ever did—this would not answer for a perfect righteousness; for when a man stands in judgment before God, he must answer for the whole of his life, and not a part only. The believer cannot be justified by his evangelical obedience, because this follows his acceptance with God, and cannot therefore be its cause. The ungodly are the people whom God justifies; therefore they are not justified by their own obedience, for they remain ungodly up to the very moment when they are justified. The justification of the sinner, according to the apostle Paul, excludes boasting; but if a man is justified by his own works, of whatever kind, he has a ground of boasting; therefore justification is not by "works of righteousness which we have done." Again, justification is entirely gratuitous, and therefore not by works of any kind. "Being justified freely by his grace." Now between works and grace there is, according to Paul, an irreconcilable opposition as it relates to the ground of a sinner's acceptance. "And if by grace, it is then no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work." It detracts from the honor of Christ and the merit of his mediatorial work to ascribe justification, in whole or in part, to man's obedience. If it had been consistent with God's perfections to accept of an imperfect obedience from the creature, where was the need of a divine Mediator? Did Christ the Son of God come into the world and die on the cross merely to render the imperfect obedience of the sinner acceptable? This supposition is not honorable to the divine Redeemer, neither is it in accordance with holy Scripture. There all is ascribed to Christ's redemption—to his blood—to his righteousness—to his obedience. Christ is the foundation—the corner-stone—the way, the truth, and the life—the alpha and omega—the beginning and end of our salvation. He who glories, must glory in the Lord. The everlasting song of the redeemed will be, "Not unto us, but unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." And what says the experience of the children of God? Are they willing to trust for salvation to such a broken reed as their own obedience; and are they disposed to detract anything from the glory of the Redeemer in their salvation? Is there one among them who would wish to put in a claim for any part of the honor of this work? But what need is there to argue a point which is so explicitly and positively decided by the pen of inspiration? "Therefore," says Paul, "by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." And as if to cut off all pretense that he meant the ceremonial law of Moses, he immediately adds, "for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Now Paul tells us in another place what law produced in him the knowledge of sin, namely, the law contained in the ten commandments; "for," says he, "I had not known sin, unless the law had said, You shall not covet." And this is given as a reason by the apostle why there could be no justification by the law; for if a man was only convicted of one sin by the law, it is evident that justification to him by that law is as impossible as if he had violated every precept. As justification and condemnation are opposite states in relation to the law, he who is condemned, if it were only for one sin, and that the smallest, never can be justified by a broken law. For one sin incurs the penalty; as it is written, "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Some dream of a new and milder law under the gospel by which believers are justified; but there is none such—there can be none such. The Scriptures never mention any other moral law than the law requiring perfect love, and which is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments. To this our Savior continually appeals as universally binding—as intended originally to give life to those who obeyed it, and as the perfect rule which all should follow. The apostles refer to no other law, as might be proved by numerous testimonies. Indeed, the very supposition of a change in the moral law is monstrous; it would imply a change in the Lawgiver, which is nothing less than blasphemy. God does, it is true, accept from his people an obedience mingled with defects and imperfections, but not as their justifying righteousness; it is for Christ's sake, and because they are already "accepted in the Beloved." "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," they are adopted into the number of sons and daughters; and having his righteousness imputed to them, or set down to their account, there is no condemnation to them. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies; who is he who condemns?" It is said of believers, that "they have passed from death unto life, and shall never come into condemnation." But we are said to be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: how is this to be understood? This doctrine stands out prominently in the New Testament, and the Reformers considered it the cardinal point, or the center of the Christian religion. Luther, as far as doctrine was concerned, commenced the Reformation by restoring this doctrine to its proper place; and all true reformers ever since have placed justification by faith at the foundation of their system, and made it the theme of their preaching; and the neglect of this doctrine, or a disposition to explain it away, or not to maintain it in its simple and obvious meaning, is an evidence of a corrupt system of theology, and marks a deviation from the truth in other very important particulars. This doctrine is as essential in the system of divine truth, as the center of gravity in bodies; in both cases these points must be firmly supported, or the system falls. But we return to the important question, How does faith justify a sinner? Certainly not on account of any merit in the act of faith. Those who maintain this, fall into no less an error than substituting "an act of our minds" for Christ and his righteousness. Faith may, in a certain sense, be called a work; but it is not as a work that it justifies, or it would never have been, as it is, placed in strong contrast with works. Though faith is an act of obedience to the law of God, it is not as such that it justifies. Hear what Paul teaches on this point: "Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." "Now to him who works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him who works not, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." To interpret this last phrase as though Paul intended to teach that the act of believing was the righteousness by which the ungodly are justified, would be to make him most palpably contradict himself; for that construction would not only make faith a work in the affair of justification, but a substitute for all other works; whereas the apostle, in this passage, says, "But to him who works not, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly;" that is, who performs no works as a righteousness by which he expects to obtain the favor of God; but in regard to works, is considered, when justified, as an ungodly person—one who has no goodness of his own to plead, "but believes." Here faith must be considered as a mere instrument, or organ, by which Christ is received. But why is faith said to be "counted for righteousness?" For no other reason but because faith is that act of the soul by which Christ, who is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, is apprehended, appreciated, and appropriated. A reprieve is obtained by a great price from the king; the benevolent person who procured it offers it to the condemned criminal, who eagerly stretches out his hand to receive it. If his acceptance were made the condition of his deliverance, the case would be a striking parallel to the offer of pardon and the divine favor to a sinner. The blessings of the gospel are suspended on the act of believing. This is, in fact, the cordial reception of the blessing. But who would think of ascribing merit to the mere act of receiving a pardon by a condemned criminal? As little reason is there for considering the act of faith by which we receive Christ's righteousness as either meritorious, or as standing in the place of a perfect righteousness, and accepted as such, though manifestly very far short of being all that the law demands. But how can the righteousness of the Redeemer be available to the justification of the sinner? To this I reply, that from eternity Christ undertook, in the covenant of redemption, to satisfy law and justice for all who were given to him by the Father in that covenant—all who would believe on him. When incarnate, He bore their sins, and for them fulfilled all righteousness—did all that was required as a satisfaction to law and justice. "As by the disobedience of one many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made," constituted, "righteous." "He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Now if the union, by covenant between the first Adam and his posterity, was so close that by his fatal transgression they all died, why may there not be formed a union as intimate between Christ and his people? This is the very principle on which the apostle argues in the fifth of Romans. But the children of God are, "by nature, children of wrath, even as others." They, in their natural condition, are under the curse of the law; for we read that "Christ was made a curse for us, to redeem us from the curse of the law." They continue aliens until, by the gracious intercession of their Redeemer, the Holy Spirit is sent to bring them to Christ. On their part, faith is the act by which they receive Christ. This consummates the spiritual union between him as the head, and them as the members. This union is of such a nature that, in law, whatever the Surety has done or suffered, can be set down to their account; or, as the apostle's phrase is, "righteousness is imputed to them." By having this perfect righteousness reckoned to them, they are instantly and completely justified. God is now reconciled to them through the death of his Son. All their sins are freely pardoned, and they are adopted as sons, and immediately made heirs of eternal life. Here then we see how faith justifies as an instrument of union and reception, and in what sense it is "counted for righteousness." We also see how a contrast can be set up between faith and works—between grace and debt. But although faith alone justifies, and justifies not as a work, yet it is a working faith which justifies. Faith is the fruitful principle of sanctification, and of all evangelical obedience or good works. And as there is a "dead" as well as a living faith, and many have been deceived by glorying in the former, while they were destitute of the latter, we should guard this point with especial care. The doctrine of justification by faith without works, is very liable to be perverted and abused by carnal men, who vainly dream of being saved in, not from their sins. This corrupt leaven began to ferment in the church in the days of the apostles. James wrote his epistle with a view to detect and expose this dangerous error. He seems, at first view, expressly to contradict what the apostle Paul had taught; for he says, "You see then, how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." But when the context is impartially considered, the appearance of contradiction vanishes, and we find his doctrine harmonious with that of Paul; for he is speaking of a mere nominal "dead faith," which manifested itself by no good works. No man was ever justified by such a faith. He is not speaking of that justification which takes place when a sinner first believes—the only foundation of which is the merit of Christ—but he is speaking of that justification arising from the evangelical works of believers, by which their faith is proved to be genuine, and their profession is evidenced to be sincere; and with which acts of obedience God is also well pleased, for he will not "forget the works of faith and labors of love" of his own dear children. The instances which he gives, especially that of Abraham, show his meaning plainly enough. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" But Abraham was in covenant with God, and of course justified, a long time before he performed this act; but this proved his sincerity and the strength of his faith. By that extraordinary act of obedience in which Abraham, without hesitation or reluctance, offered up his only and well-beloved son at the command of God, he met the approbation of his Maker; and this approbation was publicly expressed, which expression of divine favor is, by James, without much departure from the usual signification of the word, termed "justification," and is of the same kind with that public approbation of the good works of the righteous which will take place at the day of judgment, which is also called justification by our Lord. "For," says he, "by your words you shall be justified." Matthew 12:37. Many, however, in reconciling James with Paul, choose to interpret the word justify, as used by James, to signify the manifestation of the sincerity of our profession of faith in the sight of men; to which I make no objection, as this interpretation doubtless accords with truth; but I consider what I before stated as the precise meaning of this apostle. As the word justification is borrowed from the proceedings of courts of justice, and is therefore said to be a legal term, I will, by way of illustration and practical application of the subject, suppose the case of a convinced sinner arraigned before the tribunal of God, to be tried for the actions of his whole life. The Judge being omniscient and infinitely just, can neither be deceived nor biased. The rule of judgment must be his own perfect law: no other standard of right can be admitted or conceived of in this court. The demands of this law are perfect obedience in heart and life: all deviations from the law, even in thought and desire, as well as in word and deed, are marked as sins. If any man had uniformly done all that the law required, he might be adjudged to the possession of eternal life on account of his own obedience; that is, he would be justified by his own works. The language of the law is, "He who does these things, shall live in them." "This do, and you shall live." "The law was given unto life." But the person arraigned is conscious that he is a sinner, and therefore cannot possibly be justified in this way. While his conviction is partial, and his knowledge of sin indistinct, he very naturally makes efforts at amendment and reformation. His ignorance of the extent and spirituality of the law leads him to hope that he can make, by future obedience, a compensation for the past. But increasing light convinces him that these hopes are utterly fallacious, for he finds that no future obedience, however perfect, would have any effect to cancel the debt already contracted; and he now finds, by sad experience, that he cannot keep the law perfectly for one moment. Under this conviction we suppose him to stand arraigned before the heart-searching Judge, and when confronted with the law and a list of his sins—of omission as well as commission—of thought, word, and deed, with all their aggravations—what plea can he offer, what defense can he make? Alas, he attempts nothing of the kind. His mouth is stopped. He stands speechless before his Judge. Or rather, he acknowledges everything. He admits every charge to be true. He joins in his own condemnation, and justifies God for the sentence which he is convinced that justice requires him to pronounce. He sees no way of escape, for all his vain refuges in which he once trusted are now swept away. And he expects nothing else but that he shall be sent away into everlasting punishment. But under this awful conviction he brings no complaint against the law which condemns him, nor against his righteous Judge. He takes all the blame and guilt to himself, and fully "accepts the punishment of his sins," as a just award. His language is like that of David, "Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight; that you might be justified when you speak, and be clear when you judge." He has, indeed, heard of a proclamation of mercy; but though it excites a vague, trembling hope that relief is possible, yet he sees not how it is possible for him to escape from the grasp of inflexible justice in which he is held, for now he dares not even ask that the law which condemns him should be either set aside, suspended, or relaxed. Anything of this kind his enlightened conscience correctly judges to be altogether out of the question. No doubt this is an awful moment in the existence of the sinner, and he is ready to give himself up for lost. But behold, AN ADVOCATE rises in the court, and offers to undertake his cause. And it is ONE who has the ear of the Judge, and who appears in the sinner's own nature. It is the incarnate Son of God, who says to the convicted sinner, "Commit your cause to me with confidence, and I will bring you off victorious. However deep your guilt, however multiplied your transgressions, a full and free pardon will be sure the moment you trust yourself into my hands." And then, to encourage confidence in his ability, he shows that he has rendered an infinitely meritorious obedience to this very law, and has in his own body endured the curse which it denounces upon transgressors; and that he has acquired the right to obtain the redemption of all to whom this righteousness shall be applied. The convinced sinner sees, with joy and astonishment, that there is a way in which all his grievous sins can be pardoned, and he be restored to the favor of a justly offended God. Now he believes with all his heart. Now he accepts the kind offer of the Savior to be his advocate. Now he commits himself, and all his soul's concerns, into the hands of a faithful Redeemer. Now his burden of grief is removed, and he rejoices in the riches of grace in Christ Jesus; and his heart, hitherto so insensible, melts into love and gratitude. And now, though he may have confidence that his sins are all blotted out, and shall never rise in remembrance against him, yet his heart breaks with sincere relentings, and godly sorrow gushes out in a flood. He can now look up with humble confidence to his Judge, and plead the perfect righteousness of his SURETY. He sees that God is propitiated by the meritorious sacrifice of his own Son, and feels that a blessed reconciliation has taken place between him and his God. For, on the part of God, his anger is appeased. He is well pleased with his own dear Son, and with all who stand robed in his perfect righteousness. And as to his own enmity against God and his government, he finds that it is slain by a view of the cross; and already he begins to experience something of the sweet spirit of adoption, and the hope which takes not ashamed springs up in his bosom never more to leave him, but to be, in all temptations, troubles, and storms, as "an anchor to his soul, sure and steadfast, entering into that within the veil." Thus is the sinner actually JUSTIFIED BY FAITH in Christ Jesus. There is no longer any legal condemnation to him, for though he sins—and there is no man who lives, and sins not—his ADVOCATE ever lives to intercede for him, and to plead, for his pardon, the complete atonement which he has made. And a soul once justified never can fall again under the condemnation of the law, unless Christ should cease to intercede, or should no longer apply to his benefit his own perfect righteousness. Clouds and darkness may often obscure his evidences of sonship, and his comfort may be greatly interrupted through his own remaining unbelief, and the temptations of the adversary; but none shall be able to pluck him out of the hands of his heavenly Father, nor out of the hands of his ever-faithful Shepherd. After this account of the gospel method of a sinner's gratuitous justification, will any still bring forward the old stale objection, that by this plan we are overthrowing the obligation of the moral law, and undermining the foundations of morality and good works? If there be any such objectors, let Paul answer them: "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid; no; we establish the law." "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid; how shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Some did, indeed, slanderously report of the apostle and his fellow-teachers, that they said, "Let us do evil, that good may come." Concerning all who would say this, Paul declares that "their damnation is just." And what does uniform experience testify in regard to the lives of those who maintain this doctrine? Are they more loose in their lives than others? Have they not, in all ages, rather been the humble, self denying, faithful imitators of Christ? So far are they from pleading any exemption from the law as a rule of life, or taking occasion to indulge in sin because grace abounds, that they "delight in the law of God after the inner man"—hunger and thirst after righteousness—and feel the remainder of sin dwelling in them to be their greatest burden and sorest affliction, which causes them to groan, and to exclaim with Paul, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" Justifying faith works by love—and love is the very spring and essence of all holy obedience. Gratitude impels the reconciled sinner to be zealous for good works. "The love of Christ constrains him." He feels that being "bought with a price," he is "not his own," and should "glorify God in his body and spirit, which are God's." SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION The Scripture doctrine of justification may be briefly summed up in the following particulars. 1. It is God who justifies. 2. Justification is wholly gratuitous, without merit and without any works of our own, as its ground. 3. The merit of Christ, as Mediator, expressed in Scripture by his righteousness, his obedience, his blood, his death, his life, his sacrifice—is the true and only meritorious ground of a sinner's pardon and acceptance. 4. The justification of the ungodly includes the remission of sins, by which often it is expressed in Scripture; but it also includes their acceptance as righteous, for the sake of Christ's perfect righteousness reckoned to their account. 5. Justification is by faith, as the instrument of union to Christ, and the reception of his righteousness. 6. The faith which justifies is always a living, operative, fruitful faith. No one is justified by a faith which is alone, or unattended with good works. 7. Justification and sanctification, though inseparably connected, and equally necessary to salvation, are nevertheless distinct blessings of the new covenant; and the latter is the only certain evidence of the possession of the former. 8. Justification takes place at the moment of believing, and is as perfect at once as it can ever be, and there can be no place for a second justification in the sight of God, and in relation to his law; but there is a manifestation of the genuineness of our faith and sincerity of our profession, both in this world and at the day of judgment, which is also sometimes called justification. 9. No plan of justification which does not make a complete provision for the satisfaction of all the demands of law and justice, is honorable to God or agreeable to Scripture. By this single test may all erroneous theories of justification be tried and condemned. The importance of the doctrine of a sinner's justification before God, is not exceeded by that of any other in the whole circle of divine truth. Without justification it is evident that no man can be saved. It is then a vital subject. Eternal life is involved in it. For let it be considered, that there is here no middle ground. He who is not in a state of justification must be in a state of condemnation; and if he continues in that state, he must perish forever. One unpardoned sin will sink the soul to hell. What then must be the condition of sinners who are pressed down with the guilt of innumerable transgressions? O reader, let me entreat you to apply this truth to your own case. You are, at this moment, either in a state of condemnation or justification. You are now either reconciled to God, and his adopted child, or his wrath abides on you. If the latter, how can you be at ease? How can you sleep quietly in your bed? How can you partake, with any pleasure, of your daily food? Alas, your condition is far more dangerous, far more deplorable, than any words are capable of describing. And now, while the moments pass, you are approaching nearer and nearer to the lake of fire! And are you determined to take no warning, to listen to no advice? Will you shut your eyes against a danger so imminent and so dreadful? How will you regret this carelessness, when the day of mercy is ended. Those words of our Savior to Jerusalem are most touching: "O that you had known, even you, in this your day, the things which belong unto your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes." In a little time your eternal destiny will be immutably fixed. There is a limit beyond which the call of mercy and the strivings of the Spirit do not reach. When once the sinner has passed that awful boundary, his soul is completely lost; his hopes are extinguished; the blackness of darkness forever lies before him. His sins will cluster round him like so many ghosts, to torment him. The fire which can never be quenched already is enkindled, and the worm which never dies begins to gnaw his vitals. O wretched creature! how dearly did you buy a little mirth and ease in the world; how little profit have you now in all your worldly riches and honors! They cannot purchase for you one moment's relief, one drop of water for your scorched tongue! "Knowing the terrors of the Lord, we would persuade men." If you were now actually beyond the reach of mercy, it would be no kindness to disturb you; but while there is life—there is hope. The sound of mercy is still heard, the door of hope is open, salvation is yet attainable. But there is no time to be lost. The least delay may be ruinous. Escape for your life! Flee from the coming wrath! Seek safety in the house of refuge! Press into the ark! Flee to the altar—and seize on its blood-sprinkled horns! This very day may be the accepted time, and the day of your salvation. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 26: ALEXANDER - KING OF TERRORS ======================================================================== THE KING OF TERRORS by Archibald Alexander His dominion is wide as the world; his subjects, all men except two. His tyranny is inexorable. By no art, by no flight, by no concealment, by no resistance, can we escape. DEATH is the doom of every man. And whatever we do, wherever we are, his approach is relentless. Every moment lessens the narrow span between us and death. It is in vain that we shut our eyes to the reality of his nearness; this only serves to make the surprise more terrible when he, at an unexpected hour, pounces on us! Death is terrible, because he cuts us off from all our possessions. However painfully and unjustly wealth has been accumulated, and however cautiously the soul clings to its treasure, death forces it away. As "naked we came into the world, so naked we must go out." Death severs the strongest, tenderest bands of nature; it takes away the beloved wife at a stroke, or the kind husband; it snatches children, tenderly beloved, from the affectionate embrace of their parents—even the only loving son is not spared. The bond of friendship is rudely sundered, and the affections of the heart are torn and left bleeding with hopeless sorrow. All plans and projects are in a moment frustrated, and anticipated pleasures and honors are left behind. Death is a terror to men, because it drives them into a world unknown. We look into the grave and inquire anxiously. "What is the condition of our departed friend? Does he still exist in a conscious state?" We see no sign of life; he gives no token by which we can learn anything respecting him. We consult the oracle of reason, but there is no satisfactory response; she mutters some ambiguous and uncertain answer, but casts no light on the darkness of the grave. Oh, how awful, to be obliged to go down into a world of darkness--not knowing where we are going, or what is our destiny! This obscurity is not all that terrifies; there is something far worse. This king of terrors comes armed with a tremendous sting. 'Conscious innocence' would inspire us with courage; but guilt, a sense of sin, a feeling of 'deserved punishment', above all other things, renders death terrible. In the gaiety and bustle of life, men may drown the voice of conscience; or by repeated violations of its dictates, men may enjoy temporary ease; but when death comes near, the voice of the monitor within sounds an alarm. The guilty soul would give worlds to be delivered from the stings of conscience. Nothing so corrodes the soul with anguish indescribable as remorse. A celebrated statesman and orator of our own country, when arrested by this king of terrors, wrote on a card this awful word, 'remorse', and nothing more, and then died. The sting of death is sin. The time of death is commonly an honest hour. When a man is about to appear before his Judge, what need is there of any concealment? Yet sometimes the pride of character and dread of disgrace lead men to pretend even at the hour of death. What a transition, from time to eternity—from ignorance and unbelief, to the realities of the judgment! Thus far, there is nothing in death but terrors. Has he no other aspect? Does no animating light from any quarter shine upon the darkness of the tomb? Yes! I see One rising from the sepulcher with the air of a conqueror. I hear him proclaiming, "I am the resurrection, and the life. Whoever believes in me shall never die." I hear a voice from heaven, saying, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." I see, through the narrow vista of the grave, a shining light. It brings to view the gates of the celestial city. By faith, I behold many of the dead entering in, clothed in robes of light. I hear them singing a song of praise and triumph to their great King; who has by his own death redeemed them from the power of the grave. Death is then no more "the king of terrors." He now appears with the face of an angel! Welcome death! Welcome the hour of complete deliverance from sin and sorrow, and all the evils to which fallen man is heir. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, and receive a soul ransomed by your blood into your bosom. "There shall I bathe my weary soul In seas of heavenly rest, And not a wave of trouble roll Across my peaceful breast! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 27: ALEXANDER - LOOKING UNTO JESUS ======================================================================== LOOKING UNTO JESUS by Archibald Alexander "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) 1. A look of inquiry. Who is this Jesus? I see that he is a man, for I behold him a babe in Bethlehem. I see him clothed with a body like other men, and growing in wisdom and stature. He has flesh and bones, and eats, drinks, and sleeps. Yes, I see his body wounded and bleeding, lacerated with the scourge, crowned with thorns, nailed to the cross. See, he bows his head and dies! But is he no more than man? In this child do we not see rays of divinity encircling his sacred head, and indicating that in union with this child is the mighty God? Divine glory beams forth from his face. This is the only begotten Son of God—God manifest in the flesh, possessed of the power and knowledge of the Most High. I gaze upon this mystery. Angels can do no more. I am lost in wonder—so are they. This union of the infinite and finite I cannot comprehend; but I can adore the incarnate God. But my anxious spirit still inquires farther--Why such condescension, such humiliation, such unparalleled sufferings? I learn that all this was to qualify him to be mediator between a just God and the sinner. Being a daysman, he must lay his hand on both, and therefore he must partake of the nature of both. But my inquiry farther is--What work, as mediator, does he perform? What offices does he execute? The ancient prophets, from Moses downwards, have foretold him as a prophet—a priest—a king. Such offices the sinner needs: he is ignorant, and must have a divine Teacher; he is guilty and condemned, and needs a Savior—a substitute—a great High-priest, to offer an atoning sacrifice sufficient to satisfy divine justice. It was this which required his incarnation, and his accursed death on the cross. And the redeemed sinner needs a King to deliver him from the power of his enemies, and bring him to glory. 2. The look of confidence. The soul, burdened with its guilt, and with the fearful expectation of coming wrath, finds no rest nor peace--until it gets a glimpse of the cross; beholding the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, it is assured of pardon and salvation. Nothing is lacking to its peace: justice is satisfied, the law is fulfilled, precept and penalty are satisfied, God is reconciled, and conscience can demand no more. "There is peace and joy in believing." 3. A look of dependence. The poor beggar looks to his benefactor for relief and help, because he is benevolent, and especially because he has promised him all needed supplies. The believing soul, sensible of its own weakness, looks to Jesus for all needed help and strength. It relies simply on his word of promise, knowing that what he has said he will most certainly perform. 4. This is also a longing look—a look of intense desire after conformity to his glorious and perfect character. As the child looks at the copy-plate when he is learning to write, so the Christian looks unto Christ as his perfect model. It is a look of imitation—copying his fair example. His language is, "Be holy, for I am holy." 5. It is a look of hope and joyful expectation. Christ is absent from our sight, but we have the promise that he will come again. Saints are looking for his second appearance. This often fills their thoughts. They "love his appearing," "looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God." This is the look of constant watchfulness, that they may be found of him with their loins girded and their lamps lighted. All Christians should be in the attitude of watchers, for they know not the day nor the hour when their Lord comes. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 28: ALEXANDER - LORD'S DAY ======================================================================== The Lord's Day Archibald Alexander Excerpted from Archibald Alexander's A Brief Compend of Bible Truth (1846) Reason teaches that there is a God, and that he ought to be worshipped. Had man remained in his primeval state of integrity, social worship would have been an incumbent duty. But it is evident that continual worship, whatever may be the fact in heaven, would not have been required of him while on the earth. We know, from express revelation, that it was appointed unto him to keep the garden of Eden, and dress it; and this would have required much attention, and vigorous exertion. He was also constituted lord of the inferior animals; and the exercise of this dominion would of necessity occupy a portion of his time and attention. In order to perform the primary duty of worshipping his Creator in that manner which was becoming and proper, he must have had some portion of his time appropriated to that service. The worship due to the great Creator requires time for the contemplation of his attributes, as revealed in his glorious works. It requires time, also, to recollect all the manifestations of his wisdom and goodness in the dispensations of his Providence, and to give vocal expression to feelings of gratitude for the benefits received, and the happiness bestowed. No doubt, devotional feelings were habitual in the hearts of our first parents. No doubt, they sent up, more formally, their morning and evening prayers; but more time is needed to draw off the thoughts from visible things, and to concentrate them on the great invisible Giver of existence. Short snatches of time are not sufficient to perform this noblest of all duties in a proper manner. A whole day, at certain periods, was needed, so that there might be time for the contemplation of divine things, and for the full and free exercises of devotion. And as man is a social being, and so constituted, that by uniting with others who have the same views and feelings, his own through sympathy are rendered more animating and pleasing, it is evident that it was intended that mankind should worship and praise God in a general and public, as well as in an individual and private capacity. What proportion of time should be consecrated to this service, the reason of man could not have determined. If it had been left free by the law of God, the obligation to set apart the due proportion of time would not have been so binding and sacred, as if the Almighty Creator should designate the day which should be employed in his service. And behold the amazing condescension of God! With some view to this very thing, He was pleased to perform the work of creation in six days, and to rest on the seventh; thus setting an example to his creature man; for He not only rested on the seventh day, but sanctified it; that is, set it apart to a holy use — to be employed, not in bodily labour or converse with the world, but in the contemplation of the works and attributes of God, and in holding delightful communion with his Maker. God could have commanded the world into existence, with all its species of living creatures, in a single moment; but for man's sake, he created the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, the light, and the air, and vegetables, and animals, in six successive days, and then ceased to work; not that the Almighty could be weary and need rest; but for the purpose of teaching man that whilst he might lawfully spend six days in worldly employments, he must rest on the seventh day. This day, from the beginning, was a holy day. It is wonderful to find learned commentators trying to prove that no day was sanctified at the beginning; but that Moses mentions it in his history of the creation, by way of anticipation. But this is an unnatural and forced construction. When the fourth commandment was proclaimed from Sinai, and written by the finger of God on one of the stone tables, the reason given for sanctifying the Sabbath day is, that "in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." When the Sabbath is first mentioned by Moses, after the exodus, there is no appearance of its being a new institution; but it is referred to as a day accustomed to be observed; or, at least, as one on which it was not lawful to perform the common labours of the week. The mention of it occurs in the account of the descent of the manna. It is said, on the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as on other days. "And he said unto them, this is that which the Lord hath said, tomorrow is the rest of the Sabbath; bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over, lay up for you, to be kept until the morrow. And Moses said, Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath unto the Lord. And so the people rested on the seventh day." Exodus 16:23. Evidently, this was no part of the ceremonial law, which was not yet given. It seems clear, that the reference is to a day of rest, of which the people had some knowledge. The decisive argument for the perpetual obligation of the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. The ten commandments, as being of a moral nature, and therefore always binding, were promulgated in a very different manner from the other institutions of Moses. They were first uttered in a voice of thunder, from the midst of the fire on Sinai, and were then inscribed by the finger of God on two tables of hewn stone. Now, it is admitted, that all the other precepts of the Decalogue are moral; and would it not be an unaccountable thing that a ceremonial, temporary commandment should be inserted in the midst of these moral precepts? This is the law which Christ says he came not to destroy, but to fulfill. None of these commandments have been abrogated; and therefore the fourth, as well as the others, remains in full force. And it is remarkable that the prophets, in denouncing the sins of the people, always mention the violation of the Sabbath in the same catalogue with the transgression of moral precepts. It may seem to cursory readers of the New Testament, that our Lord abrogated the Sabbath, and in his own conduct disregarded it. But this is far from being a correct view of the fact. The Pharisees insisted on such a rigid observation of the day of rest, as to prohibit works of real necessity and mercy. This superstitious and over-scrupulous opinion, our Saviour denounced, and showed, that healing the sick, and satisfying the cravings of hunger, were things lawful to be done on the Sabbath. And what renders it certain that this is the correct view of the matter is, that our Lord justifies his conduct by the practice of the saints in ancient times, when the Sabbath was in full force by the acknowledgment of all, and by the provisions of the Levitical law itself, which required the priests to perform double labour on the Sabbath. And he, moreover, showed, that the accusation against him, for a violation of the Sabbath, was hypocritical; because, the very persons who made it, would pull an ox or sheep out of a pit into which it had fallen, on the Sabbath day; and also, because they thought it no violation of the sacredness of the Sabbath, to lead an ox or ass to watering, though they objected to the disciples satisfying their hunger on that day. One of his expressions has evidently been misunderstood, by some interpreters. It is where he says, that "the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." They have interpreted this to mean, that Christ claimed the right to do those things on the Sabbath, which would be unlawful to others on that day. But this cannot be the meaning; for Christ was made under the law, and had bound himself to obey it. He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. A breach of the fourth commandment would have been sin in him, as much as in any other. I take the meaning to be, that as he appointed the Sabbath, so he best knew how to interpret his own law. There is a text in Paul's epistle to the Romans, which has been supposed to teach that it is a matter of indifference whether we observe the Sabbath or not. — "One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be full persuaded in his own mind." But evidently, the question here discussed relates to the ceremonial law. It relates not to the Sabbath; which, as we have seen, was no part of the ceremonial law, but belonged to the moral code. The ceremonial law was virtually abrogated by the death of Christ; but all Christians were not yet enlightened to understand their Christian liberty; and such were indulged in their continued observance of these rites. The apostle is treating here of meats and drinks and festival days, the binding obligation of which had ceased. But in the epistle to the Colossians, Paul says, "Let no man, therefore, judge you, in meat or drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or the Sabbath days." Here, again, the ceremonial law is obviously the subject of discourse. He is speaking of "meats," "drinks," "new moons," and "Sabbath days." And the word Sabbath relates to the numerous Sabbaths of the ceremonial law, distinct from the weekly Sabbath. Whenever a festival of the law continued eight days, the first and the last were always kept as Sabbaths. Or the reference might be to the sabbatical year, for the word days is not in the original. But on supposition that the weekly Sabbath was intended, the meaning might be that the Jewish Sabbath, namely, the seventh day of the week, was no longer obligatory on Christians, since they had, by divine direction, adopted the first day for their day of sacred rest and of holding public assemblies for the worship of God. This leads to the inquiry, what evidence have we that such a change was ever made by divine authority? The uniform practice of Christians, to meet on the first day of the week, from the very time of Christ's resurrection, is strong evidence that this change was introduced by Christ and the apostles. It was suitable, that as the worship of God by his people, would have principally respect to the work of redemption, it should be celebrated on that day on which it was made manifest that this glorious work was completed. Accordingly, Christ having risen from the dead always met his disciples on this day. And afterwards, the apostles and the churches were accustomed to come together on this day, "to break bread," that is to celebrate the Lord's supper. And when the apostle wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians, it was already established as a custom, not only in the church of Corinth, but in the churches of Macedonia and Galatia, that their contributions for the poor, should be collected on this day. From the apostolical practice, we rightly infer the divine authority for this change. So generally was the first day of the week observed, in commemoration of Christ's resurrection, and for the celebration of religious worship, that in the times of the apostles, it had obtained the significant denomination of the Lord's Day. Unless we had a particular day set apart, by divine authority for the worship of God, this important duty could never be performed in an edifying manner; and public worship would, for the most part, fall into disuse. And if a certain day should be agreed upon by the church, or by the civil government, it would want that authority and sanctity which are necessary to its general observance. As it is, we find how difficult it is to get men to cease from their earthly cares and pursuits on this day. It was, therefore, wisely placed among the most binding precepts of the moral law. This chapter shall be concluded by a few directions for the observance of the Lord's Day. 1. Let the whole day be consecrated to the service of God, especially in acts of worship, public and private. This weekly recess from worldly cares and avocations, affords a precious opportunity for the study of God's word, and for the examination of our own hearts. Rise early, and let your first thoughts and aspirations be directed to heaven. Meditate much and profoundly on divine things, and endeavour to acquire a degree of spirituality on this day which will abide with you through the whole week. 2. Consider the Lord's Day an honour and delight. Let your heart be elevated in holy joy, and your lips be employed in the high praises of God. This day more resembles heaven, than any other portion of our time; and we should endeavour to imitate the worship of heaven, according to that petition of the Lord's prayer — "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Never permit the idea to enter your mind, that the Sabbath is a burden. It is a sad case, when professing Christians are weary of this sacred rest, and say, like some of old, "When will the Sabbath be gone, that we may sell corn, and set forth wheat?" As you improve this day, so probably will you be prospered all the week. 3. Avoid undue rigour, and Pharisaic scrupulosity, for nothing renders the Lord's Day more odious. Still keep in view the great end of its institution; and remember that the Sabbath was instituted for the benefit of man, and not to be a galling yoke. The cessation from worldly business and labour is not for its own sake, as if there was any thing morally good in inaction, but we are called off from secular pursuits on this day, that we may have a portion of our time to devote uninterruptedly to the worship of God. Let every thing then be so arranged in your household, beforehand, that there may be no interruption to religious duties, and to attendance on the means of grace. As divine knowledge is the richest acquisition within our reach, and as this knowledge is to be found in the word of God, let us value this day, as affording all persons an opportunity of hearing and reading the word. And as the fourth commandment requires the heads of families to cause the Sabbath to be observed by all under their control, or within their gates, it is very important that domestic and culinary arrangements should be so ordered, that no one be deprived of the opportunity of attending on the word and worship of God which this day affords. If we possess any measure of the true spirit of devotion, this sacred day will be most welcome to our hearts; and we will rejoice when they say, "Let us go unto the house of the Lord." To such a soul, the opportunity of enjoying spiritual communion with God will be valued above all price, and be esteemed as the richest privilege which creatures can enjoy on earth. 4. Whilst you conscientiously follow your own sense of duty in the observance of the rest of the Sabbath, be not ready to censure all who may differ from you in regard to minute particulars, which are not prescribed or commended in the word of God. Beware of indulging yourself in any practice which may have the effect of leading others to disregard the rest and sanctity of the Sabbath. Let not your liberty in regard to what you think may be done, be a stumbling block to cause weaker brethren to offend, or unnecessarily to give them pain, or to lead them to entertain an unfavourable opinion of your piety. 5. As, undoubtedly, the celebration of public worship and gaining divine instruction from the divine oracles, is the main object of the institution of the Christian Sabbath, let all be careful to attend on the services of the sanctuary on this day. And let the heart be prepared by previous prayer and meditation for a participation in public worship, and while in the more immediate presence of the Divine Majesty, let all the people fear before him, and with reverence adore and praise his holy name. Let all vanity, and curious gazing, and slothfulness, be banished from the house of God. Let every heart be lifted up on entering the sanctuary, and let the thoughts be carefully restrained from wandering on foolish or worldly objects, and resolutely recalled when they have begun to go astray. Let brotherly love be cherished, when joining with others in the worship of God. The hearts of all the church should be united in worship, as the heart of one man. Thus, will the worship of the sanctuary below, be a preparation for the purer, sublimer worship in the temple above. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 29: ALEXANDER - LOVE OF THE TRUTH ======================================================================== LOVE OF THE TRUTH by Archibald Alexander "They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:10) I think it is John Newton who somewhere says that he never knew any person who appeared to be actuated by a sincere love of the truth, who did not come right after a while, however far off he might be when he began to feel this motive operating. The case of Thomas Scott is a remarkable illustration of this remark. When he commenced his correspondence with Mr. Newton, he was a Socinian, and was solicitous to engage his correspondent in a controversy on the points of difference. Mr. Newton, however, while he avoided controversy, still entertained and expressed the hope that Mr. Scott would come to a right belief, because he thought he perceived in him a sincere desire to know the truth. It seems to me that this is one of the first lessons which they learn who are taught of God. The Holy Spirit, when he would lead anyone to the saving knowledge of the truth, produces in him a spirit of sincere and humble teachableness. The soul led by the Spirit thirsts for the knowledge of the truth. This is a very different thing from ardent attachment to particular opinions which have been imbibed from education, or from the connection with a particular sect. Such attachment cleaves to error as tenaciously as to truth. A man may be willing to lay down his life in defense of his opinions, and yet may be destitute of the love of truth. The genuine love of truth makes its possessor willing to relinquish his most cherished opinions as soon as it shall be satisfactorily demonstrated that they are not true. The love of the truth renders a man not only earnest in the pursuit of the beloved object, but impartial in his judgment of evidence. He fears deception, and admits new opinions only after the evidence has been thoroughly sifted and weighed. This disposition is commonly accompanied with a deep sense of our ignorance and liableness to error. The lover of truth cannot be satisfied with mere plausible appearances, he must have solid ground to rest upon; he therefore digs deep until he comes to a rock. And as the Holy Bible is the treasure of divine truth, he searches the Scriptures daily to find out what God has revealed. But conscious of his liableness to be misled by ignorance or prejudice in interpreting the Scriptures, he is incessant in his prayers for divine illumination. Such a one trusts little to his own reason or human authority; he wants to hear what says the Lord. And those who search for truth as for hidden treasure shall not be disappointed. There is a gracious promise that if we seek--we shall find. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not, and it shall be given him." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 30: ALEXANDER - MISERY OF THE LOST ======================================================================== THE MISERY OF THE LOST Archibald Alexander The soul of man is susceptible of an intense degree of unhappiness. Even in this world much misery is endured; but in the world to come, hope is a stranger, and there are no alleviating circumstances. The misery of the damned has by theologians been divided into that of loss and that of sense—the one produced by the loss of good possessed or once attainable, the other arising from the positive infliction of punishment. But though this distinction has a foundation as it relates to the cause of the sinner's misery, yet, as it regards the feeling itself, there is no reason for making any distinction. All misery is felt according to its nature and intensity, and therefore is pain of sense, or sensible pain, whatever may be its cause. So the question whether the fire of hell is a material fire, is of no importance; for if I feel a pang of misery at any moment, it matters nothing whether it is produced by a material or immaterial, by a privative or positive cause. Under the general name of misery, many species of suffering are included; all, however, agreeing in this, that the sensation is painful. The feeling of fear is a very painful emotion, but in its nature very different from remorse. Excessive pain, in our present state, may be experienced through the nerves of sensation; but even here these sufferings differ, not only in degree, but in kind. The headache, toothache, and rheumatism, are all, severe pains, but they are not the same; and these bodily pains differ exceedingly from the feelings of remorse, or despair. Our capacity of pain seems to bear an exact proportion to our susceptibility of pleasure. Indeed, the same faculties and affections which are the sources of our happiness when the objects suited to them are possessed, become the causes of our misery when deprived of those objects. By the same faculty we perceive the beauties and the deformities of objects; the same moral sense is the instrument of the most exalted and soul-satisfying pleasure, and of the most intolerable anguish of which the soul is capable. Every affection and appetite affords pleasure when duly exercised on its proper object; but deprived of this, becomes a source of intense pain. Though the nature of future misery to all lost souls is the same, yet the degree may differ to an extent which no man can estimate. Some divines have maintained that the future happiness of the righteous will be equal, as eternal life is the free gift of God; but none, I believe, have ever held that the punishment of the lost will be equal. The Scriptures abundantly teach that every man will be judged according to the deeds done in the body; and as the sins of different individuals are immensely different in guilt, justice demands that their punishment should be proportioned to the demerit of the sinner. Our Savior most explicitly teaches this doctrine when he says, "That servant who knew his master's will, and prepared not himself, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he who knew not his master's will, and yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." The guilt of sin is not measured merely or principally by the external act, but by the light and advantages enjoyed by some above others. The difference between sins against light and sins of ignorance, is a matter concerning which common-sense gives a judgment consonant with the rule laid down by our Lord. It does not appear that the cities of Galilee, where Christ spent most of his time, and where he wrought most of his beneficent miracles, were remarkable for external acts of immorality; and yet their sins were greater than those of cities proverbial for their wickedness, and consequently their punishment would be greater. His words should never be forgotten: Then He proceeded to denounce the towns where most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago! But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hell. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." (Matthew 11:20 - Matthew 11:24) These are words of dreadful import, and are as applicable to neglectors of the gospel and impenitent sinners now, as to those devoted cities. Many, because their external conduct is decent and moral, persuade themselves that their punishment will be light; but in view of the words cited above, it will be far more tolerable for the vilest of the heathen than for them, if they continue in their impenitence and neglect of the great salvation. Certainly gospel-neglectors, however decent in their external behavior, will sink very deep into the abyss of misery. Among these, however, there will be a great difference. Some, alas, who sinned malignantly against light, will sink to the lowest gulf in hell. To describe the extreme misery of lost souls is painful, both to the writer and the reader. If we would give way to our sympathies and compassionate feelings, we would not only exclude this awful subject from our discourses, but from our creed. Indeed, it must be acknowledged that it occasions a conflict to reconcile our reason to the reality of such intense and interminable sufferings as are described in the word of God; and plausible arguments, derived from the goodness of God, might be constructed against the doctrine of so great future misery. But all such arguments would operate equally against the existence of sin and misery in this world, which, alas, are known too well to be facts which none can deny, and of which every individual is a witness. When God speaks, human reason and sentimental feelings should be silent. He knows what justice demands, and what can be done consistently with his attributes; but man is of yesterday, and knows nothing. Suppose a child five or six years old should undertake to sit in judgment on the acts of government, and to decide whether its penal laws were just or unjust, and whether capital punishments ought to be inflicted on murderers, or whether a war was just and necessary; who would expect a correct judgment from an infant? But such a child is better qualified to decide on the most complicated schemes of human policy, than man to judge of the propriety of the divine administration. Impenitent men are apt to harden themselves against the awful denunciations of divine wrath contained in the Bible, and to cherish unkind feelings towards the ministers who bring out plainly and authoritatively the doctrine of the New Testament on this subject. And it cannot be denied, that some preachers denounce the terrors of the law against transgressors in a style and manner adapted rather to irritate than to convince. They speak almost as if they took pleasure in these awful threatenings, and as if they had nothing to fear for themselves. No doubt many a zealous preacher has passed sentence on himself, and has actually suffered those torments which he denounced against others! I am therefore disposed to present this subject in a light which cannot give offence. Instead of representing the danger to which others are exposed, I will make the case my own. It behooves me to "tremble at the word of the Lord," as much as others; and as I am a sinner, and therefore naturally subject to the penalty of the law, and liable to be misled by the deceitfulness of my heart to cherish false hopes, I will endeavor to realize to myself the feelings which I shall experience, if it should be my unhappy lot to die out of the favor of God. It would seem that THE FIRST MOMENT AFTER DEATH must be one of unparalleled misery. My first reflection would be, "I am lost forever—all hope of happiness or relief is gone from my miserable soul! The blackness of darkness is round about me! No ray of light dawns on my wretched soul! Despair, terrible despair has now seized upon me, and must blacken every prospect to all eternity! While in the world, I could contrive to turn away my thoughts from the disagreeable subject; but now, my misery, like a heavy burden, presses on me, and is ever present—go where I will, do what I will. "While in the body, and engaged in secular pursuits, I entertained a secret hope that there might be some mistake respecting the extreme misery of the damned, or that there might possibly be some way of escape not revealed; but now all these idle notions have fled like a dream when one awakes. I find hell to be no fable, but a dreadful reality. I find that the preachers, so far from exaggerating the misery of the lost, had no adequate conception of the wretchedness of a soul cast off from God forever, and doomed to dwell in everlasting burnings! Oh horrible! Horrible! I am then undone—forever undone! In all former distresses I could cry for mercy; but now I have passed beyond the reach of mercy! "For the sake of momentary enjoyments, and worthless riches and honors, I have bartered away my soul. Accursed folly! What benefit can I now derive from those earthly pleasures and possessions? They only serve as fuel to the flames which consume me. O for one drop of water to cool my tongue! But for this I beg in vain. The time for prayer and for mercy has gone by, and my soul is lost, lost, lost! And through eternity I must expect no deliverance, no relief, nor even the slightest mitigation of my misery! Woe, woe, woe is me! It had been infinitely better for me never to have been born! "If I had not enjoyed the offers of the gospel, if pardon and reconciliation had not been within my reach, and often urged upon me, my anguish would not be so excruciating. But this it is which wrings my heart with unspeakable anguish—that I might have escaped all this misery! Had it not been for my own sin and folly, I might before now have been in heaven. Others who heard the same sermons, and belonged to the same family, are now in eternal glory—while I am tormented in this flame! Oh that I could cease to be; but to fly from existence is impossible. "Here I am surrounded by wretches as miserable as myself, but their company rather aggravates than mitigates my soul's anguish. I am reproached and cursed by all who were ever led by my counsel or example into the ways of iniquity. They dreadfully scowl upon me. "And the fiends of the pit, who were my seducers, now combine to taunt me with my folly. They never had the offers of mercy. The merits of a dying Savior were never offered to them. They seem to entertain a malignant pleasure—if pleasure it can be called—in witnessing my extreme misery. O wretched man, where can I flee? Is there no possible escape from this prison of despair? Can no one ever pass the gulf which separates this dismal abode from the regions of the blessed? None! None! "Oh, if there could be a suicide of the soul, how happy would I be to escape from existence, and to plunge into the gulf of 'annihilation', which once seemed horrible to my apprehension, but now desirable. This would be an oblivion of all my misery. But in vain do I seek to die. Death flies from me. And here I see those deluded souls who, by doing violence to their own lives, vainly dreamed that they were escaping from misery; but alas, from a burden which with faith and patience might have been borne—they have leaped into a fiery furnace! They are now convinced of the dreadful sin and folly of suicide, but they cannot repeat the act here! "May I hope that time will lessen the horrors and anguish of my wretched soul? Will my heart, so susceptible of the emotions of bitter anguish, by degrees become less sensible to these piercing pains, and be more able to bear up under this overwhelming weight of misery? This question can only be solved by experience: let me ask someone who has been suffering for thousands of years. "Here comes Cain the first murderer, who is known still by having upon him the stain of a brother's blood. Suppose I speak to him—'Tell me, fellow-prisoner, who have long endured the pains of this infernal prison, whether by long continuance these miseries become more tolerable?' But why do I ask? the wretched fratricide is evidently writhing in keenest anguish. He is too miserable to speak, and too full of malignity to gratify anyone. His guilty stain—the blood-spot—has not been burnt out by the fiercest fires of hell. No! see, he defies the Almighty. He blasphemes the God of heaven. He asks for no mitigation of his punishment now. His malignant, fiery spirit feeds on despair, and challenges his Avenger to do his worst. "Oh, then, I see there is a progression in wickedness even in hell. This is the most appalling prospect of all—an endless progression in sin, and consequently an increase, instead of a diminution of misery, through the endless ages of eternity!" Another dreadful point in the existence of the damned, will be THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. Great as is the misery of a lost soul when separated from the body, this is probably small when compared with the exceeding weight of misery which shall overtake it at the day of judgment. I must then endeavor to imagine what will be my feelings if I should be found on the left hand on that dreadful day. As here in this present world, a large portion of our pleasures and pains are experienced through the body, I know no reason why it should not be so in the future world. Certainly the disembodied spirit is capable of none of these pains or pleasures. It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the bodies of the damned will be so constructed as to be inlets to excruciating pains; just as the bodies of the saints will be instruments of refined, celestial pleasures. The whole person is not complete without the body, and therefore the final sentence of condemnation will not be denounced until the body—the same body—is raised from the dead, and reunited to the soul; that having been partners in wickedness, they may be associated in enduring the deserved punishment of the deeds done in the body! The state of the lost soul before the judgment, may be compared to that of a criminal confined in prison waiting for his trial. Let me then imagine myself to have died unreconciled and impenitent. At an unexpected time the sound of the last trumpet will be heard; and as it is the last trumpet, so it will be the loudest. The departed spirits confined in prison shall hear it, and their bodies, long crumbled to dust, shall hear it; and I shall certainly hear that awful, deeply penetrating sound, and I shall come forth—coerced by an irresistible power! I shall again be clothed with a body; but O, what sort of a body! Among millions of millions I am forced to appear. O what solemn majesty in the Judge, now coming with all his holy angels—now seated on his great white throne. Solemn moment! The books are opened. There all my crimes of thought, word, and deed, are recorded—sins of omission as well as commission. O for a hiding-place under the rocks or caves! But no! I must appear—I must hear my sentence of condemnation and banishment. The misery of an age seems condensed into this moment. The tremendous sentence comes forth, "Depart, you cursed one, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Imagination fails—I can write no more! Experience must teach the rest. The misery of those who are eternally lost, cannot be adequately conceived, much less expressed. It cannot be exaggerated by any description; and this will be manifest if we consider WHAT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE LOST. All the good things which they enjoyed in this life they must leave behind. All their riches, honors, and sensual pleasures are left at death; and for these there will be no substitute in eternity. The wicked cravings of the immortal soul will continue, but there will be no longer any objects to gratify them; for lack of which, like some venomous creatures when wounded, they will turn and prey upon themselves. A soul with its active powers and passions, must be miserable if deprived of all objects suited to its gratification. We know scarcely any misery on earth more intolerable than a human being perishing for lack of bread or water. Hunger and thirst, if not seasonably gratified, are the sources of most excruciating pain. And the soul can never lose its desire of happiness. How miserable, then, must it be when this insatiable desire meets with nothing to gratify it. It is strongly represented by our Savior in the case of the rich man in hell, who cried for one drop of water, and said, "I am tormented in this flame." The soul of the sinner will be its own chief tormentor. It is possible that all the torment experienced in hell, will be the natural consequence of sin. Evil passions are in their very nature attended with misery; for as benevolent affections are pleasant—so malevolent feelings are accompanied with misery. Here in this present world, these evil passions are held under restraint; and while we are in the body, there are instinctive natural affections which counteract the wicked feelings which exist in the depraved heart; but in eternity all restraint will be removed, and the native wickedness of the heart will act itself out: there are no natural affections there—all will be unmixed malice, envy, and wickedness. Let any person who is totally depraved be abandoned to himself—and he must be miserable! His own passions will become his everlasting tormentors. He will carry a hell in his own bosom! But of all feelings of misery, none is so intolerable as REMORSE. The conscience, or moral faculty, as it is the principal source of the most pure and sublime enjoyment to the righteous; so it is, to the lost, the scorpion which will forever sting the soul with inexpressible anguish! The consciousness of having done wrong, of having sinned against God, and of being the cause of our own destruction—is a kind of hell as dreadful as any of which we can conceive. The lost soul will forever have the conviction clearly impressed—that it is its own destroyer—and that heaven with all its joys has been lost by its own sinful folly and neglect! And the bitterest ingredient of all in the cup of misery is despair—black endless despair! Oh, if there was the most distant hope of release at some future period, it would mitigate the anguish of the suffering sinner. But hellish despair admits of no alleviation. Men may here 'dream' of a deliverance from hell after a long time of suffering, but the delusion will vanish as soon as they enter eternity. They will then find that the word of God, which denounced eternal destruction on impenitent sinners, was not a vain threat; that God will not spare the guilty, but will punish them with everlasting destruction—just as He said He would. O my soul, consider now how you will be able to endure such misery as must be experienced by all the lost, but especially by those who enjoyed the light of the gospel. Can you fortify yourself against all this misery? Will you be able to endure it with patience? Only imagine your condition millions of ages hence. Still writhing in anguish—still belching out horrid blasphemies—still covered with the blackness of darkness—still without a ray of hope! Not a moment's ease during this long period. O my soul, will you not make one vigorous effort to escape so great misery? Will you not strive to flee from the wrath to come? Life, eternal life, is still within your reach! Lay hold on the prize! Press on to the kingdom. Take refuge in the cross, and you will be safe! "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God!" (Romans 5:9) "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Thessalonians 5:9) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 31: ALEXANDER - NATURE AND MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE ======================================================================== Nature and Means of Growth in Grace by Archibald Alexander THE word 'grace' is of frequent occurrence, and high and interesting import, in the sacred Scriptures. In the great concern of man's salvation, no other word has a richer meaning. But while the general idea of the term is every where retained, there are several shades of difference in the signification, as it is used in different pas. sages of the sacred text. Its primary and more usual sense is, the favour of God to sinners; or in other words, the love ~rnd mercy of God. In this acceptation, grace is the fountain of life, the source of salvation, to which all other blessings may he traced, as to their first cause. Thus Paul, who abounds in the use of this word, in his epistle to the Ephesians, says,' Having predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he bath made us accepted in the Beloved.' And again, 'By grace are ye saved,'-' that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.' But as the gospel is the channel through which this fountain pours forth its exuberant streams, it is called, not only 'the gospel of the grace of God,' but 'grace' itself. As where it is said, ' We then as workers together with him, beseech you, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.' And also in the following text, 'For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men :' in both which passages, the least attention to the context will show, that by the grace of God, is meant the gospel. And as the gospel is rendered effectual to the salvation of sinners, only by the aid of the Holy Spirit, therefore, his influences on the heart have also received the name of grace: as, 'my grace is sufficient for thee:' 'By the grace of God I am what I am :' 'And his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain ; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.' But in our text, the word 'grace,' has a meaning somewhat different from what it has in any of the passages which have been cited. Christians are here exhorted to 'grow in grace;' which could not be a practicable thing, in any of the senses of the word already given. By 'grace,' here, we must understand, the principle of new life, implanted in regeneration; a sense of the word, much in use among us, but rather unusual in the Scriptures. When the apostle exhorts Christians to 'grow in grace,' it is the same, as if he had said, increase in holiness, or advance in piety. And it would not be easy to select a subject of greater Importance to all professors of religion. If comfort and usefulness here, and the degree of our felicity and glory in heaven, will be proportioned to our growth in grace, then the subject possesses an intrinsic importance, which should command he attention, and deeply interest the feelings, of all who hear me. What I propose then is, I. To explain the nature of growth in grace. II. To inquire, by what means growth in grace may be promoted. It is evidently implied in the exhortation, that the persons addressed, were the subjects of grace; for that which has no existence cannot increase. But grace is a plant which does not grow in nature's garden. It is of heavenly origin. By nature we are all 'children of wrath,' conceived in sin, and totally destitute of holiness. None, therefore, but the truly regenerated soul is capable of growth in grace. We have, it is true, a rational nature and a moral constitution, and are accountable, free agents; but in relation to spiritual exercises, we are dead ' dead in trespasses and sins.' If there existed naturally, in man, any principle of spiritual life, it might, by assiduity and favorable circumstances, be enkindled; and by being cherished, might, by degree's, advance to maturity. A seed which possesses vitality, although it has lain dormant for a thousand years, yet when placed in a congenial soil, and subjected to the Influences of heat, air, and moisture, will readily sprout, and grow, until it arrives at maturity. But if the vital principle be lost, it will never give any indications of life; and all the skill and power of man can never cause it to vegetate. And yet, this seed, when subjected to the minutest scrutiny by the aid of the best optical glasses, may appear to have no defect in its internal structure. It may possess the perfect organization of seeds of the same species, but its vitality has fled, and no power on earth can restore it. Analogous to this is the condition of the human soul. Possessed still of all the faculties with which it was created, it has lost the image of God, which consisted 'in righteousness arid true holiness.' The principle of spiritual life with which it was animated, has become extinct. And as the communication of life of every kind is the prerogative of God, so the regeneration of the soul is ascribed to him ]n Scripture; and as this work requires the exertion of the same power, which at first caused light to shine out of darkness, it is denominated 'a new creation ;' and, as there is in it, some analogy to the raising a dead body from the grave, it is called 'a resurrection ;' but as this divine power is exerted in a free and sovereign manner, without any consideration of merit in the creature, it is called 'grace.' Although grace does not exist in any man by nature', but as a communicated principle, yet it may be received at any period of our existence in this world, from infancy to old age ; arid we read of some who were sanctified from the womb ; but as far as can be judged from experience, the number of such is very small. Piety is seldom observed to exist with the first dawning of reason and moral feeling. Most persons, therefore, who become the subjects of grace, can remember the time, when they were alienated from the life of God; and have some knowledge of the change which took place in their views and affections. Another thing implied in the exhortation of our text is, that grace in its commencement is imperfect, and that its progress to maturity is gradual ; for if it were perfect, there could be no room for growth. Although in different individuals, the vigour of spiritual life is different in degree, yet in most cases, grace is, in its infancy, feeble. The indications of its existence may be very clear, and its actings lively; but still, this is nothing more than the vivacity and strength of a healthy babe in Christ. For in young converts the knowledge of spiritual things, generally, is indistinct and confined, and their faith wavering. When their feelings are joyful, they can exercise confidence in God; but when a dark cloud overshadows them, they are cast down with discouragement, and sometimes driven to distrust the mercy and faithfulness of the Redeemer, to whom they have committed their souls. Their pious affections also are unsteady, and though apparently strong, are nevertheless mingled with gross animal feelings, and alloyed with selfishness. As grace is progressive in its nature, it may be inferred, that where there is no growth there is no life. The degree and rapidity of advancement in all, however, is not the same, nor does it bear an exact proportion, in every case, to the vigour of the principle of spiritual life, at the time of the new birth. As it is an observable fact, that some infants at first are so feeble, that they can barely be said to be alive, and yet after a while, by assiduous nursing, become much more robust than others, that commenced life with greater strength; so, in the divine life some Christians, who in the beginning gave but obscure indications of grace, afterwards become vigorous in piety, and far outstrip many whose commencement promised more eminent advancement. It should be remarked I here also, that the life of piety in the soul is subject to such diseases and decays as often greatly retard its progress, and cause it, for a season, to decline. These declensions are so common, that some have supposed, that all Christians do, in some part of their course, make a retrograde motion and instead of advancing, lose something of the ground already gained. But there seems to be no just foundation for this opinion. In some saints, both of those whose lives are recorded in Scripture, and of those who fall under our own observation, there is no evidence of backsliding; but still it is a lamentable fact, that there are very few, who have lived long in the profession of piety, who have not reason to confess with shame, that they have at some time 'left their first love,' and become remiss in their vigilance, and, of course, unfruitful in their lives. And not unfrequently, while in this feeble state, they are overcome by some temptation, so as not only to contract a painful sense of guilt, but also to bring reproach on the holy profession they have made. This frequency of spiritual decays, is one of the chief causes that so few Christians rise to eminence in piety. A fall may, indeed, make a man more cautious ever afterwards: but he purchases experience at a dear rate, who pays for it with a broken bone, or a joint out of place. And here it may be observed, that nothing is more insidious and dangerous to the back-sliding Christian, than a certain leaven of antinomianism, which too often diffuses its deadening influence over the soul. The soldier of Christ sleeps in the midst of enemies, and dreams of victory without conflict -he falls under the influence of some temptation, and excuses himself by referring to the example of other saints. But every professor ought to know, that every degree of backsliding is, so far as it goes, an evidence against the reality of his piety. Many, alas who once appeared well, go back by a perpetual declension, and thus prove that the 'root of the matter' was never in them. Every step in this backward course, should be viewed as an alarming circumstance; and it may be safely affirmed, that all confidence of security indulged by any, while in a backsliding state, is delusive. A man may, indeed, be in a safe state, as to his ultimate salvation, when under a spiritual decay but be cannot in such a state, possess any satisfactory evidence of safety. The strong tendency of the heart, even in the. best, to depart from God, furnishes powerful reason for the exhortation, to 'grow in grace;' for, in religion, it has often been observed that there is no such thing as standing still. If the Christian makes no advancement, he is pretty certainly going backward. The only course of safety, therefore, as well as comfort, is, to make vigorous efforts to 'grow in grace.' The nature of growth in grace, after what has been said, will require little explanation. It is a gradual increase in the vigour and purity of all those affections in which holiness consists; and is necessarily accompanied with a decrease of the power of sin. A real growth in grace includes also an advancement in spiritual know-ledge, especially in the knowledge of our own depravity and help lessness, and of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Mediator. The apostle, therefore, joins these two things together, in his exhortation, and says, 'Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ' An increase of faith is an essential part of growth in grace. The belief of the reality and excellence of divine things becomes more firm and constant; a more implicit reliance is placed on the promises of God ; and the soul, in the exercise of humble confidence, is enabled to commit all its concerns, for time and eternity, to the care of a covenant-keeping God. But there is no one thing more essentially involved in this progress of religion, than the growing fervor and constancy of love to God. This holy principle continues to strike its roots deeper in the heart, and becomes more and more purified from the alloy with which it was at first mingled. Growth in divine love manifests itself in a reverential esteem for the moral attributes of God, in a greater delight in meditating on his holiness and goodness; and in a livelier exercise of gratitude for His love and mercy towards ourselves and others. It is accompanied also with a more ardent desire to please God, to enjoy communion with him, and to advance his glory in the world. Progress in real piety includes also an increase of humility. The more true knowledge the believer acquires, the more penetrating is his view of the sin that secretly works within him; and the more holy he becomes, the more abominable does all sin appear. No evidence of growth in grace is less suspicious than this. Hypocrites, may, indeed, affect humility, and abound in the language of self-abasement; but it is difficult to wear this disguise without betraying on his true state of heart. The growth of grace is as much downward at the root, as upward in the towering and spreading branches; and he who supposes that he is making a near approximation to perfection, and yet is not abased before God, under a sense of his own vileness, does but deceive himself. Resignation to the will of God, is another criterion by which growth in grace is ascertained ; or rather, it is an important part of that grace in the heart, of which growth is predicated. The more uniformly and cordially we can say, under all circumstances, even the most afflictive, Thy will be done,' the more strength has the principle of grace acquired. And as genuine progress in piety, is the growth of the whole spiritual man, so our love to the children of God, and our sincere good will to all men, will bear a just proportion to our piety to God. Moreover, if piety flourish in the inner man of the heart, it will manifest itself by the abundance of its fruits in the life. Holy, active, universal obedience to the commandments of God, will flow from a heart warm with love to God and love to man; and will evince to others, as well as to ourselves, that we are thriving Christian. Our light will so shine, that others seeing our good works will be induced to glorify our Father who is in heaven. The conversation of a growing Christian will be edifying to all around: his speech will be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Out of the good treasure of his heart, he will be continually bringing forth something good. His example will be a model for the imitation of others; and in proportion as grace prevails in his heart, there will be exhibited a beautiful consistency in his life. His attention to all the duties of the worship of God, in public and private, will be constant and conscientious; and with alacrity and energy, he will exert himself to advance the cause and kingdom of Christ, in the world; counting no service too hard, and no sacrifice too costly, which will aid in promoting the glory of God, by the propagation of the gospel throughout the world. Several stages, in the progress of the spiritual life, may be particularly noticed. The first is the state of the Christian immediately after his conversion; when both novelty and contrast are combined with the excellence of the objects presented to his view, in the new world into which grace has translated him, to make a more sensible impression on his mind than will be produced by the same truths afterwards. A new creation has, indeed, risen up before him; 'old things are passed away, and behold all things are become new.' His wonder is excited, his joy overflows, his hopes are buoyant, and his heart melts with tender compassion for those who are yet out of Christ. His frames are often delightful, but they are transient: and from the mount of vision, he quickly descends into the dark valley of doubt and sorrow. He lives rather by sensible feelings than by faith. His eyes often overflow both with joy and grief In the exercises of religion, he is full of ardour, nor does he suspect a reverse, nor foresee the dangers which beset his path. In fervency of spirit, and alacrity in the service of God, he seems greatly to outstrip older disciples, who have been long engaged in the Christian race and is sometimes disposed to chide them, because they do not manifest that quick susceptibility of feeling, and that glowing zeal, with which he feels his own bosom penetrated and warmed. This period of the Christian's life bears a strong resemblance to infancy and childhood, when a succession of lively emotions fills up our days; when vivacity and activity are predominant traits in our Character when our transitions from one state of feeling to the opposite, are sudden and frequent; and when our happiness depends very much upon our ignorance of the evils which surround us. The clip of joy would be embittered to the young convert, if he had a clear view of the depth of iniquity which still remains in his heart, and of the dangers and conflicts which await him in his future pilgrimage. The second stage is that of temptation and severe conflict. Before, he resembled the young soldier just enlisted, and enjoying his bounty-money; but now his case is like that of the combatant on the field of battle. The same power which opened a passage for the children of Israel through the Red Sea, could have transported them to Canaan in a day or an hour, hut it was the plan of their invisible Leader to conduct them through the wilderness, and subject them to numerous difficulties and temptations, that he might put their faith and obedience to a severe test. So, also, our Heavenly Father could translate his redeemed children at once to heaven, or could render their passage through the world uniformly pleasant; but, instead of pursuing either of these courses, he leaves them to learn, by bitter experience, the treachery and wickedness of their own hearts, and the malicious devices of the invisible enemy, who is ever ready to assault and vex them. These trials, from causes which exist without and within, often come upon the people of God at the time when they have 'left their first love,' and have become remiss in watchfulness and prayer. A conscience goaded with inward stings, is a fit subject for Satan to operate upon with his fiery darts; and his usual method is, first to seduce the unwary souls by baits of worldly glory or sensual pleasure, and then to attack the debilitated believer with desperate suggestions, calculated to make the impression, that the favor of God is 'clean gone,' and that 'he will be merciful no more ;' or, that his sins are unpardonable; or that the day of grace is gone by for ever. Now, also, the providence of God seems to combine with other causes to afflict Zion's pilgrim. Dark clouds of adversity gather over him. Earthly comforts decay. The sun of prosperity no longer shines. The fondest hopes are disappointed, and the brightest prospects of earthly bliss obscured. Malignant enemies arise from among those before considered friends; health is broken slander and reproach assail; dear friends and relatives are buried in the grave; children are disobedient and profligate, or die prematurely and, to complete the us' of troubles, the church, broken with schism, and overrun with heresy and hypocrisy, sits in sackcloth and mourns. Now the Christian pilgrim spends his days in trouble, and his nights in groans and tears. It, under these accumulated evils, the light of the Divine countenance was lifted upon him, he could still rejoice in the midst of tribulations; but, to add poignancy to all his other griefs, his Heavenly Father seems to frown upon him. To his most earnest prayers he receives no answer; or, if an answer comes, it is only this, 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' But no evils so grievously afflict the renewed soul, as the corruptions of the heart. Evils unsuspected to exist show themselves, and manifest a strength and obstinacy, which baffle all the resolutions and efforts directed against them. Pride, envy, unbelief, insensibility, impurity, sloth, and evil thoughts without number, pollute and harass the afflicted spirit. These conflicts are not experienced in an equal degree by all Christians, but every one has his share, and every one knows the plague of his own heart, so much better than that of others, that his secret thought is, that his case is, of all others, the most deplorable and desperate. In his extremity lie is often ready to exclaim, 'If I am a child of God, why am I thus? Surely no others are so beset with sinful entanglements, arid distracted with contending passions.' There is, probably, in every case of Christian experience, something peculiar, something which distinguishes it from every other case ; but there is, notwithstanding, so great a general resemblance in the conflicts of the pious, that he who knows his own heart, sees, as in a glass, the condition of all his brethren. For ' as in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.' This may be termed the winter season of grace. The tree is now stripped of its foliage and its bloom, and very little fruit appears on the branches. But while it is shaken by the fierce blasts, so as to be almost overturned, it may be gaining strength by the concussion, and may be striking its roots more firmly in the earth. So the tempted and afflicted Christian, while he experiences a great loss cf comfort and sensibility, may be, and often is, actually growing in grace. Much knowledge of the deceitfulness of the heart, and of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, is obtained; a deadly blow is struck at the root of self- confidence and self-righteousness; a broker) and contrite spirit is produced; Christ and his grace are more highly appreciated; and the desire of total and universal purification from sin becomes more constant and intense. The third and last stage in the progress of the divine life, is a state of settled peace, when the violence of the conflict is over, and the risings of sinful passions are greatly subdued by the power of divine grace. This is the sweet calm which succeeds the storm. Now there is, instead of doubts and darkness, a comfortable assurance of the favor of God. This period is characterized by a steady trust in the promises and providence of God, and a meek submission to his holy will. The mature Christian is not less sensible of the depth of remaining depravity than before; for the more holy he becomes, the more quick sighted he is to discern the minutest spots which defile the 'inner man :' but he has now learned to 'live by faith on the Son of God,' and has formed the habit of continual application to the blood of sprinkling,' and to 'the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness' Many of his former besetting sins are indeed subdued and he has learned the necessity of vigilance in guarding against the occasions of sin, as well as against the first buddings of evil desire but his peace does not result from any views which he takes of an increase of sanctification in himself, but from keeping his eye steadily fixed on 'Jesus, the anthor and finisher of his faith.' This advanced state of piety is also characterized by an increasing deadness to the world and all selfish interests, and by an enlarged and sincere good will to all men; but especially by a tender solicitude for the prosperity of Zion, and an anxious desire for the salvation of men. This has sometimes been denominated the state of contemplation because in it the meditations of the Christian are much occupied with heavenly things. The glory of the invisible world makes a deeper and more constant impression on his mind than formerly, and his thoughts are often elevated to delightful contemplations of the heavenly state. The aged saint, who has become mature in grace, and whose faith has grown strong, spends much of his time, by day and by night, in meditating on that 'rest which remains for the people of God.' In this exercise his soul is frequently absorbed, and he is fired with an intense desire 'to be absent from the body and present with the Lord;' yet his submission to the divine will, and his desire to promote the glory of Christ on earth, will not permit him to be impatient. He is willing to wait, even in the midst of suffering, until his change come. How beautiful, how lovely, how venerable, is old age, thus laden with the fruits of piety; and like a shock of corn fully ripe, waiting to he gathered into the garner of the Lord! When the veteran soldier of the cross is unable to perform any more active service for his Master, he still watches about the doors of the sanctuary; he still lifts up his withered and trembling hands in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. He is ever waiting for the consolation of Israel; and when the Saviour appears by some remarkable manifestation of favour to his church, he can exclaim with Simeon of old, ' Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' And often, when the vigour of the mental faculties begins to fail, the flame of piety continues to burn brightly and, on a dying bed, such Christians exhibit a spectacle, than which there is nothing more lovely and interesting on this side heaven. Calm submission, humble confidence, holy aspirations, the kind emotions of benevolence, and the sublime joy of the Divine favour, often render the chamber of death like the vestibule of the temple above. Who, then, would not join in the prayer, 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his?' A few brief reflections shall bring this discourse to a close. 1. It appears from what has been said, that in some stages of the Christian's progress, the growth of grace, when it actually takes place, is not easily ascertained. It is, therefore, reasonable to believe, that some pious persons fall into mistakes on this subject, and judge that they are losing ground, when in fact they are slowly advancing. Because their first fervours have abated, and because they are conscious of much more indwelling sin than when they first believed, they draw the conclusion that they have been, all the time, growing worse : whereas, true religion has been taking deeper root in their hearts, and their knowledge of themselves and of divine truth, is greatly enlarged, and has become much more distinct. 2. It is also evident, from what has been said, that there may be a great display of zeal, much attention to the externals of religion much liberality in contributing to the support and spread of the gospel, and much appearance of sanctity, when there has been no real advancement in piety. The reason is, because all these external acts, and all this show of piety, may be produced by other motives than the lively exercise of grace in the heart. Such persons ought to be esteemed pious by men, where no contrary evidences appear: but often, 'that which is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God; ' for man must judge according to the outward appearance, but the Lord searcheth the heart.' 3. Some Christians grow to much higher stature than others. In most, however, in our days, the advancement in piety seems to be small, compared with what we have reason to believe it was in the times of the apostles. No doubt there are some now who become eminent in piety; but the general standard of piety is apparently low. Few professors, in our churches, have attained to that state of settled peace, and calm submission to the will of God, which was described as the last stage in the Christian's progress towards perfection. 4. It is impossible to say how much the comfort and usefulness of most of the pious is diminished, by their failing to make greater progress in the divine life. The difference between a lively, growing Christian, and one who makes little or no advancement, is as great as between a healthy and a diseased body. The motives to growth in grace are, therefore, of the strongest possible kind. Finally, upon a review of the past, every one of us must be sensible, that if we had improved our privileges, and exercised greater diligence and vigilance, our advancement would have been far greater than it now is. What Christian can look back without severely reproaching himself, on account of his slothfulness and carelessness ? All may not have backslidden, but in all there has been often a criminal remissness. Many have to lament most sad declensions, and, some, disgraceful falls, by which the conscience has been wounded and religion dishonoured. In view of this subject, therefore, all Christians are led upon to humble themselves before God, in deep penitence, on account of their unfruitfulness ; and to resolve that in time to come, they will more faithfully and vigorously strive to grow in grace. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 32: ALEXANDER - OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST GIVES ASSURANCE ======================================================================== Obedience to Christ Gives Assurance of the Truth of His Doctrines by Archibald Alexander (1772—1851) "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine—whether it be of God." John 7:17 The truth of the Gospel is established by two kinds of evidence; external and internal. The former is historical, and depends on the testimony of men to the miracles which have been wrought in confirmation of the Christian religion, and the fulfillment of prophecies, which furnish conclusive evidence of the truth of any doctrine. The nature of this kind of proof is very obvious. If God, by the exertion of his power, in a miraculous way, gives attestation to the declarations of any person, then we know that that person speaks the truth; for God, we are sure, will not give his attestation to an impostor, or to that which is false. People, however, may be well acquainted with this species of evidence, and yet may know little of the truths contained in the Bible, or may entertain very erroneous ideas of the nature of the truths revealed. Thus, in fact, we find men who have examined the external evidences of Christianity, and have been by this means fully convinced of its truth, differing entirely in their views of the doctrines of revelation. In this, there is nothing unaccountable, as this kind of evidence does not bring before the mind the truths revealed, but is external to them; and while two men are equally convinced that the Christian religion is from God, on account of the miracles performed, the record of which has come down to us, well attested; and on account of the numerous prophecies which have been exactly fulfilled; they may nevertheless interpret the Bible on very different principles, and in consequence arrive at very different conclusions. Or, the one may attentively study the contents of the Bible; while the other pays no serious attention to the subject, and remains ignorant of thle true system of doctrines taught in this book. But, in regard to the internal evidence of Christianity in the heart, the case is different. The evidence here arises from a view of the truth itself; and can only be fully appreciated by a mind under divine illumination. This evidence may indeed be rendered convincing to any rational mind not under the influence of strong prejudice, by an exhibition of the perfection of the theory of theology and morality which the Bible contains. It can easily be shown, that this theory is far more perfect, than that of any of the heathen sages; and yet the writers were destitute of human learning, and unaided, were utterly incapable of producing such admirable works. By an argument of this kind, Jenyns has demonstrated the truth of Christianity. This mode of reasoning can be appreciated by every rational mind. But there is another species of internal evidence, which is perceived and felt only by such as enjoy the illumination of the Holy Spirit. This arises from a view of the truth itself —from a discernment of its beauty and glory; and also from a consciousness of its salutary effects on the heart. This is the kind of evidence on which saving faith is founded. It is a kind of evidence which can be appreciated by the weak and unlearned, as readily as by the greatest scholars and philosophers. In regard to it, all stand upon a level; or, rather, the simple and unlearned possess the advantage; for the pride of reason and of human science stands very much in the way of the exercise of faith. In accordance with this, our Savior says, "I thank you, O Father! because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes." For it is an established rule in God's government, to resist the proud, and to cast contempt on the wisdom of this world. As says the Scripture, "God has chosen the foolish things of the world—to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world—to confound the things which are mighty." Many suppose, that plain unlettered Christians, who know little or nothing of history, and are therefore unable to appreciate the force of the external evidence in favor of Christianity, have no rational foundation for their faith; but merely receive the Scriptures, because they have heard, from their parents and teachers, that they are the word of God. That many in Christendom have no better foundation for their faith than this, is readily admitted: but the real Christian, whose mind has been enlightened by the Spirit of God, believes the Scriptures to be the word of God on the best and highest evidence, on the testimony of God himself. For when the truth is apprehended in its spiritual nature, by a divine light shining upon it, it manifests itself to be the word of God; because it bears the impress of God on its face. A blind man may be fully convinced that the sun exists, because thousands testify to the fact; and because, though he does not see this great luminary of day, he feels warmth from its rays; so men blind to spiritual things may be fully and rationally convinced that Christ was a divine teacher, and the Son of God, by many conclusive arguments. But as the blind man remains ignorant of the visible appearance of the sun, which is perceived by every child who has eyes; so unrenewed men—men destitute of spiritual life, however intellectual and learned, remain blind to the true nature of spiritual objects. The humblest, weakest believer, possesses a better knowledge of the true character of Christ than can be attained by any exercise of reason. This is humbling to human pride, and men of the world are disposed to disbelieve the statement; but its truth is proved by the effects produced by the different kinds of knowledge. "By their fruits you shall know them." Speculative or mere natural knowledge of Scriptural truths, not penetrating into the true excellence of the truths believed, but resting on the external evidences and systematic relations of the truth, exercises but a small influence on the heart and affections; whereas spiritual, or saving knowledge, by which the beauty and glory of divine things are apprehended, has the immediate effect of exciting the affections and emotions, in a way corresponding with the nature of the objects perceived. So that under the influence of new and holy feelings, the purpose of the heart to honor, worship, and obey God, is formed, and this purpose becomes habitual; and the clearer the soul's views of divine things, the firmer and stronger this purpose becomes. The person thus enlightened and affected, is renewed—converted—and all his pursuits, his hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows, are different from what they were before. "Old things are done away, and all things become new." From what has been said, we may learn the true import of the text, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God," which may be thus paraphrased—If any man possesses that state of mind which will prompt and lead him to choose the service of God, and determine to obey Him, he will be at no loss respecting the truth of my doctrine; for he will have such a view of the excellency of the truth which I deliver and will possess such a conviction of his own sinful and helpless condition, that he will, at once, be persuaded of the divine origin of the plan of redemption, from its perfect adaptation to his own urgent needs. And if he obtains such a view of the purity and perfection of the commandments of God as to delight in the law of God, after the inner man, and to resolve to render universal obedience, he will entertain no doubt about the truth of my precepts; which are nothing else than an exposition and application of the law of God, and whoever does the will of God from a the heart, will experience a pleasure, so pure and-soul satisfying, that he will be sure it must proceed from the eternal fountain of felicity; according to that of the Psalmist, "In keeping your commandments there is a great reward," and according to the words of Christ, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light," and of the apostle John, "his commandments are not grievous." Suppose a man to be brought to the fixed purpose, to obey the will of God, and to proceed daily in his service, delighted with the law in all its precepts, such a person will experience great peace of mind, and the joy arising from the exercise of holy affections will have an internal evidence of the truth of religion, which no unregenerate man can possess, or well conceive of. For such affections and such obedience are contrary to the bent and inclination of his soul, and he can scarcely believe that there can be a real pleasure in those exercises for which he has no taste. He may, indeed, admit, that if there exists a strong relish for such pursuits, there may be pleasure; but he is apt to be incredulous about the existence of an ardent love of the service of God. For the most part, he views religion to be a constraint, which men place on themselves, and that it is a yoke hard to be borne. A number of people brought up in a dark cave, into which the rays of the sun never entered, if brought out, when this luminary was shining in its brightness, would need no arguments to prove its existence; they would have the evidence in themselves, in the shining of the light into their eyes; or, if placed where they could not see the sun, yet, where there was a reflection of his rays, they would need no other evidence of its existence. Christians are described as people brought from darkness to "marvelous light," as being "light in the Lord." Now, if this divine and spiritual light has shined into their hearts, to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ—will they be at any loss to know whence this divine light proceeds? Can they ascribe these new views to any other source, than to the "Father of lights, from whom comes down every good gift and every perfect gift?" When the mind is in a right state; that is, when it is freed from the blindness of nature, and has the eyes of the understanding opened, the light of the glorious gospel will shine into such a regenerated mind, revealing to it the beauties of holiness, and causing it to rejoice in the glory of God. To such an one Christ appears lovely—the chief among ten thousand, and he becomes the jewel of their hearts. Idols are at once cast away, and he as their rightful King is enthroned in their affections. If believers doubt of their own sincerity, yet they do not and cannot doubt of Christ's excellency and suitableness. His doctrines they humbly receive, and found their hopes of salvation on his faithful word alone. The doctrine of Christ is not merely what as a Prophet he taught; but it is also the doctrine which respects himself. Christ himself is the center—the substance of Christian doctrine. His divinity—his incarnation—his holy life and miraculous works—his sufferings and humiliation—his crucifixion as an atonement for sin—his resurrection, ascension, and glorification—these truths which relate to Christ's person and work, are known to be divine, by everyone who is truly enlightened by the Spirit of God. Everyone who does the will of the Father in heaven is thus enlightened, and receives, simply and cordially, the whole doctrine of Christ as far as he is instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He has received an unction which teaches him all these things; that is, a spiritual illumination; so that without the authority of any man or any church, he knows by an internal evidence, that these doctrines which relate to Christ, are true; and that they came from God. To know the truth, to embrace it cordially, to love it sincerely, and to be molded into a conformity with it—is that which constitutes one a true Christian. Error never can supply the place of truth. As well might you expect the body to be nourished by poisons as the soul by error. Truth is sometimes mixed with error, in doctrines taught to the people; and if the errors are not fundamental, the truth which accompanies them may prove nourishing; but its efficacy will always be hindered or impaired by error, in proportion to its magnitude and prevalence in the system. In order to salvation, Christ's doctrine must be known and cordially embraced. All God's children are taught by Him. "You shall know the truth," says Christ, "and the truth shall make you free." Apostasy is nothing else but a denial of, and departure from, the truth, once professed. Those judicially abandoned of God, and given up to believe a lie that they might be damned, are such as "received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." Christ declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." All truth as well as life, dwells in him as in its fountain. And every obedient believer is made to know something of the excellence of the truth; so that he can say with Paul, "I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ." Every true believer has the witness in himself. He needs no external evidence to convince him of the truth of the gospel. As he needs no proof that the sun exists and is the source of light when it shines into his eyes; so when the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ—who is the image of God, shines into his heart, he knows that this spiritual light proceeds from the Sun of righteousness. Thus, every true Christian, however weak and unlearned, has a solid and rational foundation for his faith; and there is no other foundation on which a saving faith can rest. Many beheld the wonderful miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, who remained his enemies; and many now believe without a doubt, that these miracles were wrought, on the testimony of eye witnesses, and from the effects produced by Christianity on the state of the world; and they have no doubt, but that many prophecies are proved to be from God, because they have been exactly and literally fulfilled. And yet these people remain under the predominant influence of the love of the world! "No man can say that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Spirit." In all countries, and in all religions, the mass of the people have a traditional faith. They believe as they have been instructed, and seldom doubt of the truth of their religion, which, however, they receive implicitly, without any examination. The majority in Christendom receive the Christian religion on no better evidence, for although it is attended with convincing evidences of its divine origin, with these they are not acquainted. But let us suppose a person to have grown to manhood, with no other than this traditional faith, and then to be brought under a deep conviction that he is a sinner, and that he can do nothing to remove the sentence of condemnation under which he lies, or to restore to purity and perfection his corrupt nature. To such a convicted sinner, the most important inquiry is, "What must I do to be saved?" He hears the gospel. He learns that by believing on Christ, the Son of God, he may obtain everlasting life. At first, the news seems to be too good to be true. He fears that there is some mistake in the matter. But now the Spirit of God enlightens his mind to understand the gospel method of salvation. He sees that the atonement of Christ is sufficient to satisfy all the demands of law and justice. He sees that the door of reconciliation is set wide open, and that he is invited and entreated to be reconciled unto God; and that the greatness and number of his sins are no barrier to the free exercise of mercy. And he not only sees and believes, that Christ is in all respects, a suitable Savior, just such a one as he needs. He beholds a divine glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ, by which he is so attracted, and his thoughts so occupied, that he forgets himself. He is absorbed in the contemplation of the wisdom, the love, the justice, and faithfulness of God—as these attributes shine in the work of redemption. Under these believing views, his affections are strongly moved. He feels springing up in his heart a love to God in Christ—such as he never felt to any other. His soul is ravished with a peculiar joy, which, as to kind or degree, cannot be described. At this moment, he gives himself away to God. He has a fixed purpose formed in his heart, to honor and obey his Lord and Master, come what will. Has this person no rational evidence of the truth of the Christian religion? There may be a question, whether this evidence ought to be denominated rational; for although it is such as does and ought to satisfy the rational mind, it is an evidence not owing to the deductions of reason, or any logical process—but it arises from the supreme excellence of divine truth revealed to the soul, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. This man knows now certainly, that the doctrine of the gospel is of God. This is the divine anointing, which if a man possesses, he needs no one to witness to him, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Savior of the lost. For the evidence is complete, and this faith which he exercises in Christ, as thus exhibited, is "the faith of God's elect." But all do not attain to those clear spiritual discoveries which have been described. Some have but dim views of divine truth, and their faith is in proportion weak; but in the use of appointed means it gains strength, and that which was feeble in the beginning, will grow up to maturity. Few of those who are favored with bright spiritual discoveries of the glory of Christ at first, continue to enjoy these clear views, long at one time. The blessed vision passes away. They fall back, if not into distressing darkness, yet into an obscure twilight. This is necessary, lest they should conclude that these spiritual views were their own and depended on themselves. And as spiritual pride is apt to rise and swell, in consequence of the delightful exercises of mind, which the soul enjoys—it is expedient that God should withdraw from the soul those views, in a measure, and leave it to feel its own weakness and unworthiness. When the soul is made to see something of the depth of its depravity, and to feel sin, on account of its turpitude, to be a burden, this very conviction furnishes a strong evidence of the divine authority of the Scripture; for it is by the law, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, that this knowledge often is acquired. That sin does really partake of the evil which is seen in it, the enlightened soul can no more doubt, than it can of its own existence. But if this conviction is true and correct, then certainly, the word which has produced it must be the word of God. No word of man could ever thus affect the conscience, and search out the secret faults of the heart. The effect of the truth on an awakened conscience is wonderful. It "divides between the soul and the spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." When the faithful preaching of the gospel is heard by one, just beginning seriously to consider his ways, it often appears to him that the preacher has the power of searching the heart; or that someone has communicated to the preacher, information respecting his personal character. All deep conviction of sin, therefore, furnishes a direct proof of the truth of the word. And when we consider how completely the feeling of guilt and condemnation is removed by faith in Christ, and what secret peace takes possession of the mind, we are sure that words which can produce such an effect, must be from God; for where else do we find such effects produced? Whatever others may think, the believer himself cannot doubt—that views which have so suddenly charmed away his grief, must be from God. There is no change in nature more remarkable, than that produced on the feelings of a convicted and distressed sinner, by the simple exercise of faith in Christ. It is a change from overwhelming sorrow—to unspeakable joy; from darkness—to marvelous light; from condemnation—to reconciliation; from enmity—to friendship; in short, from spiritual death—to spiritual life. The enlightened and renewed man has then, the very best evidence of the truth of Christ's doctrine, an evidence which no other can possess, until enlightened by the same Spirit. And now, suppose the person thus renewed by the grace of God, never to have heard or known anything of the external evidences of Christianity; even if he were to suppose that the gospel was of modern origin, yet he would cleave to it, as having undoubted evidence of being the word of God. And when the children of God fall into darkness, and are sorely buffeted by Satan, and have skeptical thoughts injected into their minds, their deliverance does not come from reasoning, and reading books on the evidences of Christianity—but by the shining of the truth itself into the heart. One ray from the Sun of righteousness will scatter a darkness which has long been oppressive; and one gracious promise applied, and sealed on the heart, will bring peace, when all other resources fail. Let those who are slow to believe these things, contemplate the patience, the courage, the joy and triumph of the martyrs of Jesus, in the early times of the gospel. Whence this superhuman contempt of torture and of death? Whence the elevated joy, experienced by some in the midst of racks and flames? It was the sight of such effects as these, which multiplied converts to Christianity, at a time, when the very name was punished with a cruel death. And these effects of the gospel have not entirely ceased, even in our day. Even converts lately called out of a savage state, especially in the island of Madagascar, have manifested a Christian fortitude and cheerful resignation to cruel sufferings for the sake of Christ, which does not fall below the same traits in the early martyrs. And how often have those who have had much experience about the beds of dying saints, been filled with wonder and gratitude, at the power of the word of God, when accompanied by his Spirit, to support and console the departing spirit—even when the body was racked with excruciating pain! The evidence, arising from such scenes, is often not only convincing but overwhelming. Often have I wished, when witnessing such scenes, that infidels could be present to see the wonderful efficacy of the gospel, in giving peace and joy to people in the agonies of death. The writer has now in his recollection, the case of an obscure young woman, whose habits of reserve and modesty were such, that very few people knew anything of her pious exercises, until she was laid on the bed of death. Though poor, and obscure, she was not ignorant nor uncultivated; far from it. She had a mind of uncommon intelligence, which, by reading, she had stored with knowledge, especially pious knowledge. The Bible was her daily companion—the Bible was the source of all her comfort. And the doctrines of Christianity she understood not only theoretically—but experimentally. She had feit their power. She had daily proof of their efficacy to support the soul under peculiar trials. Though I had known nothing of the elevation and fervency of her piety, until called to visit her in her last sickness, when, instead of giving instruction and comfort to the dying saint, I felt it to be one of the highest privileges I ever enjoyed—to witness the heavenly serenity of her countenance, and to hear the expressions of faith and hope which flowed from her lips. From what has been said, we may derive the following INFERENCES. 1. That unrenewed men, who are not taught of God, however they may by learning and the exercise of reason arrive at the conclusion that the Holy Scriptures are given by inspiration, and contain a true revelation of the will of God; yet never can attain to a true, saving faith; for "we are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God." And we see the reason why a merely rational, or historical faith does not work by love, nor produce any radical change in the character; because by it, however clear and strong—the excellence and beauty and glory of Christ and divine things are not revealed to the mind. The blind man may be as fully convinced of the existence of the rainbow as any other person, and may assent to the fact that what are called colors are exhibited in this phenomenon; but he is incapable of those emotions which are produced in the minds of those who can see, by this sublime and beautiful arch in the heavens. And in this case, we see, that there may be a certain conviction of a truth, when the evidence which produces it, does not present to the mind, the true nature of that truth. Just so it is, in regard to spiritual things; people who are spiritually blind to their nature may, by conclusive arguments and testimony, be convinced of their reality. 2. We learn also, that where there is a sincere love of truth, and a pious disposition to be conformed to the will of God, both by believing what his word declares, and doing what it commands—there is a true faith. And hence it may be inferred that the person possessing such a state of mind, in regard to the truths of the Bible, has been enlightened by the Spirit of God. A ray from Christ, who is "the light of the world," has shined into his heart, to give him the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. True knowledge and pious affections are inseparably joined; the one cannot exist without the other. The views of the understanding and the purposes of the heart, from the constitution of the mind, must be in concurrence. But the affections and volitions of the heart, are not in concurrence with the mere 'speculative' convictions of the understanding, for reasons already given. Hence we see clearly the true ground of difference between a dead and a living faith; it is owing entirely to the different kinds of evidence on which they are respectively founded. In the one case, the evidence though convincing, does not afford to the mind a view of the real spiritual nature of the truths believed. In the other, the evidence is the excellence and spiritual beauty of the objects of faith. In the one case the evidence is external to the truth; in the other, it is the internal shining of the truth into the mind. 3. Finally, when faith is weak, the true method of strengthening it, is not to be found in logical reasoning—but in divine illumination. There are doubts, which may be removed by a careful and impartial investigation of the evidences of divine revelation; but this may be effected, without any real increase of true faith; this can only be invigorated by the same efficient Agent, by whom it was first produced. All the most vigorous efforts of human reason, in the most gifted minds, can never produce one true spiritual idea. This dependence of the soul on God for every step of progress in the divine life, is beautifully illustrated in the prophet Isaiah, "He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29 - Isaiah 40:31) Let all then who wish to know whether the doctrines of Christ are true, pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit; let them get their minds into that state which is favorable for the clear discovery of the truth, and they will find, that as the light of the sun needs no witnesses to testify of its existence, when it shines into the eyes; so, when obstructions are removed, and the intellect is prepared to receive spiritual ideas, the light of truth shining into the mind, carries its own evidence with it! The man thus enlightened, has no need that anyone should testify to him of the truth; for he perceives the light, and tastes the sweetness of the truth, as it is in Jesus. The more the believer grows in grace, the firmer and more efficacious will be his faith. And as the Spirit is given in answer to prayer, freely—we should unceasingly cry to God for this richest, this sum of all spiritual blessings. The indwelling of the Spirit is the rich fountain of life, from which all holy acts and spiritual exercises and enjoyments proceed. In accordance with the sentiments and reasonings in the preceding discourse, are the facts in the case. Converts among the heathen, in whom the moral change is so remarkable, are not convinced of the truth of the gospel by being made acquainted with its external evidences, of which they are as yet incapable—but by its internal light and power by which their consciences are awakened, and the demerit of sin, and the efficacy of the promises of the gospel to relieve and compose their troubled minds, are felt. And, among men of strong and highly cultivated minds, more have been converted from infidelity, by reading the Scriptures, than by studying the external evidences. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 33: ALEXANDER - OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE POOR ======================================================================== Our responsibility to the poor by Archibald Alexander "The poor have the gospel preached unto them." This must have been a new thing, or it would not have been given to John the Baptist as a proof that Jesus was the Messiah. In our public system of religious instruction in cities and villages, the poor are too much overlooked. They cannot afford to give money to the church. They cannot appear in costly apparel, and they do not love to be stared at on account of the coarseness of their clothes. Go into the churches of any Protestant denomination, and you will probably find a large, respectable audience of well-dressed people quietly occupying their own pews, and listening with more or less attention to the instructions of the pastor; but where are the miserable poor? In society they form a large proportion of the people, but here we see perhaps a few old women, the beneficiaries of the church. There must be some more effective measures for conveying the gospel to the destitute poor than our splendid churches furnish. The system of tract distribution by pious men and women, who, as far as they have opportunity, converse with the people on religious subjects, is excellent. This system, in New York, has been the instrument of much good to the poor. But cannot a plan be contrived and carried into effect, by which they can be brought within the sound of the gospel? I think there can. Let every rich church build a meeting-house, plain but commodious, and let them, under the direction of their pastors, employ some zealous, self-denying young minister to go about and collect as many of the poor as he can, and preach to them in a plain, familiar, affectionate style. At first perhaps few would come, but by degrees the number would increase. The preacher must be assisted and encouraged by the occasional presence of the pastor and other officers or members. In every Christian church there are men and women who wish to do good, but they know not how to go about it. Let each of these go out into the lanes and dark alleys of the city, and persuade at least one poor person to go with them to the preaching of the gospel. All such exertions are useful to the person himself, whatever may be the effect on others. Let the meeting-house be seated with benches, and every seat be in common; so that the first person who comes shall have the right to occupy it. And let the missionary to these people speak kindly to them, and inquire into their needs and afflictions, and make known cases of extreme suffering to those whose office it is to relieve distress--the deacons. In the villages and country places there are often found many poor, miserable families, who are never seen in the church for lack of a place to sit, for lack of decent clothing, or for lack of disposition. Let five or six people agree to visit these families in turn, and let them provide a room for evening meetings, and let the pastor, as often as he can, preach to them; or let some layman read to them a tract or short sermon. Time is short. Try, try what can be done! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 34: ALEXANDER - PEACE OF GOD ======================================================================== THE PEACE OF GOD by Archibald Alexander There are three words, pregnant with precious and important meaning, commonly used by the apostles in their salutations and benedictions, GRACE, MERCY, and PEACE. These words include everything which man needs or can desire. Peace is the legacy which Christ gave to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." And after his resurrection, the first time he met with his disciples when assembled together, he said, "Peace be unto you." He gives peace not as the world gives. He is the PRINCE OF PEACE, and his gospel is the "gospel of peace." It is called "the peace of God," because he is its author. It is a sweet and gentle stream which flows from the fountain of life beneath his throne. Happy is he who has received this heavenly gift; it will, in the midst of external storms and troubles, preserve his mind in a tranquil state. It is independent of external circumstances. It is most exquisitely enjoyed in times of affliction and persecution. "In the world you shall have tribulation; but these things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace." It is a fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace." It includes reconciliation with God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Peace of conscience is a fruit of reconciliation with God. The blood which reconciles, when sprinkled on the conscience, produces a sweet peace which can be obtained in no other way. If the atonement of Christ satisfies the law which condemned us, and we are assured that this atonement is accepted for us, conscience, which before condemned, as being the echo of the law, is now pacified. The peace of God also includes freedom from jarring, discordant passions of the mind. The wicked, however prosperous externally, can have no true peace within. Their ambition and pride and avarice, and love of ease and carnal indulgence, can never be harmonized. One may be the master-passion, but the others will arise and create disturbance and turmoil within. The only passion which effectually harmonizes the discordant passions of human nature, is the love of God. Wherever this is introduced, it will not only be predominant, but bring all other desires into willing subjection. The peace of God is not a mere negative blessing, consisting in exemption from the misery of discord; it is a positive enjoyment of the purest, sweetest kind. It is a foretaste of the bliss of heaven. Nothing on earth is so delightful. It is therefore said to "pass understanding." No one could have thought man's miserable soul could possess such enjoyment in this world. But why is so little known of the peace of God--in the experience of professing Christians? I leave everyone to answer for himself. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 35: ALEXANDER - POOR MAN'S GUIDE AND FRIEND ======================================================================== THE POOR MAN'S GUIDE AND FRIEND Archibald Alexander My little book I make for the poor rather than the rich, first, because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preached the gospel especially to the poor. Matthew 11:5. Secondly, because God commonly chooses his people from among the poor of this world, to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. James 2:5. And thirdly, because the poor have less time and opportunity to learn those things which belong to their peace, than others. In some parts of the country, the people have pastors to watch over them and visit them; and if their teachers are faithful, they will, as often as they can, come to the dwellings of the poor with such lessons of instruction as they need. But there are other places, in which the people are as sheep without a shepherd. They have no one to guide them in true religion, and perhaps seldom have the opportunity of hearing a gospel sermon. Now for the sake of such I write, especially for the poor. Let no man be ashamed of 'honest poverty'. Our blessed Lord, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor. None are poorer in this world's goods than he was; for he was born in a stable, and had a feeding trough for his cradle. And when grown up to be a man, he could say, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has not where to lay his head." When I say that this little book is for the poor man, I do not mean to pass by the woman—no; I consider her as perhaps more likely to profit by what I may write than the other gender. "In Christ there is neither male nor female." All partake of the same sinful nature, and all are children of wrath. All need the atoning blood of Christ, and no other foundation can be laid than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus the Lord. Let, I pray you, this little book come into your house, and be read, and taken care of. Let it be considered a friend, for the feelings of the writer, be assured, are of a friendly kind; and though he cannot go with his book, he will accompany it with his prayers. And he wishes to speak to everyone into whose hands it may fall, as if he were present. By this he desires to converse with the reader. And if it should happen to fall into the hands of some who cannot read, let them get the aid of their neighbors to read it to them. Join me in this short prayer for the blessing of God on the truth it contains. A PRAYER. O Lord, our Almighty Creator, kind Preserver, bountiful Benefactor, and merciful Redeemer, be graciously pleased to send light into our dark minds by the reading of this little book. So far as it contains a correct statement of truth, may it be made the means of leading our poor souls in the way of duty and of salvation, which we humbly ask, not on account of any worthiness in ourselves, but only for the sake of Christ, your beloved Son and our Mediator. Amen. FIRST VISIT. Friends, I perceive that you are poor, and have many troubles and difficulties to distress and disturb you. While others have more than heart can wish, and spend their days in ease and pleasure—your lot is to labor hard, and to eat your bread with the sweat of your brow. And often, with all your toil, you are scarcely able to obtain food and clothing. In the day of calamity, when sickness comes upon you, or on your wife—you are brought into great trouble. The children cry for bread when, alas, there is none in the house, and no money to buy a single loaf. At the same time, the very dogs of your rich neighbor have more food than they can devour. The thought of your poverty, and the abounding wealth of others, is apt to stir up a feeling of discontent and envy in your hearts. But this is wrong. God gives to whom he will, and withholds from whom he will. Besides, though the rich man has his good things in this world, he is in great danger of having nothing but evil in the world to come. I assure you, the rich man is not to be envied. He also has his vexatious cares and troubles in this life, as well as the poor; yes, often, while the laboring poor enjoy robust health, he is pining with disease. And while the poor man's sleep is sweet after his labor, the rich man is prevented from sleeping by care and anxiety for fear of losing his wealth. While the poor man has a keen relish for his coarse and homely fare, the rich man turns away in disgust from a table loaded with dainties; so that the rich man has not so much the advantage of the poor man as he seems to have. And the poor man has this in his favor, that there are fewer hindrances in his way to heaven than stand in the path of the rich man. Our Lord has told us that riches so stop the way to heaven, to those who possess them, that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." This single consideration should make you contented with your condition. Not that it is a matter of course for a poor man to get to heaven. Alas, no! "For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it." I have not found a more alarming text than this within the lids of the Bible. Those words, FEW FIND IT, should continue to sound in our ears until we have clean escaped from the "wrath to come," and have found refuge in the house of God's mercy. The poor man can no more enter heaven, without becoming a new creature, than the rich. Our Lord's words are, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Some poor people who are great sufferers in this world, think that their many troubles here will somehow be an atonement for the sins which they have committed, so that they hope to escape punishment in the world to come. When I was preaching in the mountains of Virginia, I spent a few days at the house of an aged widow. She was not poor, but she seemed to have more trouble than the poorest people I met with. From morning to night she was bustling and running here and there, and calling to the servants, and scolding at such a rate that I wondered that she did not weary herself to death. And this was not the course of one day only, but of every day. But let me say to her credit that I was never treated more kindly by anybody, and she was particularly kind to ministers of the gospel. I took the liberty one day of saying to her mildly, "Why do you trouble yourself so much about the things of this world? You are now aged, and must very soon leave all these concerns; better turn your attention to the necessary preparation for the eternal world." She burst out a crying, and said, "I cannot help it. I am a lone widow, and no man on the place to take the management; and if I did not scuffle as you see me doing, everything would soon go to wreck and ruin." "Madam," said I, "I approve of your industry and energy in managing your affairs; but I think that some portion of your time and attention should be given to the concerns of your soul, which is undoubtedly 'the one thing needful.'" Upon this her feelings became more violent, and in a crying tone she said, "I do not think that any poor creature ever suffered more than I have done. My husband died, and left me to take care of seven young children; and ever since I have been toiling and striving to keep things together, and to bring up my family in a Christian way; but I have had one trouble after another, so that my poor heart has often been almost broke. And I hope," said she, "that my Maker will consider what I have suffered in this world, and that he will not be so hard as to make me miserable in the world to come. I am sure I have suffered enough already." "Dear madam," said I, "your worldly sorrows will never atone for one of your sins. The Bible teaches that godly sorrow works repentance unto life, but the sorrow of the world works death." She now became more composed, and listened with apparent seriousness to what I judged it proper to say. This brings to my recollection a scene which I witnessed a few days afterwards, in the most out-of-the-way place I ever was in. It was at the base of the Blue Ridge, on the head of Smith's river, a branch of the Roanoke. This settlement is completely shut out from the rest of the world by high and steep mountains, and there was only one road by which a horse or wagon could go in or come out. The women rarely or never come out, and retain all the fashions of dress which were customary in the time of their grandmothers. Here I found a man who had been eighteen years an elder in the Presbyterian church, but had never had any true religion until within a few months of the time I visited the place. Two zealous ministers had found their way into this cove, and spent a week in preaching to the people. Among other fruits of their labors was the conversion of this elder, now nearly threescore years of age; and I do not know that I ever met with a young convert who seemed to have such a flow of tender feeling. He could not speak of his own wonderful conversion, after having been a professor in the church for nearly forty years, and an elder for eighteen years, without a flood of tears. He went about from house to house, and warned the people of their danger; and he seemed to feel that it was especially his duty to go to professors, many of whom he feared were asleep in their sins, shielded from conviction by the profession which they had made. But to come to the point. This old man, but young Christian, had got hold of a Tract, which in those days was a rare thing in that country. Having read it himself, he could not rest until all his neighbors had heard it. It was, I think, on Saturday afternoon, a number of people, by his invitation, assembled in the log-house in which he dwelt. Though I was present, he did not ask me to read the Tract, but chose to do this himself. And seldom have I anywhere seen so many tears shed by the same number of people. When he came to anything of an affecting nature, he would stop to weep, and in the midst of his tears would give a fervent exhortation to the young people present. And what do you think this Tract was? Why, "Gregory's Legacy to a Daughter," which thousands have read without a tear. I have related the foregoing anecdote for two reasons. First, to show the importance of faithful ministers occasionally leaving their flocks and going into the dark corners, where the gospel is seldom heard. I could relate many facts to prove the benefit of such a course. In a couple of weeks, they may do more good than in the whole year besides. The other reason is, to show the value of Tracts in the distant and dark settlements of our country. Because those little messengers are often undervalued near great cities and in old settlements, we must not suppose that they will not be valued where books are scarce, and where the gospel is seldom heard. And now, my friends, it is time that you and I should rest for a while. Let this pass for my first visit. You see that I am a plain-spoken man, and do not stick very close to any one subject. Put the little book on the shelf until another opportunity, which I hope will be soon. SECOND VISIT. I see, friends, that you have hard work to make out a living in the world. This has been a hard winter, and your children have suffered for lack of good shoes and warm clothing. But now the spring comes on apace, and the grass begins to grow, and the early flowers to peep out of the ground. Now the sun rises high in the heavens, the days begin sensibly to lengthen, and the warm breezes to blow. I always rejoice in the return of spring, on account of the poor; for though it is a time of labor, to the 'industrious poor' it is a time of enjoyment. The ploughman relishes his homely fare, when in the evening he returns to his cottage; and the sleep of the laboring man is sweet. In the morning he rises with the first appearance of dawn, and is soon seen following his plough, or sowing his grain, or clearing up his new ground. If peace and kindness are guests there, the cottager has as much contentment as the rich: he relishes his food as well, he enjoys his sleep as sweetly, and experiences as much pleasure from the cheerfulness and affection and innocent prattle of his little ones. The rich man often is obliged, on account of diseases contracted by idleness and luxury, to live on brown bread and lie on a hard bed; his physician forbids him the use of the dainties with which his table is loaded, and he must undergo voluntary labor to exercise his diseased frame. While the poor man, who is industrious, enjoys robust health, and has no experience of those miserable feelings which arise from a diseased stomach and deranged nerves. He scarcely ever reflects that he has a stomach, except when he is hungry; and as to nerves, he is happily innocent of any knowledge of those sensitive chords. The great curse of poverty is vice! Brutal anger and crudeness, sullen discontent, and rankling envy and hatred—are sufficient to bring misery into a paradise. And when you add to bad passions, which naturally spring up in the human bosom, the complicated evils of intemperance, you have some idea of the real miseries which are found in many cottages of the poor. Filth, disorder, and poverty, render them the seats of almost uninterrupted wretchedness. And soon disease will follow in the train of the evils mentioned—often chronic disease, painful and loathsome, and remediless. The whole mass has become corrupt; and the malady is often aggravated instead of being cured by quack medicines. The poetical idea of a cottage can seldom be realized; yet sometimes there is an approximation to it. When settled first as a pastor, I observed coming regularly to church a tall, neat, but plainly dressed young woman, whose manners were exceedingly retiring and reserved. She seemed to shun every opportunity of acquaintance; for as soon as the service was over she would be off, and on her way home. I learned, however, from a female friend of hers, that she was a girl of uncommon intelligence, and very considerable reading, and above all, that she was in reality what she appeared to be, eminently pious. I was told that one reason of her shyness was continual mortification on account of the foolish and eccentric conduct of her father, who was a talkative and opinionated old man. In early life he had appeared very zealous in religion, and began study with his pastor, with a view to the ministry; but he had not steadiness to persevere, and having got a little smattering of learning, he became exceedingly vain and boastful. He had, indeed, an extraordinary memory for words, and would repeat whole chapters of the Bible verbatim. But he was not contented with the common creed, and adopted many strange notions, which he brought out and defended on all occasions. Sometimes, indeed, he would hold forth in public, and professed to have a divine call to make known the truths which he said had been made known to him; and the only thing which prevented him from often speaking in public was, that he could get no audience to remain to hear him. Besides this amiable and accomplished daughter, he had one son, who, though industrious in cultivating the farm, had much of his father's vain-glorious disposition. In all religious excitements this young man became very conspicuous, and by his ostentatious display produced disgust in almost every mind. The mother of this young woman was also still living, but being infirm and somewhat melancholy, she seldom left the house even to attend church. On account of these circumstances, Eusebia generally appeared alone, and seldom was anyone invited to the house, which stood in a reclusive spot. It was evident, however, that disease was secretly undermining her constitution, and after a while she was no longer able to come to church; her seat became vacant. As the pastor of the church, I felt it to be my duty to visit her; but knowing the extreme sensibility of her feelings, I thought it prudent to use the mediation of her female friend before mentioned. After a considerable struggle, she consented to see me in company with her friend. I was struck, on entering the cottage, with the perfect neatness and cleanliness of every article of furniture. Every curtain and bed-cover was purely white, and wove and spun with her own hands. She was unable to sit up, but lay reclined on a low bed in a small room adjoining the one which we first entered. Though distant always before, she now expressed strong satisfaction in seeing me, and said she had often derived much comfort from my preaching, but could never, until now, summon confidence enough to speak to me. "I have," said she, "been kept back by foolish feelings of self-distrust, with which I now find much pride has been mingled. But I am persuaded that I am soon to leave the world. I am desirous of availing myself of the instruction and advice of one who is invested with the office of a teacher." I asked her respecting her spiritual condition, and her views of death and eternity. She said, that "during the few years which she had been a member of the church, darkness and doubt had hung over her mind in an almost perpetual cloud; that she had been looking for something in her own heart—which she could never find. She heard others speak of their ardent love to Christ; and of their overflowing joys; but her heart remained cold and insensible. At some rare times," said she, "I experienced a little reviving, and felt a degree of tenderness, being able to weep freely, which gave me some relief. But on cool reflection, I attributed those melting frames to the peculiar state of my body; for on examination I could not find that my views of divine truth were at all brighter than before. And," said she, "thus I continued until I heard you preach from the text, 'By grace are you saved,' etc., when you told us, if we wanted solid comfort, we must look outside of ourselves, and away from ourselves, to Christ and his perfect work. "At that moment I seemed first fully to apprehend the freeness of divine grace. My crushed heart was encouraged and comforted. Christ appeared to me in a new light; and though some dark clouds have passed over my mind since, and some doubts have occasionally risen, they have been transient. And through the blessing of divine grace, I remain from day to day in a state of sweet composure. My sense of unworthiness and sinfulness is as great as before, but I have learned no longer to look for comfort to anything in myself, but only to Christ. I see a sufficiency in him for every need, and I am enabled to confide in him. He is my all and in all; my Prophet, Priest, and King. He is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption—what more do I desire? "Considering how naturally timid I am, I feel astonished at my own confidence and composure of mind. I hope, my dear pastor, there is no mistake in this matter; I hope that I am not embracing a delusion for the reality of God's faithfulness in his promises." I told her that there could be no mistake in trusting everything into the hands of Christ; that the stronger our confidence in him the better, and the less danger of deception. Though her frame was emaciated, there was a heavenly calmness and sweet serenity in her countenance. Not having been accustomed to such scenes, my own feelings were unusual. I could think of little else when absent from her, than the sweet and heavenly appearance of her countenance; and being urged to come often, I did not fail to avail myself of the privilege of sitting by her bedside and receiving edification from the gracious words which proceeded from her lips. Often have I wished, while beholding her countenance lighted up with pure and spiritual hope and joy, and beaming with the feelings of benevolence, that some infidels whom I know could have witnessed this scene; it would have been more effectual to convince them of the blessed reality of religion than a thousand logical arguments. She continued in the same calm and comfortable state unto her death. A few days before her end, I visited her, and on my taking leave, anticipating her departure, she clasped my hand in hers and said, "My dear pastor, before I see you again, I shall be gone from this world of sorrow and sin. I thank you for all your kind attention to an unworthy creature. I go to meet my Savior—my best friend—Him who shed his blood for my salvation—I go to dwell with saints and angels in heaven forever. Farewell—I shall see your face no more in this world." Being a young pastor, the scene made a deep and lasting impression on my mind. As I expected, the next tidings which I heard from Eusebia was a summons to attend her funeral. "Oh let me die the death of the righteous," for they have hope in their end. They are blessed, "and their works do follow them." The foregoing narrative will furnish us with some profitable reflections. 1. We see that no situation in life is exempt from trouble. Piety in a cottage, with almost perfect seclusion from the world, with books, a few select friends, and access to the means of grace, would seem to furnish as complete an idea of happiness as we can readily conceive. All these advantages were fully enjoyed by this pious female, but still there was a worm gnawing at the root. Every rose has its thorn. Her affliction arose from a too exquisite sensibility, and too anxious a solicitude for the reputation of a parent. A corroding feeling of mortification depressed her spirits and undermined her health, and brought her to an untimely grave. 2. Some of the most perfect specimens of genuine piety are to be found far from the view of the mirthful and busy world, and often little noticed even by the majority of the members of the church. Piety flourishes and brings forth its precious fruit in the shade of retirement, observed only by a few select friends, and by that venerable Being who, though his throne is in the heavens, and eternity his dwelling-place, yet looks down with delight on every humble, contrite spirit; yes, condescends to dwell with them. "The humble spirit and contrite, is an abode of his delight." 3. We learn from the facts related above the superlative excellence of true religion. What else could produce such a dying scene as this? The deathbed was undoubtedly rendered the happiest on which this pious woman ever lay. There was here no sting, no terror, no pain; all was peace and joyful hope, and sweet and heavenly serenity. Could a fiction, a cunningly devised fable, produce such effects? Who can believe it? If the mere prospect of heaven can afford such happiness, what must heaven itself be? If one drop, a mere foretaste, can so disarm pain, and fill the soul with divine consolations, who can conceive of the views of never-ending bliss which flow from the throne of God? And to whom do we owe these high hopes and brilliant prospects? Not to ourselves, not to man, not to any creature; but to the eternal Son of God, to the beloved Redeemer, to Jesus, who knows by experience the miseries of death as a curse. He bore the curse, that his people might be exempt—the sting pierced his inmost soul, and henceforth lost its venom. He drank the bitter cup which sin had mingled, that it might forever pass from us. "Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, While on his bosom I lean my head, And breathe my life out sweetly there." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 36: ALEXANDER - PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS HOW TO GROW IN GRACE AND MAKE PROGRESS IN PIETY.1 ======================================================================== Practical Directions How to Grow in Grace and Make Progress in Piety by Archibald Alexander (1772—1851) When there is no growth, there is no life. We have taken it for granted that among the regenerate, at the moment of their conversion, there is a difference in the vigor of the principle of spiritual life, analogous to what we observe in the natural world; and no doubt the analogy holds as it relates to growth. As some children who were weak and sickly in the first days of their existence become healthy and strong, and greatly outgrow others who commenced life with far greater advantages, so it is with the ‘new man’. Some who enter on the spiritual life with a weak and wavering faith, by the blessing of God on a diligent use of means, far outstrip others who in the beginning were greatly before them. It is often observed that there are professors who never appear to grow, but rather decline perpetually, until they become in spirit and conduct entirely conformed to the world, from whence they professed to come out. The result in regard to them is one of two things; they either retain their standing in the Church and become dead formalists, ‘having a name to live while they are dead’—‘a form of godliness, while they deny the power thereof’—or they renounce their profession and abandon their connection with the Church, and openly take their stand with the enemies of Christ, and not infrequently go beyond them all in daring impiety. Of all such we may confidently say, ‘They were not of us, or undoubtedly they would have continued with us.’ But of such I mean not now to speak further, as the case of back-sliders will be considered hereafter. That growth in grace is gradual and progressive is very evident from Scripture; as in all those passages where believers are exhorted to mortify sin and crucify the flesh, and to increase and abound in all the exercises of piety and good works. One text on this subject will be sufficient: ‘Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’ And this passage furnishes us with information as to the origin and nature of this growth. It is knowledge, even the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just so far as any soul increases in spiritual knowledge, in the same degree it grows in grace. Persons may advance rapidly in other kinds of knowledge, and yet make no advances in piety, but the contrary. They may even have their minds filled with correct theoretical knowledge of divine truth, and yet its effect may not be to humble, but to ‘puff up’. Many an accurate and profound theologian has lived and died without a ray of saving light. The natural man, however gifted with talent or enriched with speculative knowledge, has no spiritual discernment. After all his acquisitions, he is destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. But it should not be forgotten that divine illumination is not independent of the Word, but accompanies it. Those Christians, therefore, who are most diligent in attending upon the Word in public and private, will be most likely to make progress in piety. Young converts are prone to depend too much on joyful frames, and love high excitement in their devotional exercises; but their heavenly Father cures them of this folly, by leaving them for a season to walk in darkness and struggle with their own corruptions. When most sorely pressed and discouraged, however, He strengthens them with might in the inner man. He enables them to stand firmly against temptation; or, if they slide, he quickly restores them, and by such exercises they become much more sensible of their entire dependence than they were at first. They learn to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long, and to distrust entirely their own wisdom and strength, and to rely for all needed aid on the grace of Jesus Christ. Such a soul will not readily believe that it is growing in grace. But to be emptied of self-dependence, and to know that we need aid for every duty, and even for every good thought, is an important step in our progress in piety. The flowers may have disappeared from the plant of grace, and even the leaves may have fallen off, and wintry blasts may have shaken it, but now it is striking its roots deeper, and becoming every day stronger to endure the rugged storm. One circumstance attends the growth in grace of a real Christian which renders it exceedingly difficult for him to know the fact, upon a superficial view of his case, and that is, the clearer and deeper insight which he obtains into the evils of his own heart. Now this is one of the best evidences of growth; but the first conclusion is apt to be, ‘I am growing worse every day; I see innumerable evils springing up within me which I never saw before.’ This person may be compared to one shut up in a dark room where he is surrounded by many loathsome objects. If a single ray of light be let into the room, he sees the more prominent objects; but if the light gradually increases, he sees more and more of the filth by which he has been surrounded. It was there before, but he did not perceive it. His increased knowledge of the fact is a sure evidence of increasing light. Hypocrites often learn to talk by rote of the wickedness of their hearts; but go to them and seriously accuse them of indulging secret pride or envy or covetousness or any other heart sins, and they will be offended. Their confessions of sin are only intended to raise them in the opinion of others, as truly humble persons; and not that any should believe that corruption abounds within them. Growth in grace is evinced by a more habitual vigilance against besetting sins and temptations, and by greater self-denial in regard to personal indulgence. A growing conscientiousness in regard to what may be called minor duties is also a good sign. The counterfeit of this is a scrupulous conscience, which sometimes haggles at the most innocent gratifications, and has led some to hesitate about taking their daily food. Increasing spiritual mindedness is a sure evidence of progress in piety; and this will always be accompanied by deadness to the world. Continued aspirations to God, in the house and by the way, in lying down and rising up, in company and in solitude, indicate the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by whose agency all progress in sanctification is made. A victory over besetting sins by which the person was frequently led away, shows an increased vigor in the renewed principle. Increasing solicitude for the salvation of men, sorrow on account of their sinful and miserable condition, and a disposition tenderly to warn sinners of their danger, evince a growing state of piety. It is also a strong evidence of growth in grace when you can bear injuries and provocations with meekness and when you can from the heart desire the temporal and eternal welfare of your bitterest enemies. An entire and confident reliance on the promises and providence of God, however dark may be your horizon, or however many difficulties environ you, is a sign that you have learned to live by faith; and humble contentment with your condition, though it be one of poverty and obscurity, shows that you have profited by sitting at the feet of Jesus. Diligence in the duties of our calling, with a view to the glory of God, is an evidence not to be despised. Indeed there is no surer standard of spiritual growth than a habit of aiming at the glory of God in everything. That mind which is steady to the main end gives as good evidence of being touched by divine grace as the tendency of the needle to the pole proves that it has been touched by the magnet. Increasing love to the brethren is a sure sign of growth; for as brotherly love is a proof of the existence of grace, so is the exercise of such love a proof of vigor in the divine life. This love, when pure, is not confined within those limits which party spirit circumscribes, but overleaping all the barriers of sects and denominations, it embraces the disciples of Christ wherever it finds them. A healthy state of piety is always a growing state; that child which grows not at all must be sickly. If we would enjoy spiritual comfort, we must be in a thriving condition. None enjoy the pleasures of bodily health, but they who are in health. If we would be useful to the Church and the world we must be growing Christians. If we would live in daily preparation for our change, we must endeavor to grow in grace daily. The aged saint, laden with the fruits of righteousness, is like a shock of corn fully ripe, which is ready for the garner; or like a mature fruit which gradually loosens its hold of the tree until at last it gently falls off. Thus the aged, mature Christian departs in peace. As growth in grace is gradual, and the progress from day to day imperceptible, we should aim to do something in this work every day. We should die daily unto sin and live unto righteousness. Sometimes the children of God grow faster when in the fiery furnace than elsewhere. As metals are purified by being cast into the fire, so saints have their dross consumed and their evidences brightened, by being cast into the furnace of affliction. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which shall try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you’, but rejoice, because ‘the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, shall be found unto praise, and honor, and glory’. We shall here present some PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS HOW TO GROW IN GRACE AND MAKE PROGRESS IN PIETY. 1. Set it down as a certainty that this object will never be attained without vigorous continued effort; and it must not only be desired and sought, but must be considered more important than all other pursuits, and be pursued in preference to everything else which claims your attention. 2. While you determine to be assiduous in the use of the appointed means of sanctification, you must have it deeply fixed in your mind that nothing can be effected in this work without the aid of the Divine Spirit. ‘Paul may plant and Apollos water, but it is God that gives the increase.’ The direction of the old divines is good: ‘use the means as vigorously as if you were to be saved by your own efforts, and yet trust as entirely to the grace of God as if you made use of no means whatsoever’. 3. Be much in the perusal of the Holy Scriptures, and strive to obtain clear and consistent views of the plan of redemption. Learn to contemplate the truth in its true nature, simply, devoutly, and long at a time, that you may receive on your soul the impression which it is calculated to make. Avoid curious and abstruse speculations respecting things unrevealed, and do not indulge a spirit of controversy. Many lose the benefit of the good impression which the truth is calculated to make, because they do not view it simply in its own nature, but as related to some dispute, or as bearing on some other point. As when a man would receive the genuine impression which a beautiful landscape is adapted to make, he must not be turned aside by minute inquiries respecting the botanical character of the plants, the value of the timber, or the fertility of the soil; but he must place his mind in the attitude of receiving the impression which the combined view of the objects before him will naturally produce on the taste. In such cases the effect is not produced by any exertion of the intellect; all such active striving is unfavorable, except in bringing the mind to its proper state. When the impression is most perfect, we feel as if we were mere passive recipients of the effect. To this there is a striking analogy in the way in which the mind is impressed with divine truth. It is not the critic, the speculative or polemic theologian, who is most likely to receive the right impression, but the humble, simple-hearted, contemplative Christian. It is necessary to study the Scriptures critically, and to defend the truth against opposers; but the most learned critic and the most profound theologian must learn to sit at the feet of Jesus in the spirit of a child, or they are not likely to be edified by their studies. 4. Pray constantly and fervently for the influences of the Holy Spirit. No blessing is so particularly and emphatically promised in answer to prayer as this; and if you would receive this divine gift, to be in you as a well of water springing up to everlasting life, you must not only pray, but you must watch against everything in your heart or life which has a tendency to grieve the Spirit of God. Of what use is it to pray, if you indulge evil thoughts and imaginations almost without control? or if you give way to the evil passions of anger, pride and avarice, or bridle not your tongue from evil speaking? Learn to be conscientious; that is, obey the dictates of your conscience uniformly. Many are conscientious in some things and not in others; they listen to the monitor within when it directs to important duties; but in smaller matters they often disregard the voice of conscience, and follow present inclination. Such cannot grow in grace. 5. Take more time for praying to ‘the Father who is in secret’, and for looking into the state of your soul. Redeem an hour daily from sleep if you cannot obtain it otherwise; and as the soul’s concerns are apt to get out of order, and more time is needed for thorough self-examination than an hour a day, set apart, not periodically but as your necessities require, days of fasting and humiliation before God. On these occasions, deal faithfully with yourself. Be in earnest to search out all your secret sins and to repent of them. Renew your covenant with God, and form holy resolutions of amendment in the strength of divine grace. If you find, upon examination, that you have been living in any sinful indulgence, probe the festering wound to the core; confess your fault before God, and do not rest until you have had an application of the blood of sprinkling. You need not ask why you do not grow, while there is such an ulcer within you. Here, it is to be feared, is the root of the evil. Sins indulged are not thoroughly repented of and forsaken; or the conscience has not been purged effectually, and the wound still festers. Come to ‘the fountain opened for the washing away of sin and uncleanness’. Bring your case to the great Physician. 6. Cultivate and exercise brotherly love more than you have been accustomed to do. Christ is displeased with many of His professed followers, because they are so cold and indifferent to His members on earth, and because they do so little to comfort and encourage them; and with some, because they are a stumbling block to the weak of the flock, their conversation and conduct not being edifying, but the contrary. Perhaps these disciples are poor and in the lower walks of life, and therefore you overlook them as beneath you. And thus would you have treated Christ Himself, had you lived in His time; for He took His station among the poor and afflicted; and He will resent a neglect of His poor saints with more displeasure than He would of the rich. Perhaps they do not belong to your party or sect, and you are only concerned to build up your own denomination. Remember how Christ condescended to treat the sinful woman of Samaria, and the poor woman of Canaan, and remember what account He has given of the last judgment, when He will assume to Himself all that has been done, or neglected to be done, to His humble followers. There should be more Christian conversation and friendly intercourse between the followers of Christ. In former days, ‘They that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name.’ 7. If you are in good earnest to make greater progress in piety, you must do more than you have done for the promotion of God’s glory and of Christ’s kingdom on earth. You must enter with livelier, deeper feeling into all the plans which the Church has adopted to advance these objects. You must give more than you have done. It is a shame to think how small a portion of their gains some professors devote to the Lord. Instead of being a tithe, it is hardly equal to the single sheaf of first-fruits. If you have nothing to give, labor to get something. Sit up at night and try to make something, for Christ has need of it. Sell a corner of your land and throw the money into the treasury of the Lord. In primitive times many sold houses and lands and laid the whole at the apostles’ feet. Do not be afraid of making yourself poor by giving to the Lord or to His poor. His word is better than any bond, and He says, ‘I will repay it.’ Cast your bread on the waters, and after many days you will find it again. Send the Bible—send missionaries—send tracts to the perishing heathen. 8. Practice self-denial every day. Lay a wholesome restraint upon your appetites. Be not conformed to this world. Let your dress, your house, your furniture, be plain and simple, as becomes a Christian. Avoid vain parade and show in everything. Govern your family with discretion. Forgive and pray for your enemies. Have little to do with party politics. Carry on your business on sober, judicious principles. Keep clear of speculation and surety-ships. Live peaceably with all men as much as in you lies. Be much in ejaculatory prayer. Keep your heart with all diligence. Try to turn to spiritual profit every event which occurs, and be fervently thankful for all mercies. 9. For your more rapid growth in grace, some of you will be cast into the furnace of affliction. Sickness, bereavement, bad conduct of children and relatives, loss of property or of reputation, may come upon you unexpectedly and press heavily on you. In these trying circumstances, exercise patience and fortitude. Be more solicitous to have the affliction sanctified than removed. Glorify God while in the fire of adversity. That faith which is most tried is commonly most pure and precious. Learn from Christ how you ought to suffer. Let perfect submission to the will of God be aimed at. Never indulge a murmuring or discontented spirit. Repose with confidence on the promises. Commit all your cares to God. Make known your requests to Him by prayer and supplication. Let go your too eager grasp of the world. Become familiar with death and the grave. Wait patiently until your change comes; but desire not to live a day longer than may be for the glory of God. If we are on the watch we may often find good things when they were least expected. It is seldom that I consult an almanac for any purpose, but wishing the other day to see when the moon would change, I opened the calendar at the current month, and the first thing which struck my eye was the heading of a paragraph in the very words which I had selected as the subject of this essay—’Hindrances to Growth in Grace’. Of course I perused the short paragraph, and I was so well pleased with what I read that I resolved to take it for my text—and here it is, word for word: The influence of worldly relatives and companions; embarking too deeply in business; approximations to fraud for the sake of gain devoting too much time to amusements; immoderate attachment to a worldly object; attendance on an unbelieving or unfaithful ministry; languid and formal observance of religious duties; shunning the society and religious converse of Christian friends; relapse into known sin; non-improvement of graces already attained. Now all this is very good and very true. The only objection is that several of the particulars mentioned should rather be considered as the effects of a real declension in religion than merely as hindrances to growth; although it is true that nothing so effectually hinders our progress as an actual state of backsliding. It seems desirable to ascertain, as precisely as we can, the reasons why Christians commonly are of so diminutive a stature and of such feeble strength in their religion. When people are truly converted they always are sincerely desirous to make rapid progress in piety; and there are not lacking exceeding great and gracious promises of aid to encourage them to go forward with alacrity. Why then is so little advancement made? Are there not some practical mistakes very commonly entertained, which are the cause of this slowness of growth? I think there are, and will endeavor to specify some of them. First, there is a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace. To exercise unshaken confidence in the doctrine of gratuitous pardon is one of the most difficult things in the world; and to preach this doctrine fully without verging towards antinomianism is no easy task, and is therefore seldom done. But Christians cannot but be lean and feeble when deprived of their proper nutriment. It is by faith that the spiritual life is made to grow; and the doctrine of free grace, without any mixture of human merit, is the only true object of faith. Christians are too much inclined to depend on themselves, and not to derive their life entirely from Christ. There is a spurious legal religion, which may flourish without the practical belief in the absolute freeness of divine grace, but it possesses none of the characteristics of the Christian’s life. It is found to exist in the rankest growth, in systems of religion which are utterly false. But even when the true doctrine is acknowledged in theory, often it is not practically felt and acted on. The new convert lives upon his frames rather than on Christ, while the older Christian is still found struggling in his own strength and, failing in his expectations of success, he becomes discouraged first, and then he sinks into a gloomy despondency, or becomes in a measure careless. At that point the spirit of the world comes in with resistless force. Here, I am persuaded, is the root of the evil; and until religious teachers inculcate clearly, fully, and practically, the grace of God as manifested in the Gospel, we shall have no vigorous growth of piety among professing Christians. We must be, as it were, identified with Christ—crucified with Him, and living by Him, and in Him by faith, or rather, have Christ living in us. The covenant of grace must be more clearly and repeatedly expounded in all its rich plenitude of mercy, and in all its absolute freeness. Another thing which prevents growth in grace is that Christians do not make their obedience to Christ comprehend every other object of pursuit. Their religion is too much a separate thing, and they pursue their worldly business in another spirit. They try to unite the service of God and Mammon. Their minds are divided, and often distracted with earthly cares and desires which interfere with the service of God; whereas they should have but one object of pursuit, and all that they do and seek should be in subordination to this. Everything should be done for God and to God. Whether they eat or drink they should do all to His glory. As the ploughing and sowing of the wicked is sin, because done without regard to God and His glory, so the secular employments and pursuits of the pious should all be consecrated, and become a part of their religion. Thus they would serve God in the field and in the shop, in buying and selling and getting gain—all would be for God. Thus their earthly labors would prove no hindrance to their progress in piety; and possessing an undivided mind, having a single object of pursuit, they could not but grow in grace daily. He whose eye is single shall have his whole body full of light. Another powerful cause of hindrance in the growth of the life of God in the soul is that we make general resolutions of improvement, but neglect to extend our efforts to particulars. We promise ourselves that in the indefinite future we will do much in the way of reformation, but are found doing nothing each day in cultivating piety. We begin and end a day without aiming or expecting to make any particular advance on that day. Thus our best resolutions evaporate without effect. We merely run the round of prescribed duty, satisfied if we do nothing amiss and neglect no external service which we feel to be obligatory. We resemble the man who purposes to go to a certain place, and often resolves with earnestness that he will some day perform the journey, but never takes a step towards the place. Is it at all strange that that person who on no day makes it his distinct object to advance in the divine life, at the end of months and years is found stationary? The natural body will grow without our thinking about it, even when we are asleep, but not the life of piety, which only increases by and through the exercises of the mind, aiming at higher measures of grace. And as every day we should do something in this good work, so we should direct our attention to the growth of particular graces, especially of those in which we know ourselves to be defective. Are we weak in faith? let us give attention to the proper means of strengthening our faith and, above all, apply to the Lord to increase our faith. Is our love to God cold and hardly perceptible, and greatly interrupted by long intervals in which God and Christ are not in all our thoughts? let us have this for a daily lamentation at the throne of grace—let us resolve to meditate more on the excellency of the divine attributes, and especially on the love of God to us—let us be much in reading the account of Christ’s sufferings and death, and be importunate in prayer, until we receive more copious effusions of the Holy Spirit; for the fruit of the Spirit is love, and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us. And so we should directly aim at cultivating and increasing every grace; for the divine life, or ‘new man’, consists of these graces, and the whole cannot be in health and vigor while the constituent parts are feeble and in a state of decay. The same remarks are applicable to the mortification of sin. We are prone to view our depravity too much in the general, and under this view to repent of it, and humble ourselves on account of it; whereas, in order to make any considerable progress in this part of sanctification, we must deal with our sins in detail. We must have it as a special object to eradicate pride and vain glory, covetousness, indolence, envy, discontent, anger, etc. There should be appropriate means used, suited to the extirpation of each particular vice of the mind. It is true, indeed, that if we water the root we may expect the branches to flourish; if we invigorate the principle of piety, the several Christian virtues will flourish. But a skilful gardener will pay due attention both to the root and the branches; and, in fact, these graces of the heart are parts of the root, and it is by strengthening these that we invigorate the root. The same is true as it relates to the remaining principle of sin. We must strike our blows chiefly at the root of the evil tree; but those inherent vices which were mentioned, and others, should be considered as belonging to the root, and when we aim at their destruction particularly and in detail, our strokes will be most effectual. I shall mention at present but one other cause of the slow growth of believers in piety, and that is the neglect of improving in the knowledge of divine things. As spiritual knowledge is the foundation of all genuine exercises of religion, so growth in religion is intimately connected with divine knowledge. Men may possess unsanctified knowledge and be nothing the better for it; but they cannot grow in grace without increasing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘Being,’ says Paul, ‘fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.’ ‘Grow in grace,’ says Peter, ‘and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Jonathan Edwards remarks that the more faithful he was in studying the Bible, the more he prospered in spiritual things. The reason is plain, and other Christians will find the same to be true. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 37: ALEXANDER - PRAYER A PRIVILEDGE ======================================================================== PRAYER A PRIVILEGE by Archibald Alexander Although God is everywhere present, yet he is invisible. He is an all-pervading Spirit, yet is perceived by none of our senses. We behold his glorious works in the heavens and in the earth, and may learn something, by careful observation, of the general laws by which the material universe is governed; but still the great Architect is concealed. As far as reason can lead us, we seem to be shut out from all fellowship with our Maker; and whether prayer is permitted would remain forever doubtful, were it not for divine revelation. Indeed, considering man as a sinner, it would seem presumptuous for such a creature to obtrude himself into the presence of a holy God. Scripture teaches us that God may be acceptably approached by sinners only through the mediation of his Son. Prayer is everywhere in the Bible recognized as proper, and inculcated as a duty. But it is also a most precious privilege, one of the richest blessings conferred on man. It opens a method of fellowship and communion with our Father in heaven; it furnishes a refuge for the soul oppressed with sin and sorrow; it affords an opportunity to the heart overwhelmed with an intolerable weight of misery to unburden itself, to pour its griefs into the ear of one who can pity and help. The moral effect of prayer is important. It humbles the soul, and excites veneration for the magnificent and holy character of God. But though prayer brings into exercise the noblest acts and emotions of which our nature is capable, yet it would be a grand mistake to confine the efficacy of prayer to their moral effects. Prayer, when offered in faith, for things agreeable to the will of God, actually obtains for the petitioner the blessings which he needs. It has an efficacy to obtain forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and deliverance from a thousand evils. Prayer enters into the ears of the Lord Almighty; the prayer of faith is the mightiest engine upon earth. The Lord of heaven has given his word to answer prayer. He will be inquired of by his people, that he may bless them. God can make any means effectual; and among the instituted means for the government of the world, and the preservation and comfort of his people, prayer holds a high place. The objection that God is immutable, and knows what we need, has no more force against prayer than any other means—no more force than if urged against the necessity of cultivating the ground in order to obtain a crop, or receiving food to nourish the body. The Christian life is sustained by prayer. By it every grace is exercised, every blessing is obtained. Without the sincere desires of the heart, prayer is nothing; it is worse—it is a mockery. He is the best Christian who prays most. As God is ever near to us, "for in him we live, and move, and have our being," we are permitted to hold fellowship with him at all times, and in all places. We are commanded to "pray without ceasing"—to "be instant in prayer"—to "pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands." In prayer there is not only an outgoing of the soul to God, in acts of faith, love, and confidence, but there is an actual communication from God to the soul. Prayer is a holy converse—a fellowship with God. One hour spent in prayer, will accomplish more good than many employed in study or labor. Surely, then, it is good to draw near to God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 38: ALEXANDER - PREPARATION FOR DEATH ======================================================================== PREPARATION FOR DEATH by Archibald Alexander You are placed in solemn circumstances. Eternity rolls its boundless waves just before you! Every year, every month, every week, every day, every hour lessens the distance between you and the unchangeable state to which you are hastening. The precise moment of your entrance into this untried, unknown world is hidden from you. Death often comes and knocks at the door at a time when least expected. At a time when men think not--they receive the awful summons. And often they are hurried away, little time being allowed for preparation. Many, while they know they must die at some time, never in their lives think seriously of the matter. When the summons reaches them, they are taken by surprise. It is practically a new subject; they are alarmed, and filled with consternation. They cling to hope as long as there is a ray of hope that they may be spared a little longer. But when it is announced to the unhappy sufferer that there is no hope of recovery—that the physician has given him up, O what a poignant anguish pierces the soul! Who can describe the horror by which the guilty sinner is overwhelmed? Are you prepared for death? Some one is perhaps ready to say, "I am no worse than my neighbors. I have never done anything very bad. I have tried to live a good life; I hope that I shall find favor of the Lord when I come to die." And is this all the ground of hope you have? Are you willing to appear before the solemn judgment with no better righteousness than this? Though you may have lived a decent moral life, yet you have failed to love God with all your heart. His service you have habitually neglected. The offers of mercy made in the gospel you have rejected. Unless you obtain a better preparation, your soul will be lost, and your misery will be great. And though you may be in no worse a condition than many of your neighbors, yet it will be small alleviation, when enduring the torments of the damned, that many others are in the same condemnation. No doubt they that perish will have company enough, but this will be no alleviation, but perhaps an aggravation of their misery. "Wide is the gate and broad is the way which leads to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat." The Judge is at the door. Be therefore ready. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 39: ALEXANDER - SINNERS WELCOME TO COME TO JESUS CHRIST ======================================================================== Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ Archibald Alexander Our blessed Lord knew how prone convinced sinners are to unbelief as it regards the reception which he is disposed to give them if they come to him, and therefore He graciously uttered, and has left on record this precious encouragement, "He who COMES UNTO ME, I WILL NEVER CAST OUT." No, though your sins are very great, the kind Redeemer will not cast you out; even if that were true which you sometimes think, that you are the greatest sinner who ever lived upon earth, he will not cast you out. "His blood CLEANSES from all sin." It is as easy for him to save a great as a small sinner. No one was ever saved because his sins were small; no one was ever rejected on account of the greatness of his sins. Where sin abounded, grace shall much more abound. If your guilt is very enormous, the greater honor will redound to that Deliverer who plucks such a brand from the burning. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." But is there not one sin which never has pardon, neither in this world nor in that which is to come? There is; but no one who has committed that sin ever desires to come to Christ; and even that sin would not be unpardonable, if the sinner who is burdened with its guilt should come to him. It is not unpardonable because the blood of Christ has not adequate efficacy to remove it, but because the miserable blasphemer is abandoned by the Spirit of God to his own malignity, and therefore never does nor can desire to believe on Christ. Christ will not cast you off because you have long continued to sin against God, though it be even to gray hairs and the decrepitude of old age. It is indeed a wicked thing to continue one day in rebellion against the King of heaven; and no one can calculate the debt of guilt incurred by spending a long life in continued acts of transgression. But however long you may have continued in rebellion, and however black and long the catalogue of your sins, yet if you will now turn to God by a sincere repentance, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall not be cast out. He who cannot lie has declared, "Him who comes unto me, I will never cast out." I heard a preacher declare from the pulpit that there was no example in the Bible of any one being converted in old age; but he was undoubtedly under a mistake. Was not Manasseh, one of the wickedest men who ever lived, brought to repentance in old age? The ages of those converted on the day of Pentecost and at other times are not given. It is enough for us to know that the aged no more than the young are excluded from the free invitations of the blessed Savior. He invites all the laboring and heavy-laden, and of course those who are burdened with the infirmities of declining years, as well as of unnumbered sins. Aged sinner, you are not excluded from mercy by any word of God in the whole book of divine revelation. God has set before you an open door which no man has a right or power to shut. If you should be shut out, it will be by your own unbelief, and not for lack of a warrant to come. Enter, then, without delay or hesitation. None can less afford to delay than the aged sinner. Now is the time. Now or never. You have, as it were, one foot already in the grave. Your opportunities will soon be over. Strive, then, I entreat you, to enter in at the strait gate. But do you ask whether a man may not outlive his day of grace, and be given over to judicial blindness before life is ended? Undoubtedly he may; but as I said before, such a one, I believe, is never found inquiring what he must do to be saved. The devil often tempts aged sinners, and others too, to believe that it is now too late for them to repent; that the time of their visitation is gone by, and that there is no hope for them. And many miserable souls are long held entangled in this snare. He may even quote Scripture to prove that there is a boundary which, when passed, all hope of salvation is to be relinquished. But as long as we are in the body we have the overtures of mercy made to us by the authority of God, and whether we be young or old, "he who comes unto Me," Christ has declared, shall not be cast out. Take him at his word. Venture on him. If you stay away you must perish, and you can but perish if you go. But see, the golden scepter is held out. This affords full assurance that if you draw near and touch it you shall live. Some are convinced that there is salvation in no other but Christ the Lord, yet they hesitate to come because they feel themselves to be so vile and unworthy. They cannot be persuaded that so great and holy a being as the Son of God will look with favor on creatures so abominably polluted and stained with iniquity. Such feelings as these very naturally arise in the minds of people made sensible of the sinful defilement of their nature; but they are most unreasonable when we take into view the character of Jesus Christ, and the errand on which he came into the world. If he had become incarnate and had died on the cross only for the benefit of the pure and righteous, then this excuse for not coming to him would have some validity; but when we know that he bears the character of a Savior of sinners, and that his name was called JESUS by the angel who announced his birth, because he should save his people from their sins; when we consider his repeated declaration, that he came to seek and save the lost—not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and that he exhibits himself as the Physician, not of the whole, but the sick—we must pronounce this objection most unreasonable. If you were not a sinful, polluted, helpless, and miserable creature, this Savior would not be suited to you, and you would not be comprehended in his gracious invitations sinners. But the deeper you are sunk in sin and misery, the greater reason you have for coming to one who is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. If you were covered with leprosy, and a fountain was opened for washing away every sort of uncleanness, would you stay away because you were so polluted? Or if deadly sick, would you refuse to apply to the physician? The awakened, convinced sinner is the very one to whom Jesus especially directs his attention. And it is a preposterous thing for such to delay coming, under the delusive hope of making themselves fit. This they never can do, and if they could, they would not need a Savior. What, will you wash yourselves in a muddy pool to prepare for being cleansed in a pure fountain? But someone may be ready to say, "All admit that none ever come to Christ until they experience conviction of sin, but I have no conviction, or none worth mentioning. My mind is so blind that I can perceive nothing clearly, and my heart is so hard that what I do see to be true, I cannot feel. O if I could experience some tender relenting—if I could get this adamant heart broken into contrition—if I could even feel pungent pain or alarm on account of my sins, my case would not appear so hopeless. But how can I come to Christ with this blind and stupid heart?" Now, my friend, I beg you to consider that this blindness and unyielding hardness is the very core of your iniquity, and to be convinced that you are thus blind and stupid is true conviction of sin. If you had those feelings which you so much covet, they would not answer the end of conviction, which is, to show you how sinful and helpless your condition is. But if you felt as you wish to feel, you would not think your heart so wicked as you now see it to be. And the truth is, that you are now in a better situation to come to Christ than you would be if you had less conviction of the hardness and stubbornness of your heart. The use of conviction is to show your need of a Savior, and to set clearly before your mind your utterly helpless and hopeless condition in yourself, and that a holy God would be perfectly just in leaving you to your own fruitless efforts, and in punishing you forever for your sins. "Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness he requires Is to feel your need of him." Take words, therefore, and go immediately and fall down before him, and say, "Against you, you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you might be justified when you speak, and be clear when you judge." Confess the righteousness of the sentence which condemns you, and accept the punishment of your sins as just. Cry with Peter, when sinking in the sea, "Lord, save me!—or I perish." Or with the blind man, "O Son of David, have mercy on me!" Or with the Syrophenician woman, "Lord, help me!" Or with the penitent publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" Say, like the royal penitent, "My lips with shame my sins confess Against your law, against your grace. Lord, should your judgment grow severe, I am condemned, but you are clear. Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord, Whose hope, still hovering round your word, Would light on some sweet promise there, Some sure support against despair." But here is another poor soul, more bowed down than any which we have considered. It is an awakened backslider. This man thought that he was a true Christian, and under that impression applied for admittance into the church, and was received, and for a season seemed to run well; but by the snares and baits of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and insidious lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life—by degrees seduced from the paths of piety. After a while the profession of religion was laid aside as an inconvenient thing; since which time, until lately, he has been sinking deeper and deeper into the spirit of the world which lies in wickedness. But recently, by a sore visitation of affliction, his conscience has been awakened to a consideration of his woeful state, and he inquires with the most earnest solicitude whether there is any ground of hope for such a backslider, who has sinned much more flagrantly since he made a profession of religion, than he ever did before. Now to such a one I feel authorized to say, Christ invites even backsliders like you to come and be saved. I find no clause excluding the returning backslider, guilty as he is in the sight of God. He says in regard to this man as well as others—he who comes unto me I will never cast out." There is indeed mention made in Scripture of some backsliders who turn back unto perdition, and never can be renewed again unto repentance; these never come to Christ, and never truly desire to come. For them nothing remains "but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation to devour the adversaries." But we read in Jeremiah of the Lord calling upon his backsliding Israel to return, Jeremiah 3:12; and in Hosea, God says, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely." Hosea 14:4. This is a most gracious and encouraging promise, and we find in fact that God has received great backsliders upon their repentance, and has freely pardoned their enormous sins. I believe that the deplorable backslidings of David, and his subsequent pardon and restoration, were left on record that convinced backsliders might not despair of mercy. And our Lord intimates that Peter, when recovered from his shameful fall, would make it his business "to strengthen his brethren." Some of this class may perhaps allege that they are afraid that they never were truly of the number of the Israel of God. That perhaps is a question which you will never be able to solve in this life. But as to the point in hand it matters not; if you will now come to Christ, you will be received. Come, and he will never cast you out. It is commonly said that men are forward to believe whatever is advantageous to their own interest. This in common cases is true; but it is also true, that when some very great and unexpected good news is brought to us, we find it very difficult to credit it. It seems too good to be true. When Jacob's sons returned to their father after Joseph had made himself known to them, and informed him that his son Joseph was alive and governor of all Egypt, the old man could not believe the report until he lifted up his eyes and saw the wagons which had been sent to convey him to Egypt. So the convinced sinner finds it very hard to believe that a free and full salvation is offered to him, and that Christ stands ready to receive him, and not only to pardon all his sins, but give him a sure title to the heavenly inheritance. It seems a thing almost impossible that he should be thus highly favored, and therefore, when he should with humble confidence lay hold on eternal life; he stands parleying, hesitating, and demurring. He is prone to think that there must be some mistake in the business, and that this good news cannot be true, at least in relation to himself. But when the truth stands out clearly revealed, he begins to understand what he never did before, the absolute and perfect freeness of salvation, and how it is that Christ receives the coming sinner just as he is, in all his guilt and vileness. Then, indeed, he cannot but rejoice and wonder at the suitableness of the plan of salvation to his character and necessities; that it comes down to his wretched and helpless circumstances, and takes him out of the horrible pit and the miry clay, and sets his feet on a rock, establishes his goings, and puts a new song into his mouth, even praise unto God. Since awakened, convicted sinners are so prone to unbelief on this point, it will not be a superfluous labor to offer SOME COGENT REASONS to convince such that Christ will not cast off any who come to him, whatever may have been their former character or sins. And I would first mention, that all who come are drawn by the Father. "No man," says Christ, "can come unto me except the Father who sent me draw him." Those who do truly come are such as were given to him by the Father. "All who the Father gives me, shall come to me." Now this drawing of the Father is the fruit of his everlasting love. "We love him, because he first loved us." And surely Christ will not cast out those whom the Father has loved and given to him, and effectually drawn by his grace. But you may be ready to reply, "How shall I know that I am of the number given by the Father to the Son?" I answer, that you need no other or better evidence of it than your being willing to come. Surely you know that you did not make yourself willing. If you have come to Christ, or are willing to come, I am sure that you will ascribe it entirely to the grace of God. Others, as good by nature and practice as you, remain in love with the world and under the power of sin. Why is this? You must say with Paul, "By the grace of God I am what I am." The choice did not commence with you, but with him. "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." And as Christ concurs with the Father in this drawing, for he says, "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me," he surely will not cast out the poor penitent whom he has drawn to his feet. No, no; never. "He who comes, he will never cast out." Again, Christ redeemed, by the shedding of his precious blood, every soul that comes to him, and the impelling motive which induced him to die for sinners was love, unspeakable love: "who loved us, and gave himself for us." Can anyone then think or suspect that when Christ sees the travail of his soul coming to him, he will cast them out? It would be like blasphemy to say that he would. No! he delights to see the fruit of his painful sufferings even unto death. It was predicted in connection with the impressive description of his sufferings and death, that he would "see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." Again, the Holy Spirit is the agent in convincing men of sin and bringing them to Christ; and this Holy Spirit is sent by the Son as well as the Father to accomplish this work; and when it is effected, when the soul is made willing to bow his neck to the easy yoke of Christ, will he cast him out? Impossible! But the honor and glory of the Redeemer is concerned in this matter. God is not glorified in any transaction upon earth so much as the repentance of a sinner. There is joy in heaven in the conversion of one sinner, more than over ninety-nine just people who need no repentance. Every redeemed and renewed soul is a jewel in the mediatorial crown! We may learn the willingness of Jesus Christ to receive sinners, not only by his frequent gracious declarations, but by his conduct in regard to such as applied to him. Christ's personal ministry was confined to the people of Israel, and when he sent out the twelve, and afterwards the seventy, their commission was restricted within the same limits. Yet when a woman of Canaan came to implore his aid, he did not reject her, though she was descended from an accursed race. At first, indeed, he seemed to give her a repulse, but it was intended only to bring more clearly to view the strength of her faith. And his address to her in the end is truly remarkable: "O woman, great is your faith; be it unto you as you will." And when the centurion, another pagan, applied to him to come and heal his child, he did not reject his suit because he was a heathen, but said of him, "truly, I have not found so great faith—no, not in Israel." When the vilest sinners, as publicans and harlots, came penitently to his feet, he rejected none of them, although his gracious attention to such greatly injured his reputation in the view of the scribes and Pharisees. His condescending behavior towards that woman who was notorious as a sinner, is in the highest degree touching. He was dining in the house of a Pharisee, and this infamous but penitent woman, urged by the strength of her feelings, found her way into the house, and while he was reclining on a couch at dinner, she came up behind him and wept such a flood of tears on his feet, that she is said to have washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. This led the Pharisee to entertain a suspicion that Christ could not be a teacher sent from God, or he would have known the infamous character of this woman. Jesus knowing his thoughts, uttered the beautiful parable of the two debtors, and then making the application to the case of the penitent woman, said, "Therefore I say unto you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven." When our blessed Lord was hanging on the cross, he was applied to by one of the malefactors crucified with him. This man being one of the two selected from all the prisoners in Jerusalem for public execution on this occasion, was no doubt deeply stained with the guilt of enormous crimes; but was his suit denied? O no; the response was full of mercy: "This day shall you be with me in paradise." Who can fathom the freeness and riches of the grace of Christ? It is indeed "unsearchable riches." Paul may with propriety be here introduced. According to his own acknowledgment, he was a murderer and a blasphemer, but he obtained mercy, and was made an apostle, a chief instrument in propagating that gospel which he once attempted to destroy, among the Gentiles. Many of the first converts from among the heathen were notorious for the foulest and vilest crimes, for the apostle in writing to the Corinthians, after giving a black list of crimes which exclude the people guilty of them from the kingdom of heaven, says, "And such were some of you; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." But perhaps no example of the extent of divine mercy and its sovereign freedom can equal the pardon extended to the very people who had imbrued their hands in Christ's own blood. The blood which they shed procured their salvation. And Christ seems to have had special compassion for the bloody city of Jerusalem. Before his death he wept over it and lamented its doom; and after his resurrection, when he met his disciples in a body, he gave direction that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Accordingly, on the day of Pentecost, Peter charges the sin of crucifying the Lord Jesus upon the consciences of those whom he addressed, saying, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Did Peter tell them that as they had committed this enormous crime, and Christ would not pardon them? By no means. He calls upon them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. And these greatest of sinners were that very day received into the church, and continued steadfast in their attachment to Christ and profession of his name. Innumerable instances since that day have occurred of the repentance of the greatest sinners, and no true penitent has ever been rejected. If one instance could be produced of any sinner being rejected who ever came to Christ, this might create some doubt in the soul of one who is agonized with a sense of guilt. But as there is no such example, the trembling sinner, feeling that he is justly exposed to the wrath of God, need not hesitate nor delay to come at once to Christ, with the assurance that however vile and guilty he may be, he shall meet a welcome reception. O sinner, you are welcome to come to Jesus Christ. All difficulty as to Christ's willingness to receive returning sinners being, as it is hoped, removed, the only thing which remains to be considered is, what is to be understood by COMING TO CHRIST, and what are the steps which the sinner must take to come. It is too obvious to need any remark, that a mere bodily approach is not the thing intended. Many of Christ's bitterest enemies were often near his person, as Judas when he betrayed him with a kiss; and as the soldiers who bound him, smote him, scourged him, and nailed him to the cross; but this kind of approach to Christ did those who came near him no good. The coming to Christ of which we have been treating, is the act of the concerned mind which seeks salvation from the burden of sin, and apprehending that Christ is the only Redeemer, TRUSTS IN HIM. Christ is exhibited in the gospel as the only Mediator by whom we can be reconciled to God, and offers to do for the sinner whatever is requisite to save him from the curse of the law, and from the blindness and pollution of sin itself; and coming to him is the same as receiving him in that character, or as sustaining those offices which relate to salvation. There is but one step to be taken, strictly speaking, in coming to Christ, and that is believing in him with all the heart. We are not required to repent and do good works before we come, but to come to him to give us repentance unto life, and to create us anew to good works. But though the act of coming is a single act, yet there are some things which are experienced before this act can be rationally performed. No unawakened, careless sinner, remaining in that state, will come; for the "whole need not a physician, but those who are sick." The sinner who knows nothing of Christ as he is revealed in the Scriptures, cannot come until he is instructed in regard to the character of Christ. Faith therefore comes by hearing the word. A soul perverted by erroneous opinions respecting the fundamental doctrines of religion, cannot come until he is delivered from these errors. That man who believes Christ to be the promised Messiah, but thinks that he is no more than a good man and a prophet, cannot come to Christ until this fundamental error be removed. The soul that truly comes to Christ must be persuaded that he is indeed the Son of God, and possessed of divine perfections. The soul convinced of its sins first seeks Christ as he is an atoning Priest. That which it wants is the pardon of sin, and reconciliation with an offended God. Christ, as the great High-priest, has offered up himself as an atoning sacrifice for sin; and as a priest he has entered into the holy place made without hands, there to sprinkle, as it were, his life-giving blood, and to intercede for all who come unto him. When in this character he is apprehended by the seeking sinner, confidence in him is produced. It is seen now how God can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly who believes in Christ. It is seen that God having accepted Christ's atoning sacrifice, can receive the guilty sinner into favor and adopt the rebel as a child. These views, accompanied by this trust in the Lord Jesus as having made a complete atonement for our sins, is the act of coming to Christ. But as the soul that is regenerated feels sin itself to be a burden, it looks to Christ for a deliverance from all the disorders of the depraved mind. He is therefore received and trusted, to deliver the soul from the deep stains of iniquity, and by the light of his truth to guide it in the right way. Let it be remembered that this coming to Christ is not a solitary act of the believing soul; it is one which must be continually repeated. The justified sinner is every moment dependent on his Savior, without whom he can do nothing. As he is at first justified by faith—so he lives by faith, walks by faith, and by faith overcomes all his enemies, and brings forth the fruits of holiness and peace. But some will be ready to say, "There is no coming to Christ unless we are drawn, and why then are we blamed for not coming?" This is not the language of the truly convinced sinner, for he sees and feels that he is guilty of the damning sin of unbelief, and that he deserves to be punished for this sin above all others; for it is this which seals the guilt of all others upon his soul. Dead in sin, it is certain that he will perform no holy action, but he is still a rational and accountable being. The law of God does not lose its authority to command because we have become sinful. It will never do to plead sin as an excuse for sin, or to attempt to justify sinful acts by pleading that we have an evil heart. This instead of being a valid apology, is the very ground of our condemnation. If you feel that your heart is thus blinded and depraved, this conviction of your miserable, sinful state should humble you deeply in the dust, and induce you to cry more earnestly to God for his life-giving Spirit. Often, however, when Christ sends forth his gracious invitation to believe, he enables the soul by the energy of his Spirit accompanying the call, to come and receive his grace. He accompanies his word with a quickening efficacy, and "the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live." Our whole dependence is on the influence of the Holy Spirit. "Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God gives the increase." Let us now REVIEW the truths which have been inculcated. 1. Christ is an able and willing Savior, who will never cast out any soul that comes to him. 2. The grace of God, through Christ, is perfectly free; that is, he requires no qualification or merit in those who come. They are invited to apply to him in all their guilt and pollution, that they may from his gracious hands receive pardon and renovation. 3. There is no obstacle in the way of any sinner's coming but what exists in himself. The door of mercy cannot be set wider open than it is; the invitations of Christ could not be more kind and full. 4. The whole blame of the sinner's ruin who refuses to come to Christ, will lie at his own door. The only obstacle is his own perverseness and unwillingness, Christ was willing to give life to his greatest enemies if they would come to him; for he complains, "You will not come unto me, that you may have life." 5. The conversion of a soul is the work of God alone. The same power which caused light to shine out of darkness, must shine into our hearts. Creation is a work proper to God only, but conversion is a "new creation," and requires power as really divine as that by which the worlds were formed. 6. God has directed the gospel to be preached to every creature without discrimination; and everyone who hears it has a divine warrant to receive it; and if he does, he has the faithfulness of God pledged for his everlasting salvation. 7. As the efficacy of the word depends on the energy of the Holy Spirit, all Christians should be incessant and fervent in their supplications for this Spirit of grace to be poured out, that sinners may be converted. 8. We have encouragement to hope that the time is coming, and perhaps drawing near, when conversions will be multiplied far beyond the experience of former ages—when all the kingdoms of this world, shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. "EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS!" Amen. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 40: ALEXANDER - THE VALUE OF GOOD BOOKS ======================================================================== The Value of Good Books by Archibald Alexander "Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come, and the books, especially the parchments." (2 Timothy 4:13) When we consider how much good has been done by the published works of such men as Baxter, Owen, Doddridge, Alleine, Boston, Edwards, etc., we wonder that men gifted with a talent for writing attractively and powerfully, do not devote more of their time to the preparation of good books. But although, in theory, we acknowledge the all-pervading power of the press, yet the importance of the subject is not practically felt in all its momentous consequences. The man who is enabled to write a truly evangelical and useful book, or even a single tract of first-rate excellence, may convey the saving truth of the gospel to a thousand times more people than the living preacher can ever instruct by his voice. And hundreds of years after the death of the writer, the production of his pen may be but just commencing its career of usefulness, only to be terminated with the end of the world. Those men, therefore, who are blessed with the ability of producing one work of evangelical excellence, may be considered among the most highly favored of our race, and must enjoy a rich reward hereafter. The plan of first publishing important views of evangelical truth from the pulpit, and then from the press, with such changes as may serve to render them more popular, is a wise economy of time; and considering the incalculable power of the press, more of our learned and eloquent preachers should avail themselves of this method of benefitting the public, by diffusing abroad the precious truths of the gospel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 41: ALEXANDER - UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST ======================================================================== THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST by Archibald Alexander "To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Ephesians 3:8) It is recorded of Christ, that "though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor." But this poverty related only to external condition and earthly goods. He was indeed poor in the things of this world. He was born in the most abject poverty. He lived poor--for he said to one who expressed a desire to be his follower, probably from a hope of worldly benefit, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." He had neither house nor home; and sometimes hungered for lack of food, while laboring in Jerusalem, from morning to night. No one in that city seems to have invited him to a night's lodging; for when he had spent the day in preaching in the temple, and healing the sick who resorted to him, it was his custom in the evening to retire to the mount of Olives. And when journeying—which was always on foot—he was sometimes refused the privilege of lodging in a village by the way. When a prophecy respecting him as king was to be fulfilled by his riding on the foal of an donkey, the animal must be borrowed. And when tribute was demanded of him, he was not in possession of so much money as half a shekel, and therefore sent Peter to the sea to catch a fish, which he knew had the sum necessary for the two of them in its mouth. Indeed, the owner of heaven and earth, in his voluntary humiliation, was content to live upon the charitable contributions of the pious women who accompanied him from Galilee. And when dying, he had nothing to leave for the sustenance of his bereaved mother, but committed her to the care of his beloved disciple, who did possess a home, to which he immediately took her. And when dead, he had no grave of his own where his body might rest, but his lifeless corpse was laid in the tomb of another—a rich man, who graciously gave up for its use a new tomb prepared for himself. But though poor in this world's goods, he was even then rich—rich in divine power, for whenever it was necessary, he could provide food for thousands of hungry people. He was rich in the possession of every divine perfection, for the fullness of the Godhead "dwelt in him bodily." His riches, as being infinite, were indeed unsearchable. But the RICHES OF CHRIST which Paul preached among the Gentiles, were the RICHES OF GRACE. Who can fathom the depth of the love of Christ? Surely it "passes knowledge;" it has a depth, and height, and length, and breadth, which an angel's mind cannot compass. If we would trace this stream to its source, we must go back before the foundation of the world. This fountain of divine mercy is hidden in the depths of eternity; yes, more, in the unsearchable depths of the infinite mind of God. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God; how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out." Christ is not only rich in his divine attributes and love, but in his mediatorial character and possessions. The richest creature ever formed was the human nature of Christ, which he has assumed into intimate personal union with his divine nature. This human nature is enriched with knowledge and sublime properties, which, though finite, as every creature must be, yet far surpass all the richest endowments of the highest angel or archangel who stands in the immediate presence of God. Here is an object to call forth the wonder and adoration of the innumerable angels who encircle the throne of the great I AM. This divine mediatorial Person is the foundation of the whole plan of redemption. As GOD-MAN, he was born, and lived, and taught, and died, and rose again; and now "ever lives to make intercession" for all who have by faith committed their souls into his hands. And in this character of Mediator he has become heir to a glorious inheritance; and of this inestimable riches he has made every true believer a co-heir, "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." There are unsearchable riches for the Gentiles, and also for the Jew; for he makes no difference. All genuine disciples will have their allotment in the celestial Canaan. "It is a broad land of wealth unknown." And these inestimable, inexhaustible riches are freely offered to all. O who will consent to make known these glad tidings to the hundreds of millions of Gentiles now on the earth, and spend their lives in preaching to them the unsearchable riches of Christ? ======================================================================== CHAPTER 42: ALEXANDER - VITAL PIETY ======================================================================== VITAL PIETY by Archibald Alexander (1772—1851) (Taken from Alexander's introduction to the anonymous book, "Advice to a Young Christian on the Importance of Aiming at an Elevated Standard of Piety", published by the American Tract Society in 1843.) True religion not only enlightens the understanding, but rectifies the affections of the heart. All genuine feelings of piety are the effects of divine truth. The variety and intensity of these feelings depend on the different kinds of truth, and the various aspects in which the same truth is viewed; and also, on the distinctness and clearness with which it is presented to the mind. In a state of moral perfection, truth would uniformly produce all those emotions and affections which correspond with its nature, without the aid of any superadded influence. That these effects are not experienced by all who have the opportunity of knowing the truth, is a strong evidence of human depravity. In a state of moral depravity, the mind is incapable alike of perceiving and feeling the beauty and excellence of divine truth. The dead neither see nor feel, and man is by nature "dead in trespasses and sins." Hence, the necessity of the agency of the Holy Spirit to illuminate and regenerate the mind. The nature of divine agency, in every case, is inscrutable by mortals. "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell where it comes, or where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." We know, however, that the work of the Spirit, in the regeneration of the heart, is adapted to the rational nature of man. The thing to be accomplished is not the creation of some new faculty; it is a moral renovation; and all moral changes must be effected by understanding and choice. To put the soul, therefore, in that state in which it will rightly understand the truth, and cordially choose the highest good, is the end of regeneration. Truth, therefore, must be the means by which actual conversion to God takes place. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever." "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." "Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth." Although piety in the heart is the effect of a divine operation, yet all its exercises take place agreeably to the common laws of our rational nature. The understanding is enlightened, the judgment is convinced, motives operate on the will, and conscience approves or disapproves. That the soul, in the exercises of piety, is under the renovating influences of the Holy Spirit, is not known by any consciousness which it has of these divine operations, but by the effects produced in a change of views and feelings; and this change is ascribed to God, because no other is able to produce it; and his word assures us that he is its author. Now, as all men are endowed with the same natural susceptibilities, and as all Christians contemplate the same fundamental truths, the work of grace in the hearts of all men must be substantially the same. All have, by the knowledge of the law, been convinced of sin; have been made to feel sorrow, shame, and compunction, upon the recollection of their transgressions; and to submit to the justice of the sentence of condemnation, which the law denounces against them. All have been made sensible of their own inability to save themselves, and under the influence of these humbling and penitent feelings, have been led to seek refuge in Jesus Christ, as the only hope of their souls. This plan of salvation appears glorious and suitable to all believers; so that they not only acquiesce in it, as the only method of salvation, but they are so well pleased with it, that they would not have another if they could. And in the acceptance of Christ as a complete Savior, there is, in every case, some experience of joy and peace. Connected with the views which the true believer has of Christ as a Savior, there is also a discovery, more or less clear, of the glory of the divine attributes, especially of those which are most conspicuously manifested in the cross of Christ. Holiness, justice, mercy, and truth shine, in the view of the sincere convert, with a luster surpassing all other excellence; and God is venerated and loved for his own intrinsic excellence, as well as for the rich benefits bestowed upon us. But although these views may be distinguished, yet, in experience, they are not separated. The brightest discovery of divine excellence ever made, is God's love to our miserable race. The law of God is also viewed to be holy, just, and good, by every regenerated soul. The unrenewed heart never is, nor ever can be, reconciled to the law; "it is not subject to it, nor indeed can be": but the "new man" delighted in the law of God, and would not have one precept of it altered; and while it condemns all his feelings and works as imperfect, he approves of it still, and blames himself for his want of conformity to a rule so perfect. Another thing in which the experience of all Christians is uniform, is, that they all are brought to a deliberate purpose to be on the Lord's side. On this point there is no hesitancy. Many are affected, and much agitated with religious impressions, and yet never come to a full decision to choose God and his service. They halt between two opinions, and have a divided mind. Such people, however lively their feelings, are not yet truly converted: all true converts, after counting the cost, have settled this point forever. And they can say with the Psalmist, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." They are, therefore, prepared now to comply with the terms of discipleship laid down by Christ himself. They are willing to "deny themselves, to take up their cross, and follow him; to forsake father and mother, wife and children, houses and lands, yes, also their own lives, for the sake of Him who gave himself for them." Out of such views and feelings as have been described, arises an ardent hungering and thirsting after righteousness, an intense desire to know more of God, and to be admitted into closer union and more intimate communion with him. These habitual desires of the renewed soul find their proper expression in prayer, and lead to a patient and earnest waiting upon God in all the ordinances and means of his appointment. True piety, however, does not stop in mere desires, or in attendance on religious duties; it seeks to glorify God by action. The earnest inquiry of every soul inspired with the love of God, is, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" And wherever there is piety towards God, there will exist benevolence towards men. One of the most sensible emotions of the young convert is, "good-will to men"; a sincere desire for the welfare and eternal salvation of all, not even excepting its most inveterate enemies. And towards the children of God, there springs up a strong and tender affection. Such seem to be brethren indeed, because they are the brethren of Christ, and bear something of his image, in the humility, meekness, and benevolence of their character. In short, genuine piety disposes and determines all who are its subjects, to obey and respect all the commandments of God, and to hate and avoid all sin, according to that declaration of David, "I esteem all your precepts concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way." In all the above-mentioned essential characteristics of piety, there is a sameness in the exercises of all true Christians. The same impression has been made on every renewed heart, and the only difference is, that it is imprinted more deeply on some than others; but still, the characters are identical; and therefore the evidences of a work of grace, contained in the holy Scriptures, are equally applicable to all people who have been brought from darkness to light. There often is, moreover, a striking resemblance in those accompanying exercises and circumstances which are not essential. Awakened sinners are liable to the same erroneous conceptions, and usually fall into the same mistakes. They are all prone to think, that by reforming their lives, they can restore themselves to the favor of God. They commonly apply to the works of the law for relief, in the first instance; and when driven from this false refuge, by a clearer view of the spirituality and extent of the law, and the depth of their own depravity, they are apt to give up all for lost, and seriously to conclude that there is no hope in their case. They are all prone to misapprehend the nature of the Gospel: of its freeness they can at first form no conception; and therefore they think it necessary to come with some price in their hands — to obtain some kind of preparation or fitness, before they venture to come to Christ. And when it is clear that no moral fitness can be obtained until they apply to him, this legal spirit will lead the soul under conviction to think, that very deep and pungent distress will recommend it to Christ; and thus many are found seeking and praying for a more deep and alarming impression of their sin and danger. It is also very common to place undue dependence on particular means; especially on such as have been much blessed to others. Anxious souls are prone to think, that in reading some particular book, or in hearing some successful preacher, they will receive the grace of God which brings salvation; in which expectation they are generally disappointed, and are brought at last to feel that they are entirely dependent on sovereign grace; and that they can do nothing to obtain that grace. Before, they were like a drowning man catching at every thing which seemed to promise support; but now, they are like a man who feels that he has no support, but is actually sinking. Their cry, therefore, is now truly a cry for mercy. "God be merciful unto me a sinner." "Lord save, I perish." And it has often been proverbially said, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity," which is commonly realized by the soul cut off from all dependence on itself — the arm of the Lord is stretched forth to preserve it from sinking; the Savior's voice of love and mercy is heard; light breaks in upon the soul, and it finds itself embraced in the arms of the Savior; and so wonderful is the transition, that it can scarcely trust to its own experience. This similarity of feelings in the experience of the pious has often been remarked, and has been justly considered a strong evidence of the divine origin of experimental religion: for how, otherwise, can this uniformity of the views and feelings of the pious, in all ages and countries, be accounted for? Enthusiasm assumes a thousand different shapes and hues, and is marked by no uniform characteristics; but scriptural piety is the same now as in the days of David and Asaph; the same as when Paul lived; the same as experienced by the pious fathers of the Christian church; the same as described by the Reformers, by the Puritans, and by the evangelical preachers and writers of the present day. When the Gospel takes effect on any of the heathen, although it is certain that they never had the opportunity of learning any thing of this kind from others, yet we find them expressing the same feelings which are common to other Christians. People from different quarters of the globe, whose vernacular tongue is entirely different, yet speak the same language in religion. Members of churches, which hold no communion, and which, perhaps, view each other, when at a distance, as heretics, often, when brought together, recognize in one another dear brethren, who are of one mind in their religious experience. But the identity of religious feeling which has been described above, is consistent with a great variety in many of the accompanying circumstances. Indeed, it seems probable, that each individual Christian has something distinctly characteristic in his own case; so that there exists as much difference in the peculiar features of the inner as of the outward man. The causes of this diversity are manifold: as first, the different degrees of grace received in the commencement of the divine life; secondly, the extent to which they have respectively run in sin, and the suddenness, or gradual nature of their change; thirdly, the degree of religious knowledge which is possessed; and finally, no small diversity arises from the various constitutional temperaments of different people, which must have a powerful effect in giving complexion to the exercises of religion. To all which may be added, the manner in which people under religious impressions are treated by their spiritual guides: and especially the manner in which the Gospel is preached to them. It may, however, be laid down as a sound maxim, that in proportion as the truth of God is clearly brought to view, and faithfully applied to the heart and conscience, the good effects will be manifest. Erroneous opinions, although mingled with the essential truths of the Gospel, will ever tend to mar the work of God. The good produced on any individual, or on a society, must not be judged of by the violence of the feelings excited, but by their character. Men may be consumed by a fiery zeal, and yet exhibit little of the meekness, humility, and sweet benevolence of Jesus. Great pretenders and high professors may be proud, arrogant, and censorious. When these are the effects, we may, without fear, declare, "that they know not what manner of spirit they are of." Any religion, however corrupt, may have its zealots; but true Christianity consists in the fruits of the Spirit, which are, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Piety seems also to assume an aspect somewhat different, in different ages and periods of the church. There is in human nature a strong tendency to run to extremes; and from one extreme, immediately to the opposite. And as the imperfections of our nature mingle with every thing which we touch, so piety itself is not exempt from the influence of the tendency above mentioned. In one age, or in one religious community, the leaning is to enthusiasm: in another, to superstition. At one time, religion is made to assume a severe and gloomy aspect; the conscience is morbidly scrupulous; things indifferent are viewed as sins; and human infirmities are magnified into crimes. At such times, all cheerfulness is proscribed; and the Christian whom nature prompts to smile, feels a check from the monitor within. This alloy of genuine piety is also often connected with bigotry and censoriousness. Now, when true religion is disfigured by such defects, it appears before the world to great disadvantage. Men of the world form their opinions of the nature of piety from what they observe in its professors; and from such an exhibition of it as we have described, they often take up prejudices which are never removed. There is, however, an opposite extreme, not less dangerous and injurious than this, when professors of religion conform to the world so far that no clear distinction can be observed between the Christian and the worldling. If the former error drives men away from religion, as a sour and miserable thing, this leads them to the opinion, that Christians are actuated by the same principles as they are; and therefore they conclude that no great change of their character is necessary. It is sometimes alleged by professors who thus accommodate themselves to the fashions and amusements of the world, that they hope by this means to render religion attractive, and thus gain over to piety those who neglect it; but this is a weak pretext, for such conformity always tends to confirm people in their carelessness. When they see professors at the theater, or figuring in the ballroom, their conclusion either is, that there is no reality in vital piety, or that these professors act inconsistently. The religious habits of some serious professors of religion are adapted to make a very unfavorable impression on the minds of sensible men. They assume a demure and sanctimonious air, and speak in an affected and drawling tone; often sighing, and lifting up their eyes, and giving audible utterance to their ejaculations. Now, these people may be, and I doubt not, often are, truly pious; but the impression made on most minds, by this affectation of religious solemnity, is, that they are hypocrites, who aim at being thought uncommonly devout. It appears to me, that religion never appears so lovely, as when she wears the dress of perfect simplicity. We ought not, indeed, to be ashamed of our religion before the world; but it behooves us to be very careful, not to give to others an unfavorable opinion of serious piety. The rule is, "Let your light so shine, that others seeing your good works, may glorify your Father who is in heaven." "Let not your good be evil spoken of." But the aspect and character of the piety of one age may differ from that of another, more from the peculiar circumstances in which Christians are placed, than from the prevalence of erroneous views or incorrect habits. In one age, vital piety seeks retirement, and runs in hidden channels. At such a time, the attention of Christians is turned chiefly on themselves. Much time is devoted to devotional exercises; often whole days. The secret recesses of the heart are explored with diligence and rigor; indwelling sin is detected in its multiform appearances, and is mortified with invincible resolution; the various means of personal growth in grace are studied, and used with persevering assiduity; and much useful knowledge of the nature of the spiritual life in the soul is acquired. But while vital piety is thus carefully cultivated, and the attention is earnestly turned to the exercises of the heart, there may be very little display of active, enlarged benevolence; there may be few vigorous efforts made to meliorate the condition of the multitudes perishing in sin. Under the influence of these defective views of the nature of religion, many pious people, in the early ages of Christianity, withdrew entirely from the world, and lived in the wilderness; which mistake occasioned innumerable evils to the church, the effects of which are not yet obliterated. The spirit of piety among the Reformers seems to have been pure and vigorous, but not as expansive as it might have been. They seem scarcely to have thought of the hundreds of millions of heathen in the world; and of course, made no efforts to extend the knowledge of salvation to them. Indeed, they were so much occupied at home, in contending for the faith against the Romanists, that they had little time left for benevolent enterprises at a distance; but if that zeal which was worse than wasted in controversy with one another, had been directed to the conversion of the heathen, their usefulness would have been far greater than it was. The Puritans, also, although profoundly acquainted with experimental religion, seemed to have confined their attention too exclusively to themselves. Their ministers were, it is true, silenced, and driven into corners and into exile, by an ungrateful and tyrannical government; but it seems wonderful to us, that when prevented from preaching the Gospel to their own countrymen, they did not turn to the gentiles. But the era of missions had not yet arrived, and probably they had but small opportunity, in their persecuted state, of uniting their counsels, or combining their energies in schemes of distant benevolence. One thing, however, is now manifest, that the providence of God overruled the retirement and leisure of those godly ministers who were ejected from their charges, so as to render their labors more useful to the church than if they had been permitted to spend their lives in preaching the Gospel; for, when deprived of the liberty of employing their tongues, they betook themselves to their pens, and they have left to the church such a body of practical theology, as all ages, before or since, cannot equal. I have no doubt, that such men as Owen, Baxter, Flavel, Bunyan, Goodwin, Manton, Howe, and Bates, have effected much more good by their practical writings, than they could possibly have done by their preaching, supposing them to have been ever so successful. But our lot is cast in a different age, and in a different state of the church. After a long slumber, the attention of Christians has been aroused to consider the perishing condition of the heathen. We live in a period when great designs are entertained, and plans formed for the conversion of the whole world; when one benevolent enterprise or institution follows another in rapid succession, until the Christian community begins to exhibit an entirely new aspect from what it did within our own remembrance. Christians have begun to feel, that by a combination of effort, they have power to accomplish much. The public attention is kept awake by the frequent recurrence of public meetings of an interesting kind, and by that more potent engine, the wide circulation of religious periodicals, by which, interesting intelligence is conveyed to almost every corner of our extensive country. The duty of Christians to be active, is now inculcated in almost every form; tracts are multiplied; the Scriptures are circulated; the young and ignorant are instructed by new methods; and many are found running to and fro to promote the propagation of evangelical truth. The number of serious Christians is vastly increased; and many youth are brought forward to a course of preparation for the gospel ministry. A spirit of liberality also is witnessed, unknown to our fathers; and the duty of consecrating to the Lord a reasonable proportion of all their increase, is beginning to be extensively felt among serious Christians. And such is the spirit of enterprise, that no undertaking appears too arduous, which has for its object the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom: and such is the favor of heaven towards benevolent enterprises in our day, that scarcely one has failed of accomplishing some good. Now, in all these favorable appearances and benevolent exertions, every pious heart must and will rejoice. But is there no danger, that many who feel interested in the operations of the day, and contribute to their advancement, should be mistaken as to their true spiritual condition? When a powerful current takes a set, many will be carried along with it, whichever way it may run. And is there no danger that Christians themselves, while they seem to flourish in external profession, zeal, and activity, may be decaying at the root, for want of sufficient attention to their own hearts, and to the duties of the [prayer] closet? There is, indeed, much reason to fear that many professors now exist, who confine religion too much to those external acts which may be performed from motives no higher than those which operate on unrenewed men. The danger now is, that the religion of the heart will be neglected, and that many will feel well satisfied with themselves, on account of their activity and zeal, who are yet strangers to a work of grace. This being the point on which Christians of the present day are liable to err, it is a matter of congratulation, that some writers seem disposed to turn the attention of the Christian public to the importance of diligence and punctuality in performing the duties of the closet. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 43: ALEXANDER - WELLS OF SALVATION ======================================================================== WELLS OF SALVATION by Archibald Alexander "With joy," says Isaiah, "shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation." Pure water is often employed by the sacred writers as the emblem of grace. The figure is used in several different senses. Water represents purity; and the washing with water, the purification of the soul. "In that day," says Zechariah, "shall a fountain be opened for sin and uncleanness." "Wash--and be clean," says Isaiah; and in the New Testament, we read of "the washing of regeneration," of being "born of water," and of having our "bodies washed with pure water." The ordinance of baptism evidently implies, among other things, this, as was said by Ananias to Paul, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins." But as water is necessary to the comfort of life, yes, to its very existence, we find it often used as an emblem of life and refreshment. "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters." "On the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink." And Christ said to the Samaritan woman whom he met at Jacob's well, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says, give me to drink, you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water." And again, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." And in the book of Revelation we have one of the sweetest, richest texts on this subject: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Another use of certain waters among men is, for healing diseases. Medicinal springs are sought after and resorted to all over the world; but I do not find that, except in case of miraculous healing, any mention is made of water as medicinal in the Bible. The pool of Bethesda was famous, in the time of our Savior, for the healing virtue of its waters; but this, we are told, was owing to a miraculous cause: "An angel descended into the pool, at certain seasons, and troubled the water; and whoever first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatever disease he had." So, also, we read in the Old Testament, that Naaman the Syrian, by the direction of Elisha, was healed of an incurable leprosy by dipping himself seven times in the river Jordan. And the blind man whom our Savior healed by placing clay on his eyes, was directed to go and wash in the pool of Siloam; and "he went, and washed, and came seeing." If there should be a miraculous fountain opened in some part of the world, which had the virtue of curing all sorts of bodily diseases, what an amazing rush would there be to reach it by the rich and the poor. The ways leading to it would be constantly crowded with pilgrims seeking a cure of their various diseases. The sick and decrepit, as when our Lord was on earth, would be borne by their friends and bathed in the fountain of life. The superstitious heathen travel hundreds and thousands of miles to visit some fountain supposed to possess a healing virtue; and in some popish countries, sacred wells are visited at certain seasons by a poor deluded people, who expect healing from waters which possess no healing quality, but what imagination gives them. But when it is announced that a well of salvation is opened for the healing of the maladies of the soul, very little interest is felt by most in the tidings. Men are not sensible of their spiritual diseases, and therefore do not seek a cure. Yes, they are under such a direful delusion, that they are unwilling to be healed: they fondly cherish their mortal maladies, and are often offended when urged to come to the wells of salvation to be healed. A few, however, are thirsting for salvation, and they rejoice to hear that a fountain is actually springing up in this wilderness, to which they are freely invited. Such come with joy to the wells of salvation. And oh, how sweet are the repeated draughts of the water of life which they drink in! Others are deeply affected with the conviction of their moral defilement. They ardently desire cleansing. To all such we bring glad tidings, when we announce that "a fountain is opened for sin and uncleanness." Do you ask where? In the gospel—in Christ, who is the center and substance of the gospel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 44: ALEXANDER - WHAT I DESIRE ======================================================================== WHAT I DESIRE by Archibald Alexander Spiritual knowledge is that view of divine truth which arises from the illumination of the Holy Spirit. With this divine illumination comes: A lively exercise of faith, not merely in the way of assenting to the truth, but confiding in the promises; A holy susceptibility of heart, so that every thought of Christ may be a warm emotion of love and delight; Godly fear—a profound veneration, yes, adoration of the divine majesty; Deep humility, not only a feeling of littleness and weakness and ignorance, but of unworthiness and ill desert, together with contrition of spirit, a godly sorrow that works repentance; A devotional spirit, a constant breathing after God, the living God; Fervent spontaneous prayers in the midst of business and company; Good-will to all men; brotherly love; Tender compassion for the afflicted; Inward peace—peace with God, peace of conscience, tranquility of mind, a peaceable temper; Courage in opposing spiritual foes, and in aggressive assaults on the kingdom of darkness; A spirit of wise enterprise in doing good; promptitude in seizing on opportunities of being useful; Constancy and perseverance in well-doing—bringing forth much fruit, and continuing to bear fruit even in old age; Assurance of pardon and acceptance, with a good hope, entering into that within the veil; Patience under suffering, and the salutary benefits of sanctified affliction; A grateful temper, ever disposed to give thanks, and to praise the Father of lights, from whom comes down every good and perfect gift; Contentment with an obscure and humble condition in the world, without envy of the rich and great. Let these things be in me and abound, and I ask no more. Let the worldlings have the world, and make the most of it! I will never envy their prosperity, for it is but for a moment, and then, like a passing scene in a drama, disappears forever! Their feet stand on slippery places, and in due time their steps will slide! And then, all their music, their mirth, and their wine will cease forever! And when they sink, they will rise no more. They plunge into a horrible abyss, where no ray of hope ever enters! Oh, their end, their dreadful end! Give me my place and portion with the humble poor. Lift upon me, O God, the light of your reconciled face, and scatter the dismal gloom with which guilt and unbelief envelops the soul. Speak your peace to my troubled conscience, and darkness shall be light, the weeping of the night converted into the joy of the morning. Lights and shadows alternate during our earthly pilgrimage. But often the nights are long and wintry; we long for the genial, reviving warmth of spring. Our spirits seek to be regaled by the sweet odors of the fragrant flowers, and with the joyful singing of birds. Oh for a serene, unclouded sky. But see that dark, deep valley. See how many descend into the sides of the pit, but none ever return. Most are driven away—they are suddenly cast down. They were not aware of their nearness to the brink—they were not prepared for this sudden, awful change. O the blindness of man! How deep his sleep of carnal security! Will nothing awaken him? My desire is to meditate on my latter end until I become wise unto salvation; to stand ready with my lamp trimmed, and thus to wait for the coming of my Lord. Soon I shall need earthly blessings, and even means of grace--no more. O what scenes will soon burst on my astonished vision! Lord Jesus, come quickly! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 45: ALEXANDER - WHAT THE DISCIPLES SAW ======================================================================== WHAT THE DISCIPLES SAW by Archibald Alexander "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see," said our Savior; "for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them." What things did the disciples see and hear which prophets and kings desired to see and were not gratified? They saw the seed of the woman, predicted in paradise to bruise the old serpent's head. They saw the person who was to descend from Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth should be blessed. They saw the Lamb of God, whom Isaac so strikingly typified, when he was laid upon the altar to be sacrificed. God did not allow the stroke to fall upon Isaac, but he did not withhold the sword of justice when his own Son stood in the stead of sinners; but said, "Awake, O sword, against the man who is my fellow—smite the shepherd." They saw Shiloh, to whom was to be the gathering of the people. They saw Messiah, the prophet whom God promised to raise up, like unto Moses—the King-Messiah, whom God promised to sit upon his holy hill of power. They saw the Priest whom God swore that he would raise, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek. They saw Immanuel, the wonderful child, who had the government on his shoulders. The branch from the root of Jesse and stem of David, whose kingdom was to be everlasting. They saw the "Word made flesh." "God manifest in the flesh." The eternal Son of God, the brightness of his glory, and express image of his person. They saw the stupendous and beneficent miracles wrought by Jesus, in the healing of all manner of diseases by a word or a touch, and even at a distance. They saw him give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead. They were witnesses of his power over the elements in commanding the winds and the sea to be still--and these boisterous elements obeyed him. Also when he multiplied a few loaves and fish, so as to feed thousands of hungry people, they were the dispensers of his bounty to the multitude, and gathered up of fragments, after the feast was over, vastly more bread than was originally possessed. They saw the "Man of sorrows," whose visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. They saw the Lord of glory, to whom belonged the world and the fullness thereof--so poor, that while the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air nests, he had nowhere to lay his head. And soon after these words were spoken, they saw the Prince of life dying between two thieves, as though he had been a chief malefactor. Yes, they saw the author of life expire in death, and laid in the grave a pale and lifeless corpse. But soon they saw that tomb empty, and were permitted to see the Savior risen to life, in the same body. They inspected the wounds in his hands, his feet, and his side. They saw him transformed, so that he ascended to heaven before their eyes, in like manner as he will be seen when he makes his second appearance. All these were sights which prophets and kings desired to see, but saw them not. And their ears were also blessed. The ear is an organ expressly blessed of God, for "faith comes by hearing." The word of God commonly goes into the heart through the ear, rather than through the eye. The apostles heard Jesus preach, who spoke as never man spoke. They heard the gracious words which proceeded from his mouth. They heard the sermon on the mount. They heard all his striking and beautiful parables, and their lucid explanation. They heard his kind inculcations and gracious promises, his prayers and his predictions. They heard what made their hearts burn within them. But men may be blessed who have not seen, but have believed. As our Lord said to Thomas, "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen--and yet have believed." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 46: ALEXANDER - WHY HALT BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? ======================================================================== WHY HALT BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? by Archibald Alexander Between truth and error, light and darkness, there is a perpetual conflict. Every human soul experiences something of this. Evidence is always on the side of truth; but by the mind blinded by prejudice and passion, the evidence of truth is not seen, or not perceived with sufficient clearness to give it efficacy. A mind under the influence of depraved dispositions is incapable of judging impartially of the nature and evidence of truth; it is strongly biased by inclination to sinful indulgence, and by a fixed aversion to everything which tends to restrain the evil desires of the corrupt heart. Yet some rays of light will at times dart into such a soul, and awaken serious reflection; and conscience cannot be easy when the obligation of duty is felt, and the course pursued is seen to be a series of transgressions of God's holy law. Conscience asserts the rightful authority of God, and testifies against known sin. The sinner is brought to a pause. The thoughts of death, judgment, and eternity, are dreadful. He begins to think of a reformation, the necessity of which he cannot doubt; but some darling lust puts in its plea and solicits indulgence. The deceitful heart promises, that if now indulged, it will consent to forsake the beloved sin at some future time—perhaps it promises never to solicit for indulgence again. "This once only" has been the plea which has often decided the eternal destiny of an immortal soul. When the truth is heard from the pulpit, the sinner is often brought to a stand. He is convinced that his course of life is wrong, and that if persisted in, it must end in ruin. For a moment he hesitates—halts between two opinions—between truth and error, between duty and transgression, between the choice of life or death; but too often the pause is momentary, the hesitation which is painful is brought abruptly to a close. The young man just entering on the path of sinful indulgence, whose conscience is not yet seared, and who has some knowledge of the truth--has to pass through many a tremendous struggle with his own conscience before he can go on in his sinful course without opposition. Often is he brought to halt between two opinions. Often does he resolve to break the chains of iniquity which begin to entwine around him; but these resolutions are like the cords on Samson's arms—under the power of the next temptation, they are like thread when it touches fire. Repeated efforts proving ineffectual, the vanquished soul gives itself up a willing captive to Satan. All serious opposition ceases. And now the sinner begins to justify his course by error and infidelity. He becomes ingenious in finding out arguments in favor of his licentious course. Hereafter there is no more halting between two opinions; he is carried down the strong current, until he plunges into the abyss of perdition! The prophet addressed the idolatrous Israelites with the question, "How long will you halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The object of Elijah was to bring them to a decision, one way or the other. Nothing is more unreasonable than hesitation in a matter so important, and where the duty and interest of those addressed were so manifest. But still they are left to choose. If they are willing to serve God, well; if not, choose whom you will serve. Only halt no longer. God hates this perpetual vacillation. "I wish that you were cold or hot," says Christ. "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth." Sinner, make up your mind. You are left at perfect liberty. There is no constraint, no coercion. God will have none but willing servants. But know, that if you make a wrong choice, if your mind adopt a wrong purpose, and determine to follow an evil course, you will have no one to blame but yourself. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 47: ALEXANDER - YOU FOOL! ======================================================================== YOU FOOL! by Archibald Alexander "You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you!" What harsh language, some will be ready to say. But it is true; and the occasion requires all earnestness. If you see your neighbor's house on fire, while he is sound asleep in his bed, you do not hesitate to alarm him with the most penetrating cry that you can utter. The reason in both cases is of the same nature, but much stronger in the latter, because the loss of the soul is infinitely greater than that of the body; the fires of hell are much more to be dreaded than any material fire, which can only destroy property, or at most, shorten life. But why is this man called a fool? Surely he was not such in the world's estimation. He evidently possessed the wisdom of this world. He knew how to manage his farm successfully. If there was any defect in this respect, it was in not building his barns large enough at first. Often enterprising, industrious men run far before their own anticipations. Wealth flows in upon them, so that they have more than heart could wish. This man, no doubt, had labored hard, but now thinks of taking his rest, and entering on the enjoyment of his rich possessions. He said to his soul, "Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!" No cloud appeared in all his horizon to darken his prospects. His expectation was, not only rest from labor, and ease from trouble; but actual enjoyment in feasting, and unceasing mirth. The course of this farmer and his success are the very objects at which thousands are constantly aiming. They look no higher; they ask no more than he possessed. How then was he a fool? Will not the epithet apply as truly to most of the people in the world? If this present world were our only state of existence, it would be hard to prove the folly of such a course and such sentiments. Then men might with some show of reason say, "Let us eat and drink--for tomorrow we die." If this were all of man, and death the end of existence, the scene will so soon be over, and all joys and sorrows so soon buried in eternal oblivion. If there were no hereafter, of what account would it now be, whether the thousands of millions who have inhabited this globe were sad or merry while they lived? The utter folly of this worldling, and of thousands like him, consisted in this--that being the creature of a supreme Being, he neglected to serve him, and took no pains to secure his favor, or to arrest his wrath. The folly of this he must have felt when God spoke to him and said, "This night your soul shall be required of you!" Oh, what a sudden interruption to his plans of future pleasure. What! Must he give up all his possessions—his fields loaded with ripe harvests, the fruit of his anxious toil? In a moment his fond dream of feasting and mirth is terminated. God, his Maker, calls for him, and none can resist his command. "And who knows the power of his anger?" His soul is required. His account, whether prepared or unprepared, must be rendered. "Give an account of your stewardship." Show in what manner you have improved the talents committed to you. What good use have you made of the riches conferred on you? Poor, wretched man; what can he say for himself? What justification can he offer for a life of disobedience and forgetfulness of God? Where now can he turn? Where can he flee for refuge from his angry Judge? Alas, there is no escape! His riches cannot profit him now. The whole world could not redeem his soul from destruction; and while his heirs are striving about his great wealth, his soul is writhing in unending anguish! Careless reader, take heed lest this be your case! You are in the same condemnation! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 48: ALEXANDER -EVILS OF WAR ======================================================================== THE EVILS OF WAR by Archibald Alexander No one in his senses can believe that it is a right thing for men to destroy each others' lives. For a man to shed the blood of his brother, is murder: to shed the blood of hundreds, is murder on a large scale. There is no excuse for war, but dire necessity. As long as possible, every nation should avoid war; but a state of warfare may be forced on a nation. Self-defense is the first law of our nature; and is a duty. On the contrary principle, the lawless and violent would have everything in their own hands, and the virtuous and peaceable would be the prey of the wicked. But still, it is an evident truth, that every case in which human life is taken in war, is a case of murder; some people must be accountable for the shedding of all the blood which is spilled. And if this be so, then that nation which, without sufficient reason, commences a war, or provokes a war, has an awful responsibility resting on it; and so also when a war is in progress, that nation which refuses to make peace, or insists on unreasonable conditions, is guilty of all the blood which may be shed, and all the misery produced. Disguise it as we may, a battle-field exhibits a shocking scene to the moral feelings. Suppose there never had been any account of war in the history of nations, what would be our feelings in reading an account of a bloody battle? But the loss of human life is not the only evil consequence of war: many families are left destitute of the support and guidance of their natural heads, and are thrown upon an unpitying world in a state of helplessness. See the widowed mother a family of young children. Were she alone, she might make out to struggle through the world; but when she looks upon her dear babes, her heart sinks, and she is ready to give herself up to despair. Military glory is a poor compensation for her loss; and the honors bestowed on the dead are a poor solace for a broken heart. These remarks relate to all wars; they are a horrible evil, wherever the guilt may lie. The moral effects of war are also most deplorable. Men employed as soldiers commonly become exceedingly profane, and reckless of their conduct. The writer is old enough to remember the evils brought into a quiet village, by the return of a number of disbanded soldiers, after the war of the Revolution. These men, having been habituated to a soldier's life, were averse to labor, and as long as they had anything to spend, they met in companies to drink and swear and fight, to the annoyance of the neighborhood. And even the return of the officers was not favorable to the cause of sobriety and purity. They now wished for scenes of fashionable amusement, such as they had enjoyed in the army. Cards and dancing were introduced into a society where such amusements had been almost entirely unknown. Teachers of dancing were now in demand, and the attention of the young was much occupied with this fascinating amusement. Domestic order was frequently interrupted, and family religion rendered odious to the young. Pious parents could not restrain their own children, and many professors were led astray by the opinion that these social meetings were harmless, and tended to rub off the rusticity of the young, and to give a polish to their manners. One consequence of these things was, that the church was brought into a cold and languishing state. The young manifested a great aversion to religion, and for years none of them applied for admission to the church. Discipline was exercised, but public opinion being strongly against it, it failed in most instances of effecting the desired end. Had matters remained in this village in the state into which they had been brought by the means mentioned, religion would soon have become extinct, for it seemed to be confined to a few aged people. But it pleased God after a few years to revive religion in that place, and many were converted from the error of their ways, and were added to the church. The writer expresses no opinion respecting the necessity of the war in which our country is engaged, (1847.) He is no politician, and does not pretend to understand the reasons on which our government acts in the present contest; but of one thing he is fully persuaded, that war is a fearful calamity and a heavy judgment from God on any nation, whether it be entered on for sufficient or insufficient reasons. And as it is much easier to draw the sword than to return it to its scabbard, we may find much trouble and inconvenience before we can bring this contest to a safe and honorable conclusion. As far as we know, our government is solicitous to obtain peace, but our enemies seem not likely to concur in these pacific views. In these circumstances, the Christian people of this land should unite in earnest prayer that God would remove from our country the pressure of this heavy judgment. God may have seen that we needed chastisement, and therefore permitted this fierce contest to take place, by which so many precious lives have been lost to their country and to their families. As in some churches days of prayer have been appointed, let all who know how to pray, and believe in the efficacy of prayer, join in supplicating the throne of grace for mercy, and for the removal of this heavy judgment. Let them cry, "Spare your people, O Lord," and restore peace to our country, which has already expended so much blood and treasure. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 49: ALEXANDERJW - LETTERS TO YOUNG MINISTERS - ON DEVOTION TO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY (1864) ======================================================================== Letters to Young Ministers - On Devotion to the Work of the Ministry by J. W. Alexander WHEN I look back on the years which I have spent in the ministry, I cannot but think that much benefit would have arisen from such honest and plain advices as most of my elder brethren could have given me. It is this which induces me to offer you the hints which follow. These must be somewhat like personal confessions; since the rules which I have to propose are derived in several cases from my own delinquencies. You know the old similitude. Experience is like the stern-lights of a ship, which cast their rays on the path that has been passed over. It will be some little consolation if others shall be benefited, even by our failures. May God of his infinite mercy, give his blessing to these suggestions! You have lately entered on the work of the ministry: my solemn advice to you is, that you devote yourself to it wholly. You remember the expression, [En toutois isthi]: 1 Tim. iv. 15. The complaint is becoming common, respecting young men entering the ministry, in every part of the Church, that many of them lack that devotion to their work, which was frequently manifested twenty or thirty years ago. It is vain to attribute the alleged change to any particular mode of education. In this there has been no such alteration as will account for the loss of zeal. The cause must be sought in something more widely operative. The effect, if really existing, is visible beyond the circle of candidates and probationers. Nor need we go further for an explanation, than to the almost universal declension of vital piety in our Churches, which will abide under every form of training, until the Spirit be poured out from on high. The fact, however, remains. Here and there are young ministers, visiting among vacancies, and ready to be employed in any promising place, who are often well educated persons, of good manners, and irreproachable character: but what a want of fire! There can be no remedy for this evil, but a spiritual one; yet it is of high importance that the young man should know what it is he needs. He has perhaps come lately from his studies, in the solitude of a country parish, or from some school in the mountains; or from some sound but frigid preceptor, who, amidst parochial cares, has afforded him few means of stimulation. His thoughts are more about the heads of divinity, the partitions of a discourse, the polish of style, the newest publications, or even the gathering of a library, than about the great, unspeakable, impending work of saving souls. He has no consuming zeal with regard to the conversion of men, as an immediate business. Let us not be too severe in our judgments. It cannot well be otherwise. None but a visionary would expect the enthusiasm of the battle in the soldier who, as yet, has seen nothing but the drill. Yet this enthusiasm there must be, in order to any greatness of ministerial character, and any success; and he is most likely to attain it, who is earliest persuaded that he is nothing without it. It is encouraging to observe, that some of the most useful and energetic preachers are the very men whose youthful zeal was chiefly for learning, but who, under providential guidance, were brought at once into positions where they were called upon to grapple with difficulties, and exert all their strength in the main work. Such were Legh Richmond and Dr Duncan. In the sequel, you will be fully relieved of any apprehensions that I mean to deter you from study, or even from elegant literature; but this must be subordinated to the principal aim; its place must be secondary. Some who have been most successful in winning souls have been men of learning; Augustine, Calvin, Baxter, Doddridge, Martyn; but they laid all their attainments at the foot of the cross. As Leighton said, to a friend who admired his books, 'One devout thought outweighs them all!' This is not peculiar to matters of religion. No man can reach the highest degrees in any calling or profession, who does not admire and love it, and give himself to it - have his mind full of it, day by day. No great painter ever became such, who had it only as a collateral pursuit, or who did not reckon it the greatest of arts, or who did not sacrifice everything else to it. Great commanders have not risen from among dilettante soldiers, who only amused themselves with the art of war. The young minister, who is evidently concentrating his chief thoughts on something other than his ministry, will be a drone, if not a Demas. Look at the books on his table, examine his last ten letters, listen to his conversation, survey his companions: thus you will learn what is uppermost in his heart. And if you find it to be poetry, aesthetics, classics, literary appointments, snug settlement, European travel, proximity to the great; be not surprised if you find him ten years hence philandering at soirees, distilling verse among the weaker vessels of small literature, operating in stocks, or growing silent and wealthy upon a plantation. It is a source of deep regret to many in review of life, that they have scattered themselves over too many fields; let me entreat of you to spend your strength on one. When we call up in memory the men whose ministerial image is most lovely, and whom we would resemble, they are such as have been true to their profession, and who have lived for nothing else. Some there are, indeed, who have had a clear vocation to the work of teaching, which is really a branch of the ministry, and one of its most indispensable branches, and who have served Christ as faithfully in the school-room or the university, as in the pulpit; such were Melancthon, Turrettine, Witsius, Witherspoon, Dwight, Livingston, Rice, and Graham. But our concern is with ordinary ministers, called to no other public station; and of these it is unquestionable, that the most successful are those who have lived in and for their spiritual work. Call to mind the chief Nonconformists; also of later date, Newton, Cecil, Brown, Waugh, Simeon; the Tennants, Rodgers, M'Millan, M'Cheyne, and of our own acquaintance the 'greatly beloved' William Nevins. In these men, the prominent purpose was ministerial work. If at any time they wrote and published, it was on matters subservient to the gospel. This accounts for the holy glow which, even amidst human imperfections, was manifest in their daily conversation. They might have been eminent in other pursuits, but they had given themselves to the work of Christ. In another letter, the subject may be more appropriately discussed, but I cannot forbear calling your attention to the bearing of this on the tone of preaching. Suppose a man has been all the week with Goethe and de Beranger, or with Sue and Heine, or even with the Mathematicians or Zoologists, not to speak of prices-current, stock quotations, or tables of interest; how can he be expected, by the mere putting on of a black gown or a white neckcloth, and entering the pulpit, to be all on fire with Divine love! No wonder we preach so coldly on the Sabbath, when we are so little moved on week-days, about what we preach. You have perhaps met two or three clergymen lately; what did their conversation turn upon? The coming glory of the Church? the power of the Word? the best means of arousing sinners? even the most desirable method of preparation? or some high point of doctrine? Or were they upon the last election, the last land speculation, the last poem, or the price of cotton and tobacco? According to your answer, will be the conclusion as to the temperature of their preaching. There is indeed a sort of pulpit fire which is rhetorical - proceeds from no warmth within, and diffuses no warmth without; the less of it the better. But genuine ardour must arise from the habitual thought and temper of the life. He with whom the ministry is a secondary thing, may be a correct, a learned, an elegant, even an oratorical, but will never be a powerful preacher. You must allow me to give prominence to this devotion of heart to your work, here at the threshold, because it is my desire hereafter to enlarge more on your theological studies; and I earnestly charge you to hold all studies as only means to this end, the glory of God in the salvation of souls. The day is near when your whole ministerial life will seem to you very short in retrospect. Let our prayer be that of the sweet psalmist of early Methodism: 'I would the precious time redeem, And longer live for this, alone, To spend, and to be spent for them Who have not yet my Saviour known; Fully on these my mission prove, And only breathe to breathe thy love. My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord, Into thy blessed hands receive; And let me live to preach thy word, And let me for thy glory live, My every sacred moment spend, In publishing the sinner's Friend.' That which we all need is to magnify our office, to recognize the sublimity of our work. There would be more Brainerds, and more Whitefields, if such views were more common; and there would be more instances of great men struggling on for years in narrow, remote situations, but with mighty effects. The observation of good Mr. Adam is striking and true: 'A poor country parson, fighting against the devil in his parish, has nobler ideas than Alexander had.' My dear young friend, if there is anything you would rather be than a preacher of the gospel; if you regard it as a ladder to something else; if you do not consider all your powers as too little for the work; be assured you have no right to hope for any usefulness or even eminence. To declare God's truth so as to save souls, is a business which angels might covet: acquire the habit of regarding your work in this light. Such views will be a source of legitimate excitement; they will lighten the severest burdens, and dignify the humblest labour, in the narrowest valley among the mountains. They will confer that mysterious strength on your plainest sermons, which has sometimes made men of small genius and no eloquence to be the instrument of converting hundreds. Think more of the treasure you carry, the message you proclaim, and the heaven to which you invite, than of your locality, your supporters, or your popularity. It is recorded of the excellent John Brown, of Haddington - and I regret that I have forgotten his very words - that to a former pupil who was complaining of the smallness of his congregation, he said: 'Young man, when you appear at Christ's bar, it will be the least of your anxieties that you have so few souls to give account of.' And the same good man said: 'Now, after forty years' preaching of Christ, and his great and sweet salvation, I think I would rather beg my bread all the labouring days of the week, for the opportunity of publishing the gospel on the Sabbath, to an assembly of sinful men, than, without such a privilege, enjoy the richest possessions on earth. By the gospel do men live, and in it is the life of my soul.'1 On this subject the opinion of such a man as John Livingston will have weight with you; for you know be was honoured of God to awaken five hundred by one sermon at the Kirk of Shotts. His life and remains, as published by the Wodrow Society, show that the secret of his strength lay in his devotion to the work. 'Earnest faith and prayer,' says he, 'a single aim at the glory of God, and good of people, a sanctified heart and carriage, shall avail much for right preaching. There is sometimes somewhat in preaching that cannot be ascribed either to the matter or expression, and cannot be described what it is, or from whence it cometh, but with a sweet violence, it pierceth into the heart and affections, and comes immediately from the Lord. But if there be any way to attain to any such thing, it is by a heavenly disposition of the speaker.'2 And again : 'I never preached ane sermon which I would be earnest to see again in wryte but two; the one was on ane Munday after the communion at Shotts, and the other on ane Munday after the communion at Holywood; and both these times I had spent the whole night before in conference and prayer with some Christians, without any more than ordinary preparation; otherwayes, my gift was rather suited to simple common people, than to learned and judicious auditors.'3 Here you have indicated the true source of pulpit strength. It is closely connected with the subject of this letter; for the more you are swallowed up in the vastness of your work, the more will you be cultivating spiritual-mindedness. You will agree at once, that it is a sign we are taking the right view of our vocation, when the means which we employ for our personal growth in grace are the same which most conduce to the power of our ministry. Such an estimate of our work, as is here recommended, can be maintained only by a constant contemplation of the great end of all our preaching and pastoral labour - namely, the glory of Christ, the building up of his kingdom, and the salvation of souls. This should be always in your mind. When you go to bed, and when you are awake, it should be as a minister of Christ; not, surely, in the way of professional assumption, but with a profound sense of your dedication to a momentous work, for which one lifetime seems too short. There are legitimate occasions, on which a minister may deliberately and thoroughly relax himself, by entertaining books, music, company, travel, or even athletic sports, to an extent far more than is common among sedentary men: and I hope you will despise the canting and sanctimonious prescriptions of those who would debar clergymen from any summer repose, or resorts to the springs or sea-side. Nevertheless, in the ordinary ministerial day, there should be no hour not devoted to something helpful towards the great work. This should give direction to all your reading, writing, and conversation. The volume which you have in your hand should be there for some good reason, connected with your ministry. It will appear hereafter, that the territory from which ministerial auxiliaries are to be levied, is exceedingly wide, and embraces all that can strengthen, clear, beautify, and relax the mind; but the animus of all this must be a single eye towards the finishing your course with joy, and the ministry which you have received of the Lord Jesus. Acts xx. 24. Holding it to be a disgrace to a young clergyman not to be familiar with the Greek Testament, I add, [thn diakonian sou plhroforhson]. Each instant of present labour is to be graciously repaid with a million ages of glory. Footnotes 1 See Waugh's Life, p.53. 2 Sel. Biogr. Wodr. Coll., p. 287, &c. 3 Sel, Biogr. Wodr. Coll., p.194, &c. Originally Published in Thoughts on Preaching: Being contributions to homiletics, 1864 ======================================================================== CHAPTER 50: ALEXANDERJW - THE CULTIVATION OF PERSONAL PIETY ======================================================================== The Cultivation of Personal Piety by J. W. Alexander IT is scarcely possible to treat of some subjects without running into commonplaces: their very importance has made them trite, just as we observe great highways to be most beaten. The question has been much discussed, whether a minister should ever preach beyond his own experience. In one sense, unquestionably, he should. He is commissioned to preach, not himself, or his experience, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and his salvation; he is a messenger, and his message is laid before him in the scriptures; it is at his peril, that he suppresses aught, whether he has experienced it or not. He is, for example, not to withhold consolation to God's deeply afflicted ones, till he has experienced deep affliction himself. Yet every preacher of the gospel should earnestly strive to attain the experience of the truths which he communicates, and to have every doctrine which he utters turned into vital exercises of his heart; so that when he stands up to speak in the name of God, there may be that indescribable freshness and penetrativeness, which arise from individual and present interest in what is declared. In every Church there are some aged and experienced Christians. These are specially regarded by the Master, and require to be fed with the finest of the wheat. The ministry is appointed with much reference to such; and they know when their portion is withheld. They may be poor and unlettered, and incompetent to judge of gesture, diction, or even grammar; but they know the 'language of Canaan,' and the ' speech of Ashdod:' I hold them to be the best judges of the ministry. How little does the starched and elegant, but shallow young divine suspect, that in yonder dark, back pew, or in the outskirts of the gallery, there sits an ancient widow, who was in Christ before he was born, and who reads him through and through. Mr. Summerfield once related to me, that Dr. Doddridge, when other more learned helps failed, used to consult a poor old woman, living near him, upon hard passages in his Commentary, and that he generally acquiesced in her conclusions. There is no teacher like the Paraclete; and the promise is, 'All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.' Isaiah liv. 13. To be able to feed such sheep of Christ, if for no other reason, the young minister should seek to attain high degrees of piety. The truth is, such are the discouragements of genuine cross-bearing ministry, and so repugnant to the flesh are many of its duties, that nothing but true piety will hold a man up under the burden; he will sooner or later throw it off; and begin to seek his ease, or preach for 'itching ears,' or phonographic reporters. It is an easy thing to go through a routine, to 'do duty,' as the phrase of the Anglican establishment is; but it is hard to the flesh, to denounce error in high places, to preach unpopular doctrine, to labour week after week in assemblies of a dozen or twenty, to spend weary hours among the diseased and dying, and to watch over the discipline of Christ's house. Nothing but an inward enjoyment of divine truth, and a reference to the final award, will stimulate a man to constancy in such labours. You will be called, as a minister, to spend much time in laborious study, the tendency of which is to draw the mind off from spiritual concerns; and sometimes in the perusal of erroneous, heretical, and even infidel works, that you may know what it is you have to combat. Your condition in this is like that of the physician, who ventures into infection, and makes trial of poisons. You will need much grace to preserve your spiritual health in such perils. The freedom with which you must mingle in society will expose you to many of the common temptations of a wicked world; and it will require the extreme of reserve, caution, and mortification, on your part, to prevent your falling into the snare. In the present day, out of opposition to the ascetic life, we all probably act too much as if we were 'children of the bride-chamber,' and too much neglect the subjugation of the body. That a man is a minister is no token that he shall not be cast into hell-fire. The instances of apostasy within our own knowledge stare at us, like the skeletons of lost travellers, among the sands of our desert-way. No temptation hath befallen them but that which is common to man. The apparitions of clerical drunkards, and the like, should forewarn us. 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall!' The apostle Paul expresses his view of this, in terms of which the force cannot be fully brought out by any translation: 'But I keep under my body,' [hupopiazo] I strike under the eye, so as to make it black and blue, a boxing phrase, indicative of strenuous efforts at mortification; as who should say, 'I subdue the flesh by violent and reiterated blows, and bring it into subjection,' [doulagogo] 'I lead it along as a slave;' having subjugated it by assault and beating, I treat it as a bondman, as boxers in the Palaestra used to drag off their conquered opponents. And the reason for this mortification of the flesh is, 'lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.' 1 Cor. ix. 27. Dreadful words! but needed, to deter us from more dreadful destruction. The tophet of apostate ministers must be doubly severe. It is the 'deceitfulness of sin' which hardens so many of us into carelessness about so great a danger. Pride goeth before destruction, till suddenly, like Saul, the careless minister finds himself inveigled into some great sin. This may never be known to the world, yet it may lead to his ruin. 'I am persuaded,' says Owen, 'there are very few that apostatize from a profession of any continuance, such as our days abound with, but there door of entrance into the folly of backsliding was either some great and notorious sin, that blooded their consciences, tainted their affections, and intercepted all delight of having anything more to do with God; or else it was a course of neglect in private duties, arising from a weariness of contending against that powerful aversation which they found in themselves unto them. And this also, through the craft of Satan, bath been improved into many foolish and sensual opinions of living unto God without and above any duties of communion. And we find that after men have, for a while, choked and blinded their consciences with this pretence, cursed wickedness or sensuality hath been the end of their folly.' Of all people on earth, ministers most need the constant impressions derived from closet piety. If once they listen to the flattering voice of their admirers, and think they are actually holy because others treat them as such; if they dream of going to heaven ex officio; if, weary of public exercises, they neglect those which are private; or if they acquire the destructive habit of preaching and praying about Christ without any faith or emotion; then their course is likely to be downward. Far short, however, a minister of Christ may be of so dreadful doom, and yet be almost useless. To prevent such declension, the best advice I know of, is to he much in secret devotion; including in this term the reflective reading of Scripture, meditation, self-examination, prayer and praise. And here you must not expect from me any recipe for the conduct of such exercises, or rules for the times, length, posture, place, and so forth; for I rejoice in it as the glory of the Church to which we both belong, that it is so little rubrical. How often you shall fast or sing or pray, must be left to be settled between God and your conscience; only fix in mind and heart the necessity of much devotion. It is good sometimes to recall the examples of eminent preachers. John Welsh, the famous son-in-law of Knox, was, during his exile, minister of a village in France. A friar once lodged under his roof, and on being asked how he had been entertained by the Huguenot preacher, replied, 'Ill enough; for I always held there were devils haunting these minister's houses, and I am persuaded there was one with me this night; for I heard a continual whisper all the night over, which I believe was no other than the minister and the devil Conversing together.' The truth was, it was the Huguenot preacher at prayer. Welsh used to say, 'he wondered how a Christian could lie in bed all night, and not rise to pray; and many times he prayed, and many times he watched.' Such cases are not altogether wanting in our own days: Mr. Simeon, of Cambridge, in more than one instance is known to have spent the whole night in prayer. Let me seriously commend to your notice a paper contained in his life by Mr. Carus, page 303, entitled, Circumstances of my Inward Experience. Almost every word of it is golden, and among other passages you will note the following: 'I have never thought that the circumstance of God's having forgiven me, was any reason why I should forgive myself; on the contrary, I have always judged it better to loathe myself the more, in proportion as I was assured that God was pacified towards me. Ezek. xvi. 63 Nor have I been satisfied with viewing my sins, as men view the stars in a cloudy night, one here and another there, with great intervals between; but have endeavoured to get and to preserve continually before my eyes, such a view of them as we have of the stars in the brightest night; the greater and the smaller all intermingled, and forming as it were one continual mass; nor yet, as committed a long time ago, and in many successive years; but as all forming an aggregate of guilt, and needing the same measure of humiliation daily, as they needed at the very moment they were committed. Nor would I willingly rest with such a view as presents itself to the naked eye; I have desired and do desire daily, that God would put (so to speak) a telescope to my eye, and enable me to see, not a thousand only, but millions of my sins, which are more numerous than all the stars which God himself beholds, and more than the sands upon the sea-shore. There are but two objects that I have ever desired for these forty years to behold; the one is my own vileness, and the other is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; and I have always thought that they should be viewed together; just as Aaron confessed all the sins of all Israel whilst he put them upon the head of the scapegoat.' Such exercises as these, you will admit, may well give occasion for more than usual persistency in prayer. But lest you think only of sorrowing exercises, let me recall a passage, which Flavel gives concerning one whom he modestly calls 'a minister,' but who is well understood to have been himself; offering it not so much for imitation, as to show how deep were the experiences of one who was busied in various learning, and in all the scholastic argumentation of his day. He was alone on a journey, and determined to spend the day in self-examination. After some less material circumstances, he proceeds thus: 'In all that day's journey, he neither met, overtook, or was overtaken by any. Thus going on his way, his thoughts began to swell and rise higher and higher, like the waters in Ezekiel's vision, till at last they became an overflowing flood. Such was the intention of his mind, such the ravishing tastes of heavenly joys, and such the full assurance of his interest therein, that he utterly lost the sight and sense of this world and all the concerns thereof; and for some hours knew no more where he was, than if he had been in a deep sleep upon his bed.' Arriving, in great exhaustion, at a certain spring, sat down and washed, earnestly desiring, if it were the pleasure of God, that it might be his. parting-place from this world. Death had the most amiable face, in his eye, that ever he beheld, except the face of Jesus Christ, which made it so; and he does not remember (though be believed himself dying) that he had once thought of his dear wife or children, or any other earthly concernment.' On reaching his inn, the same frame of spirit continued all night, so that sleep departed from him. 'Still, still, the joy of the Lord overflowed him, and he seemed to be an inhabitant of the other world. But within a few hours, he was sensible of the ebbing of the tide, and before night, though there was a heavenly serenity and sweet peace upon his spirit, which continued long with him, yet the transports of joy were over, and the fine edge of his delight blunted. He many years after called that day one of the days of heaven, and professed he understood more of the life of heaven by it, than by all the books he ever read, or discourses he ever entertained about it.'1 Even if you should be disposed to treat this as one of the anomalies of religious experience, you will nevertheless do well to remark that the subject of these exercises is John Flavel, a man remote from enthusiasm, and whose extensive writings are characterised by regular argument and sound theology; and also that this very narrative was thought worthy of republication by the cool-headed Jonathan Edwards. The mention of which name reminds me of an instance given by him, of high religious joy, which has since his death been ascertained to be that of his own wife.2 The narrative is long; but is worthy of your perusal. Among other traits were these: the greatest, fullest, longest continued, and most constant assurance of the favour of God, and of a title to future glory; to use her own expression, 'the riches of full assurance;' the sweetness of the liberty of having wholly left the world and renounced all for God, and having nothing but God, in whom is infinite fulness. This was attended with a constant sweet peace, and calm and serenity of soul, without any cloud to interrupt it; a continual rejoicing in all the works of God's hands, the works of nature, and God's daily works of providence, all appearing with a sweet smile upon them; a wonderful access to God by prayer, as it were seeing him, and sensibly, immediately conversing with him, as much oftentimes (she said) as if Christ were here on earth sitting on a visible throne, to be approached to and conversed with. All former troubles were forgotten, and all sorrow and sighing fled away, excepting grief for past sins and for remaining corruption, and that Christ is loved no more, and that God is no more honoured in the world; and a compassionate grief towards fellow creatures; a daily sensible doing and suffering everything for God, and bearing trouble for God, and doing all as the service of love, and so doing it with a continual uninterrupted cheerfulness, peace, and joy. This was exempt from any assuming of sinless perfection, the claim to which was abhorrent to her feelings. Now, though these are the experiences of a woman, will any one say there is anything in them which would be unreasonable or undesirable in a minister of Christ? True, we are by no means to make piety consist in transports, as is irrefragably proved by the great man who recorded these things: yet there are hours or days in every life of long continued piety, which are remembered for years, and shed their light over all the remaining pilgrimage. And who should covet these Pisgah views, if not ministers of the word? There is among the posthumous papers of the incomparable Pascal, one, which he long carried about his person, and which contains the record of a particular visitation of divine love. It is one of the most seraphic productions of human language: in some places the joy and rapture and dissolving love seem to defy all ordinary expressions, and he can only write down such broken phrases as, joy-joy-tears-tears ; 'joie-joie-pleurs! pleurs!' The greatest scoffers will hardly reckon Pascal and Edwards among unreasoning devotees. Our age is disposed to sneer at high religious passions: it is perhaps the reason why the pathos of the pulpit has to such a degree departed. It is not, however, as a homiletic instrumentality that I would urge you to grow in grace, but far more momentous reasons, which, as a preacher, you have long since learned. Footnotes 1 Flavel's Works, fol. ed., vol. i., p. 501. 2 Edward's Works, vol. iii., pp. 304, 399. Originally Published in Thoughts on Preaching: Being contributions to homiletics, 1864 ======================================================================== CHAPTER 51: AMES - BAPTISM ======================================================================== Baptism By Dr. William Ames 1. The sacraments of the New Testament follow from its nature. They are few in number, easy to prepare and observe, and very clear in their meaning. 2. They were sanctified and instituted by Christ himself. Although the one sacrament was first used by John the Baptist yet by that very fact he became the forerunner of Christ so that he might show that it did not become an ordered institution by the ministry of John but through the institution of Christ himself. 3. The sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper. No other sacraments or sacramental signs were delivered to the church by Christ or his apostles, nor can others be appointed by men in the church. 4. Because of God's institution it is of greatest necessity for believ­ers to use these sacraments diligently and devoutly. But they are not so necessary to salvation that the absence or mere lack of them de­prives one of salvation. Given the institution, they are not to be cele­brated by any who are not lawful ministers or who are outside of a church assembly. 5. Baptism is the sacrament of initiation or regeneration. 6. Although it seals the whole covenant of grace to all believers, when it is specially made our own, it represents and confirms our very ingrafting into Christ. Romans 6:3, Romans 6:5, We have been baptized into Christ Jesus . . . being planted together with him; 1 Corinthians 12:13, We have been baptized into one body. 7. From the time of our first ingrafting into Christ by faith a rela­tionship of justification and adoption is entered into. As the sacrament of that ingrafting, baptism stands for the remission of sins, Mark 1:4. And it stands, also, for adoption in that we are consecrated by it to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose names are pro­nounced over the baptized. 8. And because holiness always comes from Christ into whom we are ingrafted, to all the faithful, baptism is also the seal of sanctification. Titus 3:5, He has saved us ... by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit; Romans 6:4 - Romans 6:6. 9. And since glorification cannot be separated from true holiness it is at the same time the seal of eternal glory, Titus 3:7, That we might…be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life; Romans 6:8, If we are dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live together with him. 10. Because those benefits are sealed by initiation in baptism, it should be noted, first, that baptism is only to be administered once. There is only one beginning of spiritual life by rebirth as there is but one beginning of natural life by birth. 11. Second, baptism ought to be administered to all those in the covenant of grace, because it is the first sealing of the covenant now first entered into. 12. The infants of believers are not to be forbidden this sacrament. First, because, if they are partakers of any grace, it is by virtue of the covenant of grace and so both the covenant and the first seal of the covenant belong to them. Second, the covenant in which the faithful are now included is clearly the same as the covenant made with Abra­ham, Romans 4:11; Galatians 3:7 - Galatians 3:9—and this expressly applied to infants. Third, the covenant as now administered to believers brings greater and fuller consolation than it once could, before the coming of Christ. But if it pertained only to them and not to their infants, the grace of God and their consolation would be narrower and more con­tracted after Christ's appearing than before. Fourth, baptism sup­plants circumcision. Colossians 2:11, Colossians 2:12; it belongs as much to the children of believers as circumcision once did. Fifth, in the very beginning of regeneration, whereof baptism is a seal, man is merely passive. There­fore, no outward action is required of a man when he is baptized or circumcised (unlike other sacraments); but only a passive receiving. Infants are, therefore, as capable of participation in this sacrament, so far as its chief benefit is concerned, as adults. 13. Faith and repentance no more constitute the covenant of God now than in the time of Abraham, who was the father of the faithful. Therefore, the lack of these ought not to prevent infants from being baptized any more than it prevented them from being circumcised then. http://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesBaptism.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 52: AMES - THE CHURCH INSTITUTED ======================================================================== The Church Instituted by Dr. William Ames 1. The church living upon earth, though it is not wholly visible, is visible in its parts both individually in its single members and collectively in its companies or congregations. 2. The first visibility is in the personal profession of men. This does not make a visible church, except as it exists in these particular members, i.e., it makes the church's members visible; the church itself, in its integral state, does not become visible in the same place. Acts 19:1, Paul . . . came to Ephesus where he found certain disciples. 3. That visibility which is in companies or distinct congregations not only makes a visible church, but, so far as outward form is concerned, also makes as many visible churches as there are distinct congregations. Revelation 1:4, The seven churches; 2 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 8:19, The churches of Macedonia. All the churches. 4. These congregations are, so to speak, similar parts of the catholic church and partake both of its name and nature. 5. Therefore a particular church, in respect of the nature it has in common with all particular churches, is a species of the church as a genus; but in respect of the catholic church, which has the nature [ratio] of a whole, it is a member made up of various individual members gathered together; and in respect of these members it is also a whole. 6. Such a congregation or particular church is a society of believers joined together in a special bond for the continual exercise of the communion of saints among themselves. 7. It is a society of believers because the same thing makes a church visible in profession which in its inward and real nature makes it a mystical church, namely, faith. 8. Because true faith has holiness joined with it, which it keeps effectual, Acts 15:9, and the profession of true faith cannot be separated from the profession of holiness, the church is variously but with the same meaning called a society of believers and a society of saints. Ephesians 1:1, To the saints which are at Ephesus and faithful in Jesus Christ; 1 Corinthians 1:2 compared with 2 Corinthians 1:1; Romans 1:7; and Colossians 1:2. 9. Hence visible and particular churches are rightly said to be in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ because of the faith which they profess, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1. 10. Doubtless there is no particular church of this sort in which profession of the true faith is made but there are also to be found in it some true believers. 11. Those who are only believers by profession, while they remain in that society, are members of that church, as they are of the catholic church so far as outward status is concerned. In inward or essential status, they do not belong. 1 John 2:19, They went out from us, but they were not of us. 12. The children of those believers who are in the church are to be counted with the believers as members of the church, 1 Corinthians 7:14, Your children are holy. For they are partakers with their parents of the same covenant and profession. 13. Yet children are not such perfect members of the church that they can exercise acts of communion or be admitted to all its privileges unless there is first a growth of faith. But they are not to be excluded from the privileges which pertain to the beginning of faith and entrance into the church. 14. Believers do not make a particular church, even though by chance many may meet and live together in the same place, unless they are joined together by a special bond among themselves. Otherwise, any one church would often be dissolved into many, and many also merged into one. 15. This bond is a covenant, expressed or implicit, by which believers bind themselves individually to perform all those duties toward God and toward one another which relate to the purpose [ratio] of the church and its edification. 16. Hence it is that in the Old Testament we very often read of the renewing of the covenant whenever any true reformation of the church is present. 17. Therefore, no one is rightly admitted into the church except on confession of faith and promise of obedience. 18. This joining together by covenant makes a church only as it looks toward the exercising of the communion of saints. For the same believing men may join, themselves in covenant to make a city or some civil society when their immediate concern is for the common civil good. But they cannot make a church except as in its constitution they intend holy communion with God among themselves. 19. The same men may make a city or political society and not a church; or a church and not a city; or both a church and a city. 20. Therefore, those meetings that are formally ecclesiastical are said to be held in the name of the Lord, Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 5:4. 21. No sudden coming together and exercise of holy communion suffices to make a church unless there is also that continuity, at least in intention, which gives the body and its members a certain spiritual polity. 22. The church is instituted by God and by Christ. Hebrews 3:3, Hebrews 3:4, He that built the house . . . For every house is built by someone. In this sense it differs from the mystical church where the gathering is not prescribed to men but effected directly by divine operation. The gathering of an instituted church, however, is so effected by God that his command and man's duty and labor come first. Hebrews 10:25, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. 23. It is instituted by God and Christ alone because men have no power in themselves to institute or frame a church for Christ; neither is any such power committed to them by the revealed will of God. Their greatest honor is that they are servants in the house of God, Hebrews 3:5. 24. Man, therefore, does not have power either to take away any of those things which Christ has given his church or to add things of like kind. Yet in every way he can and ought to make certain that the things which Christ has ordained are furthered and strengthened. 25. Christ has so instituted the church that it always depends upon him as the head — considered without Christ it is not a complete body. 26. Therefore, the church may not properly make new laws for itself for instituting new things. It ought to take care only to find out the will of Christ clearly and observe his ordinances decently and with order, with greatest edification resulting. 27. Since the ordinances of Christ always have God's blessing joined with them, various promises of God are made to the church about the presence of Christ, Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 5:4. So in a special way he is said to live and walk in the churches, Revelation 2:1; Isaiah 31:9. And promises are made about the presence of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah 59:21. Thus an ampler and surer blessing of God may be expected in the instituted church of God than is found in any solitary life. 28. Therefore, those who have opportunity to join the church and neglect it most grievously sin against God because of his ordinance, and also against their own souls because of the blessing joined to it. And if they obstinately persist in their carelessness, whatever they otherwise profess, they can scarcely be counted believers truly seeking the kingdom of God. 29. The profession of the true faith is the most essential mark of the church. 30. This profession may in some congregations precede the solemn preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesChurchInstituted.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 53: AMES - THE CHURCH MYSTICALLY CONSIDERED ======================================================================== The Church Mystically Considered by Dr. William Ames So much for the application of redemption considered in itself. Now we take up the matter of the subject to which and the way in which it is applied. 1. The subject is the church. Ephesians 5:25 - Ephesians 5:27, Christ loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, being purified by him with the -washing of water through the word, that he might make her glorious to himself, that is, a church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but rather holy and blameless. Therefore, election, redemption, vocation, justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification properly pertain to the same subject, i.e., to the individual men who make up the church. John 17:9 - John 17:10, Those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; Romans 8:29, Romans 8:30, For those whom he foreknew he oho predestined. 2. The church is both the subject and an effect of redemption. For it is not first actually a church and later joined in union and communion with Christ; it is the church of Christ because it is united to Christ. 3. And this is the reason why we can neither explain nor understand the nature of the church unless we first perceive and explain the things which have to do with the application of Christ. 4. The elect, before they are grafted into Christ, are in themselves not of the church except in terms of that potentiality which in its own time will surely become actual because of God's intention and transaction with Christ. This remote potentiality in which all men are involved will certainly be made actual for the elect by God's determination. 5. Therefore, the orthodox who define the church as a company of the elect mean either those who are called according to election or the church not only as it exists now but also as it will exist hereafter. 6. The church is first of all constituted by calling, whence both its name and definition. 7. The church is indeed the company of men who are called. 1 Corinthians 1:24 and 10:32, Those who are called, both Jews and Greeks ... to Jews, to Greeks, and to the church of God. Because the end of calling is faith and the work of faith is a grafting into Christ, and this union brings with it communion with Christ, the church can be defined at once as a company of believers, a company of those who are in Christ, and a company of those who have communion with him. 8. Faith looks to Christ and through Christ to God; likewise the church which exists by faith looks to Christ as its head and through Christ to God. Therefore, the church is called the Body of Christ, Colossians 1:24; the Church of God, 1 Corinthians 10:32; the Kingdom of Christ, Colossians 1:13; and the Kingdom of God, Romans 14:17. 9. It is called a Company because it consists of a multitude joined in fellowship or a community of many (not a single person who is called), thus Ephesians 4:16 where it is named a Body joined and made up of diverse members. Hence it is often called in Scripture a House, family, city, kingdom, or flock. 10. This company is limited to men because the good angels, although in a way they belong to the church because of their union with Christ and the saving grace communicated by him, are not the same as the members of the redeemed church. 11. The form or constituting cause of this church must be something found alike in all those who are called. This can only be a relationship, and the only relationship which has this power is that which comes from a primary and intimate affection toward Christ. In man this comes only by faith. Faith, therefore, is the form of the church. 12. Inasmuch as faith is in each believer individually it is the form of those that are called. But seen collectively in all, faith is the form of the company of those that are called, or the church. 13. The same believing men, on the one hand, are individuals called by God; on the other, they are collectively the company which is the church of God. 14. Therefore, all the promises of God containing essential blessings which are made to the church in Scripture belong to each believer. 15. The relationship is so intimate that not only is Christ the church's and the church Christ's, Song of Son_2:16, but Christ is in the church and the church in him, John 15:4; 1 John 3:24. Therefore, the church is mystically called Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:12, and the Fullness of Christ, Ephesians 1:23. 16. The church is metaphorically called the bride and Christ the bridegroom; the church a city and Christ the king; the church a house and Christ the householder; the church the branches and Christ the vine; and finally the church a body and Christ the head. 17. But these comparisons signify not only the union and communion between Christ and the church but also the relation showing Christ to be the beginning of all honor, life, power, and perfection in the church. 18. This church is mystically one, not in a generic sense, but as a unique species or individual — for it has no species in the true sense. 19. It can, therefore, be called catholic, not as catholic signifies a genus of something general, but as it describes something uniquely universal (as when we speak of the world). This is so because it embraces believers of all nations, of all places, and of all times. 20. No part of the church can truly be called catholic unless it professes the faith of the catholic church. Thus the ancient authorities called not only that part of the church at Rome catholic but other churches as well. Our church at Franeker may rightly be called catholic since it professes the faith which belongs to the catholic church. 21. The church is divided according to the degree of communion it has with Christ. In this sense it is called either militant or triumphant. 22. The church militant is that which knows only of a communion begun and so still struggles with enemies in the battlefield of this world. 1 Corinthians 13:9, 1 Corinthians 13:12, We know in part and prophesy in part. For we see through a glass darkly; 2 Corinthians 10:4, The weapons of our warfare; Ephesians 6:12, Ephesians 6:13, We wrestle . . . Therefore take the whole armor of God. 23. The church triumphant is that which is already perfected. Ephesians 4:13, Until we all come ... to a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ; 1 Corinthians 15:46, Afterwards comes that which is perfect. 24. The militant church is both invisible and visible (that is, to outward sight or sense). 25. This distinction is not a division of genus into species, as if there were one church visible and another invisible, or of the whole into the members, as if one part of the church were visible and another invisible. It relates to phases of the same subject: Invisibility is a condition or mode of the church having to do with its essential and internal form; visibility is a condition or mode of the church having to do with its accidental or outward form. 26. The essential form is invisible both because it is a relation which cannot be perceived by the senses and also because it is spiritual, and so farther removed from sense perception than many other relations. 27. The accidental form is visible because it is an outward profession of inward faith, easily perceived by sense. 28. The visible profession is the manifest communion of the saints which they have with Christ and among themselves. 29. Their acts of the communion with Christ are those by which they present themselves to God in Christ to receive his blessings and to glorify him for those blessings. 30. Their acts of communion among themselves are all those in which they strive to do good to each other. These acts are especially those which directly further their communion with God in Christ. 31. Many acts of this kind are to be performed towards those who are not yet members of the church, for they ought to be judged as belonging to it potentially. 32. The church visible in itself, in comparative relation to others, is divided into the church hidden and manifest. 33. The manifest church is found where a greater number of saints exist and profession is freer and more public. 34. The hidden church is found where the number is fewer and profession less open. This is likely to occur in time of heresies, persecutions, or godless morality. 35. In the same way, the church is more pure or less pure as profession is more or less perfect. 36. Profession depends not only upon confession and the preaching of the word, but also upon the receiving of it and devout obedience to it. 37. Although the church is subject to changes of this kind and may relinquish any part of the world, yet from its gathering it never has totally failed nor shall it fail to the end of the world. 38. For Christ must always have his kingdom in the midst of his enemies until he makes his enemies his footstool. 39. The church never wholly ceases to be visible. Although sometimes there is scarcely a church pure enough to offer the same pure worship at all points, yet the church is still somehow visible in the very midst of the impurity of worship and profession. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesChurchMysticallyConsidered.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 54: AMES - CONTENTMENT ======================================================================== Contentment One of the most difficult of Christian virtues to obtain. Dr. William Ames 1. The virtue of contentment is the acquiescence of the mind in the lot God has given, 1 Timothy 6:6; Hebrews 13:5; Php_4:11. 2. This contentment is ordered in the tenth commandment as appears from the words themselves. It is not at all proper to refer this precept to the inward and original purity of righteousness, which is the fountain of all obedience; such purity is not commanded in any one commandment but in all. And the precept no more belongs to the second table where it is situated than to the first. 3. Of all the virtues contained in the second table, however, none is more internal or intimate to vital righteousness than contentment. By it we are, as it were, led by the hand to contemplate and seek righteousness. And so righteousness in its purity is fitly handled here. 4. Joy for the prosperity of our neighbor, as if it were our own, is part of contentment, Romans 12:15. 5. In contentment and joy are found the height and perfection of all love towards our neighbor. Hence contentment is in a way the perfection of godliness and of a godly man. 1 Timothy 6:6, There is great gain in godliness, met’ autarkeias, with contentment (or, that which produces the perfection of contentment). 6. Therefore, the last commandment stands at the end of an order which proceeds from the less to the more perfect and from the better known to the less known. 7. For this is our most perfect duty and yet least known to us by nature: Whatever we conceive or will should be joined with the good of our neighbor. 8. Although by its nature this is first among duties to our neigh­bor as the foundation of all the others, it is commanded in the last place, because it is the last to come into being for corrupted man. 9. Covetousness is opposed to contentment, Hebrews 13:5. 10. Covetousness does not mean the power and faculty of desiring and seeking what is natural; or the act of that natural faculty, or its lawful operation, which is also natural; or the whole inclination of our corrupt nature (not specially condemned in any one precept but in the whole law); or the actual inordinate primary lusts (for the most part contrary to religion and condemned in the first table); or last, lusts which tend to the hurt of our neighbor (for those having a deliberate will and purpose behind them are condemned in the other commandments). Covetousness means that desire which first instigates and excites the mind to yearn for the good things of our neigh­bors although it has not yet occurred to us to get them by unlawful means, 1 Kings 21:2; Mark 10:19. 11. The affinity or close connection which these primary motives of injustice have with original corruption (whence they arise) has led many to confuse the two. But the following should be consid­ered. First, original sin is an inborn disposition [habitus], so to speak, perpetually and continually with us during this life, and always in the same manner while we live here, but those motives are transient expressions of the disposition. Second, the sin in us is no more an original than a general principle of all vicious action, while the expressions of it which are condemned here are plainly limited to those which affect only our neighbor. 12. The Apostle himself in Romans 7:1-25 clearly explains this command­ment by a figure describing the operations of sin. Concupiscence, verse 7, is the same as the Passions of sinners, verse 5, and as Concu­piscence effected by sin, verse 8, and must be distinguished from In­dwelling sin, verse 7. 13. It is no marvel that the Pharisees (of whom Paul was one) did not acknowledge the first motives of covetousness to be sins. The same refusal is stiffly made by their cousins, the papists. 14. Those who divide this last commandment about covetousness in two, one part about coveting the house and the other about cov­eting the wife and other objects have forsaken all reason in this matter. They are forced either to abandon the second commandment of the first table or to turn it into a needless appendix of the first commandment so that they may in some way retain the number ten. Or rather, as is evident with many of them, obscuring the force of the second commandment in order with some show to separate from it themselves and their superstitions, they tear apart this tenth com­mandment. They have no choice about which is the ninth and which the tenth commandment because in the repetition of the law, Deuteronomy 5:27, coveting the wife is put before coveting the house. They can­not say it is clearly wrong to join together these two types of coveting when they themselves in explaining the decalogue always join or rather confuse the ninth and tenth commandments. Last, the very words of the decalogue plainly show that it is one commandment, when they forbid one act (You shall not covet) and have a common object (Anything that is your neighbor's). 15. An inordinate love of ourselves is a cause of covetousness, 16. This philaoutia, self-love, is the source and origin of all sins not which is called philaoutia, 2 Timothy 3:2. only against our neighbor, but against God himself, 2 Timothy 3:4. 17. Covetousness is divided by John into that of the flesh, having to do with food and lust, that of the eyes, having to do with outward delight and profit, and the pride of living, having to do with the glory and pomp of this world, 1 John 2:16. 18. Envy or an Eye being evil is opposed to joy and pleasure in the prosperity of our neighbor. Matthew 20:15. Likewise opposed is any epikairekakia rejoicing over the hurt of our neighbor, Psalms 70:3, Psalms 70:4; Obadiah 1:12. 19. In the last commandment that perfection of righteousness is commanded which is in a way central to the whole second table, just as in the first commandment of the first table all parts of religion are in a way commanded. The first commandment of the first table contains the first and great commandment, You shall love God with nil your heart and the second commandment, like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, is contained in the last commandment of the second table. 20. From the perfection which shines forth in any one of these commandments it is manifest that a complete and accurate fulfilling of the law is impossible even to the faithful by the grace bestowed upon them in this life. The rule and measure of our obedience (as has been well said) is in affirmatives, You shall love with all your heart and in negatives. You shall not covet, both of which are impos­sible in this life. It necessarily follows that no one can satisfy exactly the law. 21. In this life we know only in part, 1 Corinthians 13:9, and, therefore, act only in part. We receive only the first fruits of the Spirit, Romans 8:23. Therefore, we cannot precisely observe a law wholly spiritual, Romans 7:14. We carry about us flesh that lusts against the Spirit, Galatians 5:17, and we cannot obey without covetousness, inclining and draw­ing us another way. Finally we are not perfect, Philippians 3:12, and we cannot render perfect obedience. We always need to have that peti­tion in our heart and on our lips, Forgive us our debts. 22. Yet it is rightly and truly said that the Yoke of Christ is easy, his burden light. Matthew 11:30, and His commandments not grievous, 1 John 5:3. Here the yoke is considered, first, as the law is actually observed by the faithful who delight in it, Romans 7:22; Psalms 119:14, Psalms 119:16, not as it ought to be observed. Even this kind of observance by the faithful brings rest to their souls. Matthew 11:29, although the imper­fection which still cleaves to them is grievous and troublesome to them. Second, the yoke is here considered in relation to the spirit and not the flesh. Matthew 26:41. Third, it is here united with the remis­sion of all the sin and imperfection which cling to our endeavors. Fourth, the yoke is light and not grievous in comparison with the letter of the law which kills. Fifth, it is a preparation for the reward appointed by God for obedience begun, though imperfect — in which sense all afflictions are counted light, 2 Corinthians 4:17. The ease and light­ness of the law of God is not in proportion to our strength: It comes from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, with the gift of the Holy Spirit which is with all those who love the law of God. Amen. [~JumpFile http://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesContentment.htm] ======================================================================== CHAPTER 55: AMES - COVENANT OF GRACE IN THE O.T. ======================================================================== The Administration of the Covenant of Grace before the Coming of Christ By Dr. William Ames 1. Although the free, saving covenant of God has been one and the same from the beginning, the manner of the application of Christ or the administration of the new covenant has not always been so. It has varied according to the times during which the church has been in process of being gathered. 2. In this variety there has always been a progression from the imperfect to the more perfect. 3. At first the mystery of the gospel was manifested in a general and obscure way and later more specifically and clearly. 4. The manner of administration of the covenant is twofold: One points to the Christ who will appear and the other to the Christ who has appeared. 5. The Old and New Testaments are reducible to these two primary heads. The Old promises Christ to come and the New testifies that he has come. 6. While Christ was still to appear, all things were more outward and carnal, afterwards more inward and spiritual. John 1:17, The law was delivered by Moses; grace and truth came by Christ. 7. The church then had a double aspect: first as an heir and second as a child. Galatians 4:1 ff. So long as the heir is an infant he differs not at all from a servant, though he be lord of all. 8. As an heir the church was free; as a child, in a certain way, not free. Galatians 4:1. 9. As an heir it was spiritual; as a child carnal and earthly, Hebrews 9:10; Romans 9:7. 10. As an heir it had the spirit of adoption, but as a child the spirit of fear and bondage. Romans 8:15, You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption. 11. The manner of administration of the covenant, in respect to the coming of Christ, was one before Moses and another from Moses to Christ. 12. Before Moses the polity of the church was rude and loose, as it would be in its childhood. There were as many visible churches as there were families of godly people; the ministry was almost always an extraordinary one conducted by prophets. The masters of families and the firstborn had the right to administer certain holy things as ordinary ministers, according to the direction they received from the prophets. 13. And there was some difference of dispensation from Adam to Abraham from that of the time from Abraham to Moses. 14. From Adam to Abraham it should be noted, first, that redemp­tion by Christ and the application of Christ was promised in general. It was to be carried out by the seed of the woman in order to banish the works of the devil, or sin and death. Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; 1 John 3:8, The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head. The God of peace will tread Satan under vow feet shortly. The Son of God was manifested to dissolve the works of the devil. 15. Second, calling was evident in the distinction between the seed of the woman and the seed of the devil, and between the sons of God and the sons of men, Genesis 6:2. Third, the way of justification was set forth by expiatory sacrifices offered and accepted for sins. Ephesians 5:2, Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. 16. Fourth, adoption was indicated both by the title of sons, com­mon to all the faithful at that time, and by the translation of Enoch into the heavenly inheritance. Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5. 17. Fifth, sanctification was expressly taught by the prophets and foreshadowed by typical oblations and rites of sacrifice, Jude 1:14; Romans 12:1. 18. Sixth, glorification was publicly sealed by the example of Enoch and the saving of Noah and his family from the flood. 1 Peter 3:20, 1 Peter 3:21. 19. In this period the building and saving of the ark in the flood was an extraordinary sacrament, Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20, 1 Peter 3:21. There was no ordinary sacrament in those times, but in many sacrifices there was something like a sacrament, for those who sacrificed commonly partook of a holy banquet at a holy place with joy before God in their sacrifices, Exodus 18:12. This sealed to them in a certain way the grace of the covenant which is present in the sacraments. 20. From the time of Abraham the church chiefly consisted of his family and his posterity. 21. At that time the benefits of the new covenant were all more clearly and distinctly witnessed to than before. 22. First, election was set forth in the persons of Isaac and Jacob who were beloved before Ishmael and Esau, Romans 9:11 - Romans 9:13. 23. Second, redemption along with its application was majestically shown in the person and blessing of Melchizedek — also in the prom­ise and covenant of blessing to come to all nations from the seed of Abraham. 24. Third, a calling came in the leading of Abraham from Ur of Chaldees to a certain new and heavenly country, Hebrews 11:8 - Hebrews 11:10. 25. Fourth, justification was illustrated by the express testimony of God that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness, as the father and pattern of all who should believe. The sacrament of cir­cumcision was also given, which was the seal of that righteousness. 26. Fifth, adoption was declared by giving God's name to Abraham and all the sons of the promises, and by assigning the inheritance to the sons of the promises, the family of the free woman through grace, Galatians 4:26, Galatians 4:28, Galatians 4:31. 27. Sixth, sanctification was prefigured by circumcision, which stood for the taking away and abolishing of the corruption of sin and the old man so that a new creature might come in their places, Colossians2:11; Deuteronomy 30:6. 28. Seventh, glorification was pointed to in the blessing promised in the land of Canaan, which was a type of the heavenly country. 29. From the time of Moses to Christ, these same things were further adumbrated by extraordinary and ordinary means. 30. Redemption and its application were extraordinary. They were signified, first, in the deliverance from Egypt through the ministry of Moses, who was a type of Christ, Matthew 2:15, and by the entrance into the land of Canaan through the ministry of Joshua, another type of Christ. Second, in the brass serpent, by looking at which men who were about to die were restored to health, John 3:14; John 12:32. Third, in the cloud which shielded the Israelites from all injuries from enemies and from the sky. They also had light provided day and night, along with a refreshing of their strength, 1 Corinthians 10:2; Isaiah 4:4 - Isaiah 4:5. Fourth, in the passing through the Red Sea where a way was opened to the land of promise, their enemies being overwhelmed and destroyed, 1 Corinthians 10:2. Fifth, in the manna from heaven and the water from the rock whence they received continual nourishment, so to speak, out of God's hand, 1 Corinthians 10:3, 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 6:32, John 6:33. 31. In the ordinary sense Christ and redemption were foreshadowed by the high priest, the altars, and sacrifices for sins. 32. Justification was shown in many sacrifices and ablutions and in the sacrament of the Passover. 33. Adoption was shown in the dedication of the firstborn to God. 34. Sanctification was set forth in all the offerings and gifts as well as in the observances which had anything to do with cleanliness. 35. Glorification was shown in the inheritance of the promised land and the communion which they had with God in the holy of holies. 36. The church of the Jews instituted by Moses, in point of exter­nal coming together, was only one because the whole solemn com­munion prescribed at that time depended upon one temple and was exercised by public profession and rites. 37. The synagogues were not complete churches, for the total wor­ship of God and the whole sacred communion prescribed at that time could not be exercised in them. 38. Therefore, the church of the Jews was a national church-though in some respect catholic or universal, inasmuch as the believ­ing proselytes of every nation under heaven were bound to join them­selves to that one church. Acts 2:5, Acts 2:6, Acts 2:8 - Acts 2:11; Acts 8:27. 39. The primary ministers were the priest of the family of Aaron in a continued line of succession, and to them were joined the other Levites, Numbers 3:6 - Numbers 3:10. 40. Yet neither priests nor Levites were allowed to minister unless they were first examined, and passed the tests in body, age, and gifts of the mind. 41. The ecclesiastical discipline of that time was ceremonial to a large extent, but sufficient to keep pure all holy things of every kind. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesCovenantOfGraceOT.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 56: AMES - CREATION ======================================================================== Creation by Dr. William Ames 1. The efficiency of God may be understood as either creation or providence. 2. Creation is the efficiency of God whereby in the beginning out of nothing he made the world to be altogether good. 3. Active creation is conceived as a transitive action in which there is always presupposed an object about which the agent is concerned; it is virtually but not formally transitive because it makes, not presupposes, an object. 4. Passive creation can be understood in the manner of mutation, although it is improperly called mutation. 5. Creation refers to the whole world, i.e., whatever exists outside of God. 6. Hence all things which exist outside of God are created - fully created, that is, in matter as well as in form. Revelation 4:11, Because thou hast made all things; Colossians 1:16, For by him were made all things which are in heaven and in earth visible and invisible. 7. Creation produces in the originative sense because it produces not only being as being, but absolutely every part. 8. Therefore before the creation, creatures had no real being either in existence or essence, although they bad being known from eternity in the knowledge of God. 9. Creation then produces out of nothing, that is, out of matter that has had no preexistence but which comes into existence with the thing created. Nothing exists from eternity but God, and God is not the matter or a part of any creature, but only the maker. 10. Some things are said to be created whose matter preexisted. But this creation refers not only to the immediate action whereby such things are brought into existence, but also to the mediate action whereby the matter of which they are formed was brought into existence. So it was in the creation of the plants and the animals, Genesis 1:20. 11. That state of nothing or nonbeing of things preceded their being, not only in the order of nature, for in that case they might coexist with God from eternity, but also in the order of duration, as we conceive things. 12. Hence that beginning in which God is said to have created the world, was the end of the duration of nothing and the beginning of the world's duration. 13. In creation God wanted to show both his perfection in his not needing any creature or outward thing (for otherwise he would have created the world as soon as he could) and his freedom in producing all things without natural necessity (for had be created out of necessity, he would have done so from eternity, Revelation 4:11; Psalms 115:3). 14. The world has not been in existence from eternity nor could it have been according to the present dispensation and ordering of things. 15. The day of creation would not have come to be if infinite days had bad to go before. The days going before would never have ended, so that that day could have arrived. 16. Hence it follows that no creature was or could have been a cause, instrumental or principal, in the act of creation. 17. Everything created was very good, because it was made neither rashly nor in vain but for the end which the maker bad before him. Genesis 1:3 Genesis 1:1, Whatever he made was very good; 1 Timothy 4:4, Whatever God made was good. 18. The goodness of a thing created is the perfection of its fitness for the use which it serves. Now that use is either particular or universal. 19. The particular is the proper use which anything serves in its own nature. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20Creation.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 57: AMES - DEATH OF CHRIST ======================================================================== The Death of Christ by Dr. William Ames 1. The death of Christ is the last act of his humiliation in which he underwent extreme, horrible, and most acute pain for the sins of men. 2. It was an act of Christ and not a mere matter of enduring because be met and endured it purposely. John 10:11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep; and 10:18, No man takes it from me, but I lay it down myself. For the same reason it was also voluntary and not compelled. The act arose out of power and not merely out of weakness - out of obedience to his father and love for us, not out of his own guilt or deserving. It was designed to satisfy through victory and not to ruin through surrender. 3. It contained the greatest punishment because it equaled all the misery which the sins of men deserved. Therefore, there is an abundance of words and phrases describing this death in the Scriptures. For it is not simply called a death but a cutting off, a casting away, a treading under feet, a curse, a heaping up of sorrows, and the like, Isaiah 53:1-12; Psalms 22:1-31. 4. However, it contained the punishments in such a way that their continuance, their ordination to the uttermost [deordinatio] and other circumstances accompanying the punishments of the sins of the lost were removed from his death. Acts 2:24, It could not be that he would be retained by death. There are reasons for this. First, such circumstances do not belong to the essence of the punishment itself, but are adjuncts which follow and accompany those who cannot suffer punishment so as to effect satisfaction by it. Second, there was in Christ both a worthiness and a power to overcome, as it were, the punishment imposed. 1 Corinthians 15:54, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Death is swallowed up in victory. Thanks be given to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 5. This death was the consummation of all humiliation. It was by far the greatest part of that humiliation. So Christ's death itself is often spoken of in the Scriptures by a synecdoche of the member as the full satisfaction of his whole humiliation. 6. Within these boundaries, the death of Christ was the same in kind and proportion as the death justly due for the sins of men. It corresponded in degree, parts, and kind. 7. The beginning of Christ's spiritual death in point of loss was the passing of the joy and delight which the enjoyment of God and the fullness of grace were accustomed to bring. He lost this spiritual joy not in principle, not basically, but rather in the act and awareness of it. 8. The beginning of spiritual death in point of conscious realization was the tasting of the wrath of God and a certain subjection to the power of darkness. The wrath of God was most properly signified in the cup which was given to Christ to drink. Matthew 26:39, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. 9. The object of this wrath was not Christ as such. It was connected only with that punishment which he underwent as our surety. 10. Subjection to the power of darkness was not servitude, but lay in the distress which Christ felt in his mind. 11. Because of these the soul of Christ was affected with sadness, grief, fear, and dread in, agony, Matthew 26:39; John 12:27; Hebrews 5:7; and Luke 22:44. 12. The soul of Christ was affected not only in the part sometimes called lower, but also in the higher; not only nor especially through its sympathy, with the body, but directly and intimately, not principally by the compassion which it had for others, but by true suffering which it underwent in our name; not from a horror of bodily death (which many of Christ's servants have also overcome by his power), but from a certain sense of spiritual and supernatural death. 13. There were two effects of this agony. First, a strong prayer showing a mind astonished and a nature fleeing from the bitterness of death-yet always conditioned by and subject to the Father's will. Mark 14:35, He prayed that…it might be that this hour would pass from him. John 12:27, My soul is troubled. And what shall I say, "Father free me from this hour?" No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Second, there was a watery sweat mixed with drops of blood dripping to the ground. Luke 22:44, Being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 14. In this beginning of Christ's spiritual death there was a certain moderation and mitigation in that there was time for those duties which were to be done before his death, namely, prayers, discourses, admonitions, and responses. 15. The moderation was both inward and outward. 16. The inward occurred in the momentary abatements of the pressure and distress he felt in his soul. Thus he thought of the meaning of the office he had undertaken, the glory that would arise to his Father and to himself, and the salvation of those whom his Father had given him. He consciously chose to embrace all the miseries of death in order to obtain these ends. 17. The outward mitigation in this death came through the angel who strengthened him by speaking to him, Luke 22:43, an angel from heaven appeared to him, comforting him. 18. There was no inward beginning of Christ's bodily death except that natural weakening and dying which was caused from outside. 19. The external beginning was shown in phases of loss and conscious realization. 20. In the realm of loss he was rejected by his own people and counted worse than a murderer; he was forsaken, denied, and betrayed by his most intimate disciples. By all kinds of men, especially the leaders and those who were considered wise, he was called a madman, a deceiver, a blasphemer, a demoniac, a sorcerer, and a usurper of another's kingdom. He was stripped of his garments and denied necessary food. 21. In point of conscious realization. he was aware of the shameful arrest, the violent hauling away, the denial of ecclesiastical and civil justice, the mocking, whipping, and crucifixion with reproach and injury of all kinds. Yet there was some mitigation in this death: first, in the manifestation of divine majesty through certain miracles, such as the falling of soldiers to the ground at sight of him and at sound of his voice, and the healing of Malchus' ear; second, in the working of divine providence whereby it happened that he was justified by the judge before he was condemned. Matthew 27:24, Matthew 27:1 am innocent of the blood of this just man. 22. The consummation of Christ's death was the highest degree of the appointed punishment, and in this connection are to be considered the death itself and the continuance of it. 23. The consummation of his spiritual punishment as loss was the forsaking of him by his Father, as a result of which he was deprived of all sense of consolation. Matthew 27:46, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 24. The consummation of his death in conscious realization was the curse whereby be endured the full consciousness of God's judgment on man's sins. Song of Solomon 3:13, He was made a curse for us. The hanging on the cross was not a cause of or reason for this curse, but only a sign and symbol of it, Ibid. 25. The consummation of bodily death was the expiration of his soul in greatest torment and pain of body. 26. In this death there was a separation of the soul from the body, but the union of both with the divine nature remained so that a dissolution of the person did not occur. 27. This death of Christ was true and not feigned. It was natural, or from causes naturally working to bring it about, and not supernatural. It was voluntary and not at all compelled; yet it was violent and not from internal principles. It was also in a certain way supernatural and miraculous, because Christ kept his life and strength as long as he would and when be desired be laid it down, John 10:18. 28. The continuance of this death was a continuance of the state of lowest humiliation and not of the punishment of affliction, for when Christ said, It is finished, it applied to the latter punishment. 29. The continuance was the remaining under the reign of death for three days, Acts 2:24. This state is usually and properly described as existence in Hell. 30. The burial of Christ for three days was a testimony and representation of this state. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesDeathOfChrist.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 58: AMES - DECREE AND COUNSEL OF GOD ======================================================================== The Decrees of God by Dr. William Ames 1. In the exercise of God's efficiency, the decree of God comes first. This manner of working is the most perfect of all and notably agrees with the divine nature. 2. The decree of God is his firm decision by which he performs all things through his almighty power according to his counsel. Ephesians 1:11, "He does all things out of the counsel of His own will." 3. God's constancy, truth, and faithfulness appear in His decree. 7. Every decree of God is eternal, 1 Corinthians 2:7, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:" 9. The counsel of God is, as it were, his deliberation over the best manner of accomplishing anything already approved by the understanding and the will. 10. Counsel is attributed to God because of his perfect judgment whereby he does all things advisedly, i.e. willingly and knowingly, not as a result of inquiry as men make judgments. For God sees and wills all things and everything at once. Therefore his counsel is said to resemble deliberation in the strict sense. 11. Three things concur in the perfection of this counsel: one, the purpose [scopus] or the end set forth; two, the mental conception of that end; three, the intention and agreement of the will. 12. The purpose or end of the counsel is the glory of God himself, i.e. the goodness or perfection of God which is manifest in his efficiency and shines forth in his works. Ephesians 1:6, "To the praise of his glorious grace." 17. An idea in man is first impressed upon him and afterwards expressed in things, but in God it is only expressed, not impressed, because it does not come from anywhere else. 18. From this one foundation all errors of merit and foreseen faith can be substantially refuted. For if a particular decree of God depended upon any foresight then an idea of God would have to come to him from somewhere else, which hardly agrees with his nature. 31. That conjectural knowledge which some attribute to God about future contingencies is plainly incompatible with the divine nature and perfection. 32. The good pleasure of God is an act of the divine will freely and effectively determining all things. 37. This will is effectual, because whatever he wills he effects in his own time; neither is there anything not done if he wills it to be done. Psalms 115:3; Psalms 135:6, "Whatsoever he pleases, the Lord does." 38. The will of God is therefore the first cause of things, Revelation 4:11, "By thy will they are and were created." The will of God as it works outwardly does not presuppose the goodness of the object; but he creates and disposes by willing, James 1:8, "Of his own will he begat us," Romans 9:18, "He has mercy on whom he will." 48. In whatever God wills he is universally effectual; he is not hindered or frustrated in obtaining what he wills. For if he should properly will anything and not attain it he would not be wholly perfect and blessed. 51. In the things which God wills there is a certain order to be conceived. He wills the end before the means to the end because he works according to the most perfect reason. Among means, he wills first those which come nearest to the end; that which is first in order of execution is last in order of intention and vice versa. 52. The will of God is partly hidden and partly revealed, Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20TheDecreesOfGod.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 59: AMES - DECREES OF GOD ======================================================================== The Decrees of God How does God order all things for all time? by Dr. William Ames 1. In the exercise of God's efficiency, the decree of God comes first. This manner of working is the most perfect of all and notably agrees with the divine nature. 2. The decree of God is his firm decision by which he performs all things through his almighty power according to his counsel. Ephesians 1:11, "He does all things out of the counsel of His own will." 3. God's constancy, truth, and faithfulness appear in His decree. 7. Every decree of God is eternal, 1 Corinthians 2:7, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:" 9. The counsel of God is, as it were, his deliberation over the best manner of accomplishing anything already approved by the understanding and the will. 10. Counsel is attributed to God because of his perfect judgment whereby he does all things advisedly, i.e. willingly and knowingly, not as a result of inquiry as men make judgments. For God sees and wills all things and everything at once. Therefore his counsel is said to resemble deliberation in the strict sense. 11. Three things concur in the perfection of this counsel: one, the purpose [scopus] or the end set forth; two, the mental conception of that end; three, the intention and agreement of the will. 12. The purpose or end of the counsel is the glory of God himself, i.e. the goodness or perfection of God which is manifest in his efficiency and shines forth in his works. Ephesians 1:6, "To the praise of his glorious grace." 17. An idea in man is first impressed upon him and afterwards expressed in things, but in God it is only expressed, not impressed, because it does not come from anywhere else. 18. From this one foundation all errors of merit and foreseen faith can be substantially refuted. For if a particular decree of God depended upon any foresight then an idea of God would have to come to him from somewhere else, which hardly agrees with his nature. 31. That conjectural knowledge which some attribute to God about future contingencies is plainly incompatible with the divine nature and perfection. 32. The good pleasure of God is an act of the divine will freely and effectively determining all things. 37. This will is effectual, because whatever he wills he effects in his own time; neither is there anything not done if he wills it to be done. Psalms 115:3; Psalms 135:6, "Whatsoever he pleases, the Lord does." 38. The will of God is therefore the first cause of things, Revelation 4:11, "By thy will they are and were created." The will of God as it works outwardly does not presuppose the goodness of the object; but he creates and disposes by willing, James 1:8, "Of his own will he begat us," Romans 9:18, "He has mercy on whom he will." 48. In whatever God wills he is universally effectual; he is not hindered or frustrated in obtaining what he wills. For if he should properly will anything and not attain it he would not be wholly perfect and blessed. 51. In the things which God wills there is a certain order to be conceived. He wills the end before the means to the end because he works according to the most perfect reason. Among means, he wills first those which come nearest to the end; that which is first in order of execution is last in order of intention and vice versa. 52. The will of God is partly hidden and partly revealed, Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 60: AMES - DEFINITION OR NATURE OF THEOLOGY ======================================================================== The Definition or Nature of Theology by Dr. William Ames 1. Theology is doctrine or teaching of living to God. John 6:68, "The words of eternal life..."; Acts 5:20, "The words of this life..."; Romans 6:11, "Consider yourselves...alive to God." 2. It is called doctrine, not to separate it from understanding, knowledge, wisdom, art, or prudence--for these go with every exact discipline, and most of all with theology--but to mark it as a discipline, and most of all with theology--but to mark it as a discipline which derives not from nature and human inquiry like others, but from divine revelation and appointment. Isaiah 51:4, "Doctrine shall go forth from Me..."; Galatians 1:11 - Galatians 1:12, "The Gospel...is not according to man. For neither I received it from man, nor was taught it, but it came through a revelation." 5. Since the highest kind of life for a human being is that which approaches most closely the living and life-giving God, the nature of theological life is living to God. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20WhatIsTheology.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 61: AMES - DIVISION OR PARTS OF THEOLOGY ======================================================================== The Parts of Theology by Dr. William Ames 1. The two parts of theology are faith and observance. 4. These two parts are always joined together in use and exercise, but they are distinguished in their nature and in which the rule that govern them. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20PartsOfTheology.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 62: AMES - EFFICIENCY OF GOD ======================================================================== The Efficiency of God by Dr. William Ames 1. The efficiency, or working power [efficientia], of God is that by which he works all things in all things. Ephesians 1:11, "He who works all things." Romans 11:36, "From Him, through Him, and in Him are all things." 5. The meaning of that efficiency which pertains to God's essence is his omnipotence. 9. The very will of God, as the effecting principle, is the cause [ratio] of power. Romans 9:19, "Who has resisted His will?" 19. Absolute power is that by which God is able to do all things possible although they may never be done. Matthew 3:9, "God can, of these stones, raise up children of Abraham." 20. The ordaining power of God is that by which he not only can do what he wills but actually does do what he wills. Psalms 115:3, "Our God is in the heavens, He does whatsoever He wills." (cf. Psalms 135:6; Ephesians 3:11) 31. As for the boundary of the action, that aspect in which one person's working or manner of working shines forth most clearly is chiefly attributed to that person. So in the usual appropriation, creation is attributed to the Father, redemption to the Son, and sanctification to the Spirit. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20TheEfficiencyOfGod.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 63: AMES - END OF THE WORLD, THE ======================================================================== The End of the World By Dr. William Ames 1. So far we have considered the administration of the covenant be­fore the end of the world. In that end, the application which has only been begun in this life will be perfected. 2. Then the end of calling will be reached by all who are called, for we are called to the eternal glory of God, 1 Peter 5:10. In this the end of faith, or the salvation of souls, is also said to be contained, 1 Peter 1:9. 3. That declaration of justification and redemption which is shown in their effects will then be completed; in this life the faithful are said only to await redemption, Luke 21:18; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14. 4. Then all the adopted will enter into the possession of their in­heritance; in this sense the faithful in this life are said to wait for adoption, Romans 8:23. 5. Then the image of God will be perfected in all the sanctified. Ephesians 5:27, That he might present the church to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without fault. 6. Then finally the glory and blessedness hoped for will shine forth in all fullness, not only in the soul but also in the very body. Php_3:21, He shall transfigure our humble body that it may be made con­formable to his glorious body. 7. Because the state of the church then will be one of perfection and not of edification, the ministry, sacraments, and discipline to­gether with the instituted churches themselves will cease, and the mys­tical church will remain in immediate communion with God. 8. Hence the end of the world should be awaited with all longing by all believers. Php_3:20; Titus 2:13, We expect the savior, Jesus Christ. Expecting that blessed hope and that glorious coming of the glory of the great Cod and our savior. 9. This final perfection of administration requires the coming and personal presence of Christ himself, Acts 10:42. 10. The second coming of Christ will be like the first in that it shall be real, visible, and apparent. Acts 1:11. But it will be dissimilar in that: First, it will be attended with greatest glory and power. Matthew 24:30; Titus 2:13; second, it will dispense the greatest terror among the ungodly and the greatest joy among the godly, 2 Thessalonians 1:7 - 2 Thessalonians 1:10. 11. Two events, the resurrection and the last judgment, will finally distinguish between the godly and the ungodly, 2 Corinthians 5:10. 12. Resurrection relates to what has fallen. Because man fell from life by the separation of soul from body, it is necessary for his rising again that the same soul be reunited to the same body and that the same man exist in the restored union of the two. 13. That such a resurrection is possible for God appears from the fact that the restoration of a man requires no more power than was manifested in his first creation. Php_3:21, According to that effectual power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. 14. That the resurrection will actually come about cannot be surely demonstrated by any natural reason, a priori or a posteriori — it is properly a matter of faith. 15. Neither the nature of the soul nor of the body can be the cause of resurrection, for the forming again and raising of the body out of dust is against the accustomed course of nature, for when nature is completely destroyed it is not wont to be restored. The inseparable union of the soul with the body by which man becomes immortal is beyond the powers of nature. 16. Therefore, the raising of the dead properly belongs to Christ, (eanthropos), the God-man. The operating principle is Christ's divine omnipotence by which it may be easily accomplished, even in an in­stant. 17. The role of the angels will not properly be to raise the dead, but to gather the parts to be raised and to assemble the saints when raised. 18. Although all will be raised by Christ, it will not all happen in one and the same way. The resurrection of the faithful is to life and is accomplished by virtue of the union which they have with Christ who is their life (Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14) and by the operation of his quickening Spirit which lives in them. Romans 8:11, He . . . shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit dwelling in you. But the res­urrection of the others is through that power of Christ by which he will execute avenging justice. 19. Therefore, the resurrection of the faithful is from the life of Christ as the beginning of their own life as the fruit and effect. It is, therefore, called the resurrection of life. The raising up of the others is from the sentence of death and condemnation, which leads to true death and condemnation, and is, therefore, called the resurrection of condemnation,John 5:28, John 5:29. 20. The last judgment is exercised by Christ as king, for the power of judging is part of the office of a king. 21. For the faithful, it comes from grace and is a function of the kingship of grace essential in Christ the mediator. For the ungodly it is, strictly speaking, a function only of power and dominion, granted by the Father for a certain perfection of mediation, but not essential to it. 22. The sins of the faithful will not come into judgment. In this life they are covered and taken away by the sentence of justification; the last judgment will be a confirmation and manifestation of that sen­tence. It would not be right that they should again be brought to light. 23. The place of this judgment will be in the air, 1 Thessalonians 4:17. 24. The day and year of it is not revealed in Scripture and, there­fore, cannot be fixed by men. 25. The sentence, to be carried out immediately, will be to eternal life or death, according to the works that have preceded. 26. The sentence to life for the elect will be given according to their works, not as meritorious causes but as effects testifying to the true causes. 27. The sentence to death for reprobates will be given according to their works as true causes. 28. Christ, (theanthropos), the God-man, is the judge—a deputy, as it were—but because of his divine authority and power, upon which depends the strength of the sentence, he is the principal judge. 29. The faithful will also judge with Christ, assisting not consult­ing, approving by their judgment and will as well as by a comparison of their life and works. 30. Judgment will be rendered not only on wicked men but also on evil angels. The raising up and judging of wicked men by Christ no more argues the universal redemption of such men than it does that of devils. 31. The fire that is destined to purge and renew the world will not precede the judgment but shall follow. 32. Purgatory is no more necessary before the day of judgment than after. Since, by confession of the papists themselves, it will not exist afterwards, it does not exist before. 33. The elements will not be taken away, but changed. 34. After the day of judgment Christ will remain king and mediator forever. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesEndOfTheWorld.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 64: AMES - EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS ======================================================================== The Extraordinary Ministers of the Church by Dr. William Ames 1. So much for the subject of the application of redemption; now we consider the way of application. 2. The way of application consists of those means whereby the Spirit bestows Christ and all his benefits on us for our salvation. 3. The Spirit itself supplies all saving things to us internally, most intimately, and in its own way directly. No external means properly have the power to communicate grace to us in any real sense. Therefore, although external means naturally concur and operate in the preparation of man to receive grace, yet in themselves they do not properly confer grace. It is the Spirit that works together with them. 1 Corinthians 3:7, Neither is he that plants anything nor he that waters, but God who gives power to increase. 4. The two principal means of this sort are the ministry and the holy signs (or symbols), to which some ecclesiastical discipline must be added. 5. The ministry is an ecclesiastical function in which a man, being singled out, is responsible by special right for holy things. 2 Corinthians 4:1, We have this ministry, having obtained mercy; 1 Corinthians 4:1, Let a man account us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 6. It is called the ministry because the power which is committed to the men of the church is a power of acting only by command of Christ and out of obedience to him alone, 1 Corinthians 4:1, 1 Corinthians 4:2. 7. The spiritual or regal power of self-rule whereby one works in freedom and by his own choice does not belong to men, but to Christ alone. 8. Therefore, a minister of the church is bound to execute his office himself, as one who does not have power to appoint anyone in his place - for that would be an action of command, not of obedience. 9. The permanent minister of many churches where vicars must serve is not of God's ordaining, but of man's ambition and presumption. 10. Ministerial power is not absolute but relative, i.e. it is not an absolute power to do anything but consists of a right whereby one has due power to do lawfully what he could not do before. Therefore, it is called a power of right. 11. But it is a special right because it refers to special duties unlawful for others; and it undertakes certain common duties in a certain special way. 12. The right of ministry depends upon calling. Hebrews 5:4, No one takes this honor to hinuelf except he that is called of God as was Aaron. 13. Calling is an action which commits an office to someone with authority to minister. 14. Therefore, it is clearly ridiculous to ordain the calling of ministers but not give them power to preach the word without further permission. 15. A necessary part of calling is fitness for the ministry. 16. Those who are altogether unfit to do the work of the ministry, if they are called to it by men, are ministers of men and not of God. Hosea 4:6, Because you have despised knowledge, I will also despise you so that you shall not be a priest to me. 17. Fitness arises from a fit measure of gifts and a ready will to undertake and execute the office. 18. The ministry produces a third state of the church. As by faith it has its essential state and by gathering its integral state, so by the ministry it has a certain organic state. It is now made fit to do all the works which pertain to the good of the whole. 19. The course and direction of these operations is ecclesiastical polity. 20. The form of this polity is altogether monarchical in respect to Christ as the king and the head. But in respect to the visible system of administration, it is of a mixed nature: partly aristocratic, so to speak, and partly democratic. 21. Therefore, in the lawful ministry of the church, hierarchy or sacred rule has no place, but rather hieroduly or sacred service. 22. One minister is not subject to the power of another in his responsibility but each one depends directly upon Christ. So it is that the angels who are inferior in office to others are directly subject to God and not to other angels. 23. This ministry is either extraordinary or ordinary. 24. An extraordinary ministry is one which has a certain higher and more perfect direction than can be attained through ordinary means. 25. Such ministers always have extraordinary gifts and assistance so that they minister without error. 26. The authority of an extraordinary minister is given actually neither by man nor through man but by God alone through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, Son_1:1. 27. Therefore, the calling to such a ministry is direct. 28. Yet an extraordinary calling is not so direct as to exclude all ministry of men, as appears in the calling of Elisha and Matthias. It excludes only the ministry which lacks infallible direction. 29. Such an extraordinary ministry was surely necessary for the church because that will of God to which living well to God is directed could not be discovered by human industry or any ordinary means used in other arts and sciences. But it required men who were stirred up and sent by God and to whom he manifested his will in order that they might be in the place of God himself for us. Exodus 4:15, Exodus 4:16, And you be to him instead of God. 30. God revealed his will to those extraordinary ministers in several ways. First, by direct speech, Revelation 1:10, to which was often added the appearing and speaking of an angel or of Christ himself, such as the angel of the covenant. Second, by a vision in which the form of things to be declared was shown to the eyes of the vigilant along with the word. Third, by dreams through which like proposals were imparted to the minds of men asleep. Fourth, sometimes by a special familiarity, mouth to mouth, so to speak, without riddles. Numbers 12:6 - Numbers 12:8, If there be a prophet among you, I will make myself, the Lord, known to him in a vision and will speak to him in a dream. It is not so with my servant Moses . . . With him I speak mouth to mouth and not in dark speeches; and the form of the Lord he beholds. 31. The mode of this revelation was so powerful that it often took men into ecstasy: They were so caught up above themselves that they knew nothing but what was proposed, and not even that in all its circumstances,2 Corinthians 13:3, 2 Corinthians 13:4. 32. Yet it is certain that the divine truth of such revelation is always confirmed and scaled in a special way to those to whom it is revealed. Therefore, it does not need further confirmation. Galatians 1:17; Galatians 2:6, Neither did I return to those who were apostles before me . . . They who were of repute made no difference to me. Sometimes, however, miracles are added for more abundant confirmation, Judges 6:36 - Judges 6:38. 33. This extraordinary ministry is either for the first instituting of a church, or for the special and extraordinary conservation of a church, or for the extraordinary restoring of a church which has collapsed. 34. The ministry of instituting a church is always accompanied by a testimony of miracles. Hebrews 2:3, Hebrews 2:4, Which at first began to be spoken. . . God also bearing witness with signs and wonders and many miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 35. Yet miracles do not provide testimony to any doctrine in the sense that they immediately produce faith. For doctrine which does not agree with the known will of God ought not to be accepted, although it might seem to be confirmed with miracles. Dent. 13:1-3, Although that sign or wonder come to pass which he foretold you, saying, "Let us go follow other Gods" . . . do not harken to the words of that prophet; Galatians 1:8, Though we or an angel from heaven preach to you another gospel besides that which we have preached . . . let him be accursed. 36. The ministry of conserving and restoring a church although extraordinary and usually confirmed by miracles does not always or necessarily require a testimony of miracles. This appears in many places in the Old Testament and in John the Baptist. 37. The prophets, apostles, and evangelists were extraordinary ministers. 38. Wickliffe, Luther, Zwingli, and the others who were the first restorers of the gospel were not, strictly speaking, extraordinary ministers. 39. Yet they are not wrongly called extraordinary by some. First, because they performed something similar to what was done by the extraordinary ministers of old. Second, because as occasion required they received gifts of special magnitude from God. This may also be affirmed of many of the more famous martyrs. Third, because they necessarily attempted some things out of the common course, since the order of the time was disturbed and decayed. . It is, therefore, ridiculous to require miracles of those men to confirm the doctrine which they propounded, when such an attestation was not necessary even among the extraordinary ministers. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesExtraordinaryMinisters.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 65: AMES - FAITH ======================================================================== Faith by Dr. William Ames 1. Faith is the resting of the heart on God, the author of life and eternal salvation, so that we may be saved from all evil through Him and may follow all good. Isaiah 10:20, "Lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in faith..." 21. Trust is rightly said to be the fruit of faith as it looks to God in the future and constitutes a firm hope; but as it looks to God in Christ offering himself in the present, it is faith itself. Hence arise those names which the Scriptures give to saving faith, pepoiqhsis, parrhsia, persuasion, boldness; 2 Corinthians 3:4 and 5:6-8; Ephesians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 John 5:13 - 1 John 5:14; plhroforia, full conviction, Romans 4:21; Colossians 2:2; upostasis,, substance, Hebrews 11:1. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20Faith.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 66: AMES - FAITH AND SEEKING GOD ======================================================================== Faith and Preparation by Dr. William Ames 1. The parts of religion are two: natural worship and voluntary or instituted worship. 2. This distinction is based on Exodus 20:6 in the words of the second commandment, Those -who low me and keep my command­ments. 3. Natural worship is that which depends upon the nature of God. Even though there were no law revealed and set forth by God, if we rightly perceived and knew the nature of God by proper contempla­tion, with the grace of God helping, we might know all those things which pertain to our duty. 4. Everyone who understands the nature of God rightly necessarily knows that God is to be believed and hoped in, that he is to be loved and called upon, and to be heard in all things. 5. This natural worship is absolutely basic to salvation. Psalms 79:6; Jeremiah 10:25; 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Pour out thy -wrath upon those nations that do not know thee and upon the kingdoms that do not call upon thy name. Although we obtain eternal life neither by merit nor by virtue of our obedience, this part of obedience has such an essential con­nection with faith resting upon Christ for eternal life that it cannot be separated from it. 6. This worship has been, is, and shall be one and the same, immutable. 1 John 2:7, The old commandment which you had from the beginning. 1. Natural worship is prescribed in the first commandment because it is both internal and external. 8. First, all observance is the same inwardly and outwardly and, therefore, both inward and outward worship are treated in the same commandment. Second, in the commandments of the second table, inward and outward obedience are prescribed together in each one, as Christ interprets them. Matthew 5, and all the more so in the com­mandments of the first table, as in" the first and most important. Third, if it were true that the first commandment calls only for inward worship and the second only for outward, then the first command­ment would bind only the inward man and the soul to obedience and the second only the outward man and the body. This is contrary to all reason. 9. Natural worship directs itself towards God, either as our good or as good in himself. 10. The worship which directs itself toward God as our good regards him either as he is ours at present, in faith, or as he is to be ours, in hope. 11. Faith is the virtue by which, clinging-to the faithfulness of God, we lean upon him, so that we may obtain what he gives to us. John 3:33, He who receives his testimony has sealed that God is true; John 1:12, As many as received him believed in his name. 12. These five things belong together in divine faith: 1) a knowl­edge of what God testifies to; 2) a pious affection toward God which gives his testimony greatest force with us; 3) an assent given to the truth testified to, because of this affection toward God who is the witness of it; 4) a resting upon God for the receiving of what is given; and 5) the choosing or apprehension of what is made avail­able to us in the testimony. 13. The first of these is in the understanding. But it does not pro­duce faith because it is common to us along with unbelievers, heretics, apostates, and the devils themselves. 14. The second, fourth, and fifth are in the will and produce faith as the force within and act of religion. 15. The third is in the understanding but only as it is moved by the will. It does not have the virtue of faith, but is rather an effect of it. 16. But the perfection of faith lies only in the choosing or appre­hension, and so must be defined by it. 17. The nature of faith is excellently set forth in the Scriptures when the faithful are said To cleave to God, Joshua 23:6; Acts 11:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17. To choose the way of truth and to cleave to the testimony of Cod, Psalms 119:30, Psalms 119:31. 18. For by faith we first cleave to God and then fasten on to those things which are made available by God. God himself is, there­fore, the first object of faith and what is made available by God is secondary. 19. Faith is our life as it joins us to God. But it is also an act of life because it is a virtue and our duty towards God. Therefore, in an earlier section we defined it only in reference to its obtaining of life and salvation, but here we define it as all that God sets forth for us to believe. Therefore, faith is not wholly concerned about God's threatenings in themselves, because they do not make available the good for us to receive; nor about God's commandments in them­selves, because they declare the good to be done, not to be received; nor about mere predictions for in the strict sense they make no good available to us. But faith is rooted in the promises, because in them is set forth a good to be embraced. Therefore, our theologians are accustomed to make the promises the primary object of faith. 20. Those who place faith in the understanding confess that there must be some action of the will to secure that assent, just as in human faith it is said to be a voluntary matter to give credit to someone. So if faith depends upon the will, it must be that the first beginning of faith lies in the will. 21. The material object [objectum quod] of this faith is whatever is revealed and set forth by God to be believed, whether by spirit or word, publicly or privately. Acts 24:14, I believe all things that are written in the law and prophets; John 3:33, He that receives his testimony. 22. Therefore, the church is not absolutely necessary as an object of faith, not even for us today, for then Abraham and the other prophets would not have given assent to those things which were revealed to them from God without any intervening help of the church. To hold contrary is both against the Scriptures and sound reason. But such is the position accepted and maintained by the most learned papists so that they may defend the feigned authority of their false church from arguments of this kind. 23. This material object of faith is always some direct axiom or judgment of truth. But that in which faith has its chief end, concern­ing which and on account of which assent is given by faith to that axiom, is a simple being conceived of as good. Romans 4:21, Being •fully persuaded that he who had promised was able also to do it; Hebrews 11:13, Not having received the promises, but seeing them . . . afar off after they were persuaded of them and had embraced them. 24. For the act of the believer is not directed to an axiom but to the thing, as the most renowned schoolmen say. The reason is this: We do not frame axioms except to have knowledge of things. There­fore, the chief end towards which the act of the believer is directed is the thing itself, to which the axiom chiefly refers. 25. The formal object of faith is the truthfulness or faithfulness of God. Hebrews 11:11, Because she judged him faithful who had promised. The formal or, as they say, particular reason of faith is truth telling, i.e., the truthfulness or faithfulness of God truly revealing something. It is a commonplace that faith depends on the authority of the one who gives the testimony. Faith is-thus distinguished from opinion, knowledge, experience, sight, or sense. The authority of God plainly lies in his truthfulness or faithfulness. Titus 1:2, God, w/io cannot lie, has promised. Hence the proposition is most true that whatever we are bound to believe through divine faith is true. Nothing ought so to be believed unless God himself witnesses the truth of it; God testifies as one who is truthful, and the truth in a witness who knows all things cannot be separated from the truth of his testimony. Therefore, it fol­lows that all that we are bound to believe through divine faith is true. The whole matter is clearly confirmed and used by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:15, If Christ be not raised our preaching is vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to b.e false witnesses of God, because we have testified of Cod that he raised up Christ. If the testi­mony is not true, the witness is false. Unless it is admitted that what­ever God witnesses is true, the surest consequence — namely, that God witnesses this or that and therefore it is true — would avail nothing. Thus divine faith cannot be a principle or cause of giving assent to what is false or of making a false assent either directly or indirectly, ei­ther by itself or by accident. 26. Therefore, the certainty of faith about the object is most sure. And to the extent that it is confirmed in the subject or the heart of the believer, so much is the glory of God increased. Romans 4:20, Romans 4:21, He did not doubt this promise of God because of unbelief, but he was strengthened in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that he who had promised was able to do it. It is true that our faith sometimes wavers, but this comes not from the nature of faith but from our imperfection. 27. A sufficient and sure presentation of the objects of faith, that is, both those things which are to be believed and the form in which they are to be believed is made for us in the Scriptures. Romans 16:26, It is made manifest and by the writings of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting Cod, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. 2 Timothy 3:15, The Holy Scripture can make you wise to salvation by faith which is in Christ Jesus. 28. The light and witness of the Holy Spirit stirring up faith in us is necessary in the subject, or our hearts. Yet for the object itself which is to be received by faith absolutely nothing is required—­neither the things to be believed nor the incentive nor reason for believing—which is not found in the Scriptures. 29. Therefore, divine faith cannot be reduced or resolved into the authority of the church or into any simple external arguments, often called motives, which by persuasion and inducement prepare us for faith. Faith goes back to the Scriptures themselves, to the authority which they bear from the author God, the first and proper cause of the things to be believed, and to the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is the proper cause of the believing act itself. 30. So the first principle from which faith takes its start and into which it is finally resolved is the conviction that the Scriptures are revealed from God for our salvation as a sufficient rule of faith and morals. 2 Peter 1:19, 2 Peter 1:20, You must first know this, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of private interpretation. 31. Faith is partly implicit and partly explicit. 32. Implicit faith is the believing in the truths of faith in their common principle, not distinctly in each separately. 33. The common principle of all things to be believed in this way is the Scriptures, not the church. Acts 24:14, Believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. 34. He who believes that the Scripture is true in every way believes implicitly all things which are contained in the Scripture. Psalms 119:86, compared with verses 18, 33, All the precepts are truth itself . . . Open my eyes that 1 may see the wonders of the law. Teach me, 0 Lord, the way of your statutes which I will keep to the end. David believed that these were wonderful and should be sacredly kept even though he did not yet sufficiently understand them. 35. This implicit faith is good and necessary but it is not in itself sufficient for salvation; nor does it possess the true meaning of faith if it stands alone. The will cannot embrace a good which it does not know distinctly, nor will it be effectively moved by it. Romans 10:14, How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard. 36. Explicit faith is the believing in the truths of faith in particular, not only in general. 37. Explicit faith must necessarily be held concerning those things given to our faith as indispensable means of salvation. Hebrews 6:1; 2 Corinthians 4:3, The foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them who perish. 38. A more explicit faith is required now after the coming of Christ than before, 2 Corinthians 3:18. It is also more required in those who are set over others in the church than in the common people, Hebrews 9:12. Last, it is more required of those who have occasion to be well instructed than of others, Luke 12:48, To whom much is given, of him much shall be required. 39. The outward act of faith is the confession, profession, or mani­festation of it, which in their order and place are necessary to salva­tion, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:10. These are always necessary for the preparation and disposition of the mind, 2 Peter 3:15. And they are necessary for the act of faith itself when the glory of God and the edification of neighbor require them. 40. Persistence in confession of the faith leading to the loss of temporal life testifies to the truth and brings the greatest honor to God. Therefore, ko.t' 'f^oxtv, at its height, it is called ttaprdpior, mar­tyrdom, and those who engage in it are called ^Aprupw, witnesses, Revelation 2:13. This is as necessary in its place as confession of faith when it cannot be refused without denying Christ, Matthew 10:33, Matthew 10:39; Matthew 16:25. 41. Infidelity, doubt, error, heresy and apostasy are opposed to faith. 42. Infidelity is a dissent from the faith in a man who has not yet professed the true faith, 1 Corinthians 14:22, 1 Corinthians 14:23. 43. Doubt occurs in one who has made profession but whose assent is now diminished or taken away. 44. Doubt that only diminishes assent may coexist with a weak faith, 1 Corinthians 8:10, 1 Corinthians 8:11. But doubt which takes away assent cannot, James 1:6 - James 1:8. 45. Error in faith puts forth an opinion contrary to faith, 1 Corinthians 15:46. 46. Heresy adds stubbornness to error, Titus 3:10, Titus 3:11. 47. Apostasy taken absolutely adds to heresy all the errors con­trary to faith, 1 Timothy 1:19, 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:15. 48. These things are opposed to faith not only because they cut off the understanding's assent, which is necessary to faith, but also because they take away the choice and apprehension of faith which is in the will. [~JumpFile http://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesFaithPreparation.htm] ======================================================================== CHAPTER 67: AMES - FAITH AND PREPARATION ======================================================================== Faith and Preparation by Dr. William Ames 1. The parts of religion are two: natural worship and voluntary or instituted worship. 2. This distinction is based on Exodus 20:6 in the words of the second commandment, Those -who low me and keep my command­ments. 3. Natural worship is that which depends upon the nature of God. Even though there were no law revealed and set forth by God, if we rightly perceived and knew the nature of God by proper contempla­tion, with the grace of God helping, we might know all those things which pertain to our duty. 4. Everyone who understands the nature of God rightly necessarily knows that God is to be believed and hoped in, that he is to be loved and called upon, and to be heard in all things. 5. This natural worship is absolutely basic to salvation. Psalms 79:6; Jeremiah 10:25; 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Pour out thy -wrath upon those nations that do not know thee and upon the kingdoms that do not call upon thy name. Although we obtain eternal life neither by merit nor by virtue of our obedience, this part of obedience has such an essential con­nection with faith resting upon Christ for eternal life that it cannot be separated from it. 6. This worship has been, is, and shall be one and the same, immutable. 1 John 2:7, The old commandment which you had from the beginning. 1. Natural worship is prescribed in the first commandment because it is both internal and external. 8. First, all observance is the same inwardly and outwardly and, therefore, both inward and outward worship are treated in the same commandment. Second, in the commandments of the second table, inward and outward obedience are prescribed together in each one, as Christ interprets them. Matthew 5, and all the more so in the com­mandments of the first table, as in" the first and most important. Third, if it were true that the first commandment calls only for inward worship and the second only for outward, then the first command­ment would bind only the inward man and the soul to obedience and the second only the outward man and the body. This is contrary to all reason. 9. Natural worship directs itself towards God, either as our good or as good in himself. 10. The worship which directs itself toward God as our good regards him either as he is ours at present, in faith, or as he is to be ours, in hope. 11. Faith is the virtue by which, clinging-to the faithfulness of God, we lean upon him, so that we may obtain what he gives to us. John 3:33, He who receives his testimony has sealed that God is true; John 1:12, As many as received him believed in his name. 12. These five things belong together in divine faith: 1) a knowl­edge of what God testifies to; 2) a pious affection toward God which gives his testimony greatest force with us; 3) an assent given to the truth testified to, because of this affection toward God who is the witness of it; 4) a resting upon God for the receiving of what is given; and 5) the choosing or apprehension of what is made avail­able to us in the testimony. 13. The first of these is in the understanding. But it does not pro­duce faith because it is common to us along with unbelievers, heretics, apostates, and the devils themselves. 14. The second, fourth, and fifth are in the will and produce faith as the force within and act of religion. 15. The third is in the understanding but only as it is moved by the will. It does not have the virtue of faith, but is rather an effect of it. 16. But the perfection of faith lies only in the choosing or appre­hension, and so must be defined by it. 17. The nature of faith is excellently set forth in the Scriptures when the faithful are said To cleave to God, Joshua 23:6; Acts 11:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17. To choose the way of truth and to cleave to the testimony of Cod, Psalms 119:30, Psalms 119:31. 18. For by faith we first cleave to God and then fasten on to those things which are made available by God. God himself is, there­fore, the first object of faith and what is made available by God is secondary. 19. Faith is our life as it joins us to God. But it is also an act of life because it is a virtue and our duty towards God. Therefore, in an earlier section we defined it only in reference to its obtaining of life and salvation, but here we define it as all that God sets forth for us to believe. Therefore, faith is not wholly concerned about God's threatenings in themselves, because they do not make available the good for us to receive; nor about God's commandments in them­selves, because they declare the good to be done, not to be received; nor about mere predictions for in the strict sense they make no good available to us. But faith is rooted in the promises, because in them is set forth a good to be embraced. Therefore, our theologians are accustomed to make the promises the primary object of faith. 20. Those who place faith in the understanding confess that there must be some action of the will to secure that assent, just as in human faith it is said to be a voluntary matter to give credit to someone. So if faith depends upon the will, it must be that the first beginning of faith lies in the will. 21. The material object [objectum quod] of this faith is whatever is revealed and set forth by God to be believed, whether by spirit or word, publicly or privately. Acts 24:14, I believe all things that are written in the law and prophets; John 3:33, He that receives his testimony. 22. Therefore, the church is not absolutely necessary as an object of faith, not even for us today, for then Abraham and the other prophets would not have given assent to those things which were revealed to them from God without any intervening help of the church. To hold contrary is both against the Scriptures and sound reason. But such is the position accepted and maintained by the most learned papists so that they may defend the feigned authority of their false church from arguments of this kind. 23. This material object of faith is always some direct axiom or judgment of truth. But that in which faith has its chief end, concern­ing which and on account of which assent is given by faith to that axiom, is a simple being conceived of as good. Romans 4:21, Being •fully persuaded that he who had promised was able also to do it; Hebrews 11:13, Not having received the promises, but seeing them . . . afar off after they were persuaded of them and had embraced them. 24. For the act of the believer is not directed to an axiom but to the thing, as the most renowned schoolmen say. The reason is this: We do not frame axioms except to have knowledge of things. There­fore, the chief end towards which the act of the believer is directed is the thing itself, to which the axiom chiefly refers. 25. The formal object of faith is the truthfulness or faithfulness of God. Hebrews 11:11, Because she judged him faithful who had promised. The formal or, as they say, particular reason of faith is truth telling, i.e., the truthfulness or faithfulness of God truly revealing something. It is a commonplace that faith depends on the authority of the one who gives the testimony. Faith is-thus distinguished from opinion, knowledge, experience, sight, or sense. The authority of God plainly lies in his truthfulness or faithfulness. Titus 1:2, God, w/io cannot lie, has promised. Hence the proposition is most true that whatever we are bound to believe through divine faith is true. Nothing ought so to be believed unless God himself witnesses the truth of it; God testifies as one who is truthful, and the truth in a witness who knows all things cannot be separated from the truth of his testimony. Therefore, it fol­lows that all that we are bound to believe through divine faith is true. The whole matter is clearly confirmed and used by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:15, If Christ be not raised our preaching is vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to b.e false witnesses of God, because we have testified of Cod that he raised up Christ. If the testi­mony is not true, the witness is false. Unless it is admitted that what­ever God witnesses is true, the surest consequence — namely, that God witnesses this or that and therefore it is true — would avail nothing. Thus divine faith cannot be a principle or cause of giving assent to what is false or of making a false assent either directly or indirectly, ei­ther by itself or by accident. 26. Therefore, the certainty of faith about the object is most sure. And to the extent that it is confirmed in the subject or the heart of the believer, so much is the glory of God increased. Romans 4:20, Romans 4:21, He did not doubt this promise of God because of unbelief, but he was strengthened in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that he who had promised was able to do it. It is true that our faith sometimes wavers, but this comes not from the nature of faith but from our imperfection. 27. A sufficient and sure presentation of the objects of faith, that is, both those things which are to be believed and the form in which they are to be believed is made for us in the Scriptures. Romans 16:26, It is made manifest and by the writings of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting Cod, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. 2 Timothy 3:15, The Holy Scripture can make you wise to salvation by faith which is in Christ Jesus. 28. The light and witness of the Holy Spirit stirring up faith in us is necessary in the subject, or our hearts. Yet for the object itself which is to be received by faith absolutely nothing is required—­neither the things to be believed nor the incentive nor reason for believing—which is not found in the Scriptures. 29. Therefore, divine faith cannot be reduced or resolved into the authority of the church or into any simple external arguments, often called motives, which by persuasion and inducement prepare us for faith. Faith goes back to the Scriptures themselves, to the authority which they bear from the author God, the first and proper cause of the things to be believed, and to the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is the proper cause of the believing act itself. 30. So the first principle from which faith takes its start and into which it is finally resolved is the conviction that the Scriptures are revealed from God for our salvation as a sufficient rule of faith and morals. 2 Peter 1:19, 2 Peter 1:20, You must first know this, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of private interpretation. 31. Faith is partly implicit and partly explicit. 32. Implicit faith is the believing in the truths of faith in their common principle, not distinctly in each separately. 33. The common principle of all things to be believed in this way is the Scriptures, not the church. Acts 24:14, Believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. 34. He who believes that the Scripture is true in every way believes implicitly all things which are contained in the Scripture. Psalms 119:86, compared with verses 18, 33, All the precepts are truth itself . . . Open my eyes that 1 may see the wonders of the law. Teach me, 0 Lord, the way of your statutes which I will keep to the end. David believed that these were wonderful and should be sacredly kept even though he did not yet sufficiently understand them. 35. This implicit faith is good and necessary but it is not in itself sufficient for salvation; nor does it possess the true meaning of faith if it stands alone. The will cannot embrace a good which it does not know distinctly, nor will it be effectively moved by it. Romans 10:14, How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard. 36. Explicit faith is the believing in the truths of faith in particular, not only in general. 37. Explicit faith must necessarily be held concerning those things given to our faith as indispensable means of salvation. Hebrews 6:1; 2 Corinthians 4:3, The foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them who perish. 38. A more explicit faith is required now after the coming of Christ than before, 2 Corinthians 3:18. It is also more required in those who are set over others in the church than in the common people, Hebrews 9:12. Last, it is more required of those who have occasion to be well instructed than of others, Luke 12:48, To whom much is given, of him much shall be required. 39. The outward act of faith is the confession, profession, or mani­festation of it, which in their order and place are necessary to salva­tion, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:10. These are always necessary for the preparation and disposition of the mind, 2 Peter 3:15. And they are necessary for the act of faith itself when the glory of God and the edification of neighbor require them. 40. Persistence in confession of the faith leading to the loss of temporal life testifies to the truth and brings the greatest honor to God. Therefore, ko.t' 'f^oxtv, at its height, it is called ttaprdpior, mar­tyrdom, and those who engage in it are called ^Aprupw, witnesses, Revelation 2:13. This is as necessary in its place as confession of faith when it cannot be refused without denying Christ, Matthew 10:33, Matthew 10:39; Matthew 16:25. 41. Infidelity, doubt, error, heresy and apostasy are opposed to faith. 42. Infidelity is a dissent from the faith in a man who has not yet professed the true faith, 1 Corinthians 14:22, 1 Corinthians 14:23. 43. Doubt occurs in one who has made profession but whose assent is now diminished or taken away. 44. Doubt that only diminishes assent may coexist with a weak faith, 1 Corinthians 8:10, 1 Corinthians 8:11. But doubt which takes away assent cannot, James 1:6 - James 1:8. 45. Error in faith puts forth an opinion contrary to faith, 1 Corinthians 15:46. 46. Heresy adds stubbornness to error, Titus 3:10, Titus 3:11. 47. Apostasy taken absolutely adds to heresy all the errors con­trary to faith, 1 Timothy 1:19, 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:15. 48. These things are opposed to faith not only because they cut off the understanding's assent, which is necessary to faith, but also because they take away the choice and apprehension of faith which is in the will. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 68: AMES - GOD AND HIS ESSENCE ======================================================================== The Essence of God by Dr. William Ames The accommodating language of the Bible helps us to see the nature of God. 1. The Essence of God The accommodating language of the Bible helps us to see the nature of God. 2. God, as He is in Himself, cannot be understood by any save Himself. 1 Timothy 6:16, "Dwelling in that inaccessible light, whom no man has seen or can see." 4. Since the things which pertain to God must be explained in a human way, a manner of speaking called anqrwpopaqeia, anthropopathy, is frequently used. 5. And because they are explained in our way for human comprehension, many things are spoken of God according to our own conceiving rather than according to his real nature. 8. What can be known about God are His sufficiency [sufficientia] and efficiency, or working power [efficientia]. Romans 4:21, "Being fully persuaded that He was able to perform that which He had promised." 9. These are the two pillars of faith, the base of consolation, the incitements of piety and the surest marks of true religion. 11. The sufficiency of God is the first reason why we believe in Him: He is able to give us life, Romans 4:20, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;" 12. The sufficiency of God is in His essence [essentia] and subsistence, or manner of being [subsistentia]. 13. The essence of God is that by which he is absolutely the first being. Isaiah 44:6, "I am the first and the last, besides me there is no god." Revelation 1:8, Revelation 21:6, and 22:13, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." 31. The attributes of God tell us what He is and who He is. 36. He is said to live in Himself, because He receives neither being nor life from any other source in any way. 37. Hence, the chief title of God, by which he is distinguished from all idols, is that he is the living God, Deuteronomy 32:40, "For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever."; Psalms 84:2, "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God."; Jeremiah 5:2. 58. The will of God is single and totally one in Him. 59. The will of God is unchangeable because He always wills the same and in the same manner, Psalms 33:11, "The counsel of the Lord remains forever." 60. The will of God is eternal because He does not begin to will what He did not will before, nor cease to will what He willed before. Malachi 3:6, "I the Lord do not change." 62. The affections attributed to God in Scripture, such as love, hatred, and the like, either designate acts of the will or apply to God only figuratively. 66. The perfection of God whereby He is called blessed results from all His attributes, 1 Timothy 1:11, "According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20TheEssenceOfGod.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 69: AMES - HEARING THE WORD ======================================================================== The Hearing of the Word by Dr. William Ames 1. From faith, hope, and love, the virtues of religion referring to God, there arises a double act which bears on the spiritual communion exercised between God and us; the hearing of the word and prayer. 2. The reason or basis for this division is that in religious worship we relate ourselves to God when we give him due honor either by re­ceiving what he offers or by offering what may be received by him in his perfection. In both respects we do what is immediately and di­rectly honorable to God. 3. The first act of religion, therefore, concerns those things which are communicated to us from God. The other concerns those things which we yield to God. 4. Hearing the word is the devout receiving of the will of God. 5. Hearing here, therefore, means any receiving of the word of God whether it be communicated to us by preaching, reading, or any other way. God is accustomed to work in his own way and by his own insti­tution by the preaching and hearing of the word. 6. The word hearing ought not to be taken so literally and strictly as to mean always necessarily the outward sense of hearing; it denotes any perceiving of the will of God, and especially inward receiving and submission. 7. The receiving of the word, of two parts: attention of the mind and intention of will. 8. Attention is applying the understanding to perceive the revealed will of God. Acts 16:14, The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she might attend to the things spoken by Paul: It is often called in the Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, a seeking of the will of God or a seeking of God himself. It refers to the great desire we should have to know God's will, as though it were something we could not at all do without. Isaiah 58:2, Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as…a nation which does righteousness and does not for­sake the judgment of its God; they inquire of me the ordinances of justice, they delight in approaching God. 9. In this attention we need that prudence which will discern what the will of God is. Romans 12:2, That you may prove what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. When this is perceived, we must not deliberate further whether it be good or is to be obeyed or not, for the will of God is itself the final end of all religious inquiry. Galatians 1:15, Galatians 1:16, When it pleased God to reveal his sign in me…I did not consult with flesh and blood. 10. Intention is the application of our will to the devout observance of the will of God now known. Psalms 119:106, I have sworn…and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgment. 11. The purpose of the intention ought to be so strong and firm that we are ready without exception to obey whatever God commands. Jeremiah 42:5, Jeremiah 42:6, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not act according to all the things with which the Lord thy God sends you to us. Whether it be good or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God. 12. In the form of this intention, the law of God itself is said to be in the heart of a believer, Psalms 40:8, Psalms 40:9; Psalms 119:11; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10. 13. In order to be correct, the hearing should come from faithful observance, bringing submission of the inward acts and inclinations of the mind. Romans 6:17, From the heart you obeyed that form of doc­trine to which you were committed. 14. To be truly religious, it is necessary, first, that it arise from faith, for by faith we believe the word of truth is that which God re­veals to us and are accordingly influenced by it. Hebrews 4:2, The word in being heard did not profit them, for it did not meet with faith in them that heard it; Luke 24:32, Did not our hearts burn… while he spoke to us? 15. By this faith we cling to the word, Psalms 119:31, and the word it­self clings to us and is engrafted for salvation. James 1:21, The engrafted word. 16. Second, this hearing must come from the hope by which we embrace what God has promised as the word of life and from it also expect life. Deuteronomy 32:47, It is your life, and you shall live long in the land; John 5:39. 17. In hope the faithful bring forth fruit with patience, Luke 8:15. 18. In like manner, there must be joined to it love, with which we cleave to the word or to God revealing himself to us in the word as absolutely good. Psalms 119:97, How I love thy law; 2 Thessalonians 2:10, They did not receive the love of truth in order that they might be saved. 19. Because of this love, the word of God dwells bountifully in the faithful, Colossians 3:16. And they are transformed into its form and pat­tern, Romans 6:17. 20. Such a hearing of the word of God is the true and proper wor­ship of God. First, it bestows spiritual honor on God immediately and directly. For although the act of hearing is most properly directed to our receiving of the will of God, yet because we subject our consciences to God in so receiving we honor him as the possessor of power and di­vine truth, the acknowledgment of which is the basis of religious wor­ship. Second, it contains a direct and immediate exercise of faith, hope, and charity in which the essential worship of God is chiefly found. 21. Therefore, no word or sentence of men ought to be mingled with the word of God or transmitted in the same manner lest by chance we worship men instead of God. 22. Most definitely opposed to hearing is, first, the pride by which one dwells on his own excellence. Such a person does not wish to sub­mit to the will of God. Pride is always contrary to the humility of re­ligion and to religious observance or obedience in general but it seems most surely opposed to them in this act of religion. A proud man is so far from subjecting himself to the will of another as to a law that he wants to have his own will in place of the law. Jeremiah 13:15, Hear and give ear; be not proud, f or the Lord has spoken; Jeremiah 5:5, T hey have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds. 23. The real act of pride is a contempt of either God or the will of God and its observance. 2 Samuel 12:9, Why have you despised the word of the Lord in doing what is evil in his eyes? 24. Pride is said to be the cause of all other sins for two reasons. First, all sins have something to do with that occupying of first place which pride has, as it were, for an end. Second, pride casts aside con­temptuously the authority of the word in which alone the power of sin is to be avoided. 2S. There is something of pride in every sip but especially in those which are committed deliberately. 26. Opposed to the hearing of the word is, second, all taking ad­vice from the world, the flesh, or wisdom of the flesh in the things of religion, Romans 8:7; Galatians 1:16. 27. As in pride men refuse to submit themselves to the will of God; so in taking counsel which is not of God they seek other gods, as it were, to whom they may be subject. 28. Third, the most wicked opposition to the hearing of the word is consultation with the devil. Isaiah 8:19; Deuteronomy 18:11 - Deuteronomy 18:15. Herein reli­gious faith and hope due only to God is transferred in a way either ex­plicitly or implicitly to the enemy of God. 29. Hence it is that faith is likely to be required in those who in­dulge in such consultations by those who are the masters of these arts. 30. By virtue of this faith there is a certain covenant and a kind of religion entered into with the devil - if not openly and expressly, at least secretly and implicitly. 31. One may not have a direct intention to ask counsel of the devil, yet he is made a partaker of such a sin, if he does something that im­plies, either in its own nature or in its practical application, a calling on the devil for help or counsel. 32. Therefore, all arts introduced by the influence of the devil for the knowing of secrets are in this respect to be condemned. 33. All divination which is not grounded upon the sure revelation of God or the course of nature ordained by God in creation is to be con­demned. 34. All application of things or words to prediction or any func­tions to which they are not appointed by either nature or God's ordi­nance is to be condemned. 35. If the help of the devil is sought in such ways, he is in a certain way invoked, and the invoking of God is shut out. And since a kind of revelation is expected, or a submission of mind to receive and execute his commands, this is opposed to the hearing of the word of God. 36. Communion with the devil, therefore, is not only unlawful be­cause it is connected with fraud and seduction, but also because in its own nature it is contrary to true religion. 37. We do not have human communion or fellowship with the devil. And we cannot have religious communion, as formerly some had with the good angels who were ministering spirits sent by God for our good. 38. Therefore, any association with the devil, apart from resistance to him as the enemy of our souls, leads to the violation of true reli­gion and is itself a kind of perverse religion. 39. If he appears at times to be subject to the command of men by some kind of enchantment, it is only a facade of submission so that he may more easily rule them. This does not prevent but only colors the religious submission which men render him in such association. . All participate in such sins who by words, images, and other similar things of no sufficient virtue try to cure diseases in others, or who tolerate such doings to that end on behalf of themselves or their families. 41. Sympathies, antipathies, and the special virtues which are found in some things differ from such enchantments in that, as the common experience of all men shows, some faith is required for the former but none for the latter. 42. In many people a strong imagination may perhaps reinforce the efficacy of the media of enchantment, and even this often arises from a kind of religious faith; but it cannot transmit any effect from par­ents to children or from men to cattle unless a diabolical force is op­erative. 43. They who most care for the hearing of the word care least for these arts and see the least fruit in them. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesHearingWord.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 70: AMES - INSTITUTED WORSHIP ======================================================================== Instituted Worship by Dr. William Ames 1. Instituted worship is the means ordained by the will of God to exercise and increase natural worship. 2. The means ordained by God are wholly set forth in the second commandment, which forbids all contrary means of worship devised by men under the words, graven image and likeness. Since these were once the chief inventions of men for corrupting the worship of God, they are rightly used for all devices of man's wit pertaining to worship (by a synecdoche constantly used in the decalogue). 3. Worship does not depend in kind [in specie] and directly on the nature of God or on that honor which we owe to God because of creation. It depends rather upon the free institution of God. 4. Hence this worship has varied as the structure of the church has varied. It had one form before Christ and another afterwards. 5. Instituted worship is related to natural worship, otherwise it would not be worship, for one cannot give the honor due to God in any way other than by faith, hope, and love (so far as the essence of the act is concerned). Thereby, in due subjection, we receive from God what he sets forth for us and with the same subjection we offer all that may be offered to his honor. These acts of offering are themselves performed in a special manner by means which God has instituted for his honor. Therefore, a kind of secondary worship takes place in them and they share in a way with the acts of receiving. 6. Instituted worship is related to natural worship as an effect to a cause. It is a means and instrument by which faith, hope, and love function — and these are the components of natural worship. It is an auxiliary cause by which these are furthered; and it is an adjunct of natural worship, of which they form the substance. 7. It is most rightly called worship since it serves as a means and auxiliary cause for primary, natural worship. 8. By the command of God instituted worship depends upon and flows from the primary worship of God. This gives the reason and force of those arguments for they are based on the inward and really essential manner of worshiping God, as found in the second commandment, They that love me and keep my commandments; Deuteronomy 10:12, Deuteronomy 10:13, What does the Lord require of you, but that you fear the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, and that you love and worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, observing the precepts of the Lord and his statutes. 9. The rule of interpreting the Scriptures usually given by some is not universally true, namely, that all duties are moral and immutable which have moral and immutable reasons joined to them — unless this is understood to mean that such duties follow from such reasons if no special command intervenes. Leviticus 11:44, I am the Lord your God, so sanctify yourselves, and be holy, as I am holy. Defile not therefore yourselves with any creeping thing. 10. No instituted worship is lawful unless God is its author and ordainer. Deuteronomy 4:1 - Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32, Keep all things which I shall command you. . . . Add not to the word which I command you, neither take from it. . . . Everything which I command you observe to do. Add not to it, or take from it. 1 Chronicles 10:14, Our Lord broke in on us because we did not seek him rightly. 11. This is declared in those words of the commandment, You shall not make for yourself, i.e., by your own cogitation or your own judgment. Although the phrase, "for yourself," sometimes has another or broader meaning, here the brief and strict style of the commandments excludes any broadening of the meaning; and it is also clear that dependence upon man's vain cogitation is prohibited in other places of Scripture relating to the same matter. Amos 5:26, Which you made for yourselves; Numbers 15:39, Follow not your own heart and your own eyes, after which you follow a-whoring. 12. The same is also brought out in the universality of the prohibition in the commandment, including all Of the things which are in heaven above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. 13. For no one besides God can know what will be acceptable to him and impart that virtue to worship to make it effectual and profitable to us. Nothing can honor God unless it comes from him as the author. Finally, we do not read that the power of ordaining worship at one's pleasure was ever given to any man by God. Matthew 15:9, In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the precepts of men. 14. Therefore, implicitly and by God's own interpretation, we make God ours and give him due honor in religious worship. We subject ourselves to his authority and ordinances. 15. In this sense men are sometimes said to worship the devil when they follow the worship which the devil introduced, 1 Corinthians 10:20; Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17. 16. But we must follow the worship which God has appointed with the same zeal with which we receive his word or will and call upon his name, Deuteronomy 6:17, Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28; Deuteronomy 13:18; Deuteronomy 28:14. 17. Some of the means so ordained by God lead directly to the exercise and increase of faith, hope, and love, e.g., the public and solemn preaching of the word, celebration of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer. And some are for the right performance of these very acts, such as the gathering of the faithful into congregations or churches; the election, ordination, and ministry of ministers ordained by God; and the care of ecclesiastical discipline. 18. The first-named acts belong most properly to the instituted worship of God. The others are also worship, not only in the general sense that every act is one of religious worship which in any way comes from or is guided by religion, but also in their special nature, for their end and use is equally that God should be rightly worshiped. 19. All of these means, therefore, ought to be observed by us both in general and in particular because they are appointed by God. God must be worshiped by us with his own worship, wholly and solely — nothing must be added, taken away, or changed, Deuteronomy 12:32. 20. That is a most empty distinction which some people make to excuse their additions to worship: "Only corrupting and not conserving additions are forbidden." For every addition as well as every subtraction is a departure from the observance and keeping of the commandments of God, and a corruption of them, Deuteronomy 12:32. 21. Of the same nature is the evasion which is made when it is said that only the addition of essentials is forbidden, not accidentals. Although there are some "accidents" or adjuncts in worship, there is no worship which may simply be called accidental, because all worship has in it its own essence. Furthermore, as the least commandments of God even to jots and tittles are to be observed religiously, Matthew 5:18, Matthew 5:19, so additions that seem very small are for the same reason rejected. Last, Moses seals even those laws of place and manner of divine worship, of abstinence from blood, and the like (which are certainly accidental to worship), with the caution not to add to or take away from them, Deuteronomy 12:32. 22. This worship is called obedience for a special reason, because in it we do that which seems right in the eyes of the Lord, although something else might seem more right in our own eyes, Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28. 23. Opposed to instituted worship is will-worship which is devised by men and is unlawful, Matthew 15:9; Colossians 2:23. 24. The sin committed in will-worship is generally called superstition. 25. Superstition occurs when improper worship is given to God. 26. In superstition God is always the object and in some way the end, but the worship itself is unlawful. 27. It is called improper worship either because of the manner or measure or because of the matter and substance of the worship. The Pharisees offended in the former way on the matter of the sabbath when they urged its observance by the stopping of work beyond the manner and measure appointed by God. And they offended in the latter way by observing and pressing for their own tradition, Mark 7:8. 28. Therefore, superstition is called an excess of religion not in regard to the formal virtue of religion (for no one can be too religious), but in regard to the acts and external means of religion. 29. Excess of this sort is found not only in positive acts involving the use of things, but also in abstinence from things such as meat, which are held to be unclean or unlawful, and the like. 30. Abstinence from lawful things (although they may be considered unlawful) is not, properly speaking, superstition unless some special worship or honor is intended for God by the abstinence. 31. This improper worship stands either against the worship wherein instituted worship is set forth and exercised — hearing the word, celebrating the sacraments, and prayer — or against that worship which deals with the means of instituted worship. 32. The hearing of the word is opposed, first, by teaching through images devised by men, Deuteronomy 4:15, Deuteronomy 4:16; Isaiah 40:18; Isaiah 41:29; Jeremiah 10:8, Jeremiah 10:15; Habakkuk 2:18. Second, it is opposed by a vaunting of traditions which are propounded as rales of religion, Mark 7:8. 33. Religious teaching by images is condemned, first, because they are not sanctified by God to such an end; second, because they can represent to us neither God himself nor his perfections; third, because they debase the soul and call our attention away from the spiritual contemplation of the will of God; fourth, because once admitted into the exercise of worship, by the perversity of man's mind, the worship itself is transferred, at least in part, to them. This is declared in the words of the commandment, Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them. 34. Similar to images are all ceremonies instituted by men with mystical or religious meanings. 35. Such ceremonies have no fixed power of teaching given by nature or divine institution, and they can receive no power from human institution because man cannot create this by his command, since it is beyond his authority, or by his demand, since God has promised no such thing to the asker. 36. Men cannot arrogate to themselves the authority for instituting such ceremonies because all churches are commanded to do all things decently and in order, 1 Corinthians 14:40. Respect for order and decency requires not that any new holy things should be instituted, but that those instituted by God should be employed in the manner becoming their dignity. Order and decency pertain not only to holy things but also to civil duties — for in each case confusion and unseemliness are vices opposed to the right and necessary way of attaining of the ends and uses for which each are intended. 37. Opposed to the sacraments are, first, sacrifices properly so-called, whether they be bloody or, as the papists say about their mass, bloodless. For since the coming of Christ, all former sacrifices are abrogated; and there is to be no new ordinance because the sacrifice of Christ once offered removes the need of other types, save only those which manifest and seal Christ for our benefit — as is sufficiently done in the sacrament according to God's ordinance — without sacrifices. 38. The institution and use of new seals or ceremonies confirming some grace of God is also opposed to the sacraments, for the one who gives grace can alone seal it. 39. Prayer is opposed by the use of representative images at or before which God is worshiped, even though the worship is referred not to the images themselves — subjectively, as some say — but objectively to God alone. . Superstition of this type is called idolatry, Exodus 32:5; Psalms 106:20; Acts 7:41. 41. If idols are themselves worshiped instead of God, this is the idolatry which violates the first commandment. If the true God is worshiped at an image or in an image, this is the idolatry which violates the second commandment. 42. Although such a worshiper does not in intention offend against the primary or highest object in worship, yet from the nature of the thing itself he always offends against the formal worship of God. In his mind a new God, who is delighted with such worship, is imagined as the object of his adoration; religious worship is also given to the image itself. This occurs even when the worship is not considered to be ultimately bound up with the image but is directed to God himself. 43. Therefore, we must shun this kind of idolatry as well as the absolute idolatry of the first commandment. We must also shun the very idols, and the idolothytes or things dedicated to idols, and all the mementos of idols, 1 John 5:21; 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:18, 1 Corinthians 10:19, 1 Corinthians 10:21; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 12:2, Deuteronomy 12:3; Exodus 23:13. 44. Superstition of the second kind is found in the human forms of the church, such as churches that are visibly, and organically ecumenical, provincial, or diocesan, brought in by men. Superstition is also found in the hierarchy which goes with such churches, in the orders of the religious found among the papists, and in their acts and judgments. 45. Intolerable is the audacity of the men who, in order to- save their images, either omit the second commandment altogether or teach that it ought to be so shorn of its meaning that the reading under the New Testament should now be: You shall not adore or worship any likeness or image. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesInstitutedWorship.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 71: AMES - JUSTIFICATION ======================================================================== Justification by Dr. William Ames 1. Participation in the blessings of the union with Christ comes when the faithful have all the things needed to live well and blessedly to God. Ephesians 1:3, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing; Romans 8:32, He who spared not his own son . . . how shall he not freely with him give us all things also? 2. This participation therefore brings a change and alteration in the condition of believers from the state of sin and death to the state of righteousness and eternal life. 1 John 3:14, We know that we are translated from death to life. 3. This change of state is twofold, relative and absolute (or real). 4. The relative change occurs in God's reckoning. Romans 4:5, And to him who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the un­godly, his faith is imputed as righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:19, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their offenses. 5. The change, of course, has no degrees and is completed at one moment and in only one act. Yet in manifestation, consciousness, and effects, it has many degrees; therein lie justification and adoption. 6. Justification is the gracious judgment of God by which he ab­solves the believer from sin and death, and reckons him righteous and worthy of life for the sake of Christ apprehended in faith. Romans 3:22, Romans 3:24, The righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ in all and upon all that believe. . . . they are freely justified by his grace . . . through the redemption made by Jesus Christ. 7. It is the pronouncing of a sentence, as the word is used, which does not denote in the Holy Scriptures a physical or a real change. There is rather a judicial or moral change which takes shape in the pronouncing of the sentence and in the reckoning. Proverbs 17:15, He that justifies the wicked; Romans 8:33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies. 8. Therefore, Thomas and his followers are completely mistaken for they would make justification a kind of physical motion from the state of unrighteousness to that of righteousness in a real transmutation. They consider that it begins with sin, ends in inherent righteousness, with remission of sin and infusion of righteousness the motion be­tween. 9. The judgment was, first, conceived in the mind of God in a de­cree of justification. Galatians 3:8, The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Second, it was pronounced in Christ our head as he rose from the dead. 2 Corinthians 5:19, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their sins to them. Third, it is pronounced in actuality upon that first relationship which is created when faith is born. Romans 8:1, There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Fourth, it is expressly pronounced by the spirit of God witnessing to our spirits our recon­ciliation with God. Romans 5:5, The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. This testimony of the spirit is not properly justification itself, but rather an actual per­ceiving of what has been given before as if in a reflected act of faith. 10. It is a gracious judgment because it is given not by God's jus­tice but by his grace. Romans 3:24, Freely by his grace. For by the same grace with which he called Christ to the office of mediator and the elect to union with Christ, he accounts those who are called and be­lieving, justified by the union. 11. It happens because of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21, That we may become the righteousness of God in him. The obedience of Christ is that dikaiwma, the righteousness, Romans 5:16, in the name of which the grace of God justifies us, just as the disobedience of Adam was that paraptwmatwn, the offense, Romans 5:16, for which God's justice condemned us, Romans 5:18. 12. Therefore, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers in justification. Php_3:9, That I may be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the law but that which is by faith in Christ, the righteousness of God through faith. 13. This righteousness is called the righteousness of God because it is ordained, approved, and confirmed by his grace to the end that sin­ners can stand before him, Romans 10:3. 14. This justification comes about because of Christ, but not in the absolute sense of Christ's being the cause of vocation. It happens be­cause Christ is apprehended by faith, which follows calling as an ef­fect. Faith precedes justification as the instrumental cause, laying hold of the righteousness of Christ from which justification being appre­hended follows; therefore, righteousness is said to be from faith, Romans 9:30; Romans 10:6. And justification is said to be by faith, Romans 3:28. 15. This justifying faith is not the general faith of the understand­ing by which we give assent to the truth revealed in the Holy Scrip­tures, for that belongs not only to those who are justified, nor of its nature has it any force to justify, nor produce the effects which are everywhere in Scripture given to justifying faith. 16. Neither is it that special trust (properly speaking) by which we obtain remission of sins and justification itself. For justifying faith goes before justification itself, as a cause goes before its effect. But faith apprehending justification necessarily presupposes and follows justification as an act follows the object towards which it is directed. 17. That faith is properly called justifying by which we rely upon Christ for the remission of sins and for salvation. For Christ is a suf­ficient object for justifying faith. Faith justifies only by apprehending the righteousness by which we are justified. That righteousness does not lie in the truth of some proposition to which we give assent, but in Christ alone Who has been made sin for us that we might be righ­teousness in him, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 18. Therefore, words are often repeated in the New Testament which show that justification is to be sought in Christ alone: John 1:12; John 3:15, John 3:16; John 6:40, John 6:47; John 14:1, John 14:12; Romans 4:5; Romans 3:26; Acts 10:43; 26:18; and Galatians 3:26. 19. Justifying faith of its own nature produces and is marked by a special, sure persuasion of the grace and mercy of God in Christ. Therefore, justifying faith is not wrongly described as persuasion by the orthodox (as it often is) —especially when they take a stand against the general faith to which the papists ascribe everything. But the following should be considered. First, the feeling of persuasion is not always present. It may and often does happen, either through weakness of judgment or various temptations and troubles of mind, that a person who truly believes and is by faith justified before God may for a time think that he neither believes nor is reconciled to God. Second, there are many degrees in this persuasion. Believers obviously do not have the same assurance of grace and favor of God, nor do the same ones have it at all times. But this cannot be said of justifying faith itself, without considerable loss in the consolation and peace which Christ has left to believers. 20. Justification does not free from sin and death directly by taking away the blame or stain or all the effects of sin; rather it removes the guilty obligation to undergo eternal death. Romans 8:1, Romans 8:33, Romans 8:34, There is no condemnation . . . Who shall lay anything to their charge? . . , who shall condemn? 21. Nor does it take away guilt so that the deserving of punishment is removed from sin. This cannot be taken away as long as sin itself remains. But justification does take away guilt so that its haunting or deadly effects vanish. 22. The absolution from sins is called many things in the Holy Scriptures—remission, redemption, and reconciliation, Ephesians 1:6, Ephesians 1:7— but these all have the same meaning. When sin is thought of as a bondage or kind of spiritual captivity because of guilt, justification is called redemption. When it is thought of as subjection to deserved punishment, it is called remission — also passing by, blotting out, ex­oneration, taking away, casting away, removing, and casting behind the back, Romans 4:7; Colossians2:13; Micah 7:18; Isaiah 43:12; Isaiah 38:17; Psalms 32:1, Psalms 32:2. And when sin is thought of as enmity against God, justification is called reconciliation, Romans 5:10. Sometimes this is regarded as even a kind of winking at sin, Numbers 23:25, and a covering of sin, Psalms 32:1, Psalms 32:2. 23. Not only are past sins of justified persons remitted but also those to come. Numbers 23:25. God sees no iniquity in Jacob or perverseness in Israel. Justification has left no place for condemnation.John 5:24, He who believes has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation — justification gives eternal life surely and immediately. It also makes the whole remission obtained for us in Christ actually ours. Neither past nor present sins can be altogether fully remitted un­less sins to come are in some way remitted. 24. The difference is that past sins are remitted specifically and sins to come potentially. Past sins are remitted in themselves, sins to come in the subject or the person sinning. 25. Yet those who are justified need daily the forgiveness of sins. This is true because the continuance of grace is necessary to them; the consciousness and manifestation of forgiveness increases more and more as individual sins require it; and the execution of the sentence which is pronounced in justification may thus be carried out and com­pleted. 26. Besides the forgiveness of sins there is also required an imputa­tion of righteousness, Romans 5:18; Revelation 19:8; Romans 8:3. This is neces­sary because there might be a total absence of sin in a case where that righteousness does not exist which must be offered in place of justifi­cation. 27. This righteousness is not to be sought in a scattered fashion in the purity of the nature, birth, and life of Christ. It arises rather, with remission of sins, out of Christ's total obedience, just as the disobedi­ence of Adam both robbed us of original righteousness and made us subject to the guilt of condemnation. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesJustification.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 72: AMES - MANNER OF WORSHIP, THE ======================================================================== The Manner of Worship How should we worship the One True Living God? by Dr. William Ames 1. The circumstances of worship to be especially observed are the manner [modus] which is described in the third commandment and the time which is commanded in the fourth. 2. These are such close adjuncts of religious worship that in a secondary sense they partake of the meaning and nature of it. Observance of them promotes not only the honor of God which is found in both the natural and the instituted worship of God, but also a certain special honor to him in that their observance is connected with natural and instituted worship by his command and in a direct and immediate way. 3. In general the way to worship is to use lawfully the things which pertain to God. 4. Lawful use consists in the handling of all things in worship in a way agreeable to the majesty of God. 5. The third commandment contains the prohibition: You shall not take the name of God in vain. By the name of God is understood all those things by which God is made known to us or reveals himself, just as men are known to one another by their names. Therefore, the name of God embraces all those things which pertain to the worship of God, natural or instituted. Acts 9:15, That he may bear my name among the Gentiles; Deuteronomy 12:5, The place which the Lord . . . shall choose . . . to place his name; Micah 4:5, We will walk in the name of the Lord our God; Malachi 1:11, Malachi 1:12, My name shall be great among the Gentiles. 6. To take this name in vain is to take it rashly — that is, without any purpose, without a just and fitting end; or to take it in vain — that is, not in a manner demanded by the just end, which is the honor of God. It is also commanded that we sanctify the name of God, or use all holy things in the manner which is suitable to their holiness and dignity, Isaiah 1:13. 7. That suitable manner is found when the circumstances are established which the nature of religious things requires. 8. We define this manner in terms of circumstances because the essential manner of the powers and acts of religion is contained in the powers and acts themselves and is directly enjoined in the same commandments with them. The accidental manner of the circumstances, however, is set forth specially in the third commandment, for though it is in a way separable from the acts of religion, they need it to be acceptable to God. 9. These circumstances are either inward or outward. 10. The inward are antecedent, concomitant, or consequent. 11. The antecedent circumstances are a desire and stirring up of the mind or preparation in appropriate meditation on the things which pertain to the holy matter to be handled. Ecclesiastes 5:1, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest the house of God. ... Be not swift with thy mouth, and let not thy mind hasten to utter a thing before God. 12. This preparation relates chiefly to the more solemn acts of religion. For meditation by which the mind is stirred up, though it is an act of religion, does not itself require previous preparation, or there would be an infinite regress; those acts which by their nature are less perfect ought to give way to the more perfect and more solemn ones. 13. Therefore, before the public and solemn hearing of the word and prayer, private prayer is required, and before private prayer, if it be solemn, there is required some meditation on those things with which our prayers have to do, whether about God to whom we pray or about ourselves who are about to pray or about the things which are to be prayed for. 14. The concomitant circumstances are reverence and devotion. 15. A certain general reverence for God is part of any obedience which respects the commanding authority of God. But this particular reverence properly has to do with those acts of religion which stress the holiness of the things we do. 16. Such reverence contains, first, a due prizing of the worth of such things, second, a fear of too much familiarity by which such things might be desecrated. 17. Devotion also contains two parts. First, a certain special readiness to perform those things which belong to the worship of God. Psalms 108:1 - Psalms 108:3, O God, J will sing with a fixed heart ... I will awake right early. Second, a proper delight in performing them. Isaiah 58:13, If you shall call the sabbath a delight. 18. Hence a greater and different concern is called for in hearing the word of God than in receiving the edicts of princes — and in calling upon the name of God than in making supplication to any man. 19. The consequent circumstances are two, first, to retain the force and, as it were, the taste of the worship in our minds, second, to fulfill its purpose and put it to use with full effort. 20. The outward circumstances are those which belong to order and decency. 1 Corinthians 14:40, Let all things be done decently and in order. 21. The general rule is that these be ordered in a way to make for the most edification, 1 Corinthians 14:26. 22. Such circumstances are place, time, and the like, which are adjuncts common to religious and civil acts. 23. These circumstances are likely to be called by some religious and ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies, but they have nothing proper to religion in their nature. Religious worship is not found in them; but the holiness of religious worship is in some way violated by their neglect and contempt. The common matter of order and decency which is equally necessary to religious and civil actions cannot be severed from religious worship without some loss of dignity and majesty. 24. Such circumstances, therefore, which are civil or social in their own nature are not specially commanded in the Scriptures partly because they are part of men's common sense and partly because it would be beneath the dignity and majesty of the law of God that such things be prescribed one by one. On such a procedure many ridiculous things would have been handled by special law, e.g., that in the church assembly one should not sit on another's lap, spit in another's face, or make faces during worship. But the circumstances in question are to be counted as being in accord with God's will. They are commanded, first, under the general law of order, decorum, and edification; second, most of them necessarily follow from the things expressly appointed by God. When God prescribed that the faithful of all sorts should meet together to celebrate his name and worship he ordained thereby that they should have some fit and suitable place to meet, an assigned hour when they could all be present; and when a minister is appointed by God to teach publicly, it follows that it is also appointed that he have a place to live and bodily conditions fit for his functions. 25. These matters of order and decency, therefore, are not left to man's choice so that on that score he may foist whatever he pleases upon the churches. They are determined partly by the general precepts of God, partly by the nature of the things themselves, and partly by the circumstances of the occasion. 26. The various circumstances of order and decency are such that, though they have not been historically instituted, their principles must be observed by everyone. Indeed, men cannot forbid them without sin. 27. But ordinances about such circumstances as place, time, and the like are rightly said by the best authorities to be partly divine and partly human. They are grounded in part upon the will of God, because of their chief and primary purpose, and partly upon man's prudence, insofar as a special observation agreeable to God's will is concerned. If no human error is made in this matter, the ordinance is to be held as wholly divine. It is the will of God that the church meet at the most convenient hour of the day, all circumstances considered. If, therefore, no error occurs in estimating the circumstances, the hour assigned for meeting after due consideration must be acknowledged as if appointed by God. 28. The special manner of the worship of God is to be determined as the individual nature of each religious act requires. 29. So must be determined the right manner of hearing the word of God, calling upon his name, sharing the sacraments, exercising ecclesiastical discipline, and performing all those things which belong either to the natural or instituted worship of God, Ezekiel 33:31; Matthew 13:19; 1 Corinthians 11:27, 1 Corinthians 11:29; Isaiah 66:5. 30. With oaths, since the manner of swearing is held especially important, reference is made by many (not without all reason) to this passage in the third commandment, although oaths by their nature pertain to the first, Leviticus 19:12; Matthew 5:34; 2 Chronicles 36:13. 31. Contrary in kind to the proper manner is, first, the vice called by some acedia, in which one is apathetic to things divine and spiritual, 2 Timothy 4:3. This stands against the desire we should have for spiritual things, 1 Peter 2:2. 32. Second, the slothfulness in which one refuses the eagerness and labor that are required for divine things, Romans 12:11. This is opposed to the stirring up and fervor of the mind with which we should pursue divine things, Romans 12:11; Psalms 57:8, Psalms 57:9. 33. Third, the neglect and contempt of holy things and the abuse of them to a base, ludicrous, and frivolous level — all of which are opposed to the reverence due to holy things, Luke 19:46. 34. Fourth, torpor and wandering of mind in exercises of worship, Hebrews 5:11; Ezekiel 33:31. This stands against devotion, such as was found in Cornelius, Acts 10:2. 35. Fifth, rashness or frivolousness in using either the name of the titles of God or the things which have special reference to him, Jeremiah 23:34; Luke 13:1. This is opposed to the pursuit of the just end, which ought to be present with reverence in the use of such things, 1 Corinthians 11:17. 36. Sixth, forgetfulness (mentioned in James 1:24, James 1:25) which is opposed to reaping the benefit and keeping the power, as we ought to do after acts of religion. 37. Seventh, confusion, which is opposed to order and decency, 1 Corinthians 14:33. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesMannerOfWorship.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 73: AMES - ORDINARY MINISTERS IN THE CHURCH ======================================================================== Ordinary Ministers and Their Office in Preaching By Dr. William Ames 1. The ordinary ministry is that which receives all of its direction from the will of God revealed in the Scriptures and from those means which God has appointed in the church for its continual edification. 2. They are called ordinary because it is according to the order established by God that they may be and usually are called to minister. 3. In their service they have the will of God revealed earlier through the extraordinary ministers as a fixed rule; therefore, they ought not to propose or do anything in the church which is not prescribed to them in the Scriptures. 4. They depend upon the extraordinary ministers and are, so to speak, their successors. Although in manner and degree extraordinary ministers have no successors, ordinary ministers in their essential service perform the same office toward the church as the former once did. 5. The right to this ministry is regularly accorded by men and for that reason the calling of an ordinary minister is indirect. 6. But this is to be understood in the sense that the authority for administering divine things is directly communicated from God to all lawful ministers, though the appointing of persons upon whom the authority is to be bestowed is done by the church. 7. But the church cannot confer the necessary gifts for this ministry, and cannot prescribe for God those upon whom he should confer them. Therefore, the church can only choose those who appear to it in advance to be suitable. For ordinary ministers, unlike extraordinary ministers, are not made fit by their very calling when they were unfit before. 8. Therefore, in an ordinary calling it is required that a lawful examination precede the calling itself. 1 Timothy 3:10, Let them be first tried then let them minister if they be blameless. 9. The purpose of the ordinary ministry is to preserve, propagate, and renew the church through regular means. 10. There are two parts in this ministry: First, a minister must do those things which he does for the people in the name of God; second, he must do those things which he does for God in the name of the people. 11. Here the preaching of the word is of utmost importance, and so it has always been of continuous use in the church. 12. The duty of an ordinary preacher is to set forth the will of God out of the word for the edification of the hearers. 1 Timothy 1:5, The end of preaching is love out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. 13. Since first an earnest zeal for the church's edification is required, a man cannot be a fit preacher unless he has Set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel, Ezra 7:10. For one who teaches another ought before and while he teaches to teach himself, Romans 2:21. Otherwise he is not prepared to edify the church. 14. This duty is to be performed not only for all hearers in common but also specifically for each status and age — for old men, young men, servants (Titus 2:1-15 and 3), teachers (2 Peter 1:12), yea, for each individual. 1 Thessalonians 2:11, We exhorted, comforted, and charged each one of you not only publicly but privately; Acts 20:20, Publicly and from house to house. 15. He ought always to have this aim of edification so clearly before his eyes as to take great care not to Turn aside to vain discussion (1 Timothy 1:6), Striving about words (2 Timothy 2:14), Unprofitable controversies or speculations of what is falsely called knowledge (1 Timothy 6:20). He should hold fast to the faithful word which leads to teaching (Titus 1:9), And which cannot be condemned (Titus 2:8). 16. Since to this end the will of God is to be set forth out of the word, no one is fit for the ministry who is not greatly concerned with the Holy Scripture, even beyond ordinary believers, so that he might be said, with Apollos, to be mighty in the Scriptures, Acts 18:24. He must not put his trust in notes and commentaries. 17. In order that the will of God may be set forth fruitfully for edification two things are necessary: First, the things contained in the text must be stated; second, they must be applied to the consciences of the hearers as their condition seems to require. 1 Timothy 6:17, Charge those that are rich in this world that they be not highminded or trust in uncertain riches. 18. Ministers impose upon their hearers and altogether forget themselves when they propound a certain text in the beginning as the start of the sermon and then speak many things about or simply by occasion of the text but for the most part draw nothing out of the text itself. 19. In setting forth the truth in the text the minister should first explain it and then indicate the good which follows from it. The first part is concerned with doctrines and proofs; the latter with application or derivation of profit from the doctrines. 2 Timothy 3:16, All the Scripture ... is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness. 20. Those who invert and confuse these parts make it difficult for their hearers to remember and stand in the way of their edification. Their hearers cannot commit the chief heads of the sermon to memory so that they may afterwards repeat it privately in their families; and when this cannot be done, the greatest part of the fruit, which would otherwise be made available to the church of God through sermons, is lost. 21. A doctrine is a theological principle either in the express words of Scripture or deriving from them as a direct consequence. 22. A doctrine rightly must first be discovered and then discussed. 23. The discovery is made by a logical analysis in which rhetoric and grammar are utilized. 24. Analysis means principally observing the scope or purpose of the text and, by the art of logic, the means by which it is attained. 25. Confirmation must be added by interpreting the doubtful parts in the analysis. Manifest parts, clear in themselves, neither require nor permit needless interpretation. 26. The discussion of a doctrine consists partly in proofs, if it be questioned by the hearers (it is foolish to go to any length to confirm what all acknowledge), and partly in illustration of the things already well proved. 27. Proofs ought to be sought from the clearer testimonies of Scripture, with reasons being added where the nature of the thing will allow. But here the treatment must be adapted to the profit of the hearers. 28. Illustrations may be drawn from almost anywhere they may be found but the contrasting and comparing themes are the most important. 29. Each doctrine when sufficiently explained should immediately be applied to its use. Upon this part, unless there is some special reason against it, great insistence must be made, since this contains the conclusion and the good of the first part, and is closer to the chief purpose of the sermon, which is the edification of the hearers. 30. They sin, therefore, who stick to the naked finding and explanation of the truth, neglecting the use and practice in which religion and blessedness consist. Such preachers edify the conscience little or not at all. 31. Not all the doctrines which may be drawn out of the text are to be propounded or all the uses set forth but only those are to be selected which the circumstances of place, time, and person suggest as most necessary — and of these especially those which make for the stirring up or strengthening of the spirit of devotion. 32. They sin who do care little about what they say provided it may appear that they may have thought about and spoken many things. They do this frequently, forcing many things out of the text which are not in it and often borrowing for it from other places, bringing anything out of everything. The result is the ruin rather than the edification of the hearers, especially among the untutored. 33. Both doctrine and use ought to be structured, as far as possible, to have some connection between them and to manifest it. For the mind is not drawn from one thing to a different thing without loss; nor is there anything that helps the memory more than logical order. 34. A use is a theological principle deduced from a doctrine which shows the use, goodness, or end of it. 35. The logic of the deduction is to be explained, if it be not clear. To this should be joined a proof or illustration as the necessity of the hearers and the wisdom of the speaker suggests. 36. Use lies in the area either of judgment or of practice, 2 Timothy 3:16. 37. In judgment it provides information and reformation of the mind. 38. Information is the proving of some truth. 39. Reformation is the refutation of some error. . Although every truth may be taught upon occasion, every error need not always come up for refutation. For heresies already buried are not to be dug up again just so that they may be refuted, nor wicked blasphemies glibly repeated. This troubles and offends, especially when all is declared, explained, and refuted in a solemn way. 41. Direction, needed in the practice of life, consists of instruction and correction. 42. Instruction is a setting forth of the life which ought to be followed. 43. Correction is a condemnation of the life which ought to be shunned. 44. After the declaration of a doctrine application should follow, and this is so like the derivation of uses that the two may often be made one. 45. To apply a doctrine to its use is to sharpen and make specially relevant some general truth with such effect that it may pierce the minds of those present with the stirring up of godly affections. 46. Men are to be pricked to the quick so that they feel individually what the Apostle said, namely, that the word of the Lord is a two-edged sword, piercing to the inward thoughts and affections and going through to the joining of bones and marrow. Preaching, therefore, ought not to be dead, but alive and effective so that an unbeliever coming into the congregation of believers should be affected and, as it were, transfixed by the very hearing of the word so that he might give glory to God. 1 Corinthians 14:25, The hidden things of his heart are disclosed; and so, falling down on his face, he -will worship God and say that God is among you indeed. 47. This application is either for an oppressed mind, in consolation, or one that is failing to follow up the good, or to avoid evil, in exhortation or admonition. 48. Consolation is the application of some point that either takes away or mitigates grief and oppressive fear. 49. In consolation, indications are profitably given to a man's conscience to assure him that he shares the benefits with which the minister comforts the conscience of believers. Thoughts to the contrary, which may arise in a pious and troubled mind, are dispelled and refuted. 50. Exhortation is the application of a point which begets, quickens, and excites some inward virtue or furthers the exercise of it. 51. In exhortation to virtue it is profitable to show the means which lead to the begetting of that virtue in us. But let each one be proved by places and examples from Scripture, or by reasons which have a firm foundation in Scripture. 52. Admonition is the application of a point to correct some vicious-ness. 53. In admonition, or exhortation against vices, remedies may be found from passages which are most likely to be effective against them. 54. The doing of all these things must have in it no show of human wisdom or mixture of carnal affections; it should manifest itself throughout as the demonstration of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 1:17; and 2:1, 4, 13, Not with skill of speaking, lest the cross of Christ should have no effect. Not with excellence of speech or wisdom, not in persuading words of men's wisdom, but in spiritual and powerful demonstration. Not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but in that which the Holy Spirit teaches. It is the word of the Spirit, the word of life, which is preached for the building up of faith in God. If anything be not fitly spoken or done to this end, it is as useless as hay and stubble, 1 Corinthians 3:12. 55. Therefore, neither human testimonies, no matter what they be, nor stories known only to the learned ought to be mixed in, except on the rare occasions when urgent necessity or sure hope of good results seem to require it (and then the reason for so doing should be made clear). Much less should words or sentences in Latin, Greek, or Hebrew be used which the people do not understand. 56. The purity, perfection, and majesty of the word of God is violated when it is said to need the admixture of human words. And at the same time a disservice is done to hearers who get so accustomed to human flourishes that they often contract the disease of itching ears, begin to dislike the simplicity of the gospel, and will not endure sound teaching. 2 Timothy 4:3. 57. Consider Paul, who cites only a few, brief sayings of heathen poets, not naming the authors — and that incidentally and by the way — to convince the Gentiles to whom they were known and approved. His example hardly supports those who "of necessity" or "to improve the sermon" frequently and purposely insert human testimonies, commending their authors with the same solemnity used in citing the names of the prophets. And such is done among Christians who only desire to hear Christ; the end result is only a show of learning. 58. Unnecessary and farfetched preambles and plausible words of orators ought not to be used. Nor should ministers indulge in digressions or excursions, for they smack of the human spirit, take time, and shut out other things more edifying. 59. If any introduction is used applying to the subject in hand, it should be either in announcing the text or applying it to use. 60. Speech and action should be completely spiritual, flowing from the very heart. They should show a man well versed in the Scriptures and in pious exercises, who has first persuaded himself and thoroughly settled in his own conscience those things to which he would persuade others, and in whom, finally, there is zeal, charity, mildness, freedom, and humility mixed with solemn authority. 61. Pronunciation must be natural, familiar, clear, and distinct so that it can be easily understood. It should fit the matter in such a way that the affections are moved. Galatians 4:20, I wish now to be present with you and change my tone, for I am in doubt of you. 62. There are two voices, among others, which are offensive. The first is heavy, slow, singing, drowsy in which not only the words are separated with a pause, as if by commas, but even the syllables in the same word, producing great hindrance to understanding. 63. The other voice which is most offensive in a sermon is hasty and swift, overwhelming the ears with so much speed that there is no distinct understanding of the subject. 64. Speech, pronunciation, and gestures which would be ridiculous in a senate, in courts of law, and the forum are the more to be avoided in a sermon. 65. The power of the Holy Spirit more clearly appears in the naked simplicity of words than in elegance and luster. Therefore, Paul calls himself unskilled in speaking, 2 Corinthians 11:6. Yet if anyone has a certain outward forcefulness in speaking he ought to use it with genuine directness. 66. In proportion as affectation appears, effectiveness and authority are lost. 67. The sum of the matter is that nothing is to be allowed which does not contribute to the spiritual edification of the people, and nothing omitted by which we may surely reach that end. 68. A supplement to the sermon is prayer both before and after. 69. In the prayer before it, general matters ought to be set forth: the end and use of the word and of preaching, our wants, our un-worthiness, and our duty, together with the gracious promises of God. All these should be brought to remembrance so that the minds of all will be stirred up humbly to seek and faithfully to observe the will of God. 70. In the prayer following, the giving of thanks should always be included and the chief heads of the sermon turned into petitions. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmesOrdinaryMinisters.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 74: AMES - SANCTIFICATION ======================================================================== Sanctification by Dr. William Ames 1. The real change of state is an alteration of qualities in man himself. 2 Corinthians 5:17, Old things have passed away; all things are new. 2. The change is not in relation or reason, but in genuine effects seen in degrees of beginning, progress, and completion. 2 Corinthians 4:16, The inner man is renewed day by day. 3. This alteration of qualities is related to either the just and honorable good of sanctification, or the perfect and exalted good of glorification. Romans 6:22, You have your fruit in holiness and your end in everlasting life. 4. Sanctification is the real change in man from the sordidness of sin to the purity of God's image. Ephesians 4:22 - Ephesians 4:24, Put off that which pertains to the old conversation, that old man, corrupting itself in deceivable lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on that new man who according to God is created to righteousness and true holiness. 5. just as in justification a believer is properly freed from the guilt of sin and has life given him (the title to which is, as it were, settled in adoption), so in sanctification the same believer is freed from the sordidness and stain of sin, and the purity of God's image is restored to him. 6. Sanctification is not to be understood here as a separation from ordinary use or consecration to some special use, although this meaning is often present in Scripture, sometimes referring to outward and sometimes to inward or effectual separation. If this meaning is taken, sanctification may relate to calling or that first rebirth in which faith is communicated as a principle of new life; a common confusion of regeneration and sanctification hereby arises. The term is rather to be understood as that change in a believer in which he has righteousness and indwelling holiness imparted to him. 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Through sanctification of the Spirit. 7. For God himself witnesses that holiness is a gift of inherent grace. Jeremiah 31:33, Jeremiah 31:1 will put my law into their mind, and in their heart will I write it; Ezekiel 36:26, Ezekiel 36:27, Ezekiel 36:1 will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put into the midst of you. 8. Sanctification is distinguished from that change in a man which is linked to his calling in faith and repentance, for in the latter faith is not properly considered a quality but a relationship to Christ, nor is repentance considered a change of disposition (for then it would be the same as sanctification), but a change of the mind's purpose and intent. Sanctification involves a real change of qualities and disposition. 9. It is called a real change so as to distinguish it not only from justification but also from sanctification by institution, which is the case in the sanctification of the seventh day. It is also distinguished from sanctification by association with symbols, such as the sanctification of the elements in the sacraments. And last, it is distinguished from sanctification by manifestation, as God is said to be sanctified by men, 1 Peter 3:15. 10. It pertains to the whole man and not to any one part. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the whole of the man, or that whole which the man comprises, is not immediately changed. 11. Although the whole man partakes of this grace, it is first and most appropriately in the soul and later progresses to the body, inasmuch as the body of the man is capable of the same obedience to the will of God as the soul. In the soul this grace is found first and most appropriately in the will whence it passes to other faculties according to the order of nature. Dent. 30:6, The Lord thy God shall circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and that you may live; Romans 2:29, Circumcision is of the heart. 12. It is called a change in man from sin to distinguish it from the sanctification which denotes simply the opposite of the negative, such as that which is attributed to the human nature of Christ which is said to be sanctified or made holy (although the nature of Christ was never defiled by unholiness). 13. The starting point of sanctification is the filthiness, corruption, or stain of sin. 2 Corinthians 7:1, Let us purge ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, being led to holiness in the fear of God. 14. Its end is the purity of God's image (said to be fashioned or created once more in Knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, Ephesians 4:24) or Conformity to the law of God, James 1:25; Newness of life, Romans 6:4; the New creature, 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15; and the Divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4. 15. The end is called a new and divine creature. First, because it is not produced by those principles which are in us by nature, as is characteristic of all the arts pursued with industry and discipline -it comes out of the new principle of life communicated by God to us in our calling. Second, because our natural disposition is of a completely different kind from what it was before. Third, because it takes for its model the highest perfection found in God himself. 16. There are two degrees of sanctification on earth. One occurs in this life which is generally called an Infancy, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Corinthians 13:12; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Peter 2:2. The variety found in this life is so great that some who are sanctified when compared with others and even with themselves at different times, may rightly be called Infants, and others Adults during their life here, Hebrews 5:13, Hebrews 5:14. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20Sanctification.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 75: AMES - SUBSISTENCE OF GOD ======================================================================== The Subsistence of God by Dr. William Ames 1. This subsistence, or manner of being of God is his one essence so far as it has personal properties. 2. The essence is common to the three subsistences. As far as essence is concerned, therefore, the single subsistence is are rightly said to exist of themselves. 3. Nothing is attributed to the essence which cannot be attributed to each subsistence in the matter of essence. 4. But was is attributed partly to each subsistence in the matter of subsistence cannot be attributed to the essence 5. The subsistences are distinguished from the essence, because the mode of subsistence, though consolidated with the essence, are distinguished from it considered by itself. 6. They are distinguished from each other as things connected by certain relative properties, so that one cannot be another, although they are the same nature. Neither can one be said to be first or last, except in order of beginning and manner of subsistence. 7. These relative properties are, as it were, individual forces in one essence, spiritually and perfectly alive. Hence the subsistences are rightly called persons. 13. The relative property of the Son is to be begotten, that is, so to proceed from the Father as to be a participant of the same essence and perfectly carry on the Father’s nature. Hence is second in order. Hebrews 1:3, the brightness of His glory in the character of His person. 14. The property of the Holy Spirit is to be breathed, to be sent forth and to proceed from the Father and the Son John 15:26, He whom I will send forth you from the Father, that Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father: Romans 8:9, the Spirit of Christ; Galatians 4:6, the Spirit of the Son. ://www.apuritansmind.com/William%20Ames/WilliamAmes%20TheSubsistenceOfGod.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 76: ANDERSONR - LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE ======================================================================== The Literal Interpretation of Scripture from "THINGS TO COME" April 1897. By Dr. Robert Anderson, C.B. (At the Mildmay Prophetical Conference, Oct., 1896.} STANDING upon this platform, I assume not merely that we possess a revelation, but that it is contained in the Bible. And when I speak of the Bible as containing a revelation, I use the words in a sense far different from that of the Sacerdotalists. Mr. Sholto Douglas, this afternoon, touched upon the question whether the Church had given us the Bible. In distinguishing between the Book and the Revelation, I acknowledge that we owe the Bible to the Church, much in the same sense as we owe it to the printer. But it is not the Church that has constituted the revelation, for the Church is itself the creature of the revelation. And possessing the revelation we are dependent only upon God who, in it, and through it, speaks to every heart that is open to hear His voice. We do not judge that revelation by the Church: we judge the Church and its teaching by the revelation. Nor do we need to turn to the "wise and prudent" to interpret it for us, for has He not said that the great mysteries of our faith are hidden from the wise and prudent, while they are revealed unto babes? We are thus brought face to face with God, and, coming into His presence as little children, as little children we hear His voice, not to cavil or to criticise, but to believe and do. He is wise and good and gracious and loving, and would not mislead us, and, therefore, we may accept what He tells us literally. Thus, travelling by a wholly different path, we come back to the same goal - literalness of interpretation. I think it would be mere quibbling to object that sometimes He uses the language of figure and symbol. Why, is not that precisely the language which children love, and which they understand? This is a further reason why we need not turn to the Pundits to interpret it for us. The typology of the Old Testament is the very alphabet of the language in which the doctrine of the New Testament is written; and as so many of our great theologians are admittedly ignorant of the typology, we need not feel surprised if they are not always the safest exponents of the doctrine. And there is another reason. If we are to understand the Word of God aright, as Dr. Bullinger told us this morning, we must "rightly divide the word of truth." We must know something of what we technically describe as Dispensational Truth. You cannot easily exaggerate the importance of this. He, I fear, was misunderstood by some in regard to what he said, specially with reference to the Sermon on the Mount; but what he really meant is perfectly clear, perfectly intelligible and perfectly true. The great principles which are enunciated there, are principles for all time and for all places; but the special precepts were for the time in which they were spoken, and for the men to whom they were addressed. There is another quibble, which needs a passing notice, that we have not the Bible, the Word of God, in the language in which it was given and, therefore, we are dependent upon the Church, the skilful and the learned, who understand these things. It is a quibble by which the learned impose upon the ignorant. God has not a language. God is not a Hebrew or a Greek. It is perfectly true that, as we speak to one another we speak in the language in which we think, in the language in which our ideas have been framed, in which our minds are steeped; and if you translate our words into another language they may suffer. But it is not so with God. Time forbids of my enlarging upon this; but I would ask, Was it the Church that gave us our English Bible? It was Tyndale who gave us our Bible, in the very teeth of the opposition of the Church. I recall his words; I think I quote them correctly, though I quote from memory -"I will make it that the man who follows the plough in England shall know more of the Bible than the Pope of Rome." The Church's answer was to strangle him at the slake, and fling his body into the flames! It is no less a quibble to ask us to turn aside to discuss rival theories of inspiration. We have got far beyond that in these days in which we live. Such controversies weigh little with practical men. We brush them aside and ask the plain question which underlies them all: "Have we a Divine revelation? Has God spoken, and has He spoken in such wise that we can hear His voice and know His will?" The great controversy of all the ages is about the Living Word. All God's purposes centre in Christ. Our forefathers believed that the home of man was the pivot of the universe, and that the sun and stars moved round our earth to give us light, or to adorn our sky. They believed that the heavens were made for man. But Science has told us thnt this earth is but an insignificant planet, and that each one of those stars is itself a sun, the centre of a system which far transcends our own in greatness and in grandeur. Science has thus poured contempt upon the belief of other days. But I make bold to say that the belief of other days was right, save only in this - the misapprehension as to the Man for whom these things were made. It is not man the creature, "Man, vain insect of an hour," as one of our poets has written; not the first man who is of the earth, earthy, but the Second Man, who is the Lord from heaven. By Him were all things created. For Him the universe exists, and in His power it is held together. This was my theme, the last time I spoke from this platform. But what I want now is to notice that the living Word has its counterpart in the written word. Why is Christ called "the Word of God"? It is because He is the expression of the mind of God. And just for the same reason the revelation that He has given us is called "The Word of God." I say they are perfect counterparts. Although He is now upon the throne, beyond the power of Satan's malignity, beyond the reach of the wicked hands of men, He is still the centre of the great controversy between God and man. But it is around the written Word that the battle rages now. Was He intensely, absolutely Divine, and yet intensely, absolutely human? The same is true of the written Word. The Bible is made up of "words proceeding out of the mouth of God "; and yet it is the most human book in all the world. Was He subject to every infirmity of human nature, sin excepted? So it is subject to every infirmity of human language, error excepted. Was He absolutely holy? It is absolutely true. And remember this: you can only reach the person through the record. If this is true, as it is unquestionably true, of the historic Jesus of our critical theologians - if this is true, as it is unquestionably true, of the traditional Jesus of the Christian religion, it is still more true of the Christ of Christianity, the Christ of God, our adorable Lord Jesus. You can only reach the Living Word through the written word. In proportion, therefore, as you lower the Bible, you lose Christ. Every attack upon the Bible is aimed at Him; not, of course - and I would guard my words - in the purpose and intention of the men who lead these attacks, for, although they think they are leaders, and lay claim to independence of intellect and judgment, they are but pawns upon the board; they are but puppets in the hand of an unseen power behind them. But now, someone may say, "All this only serves to prove that you must settle the principles of inspiration before you can settle the principles of interpretation." Well, be it so, and let me test it. as I always like to do, at its weakest point. They urge upon us that there are different degrees of inspiration. Well, surely there is no revelation which would require such a low standard of inspiration as that of giving directions as to how to erect a building for public worship. Turn with me to the ist Book of Chronicles, the 28th chapter. We there read in the 8th verse: "Then David gave Solomon his son the pattern of the porch and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof," and so on, "and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit of the courts of the house," and so on. And then in the following verses, it goes into details. Well, how did David get the pattern of all these things? We read of it in the 14th verse. "All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern." But I must not forget that this is a prophetic conference, and you may expect me to turn specially to prophecy. May I appeal to your imagination for a moment. Will you picture to yourselves a prophetic conference in Jerusalem, some 2,000 years ago, of those who were waiting for redemption in Israel. Will you imagine some Rabbi standing up in that meeting, referring to prophetic Scriptures such as the 22nd Psalm, the 69th Psalm, the 53rd of Isaiah, the 9th and following chapters of Zechariah, and kindred passages, and saying words like these: '' We know that our Messiah is to come in glory. We know that He is to reign upon the throne of His father David. We know that all nations are to be subject to His sceptre; but though I cannot explain how it will be, I find here that He will be a suffering Messiah. He will be rejected. He will ride into Jerusalem upon an ass's colt in mock triumph. He will be sold for 30 pieces of silver, and the money of His betrayal will pass to the owner of a potter's field. Those who will take Him prisoner will divide His clothes among them, but they will hold a lottery over His coat. He will be hanged upon a tree, and His feet and hands will be pierced, but there will not be a bone of Him broken. He will have His grave appointed to Him with the wicked, but His body will be taken care of by some rich man." May I stop for a moment and rescue for you the 8th and 9th verses of the 53rd chapter of Isaiah? Of the one I will give you the translation of the American Company of Revisers, and of the other I give you the rendering of Hengstenberg: " By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and for His life, who shall recount that He was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due. And they appointed Him His grave with the wicked, but He was with a rich man after His death, because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth." Well, to resume. We can understand this Rabbi putting all these things before his brethren; and you can picture to yourselves the indignant contempt that they would pour upon his words. They would say, "It is a slavish following of the text of Scripture, to the sacrifice of the spirit of Scripture. It is trifling with serious things to attempt to interpret the prophets thus": and so on, and so on. But the event has proved that this Rabbi would have been right, and that all the Pundits would have been wrong. And may I not say with these facts before us, with this example, which God has given us of what He means by prophecy and the interpretation of it, that we simply stultify ourselves if we refuse to take His words about the future as simply and as literally? Let me apply this for a moment to two truths, both important, though not of the same importance - the coming of Christ, and the coming of Anti-Christ. As regards "the Second Advent," as it is called, the Church falls into precisely the same error that characterized the Jews in old time, an error that betrayed them into crucifying the Lord. They assumed that it was one single event that was referred to in every passage that spoke of His coming. Just so is it with the Church now. But the "second advent" is not one separate distinct event. We are told that He will come to take out of this scene His saints living and dead ; that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives as on the Day of the Ascension, and that then the mountain will divide to the East and to the West - not some mountain in the moon, but the Mount of Olives at the east-side of Jerusalem - and that there is to be thus a way of escape for that people when hemmed in by the armies of the nations round them. We are told that He will come to judge the living nations. We are told that He will come personally to destroy the Anti-Christ. We are told that He will come in flaming fire to take vengeance upon them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are not necessarily one event. There may be, I know not how many stages of that great event which is called the Parousia, the revelation, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, with regard to the personal Anti-Christ. I ask any fair man whether the coming of a personal Anti-Christ is not foretold in the Old Testament, with as much definiteness as the coming of Christ. And when you turn to the New Testament it would be absolutely impossible to use words more simple, more plain, moje unequivocal than those which describe it. And so I say we stultify ourselves when we put all these -to borrow a phrase from the lawyers - into hotch-potch, and get a general sort of impression that something or other is going to happen, we do not know what. Prophecy is history written in advance, and it is to be fulfilled absolutely and literally. (To be concluded in our next.) (Continued in the May edition of "Things to Come" 1897) But I must hurry on. The question is, are these prophecies, as the critics tell us, men's words inspired by God, or are they God's words delivered through men? The Pundits draw distinctions between one part of Scripture and another, between one prophet and another. They tell us, for example, that Isaiah is a higher type of inspiration than Jeremiah. There is more of the Divine afflatus; and so on. Turn then to the book of Jeremiah. I have taken the pains to count the passages in that book in which "saith the Lord," or kindred words occur, and how many times do you think they occur? I have done it hurriedly, and I do not know how many I may have skipped, but I have counted no less than 330. Turn to the Book of Ezekiel for a moment, mark the opening words: "In the fifth day of the month ... the word of the Lord came expressly unto l, the priest, the son of Buri, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and the hand of the Lord was there upon him." Poor Ezekiel! His hand was indeed upon him! And it is not true only of the Prophet Ezekiel, it is true of everyone who yields himself to God to be a channel for the communication of His truth to others that he must learn to be crushed and brought down if he is to have any place in the service of God. Not only did God take from him all that he turned to and rested on, not sparing even " the light of his eyes " - his dearly-loved wife - but He struck him dumb, lest he should speak one syllable beyond the words which He gave him to speak. Not a word passed his lips that did not "come expressly" to him ; and you read some forty-eight times in that book, " The word of the Lord came unto me, saying." Turn to the New Testament. You remember the opening words of the Epistle to the Hebrews: "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets,"or" in the prophets," "hath in these last days spoken unto us in the Son." The same God, the same voice, in the prophets and in the Son. Look at the 3rd chapter of the Epistle to the Romans: "What advantage then hath the Jew? "They had a magnificent shrine; they had a magnificent ritual; they had that Divine religion - the only Divine religion, remember, that the world has ever known, for Christianity is not a religion, it is a. revelation and a faith. But what was their greatest advantage? It was not in any of these things. It was that God appointed them the custodians of this Book. The words are: "Chiefly that they were entrusted with" - mark the words - "the oracles of God." In the opening chapters of the New Testament you have again and again the prophets quoted, and how? "The Word spoken by God through the prophets" - not "by," but through the prophets. The word is din. And remember we receive the Old Testament Scriptures from the hands of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and what then was His estimate of these Scriptures? Turn to a passage which was briefly referred to this afternoon, the closing chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The Lord is there with the gathered disciples and we read at the 44th verse, how He told them "that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me." The Jews divided the Book into three portions, the Law, the Prophets, and the other writings, or the Holy Writings. The first book of the third division was the Psalms, which thus gives its name to the rest, and when the Lord Jesus used these words He meant the whole of the Old Testament. And the passage adds: "Then He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures." As we read at verse 27, "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Hear Dean Alford on this - one of our rea'ly Christian expositors: - "I take this to mean something very different from mere prophetical passages. The whole Scriptures are a testimony to Him : the whole history of the chosen people, with its types and its Law and its prophecies, is a showing forth of Him, and it was here the whole that He laid before them. This general leading into the meaning of the whole, is the law, fulfilled in Him would be much more opportune to the place, and the time occupied, than a direct exposition of selected passrages." The Lord, I repeat, made no distinction between one book of the Bible and another. You remember how, in the account of the temptation, in the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, we read that three times He answered the Tempter with, "it is written." And He spoke of the Scripture as "words proceeding out of the mouth of God." And what was it that He quoted from? Despised, discredited Book of Deuteronomy! Again, in the sth chapter of Matthew and the 17th verse, we have a statement to which we do well to take heed. The jot (or yod) was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet; the tittle was the smallest stroke used in forming the letters; and yet He says, "Not one jot, not one tittle of the law shall fail." Such are the words of our blessed Master. Then look at a passage in the 22nd chapter of Matthew, which we had before us today. The question is the resurrection. The 3ist verse reads, "As touching the resurrection of the dead have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." "Oh," say the critical theologians - or they would say it if they dared -"that is a slavish adherence to the mere words of the book, and a trifling with Scripture, to make the whole argument depend upon the tense of the verb. What God meant was merely, ' I was the God of Abraham when Abraham lived ; I was the God of Isaac when he lived; and I was the God of Jacob when he lived.'" But the word is "I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and to this our Divine Lord appeals, as proving the truth of the resurrection. We are free from the superstition of praying for our dead ; but remember that the God we love and serve is the God of our loved ones whom we have laid in the grave as much as He is our own God. "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacobs - see again our Lord's use of the statement in the 82nd Psalm: "I said ye are gods." When, as recorded in the 10th chapter of John, He was reproached for making Himself equal with God, He quoted that Psalm, and added: "and the Scriptures cannot be broken." Here is an incidental statement in one of these Psalms, that are now held up to contempt and Christ says of it that it "cannot be broken." It is divine, eternal truth. But someone will say - for these things are said - that in all this the Lord was only pandering to Jewish prejudices. My friends, this would not only destroy our belief in Him as God, it would destroy our respect for Him as Man! Again, it is urged that this is merely a human record of words spoken by our Divine Lord; and the writers were Jews whose minds were steeped in Jewish prejudices. If I had time to enlarge upon this, I would insist that, if the Gospels be not inspired in the same sense in which the Old Testament is inspired, our whole belief in Christ is a sheer superstition : we have no foundation for our faith. And look what this implies. This dispensation of ours is the dispensation of the Spirit, and yet we are asked to believe that this is precisely the dispensation in which the Holy Spirit is of least account! We all know what it is to read the report of a political meeting in some remote provincial town that possibly we never heard of before, at which one of our leading statesmen addresses a few hundred provincial people. But he is not really speaking for the humble folk in the seats before him, his words are addressed to the civilized world. And so it was with the teaching of our blessed Lord. His words were not spoken for a few Galilean fishermen, or for the peasants of Judea. They were words for all the world ; they were words for all times. His words are for us, and for us here and now. "The words that I speak unto you," He says, "they are spirit and they are life." And if so, they are not dead words, but living words; they ore immortal words; they can never die. "Heaven and earth shall pass away (Me declares), but My words shall not pass away." And yet I do not wonder that the disciples of the historical Jesus, the traditional Jesus, taunt us that in speaking thus we are putting the Bible above the Master, for the Jesus they believe in is the Buddha of their religion, who is removed from them by 1800 years of time. But the voice we, hear is that of our adorable Lord Jesus, our living, though absent Lord in glory, who speaks to us in this open word, in all the power of the Holy Spirit Whom He has given to us to this end. And by Him we are comers to God, for by His blood we are made nigh, we "who by Him do believe in God that raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory," And this is our power for service; this our confidence, our peace, our joy, our safety in the midst of sin and failure here, in the midst of sorrows and temptations; in the midst of perils on every hand, perils by robbers that would filch the Bible from us, perils among false brethren who, even while they pretend to prize it and to hold it sacred, tear it to pieces and degrade it; our safety in days when the path of every true Christian is becoming so lonely; our safety in the hour of death; our safety in the day of judgment. By this word we reach a living Christ. And through Him we reach a living God, for "the Lord Jehovah is become our salvation," and in Him we are absolute!v and forever safe. THE END * ======================================================================== CHAPTER 77: ANDERSONR - SPIRIT MANIFESTATION AND THE GIFT OF TONGUES ======================================================================== Spirit Manifestations and the Gift of Tongues By Sir Robert Anderson What does the Bible say about... MIRACULOUS GIFTS? We live in a day of extravagant claims of the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian must be prepared to evaluate these claims and determine reasonable expectations regarding the work of the Spirit in his or her own life. Noted apologist Sir Robert Anderson considers history and searches the Scriptures to determine what is of God and what is of the great deceiver. "The days we live in are intensely solemn. The stupid materialism of the science of yesterday has been exploded by the facts of spiritualism, vouched for by some of our leading scientists of today. And the blind infidelity of the past has thus given place to a craving to get into touch with the realities of the unseen world. This morbid influence has invaded the sphere of religious thought and life, and even spiritual Christians are being corrupted by it. It creates a tendency to make the great facts and truths of the divine revelation of Christianity subordinate to subjective spiritual manifestations, and to the emotions and experiences which such manifestations are fitted to produce. Among the many phases of this movement none is more striking then that of which the distinctive characteristic is what is termed "the gift of tongues." In many lands, our own included, there are coteries of earnest Christians who are revelling in the enjoyment of this "gift." Under the compelling influence of an entirely preter-human power, men and women are inspired to utter thoughts which are not their own, in a language of which they are ignorant. The facts are indisputable, and the only question open to us is as to their significance. The first inquiry which will suggest itself to the thoughtful is whether any light upon this subject can be derived from the history of similar religious movements in the past. And we shall find what we seek in events recorded by men whom those of us who are getting on in life count as our contemporaries. The beginning of the third decade of the nineteenth century was a time of religious revival. In some places the movement was characterized by the study of the Bible with increased earnestness and intelligence and in others by united prayer for manifest tokens of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. A movement of this latter type centred around the picturesque personality of Edward Irving. At twenty-seven years of age this brilliantly gifted man became assistant minister in the great Dr. Chalmers' Glasgow parish. Seven years later he was called to the principal Church of Scotland pulpit in London. His preaching took London by storm. His popularity was phenomenal beyond all precedent. The cultured classes of the metropolis thronged his church. But popularity did not quench his spirituality. And when tidings reached him of spiritual manifestations among Christians in the West of Scotland, he was filled with longings for like "Pentecostal" blessing in his own congregation. He was surrounded by many God-fearing and earnestly devoted men and women who shared these aspirations, and meetings for prayer were frequent and prolonged. The burden of their cry was for a renewal of the Pentecostal gifts. Before long one and another among them became suddenly endued with a supernatural power, under which they uttered spirit-given words, sometimes in an unknown dialect, but usually in their native tongue. The following are extracts from a narrative penned at the time by one who took a leading part in the movement: "At this period I was, by professional arrangements, called up to London, and had a strong desire to attend the prayer-meetings which were then privately held by those who spoke in the power, and those who sought for the gifts. Having obtained an introduction, I attended; my mind fully convinced that the power was of God, and prepared to listen to the utterances. After one or two brethren had read and prayed, Mr. T. was made to speak two or three words very distinctly, and with an energy and depth of tone which seemed to me extraordinary, and it fell upon me as a supernatural utterance, which I ascribed to the power of God; the words were in a tongue I did not understand. In a few minutes Miss E. C. broke out in an utterance in English, which, as to matter and manner, and the influence it had upon me, I at once bowed to as the utterance of the Spirit of God. Those who have heard the powerful and commanding utterance need no description; but they who have not, may conceive what an unnatural and unaccustomed tone of voice, an intense and rivetting power of expression - with the declaration of a cutting rebuke to all who were present, and applicable to my own state of mind in particular - would effect upon me, and upon others who were come together, expecting to hear the voice of the Spirit of God. In the midst of the feelings of awe and reverence which this produced, I was myself seized upon by the power; and in much struggling against it was made to cry out, and myself to give forth a confession of my own sin in the matter, for which we were rebuked; and afterwards to utter a prophecy that the messengers of the Lord should go forth, publishing to the ends of the earth, in the mighty power of God, the testimony of the near coming of the Lord Jesus. . . . "From this period, for the space of five months, I had no utterances in public; though when engaged alone in private prayer, the power would come upon me, and cause me to pray with strong crying and tears for the state of the Church. On one occasion, about a month after I received the power, whilst in my study, endeavouring to lift up my soul to God in prayer, my mind was so filled with worldly concerns that my thoughts were wandering to them continually. Again and again I began to pray, and before a minute had passed I found my thoughts had wandered from my prayer back into the world. I was much distressed at this temptation, and sat down, lifting up a short ejaculation to God for deliverance; when suddenly the power came down upon me, and I found myself lifted up in soul to God, my wandering thoughts at once rivetted, and calmness of mind given me. By a constraint I cannot describe I was made to speak - at the same time shrinking from utterance, and yet rejoicing in it. The utterance was a prayer that the Lord would have mercy upon me and deliver me from fleshly weakness, and would graciously bestow upon me the gifts of His Spirit, "the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, the gift of faith, the working of miracles, the gift of healing, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; and that He would open my mouth and give me strength to declare His glory." This prayer, short almost as I have now penned it, was forced from me by the constraint of the power which acted upon me; and the utterance was so loud that I put my handkerchief to my mouth to stop the sound, that I might not alarm the house. When I had reached the last word I have written, the power died off me, and I was left just as before, save in amazement at what had passed, and filled with thankfulness to God for His great love so manifested to me. With the power there came upon me a strong conviction - "This is the Spirit of God; what you are now praying is of the Spirit of God, and must, therefore, be the mind of God, and what you are asking will surely be given to you." These events occurred in 1831. In the following January he again visited the metropolis. Could a dozen Christians of any class be induced today to attend a prayer meeting at 6:30 a.m. on a winter morning? But scores of city merchants and professional men were then meeting daily at that hour to plead for Pentecostal blessings. At one of these meetings, the morning after his arrival in London, Mr. Irving called on him to read and pray. And he tells that, while he was reading Malachi 4:1-6: "The power came upon me, and I was made to read in the power. My voice raised far beyond its natural pitch, with constrained repetitions of parts, and with the same inward uplifting which at the presence of the power I had always before experienced. When I knelt down to pray, I was carried out to pray in the power for the presence and blessing of God in the midst of the church; in all this I had great joy and peace, without any of the strugglings which had attended my former utterances in power." He next describes an evening spent at a friend's house with Mr. Irving and others of the coterie. He says: "After prayer, Mrs. J. C. was made to testify that now was the time of the great struggle and power of Satan in the midst of us; that now we must take to ourselves the whole armour of God and stand up against him; for he was coming in like a flood upon the Church, and fearful was his power. The pastor observed that this utterance taught us our duty, as standing in the Church to wrestle against the enemy; and whilst he was going on to ask some question, the power fell upon me, and I was made to speak; and for two hours or upwards, with very little interval, the power continued upon me, and I gave forth what we all regarded as prophecies concerning the Church and the nation. . . These prophecies were mingled with others most glorious and gracious, as they appeared to us - declaring the Spirit should be abundantly poured forth, and a faithful and mighty people should be gathered in this land. . . . The power which then rested on me was far more mighty than before, laying down my mind and body in perfect obedience, and carrying me on without confusion or excitement. Excitement there might appear to a bystander, but to myself it was calmness and peace. Every former visitation of the power had been very brief; but now it continued, and seemed to rest upon me all the evening. The things I was made to utter flashed in upon my mind without forethought, without expectation, and without any plan or arrangement; all was the work of the moment, and I was as the passive instrument of the power which used me." After narrating a number of similar experiences, he remarks: "To those who have been used to watch over the workings of their own minds, and who have never been visited with any power beyond the mere vagaries of excitement, it may seem inexplicable how persons can be brought to surrender their own judgment, and act upon an impulse, or under a power working in them, without daring to question that power. The process is, however, very simple, and the reasons supporting it are very plausible, and - the premises admitted - perfectly logical. My own case may be an example; accustomed to try the powers and weaknesses of my own mind in public and in private; in business and in religious meetings; in speaking and in prayer; in reasoning and in exposition; I found, on a sudden, in the midst of my accustomed course, a power coming upon me which was altogether new - an unnatural, and in many cases a most appalling utterance given to us - matters uttered by me in this power of which I had never thought, and many of which I did not understand until long after they were uttered - an enlarged comprehension and clearness of view given to me on points which were really the truth of God (though mingled with many things which I have since seen not to be truth, but which then had the form of truth) - great setting out of Christ, great joy and freedom in prayer, and seemingly great nearness of communion with God, in the midst of the workings of the power; the course of the power quite contrary to the course of excitement. It was manifest to me that the power was supernatural; it was therefore a spirit. It seemed to me to bear witness to Christ, and to work the fruits of the Spirit of God. The conclusion was inevitable, that it was the Spirit of God; and if so the deduction was immediate, that it ought in all things to be obeyed. If I understood not the words I was made to utter, it was consistent with the idea of the utterances of the Spirit, that deep and mysterious things should be spoken. If I were commanded to do a thing of which I saw not the use, was I to dare to pause upon God's command? If, indeed, the things were clearly contrary to God's truth, it would have been clear God had not spoken it; but if it was a thing indifferent, surely (I reasoned) God is to be obeyed. If anyone is once persuaded that the Spirit of God speaks in him by any particular mode or communication, it will henceforth be his study only to discern that he does not mistake his own feelings or impulses for that communication; for, when the communication is decided to be from God, faithfulness to God steps in, and all the faith and love and simple reliance on God, which the Christian through faith possesses, will be enlisted to perform the command. Awful, therefore, is the mistake, if a seducing spirit is entertained as the Holy Spirit of Jehovah. The more devoted the Christian seduced, the more implicit the obedience to the seducing spirit. Statements of this kind are discounted by anyone who is inclined to scepticism, especially if he knows much of human nature, and, I must add, of religious revivals. But their significance will be appreciated by all who were acquainted with their author, the late Mr. Robert Baxter. Ecclesiastically he was not Scottish, but Anglican, and at this time he was a "high churchman." He had been in the habit of teaching the poor in the parish where he lived. But, he tells us, he habitually refrained from praying at such meetings, "conceiving that the privilege of leading in public prayer belonged alone to the ordained minister." I enjoyed his acquaintance for many years and often met him in Christian work. I had heard of his connection with Irvingism, but his "Narrative of Facts" published in 1833 by Jas. Nisbet & Co. and long out of print, never came into my hands till a few weeks ago. The man, as I knew him, was a typical English Parliamentary lawyer, reserved, slow of speech, and noted for soundness of judgment. And as I here read of his pouring out a torrent of unpremeditated words, sometimes for two hours at a stretch, and of his cramming a handkerchief to his mouth at private prayer, lest his "inspired" bellowings should disturb the household, my distress and amazement are unbounded that anyone could suppose that the spirit which energized him was divine. I must here add yet one more extract from his book descriptive of his Sunday services during this period: The power came upon me in an exhortation to the people to lay aside their books, and bow themselves before the Lord, to worship Him in spirit and in truth; that the Lord was at hand; and as a witness to His people, God was now sending forth a ministry, not ministering in the flesh, but in the Spirit, who should teach and minister in the utterance of the Spirit, and, in due time, be endowed with all the mighty power of the Spirit. After some further opening the people were called to pray, and, kneeling down, the power of utterance continued with me for about an hour, in prayer and intercession for the Church and nation, King, ministers, and people; for the outpouring of the Spirit, the change of heart and life, and the exaltation of God in the earth. As the power ceased, I stayed, and while they sang, I went into the vestry to fetch a Bible. Here I was wholly impotent, and appeared to myself as though I had no strength to exhort the people. My sister, under the nervous excitement of anxiety, was seized with an hysterical fit. All my confidence in God seemed for the moment to desert me, and I felt as though my mouth was shut for ever. It was, however, but a moment; the power came down again upon me, and I read with great power the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, and preached in the power for upwards of an hour; after which I dismissed the people with the customary benediction. In the afternoon service I took the same course, and the power was with me in prayer and preaching as in the morning. . . . I have been much confounded by the fact occurring in this instance, as also in most others of the public testimonies on preaching; that Christ was preached in such power, and with such clearness, and the exhortations to repentance so energetic and arousing, that it is hard to believe the person delivering it could be under the delusion of Satan. Yet so it was, and the fact stands before us as a proof the most fearful errors may be propounded under the guise of greater light and zeal for God's truth. "As an angel of light" is an array of truth, as well as holiness and love, which nevertheless Satan is permitted to put on, to accomplish and sustain his delusions. It is yet more mysterious, and yet not less true, that the truth so spoken was carried to the hearts of several who, on this day, heard it, and these services were made the means of awakening them, so far as the change of conduct and earnest longing after Christ from that day forward can be an evidence of it. The words "as an angel of light" recur as a refrain throughout the narrative. Many a one will exclaim: "How could a movement which denounces the devil and all his works, and which promotes piety and honours Christ, be satanic?" But this ignores the solemn warning of our divine Lord, "They shall deceive, if it were possible, the very elect. "A moment's thought might satisfy us that the false could never deceive the elect if it did not simulate all the characteristics of the true: honour paid to Christ, a high tone of spirituality, and a beautiful code of morals. The very existence of the devil is a subject for jesting with men of the world. And the devil of "the Christian religion" has but little in common with the Satan of Scripture. Yet it is from Scripture alone that we can learn anything about his personality. Mentions of him in the Old Testament are few, but they are as significant as they are explicit. From the first page of Holy Writ to the last he is presented to us as "the deceiver." The story of the fall in Eden is generally misread. Eve was "thoroughly deceived" 1 Timothy 2:14. She was "beguiled" into accepting what he put before her, because it seemed to be in the line of God's purpose. She had misunderstood the words of the divine command and warning by taking them literally. The "tree of knowledge" was given to enable man to raise himself to a higher plane of being, and God would never damn His children for doing that which their own reason told them must be right. Such way, Satan's teaching, and it is precisely what is preached in numberless "Christian" pulpits today. The devil did not attack the morals of our first parents, but he undermined and corrupted their faith. So was it also in his dealings with Job. His effort was to estrange the patriarch from God by making him doubt the divine goodness. The Lord's words in Luke 22:31 seem to throw light on this mysterious narrative. The Revised Version marginal reading gives it, "Satan hath obtained you by asking"; Dean Alford's gloss is, "Hath obtained you - his desire is granted." The disciples were to be given over to the evil one to be tempted and sifted, just as Job had been, but the Lord's intercession and grace protected and restored them. Certain other Old Testament passages might also deserve notice, such as Zechariah 3:1-10, where Satan sought to hinder the services of the high priest. But suffice it here to emphasize that in every case the sphere of his temptations was not morals but what is popularly called "religion." When we turn to the New Testament I would claim prominence for the eighth chapter of John. "Ye are of your father the devil," was the Lord's scathing reply to the Jews when, in rejecting His teaching, they fell back upon that figment of apostates, the fatherhood of God. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth because truth is not in him. When he speaketh the lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). "A murderer from the beginning" - the beginning of what? Not of his own existence, for he was created in perfectness and beauty; nor of the existence of man, for, before the Eden fall, he had already dragged down others in his ruin. His being a murderer connects itself immediately with the truth which he refused, and the lie of which he is the father. These words of our divine Lord give us a glimpse into a past eternity, when, to the heavenly intelligences, the great mystery of God (Colossians 2:2) was first made known - the purpose of the ages, that a firstborn was to be revealed and that "in all things He might have the pre-eminence" (Colossians 1:18). The greatest of these heavenly beings, whom we now know as Satan, claimed that place, and, rebelling against the divine counsels, he set himself from that hour to thwart them. Thus it was that he devised the ruin of our race. And in view of the promise to Eve, he may possibly have thought that either Cain or Abel was his rival, and so he won Cain over to his side and contrived the death of Abel. But it is in the temptation of Christ that he and his lie are fully manifested. He claimed to meet the Lord on more than equal terms. Not one Christian in a thousand realizes the significance of the narrative. Having "led Him up" and given Him that mysterious vision of the kingdoms of the world, the devil said to Him, "To Thee will I give all this authority and the glory of them; for it hath been delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me it shall all be Thine" (Luke 4:6 - Luke 4:7, RV). This was not the raving of profanity or madness. It was the bold assertion of a disputed right. Satan claims to be the firstborn, the rightful heir of creation, the true Messiah, and as such he claims the homage of mankind. Men dream of a devil with horns and hoofs, an obscene monster who tempts the depraved to acts of atrocity or shame. But the Satan of Holy Writ "fashions himself into an angel of light," and "his ministers fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14 - 2 Corinthians 11:15, RV). Do angels of light or ministers of righteousness corrupt men's morals, or incite them to commit acts of vice or crime? Such is the Satan of Scripture, a very different being from the mythical devil of Christendom, who though omnipresent - for he is always at the side of every man and woman and child - devotes his powers to making children disobedient and adults vicious. The Satan with whom we have to do is "the old serpent" of Eden, "the power of darkness" of the betrayal and crucifixion of the Son of God - that awful being whose divinely given title is "the god of this world" - not the instigator of its vices and its crimes, but the controller of its religion. Through ignorance of all this, people are deluded into assuming that any man who displays "spiritual power" and is "a minister of righteousness" must be a minister of Christ. In these solemn days when the Christian dispensation is drawing to a close and the professing church is drifting to its predicted doom, Satan is preparing the way for the supreme delusion of a travesty of the incarnation. For "the man of sin" will be energized by him "with all power and signs and lying wonders" to impersonate the Christ and thus to command the worship of mankind. What wonder is it then if he feigns to honour Christ and bears testimony to His advent! In common with Christians generally, Mr. Baxter attributes all spiritual power to either God or Satan; demons are altogether ignored. But the Gospels testify to the activity of demons during the ministry of Christ on earth, and the Epistles warn us of a renewal of demoniacal activity in the "latter times," before His return. "All Scripture is God-breathed," but it would seem that sometimes the revelation was made with special definiteness, and this particular warning is prefaced by the words, "the Spirit saith expressly." And it relates not to any new development of moral evil in the world, but to a new apostasy in the professing church, a cult promoted by "seducing spirits" of a highly sensitive spirituality, and a more fastidious morality than Christianity itself will sanction (1 Timothy 4:1-16). The Gospel narrative indicates that some demons were base and filthy spirits that exercised a brutalizing influence upon their victims. But the Lord plainly indicated that these were a class apart ("this kind," Mark 9:29). They were all 11 unclean spirits," but in Jewish use the word akathartos connoted spiritual defilement. That it did not imply moral pollution is proved by the fact that demoniacs were allowed to frequent the synagogues. And the crowning proof is the fact that the Lord Jesus was charged with having a demon though not even His most malignant enemies ever accused Him of moral evil. It was only by prayer that these filthy spirits could be cast out, whereas pious demons acknowledged Christ and came out when His disciples commanded them to do so in His name. The most mysterious fact about these demons was their eagerness to acknowledge the Lord and to pay Him homage. For we read, "Devils came out of many, crying out and saying, Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And He, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak; for they knew that He was Christ" (Luke 4:41). It is an incidental but most striking proof of His deity that while the Jews rejected Him and His own disciples halted in their confession of Him, the demons, under some strange compulsion, gave this clear, bold testimony to His divine character and mission. This was not an isolated incident. We read again that "the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld Him, fell down before Him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God" (Mark 3:11, RV ). The mystery of it all is immensely deepened by reference to 1 John 4:2 - 1 John 4:3; and Mr. Baxter tells us that it was the seeming failure of the test there indicated that confirmed Edward Irving and his followers in their delusion. And the record adds, "He charged them much that they should not make Him known." The Lord refused their homage, and it is impossible to believe that, at this time, Satan could have prompted it. Indeed, the facts disprove the figment that demons are mere puppets of Satan and that they act only under his orders. As fallen members of the heavenly hierarchy, they probably differ from one another not only in their capacities but in their idiosyncracies. If the present-day apostasies of spiritualism, Christian Science, and the new theology are winning more converts than Christianity, it is because the demons who inspire them are pure and, in a real sense, both pious and beneficent. No one but a professional sceptic will doubt that the spiritualists have real dealings with the unseen world; but the intelligent Christian will recognize that it is not the dead who appear to them, but demons who personate the dead. The career of H. J. Prince, of the Agapemone, deserves a passing notice in this connection. There lies before me, as I write, a statement from the pen of his relative, the late Mr. A. A. Rees of Sunderland, whom I knew personally as a man of sound judgment and a true Christian minister. For five years, at Lampeter College, Prince and he were best friends. And he adds: Nor did I ever see or hear of an individual more thoroughly devoted to God than he was during that period. . . . His private life, of which I was a perpetual eyewitness, was in harmony with what he appeared to be in public. . . . He was unusually blessed, both in the edification of saints and the conversion of sinners, long before he entered the public ministry. He was a man of prayer and self-denial; and few were more deeply acquainted with the Scripture. He then goes on to speak of Prince's fall. A book he read about the ministry of the Holy Spirit led him to give himself up unreservedly to the Spirit's guidance. From that time his desires deepened to do the will of God in all things. As he grew in this habit of yielding absolutely to spiritual guidance, the Bible became less and less his study, and he ended by neglecting it altogether. Being thus guided in every detail of his daily life, he no longer needed the written Word, and the total abnegation of his own judgment followed. This complete surrender of mind and will - his entire personality - to what he believed to be the guidance of the Holy Spirit, left him a prey to the terrible delusions in which he was at last engulfed. It behooves us to profit by these warnings - "Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other." But we are to walk "not as fools, but as wise." And wisdom consists in "understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15, Ephesians 5:17). Divine wisdom alone will avail us, for we have to do with beings "greater in power and might" than ourselves. The only unique element in Irvingism was its personnel. The leaders were of a very different calibre from the men who led in earlier movements of a similar kind. Irving himself was lacking in judgment. But the men who surrounded him - English lawyers, bankers, merchants - were in every way fitted to command confidence. They were eminent both as men and as Christians. And yet neither their natural shrewdness nor their spiritual attainments saved them from becoming the dupes of "seducing spirits." We are right in judging the Irvingite movement by what we see of it today, but the story of its origin is most solemn, and it is pathetic in the extreme. As we read of the wonderful meetings in which these great and good men poured out their hearts in yearning prayer for Pentecostal blessing; as we read of the deep, deep peace, and the ecstacy of joy, which they experienced when "the power" fell on them, and "great signs and wonders" awed them - gifts of tongues, gifts of prophecy, gifts of healing - we share their aspirations, we emulate their faith, and we long for such experiences. Then when we turn the page to find that all these gifts, which seemed so heavenly, were counterfeits, our first impulse might well be to forsake the path of discipleship and to doubt the faithfulness of God. But such thoughts as these are evil. It behooves us rather to turn to the Epistle to the Ephesians and to read its concluding exhortations as not one in a hundred of us has ever read them before. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world - rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore take up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10 - Ephesians 6:13, RV). To master the baser passions of our nature is commonly supposed to be the normal effort of the Christian life. But these have to do with "flesh and blood," whereas "our wrestling is not against flesh and blood." "Put off all these" is the divine exhortation here; be done with them once for all. And thus the ground is cleared for the true conflict of the life of faith. Men do not need the panoply of God to enable them to lead a clean and honest life. Esoteric Buddhism or even the new theology will avail for that. If men had not this power, the coming judgment would be an outrage upon justice. But the path of true discipleship lies across the battlefield on which the supreme conflict of the ages is in progress. God's great purpose is to exalt Christ, and, as Luther writes, "The devil hath no other business in hand but this only, to persecute and vex Christ." His aim is not to degrade men but to draw them away from Christ, not to corrupt their morals but to blind their minds to the light of the gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). And "the day" will declare it that, just as prairie dogs will drive the straying sheep to the shelter of the fold, multitudes of the redeemed have fled to the cross to escape from temptations to moral evil, while the snares of false religion have engulfed untold millions of men in everlasting perdition. If then the supreme purpose of God is the exaltation of Christ, "that in all things He may have the pre-eminence," the startling question suggests itself whether the disasters which sometimes befall the best of men when they take up the cult of the Holy Spirit may not be due to the fact that this is a departure from the line of that divine purpose. The Holy Spirit is "the power behind the throne." "He shall not speak from Himself," the Lord declared (John 16:13, RV). His mission is to reveal Christ. In proportion therefore as mind and heart are fixed on Christ we may count on the Spirit's presence and power. But if we make the Holy Ghost Himself the object of our aspirations and our worship, some false spirit may counterfeit the true, and take us for a prey. Nor should we forget the exhortation, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." Those who turn aside to the cult of the Holy Spirit use the Bible merely as a book of texts, and the temptation of our Lord might warn us of the subtilty of the evil one in handling texts. Charlotte Elizabeth tells how she escaped from Irvingism. She almost yielded to the overwhelming spiritual power of the movement, but she shut herself up and read the New Testament through, from cover to cover, and thus the spell was broken. Does Scripture afford any warrant for the expectation of a second Pentecost? Are we not to learn from the record of God's ways in the past? The Mosaic dispensation, like our own, was ushered in and accredited by a great display of divine power in public miracles. But Israel was never to have a second Sinai, and even the manna and the cloudy pillar were withdrawn when the purpose for which they were given had been accomplished. So also we might expect that the evidential miracles of Pentecost would cease; proof of this is full and clear. The miracles were not given as a bait to attract the unbeliever but as a beacon to guide the seeker after truth. Their purpose was to prove "that Jesus was the Christ"; therefore they were intended especially for those who had the preceding revelation, for those who had the Scriptures which foretold His coming. They were the sign for those who knew the countersign. So long as the gospel was being proclaimed especially to the covenant people, miracles abounded. For it was primarily to the covenant people that Christ came. "Salvation is of the Jews," the Lord declared. "I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." "Christ was a minister of the circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Romans 15:8). That ministry, therefore, had special reference to the Scriptures which testified of Him and which it was His mission to fulfill. When a woman who has been the object of a husband's love proves false and is driven forth an outcast, the tragedy is but a poor illustration of that stupendous crisis when the God of Abraham cast away the people of His choice. The destruction of Jerusalem was the public fact which proclaimed their rejection, but the hidden history of the crisis is revealed in the Acts of the Apostles. The New Testament is not a chance collection of pamphlets as some suppose. To the spiritually intelligent its unity is apparent - not merely the unity of the whole but the purpose with which every part of it was written. And the purpose of the Acts is clear; it bridges the gulf which separates the records of Messiah's earthly ministry to the covenant people from the apostolic writings addressed to Gentile communities. That book is the history of the Pentecostal dispensation, and if it were missing the transition from the Gospels to the Epistles would be an insoluble mystery. It is matter, not of opinion but of fact, that whereas Pentecostal gifts and evidential miracles hold a prominent place in the narrative of the Acts and in the teaching of Epistles written during the period historically covered by the Acts, the later Epistles are silent with respect to them. The natural inference is that the miracles and gifts had ceased, and the Epistles of the apostle Paul's last imprisonment give proof that this inference is right. "In nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles," he declared, when appealing to the "signs and wonders and mighty deeds" which were the outward credentials of his ministry (2 Corinthians 12:11 - 2 Corinthians 12:12). For "God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul," so that even handkerchiefs carried from his body brought healing to the sick (Acts 19:11 - Acts 19:12). Why then was it that he could not heal Epaphroditus when he lay "sick nigh unto death" by his side at Rome? How was it that, at a still later date, he had to leave Trophimus lying sick at Miletum (Php_2:27; 2 Timothy 4:20). A miracle at the court of Nero might have shaken the world. Never was an evidential miracle more needed, if beliefs and theories about miracles be true. But no miracle occurred. If with an open mind we peruse the Acts of the Apostles and then turn to 2 Timothy, we shall find proofs of a tremendous change. When the magistrates at Philippi thrust the apostle into the dungeon, a great earthquake shook the foundation of the prison, heaven came down to his deliverance, and his persecutors were brought as suppliants to his feet. But now the days of earthquakes and "mighty signs and wonders" were past, and as "a pattern to them that should afterward believe," the lonely and despised prisoner in Rome was to learn the deeper mysteries of the life of faith beneath a silent heaven. The closing verses of Mark are often quoted as though they decide the question here at issue. But even if the genuineness of these verses were certain, the spiritually intelligent would read them in the light of the Epistles. The use made of them in this controversy is wholly unwarranted. What of the prophecy of Joel? It seems to be a canon of interpretation that Scripture never means what it says, and this perhaps explains how people can read the second chapter of Joel and fail to see that its fulfillment awaits the restoration of Israel. Its burden from first to last is the land and people of the covenant. "I will no more make you a reproach among the nations." "Ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel." "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all f lesh." As it has been in the past, so will it be then: a new "dispensation" will be inaugurated by a public display of divine power upon earth. None surely but the superstitious can imagine that the Lord will thus honour and accredit the professing church of Christendom at this stage of its deepening apostasy. "I am about to spew thee out of My mouth" is His prophetic warning for this present age. And His message of cheer is: "To him that overcometh will I give." So has it ever been. In days of apostasy He turns to individual faithfulness. And while no one may limit what He will do in response to faith, a claim to corporate blessing is a denial of the failure, and this shuts out blessing altogether. The question here, remember, relates to evidential miracles. A miracle is an event which gives proof of the operation of some supernatural agency. And Spiritualism and Christian Science can boast of real miracles. Hence the advance that these cults are making in our day. For what wins to them adherents among the devout is not the element of imposture which leavens them, but the spiritual power by which they are seemingly accredited. Owing to the ignorance and error with which our minds are saturated on these subjects from our very infancy, people assume as a matter of course that miracles must be divine. The amazing satanic miracles of the temptation (Matthew 4:5, Matthew 4:8) ought to kill that error once for all. If people will not accept the teaching of Scripture about Satan, the standard textbooks of Christian Science and the new theology might enlighten them. His temptations are fitted not to repel but to deceive the pure and upright. As Luther declares, "He setteth forth and decketh all his words and works with the colour of truth and with the name of God." "He fashions himself as an angel of light." And he will leave us everything of Christianity except only what he knows to be vital. The ministry of demons is the counterpart of his own, Scripture will not warrant the suggestion that, having "the power of death," the devil has also the power of life. But we need not doubt that if he has the power to inflict disease, he has the power to heal. And this may explain the fact that demoniacal miracles are generally beneficent. Hume admitted that the evidence for certain Jansenist miracles fully satisfied the tests which he had applied to the evidence for the Gospel miracles, yet he refused to accept them because, he declared, miracles are impossible. Such is the stupidity of systematized unbelief. And this must account for the refusal of "superior" persons to recognize that miracles occur in our midst today. Miracles occur, and what concerns us is to guard against being deluded by them. For they may be the first droppings of the coming rainstorm of "all signs and wonders of falsehood." I would emphatically repel the inference that present-day miracles are all of this sinister kind. But I maintain that what may be called evidential miracles have no place in this Christian dispensation. Anyone who considers even the simple problem of prayer must understand how and why the people of God, in the days before Christ came, craved such proofs of His presence and power. But in the ministry and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God has openly manifested not only His power but His goodness and love toward man. And to demand an evidential miracle now is to reopen questions which have been for ever settled. "No one may limit what God will do in response to faith. But we may dogmatically assert that, in view of the revelation He has given of Himself in Christ, He will yield nothing to the petulant demands of unbelief " (taken from The Silence of God by Sir Robert Anderson). And now the difficult and delicate task remains of forming a judgment upon the revival of speaking with tongues. In the light of the facts recorded in these pages, and of the truths to which appeal has been made, there are certain preliminary conclusions which we can accept with confidence. As we have seen, neither the enjoyment of feelings which seem most blessed nor the possession of powers which are certainly supernatural can be taken as proof of the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. A Christian is not one who has certain feelings or experiences, nor even one who believes in the Holy Ghost; he is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the Word of the truth of the gospel which brings us the knowledge of Christ. Men once saw Him with their eyes and their hands handled Him. But ours is the blessedness of those who have not seen and yet have believed. For He is now "within the veil." And if our anchor is "both sure and steadfast" it is because it "enters into that which is within the veil." But God's written Word is our only cable. The craving to get "within the veil" by means of spiritual gifts and manifestations smacks of unbelief and not of faith, and may lead to disaster. Let us take earnest heed to the solemn warning spoken by the Lord: "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22 - Matthew 7:23). Let us again remind ourselves that the question is not what God can or may do in response to faith, but what Scripture warrants us to claim from Him. Are we warranted in claiming Pentecostal gifts today? The special gift which is the boast of this new "revival" is that of tongues. In the Irvingite movement tongues were not wanting, but they were thrown into the shade by the higher gift of prophecy. The supernatural character of the utterances, the fullness and fervor with which testimony was borne to Christ, and the peace and joy experienced by those on whom the power fell, seemed clear proof that all was divine. And yet it was from beneath. This does not prove that similar manifestations today are counterfeits, but it is an overwhelming reason for vigilance and care in testing them. The more closely we study the movement in the light of Scripture, the more will our suspicions of it deepen. Its physical phenomena are well fitted to excite distrust. To attribute to mere hysteria the bodily paroxysms which are common in the prayer meetings, is perhaps to take too kindly a view of them. The Holy Spirit, moreover, does not promote hysteria. And the silent sighings of the Spirit's intercession - what have they in common with the shouts and screams which disturb the neighbours? (Use of the word "sighings" is a more apt translation of Romans 8:26 than is the, term "groaning which cannot be uttered," which is a contradiction in terms.) But this is only the fringe of the subject; the movement must be tested and judged in the light of 1 Corinthians 14:1-40. The following points are definite and clear. First, spiritual gifts were "distributed," and the gift of tongues was bestowed only upon some of the saints, not upon all. Second, the gift of tongues was inferior to other gifts, both in dignity and in practical value. This at once refutes the theology of the movement, which represents the gift of tongues as the hallmark of the Holy Spirit's baptism, and as raising those who possess it to a position of peculiar privilege and glory. Third, the exercise of divine spiritual gifts is entirely under control. It was not for personal gratification nor for mere display that these gifts were bestowed but for the edification of the church. The apostolic precepts to guide their use are as practical as the chairman of any public meeting could desire. Gifts are to be subordinated to the purpose for which they are bestowed, which is the edification of the saints; decency and order are to regulate the exercise of them (1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians 14:40). In contrast with this, much that is witnessed in the gift of tongues revival today seems to appear like the demoniacal possession of heathen cults, which is the veiled reference of the second verse of the chapter. Some of the accounts which reach us remind us of Isaiah's words about "the wizards that chirp and that mutter" (Isaiah 8:19, RV). This view, moreover, is confirmed by the judgment of some who have been led by personal investigation to conclude that the "gifts" are an entirely sinister element in a movement which is of God. Such was undoubtedly the case in the Irvingite movement. Irving and his devoted band of fellow Christians were drawn away by the cult of the Spirit from the simplicity of faith in the living and the written Word of God. The Agapemone movement tells the same tale. And in lesser degree the story of the Irish revivals points to the same moral. The physical phenomena which marked the Ulster revival of 1859 were generally accepted at the time as divine. But some, doubted even then, and afterwards, among thoughtful Christians, a different view prevailed. And in the more general and far deeper revival of the sixties this element disappeared altogether. That revival has had results more widespread and lasting than any similar movement of modern times, and the secret of its success and power was the prominence given to God's Word written. Christ and the Scriptures were everything. This was possibly a legacy from the movement of thirty years before. In that earlier revival the difference between the movement on that side of the channel, and on this, may be expressed by saying that while in Britain the Christians took to prayer and the Scriptures, in Ireland they took to the Scriptures and prayer. Such is the subtlety of the evil one that, in days of revival, if spiritual excitement is not controlled by sound doctrine, even prayer meetings may become a peril. The theology of this gift of tongues movement displays ignorance and perversion of Scripture. As already noted, it subordinates the great facts and truths of the Christian revelation to the subjective experiences of the Christian life. More than this, in its teaching about the Holy Spirit it subordinates what was primary and essential in Pentecost to what was incidental and altogether secondary. The supreme fact was the fulfillment of "the promise of the Father"; this was abiding. The "rushing, mighty wind," the "cloven tongues," and the distributed "gifts," were but outward manifestations of His presence; these were transient. The essential element was corporate blessing. The baptism of the Holy Spirit created the church - not a church within the church, an election within the election of grace. It was for all. So that even to the Corinthians, albeit their heresies and sins called for warning and rebuke, the apostle wrote, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body . . . and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The coming of the Holy Spirit is now as definitely a matter of faith as is the coming of the Son of God. While to seek subjective proofs of His baptism as a condition of believing in it may be plausibly described as "seeking a second Pentecost," it is, in fact, sheer unbelief. It throws discredit upon that first and only true Pentecost, and calls in question the fulfillment of "the promise of the Father." by Sir Robert Anderson To obtain a copy of this booklet, please write to: Loizeaux Brothers Inc P.O. Box 277 Neptune, NJ U.S.A., 07753-0277 ======================================================================== CHAPTER 78: ANONYMOUS - THE CONSOLATION OF THE SICK ======================================================================== The Consolation of the Sick which is an Instruction in Faith, and the Way of Salvation to prepare Believers to die willingly Since Adam was created just and good, that is to say, holy, righteous and immortal, and dominion given him over all the creatures which God had created; and whereas he did not long remain in this state, but has through the subtlety of the Devil and his own rebellion fallen from this excellent glory, whereby he has brought upon us the misery of temporal and eternal death; this is the original sin of which David speaks in the 51st Psalm, saying, I was shaped in iniquity and in Psalms 51:5 sin did my mother conceive me: In like manner Paul says to the Romans, That by one man sin entered into the world, and Romans 5:12 death by sin, and death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. For as soon as Adam was thus fallen, he immediately came under a certain curse, as we read in Genesis, where God says, Cursed is the ground for thy sake, Genesis 3:17, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, in 19 the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Whence we certainly know, that all things which receive life, must once die. This David clearly testifies, saying, What man is he that liveth, Psalms 89:48 and shall not see death? For Solomon says, The living know Ecclesiastes 9:5 that they shall die. For here we have no continuing city, but Hebrews 13:14 we seek one to come. And to the Hebrews, That it is appointed unto men once to die, but, but after this the judgment. For Hebrews 9:27 as the Scripture says: We must needs all die, and are as 2 Samuel 14:1-33, water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. 14 For our days are like the days of a hireling, and swifter Job 9:25 than a post. And we pass away (says David) like a stream, yea like a leaf which the wind driveth away, and a withered stalk and a garment moth-eaten. For the dust must return to the earth, as it was, and the spirit unto God who gave it; as Job Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, We are ashes and must return to ashes. Likewise James says, That man's life is even a vapour that appeareth for a James 4:14 little time and then vanisheth away. Yea our time passeth away as a cloud and is consumed like a mist, and vanisheth as a shadow. And Peter also says (quoting from Isaiah), That all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men, as the flower of 1 Peter 1:1-25, grass; the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth 24 away. Again Jesus Syrach says, This is the old covenant, you must die; --the one today and the other tomorrow, like as green leaves upon a tree, some fall off, and others grow again: Thus it goes with mankind, some die and some are born. As Solomon says, To every thing there is a season, a time to Ecclesiastes 3:1-22, be born, and a time to die. 1,2 And this time is in the hands of the Lord, as Job says, Man Job 14:5 has his appointed time, the number of his months are with him, he has appointed our bounds that we cannot pass. Which Paul also says, That God has determined the times before Acts 7:26 appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. And David says, That our days are as a hand-breadth by the Lord, and Psalms 39:5 our age is as nothing before him: How vain are all men who live so unconcernedly? For our days are lighter than a Job 7:6 weaver's shuttle, and swifter than a post. Moreover, we are Job 9:25 here only pilgrims and strangers for a short time. For the Hebrews 11:13 days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their Psalms 90:10 strength, labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. And when we live long we live a hundred years: As drops of water are to the sea, so are our years to eternity. And Peter says, That one day is with the Lord as a thousand 2 Peter 3:8 years, and a thousand years as one day, even so are our years to eternity. Whereas then we must all die, according to holy Scripture, who would not earnestly wish for death, when we behold in what state and ruin we are plunged through Adam, namely, in all unrighteousness, misery and trouble; inasmuch that we are wicked, and inclined to wickedness from our very infancy. For as Paul says, We are by nature the children of wrath, and Ephesians 2:3 reprobate unto every good work, having nothing of ourselves Titus 1:16 but sin. And David also says, There is none that does good, Psalms 14:1 they are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy. For the good that we would, we do not, by reason of sin that Romans 7:19 dwells in us. Of this inherent sin, David witnesseth, That we are conceived and born in sin, and proceed in the same. For Psalms 51:1-19 the inclination of men's hearts is to evil from their youth. Since we thus lie under the wrath of God, and in the shadow of death, yea in hell and damnation, therefore Christ the light of the world appeared unto us, and the sun of righteousness is risen: Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification, and has also Romans 4:25 quickened us when we were dead in sin, and has forgiven us our sins, and blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that Colossians 2:14 was against us, and took it out of the way, and nailed it on the cross; whereby he has triumphed over all our enemies, as death, Satan, hell and the curse of the law, as God has spoken by the Prophet Hosea, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which gives us 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has also 55,57 (according to the promise of God) bruised the head of the Devil, in whose power we were kept captives, by reason of the transgressions of sin. God to the end that he might deliver us therefrom, has given us his dearest pledge, namely his only beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased, and commands us to hear him. Whom he has given for a propitiation and a ransom. For God so John 3:16 loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Also in this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into 1 John 4:1-21, the world, that we might live through him. And this is life 9 eternal (says Christ), that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. He is the true Messiah, who came into the world in the fullness of John 1:1-51, time, true God to crush the power of the Devil; and true man 17,3 to be our mediator before God, that he might deliver those who were captive under the law. He is that lamb without blemish, that was wounded and offered for our transgressions, to be a propitiation for all our sins, as Isaiah clearly testifies. And he who was rich, for our sakes became poor, 2 Corinthians 8:1-24 that we through his poverty might be rich, for he has given unto us, all his goods, all his benefits, all his righteousness, merits and holiness. Therefore we must embrace him in faith, and be thankful to him with love and obedience. And who would not love him who first loved us? In that when we were yet his enemies, he delivered and reconciled us, how Romans 5:18 much more being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life? For how can one have greater love, than to lay down his life John 15:1-27, for his friends? Which Christ as a good shepherd has done, 13 who has been obedient to his Father, unto death, even the death of the cross, and was made a little lower than the Php_2:8 angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and Hebrews 2:9 honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Also he is the true Samaritan who has poured oil Luke 10:1-42, and wine in our wounds, that is to say, he has poured out his 34 precious blood or our sins, and bought us with such a precious price. For we are not (says Peter) redeemed with 1 Peter 1:1-25, gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of 18,19 a lamb without blemish and without spot. For we are not redeemed by the blood of goats or calves, but by his own Hebrews 9:12 blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us: Who has also delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of Colossians 1:1-29, his dear Son, in whom we have the redemption through his 13,14 blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Since we certainly know this, that we only obtain eternal salvation, without our merits (for we have none, wherefore we are unprofitable servants), through the death and resurrection of Christ, we must therefore come boldly unto Hebrews 4:16 the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. And since we always stand in need of help, we must go unto him; for he says, by the Prophet David, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee. Psalms 50:15 And although a mother might forsake her child, yet will I never forsake thee, as Christ himself says in the gospel, Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I Matthew 11:1-30, will give you rest, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 28,29 To whom else should we go? He has the words of eternal life, John 6:68 and life is made manifest in him. He is that heavenly manna, which eternally satisfies our souls, that heavenly bread of which he that eateth through faith, shall never hunger, and whosoever drinketh of his blood shall never thirst. Again Christ says by the Apostle John, Let him that is Revelation 22:17 a-thirst, come and take the water of life freely: He that John 7:38 believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of this belly shall flow rivers of living water, which are the operations of the Holy Ghost: Whosoever drinketh of that living water, John 4:14 shall never thirst, for the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. As God has said by the Prophet Isaiah, Ho, every one Isaiah 55:1 that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that has no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Therefore let us go to this fountain for our refreshment, and not to broken wells which contain no water, For of his fullness have we all received John 1:1-51, grace for grace: For the law was given by Moses, but grace 16,17 and truth came by Jesus Christ. He is the true mediator who stands between God and us, to be our advocate against all our accusers: For there is one 1 Timothy 2:5 mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. For this Hebrews 9:15 cause he is also a mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto Hebrews 7:25 God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us; with which the Apostle John agreeing, says, If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the 1 John 2:1-29, righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins: And not for 1,2 ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world: Namely for all peoples and nations of the whole world, who sincerely repent and turn themselves to God: For the lamb was slain, from the beginning of the world for believers, as Christ himself says, That Abraham saw his day and was glad. John 8:56,John 8:5 Thus we see that God is no respecter of persons. For God is Acts 10:1-48, not only the God of the Jews, but of the Gentiles also: 34 Namely he is a God who justifies the circumcision by faith, Romans 3:1-31, and uncircumcision through faith; for he has justified us by 29,30 faith, without the deeds of the law, after which manner David also speaks, that salvation is only come unto the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works, where he says, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is Psalms 32:1,Psalms 32:2 covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, Romans 5:1 through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have a certain access into the holy place, by his blood, whereby he has made peace between God and us; for he is our true peace, wherefore we have nothing to fear. For Paul says, If God be for us who Romans 8:1-39, can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of 31,33-35 God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us; who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Therefore though we have the daily actual and other sins remaining in us, we must not despair. For the Prophet Isaiah says, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be Isaiah 1:18 red like crimson, they shall be as wool. And this is done through Jesus Christ, who has washed away our sins by his blood, of which baptism is a sign; and the Lord's Supper is a token unto us, that we are redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ once offered on the cross, that he might deliver us Titus 2:24 from the wrath to come, and all iniquity; and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, by which the Lord may be praised. We then knowing for certain, that we are reconciled to God by Jesus Christ, ought (according to the word of God) to have an earnest desire of being delivered from this mortal body, by which we must come to that glorious inheritance of all the children of God, which is prepared for us in heaven. This, Paul, that chosen vessel of God, desired, when he says, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of Romans 7:24 this death? Moreover he says, We know that if our own earthly 2 Corinthians 5:1 house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, eternal in the heavens; for in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon, with our house which 2 Corinthians 5:1-21, is from heaven, and we are always confident, knowing that 2,6,8 whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; therefore we are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Again Paul says, We know that the whole creation groaneth with us, and not only Romans 8:22 they, but we ourselves groan within ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body. And since we are pilgrims and strangers, who would not desire to be at home in his native country? For here we walk in absence, and in faith, but not in sight. For now we see through a glass darkly, but then 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, face to face, as he is. Who would not long after this sight, 12 since we see that the holy men of God have craved after it? As we read in the 42nd Psalm, As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God! My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat, day and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? This unutterable glorious sight of God is so great (as the prophet says), That eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has Isaiah 64:4 entered into the heart of man the things which God has 1 Corinthians 2:9 prepared for them that live him. Again David says, that a day in the courts of the Lord, is better than a thousand; yea I Psalms 84:10 had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell Psalms 34:1,Psalms 34:4 long in the tents of wickedness. How amiable are thy Psalms 36:8,Psalms 36:9 tabernacles, O Lord of Host! Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. And they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life, in thy light shall we see light; this is the delightful mansion, of which Christ spoke John 14:1-31, by John, In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were 2,3 not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, I come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there may ye be also; namely in the new Jerusalem, which has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, for the glory of Revelation 21:23 God lightens it, and the lamb is the light thereof. There God will wipe all tears away from our eyes, and death shall be no more. Which is the last enemy that God will trample under his feet. There God has prepared a glorious wedding, where we shall sit at the table of the Lord together with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: And blessed are they who are called to this wedding or supper. We cannot come to this supper by any other means than through death, therefore Paul says, For to me to live is Christ and Php_1:21 to die is gain. And as soon as the faithful depart from hence, they enter into eternal rest, as Christ says, Where I John 12, am there shall also my servant be: Again, He that hearth my 26 Word and believeth in him that sent me, has everlasting life John 5:24 and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Which is also plainly to be observed in the malefactor, when he prayed and said, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Upon which Christ answered him Luke 23:1-56, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise: Therefore Paul 42,43 justly said (agreeable to this), I desire to depart and to be Php_1:23 with Christ. Solomon likewise says, That dust must return to Ecclesiastes 12:7 the earth as it was, and the spirit unto Goad who gave it. Which also evidently appears in the example of Enoch and Elias, who were both taken up into heaven, where our citizenship and conversation is: from whence also we look for Php_3:1-21, the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile 20,21 body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. And we cannot arrive to this state of glory, unless through such tribulation, of which Jesus Syrach elegantly speaks: My son (says he), if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation: In which thou shalt also rejoice, thou who has for a short time, mourned with much temptation. But 1 Peter 5:1-14, the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal 10 glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while will make you perfect, stablish, strenghten, settle you. Again Paul says, If so be that we suffer with Christ, we Romans 8:1-39, shall also be glorified together. For the sufferings of this 17,18 present time, are not to be compared with the glory which 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, shall be revealed to us. For our affliction is temporal and 17 light, but works an eternal and exceeding weight of glory. And David said, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes Psalms 30:5 in the morning. Therefore rejoice, that when his glory shall 1 Peter 4:1-19, be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy: Christ 13 has also suffered without the gate, therefore let us also go Hebrews 13:1-25, forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For 12,13 herein has Christ left us an example, that we should follow 1 Peter 2:1-25, his steps. Again Peter says, “forasmuch then, as Christ has 21 suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with 1 Peter 4:1 the same mind: For he that suffers in the flesh ceaseth from sin. Moreover the Apostle James also says, My beloved James 1:2 brethren, count it all joy when you fall in divers Romans 5:1-21, temptations, And Paul likewise says, We glory in 3-5 tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed. For which reason we must not despise the chastening of the Lord, when we are rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and he scourgeth, every son whom he receiveth; which may be seen at large in the 12th James 5:1-20, chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Be therefore patient, 8-10 and establish your hearts, for the coming up of the Lord draweth nigh. Take also the prophets for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience; we count them happy which endure, for we have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, who have left us an example of Hebrews 2:9 perseverance. For we see that Christ for the suffering of Matthew 10:1-42, death, has been crowned with never fading honour. Therefore 22 Christ also says, He that endureth to the end shall be saved: 2 Timothy 4:1-22, And the Apostle Paul says, I have fought a good fight, I have 7,8 finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord shall give me; and not only to me, but unto all them that James 1:12 love his appearing. Likewise James says, Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them, that love him. To obtain this crown of righteousness, we must manfully fight against all our enemies, who attack us on all sides, Particularly against the wiles of the Devil, against which put on the whole armour of God, with which you will be able to withstand the Devil and all his might. Peter speaking of 1 Peter 5:1-14, his fight says, That the Devil walketh about as a roaring 8,9 lion seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, and he will flee from you. This victory and resistance we have of God through Christ, who tramples the Devil under our feet, in whose power and bonds we were bound. He is the prince of this world whom Christ has cast out; and we have likewise through him obtained the victory, and are also through faith made partakers of him. He is the old serpent who seeks to devour us who did devour our first parents, and who still bites us in the heel, wherefore he is called a murderer from the beginning. Therefore we must be diligent on our guard against his wiles as Peter says, Be sober and watch unto prayer. For as Christ 1 Peter 4:7 says, We know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Lord will come. But this ye know that, if the good man of the Matthew 25:1-46, house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would 13 have watched. Be ye ready therefore also, for the Son of Man Luke 12:1-59, will come at an hour when we watch not, but begin to beat our 39,40,45, fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 46 then the Lord will come and cut us in sunder, and our portion will be with the hypocrites: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, there the worm never dies, and the fire is Mark 9:44 not quenched. For we certainly know that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, when we shall say, Peace 2 Peter 3:1-18, and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon us, as 10 travail upon a woman with child. Therefore take heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and so Luke 21:1-38, that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare, or as 34 lightning which comes suddenly, shall it come on us all. Watch therefore and pray always, that ye may be accounted Luke 21:1-38, worthy to escape all these things, that shall come to pass, 35,36 and to stand undaunted before the Son of Man. But this worthiness to stand before the Son of Man consists in a pure undefiled and immovable faith which works through love, by which we receive and embrace Christ with all his merits and benefits. Which faith we must show by a pure life, as James says. And of this purity Christ speaks by Matthew, Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And the principal purity lies in the heart, for as Christ says, Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, Matthew 15:1-39, fornication, thefts, false witness and blasphemies: these 19,20 things defile man. Therefore the fruits of the spirit follow, Galatians 5:1-26, which are, love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, 22,23 goodness, faith, meekness, chastity, righteousness, and truth. Therefore unless we are born again, we cannot see the Matthew 3:3 kingdom of God. Yea as Christ says, Except ye repent and become as children (to wit in sin) ye shall not enter into Mark 10:1-52, the kingdom of heaven. There shall nothing enter into it that 14 defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a Revelation 21:27 lie, as Paul likewise clearly testifieth. Since then the law of Cod requires this perfection of us, as it is written, Cursed is every one who does not keep the whole law; as James also says, Whosoever offendeth in one James 2:10 point, he is guilty of all. Again whosoever does the law, shall live by it: But we do not keep the least commandment perfectly. As the wise man says, When we imagine to have done we only begin (and in case we did do it, we only do our duty), wherefore we are by the law condemned in God's righteous judgment; for this we have a sure remedy and cure, namely Christ who has redeemed us (as Paul says) from the Galatians 3:13 curse of the law, and has satisfied the righteousness of God for us, making reconciliation; and who has broken down the wall which was between us, namely the law, contained in ordinances, and forgiven us our sins, and torn the handwriting of them, and nailed it to the cross: For this great love of Christ, we ought also to love him, and to be thankful to him, with good works, and verily to believe in him, for the gift of these excellent benefits: For he that comes to God, must believe that he is a rewarder of them that Hebrews 11:6 seek him; for the just shall live by his faith. Therefore we Hebrews 2:4 conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds Romans 3:28 of the law; and although we suffer a little with Christ, we must not despair, for we see that Christ himself when he was smote for our sins, did not smite again, but suffered patiently. And if the ungodly live in great prosperity, as David and the prophets testify, we must not marvel, neither stumble, but comfort ourselves, being assured that their end is everlasting death. He lets them go as sheep to the slaughter, therefore it is to be wondered at that the faithful meet with still more crosses in comparison to the glorious joy which is prepared for them, and on the contrary, that the ungodly have still more prosperity, than they have, in comparison to the dreadful damnation which attends them. Therefore if the trial of believers is not alike, so neither shall the resurrection of the dead be alike. And in this we have great comfort, that all believers will rise at the last day; of which Paul reasoning, says, If the dead rise not, then is not Christ risen, then is our preaching vain, and we are found false witnesses of God. The 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 manner of our resurrection we may read in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, how that we shall rise with flesh and bones. And Job also says, I know that my redeemer liveth, and will hereafter Job 19:1-29 raise me up out of the earth, and that I shall be covered with my skin, and in my own flesh, see God; likewise the Prophet Isaiah says, that the earth and the sea shall give up the dead which have slept in them, for Christ is the resurrection, the first of them that slept. But you must not be ignorant concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow 1 Thess. not even as others, which have no hope. For if we believe 4:13-17 that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him, for this we say as a true word of God; that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep, for the Lord himself, shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in 2 Corinthians 5:1-21, the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. Where we must appear 10 before the judgment seat of Christ: Where every one will receive according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. Then Christ will separate the sheep from the goats, and the sheep will be set on his right hand, who shall hear the delightful voice, Come ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father prepared for you from the foundation of the world. There we shall stand with greater confidence against those who have distressed us: Then we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father, there we shall come to the hope of an innumerable company of angels. There we shall reign from eternity to eternity, Amen. Blessed are they whose names are written in the Book of Life. ____________________________________________________ http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/epl-05/consolat.txt ======================================================================== CHAPTER 79: ANONYMOUS - HELL'S TORMENTS ======================================================================== Hell's Torments First Published in 1601. Author Unknown. Of the punishments which our Lord threateneth unto such as live a sinful life. One of the principal means that our Lord hath used often times to bridle the hearts of men, and to draw them unto the obedience of his commandments, hath been, to set before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared for such persons as be rebels and transgressors of his law. For although the hope of the rewards that are promised unto the good in the life to come, may move us very much hereunto: yet are we commonly more moved with things that be irksome unto us, than with such as be pleasant: even as we see by daily experience, that we are vexed more with an injury done unto us, than delighted with any honor, and we are more troubled with sickness, than comforted with health and so by the discommodity of sickness, we come to understand the commodity of health, as by a thing so much the better perceived, by how much more it is sensibly felt. Now for this cause did our Lord in times past use this means more than any other, as it appeareth most clearly by the writings of the Prophets, which are every where full of dreadful sayings and threatenings, wherewith our Lord pretendeth (desireth) to put a terror into the hearts of men, and so to bridle and subdue them under the obedience of his law. And for this end he commanded the prophet Jeremy, that he should take a white book, and write in the same all the threatenings and calamities which he had revealed unto him, even from the first day he began to talk with him, until that present hour, and that he should read the same in the presence of all the people, to see if peradventure they would be moved therewith unto repentance, and to change their former life, to the end, that he might also change the determination of his wrath, which he had purposed to execute upon them. And the Holy Scripture sayth, that when the prophet had done according as he was commanded by Almighty God, and had read all those threatenings in the presence of the people, and of the rulers; there arose such a fear and terror amongst them, that they were all astonished, and as it were frightened out of their wits, looking one in another's face, for the exceeding great fear which they had conceived of those words. This was one of the principal means which Almighty God used with men in the time of the law written, and so he did also in the time of the law of grace: in which, the holy Apostle sayth, That as there is revealed a justice, whereby God maketh men just, so is there also revealed an indignation and wrath, whereby he punisheth the unjust: for which cause, John the Baptist (the glorious forerunner of our Saviour Christ) was sent, with this commission and embassage to preach unto the world, That the axe was now put to the root of the tree, and that every tree that brought not forth good fruit, should be cut down and cast into the fire. He said moreover, That there was another come into the world, more mighty than he, that carried in his hand a fan, to winnow and cleanse therewith his floor, and that he would put up the corn into his garner, but the chaff he will burn in a fire that should never be quenched. This was the preaching and embassage which the holy forerunner of our Savior Jesus Christ brought into the world. And so great was the thunder of these words, and the terror which entered into men's hearts, so dreadful, that there ran unto him of all estates and conditions of men, even of the very Pharisees and Publicans, yea, and soldiers also (which of all others are wont to be most dissolute, and to have least care of their consciences) and each of them demanded for himself particularly of that holy man, what he should do to attain unto salvation, and to escape those terrible threatenings which he had denounced unto them, so great was the fear they had conceived of them. And this is that (dear Christian brother) which I do at this present (in the behalf of Almighty God) deliver unto thee, although not with such fervency of spirit, and like holiness of life, yet that which importeth more in this case, with the same truth and certainty; for so much as the faith and Gospel which John the Baptist then preached, is even the same now taught. Now, if thou be desirous to understand in few words, how great the punishment is, that Almighty God hath threatened in his Holy Scriptures to the wicked, that which may most quickly and most to the purpose be spoken in this matter, is this: that like as the reward of the good is an universal good thing, even so the punishment of the wicked is an universal evil, which comprehendeth in it all the evils that are. For the better understanding whereof, it is to be noted, That all the evils of this life are particular evils, and therefore do not torment all our senses generally, but only one, or some of them. As taking an example of the diseases of our body, we see, that one hath a disease in his eyes, another in his ears: one is sick in the heart, another in the stomach, some other in his head. And so diverse men are diseased in diverse parts of the body, howbeit, in such wise, that none of all these diseases be generally throughout all the members of the body, but particular to some one of them. And yet for all this, we see what grief only one of these diseases may put us unto, and how painful a night the sick man hath in any one of these infirmities, yea, although it be nothing else but a little ache in one tooth. Now let us put the case, that there were some one man sick of such an universal disease, that he had no part of his body, neither any one joint or sense free from his proper pain, but that at one time and instant he suffered most exceeding sharp torment in his head, in his eyes, and ears, in his teeth, and stomach, in his liver and heart: and to be short, in all the rest of his members and joints of his body, and that he lay after this sort stretching himself in his bed, being pained with these griefs and torments, every member of his body having his particular torment and grief: He (I say) that should lie thus pained and afflicted, how great torment and grief of mind and body (think ye) should he sustain? Oh, what thing could any man imagine more miserable, and more worthy of compassion? Surely, if thou shouldest see but a dog to be so tormented and grieved in the street, his very pains would move thy heart to take pity upon him. Now this is that (my dear Christian brother, if any comparison may be made between them) which is suffered in that most cursed and horrible place of hell, and not only during for the space of one night, but everlasting, for ever and ever. For like as the wicked men have offended Almighty God with all their members and senses, and have made armour of them all to serve sin, even so will he ordain, that they shall be there tormented every one of them with his proper torment. There shall the wanton unchast eyes be tormented with the terrible sight of devils: the ears with the confusion of such horrible cries and lamentations which shall there be heard: the nose with the intolerable stink of that ugly, filthy, and loathsome place: the taste, with a most ravenous hunger and thirst: the touching, and all the members of the body with extreme burning fire. The imagination shall be tormented by the conceiving of griefs present: the memory, by calling to mind the pleasures past: the understanding, by considering what benefits are lost, and what endless miseries are to come. This multitude of punishments the Holy Scripture signifieth unto us, when it sayth, Matthew 15:1-39.Psalms 10:1-18. That in hell there shall be hunger, thirst, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, swords double edged, spirits created for revengement, serpents, worms, scorpions, hammers, wormwood, water of gall, the spirit of tempest, and other things of like sort. Whereby are signified unto us (as in a figure) the multitude and dreadful terror of the most horrible torments and pains that be in that cursed place. There shall be likewise darkness inward and outward, both of body and soul, far more obscure than the darkness of Egypt, which was to be felt even with hands, Exodus 10:1-29. There shall be fire also, not as this fire here, that tormenteth a little, and shortly endeth, but such a fire as that place requireth, which tormented exceedingly, and shall never make an end of that tormenting. This being true, what greater wonder can there be, than that they which believe and confess this for truth, shall live with such most strange negligence and carelessness as they do? What travel and pains would not a man willingly take to escape even one day only, yea, one hour, the very least of these torments? and wherefore do they not then, to escape the everlastingness of so great pains and horrible torments, endure so little a travel, as to follow the exercise of virtue? Surely, the consideration of this matter were able to make any sinful soul to fear and tremble, in case it were deeply regarded. And if amongst so great number of pains, there were any manner hope of end or release, it would be some kind of comfort: but alas it is not so for there the gates are fast shut up from all expectation of any manner of ease or hope. In all kind of pains and calamities that be in this world, there is always some gap lying open, whereby the patient may receive some kind of comfort: sometimes reason, sometimes the weather, sometimes his friends, sometimes the hearing that others are troubled with the very same disease, and sometimes (at the least) the hope of an end may cheer him somewhat: only in these most horrible pains and miseries that be in hell, all the ways are shut up in such sort, and all the heavens of comfort so embarred, that the miserable sinner cannot hope for remedy on any side, neither of heaven, not of earth, neither of the time past, or present, or of the time to come, or of any other means. The damned souls think, that all men are shooting darts at them, and that all creatures have conspired against them, and that even they themselves are cruel against themselves. This is that distress whereof the sinners do lament by the Prophet, saying: The sorrows of hell have compassed me round about, and the snares of death hath besieged me: For on which side soever they look or turn their eyes, they do continually behold occasions of sorrow and grief, and none at all of any ease or comfort. The wise virgins (sayth the evangelist) that stood ready prepared at the gate of the bridegroom, entered in, and the gate was forthwith locked fast. O looking everlasting, o enclosure immortal, o gate of all goodness, which shall never any more be opened again. As if he had said more plainly, the gate of pardon, of mercy, of comfort, of grace, of intercession, of hope, and of all other goodness, is shut up for ever and ever. six days and no more was manna to be gathered, but the seventh day, which was the Sabbath day, was there none to be found: and therefore shall he fast forever, that hath not in due time made his provision on aforehand. The sluggard (sayth the wise man) will not till his ground for fear of cold, and therefore shall he beg his bread in summer, and no man shall give him to eat. And in another place he sayth: He that gathereth in summer, is a wise son, but he that giveth himself to sleeping at that season, is the son of confusion. For what confusion can there be greater than that which that miserable covetous rich man suffereth, who came to such an extreme necessity that he begged (yea, and shall forever beg in vain) only one drop of water, and shall never obtain it. Who is not moved with that request of that unfortunate damned person, who cried, O father Abraham have compassion on me, and send down Lazarus unto me, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and touch my tongue, for these horrible flames do torment me exceedingly. What smaller request could there be desired than this? He dust not request so much as one cup of water, neither, that Lazarus should put his whole hand into the water, nor yet (which is more to be wondered at) did he request so much as the whole finger, but only the tip of it, that it might but touch his tongue; and yet even this alone would not be granted unto him. Whereby thou mayest perceive, how fast the gate of all consolation is shut up, and how universal that interdict and excommunication is, that is there laid upon the damned, that this rich glutton could not obtain so much as this small request. So that wheresoever the damned persons do turn their eyes, and on which side soever they stretch their hands, they shall not find any manner of comfort, be it never so small. And so he that is in the sea choaked, and almost drowned under the water, not finding any stray whereupon to set his foot, stretcheth forth his hands oftentimes on every side in vain (because all that he graspeth after, is thin and liquid water, which deceives him) even so shall it fare with the damned persons, when they shall be drowned in that deep sea of so many miseries, where they shall strive and struggle always with death, without finding any succour or place of stay, whereupon they may rest themselves. Now this is one of the greatest pains wherewith they be tormented in that cursed place: for if these torments should have their continuance limited but for a certain time, though it were for a thousand, yea, a hundred thousand millions of years, yet even this would be some little comfort unto them, for nothing is perfectly great, in case it have an end: but alas, they have not so much as this poor and miserable comfort: but contrary wise, their pains are equal in continuance with the eternity of Almighty God, and the lasting of their misery with the eternity of God's glory. As long as Almighty God shall live, so long shall they die: and when Almighty God shall cease to be God, then shall they also cease to be as they are. O deadly live, O immortal death! I know not whether I may truly term thee, either life or death: for if thou be life, why dost thou kill? And if thou be death, why doest thou endure? Wherefore I will call thee neither the one, nor the other, for so much as in both of them there is contained something that is good: as in life there is rest and in death there is an end (which is a great comfort to the afflicted) but thou hast neither rest nor end. What art thou then? Thou art the worst of life, and the worst of death; so of death thou hast the torment, without any end, and of life thou hast the continuance without any rest. O bitter composition, O unfavored purgation of our Lord's cup! of the which, all the sinners of the earth shall drink their part. Now in this continuance in this eternity, I would wish that thou (my dear Christian brother) wouldst fix the eyes of thy consideration a little while: and that as the clean beast cheweth the cud, even so thou wouldest weigh this point within thyself with great deliberation. And to the intent thou mayest do it the better, consider a little the pains that a sick man abideth in one evil night, especially if he be vexed with any vehement grief, or sharp disease. Mark how oft he tumbleth and tosseth in his bed, what disquietness he hath, how long and tedious one night seemeth unto him, how duly he counteth all the hours of the clock, and how long he deemeth each hour of them to be, how he passeth the time in wishing for the dawning of the day; which notwithstanding, is like to help him little towards the curing of his disease. If this then be accounted so great a torment, what torment shall that be (think you) in that everlasting night in hell, which hath no morning, nor so much as any hope of any dawning of the day? O darkness most obscure! O night everlasting! O night accursed even by the mouth of Almighty God and all his Saints! That one shall wish for light, and shall never see it, neither shall the brightness of the morning arise any more. Consider then what a kind of torment shall that be, to live everlastingly in such a night as this is, lying not in a soft bed (as the sick man doth) but in a hot burning furnace, foaming out such terrible raging flames. What shoulders shall be able to abide those horrible heats? If it seem to us as a thing intolerable to have only some part of our feet standing upon a pan of burning coals, for the space of repeating the Lord's prayer, what shall it be (think you) to stand body and soul burning in the midst of those everlasting hot raging fires in hell, in comparison of which, the fires of this world are but painted fires? Is there any wit or judgement in this world? Have men their right senses? Do they understand what these words import? or are they peradventure persuaded, that these are only the fables of poets? or do they think, that this appertaineth not to them, or else that it was only meant for others? None of all this can they say, for so much as our faith assureth us most certainly herein. And our Savior Christ himself, who is everlasting truth, crieth out in his Gospel, saying, Heaven and earth shall fail, but my word shall not fail. Of this misery there followeth another as great as it, which is, that the pains are always continuing in one like degree, without any manner of intermission, or decreasing. All manner of things that are under the scope of heaven, do move and turn round about with the same heaven, and do never stand still at one state or being, but are continually either ascending or descending. The sea and the rivers have their ebbing and flowing, the times, the ages, and the mutable fortune of men, and of kingdoms are evermore in continual motion. There is no fever so fervent, that doth not decline, neither grief so sharp, but that after it is much augmented, it doth forthwith decrease. To be short, all the tribulations and miseries are by little and little worn away with time, and as the common saying is, Nothing is sooner dried up than tears. Only that pain in hell is always green, only that fever never decreaseth, only that extremity of heat knoweth not what is either evening or morning. In the time of Noah's flood, Almighty God rained forty days and forty nights, continually without ceasing upon the earth, and this sufficed to drown the whole world. But in that place of torment in hell, there shall rain everlasting vengeance, and darts of fury upon that cursed land, without ever ceasing so much as only one minute or moment. Now what torment can be greater, and more to be abhorred, than continually to suffer after one like manner, without any kind of alteration or change? Though a meat be never so delicate, yet in case we feed continually thereupon, it will in very short time be very loathsome unto us for no meat can be more precious and delicate than that manna was, which Almighty God sent down unto the children of Israel in the desert, and yet because they did eat continually thereof, it made them to loath it, yea, and provoked them to vomit it up again. The way that is all plain (they say) weareth more than any other, because always the variety (yea even in punishment) is a kind of comfort. Tell me then, if things that be pleasant and savoury, when they be always after one manner, are an occasion of loathsomeness and pain: what kind of loathsomeness will that be which shall be caused by those most horrible pains and torments in hell, which do continue everlastingly after one like sort? What will the damned and cursed creatures think, when they shall there see themselves so utterly abhorred and forsaken of Almighty God, that he will not so much as with the remission of any one sin, mitigate somewhat their torments? And so great shall the fury and rage be which they shall there conceive against him, that they shall never cease continually to curse and blaspheme his holy name. Unto all these pains, there is also added the pain of that everlasting consumer, to wit, the worm of conscience, whereof the Holy Scripture maketh so often times mention, saying, Their worm shall never die, and their fire shall never be quenched. This worm is a serious raging despite and bitter repentance, without any fruit, which the wicked shall always have in hell, by calling to their remembrance the opportunity and time they had whiles they were in this world, to escape those most grievous and horrible torments, and how they would not use the benefit thereof. And therefore when the miserable sinner seeth himself thus to be tormented and vexed on every side, and doth call to mind how many days and years he hath spent idlely in vanities, past times, and pleasures; and how oftentimes he was advertised of this peril, and how little regard he took thereof: What shall he think? What anguish and sorrow shall there be in his heart? Hast thou not read in the Gospel, that there shall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth? The famine of Egypt endured only seven years, but that in hell shall endure everlastingly. In Egypt they found a remedy, though with great difficulty and charge, but for this, there shall never any remedy be found. Theirs was redeemed with money and cattle, but this can never be redeemed with any manner of exchange. This punishment cannot be pardoned, this pain cannot be exchanged, this sentence cannot be revoked. Oh, if thou knewest and wouldest consider, how every one condemned to hell, shall there remain tormenting and renting himself, weeping, and wailing, and saying: O miserable and unfortunate wretch that I am, what times and opportunities have I suffered to pass in vain? Wherefore did I not look before me? How was I blinded with things present? How did I let pass the fruitful years of abundance, and did not enrich myself (spiritually)? If I had been brought up amongst infidels and pagans, and had believed that there had been nothing else but only to be born, and to die, then might I have had some kind of excuse, and might have said, I knew not what was commanded or prohibited me: but for so much as I have lived amongst Christians, and was myself one of them professed, and held it for an article of my belief, that the hour should come when I should give up an account after what order I had spent my life: forsomuch also as it was daily cried out unto me by the continual preaching and teaching of God's ambassadors, forsomuch I say as I made light of all these examples, and persuaded myself very fondly, that heaven was prepared for me, though I took no pains for it at all: what deserve I that have thus led my life? O ye infernal furies, come and rent me in pieces, and devour these my bowels, for so have I justly deserved, I have deserved eternal famishment, seeing I would not provide for my self while I had time. I deserve not to reap, because I have not sown: I am worthy to be destitute, because I have not laid up in store; I deserve that my request should now be denied me, since when the poor made request unto me, I refused to relieve them: I have deserved to sigh and lament so long as God shall be God; I have deserved, that this worm of conscience shall gnaw mine entrails forever and ever, by representing unto me the little pleasure that I have enjoyed, and the great felicity which I have lost, and how far greater that was which I might have gained, by forgoing that little which I would not forgo. This is that immortal worm that shall never die, but shall lie there everlastingly gnawing at the entrails of the wicked, which is one of the most terrible pains that can possibly be imagined. Peradventure thou art now persuaded that there can be added no more unto this, than hath been said. But surely the mighty arm of God wanteth not force to chastise his enemies more and more: for all these pains that are hitherto rehearsed, are so as do appertain generally to all the damned: but besides these general pains, there are also other particular pains, which each one of the damned shall there suffer in diverse sort, according to the quality of his sin. And so according to this proportion, the haughty and proud shall there be abased and brought low to their great confusion. The covetous shall be driven to great necessity: the glutton shall rage with continual hunger and thirst. The lecherous shall burn in the very same flames which they themselves have enkindled. And those that have all their life time hunted after their pleasures and pastimes, shall live there in continual lamentation and sorrow. But because examples are of very great force to move our hearts, I will bring only one for this purpose, whereby somewhat of this matter may the better be perceived. It is written of a certain holy man, that he saw the pains (in spirit) of a licentious and worldly man in this sort. First he saw how the devils that were present at the hour of his death, when he yielded up his ghost, snatched away his soul with great rejoicing, and made a present thereof to the prince of darkness, who was then sitting in a chair of fire, expecting the coming of this present. Immediately after that it was presented before him, he arose up out of his seat, and said unto the damned soul that he would give him the preeminence of that honorable seat, because he had been a man of honor, and was always very much affected to the same. In contingently after that he was placed therein, crying and lamenting in that honorable torment, there appeared before him two other most ugly devils, and offered him a cup full of most bitter and stinking liquor, and made him to drink and carouse it up all, perforce; saying, It is meet, since thou hast been a lover of precious wines and blankets, that thou shouldest likewise prove of this our wine, thereof all we do use to drink in these parts. Immediately after this there came other two, with two fiery trumpets, and setting them at his ears, began to blow into them flames of fire, saying, this melody have we reserved for thee, understanding that in the world thou wast very much delighted with minstrelsy and wanton songs: and suddenly he espied other devils, loaden with vipers and serpents, the which they threw upon the breast and belly of that miserable sinner, saying unto him, that forsomuch as he had been greatly delighted with the wanton embracings and leacherous lusts of women, he should now solace himself with these refreshings, instead of those licentious delights and pleasures, which he had enjoyed in the world. After this sort (as the Prophet Isaiah sayth in the 47th chapter) when the sinner is punished, there is given measure for measure, to the end, that in such a great variety and proportion of punishments, the order and wisdom of God's justice, might the more manifestly appear. This vision hath Almighty God showed in spirit to this holy man for advertisement and instruction, not that in hell these things are altogether so materially done, but that by them we might understand in some manner the variety and multitude of the pains which be there appointed for the damned. Whereof, I know not how some of the pagans have had a certain knowledge: for a poet speaking of this multitude of pains, affirmed, that although he had a hundred mouths and as many tongues, with a voice as strong as iron, yet were they not able only to express the names of them. A poet he was that spake this, but truly therein he spake more like a Prophet or an Evangelist than a poet. Now then, if all this evil shall most assuredly come to pass, what man is he, that seeing all this so certainly with the eyes of his faith, will not turn over the leaf, and begin to provide for himself against that time? Where is the judgement of men now become? Where be their wits? yea, where is at the least their self-love, which seeketh evermore for his own profit, and is much afraid of any loss? May it be thought that men are become beasts, that provide only for the time present? Or have they peradventure so dimmed their eye sight, that they cannot look before them? Hearken (sayth Isaiah) O ye deaf and ye blind, open your eyes that you may see, who is blind but my servant? And who is deaf but ye, unto whom I have sent my messengers? And who is blind, but he that suffereth himself to be sold for a slave? Thou that seest so many things, wilt thou not suffer thy self to see this? Thou that hast thine ears open, wilt thou not give ear hereunto? If thou believe not this, how art thou then a Christian? If thou believe it, and doest not provide for it, how canst thou be thought a reasonable man? Aristotle sayth, that this is the difference between opinion and imagination, that an imagination alone is not sufficient to cause a fear, but an opinion is: for if I do imagine that a house may fall upon me, it is not enough to make me afraid, unless I believe or have an opinion it will be so indeed: for then it is sufficient to make me afraid. And hereof cometh the fear that murderers always have, by reason of the suspicion they conceive, that their enemies do lie in wait for them. If then the opinion and only suspicion of danger is able to cause the greatest courage to fear, how is it that the certainty and belief of so many and so great terrible miseries (which are far more sure than any opinion) doth not make thee to fear. If thou perceivest, that for these many years past thou hast led a licentious and sinful life, and that at the last, according to present justice, thou art condemned to these horrible torments in hell: if also there appear by probable conjecture, that there is no more likelihood of thy amendment for ensuing years to come, than there was in those already past, how happened it, that running headlong into so manifest a danger, thou art not at all afraid; especially, considering the sinful state wherein thou livest, and the horrible pains and torments which do attend for thee, and the time which thou hast lost and the endless repentance which thou shalt have therefore in the most horrible torments of hell? Assuredly, it goeth beyond the compass of all common sense and conceit of human reason, to consider, that there should be such negligent, wilful, gross, and careless blindness, able to enter and take such deep rooting in the soul of man. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 80: ARNDT - SAINT AND THE WORLD, THE ======================================================================== The Saint and the World John Arndt "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.-2 Corinthians 8:9 Thou art required, O man! to die to thyself, thy sin, and the world; and to lead a holy, harmless life, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This thou art to do, not with a view to merit anything at the hands of God, but from a principle of love to him, who performed and merited all for thee, and died to save thee. 2. Be not deceived: Jesus must be loved by thee, not in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth. "If," says he (John 14:23), "a man love me, he will keep my words;" and so St. John speaks: "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3. And, again, the Saviour says: "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). To him, indeed, who loves Christ with all his heart, it cannot but be easy to sacrifice the pleasure which earthly vanities afford, and to do that which is good, without constraint. Love renders every burden light that is laid upon us by Jesus; whereas to him that is devoid of this heavenly principle, every act which duty requires is grievous and oppressive. To such a one, every religious exercise is painful and laborious; whereas the man who sincerely loves the Lord Jesus Christ, esteems death itself to be in nowise terrible, when submitted to for his sake. And, therefore, the Apostle says: "Unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Php_1:29): nay, to lay down life itself, whenever that sacrifice is required of us. 3. In order to confirm thy faith, consider the example of Moses, who, "by faith, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Hebrews 11:24 - Hebrews 11:26). 4. Consider Daniel, who refused the luxuries of a court, and desired to be fed with pulse and water, resolving "that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank" (Daniel 1:8, Daniel 1:12). He contemned the pleasures of Babylon, that he might attain "the wisdom that is from above" (James 3:17), which dwells only in a heart preserved pure from the pollutions of an unholy world. So, if thou desires" that Christ, the eternal Wisdom, should enter into thy soul, thou must abhor the pleasures of sin. For as Daniel and his companions were made fairer by their sobriety and abstemious life, so be thou firmly assured, that thy soul will appear more beautiful and fair in the sight of God, even as "partaking of the divine nature," if thou escape "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4). 5. Consider, further, the example of St. Paul, who says, "The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14); that is, I am dead to the world, and the world is dead to me. Thus are all true Christians in the world, yet not of it. Though they live in it, they do not love it; for they view it as a transient shadow; and its pomps, dignities, and lusts, as vanity and deceit, vexation and disappointment. Hence, they are crucified to the world, though they remain in it; and the world is crucified to them; that is, they desire no mere worldly honor, wealth or joy. 6. How happy is the man who is dead to earthly vanities, and alive to God; separated from the world, and drawn into Christ! How blessed is he into whose heart divine grace is so infused, as wholly to wean it from inferior objects, and exalt it to the fruition of the light and glory of heaven. Such a state is the effect of daily prayer and supplications, without which a true Christian cannot possibly exist 7. Agur prayed to the Lord thus: "Two things, have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me" (Proverbs 30:7, Proverbs 30:8). So let the Christian pray: "Two things I desire of thee, O Lord, even these two: that I may die to myself, and to the world." For without the death, it is utterly impossible to be a true Christian. If thou, O Man! thinkest otherwise, thou certainly deceives" thyself, and shalt at last hear from the mouth of Christ that awful sentence, "I know you not" (Matthew 7:23; Matthew 25:12). 8. Though to die thus to self and to the world, is, to flesh and blood, a grievous cross, yet will the spirit and the love of Christ eventually triumph over every difficulty. So powerful indeed are these aids, that they enable the true Christian to bear all things for the sake of the Beloved, as a pleasant yoke and easy burden. And although he who lives a life thus mortified, will be hated by the world, yet shall he be loved of God; for the enmity of the world is friendship with him (James 4:4). And the Lord hath himself declared, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19). 9. Those who are dead to the world for the testimony of Jesus, it casts out; but it honors and applauds them who, living in the enjoyment of its pomp and splendor, are its genuine offspring; because they live in the world, and the world liveth in them;. 10. In short, that man is not received and commended by the world, but is. on the contrary. cast out of it. in whose heart. pride. covetousness. lust. wrath, revenge, and the other corrupt passions of nature, are mortified and restrained. Unto him the world is dead; and he again is dead to the world; he begins to live in Christ, and Christ lives in him; and he will be confessed by the Saviour, as one of his peculiar people, in whom the great design of redemption has been effected. To others, on the contrary, it will be said, "I know you not, as ye, in like manner, knew me not." You have not confessed me before men, but have been ashamed of my life, my meekness, humility, and patience; and I will not confess you: you have despised the shame of my cross; and you shall be with shame disowned by me (Mark 8:38). For whoever refuses to live with Christ in time, cannot expect to live with him in eternity: whoever has not the life of Christ here, shall never have it set forth in him hereafter: and whoever disdains to follow Jesus in the present world, shall never be glorified with him in the world to come. 11. Therefore, O Man! strictly scrutinize thy life, and see whether thou bearest a greater conformity to the life of Christ, or to the life of the devil: for thou must inevitably be united to one or other of these throughout all eternity. 12. If thou art dead to thyself and to they depraved desires within thee, thou wilt find it no hard task to die to the world and its vain allurements which are without thee: and whoever is thus dead to the world, will not love it or the things which it contains; for, "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Again, how shall his desires any more go out after the world without him, when he is dead to it? Great indeed would be the loss sustained by a lover of the blessed God, were he, in any degree, to yield to the allurements of the world, and allow it to obtain a share in that affection which should be fixed solely on the Supreme Good. A soul so undecided would soon be entirely vanquished by the blandishments of sin, as was Samson by the charms of Delilah (Judy. 16:6); and would become subject to all that misery and vexation of heart, which invariably attend the love of this world. 13. The love of the world appertains not to the new creature, but to the old: for the world has nothing to bestow but honor and vainglory, riches, pleasures, and carnal desires; in these the "old man" delights. The new man, on the other hand, has no peace except in Christ who is his honor and glory, his riches and his heaven. 14. And as nothing can be conceived of that is greater or more exalted than the image of God renewed in Christ Jesus, so it should be our only concern and care, to render ourselves partakers of this exalted honor; remembering the worlds of Tauler, "What man, who is possessed of reason, can doubt for a moment, that God can infinitely more rejoice and delight the heart, than the corrupt and indigent creature is capable of doing?" 15. In addition to this, the Scriptures assures us that man was not created for the world's sake, but the world for man's. It was not to pamper his appetite, to heap up riches, or to extend his empire without limits, that man was formed; it was not that he might acquire large estates and possessions, erect palaces, or be gorgeously attired, that he was endued with a soul intelligent and immortal: man was made to be lord of the earth, and not its slave; to subdue, and not to be subdued. He was not to seek his pleasure and enjoyment on earth, however fair and fascinating it might be to a depraved taste: he was not destined to be an heir of this inferior world, nor the possessor of terrestrial treasures, nor to be actuated by any worldly motive whatsoever. Man is to depart hence, as one that dwells on earth as a tenant at will. He was not made for it, and cannot remain in it; he entered it naked, and naked he must quit it again. Many, indeed, are born into the world at the same time; but an equal number, on the other hand, are daily taken out by death; nor can any carry with them even an atom of the treasures which they had accumulated upon earth. 16. Man, then, is but as guest and a pilgrim below; and most obvious it is, that he was not created for this temporal life, and that this world was never designed to be the end of his being. That end is God, and the image of God in Christ Jesus, unto which we are renewed by the Spirit; and we are created for the kingdom of God and for eternal life. These our blessed Redeemer purchased for us, when they had been forfeited by us; and it is his Spirit that regenerates men who had been without God in the world. 17. How unreasonable, therefore, is it in man to fix his affections on temporal objects, when we are assured that the soul is infinitely more noble and more precious than the whole world! How preposterous is it, that he should lavish his time in the pursuit of earthly things, when he is conscious that he was created to bear the image of God in Christ, though the Holy Spirit! Therefore, let us now solemnly repeat what has been before affirmed, namely, that man was not made for the world, but the world for man. The excellency of the image of God in Christ Jesus, is inconceivably great and glorious: so that were all mankind to unite their labor and might, their wealth, their honors, and their all, they could not succeed in restoring even one soul to the possession of this image. It became requisite that Christ himself should die, in order that this divine image which had been utterly defaced by sin, might, through His Spirit, be revived; and that man might again become the temple and house of God through all eternity. 18. This being duly considered, as certainly it ought to be, how is it that man so thoroughly debases his soul as to seek after the things of this world, its honors, its pleasures, lusts, and wealth? He should surely reason with himself, and say: "Shall I, for the sake of a little gold, or for this fading world, or for all the honors and pleasures it can afford me-shall I, for the sake of these, sacrifice my immortal soul, which Christ has redeemed at so infinite a price? God forbid." "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). Alas! the "whole world," with all its power and glory, could not avail to rescue one soul from eternal destruction; for the soul is immortal, while the world passeth away with all that it contains (1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 John 2:17). The true Christian, who imitates Christ, hates his own life in this world, and forsakes the world. In order that a man may hate himself, he must, in the first place, cease to love himself; secondly, he must daily die to sin; and, thirdly, maintain a continual warfare with his corrupt nature, or the flesh. 2. There is nothing that more obstructs the everlasting salvation of mankind than self-love. This is not to be understood of that natural love which excites to a due regard to self-preservation, but of that carnal and inordinate affection which influences man to be wholly concerned about himself, without any reference to the Supreme Being, the great Author of life. In this sense the term is used in the present Book. Man was created to love God alone; and since God only is to be loved, it follows that he who loves himself is an idolater, and makes of himself a god. The heart of man rejoices and rests in the object of his affection; and, whatever this be, he is brought by it into bondage, and is devoted to it. Man, in this state, is become a servant, and is deprived of that genuine liberty in the enjoyment of which he was originally created; and in this lapsed and divided state he must serve as many masters as there are objects upon which his affections are placed. But if thy love, O man! be sincerely and simply fixed on God, then thou art subject to no lord but Him; and thou preserves" thy liberty with all the privileges appertaining to it. It becometh thee, therefore, to be very circumspect in thy life and conduct, lest thou shouldst in any degree obstruct the progress of divine love to thy soul. If ever thou desires" to possess God alone, thou must make a surrender of thyself solely to him. If thou lovest and pleases" thyself, instead of loving and pleasing God, then sorrow and fear, sadness and anxiety, will inevitably attend thee; whereas, if thou wholly yieldest thyself unto God, cleaving to him and delighting thyself in him alone, then he will never leave thee nor forsake thee, but remove by his gracious presence all fear and anxiety from thy mind. He, on the other hand, who seeks himself in all situations and in every circumstance, and who incessantly pursues after profit, praise, and lust, can never attain to serenity and peace of mind; for some circumstance there always will be to cross his desires and to disturb his rest. Never, therefore, yield to the belief that an accession of fame, wealth, or honor in this world, is always good and profitable for thee; when, on the contrary, a righteous contempt of all such transient objects, nay, an utter extirpation of our love of them, would be attended with an infinite blessing and advantage. 3. As then, on the one hand, the things of this life, such as praise, riches, and pleasure, are frail, and pass away with the world that supplies them, while, on the other, the love of God endureth forever, it is evident that no satisfaction can be durable that is founded upon the love of self and of earthly objects. Such peace would be interrupted by every trivial circumstance that occurred; whereas, when the mind is firmly set upon God and upon his love, it cannot fail to be preserved in perfect peace and perpetual serenity amid all the changes of this life. Forsake thou, therefore, all things, and thou shalt, by faith, recover all things again; for never can the lover of himself and of the world find the blessed God. 4. Inordinate self-love is begotten of the world, and not of God; it is earthly, and the chief enemy to "the wisdom which is from above" (James 3:17). This wisdom does not seek the praise and the applause of men; and though in itself "a pearl of great price" (Matthew 13:46), yet appearing with no other recommendation than its own native simplicity, it is but little valued in the world, and, with but few exceptions, is entirely neglected and forgotten; and though there are many who make a boast of this wisdom, yet the gem conceals itself from all who do not desire to apply it in their practice. If, therefore, thou desires" to be possessed of it, O man! lay aside all that human wisdom which "puffeth up" (1 Corinthians 8:1), together with thy self-love and self-applause, and then shalt thou exchange thy earthly wisdom, which the world admires, for that which is heavenly and divine. Then, instead of the wisdom of this world, which in its nature is elevated and seeks the applause of men, thou shalt be put in possession of a wisdom which, far from attracting the notice of the world, is despised and rejected by it, but which is, nevertheless, of a divine origin, and of everlasting continuance. 5. It is impossible to love God, until thou abhorrest thyself; that is, until thou art heartily displeased with thyself and with thy sins; until thy own carnal nature is crucified, together with the evil propensities of thy self-will. For the more a man strives to love God, the more he labors to subdue the lusts of the flesh and his sensual appetites; and the more he departs from self and from self-love, by the power of the Spirit of God, the more nearly he approaches, by faith, unto God, and to his divine love. For as inward peace depends on a freedom from desires after the things of this world; so when this peace is once settled in the soul, and the heart has disengaged itself from the ties which bound it to the creature, it returns freely into God, and rests in him alone. 6. Now he who is sincerely disposed to deny himself, must follow, not his own will, but the will of Christ, who has declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). As though he had said: "Without the way, no man walketh; without the truth, nothing is known; and without life, no man liveth: therefore, look upon me, who am the way in which it is thy duty to walk, the truth in which thou art called to believe, and the life in which thou art bound to live. I am the unerring way, the infallible truth, and the everlasting life: the way to immortality is through my merit; the truth itself is in my word; and life is through the efficacy of my death; and, therefore, if thou continues" in the way, the truth will guide thee unto eternal life. If thou desires" not to go astray, follow me; if thou wilt know the truth, believe in me; and if thou wouldst possess life everlasting, put thy whole trust in me, who for thy sake have endured the death of the cross." 7. What, indeed, is the safe way, the infallible truth, and the endless life? What, the way, truth, and life, that are more excellent than every other? Surely there is no way, but the holy and precious merits of Christ; no truth, but his eternal word; no life, but a blissful immortality in heaven. If, therefore, O Christian! thou desires" to be raised up into heaven with Christ Jesus, believe in him here, and tread in the footsteps of his humility; this is the safe Way to everlasting glory. If thou wouldst escape the snares of the world, take hold of his Word by faith, and follow the example which he has left for thy imitation; because this is the infallible Truth. And if it be thy wish to live with Christ, then die thou with him and in him unto sin, and become a new creature; for this is Life. Thus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; and he is so, both by his example and by his merit. 8. "Be ye followers of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1). Let us labor and strive after this one thing; that our lives may resemble the life of Christ. Were there nothing else to confound the false Christian, the example of Christ might effectually and abundantly do it. When we consider that Christ our Lord passed his life in grief and pain, we ought to be ashamed to spend our lives in ease and pleasures. If the soldier forgets his own ease and comfort when he beholds his captain fighting unto death, shalt thou pursue after worldly pleasures and honors, when thy Prince was so ignominiously treated, and, for thy sake, nailed to the cross? Is it not a sign that then thou cost not, in fact, fight under his banner? 9. It is true that, in our day, every one desires to be considered a Christian; but how few are they who imitate the life and deportment of Christ. Had it been the character of a follower of Christ, to aim at the acquisition of honors and possessions, our Lord would never have taught that these are not worthy to be compared with heavenly treasures. Contemplate the life and doctrine of the blessed Jesus, and thou shalt own that nothing can be more opposed than he and the world. Behold that manger and that stable! do they not forcibly evidence a contempt of worldly things? And will the example of Christ lead thee to err from the right way? No! he is the way, and he is the truth; and his life, compared with his doctrine, is the only means to preserve thee from mistake, and to guard thee from the delusions and errors of the world. Since then the Lord bath chosen to enter into his glory by the way of suffering and reproach, why shouldst thou labor to make thy way to hell, through the pomps and vanities of the world? Return, then, O deluded soul! escape from the broad way that leadeth unto death, and in which thy only enjoyment is "the pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:25); enter into this safe Way, in which the wayfaring man shall not stray: cordially embrace that Truth which never can deceive: and live in Him who is Life itself. This way is the truth, and this truth is the way. Awful blindness! a worm of the earth would make himself great in the world, when the Lord of glory abased himself to the very dust. O faithful soul! when thy bridegroom moves to meet thee, clothed with humility, come down from the elevation of thy pride and ambition, and descend into the vale of humiliation to meet him, and he will embrace and receive thee with joy. 10. As Abraham quitted his father's house, to go into a land which the Lord was to show him (Genesis 12:1), so quit thou, as a true child of Abraham, the pleasure-house of self-will and self-love, that thou mayest obtain the divine blessing. Self-love biases the judgment, blinds the understanding, disturbs the reason, seduces the will, corrupts the conscience, closes the gates of life, and acknowledges neither God nor neighbor. It banishes virtue; seeks after honors, riches, and pleasures; and, in a word, prefers earth to heaven. He, therefore, who thus "loveth his life, shall lose it; but he that hateth his life" (that is, resists this principle of self-love), "shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25). Self-love is the root of impenitence, and the cause of damnation. They who are controlled by self-love and self-honor are destitute of humility and a knowledge of sin; consequently, they never can obtain the remission of sin, though they seek it with tears; their tears not being shed because they have offended God, but merely on account of the personal loss which they have sustained. 11. the kingdom of heaven is compared in Scripture to "a pearl of great price;" in order to obtain which, a man sold all that he had (Matthew 13:45, Matthew 13:46). This pearl is God himself, and that eternal life which he has promised, and for the attainment of which every other object must be forsaken. We have an example of this in our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended from heaven not for his own sake, but for thy sake; not for his own profit and advantage, but for shine (Luke 19:10). And wilt thou yet delay to love him who gave himself up unto death for thee? 12. It doutless is the part of a faithful spouse, to please her husband alone: and art thou desirous of pleasing the world, when thou mayest be espoused unto Christ, the great lover of souls? Forsake therefore and sincerely despise all this is in the world, in order that thou mayest become worthy of the eminent dignity of this spiritual marriage: for if thy love cleave not solely to Christ, it is a corrupt and adulterous love, and not that which a Christian should bear to the Redeemer. For the Christian's love to the Redeemer must possess virgin purity. 13. The law of Moses required that the priest should marry a virgin (Leviticus 21:13, Leviticus 21:14); and Christ, our High Priest, will espouse only a virgin-soul; one that is attached to nothing that the world can offer, but solely to himself; nay, one that loves not even herself, in comparison with Christ. "If any man come to me," he says, "and hate not his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). 14. In order to understand what is meant by hating ourselves, we are to remember that we carry about with us "the old man," and are indeed the old man himself; whose nature is to hasten from one sin to another, to love himself, to pursue his own profit and honor, and to indulge his own will and carnal appetite. For the flesh is at all times the same; always considering itself, easily grieved, envious, bitter, covetous, and revengeful. This, O Man! is what thou doest: these sinful motions proceed from thy heart; this is thy very life, even the life of the old man in thee: and therefore thou must of necessity hate thyself, and shine own natural life, if ever thou desires" to be a disciple of Christ. Whoever loves himself, must love his own pride and avarice, his own wrath and hatred, envy and lying, faithlessness and unrighteousness; and, in short, he must love all the progeny of unholy desires, and a corrupt heart. But if thou desires" to be a Christian indeed, thou must not love, nor excuse, nor palliate thy sins, but thou must hate them, forsake them, and subdue them. The Inheritance and possessions of Christians are not of this world; they should, therefore, regard themselves as strangers in it, while they make use of earthly things. "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." -1 Timothy 6:7, 1 Timothy 6:8 The design of the blessed God in creating temporal things, was that they might supply man's bodily wants; and it is right that they should be used for such a purpose, and be received at the hands of God with gratitude, attended with fear and trembling. In regard to those things which are not absolutely necessary, whether gold and silver, food and raiment, etc., they are left to man in order to prove him; so that from the manner in which he employs these objects, it may be discovered how he stands affected towards God, while possessed of the goods of this world: whether, on the one hand, he will still cleave to God, and in the midst of earthly possessions, keep his eye constantly fixed on those which are to come; or whether, withdrawing his love from God, he will attach himself to this fleeting world, and prefer a fading earthly paradise, to that which is permanent and heavenly. 2. Man is therefore left to his own liberty and choice, in order that he may be judged hereafter according to that which he has chosen here, and thus be without excuse in that day. Agreeably to this principle, it was the solemn declaration of Moses to the people of Israel: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). 3. The things of this world are then designed, not to kill us with earthly delight and pleasures, but to be tests and trials of our fidelity. In these trials the fall is very easy, when once we begin to withdraw from God. The pleasures of this world are the fruits of a forbidden tree; of which we are warned by God not to eat, lest our minds going out after them should eventually take delight in them, after the manner of those who know no other pleasures, but such as are derived from earthly objects. These persons, by indulging the flesh, convert meat, drink, and apparel into snares by which they are turned away from God. 4. It certainly is the duty of every true Christian, to esteem himself a stranger and pilgrim in this world; and as bound to use earthly blessings, not as means of satisfying lust or gratifying wantonness, but of supplying his absolute wants and necessities. We ought not to set our affections on these inferior objects, but on Him alone who is able to satisfy them. To do otherwise, is to expose ourselves to dangerous temptations, and with Eve, to eat daily of the forbidden tree. The real Christian is not intent upon worldly concerns, or delicious fare; for his interior eye is directed to that bread which endureth unto eternal life. Nor is he solicitous about fine and fashionable apparel; aspiring rather after robes of divine light, and the raiment of glorified bodies. In short, all things that please the natural man in this world, are, to a true Christian, only so many crosses and temptations, allurements of sin and snares of death, that continually exercise his virtue. Whatever man uses without the fear of God, whatever he applies to the mere gratifying of his flesh, cannot fail to operate as a poison to the soul, however pleasant and salutary it may appear to be to the body. Yet, so far from laboring to know the forbidden tree of worldly pleasures and its various fruits, man gives himself up to a careless and thoughtless state of life, and yields to the lust of the flesh, not considering that this lust is really the forbidden tree. 5. The Christian, on the other hand, uses all things in the fear of God, and as a stranger and pilgrim on the earth; avoiding every kind of excess in meat, drink, apparel, houses, and the other things of this life, lest, by an improper use of them, he should offend both his Father in heaven, and his fellow-Christians upon earth. He will not so much as gaze on the forbidden tree, in order that he may not be ensnared; but with the eye of faith, he steadfastly beholds the future felicity of the soul, and for the sake of this felicity, refuses to yield to the cravings of corrupt nature. What does it profit the body that in this world it swims in lusts and pleasures, when, after a short period, it must be devoured by worms, and stripped of all its enjoyments! "Naked," says Job, "came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither" (Job 1:21). We bring into the world a naked and infirm, a poor and indigent body; and even this is the spoil of death; for when we pass out off this world we leave it behind us forever. 6. Whatever we enjoy from the time of our birth to the period of our dissolution, is all the bread of mercy and affliction, and designed to supply the bare wants of this mortal life. At the approach of death all is taken from us again, and we depart out of the world poorer than when we entered it. When man enters the world, he brings with him life and a body, and finds the necessary shelter, meat, and drink provided for him; but, after existing a short time, he is, in a moment, bereft of all, and leaves behind him even his body and his life. Consider then, O man! whether there can be anything more wretched and poor, more naked and miserable, than man when he dies, if he be not clothed with Christ's righteousness, and enriched in his God. 7. As, therefore, we are confessedly strangers and pilgrims here, and the hour of dissolution must leave behind us every earthly enjoyment, let us at least, cease to encumber our souls with things which we cannot carry out of this world, and the use of which is restricted to this life only. Is it not a species of madness to heap up riches for a frail body, for a body which we must leave behind us, and which cannot possibly enjoy wealth hereafter? (Luke 12:20,Luke 12:21). Are we ignorant that there is another and a better world, another body and another life, and that, whatever we may appear in the sight of men, we are in the eye of God only strangers and sojourners on the earth? (Psalms 39:12; Leviticus 25:23). "Ye are," saith the Lord, "strangers and sojourners with me," that is, "before my eyes, although ye may not remember it." 8. If, then, we are strangers and sojourners, it follows that our country and our home must be elsewhere. This will be most evident to us, if we compare time with eternity, the visible with the invisible world, the earthly tabernacle with the heavenly, and things that are frail and perishing, with those that are lasting and eternal. Such a comparison will afford us a due insight into time and eternity, and lead us to behold with the eye of faith, such things as remain altogether unknown to the unthinking multitude. It is from the want of this consideration, that so many become lax and disorderly in their manners, wallow in the mire of earthly pleasures, and drown themselves in avarice and worldly cares. It is from the want of this reflection, that the major part of mankind, however keen and shrewd in the pursuits of this world, are blind and insensible to the concerns of the immortal soul. They addict themselves so much to this life, as to esteem it to be the most delightful, the best and noblest of all; while the true Christian, on the contrary, accounts it an exile, a vale of tears, a place of misery, a deep and dark prison. 9. Hence it is that those who love this world, and seek their happiness in it, do not excel even the brute creation in wisdom or understanding; and as they live, so they die like beasts (Psalms 49:12, Psalms 49:20). They are totally blind as it respects the inward man; they do not even think of heavenly and eternal things; they never rejoice in God, but only in the low and sordid pleasures afforded by this world. It is in earthly things that they seek their rest and their enjoyment; and having obtained their object after much labor and toil, they sit quietly down and congratulate themselves on their possessions. Wretched, miserable men! blind and insensible to the tremendous concerns of their eternal salvation! here, they lie contentedly in the darkness of ignorance, soon to remove hence to that of death and damnation (Luke 1:79). 10. In order to our better acquaintance with the nature of our pilgrimage here, we should unceasingly consider the example left us by the Redeemer, and earnestly follow him both in his life and doctrine. He hath set us an unerring pattern of universal holiness. He is our captain and our guide; and to his life and manners, our lives and our manners should be conformed. Go thou, therefore, and look unto him; unto him who, when the greatest of all men, voluntarily chose that life in which nothing of greatness appeared; a life of meanness, poverty, and contempt of honor, wealth, and pleasure, the threefold deity of this world. All these things, to which the world offers sacrifice, the Lord contemned; for he himself said, "He had not where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). 11. Such, likewise, was the character of David; who, before his exaltation to the throne, was poor and despised; and who, when created king, accounted all his regal splendor as nothing compared with eternal life, and the kingdom of God,, to which he was called. "How amiable," says he, "are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God."-"A day in thy courts is better than a thousand" (Psalms 84:1-12). As if he had said, I possess a kingdom, and have people subject to my sway; I possess kingly palaces, and the strong hold of Zion; but what are all these in comparison of thy tabernacle, O Lord of hosts? So, too, Job found comfort in his Redeemer" (Job 19:25). 12. Neither Peter, nor Paul, nor any of the apostles, sought the riches of this life, but directed their attention to those which were laid up in another and better world. Hence they freely espoused the despised life of Christ, walking in his charity, lowliness, and patience; contemning the earth, and triumphing over the world, its snares, and its allurements. They prayed for those who cursed them; they thanked those who reproached them; they blessed those who reviled them (1 Corinthians 4:12; Acts 5:41). When they were persecuted, they glorified God; when scourged, they were immovably patient, professing that "through much tribulation they must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22); and when slaughtered, they prayed (with Christ their Head), "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34); "lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:60). Thus were they, on the one hand, dead to all wrath and revenge; to bitterness, ambition, and pride; to the love of the world, and of their own life also; while, on the other, they lived in Christ and in his love, in his meekness and humility, his patience and his resignation. They are, indeed, made alive in Christ by faith, who thus live. 13. To a lover of the world, this excellent way of life is unknown; for with regard to those who do not live in Christ, nor know that the truth is in him, these are still dead in their sins; dead in wrath and hatred, in envy and avarice, in pride and revenge; and as long as they so continue, they are in a state of impenitence, and have not been quickened by faith in Jesus, be their boasting what it may. But the genuine disciples of Christ know it to be a duty to follow the steps of their divine Master (1 Peter 2:21), and to be conformed to his life, as the supreme and original pattern of all virtue and goodness. In a word, the life of Christ is their exemplar; he himself is their book, whence they derive all solid and substantial learning, as it respects both life and doctrine. Such persons declare with the apostle, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:8). And with holy men of old they unite in saying, "Here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" Hebrews 13:14). 14. If, then, from a review of all these considerations, it evidently appear, as it surely does, that in this world we are strangers and have no abiding place, it follows that we were not created for the sake of earthly things as the ultimate end of our being; but that there remain for us another country and other dwellings, to gain which we ought not to hesitate to sacrifice a hundred worlds, or even life itself. These are subjects upon which the true Christian continually meditates with pleasure; and it is his joy that here he has no continuing city, but is created for life eternal. But how sad is the state of those who, occupied wholly in pursuing the things of this life, lade their souls with a crushing weight of worldly vanities, and thereby expose them to endless perdition. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 81: ARNDT - WHICH WORLD AM I A CITIZEN OF? ======================================================================== Which World Am I a Citizen of? John Arndt Showing that in order to understand the true nature of repentance, we must necessarily know the distinction between the old and the new man; or, how in us Adam must die, and Christ live; or, how in us the old man must die, and the new man live. "We know this, that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin"-Romans 6:6. In every Christian there is found a twofold man, opposed, like their fruits, to one another. This will more fully appear from the following statement: Adam Old man, Outward man, Old birth, Flesh, Nature, Reason, Darkness, Tree of Death, Evil fruit, Sin, Damnation, Death, Old Jerusalem, Kingdom of the devil, Seed of the serpent, Natural man, Image of the earthly, Christ New man. Inward man. New birth. Spirit. Grace. Faith. Light. Tree of life. Good fruit. Righteousness. Salvation. Life. New Jerusalem. Kingdom of God. Seed of God. Spiritual man. Image of the heavenly. The truth of this statement, the Scriptures, as well as experience, abundantly confirm. The former speak largely of the old man and the new, of the inward and outward man. (See Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 4:16. They teach also that the Spirit of God is in us: Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13. And likewise Christ, Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 13:5.) Experience, moreover, demonstrates the same. Hither may also be referred that striving and struggling of the flesh and Spirit, from which even the saints are not free (Romans 7:23). Likewise there belong here the different fruits of the flesh and Spirit reckoned up by St. Paul (Galatians 5:19 - Galatians 5:23). This point is therefore clearly stated in Scripture, and too certain to be called in question by any Christian. It is the hinge, as it were, on which all the Scripture moves, and the foundation on which the true knowledge of man depends. Out of the same fountain issue true repentance, or the death of Adam, and the life of Christ in us. For no sooner does Adam die in us, but there perishes with him all that is originally derived from him; the old outward man, the old birth, the flesh, nature, corrupt reason, darkness, the tree of death, evil fruits, sin, death, damnation, the seed of the serpent, the natural man, the earthly image, the old Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Satan. But as long as Adam lives, there also live and reign with him the old man, and the carnal birth, the flesh, nature, corrupt reason, darkness, and the whole train of evils before mentioned, bring all comprised under the kingdom of Satan, and subject to damnation, and to the curse everlasting. But if, on the other hand, Christ live in any one, then verily there live and reign with him the new and inward man, the new birth, the Spirit, grace, faith, light, the tree of life, good fruits, righteousness, life, happiness, the seed of God, the spiritual man, the heavenly image, the new Jerusalem, and the kingdom of God. All which proceed from the divine blessing, and tend to eternal salvation. Here is a matter of importance, namely, so to order one's life and conduct, that Christ the new or second Adam, and not the old Adam, may live and reign in us. 2. Therefore it is necessary for a man to watch, to fast, to pray, fight, and strive; and, as St. Paul expresses it, to examine himself if Christ be in him (2 Corinthians 13:5). He is to work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Php_2:12). He is to enter through the strait gate and the narrow way in Christ (Matthew 7:13). That is, man must now hate and deny himself, forsake all (Luke 14:26), and die unto sin (Romans 6:2). This surely is not to be effected, as the delicate Christians of this age imagine, by any careless and slight application of mind, but by an inward and profound sorrow, contrition, and brokenness of heart, together with groans and tears that cannot be uttered. These inward exercises, and acts of devotion, are most feelingly set forth by David in his Penitential Psalms, which abound with expressions of this nature (Psalms 6:1-10; Psalms 32:1-11; Psalms 38:1-22; Psalms 51:1-19; Psalms 102:1-28; Psalms 130:1-8; Psalms 143:1-12). The apostle calls it a crucifying of the flesh while the affections and lusts thereof (Galatians 5:24). Whoever attains to this state, in him verily Christ lives, and he reciprocally in Christ by Faith. Then Christ conquers and reigns in man, whose faith is become "the victory that overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). 3. But since the world, which thou art to strive against, is not without thee, but within thee, it follows, that it is also to be conquered not without, but within thee. For what is the world, but "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?" (1 John 2:16). As these are in thee, so in thee they are to be subdued, that thus thou mayest worthily bear the name and character of a true child of God. "For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4); and if thou overcomes", and Vainest the victory over thy great enemy the world, thou art then a child of light (Ephesians 5:8), a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30), and the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). Thou art now a good tree (Matthew 12:33), that freely and without constraint, yea, with joy, love, and pleasure bringeth forth fruit to the glory of God (Matthew 5:16). 4. But if thou livest in Adam, and Adam reigns in thee, then thou art not a child of God, nor born again of him. For since thou art overcome by the world, and since the prince therefore rules in thee by pride, ambition and selflove, thou art on this very account to be numbered amongst the children of the devil (John 8:44). "For as many are are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14). And, on the contrary, as many as are led by Satan, they likewise are his children; yea, they are the very members of Satan, sons of darkness, a habitation of unclean spirits, an accursed Babylon, full of impure and of abominable beasts; as it is represented by the ancient prophets (Isaiah 13:21; Revelation 18:2); but particularly by the prophet Ezekiel. He being brought in spirit into the temple at Jerusalem, beheld two remarkable things: one whereof was, "every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about;" and secondly (which was still more detestable), "seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, worshipping these beasts and images, and offering them incense" (Ezekiel 8:10,Ezekiel 8:11). 5. Behold, O man, a lively representation here given of thy depraved, brutish, and beastly heart! If thou wilt but enter into this temple of thy heart, thou shalt surely find therein vast numbers of foul, detestable creatures, images, and idols, fashioned and represented by all manner of corrupt and impure thoughts in the carnal mind, imagination, and memory. Moreover (and this is the greatest evil of all), though these idols and horrid abominations should be utterly banished from the heart, and this detestable evil, by which man is made the habitation of unclean and pestilential reptiles, should, by all means, be destroyed by repentance, by mortification of the flesh, and by penitential tears and humiliation; yet, instead of doing that, thou lovest these serpents, adorest these vile monsters, and servest and carressest them. Alas! thou but little regardest that Christ is cast out of thy soul by these abominations, and is utterly banished from thy heart; and that by this means thou deprives" thyself of the supreme and eternal Good, losing the Holy Spirit with all his excellent gifts and graces. O miserable man! thou exceedingly grievest when any outward trouble befalls thee, or when thou losest any thing in the world that is dear to thee; why then is it, that thou art not at all concerned at the loss even of CHRIST himself, and at the deplorable state of thy soul and body, which are both become a habitation of malignant spirits! 6. If these things be seriously pondered and laid to heart, we shall soon understand what Adam and Christ are; and how they live and act in men. To this head we may also refer the following observations. First, In Adam we are ALL naturally equal, nor is one better than another; since we are all, both as to body and soul, equally polluted and corrupted, so that it is affirmed by St. Paul, not only of Jews and Gentiles, but even of all men in general, that "there is no difference" (Romans 3:22). Hence it is also true, that in the sight of God, no an is better than the most profligate criminal. For though that perverse temper which is natural to all, does not equally in all break out into works, yet God judges all men by the inward state of the heart, that poisoned fountain of all sin. Nor is there any sin so heinous, which man by nature would not freely commit, were he not strongly restrained by divine grace. For by the bent of our nature we are but too much inclined to pollute ourselves with all manner of wickedness (Jeremiah 13:23); and if the inclination be not always attended with the external effect itself, it is wholly to be attributed to the grace of God, and not to any strength or prudence of our own (Genesis 20:6). This consideration should excite us to the practice of true humility, and to an unfeigned fear of God; and at the same time restrain us from rashly despising our fellow-creatures, lest, by reflecting on others, we ourselves split upon the dangerous rock of carnal presumption. Secondly, It is proper to observe, that as in Adam we are all equally bad with regard to the corruption of nature; so by Christ we are all made equally just and holy; no man receiving for himself any prerogative of a peculiar righteousness in the sight of God. For since Christ is our perfection, our "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11), we, who in Adam are alike, are also alike in Christ. For as in Adam by nature we are all one man and one body, infected with the foul contagion of disobedience and sin, so all true Christians are as one man in Christ, and make up one body, completely purified and sanctified by faith, and the blood of Christ. 7. This truth is a remedy against spiritual pride, namely, that none should account himself better before God than others, though perhaps adorned with greater gifts, and endowments. For even these are no less bestowed on him of pure grace, than are righteousness and salvation themselves. Upon this principle of pure grace, be careful to keep thy mind constantly fixed. If thou cost so, then this grace shall protect thee against the dangerous snares of pride and arrogance; and as, on the one hand, it will convince thee of thy own misery and poverty in spirit, so, on the other, it will give thee a most lively insight into Christ, and into the exceeding riches of grace, offered through him to all mankind. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 82: ARNOT - FRUITFUL IN EVERY GOOD WORK ======================================================================== Fruitful in Every Good Work by Rev. William Arnot William Arnot (1808-1875) was a Free Church minister, and the author of several books which may be obtained today, including a work on the Book of Proverbs, "Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth," and an exposition entitled "The Parables of Our Lord." The following is part of a sermon based upon Colossians 1:10: "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Arnot, once an apprentice gardener, explains in his introduction that this verse in particular, as well as Paul's prayer in general, points to those who are already Christians. "It speaks not of birth, but of growth. We have to do here not with the raising of the dead, but with the advance of the living." The sermon is from the volume "The Anchor of the Soul and other Sermons;" most of these were unrevised for publication. Although perhaps not a "high" Calvinist, there is good matter in Arnot to stir us from our lethargy, that we may indeed love our neighbour as ourselves. Published in The Presbyterian Standard, Issue No. 7, July-September 1997. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God — Colossians 1:10. (1.) "Work." The Christian life is essentially a life of labour. They who find Christ do, indeed, often speak of having found rest to their souls; but that rest does not imply exemption from work: on the contrary, this "peace in believing" only supplies a firm foot-hold whereon the labourer may stand more steadily, and so labour with more effect. The rest which a troubled soul finds in Christ is like the rest which the Pilgrim Fathers found on the American continent. When they stepped upon the shore free, feeling God's earth firm under their feet, and seeing God's sunlight bright above their heads, they said and sung, "This is our rest." But they meant not idleness. Each family reared a cabin in the bush, and forthwith waged war against the desert, until they had subdued it, and turned it into a fruitful field. Their resting-place was their working-place; and none the worse in their esteem was the rest because of the labour that accompanied it. Beyond the reach of the tyrant, and past the dangers of the sea, the rest they sought and found was a place to work on, and useful labour close at hand. Such is a Christian's rest when the Son has made him free, as long as he remains in the body. Liberty to labour is all the rest he obtains or desires. Trusting in Christ's merits, he also walks in Christ's steps: he goeth about doing good. (2.) "Good work." Not energy of action merely: the work must be good. The master is God; the motive, love; the immediate aim, the good of the world; and the standard of measurement, "the law and the testimony." (3.) "Every good work." True Christian beneficence is characterised by a grand and god-like universality. This does not mean that one man should go round the world and meddle with everything in it: it rather means that he should neglect no opportunity that comes in his way. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;" but do not waste time and effort in trying to do all at once. The rule is not to overtake all, but to refuse none that overtake you. Have you seen those large, lovely, transparent globes that float in sheltered bays a little beneath the surface of the sea? They are living creatures. They cannot cut quickly through the water in chase of prey, but they lie wondrously open and watchful to seize the prey that comes within their reach. They lie open on all sides, and stretch out arms on all sides; and though they cannot go to a distance for what they need, they intercept and use whatever, in the miscellaneous movements of the waves, may be passing by. Thus, though nearly stationary, they are abundantly fed. Such is the activity of a Christian man. His meat is to do the Father's will; but he is almost fixed to the spot, and cannot roam over the world for his spirit's congenial food. He feeds abundantly notwithstanding. Let him only lie open, and spread out, and be ready with an active arm and an eager appetite: the sort of food that will please his taste and strengthen his soul is floating past continually in the tide of time. No Christian is ever idle for want of something to do. But it is of the last importance that we should cultivate a universal willingness. Bought servants must not choose their tasks: they must labour at the task which their Master assigns to them. The tendency of every one of us is to do duty by halves. One is great in gentleness, and fails in courage; another is great in courage, and fails in gentleness. Brethren, it is not this one, or that other work for which you have a natural aptitude, but "every good work." The acting of a virtue that is not in your nature will be a more impressive evidence that grace is reigning. When an elephant picks up a pin from the dust with his huge trunk, men wonder more than when they see him break a tree. So when a man of might — some intellectual and moral hero, who dares every danger, and delights in having danger to dare — condescends to bear with the infirmities of the weakest, and like the good shepherd, tenderly lifts a weary lamb in his arms, the testimony of the fact is resistless, and observers confess that the grace of God is there. To the same extent, on the opposite side, the display of martyr courage in a good cause by one who is constitutionally sensitive and timid, tells more effectually than the exercise of the natural bent. When the plaintive and bashful Jeremiah, who said he could not speak because he was a child, stands forth for God and righteousness, setting his face like a flint before all his enemies, and denouncing unjust tyrants to their face, the rebuke is powerful in exact proportion to the natural feebleness of the reprover. "Every good work," Christian. You must not pick and choose. Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it; for God has put it in your way. Direct effort to convince a sinner and lead him to Christ is one good work; to set an untrained mother on the way of cleaning her house and cooking her husband's food is another. "Every good work." Here it may be to open a church, and there to dig a well; here to support a missionary, and there to widen a street. Everything that would benefit the world, God's creation, or man, God's child, is congenial occupation for the disciple of Jesus. Universality is the characteristic most needed in our Christian benevolence. Without partiality and without hypocrisy was the Master; without partiality and without hypocrisy should the servant be. (4.) "Fruitful in every good work." The comparison of Christian beneficence to fruit indicates its spontaneous nature, its useful effect, and its great abundance. The good works grow as fruit grows on a fruit-tree. The tree has first been made good, and then the fruit grows and ripens spontaneously. You cannot gather grapes of thorns; but neither can you find thorn fruit growing on a true vine. Every creature after its kind. He who in the regeneration has been made a partaker of Christ, gives forth in his life Christ-like actions. There is a good deal of artificial charity agoing. People can tie oranges to the sprigs of a fir-tree in a parlour, and the show will gratify children on a winter evening. But true Christian beneficence is a fruit that grows, and is not tied on. It swells up from sap which the tree of righteousness draws out of that infinite love in which it is rooted. He who is in Christ cannot stand still, any more than the water in those iron tubes which traverse our streets in connection with the great reservoir: on it must flow, wherever there is an opening, by reason of the pressure from above. Hear the exclamation of that ancient Christian in explanation of his wonderful self-sacrifice and energetic labour for the good of men: "The love of Christ constraineth me." Efforts burst impetuous from his bosom whenever an opening was made, because he was in union with the Fountainhead on high. As fruit is sweet and profitable, so are the efforts of Christians for the good of the world. And like the abundance with which good trees bear, is the abundance of a true disciple's labours. The fecundity of Nature is a standing wonder with all who possess sufficient intelligence to observe it. The faculty of production in the vegetable creation is, beyond all calculation or expression, great. Through adverse seasons and other causes, the actual quantity of fruit brought to perfection is greatly limited; but the tendency and willingness and capability of plants to produce their fruit in inconceivable quantities may be seen everywhere in the teeming, flowering spring. Such is the tendency of a renewed heart. Few, few of his aspirations does a Christian ever actually reach; but they swell in his bosom numerous as the embryo seeds that hide beneath the flowers of spring. He who numbers the hairs of our head knows and feels every loving thought that trembles in a broken heart. With such sacrifices God is well pleased. He recognises the breathings of his own Spirit in the desires; and he will remove in good time these trees of righteousness from the wilderness here to another garden, where all their flowers will become fruits, and all their fruits will ripen fully under the light of love. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 83: AUSTIN-SPARKS - A CHILD OVER THE NATIONS ======================================================================== A Child over the Nations By T. Austin Sparks Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-19 This title has nothing to do with a youth’s conceited idea of his own importance, but the very reverse of any such idea, for it indicates how God selected a weak and insignificant instrument through whom He could bring His own throne to bear upon the nations. The rule committed to Jeremiah was a spiritual one, and God still seeks to influence and govern world events by spiritual means through a praying Church. Jeremiah has a very real message for us in this connection. We can be helped by all the men of God described in the Scriptures, for they represent spiritual principles which are not limited to any particular time, but are eternal in their significance and abiding in their value. Jeremiah, however, seems to me to have a special application to the time in which we live; and as we study his story we can find how he illustrates a divine instrument which is nothing in itself but has tremendous throne influence on current affairs. Josiah's Passover One of the most significant and important events in his time was the rediscovery of the book of the law by Hilkiah. The first effect of this discovery was that king Josiah intensified his reforms and summoned a great national gathering for the celebration of the Passover. He himself stood to the Word of God, and all the people declared themselves ready to do the same. Jeremiah, however, a man who could never be content with the merely external, had his reservations; he did not believe in the downright genuineness of it all, so far as the people as a whole were concerned. And he was right, Josiah himself was doubtless genuine, and meant all he said, but it seems perfectly clear that the people themselves were not wholehearted in their committal. The ground of Jeremiah’s reservation was the “notwithstanding” of 2 Kings 23:26, which shows that the long drift away from God’s requirements could not be reversed by a mere emotional outburst called revival, but needed something much more radical. So Jeremiah was not carried away by the good and apparently sincere movement. He had spiritual perception which pierced through the outward appearance. Such perception can be painful. Jeremiah found that his discernment got him into trouble all along the line. His reserve was not due to temperamental or constitutional cynicism, as though he were one of those negative people with a critical and destructive attitude, even towards the best that is. No, Jeremiah was far too sensitive spiritually for this, and would have been only too glad to have found something which did truly represent heart adjustment to God. He was a heart-stricken man, ready to weep day and night for the people’s misfortunes (9:1). There is a great deal of difference between the passing of critical judgments, censorious attitudes, a discontented spirit, constant faultfinding, and the sorrowing heart of a man who truly suffers with God. It is easy to see faults and flaws; it costs nothing to criticize; but it is very painful to see with the eyes of God and to sorrow with Him over the difference between mere professions and what is genuinely according to His mind. Let me say that critical people are no use to God; He will give no anointing to them, for they bring in death and not life. Jeremiah represents an entirely different spirit. His suffering ministry seemed to pull down and root up, but it also had a positive building result. All this is made clear in the account which we are given here of his call. Jeremiah's I Cannot Jeremiah’s immediate and spontaneous reaction to his calling and commission was to say, “Ah Lord God, I cannot...”. This may not sound very spiritual but actually Jeremiah’s sense of personal inadequacy was an indispensable factor in his whole calling. The Lord knows whom He is apprehending and sending, and we can take it as settled that if Jeremiah had been a man full of confidence in himself, God would never have called him. This sense of personal weakness and emptiness is essential to God; this is where everything begins in a life marked out for divine purpose. If the Lord were doing some small things, partial things, He might have used a less empty vessel. There are people who enter God’s service full of confidence in themselves, and in some measure they are used by God. Their usefulness, however, is very limited until they realize that God’s full purpose requires that the work should be wholly of Him, with no room for man’s sufficiency. Most of us begin before we have learned this lesson, but as we come more clearly into the light of God we realize that the height of the value of God’s purpose in and through us, will correspond with the depth of our conscious dependence on Him. It is basic that God’s servant should be aware of his own weakness. Had Paul been asked to answer Jeremiah’s confession, “I cannot speak...” he would probably have pointed out that God has chosen the weak and foolish things, and even the things which “are not” for His greatest works. Had he continued, however, with his own testimony, he would doubtless have described an experience in which he was given a new awareness of his personal inadequacy which made him more dependent and therefore more usable. “We despaired even of life” was the negative side of this experience, but its positive value was found in the purpose, namely “... that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead”. The man who comes down to zero will find that God meets him at that point, for this principle of conscious personal insufficiency is one which God will insist on, and will take pains to establish in us, even at the cost of deep suffering on our part. While such an explanation may be hard for some to receive, it may well be a comfort to others whose strange trials have made them inclined to fear that they can never count for God at all. It is always the Lord’s way, to empty us of self strength so that we be endued with His power. Jeremiah’s call suggests that it will always be “a child” whom God will set over the nations. God's I Will God’s answer is always resurrection power. Jeremiah’s perception made him dubious about the genuineness of the people’s allegiance to God under the old covenant, but his ministry was far from being negative, for it was he who first propounded the glories of the new covenant. He may have felt as weak and insignificant as a child, but he had a big part to play in the history of God’s people, and in fact when the seventy years of captivity had closed, his was the ministry of recovery for, “... that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus...” (Ezra 1:1). Here, then, was the Lord’s immediate reply to His servant’s difficulty; He gave him a commission which was based on a vision. “What seest thou?” He asked Jeremiah, giving the prophet the opportunity to tell of the almond tree which was full of miraculous significance. Aaron’s almond rod budded, blossomed and bore fruit in one night, so being a type of the Spirit of resurrection in priesthood. All the other rods remained dead, as would have done the rod of Aaron if it had not been given miraculous new life, and so become a symbol of Christ’s fulfilling His priesthood in the power of resurrection. It was as if God was explaining to Jeremiah that his ministry was not going to be fulfilled on the basis of what he was or was not; the work would be fruitful by reason of the mighty power of resurrection life. So it proved, again and again. There was so much opposition that at one point Jeremiah determined that he would not speak any more. He found, however, that there was a fire — a divine fire — in his bones which set aside all his carnal resolutions to be silent and constrained him to speak anew in the power and victory of resurrection. How important it is for us all to have the fire in our bones! Again, he was put into a dark dungeon so miry that it threatened to engulf him and would certainly have died there but for God’s merciful intervention through Ebed-melech. At times it seemed to him that God was as a mighty man who could not save, but the Lord never disgraced the throne of His glory and Jeremiah was always delivered. The almond tree means that whatever may happen, God will always see to it that the end is victory by resurrection power. So Jeremiah not only survived but was the means of producing a God-glorifying remnant who emerged from their seventy-year grave in Babylon to come back to Jerusalem and to its true testimony. The vision of the almond tree was a private promise to Jeremiah: the fulfillment was for all to recognize. The final assurance of this call gave the guarantee that Jeremiah would have a charmed life until he had finished his God-given task. He did not die a violent death; he did not starve; but he lived on until the work was completed. The story is an amazing one, for he had to pass through indescribable vigours and perils, seeming to have every evil force against him. He ought to have died a score of deaths, but he survived every attack and lived on through forty-two dangerous years. So it was that he proved what we can all prove, and that is that frailty and inadequacy are sometimes the very qualifications for a powerful spiritual ministry. Faith's Amen Unlike Daniel, Jeremiah was never made a ruler by men. He was, of course, a priest, and it was in terms of priestly ministry that he exercised his authority. He did not serve in association with the temple and its sacrifices, but he served in the secret place of heart communion with God. It was there, in that inner life of prayer, that he wept over the tragedy of the blind and stubborn people (13:17); there that he kept alive his vision of God’s glorious high and eternal throne (17:12); and there that he found sweet dreams which were no airy optimism but substantial purposes of God (31:26). Even while he was shut up in prison he maintained his prayer watch with God and found fresh inspiration to ask for, and receive, the impossible (33:3). He ruled by prayer. So fervent and persistent was this man’s prayer life that there were times when God Himself had to tell him to stop (7:16; 11:14; 14:11). The last of these references seems to indicate that God did not want to silence Jeremiah, but only to forbid him from asking for a superficial amelioration of the people’s lot and a return to the old order. Jeremiah understood this, and kept his prayers focused on the future, and especially on the new day when Israel herself would seek God with all her heart (29:14). Although Jeremiah was such a man of prayer he was no recluse. He witnessed fearlessly as well as praying. He wrote messages to the captives in Babylon as well as interceding for their good. He bought his nephew’s field, and he visited the potter’s house. He lived an active life, but his chief contribution to the current affairs in his day — and far beyond it — was through his ministry of intercession. He prayed before he spoke, and he prayed afterwards. When he had completed his business affairs, he turned to prayer (32:16). He ruled for God. His prayers not only kept alive a flame of hope at a time when men were in despair, but in due time they rebuilt and replanted God’s people in restored Jerusalem. More than this, they spanned the centuries to inspire Hebrew Christians when once again their holy city was destroyed (Hebrews 8:10), and still today they inspire us to take fresh note of the glories of that new covenant which turns away from dead religious observances to a living and personal knowledge of God by the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah’s perception of the unreal did not stop at negatives but led on to this blessed prospect of vital, spiritual union with God. It may seem fanciful to speak of a child over the nations, but was it not our Lord Jesus Himself who said, “Fear not, little flock: for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32)? Jeremiah’s history may help us to understand something of how God is working with us so that this divine intention may become a reality. From "Toward the Mark" July-August 1972 ======================================================================== CHAPTER 84: AUSTIN-SPARKS - BETHANY, THE LORD'S THOGHT FOR HIS ASSEMBLY ======================================================================== Bethany, the Lord's Thoght for His Assembly By T. Austin Sparks The upper room of the first chapter of the Acts corresponds with Bethany, the "house of figs", and Bethany with the upper room. We are going to take up that thought and, as the Lord helps us, follow it out to greater fullness. What is before us is the Lord's desire to have at the end what He had at the beginning-to have in His people, spiritually, that which He Himself constituted by His own presence at the beginning: and if I were asked to put into a word what I feel the object of the Lord to be, I should say, speaking symbolically, that it is 'Bethanies'. For Bethany, to my mind, most fully corresponds to the Lord's thought: He would have things on the basis of Bethany, constituted according to Bethany, and have His universal Church represented locally by 'Bethanies'. Now I am going to ask you to look at seven passages where Bethany is mentioned. The Lord Recognized and Received Luke 10:38. "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village (do not forget that villages represent local assemblies): and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. (You know whose the house was now, who was the head of that house.) And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said..." Now here, in this first mention of Bethany, we have one or two things which in principle represent that Church, and that assembly, and that house, which the Lord has His heart set upon, and I fasten at once upon one word: "And a certain woman named Martha received him into her house." The word "received" is the key-word to this whole thing, and it represents immediately a great difference. It is a discriminating word, a differentiating word. One remembers that it was said concerning His coming from glory to this earth: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). We shall remember that He said of Himself: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). And if it really did break upon us with anything like its real meaning, when we reflect as to who it is of whom the first is said, and who is saying the second, it would leave us astonished. Here is the Creator of all, the Proprietor of all, the Lord of heaven and of earth; the Lord who has greater right to everything and anything than any other being in the universe; the Lord, for whom and through whom all things were made-and He came and had not where to lay His head in the world of His creation, in the realm of all His sovereign rights. He was not received, but, as truly expressing the attitude even of His own kinsfolk to Him, He represented them as saying: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth..." (Matthew 21:38,Matthew 21:39). But here we read: "And a certain woman named Martha received him..." "My church"-"My church"-His assembly, His spiritual house, is the place where He is gladly received and finds His rest. It is His place, His place in a world which rejects Him; it is the place where He is recognised. Do you notice that when assemblies are be- ing scattered over the face of the earth it is always that which is the beginning of an assembly? They "receive" the word. Pentecost was that: "Then they that received his word..." (Acts 2:41). At Philippi, "a certain woman named Lydia... whose heart the Lord opened, to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there" (Acts 16:14,Acts 16:15). That is the beginning of the assembly - it is like that everywhere. It is a spiritual perception issuing in an openhearted reception. That is the first thing which befeatures His Church: "received". It is the giving Him a place, the place of honour. Now that is very simple, but it represents much to the Lord, and it carries us a long way, because it represents something more than the Lord coming just to be a sojourner in the midst. It represents that the Lord has got a footing, a foothold, a place which provides Him with that which is necessary to Him to secure all His rights universally. Let me illustrate: You remember the tragic story in 2 Samuel 15:1-37, of the rejection of David in the usurping of Absalom. It is a pathetic story-David driven away from his place; leaving, passing out of, the realm of his rights. One and another accompany him, and Zadok the priest brings the ark of God with him, but David turns to Zadok and says: "Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation" (vs.25). The inference is: 'When I come back, I shall have in the city, in the place of my rejection, that which is sympathetic with me, to which I can come back. I shall not come back a stranger; I shall not come back to nothing; I shall not come back to find no place; I shall not come back and find there is no home for me: I shall come back to something that is one with me. Zadok, you are one with me; yes, you wanted to come out with me-this is a perfect sympathy. Now go back into the city, and when I come back I shall come back to something that is with me'. And that is the principle here. The assembly here provides the Lord with that in which He is now, by His Spirit. It declares that He has a foothold in a rejecting world, and He is coming back to that. He will have something to come back to which is on His side and which, being on His side, will provide Him with the ground for reestablishing His universal rights, just as Zadok did for David. And that is why the Lord would have His Church here in assemblies, local assemblies, over the face of the earth. They are testimonies to His rights, in a world where those rights are disputed and disowned; and they stand there to say: 'Yes, His rights are the supreme rights in this world, not the rights of the usurper', and they maintain that testimony. When He comes back, they are to be the means, the instrument, of His recovery of those rights which have been disputed and from which He has been driven out. There is a good deal bound up with receiving the Lord. He is coming back to His own because He is already there in possession. You understand why the Devil is always out to destroy, if possible, the local expression of the Church; to destroy the little companies of the Lord's people who are living in heavenly union and fellowship with Him. It is because they represent His rights - the Lord's rights - and they are there all the time disputing by their very presence the rights of the usurper. The ark of the testimony is there; and while that is there, on the side of the Lord, the usurper has not universal sway. He knows that it represents that his kingdom is defeated, is menaced, and it is a constant thorn in his side. And so, if possible, he will quench it, break it, divide it, do anything to get rid of that local expression which is according to Christ and in which He is. That is what the Church ought to be as locally represented; that is what every believer ought to be here on earth: a foothold to the Lord in this earth, a testimony to His sovereign lordship and right. To receive the Lord provides Him with such a foothold and such a testimony. And so we see that the very first step as related to Bethany is of the greatest significance. It represents a principle of tremendous importance. The Church is constituted, to begin with, upon the simple principle that Christ has found a place: amidst all the range of rejection He has found a place. His Heart's Satisfaction Now we continue with the passage: "... received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word." Literally the words are: "who also took her seat at the feet of Jesus and went on listening to His word." "Took her seat at His feet and went on listening." It was that which irritated Martha: she went on listening. What Martha really said to the Lord was in the same tense, the imperfect. When she came to the Lord she said: "Dost thou not care that my sister doth KEEP ON LEAVING me to serve alone?" "Keep on leaving me" - because she "kept on listening"! What is this? Well, it is that which provides the Lord with what He most desires. It is the heart satisfaction of the Lord that is represented by this. The heart satisfaction of the Lord was found in what Mary did. It is here that we understand the meaning of Bethany. You go over to Matthew 21:1-46, and you will find the story of the fig tree. Jesus is moving between Jerusalem and Bethany; He has been into Jerusalem and has seen things in the temple, and His heart has been pained, shot through with the agony of disappointment. He has looked round upon all things, and has said nothing, and has gone back to Bethany. In the morning, as He is in the way, being hungry and seeing a fig tree, He comes up to it, to see whether perhaps it is bearing fruit. But He finds none, and says, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever"; and as they return, the disciples mark that the fig tree is withered and dead; they point out the fact. Now that fig tree, as we know, was bound up with Jerusalem, and was a type of Judaism as it then was. The heart disappointment which the Lord had met in the temple was one with His heart disappointment in coming hungry to the fig tree and finding no fruit; the two things are one. That order of things, then, passes out of His realm of interest; Judaism goes out for the rest of the age - "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever" (Gr. "unto the age"). It cannot satisfy Him, and it goes; it is a withered tree providing the Lord with nothing. Back to Top But when that heart disappointment is felt so acutely, and registered in that way by Him, He goes to Bethany, and Bethany means "the house of figs". Not in the temple, and not in Jerusalem, does the Lord find His satisfaction, but in Bethany. That is why He was always going there. Heart satisfaction for Him now was not in the cold, lifeless, formal religious system of the day, but in the living, throbbing, warm atmosphere of the Bethany home. He always knew that, while His words were rejected in Jerusalem, they would be accepted there, and listened to eagerly, and there would always be someone who would 'keep on' listening. I am impressed with Acts 2:1-47; it says that after Pentecost those who believed "continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching" (verse 42). You see, there the Church came in, and that is its feature: "they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching." We are so used to those words that they do not seem to convey very much to us. Will you bear with a simple practical way of seeking to apply it? In these pages certain things are being said. Now you will read them, and you will go your way, and perhaps you will remember them for a certain length of time; perhaps for a long time you will remember Bethany. Mention of Bethany will bring back something-certain things that you have read. You may speak of this message as a more or less good one, an interesting message, or something like that. What a difference between that and your going away and 'continuing steadfastly in the teaching'! You must yourself interpret this, and say to yourself: 'Now what does it mean for me to continue steadfastly in that?' The word really is 'persisting'. "They persisted in the apostles' teaching". There is all the difference between persisting in the teaching, and going away and saying: 'Well, that was a very nice message'. 'Persisting' represents the practical, positive application of the heart to the truth, and that constitutes His Church; it is where that which comes from Him is received and the whole heart, the whole life, is given to it. There is abandonment to it. And that was probably what Martha did not like. Mary was abandoned to it, she was given to it; and that is what the Lord is seeking. I wonder what would be the result if we took that attitude toward every word of Divine truth that came to us. When I think of the mountains of truth that have been built up, I cannot help asking the question: 'What is the percentage of real application to that truth on the part of those who hear it?' It was because those at the beginning took such a practical attitude toward the things which they heard, and persisted in them, that you had the effectiveness there. They did not go away and say: 'What a wonderful sermon Peter preached today!' No, they persisted in the apostles' teaching. That is what the Lord wants. That is what satisfies His heart. Mary took her seat at His feet and went on listening to His word, and that satisfied His heart when all else disappointed Him. Heart satisfaction must be a feature of the life of the Lord's people; and heart satisfaction to Him is just this, that we hang upon His word, we appraise it rightly, we regard it as the supreme thing. The assembly must be the "house of figs" for the Lord. Back to Top Adjusted Service Next let us look at Martha. "But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said..." The Greek is very strong: it means that she walked up to Him and involved Him in this. It implies that she regarded Him as responsible, and if she had said all that was in her mind, she would have said: 'You are responsible for this, You are involved in this, and it is up to You to put it right.' That is what is implied by the original words here-regarding Him as the one involved in it, and He could if He would, and He ought to, put it right. It implies that she burst out. She had been bottling this thing up, and at last, able to contain it no longer, she went up to Him and burst out: "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me." Now I want you to get the force of the situation, and it will help you with Martha. We must understand Mar- tha's mood and position. "Cumbered about much serving" hardly conveys to us what really was the situation. We get from the translation an altogether imperfect impression, I think, of exactly how things were. The Greek word here is a word which means "was distracted", "pulled in different directions". Probably her anxiety showed in her face. And what was the anxiety over? Many household cares, perhaps many dishes; preoccupations of all kinds. And the Lord said to Martha: 'Martha, you are bothered about all sorts of secondary considerations; you have got more than you can handle. There is but one thing that is really necessary -'. You are beginning to understand the situation now, are you not? It was simply that there was necessary an adjustment of things on the part of Martha, so that what was most important should have its place. It was not that the Lord was out of sympathy with Martha's providing them with a meal, but He saw that she was causing this meal business to become such an elaborate and extensive thing as to be altogether out of proportion, and to put the more essential things into a place much less than the non-essential. Yes, a meal may be right, but oh, let us put things in their right proportion. Let us see to it that temporal things do not overwhelm spiritual. Do not let us become so anxious and distracted about the passing things that the spiritual things are eclipsed. For the one thing which ought to be made to keep all the other things in their right places - they are all right in their places - is the thing which comes from the lips of the Lord. You see, it is a matter of proportion, it is a matter of where you are placing the most emphasis. It is a matter of whether you are allowing the things of this life so to absorb, and to occupy, and to draw you round with anxiety, that the greater things are not getting a chance. And we all agree now, we have no more quarrel with the Master over Mary, when we see it like that. What was necessary was that there should be an adjustment of things: so that, while these other matters had a place, and a right place, they were in their place and in their own measure; whilst the supreme things were allowed to predominate and were not submerged in those lesser matters which, after all, are not the abiding things. Now, that was the whole situation. In the House of God, the thing that matters more than all our business, all our feverish activities to do a thousand and one things of Christian work-the one thing that matters is getting to know the Lord, and giving the Lord a chance to make Himself known. Feverish activities so often, in what is called 'the church', exclude the voice of the Lord, shut Him out; it is all what we are doing, and so little of what He is getting a chance to say. The place that satisfies Him is the place of adjustment to the supreme things. Well, that is Martha. Back to Top Precious Ointment Poured Forth Now we turn for the fourth thing to Matthew 26:6 - Matthew 26:13. It is the same village, and now the woman with her "alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment". The incident speaks to us in the first instance of the recognition of the worth of the Lord Jesus. The recognition of the worth of the Lord Jesus. All who looked on, as good as said: 'He is not worth it'; that is what it amounted to. 'He is not worth it.' Of course they would not have put it like that. She recognised His worth - that He was worth the 'exceeding preciousness'. It was the exceeding preciousness of Christ that was in view here, as something recognised. That, I think, is the main feature. It is a feature of Bethany, it is a feature of the upper room, it is a feature of "My church". It is a feature of the Lord's assembly, it is a feature of the people who are after His own heart: the recognition of His exceeding preciousness, His exceeding worth; that there is nothing too costly to lay at His feet. "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious (is the preciousness)" (1 Peter 2:7). Now, that is very simple, and yet again it is a thing that draws forth the deep appreciation of the Lord Jesus. It is again a thing which gives feature to a very much beloved village. In other words it is a thing which makes His assembly of great value to Him, that there His worth is recognised, and He is appreciated and appraised at His true value. That must mark the house of the Lord. It is a feature that must be developed more and more. It is a thing to which we must attend, that we have a ready and an ever-growing recognition of the preciousness and worth of the Lord Jesus. Oh, how different this is from the merely formal church system! We can hardly say that the outstanding feature of that is a true heart-appreciation of the worth and of the value of the Lord Jesus. Where that appreciation is, you have the assembly; where it is not, whatever else you may have of ornate and elaborate presentation, you have not got the assembly, it is not the place of His delight. I think I see something else here. The brokenness of the cruse brings out into expression the preciousness of the ointment. It is the 'vessel of fragile clay' which, being broken, makes possible the manifestation and expression of the glories of Christ. While that cruse is whole, strong, and sound in itself, something which you would look at and take account of in itself; something that would cause you to say: 'That is a beautiful vase, that is a wonderful piece of alabaster';-you are not getting at the secret. We may take account of men, as splendid intellects, splendid men, wonderful preachers and so on-be occupied with the vase, the cruse-and the other be sealed, be hidden; but when the cruse is broken, shattered, then you get at the tabernacle secret of the glory of Christ. You see it in Paul. I suppose Saul of Tarsus was a wonderful bit of alabaster intellectually, morally, religiously. He tells us that he was; he tells us all that he was, all that he gloried in and that men looked at and no doubt praised; but he was smashed and it is no longer Saul, and it is no longer Paul, but it is the beauty and glory of Christ. The fragrance of Christ comes out when the cruse is broken. And, beloved, it is just like that in our experience. The Church, the true Church, has been allowed to be shattered, and shattered again, and the members individually are so often allowed to be broken and broken again; but has it not proved through history that, for the Church and for the individual, the breaking, the shattering, the smashing, has brought about an expression of the glories of Christ in a wonderful way? It is just like that. We go through a new experience of being broken - we put it in other ways sometimes and say we are being brought more deeply into the death of Christ, coming into a fresh experience of the Cross: however we may put it, it means breaking, it means the breaking of the cruse-but believe me, beloved, it means a fuller expression and knowledge of the glory of Christ, and it will bring us to a new appreciation of Him. We shall discover Him in the time of our brokenness. And in the same way the Church passes through the way of the Cross, but comes by the breaking to the worth of the Lord Jesus. Back to Top The Power of His Resurrection We pass to John and the well-known chapter 11. Here is Bethany again in view, and this time it is the raising of Lazarus which comes before us. We will not go through the whole story and take its details, but simply come swiftly to its one conclusion at the end. Bethany, in this instance, becomes the scene, the sphere, of the manifestation of resurrection power, resurrection life. There are many other things here. There is a wonderful expression of love; there is a wonderful expression of fellowship here in this chapter. Far away from Bethany the Lord said to His disciples: "Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep". "Our friend"; not "My friend", but "our friend". You see, it is fellowship. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." It is love. All these are features of Bethany; but the outstanding feature here is the manifestation of His resurrection, the power of His resurrection, resurrection life. And here again Bethany is an illustration of the Church that He is building. We know this from Ephesians, the 'Church Epistle', as we call it. We very soon come to our being "quickened... together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:5). The Church is the vessel in which the power of His resurrection is displayed; and here again we not only testify to the fact, to the doctrine, but we have to apply the test, that the assembly according to the mind of the Lord is that in which His resurrection power and life are displayed. Now, I know, when things like that are said, so often there is that vacant feeling that remains: 'Yes, we know it ought to be so, just as we ought to be crucified with Christ; we know we ought to be risen with Christ, and it is quite true that we ought to know the power of His resurrection, and His resurrection life'. That is said again and again, but we leave it there. The point is: how is it to be? Now, we have to recognize that the Lord has brought His Church into being for the specific purpose of displaying the power of His resurrection, and we should dedicate ourselves unto the Lord for that very end. That is the way: in recognizing that the object, the very object of our being in that Church, of that Body, is that He might display in us His resurrection power and life. We, recognizing that, have a definite understanding with our Lord that we are consecrated to Him; now our responsibility ends there, if it is from our hearts, and the Lord will begin His work. We shall not be able to raise ourselves any more than we can crucify ourselves, but we must recognize that the Lord's dealings with us are with that in view. In order to display the power of His resurrection, He will very often have to take the attitude toward us of letting things get well beyond all human power to remedy or save, of allowing things to go so far that there is no other power in all the universe that can do anything whatever to save the situation. He will allow death, disintegration, to work, so that nothing, nothing in the universe is of any avail, except the power of His resurrection. We shall come to the place where Abraham came, who became the great type of faith which moved right into resurrection: "He considered his own body now as good as dead" (Romans 4:19). That is the phrase used by the apostle about Abraham: "as good as dead". And Paul came into that: "We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:9). Whatever else men may be able to do in the realm of creation, they stop short when death has actually taken place; they can do no more. Resurrection is God's act, and God's alone. Men can do very many things when they have got life, but when there is no life it is only God who can do anything. And God will allow His Church and its members oft-times to get into such situations as are altogether beyond human help, in order that He may give the display, which is His own display, in which no man has any place to glory. Back to Top So said the Lord Jesus: "This sickness is not unto death, but for THE GLORY OF GOD, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." Glorified! We have dedicated ourselves to that course of things - that is, we have dedicated ourselves to a line of human despair; but how slow we are to accept it in its outworking. When things get to a desperate situation, we kick so much and think that all has gone wrong. It may be just going right for the Lord! Oh, yes, it is desperate; that consideration does not take away from the desperateness of it, the awfulness of it; but if it is going to provide the Lord with His supreme opportunity to raise His preeminent testimony, then it is right - that is, it will be right in its issue. When at last, in eternity, we read the story of the Church, which is His Body, and see all that it really did come through, we shall have to confess that no human institution, no man-made thing, could have survived, could have gone through that which the saints went through. When it is understood in the light of eternity and appraised by true spiritual standards, we shall say that none but God Almighty could have achieved that, could have brought it through: that it has undoubtedly become the vehicle of the expression of "the exceeding greatness of his power" (Ephesians 1:19); and that is to say a great deal. If "the exceeding greatness of his power" is necessary to this, well, that says much for what we have to be brought out of, doesn't it? If "the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25), what must "the exceeding greatness of his power" represent? Well, that is in resurrection; as you know, the words are connected with that: "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:19,Ephesians 1:20). That is "to us-ward who believe". Now the Church, the Bethany testimony, is to be a testimony to the power of His resurrection, and if His methods with us are making that necessary, then let us take encouragement and comfort from the fact that we are thus to be a true expression of what He desires of His Church. Celebrating His Victory We pass from chapter 11 of John to chapter 12. "Jesus therefore six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there: and Martha served" (evidently she had not gathered, from the Lord's words to her, that service was wrong; she is still serving -it is all right now); "but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." Here we have the feast, and the feast has several elements. One, represented by Mary and her action, speaks of worship. Once again, it is the appreciation of Christ that is in view. That is worship. Worship - according to God's thought-is always simply the appreciation of the Lord Jesus; bringing up before God the sweet odour of a heart-appreciation of His Son. That may sound simple, but worship in its purest essence is what we think of the Lord Jesus, expressed to the Father. That is worship. The assembly is for that. Bethany speaks of that. Back to Top Martha-yes, Martha served. But it is adjusted service. She is still serving, but it is all right; there is no rebuke now. There is no circling round of her face with anxiety now; she is not drawn around with care: she is serving in a resurrection house. Here is adjusted service, and service in the Lord's house is quite according to His mind when the service is in fellowship with, and in right proportion to, the worship. There is an adjustment between the sisters now, you see. They were disjointed before, because things were ill-proportioned and out of place; now the adjustment has been made and they are just getting on constantly together. It is adjusted service. Lazarus sat at meat, and of course he is the principle of life, resurrection life. That, again, is a mark of the Lord's spiritual house. So we have worship, adjusted service, resurrection life. Yes, but there is always some sinister thing not far away: "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" When you get the assembly just as the Lord wants it you will always find that the Devil is lurking very near. That may be a compliment to the assembly, for anything that the Devil does not cast his eye on jealously will surely not be that which is satisfying the heart of the Lord. But it is always like that. Just begin to get something that is according to the Lord's heart, and you find a sinister thing begin to circle round with a view to destroying that worship, to divert that appreciation of the Lord. It becomes a feature of the very assembly itself, that the Devil jealously casts his eyes upon what the Lord is getting, and would have that for himself. You see, the Church is that which brings to the Lord Jesus what He ought to have, and from eternity the Devil has been out to rob him of that, and he will do it in the assembly if he can, because the assembly is that in which the Lord does get what His heart is set upon. Outward and Upward Now we close by noting the last thing in Luke 24:50 - Luke 24:52. "And he led them out until they were over against Bethany: and he lifted up his hand, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Three words: "led out", "blessed", "carried up": out with the Lord, in His place apart; under His blessing; and linked with Him in heaven - to use Paul's words, "made... to sit together with him in the heavenlies." That is Bethany, that is the Church, that is what the Lord wants to have in the life of His people today. Go back over Bethany again and just allow your heart to exercise itself on these things, and seek very definitely that the Lord shall have in you just these features which are according to His own mind. And what we do individually, let us seek to do in those fellowships, those assemblies, with which we are connected, that they shall be true Bethanies, the village expression of the great city of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 85: AUSTIN-SPARKS - A VITAL MINISTRY IN A DAY OF TRANSITION ======================================================================== A Vital Ministry in a Day of Transition By T. Austin Sparks "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Malachi 4:5 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come." Matthew 11:13 - Matthew 11:14 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." Elijah and John the Baptist are in view in these passages of Scripture, and much for our help can be learned from their experiences. In the first place, we must take account of their ministries. The two men are brought together in a mysterious identification by the Lord Jesus, and from various fragments it is quite clear that their ministries were one in principle and nature; that is, in a day of fairly general spiritual smallness and weakness, these two servants of God were His instrument and vessel for making a way and a place for Himself in greater fullness. They were waymakers for the Lord, pioneers and pathfinders for His larger purposes and desires. In the familiar words used by John: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). That was the key to the ministry of both Elijah and John the Baptist, the increase of the Lord amongst His people. Both lived in a time of transition. The principle of transition is clear, firstly, in that Elijah is brought over into full view at the very end of Malachi's prophecies, at the close of the Old Testament, an end-time, a period of transition unto the Lord's coming; in that case, of course, His first coming. But I do not think that what the Lord said about Elijah, in Malachi and later, was exhausted by the first coming of the Lord; the great and terrible day of the Lord is still to come. We will not enlarge too much on details, but be content to note that that time of transition was governed by the ministry of both these men, and was marked by the gathering out of a real people from among the professing people of the Lord. Malachi makes that perfectly clear: "Then they that feared the Lord spake one with another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His Name . And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, even Mine own possession, in the day that I do make" (Malachi 3:16 - Malachi 3:17). Out from the professing, religious realm there is seen in these words to be a true people for the Lord. Undoubtedly that was the mark of John' s ministry, for tradition, formalism, legalism were the dominant features of religion in his day, and it was against these that he hurled his weight to secure a people unto Christ in fullness, in utterness. He sought a transition from one spiritual state to another, and, in the light of a change of dispensation, to secure a people wholly for the Lord. That wants dwelling upon very much more fully, but I think that is enough to give us the clue to the ministry of these men and to relate them in a vital way to our own day- another end-time transition period that is surely ushering in another coming of the Lord and that also is characterized by the need for the gathering out of a real people from among those who profess to be the Lord's. We may expect that what was true in the experience of Elijah and John in their day will in principle be found in God's dealings with instruments of His choice today. It become clear then that for such a great purpose, to make a way and to make room for the Lord, God had, and has, His instruments, known to Himself and secretly under His hand being prepared. Elijah comes on to the scene mysteriously, almost out of nowhere, after deep secret preparation and discipline. John has spent all his life in the wilderness waiting for the day of his appearing to Israel. Something has been going on in secret. God has had these men in hand in deep preparation, vessels to meet this particular need in the time of transition - transition from a state which the Lord can no longer accept as answering to His known will to a state which will satisfy Him. He must have a vessel for such a purpose. It may be individuals, as it often is, but it has also through the ages proved to be a corporate vessel, a company of the Lord's people prepared in this way. These instruments, known and secured by God in secret, have, in a secret history with Him, been learning to know the Lord as their heavenly sustenance. Elijah, at a time when earth could not provide any sustenance, was sustained from heaven. John the Baptist, in the wilderness for many years, where he had to know the Lord in loneliness and apart from men, was having to learn the Lord as his heavenly life and his heavenly provision. Such is the preparation, the equipment, of any vessel to serve God in this greater purpose of His heart. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 86: AUSTIN-SPARKS - CHRISTIAN SERVICE FROM GOD'S STANDPOINT ======================================================================== Christian Service from God's Standpoint By T. Austin Sparks What is the work of the Lord? What is Christian service from God's standpoint? It is contributing to the fullness of Christ. It is in the measure of each several part (of His Body) ministering to that end, that all things shall be summed up in Christ and that He shall be the fullness of all things. That great Divine goal has many ways and many means of attainment, and it is not a matter of whether you or I are serving the Lord in the same way as someone else. That is not the point at all. We standardize and departmentalize Christian work, and we think of the activities of ministers and missionaries and such like functions and call that the work of the Lord; we think of that when we speak of going into Christian service. But while I do not say that that is not the work of the Lord, it is a very narrow and a very artificial way of viewing things. The work of the Lord is, and can be, no more than contributing to the fullness of Christ and ministering of that fullness to Him and from Him. How you do it is a matter of Divine appointment, but that is the work of the Lord. So it is not necessarily a matter of whether I am in what is called the ministry, a missionary or a Christian worker, in this particular category or that, or whether I amserving the Lord in the way in which certain others are serving Him. That is quite a secondary matter. We would all like to be doing what certain people are doing, and doing it in the way they are doing it. You might aspire to be an apostle Paul, probably if you understood a little more you would not! But, you see, whether Paul is doing it along his Divinely appointed line, in his Divinely appointed way - or Peter, or John, or this one or that one - the object comes first, the way afterward. The service of the Lord, whatever may be the means, the method, is ministering to the fullness of Christ and ministering of that fullness, and you may be called upon to do that anywhere. It can be done just as much out of public view as in public view. Many who have ministered to the Lord and by whom He has been wonderfully ministered are those of whom the world has heard and read nothing. This, you see, is a 'Body' matter, and a body is not all hands, not all major members and faculties. A body is comprised of numerous, almost countless, functions, many of them remote and very hidden, but they all minister in a related way to the whole purpose for which the body exists; and that is a true picture of the service of God. So think again. While we would not put you back from aspiring to the fullest place of service, nor say that you are wrong in desiring to be a missionary, to go forth into the world in a full-time spiritual capacity, remember that even before the Lord puts you into that specific work, you are a minister all the same. For 'minister' is not a name, a title, a designation, but a function, and the function is contributing something to the fullness of Christ and ministering something of that fullness. So it comes back to us as a question: What am I ministering of Christ; what am I contributing to that ultimate fullness? If it be by leading the unsaved to Him, I am adding to Christ, so to speak. That is all it means, but that is what it means. I am building up Christ. If I am encouraging the saints, I am ministering to Christ and of Christ. That is "My servant....in whom My soul delighteth." In whom does God delight as His servant? Those who minister to His Son, and that is the beginning and the end, however that may be done by Divine appointment. "Behold, My servant...." God calls attention to the servant in whom His soul delighteth. The beginning of all service in relation to God is the servant himself. What makes a servant of God? We think of a servant of God being made by academic training, Bible teaching, by this or that form of equipment; and we think when we have all that, when we have been through the course and have in our minds all that can be imparted of that kind, we are the Lord's servants. But that is not the way the Lord looks at it at all. In the first place, the Lord looks at the servant, and He is going to demand that He shall be able Himself to point to His servant and say, "Behold, My servant." I know that there is a right sense in which the instrument has to be out of view, but only in one sense; that is, that he in his own person, his own personal impression as a man, his own impact by nature, shall not be the registration made upon people; only in that sense he has to be out of view. There is another sense in which he has to be very much in view. If that were not true, all the autobiography in Paul 's writings would be wrong in principle. Paul keeps himself, in a right sense, very much in view. He calls attention to himself very properly and very strongly and persistently. The Lord is going to require that He shall be able to say, "Behold, My servant", and the servant to whom He will call attention will be the servant who is the impression of Christ. Yes, Christ registered, Christ presenced, Christ apparent, in the servant. The beginning of all service, I repeat, is the servant himself. God is far more concerned with having His servants in a right state than He is with having them furnished with all kinds of academic qualifications and titles. It is the man, it is the woman, that God is concerned with. If you turn to the letters of Timothy, you find there that beautiful designation of the servant of the Lord: "O man of God" (1 Timothy 6:2). Paul's appeal to Timothy is in those terms. And then, speaking of the study and knowledge of the Scriptures, he uses the same phrase again: "....that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). But note the order: he says, "that the man of God may be... furnished completely", not that there may be a complete furnishing to make a man of God; the man of God already exists. Now all his study with the Word is to make him who is the man of God an efficient workman. The man of God comes before all his study. He is that before he has a knowledge of the Scriptures. You know that 'man of God' was the great designation given to some of the prophets of old. Elijah on one occasion, having been hidden by God at the brook Cherith, found the brook to dry up; and the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Arise, get thee to Zarepath... behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee" (2 Kings 17:9). Elijah went, and you remember how he found the food situation. She was gathering two sticks to bake her last cake for her son and herself, and then to die. But the barrel of meal did not fail: the Lord was faithful to His word. But then, after that, it came to pass that the woman's son fell sick, and so sore was the sickness that there was no breath left in him. The woman made her very pathetic appeal to the prophet. He took the child up to his own chamber and called upon the Lord, and saw the child revive; and he presented him alive to the mother, who said, "Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth." What were the credentials of his ministry? That he had the secret of life triumphant over death. He had the words of life and the word of life is not always the mere usage of Scripture. You can use the Scripture and it may have no effect at all, or you can use it and it may have a mighty effect. A great deal depends upon who uses the Scripture. It is the man of God who can use it in that way and be attested as the true servant of the Lord. It is the spiritual power of life that is in the man that makes him (to use Paul's words to Timothy) an approved servant of God. "Behold, My servant." Do you grasp the point? It is with you and me that the Lord is concerned; it is with what we are; it is with our personal knowledge of Himself. It is that we may have within us the secrets of the Lord that it may be true of us as it was of the Lord Jesus and of others that the key to the situation spiritually is in our hands. We, as Elijah hidden away in secret, have been in touch with God. There is a background. God had said to Elijah, "Hide thyself"; and he was a long time hidden before the word of the Lord came, saying, "Go, show thyself..." Someone has remarked that for every servant of God there must be much more of the hidden life than of the public life. How true that is! The Lord will take pains to ensure that the secret history, the spiritual history, of every true servant of His is looked after. With all the eagerness to get out to do the work, and may it not abate!, with all our enthusiasm to be active, all our desire and craving to be serving, let us remember the first thing is the servant, not the service. The first thing, the beginning of all service, is the instrument. We see that the servant comes firstly into the Lord's view, that He may have one to whom He may draw attention in a right way and say, 'Look at that servant of Mine and see My work. See My grace, see my power, see the traces of My hand. ' ======================================================================== CHAPTER 87: AUSTIN-SPARKS - COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN ======================================================================== Coming Down From God Out Of Heaven By T. Austin Sparks Thoughts on the New Jerusalem Reading: Revelation 21:1-27 & 22 The next great event in God's calendar is the return in glory of His Son Jesus Christ. It is the consummation of that coming and the final revelation of the glory of Christ which is shown to us in the form of this heavenly city, "coming down from God out of heaven". This bridal city represents the sum of God's working through the ages. Its many symbols display the features of His Son as they have been wrought into the people whom He has taken out of the nations for His name, a marvellous union of Christ and His Church which has a timeless task of ministering life to the universe. The nations are to walk in its light, and they are to find the maintenance of their health from the leaves of its tree; kings are to bring their treasure into this city, and God's glory will provide its radiance. John twice affirms that the city was shown to him by God - "He showed me...". Perhaps as we humbly read and meditate God will show us something of its significance and importance, and by means of its symbols give us a clearer idea of the unseen and eternal things which we are to keep in view so that "our light affliction" may work for us "more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17 - 2 Corinthians 4:18). THE STREET The Authorised Version makes a break between the first two verses of Revelation 22:1-21 which is misleading. The Revised Version indicates that the river is in the midst of the street of this holy city. The single street is central; a river runs down the middle of the street, and the tree of life grows on either side of the river. Nothing is in the plural, not even this tree, though it is found on both sides of the river. Up to this point things have been in the plural. Life has many ways of expressing itself, as the many trees of Ezekiel's river show (Ezekiel 47:4). At the end, however, everything is gathered up into an absolute unity: one city, one street, one river and one tree. It is a symbolic reminder that at the last all will be summed up into a perfect oneness, the oneness of Christ. Such unity can only be realized in the fellowship of the Spirit, but this is surely not only for the future but for today. The city is being spiritually formed now, and the work is going on now in preparation for the great consummation which it reveals; if the Church is to be God's metropolis with an eternal vocation at the centre of the universe, then here and now it must learn oneness with and in Christ. One street! This oneness, right down at the very core of the Church, is basic to its present witness as well as to its eternal vocation. The one street has one river, which means that from the inner realm of fellowship with Christ there is an outflow of life. The city is, of course, the ultimate goal to which the Holy Spirit is moving, but the same law holds good for all time. Our vocation on this earth here and now is not primarily to engage in a number of good works, but to provide a way by which the life of Christ may flow out to others. How can this happen finally if it is not beginning now? How can we enthuse about ultimate unity if we are not giving diligence here and now to keep the unity of the Spirit? This being the case it hardly needs to be pointed out that the enemy's strategic movement against the purpose of God in the Church is to keep that Church divided, basically divided. He does not mind mere professions of unity, nor is he unduly troubled by external illusions of unity; but what he is set against is the deep-down inwrought oneness which will release God's great river of life to flow out to a needy world. "I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife" were the words of introduction which led John to see the great heavenly and holy Jerusalem in its glorious unity. Undivided love for Christ, as the love of the bride for her husband, is the only sure counter to Satan's wiles, and the only basis for real oneness. THE GOLDEN REED The city was measured with a golden reed, everything in it being seen to conform to God's measurements. The whole idea is divine, and it can only be measured by divine standards, for it is to express divine purpose. Our calling in Christ makes many demands upon us, but if we can only view them in the light of things eternal, it will be much easier to face them. Not that it is ever easy for our human nature to be dealt with in accordance with this golden rod of divine standards but we can more readily bear the cost if we keep God's end in view. An outstanding characteristic of the city is its absolute clearness. This is true of its way of life, for the water of its river is as clear as crystal. It is true of its substance, which is of pure gold made like unto clear glass. It is true of its light, which is described as being "like a jasper stone, clear as crystal". This stone is also said to be "most precious", which suggests that such a condition of transparency is very precious to the Lord. It also implies that we, His people, will find it a costly quality, one which can only be experienced as we accept discipline under the hand of God, and are given a spiritual education which makes us refined and Christlike. This clearness is not merely negative, a sort of stainless condition, but it is unshadowed and unclouded light. God is light: Christ is the light of the world, and the ministry of the Church is both to receive and to transmit His light. The city is radiant with the glory of God. What is the opposite of glory? It is darkness, cloudiness, murkiness; it is all that realm which is not clear, but mixed and shadowy. If you have had to deal with a person whom you cannot trust because of hidden elements which if not actually deceitful somehow lack clear transparency, you will have found it an unpleasant experience, the very opposite of glory. When the glory of God fills everywhere, then there are no such questions or shadows, but perfect, open confidence. "In Him is no darkness at all..." (1 John 1:5). This glory is ours, by grace, and must govern all our ways. All the portals of the city are of pearl. Pearls are a parable of the preciousness which results from suffering, since they are formed as a result of the agony of the host creatures. These pearls are the only gates. There is no other way into this city than by suffering love, for the elect people who are to reign with Christ are those who have first shared something of His sufferings. It is no use our opting for a casual or easy way into fellowship of this kind, for the love of Christ, purified from all mixture and precious to God demands a committal to Him for His supreme purpose to be fulfilled even though the cost may be fiery trial or deep travail. Let us not be deterred by the cost though, but keep our eyes on the outcome - "having the glory of God". This is our destiny. THE WALL A further characteristic of this embodiment of God's thought is the fact that the city has a wall "great and high". Much is said about this wall, with repeated mention of its foundations, its dimensions and its strength. It seems to depict the city's distinctiveness. It is true that walls are often used for purposes of defence, but as such a need could never arise with the heavenly city, we conclude that the wall represents a demarcation of what God wishes to be distinguished in a special way. Do you not agree that there is much weakness in Christianity today just by reason of a lack in distinctiveness of testimony and life? Not that God will allow us to think in terms of spiritual conceit or imagined superiority, but it is important that we should not lose that sense of definite purpose and set-apartness which should always govern the life of His redeemed people. The wall is beautiful; it is high; and it is strong. It marks off in clear delineation that which has special meaning and value to God. ADORNED "Coming down from God out of heaven, adorned...". If this city is to be the embodiment of eternal values, if it is not a thing but a people, then something must have been happening to shape and prepare them so that such a condition could be possible. You will notice that the wall of the city is adorned, and also that the adornment of the city itself is spoken of as being suitable for a bride. The wall is no ugly demarcation but its very foundations are adorned with all manner of precious stones. The costly gems are simply symbols of the many-sided preciousness of Christ. "For you therefore that believe is the preciousness" (1 Peter 2:7), the very preciousness of Christ Himself. And the bride is also adorned. Her adornment is something more than external splendour which can be put on and taken off; her beauty consists of those inward qualities which delight the heart of her heavenly Bridegroom. "The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold" (Psalms 45:13). We are apt to pay such attention to externalities, even in spiritual things, but God's objective is a people whose inner life is beautiful with the pure gold of Christ's loveliness, for Christ is coming "to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thessalonians 1:10). If these adornments come down from heaven, how did they first get there? They are the outcome of our walk with God here on earth. We live our lives down here, and although we frequently get discouraged, we do enter into new experiences of God's grace and learn more of His Son. The Word teaches us that something is happening all the time in relation to our life down here which is equivalent to treasure which is going ahead of us and waiting for us to follow. As we proceed on our way with the Lord there are heavenly values accumulating for the future. Did not the Lord Jesus tell us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20)? So while there is a temporal life, there are also values being stored up in heaven, features of Christ which will adorn His city. Our spiritual growth, our spiritual characteristics are, as it were, going ahead of us. They are eternal: they are not of time. And all this preparation is going on, so we are told, "while we look... at the things which are not seen... but eternal". "Adorned as a bride for her husband". What the Lord is doing in us now as daily we learn new lessons of grace and humility, will be manifested in that day, and although this may bring gratification to us and joy to others, it is primarily meant for the pleasure of Christ. The Church's spiritual adornment is to be the reward to our Bridegroom-Redeemer for all His patient, suffering love. The city descends from heaven, that is, it has been conformed to heaven. It has not been turned out of heaven because it is not suitable, but comes down to bring heaven's values into the rest of God's universe. We must measure everything down here by values which are heavenly and eternal. This brings us back again to the golden reed of God's standards, the reed which measures everything in the light of God's purpose of showing the greatness of His Son to a wondering universe by means of the Church which is in living, loving communion with Him. This is the end of all things. This is where the Bible closes. And this is our vocation in Christ. From "Toward The Mark" May-June, 1972 ======================================================================== CHAPTER 88: AUSTIN-SPARKS - LOOSE HIM, AND LET HIM GO! ======================================================================== Loose Him, and Let Him Go! By T. Austin Sparks Reading: John 11:38 - John 11:44, It is that last verse that we shall be considering especially: "He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go." I would just like to place alongside of that a fragment from the tenth chapter: "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." John 10:10 We have said more than once that we are here in the presence of God manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, His Son, and, being in the presence of God, we are being made aware of God's mind concerning man. What Jesus says is the expression of the mind of God for man. THE FULLNESS OF THE GOSPEL BY JOHN I think that you have learned that what is written in this whole Gospel by John is more than an earthly story, or a collection of sayings and doings on the part of Jesus Christ. There is in every one of those sayings and doings, and in every part of the story, a setting forth in one way or another of some eternal and unfathomable truth because it comes from God. God is unfathomable, unsearchable, incomprehensible, profound beyond our understanding. He has a depth and a fullness never, never to be exhausted, either in time or in eternity, and anything that emanates from God in word or deed carries with it that significance. It is not just human language. These are not just the words and works of a man. Every fragment contains the profound depth of God, and this chapter, which is marked out in the organization of the matter for our convenience as chapter eleven, is a wonderful example of what we have just said. Every bit of it goes far beyond the thing that is said or done. It is so comprehensive, so far-reaching, so full of depth and meaning. I have been reading the Gospel by John, and, of course, this chapter, for over sixty years, and I have spoken on it many times, but I am still in the presence of that which is far beyond me. I am not just giving you something that has been said before. The whole Gospel is ALWAYS divulging that which we have not seen or known before. Now that does not mean that you have never seen what I am going to say at this time, but what I am saying is that there is a fullness here, and that, whatever and however much you have seen, there is more yet that God means in the fragments of this chapter. We are always wrestling with our limitations both to understand and grasp, and certainly to utter what is herein contained. Some of us are very poor at this business, and we know it. A little grandson of mine heard I was going to America and he asked his mother: 'What is Grandpa going to America for?' She said: 'Well, to preach.' He said: 'To preach? He is not very good at that, is he?' And Grandpa fully agrees! So now you know what you have to put up with! Well, that is just how we feel when we come into the presence of the divine stature of God's words. I think you all realize something of the vastness of this chapter, but I trust that we shall yet see a little more, though by no means the fullness of what is in the passage which we have just read, and especially the fragment in verse 44. THE ASPECTS OF THE GOSPEL BY JOHN Now, before we come to that, let me just say this word that is necessary, I think, and leads up to it. We must recognize the aspects of this Gospel. First of all, it is a backward aspect. That is, John wrote this Gospel long years after all that is in it was completed. The whole thing was finished, as to the actuality of the content of this record, and the Lord Jesus had left this earth. All that is here lay in the past when John wrote it. It was something completed as to history. John was writing it from that standpoint, with the backward aspect. But you will notice that the Gospel itself is written on the forward aspect. That is, it was all written in the light of the day that was to come. Jesus is here saying repeatedly: "In that day... in that day... when... when..." and that relates to the day of the advent of the Holy Spirit. "When He is come... in that day." This Gospel was written for a coming day, and we are living in that day, that is, in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was making it perfectly clear that what He was saying and doing in the flesh related to that day which was yet to be, the day when the Holy Spirit inaugurated the present dispensation. This Gospel, therefore, is written to us precisely because we live in that day. You, perhaps, are asking: 'Why is he saying this? It is simple and obvious. We know it'. Well, do we? I have said all that in order that we might recognize that this verse 44 belongs to us. It was written for us. In the day in which we live, this very dispensation day, this verse belongs to us. One other word about that. The backward aspect of this Gospel, written after it was all actually accomplished in history, was the objective side, when everything was outward. All that Jesus was doing was outward. His meanings were put into outward things, ways and means. The day for which all that objective was done and said is the day of the subjective, when it is taken from history without and made history within, when it is no longer something just outside of us, but something to be planted inside of us. That is the real meaning of the coming of the Holy Spirit - to lay hold of everything in the Scripture which is there objectively and place it right within the centre of the life of the believer, so that it becomes a part of the very inwardness of the believer's life. If we do not recognize these things we may miss our way in reading the stories, and just think of them as wonderful stories of what Jesus did, particularly this one of the raising of this man Lazarus from the dead. It was done and recorded in order that it might become our inward experience, a very part of our own being. That is the foundation upon which we build what we have to say as to this whole Gospel. CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE GOSPELS AND EPISTLES May I add another word, which I hope will have some value to you? It is always necessary, in the light of what we have said, and important to take account of the correspondence between the Epistles in the New Testament and the Gospels, because the Epistles are, after all, only the subjective expression of the objective Gospels. How can I put that to help you? Well, you read your Gospels. If you like, read this chapter. There is the story, the account of what happened; all the parts, the phases and the stages of it. That is very wonderful, but when you come to the Epistles you are told what all that means. It is there that you get the explanation for your own life of what is in the Gospels. The Gospels will remain the history of two thousand years ago until you come to see what God meant them to be in your own life, and you find that out in the Epistles. Always read the Gospels in this twofold way, and remember that this in the Gospels is explained somewhere in the Epistles. Read the Epistles and you will say: 'This is explaining what is in the Gospels.' So read your New Testament in that way. We have to look at the Book of the Acts and the Epistles for the real meaning of the Gospels, and before we can get the real inward value of the Gospels. Now we have said all that, we come to this verse in the eleventh chapter of John: "He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." Do you know that you have the vast amount of the remainder of the New Testament (after John) that is exactly in keeping with that? It tells you what that means for us. Here in this chapter is what it meant for Lazarus and his sisters, but what did that mean in God's mind for us? LIFE, BUT LIMITATION First of all, it is possible for us to have life by the word of Jesus Christ, resurrection life, divine life, that which is called eternal life; it is possible for us to have that life by which we have been brought from the death of our natural state into this newness of life by the fiat of the Son of God, and yet be limited in every way while we have it. Limited in ministry - 'his hands bound'; limited in progress - 'his feet bound'; limited in understanding - 'a napkin around his head and over his eyes'. Those three things are three of the major things in the teaching of the Apostles. Let me repeat that, for it is so true, and it is true of multitudes today. It is one of the problems in Christianity that, while through simple response to the Word of the Lord Jesus, many have been born again and are His people, are children of God and have divine life, it is so possible - and is actually so in numerous cases - to be limited in almost every way as to that life, and that life is so limited in them. Here the symbolism is bound hand, bound foot and bound head. The hands are the symbols of ministry, or fruitfulness of life, and are there not many Christians whom believe in the Lord Jesus and have that saving faith in Him, yet whose ministration and fruitfulness of life are exceedingly limited, bound and tied up? Oh, how many Christians are just tied up in this matter of real fruitfulness, real ministry - and when I use that word 'ministry' I am not just talking about platforms, or Bible preaching, but the ministration of the Lord Jesus. In the next chapter we read that Jesus came back to Bethany and they made Him a feast. Martha served and Lazarus was one of those who sat at meat. It would have been a poor lookout for that whole occasion if Lazarus had been tied up in his grave clothes! But, no, he is able to share with the others in this experience, and if you think I am trying to make something of nothing, look again, because it was at that point that the Jewish rulers took counsel to put Lazarus to death also, because by reason of HIM many believed. That is what I meant by loosed hands, ministry, fruitfulness: "By reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus." Is it not true that multitudes of Christians are not in that release of life where many believe because of them? They remain isolated, tied up, bound. They are Christians, but in the meaning of hands of fruitfulness, of service, of the ministration of Christ, of the testimony of Jesus, they are still in the grave clothes. And that is why Jesus said: "I came that they might have life", but, more than that, "have it abundantly". And Lazarus had the life, but not abundantly until he was loosed. Now you get into the Epistles with that fragment only, and see how much there is about the life of the believer being an effective life, a fruitful life, and a responsible life, a life that is really producing something. Indeed, we could say that one of the major purposes of all the Letters that the Apostles wrote was to get these Christians (and need I remind you again that more than ninety per cent of the New Testament was written to Christians? That is impressive and challenging!) who had the life to have it more abundantly, that is, to be loosed in this matter of their newness of life. Well, perhaps that is enough for the moment on that. LIFE, BUT NO PROGRESS And what is true of the meaning of the hands is true of the feet. Lazarus was "bound hand and foot". Again, is it not true that many, many Christians, born-again believers, are making no progress in the spiritual life, are not going on? You meet them once, and three, six and ten years afterwards they are just where they were when you first met them. They have not gone on, for their feet are bound. They are not going on, not making spiritual progress, not gaining ground, not overtaking the course, not - to use Paul's phrase - "attaining". They are in a state of spiritual stagnation, spiritual arrest. Their feet are bound, and that is not God's idea. Jesus, God incarnate said: 'Loose him, and let him go. Release those feet that he may walk, that he may run in the way of My commandments.' That is God's idea for us. That is not only a statement of truth, but a challenge as to where we are. LIFE, BUT NO SPIRITUAL SIGHT What about this head, wrapped in a napkin about the eyes and about the mouth? We mention the eyes in particular for our purpose at the moment. Again, is it not true that there are many who are the Lord's people but who are not really seeing more and more, and ever more of what He has for them and through them? Many Christians see no further than their hand before their eyes. It is a little world in which they live, a very short horizon of spiritual perception and understanding, apprehension and spiritual knowledge. Their heads are wrapped around and their eyes are covered over. They have life, but that is all. Having said these things, in order to indicate what we mean by the great fullness that there is here, even in a verse, let us look at it again. THE GRAVE TOUCH Lazarus came forth and he had life, but at that moment when he came forth he was still in contact with the grave. There was still that about him which spoke of that sepulchre, and the limitations of that sepulchre. Again, what are these limitations? Well, we come over to the Epistles. I am not going right through them all, but I will give you just enough to indicate what is meant. LOOSING FROM THE NATURAL LIFE If you turn to the first Letter to the Corinthians, and have any knowledge of what is in that Letter, you will know what we mean by the grave touch still upon born-again Christians. Paul opens that Letter by addressing the Corinthians as "saints", which means those who are the Lord's, but as he writes on and on an awful situation is unfolded, is it not? They have life, but you cannot say that they have it abundantly. The grave clothes are on them, that is, the grave touch is still there, and in the first Letter to the Corinthians it is the grave touch of the limitations of the natural life. They are Christians, yes, but they are bound and limited by the ties of the natural life. That is the word which the Apostle uses specifically: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God... and he cannot know them" (1 Corinthians 2:14). That is limitation, is it not? You proceed into the Letter and you find that these people are behaving as worldly people behave. In their behaviour, their conduct, their procedure, they go on just exactly as do worldly people. Someone has done a wrong to another believer, and apparently that happened in more than one case at Corinth, and the result was that this believer against whom the wrong was done thought this was criminal and should be set right in the court of law in the world. So he hauled his fellow-believer before the judge in the worldly court to get his rights. That is exactly what the world does, and that is an instance of a whole handful of things that were going on at Corinth. Some were worse than that. 'There are divisions among you, and when there are divisions among you are ye not carnal?' Not spiritual, but carnal. Well, gather up the whole of that Letter and it is a terrible story of those who are the Lord's and who have the life just behaving as other people do, living in the way that the world does. You find the women behaving as worldly women did in their dress, in their demeanour, in their behaviour, and even in the assembly. I do not want to pick out the women particularly, but I am indicating that there is the spirit of the world amongst believers in Corinth, and (read the Letter again in the light of this) that is keeping them still in this bondage, in this limitation of their spiritual life. It is grave clothes, and you are not surprised that at Corinth the world is not feeling the impact of their testimony, that the church at Corinth is not counting in the world, because the world has got into the church, and into its members individually. In this sense the grave clothes are still on them, by reason of the limitations which come upon the spiritual life when the natural takes charge and governs, controls and directs. It is terrible spiritual limitation. There is life, yes, but not 'life abundantly'. Do you see what I mean? Their testimony is bound. There is still something of the grave, and that Letter to the Corinthians was written in the same spirit and with the same idea, intention and object as the Lord had when He said: "Loose him and let him go". Paul is striving to get these Corinthians loosed as Christians loosed, liberated, set free into the fullness of the life which they had. Back to Top LOOSING FROM TRADITION AND LEGALISM We pass from Corinthians into Galatians, and no one who knows that Letter will dispute the statement that here you are in touch with the grave very truly. You know all that the Letter to the Galatians is about, and you know the two prominent words - Liberty - "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 4:1 - A.V.) - and sonship. Not servanthood, nor slavery, but sonship; the liberty of sons. They are the two great words of that Letter, but what are the grave bands there in Galatia? They are the grave bands of tradition, of legalism, and all such things. You know, dear friends, it is very easy to get tied up with these grave clothes! The persistent peril through the ages of Christianity is to crystallize itself into something set, something fixed. You have some light, some revelation, something of the immensity of truth, just a fragment of it, and it is not long before you begin to form that into a set system and make it the limit, saying that this is what people must believe, they must come within this horizon, and they must behave like this. It becomes a system again: 'You must... you must not!', and there is no difference between that and the Old Testament 'Thou shalt... thou shalt not!' Christianity has fallen into that peril, and is continually doing it, circumscribing the great revelation, making Christ smaller than He is, crystallizing truth into something fixed and set: 'This is how...', and the meaning of that is: 'This is the ultimate'. Now you notice that when the Spirit did come, as we have the record in the Book of the Acts, the one thing that these old Jewish disciples experienced was a marvellous emancipation from that bondage of Judaism; and how the Holy Spirit was working all along against any fixed barriers! Peter will argue that he is a Jew, born, bred and dyed-in-the-wool, and that never has anything unclean entered HIS mouth, according to Leviticus chapter 11. All right, Peter. You are just putting your interpretation upon the Scriptures, and you are putting your limits upon what Christ has done by His Cross, and so he is told: "What God hath cleansed make not thou common" (Acts 10:15). The Holy Spirit reacted to Peter's traditionalism, legalism, limitation and bondage, and made him go and do what he would never have done otherwise. Again and again, right to his death, the words of the Lord Jesus to him, in the last chapter of this Gospel, were made good: "When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18). That principle was being applied over Cornelius and his house, and Caesarea and the Gentiles. He was made to go whither he would not. He was saying: 'No, Lord', and the Lord was saying: 'Yes, Peter'. "Whither thou wouldest not" is heaven's reaction to this legalistic limitation, these grave clothes on an Apostle. And that was not the only battle that Peter had, but we will not stay with it. Then John says that when the Lord Jesus said those words to Peter He was signifying "by what manner of death he should GLORIFY God". Years afterwards Peter wrote: "Knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me" (2 Peter 1:14). We do not know the manner of his death, but tradition says that Peter was crucified. Only Jews could be crucified by Gentiles, for Gentiles dared not crucify one of their own. So Peter went that way, but because Paul had Roman citizenship they could not crucify him, so they beheaded him. Peter was selected for the same kind of death as His Lord's, and he knew it for he said: "As our Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me." He was girded by another and carried the way he would not choose to go, but the way of the Spirit is the way that goes against our limitations, our grave clothes, and takes us along ways of which we would never have thought. Indeed, our theology would not accept that way, our doctrine might be against it, our tradition would forbid it, but the Holy Spirit says: 'This is the way. Loose him, and let him go.' That is Galatians, is it not? I said that we need the Epistles to explain the Gospels, and just one verse in the Gospel by John contains all this! Back to Top LOOSING UNTO FULL SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE I close with one other thing. Look into the Letter to the Ephesians, and you, having come through the loosing of the hands in Corinth, and the loosing of the feet in Galatia to walk in the Spirit and stand fast in liberty, now move to the head. In Ephesians Paul takes the napkin from the head and does it thoroughly. Ephesians has to do with the napkin around the head. What do we mean? Well, Paul hardly begins that Letter before he says: 'I bow my knees unto the Father of glory, that He would grant unto you Ephesian Christians that you should have the whole counsel of God given to you, to grant unto YOU a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, Christ, that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance in the saints, the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.' 'That you may KNOW... the eyes of your heart being enlightened' - there is the napkin off the head! This Letter to the Ephesians is a wonderful revelation as to the eyes of the heart being unveiled, unbound, as to the greatness of our calling and vocation, as to the immensity of that for which we have been brought into union with His Son. How great it is! Beyond all our grasping, dear friends. Believe me, it is no exaggeration, and Paul says: "that you may KNOW". There is one little prefix missing in our translation which is the key to the whole thing. The Apostle says: 'That you may know... that you may know', and in the New Testament we have that word given to us in part and in whole. It is not given to us in our translation, but it is just this: Knowing, in itself, is applied to our beginning knowledge of the Lord. To quote John again: "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). That is the entering into life, the receiving of divine life but when Paul speaks here about 'knowing', he is using a compound Greek word which we do not have in our translation. It is 'epignosis', FULL knowledge. 'You know', he says to these Ephesians, 'that in the space of two years I ceased not to preach unto you the whole counsel of God.' They knew, and on that initial knowledge they had come to the Lord, but now he is praying, at the end of his life from his prison: 'that you may come unto full knowledge.' It is more than life; it is life abundant. It is more than seeing; it is seeing with a great range of divine purpose and meaning for our calling and our having life. Will you tell me that all Christians are like that? Are there not many around whose heads there is a napkin, which obscures their spiritual vision, limits their spiritual sight, and narrows down the range of their comprehension of the great purpose of their calling? Real revelation, dear friends, is not just information. It is liberation. To see fully, and more fully, is to be released. We have often said about this man Paul that there was nothing on earth or in hell, or in a combination of both, that would have changed the rabid, fanatical Pharisee into the greatest friend that ever Jesus Christ had except light from heaven. Nothing could have done it - but light from heaven did it. The napkin was taken off and the man was set free to walk up and down in the greatness of Jesus Christ. I think we can see that that one verse in the whole of John's Gospel contains the Bible. Is it not true that God's mind for man, God's thought for His people, is: 'Loose him. He has got life, but loose him and let him go!'? "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 89: AUSTIN-SPARKS - A GOD THAT HIDETH HIMSELF ======================================================================== A God That Hideth Himself By T. Austin Sparks "Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour" Isaiah 45:15 It is as though the Prophet was suddenly overawed and struck with amazement at what he was being made to prophesy! In the midst of his ministry something of its wonder broke upon himself and he interjected this ejaculation. Leaving, for the present, much of what this might imply as to prophecy as prediction and its vindication, we will stay with the exclamation itself. That statement is one in principle with several instances in the Scriptures. Looking at the present context we see that it is Israel's release from captivity, and return to the Land to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, which is contemplated. No doubt there had been much speculation and discussing as to how the prophecies of their return would be fulfilled. Seventy years had been determined and made known as the duration of their captivity. The Gentile powers were in undoubted ascendancy and there seemed very little prospect or possibility of Israel's regaining their national power and glory amongst the nations. The state of things in their own country - the destroyed Temple, the burnt city, the land overrun with wild beasts, the enemy emissaries installed - and the disintegration among the people themselves in exile, made the outlook one fraught with seemingly insuperable problems, and it might well have led to complete bafflement and even despair. Then the Prophet is made to foretell that it would all come about - this restoration - at the hands or by the will of the Gentile power itself; that the Sovereign Spirit of God would come down upon one who - as yet - was not in the position to do it, and probably whose name was not yet known at all. Babylon was not yet overthrown: the Babylonian Empire was not yet destroyed; Daniel's prophecies were not yet fulfilled. But the one who would do it was mentioned by name and the details of his conquest are given in this forty-fifth chapter of Isaiah's prophecies. (Read it fragment by fragment.) And then, even although this man would be in ignorance of God, he would be constrained and compelled by God like an Anointed one to fulfil the Scriptures, release the people, provide the means, and generally facilitate the restoration. As the Prophet sees it all in his "vision" ("the vision of Isaiah," 1:1, one vision including everything) he is overwhelmed with wonder. All the problems are solved, the questions answered, the "mountains" levelled! Who would have thought of that? Who would have dreamed such a thing? Oh, how deep are God's ways, beneath our imagination, hidden from our most intense speculations. 'Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." There have been several other great and outstanding instances of the mystery of God's ways in fulfilling His major purposes. All the race had gone from Him and become involved in Godlessness and idolatry. It was universal. How would God meet His own need? Well, He moved to put His hand on one man, and out of that one man He made a nation. In sovereign grace He made that nation His mystery, His secret, among the nations. Israel was God's mystery, God's hidden way. There was always something mysterious about Israel. Paul, in contemplating this method of God and finding it rise up with such overwhelming power, did just what Isaiah did. While writing it down he just interjected a loud and resounding ejaculation:- "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past tracing out!" (Romans 11:33; A.S.V.). He might well have added, "Thou art a God that hidest Thyself." Who would ever have thought of the Incarnation, and that, not in glory, but in humiliation unto offending every expectation of man? Who would have thought of the Cross for God Incarnate as the method and means of solving the greatest problem ever known in this universe? Who would have suspected that it was all embodied in that Man of Nazareth, "the carpenter's son" as they called Him? There was the greatest mystery of God! Did it work? Has it proved to be the way, the only way, and the transcendently successful way? And what is true as to the mystery of Israel, and the mystery of Christ, is also true as to the mystery of the Church. There is a hiddenness about the true Church. No natural eye can discern it. No natural mind can explain it. Reduce it to human sense and description and you have lost it, you have got hold of the wrong thing. "God's wisdom (is) in a mystery," says Paul. Try to commend the Church to the world without faith and you have stripped your Church of its secret power! Unless men come right up against inscrutable God Who overwhelms them, that which claims to be His dwelling-place is an empty shell. And we would remind you that what is true in these great epochs of sovereign progress down the ages, these interventions and advents in the history of this world's spiritual life, is true in the life of each one of His true people. Such will be constantly confronted with the how? of impossible situations, in order that they may be compelled to repeated exclamations in the presence of His simple solutions - "VeriIy Thou art a God That hidest Thyself." "Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will." "I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, the Lord, Who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel" (Isaiah 45:3; ASV.) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 90: AUSTIN-SPARKS - A MAN IN CHRIST ======================================================================== A Man in Christ By T. Austin Sparks "I know a man in Christ" 2 Corinthians 12:2 The object of our consideration is manhood in relation to the Lord's testimony, and for it we take a little phrase used by the apostle Paul about himself: "I knew a man in Christ". To it may be linked a few other simple phrases: "I JESUS have sent my angel to testify unto you..." (Revelation 22:16) "I JOHN, your brother and partaker with you..." (Revelation 1:9) "Now I PAUL myself entreat you..." (2 Corinthians 10:1) "I DANIEL understood by the books..." (Daniel 9:2) These personal references were evidently inspired by the Holy Spirit, and therefore carry their own significance. Humanity is a divine conception, something taking its origin in the mind of God. Being, then, in the eternal thought of God, it has come to stay. There is nothing in all the Scriptures to indicate that God at some time, at some point, is going to finish that order of beings and replace it with another - angelic or otherwise. No, manhood has come to stay. In the divine thought, manhood is a very noble thing with a very great and high destiny. THE DIGNITY OF MAN IN GOD'S THOUGHT In this article we may have largely to be occupied with the correcting of faulty ideas in order to get at the true. Our ideas about man have become somewhat confused. Evangelical Christianity has placed great emphasis upon man's total depravity. I have nothing to take from that. We need to remember, however, that every truth runs close to error. It is just as true to affirm that man is a very wonderful creation, "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14). We are constantly discovering new realms within the human soul, and it is the soul of man which is the very core of humanity. From time to time we are surprised at what there is in us all of capability and capacity, of unsuspected forces at work. There are two sides to this matter of humanity; the one, which is perfectly true, of man's total depravity; the other, equally true, of the dignity of the human idea in the mind of God. These two must be properly balanced, or many evils may result. May we try to correct a few faulty ideas so that we can understand more of God's real thought concerning man? OUR INDIVIDUALITY IS NOT ANNIHILATED BY THE CROSS Running closely alongside of what is so often our unbalanced conception of man, there is our idea as to the meaning of the cross in his experience. We place a great deal of emphasis upon that side of the cross which relates to our identification with Christ in His death; not only the removal, by that death, of our sins, but also of ourselves. The cross wholly and utterly sets aside one kind of man. There is nothing to take from that, and nothing to add to it: it is true. But our individuality is not annihilated by the cross; the cross does not destroy our personal entity. It deals with the basis of that humanity upon which we are now living because of Adam, but it does not destroy us. We need to be very careful not to try to carry the cross into realms where it is never supposed to operate. We must not think that identification with Christ in death and burial somehow means that we cease to function as sensible beings. The cross is never meant to create or minister to asceticism. OUR INDIVIDUALITY IS NOT LOST IN THE BODY OF CHRIST Another faulty conception is related to membership of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is a great reality, a wonderful truth. We have nothing to take from the fact that we have a related life in Christ as members of His body. We must be careful, though, to avoid the false conception of the Church as Christ's body which regards the individual distinctiveness of each member as being destroyed so that all may be merged as it were into a general lump. Paul is very careful to point out the importance of the personal form of each member: "If the whole body were an eye... If the whole were hearing..." (1 Corinthians 12:17). We have only to consider our own bodies, both inside and out, to know that the smallest organ has its own distinctiveness. Each has a specific form and a distinct function, and at times it is one of the effects of disease that it destroys the distinctive function of some organ. If this is true physically, it can be true spiritually. We must not confuse individualism with individuality. That is a mistake. Yes, individualism is unacceptable but individuality is of supreme importance. The same truth obtains in the whole creation. One of the wonders of God's creation is its endless variety. Yet the whole of the creation is interdependent: every branch depends on another branch, the flower on the bee and the bee on the flower. This is a divine principle found everywhere, each individual living thing must have its own form, though being dependent on others for the justification of its existence and the realisation of its destiny. GOD'S IDEA IS A MAN A further faulty idea is to think that God's work is performed by reason of an office rather than with the person who bears that office. We think of them under certain designations, such as 'ministers', 'missionaries', 'whole-time workers' or 'preachers', but God thinks of them in their capacity as human beings. They must not cease to be persons and become things. It is easy for those concerned to regard themselves as something that belongs to a platform or a class and so obscure the importance of personality. We may think of sending out a missionary, but God talks of sending a man. It is the man not the occupation which matters with Him, and we must not let any office obscure the character of the person who holds it. GOD WANTS ORIGINALITY Here is a very important point, this matter of originality. From one point of view it may be argued that there is nothing in itself really original: "There is nothing new under the sun" was what Solomon said. Nevertheless God can do in us that which makes "all things new". Nothing should be copied or mechanical in our life and ministry, but everything emerging from a first-hand experience of God. This is the secret of spiritual authority. What made the authority of the Lord Jesus greater than that of the scribes (Matthew 7:29) was not that He had more academic information than they had, but that He clearly spoke from His own experience, He spoke directly from God. On our case, too, God demands a history behind what we say. His testimony is not the mechanical propagation of truths but their living power as embodied in human lives. We are not here just to stand as a kind of middle man, taking up from a store and passing on in a mechanical way, but to communicate what has become original spiritual truth in our own personal experience. Originality is essential. Everything has got to begin with us before it can be given to others with an effect or lasting value. We need to begin with personal history. We cannot live on the experience of others, however real those experiences were to them. "I JESUS." Does not that impress you, coming right at the end of the Bible and being the last utterance of the Lord to His churches? Notice that He did not say, "I the Lord", but "I Jesus". All Bible students know that in the New Testament the name 'Jesus' refers to the days of His earthly life. After His exaltation they always added 'Lord' to His other titles and names, and the apostles only used the name Jesus alone when they wished to emphasise His perfect humanity. Used by itself the name refers back to His life of humiliation when He took the form of a man. "He was found in fashion as a man" (Php_2:7). The word 'fashion' means that in all outward appearance He was like other men. Another word is used of what He was inside; that was something other. But in this outward fashion as a man He took the name Jesus, which was one of the most common names in Palestine then. So the name carries us back to the day when He was going through all that which made spiritual history in Himself - tried, tested, tempted in all points like as we are (Hebrews 4:15) and being "made perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:10). History was being made in His Humanity. As a Man, He was learning obedience by the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). This in no way questions His deity. It means that though God incarnate, Jesus was knowing all about human life, making spiritual history in terms of manhood, with intrinsic values which will be for the ages of the ages. Having done all that in terms of manhood, He at last presents Himself to His churches, saying: "I Jesus". Then there is the writer of the book who introduces himself with the phrase, "I John". His experience was on so much smaller a scale, yet in its measure it was true that what he wrote was not something which had come mechanically to him but the result of vital experience. Of the Word he was able to say: "That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands handled...". It has become a part of us. We have a vital relationship with the truth as it is in Him. It follows that we are now in a position to mention ourselves in relation to the testimony of Jesus. Then Paul, who spoke of himself as "a man in Christ" was also allowed to bring himself into view with the authority of one who had history behind him: "Behold, I Paul say unto you..." (Galatians 5:2). What Paul taught had become the very substance of his being. He was not talking about abstract truths but about things which had actually happened to him. Having had the truth wrought into him he could affirm in the Spirit: "I Paul say unto you". Was that not also true of Daniel? "O MAN greatly beloved" (Daniel 10:19). God did not say to him: "O prophet greatly beloved" or "O servant of the Lord greatly beloved" but "O man...". The man is a man of God, a man in the Lord, and so there is great spiritual authority when he says: "I Daniel". Naturally woman is included, for God is concerned with humanity. He plans to fulfil His will in human beings. Leaving aside our special reference to Jesus, whom we know as a human being PLUS, we glory in the fact that these servants of God were so essentially human. John was so human. Paul was so human. Daniel was a human being. Through His Son God makes something of Himself as a part of human life, and in doing so constitutes the testimony of Jesus. God's great objective with you is not to make you a Bible teacher, a missionary, a Christian worker. These may emerge, according to the form which your life may take, but they will not be eternal. It is you as a man or a woman with whom God is taking such pains, He is more concerned with our humanity than with anything else. You will misunderstand His ways with you if you fail to recognise that. You will be tempted to worry about your reputation, your job, your function, while God is supremely concerned with the kind of man you will be in Christ. All else is of lesser importance. The great thing is for God to find His eternal satisfaction in glorified men - men in Christ. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 91: AUSTIN-SPARKS - A SAVIOUR TO THE UTTERMOST ======================================================================== A Saviour to the Uttermost By T. Austin Sparks "Wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" Hebrews 7:25 Howsoever viewed, this is a great and heartening statement. The ability of our Lord Jesus Christ to save at all times and in all circumstances is the sheet anchor of the faith of God's people. A Saviour who never fails, who can never be confronted with a situation too difficult for Him, is a fundamental necessity to all who are seeking to live to the glory of God in an end time, and who are, therefore, continually meeting the fierce and unceasing antagonism of the forces of darkness. Here the glorious declaration of His power to save to the uttermost is made for our comfort, and for the strengthening of faith. We shall look at this in two ways: firstly, regarding it as a statement by itself and seeking to gather its rich and full meaning; then looking at it in its context and noting the immense reinforcement that is brought to faith as the statement is seen to be the culminating point of one section of the whole great argument concerning the person and work of Jesus our Lord. (1) The Great Statement This is a favourite text for evangelistic sermons. It is indeed "good news" for the sinner. No one, however sunken in sin, is beyond the reach of His saving power. He is able to save all who come, and to save them to the uttermost. Let the message go out to the furthest bounds of human sin and need, and be sounded in the ears of the most hardened and degraded of the sons of men. No case is too hard for Him. Hallelujah! But this is written as a message to the Lord's people. It is a glorious declaration of His saving power in relation to those who draw near to God, and is based, not only upon His death on Calvary, but upon His present life and ministry as the High Priest of His people. It is because "He ever liveth" that "He is able to save to the uttermost" (or completely - RVM). This is the gospel for the saints. What a joy to declare it! The more dire the need (and some of the Lord's people are in desperate need) the greater the comfort of the declaration. What a consolation to the heart, when involved in some situation of acute, and humanly hopeless, difficulty, to remember that, interceding for us at the right hand of Divine power, we have One Who, because He ever liveth, is able to exercise saving power to the full range and depth of an uttermost need: and not only able but willing to save, and in the bitterest trial to "make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it". To trust Him is to find salvation. "They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true." "To the uttermost." This is a translation of a very rich original word. Like many of the words God employs in Holy Scripture it is a word with a big content. Someone has truly said that the words the Holy Spirit uses are great words in that they have God behind them. They are often much bigger than we realize. This word combines two separate ideas; first that of quality, then that of reach. It speaks of His ability to save completely in the present, and also to go on saving thus for ever; fullness of resource for present need, however dire, and also for every future need to the end of our earthly history. It may be expressed thus: Whatever the depth and complexity of present need, in whatsoever realm that need may be, whether in spirit, soul, or body; in Him, as exalted at God's right hand, there is complete ability to meet it: and further, by no possibility can there arise a situation to the farthest reach of time where that ability will be diminished, or His saving power be other than an abiding reality. We are living in days when the outlook for this world is gloomy indeed and when fear might well grip the heart, even of the believer. No man knows what is going to happen today, or tomorrow, still less the day after. Fear is gripping the hearts of men everywhere. Many of the Lord's people are afraid that they will become involved in some situation beyond the power of human endurance. Many in war-torn lands are going through trials and sufferings which strain endurance to the breaking point. Not a few, even in peaceful lands like our own, are tried in circumstance or physical suffering which seems to be beyond measure. How shall such endure to the end and be joyful in the midst of their tribulations? Only by an experience of His saving power, entered into on the basis of faith in His ever-present and never-diminishing ability to make His salvation a glorious reality. Faith asserts in the face of the most extreme difficulty and of human impossibility: "He ever liveth! He is able to save to the uttermost!" This is true in every realm of human need. Whether the problem be related to sin, self, the world, the Devil, or to death and him who wields it as a potent weapon, the power of an uttermost salvation resides in our Priestly Intercessor on the Father's throne. Fearful heart, take comfort: He ever liveth! He is there in the full value of His Calvary triumph. Nothing has been lost in the process of the years. All that He won as the mighty victor in the hour of His weakness and seeming defeat, He holds on our behalf. It is all available to faith. "And now He lives Proclaim the joyful story, the Lord's on high; And we in Him are raised to endless glory And ne'er shall die." Death has no dominion over Him, nor can we be brought under the power of it while we keep Him in full view. He lives, and has said, "Because I live, ye shall live also." Living, He is abundantly able to save. (2) The Statement In Its Setting The comfort, consolation, and strength-giving power of this declaration, are immensely reinforced as we view it in its context, and see it as the culmination of a great argument. We miss a great deal of the value of the Word of God by our habit of reading short portions or single chapters. It is always worthwhile to take time to see the scope and range of the particular book we are reading, to note its divisions, apprehend its arguments, and see where the climaxes come. The 'wherefores' and 'therefores' of the Word are most helpful in this connection. They always cast us back on that which has preceded the passage in question and indicate the foundation of the statement made. So this great declaration of the unceasing ability of the Lord to minister an uttermost salvation commences with "Wherefore". That is linked in the first place with verse 24: "But He, because He abideth for ever, hath His priesthood unchangeable" (Hebrews 7). This, in turn, is the culmination of the whole argument concerning our Lord's priestly ministry in contrast with the Aaronic priesthood of the old economy. It will help if we seek to see something of the scope and range of the Epistle to the Hebrews. It was written to Hebrew believers; men who had been reared in the old Mosaic order of things, with its outward and visible worship, its sacrifices and priesthood, laws and ordinances. All this was passing away before their eyes and they had not yet become fully alive to the inward and essentially spiritual character of that into which they had entered as they passed out of Judaism into the Christian Church. Hence the Holy Spirit was seeking to demonstrate to them the immense superiority of Christ, in every aspect of His person and work, as contrasted with the old order of things and the leaders they held in reverence. The key word of the Epistle is "better". There is a better hope, a better testament, better promises, better sacrifices, a better resurrection, a better country, etc. Firstly, then, the Lord Jesus is declared to be God's final message to men (chapter 1:1-2) and as such is superior to the angels and messengers through whom the old covenant was given (chapters 1 and 2). Then He is placed in contrast with Moses, the revered leader of the people from Egypt to Canaan, and the one through whom the Law was given. Christ is shown to be superior to Moses inasmuch as, in God's house, the Son is superior to one who, however great, was after all but a servant (chapter 3:1-6). Joshua takes up the position of national leader on the death of Moses and conducts the people into the promised land; but though he gives them a large measure of possession, he was not able to give them rest therein. Our Lord is shown to be superior to Joshua in that He is able to lead His people into 'the rest that remaineth to the people of God' (chapter 4:8-10). Then comes the long section dealing with the great matter of priesthood, commencing with chapter 4:14 and going through to chapter 10. Christ as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek is set forth in contrast to the Aaronic priesthood, and the superiority of His office and ministry is found to consist in the fact that, whereas the priests of old were men whose lives were short and their ministry constantly interrupted by death, He lives by the power of an endless life and hath an unchangeable and age-abiding ministry. The great declaration in relation to His priesthood is a twofold one (chapter 5:5-6). 1. "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee." 2. "Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." And, further, this declaration is confirmed by God's oath: "The Lord sware and will not repent Himself, Thou art a Priest for ever..." (chapter 7:21). Priesthood is an office, but one based upon moral suitability, upon sonship. The priests of the old Aaronic order were able to deal gently with the ignorant and the erring, because they themselves were compassed with infirmity, and therefore were compelled to offer sacrifice, not only for the sins of the people, but also for their own. They had the power of sympathy strongly developed because of their personal experience. Our glorious High Priest was sinless and needed not to offer sacrifice on His own behalf. Nevertheless His power of sympathetic understanding is in no wise inferior to that of Aaron and his successors. Though He was a Son, He entered into the school of suffering and therein "learned obedience". He came to His perfection as Man, and therefore to His suitability for the high-priestly office, along the road of discipline: it was not that there was ever in Him a disposition towards disobedience. But it is one thing to be disposed to obedience and another to learn what obedience really means in the discipline of life. His delight in the will of God, declared when He came into the world, must be proved by treading the thorny road of life in dependence and active obedience. As another has well said, "The progress from the disposition to the deed of obedience is a practical learning of the virtue of obedience." So having come to His perfection along this difficult and painful road, He not only "became the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him," but is able fully to sympathize with those obedient souls in all the trials and conflicts they endure, as they also tread the hard road leading to their perfection. The fullness of His experience, gathered in the school of suffering, and the certainty of His moral suitability to be the unchanging High Priest of His people, is seen in the fact that God, in making the double declaration, "Thou art My Son... Thou art a Priest for ever," confirmed His appointment to the priestly office with an oath. Now this is a remarkable thing. It is an altogether new note in relation to priesthood. The priestly order of the old dispensation was of Divine origin, but God never spake of it in terms like this. What is involved in this really startling statement? The purpose for which God employed this surprising method is clearly stated in chapter 6 with reference to Abraham: "For men sware by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. Wherein God, being minded to shew more abundantly... the immutability of His counsel, interposed with an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:16 - Hebrews 6:18; RV). The oath of God was taken for the strong encouragement of the heirs of promise. Here then is finality and unchangeability. God has sworn by Himself and will not repent. "Thou art a Priest for ever." Here is a fact altogether beyond the reach of the rebel forces in the universe, one which nothing in heaven or hell can change. After the order of him who was without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, our blessed Lord, "the Man Christ Jesus," having entered as our forerunner within the veil, "abideth a Priest continually". Having reached this great climax in chapter 7:24-25, and making the declaration that, because Christ abideth ever and hath an unchangeable priesthood, He is able to save to the uttermost, the writer sums the matter up thus:- "Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a High Priest, Who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man" (Hebrews 8:1 - Hebrews 8:2; RV). Two points are to be noted. (1) He sat down. (2) He is a Minister of the sanctuary. Priests of the Aaronic order never sat down in the sanctuary: their work was never completed; the same sacrifices had to be offered year by year continually. But our High Priest offered one sacrifice for sins for ever. Having made propitiation for sins, He has passed through the heavens and is seated on the Father's throne. He is King as well as Priest. He is in the place of supreme and universal power. At the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, all authority is committed into His hands. The work of redemption is finished. The claims of Divine righteousness are fully satisfied. His victory over the rebel forces is full and final. In Him everything in the purpose and program of God has been secured. But all that has to be made good in the experience of 'the people for His Name' who are being gathered out from the nations of the world, and who, in the wonderfully gracious purpose of God are to share His throne in the coming kingdom. He is their representative, their forerunner, but they have not arrived where He is. Hence we have the paradoxical statement that, though He has sat down, He is none the less a Minister of the sanctuary. He is in full activity as the High Priest of His people, perpetually ministering on their behalf before God, in order that they may be maintained in their heavenly life, and may overcome all resistance even as He overcame. It is His ceaseless and untiring ministry in "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man," that is the ground of His people's sure confidence and triumphant boldness. "He ever liveth to make intercession." His ministry is a twofold one. On the one hand He maintains us before God by the virtue of all that He is in Himself, and by the value of His atoning sacrifice in all its range and power; and, on the other hand, He mediates to us of His fullness continually, so that as we 'draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, we find grace to help in every time of need.' Thus we are able constantly to experience His ability to save to the uttermost. There is no reason why we should be fearful in any circumstance, or despair in any situation of acute and desperate need. If we are conscious of uttermost need, He is presented to faith as an uttermost Saviour, on the basis of God's immutable oath. He is Redeemer, Saviour, High Priest, and Sovereign Lord. We have such a High Priest. Let us evermore rejoice in what He is in Himself, where He is in His Sovereign Lordship, and what He is doing in that tireless ministry on our behalf in the very presence of God. "The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever..." He is able to save to the uttermost. Hallelujah! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 92: AUSTIN-SPARKS - BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB ======================================================================== Because of the Blood of the Lamb By T. Austin Sparks "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death." Revelation 12:11 Reading: Zechariah 3:1 - Zechariah 3:10; Revelation 12:1 - Revelation 12:12. One clause of that verse sums up everything else and is sufficient - "because of the blood of the Lamb." The Travail for the Man-Child Now first of all, beloved, I want to gather together several things which I believe represent the significance of that statement, that to which the statement belongs. I am one of those who believe (I do not ask you to believe it because I do, but that you will go to the Lord with open hearts about it) that the man-child of this chapter represents a company of the Lord's people at the end-time who, in a peculiar way, stand in the fullness of the virtue and power of the Blood of the Lord Jesus; and, as we have often said, we believe that it is that people, that company, the man-child, that God in a special way is seeking to secure for Himself at this time; the thing which, in the midst of other things, He is peculiarly, particularly concerned to bring into being. It is a company called into a peculiar relationship to the Lord Himself for the fulfilment of a priestly ministry in relation to the universal kingdom of our God and His Christ - and I use the word "universal" there with care; not just an earthly aspect of that kingdom, but also the heavenly aspect. We must understand that there are two sides to the kingdom; there is the earthly side and there is the heavenly side. There will be those who are in the earthly side who will not be in the heavenly side, but there will not be any in the heavenly side who are not in the earthly side. Get the heavenly side and you get both. This particular company, the man-child company, is, in the purpose of God, to be brought into relation to Him for the fulfilment of a priestly ministry in relation to the universal kingdom of our God and His Christ; a priestly ministry, in relation to the kingdom and the throne, the universal sovereignty of the Lord Jesus; an administrative instrument in heaven, to rule with Him, from the heavens, the whole range of His dominion. Let us call to mind an Old Testament illustration of this in the person of Samuel. You will remember that the birth of Samuel was impossible of realisation along the ordinary line of nature, but his mother Hannah entered into a spiritual travail concerning him. While in that spiritual travail, while before the Lord in strong crying and tears for this man-child, the other wife of her husband laughed at her, sneered at her, looked down upon her. She had children, Hannah had none, and was despised; and then by a special intervention and act of God that spiritual travail was answered and Samuel was born. Born, on the one hand, out of travail in her soul, on the other hand, born out of a direct act of God in His Divine intervention when man was helpless, and nature was impotent. When Samuel was weaned he was presented in the Temple and we read that "Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod," - the priest's garment. You see the stages; he - you might say from birth, from infancy, without a lapse of years - immediately came into a priestly office. He was designed for that, brought into being for that, the travail was unto that. We have noticed that it says of Hannah, that she weaned the child. Speaking of Sarah and Isaac it says "when the child was weaned" - taking its course. Hannah did it as quickly as she could, it did not take its course, she did it to get him into this priestly ministry as soon as could be. So that his very life from its beginning was marked by this priestly ministry, and it was in relation to the throne and the kingdom - Samuel was the king-anointer, Samuel brought in the great king. His priestly ministry was in relation to the kingdom. He was the embodiment of that great phrase "kingdom and priests unto God." Here is your type, a man-child. We have often said that women in the Bible represent spiritual principles, and Hannah represents the spiritual law of travail unto the specific purpose of God, and when you come to Revelation 12:1-17, you have a woman into whom there enters a spirit of travail; a spirit of travail comes in, as I believe, unto the bringing forth of this specific company, this remnant company, the man-child born out of that spirit of travail, that crying-out spirit, that anguish. Against that company the Adversary is set, deadly set. Zechariah 3:1-10 which we have read introduces these principles again in another historic setting. Joshua the high-priest is in person the embodiment of the priestly ministry of all Israel, that which is to be a "kingdom and priests unto God"; the high-priest simply gathers up the whole priestly nation in his person, and Joshua is there seen as the figure-head of the priesthood in relation to the kingdom. The priesthood, the priestly ministry, the priestly vocation and calling, is in a sorry state in Zechariah's day. You see Joshua clothed in filthy garments. That is the condition of things, and Satan - the Adversary - is seen standing at his right hand to be his adversary. The right hand is the place of power, and Satan is in the place of power because of the filthy garments, and accuses Joshua before God. We will come to that again later - Satan in the place of power as an accuser of that which is meant to fulfil this priestly ministry in relation to the kingdom. Bringing these things together you are getting the background of spiritual principles, and you are seeing exactly what is in view in this chapter in Revelation. "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb." The Power of the Blood is Primarily in its Incorruptibility What is the ground of victory? What is the basis of that ultimate triumph? By what means will God get His end? It says here "because of the blood of the Lamb." That, first of all, and I believe more than anything else, relates to the nature of the Blood of the Lord Jesus. I mean the absolute sinlessness of the Lord Jesus in His essential life, in His essential nature; His absolute sinlessness: that His nature was altogether devoid of the slightest suspicion of corruption, of sin, of defilement, of corruptibility. That is its strength; that is its power; that is its victory. Before you can understand the working of the power of the Blood of the Lord Jesus you have to understand the absolute immunity from any suggestion of sin in the nature of the Lord Jesus. Sin was not found in Him. He was the "Lamb without blemish and without spot," and although He was born of a virgin, of a woman who was a member of Adam's race, by the direct activity and operation of the Holy Spirit there was a complete cutting in between Mary as a member of Adam's race and the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, so that He inherited none of the sin of Adam's race by His birth. It is important to see that. He was born of a member of Adam's race and yet inherited none of its sin in His nature, because of a cutting in of the Holy Ghost, so that it could be said of Him as of no other being ever in this universe, "that holy thing." Essentially, in very substance, He was holy, and His Blood represents His nature, His life without corruption, without sin, without taint of any kind, absolutely sinless and, therefore, Satan has no power over Him; "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." Because of this He can cast out the prince of this world, and can make a show of him openly, triumphing over him in His Cross. He can vanquish Satan, He can meet sin and deal with it in the mastery of it because it has no ground in Him of crippling and weakening. See Joshua in his place of weakness, a place of impotence, a place where he is not functioning in his holy calling, in a place of defeat, and the Adversary in the place of power, at his right hand to be his adversary! He cannot help himself because of his filthy garments, and before Joshua can ever be established in the place of power, and given ascendancy, before Satan as the accuser can be cast down, these filthy garments have to be removed. In principle and effect the Blood has to take effect. The Blood, the precious sinless Blood, has to come in and deal with sin, the power and ground of satanic activity - the means of accusation on the part of the Adversary. Before that can be destroyed the Blood has to be operative. The "Overcomer" Stands on the Ground of the Perfections of Christ, and Meets the "Accuser" by Faith's Appropriation Thereof What is the meaning of the Blood being applied? It is that which is the absolute sinlessness of the Lord Jesus being the ground upon which we stand. That gives us authority, gives us power. It is the essential perfection of Christ as being the ground of our confidence, our faith, our trust and our testimony. If we stand in ourselves we are defeated. There are no perfections in us, there is nothing in us whatever that can bring Satan to naught and deliver us from his accusations and from his position of power over us. But when we stand in Christ, in all the perfection of His nature, of His being, in the absolute sinlessness of Christ represented in that incorruptible Blood, there is deliverance. And so that Blood poured out becomes active, operative, in motion, and it is a great thing to have the perfections of the Lord in motion on our behalf, flowing, active to meet all the accusations of the enemy. "The accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night." Why? Because they are not standing now on the ground of their own imperfection and sinfulness and weakness and faultiness, but they are now standing on the ground of His absolute perfection, and bearing testimony thereto: "The word of their testimony." "They overcame because of the blood." It is a question of a ground of absolute holiness, absolute holiness not in ourselves but in Him, and our appropriating by faith and apprehending by faith all that the Lord Jesus is in His essential being as the spotless Lamb of God for us to God, from God to us. We can never reiterate that note too often. That is the ground of victory. Give the enemy one little fragment of old Adam, of the flesh, of self, of sin, and he immediately takes the place of power and immediately brings you under accusation and begins to weaken both life and ministry. You know this is true; if you do not you will find it out. But stand continuously in the efficacy of that Blood, stand continuously in your receiving by faith of all that the Lord Jesus is made unto you from God, clear up everything concerning which the Holy Spirit speaks in conviction, clear it up in virtue of that Blood, and the enemy is ruled out, he is not in the place of power. Back to Top Satanic Tyranny Through Self-Occupation Broken by a Right Apprehension of the Blood Oh! if the Lord's people could get this in their hearts. There are so many of the Lord's people today over whom Satan is lording it; lording it along the line of accusation, bringing them under a sense of condemnation and judgment, robbing them of their peace, of their assurance, rest, hope; and you will find these people are everlastingly talking about their own short-comings, their sinfulness; they are for ever circling round themselves, all that they are that they would not be, all that they are not that they would be. Their deliverance from Satan is that they should have a fresh apprehension of the absolute satisfaction of the Father in His Son on their behalf, and that they find their standing before the Father in acceptance. That is the way of deliverance, the way of the Adversary's casting out. This is the way of overcoming him as the Accuser. Yes, the ground of the Blood is sufficient for this full-orbed, many-sided, all-round victory. "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb," and the first and supreme factor in the virtue of that Blood in all these directions, is its untainted sinlessness, the nature of the Lord Jesus. There has never been another who was such. Oh, I am so glad that it was God that came in Christ, GOD that came in Christ. Can you charge God with sin? Can you lay sin to God's charge, to God's account? It was God in Christ, the absolutely and altogether holy One in whom there was no sin, who came in incarnation; and in virtue of that Divine nature in its perfection Satan in his authority is defeated - on that ground. Blessed be God! We receive by faith the virtue of that precious Blood; that is, the perfection of the Lord Jesus can be put to our account. That is grace - the wonder of the Gospel. If we were to begin to analyse ourselves and take stock of ourselves, that would be a terrible business, a wretched business, and it would be endless - think of it, beloved, with all that we know of ourselves, all that God knows about us - ''The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart. I try the reins..." Though all that be a fact, you and I can stand now in the presence of God as sinlessly perfect, not in ourselves, but in Christ, as having absolute sinless perfection put to our account by God. Understand I am not confusing things, I am not saying that any of us ever becomes sinlessly perfect in ourselves here, but those perfections of the Lord Jesus are put to our account before God to satisfy His requirements, to provide the ground where Satan no longer has authority. The defeat of Satan and the victory of the saints is not by their effort, their straining, their groaning, nor by anything they can do; it is the measure of their faith's appropriation of the absolute perfection of Christ for them as a living, working thing of God on their behalf. It is a great thing to be in Christ Jesus. The Blood Represents Total Separation to God The second thing, bound up with the first as to the meaning of the Blood, is absolute separation unto God, and that voluntarily; wholly, utterly separated and abandoned to God. There was not at any point in His person a deviation. He was whole. He was one. You cannot find mixture. You never find wool and cotton in His spiritual garments. You never find in Him the counterpart of those things forbidden in the Old Testament as typical of contradictions and deviations and things which do not harmonise. He was one, mind and heart and will, without the slightest reservation, and wholly for God. That was His nature, and that has its very seat in His Blood. His Blood represents that - a life which is sinless, and wholly and utterly given over to God without the slightest deviation in thought or desire, inclination, will. The Blood speaks of that, beloved, absolute separation unto God. Go back to the Old Testament for illustration. In the Book of Joshua, chapter 5, you have the people coming to Gilgal where the Lord, through Joshua, ordered the complete circumcising of Israel. All the males that had been born in the wilderness were circumcised at Gilgal and the Lord's word was this: "This day (when it was done) have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt... wherefore the name of that place was called Gilgal," which is "rolling." "The Lord hath rolled away the reproach of Egypt" - on the day of the circumcising, in the day of that symbolic act in the shedding and encircling of the precious Blood - the whole body of the flesh cut off - so Paul explains it in Colossians 2:1-23, "the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ." The reproach of Egypt rolls away when that happens. What is "the reproach of Egypt?" What is the meaning of that? I wonder if you have noticed the persistent following of Egypt on the heels of Israel all the days of the wilderness. Back to Top I do not mean literally, I mean spiritually. They were constantly looking back to Egypt. "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" Even when Moses went up into the mount and Aaron made the calf and they danced to the calf and worshipped it, it was Egypt brought out in representation. What is it that Stephen tells us about it - I think he sums it all up in a word in Acts 7:39: "... and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt." Their hearts were in Egypt, and it was because their hearts were more than half in Egypt all the forty years, that there is such a sorry story; up and down; one day brighter, and the next day murmuring and complaining again. What a story it is. Whenever, you read the account it seems that the bright patches are almost overlooked and the dark thing is kept in view. It is referred to in the New Testament. Paul writes to the Hebrews about it - their "carcases fell in the wilderness," reminding them of the day of provocation in the wilderness when "your fathers tempted me..."; always coming back to this wretched failure. Why did they fail? Because their hearts were not wholly out of Egypt; because they had not recognised sufficiently nor apprehended adequately the meaning of the type of that precious Blood of the Lamb that was slain. It was not until they came into the land, through the Jordan (which is typically what Christ has done for them in His Cross) to Gilgal (the place of circumcision where the thing is made real in them, - that which was "for" is now made "in"), not until they reach the place of cutting (that Cross entering into their flesh, "the cutting off of the whole body of the flesh" symbolically), that the reproach of Egypt is rolled away. What is the reproach of Egypt? The prophet Zephaniah says, "I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon..." - what are they doing? They are looking down upon the Lord's people, despising them because of their weakness, because they are not getting through to their goal, because from their standpoint, as they judge things, the whole thing is a fiasco - "You left Egypt to get to Canaan and you have been forty years at it!" Weakness, failure of realisation, helplessness and the enemy in the place of strength! Reproach is upon them because they had not recognised that the Blood fundamentally meant an utter cutting off from Egypt; whole-hearted and complete abandonment to God; standing over on God's side with God, not standing over on this side questioning God, but, on God's side with Him. When you get there, in the full meaning of the Cross - a total cutting off from Egypt; a total cutting off from the fleshly will, the fleshly mind, the fleshly heart, and you are with God wholly - then there is victory; until you get there Satan is in the place of power, but when you get there the reproach of Egypt is rolled away, you come into the land in the place of authority and go from strength to strength in ascendancy. It is so clear in the Old Testament illustration. That is Revelation 12:11 in principle. "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death: Therefore rejoice, O heavens..." The Paralysis of a Divided Heart Now, beloved, the trouble with a good many of us has been this divided heart. We are not sure, not absolutely sure about the Lord, about our own position, about the testimony that we are perhaps standing for and talking about; we are not sure about it, we have secret questionings. It does not matter what we say in public and to others about it, God knows the secret of our hearts, whether we are absolutely true in secret with Him over this matter; and there is no way of victory, no way to ascendancy, no way through to the realisation of the Divine end - a people to fulfil a priestly ministry in the universal sovereignty and kingdom of our God and His Christ - until we are on the ground of an absolute undividedness of heart for God in the matter of His testimony. The challenge to our hearts is, Are we utterly in or are we only partly in; half in; three-quarters in? Is there some lurking fascination of Egypt? How Egypt had fascinated and held part of their hearts when they were in the wilderness! Out here everything is uncertain; we never know from one day to another whether we are going to have our food! Back to Top In Egypt there was at least certainty; we did know what our programme was; we were sure that things would be pretty substantial, that while we had our work we got our food! Out here you are forced to depend upon God, and that is a precarious business. Is it? God is more certain than Egypt. There are Christians who feel that this walk of faith is such an uncertain thing. You do not know what the Lord is going to bring you into next, what is going to happen to you. In the world you at least have solid ground under your feet. This flesh wants a basis of evidence for itself; solid earth. This heavenly life - you never know - ah! but do you know the Heavenly ONE? Let me ask you - Do you believe, beloved, that when, having committed yourself to God, having been consecrated to the Lord, having had an understanding with the Lord, and having been obedient to Him up to all the light He has given you, do you believe that when you get to the glory you will be able to say to the Lord: You let me be deceived, my life has been ruined, I have gone wrong? Is that possible? I do not believe it! I believe that whatever the Accuser may try to bring upon us, and whatever others may say about us, if before God in the secret we are honest with Him, if we are cut off by the precious Blood from our own will, our own way, our own schemes, our life interest, and are putting our trust in Him and following the light that He gives, I believe that when we get there, beloved, we shall not have been deceived, but we shall have to say: Lord, You were good to our trust and You led us by a right way that we might come to a city of habitation! The Lord will accept a charge on His honour when we are cut off from ourselves and from all personal and worldly interests, and are wholly for Him. Losing the Crown Egypt for some is the ground of bondage and defeat. Even though we may be the Lord's children, may be Blood-bought, may have come out on redemption ground, yet we may be defeated because of an inadequate apprehension of the meaning of that precious Blood. I believe that there will be many who will lose that thing that God has in view as a special vocation in His heavenly kingdom, because they are not wholly devoted to God now. I do not believe that we will be brought into that willy-nilly. If you want the world, even as a believer, want a little of it - well, you may have it at this cost, the loss of that for which God has preeminently called you, the heavenly kingdom in a marvellous vocation, you will lose that. Paul was after that. Paul strained every nerve, spiritually, for that; left the things which were behind for that, to be preserved unto His heavenly kingdom. There are many Christians who will lose that because they do not go all the way with the Lord; not lose their salvation, but that specific vocation in glory and honour; they will lose it because they did not recognise and honour the full virtue of the Blood in the totality of their consecration and abandonment to the Lord. Yes, in that sense they will be left behind. But those who go through, who overcome in trial, are they that overcome because of the Blood of the Lamb in this second meaning, the absolute abandonment of the Lord Jesus to the will of His Father even unto death; who are standing in the virtue of His consecration, and making their consecration, by His grace, as utter as was His. We shall never have to let go what He let go in His obedience to the will of God. We have not got it to let go, but what the Lord is looking for, beloved, is a people who are with Him completely, with undivided heart, and that is the ground of our victory and of Satan's defeat. Now I think I must close there for the present. Oh, let it be seen that the Blood of the Lamb in its absolute perfection of holiness and sinlessness as representing His being, His substance, His essence, His nature and His complete surrender, His capitulation to the will of His Father, is the ground to stand on; something to be appropriated by faith and held on to. More, it is something to be taken up as a weapon against the enemy. Back to Top The Blood is a Weapon to be Wielded The Dragon is the adversary. We are up against the Devourer. All truly spiritual people know that today; some more than others, perhaps. If he can swallow us up, he will. I believe he is out to strike us with death if he can, to strike our bodies with death, to strike our souls with death. Let me say this word to those who are more intimately associated with things, that the more we come to stand in relation to the Lord concerning the heavenly kingdom and that priestly ministry in the heavenly kingdom in relation to the throne, the more shall we be aware of the immediate proximity of the Dragon, of him who would strike with death, strike our minds with death, strike these bodies with death. That will explain a good deal for some. The nearer we get to the vocation of the man-child, the closer we come to the Dragon, the more shall we be conscious of the encompassing and encircling of death, and shall cry to get out of it, and say, This is not life, it is death! Are we going to accept it? It is death; but where is the virtue of the Blood? Do we refuse it on the ground of that mighty shed Blood? "They overcame him because of the blood..." and we are not going to accept death, because of that Blood. Perhaps some might misunderstand that. We are not saying that we are not going to the grave if the Lord tarries long; but that is not accepting death. We can die, and go to the grave in the physical sense, but that can be victory; not defeat, but triumph! We do not accept death. You may know it spiritually, you know it mentally, you know it round you and playing upon you when you come into close touch with that ultimate end of God in the testimony of Jesus Christ. Look after that explanation; hold on to it. It calls, beloved, for standing up against the adversary, the engulfer, the swallower-up. Blessed be God, there is going to be a greater swallower-up than he. Death is going to be swallowed up. There is one who will swallow up if he can. Against the Dragon, against the Adversary, against the Accuser, against the Deceiver, the Blood is adequate, sufficient; but there must be a positive, active appropriation of the full power and meaning of that Blood and a standing upon it; a taking of it up as an active instrument. Oh! to get a company like that here and now who know and appropriate the power of the Blood; not in the strength of the flesh, but emptied of self, and in all humility, nothingness, weakness, standing in HIS virtue, the power of His Blood, and standing up and using that mighty weapon against the operation of death now, all round, to get through to that end which God has in view. That is what is needed now, a people like that. May the Lord bring this home to our heart, that this may not be an address but an appeal, an urge of the Spirit of Christ - bringing us into that thing actively by prayer. Remember your ground, remember your weapon, remember that all the emptying of self, the weakening, the bringing down, the chastening, the discipline, is to bring you to an effective place. Pride has no standing here; self-sufficiency has no standing here; self-strength comes not into this; naught but the precious Blood. Weakness is not helplessness. Helplessness on our part is not despair. No, it is the open way for the mighty efficacy of the Blood to come into operation. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 93: AUSTIN-SPARKS - GOD NEEDS GIDEONS ======================================================================== God Needs Gideons By T. Austin Sparks "And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might... have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I...? And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee." Judges 6:14 - Judges 6:16 Gideon lived at a time when so much in Israel was contrary to the honour and glory of God's name. The Israelites were at the mercy of their enemies, a defeated people. They were pitifully poor, having no enjoyment of their land, which had been the land of promise, flowing with milk and honey. They were in confusion, with no unity, no cohesion, and no leaders who could speak with finality the authoritative Word of God which alone can bring hope and confidence. In His sovereignty, however, God reacted to recover such conditions as would honour His name among the people, and for this purpose He apprehended Gideon, a young man. An indication that God means to go on with His purpose in spite of much failure is that He brings in young people. Older believers must not be jealous of the younger generation, for increasing age can mean loss of freshness, and if we of the older generation cling to our static position we may bring in death. What is our salvation? What is the renewing of our youth? What is the answer to growing limitation on our part? It is not to suspect youth; not to criticise it; not to despise it as some evidently did in Timothy's case (1 Timothy 4:12); but to do everything in our power to help the younger generation. When I first started ministry I was quite a young man, and I had to assume responsibility for a church where there were some older men who objected, "But he is so young"! I had, however, a champion among those critics, and he answered their objections with the words, "Yes, but that is something he is getting over every day"! We need to see that after all it is not years that govern. Age is not the criterion; the criterion is spirituality. What is true in nature is also true in the realms of things spiritual. As soon as any organism in nature ceases to reproduce, death has commenced. The law of nature is ever fresh reproduction. The law of life is reproduction. God, having once created, does not create a second time; He proceeds by reproduction. Every new generation is meant by God to bring past values into new freshness. No new generation is a new created humanity, but a generation of fresh humanity which perpetuates the good which has gone before. Some of us are a passing generation, and our freshness and fruitfulness will be found in helpfully making way for the next generation. The Lord's glory and honour are expressed in perennial youth, but the new generation cannot succeed just because of youth, any more than it can be officially appointed; it must take up the succession in an inward way, and that means by spirituality. This was the test applied to Gideon. He, like the other judges, illustrates how in divine sovereignty God takes up whom He will, but he also indicates the ground on which that sovereignty works. It is not a contradiction to say that while God acts in absolute sovereignty, He does look for certain conditions which will bring that sovereignty into operation. So it is that we may get some profit from examining a few of the qualities which marked this young man, Gideon, and made him usable by God. Humility The first of these - and it is everywhere evident - was his humility. Humility is the prime mark, the hallmark, of spirituality. No wonder it says that "The Lord looked upon him"! With Gideon there was no pride of person, for far from thinking highly of himself he clearly rated himself very low. He had no pride of family, being ready to confess that his was the poorest household in Manasseh. Now in fact it does appear that his father, Joash, stood for something and had a position of prominence in his city, for it was to his altar of Baal that the citizens came to worship. Moreover Gideon was able to select ten servants from his father's house. The truth seems to be that Gideon was a man of a genuinely humble spirit. He was not proud of being young. Nobody is going to be used by God just for that reason. Nor did he harbour any sense of superiority over the people around him in spiritual matters. He put himself among them and recognised himself to be one with them in their poor spiritual state. If we are proud of our more advanced understanding or of our imagined spirituality; if we look down on others in a critical fault-finding way; then the Lord will never look upon us as He looked upon Gideon nor choose us as His instruments. It is not our business to let it be known that we disapprove of other Christians; it is our business to find a way of helping them. If we seek true humility then we may come into the Lord's view as His instruments to serve Him and His sovereign purposes to recover the glory due to His name. The whole story of Gideon is a declaration that such an instrument must never have any glory of its own. God found Gideon in a humble spirit at the beginning, and He subsequently took pains to reduce him and bring him even lower, for lowliness is the ground of the presence and the power of God. It is only when personal glory is set aside that the Lord can say, as He said to Gideon, "The Lord is with thee...." This is the kind of man whom God can use. A Moses, whose reaction to his call was, "Who am I, that I should go... Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent... but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue". A Jeremiah, who argued, "Ah, Lord God! behold I cannot speak: for I am a child". An Elisha, who was a man not of the wind, the earthquake and the fire, but only an expression of God's power in "a still, small voice". This same principle was indicated for Gideon in the sign of the dew, that silent, lowly expression of life-giving power. God's instrument is always conscious of his own personal inadequacy. Diligence The next point which impresses us in connection with Gideon was his industriousness; he was threshing out corn in the winepress. He did his work in that most unlikely and unsuitable place in order to hide it from the Midianites. The days were so evil that very little seemed possible, and indeed most of the people had fled to caves and holes, being paralysed and impotent because of their ever-present enemies. It looked as though nothing positive could be done, and therefore the tendency was to despair of action and accept the situation of defeat. Gideon, however, had a different attitude. It might be that not much could be done, but there was a little, and he determined to keep occupied with what was possible. As he considered their impossible situation he saw that there was a small, hidden contribution which he could make for the preservation of life. The Lord took note of this spirit. The Lord was standing right by that winepress and watching Gideon's efforts. Perhaps it was for this very reason that He said, "The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour". The Lord is certainly not "with" a slothful person, since to Him diligence is an essential quality. "In diligence not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11) describes the kind of man God looks for, and in the person of Gideon He found him. Gideon's activities were very limited and performed in a cramped sphere, but he was doing all that could be done, even if it seemed so little. The Lord took note of that, for sometimes even a gesture is enough for Him. If He sees one who, as it were, on entering a room makes straight for the armchair, a man who is looking for excuses and glad to skirt around or evade some responsibility which confronts him, then the Lord will not look on him as He did on Gideon. The margin tells us that "The Lord turned toward him". The Lord always turns toward those who are alert to seize even small opportunities of service. The same principle applied to the ten thousand who were taken down to the river to get a drink (Judges 7:4). The last thing that could have occurred to those men was that their method of drinking was really a test, but once again God's decision and choice was based on a gesture, a gesture which revealed those who were putting divine interests before their own personal affairs. It was not that in His sovereign majesty He had ordained that some would lap and some would go down on their knees but that His sovereign work would be done by those who revealed their dispositions by their behaviour in a small matter. We, too, reveal our dispositions by very simple actions, and it may well be that in our daily life and work the Lord's eye is upon us to watch our disposition, for if we will jump at that which gives us some personal gratification or grasp at an opportunity to shirk hard work, then He will not use us in His great purposes. None of us will ever be used of the Lord in any vital way unless our hearts are wholly set on Him and His interests. "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings." (Proverbs 22:29) God is looking for men like that. Concern for Others In a sense this is part of what we have already said - Gideon was concerned for others. He looked and saw that the people were starving, and that the enemy was seeking to steal away what little food they had, so he did his best to help an undernourished and weakened people who could not lift a hand for their own deliverance. All of us need the outward look - "Not looking each one to his own things, but each of you to the things of others" (Php_2:4). Gideon was not one of those introverts who are always pre-occupied with their own condition. He might well have been filled with self-pity and complaints at being involved in such a sorry situation, but instead he was concerned about the troubles of others and was ready to pray and act on their behalf. That activity down in the winepress suggests a secret concern and effort to outwit the enemy, even if only in a small way. Further, Gideon betrayed a real heart concern by replying to the statement that God was with him with a question about his people's troubles and needs. His great concern was not about himself but about the fact that the former activities and wonders of God among His people were now no longer operating. This was all so different from theorising and giving slick theological answers to the Israelites' circumstances; it was as though the winepress was symbolic, and Gideon a man who was being crushed in spiritual travail over the needs of God's defeated people. Whether a man is young or old he will only be useful to God if he bears this kind of heart concern. Nobody is going to serve the name and honour of the Lord by doctrines, by clever interpretations of the Scriptures or by mystical vistas of spiritual truths. The Lord will not spend much time looking towards the theorisers; He is watching for men with hearts that are as burdened as Gideon's was, burdened with inward suffering over the unhappy state of His people. No Complicity with the Enemy The further point to note is what took place when Gideon destroyed the idol in his father's house. We will never destroy Satan and his kingdom, we will never destroy what is represented by the Midianite tyranny if privately, behind the scenes, there is any kind of complicity with that kingdom. In our case the problem is not in our father's house but in our own hearts. There seems to be something inside us which is in alliance with the kingdom of darkness, a false altar which has to be overthrown to make way for God's altar. Before Gideon could go out and save Israel, recovering among them the honour due to the Lord's name, something had to be dealt with in the background of his own life. He did it! It is true that he did it fearfully, for he was a man without self-confidence, and it is true that he did it at night; nevertheless - night or day - he did it, and that was what mattered. The altar and the name! It is impressive and significant how often these two are linked together in the Scriptures. The focal point of Gideon's whole story was that altar. It symbolised a new relationship and harmony between God and himself. Where there is an altar for the Lord's name, and where He finds His full satisfaction, there the glory of the Lord is secured and that being so it is peace - Jehovah Shalom. It seems that up to that point there was some uncertainty with Gideon, but after that there was no more uncertainty. The great victory was sure from then onwards. The real battle is often in the heart of the man who is going to serve God; it is as though the Lord has to fight him before He can fight through him; having subdued and silenced his flesh by the mighty power of the cross, then He can lead His servant out to the battlefield around and use him for the honour of the name. God's warriors are those who through the cross are brought to enjoy God's peace in their own hearts, and then in the power of that peace they can bring to bear His victory on the kingdom of darkness. These are the Gideons whom God so greatly needs in our day. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 94: BARRETTGA - PREPAREDNESS ======================================================================== I BELIEVE IN GOD by William Barclay ...[S]ince I am a simple-minded person, the argument from design, even though it is nowadays discredited by the experts, still weighs strongly with me. Away back in 1748 Colin Maclaurin in his Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophical Discoveries said succinctly: "A manifest contrivance suggests a contriver." And the world is a manifest contrivance. Kant, says M. L. Clarke in his book on Paley, did not regard the evidence from design as sufficient in itself to prove the existence of God, but he none the less called it "the oldest, the clearest argument, and that most in conformity with the common reason of humanity." Cicero in Concerning the Nature of the Gods speaks of the orrery, the model of the solar system that Posidonius made, a model "which at each revolution produces the same motions of the sun, the moon and the five planets that take place in the heavens every twenty-four hours," and then he goes on to ask, if some one took that orrery to Scythia or ritain, the ouposts of the world, "would any single native doubt that this orrery was the work of a rational being?" And if so with the model, how much more with the real thing? [Quoted from William Barclay: A Spiritual Autobiography, pg 111, William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, 1977.] http://www.godstruthfortoday.org/Library/miscellaneous/Preparedness.htm ======================================================================== CHAPTER 95: BARTLEMAN - SEEDS OF REVIVAL, THE ======================================================================== The Seeds of Revival by Frank Bartleman Evan Roberts, while reflecting on the problems of The Welsh Revival of 1904, once wrote, "The mistake was to become occupied with the effects of the revival and not to watch and pray in protecting the cause of the revival." The lasting success of the next move of God may very well depend upon our willingness to receive Mr. Roberts WARNING! There are many today who are foolishly pursuing the effects of revival at the expense of neglecting the conditions of revival. No harvest is ever any greater than the seeds and soil in which it was planted. To neglect the seeds of revival is to ultimately plague the fruit of revival. A rich source of instruction on this subject is found in the obscure writings of Frank Bartleman. Mr. Bartleman was an active participant in the famous Azusa Street Revival of 1906. While I can not endorse all of Mr. Bartleman's doctrines and opinions, it would be foolish to ignore his genuine spiritual insight. Unlike many other Church historians, Bartleman paid careful attention to each step the Holy Spirit took in preparing God's people for revival. In fact he wrote more about the Church's preparation for revival than he did about the actual revival. Being a man gifted and active in intercession, he was aware of a revival coming to Los Angeles long before many others. As Bartleman watched and prayed, he was able to accurately trace the Spirit's preliminary movements among the churches in Los Angeles. It is these kinds of observations that make Frank Bartleman's writings so rich and prophetic for our needy generation. Undeniably, revival is a miraculous work of God, BUT true revival never comes apart from the preparation and the participation of a remnant of God's people. Oh, how the Church needs to rediscover the unchanging principles of revival. It is time for a new wave of young pioneers to rise up and cooperate with the Holy Spirit's revival process. It is time for us to break up our fallow ground and once again nurture the fruitful seeds of revival. Let's now go back with Mr. Bartleman through his own personal records and writings, as he identifies these precious seeds. Almost a year before The Azusa Street Revival, in an article written for God's Revivalist, Frank Bartleman urged the Church to prepare herself for a mighty visitation. He writes, "Christendom is rapidly assuming an attitude of expectancy, the great prerequisite for a visitation from God. The Lord is choosing His workers, our chance is at the door. This is a time to realize the vision of service, we can not afford to miss the blessing and reward He desires for us. It may be our last great chance to win souls for heaven. Oh what a privilege! What a responsibility!" Bartleman later recorded in his autobiography (My Story: The Latter Rain) how many Christians missed The Azusa outpouring because of their own unwillingness to seek revival on God's terms. He writes, "During those months preceding the Pentecost, the Spirit was constantly seeking a company through which He could manifest Himself, and gather the people. He used various agencies and instruments just as far as He could. After the Spirit had made several desperate efforts, and a number had failed Him, He finally succeeded with a crude, weak body. There was little to commend itself even in this, aside from a desperate abandonment and childlike faith. But these were the prerequisites for the beginning of the work." On December 22, 1904, Frank Bartleman and his wife and two daughters moved to Los Angeles. He had a unexplainable impression that God was getting ready to do something wonderful in the Los Angeles area. For months he moved around the city visiting and preaching at various Holiness missions. During this time he also came into a deeper dimension of prayer and intercession. He had been corresponding with Evan Roberts and had received encouragement from him to pray for a mighty awakening in California. Soon Bartleman began to increasingly experience seasons of intense travailing prayer. After visiting Joseph's Smale's First Baptist church, Mr. Bartleman was greatly encouraged to find some tokens of what he had been praying for. Bartleman writes, "June 17, 1905 I went to Los Angeles to attend a meeting at the First Baptist Church. They were waiting on God for an outpouring of the Spirit there. Their pastor, Joseph Smale, had just returned from Wales. He had been in touch with the revival and Evan Roberts and was on fire to have the same visitation and blessing come to his own church in Los Angeles..." Upon Joseph Smale's return to Los Angeles, he quickly organized his church into small home prayer groups. He also encouraged his people to look for the return of the apostolic gifts to the church. The prayer meetings lasted fifteen weeks and almost immediately produced a deep sense of need and expectation for revival. Bartleman describes the meetings as follows, "(Pastor Smale) started prayer meetings in his church to wait on God for an outpouring of the Spirit similar to that which they were having in Wales. God wonderfully anointed him to exhort the people. He was full of faith for mighty things. These prayer meetings ran for a number of weeks, and there was much spontaneous worship and some very wonderful healings. Faith increased rapidly for extraordinary things. God made Pastor Smale a regular Moses to lead us toward the promised land. But soon the church dignitaries could tolerate the new, spontaneous order no longer. They ordered it to cease, or the Pastor to resign. The consequence was the Pastor wisely decided to go on with God, and the Lord and the people went with him. The cloud moved. A New Testament Church was formed. Here God wonderfully led and blessed, up to the Spring of 1906." Sadly, the freedom in prayer and worship that Joseph Smale had encouraged was ultimately not accepted by some of his fellow Baptists. One of the first signs of this was seen in their open attack on the Spirit of prayer. Bartleman describes one such occasion, "At Smale's church one day I was groaning in prayer at the altar. The spirit of intercession was upon me. A brother rebuked me severely. He did not understand it. The flesh naturally shrinks from such ordeals. The groans are no more popular in most churches than is a woman in birth-pangs in the home. Soul-travail does not make pleasant company for selfish worldlings. But we cannot have souls born without it. Child bearing is anything but a popular exercise these days. And so with a real revival of new born souls in the churches. Modern society has little place for a child-bearing mother, and so with the church's regarding soul-travail. There is little burden for souls. Men run from the groans of a woman in travail of birth, and so the church desires no groans today. She is too busy enjoying herself." Again Bartleman comments on the Baptist leader's unwillingness to go on with God. "I went to Smale's church that night, and he resigned. The meetings had run daily in the First Baptist Church for fifteen weeks. It was now September. The officials of the church were tired of the innovations and wanted to return to the old order. He was told to either stop the revival, or get out. He wisely chose the latter. But what an awful position for a church to take, to throw God out. In this same way they later drove the Spirit of God out of the churches in Wales. They were tired of His presence, desiring to return to the old, cold, ecclesiastical order. How blind men are! The most spiritual of Pastor Smale's members naturally followed him, with a nucleus of other workers who had gathered to him from other sources, during the revival. They immediately contemplated organizing a New Testament church..." Pastor Smale established the First New Testament Church in Burbank Hall at 542 South Main Street, Los Angeles, in early 1906. For months the newly organized church experienced great freedom and blessing. However, before long they too were struggling to keep in step with the Spirit of revival. Bartleman became very concerned for this little fellowship which once looked so promising. "The New Testament Church seemed to be losing the spirit of prayer as they increased their organization. They now tried to shift this ministry on a few of us. I knew God was not pleased with that, and I became much burdened for them. They had taken on too many secondary interests. It began to look as though the Lord would have to find another body. My hopes had been high for this particular company of people. But the enemy seemed to be sidetracking them now, leading them to miss God's best for them. They were now even attempting to organize prayer, a thing impossible. Prayer is spontaneous. I felt it were better not to have organized than to lose the ministry of prayer and spirit of revival as a body. It was for this they had been called in the beginning. They had become ambitious for a church and organization. It seemed hard to them not to be like the other nations (churches) round about them. And right here they surely began to fail. As church work increased the real issue was lost sight of. Human organization and human programs leave very little room for the free Spirit of God." "It is very easy to choose second best. The prayer life is needed much more than even buildings or organizations. These are often a substitute for the other. Souls are born into the Kingdom only through prayer. I feared the New Testament Church might develop a party, sectarian spirit. A rich lady offered them the money to build a church edifice with. The devil was bidding high. But she soon withdrew her offer. I confess I was glad she did. They would soon have had no time for anything but building then. It would have been the end of their revival. We had been called out to evangelize Los Angeles, not to build up another sect or party spirit. We needed no more organization nor machinery than what was really necessary for the speedy evangelizing of the city. Surely we had enough separate rival church organizations already on our hands. Each working largely for its own interest, advancement, and glory. The New Testament Church seemed to be drifting toward intellectualism. I became much burdened for it. I felt the New Testament Church was failing God, and I was looking to see where the Spirit might come forth. The curse everywhere was spiritual pride. Hiding their nakedness from God. The oil (The Holy Ghost) ceases to flow, as in Elijah's time when there are no more empty vessels to be filled . People do not sense their need of God. But wherever there is a hungry heart, God will fill it. 'The rich or (full) He has sent away empty.'" "They did not break through at Pastor Smale's assembly (The First New Testament Church). There was too much reserve there. God had taken them as far as He could." Yet God was still determined to find a people whom He could use to bring revival. He now moved in among a small group of humble and praying people at 214 N. Bonnie Brae Street. Bartleman found himself among them just as the revival fires started to burn. He writes, "March 26, I went to a cottage meeting on Bonnie Brae Street. Both white and colored saints were meeting there for prayer. I had attended a cottage meeting shortly before this, at another place, where I first met Brother Seymour. He had just come from Texas. He was a colored man, very plain, spiritual, and humble. He attended the meetings at Bonnie Brae Street. He was blind in one eye. There was a general spirit of humility manifested in the meeting. They were taken up with God. Evidently the Lord had found the little company at last, outside as always, through whom he could have right of way. There was not a mission in the country where this could be done. All were in the hands of men. The Spirit could not work. Others far more pretentious had failed. That which man esteems had been passed by once more and the Spirit born again in a humble stable, outside ecclesiastical establishments as usual. A body must be prepared, in repentance and humility, for every outpouring of the Spirit. They decided to wait on God in a ten-days special petitioning of God and in yielding themselves to Him. The time had come. God had found the right company at last." Soon the meeting at Bonnie Brae became dangerously crowded and another place had to be found for the prayer services. The meeting was moved to 312 Azusa Street under the leadership of William Seymour. Discerning as usual, Bartleman describes the spiritual atmosphere in and around the new meeting place; " They opened public meetings in old Azusa St. in an old Methodist Church that had been for a long time in disuse, except as a receptacle for old lumber, plaster, etc. It was very dirty. A space was cleared large enough to seat a score or two of persons. We sat on planks resting on old nail kegs, if I remember correctly. But God was there. The work began in earnest. The fire had fallen. It was on the 9th of April 1906, that the Spirit was first poured out on Bonnie Brae. On April 18th we had the terrible San Francisco earthquake. It had a very close connection with the Pentecostal outpouring... This shook the whole state, as well as the nation. Men began to fear God... Their conscience needed to be knocked at. This paved the way for the revival. Otherwise they would have mocked us.... God suddenly shut up many little Holiness Missions, Tent meetings, etc., that had been striving with one another a long time for the preeminence. It would not work any more. They had to come together. God only could tame them. There was little going on anywhere else, but at Azusa St. All the people were coming. Even Pastor Smale finally came to Azusa Mission to hunt his people up. Then he invited them back to let God have His way. The fire broke out at his own Assembly also. When God dries a place up, it is dry. This, many churches which opposed the Azusa work soon found out to their sorrow. And many are yet sorrowing over it. They would not take God's way. They were also among the prophets, but when the Lord came He did not come through them. This killed them. They would not go to Azusa, nor let Azusa come to them. Azusa was despised in their eyes." Bartleman continues, "The present Pentecostal manifestation did not break out in a moment, like a huge prairie fire, and set the world on fire. In fact no work of God ever appears that way. There is a necessary time for preparation. The finished article is not realized at the beginning. Men may wonder where it came from, not being conscious of the preparation, but there is always such. Every movement of the Spirit of God must also run the gauntlet of the devil's forces. The Dragon stands before the bearing mother, ready to swallow up her child.-(Revelation 12:4.) And so with the present Pentecostal work in its beginning. The enemy did much counterfeiting. God kept the young child well hid for a season from the Herods, until it could gain strength and discernment to resist them." Frank Bartleman's writings are a prophetic reminder that there are distinct seasons of revival that require our preparation and cooperation. Revivals don't just mysteriously happen, they are born through a cooperative effort between the Church and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit begins this process by filling us with a holy discontentment over our own impotence and spiritual barrenness. Next, in response to our hunger, He imparts a divine seed vision for revival deep within us. God then requires us to become broken and willing to cooperate with this vision in an ongoing process of faith, humility, repentance and prayer. Truly, God is the only one who can open the womb of revival, yet no revival is ever born without much costly travail and cooperation by the Church. In the Kingdom of God there is no such thing as the luxury of a surrogate mother or a cesarean. We must become willing to be painfully stretched and disfigured, as we carry and nurture the growing sparks of revival within us. Sleepless nights, a change of appetite and unusual pains are all part of carrying a developing child. Are you willing for your life to be radically changed and inconvenienced in your pursuit of revival? God longs for a help-meet, a co-laborer, a bride through which He can father a revival of His presence. In God's love and wisdom He has sovereignly chosen to use frail human beings in this birthing process. Therefore it is possible for us to hinder or even completely abort the work of revival within us. Let us BEWARE lest we quench or miscarry the work of the Holy Spirit through our own unbelief and neglect. Like the young virgin Mary, it's time for us to totally yield to the Father's desire, saying " Let it be done unto me according to your word." Luke 1:38. I believe the opportunity for a lasting revival stands before us today. We need to recognize the time of our visitation. The Holy Spirit is imparting the vision for revival within many hearts. This is no time to be experimenting with untested church growth theories, borrowed from books. Clever human schemes will never substitute for a lack of true heart preparation and travailing prayer. By neglecting these, I fear many are needlessly squandering away their last opportunity for true revival. "Opportunity once passed, said Frank Bartleman, is lost forever. There is a time when the tide is sweeping by our door. We may plunge in and be carried to glorious success and blessing and victory. To stand on the bank shivering from timidity, or paralyzed by stupor at such a time is to miss all, and most miserably and eternally fail. Oh, our responsibility! The mighty tide of God's grace and favor even now is sweeping by us, in its prayer directed course." Opportunity is pounding at our door. The Father is searching for a people who will yield to His revival birthing process. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is LOYAL to Him." (2 Chronicles 16:9) The Father has already begun this process among some of His praying people. Still if such a remnant of revival pioneers are to succeed where so many others have failed, they must avoid the mistakes of their forefathers. Within nine years of the Azusa Street Revival, Frank Bartleman was expressing deep concern for the future of the Pentecostal movement. He recognized that many of the revival participants had become distracted by the effects of the revival and thus lost sight of God's primary purposes for revival. By neglecting the roots of the revival, Bartleman believed they had inadvertently cursed the spiritual fruit they so dearly desired. Our modern churches must take heed and learn that there are no shortcuts to lasting revival. " Except a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. (John 12:24)" There will be no true and lasting revival until we die to our own pride and selfish ambition. We must let God the Holy Spirit have control of His Church again. We need to repent and let the knocking Bridegroom back into His house. In early 1905 Frank Bartleman wrote, "I received from God the following keynote to revival: The depth of a revival will be determined exactly by the depth of the spirit of repentance..." Again he writes, "A body must be prepared, in repentance and humility for every outpouring of the Spirit." This is one of God's great unchanging laws of true revival. It applies to all people and for all times. We can not afford to ignore these clear warnings from our spiritual forefathers any longer. There will be no glorious, end-time harvest until God finds a people who will embrace and nurture the fruitful seeds of revival; FAITH, HUMILITY, REPENTANCE and PRAYER. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 96: BATESW - SERMONS ON THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ======================================================================== Sermons on the Forgiveness of Sins William Bates Psalms 130:4. 'But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.' The Psalmist, in the first and second verses, addresses God with earnest desires for his saving mercies: 'Out of the depths have I cried to thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice: let thine ear be attentive to my supplication.' He humbly deprecates the severe inquiry of divine justice; ver. 3. ' If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities: O Lord, who shall stand?' If God should with an exact eye observe our sins, and call us to an account, who can stand in judgment? who can endure that fiery trial? The best saints, though never so innocent and unblamable in the sight of men, though never so vigilant and watchful over their hearts and ways, are not exempted from the spots of human frailty, which according to the rigour of the law, would expose them to a condemning sentence. He relieves and supports himself under this fearful apprehension with the hopes of mercy: ' but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared.' It is in thy power and thy will, to pardon repenting and returning sinners, 'that thou mayest be feared.' The fear of God in scripture signifies the humble holy reverence of him, as our heavenly Father and Sovereign, that makes us cautious lest we should offend him, and careful to please him. For this reason the fear of God is comprehensive of all religion, of ' the whole duty of man,' to which it is introductive, and is a principal ingredient in it. The clemency and compassionate mercy of God is the cause of an ingenuous filial fear, mixed with love and affiance in the breasts of men. Other attributes, his holiness that framed the law, justice that ordained the punishment of sin, power that inflicts it, render his majesty terrible, and cause a flight from him as an enemy. If all must perish for their sins, no prayers or praises will ascend to heaven, all religious worship will cease for ever: but his tender mercy ready to receive humble suppliants, and restore them to his favour, renders him amiable and admired, and draws us near to him. There are two propositions to be considered in the verse: I. That forgiveness belongs to God. II. That the forgiving mercy of God is a powerful motive of adoration and obedience. I propound to discourse of the first, and to touch upon the second in the application. In managing the point with light and order, it is requisite to consider; 1. What is contained in forgiveness. 2. The arguments that demonstrate that forgiveness belongs to God. I. What is contained in forgiveness. This necessarily supposes sin, and sin a law that is violated by it: the law implies a sovereign Lawgiver, to whose declared will subjection is due, and who will exact an account in judgment of men's obedience or disobedience to his law, and dispense rewards and punishments accordingly. God by the clearest titles 'is our king, our lawgiver and judge:' for he is our maker and preserver, and consequently has a full propriety in us, and absolute authority over us: and by his sovereign and singular perfections is qualified to govern us. A derived being is necessarily in a state of dependance and subjection. All the ranks of creatures in the world are ordered by their Maker; his 'kingdom rules over all.' Those in the lowest degree of being are ordered by power. Sensitive creatures are determined by the impulses of nature to their actions; for having no light to distinguish between moral good and evil, they have no choice, and are incapable of receiving a law. Intelligent creatures, endowed with judicious and free faculties, an understanding to discern between moral good and evil, and will to choose or reject what is propounded to them, are capable of a law to direct and regulate their liberty. To man a law was given by the Creator, (the copy of his wisdom and will) that has all the perfections of a rule: it is clear and complete, enjoining what is essentially good, and forbidding what is essentially evil. God governs man conveniently to his nature: and no service is pleasing to him but the result of our reason and choice, the obedience of our supreme leading powers. Since the fall, the light of the understanding compared with the bright discovery it afforded of our whole duty in our original state, is either like the twilight of the evening, the faint and dim remains of the light of the day, when night draws a dark veil over the world, or like the dawning of the morning, when the rising sun begins to scatter the darkness of the night. The latter comparison I think is more just and regular ; for it is said, that the Son of God 'enlightens every man that comes into the world.' The innate light discovers there is a straight line of truth to regulate our judgment, and a straight line of virtue to regulate our actions. Natural conscience is a principle of authority, directing us to choose and practise virtue, and to avoid vice; and according to our neglect or compliance with its dictates reflects upon us. It is hardly presumable that any are so prodigiously wicked, as not to be convinced of the natural rectitude in things : they can distinguish between what is fair and what is fraudulent in dealings, and acknowledge in the general, and in judging of others, the equity of things, though they elude the force of the conviction in the application to themselves. Now since common reason discovers there is a common rule, there must be a common judge to whom men are accountable for the obliquity or conformity of their actions to that rule. The law of God is revealed in its purity and perfection in the scripture. The law binds first to obedience, and in neglect of it to punishment. Sin is defined by the apostle John to be 'the transgression of the law.' The omission of what is commanded, or doing what is forbidden, is a sin. Not only the lusts that break forth into action and evidence, but inward inclinations, contrary to the law, are sin. From hence results a guilt upon every sinner, which includes the imputation of the fault, and obligation to punishment. There is a natural connexion between the evil of doing, and the evil of suffering: the violation of the law is justly revenged by the violation of the person that breaks it. It is an impossible imagination, that God should give a law not enforced with a sanction. This would cast a blemish upon his wisdom, for the law would cancel itself, and defeat his ends in giving it: it would reflect a high dishonour upon his holy majesty, as if he were indifferent with respect to virtue or vice, and disregarded our reverence or rebellion against his authority. The apostle declares, that 'all the world are become guilty before God ;' that is, justly chargeable with their crimes, and liable to his judgment. The act of sin is transient, and the pleasure vanishes; but the guilt, if not pardoned and purged away, remains for ever in the records of conscience. 'The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond; it is graven on the tables of the heart.' When the books of eternal life and death shall be opened at the last day, all the unpardoned sins of men, with their killing aggravations, will be found written in indelible characters, and shall be set in order before their eyes, to their confusion: 'the righteous Judge has sworn he will forget none of their works.' According to the number and heinousness of their sins, a sentence shall pass upon them: no excuses shall suspend the judgment, nor mitigate the immediate execution of it. The forgiveness of sins contains the abolition of their guilt, and freedom from the deserved destruction consequent to it. This is expressed by various terms in scripture. Pardon relates to some damage and offence which the offended party may severely vindicate. Now although the blessed God in strictness of speaking can receive no damage by rebellious creatures, being infinitely above the impression of evil: yet as our Saviour speaks of one that looks upon a woman with an impure desire, that he has committed adultery with her in his heart, though the innocence of the woman be unstained; so the sins of men, being acts of foul ingratitude against his goodness, and notorious unrighteousness against his authority, are in a sense injurious to him, which he might justly revenge upon them, but his clemency spares them. The 'not imputing sin' is borrowed from the accounts of servants with their masters; and implies the account we are obliged to render the supreme Lord for all his benefits which we have so wretchedly misimproved: he might righteously exact of us ten thousand talents that are due to him, but he is graciously pleased to cross the book, and freely to discharge us. The 'purging from sin,' implies it is very odious and offensive in God's eyes, and has a special respect to the expiatory sacrifices, of which it is said, that 'without blood there was no remission.' This was typical of the precious blood of the Son of God that purges the conscience 'from dead works;' from the deadly guilt of sin that cleaves to the conscience of the sinner. By the application of his blood the crimson guilt is washed away, and the pardoned sinner is accepted as one pure and innocent. 2. I shall next demonstrate, that forgiveness belongs to God. This will be evident by the following considerations. 1. It is the high and peculiar prerogative of God to pardon sin. His authority made the law, and gives life and vigour to it, therefore he can remit the punishment of the offender. This is evident from the proportion of human laws: for though subordinate judges have only a limited power, and must acquit or condemn according to the law, yet the sovereign may dispense with it. This is declared in scripture by God himself: 'I, even I am he, that blots out thy transgressions for my name sake:' Isaiah 43. he repeats it with an emphasis. He is proclaimed with this royal title; 'the Lord, gracious and merciful, pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin.' It is a dispensation of divine sovereignty to pardon the guilty. It is true, God pardons as a father, according to that most gracious promise, 'I will spare them, as a father spares his son that serves him;' Malachi 3. but as invested with the dignity of a sovereign. Our Saviour directs us, in the perfect form of prayer dictated to his disciples, to pray to God for the forgiveness of our sins, as 'our Father sitting in heaven' upon a high throne, from whence he pronounces our pardon. His majesty is equally glorious with his mercy in that blessed dispensation. His royal supremacy is more conspicuous in the exercise of mercy towards repenting sinners, than in the acts of justice upon obstinate offenders. As a king is more a king by the pardoning humble suppliants by the operation of his sceptre, than in subduing rebels by the power of the sword: for in acts of grace he is above the law, and overrules its rigour, in acts of vengeance he is only superior to his enemies. It is the peculiar prerogative of God to pardon sin. The prophet challenges all the repoted deities of the heathens as defective in this royal power: 'who is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin ?' Micah 7. The pharisees said true, 'who can forgive sins but God only ?' For it is an act of empire. The judicial power to pardon is a flower inseparable from the crown: for it is founded in a superiority to the law, therefore inconsistent with a depending authority. A creature is as incapable, of the supremacy of God in pardoning sin, as of his omnipotence to create a world: for they are both truly infinite. Besides, the power of pardoning sins, necessarily implies an universal knowledge of the minds and hearts of men, which are the fountains of their actions: and according to their ingrediency the moral good or evil of them rises. The more deliberately and wilfully a sin is committed, the sinner incurs a greater guilt, and is obnoxious to a more heavy punishment. Now no creature can dive into the hearts of men: 'they are naked and open to the piercing eye of God alone.' Add further, the authoritative power to pardon, has necessarily annexed to it the active power of dispensing rewards and punishments. Now the Son of God alone 'has the keys of life and death in his hands.' It may be objected, that our Saviour declares, that 'the Son of Man has power to forgive sins.' The answer to this will be clear by considering, there are two natures in Christ; the divine nature, that originally belongs to him, and is proper to his person; and the human nature, which is as it were adoptive, and was voluntarily assumed. Now the divine person is the sole principle and subject of this royal dignity, but it is exercised in its conjunction with the human nature, and attributed to the Son of Man: as in the humiliation of Christ, the principles of his sufferings, and the actual sufferings, are solely in the human nature, but upon the account of the personal union, they are attributed to the divine person. It is said, 'the Lord of glory was crucified,' and 'the blood of God' redeemed his church. The church of Rome, with high presumption, arrogates to their priests a judicial power of forgiving sins: and by the easy folly of the people, and crafty deceit of their instructors, exercise a jurisdiction over conscience. To avoid the imputation of blasphemy, they pretend there is a double power of forgiving, supreme and subordinate; the first belongs to God, the other is delegated by commission to the ministers of the gospel. But this is an irreconcileable contradiction: for the power to pardon is an efflux of supremacy, and incommunicable to the subject. A prince that invests another with an absolute power to pardon, must either relinquish his sovereignty or take an associate to share in it. This pretence of the papists is such a lame evasion, as that which they are forced to make use of to clear themselves from the charge of idolatry in their worship of angels and saints their excuse is, that their worship of angels and saints is inferior in degree, and imperfectly divine; as if there could be different degrees in divine worship, which is absolutely and necessarily supreme. The ministers of the gospel have only a declarative power, as heralds or ambassadors, to propose the terms of the gospel for the obtaining pardon, and to apply the promise of pardon to those who appear qualified for it. But to pronounce and dispense pardon, they have no judicial authority: for it is not presumable that the wise God should invest men with that authority which they are utterly incapable to exercise. 2. God is ready to forgive. The power to pardon without an inclination to it, affords no relief in the agonies of an accusing conscience, and the terrors of eternal judgment. The merciful will of God declared in his word, is the foundation of our blessed hope, and encourages us in our requests before his throne: 'for thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all that call upon thee.' Psalms 86. The attribute of which pardon is an emanation, is usually expressed by grace and mercy. It is said, the 'grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men: we are saved by grace.' Grace implies free favour. There is in this respect a difference between love and grace. Love may be set upon an object worthy of it. The primary object of God's love is himself; whose excellent and amiable perfections are worthy of infinite love. The love of parents to children is a duty most clearly natural, and duty lessens the desert of performing it; but grace is exclusive of all merit and dignity in the subject, and of all obligation in the person that shows it. God's most free preventing grace is exercised without an motive in us that deserves it. The grace of God may be considered as exercised in our creation and our redemption. In the creation it was absolutely free: for angels and men were in the state of nothing, there was only a possibility of their being. Now there could be no attractive merit before their existence. It is true, goodness is glorified and crowned by communicating: the world is a bright efflux of the divine glory; but this does not lessen the free goodness of the Maker. There was no constraint upon God to make the world for his declarative glory: for his essential glory is truly infinite, and wants no external appearance to make it complete. The universal church pays humble homage to the great Creator; 'acknowledging, that for his will and pleasure all things were created.' The divine goodness to angels and man in their original purity, was grace: for although the image of God shining in them was attractive of his approbation and acceptance, yet they deserved no benefits from him: there is such an infinite distance and disproportion between God and the creatures, that they cannot by a common right claim any thing as due from his majesty. Besides, he is the productive and conservative cause of all their active powers, and the efficacy of them. The creating goodness of God is eclipsed in the comparison with his saving grace. The first supposes us without any deserts of his favour, but this supposes our exceedingly bad deserts: the first was free, but this is merciful and healing grace. Mercy revives and restores us when deservedly miserable. This grace and mercy is of so pure a nature, that the most tender human inclinations to relieve the afflicted, are mixed with self-interests compared with the mercy of God towards us. Our bowels relent, and affections are melting at the sight of persons in deep misery. But there is an inward and involuntary constrant of nature that excites such feeling resentments: and our compassion is moved by reflection upon ourselves, considering that in this open state we are liable to many disasters and wounding sorrows: but God is infinitely free from all disturbing passions, and exempted from all possible evils. To represent the immense love and mercy of God in its endearing circumstances, and to demonstrate his readiness to forgive, we must consider what he has done in order to his pardoning sinners. 1. If we consider God as the supreme lawgiver and judge of the world, as the protector of righteousness and goodness, and the revenger of all disorders in his moral government, it became him not to pardon sinners without the punishing sin in such a manner as might satisfy his injured justice, and vindicate the honour of his despised law, and declare most convincingly his hatred against sin. Now for these great ends he decreed to send his Son from his bosom, to assume our nature, and to suffer the contumelious calamity of the death of the cross, to make a propitiation for our sins. This was the contrivance of his wisdom, which the most enlightened angels had no presaging notions of. Now can there be a more clear evidence and convincing reality, that God is ready to forgive sins, than the giving his only begotten Son, a person so great and so dear, the heir of his love and glory, to be a sacrifice, that he might spare us? In this dispensation love was the regent leading attribute, to which his wisdom, justice and power were subordinate: they were in exercise for the more glorious illustration of his mercy. We have the strongest argument of God's love in the death of his Son, for our pardon was the end of it. From hence it is evident, that God is more willing to dispense his pardoning mercy, than sinners are to receive it. 2. God's readiness to forgive appeals in the gracious and easy terms prescribed in the gospel for the obtaining pardon. There are two ways of justification before God, and they are like two ways to a city: one is direct and short, but deep and unpassable; the other lies in a circuit, but will bring a person safe to the place. Thus there is a justification of an innocent person by works, that secures him from the charge of the law; and a justification of a sinner by faith in our all-sufficient Saviour. The first was a short way to man in the state of integrity: the second, such is the distance of the terms, takes a compass. There is a shorter passage from life to action, than from death to life. There is no hope or possibility of our legal justification. The apostle saith, 'that which the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh.' Romans 8. The expiation of sin, and renewing us into the image of God, are obtained by the gospel. The law is called, 'the law of sin and death:' which must be understood not as considered in itself, but relatively to our depraved nature. The law supposes men in a state of uncorrupted nature, and was given to be a preservative of our holiness and felicity, not a remedy to recover us from sin and misery. It was directive of our duty, but since our rebellion the rod is turned into a serpent. The law is hard and imperious, severe and inexorable, the tenour of it is, 'do, or die for ever.' It requires a righteousness entire and unblemished, which one born in sin cannot produce in the court of judgment. Man is utterly unable by his lapsed powers to recover the favour of God, and to fulfil his obligation by the law to obedience. But the gospel discovers an open, easy way to life, to all that will accept of salvation by the Redeemer. The apostle expresses the difference between the condition of the law and the gospel in a very significant manner. 'Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, that the man that does those things shall live in them: but the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring down Christ from above; who shall descend into the deep, that is to bring Jesus Christ again from the dead? But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, and shalt believe in thy heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' Romans 10. The meaning of the apostle is, that things in heaven above, or in the depths beneath, are of impossible discovery and attainment, so it is equally impossible to be justified by the works of the law. The anxious sinner seeks in vain for righteousness in the law, which can only be found in the gospel. It may be objected, that the condition of the law, and the condition of the gospel, compared relatively to our depraved faculties, are equally impossible. The carnal mind and affections, are as averse from repentance and receiving Christ as our Lord and Saviour, as from obeying the law. Our Saviour tells the Jews, 'ye will not come to me that ye may have life : and no man can come to me unless the Father draw him.' Which words are highly expressive of our utter impotence to believe savingly in Christ. But there is a clear answer to this objection; the difference between the two dispensations consists principally in this: the law requires complete and constant obedience as the condition of life, without affording the least supernatural power to perform it. But the gospel has the spirit of grace a concomitant with it, by whose omnipotent efficacy sinners are revived, and enabled to comply with the terms of salvation. The spirit of the law is styled the spirit of bondage from its rigorous effects: it discovered sin, and terrified the conscience, without implanting a principle of life that might restore the sinner to a state of holy liberty. As the flame in the bush made the thorns in it visible, without consuming them; so the fiery law discovers men's sins, but does not abolish them: but 'the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, that is, the gospel, has freed us from the law of sin and death.' I will more particularly consider the gracious terms prescribed in the gospel for the obtaining pardon; 'Repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.' The requiring of them is not an arbitrary constitution, but founded in the unchangeable nature and congruity of things. Repentance signifies a sincere change of the mind and heart from the love and practices of sin, to the love and practice of holiness, upon evangelical and divine motives. The principal ingredients in it are, reflections with grief and shame upon our past sins, with stedfast resolutions of future obedience. It is a vital principle productive of fruits suitable to it: it is called 'repentance from dead works, repentance unto life.' It is the seed of new obedience. Repentance in order of nature is before pardon, but they are inseparably joined in the same point of time. David is a blessed instance of this: 'I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.' Psalms 32. The sum and tenor of the apostle's commission recorded by Luke is, 'That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name of Christ to all nations.' Luke 24. That a repentant sinner only is qualified for pardon, will be evident in considering, (1.) That an impenitent sinner is the object of revenging justice; and it is utterly inconsistent that pardoning mercy and revenging justice should be terminated upon the same person at the same time, in the same respect. It is said, 'the Lord hateth all the workers of iniquity; and his soul hates the wicked.' The expression implies the intense degrees of hatred. In time glorious appearance of God to Moses, when proclaimed with the highest titles of honour, 'The Lord God, gracious and merciful, pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin,' it is added, 'he will by no means spare the guilty,' that is, impenitent sinners. We must suppose God to be of a changeable flexible nature, (which is a blasphemous imagination, and makes him like to sinful man) if an impenitent sinner may be received to favour without a change in his disposition. God cannot repent of giving a holy law, the rule of our duty, therefore man must repent of his breaking the law before he can be reconciled to him. The truth is, man considered merely as a sinner is not the object of God's first mercy, that is, of pity and compassion: for as such he is the object of God's wrath; and it is a formal contradiction to assert that he is the object of love and hatred at the same time, and in the same respect. But man, considered as God's creature, involved in misery by the fraud of the tempter, and his own folly, was the object of God's compassion; and the recovery of him from his forlorn wretched state, was the effect of that compassion. (2.) Though mercy considered as a separate attribute might pardon an impenitent sinner, yet not in conjunction and concord with God's essential perfections. Many things are possible to power absolutely considered, which God cannot do: for his power is always directed in its exercise by his wisdom, and limited by his will. It would disparage God's wisdom, stain his holiness, violate his justice, to pardon an impenitent sinner. The gospel by the promise of pardon to such, would foil itself, and frustrate its principal end, which 'is to purify us from all iniquity, and to make us a people zealous of good works.' (3.) If an impenitent sinner may be pardoned as such, he may be glorified: for that which qualifies a man for pardon, qualifies him for salvation: and the divine decree establishes an inseparable connexion between them; 'Whom God justifies he glorifies.' Romans 8:30. If a sinner dies immediately after his pardon is passed, nothing can intercept his being received into heaven. Now this is utterly impossible; the exclusion of such is peremptory and universal, 'for without holiness no man shall see God.' The admission of an impenitent sinner into heaven, would pollute that holy place, and unconsecrate the temple of God wherein his holiness shines in its glory. It is objected by some, that the requiring repentance to qualify the sinner for pardon eclipses the grace of the gospel. I willingly acknowledge, that a religious jealousy, lest the freeness and honour of divine grace in our pardon should be lessened, is very becoming a christian; but it is ill-grounded and ill-guided in this matter. This will be evident by considering; That repentance is an evangelical grace, the gift of the Redeemer: 'Him has God raised to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sin.' Acts 5:31. The law did not allow of repentance, nor promise pardon. The design of it was to keep us in the favour and communion with God, but afforded no means of reconciliation after our offending him. Repentance was no degree of perfection before man's fall, but is a relief of his imperfection after it. The law called the righteous to obedience, the gospel calls sinners to repentance. That there is no causality or merit in repentance to procure our pardon. The mercy of God for the most precious merits and mediation of Jesus Christ is the only cause of pardon. A flood of repenting tears, an effusion of our blood, are of too low a price to make any satisfaction to God, to deserve a return of his favour. The most sincere love of holiness, and stedfast resolution to forsake sin, which is the principal part of our repentance, can be no satisfaction for our past offences, for it is the natural duty of man before the commission of sin: repentance is only a vital qualification in the subject that receives the pardon. That the grace of God is very conspicuous in dispensing pardon, according to the order of the gospel to repenting sinners. For first, repentance renders the divine mercy most honourable in the esteem of those who partake of it. Our Saviour tells us, 'The whole need not a physician, but those who are sick.' He that feels his disease, and is strongly apprehensive of its danger, values the counsel and assistance of a physician above all treasures. The repenting sinner who is under the strong conviction of his guilt, and his being always obnoxious to the judgment of God, and eternal misery the consequence of it, he values the favour of God as the most sovereign good, and accounts his displeasure as the supreme evil. Repentance inspires flaming affections in our prayers and praises for pardon. The repenting sinner prays for pardon with as much fervency as Daniel prayed in the den, to be preserved from the devouring lions; or as Jonah prayed out of the belly of hell for deliverance. He addresses not with faint but fainting desires for mercy; 'Give me pardon, or I die.' Jonah 2. The insensible sinner that is secure in the shadow of death, may offer some verbal requests for pardon, but his prayer is defective in the principle: for he never feels the want of a pardon; he prays so coldly as if unconcerned whether he be accepted or no. And with what a rapture of admiration, and joy, and thankful affections, doth the pardoned penitent magnify the divine mercy? The christian Niobe that was melted into repenting tears 'loved much, because much was forgiven her.' This establishment that repentance qualifies a sinner for pardon, is most beneficial to man, and consequently most illustrates pardoning mercy. We must observe, that sin does not only affect us with guilt, but leaves an inherent corruption that defiles and debases the sinner, and strongly inclines him to relapse into rebellion. Now repentance gives the true representation of sin in its penal consequences, the anger of the Almighty, the terrors of conscience, and makes it evident and odious to the soul. David had a piercing conviction what a foul sin adultery was, when his 'bones were broken.' Repenting sorrow strikes at the root of sin, the love of pleasure. This makes us fearful to offend God, and to fly all the alluring temptations that will betray us to sin. This makes us obedient. The melted metal is receptive of any form. Contrition is joined with resignation: 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' was the voice of repenting Saul. It may be objected, that we read, 'God justifies the ungodly,' but the answer is clear. The apostle does not intend by the ungodly, an impenitent sinner, but makes the opposition between the ungodly and one that perfectly obeys the law, and is consequently justified by works: and in this sense the most excellent saints here are ungodly. Besides, the apostle does not assert that God absolutely pardons the ungodly, but qualifies the persons: 'To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.' Now justifying faith and repentance are like Tamars twins: repentance is first felt, and then faith exerts itself in applying the merits of Christs death for our pardon. It is replied by some, that all grace is communicated from Christ, as our head, and supposes our union with him, of which faith is the vital band, and consequently the first grace, by which all other graces are derived to us. To this I answer, there are two means of our union with Christ: the principal is the quickening spirit descending from Christ as the fountain of the supernatural life, and a lively faith wrought in us by his pure and powerful operation, that ascends from us and closes with him. It is said, the second Adam was made 'a quickening spirit:' and he that is joined 'to the Lord is one spirit.' As the parts of the natural body are united by the vital influence of the same soul that is present in the whole; so we are united to Christ by the holy spirit that was given to him without measure, and from his fulness is derived to us. It is clear therefore beyond all contradiction, that faith is not antecedently requisite, as the means of conveying all graces to us from Christ. There are two acts of faith: the first respects the general offer of pardon in the gospel to all repenting believing sinners: the second is the application of the promise of pardon to the soul. The first is antecedent to evangelical repentance: the second is clearly consequent in the order of nature, for the promise assures pardon only to 'the weary and heavy laden that come to Christ for rest.' In short, there is a perfect agreement and sympathy between reason and divine revelation in this doctrine, that God pardons only the repenting sinner. The contrary assertion is an impeachment of the rectitude of his nature, and directly contrary to the design and tenor of the gospel. If a man be justified as ungodly, the evangelical command of repentance for the remission of sins is useless and unprofitable. What a pernicious influence upon practice this doctrine may have, is obvious to any that consider it. I shall only add, if God pardons men as ungodly, 'How shall he judge the world?' It was prophesied by Enoch, 'Behold the Lord comes with ten thousand saints to judge all that are ungodly for their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodlily committed.' Now as the apostle James argues against the perverseness of men, 'when from the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing; doth a fountain send forth sweet water and bitter?' James 3:10. This instance is incomparably more strong with respect to God than to men. It is more consistent and conceivable that a fountain should send forth fresh water and salt, than that the holy and righteous God, in whose nature there is not the least discord, should justify some as ungodly, and condemn others as ungodly for ever. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the evangelical condition of our obtaining pardon. This will appear by considering the nature of faith. Saving faith is an unfeigned persuasion of the power, and desire of Christ to save sinners, that induces the soul to receive him, and rely on him, as he is offered in the gospel. We are assured of his all-sufficiency, and of his compassionate willingness to save us; 'He is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him.' Our Saviour declares, 'Whoever comes to him, he will in no wise cast out.' Faith is seated in the whole soul, and according to the truth and transcendent goodness of the object, produces the most precious and sacred esteem of it in the mind, and the most joyful consent and choice of it in the will. Accordingly a sincere believer embraces entire Christ as 'a Prince and a Saviour,' and is as willing to be governed by his sceptre, as to depend upon his sacrifice. Acceptance and reliance are the essential ingredients of justifying faith. This is the doctrine of the everlasting gospel. The angel declared this to the shepherds, 'Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.' Luke 2:10. 'This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ is come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.' 1 Timothy 1:15. Faith is indispensably necessary to our obtaining forgiveness. Faith is the channel wherein the precious issues of his blood and sufferings are conveyed to us. To make more evident how necessary and gracious a condition faith in the Redeemer is, for our pardon, I will briefly consider the foundation of the covenant of life in the gospel. After man had plunged himself into damnation, God having decreed, that without satisfaction there should be no remission of his sin; and the sinner being utterly incapable of enduring such a punishment in degrees, as might be truly satisfactory, it necessarily followed, he must suffer a punishment equivaleiit in duration. To prevent this, there was no possible way but by admitting a surety, who should represent the sinner, and in his stead suffer the punishment due for sin. A threefold consent was requisite in this transaction. (1.) The consent of the sovereign, whose law was violated, and majesty despised: for as there is a natural distinction between persons, and between the actions of persons, so there must be between the recompences of those actions: coneequently the sinner is obliged to suffer the punishment in his own person. From hence it is clear, that the punishment cannot be transferred to another without the allowance of the sovereign, who is the patron of the rights of justice. (2.) The consent of the surety is requisite: for punishment being an emanation of justice cannot be inflicted on an innocent person, without his voluntary interposing to save the guilty. A surety is legally one person with the debtor: otherwise the creditor cannot exact, by the rule of right, the payment from him, which is fixed by the law upon the person of the debtor. (3.) It is as clear, that the consent of the guilty is requisite, who obtains impunity by the vicarious sufferings of another. For if he resolves to bear his own guilt, and wilfully refuses to be freed by the interposing of another between him and the punishment, neither the judge nor the surety can constrain him to it. Now all these concur in this great transaction. As the creation of man was a work of solemn counsel, 'Let us make man,' so his redemption was the product of the divine counsel. I may allude to what is represented to us in the vision of the divine glory to the prophet Isaiah: 'I heard the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, here I am, send me,' Isa,. 6.8. Thus the rise of our salvation was from the Father. He makes the inquiry, who shall go for us, to recover fallen man? The Son interposes, 'Here I am, send me.' The Father from his sovereignty and mercy appointed and accepted the Mediator and surety for us. It was no part of the law given in paradise, that if man sinned, he should die, or his surety; but it was an act of God's free power as superior to the law, to appoint his Son to be our surety, and to die in our stead. And the aspect of the law upon a sinner being without passion, it admits of satisfaction by the sufferings of another. It is said in the gospel, 'God so loved the world,' so above all comparison and comprehension, 'that he gave and sent his only begotten Son into the world, that the world through him might be saved.' The Son of God, with the freest choice, did interpose between the righteous God and guilty man for that end. He willingly left his sovereign seat in heaven, eclipsed his glory under a dark cloud of flesh, degraded himself into the form of a servant, and submitted to an ignominious and cruel death for our redemption. When he came into the world, he declared his full consent, with a note of eminency: 'Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me: then said I, lo I come to do thy will, O God.' Upon this consent of the Father and the Son, the whole fabric of our redemption is built. It is the resultance from it, that the execution of justice on Christ is the expiation of our sins, and by his sufferings the full price is paid for our redemption. There is a judicial exchange of persons between Christ and believers, their guilt is transferred to him, and his righteousness is imputed to them. 'He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' 2 Corinthians 5. His active and passive obedience, his doing and dying are as truly accounted to believers for their acceptance and pardon, as if they had meritoriously wrought out their own salvation. The sinner must give his consent to be saved by the death of Christ upon the terms of the gospel. This constitution is grounded upon the eternal articles between the Father and the Son in the covenant of redemption. Our Sviour declares, that 'God gave his Son, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.' Notwitstanding the full satisfaction made for our sins, yet without our consent, that is, an applicative faith, no benefit could accrue to us. 'He dwells in our hearts by faith:' and by that vital band of our union we have communion with him in his death, and as entire an interest in all the blessed benefits purchased by it, as if whatsoever he did and suffered had been for us alone. 'He is a propitiation by faith in his blood.' Of this full consent of the sinner, there is an excellent example in the apostle: he expresses it with the greatest ardency of affection; 'I count all things but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.' Philippians 3:9. Like as a poor insolvent debtor, ready to be cast into a perpetual prison, longs for a surety rich and liberal, to make payment for him: thus the apostle Paul desired to be found in Christ, as an all-sufficient surety, that he might obtain a freedom from the charge of the law. The establishment of the gospel, that faith be the condition of our pardon, so that none can be justified without it, is from pure grace. The apostle assigns this reason why all works are excluded, those performed in the state of nature, or by a principle of grace, from being the procuring cause of our salvation, that it is to prevent vain-glory in men that would result from it. 'You are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.' Ephesians 2. The pardon of sin is a principal part of our salvation. He positively declares, that justification 'is therefore of faith, that it might be by grace.' Romans 4. If justification were to be obtained by a condition of impossible performance, it were no favour to offer that blessed benefit to us: but it being assured to a believer that humbly and thankfully accepts of it, the grace of God is exceedingly glorified. To make this more clear, faith, may be considered as a productive grace, or a receptive: as a productive, it purifies the heart, works by love; and in this consideration we are not justified by it. Faith hath no efficiency in our justification, it is the sole act of God: but faith as a receptive grace, that embraces Christ with his precious merits offered to us in the promise, entitles us to pardon. And in this way divine grace is exalted: for he that entirely relies upon the righteousness of Christ, absolutely renounces his own righteousness, and ascribes in solidum the obtaining of his pardon to the clemency and favour of God, for the sake of the Mediator. 3. That God is ready to forgive, is fully proved by many gracious declarations in his word, the infallible expression of his will. 'We are commanded to seek his face for ever,' his favour and love: for the countenance is the crystal wherein the affections appear. Now all the commands of God assure us of his approving and acceptance of our obedience to them: it follows therefore, that it is very pleasing to him, that we pray for the pardon of our sins, and that he will dispense it, if we pray in a due manner. When he forbad the prophet to pray for Israel, it was an argument of decreed ruin against them: 'Pray not for this people, for I will not hear thee.' Jeremiah 7:16. To encourage our hope, God is pleased to direct us how to address our requests for his mercy: he directs 'Israel, that had fallen by iniquity, to take words, and turn to the Lord, and say unto him, take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so will we render the praise of our lips.' Hosea 14. To this is added a solemn renouncing of those sins that provoked him to anger. His gracious answer follows, 'I will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely.' If a prince draws a petition for an humble suppliant to himself, it is a strong indication that he will grant it. God joins entreaties to his commands, to induce men to accept this mercy. The apostle declares, 'Now then we are ambassadors for Christ: as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled to God.' 2 Corinthians 5. Astonishing goodness! how condescending, how compassionate! The provocation began on man's part, the reconciliation is first on God's. That the King of heaven, whose indignation was incensed by our rebellions, and might justly send executioners to destroy us, should send ambassadors to offer peace, and beseech us to be reconciled to him, as if it were his interest and not ours, is a mercy above what we could ask or think. With commands and entreaties he mixes promises of pardon to encourage us to come to the throne of grace: 'Whoever confesses and forsakes his sins, shall find mercy.' This promise is ratified by the strongest assurance: 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' 1 John 1. The pardon of a repenting sinner is the effect of most free mercy, but it is dispensed to the honour of God's faithfulness and justice, who is pleased to engage himself by his promise to do it. And though the word of God be as sacred and certain as his oath, for it is impossible for him to change his will, or to deceive us in the one as well as the other: yet to overcome the fears, to allay the sorrows, and satisfy the desires of repenting sinners, he was pleased to annex his oath to the promise, Hebrews 6:18. which is the most infallible character and note, that the blessing promised is unchangeable. He adds threatenings to his invitations, that fear which is an active and strong passion, may constrain us to seek for his mercy. Our Saviour said to the Jews who did blind and harden themselves in their infidelity, 'If ye believe not that I am he,' the promised Messiah, 'and come to me to obtain life, ye shall die in your sins.' John 8:24. The threatening implies a state final and fearful, beyond all expression; for they who die in their sins, shall die for them to eternity. Hell is the sad mansion of lost souls, filled with extreme wrath and extreme despair: and where despair is without remedy, sorrow is without mitigation for ever. From hence we may be convinced, how willing God is to pardon and save us, in that knowing how we are entangled with pleasant sins, he reveals to us what will be the eternal consequence of sins unrepented and unforgiven, a punishment above all the evils that are felt or feared here, and above all the patience and strength of sinners to endure. If men yield themselves to the call of his word without, and of his spirit within, and humbly accept of the terms of mercy, it is very pleasing to him. We are assured by Jesus Christ, who is truth, that there is 'Joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine persons that need no repentance.' God himself declares with a solemn oath, 'that he delights not in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn and live.' The holiness and mercy of God are two of his most divine perfections, his peculiar glory and delight. Now what can be more pleasing to that most pure and compassionate being, than to see a sinful creature conformed to his holiness, and saved by his mercy? If the internal joy of God, wherein he is infinitely blessed, were capable of new degrees, it would rise higher in the exercise of his forgiving mercy. There is a clear representation of this in the parable of the prodigal: at his return his father received him, with a robe and a ring, with music and a feast, the signs of joy in its exaltation. But if sinners are hardened, in obstinacy, and notwithstanding God is so willing to pardon them, are wilful to be damned, with what variety of passions does he express his resentment? He incarnates himself in the language of men, to make them understand his affection to them. Sometimes he expostulates with a tender sympathy, 'Why will ye die?' as if they were immediately falling into the bottomless pit. He expresses pity, mixed with indignation, at their chosen folly and ruin; 'How long ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity, and fools hate knowledge?' What reluctancy and regret does he express against proceeding to exterminating judgments? 'How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.' Hosea 11:8. With what a melting passion does the Son of God foretel the decreed destruction of Jerusalem, for rejecting their Saviour and salvation! 'When he came near he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, if thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. Like a mild judge that pities the man, when he condemns the malefactor. Those who interpret some expressions of scripture, that 'God laughs at the calamity of the wicked, and mocks when their fear comes,' Proverbs 1. and is inexorable to their prayers, in such a sense as evacuates most gracious declarations of God, to induce sinners to repent and believe for their salvation, they draw darkness out of light: for those threatenings are directed against obstinate rebels that frustrate the most powerful methods of mercy, and reject the call of God, in the day of his grace; and by way of retaliation, their prayers are ineffectual, and rejected in the day of his wrath. And that he is so highly and irreconcileably provoked for their despising his mercy, is a certain indication how highly he would have been pleased with their humbly accepting of it. Let none then by a vile and wretched suspicion, that God's repeated calls to sinners to return and live, do not signify his serious will, detract from the glory of his goodness, and blaspheme his unspotted holiness. His excellent greatness assures us of his sincerity. Why should the glorious majesty of heaven court despicable creatures to be reconciled? We are infinite descents below him, and no advantage can accrue to him from us. Temporal princes may be swayed by interest to send false declarations to rebels in arms, to reduce them to obedience: but what can the Most High gain by our submission or lose by our obstinacy? Counterfeit kindness proceeds either from the hope of some good, or the fear of some evil: and of both God is absolutely incapable. We are all obnoxious to his severe justice: there is no occasion that he should intend by the gracious offer of pardon, to aggravate the sin and sentence of those who refuse it. Whosoever with heart breaking sorrow, and unfeigned hatred of his sins, seeks for pardon by the Mediator, he shall find his experience of sparing mercy equal to the highest expressions of it in scripture, and exceeding all his thoughts. 4. It appears, that God is ready to pardon, in that he is so slow to punish. Though all the divine attributes are equal in God, and there is an entire agreement between them, yet there is a difference in their external operations. St. John declares, 'God is love;' that signifies his communicative goodness, the exercise whereof is more free and pleasing to him than the acts of revenging justice. 'He does not afflict willingly the children of men.' Lamentations 3. His mercy in giving and forgiving flows as water from a fountain: acts of justice are forced from him (like wine from the grapes) by the pressing weight of our sins. In the first day of judgment a Saviour was promised before the curse was threatened. Notwithstanding sinful men break his laws, and trample on them before his face; they 'resist, and grieve, and quench his spirit:' yet he delays the execution of judgment, that his 'longsuffering may lead them to repentance.' This will appear by considering that God's forbearing sinners is not, 1. For want of discovery of their sins, human justice may suffer a guilty person to escape punishment for want of clear evidence, but this case is not incident to the justice of heaven. 'God is light' with respect to his purity and omniscience. His fiery eye pierces through the thickest darkness wherein sins are committed, and all the arts of concealment used to cover them. He sees all the sins of men with the eye of a judge; 'all things are naked and open before his eyes with whom we have to do.' Therefore it is said, 'God will require what is past,' and will observe what is to come, in order to judgment. 2. It is not from a defect of power that the wicked are spared. Great princes are sometimes hindered from the exercise of justice, when the guilty person is supported by a prevalent party against them: for the power of a prince is not in himself, but in those who are his subjects. This David was constrained to spare Joab, after the murder of Abner, because of his interest in the army; 'the sons of Zeruiah were too hard for him,' he feared their rebellious resistance. But the power of God is inherent in himself, and depends upon no creatures: 'O Lord, be exalted in thine own power.' He fears none, and is to be feared by all. With one stroke of omnipotency he can destroy all his enemies for ever. He can with more ease subdue the most stubborn rebels, than we can breathe. His strength is equal to his authority, both are truly infinite. The guilty are spared sometimes from the vicious partiality of princes to their favourites, or a wretched neglect of justice: but the high and holy King is without respect of persons: he hates sin with a perfect hatred, and is angry with the wicked every day. The scripture gives an account why execution is respited: 'the Lord is not slack, (as some men count slackness) but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.' 'He waits to be gracious,' and spares men in order to their salvation. 5. It appears that God is ready to forgive, in that upon the first suit of humble and penitent believers he presently pardons them. If we consider how long men continue in a course of voluptuous or profitable sins, how many repulses to the offers of mercy they are guilty of, it might justly be expected, that God should with disdain reject their petitions, or not be entreated without a long exercise of repentance, and continued, submissive, and earnest solicitations for his mercy. But the King of heaven keeps no state, the 'throne of grace' is always open and accessible to humble penitents: when their hearts are prepared, his ear is inclined to hear them. David, after his commission of very foul sins, and long continuing in a state of impenitency, yet upon his melting in the sense of his wickedness and resolution, to humble himself by a mournful acknowledgment of it, he was restored to the divine favour. 'I said I would confess my sins, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.' Repenting Ephraim is an admirable instance of God's relenting bowels to sinners: 'I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself; thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth: is Ephraim my dear Son? Is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord.' The prodigal upon his resolution to return to his Father, and debase himself as utterly unworthy of being received as a Son, 'While he was in the way, his Father saw him at a distance, and ran to him, fell on his neck and kissed him, and entirely forgave his past rebellion. The soul-wounded publican said, 'Lord be merciful to me a sinner;' and was justified rather than the proud pharisee. 6. It is a convincing argument, that God is ready to forgive sin, in that he affords grace to men to prepare them for his pardoning mercy. Repentance and faith are sacred plants that do not spring from our earth,but have their roots in heaven. 'God gives repentance unto life.' Acts 11. 'Faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.' Ephesians 2. In our corrupt state sin is natural to man, and hath entirely possessed all his leading faculties. 'The carnal mind is enmity against God,' Romans 8. and judges according to the carnal affections which deprave it. The will is rebellious, and strongly inclined to charming lusts: temptations are so numerous and delightful, that sinners will venture to be miserable for ever, to enjoy the pleasures of sin that die in the tasting. It is true, such are the inviolable inclinations of the human nature to happiness, that no man can love undisguised death, nor choose damnation for itself: yet the affection to sin is so overruling, that they will not forsake it though complicated with death. The wisdom of God tells us, 'those that hate me love death,' Proverbs 9. that is constructively. Our Saviour compassionately reproves the Jews, 'ye will not come to me that ye may have life.' John 5. This is the cause of their remaining in a state of guilt for ever. Now such is the mercy of God, that he gives his spirit, to assist men by his illuminating, preventing, restraining and exciting grace, to forsake their sins, that they may be saved: and if they did faithfully improve the lower degrees of grace, (though they can claim nothing by right) he would from his good pleasure afford them more grace: but they are so averse from God; and strongly bent to the present world, that they so long resist the pure motions of grace in their hearts, till the gales of the Spirit expire, and revive no more; according to that terrible threatening, 'my spirit shall no longer strive with man, for he is flesh.' Genesis 6. Besides the common grace afforded to natural men, there is a supereffluence of grace bestowed upon some to convert them, which infallibly obtains its end. Those who are the patrons of free-will methinks should allow that God is master of his own will, and the free dispenser of his own grace. This especial grace works powerfully, yet conveniently, to the reasonable nature. There is no charm so sweet, no constraint so strong; as the operation of it: for the understanding is convinced by so clear and strong a light, of our being undone for ever without God's pardoning mercy, 'that his loving-kindness is better than life;' and this is represented to the will with that powerful application, that the will certainly chooses it. When there is a wavering and indifferency of the will to a propounded object, it is either from some defects in the object, or in the apprehension of it: but when the supreme good is so represented, that it fills all the capacities of the soul, the will as certainly embraces it, as one that is burnt up with thirst, and near a cool stream stoops and drinks to quench it. The holy spirit, who knows the manner of his own operations, expresses the efficacy of them in the resemblances of the creation and resurrection, wherein the divine power cannot be frustrated; yet it is so congruous to the frame of man's nature, that the freedom of the will is then in its most noble exercise: 'men are drawn to Christ by the teachings of God;' not by overruling violence upon their faculties, but by instruction and persuasion suitable to them. Now from hence it is evident that all the persons in the God-head concur in bestowing this admirable blessing, the pardon of our sins: they all willingly join in this undivided work, though with different operations. The father pronounces our pardon from the throne: his majesty shines without diminution or condescension of his person in forgiving us. The Son purchased our pardon by the sacred treasure of his blood. The holy spirit qualifies us, and applies the pardon of our sins to us. 3. I now come to notice, that God is abundant in forgiveness. This God has declared in words so full and expressive, as may exceedingly satisfy the most tender and fearful spirits: 'let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways, than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.' The distance is so great between the heavens and the earth, that the sun, so vast a globe of light, seems to be of a small circumference; and the stars of the first magnitude, though many times bigger than the earth, appear like glittering points of light. This comparison is so convincing as may assist us in our contemplation of his mercy. The apostle saith, 'God is rich in mercy.' Ephesians 2. It is not said, that he is rich in substance, though the earth be the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. He is rich in his own perfections, not in external things. It is not said, God is rich in power, though he is almighty; nor in justice, but in mercy: this signifies, that of all the divine perfections, none do shine so radiantly as his mercy. This reflects a lustre upon his other attributes. His goodness is the foundation of his glory. He pardoned ten thousand talents to the servant that was insolvent, and his treasure is unwasted. I will consider the extent of his pardoning mercy, and the entireness of it. 1. The extent of it, with respect to the number and quality of the sins that are pardoned. 1st. The number of them. David, after an attentive consideration of the purity and perfection of God's law, breaks forth in a very great anxiety, 'Who can understand his errors?' Who can enumerate the many defections from that strait rule of our duty? 'In many things we offend all.' We are obliged perpetually to obey and glorify God: yet in every action, even in our religious duties, there are many defects and defilements that want pardon. How many swarms of vain and unprofitable thoughts of carnal, covetous; proud, envious, and revengeful thoughts and desires lodge in the hearts of men? What a torrent of idle, sensual, vain-glorious and passionate words flow from their lips? How many thousand sinful actions proceed from them? When the enlightened conscience seriously reflects upon our sins of omission and commission, how astonishing is their vast number? What a mountainous heap appears? They reach as low as hell, and rise as high as heaven. It would tire the hand of an angel to write down the pardons that God bestows upon one penitent believer. 2dly. Divine forgiveness extends to sins of all kinds and degrees, habitual and actual. Though no sins are absolutely small, being committed against the majesty of God, yet comparatively, with respect to their quality and circumstances, there is a manifest difference between them. Some are of a weaker tincture, some are of a deeper die: some slightly wound the conscience; some waste it, and let out its vital blood: some do as it were whisper against the sinner, some cry for vengeance. Sins of ignorance and infirmity, sins of sudden surreption, that steel upon us without observing, sins by surprise of the passions, when there is no time to deliberate, have extenuating circumstances: but sins against light, wherein there is more of the nature of sin; sins against mercies, which in the language of the apostle, are a 'despising of God's goodness:' sins against solemn vows, wherein men break double bands, the law of God and their sacred engagements; sins committed habitually and presumptuously, as if God were ignorant, or indifferent and unconcerned, or impotent and without power to punish offenders: these sins derive a greater guilt, and expose to a more terrible punishment. Now a gracious pardon is offered in the gospel to all sinners, whatever the quality and circumstances of their sins be, if they apply and address themselves to the father of mercy through the compassionate Mediator, and forsake their sins. Of this we are assured from the most solemn declaration of God to Moses, 'the Lord is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin.' The promise is comprehensive of all sorts of sins, how manifold and mighty soever. Besides, to encourage us to repent and believe, God promises pardon for sins of the fiercest provocation. Judah had violated the marriage-covenant with God by their impure idolatries, yet he offers to receive them. 'Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet return again to me, saith the Lord.' Relapses into rebellious sins argue a strong propensity to them, and exceedingly aggravate their guilt; yet God promises pardon for them : 'Return ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.' There are eminent instances of God's pardoning mercy recorded in the scripture. The apostle having enumerated many sorts of sinners guilty of enormous crimes, idolaters, adulterers, abusers of themselves with mankind, tells the Corinthians, 'and such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of our God.' There is one sort of sinners excepted from the general promise of mercy, those who sin against the Holy Ghost. The reason of the exception is not, that the Holy Spirit is superior in dignity to the Father and the Son, for they are all coeternal and coequal, but from his operations, that is, the revealing the truth and grace of God in the gospel. Now the obstinate malicious contradicting the truth of the gospel shining in the minds of men, and the perverse despising the grace of the gospel, is unpardonable to infinite mercy. Those who are guilty of that sin, have transformed themselves into the image of the devil, and salvation cannot save them. But no others are excluded from repentance and pardon. 2. As the extent, so the entireness of pardon offered to sinners declares God's abundant mercy. 1. The pardon is as full as free, according to his excellent goodness: the imputation of the fault ceases, and the obligation to punishment is abolished. We have clear evidence of this from the scripture. God assures those who repent and reform, 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.' Pardon is more than a reprieve or suspension of judgment, it is a perfect freedom from it: a repenting believer is as clear from the charge of the law as an innocent angel. 'There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.' Romans 8. Our cleansing from the defilements of sin is imperfect, therefore we must be always purifying ourselves, till we attain to absolute purity: but our pardon is perfect. It is irrevocable; we are assured, that as far as the east is from the west, God removes our transgressions from us. As soon those distant points may be united, as guilt may be fastened upon those whom God has pardoned. The prophet declares, that 'God will subdue our iniquities, and cast them into the bottom of the sea:' Psalms 103. from whence they can never rise. God promises, 'I will forgive their iniquities, and remember them no more.' Micah 7. Pardon is complete and final. It is the misery of the wicked, 'they are condemned already;' Jeremiah 31:34. they live by a reprieve and suspension of judgment: it is the blessed security of believers, they 'shall not fall under condemnation.' There is such an inconstancy in the nature of men, that they often repent and revoke the favours and privileges they have bestowed; they like today, and loath to-morrow the same persons: but the blessed God is not subject to change or contingency. His love, his purpose, his promise to his people, are unalterable. From the sense of God's pardoning mercy, conscience is freed from those just terrors that are the consequents of guilt. 'The blood of Christ purges our conscience from dead works:' Hebrews 9:14. from the deadly guilt of sin that cleaves to the conscience. A temporal prince may pardon a murderer; and conscience with a countenance of despair may summon him to appear and be accountable for his bloody crime before the high and everlasting Judge: but those who are 'justified by faith, have peace with God.' When the original bond is cancelled, the counterpart has no force; conscience is subordinate to God, and when he justifies, has no authority to condemn. When God 'blots out the iniquities of his people as a thick cloud,' there is a clear sky, a divine calm and serenity in conscience. It may be enquired how the complete pardon of sin is consistent with the temporal evils inflicted upon the children of God for their sins. The answer is obvious and easy. Temporal evils inflicted on the children of God, are declarative of his holy displeasure against sin, but are not for satisfaction to vindictive justice: this would be derogatory to the love of God, and the meritorious sufferings of our Saviour, who did not compound with God, but made full and absolute satisfaction for our sins. In the 12th chapter to the Hebrews, where the apostle so divinely and accurately treats of this argument, there is a clear account of the cause, the nature, and the product of the temporal sufferings of God's children. The cause of them is the love of their heavenly Father displeased for their sins: 'whom the lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.' Earthly parents in their various fits of folly, sometimes 'chasten their children only for their pleasure,' and sometimes spare the rod to their ruin: but our heavenly Father is equally wise and compassionate, and uses such discipline as is requisite for their profit, to prevent their continuance in sin, that would be destructive to them. Believers 'are chastened of the Lord, that they may not be condemned with the world.' 1 Corinthians 11:32. And the wisdom and love of our Father and physician mixes such bitter ingredients, and in that proportion, as are requisite for the quality of the disease, and the strength of the patient. 'He corrects them in measure;' he will not suffer them 'to be tempted above what they are able.' Their afflictions are deliberate dispensations. The nature of them is signified in the word chastisement: the correction of a child is in order to his amendment: they are medicinal, and have a main relation and prospect to the future, to make us more fearful to offend God, and careful to please him. They are more lively and sensible lessons of our duty, than the instructions of the word, and are of the same order. The product of the chastisements of God's children, 'is the pleasant fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby:' Hebrews 12. that is, the sanctifying graces of the Spirit, repentance, faith, hope, patience, self-denial, contempt of the world, resignation to the divine will, are exercised, illustrated, and increased in those christians who with unfainting perseverance endure affliction. In short, death that was the penal effect of sin, (for the first man while innocent was immortal) though continued, yet the sting is taken away, the quality of it is changed: the issues of it are vastly different to the saints and the wicked: to the saints it is the period of their fears and sorrows, the final remedy of all their miseries; to the wicked it is the beginning of their woe. The saints pass through the darkness and corruption of the grave into the kingdom of glory: the wicked pass to the blackness of darkness for ever. 2. The entireness of this great benefit is evident in that God restores his love and forfeited favour to all that are pardoned. Princes sometimes pardon offenders, but never receive them into their favour. Absalom was recalled from banishment, but for two years was not admitted to see the king's face. But God does magnify and manifest his love to those whom he pardons. He does not distinguish them from the angels that always obeyed him. He forgives our sins as entirely as if they had never been committed, and is reconciled as if he had never been offended. We have the most clear discovery of this in the parable of the prodigal. It might have been expected, that his father should have reproached him for his obstinate deserting his house, his wasting his portion in lewdness and luxury, and that bitter constraint forced him to return: no, he dearly embraces him, and cancels all the debt of his past offences with a most affectionate kiss: and whereas the poor penitent presumed only to be received as a servant, he was restored in the most affectionate manner to the dignity and relation of a son; and universal joy was diffused through all the family for his return. If our Saviour had not made this relation with all its endearing circumstances, our narrow hearts durst never presume and promise to us such compassionate love of God to repenting sinners. But whoever imitates the prodigal in his return, shall find the reality to exceed the representation. I shall add some examples of this love of God to those who repent. Mary Magadalen had been guilty of foul sins, yet our Saviour graciously received the tender expressions of her grief and love, to the astonishment of Simon: 'She washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed them:' and after his resurrection appeared first unto her as his endeared favourite. It is recorded by the evangelist, with an infinite emphasis of his love, that 'he first appeared to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils.' Peter, in whose denial of Christ there was such a mixture of infidelity, ingratitude, and impiety, he promised he would die with him or for him; yet being questioned not with terror by an armed magistrate, not surprised by a subtle examiner, but at the question of a maid renounced him, yet he was restored to the honour of his office, and the affection of his master. It is very observable, that when he appeared to Mary Magdalen, he directs her to tell his disciples and Peter of his resurrection; he particularly mentions Peter, to raise his drooping spirit by this new assurance of his love. This happy privilege belongs to all penitent believers, for whomsoever God pardons he prefers, and adopts into his family, and makes them heirs of heaven. The first beam of mercy shines in the pardon of our sins, which is an infallible assurance of freeing us from the punishment of sin in hell, and of our obtaining the joys of heaven. Our Saviour has by his meritorious and voluntary sufferings paid our ransom from eternal death, and purchased for us a right to eternal life: accordingly 'whom God justifies he glorifies.' The formal effect of justification is the restoring us to the forfeited favour of God, and from that fountain all blessed benefits flow. God declares concerning his people: 'They shall be mine in the day that I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his son that serves him:' Malachi 3. which two acts of the divine mercy are inseparable. Forgiveness - The Application Home | Biography | Works | Sermons | Links ======================================================================== CHAPTER 97: BATESW - SERMON ON 1JN 5:2 ======================================================================== SERMON ON 1 John 5:2 'By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.' Of all the marks that are useful in the trial of our spiritual state in reference to eternity, there is none affords a more clear and comfortable assurance of God's special and saving mercy, than love to the saints. This has often resolved the doubts, and quieted the fears of afflicted inquiring souls, when other graces have not been so apprehensible in their operations. But there is no mark which the deceitful heart does more securely rest upon, through the mistake of natural human love for that which is spiritual and divine: it is therefore most worthy our serious thoughts, the deceit being so easy and infinitely dangerous, to show what is the unfeigned genuine love of the brethren, to which salvation is annexed, to confirm the humble sincere christian, and undeceive presuming hypocrites. The great design of St. John in this epistle, is to excite and inflame in christians the love of God, and of their brethren, the two comprehensive duties, and bright sum of the law, our principal perfections in heaven and earth. These he recommends by the most affectionate and obliging, the most warming, melting persuasives; the superlative love of God to us, and our communion with the saints in nature and grace. In the former verse the apostle argues from the reality of the effect, as an evidence of the cause. " Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ," that is, the Saviour of the world, foretold by the prophets, and expresses the truth of that faith in a suitable conversation, " is born of God ; and every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." Grace is not less powerful in producing tender reciprocal affections between the offspring of the same heavenly Fathet, than the subordinate endearments of nature. The pretence is vain of love to God, without loving his regenerate children. And in the text he argues from the knowledge of the cause, to the discovering of the sincerity of the effect : " by this we know that we love the children of God," with a holy affection, " if we love God, and keep his commandments." There is but one difficulty to be removed, that the force of the apostle's reasoning may appear; it is this, a medium to prove a thing must be a clearer evidence than what is concluded by it: now though a demonstration from the cause be more noble and scientifical, yet that which is drawn from the effect, is more near to sense, and more discernible. And this is verified in the instance before us; for the love of God, who is absolutely spiritual in his being and excellencies, doth not with that sensible fervour affect and passionately transport us, as love to his children, with whom we visibly converse, and who are receptive of the most sensible testimonies of our affection. Accordingly the apostle argues, " he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen ?" As the motives to love our brethren, from our conjunction in nature, and familiar conversation, are more capable to allure our affections, and more sensibly strike the heart than the invisible Deity, who is infinitely above us; by the same reason we may more easily judge of the truth of our love to them, than of our love to God. To this the answer is clear; the apostle doth not speak of the love of God, as a still, silent, contemplative affection, confined to the superior faculty of the soul, but as a burning, shining affection (like fire) active and declarative of itself in those effects that necessarily flow from it, that is voluntary obedience to his commands; and thus it becomes manifest to the renewed conscience, and is a most convincing proof of the sincerity of our love to the saints. The text being cleared, affords this doctrine: Doct. The sincerity of our love to the children of God, is certainly discovered by our love to God, and obedience to his commands. For the illustration and proof of the point, I will briefly show, I. Who are described by this title, The children of God. II. What is included in our love to them. III. What the love of God is, and the obedience that flows from it. IV. How from love to God, and willing obedience to his commands, we may convincingly know the sincerity of our love to his children. I. To explain the first, we must consider that this title, The children of God, is given upon several accounts. First. By creation the angels are called the sons of God, and men his offspring. The reason of the title is, 1. The manner of their production by his immediate power. Thus he is styled, " the Father of spirits," in distinction from the fathers of the flesh. For though the conception and forming of the body be the work of his secret providence, yet it is by the hand of nature, the parents concurring as the second causes of it: but the production of the soul is to be entirely ascribed to his power, without the intervention of any creature. 2. In their spiritual immortal nature, and the intellectual operations flowing from it, there is an image and resemblance of God; from whence this title is common to all reasonable creatures, and peculiar to them : for though matter may be ordered and fashioned by the hand of God into a figure of admirable beauty, yet it is not capable of his likeness and image; so that neither the lights of heaven, nor the beasts and plants of the earth are called his children. Secondly. By external calling and covenant some are denominated his children; for by this evangelical constitution God is pleased to receive believers into a filial relation. Indeed where there is not a cordial consent and subjection to the terms of the covenant, visible profession, and the receiving the external seals of it, will be of no advantage; but the public serious owning of the gospel, entitles a person to be of the society of christians; and filius and faederatus are all one. Thirdly. There is a sonship that arises from supernatural regeneration; that is the communicating a new nature to man, whereby there is a holy and blessed change in the directive and commanding faculties, the understanding and will, and in the affections, and consequently in the whole life. This is wrought by the efficacy of the word and Spirit, and is called by our Saviour regeneration, because it is not our original carnal birth, but a second and celestial. It is with the new man in grace, as with an infant in nature, that has the essential parts that compose a man; a soul endowed with all its faculties, a body with all its organs and parts, but not in the vigour of mature age. Thus renewed holiness in a christian, is complete and entire in its parts, but not in perfection of degrees; there is an universal inclination to all that is holy, just and good, and a universal aversion from sin, though the executive power be not equal. And regenerate christians are truly called the children of God; for as in natural generation there is communicated a principle of life and suitable operations, from whence the title and relation of a father arises; so in regeneration there are derived such holy and heavenly qualities to the soul, as constitute a divine nature in man, whereby he is partaker of the life and likeness of God himself: from hence he is a child of God, and has an interest and propriety in his favour, power and promises, and alt the good that flows from them, and a title to the eternal inheritance. II. I will show what is included in our love to the children of God. First. The principle of this love is divine. " The soul is purified through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren." 1 Peter 1:22. Naturally the judgment is corrupted, and the will depraved, that carnal respects either of profit or pleasure are the quick and sensible incitements of love; and till the soul be cured of the sensual contagion, the inclination can never be directed, and the desires fastened on the supernatural image of God in his saints. As holiness in the creature is a ray derived from the infinite beauty of God's holiness, so the love of holiness is a spark from the sacred fire of his love. St. John exhorts christians, " let us love one another, for love is of God." 1 John 4:7. Natural love among men is by his general providence, but a gracious love to the saints is by his special influence. The natural affection must be "baptized with the Holy Ghost, as with fire," to refine it to a divine purity. Secondly. The qualifications of this love are as follow: 1. It is sincere and cordial; it does not appear only in expressions from the tongue and countenance, but springs from the integrity of the heart. It is styled "unfeigned love of the brethren; it is a love not in word and tongue only, but in deed and truth." A counterfeit formal affection, set off with artificial colours, is so far from being pleasing to God, the searcher and judge of hearts, that it is infinitely provoking to him. 2. It is pure; the attractive cause of it is the image of God appearing in them. Our Saviour assures us, that love shall be gloriously rewarded, that respects a disciple upon that account as a disciple, and a righteous man as a righteous man. The holy love commanded in the gospel, is to christians for their divine relation, as the children of God, as the members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Ghost. 3. From hence it is universal, extended to all the saints. The church is composed of christians that are different in their gifts and graces, and in their external order; some excel in knowledge, and zeal, and love, in active graces; others in humility, meekness and patience, that sustain and adorn them in sufferings; some are in a higher rank, others are in humble circumstances: as in the visible world things are placed suitably to their natures, the stars in the heavens, flowers in the earth; and our special respects are due to those whom the favour of God has dignified above others, and in whom the brightness and power of grace shines more clearly: for according as there are more reasons that make a person dserving love, the degrees of love should rise in proportion. But a dear affection is due even to the lowest saints; for all have communion in the same holy nature, and are equally instated in the same blessed alliance. 4. It must be fervent, not only in truth, but in a degree of eminency. The apostle Peter joins the two qualifications; " see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." Our Saviour sets before us his own pattern, as a pillar of fire to direct and inflame us; " This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12. "As I have loved you !" Admirable example! His love was singular and superlative; a love that saves and astonishes us at once; for he willingly gave his precious life for our ransom. This we should endeavour to resemble, though our highest expressions of love and compassion to the saints, are but a weak and imperfect imitation of his divine perfection. I shall add farther; this love includes all kinds of love. (I.) The love of esteem correspondent to the real worth and special goodness of the saints. It is one character of a citizen of heaven, that " in his eyes a vile person is contemned," Psalms 15:1-5. however set off by the glory of the world, and the ornaments of the present state, that, as a false mask, conceal their foul deformity to carnal persons ; " but he honours them that fear the Lord," though disfigured by calumnies, though obscured and depressed by afflictions, and made like their blessed head, in whom there was " no form nor comeliness in the judgment of fools." In our valuation, divine grace should turn the scales against all the natural or acquired perfections of body or mind; beauty, strength, wit, eloquence, human wisdom; against all the external advantages of this life, nobility, riches; power, and whatever is admired by a carnal eye. The judgment and love of God should regulate ours. A saint is more valued by God, than the highest princes; nay, than the angels themselves, considered only with respect to their spiritual nature. He calls them " his peculiar treasure, his jewels, the ftrstfruits of the creatures," sacred for his use and glory, in comparison of whom, the rest of the world are but dregs, a corrupt mass. They are styled" his sons ;" being partakers of that life of which he is the author and pattern: and what are all the titles on earth, compared with so divine a dignity. (2.) The love of desire, of their present and future happiness. The perfection of love consists more in the desire than in the effects; and the continued fervent prayers that the saints present to God for one another, are the expressions of their love. (3.) The love of delight, in spiritual communion with them. All the attractives of human conversation, wit, mirth, sweetness of behaviour, and wise discourse, cannot make any society so dear and pleasant to one that is a lover of holiness, as the communion of saints. David, whose breast was very sensible of the tender affections of love and joy, tells us, that " the saints in the earth, the excellent, were the chief objects of his delight." Psalms 16:1-11. And consequent to this, there is a cordial sympathy with them in their joys and sorrows, being members of the same body, and having an interest in all their good or evil. It is observable, when the Holy Spirit describes the sweetest human comforts that are the present reward of the godly man, the enjoyment of his estate in the dear society of his wife and children, there is a promise annexed, that sweetens all the rest, that "he shall see the good of Jerusalem, and peace upon Israel." Psalms 128:1-6. Without this all temporal comforts are mixed with bitter displeasure to him. There is an eminent instance of this in Nehemiah, whom all the pleasures of the Persian court could not satisfy, whilst Jerusalem was desolately miserable. Nehemiah 2:1-20. (4.) The love of service and beneficence, that declares itself in all outward offices and acts for the good of the saints: and these are various; some are of a sublimer nature, and concern their souls; as spiritual counsel and instruction, compassionate admonition and consolation, the confirming them in good, and the fortifying them against evil, the doing whatever may preserve and advance the life and vigour of the inward man; others respect their bodies and temporal condition; directing them in their affairs, protecting them from injuries, supplying their wants, universally assisting them for their tolerable passage through the world. And all these acts are to be cheerfully performed; there is more joy in conferring than receiving a benefit, because love is more exercised in the one than the other. In short, the highest effect of love that comprises all the rest, is to die for the brethren; and this we ought to do when the honour of God, and welfare of the church require it. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." If christians thus loved one another, the church on earth would be a lively image of the blessed society above. III. The love of God, and obedience to his commands, the product of it, are to be considered. The love of God has its rise from the consideration of his amiable excellencies, that render him infinitely worthy of the highest affection; and from the blessed benefits of creation, preservation, redemption and glorification, that we may expect from his pure goodness and mercy. This is the most clear and essential character of a child of God, and most peculiarly distinguishes him from unrenewed men, however accomplished by civil virtues. Now the internal exercise of love to God, in the valuation of his favour, as that which is better than life, in earnest desires of communion with him, in ravishing joy in the testimonies and assurance of his love, in mourning for what is displeasing to him, is in the secret of the soul ; but with this there is inseparably joined a true and visible declaration of our love in obedience to him. " This is the love of God, the most real and undeceitful expression of it, "that we keep his commandments." 1 John 3:16. The obedience that springs from love, is, 1. Uniform and universal; for the two principal and necessary effects of love are an ardent desire to please God, and an equal care not to displease him in any thing. Now the law of God is the signification of his sovereign and holy will, and the doing of it is very pleasing to him, both upon the account of the subjection of the creature to his authority, and conformity to his purity: he declares that obedience is better than the most costly sacrifice. There is an absolute peremptory repugnance between love to him, and despising his commands: and from thence it follows, that love inclines the soul to obey all God's precepts, not only those of easy observation, but the most difficult and distasteful to the carnal appetites ; for the authority of God runs through all, and his holiness shines in all. Servile fear is a partial principle, and causes an unequal respect to the divine law; it restrains from sins of greater guilt, from such disorderly and dissolute actions at which conscience takes fire; but others are indulged: it excites to good works of some kind, but neglects others that are equally necessary. But love regards the whole law in all its injunctions and prohibitions; not merely to please ourselves, that we may not feel the stings of an accusing conscience, but to please the lawgiver. 2. The obedience of love is accurate; and this is a natural consequence of the former. The divine law is a rule not only for our outward conversation, but of our thoughts and affections, of all the interior workings of the soul, that are open before God. Thus it requires religious service, not only in the external performance, but those reverent holy affections, those pure aims, wherein the life and beauty, the spirit and true value of divine worship consists. Thus it commands the duties of equity, charity and sobriety, all civil and natural duties for divine ends, to " please and glorify God." Hebrews 13:16. It forbids all kinds and degrees of sin; not only gross acts, but the inward lustings that have a tendency to them. Now the love of God is the principle of spiritual perfection. It is called " the fulfilling of the law," 1 Corinthians 10:31. not only as it is a comprehensive grace, but in that it draws forth all the active powers of the soul to obey it in an exact manner. This causes a tender sense of our failings, and a severe circumspection over our ways, that nothing be allowed that is displeasing to the divine eyes. Since the most excellent saints are God's chiefest favourites, love makes the holy soul to strive to be like him in all possible degrees of purity. Thus the apostle Paul, in whom the love of Christ was the imperial commanding affection, declares, his zealous endeavour to be " conformable to the death of Christ," in dying to sin, as Christ died for sin, and that " he might attain to the resurrection of the dead," Php_3:10,Php_3:11. that perfection of holiness that is in the immortal state. 3. The obedience of love is chosen and pleasant. "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3. Those that are strangers to this heavenly affection, imagine that a solicitous diligent respect to all God's precepts, is a melancholy task; but it is delightful to the saints: for obedience is the continual exercise of love to God, the paradise of holy souls. The mortification of the carnal appetites, and the restraint from such objects as powerfully insinuate and engage carnal hearts, is with a freer complacency to a saint, than a sensual fruition of them. The sharpest sufferings for religion are allayed, nay sweetend to a saint from the love of God, that is then most sincerely, strongly, and purely acted. The apostle more rejoiced in sharp tribulation for Christ's sake, than in divine revelation. 4. The love of God produces persevering obedience. Servile compliance is inconstant. A slave hates the duties he performs, and loves the sins he dares not commit; therefore as soon as he is released from his chain and his fear, his obedience ceases but a son is perfectly pleased with his Father's will, and the tenor of his life is correspondent to it. He that is pressed by fear to serve in an army, will desert his colours the first opportunity; but a volunteer, that for the love of valour, and of his country, lists himself, will continue in the service. The motion that is caused by outward poises, will cease when the weights are down; but that which proceeds from an inward principle of life, is continual and such is the love of God planted in the breast of a christian. IV. We are to prove that from the love of God, and willing obedience to his commands, we may convincingly know the sin-cerity of our love to his children. There is an inseparable union between these two graces, and the one arises out of the other. " Godliness and brotherly kindness" are joined by the apostle. And it will be evident that where this affection of love to the saints is sincere and gracious, there will be an entire and joyful respect to the law of God, by considering the reasons and motives of it. First. The divine command requires this love. " These things I command you," saith our Saviour, "that ye love one another." This precept so often repeated, and powerfully reinforced by him, made so deep an impression on the first christians, that " they had one heart, and one soul, and their estates were common between them." And in the next succeeding ages, this fraternal love was so conspicuous in the professors of his sacred discipline, that their enemies observed it as a rare and remarkable thing: " See how the christians love one another See how ready they are to die for one another!" Now the same gracious principle that inclines us to do one command, will make us universally willing to observe all; for sincere obedience primarily respects the authority of the lawgiver, which binds the whole law upon the conscience. And as he that " breaks the law wilfully in one point, is guilty of all," James 2:1-26. because the violation of a single precept proceeds from the same cause that induces men to transgress all, that is, contempt of the divine majesty; so he that sincerely obeys one command, does with consent of heart, and serious endeavours obey all. And from hence it is clear, that without a religious and unreserved regard of the divine commands, it is impossible there should be in any person a gracious affection to the saints; that is the product of obedience to God, and consequently the observance of his precepts, is the certain proof of our love to his children. Secondly. Spiritual love to the saints arises from the sight of the divine image appearing in their conversation. Now if the beauty of holiness be the attractive of our love, it will be fastened on the law of God in the most intense degree. The most excellent saints on earth have some mixtures of corruption; their holiness is like the morning-light, that is checkered with the shadows and obscurity of the night; and it is our wisdom not to love their infirmities, but to preserve an unstained affection to them. But the law of God is the fairest transcript of his nature, wherein his glorious holiness is most resplendent. " The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalms 19:7,Psalms 19:8. This ravished the heart of David with an inexpressible affection. "O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day." Psalms 119:1-176. And he repeats the declaration of his love to it with new fervour, upon this ground " I love thy law, because it is pure." Now love to the commands of God will transcribe them in our hearts and lives. As affectionate expressions to the children of God, without the real supply of their wants, are but the shadows of love; so words of esteem and respect to the law of God, without unfeigned and universal obedience, are but an empty pretence. Thirdly. The divine relation of the saints to God as their Father, is the motive of spiritual love to them. And this is consequent to the former; for by partaking of his holiness, they partake of his life and likeness. And from hence they are the dearest objects of his love ; his eye and heart are always upon them. Now if this consideration excites love to the children of God, it will be as powerful to incline us to keep his commands; for the law of God, that is the copy of his sacred will, is most near to his nature, and he is infinitely tender of it. Our Saviour tells us, that " it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17. If the entire world, and all the inhabitants of it were destroyed, there would be no loss to God; but if the law lose its authority and obligation, the divine holiness would suffer a blemish. The use of the doctrine is, to try our love to the children of God, to which all pretend, by this infallible rule, our obedience to his commands. This is absolutely necessary, because the deceit is so easy and so dangerous : and it will be most comfortable, if upon this trial our love be found to be spiritual and divine. The deceit is easy, because acts of love may be expressed to the saints from other principles than the love of God: some for vain-glory are bountiful; and when their charity seems so visibly divine, that men admire it, there is the worm of vanity at the root, that corrupts and makes it odious to God. The pharisees are charged with this by our Saviour; Matthew 6:2. their alms were not the effect of charity, but ostentation; and whilst they endeavoured to make their vices virtuous, they made their virtues vicious. There is a natural love among persons united by consanguinity, that remains so entire since the ruin of mankind by the fall, and is rather from the force of nature, than the virtue of the will, and this in all kind offices may be expressed to the saints. There is a sweetness of temper in some, that inclines them to wish well to all, and such tender affections that are easily moved and melted at the sight of others miseries; and such may be beneficent and compassionate to the saints in their afflictions : but the spring of this love is good-nature, not divine grace. There are human respects that incline others to kindness to the saints, as they are united by interest, fellow-citizens and neighbours, and as they receive advantage by commerce with them, or as obliged by their benefits: but civil amity and gratitude are not that holy affection that is an assurance of our spiritual state. There are other motives of love to the saints, that are not so low nor mercenary; in the thickest darkness of paganism, the light of reason discovered the amiable excellence of virtue, as becoming the human nature, and useful for the tranquillity and welfare of mankind; and the moral goodness that adorns the saints, the innocence, purity, meekness, justice, clemency, benignity, that are visible in their conversations, may draw respects from others who are strangers to the love of God, and careless of his commandments. And as the mistake of this affection is easy, so it is infinitely dangerous; for he that builds his hope of heaven upon a "sandy foundation," upon false grounds, will fall ruinously from his hopes and felicity at last. How fearful will be the disappointment of one that has been a favourer of the saints, that has defended their cause, protected their persons, relieved their necessities, and presumed for this, that his condition is safe as to eternity, though he lives in the known neglect of other duties, and the indulgent practice of some sin? But if we find that our love to the children of God flows from our love to God, that sways the soul to an entire compliance to his commands, and makes us observant of them in the course of our lives: what a blessed hope arises from this reflection? We need not have the book of the divine decrees opened, and the secrets of election unveiled; " for we know that we are passed from death to life, if we love the brethren." 1 John 3:14. This is an infallible effect and sign of the spiritual life, and the seed and evidence of eternal life. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 98: HOWE - FUNERAL SERMON ON THE DEATH OF DR. WILLIAM BATES, ======================================================================== Funeral Sermon on the Death of Dr. William Bates, by John Howe. It is grievous to me to tell you, in whose room and stead I do now stand, in this place this day. Nor do I need; you can tell yourselves, observing the stated courses and alternations, held in this lecture, that if the counsels of heaven had agreed with our desires and hopes on earth; this is the day, this is the hour, wherein you had again seen the face, and heard the voice of that excellent servant of Christ, whom we now lament as lost to us, and dead out of the world: not absolutely dead. For God, who is his God for ever and ever, is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Dying out of this world, he was born into the other. But in that sense wherein he is dead to us, and this world of ours, what remains? But that we agree to say, "Let us die with him." And these are the words, which if God will graciously afford us his help and presence, we may fruitfully entertain ourselves with, upon this sad occasion at this time; you will find them in - John 11:16. 'Then said Thomas, whch is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."' The history to which these words belong, contains so illustrious, and instructive an instance of the Redeemer's power over both worlds, and so plainly shows, that he could, at his pleasure, translate men out of the one into the other, as might best serve the proper purposes of his redemption, that it can never be unseasonable to us to consider it, who are always subject to the same power. And it is very especially seasonable at this time, when we have reason enough to re-consider his late use of this power, in another kind, less grateful to us, but not less wise, or just in itself; not the recalling of one, out of the other world into this, but the calling away of one, out of this world into the other, the translating of this excellent person from among us, whose longer abode here had been highly desirable, as his removal is most bitterly grievous, and must have been intolerable, were it not that though this is not the same act, it is an act of that same power over lives, which in all its exertions, we are always to behold, with the same profound, adoring silence, and disposition of mind, to receive instruction from it, whether it be pleasing to us, or displeasing. I will make no apology for my recalling your thoughts, so long after to this sad theme. Our mutual endearedness, his condescending affection to me, and my reverential affection to him, were so generally known to those that knew either of us, that it might be expected I should take some public notice of this severing stroke; and I may suppose my circumstances to be so known, that it is obvious to every one to understand I could do it no sooner. It will not be unuseful, to make some brief reflection, upon this miraculous work of our Lord, and thence return to the special subjeet, which I desire your thoughts may be fixed upon, as mine have been. It was the most memorable of all our Lord's works of this kind, yet not mentioned by the other evangelists; lest, as is supposed, it should revive the Jewish malice against Lazarus; who, as Epiphanius tells us, was reported to have lived thirty years after, within which time the others had all writ, whereas this evangelist wrote not, till after his final decease. It was wrought for the same great end, for which all his wonderful works were done, and written, generally, for the glory of God, as is intimated, ver. 4. and particularly, as this evangelist tells us, chap. 20. 20, 21. 'That we might believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God ;' and that believing we might 'have life through his name.' And though they all had this design; this, toward the end of his course, seems meant for the last, and conclusive, stroke, having a brighter, and more conspicuous appearance of the divine glory in it, for a fuller, and more convictive, demonstration, that he was the Son of God, and the Messias, as he gave himself out to be. And all things were designed in the aptest subserviency hereto; that, once for all, this long disputed point might be put out of all doubt. For this end it is ordered, that Lazarus should at this time fall sick. Nothing more appeared to human prospect, but that the disease befell him according to the common course of natural causes but says our Lord, 'This sickness is not unto death,' viz as the final and permanent event, or design of it, 'but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby,' ver 4. God's counsels lie deep, not obvious to common view. When such a servant of God is fallen sick, we know not, what he intends to bring out of it. His glory, may in his own way, and time, so much the more brightly shine forth, though we yet distinctly know not when, or how. Upon this account, when our Lord not only heard of Lazarus' sickness, but knew he was dead, he yet defers two days, even though he knew him to have then been at least two days dead before: so that when he now comes to the place 'he finds him to have lain four days in the grave ;' ver. 17. he resolves to give so much the greater scope, and advantage, to the glory of the divine power, to display and evidence itself. He defers till now death, and the grave, were in full dominion, that his conquest might be the more glorious. He had before raised some from death, none from the grave. The lamenting relatives were now in despair: the thoughts of restitution were quite laid aside. All their hopes were buried with the deceased in the same grave, as may be collected from sundry following verses. In the like despair, not long after, were the mournful disciples, concerning their not only deceased, but entombed Lord, unto whose surprising resurrection, this seems a designed prelude, the bereaved relations, and their comforters were now all abandened to sorrow, and drenched in tears. And with the rest we are told, ver. 33. that 'Jesus wept.' But why was this? Was it that he knew not his own mind, or distrusted his own power? He had given sufficient intimation of his own purpose, and of the foresight he had of the certain, glorious issue, of this gloomy dark providence. It is evident therefore for what he wept not. It is not so obvious to conclude for what he wept. It is most unworthy of him to suppose his was feigned sorrow or that he shed hypocritical tears. Nor was this the only instance of his weeping; no, no, he was 'a man of sorrow, acquainted with griefs ;' and had always in view, sufficient cause of real soul-trouble, as this is called, ver. 33. 'He groaned in Spirit and was troubled ;' it must be, by the contexture of the evangelical history, near the time of his weeping over Jerusalem when his soul was filled and taken up with sad and mournful themes. But who can tell what thoughts lay deep in that large and comprehensive mind! We are sure, though he wept with the rest, that it was not as they wept, nor from the same motives. His thoughts were not as their thoughts, but as far wider, and higher, as the heavens are than the earth. We have no way to know what his thoughts were, we know what they might be. He saw not Jerusalem only, but all this world buried in sin and death. He could not as the second Adam be, 'the resurrection and the life,' as he speaks, ver. 25. without beholding, with a compassionate heart, the impurities, and miseries, wherewith it was deluged by the first. And he had now enough in view, to discompose his pure mind, intent upon high and great things; that when his business into this world was to prepare men for another; and, when they were fit, to translate them thither : even they that professed to believe on him, should no more understand him; that his kind, and great design should be no more grateful to them, and so slowly enter into their minds and hearts, that when they saw one such translation, it should so much displease them, and they so little relish it, as to be all in tears and lamentations thereupon; and thereby discover such an affixedness of heart and spirit to this present world, and state of things, as to prefer the enjoyment of a friend on earth, before all the glories of the heavenly state; so might their immoderate weeping some way cause his tears. But when he expressed his trouble by groans, and tears, he suppressed the causes of it, and goes on to his present intended work. In order hereto, ver. 39. he commands the grave-stone to be removed; neglecting the objection, ver. 39. ['by this time he stinks.'] He observed, with a compassionate indulgence, the diffidence, which he meant speedily to refute. Nor, because we also are too prone to prescribe limits to the divine power, ought we, for his indulgence, to be the less severe to ourselves. Forgetting the transcendency of that power, we think this or that strange, and scarce possible to be done, because we too lightly, consider the equal, Or greater, strangeness, of what we see is done. We count things easy, that are by use become familiar to our senses, and apprehend we have the notion of them clear, and how they can come to be as they are; not having examined, or inquired, whether our apprehensions were right, and congruous, or not. Things that have not struck our sense, making ourselves, and even our sense, the measure, we count impossible, and inconceivable. By the course of nature, our sense hath told us, a body so long in the grave, must be putrid, and stink. But who settled that course of nature? If we ascend not to the original cause, the fixation of that course is as admirable and unaccountable; if we do, a departure from it is as easy. What can the wisest philosophers conceive of the difference between an offensive smell, and a grateful; but the different disposition, or texture of the particles of matter, in relation to the sensorium, or the receptive organ? When, what that different disposition is, remains altogether unapprehensible, and what no man can tell. We go away well satisfied concerning what we see happens every day, because we never inquire how things came to be as they are; when what we have not known to come to pass, though not more difficult, we say, can never be. Otherwise we should think it no more admirable, or difficult, to reduce in a moment, the parts of matter to such a situs, as that they should give no offence to the sense of smelling, though before they did, than it was, to the same power, so to dispose, that, in one sort of location, they should give that offence, in another, they should not, and perhaps, in a third, highly gratify and please! Thousands of like instances might be given, but this comes now in our way. The world is full of miracles, we are compassed about with such, and are such. There is, it is true, a peculiar notion of them, as necessary as they are themselves; signifying, not what is done by a greater power, but less usual. As such, the use, and need of them only argues the infirmity of our minds, sunk into earth and sense, and grown somnolent; whence they need to be roused, by surprising, and uncommon things; and brought to consider, that he only, who could fix and settle the so steady course of nature, could alter it, and make it forsake its wonted tract: which he must always be supposed to do, for some very weighty, important end, and reason, So absolute power, being ever in strict connexion with the most perfect wisdom, and therefore claiming to be the most earnestly attended to, and considered the more deeply. To that power that could create a man, it was equally easy to perfume a grave; or to make a new man spring up out of it, in fresh strength, comeliness, and vigour. To recompose the disordered parts of a body turning to dust, and refit it, for the union, and use of the returning soul. This he will not do often, but he saw a just and valuable reason for his doing it at this time. He was now to give, and leave behind him, a full conclusive demonstration, once for all, of his being the Son of God, by whom the worlds were made. And the Christ, or Messiah (the great controverted point of that time) which ver. 5. is called, 'Glorifying the Son;' who for asserting this, was calumniated as an impostor and 'deceiver of the people.' He was to give a specimen of his power, as such, over universal nature, and that he could at pleasure control, and countermand the most established law of it. All things being put under that notion, as he was the Christ, into 'his hands,' John 13:3. and 'all power given him, both in heaven and earth,' Matthew 28:18. so as that, 'by him, all things must consist.' Colossians 1:17. A power he was to use, being gradually, and at last, perfectly, 'to make all things new.' Revelation 21:5. He was to make good his own title, 'I am the resurrection and the life,' Ver. 25. which he assumes in this context; to let it be seen he was no vain pretender; and that it was no vain faith that should be placed upon him, in this respect; but that, what he should now do, as to one, he was able equally to do, in the fit season for every one, when 'all that are in their graves should hear his voice.' Chap. 5.28. He was to show forth a resemblance of that more peculiar act, of his most graciously undertaken office, to be a spring of life to souls morally dead, viz. 'in trespasses and sins.' Ephesians 2:1. To give this divine, and most noble kind of life! to do that, most merciful, and most godlike work! He was to take away all cause or pretence for despair, but that, whereas a death was to pass upon himself, and upon his Church on Earth, both he himself, and it, 'with his dead body, should arise.' Isaiah 26:19. Therefore he utters that mighty commanding voice, at which rocks and mountains tremble, and shiver, and which all the powers of nature must obey; 'Lazarus come forth!' and he comes forth. Where Lazarus' soul had been in the mean time, was too light a matter, to weigh against these mighty things our Lord was intent upon. His concerns were to yield and bow to his Lord and Master's great designs; he could not be unfitter for his own business afterwards, than the apostle in the like case (for ought that he himself knew) was for his. The consideration of this did not divert our Lord Christ, from what he was intent upon, nor let it divert us, but as a lighter matter, be left for the exercise of lighter minds. These things we now lightly touch, hoping they may be of further use to us afterwards. We expect not the like thing in our present mournful case; but we expect greater things; for which we are to await our Lord's season. In the mean time, let us return and consider, what is overtured in the case the text refers to, when, as to any such remedy, the mourning friends expected as little as we. Here was a worthy good man gone. A friend of Christ, and of his friends. Christianity gives no man a terrestrial immortality. Christians, even the best of them, must die as well as other men. This was a matter taken to heart by Christ himself, as we have seen, in a way becoming, and worthy of him. His disciples also are deeply concerned, and they consider, and discourse it, their way. One of them, Thomas, who also was called Didymus (wherein is no other mystery, than that his name is first given us in Hebrew, then in Greek, as is not unexampled elsewhere) proposes, as you have heard; 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.' Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. There was, no doubt, an abounding fulness of sense, in this good man's soul, from whence these words did proceed. And it might be two-fold: either, 1. Good and commendable, fit for our imitation, and whereto the temper of our spirits should be conform. 2. Faulty and reprehensible; such, as against which, we should arm and fortify ourselves. Such mixtures are not to be thought strange. It is little to be expected, that in what is hastily said, by the best on earth, on an occasion apt to stir passions, there should be nothing but pure breathings of heavenly wisdom, and goodness. Under the former head, we shall speak of divers things which we cannot, indeed, be sure were the explicit, distinct sense of this good man, at this time, but which might be; and should be ours on a like occasion. Which well agree with christian principles, and which his words serve aptly enough to express; as, 1. A firm belief of a future state. Did this good man only desire to partake with the other in death, and no more? Did his wish terminate here? Can we apprehend any thing good, or desirable, in mere death, that one would covet to share in, with another? Or which one would be loath he should engross alone? Nor could Thomas mean this, having heard that Lazarus was already dead. It cannot be thought, that one who had been some years in immediate attendance upon the Son of God, the Lord from heaven, and under his instructions, and who had so much opportunity to observe, that his whole design lay for another world; and that he never encouraged his followers to expect from him any advantages, above others, in this world, but forewarned them of troubles, and sufferings, to which they would be always liable from it, and that they must be content to await for their rewards in another state. It is not to be thought that such a one was an infidel in reference to any such state: or that he thought his friend extinct, by dying: or that when he wished to be with him, he wished to be no where, or nothing. 2. A mind loose, and disengaged from this present world. He could be intent upon no great designs for this earth, who with the next that leaves it, was willing to go too. 3. Easy, placid thoughts of dying. He looked upon death as no such frightful thing: that could so familiarly, and off-hand, say, when he thought of such a one's dying; come, let's go, and die with him. 4. A distinguishing judgment concerning the states of men hereafter, remote from thinking it fares with all alike, in the other world; but well informed, that it could only be ill, with ill men; and well only, with the good. A settled persuasion of a judgment to come. According to declared rules of which judgment, this present judgment is formed. That they who 'continue in a course of well-doing, shall have eternal life; evil-doers, indignation and wrath.' Romans 2:7,Romans 2:8. This wish could not be thought less caution than his, who says with distinction, 'Let me die the death of the righteous.' Numbers 23:10. It must be far from him to be content, 'God should gather his soul with sinners.' Psalms 26:9. The future state was, no doubt, considered as a state of separation between men and men. He could not covet to be associated with good and bad, promiscuously, and at random. 5. A rationally charitable opinion, and estimate, that he was sincerely good, and happy; with whom he coveted to be united in death. Such an opinion, is all that is here requisite. Faith it cannot be, for the object is not a revealed thng. Knowledge it is not, for we have no medium to know it by. That we have more reason to think this, than the contrary, of such a one, is sufficient, and that this should be implied, in this wish, is necessary. Here was an apprehension, of an happy state, the other was passed into. That saying, Sit anima mea cum philosphis, implied, that he who said it, thought their state better, than some other men's. And Thomas could not but have sufficient reason, for his apprehension of Lazarus' sincerity, so as not to doubt of his felicity. His house, he observed, was our Lord's resort. Here he was received gladly, by him, and his good sisters. His doctrine, we have cause to think, he entertained as well as himself, and himself, for his doctrine's sake. The peculiar affection our Lord had for him, observed by the domestics, that say, 'He whom thou lovest is sick,' ver.3, noted by the Jews, with a 'behold how he loved him,' ver. 26, could leave Thomas no ground of doubt, but he was a sincere believer on the Son of God, and now, in a blessed state: so are christians, visibly such, to esteem one another, and accordingly to have communion with one another, in grace; and hope, and wish for it, in glory. A temper, now, very alien from too many, that go under that name; who make not the great substantials of Christianity the measure of their present and hoped communion, but devised additions of their own: or rather, not what they add to, but substitute in the stead, of faith, mercy, and the love of God; and license themselves, to ascend the throne, usurp the seat of judgment, and boldly damn all them, who are not of their own complexion, and party; and that cannot so far conform to their humours, passions, prejudices, and interested inclinations, as to say, and act in every thing, just as they do. 6. A most ardent, and most generous love to such good men, upon that just, and reasonable apprehension of them. For what love can be greater? How can one more highly express love to any man, than by a declared willingness to live, and die with him; and simply to die, when he can no longer live with him. Love raised to this pitch is stronger than death. Heathen story is not without some instances, of some, whom no dread of death could sever from each other; but that they have been willing, as the case should require, to die with, or to die for, another. To be either each others companions, or substitutes in death. The tyrant Dionysius having sentenced to death one of that admirable pair, Damon and Pythias, and fixed the day of execution, the condemned person petitioned for leave to be absent upon important occasions; in that interval, his friend offering himself, as his sponsor, to die for him, if he returned not by the appointed day. He returning punctually with all diligence, knowing his friend's life to be, otherwise in hazard; the tyrant, in great admiration of their mutual love and fidelity, pardons the condemned, and requests of them both, that they would admit him, as a third person, into society of their friendship. What they tell us of divers others, I mention not, whom no death could sever: whom dangers did more closely unite. Such as are conjoined in the same common cause, their mutual love, mutually animates them, even to face death; because each finds the other will not flinch, or leave him in danger alone. 'Many waxed bold by the apostle's bonds,' Php_1:14. when they could not but be thought bonds of death. No doubt, because he was dear to them. So that they were willing, even to run into the same bonds, because he was bound by them. Even in this sense, love casts out fear. And what could more either express his own love, or tend to inflame other men's, than when that great apostle bespeaks the christians of that time, as having his life bound up in theirs? 'I live if ye stand fast' 1 Thessalonians 3:8. that he was 'ready to impart, with the gospel, even his own soul to them, because they were dear to him.' Chap. 2.8. And that 'they were in his heart to live and die with them. 2 Corinthians 7:3. There seemed to be but one life, common to him and them. When there are such unions, that each, is to the other, an alter ego, another self; and anothers soul, is to a man as half his own; as he pathetically phrases it. Here is the height of affection! And that affection mutually heightens each others courage, and is a continual and reciprocated source of a generous magnanimity, springing from the one, into the others breast; while they perceive in one another, a mutual vying, who shall the more adventurously rush upon death, for, the conjunction with, the other. This seems not alien from the temper of Thomas' mind in his uttering of these words. For when our Lord proposed going into Judea, other of the disciples objecting that the Jews had there lately sought to kill him ; he, when he understood Lazarus was dead, whom he knew to be a friend to that cause, though he died not for it; come, says he, let us now fear no death, let us rush, throw ourselves into the midst of death, and there breathe forth our souls, full of love, to God, and Christ, and him, and one another; even upon the same spot, where this friend of our Lord, and our common cause and interest, breathed forth his. These noble principles, fortitude and love, might have made two distinct heads of discourse; but they are so complicated, and interwoven with one another, that they were scarce to be considered apart. And this complication, these words more than intimate. 'That their hearts may be comforted' (or incited, and stirred up, as the word there used signifies) 'being knit together in love.' Colossians 2:2. 7. A lively apprehension of the large, abounding diffusion of the divine fulness; sufficiently able to replenish, and satisfy, all that shall be prepared to partake in it. That this good man's eye was upon somewhat else, than mere death, and that he coveted not to die, for dying sake, must be out of doubt with us. He certainly aimed at a blessed state after death. And who can suppose his mind void of that so common notion, that the blessedness of souls must lie in God? But this could not be all. The faint, spiritless notion of a felicity to be enjoyed in God, could signify little to the present purpose. Here must be a lively, gustful apprehension of it too. For here is intervening death to be gone through. And he expresses himself willing to attempt this difficult pass. 'Let us go - that we may die -.' How few do you know, or converse with, that are without this notion, that God is the blessedness of souls? Or that assent not to it as soon as they hear it? Yet how few do you know, that are willing to die, to enjoy him? no, no, they are generally willing, rather to 'eat the dust of the earth,' and 'feed upon ashes,' thousands of years, than go to God for a better portion ! Notwithstanding their dead, spiritless, inefficacious notion of a divine heavenly felicity, they had rather want it. A blessedness not to be had on earth, or that must come by dying! They bless themselves from such a blessedness! It is plain then, there must be more than a dead notion, to overcome their aversion to dying. And what can be that more? It is as plain, it must be a vivid apprehension of such a blessedness in God, after death. And that imports two things. (1.) A divine faith of it. It must be the apprehension of faiths and of a divine faith. Almost every one pretends to believe it; but it is generally, with an human faith only. Because their parents, or preachers, or the common voice of the country, hath told them so. A divine faith, is full of divine life, and vigour. The substance and evidence of what is believed. The soul being overpowered into this belief by the majesty, and authority of the great God revealing it, and the awfulness of his testimony; the 'word of God' revealing this, as other portions of sacred truth, works effectually in them that so believe it : that is, that 'receive it not as the word of man, but as the word of God.' 1 Thessalonians 2:13. They that live in the hope of eternal life, which 'God that cannot lie hath promised,' Titus 1:2. would break through a thousand deaths to obtain it. This is more than a spiritless notion. And (2.) Such a lively apprehension hath in it somewhat of a present sense, and foretaste of that blessedness. An heaven begun. Which is of the same kind with their future heaven. They have the 'kingdom of God,' in them, 'which stands in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.' Romans 14:17. Such an earnest speaks their own right, while they are yet sensible of the great imperfection of their present state. They are therefore willing to die, that they may be made perfect. They now know by taste what it is to enjoy God. 'O taste and see that God is good! Psalms 34:1-22. A mere notion informs us not enough, so as to actuate our minds what that means. Notwithstanding it, the carnal mind can frame no distinct heart-moving thought of felicity; other, or more grateful, than the relishes of meat and drink, or the satisfaction of some, or other, mean, or carnalized appetite. They that have tasted somewhat of an higher kind, long for more, and most of all that most perfect fruition, which they must pass through death to attain. We will not suppose this good man to have been destitute, of such a faith, and of such tastes, of the heavenly felicity. And as, hereby he was not without a lively apprehension, of the kind and nature of it, so we must suppose him, to have a like apprehension. O the large, copious, abounding, and diffusive fulness of it. Whereof his words give some intimation. 'Let us go, and die with him.' He doubted not of a sufficiently extensive communion in this blessedness. As if it had been said, There is enough for him, and us all. And such an apprehension, we all ought to have, of the blessedness of the heavenly state, into which we are to be introduced by death, that it is enough for all that can be in any possibility to partake in it. So that the abounding plenitude of no one's portion, can be any diminution to anothers. The kind and nature of material, sensible good, hath a remarkable, and most agreeable affinity to what is said (and what upon very strict inquiry, one knows not how, not to say) of matter itself, that it is perpetually divisible; but so, as that every part, and particle, is still less and less. Whereupon it cannot but be, that whatsoever any enjoy of terrene good, so much is detracted from the rest. Of intellectual, spiritual good, knowledge, wisdom, grace, glory, the case is quite different. Let any possess never so much, it nothing diminishes anothers possession, in the same kind. If another man be never so wise, good, and happy, it takes nothing from me, I may be as wise, good, and happy. At least, that hinders not, but I may. How pleasant a contemplation is this! that in the vast, and numberless, regions of light, bliss, and glory, the blessed inhabitants are all drawing from the same fountain, solacing themselves in the 'fulness of joy,' drinking in from those 'rivers of pleasure,' that flow from the divine presence, for evermore! All deriving, unto satiety, from that fulness, 'that filleth all in all.' 8. Preference of the society with holy ones, in the heavenly state, above any to be enjoyed on earth. The words, as to their most obvious sense, seem to be full of this. With whom I would live, with him I would die. Is not this our common sense? Not that we can apprehend any thing in the very act, or article of dying, that can make dying with one, more desirable, than with another, but it must be meant, of what is to follow. We would not have death to part us. We would enjoy one another, after death; but so, as we did not before. It is very probable, our Lord, and his disciples, had formerly enjoyed pleasant hours with Lazarus, in his own house. But why doth Thomas, therefore, desire they might die, to be with him? Excepting him, he might still have enjoyed the same society on earth, and of many other christian friends besides. But we see his proposal concerned not himself only. It is, 'Let us go die with him.' He reckoned they should all die, and be with him together. And that the state they should then be in, would have, in point of society, and conversation, such advantages, above what their present state afforded, as were worth dying for. And how can we but apprehend the vast difference? Whatever delight good men, on earth, have had in one anothers society, they must, then, be better company than ever. How hard is it now, to communicate our sentiments! We know not what our ways of converse shall hereafter be, but we know that such words as we now use, are very slow, defective media of conveying, our minds and sense, to one another. What a difficulty do we now find, if we apprehend a thing clearly ourselves, to make another master of our notion? What circumlocutions do we need! What explications, to make another understand our meaning! And then those explications need further explication! And so we run ourselves into new difficulties, and entangle one another more, and more. Most of our controversies arise from our mistaking one anothers sense; though too often those mistakes are wilful with them who love strife more than truth: and it is industriously endeavoured, to pervert each others words, and put senses upon them quite besides, or against our true intent. But if we speak and hear with the greatest candour, and sincerity that is possible, we are frequently not understood aright, either through the unskilfulness of him that speaks, to choose the aptest words, and forms of speech, or unattentiveness, incapacity, and dulness, in them that hear: frequently from both together. Hence is the conversation of christians so little edifying, though their discourse of useful subjects, which, God knows, there is little of amongst us! Though much more than I commonly apprehended, proceeds from want of love, that should let us into one anothers minds, and hearts. Our very sermons, when we study to make important things as plain as we can, are lost upon the most. Though here we see the advantage of a people's having a love to their master, which is a mighty orator within themselves, and will make them endeavour to take in his heart, and soul; as on his part, his love to them will make him willing, as we heard from the apostle, to 'impart, with the gospel, his own soul.' 1 Thessalonians 2:8. But as to christian converse in this our present state, besides the difficulty of understanding one another, all, even of them who have great treasures of knowledge in them, are not alike conversable, and communicative, nor any, at all times. The dearest friends often find one another indisposed, otherwise busy, morose, sour, and out of humour; apt to take, and perhaps, to give offence, on one hand, and the other. And whereas we should most intimately converse with ourselves; upon the mentioned accounts, we are, now, very often the worst company that can be, to ourselves; through the darkness, confusion, intricacy, and incoherence of our own thoughts; the fervour, and tumultuation of ill affections, and the sluggishness, and drowsy torpor of good. And in what case are we to please others, by our converse, that have so much cause, to be always, in a very great degree, displeased with ourselves! When death shall have disencumbered, and set us free from all sorts of distempers, and brought us, into the state of perfect, and perfected spirits, how delectable will that society be! When all shall be full of divine light, life, love, and joy, and freely communicate, as they have received freely! How pleasant will it be, to sit down with 'Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God.' To converse with angels! Those wise, kind creatures! So full of profound knowledge, and benignity! instructed by long, uninterrupted, experience, and observation of the methods of the divine government, and dispensation; highly pleased with our accession to the 'General assembly; that rejoiced in the conversion of a sinner,' whereby but one, was hereafter, in due time, to be added, much more in the glorification of so many, that are now actually added to them! What delightful communings will there be, of the mysteries of nature! Of the methods of providence! Of the wonders of grace! Of the deep and hidden counsels of God! In what part it shall be agreeable to his wisdom, and good pleasure, to let them appear, and stand in view. The conferences at the transfiguration made the transported disciples say, 'It is good to be here :' when the glory, which while it oppressed, pleased them. Though this was but a transient view. But above all that is conceivable in that other state, how delectable will their society be in worship! In their unanimous adoration of the 'Ever-blessed God! Father, Son, and Spirit!' In how pleasant, eternal raptures of delight, and praise, will all those excellent creatures be, that inhabit and replenish the vast realms of light, and bliss; when all behold, how the several kinds of being, light, life, excellency, and perfection, by a perpetual efflux, spring from the first. The fountain of all being. The parent of so glorious, and so numerous a progeny! all Godlike, and bearing the bright image of their Father! O the inexpressible pleasure of this consociation in worship, perpetually tendered with so absolute a plenitude of satisfaction, in the due-ness of it ! And the gustful apprehension of what whose words import, 'Worthy art thou, O Lord!' each one relishing his own act, with just self-approbation, and high delight; heightened by their apprehended, perfect unanimity, and that there is among them, no dissenting vote. Whence it cannot be but to 'worship God in Spirit and in truth, must be to enjoy him.' And that he is not, under any other notion, more the satisfying object of our enjoyment, than as he is the object of our worship. What room, or pretence, is there now left, for unwillingness to die, on the account of relatives, we have been wont to converse with in this world? When such an exchange as this, is to be made by dying! But, II. We are also to consider, There might be an intermixture in the temper of this good man's spirit, when he uttered these words, of somewhat faulty and blameable. Which we are to be cautioned against. 1. There might be too little consideration had, of the dignity and value of human life; of which the great God takes so particular care, to guard and sustain it both by law and providence. And of this creature, Man, so noble a part of divine workmanship, and whom he 'set over all the works of his hands,' in this lower world. To propound throwing away, at once, so many such lives, seems somewhat too precipitant. 2. The words seem not to savour enough of that deference that is due to the God of our lives; whose prerogative it is to 'kill, and to make alive:' to measure our time, and number our days. It might have been said, at least, 'If God will,' &c. 3. There might be in them, too little gratitude for the mercies of life, or patience of the difficulties of it : somewhat like that of Jonah, 'Take now, I beseech thee, my life from me.' 4. Too little regard to the business of life, it might have been, more at leisure, considered, is the business done, I was born for! Their special business, who were to be the 'Apostles of our Lord, already called,' Matthew 10:1, &c. and instructed in great part in the work of their calling; was, apparently, too little considered, especially, how, or for what, his Lord was to die himself, so far as either from his own words, or from the prophets, might have been collected. 5. Nor, perhaps, enough; how awful a thing it was to die! to change states, and pass into eternity! This might, upon this account, be too hastily said. Good old Simeon seemed to have considered the matter more, when he said, 'Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,' &c. 6. And there is reason to apprehend, in these words, too much displicency at the providence of God, in taking away such a man, now at such a time; with some appearance of despondency, concerning the christian interest. This Lazarus, is thought to have been a wealthy man (though he in the parable, is represented otherwise.) Christianity was, as yet, a little thing in the world. Our Lord had signalized himself, by his wonderful works, and drawn many eyes upon him, that were at a gaze, by his heavenly doctrine, and the true design of his coming, had entered into the minds of but a few; and they, of the meaner sort; 'Had any of the rulers believed on him ?' It was yet a dubious twilight; the dawning of the morning. 'The Spirit, that was to convince the world, was not yet given, for Jesus was not yet glorified.' John 7:39. chap.16.8. Nicodemus, 'a Rabbi,' came to him, 'but by night.' This cause, as still, according to human estimate, depended much on reputation. 'Men loved' (till an overpowering influence bore down all before it) 'the praise of men, more than the praise of God ;' John 12:43. and 'believed not, because they sought honour one of another.' John 5:44. It was, now, a mighty loss, to have one such man drop, 'that lived so near Jerusalem, where our Lord's great work did much lie, but where he chose not to lodge: this was in Bethany, but two miles off, a convenient retreat. The Master of the house is himself dislodged: and whereas, though the 'Foxes had holes and the birds nests, the Son of Man had not where to lay his head.' Luke 9:22, Luke 9:23. This disciple might probably think where shall be our next resort? Where is there a considerable person to be found, that will hereafter give us harbour and countenance? He might hence be induced, even to utter his conclamatum est; and to this purpose, say, now he is dead, 'Let us all go die with him.' Their Lord and Master had before told them, of his being ere long to be taken from them; and that his followers must count upon 'taking up of their cross daily.' And what, might he think, is to become of us, upon whom, left desolate, the stress is to lie, of the christian cause! What storms will be raised against us, whose province it must be, to plant and propagate a new religion in the world! The tenderest concern in all the world, and about which men are most apt to be enraged at any attempt of innovation! And by us, unlearned, uninterested, obscure and contemptible men! By what he here says, he seems 'not afraid to die,' but he seems 'afraid to live,' and face the storm, and contend with the difficulties, of that (even hopeless) undertaking, which he perceived himself, and his companions, designed unto. Rather than this, he seems to apprehend a present death was to be chosen. And I, now, no way doubt, hut any serious person, that shall be at the pains to commune with himself, will judge, there may be such quick turns of thoughts, this way, and that, as those opposite senses of this passage do import; the variety, and contrariety of principles that are in us, in this imperfect state, makes it no impossible thing, but that, amidst the various agitations of a musing mind, somewhat of grace, and somewhat of sin, yea much of an holy and heavenly temper, with some degree of incogitancy, haste, and faulty distemper, might be vented together in such an expression. III. And now for the use of it, we must have distinct respect to both these sorts of sense, which the words may admit of. And. 1. For whatsoever of good sense they have in them, let us endeavour to have it deeply impressed, and inwrought into our souls. So far as, upon good and self-justifying accounts, one may wish to die with another, eminently holy and good. Let us labour to be in that temper of spirit, that with all reverential submission to the wise, holy, and sovereign will of God, we may ever be ready to go with the first: 'A good man should need only leave to die.' Consider, are we so loose from all worldly enjoyments, and designs, as to be capable, when an holy man dies, of adopting these words, 'Let me die with him ?' Will they fit our spirits? Can we so far comport with them, as to avow it with an heart not reproaching us, that it is only obedience to the supreme ruler, nor terrene inclination, that makes us willing to survive such, as we see going off this stage before us? That if he in whose hands our breath is, will have us still live, we can submit 'with patience;' if he signify his mind, we shall die, we shall comply 'with gladness?' But, Do we find it otherwise? Doth the bent of our own spirits urge and press us downward? And fix us to the earth? Are we so within its magnetism? We have a worse evil to fear than bodily death. 'To be so carnally minded is death,' in a far more horrid sense. This temper of mind, to prefer an earthly abode, before the purity, and bliss, of the 'heavenly society,' is so repugnant to the most constituent principles of a living christian, his faith of the unseen world, his delight in God, his love of the divine presence, and converse with the Father, and Son, in glory; his hatred of sin, and desire of perfect holiness, that he should rather take another name, than wear that of a christian, in conjunction with the allowance of so unchristian a spirit, a temper that tends to subvert whole christianity. And puts a man into a posture of hostility against the cross of Christ, and the very design of his dying. For in contradistinction to them, 'whose conversation is in heaven, from whence they look for the Saviour, are they become the declared enemies of his cross, who mind earthly things;' Php_3:18,Php_3:19,Php_3:20. preferring an earthly before the heavenly state. And the apostle tells such, (weeping as he wrote) that 'their end will be destruction.' This I must therefore say and testify in the Lord, that if any will indulge themselves in such a temper of spirit; and whosoever goes, even of the most excellent of God's saints and ministers, they would (because they love the present world more) stay with the last; 'as to such, our preaching is vain, and their faith is vain.' But if there have been any within the compass of your knowledge and acquaintance, of whom dying, or lately dead, you could say, 'Let me die with him, or die to be with him.' Of whom would you rather say it, than of the excellent Dr. Bates! But do you expect I should give you a distinct and full account of him? Many of you know, or may easily apprehend, I have not been in circumstances, by which it could be so much as possible to me. The surprising, overwhelming tidings of his death, with the signification of my being expected to do this part, first reached me, by just estimate, at about two hundred miles distance. Nor did any thing to that purpose, from such as were concerned, come to my hands, till a fortnight after his decease. At my return, towards the end of the week preceding this sad solemnity, I had my own charge, from which I had been long absent, to provide for against the Lord's Day: after which, only one day intervened, wherein thoughts that accompanied me in my way, were to be reduced into some order: but had I had never so much time and leisure, I cannot but reflect on what was said of that famous Roman, to give the just praises of Cicero, Cicerome laudatore opus fuerit, there was need of Cicero himself to be the encomiast. No man knows how to speak becomingly of the excellencies of Dr. Bates, that hath not the eloquence of Dr. Bates. He did that office most laudably for divers others, for those reverend and truly great men, Dr. Manton, Mr. Clarkson, Dr. Jacomb, and the admirable Mr. Baxter. But now there is no man left to do it suitably for him, that is, that both is fit and willing. So that this part comes to be devolved, upon the unfittest among many. Yet thus, while others have declined it, out of a modest opinion of its being above them, whose abilities and conveniences, for the performance, did much more concur: this looks like an art, and contrivance of providence, to greaten him the more, that every one reckons him too great for their commendation: and, that consequently, he is to pass out of our world, as one too big for our praises, with no encomium, or that which is next to none. Though I first had the opportunity, and great pleasure of his acquaintance, above forty years ago; yet I have no present way while I am writing this, of. knowing, or recollecting, with certainty, any thing of the earlier days of his life. As therefore the case is, the little I shall say of him, shall be, not by way of history, but of character. Nor in giving somewhat of that, can one well omit, (1.) To take notice of, what must with every one, come first in view, viz. His self-recommending aspect, composed of 'Gravity aud pleasantness, with the graceful mien, and comeliness of his person.' That was said upon no slight consideration of the nature of man, from unbribed common estimate, that whatever a man's virtuous endowments be, it is the more taking and acceptable, as coming, - E pulchro corpore. From a handsome well-framed body. God had designed him to circumstances, and a station, not obscure in the world, and had accordingly formed him with advantage; so as that his exterior, and first-aspectible part, might draw respect. And though the treasure to be lodged there, was to be put into 'an earthen vessel,' yet even that was wrought, Meliore luto, of finer, or more accurately figured, and better turned clay. He was 'to stand before kings;' Proverbs 22:29. you know in what relation he stood 'to one,' as long as was convenient for some purposes; and how frequent occasion he had of appearing (never unacceptably) 'before another.' His concern lay not only 'with mean men,' though he could tell also how to condescend to the meanest. His aspect and deportment was not austere, but both decently grave and amiable, such as might command at once, both reverence and love; and was herein, not a lying, but the true picture of his mind. I may (to this purpose) borrow his own words (and whose could I more rightfully borrow, or to so much advantage?) concerning that excellent person, alderman Ashurst, whose fragrant memory will long survive the age he lived in. And O that his example might govern in London, as long as his name lasts! Of him the doctor says, 'A constant serenity reigned in his countenance, the visible sign of the divine calm in his breast;' 'the peace of God that passes all understanding!' And who could have said this but Dr. Bates! Or so appositely have applied what had an higher author! So expressively! so fully! so truly! and justly was it spoken! But also, of whom could this have been more fitly said, than Mutato nomine, of Dr. Bates! How rarely should we see a countenance so constant, and so faithful an index, of an undisturbed, composed mind? Through that, if we looked into this, how rich furniture of the 'inner man' should we soon perceive, and admire! (2.) His natural endowments, and abilities, appeared to every observer, great, much beyond the common rate. His apprehension quick, and clear. His reasoning faculty acute, prompt, and expert: so as readily and aptly to produce, and urge closely, the stronger and more pregnant arguments, when he was to use them; and soon to discern the strength of arguments, if he was to answer them. His judgment penetrating and solid, stable and firm. His wit never vain, or light, but most facetious and pleasant, by the ministry of a fancy, both very vigorous and lively; and most obedient to his reason; always remote both from meanness, and enormity. His memory was admirable, and never failed, that any one could observe, not impaired by his great age of seventy four: insomuch, that speeches made upon solemn occasions, of no in-elegant composition (some whereof the world hath seen, though extorted from him with great difficulty, and by much importunity) he could afterwards repeat to a word, when he had not penned one word of them before. And his sermons, wherein nothing could be more remote from ramble, he constantly delivered from his memory. And hath sometime told me, with an amicable freedom, that he partly did it, to teach some that were younger, to preach without notes. His learning, and acquired knowledge of things, usually reckoned to lie within that compass, was a vast treasure. He had lived a long, studious life; an earnest gatherer, and (as the phrase is) devourer of books. With which he had so great an acquaintance, and they that were acquainted with him so well knew it, that one, who was for the dignity of his station, and the eminency of his endowments, as great a pillar, and as excellent an ornament of the church, as any it hath had for many an age, hath been known to say, that were he to collect a library, he would as soon consult Dr. Bates, as any man he knew. He was indeed himself a living one. He knew how to choose, and was curious in his choice. Whatsoever belonged to the finer, and more polite sort of literature, was most grateful to him, when it fell into a conjunction with what was also most useful. Nothing mean was welcome into his library, or detained there; much less thought fit to be entertained, and laid up, in the more private repository of his mind. To speak of the particular parts of his learning wherein he excelled, were to trifle, when there are so many visible effects extant, that enough inform the world. His divine knowledge, and the abundant grace of God in him, have been eminently conspicuous, the same way, in great part; but otherwise also. For his private conversation was so instructive, so quickening, in reference to what lay within the confines of religion, and godliness, that no man of ordinary capacity could hear his usual, and most familisr discourses, but either with great negligence, or great advantage. When he hath been to consider a case of conscience, I have sometimes had opportunity to observe, with what wisdom, what caution, what tenderness, he hath spoken to it, and with what compass of thought; turning it round this way, and that; most strictly regarding our sacred rule, and weighing all circumstances that concerned the case: but withal, taking occasion from thence (when the persons concerned have not been present) to magnify and adore the grace of Cod; which he would do most pathetically, and with great affection; for keeping us out of the way of temptation. Which he thought was too little considered by christians; and thereby saving us from the entanglements, and perplexities of spirit, as well as from the scandals that befel many. I never knew any more frequent, and affectionate, in the admiration of divine grace, upon all occasions, than he was; or who had a deeper sense of the impotency, and pravity of human nature. His discourses were usually (as our rule directs) 'savoury, as seasoned with salt, and such as might minister grace to the hearers.' He was frequently visited by persons of higher rank, and that made no mean figure in the world, Of whom, some have acknowledged, that going abroad upon hazardous employments, they have received from him, such wise and pious counsels, as have stuck by them, and they have been the better for, afterwards. Though in his communing with so many friends, whom he irresistibly constrained to covet his most desirable society, he did not exclude the things that were of common human concernment, he still discovered a temper of mind most intent upon divine things. He did not look with a slight or careless eye upon the affairs of the public; but consider, and speak of them as a man of prospect, and large thought, with much prudence, and temper; not curiously prying into the arcana of government, or reasons of state, which it was necessary should be under a veil; much less rudely censuring what it was not fit should be understood: but what was open to common view, he was wont to discourse of instructively; both as lying under the direction of providence, and as relating to the interest of religion. Nor was he wont to banish out of his conversation the pleasantness that fitly belonged to it: for which his large acquaintance, with a most delightful variety of story, both ancient and modern, gave him advantage beyond most. His judicious memory, being a copious promptuary, of what was profitable, facetious, and disdaining to be the receptacle of useless trash. To place religion in a morose sourness, was remote from his practice, his judgment, and his temper. But his discourses, taking in, often, things of a different nature, were interwoven with religion, and centred in it; especially such things as were most intimate, and vital to it, of those things, he was wont to speak, with that savour and relish, as plainly showed, he spake not forcedly, or with affectation, as acting a part; but from the settled temper, and habit of his soul. Into what transports of admiration of the love of God, have I seen him break forth! when some things foreign, or not immediately relating, to practical godliness, had taken up a good part of our time. How easy a step did he make of it, from earth to heaven! Such as have been wont, in a more stated course, to resort to him can tell, whether, when other occasions did fall in, and claim their part, in the discourses of that season, he did not usually send them away, with some-what that tended to better their spirits, and quicken them in their way heavenward? With how high flights, of thought, and affection, was he wont to speak, of the heavenly state! Even like a man much more of kin to that other world, than to this! And for his 'Ministerial qualifications, and labours;' do I need to say any thing to themselves, who had the benefit thereof? Either them, who have so many years lived under his most fruitful, enlightening, quickening, edifying ministry? 'Whether week by week,' as his beloved, peculiarly privileged charge, at Hackney, that mournful, desolate people! Who have been fed with the heavenly, hidden Manna, and with the fruits of the tree of life, that grows in the midst of the paradise of God; so prepared, and presented to them, and made pleasant to their taste, as few besides have ever had: but now sit in sorrow, hopeless of full, or any equal relief, but by transportation into that paradise itself, whence all their refections were wont to come! Or do I need to inform such inhabitants of London, as in a 'doubled three monthly course,' have, for many years, in throng-assembly, been wont to hang upon his lips? To whose, if to any one's in our days, the characters belonged, of the wise, and the righteous man's lips, which are said to 'disperse knowledge;' Proverbs 15:7. and (which is therefore most agreeable) to 'feed many.' chap.10.21. Or can it be needful to acquaint the world? Who have volumes of his discourses, of sermons in their hands! Or tell them of their singular excellencies, who can as well tell me! I can speak to none of his great worth and accomplishments, as a richly furnished, and most skilful, dispenser of divine knowledge, and of the mysteries of the gospel of Christ, an 'instructed scribe, able to bring forth of his treasury things new and old;' but who may say to me, as those Samaritan christians, 'we believe him to be such; not because of thy saying; for we have heard (or read) him ourselves.' And they may say so, with judgment, upon this proof, that shall consider both the select, choice, and most important matter of his tractates, and sermons, published, or unpublished. And the peculiar way and manner of his tractation thereof. For the former: 'The choice of subjects;' and of such materials of discourse, as are to be reduced, and gathered in to them, discovers as much of the judgment, spirit, and design of the compiler, as any thing we can think of. When we consider what sort of things, a man's mind hath been exercised, and taken up about, through so long a course and tract of time; we may see what things he counted great, important, necessary to be insisted on, and most conducing to the ends, which one, of his calling, and station, ought to design, and aim at. And are thereupon to appeal to ourselves, whether he did not judge and design aright, and as he ought? As what could be of greater importance, than to discover the 'Harmony of God's Attributes,' in the work of saving sinners? 'The final happiness of man: the four last things,' &c. What more important than that of spiritual perfection? Which last he dropped, as Elijah, his mantle, when he was to ascend into that state, most perfectly perfect; wherein that which he had been discoursing of, finally terminates. Read it, and invocate the Lord God of Elijah! saying, 'Where is he?' Nor were his discourses of less consequence, that, in his stated course, he delivered to his constant hearers. They were always much allied to the lamp, and did not need to fear the brightest light. His last sermon in this place, (who of us thought it the last! Hearing it delivered, with so much life and spirit?) challenges our re-consideration over and over. It was about 'Sins against knowledge,' from Luke 12:47. A warning to the age, uttered (though not faintly) as with his dying breath. O that it could have reached ears, and hearts, as far as the concern of it doth reach. The sins of our days, of professors, and of others, are more generally, sins against knowledge, than heretofore, and may make us expect and dread the more stripes, that text speaks of. As for his manner and way of handling what he undertook, we may use the words, which he recites from the incomparable bishop Wilkins, concerning Mr. Baxter; which, no doubt, if there had then been the occasion, he would have judged not unapplicable here also: 'That he cultivated every subject he handled, and had he lived in an age of the fathers, he would have been one.' His method in all his discourses, might be exposed to the most critical censurer. What could be more accurate! And for his style, it was even inimitably polite, and fine; but to him, so natural, that it was more uneasy to have used a coarser style, than to others; so neat a one as his was. Nor is it to be thought strange, that there should be in this, a peculiarity; style being, to any man, as appropriate, upon the matter, as his visage, or voice; and as immediately depending on the temper of the mind, in conjunction with fancy, as that is, more or less, brisk, lively, and vigorous; as the other do on the complexion of the body, or the disposition of the organs of speech. They that would, in this case, attempt to force nature, would, I suspect, be very awkward at it, would bungle scurvily, and soon find, they had better be content to creep on all four, than aim to fly and soar, with borrowed wings, or stolen feathers. If God, with a man's nature, gives a disposition of this kind, it may, in his younger years, admit of innocent improvement: but that which is most peculiar to any, in this respect, is what one insensibly slides into, with no more design, than one hath to walk after this, or that manner; by which, yet, many persons are known, and distinguishable from other men. But I doubt not, that excellency in any such kind, as hath been anciently observed of poetry, and oratory, must have its foundation in nature; and they that will strive against that stream, will soon perceive, that such proverbial sayings were grounded upon prudent observation and long experience, that a mercury is not to be made of every log; and that nothing is to be attempted, invita minerva, or against one's genius, and natural inclination. Therefore that monition, Lege historiam ne fias historia, one may vary and say, cave, &c.; Take heed of a proverb, lest thou become a proverb. That is easy, and pleasant, which is natural. And now when the grace of God supervenes, and doth exalt, and sublimate nature, it makes that mean beginning, and its progress, into use and custom; which is said to be a second nature, subservient to very high and excellent purposes; as is eminently conspicuous in the doctor's peculiar way of preaching and writing: especially in his frequent, most apt, similitudes, and allusions; to be attributed to a brisk and vivid fancy, regulated by judgment, and sanctified by divine grace, so as greatly to serve his pious purpose; to illustrate the truth he designed to recommend, and give it the greatest advantage of entering into the mind, with light and pleasure; and at once both to instruct and delight his reader or hearer. And so much more grateful have his illustrations been, by how much the more they have been surprising, and remote from any forethought in them that read, or heard. And I may here freely put his most constant and attentive hearers, upon recollecting, whether he have not usually pleased them, by surprising them? (for I know there are surprisals ungrateful enough.) And in most sermons, whether they did not meet with what they did not expect from him; and might in vain have expected from any body else? Some, it is possible, may find fault with that in this kind, to which they can do nothing like themselves; who yet, I hope, may admit of conviction of their own fault, herein, by gentler means, than by being put in mind of the fable. They might, upon the matter, as well find fault, that God had made him a taller man than the most; perhaps, than themselves, or of a more comely complexion, or that all were not of one stature, size, or feature. If any do, it is most probably such, to whom one may truly say, they blame what they could not mend, nor he, help; at least, without much pain to himself, and to no purpose. One may venture to say, that in that fine way of expressing himself, which was become habitual to him, he much more pleased others than himself. For in the excellent Mr. Baxter, he highly commends much another way, saying of him, He had a marvellous felicity, and copiousness in speaking. There was a noble negligence in his style. For his great mind could not stoop to the affected eloquence of words. Very excellent men excel in different ways : the most radiant stones may differ in colour, when they do not in value. His judgment in ecclesiastical matters, was to be known by his practice; and it was such, that he needed not care who knew it. He was for entire union of all visible christians, (or saints, or believers, which in scripture are equivalent terms) meaning by christianity, what is essential thereto; whether doctrinal, or practical, as by humanity, we mean, what is essential to man, severing accidents, as not being of the essence. And by visibility, the probable appearance thereof. And for free communion of all such, of whatsoever persuasion, in extra-essential matters, if they pleased. And this design he vigorously pursued, as long as there was any hope; desisting, when it appeared hopeless, and resolving to wait till God should give a spirit suitable hereto; from an apprehension, that, when principles on all hands, were so easily accommodable, and yet that there was with too many, a remaining insuperable reluctancy to the thing itself, God must work the cure, and not man. Accounting also, in the mean time, that notwithstanding misrepresentations, it was better, to cast a mantle over the failings of brethren, than be concerned to detect and expose them. Knowing, that if we be principally solicitous for the name of God, he will in his own way and time, take care of ours. And in this sentiment he was not alone. But now is this great luminary, this burning and shining light, (not extinct, but) gone out of our horizon. We for a season rejoiced in this light, and are we not to mourn for its disappearance? Yet not without hope. 0! the inconceivable loss of his domestical relatives ! Who, in respect of his most private capacity, and conversation, are deprived of such an head, father, and guide! yet in this lies their advantage, that since nothing that is mortal can fill up his room, they are under a necessity, to betake themselves thither where the surest and fullest relief is to he had. Having in the mean time, among mortals, a far greater number of fellow-sufferers and fellow-mourners, to bear a part with them in their sorrows, and ready to afford them all suitable consolation, than most in this world can be capable of expecting in such a case. Let those of his own peculiar charge; let those that were wont, though not so often, in a stated course, to hear him in this place, with all other his more occasional hearers, mourn, that they are to hear no more his weighty sentences, his sweet honey-dropping words: let them mourn, that never heard to purpose, that were never allured, never won, that were always deaf to this charmer, though charming so wisely. Let those that have got good by him, mourn, that, in this way, they are to get no more; those that have got none, that they have lost so much of their day; that they are to be addressed, by this persuasive advocate for Christ, and their own souls, no more. Let his brethren, all of us, mourn, that we have lost so prudent, so humble, so instructive, so encouraging a guide, so bright an ornament from among us. But let none of us mourn without hope. God will be a husband to the widow trusting in him, and the father of the fatherless, taking God in Christ for their father, and their God. He hath not forgot the titles he hath assumed. He can also find, or make for his widowed church, a pastor after his own heart. And the great shepherd and bishop of souls, that gave his life for the sheep, though he was dead, is alive, and lives for evermore. All his hearers, though they are no more to hear his pleasant human voice, sounding in their ears, if they attend and listen, may hear a divine voice crying after them, 'This is the way, walk in it.' And let them know, that the gospel he preached, is immortal, and never dies, though all flesh is grass: and his own books, though he is dead, yet speak. We, his brethren, were to follow him, as he followed Christ; who will himself be with us, always to the end. The work wherein he was engaged, was common to him and us. Herein, if we follow him, though not with equal steps, faithfully endeavouring to 'turn many to righteousness,' we shall shine as he doth, like the stars in the firmament, we need not be solicitous, though not with equal lustre, as 'one star differs from another in glory.' 1 Corinthians 15:41. The cause wherein he was engaged unto his death, and from which no offered emoluments, or dignities, could ever draw him, was not that of a party; for he was of none, and was of too large a mind to be of any, but that noble cause of union and communion, with all christians that hold the head. That cause is not dead with him. Now that he is dead, we are to say, as that is the voice of the christian faith, of divine and brotherly love, 'let us die with him,' but not as it is the voice of despondency, or despair. Let us covet to be with him in that blessed state; the reality whereof we believe, and of which our faith is to be to us the substance and evidence. I know no good man, that, knowing him, would not say, 'Let me die with him.' I very well know, who would. And, if breasts could be laid open to inspection, as by a glass, do know, in whose breast this sense would be found, engraven, as with the point of a diamond. O! that my soul were in his soul's stead, or, if the Supreme Disposer had thought fit, or seen an equal fitness for translation, that I had died with him, but, knowing his much greater usefulness in this world, O! that I had died for him. For since it is expressly said, 'We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.' 1 John 3:16. A life, that could, regularly, and effectually, have redeemed his, had been laid down for many, in that one, of holy, prudent, heavenly Dr. Bates. This is the sense of one, not weary, blessed be God, of the business of life, and that enjoys as much of the comforts of life, as any man can reasonably wish, scarce any one more. But it must be confessed, as this world was not worthy of this servant of Christ; it is become far less worthy now so excellent a person Hath left it. His love, his converse, was pleasant, beyond what can be expressed! It is now a grievance not to have a part with the silent mourners, when lamentations could freely have been poured forth, without noise or interruption! As the case is, necessity lays a restraint, and leaves it an easier thing to die, than weep out; otherwise, can one be shy in a way that can admit it, to tell the world, that to live in it, now he is dead out of it, much less deserves the name of life! It can be felt, that those words, among the many, divine raptures, of that holy man, have a most perceptible meaning. When I got health, thou tookest away my life; and more, for my friends die. If one may innocently borrow words, from so impure a mouth, they are very expressive: I scarce count myself a man, when without Iamblichus. Here were two souls knit together, as the soul of one man! What there is of present separation, shall be but for a little while. And by how much the separation is more grievous, the reunion will be with the stronger propension, and the more delightful, everlasting cohesion. As also, separation from this terrene clog will be much the easier. One great weight is added above, to pulley up what ought to ascend, thither. How can that but be a blessed state, into which, he that is essential love hath caught up such a man! One, in so great part, transformed before, into the same likeness, and fitted to dwell in love: And accordingly God took him, even kissed away his soul, as hath been said of those great favourites of heaven; did let him die without being sick; vouchsafed him that great privilege, which a good man would choose before many, not to out-live serviceableness. To live till one be weary of the world, not till the world be weary of him! Thus he prayed wisely, thus God answered graciously. 2. But be it far from us to say, 'Let us die with him,' as despairing of our cause. If our cause be not that of any self-distinguished party; but truly that common christian cause, of which you have heard. While it is the divine pleasure to continue us here, let us be content, and submit, to live and own it, to live and serve it, to our uttermost. If ever God design good days to the christian church on earth, this is the cause that must prevail, and triumph in a glorious conquest over death. But I must freely tell you my apprehensions, which I have often hinted, that I fear it must die first; I mean, a temporary death; I fear it, for it hath been long, gradually, dying already : and spiritual diseases, which have this tendency, are both sinful, and penal. Lazarus' death and resurrection, I think, to have been meant, for a sort of prolusion, to the death, and resurrection of Christ, both personal, and mystical. I only say this for illustration, not for proof. That sickness and death of his, was not in order to a permanent death, but for the glory of God; that when the case was deplorate, and hopeless, and he four days buried, he might, surprisingly, spring up again alive. I know not, but the sickness and death, of this our incomparablv worthy friend, and (for ought I know, of many more of us) may be appointed, the same way, to be for the glory of God; that is, as tending to introduce that death, which is to pass upon our common cause; which such men help to keep alive, by their earnest strugglings, though in a languishing, fainting, condition, every hour. Think me not so vain, as to reckon, exclusively, the cause of dissenters, the cause I now speak of: No, no, I speak of the common cause, of all serious, sober-minded christians, within the common rule, or without it. I neither think any one party to include all sobriety of mind, or to exclude all insobriety. But I apprehend converting work to be much at a stand, within the pales, that men have set up, severing one party from another, and without them. Few are any where brought home to God, through Christ. And God knows, too few design it, otherwise, than to make proselytes, to their several parties. And this is thought a glorious conversion. Serious piety, and christianity, languishes every where. Many that have a name to live are dead, and putrefied, already stink! Common justice, and righteousness, are fled from among us. Sincerely good and pious men, die away in the natural sense, apace. You know, if deaths burials, should, in the weekly bills, exceed birth, and other accessions, to the city, whither this tends ! When so many great lights are withdrawn, both such as were within the national church constitution, and such as were without it. Is there no danger God should also remove the candlestick ? Our obduration, and insensible stupidity, portends a deadly darkness to be drawing on. And must such lives go, to make a way for God's anger? And lead on a more general, and more dreadful, approaching death! Oh! 'that God would rent the heavens, and come down!' He may yet melt our hearts, and make them 'flow at his presence,' notwithstanding their mountainous, rocky height, and hardness. This may be the means of saving some souls, and of deferring the common calamity. A great thing it would be, to have it deferred. What a privilege would many servants of Christ count it, not to live to the day, when the spirit of the living God, shall be generally retired and gone. And atheism, sceptism, infidelity, worldliness, and formality, have quite swallowed up our religion. While such men as we have lost, lived, they did, and such do, as instruments, keep somewhat of serious religion alive, under our several forms, but as ready to expire. But though it should seem generally to have expired, let us believe it shall revive. When our confidences, and vain boasts cease, 'The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!' Lo here is Christ, and there is Christ. And one sort ceases to magnify this church, and another that, and an universal death is come upon us, then (and I am not afraid, not till then) is to be expected a glorious resurrection, not of this or that party: for living, powerful religion, when it recovers, will disdain the limits of a party. Nor is it to be thought, that religion, modified by the devised distinctions, of this, or that party, will ever be the religion of the world. But the same power that makes us return into a state of life, will bring us into a state of unity, in divine light, and love. Then, will all the scandalous marks, and means, of division, among christians, vanish. And nothing remain as a test, or boundary of christian communion, but what hath its foundation, such, as in plain reason, or express revelation. Then as there is one body, and one Spirit, will that almighty spirit so animate, and form this body, as to make it every-where amiable, self-recommending, and capable of spreading, and propagating itself, and to 'increase with the increase of God.' Then shall the Lord be one, and his name one, in all the earth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 99: BAVINCK - DIVINE TRINITY ======================================================================== The Divine Trinity Herman Bavinck The Eternal Being reveals Himself in His triune existence even more richly and vitally than in His attributes. It is in this holy trinity that each attribute of His Being comes into its own, so to speak, gets its fullest content, and takes on its profoundest meaning. It is only when we contemplate this trinity that we know who and what God is. Only then do we know, moreover, who God is and what He is for lost man-kind. We can know this only when we know and confess Him as the Triune God of the Covenant, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In considering this part of our confession, it is particularly necessary that a tone of holy reverence and childlike awe be the characteristic of our approach and attitude. For Moses it was an awful and unforgettable hour when the Lord appeared to him in the desert in the flame of fire coming from the bramble bush. When Moses looked upon that burning fire, which burned but did not consume, from a distance, and when he wanted to hasten to the spot, the Lord restrained him and said: Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And when Moses heard that he feared greatly, hid his face, and was afraid to look upon God (Exodus 3:1 - - Exodus 3:6). Such a holy respect suits us also as we witness God revealing Himself in His word as a Triune God. For we must always remember that as we study this fact, we are not dealing with a doctrine about God, with an abstract concept, or with a scientific proposition about the nature of Divinity. We are not dealing with a human construction which we ourselves or which others have put upon the facts, and which we now try to analyze and logically to dismember. Rather, in treating of the Trinity, we are dealing with God Himself, with the one and true God, who has revealed Himself as such in His Word. It is as He said to Moses: I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6). So He reveals Himself to us also in His Word and manifests Himself to us as Father, Son, and Spirit. It is thus that the Christian church has always confessed the revelation of God as the Triune God, and accepted it as such. We find it in the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed. The Christian is not in that creed saying just how he thinks about God. He is not there giving out a notion of God, nor saying that God has such and such attributes, and that He exists in this and that wise. Instead, he confesses: I believe in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son, and in the Holy Spirit: I believe in the Triune God. In confessing this the Christian gives expression to the fact that God is the living and the true God, that He is God as Father, Son, and Spirit, the God of His confidence, to whom he has wholly surrendered himself, and upon whom he rests with his whole heart. God is the God of his life and his salvation. As Father, Son, and Spirit, God has created him, redeemed him, sanctified him, and glorified him. The Christian owes everything to Him. It is his joy and comfort that he may believe in that God, trust Him, and expect everything from Him. What the Christian goes on to confess about that God is not summarized by him in a number of abstract terms, but is described, rather, as a series of deeds done by God in the past, in the present, and to be done in the future. It is the deeds, the miracles, of God which constitute the confession of the Christian. What the Christian confesses in his creed is a long, a broad, and a high history. It is a history which comprises the whole world in its length and breadth, in its beginning, process, and end, in its origin, development, and destination, from the point of creation to the fulfillment of the ages. The confession of the church is a declaration of the mighty deeds of God. Those deeds are numerous and are characterized by great diversity. But they also constitute a strict unity. They are related to each other, prepare for each other, and are interdependent. There is order and pattern, development and upward movement in it. It proceeds from creation through redemption to sanctification and glorification. The end returns to the beginning and yet is at the same time the apex which is exalted high above the point of origin. The deeds of God form a circle which mounts upward in the form of a spiral; they represent a harmony of the horizontal and the vertical line; they move upwards and forwards at the same time. God is the architect and builder of all those deeds, the source and the final end of them. Out of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. He is their Maker, Restorer, and Fulfiller. The unity and diversity in the works of God proceeds from and returns to the unity and diversity which exist in the Divine Being. That Being is one being, single and simple. At the same time that being is threefold in His person, in His revelation, and in His influence. The entire work of God is an unbroken whole, and nevertheless comprises the richest variety and change. The confession of the church comprehends the whole of world history. In that confession are included the moments of the creation and the fall, reconciliation and forgiveness, and of renewal and restoration. It is a confession which proceeds from the triune God and which leads everything back to Him. Therefore the article of the holy trinity is the heart and core of our confession, the differentiating earmark of our religion, and the praise and comfort of all true believers of Christ. It was this confession which was at stake in the warfare of the spirits throughout the centuries. The confession of the holy trinity is the precious pearl which was entrusted for safekeeping and defense to the Christian church. * * * * * If this confession of the trinity of God takes such a central position in the Christian faith, it is important to know on what ground it rests and from what source it has flowed into the church. They are not a few in our time who hold that it is the fruit of human argument and academic learning and who, accordingly, regard it as of no value for the religious life. According to them the original Gospel, as it was proclaimed by Jesus, knew nothing about any such doctrine of the trinity of God — that is, nothing about the term itself nor about the reality to which the term was intended to give expression. It was only — so the argument goes — when the original and simple Gospel of Jesus was brought into relationship with Greek philosophy and was falsified by it that the Christian church absorbed the person of Christ in His Divine nature, and eventually also the Holy Spirit into the Divine Being. And so it came about that the church confessed three persons in the one Divine being. But the Christian church itself has always had quite a different idea about that. It saw in the doctrine of the trinity no discovery of subtle theologians, no product of the wedding of Gospel and Greek philosophy, but a confession rather which was materially concluded in the Gospel and in the whole Word of God — a doctrine, in short, which was inferred by Christian faith from the revelation of God. In answer to the question, Since there is but one Divine Being, why do you speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? the Heidelberg Catechism gives a brief and conclusive answer: Because God has so revealed Himself in His Word (Question 25). The revelation of God is the firm ground on which this confession of the church also rests. It is the source out of which this doctrine of the one, holy, catholic, Christian church has grown and been built up. God has thus revealed Himself. And He has revealed Himself thus, that is, as a triune God, because He exists in that way; and He exists in this way because He has so revealed Himself. The Trinity in the revelation of God points back to the Trinity in His existence. This revelation did not happen in a single moment. It was not presented and perfected in a single point of time. Rather, this revelation has a long history, spread out over the centuries. It began at the creation, continued after the fall in the promises and deeds of grace which accrued to Israel, and reached its apex in the person and work of Christ, in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and the establishment of the church. It maintains itself now throughout the centuries, and over against all opposition, in the ineradicable witness of Scripture and in the rock-firm confession of the church. Because the revelation has had this long history, there is progress and development also in the confession of God’s triune existence. God undergoes no change, remaining always the same. But in the progress of revelation, He makes Himself always clearer and more glorious to people and to angels. As His revelation continues, our knowledge grows. * * * * * When, in the days of the Old Covenant, God begins to reveal Himself, the thing that stands in the foreground is certainly the unity, the oneness, of God. For, due to the sin of man, the pure knowledge of God had been lost; the truth, as Paul profoundly says, was held in unrighteousness. Even that which can be known of God in the things that He has made was made vain by their imaginations and was darkened by the foolishness of their hearts. On every hand mankind fell into idolatry and the worship of images (Romans 1:18 - Romans 1:23). Hence it was necessary that the revelation begin with an emphasis upon the unity of God. It seems to cry out to mankind: The gods before which ye bow are not the true God. There is but one true God, namely, the God who at the beginning made the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1 and 2:1), the God who made Himself known to Abraham as God the Almighty (Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 6:3), the God who appeared to Moses as Jehovah, as the I-Am-that-I-Am (Exodus 3:14), and the God who, out of sovereign favor, chose the people of Israel, and called them, and accepted them in His covenant (Exodus 19:4ff.). First of all, therefore, the revelation had as its content: Jehovah alone is Elohim, the Lord alone is God, and there is no other God beside Him.1 For the people of Israel, too, the revelation of the oneness of God was desperately necessary. Israel was surrounded on all sides by heathen and by heathen who at all times tried to tempt it into apostacy and unfaithfulness to the Lord; moreover, right on up to the captivity a great part of the people of Israel felt themselves attracted to the pagan idolatry and image worship, and again and again fell into the practice of them despite the proscription of the law and the warning of the prophets. Therefore, God Himself placed the emphasis on the fact that He, the Lord, who was now appearing to Moses and who wanted to redeem His people through Moses, was the same God who had made Himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the Almighty God (Exodus 3:6 and 15). When He gave His law to Israel He wrote above it as its preamble: I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. And in the first commandment, and the second, He strictly forbade all idolatry and worship of images (Exodus 20:2 - - Exodus 20:5). Be’cause the Lord our God is one God, Israel must love Him with its whole heart, its whole soul, and all its strength (Deuteronomy 6:4 - Deuteronomy 6:5). The Lord alone is Israel’s God and therefore Israel may serve only Him. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the oneness of God is so strongly emphasized, and, as it were, constitutes the first article of Israel’s basic law, the distinctions within that unity of the Godhead come to light also as in that revelation His fulness of Being progresses. The very name which is usually employed for designating God in the original Hebrew has a certain significance here. For this name Elohim, is in plural form, and therefore, although it does not, as was formerly generally supposed, designate the three persons of the divine Being, it does, in its character as an intensive plural, point to the fulness of life and of power which are present in God. It is, no doubt, in connection with this same fact, that God sometimes, in speaking of Himself, uses a plural referent, and by this means makes distinctions within Himself that bear a person’al character (Genesis 1:26 - Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:22; and Isaiah 6:8). Of greater significance is the teaching of the Old Testament to the effect that God brings everything in His creation and providence into being by His Word and Spirit. He is not a human being, who, at the cost of great difficulty and exertion, makes something else out of the materials He has at hand. Instead, simply by the act of speaking, He calls everything into being out of nothing. In the first chapter of Genesis we are taught this truth in the loftiest way possible, and elsewhere, too, it is expressed most gloriously in word and song. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast (Psalms 33:9). He sends out His word, and melts the morsels of ice (Psalms 147:18). His voice is upon the waters, shakes the wilderness, causes the hills to skip like a calf, and discovers the forests (Psalms 29:3 - Psalms 29:10). Two truths are contained in this exalted account of God’s works: the first is that God is the Almighty One who has but to speak and all things leap into being, whose word is law (Psalms 33:9) and whose voice is power (Psalms 29:4); and the second is that God works deliberately, and not with’out forethought, and carries out all His works with the highest wisdom. The word which God speaks is power, but it is also the vehicle of thought. He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by His discretion (Jeremiah 10:12 and 51:15). He has made all His works in wisdom: the earth is full of His riches (Psalms 104:24). This wisdom of God did not come to Him from outside Himself, but was with Him from the beginning. He possessed it as the principle of His way, before His works of old. When He prepared the heavens, set a compass upon the face of the deep, established the clouds above, strengthened the fountains of the deep, then wisdom was already there, brought up alongside of Him, daily his delight, and rejoicing always before Him (Proverbs 8:22 - Proverbs 8:31 and Job 20:20 - Job 20:28). God rejoiced in the wisdom with which He created the world. Alongside of this word and wisdom the Spirit of God as the Mediator of the creation makes His appearance just as God at one and the same time is wisdom and possesses it, so that He can share it and can exhibit it in His works, so He Himself is Spirit in His being (Deuteronomy 4:12, Deuteronomy 4:15) and He possesses Spirit, that Spirit by which He can dwell in the world and be always and everywhere present in it (Psalms 139:7). Without any’one having been His counsellor, the Lord by His Spirit brought everything into being (Isaiah 40:13ff.). At the beginning that Spirit moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2), and He remains active in all that was created. By that Spirit God garnishes the heavens (Job 26:13), renews the face of the earth (Psalms 104:30), gives life to man (Job 33:4), maintains the breath in man’s nostrils (Job 27:3), gives him understanding and wisdom (Job 32:8), and also causes the grass to wither and the flower to fade (Isaiah 40:7). In short, by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6). * * * * * And this self-diversity of God comes out even more in the works of the re-creation. Then it is not Elohim, but Jehovah, not God in general, but the Lord, the God of the covenant, who reveals Himself and who makes Himself known in wonders of redemption and salvation. As such He redeems and leads His people, not by His word alone which He speaks or has conveyed to them, but also by means of the Angel of the covenant (the Angel of the Lord). This Angel appears already in the history of the patriarchs: to Hagar (Genesis 16:6ff.), to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-33ff.), and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13ff.). This Angel reveals His grace and power especially in the emancipation of Israel from the bond’age of Egypt.2 This Angel of the Lord does not stand on the same plane of importance as the created angels; rather, He is a special revelation and manifestation of God. On the one hand, He is clearly distinguished from God, who speaks of Him as of His Angel, and yet, on the other hand, is one in name with God Himself, and in power, in redemption and blessing, in worshipfulness and honor. He is called God in Genesis 16:13, the God of Bethel in Genesis 31:13, exchanges places with God or the Lord (Genesis 28:30, Genesis 28:32 and Exodus 3:4), and He bears the name of God within Him (Exodus 23:21). He redeems from all evil (Genesis 48:16), rescues Israel from the hand of the Egyptians (Exodus 3:8), cleaves the waters and dries up the sea (Exodus 14:21), preserves the people of God in the way, brings them safely into Canaan, causes them to triumph over their enemies (Exodus 3:8 and 23:20), is to be absolutely obeyed as though He were God Himself (Exodus 23:20). and always en’camps around those who fear the Lord (Psalms 34:7 and 35:5). Just as in His re-creating work, Jehovah carries out His redemptive activities through this Angel of the covenant, so He by His Spirit gives out all kinds of energies and gifts to His people. In the Old Testament the Spirit of the Lord is the source of all life, all weal, and all ability. He grants courage and strength to the judges, to Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29), and to Samson (Judges 14:6 and 15:14). He grants artistic perception to the makers of the priests’ garments, the tabernacle, and the temple,3 and He gives wisdom and understanding to the judges who bear the burden of the people alongside of Moses (Numbers 11:17, Numbers 11:25). He gives the spirit of prophecy to the prophets,4 and renewal and sanctification and guidance to all of God’s children (Psalms 51:12 - Psalms 51:13 and 143:10). In short: the Word, the promise, the covenant, which the Lord gave to Israel at the exodus from Egypt, have existed throughout the ages, and still stood fast even after the Captivity in the days of Zerubbabel, so that the people had no need to fear (Haggai 2:4 - Haggai 2:5). When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt He became the Savior of Israel. And this disposition of God towards His people came to expression in the fact that in all their oppression He was oppressed (He regarded the affliction of His people as His own affliction), and that He therefore sent them His Angel to preserve them. He redeemed them by His love and grace and He took them up and carried them as His own throughout those days of old. He sent them the Spirit of His holiness in order to lead them in the ways of the Lord (Isaiah 63:9 - Isaiah 63:12). In the days of the Old Covenant, the Lord through the high priest laid His threefold blessing on the people of Israel: the blessing of vigil, the blessing of grace, and the blessing of peace (Numbers 6:24 - Numbers 6:26). Thus gradually, then, but ever more unmistakably, the threefold distinction within the Divine being comes to expression already in the history of God’s leading of Israel. However, the Old Testament includes the further promises that in the future there will be a higher and richer revelation. After all, Israel repudiated the Word of the Lord and vexed His Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10 and Psalms 106:1-48). The revelation of God in the Angel of the covenant and in the Spirit of the Lord proved to be inadequate: if God wanted to confirm His covenant and fulfill His promise, another and higher revelation would be necessary. Such a revelation was heralded by the prophets. In the future, in the last days, then the Lord will call up out of the midst of Israel such a prophet as Moses was, and the Lord will put His words in that prophet’s mouth (Deuteronomy 18:18). This one will be a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4); He will be a king out of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12 - 2 Samuel 7:16), a rod out of the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), a king, judging and seeking judgment (Isaiah 16:5). A human being, a man He will be, and the son of a woman (Isaiah 7:14), and He will be without form or comeliness (Isaiah 53:2ff.); but, at the same time, He will be Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6), the Angel of the covenant (Malachi 3:1), the Lord Himself appearing to His people (Hosea 1:7 and Malachi 3:1). And He bears the name of Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). This manifestation of the servant of the Lord is to be followed by a richer dispensation of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, of the knowledge and fear of the Lord, this Spirit will rest upon the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 42:1; and 61:1). He will be poured out upon all flesh, over sons and daughters, old men and young men, servants and handmaids,5 and He will give a new heart and a new spirit, so that His people may walk in His statutes, and keep His ordinances, and do them.6 Thus the Old Testament itself points out that the full revelation of God will consist of the revelation of His triune being. * * * * * This promise and announcement the fulfillment of the New Testament fully satisfies. In this respect also, the unity or oneness of God is the point of departure of all Revelation 7:1-17 But out of this oneness the difference in the Divine being now, in the New Testament, comes into much clearer light. This happens first in the great redemptive events of incarnation, satisfaction, and outpouring, and next in the instruction of Jesus and His apostles. The work of salvation is one whole, a work of God from beginning to end. But there are three high moments in it, election, forgiveness, and renewal, and these three point to a threefold cause in the Divine being: that is, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The very conceiving of Christ already shows us the threefold activity of God. For while the Father gives the Son to the world (John 3:16), and while the Son Himself descends from heaven (John 6:38), that Son is conceived in Mary of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20 and Luke 1:35). At His baptism Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit, and is there publicly declared to be the beloved Son of the Father, the Son in whom He is well pleased (Matthew 3:16 - Matthew 3:17). The works which Jesus did were shown Him by the Father (John 5:19 and 8:38), and they are fulfilled by Him in the strength of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28). In His dying He offers Himself to God in the eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). The resurrection is a raising up by the Father (Acts 2:24) and is at the same time Jesus’ own act by which He is greatly proved to be the Son of the Father according to the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:3). And after his resurrection He, on the fortieth day, ascends in the Spirit which quickened Him on high in heaven and there He makes the angels and authorities and powers subject to Himself. The teaching of Jesus and the apostles agrees fully with the lesson of those events themselves. Jesus came to earth to declare the Father and to make His name known among men (John 1:18 and 17:6). The name of father applied to God as creator of all things was also used by the pagans. This meaning of the term is supported also by Scripture at various places.8 Besides, the Old Testament several times uses the designation Father to refer to God’s theocratic relationship to Israel because in His marvelous ability He has created and maintained that relationship (Deuteronomy 32:6 and Isaiah 63:16). But in the New Testament a gloriously new light is shed upon this name of father as applied to God. Jesus always indicates an essential difference between the relationship in which He Himself stands to God and that in which others, say the Jews or the disciples, stand to Him. When, for example, He teaches the disciples, at their request, the “Our Father. . .” He says expressly “When ye pray, say. . . .” And when, after the resurrection, He announces His forthcoming ascension to Mary Magdalene, He says: “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17). In other words, God is His own Father (John 5:18). He knows the Son and loves Him in such a way and to such an extent as, reciprocally, only the Son can know and love the Father.9 Among the apostles, accordingly, God is constantly referred to as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3). This relationship between the Father and the Son did not develop in time but existed from eternity (John 1:1, John 1:14; John 17:24). God is therefore Father in the first place because in a very unique sense He is the Father of the Son. This is His original, special personal characteristic. In a derived sense God is further called the Father of all creatures because He is their creator and sustainer (1 Corinthians 8:6, and elsewhere). He is called the Father of Israel because Israel is His handiwork by virtue of election and calling (Deuteronomy 32:6 and Isaiah 64:8), and the Father of the church and all believers because the love of the Father for the Son accrues to them (John 16:27 and 17:24) and because they have been accepted as His children and are born of Him through the Spirit (John 1:12 and Romans 8:15). The Father is therefore always the Father, the first person, He from whom in the being of God, in the counsel of God, and in all the works of creation and providence, redemption and sanctification, the initiative proceeds. He gave the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26), and He sends out the Spirit (John 15:26). His is the election and the good pleasure (Matthew 11:26 and Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:9, Ephesians 1:11). From Him proceed the creation, providence, redemption, and renewal (Psalms 33:6 and John 3:16). To Him in a special sense the kingdom and the power and the glory accrue (Matthew 6:13). He particularly bears the name of God in distinction from the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Christ Himself as Mediator calls Him His Father, not only, but also His God (Matthew 27:46 and John 20:17) and Christ is Himself called the Christ of God.10 In a word, the first person of the Divine being is the Father because “of Him are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6). If God is the Father, the inference is that there also is a Son who received life from Him and who shares His love. In the Old Testament the name of son of God was used for angels,11 for the people of Israel,12 and particularly too for the theocratic king of that people.13 But in the New Testament this name takes on a far profounder meaning. For Christ is the Son of God in a very peculiar sense; He is highly exalted above angels and prophets (Matthew 13:32; Matthew 21:27; and 22:2), and He Himself says that no one can know the Son except the Father, and no one can know the Father except the Son (Matthew 11:27). In distinction from angels and men, He is the Father’s own Son (Romans 8:32), the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased (Matthew 3:17), the only-begotten Son (John 1:18) whom the Father gave to have life in Himself (John 5:26). This very special, this unique, relationship between Father and Son did not develop in time by way of the supernatural conception of the Holy Spirit, or of the anointing at baptism, or of the resurrection and ascension — though many have maintained this — but is a relationship which has existed from all eternity. The Son who in Christ assumed human nature was in the beginning with God as the Word (John 1:1). then already had the form of God (Php_2:6), was rich and clothed with glory (John 17:5, John 17:24), was then already the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3), and precisely therefore He could in the fulness of time be sent out, given, and brought into the world.14 Hence, too, the creation (John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16) and providence (Hebrews 1:3) and the accomplishment of the whole of salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30) are ascribed to Him. He is not, as creatures are made or created, but is instead, the first-born of all creatures that is the Son who has the rank and rights of the first-born over against all creatures (Colossians 1:15) Thus He is also the first-born of the dead, the first-born of many brethren, and therefore among all and in all He is the first (Romans 8:29 and Colossians 1:18) And even though in the fulness of time, He assumed the form of a servant, He was nevertheless in the form of God. He was in all things like unto God the Father (Php_2:6):. in life (John 5:26), in knowledge (Matthew 11:27), in strength (John 1:3 and 5:21, 26), in honor (John 5:23). He is Himself God, to be praised above all else into eternity.15 Just as all things are of the Father, so they are also all through the Son (1 Corinthians 8:6). * * * * * Both, Father and Son, come together and are united in the Holy Spirit and by means of the Spirit dwell in all creatures. True, God is according to His nature a Spirit (John 4:24) and He is holy (Isaiah 6:3); but the Holy Spirit is clearly distinguished from God as Spirit. Just as, in a comparative way of speaking, man is a spirit in his invisible nature and also possesses a spirit, by means of which he is aware of himself and is self-conscious, so God is a Spirit by nature and also possesses a Spirit, a Spirit which searches the depths of His being (1 Corinthians 2:11). As such the latter is called the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit (Psalms 51:12 and Isaiah 63:10 - Isaiah 63:11). And this is done in distinction from the spirit of an angel or of a human being or of any other creature. But, although He is distinguished from God, from the Father and the Son, He stands in the most intimate of relationships with both. He is called the breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4), the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6), is sent out by the Father and the Son (John 14:26 and 15:26), and He proceeds from both, not from the Father alone (John 15:26) but also from the Son, for He is also called the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of the Father (Romans 8:9). Although the Holy Spirit is in that way given or sent or poured out by the Father and the Son, He often makes His appearance as a power or a gift which qualifies men for their calling or office. Thus, for example, the Holy Spirit is spoken of at various places in the Acts of the Apostles in connection with the gift of prophecy (8:15; 10:44; 11:15; 15:8; and 19:2). But it is not warranted to infer from that fact, as many do, that the Holy Spirit is nothing more or other than a gift or power of God. At other places He definitely makes His appearance as a person, one who bears personal names, has personal characteristics, and does personal deeds. Thus in John 15:26 and 16:13, 14 (although the Greek of the word translated Spirit in our language is of neuter gender) Christ uses the masculine referent: He shall testify of Me and glorify Me. At the same place Christ calls Him Comforter, using the same name that is used of Christ in 1 John 2:1, a name translated advocate in the English version. Besides these personal names all sorts of personal characteristics are ascribed to the Holy Spirit: for example, selfhood (Acts 132), self-consciousness (Acts 15:28), self-determination or will (1 Corinthians 12:11). Besides He is credited with all kinds of personal activities, such as investigating (1 Corinthians 2:11), listening (John 16:13), speaking (Revelation 2:17), teaching (John 14:26), praying (Romans 8:27), and the like. And all this comes out most clearly and sublimely in the fact that He is placed on one and the same level with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14). The last point is the most important and it indicates the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person not merely but also very God. And Scriptures provide all the data which are necessary to make this confession. We have only to note that despite the distinction between God and His Spirit which was pointed out above, the two frequently exchange places in Scripture, so that it is quite the same whether God or His Spirit says or does a thing. In Acts 5:3 - Acts 5:4 the lying to the Holy Spirit is called a lying to God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16 the believers are called God’s temple, because the Spirit of God dwells in them. To these facts we must add that various Divine attributes, such as eternity (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresence (Psalms 139:7), omniscience (1 Corinthians 2:11), omnipotence (1 Corinthians 12:4 - 1 Corinthians 12:6), and various Divine works, such as creation (Psalms 33:6), providence (Psalms 104:30), and redemption (John 3:3) are ascribed to the Holy Spirit quite as well as to the Father and the Son. Consequently He shares in the same glory with those two. He takes His place alongside of the Father and the Son as the cause of salvation (2 Corinthians 13:14 and Revelation 1:4). It is in His name also that we are baptized (Matthew 28:19), and blessed (2 Corinthians 13:14). Moreover, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:31 - Matthew 12:32). In other words, just as all things are of the Father and through the Son, they all exist and rest in the Holy Spirit. All of these elements of the doctrine of the trinity, spread throughout the Scriptures, were gathered together, so to speak, by Jesus in His baptismal command and by the apostles in their benedictions. After His resurrection and before His ascension, Christ bids His apostles to go out and make all peoples His disciples and to baptize them in the one name in which, nevertheless, three different subjects are revealed. Father, Son, and Spirit are in their oneness and their distinction the fulness of the perfected revelation of God. Just so, too, according to the apostles the whole good and salvation of man is contained in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.16 The good pleasure, the foreknowledge, the power, the love, the kingdom, and the strength are the Father’s. The Mediatorship, the reconciliation, the grace, and the redemption are the Son’s. The regeneration, the renewal, the sanctification, the redemption are the Spirit’s. The relationship in which Christ stands to the Father corresponds fully with the relationship in which the Spirit stands to Christ. Just as the Son speaks nothing and does nothing of Himself but receives everything from the Father (John 5:26 and 16:15), so the Holy Spirit takes everything from Christ (John 16:13 - John 16:14). As the Son testifies of the Father and glorifies the Father (John 1:18 and 17:4, 6), so the Holy Spirit testifies of the Son and glorifies Him (John 15:26 and 16:14). Just as no one comes to the Father but through the Son (John 14:6), so no one can say that Jesus is the Lord except through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Through the Spirit we have fellowship with the Father and the Son. It is in the Holy Spirit that God Himself through Christ dwells in our hearts. And if this all be so, then the Holy Spirit is, together with the Son and the Father, the one, true God, and is to be eternally lauded and praised as such. * * * * * To this instruction of the Holy Spirit the Christian church in its confession of the Trinity of God has said yea and amen. The church did not arrive at this rich and glorious confession without a hard and long struggle of the spirits. Centuries on end the profoundest experience of the spiritual life of the children of God and the doughtiest intellect of the fathers and teachers of the church went into the understanding of this point of the revelation of Scripture and to reproducing it purely in the confession of the church. No doubt the church would not have succeeded in this effort at the laying of foundations, if it had not been led into the truth by the Holy. Spirit, and if in Tertullian and Irenaeus, Athanasius and the three Cappadocians, Augustine, and Hillary, and so many others besides, it had not received the men who, endowed and equipped with unusual gifts of godliness and wisdom, kept to the straight course. Nothing less than the peculiar essence of Christianity was at stake in this battle of the spirits. From two sides the church was exposed to the danger of permitting itself to be wrested from the firm foundation on which it was built and so to be submerged by the world. On the one hand, there was the threat of Arianism, so called after the Alexandrian presbyter Arius who died in the year 336. Anus held that the Father alone was the eternal and true God, inasmuch as He alone in the full sense of the word was ungenerated. Concerning the Son, the Logos, who in Christ had become flesh, he taught that, inasmuch as this Christ was generated, He could not be God but had to be a creature — a creature, it is true, who had been made before other creatures, but nevertheless was made as they were made through the will of God. And, in the same way, Arius held that the Holy Spirit was a creature or else a quality or attribute of God. On the other side the party of Sabellianism was at work, so called after a certain Sabellius who lived in Rome at the beginning of the third century. Sabellius held that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were but three names for one and the same God — a God who had made Himself known thus successively as His revelation progressed in various forms and manifestations. In the form of the Father, accordingly, God was operative as Creator and Lawgiver. Thereupon He worked as Redeemer in the form of the Son. And He now works in the form of the Holy Spirit as the Re-creator of the church. While Arianism tries to maintain the oneness of God, by placing Son and Spirit outside the Divine being and reducing these to the level of creatures, Sabellianism tries to arrive at the same end by robbing the three persons of the Godhead of their independence. This it does by metamorphosing the persons into three successive modes of revelation of the same Divine Being. In the first tendency the Jewish, deistic, rationalistic mode of thinking comes to expression rather characteristically, and in the second the idea of Pagan pantheism and mysticism. The moment the church set about giving itself a fairly clear account of the truth which was later stated in the confession of the Trinity of God, these two other tendencies arose alongside at the right and left, and they accompany the confession of the church to this day. Always and again the church and each one of its members must be on guard against doing injustice on the one hand to the oneness of the Divine Being, and on the other to the three Persons within that Being. The oneness may not be sacrificed to the diversity, nor the diversity to the oneness. To maintain both in their inseparable connection and in their pure relationship, not only theoretically but also in practical life, is the calling of all believers. In order to satisfy this requirement, the Christian church and Christian theology in the early period made use of various words and expressions which cannot be found literally in the Holy Scriptures. The church began to speak of the essence of God and of three persons in that essence of being. It spoke of the triune and the trinitarian, or of essential and personal characteristics, of the eternal generation of the Son and of the proceeding of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son, and the like. There is no reason at all why the church and the Christian theology should not use such terms and modes of expression. For the Holy Scripture was not given to the church by God to be thoughtlessly repeated but to be understood in all its fulness and riches, and to be restated in its own language in order that in this way it might proclaim the mighty works of God. Moreover, such terms and expressions are necessary in order to maintain the truth of Scripture over against its opponents and to secure it against misunderstanding and error. And history has taught throughout the centuries that a lighthearted disapproval and rejection of these names and modes of expression leads to various departures from the confession. At the same time, we should, in the use of these terms, always remember that they are of human origin and therefore limited, defective, fallible. The church fathers always acknowledged this. For example, they held that the term persons which was used to designate the three ways of existence in the Divine Being did not do justice to the truth in the matter but served as an aid towards maintaining the truth and cutting off error. The word was chosen, not because it was accurate in every respect, but because no other and better was to be found. In this matter again the word is far behind the thought, and the thought is far behind the actuality. Although we cannot preserve the actuality in any but this inadequate form, we may never forget that it is the reality itself and not the word that counts. In the dispensation of glory other and better expressions will certainly be laid upon our lips. * * * * * The reality itself which is concerned in the confession of the holy trinity is of the highest importance, both for the mind and the heart. For it is by that confession that the church maintains, in the first place, both the unity and the diversity in the being of God. The Divine Being is one: there is but one Being that is God and that may be called God. In creation and redemption, in nature and grace, in church and world, in state and society, everywhere and always we are concerned with one, same, living, and true God. The unity of the world, of mankind, of truth, of virtue, of justice, and of beauty depends upon the unity of God. The moment that unity of God is denied or under stressed, the door is open to polytheism. But this unity or oneness of God is, according to Scripture and the confession of the church, not a contentless unity, nor a solitariness, but a fulness of life and strength. It comprises difference, or distinction, or diversity. It is that diversity which comes to expression in the three persons or modes of being of God. These three persons are not merely three modes of revelation. They are modes of being. Father, Son, and Spirit share one and the same Divine nature and characteristics. They are one being. Nevertheless each has His own name, His own particular characteristic, by which He is distinguished from the others. The Father alone has fatherhood, the Son alone has generation, and the Spirit alone possesses the quality of proceeding from both. To that order of existence in the Divine Being the order of the three persons in all Divine work corresponds. The Father is He from whom, the Son is He through whom, and the Spirit is He in whom all things are. All things in the creation, and in the redemption, or re-creation, come from the Father, through the Son and the Spirit. And in the Spirit and through the Son they are come back to Him. It is to the Father that we are particularly indebted, therefore, for his electing love, to the Son for His redeeming grace, and to the Spirit for his regenerative and renewing power. In the second place, the church in maintaining this confession, takes a strong position over against the heresies of deism (belief in God without revelation) and pantheism (polytheism) and of Judaism and Paganism. Always there is that dual tendency in the human heart: the tendency to think of God as distant and removed and to think of self and world as independent of God, and the tendency to draw God down into the world, to identify Him with the world, and so to deify the self and the world. When the first tendency prevails in us we come to the point of thinking that we can do without God in nature, in our calling, in our business, in our science and art, and also in the work of redemption. And, if the second tendency prevails in us, we change the glory of God into the image of some creature or other, deify the world, the sun, the moon and the stars, art, science, or the state, and in the creature, usually conceived in our image, we worship our own greatness. In the first instance God is only afar off; in the second He is only nearby. In the first, He is outside of the world, above it, free from it; in the second, He is inside it and identical with it. But the church confesses both: God is above the world, distinguished from it in essence, and yet He is with His whole being present in it and at no point in space or time separated from it. He is both afar off and nearby. He is both highly exalted above all creatures and at the same time deeply condescending to them all. He is our Creator who brought us into being by His will as creatures distinct from Him in kind. He is our Redeemer who saves us, not by our works but by the riches of His grace. He is our Sanctifier who dwells in us as in His temple. As the triune God He is one God and is above us, for us, and in us. Finally, in the third place, this confession of the church is also of the greatest importance for the spiritual life. Quite unjustifiably it is sometimes maintained that the doctrine of the trinity is merely a philosophically abstracted dogma and that it possesses no value for religion and life. The Reformed Confession of Faith takes an entirely different view of this. In Article XI of that Confession the church stated that God is one in essence and three in persons. This we know from the witness of Holy Scripture, and from the activities of the three persons, especially those which we sense within us. True, we do not base our faith in the trinity on feeling and experience; but when we believe it, we notice that the doctrine stands in intimate relationship with the spiritual experience of the children of God. For the believers come to know the workings of the Father, the Creator of all things, He who gave them life, and breath, and all things. They learn to know Him as the Lawgiver who gave out His holy commandments in order that they should walk in them. They learn to know Him as the Judge who is provoked to terrible wrath by all the unrighteousness of men and who in no sense holds the guilty guiltless. And they learn to know Him, finally, as the Father who for Christ’s sake is their God and Father, on whom they trust so far that they do not doubt but that He will supply for every need of body and soul, and that He will convert all evil which accrues to them in this vale of tears into good. They know that He can do this as Almighty God and that He wants to do it as a faithful Father. Hence they confess: I believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Thus, too, they learn to know in themselves the workings of the Son, He who is the only-begotten of the Father, conceived in Mary of the Holy Spirit. They learn to know Him as their highest Prophet and Teacher, He who has perfectly revealed to them the secret counsel and will of God in the matter of their redemption. They learn to know Him as their only High priest, who has redeemed them by the one sacrifice of His body, and who still constantly intercedes for them with the Father. They learn to know Him as their eternal King, who rules them with His Word and Spirit and who shelters and preserves them in their achieved redemption. Hence they confess: I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only-begotten Son, our Lord. And they also learn to recognize in themselves the workings of the Holy Spirit, He who regenerates them and leads them into all truth. They learn to know Him as the Operator of their faith, He who through that faith causes them to share in Christ and all His benefits. They learn to know Him as the Comforter, He who prays in them with unutterable longings and who testifies with their spirit that they are children of God. They learn to know Him as the pledge of their eternal inheritance, He who preserves them until the day of their redemption. And they therefore confess: I believe also in the Holy Spirit. Thus the confession of the trinity is the sum of the Christian religion. Without it neither the creation nor the redemption nor the sanctification can be purely maintained. Every departure from this confession leads to error in the other heads of doctrine, just as a mistaken representation of the articles of faith can be traced back to a misconception of the doctrine of the trinity. We can truly proclaim the mighty works of God only when we recognize and confess them as the one great work of Father, Son, and Spirit. In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is contained the whole salvation of men. Notes 1.Deuteronomy 4:35,Deuteronomy 4:39; Joshua 22:22; 2 Samuel 7:22; 2 Samuel 22:32; 1 Kings 18:39; Isaiah 45:5,Isaiah 45:18, Isaiah 45:21; and elsewhere. 2.Exodus 3:2; Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14:19; Exodus 23:20 - - Exodus 23:23; Exodus 32:34; Exodus 33:2; and Numbers 20:16. 3.Exodus 28:3; Exodus 31:3 - - Exodus 31:5; Exodus 35:31 - - Exodus 35:35; and 1 Chronicles 28:12. 4.Numbers 11:25,Numbers 11:29; Numbers 24:2 - Numbers 24:3; Micah 3:8; and like passages. 5.Joel 2:28 - Joel 2:29; Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:26 - Ezekiel 36:27; and Zechariah 12:10. 6. Ezekiel 11:19 - Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:31 - Jeremiah 31:34 and 32:38 - Mark 7. John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:4; and 1 Timothy 2:5. 8. Luke 3:38; Acts 17:28; Ephesians 3:15; and Hebrews 12:9. 9. Matthew 11:27; Mark 12:6; and John 5:20. 10. Luke 9:20; 1 Corinthians 3:23; and Revelation 12:10. 11.Job 38:7 12.Deuteronomy 1:31; Deuteronomy 8:5; Deuteronomy 14:1; Deuteronomy 32:6, Deuteronomy 32:18 and Hosea 11:1. 13. 2 Samuel 7:11 - 2 Samuel 7:14 Psalms 2:7. 14.John 3:16; Galatians 4:4; and Hebrews 1:6. 15.John 1:1; John 20:8; Romans 9:5; and Hebrews 1:8 - Hebrews 1:9. 16. 1 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:4 - 1 John 5:6; and Revelation 1:4 - Revelation 1:6. Author Born on December 13, 1854, in Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Holland, Herman Bavinck was the son of the Reverend Jan Bavinck, a leading figure in the secession from the State Church of the Netherlands in 1834. After theological study in Kampen, and at the University of Leiden, he graduated in 1880, and served as the minister of the congregation at Franeker, Friesland, for a year. According to his biographers, large crowds gathered to hear his outstanding exposition of the Scriptures. In 1882, he was appointed a Professor of theology at Kampen, and taught there from 1883 until his appointment, in 1902, to the chair of systematic Theology in the Free University of Amsterdam, where he succeeded the great Abraham Kuyper, then recently appointed Prime Minister of the Netherlands. In this capacity — an appointment he had twice before declined — Bavinck served until his death in 1921. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 100: BAVINCK - HISTORY OF DOCTRINE OF DECREE OF PREDESTINATION ======================================================================== History of Doctrine of Decree of Predestination Herman Bavinck F. The Development of the Doctrine of Predestination among the Reformed (continued): the Controversy in regard to Infra- and Supralapsarianism: (1) This controversy is rooted in the struggle between Augustine and Pelagius. According to Pelagianism both original and actual sin (unbelief) logically precede election and reprobation; according to Augustine ONLY original sin precedes predestination. According to supra, predestination logically precedes not only actual but also original sin. Hence, Pelagianism: original sin, actual sin, predestination; Augustinianism or infralapsarianism: original sin, predestination, actual sin; supralapsarianism: predestination, original sin, actual sin. (2) Many followers of Augustine accepted the doctrine of two-fold predestination: a predestination unto glory and a predestination unto death. (3) The three Reformers: Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, arrived at the supralapsarian view: election and reprobation are deeds of God's sovereignty, logically preceding God's decree concerning the fall. Nevertheless, Calvin often follows the infralapsarian reasoning. (4) For the order of the elements of the decree see III C. (5) The Synod of Dort expressed itself in an infralapsarian manner but did not in any sense condemn supralapsarianism. It rejected Arminianism. Among the Reformed another controversy soon arose, namely, in regard to supra- and infralapsarianism. This controversy is rooted in the struggle between Augustine and Pelagius. With the Pelagians the order in the elements of God's counsel was as follows: 1. A decree to create man. 2. A decree to send Christ in order to redeem fallen humanity, to cause him to die for all and to be proclaimed to all, and to grant to all “grace sufficient” unto salvation. 3. A decree determining the eternal salvation of some on the ground of foreseen faith, and the eternal punishment of others on the ground of foreseen unbelief. A totally different order was presented by Augustine. At times he makes reprobation a part of predestination, but even then he views foreknowledge not as something negative and passive but as a divine activity. For, God's will is the “necessary ground of things”; what happens “contrary to his will does not defeat his will”; when God “permits” something, this permission is positive, efficacious. “Surely, he permits willingly, not unwillingly.” The supralapsarian position, viz., that reprobation is an act of God's sovereignty, is already implied in this view. Usually, however, Augustine uses the words divine foreknowledge and permission when he speaks about the fall. Augustine has the following order: 1. A decree to create man and to permit him to fall. 2. A decree to elect some out of this corrupt mass unto eternal life, and to allow others to remain in the perdition wherein they have involved themselves. Accordingly, both election and reprobation presuppose a fallen humanity, a “corrupt mass.” From this it appears that Augustine usually favors the infralapsarian representation; in his reasoning he does not go back beyond the fall; he views reprobation as an act of God's justice. “God is good, God is just. Because he is good, he is able to deliver some that are undeserving of salvation; because he is just, he is not able to condemn any one who is undeserving of condemnation.” Now, although Augustine does not view the decree of predestination as preceding both original and actual sin (the supra position), neither does he place the decree of election and reprobation after both of these (the Pelagian position). According to Augustine, only original sin logically precedes predestination. Moreover, he considers original sin to be a sufficient ground for reprobation. Actual sins are not taken into account in the decree of reprobation although they are considered in connection with the determination of the degree of punishment. Augustine derived this order in the elements of God's counsel from Romans 9:11, Romans 9:12 (“. . . for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, `The elder shall serve the younger.' Even as it is written, `Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.'”) and from the fate of children dying in infancy unbaptized. Nevertheless, although original sin is a sufficient ground for reprobation, Augustine does not view it as the final and deepest ground. According to him God's sovereignty, as expressed in Romans 9:18, (“So then, he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth”) is the only answer to the question why God rejected some and chose others, particularly, why this person was rejected and that one elected. 3. Finally, a decree determining the means whereby the end in view will be realized. Augustine does not directly deduce a decree establishing the means unto perdition from the decree of reprobation as such. He does teach that even in regard to sin God proceeds in an active and positive manner; God is the “Disposer of sins,” he deemed it right that there should be sin, he punishes sin with sin; but Augustine generally views reprobation negatively, i.e., as preterition or dereliction (passing by or abandonment), and he does not as a rule view it as part of predestination, but identifies the latter with election, and subsumes both election and reprobation under God's providence. On the other hand there is a predestination of the means unto salvation. With Augustine predestination or election is always a predestination unto glory. It implies foreordination unto grace. Accordingly, foreseen faith and good works are not the ground of election, neither is Christ the final ground. But election is foreordination unto the desired goal, hence, unto the means whereby this goal will he realized, i. e., unto Christ who was himself predestinated, and thus unto calling, baptism, faith, and the gift of perseverance; predestination is a preparation for grace. Accordingly, the elect, by way of grace in Christ, will surely obtain heavenly salvation. Therefore, in later years many followers of Augustine arrived at the doctrine of twofold predestination: a “predestination unto death” began to be coordinated with a “predestination unto glory.” Nevertheless, the former could not be construed in the same sense as the latter; hence, a distinction was made between a negative and a positive reprobation. The negative reprobation logically precedes the fall; it is an act of God's sovereignty; it does not depend upon foreseen demerits any more than election depends upon foreseen merits; it implies “the decree to permit certain individuals to fall into a state of guilt” and it is “the cause of dereliction.” Thus many Thomists, Alvarez, the Salmanticenses, Estius, Sylvius. etc., taught that negative reprobation precedes the fall and that it is purely an act of God's sovereignty and good pleasure. Nevertheless, this supralapsarian reprobation was viewed as wholly negative, i.e., as God's purpose not to elect certain individuals, to permit them to fall, and afterward to ordain them to everlasting punishment (positive reprobation). Essentially, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and all supralapsarian Reformed theologians never went beyond this point. They neither taught a “predestination unto sins” nor did they represent God as the author of sin, as is falsely charged by Roman Catholics, who advance this accusation against the Predestinationists of the fifth century, Gottschalk, Bradwardina, Wyclif, and especially against the Reformers. They do this merely in order to justify their own Semi-Pelagian view, and to harmonize it with the teachings of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Essentially the teaching of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas in regard to predestination was accepted by the Reformers: the modifications introduced by them were slight and unessential, if we except the doctrine of assurance. The Reformers agreed with Augustine and Thomas Aquinas on many points; viz., they, too, believed that election is not conditioned upon foreseen merits, but that it is the source of faith and good works; that predestination unto glory always implies predestination unto grace; that negative reprobation is not to be explained as an act of God's justice but as an act of his sovereignty, and that it logically precedes sin; that this negative reprobation is followed by a decree to permit sin and to allow some to remain in their fallen state and that positive reprobation takes sin into account. To all this they added, however, that the concepts foreknowledqe and permission, though not wrong in themselves, cannot and should not be interpreted in a merely passive sense; that even if they could be so construed, they would offer no real solution of the problem; and that the distinction between positive and negative reprobation has very little value. Thus. all three Reformers arrived at the so-called supralapsarian view of the doctrine of predestination, according to which both election and reprobation are to be viewed as acts of God's sovereignty, logically preceding God's decree concerning the fall, sin, and redemption through Christ. But it is especially Calvin who often purposely refuses to go beyond the secondary causes of salvation and perdition, and therefore often reasons in an infralapsarian manner. Let not the reprobate view God's decree as the cause of his perdition, but let him rather look upon his own corrupt nature with respect to which he himself is guilty. The elect and the reprobate were equally guilty but God is merciful toward the former, just toward the latter. In Romans 9:21 the “clay” indicates men in their fallen condition, of whom God elects some while he leaves others “in their own ruin, to which by nature all are exposed.” The fall in Adam is the nearest cause of reprobation. God hates only sin in us. And of this representation: “that out of the race doomed in Adam God elected those whom he was pleased to elect, and reprobated those whom he willed to reprobate.” Calvin says, “just as it is a great deal more suitable unto the cultivation of faith, so it is discussed with greater profit.. . is not only more conducive unto piety, but, it seems to me, more theological, more suitable to practical Christianity, and also more conducive unto edification.” Nevertheless, this does not fully satisfy Calvin. Sin may be the proximate cause of perdition, it is, nevertheless. not the deepest cause. For the theory that God apart from any previous plan decided to create man, then sat down, as it were, in a watchtower to see what man would do, and having seen and foreseen this, only afterward proceeded to the act of election and reprobation, is altogether untenable. Foreknowledge and permission do not solve the problem. because God, foreseeing the fall, could have prevented it; accordingly, he voluntarily permitted the fall because it seemed good to him. Accordingly, the fall of Adam, sin in general, and all evil, were not only foreseen by God but in a certain sense were willed and determined by him. Accordingly, there must have been a reason, unknown to us, why God willed the fall: there is “a deeper divine decree” logically preceding the fall. Hence, when Pighius answers Calvin by objecting that according to the latter's view there would have been in the divine mind a “distinction between elect and reprobate previous to the fall of man,” Calvin indeed answers that Pighius fails to distinguish between “proximate and remote causes,” that every reprobate must consider his own sin to be the direct cause of his perdition, and that the opposite view is handicapped with the same objections, he does not deny the validity of the conclusion drawn by Pighius: there is a “secret divine decree” anteceding the fall, The final and deepest cause of reprobation as well as of election is the will of God. Hence, with Calvin the supralansarian and infralapsarian representation alternates. This is also true of most of the later theologians who embraced supralapsarianism. They regard the supralapsarian view to be admissible they do not think of condemning infralapsarianism or of demanding that their view be embodied in the official confession of the church as the only standard of truth. They do not ask that their own view he substituted for the infralapsarian representation but they plead for actual recognition of both views. According to the supralapsarian view a divine knowledge of all possibilities precedes every decree, a “knowledge of simple intelligence.” According to the rule “what is ultimate in execution is first in design,” supra teaches the following order in the elements of God's counsel: 1. A decree determining the purpose for which God would create and govern all things, namely. the revelation of his virtues, esp. of his mercy and of his justice; respectively, in the eternal salvation of a definite number of men conceived as yet only as possibles, “creatable and fallible.” and in the eternal punishment of another definite number. The manifestation of these virtues necessitated: 2. A second decree determining the existence of human beings who would be so wretched and pitiable that they would be fit objects of God's mercy and justice. The actual existence of such human beings necessitated: 3. A third decree to create a man adorned with the image of God to be the head of humanity, and “by an efficacious permission” to allow him to fall so that he would involve his entire posterity in that fall. 4. Finally, a decree to manifest God's mercy in the elect by providing a Mediator for them and by granting them the gifts of faith and perseverance, and to show God's justice in the reprobate by withholding saving grace from them and by giving them up unto sin. In this order of the decrees election and reprobation precede not only faith and unbelief, regeneration and hardening, but also creation and the fall. However, one difficulty presents itself immediately: it was the established Reformed doctrine that the election of Christ and of the church are not to be separated and that both are included in one single decree that has as its object “the mystic Christ.” But in the supralapsarian scheme the election of the church is separated from the election of Christ by the two decrees of creation and the fall. Comrie, however, tried to overcome this objection by teaching that before the decree of creation and the fall the believers are chosen unto union with Christ. This union is so close and unbreakable that when those chosen fall, as is determined in a subsequent decree, Christ, who had been elected as Head, is now also chosen to be the Mediator of redemption. From this it is clear that Comrie understood that the election of the church as the body of Christ cannot be separated from the election of Christ as the Head of the Church. Accordingly, he placed the election of both before the decree of creation and the fall. However, in this manner not only men considered as mere possibilities but also a merely possible Christ was made the object of the decree of election. The churches, however, always objected to this supralapsarian view. As a result, there is not a single Reformed confession that offers this representation. At the Synod of Dort there were a few adherents of this view, esp. Gomarus and Maccovius; moreover, the delegates of South Holland, Overisel, and Friesland preferred to leave the question undecided and to use an expression that would satisfy both parties. But although the “opinions” of the Dutch and of the foreign delegates, also of those from Geneva, were definitely Reformed in character, nevertheless, they were without exception infralapsarian and clothed in mild and moderate terms. And the Synod at length defined election as “the unchangeable purpose of God whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to salvation in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of salvation.” Nevertheless, the Synod purposely refused to condemn supralapsarianism; for, various theologians, among whom were Calvin, Beza, Piscator, Perkins, Hommins, Bogerman, etc., had at times used strong expression; e.g., “that some men are created in order that they may be damned; that men viewed as innocent are reprobated or damned; that God hates men irrespective of sin; that men were predestinated unto sin; that God has need of man as a sinner; that God willed and brought about the fact that men sinned; that God acted insincerely in the calling of certain persons,” etc. At the conference held in the Hague the Remonstrants had made ready use of these expressions and of the difference between infra- and supralapsarianism; consequently, the members of the synod were intent on avoiding such “phrases that were too harsh.” But when the delegates from England, Bremen, and Hesse insisted that these expressions be condemned, the Synod refused to grant this request. In defence of this refusal Synod stated that Scripture also uses very strong expressions at times, that such phrases may have a much milder meaning when examined in their context than they appear to have when considered apart from their context, and that the responsibility for them rests with the respective authors. In addition, Synod admonished against the use of immoderate phrases without mentioning any specifically and against “many other things of the same kind,” and at a later session administered a severe rebuke to Maccovius because of the manner in which he had conducted himself. Accordingly, although the supralapsarian view was not embodied in the confession, neither was it condemned. The Westminster Assembly purposely refrained from attempting to decide this question and from siding with either the infra- or the supralapsarian party. For that reason many continued to favor supralapsarianism although the rights of infralapsarianism were at the same time recognized inasmuch as the latter view had been embodied in the confession of the churches, was zealously and ably defended by many theologians, and was usually placed in the foreground in the preaching of the Gospel. Author Born on December 13, 1854, in Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Holland, Herman Bavinck was the son of the Reverend Jan Bavinck, a leading figure in the secession from the State Church of the Netherlands in 1834. After theological study in Kampen, and at the University of Leiden, he graduated in 1880, and served as the minister of the congregation at Franeker, Friesland, for a year. According to his biographers, large crowds gathered to hear his outstanding exposition of the Scriptures. In 1882, he was appointed a Professor of theology at Kampen, and taught there from 1883 until his appointment, in 1902, to the chair of systematic Theology in the Free University of Amsterdam, where he succeeded the great Abraham Kuyper, then recently appointed Prime Minister of the Netherlands. In this capacity — an appointment he had twice before declined — Bavinck served until his death in 1921. ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/anthology-of-3000-sermons-volume-1/ ========================================================================