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  THE BACKSLIDER
  by Andrew Fuller
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Fuller's pastoral treatise on the nature, causes, and cure of spiritual
backsliding, warning believers against the dangers of drifting from God and
showing the way of restoration for those who have fallen away.

  Chapters: 6

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 00.01  Introduction
    2. 00.02  Authors Preface
    3. 01  General Nature of Backsliding
    4. 02  Symptoms of A Backsliding Spirit
    5. 03  Injurious and Dangerous Effects of Sin
    6. 04  The Means of Recovery

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  CHAPTER 1: 00.01  INTRODUCTION
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INTRODUCTION.

Andrew Fuller was, in my opinion, one of the greatest theologians, which modern
times, or any times have produced, and his writings are an almost inexhaustible
mine of doctrinal, practical, and experimental truth, which every Christian and
especially every minister, would do well to explore. No man better understood
the bible, or the human heart both in its unrenewed and its regenerate state.
Among all his various practical treatises, there are few, if any, of greater
value than that on backsliding. Like a most skillful physician, he explains,
with singular ability, the nature of the disease, lays down the symptoms of it,
and prescribes the method of recovery.

Backsliding among professing Christians, if we include, as we ought to do, in
this term, the secret departure of the heart from God, as well as the open sins
of the life, is a state fearfully common. How many are there in all our
churches, who give evidence, not to be doubted, of having lost " their first
love." Before they were received into fellowship, the salvation of their soul
seemed to be indeed the only one thing needful with them, and it was followed
with a solicitude, diligence, and earnestness, that permitted none to question
their sincerity, or to hesitate on the propriety of admitting them to the
church. For awhile they " ran well," and maintained their profession not only
with external consistency, but as far as we could judge, with inward
spirituality. Soon, however, the symptoms of declension were but too evident, in
a diminished interest on the subject of religion, and in a less frequent
attendance on its public ordinances, till at length, nothing but the form of
godliness remained, and even that so mutilated or wasted, as to have lost all
its symmetry as well as its vitality. This is the kind of backsliding which is
most prevalent, and against which the Christians of the present day of easy and
unmolested profession, need to be cautioned. Immoralities rarely occur in
comparison with the predominance of a worldly spirit. Many are going forward
unobserved by others, perhaps scarcely suspected by themselves, in the
backslider’s path. Living in an age of commercial and political excitement, and
acted upon by surrounding scenes, they have little time and less inclination for
those exercises of devotion, self examination, and watchfulness, which at all
times are necessary, and especially so in the present, for maintaining or
regaining the vitality of religion; and thus they slide down into a lukewarm
state, and settle at length in a confirmed departure from God. For such persons,
as well as for those who have departed from God in life, as well as in heart,
the treatise of Mr. Fuller is admirably adapted: it is faithful, searching,
tender, and discriminating. The author handles his patient with a kind
gentleness, yet probes the disease to the bottom; and with vigilant assiduity
labours to restore him to sound health; carefully warning him, at the same time,
against all deceptive indications of real cure. Nor is it only for him who is a
backslider that this treatise is designed, or valuable, but for him who may
become one. And who may not? " Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest
he fall." They who are going, or are gone back, appeared once to be advancing.
We live in a world of trials; and temptation, like the wind, comes to all, and
from every quarter. The way not to backslide, is to be afraid of it.
Self-confidence has proved, in innumerable cases, to be the forerunner of
self-destruction. This little work may be read by all professors with great
advantage, if perused in a spirit of prayer and holy jealousy. I am well pleased
that it is republished in a separate form; most cordially recommend it, and
shall be happy to know it has obtained a wide circulation.

J. A. JAMES.

Edgbaston near Birmingham

July, 1840.


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  CHAPTER 2: 00.02  AUTHORS PREFACE
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AUTHOR’S PREFACE. The following pages were occasioned by the writer’s observing
several persons of whom he had formerly entertained a favourable opinion, and
with whom he had walked in Christian fellowship, having fallen, either from the
doctrine, or practice of pure religion. A view of their unhappy condition made a
deep impression upon his mind. If he has been enabled to describe the case of a
backslider to any good purpose, it has been chiefly owing to this circumstance.
He hopes that, though it was written with a special eye to a few, it may yet be
useful to many.

Whether the present age be worse than others which have preceded it, I shall not
determine; but this is manifest, that it abounds not only in infidelity and
profligacy, but with great numbers of loose characters among professing
Christians. It is true there are some eminently zealous and spiritual, perhaps
as much so as at almost any former period; the disinterested concern which has
appeared for the diffusion of evangelical religion is doubtless a hopeful
feature of our times: yet it is no less evident that others are in a sad degree
conformed to this world, instead of being transformed by the renewing of their
minds. Even of those who retain a decency of character, many are sunk into a
Laodicean lukewarmness. Professors are continually falling away from Christ;
either totally, so as to walk no more with him, or partially, so as greatly to
dishonor his name. Alas, how many characters of this description are to be found
in our congregations! If we only review the progress of things for twenty or
thirty years past, we shall perceive many who once bid fair for the kingdom of
heaven, now fallen a prey to the temptations of the world. Like the blossoms of
the spring, they for a time excited our hopes: but a blight has succeeded: the
blossom has gone up as the dust, and the root in many cases appears to be
rottenness.

It is one important branch of the work of a faithful pastor to strengthen the
diseased, to heal the sick, to bind up the broken, to bring again that which is
driven away, and to seek that which is lost (Ezekiel 34:4). If these pages shall
fall into the hands of but a few of the above description, and contribute in any
degree to their recovery from the snare of the devil, the writer will be amply
rewarded. It is a pleasure to recover any sinner from the error of his way; but
much more those of whom we once thought favorably. The place which they formerly
occupied in our esteem, our hopes, and our social exercises, now seems to be a
kind of chasm, which can only be filled up by their return to God. If a child
depart from his father’s house, and plunge into profligacy and ruin, the father
may have other children, and may love them; but none of them can heal his wound,
nor any thing satisfy him, but the return of him who was lost. In pursuit of
this desirable object, I shall describe the nature and different species of
backsliding from God - notice the symptoms of it - trace its injurious and
dangerous effects - and point out the means of recovery.


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  CHAPTER 3: 01  GENERAL NATURE OF BACKSLIDING
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Chapter 1 ON THE GENERAL NATURE AND DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BACKSLIDING.

All backsliding from God originates in a departure of heart from him: herein
consists the essence and the evil of it. Thine own wickedness shall correct
thee, and thy backsliding shall reprove thee: know, therefore, and see, that it
is an evil thing and bitter, that THOU HAST FORSAKEN THE LORD THY GOD, and that
my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord of hosts. But the degrees of this sin,
and the modes in which it operates, are various. The backsliding of some is
total. - After having made a profession of the true religion, they apostatize
from it. I am aware it is common to consider a backslider as being a good man,
though in a bad state of mind: but the scriptures do not confine the term to
this application. Those who are addressed in the passage just quoted, had not
the fear of God in them which can never be said of a good man. Backsliding, it
is true, always supposes a profession of the true religion; but it does not
necessarily suppose the existence of the thing professed. There is a perpetual
backsliding, and a drawing back unto perdition (Jeremiah 8:5; Hebrews 10:39).
Such characters were Saul, and Ahithophel, and Judas. Many persons who have in a
great degree declined the practice of religion, yet comfort themselves with an
idea that they shall be brought to repentance before they die; but this is
presumptuously tempting God. Whosoever plunges in this gulf, or continues easy
in it, under an idea of being recovered by repentance, may find himself
mistaken. Both Peter and Judas went in; but only one of them came out! There is
reason to fear that thousands of professors are now lifting up their eyes in
torment, who in this world reckoned themselves good men; who considered their
sins as pardonable errors, and laid their accounts with being brought to
repentance: but ere they were aware, the bridegroom came, and they were not
ready to meet him! The nature and deadly tendency of sin is the same in itself,
whether in a wicked or in a righteous man: there is an important difference, how
ever, between the backsliding of the one, and that of the other. That of the
hypocrite arises from his having no root in himself: therefore it is that in
time of temptation he falleth away: but that of the sincere Christian respects
the culture of the branch, and is owing to unwatchfulness or remissness in duty.
The first, in turning back, returns to a course which his heart always
preferred: the last, though in what he does he is not absolutely involuntary,
for then it were innocent: yet it is not with a full or perfect consent of will.
He does not sin willfully: that which he does he allows not: it is against the
habitual disposition of his soul: he is not himself, as we should say, while so
acting [note: It is usual to denominate a character by his habitual or ruling
disposition, and not by occasional deviations from it. Thus, when we hear of him
who was famed for meekness, speaking unadvisedly with his lips, we say this was
not Moses ; or of him who was distinguished for his courageous avowal of his
Lord, denying with oaths that he knew him, we say this was not Peter. Both these
great characters in these instances acted beside themselves ; it was not them,
as it were, but sin that dwelt in them. (Hebrews 10:26; Romans 7:15-25)].
Finally, the one, were it not for the remorse of conscience which may continue
to haunt him, and disturb his peace, would be in his element in having made a
full riddance of religion: but this is not the case with the other. A life of
deviation and distance from God is not his element, nor can he enjoy himself in
it. This difference is remarkably exemplified in the cases of Saul and David.
The religion of the former never appears to have fitted him: he was continually
acting awkwardly with it, and presently threw it aside. If, in addition to this,
he could have forgotten it, and lived without being terrified by the
apprehension of consequences, he would doubtless have been much the happier for
having cast it off. But when the latter had sinned, he was not like the raven
which went forth of the ark, and came no more: but like the dove which could
find no rest for the sole of her foot till she returned. The thirty-second and
thirty eighth psalms express the wretchedness of his mind till he confessed his
sin, and obtained mercy. But whatever difference there be between a partial and
a total departure from God, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the
person himself at the time to perceive it. So long as any man continues in a
backsliding state, the reality of his religion must remain uncertain. He may not
be without hope, nor ought he to be without fear. The scriptures know nothing of
that kind of confidence which renders men easy in their sins. Paul stood in
doubt of the Galatians, and they ought to have stood in doubt of themselves. -
The species of backsliding are various: some respect doctrine, others practice;
but all are the operations of a heart departing from the living God. In some a
backsliding spirit first appears BY A RELINQUISHMENT OF EVANGELICAL DOCTRINE -
Where truth is treated as a matter of speculation, or as an opinion of no great
moment, it is not held fast; and where this is the case, it is easily
surrendered. If a plausible book, in favour of deism, or any of those vain
systems which nearly approach it, fall in their way, they are ready to yield;
and by reading the performance a second time, or conversing with a person who
favors it, they make shipwreck of their faith, and are driven on the rocks of
infidelity. Such was the process in the days of the apostles; those who received
not the love of the truth, were given up to believe a lie. (2 Thessalonians
2:10-11)

If these departures from evangelical principles were closely examined, it would
be found that they were preceded by a neglect of private prayer, watchfulness,
self-diffidence, and walking humbly with God; and every one may perceive that
they are followed with similar effects. It has been acknowledged by some who
have embraced the Socinian system, that since they entertained those views they
had lost even the gift of prayer. Perhaps they might draw up and read an address
to the Deity; but they could not pray. Where the principles of the gospel are
abandoned, the spirit of prayer, and of all close walking with God, will go with
it. The confession of Peter, that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God, is
thought to be that which our Lord denominates the rock on which he would build
his church. We are sure that the belief of this article of faith was required as
a kind of test of Christianity; and who can look into the Christian world with
attention, and not perceive that it still continues a sort of key-stone to the
building? If this give way, the fabric falls. Backsliding of this nature are
infinitely dangerous. He that declines in holy practice has to labour against
the remonstrances of conscience: but he that brings himself to think lightly of
sin, and meanly of the Saviour (which is what every false system of religion
teaches) has gone far towards silencing the accusations of this unpleasant
monitor. He is upon good terms with himself. The disorder of his soul is deep;
but it is of a flattering nature. The declension of serious religion in him is
no less apparent to others than that of the constitution by a consuming hectic;
yet, as is common in such cases, the person himself thinks he shall do well. In
short, the light which is in them is darkness; and this is the greatest of all
darkness! In others a departure of heart from God is followed by FALLING INTO
SOME GROSS IMMORALITY. - There are instances in which a sudden misconduct of
this sort has been overruled for the awakening of the mind from its stupor, and
divesting it of its self-confidence. It was manifestly thus with the apostle
Peter. The stumbling of such persons is not that they should fall; but rather
that they should stand with greater care and firmness. But the greatest danger
arises from those cases where some lust of the flesh has gradually obtained an
ascendancy over the heart; so that when the subject of it falls in the eyes of
the world, it is only appearing to be what he has long been in secret; and the
first wrong step that he makes, instead of alarming him, and occasioning his
going aside to weep bitterly, is only the prelude of a succession of others.
This is not the fall of one who is overtaken in a fault; but of one who is
entangled in the net of his own corruptions. One sin prepares the way for
another. Like the insect enfolded in the spider’s web, he loses all power of
resistance, and falls a prey to the destroyer. Some have fallen sacrifices to
intemperance, not by being overtaken in a single act of intoxication; but by
contracting a habit of hard drinking. First, it was indulged in private, perhaps
under some outward trouble, instead of carrying it to a throne of grace. In a
little time its demands increased. At length, it could no longer be kept a
secret: reason was enslaved to sense, and the Christian professor sunk below the
man! Others have indulged in impurity. Intimacies which may have arisen from
nothing worse than a few improper familiarities; yea, which in some instances
have originated in religion itself, through the corrupt propensities of the
human heart, which turns everything it touches into poison, have been known to
produce the most fatal effects. Passions of this sort once kindled will soon
possess all the soul. They leave no room for anything that should resist them:
not only consuming every spiritual desire and holy thought, but banishing from
the mind even the sober dictates of reason; reducing the most exalted characters
to the rank of fools in Israel. Near these rocks are seen many a floating wreck;
and among these quicksands numbers, who once bid fair for the haven of
everlasting life.

Another way in which a departure from God very often operates, is, by THE LOVE
OF THE WORLD. - It is not uncommon for persons who once appeared to be zealous,
affectionate, and devoted to God, when they come to be settled in life, and to
enter into its necessary avocations, to lose all heart for religion, and take no
delight in any thing but saving money. This, it is true, is not generally
considered by the world as disreputable: on the contrary, provided we be fair in
our dealings, it is reckoned a mark of wisdom. Men will praise thee when thou
doest well for thyself. Such a one, say they, is a discreet man, and one that
knows how to secure the main chance. Yet the scriptures are very decisive
against such characters. This is the sin which they denominate the lust of the
eye (1 John 2:16). The cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, are
described as choking the word, and rendering it unfruitful. It is worthy of
special notice, that when our Lord had warned his followers to take heed and
beware of covetousness the example which he gives of this sin, is not of one
that was a plunderer of other men’s property, an unfair dealer, or an oppressor
of the poor; but of a certain rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully;
and whose only object appeared to be, first to acquire a hand some fortune, and
then to retire from business and live at his ease (Luke 12:15-21). This also
appears to be the character which is blessed by wicked men but abhorred of God
(Psalms 10:3). A man who deals unfairly with men, gains not their blessing, but
their curse. Men in general regard only themselves: so long, therefore, as any
person deals justly with them, they care not what his conduct is towards God.
But it is affecting to think, that the very character which they bless and envy,
God abhors. The decision of heaven is nothing less than this, "If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) So far is the
love of the world from being the less dangerous on account of its falling so
little under human censure, that it is the more so. If we be guilty of anything
which exposes us to the reproach of mankind, such reproach may assist the
remonstrances of conscience, and of God, in carrying conviction to our bosoms;
but of that for which the world acquits us, we shall be exceedingly disposed to
acquit ourselves.

It has long appeared to me that this species of covetousness will, in all
probability, prove the eternal overthrow of more characters among professing
people, than almost any other sin; and this because it is almost the only sin
which may be indulged, and a profession of religion at the same time supported.
If a man be a drunkard, a fornicator, an adulterer, or a liar; if he rob his
neighbour, oppress the poor, or deal unjustly, he must give up his pretenses to
religion; or if not, his religious connexions, if they are worthy of being so
denominated, will give him up: but he may love the world, and the things of the
world, and at the same time retain his character. If the depravity of the human
heart be not subdued by the grace of God, it will operate. If a dam be placed
across some of its ordinary channels, it will flow with greater depth and
rapidity in those which remain. It is thus, perhaps, that avarice is most
prevalent in old age, when the power of pursuing other vices has in a great
measure subsided. And thus it is with religious professors whose hearts are not
right with God. They cannot figure away with the profane, or indulge in gross
immoralities: but they can love the world supremely, to the neglect of God, and
be scarcely amenable to human judgment. And whatever may prove the overthrow of
a mere professor, may be a temptation to a good man, and greatly injure his
soul. Of this the case of Lot, when he parted with Abraham, furnishes an
affecting example. When a situation was put to his choice, he lifted up his eyes
and beheld the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere; and he took
up his residence in Sodom. He had better have dwelt in a wilderness, than among
that debauched people: but he consulted worldly advantages, and the spiritual
well-being of his family was overlooked. And what was the consequence? It is
true, he was a righteous man, and his righteous soul was grieved with the filthy
conversation of the wicked from day to day: but he could have very little
influence over them, while they, on the contrary, found means of communicating
their odious vices to his family. Some of his daughters appear to have been
married while in Sodom, and when the city was to be destroyed, neither they nor
their husbands could be persuaded to make their escape, and so probably perished
in the overthrow. The heart of his wife was so attached, it seems, to what she
had left behind, that she must needs look back; for which she was rendered a
monument of divine displeasure. And as to his two single daughters, though they
had escaped with him to the mountain, yet they had learnt so much the ways of
Sodom, as to cover his old age with infamy. This, together with the loss of all
his substance, were the fruits of the well-watered plain, which he had fixed his
eyes upon, to the neglect of his spiritual interest. Yet how frequently is the
same part acted over again. In the choice of settlements for ourselves, or our
children, how common is it to overlook the immorality of the place, the
irreligiousness of the connexions, and the want of a gospel ministry; and to
direct our inquiries only to temporal advantages. From the same principle also
many have dealt largely in speculation, and plunged into engagements far beyond
their circumstances. The hope of making a fortune, as it is termed, by some
lucky hit, draws them into measures which ruin not only themselves, but many
that confide in them. That mere worldly men should act in this manner, is not a
matter of surprise; but that men professing to fear God should imitate them -
this is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

Farther, many have fallen sacrifices not only to the love of the world, but to A
CONFORMITY TO IT. - These are not the same thing, though frequently found in the
same person. The object of the one is principally the acquisition of wealth; the
other respects the manner of spending it. That is often penurious; this wishes
to cut a figure, and to appear like people of fashion. The former is the lust of
the eye; the latter is the pride of life. We need not affect singularity in
things indifferent; but to engage in the chase of fashionable appearance, is not
only an indication of a vain and little mind, but is certainly inconsistent with
pressing towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. The desire of making an appearance, has ruined many people in their
circumstances, more in their characters, and most in their souls. We may flatter
ourselves that we can pursue these things, and be religious at the same time;
but it is a mistake. The vanity of mind which they cherish, eats up every thing
of a humble, serious, and holy nature; rendering us an easy prey to temptation
when solicited to do as others do in an evil thing. A Christian’s rule is the
revealed will of God: and where the customs of the world run counter to this, it
is his business to withstand them, even though in so doing he may have to
withstand a multitude, yea, and a multitude of people of fashion; but if we feel
ambitious of their applause we shall not be able to endure the scorn which a
singularity of conduct will draw upon us. Thus we shall be carried down the
stream by the course of this world; and shall either fall into the gulf of
perdition, or if any good should be found in us towards the Lord God of Israel,
it will be almost indiscernible and useless. In short, such characters are
certainly in a backsliding state, whether they be ever recovered from it or not.
The case of the Laodiceans seems to approach the nearest to theirs of anything
which in scripture occurs to me. They were neither cold nor hot; neither the
decided friends of Christ, nor his avowed enemies: they could not relinquish the
world in favour of religion, yet neither could they let religion alone. They
were vainly puffed up with a notion of their wealth, their wisdom, and their
finery; saying, "I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing;"
but in the account of the faithful and true Witness they were poor, and blind,
and lo retched, and miserable, and naked. Such a decision ought to make us
tremble at the thought of aspiring to imitate people of fashion.

Finally, there is another species of departure from God, which it becomes me to
notice, as many in the present age have fallen sacrifices to it. This is, TAKING
AN EAGER AND DEEP INTEREST IN POLITICAL DISPUTES. - The state of things in the
world has of late been such as to attract the attention, and employ the
conversation, of all classes of people. As success has attended each of the
contending parties, the minds of men, according to their views and attachments,
have been affected; some with fear and dismay, lest their party interests should
be ruined; others with the most sanguine hopes, as if the world were shortly to
be emancipated, war abolished, and all degrees of men rendered happy. This is
one of those strong winds of temptation that occasionally arise in the troubled
ocean of this world, against which those who are bound to a better had need be
on their guard. The flattering objects held out by revolutionists were so
congenial with the wishes of humanity, and their pretenses to disinterested
philanthropy so fair, that many religious people, for a time, forgot their own
principles. While gazing on the splendid spectacle, it did not occur to them
that the wicked whatever name they assumed, would do wickedly. By observing the
progress of things however, they have been convinced that all hopes of the state
of mankind being essentially meliorated by any means short of the prevalence of
the gospel, are visionary, and have accordingly turned their attention to better
things. But some have gone greater lengths. Their whole heart has been engaged
in this pursuit. It has been their meat and their drink: and this being the
case, it is not surprising that they have be come indifferent to religion; for
these things cannot consist with each other. It is not only contrary to the
whole tenor of the New Testament, but tends in its own nature to eat up true
religion. If any worldly matter, however lawful in itself, engage our attention
inordinately, it becomes a snare; and more so in matters that do not come within
the line of our immediate duty. But if in attending to it we neglect what
manifestly is our duty, and overleap the boundaries of God’s holy word, let us
look to it: beyond those boundaries is a pit, in which, there is reason to fear,
great numbers have been lost. There were many in the early age of Christianity
who despised government, and were not afraid to speak evil of dignities: but
were they good men? Far from it. They were professors of Christianity, however;
for they are said to have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the
knowledge of Christ; yea, and what is more, they had attained the character of
Christian teachers. But of what description? False teachers who privily brought
in damnable heresies denying the Lord who bought them bringing upon themselves
swift destruction - whose ways, though followed by many were pernicious,
occasioning the way of truth to be evil spoken of (2 Pet 2). To copy the
examples of such men is no light matter. When a man’s thoughts and affections
are filled with such things as these, the scriptures become a kind of dead
letter, while the speeches and writings of politicians are the lively oracles:
spiritual conversation is unheard, or if introduced by others, considered as a
flat and uninteresting topic; and leisure hours, whether sitting in the house or
walking by the way, instead of being employed in talking and meditating on
divine subjects, are engrossed by things which do not profit. Such are the rocks
amongst which many have made shipwreck of their faith and a good conscience.

Whatever may be the duty of a nation in extraordinary cases, there is scarcely
anything in all the New Testament inculcated with more solemnity, than that
individuals, and especially Christians, should be obedient, peaceable, and loyal
subjects: nor is there any sin much more awfully censured than the contrary
conduct. It requires not only that we keep within the compass of the laws,
(which is easily done by men of the most unprincipled minds) but that we honour,
and intercede with God for those who administer them. These duties were pressed
particularly upon the Romans, who, by their situation, were more exposed than
others to the temptation of joining in factions and conspiracies, which were
almost continually at work in that tumultuous city. Nor does the danger belong
exclusively to one side. We may sin by an adherence to the measures of a
government, as well as by an opposition to them. If we enlist under the banners
of the party in power, considered as a party, we shall feel disposed to
vindicate or palliate all their proceedings, which may be very inconsistent with
Christianity. Paul, though he enjoined obedience to the existing government, yet
was never an advocate for Roman ambition; and when addressing himself to a
governor, did not fail to reason on righteousness, temperance, and judgment to
come. It is our duty, no doubt, to consider that many things which seem evil to
us might appear otherwise, if all the circumstances of the case were known, and
therefore to forbear passing hasty censures: but on the other hand, we ought to
beware of applauding everything that is done, lest, if it be evil, we be
partakers of other men’s sins, and contribute to their being repeated.

While some, burning with revolutionary zeal, have imagined they could discover
all the wonderful events of the present day in scripture prophecy, and have been
nearly blinded to the criminality of the principal agents, others, by a contrary
prejudice, have disregarded the works of the Lord, and the operations of his
hand. Whatever may be said of means and instruments, we must be strangely
insensible not to see the hand of God in the late overturning among the papal
powers; and if we be induced by political attachment, instead of joining the
inhabitants of heaven in a song of praise, to unite with the merchants of the
earth in their lamentations, are we not carnal? There is no need of vindicating
or palliating the measures of men which may be wicked in the extreme: but
neither ought we to overlook the hand of God. The great point with Christians
should be, an attachment to government, as government irrespective of the party
which administers it; for this is right, and would tend more than anything to
promote the kingdom of Christ. We are not called to yield up our consciences in
religious matters; nor to approve of what is wrong in those which are civil; but
we are not at liberty to deal in acrimony, or evil speaking. The good which
results to society from the very worst government upon earth, is great when
compared with the evils of anarchy. On this principle, it is probable, the
apostle enjoined obedience to the powers that were, even during the reign of
Nero. Christians are soldiers under the King of kings: their object should be to
conquer all ranks and degrees of men to the obedience of faith. But to do this,
it is necessary that they avoid all those entanglements and disputes which
retard their main design. If a wise man wishes to gain over a nation to any
great and worthy object, he does not enter into their little differences, nor
embroil himself in their party contentions; but bearing good will to all, seeks
the general good; by these means he is respected by all, and all are ready to
hear what he has to offer. Such should be the wisdom of Christians. There is
enmity enough for us to encounter without unnecessarily adding to it.

If a Christian be under the necessity of siding with a party, undoubtedly he
ought to be in favour of that which appears to him the best: but even in this
case it is not becoming him to enter with eagerness into their disputes. Let
worldly men, who thirst after preferment, busy themselves in a contested
election - they have their reward - but let Christians, if called to appear,
discharge their duty, and retire from the tumultuous scene. By entering deeply
into the party contentions of the nation, religious people on both sides will be
charged in their turn with disloyalty; and it may be not always without a cause.
Fifty years ago, that party was out of power which at present is in power. At
that time the charge of disloyalty was directed against them; and they were then
denominated patriots. It is possible, that many who now seem to abhor a spirit
of disaffection towards administrative government, would be themselves not the
best affected, were the other side to recover its authority. But if we enter
into the spirit of the gospel, though we may have our preferences of men and
measures, we shall bear good-will to all, and whoever be at the head of affairs,
shall reverence the powers that he. Whatever be our private opinion of the men,
we shall respect and honour the rulers. That loyalty which operates only with
the prevalence of a party, whichever it be, is at a great remove from the
loyalty enjoined by the scriptures. By standing aloof from all parties as such,
and approving themselves the friends of government and good order, by whomsoever
administered, Christians would acquire a dignity of character worthy of their
profession, would be respected by all, and possess greater opportunities of
doing good: while by a contrary conduct they render one part of the community
their enemies, and the other, I fear, derive but little spiritual advantage from
being their friends.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 4: 02  SYMPTOMS OF A BACKSLIDING SPIRIT
========================================================================

Chapter 2 ON THE SYMPTOMS OF A BACKSLIDING SPIRIT.

It was reckoned a matter of consequence in cases of leprosy, real or supposed,
that the true state of the person should be examined, and judgment given
accordingly (Leviticus 13:1-59); and by how much a moral disease is more odious,
contagious, and dangerous than one that is natural, by so much is it more
necessary to form a true judgment concerning it. Every spot was not a leprosy;
and every sinful imperfection in a Christian professor does not denominate him a
backslider. Paul had to lament the body of death; he had not attained, nor was
he already perfect; yet he pressed forward; and while this was the case he could
not be said to draw back. On the other hand, every departure from God must not
be reckoned a mere imperfection which is common to good men. We are extremely
apt, in certain cases, to flatter ourselves that our spots are only the spots of
God’s children, or such as the best of men are subject to, and therefore to
conclude that there is nothing very dangerous about them. We do not pretend to
deny that we have our faults: but are ready to ask, "What have we done so muck
against thee?" This self-justifying spirit, however, so far from indicating
anything favourable, is a strong mark of the contrary. It is said of Ephraim, "
He is a merchant the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich: I have found me out sustenance: In all
my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin." (Hosea 12:7-8) A
more finished picture of a modern oppressor could not be drawn. He studies to
keep within the limits of the law, and defies any man to impeach his character:
he has imperfections, but they are only such as are common to good men: there is
nothing criminal to be found in him: yet he is carrying on at the time a system
of iniquity. The apostle Paul speaks of a certain state of mind which he feared
he should find in the Corinthians; that of their having sinned and not repented
of their deeds. This it is which denominates a man a backslider; and which, so
long as it continues, deprives him of any scriptural foundation for concluding
himself interested in forgiving mercy. - What are the particular symptoms of
this state of mind, is the object of our present inquiry.

If our departing from the Lord have issued in some outward misconduct, there is
no need of inquiring into the proofs of it, as the thing speaks for itself; but
if its operations have been at present only internal, the inquiry may be highly
necessary, that we may become acquainted with our condition, and that the
disease may be healed ere it finishes its operations. Further, though it may be
out of all doubt that we have sinned, yet it may be a matter of uncertainty,
whether we have, or have not repented; if we imagine we have when we have not,
the consequence may be of the most serious nature. Let the following
observations then be attended to.

Firsts, IF RELIGIOUS DUTIES ARE ATTENDED TO RATHER FROM CUSTOM OR CONSCIENCE
THAN LOVE, we must either never have known what true religion is, or in a great
degree have lost the spirit of it. - It is possible that we may have been guilty
of no particular outward evil, so as to have fallen under the censure of the
world, or even our nearest connexions; and yet have so far lost the spirit of
religion as to be really in a backsliding state. The exercises of prayer,
reading the scriptures, hearing the word, and giving something to the poor, may
be kept up in form, and yet be little or anything more than a form. The church
of Ephesus was not accused of any particular outward misconduct; but they had
left their first love. Where this is the case, however, much will be neglected,
especially of those parts of duty which fall not under the eye of creatures. It
is supposed of the church just referred to, that they had relaxed, if not in the
actual performance, yet in the manner of performing their religious exercises;
therefore they are exhorted to repent and to do their first works. A departure
from our first love is commonly the first step of a backsliding course. Perhaps
if the truth were known, there are few open falls but what are preceded by a
secret departure of heart from the living God.

Secondly IF WE HAVE FALLEN INTO ANY’ PARTICULAR SIN, WHICH EXPOSES US TO THE
CENSURES OF OUR FRIENDS, AND INSTEAD OF CONFESSING IT WITH SORROW, ARE EMPLOYED
IN DEFENDING OR PALLIATING IT, it is a certain proof that we are at present
under the power of it. - There are some sins that cannot be defended; but there
are others which will admit of much to be said on their behalf; and it is
admirable with what ingenuity men will go about to find excuses where self is
concerned. People that you would think hardly possessed of common sense, will in
this case be singularly quick-sighted, discerning every circumstance that may
make in their favour, or serve to extenuate their fault. The cunning of the old
serpent which appeared in the excuses of our first parents, seems here to supply
the place of wisdom. - This self-justifying spirit is a very dangerous symptom:
while it continues there is no hope of a good issue. We read of the
deceitfulness of sin: and truly it is with great propriety that deceit is
ascribed to it. Perhaps there are few persons who are employed in justifying
their failings, but who are first imposed upon, or brought to think, somehow,
that they are, if not quite justifiable, yet very excusable. Sin, when we have
committed it, loses its sinfulness, and appears a very different thing from what
it did in others. David’s indignation could rise against the man that had taken
an ewe-lamb, while to his own conduct, which was much more criminal, he was
blinded! When any sin is committed by us, it is common for it to assume another
name; and by means of this we become easily reconciled to it, and we are ready
to enter on a vindication of it. Covetousness will admit of a defence under the
names of prudence, industry, or frugality: conformity to the world may be
pleaded for as an exercise of sociability and good breeding; unchristian
resentment as necessary self-defense; foolish levity as innocent mirth;
malignant contentions as zeal for the truth; and indifference to the truth as
candour, or liberality of sentiment.

Thirdly THOUGH WE DO NOT DEFEND OR PALLIATE OUR SIN IN WORDS, YET IF WE CONTINUE
IN THE PRACTICE OF IT, we may be certain we have not repented. - All true
repentance is followed by a forsaking of the evil, and where this effect is not
produced, there can be no scriptural ground to hope for forgiveness. There are
sins as before observed, which will admit of no defence. If a person be
convicted of them, he can do no other than own himself in the wrong, or at least
be silent: yet he may feel no sorrow on their account, nor scarcely any
intention to forsake them. When Samuel reproved Saul for his rebellion against
the commandment of the Lord, assuring him that God had rejected him from being
King, and had given the kingdom to a neighbour of his that was better than he,
he was confounded, and compelled to say, I have sinned: yet the only concern he
discovered was on account of having lost his honour; and as soon as he suspected
who was his rival, he sought to slay him. Even Solomon discovered a very similar
disposition. Instead of lamenting and forsaking the sin for which he had been
reproved, as soon as he knew that Jeroboam had been anointed by the prophet
Ahijah, he sought to kill him. (1 Samuel 15:1-25; 1 Samuel 15:1 King 11:26-43) A
sullen silence under reproof, and a perseverance in the evil, are certain signs
of a hard and impenitent heart.

Fourthly. THOUGH WE SHOULD REFRAIN FROM THE PRACTICE OF THE EVIL, YET IF IT BE
ONLY A TEMPORARY EFFECT OF CONVICTION, there is no true repentance. It is very
common for persons when they fall into any gross sin to feel ashamed and
alarmed, to wish they had not acted as they have, and to resolve that they will
do so no more: and this, though the love of the evil be the same, and on the
first temptation that returns it is committed again, is nevertheless frequently
mistaken for repentance. When Saul’s life was spared by David, and his
groundless malice against him was detected, his heart seemed to relent; he felt
ashamed, owned his sin, lifted up his voice and wept, and promised to do so no
more; but this was not repentance. David appears to have suspected it at the
time; for he would not trust himself in his hands; but gat him up into the hold
(1 Samuel 24:9-22): and the event justified his conduct. The first opportunity
that offered, Saul returned to the folly he had condemned. - A temporary
abstinence from evil may soon be produced by some alarming providence. When
judgments overtake us, and conscience tells us that it is the hand of the Lord
stretched out against us for our sin, the mind is appalled with fear, and so
ceases to be in a state to pursue its favourite devices. But if as soon as the
pressing hand of providence is removed, the heart returns like a spring, to its
former position, there is no reason to consider its temporary depression as
containing any true repentance.

Dr. Owen has expressed these sentiments with that unction of spirit, and deep
insight into the human heart which is peculiar to himself. -

" There are two occasions, says he, wherein men who are contending with any sin,
may seem to themselves to have mortified it.

- First, when it hath had some sad eruption to the disturbance of their peace,
terror of their consciences, dread of scandal, and evident provocation of God.
This awakens and stirs up all that is in the man, and amazes him, fills him with
abhorrence of sin, and himself for it; sends him to God, makes him cry out as
for life, to abhor his lust as hell, and to set himself against it. The whole
man spiritual and natural, being now awakened, sin shrinks in its head, appears
not, but lies as dead before him. As when one that hath drawn nigh to an army in
the night, and hath killed a principal person; instantly the guards awake, men
are roused up, and strict inquiry is made after the enemy; who in the mean time,
until the noise and tumult be over, hides himself or lies like one that is dead,
yet with firm resolution to do the like mischief again upon the like
opportunity.

- Secondly, in a time of some judgment, calamity, or pressing affliction. The
heart is then taken up with thoughts and contrivances of flying from the present
troubles, fears, and dangers. This, as a convinced person concludes, is to be
done only by relinquishment of sin, which gains peace with God. It is the anger
of God in every affliction that galls a convinced person. To be quit of this,
men resolve at such times against their sins. Sin shall never more have any
place in them; they will never again give themselves up to the service of it.
Accordingly sin is quiet, stirs not, seems to be mortified: not indeed that it
has received any one wound, but merely because the soul hath possessed its
faculties whereby it should exert itself, with thoughts inconsistent with the
motions thereof; which when they are laid aside, sin returns again to its former
life and vigor. Of this we have a full instance in Psalms 78:32-38. "For all
this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their
days did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble. When he slew them,
then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God. And they
remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with
their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they
steadfast in his covenant." I no way doubt but when they sought and returned,
and inquired earnestly after God, they did it with full purpose of heart, as to
the relinquishment of their sins. This is expressed in the word returned. To
turn or return unto the Lord is by a relinquishment of sin. And this they did
early, with earnestness and diligence: but yet their sin was unmortified for all
this, v. 36, 37: and this is the state of many humiliations in the days of
affliction, and a great deceit in the hearts of believers themselves, lies
oftentimes herein." When a professor of religion has fallen into drunkenness,
uncleanness, or some such odious vice, and wishes to shelter himself from the
censures of his connexions, you will often hear him allege, " I have repented;"
whereas it amounts to little more than the shame and alarm above described, as
his after conduct very frequently proves. Indeed, it is not of the nature of
true repentance to talk of having repented, and especially for the purpose of
evading a faithful censure.

Fifthly. THOUGH WE SHOULD REFRAIN FROM THE OPEN PRACTICE OF THE SIN, AND THAT
FOR A CONTINUANCE; YET IF IT BE MERELY FROM PRUDENTIAL OR SELFISH
CONSIDERATIONS, We may be certain that we have not yet repented of it. - Though
we had no religion and pretended to none, we might find various inducements to
refrain from gross immoralities. They affect our interest, our health, our
reputation: it is on such principles that mere worldly men will guard against
them; and if we act from the same motives, wherein are we better than they? Or
if the dread of future punishment may be supposed to have some influence upon
us, this is a very different thing from the fear of the Lord, which is to hate
evil. And where the motives for abstaining from any evil are merely prudential,
or selfish, we shall abstain from very little more than than that which falls
under the eye of creatures. Our watchfulness will respect little, if anything,
more than outward actions. The daily care of our lives will be, not how we shall
please God, but how we shall conceal the prevailing dispositions of our hearts
from those about us. A task this as difficult as it is mean: for whatever
occupies our thoughts and affections, will, on various occasions,
notwithstanding our utmost care, escape us. Looks, gestures, manner of speaking
and acting, as well as words and deeds themselves, betray what is predominant
within. Hence it is that we generally deceive ourselves in these matters. We
often fancy our character to be unknown when it is well known: and if it were
otherwise, all is naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Of
this we may be certain, that while our chief concern is to hide our sins from
those about us, should we be summoned to give an account of our stewardship, it
will appear that we have sinned and not repented of our deeds; which, wherein it
differs from going down to the grave with our guilt upon our heads, is difficult
to say.

Sixthly, IF WE TAKE PLEASURE IN TALKING OF THE EVIL, OR IN DWELLING UPON IT IN
OUR THOUGHTS, it is a certain sign of the same thing. True repentance works in a
way of silent shame and self-abasement - That thou mayest remember and be
confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am
pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God (Ezekiel
16:63). When men can talk, and even write of their former wicked courses with
lightness, it is a certain proof that what ever repentance they have had they do
not at present repent of it; and though nothing be said or written, yet if such
things occupy our thoughts, imaginations, and affections, it is much the same. A
mind full of this must needs be lacking of those spiritual exercises, which
render us that we shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and those that are such are fitly enough
described as having forgotten that they were purged from their old sins (2 Peter
1:5-9). If old sins are thought of with new delight, they are reacted and
persisted in; and where this continues to be the case, the guilt of them must
remain upon us, and may be found upon our heads when we go down to the grave.

Lastly, IF WE TRIFLE WITH TEMPTATION, OR BE NOT AFRAID OF PUTTING OURSELVES IN
THE WAY OF IT, OR EVEN OF BEING LED INTO IT, we may be certain that we at
present have not repented of our sin. - It is a saying almost grown into a
proverb, He that is not afraid of temptation is not afraid of sin; and he that
is not afraid of sin must needs be in danger of being destroyed by it. If, after
having been repeatedly drawn into sin by associating in certain companies, or
engaging in certain pursuits, we can nevertheless run into them again with out
fear, we cannot possibly have repented of our deeds. Nay more, though we should
fear to plunge ourselves into temptation, yet if when providence brings us into
such situations and companies, our hearts secretly rejoice in it, this is no
less an evidence of our impenitent state than the other. True repentance will
not only teach us to shun the way of evil, but to be averse to every avenue that
leads to it. If, therefore, we either run into temptation, or are glad when we
are led into it, we are beyond all doubt under the power of it.


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  CHAPTER 5: 03  INJURIOUS AND DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF SIN
========================================================================

Chapter 3 ON THE INJURIOUS AND DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF SIN LYING UPON THE
CONSCIENCE UNLAMENTED.

It is a dangerous thing to fall into sin, whether secretly or openly, and the
effects of it, sooner or later, will certainly be felt; but to continue in it is
much more so. A very heavy threatening is denounced against God’s open enemies
for their persisting in sin: God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the
hairy scalp of such an one as GOETH ON STILL in his trespasses (Psalms 68:21).
But the same thing in persons who have known the way of righteousness, must be
abundantly more offensive. He that chastise th the heathen, shall not He correct
(Psalms 94:10). There is a remedy at hand of God’s providing; a propitiation for
our sins; and it is declared, If any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. But if instead of confessing our sins on the
head of this propitiation, and imploring mercy in his name, we sink into
hardness of heart, neglect prayer, shun the company of the faithful, and efface
the remembrance of one sin only by the commission of another, what have we to
expect?

I am aware that it is one of the devices of Satan, after having drawn a soul
from God, and entangled him in the net of his own corruptions, to persuade him
that the prayer of faith in his circumstances would be presumption; and that it
is much more modest and becoming for him to stand aloof both from God and his
people. And if by faith were meant, what some would seem to understand by it, a
working up ourselves into a persuasion that owing to the immutability of God all
is safe and right, whatever be our spirit or conduct, it would be presumptuous
enough: but genuine faith in Christ is never out of season. The greater our sin
has been, the greater reason there is for us to confess it upon the head of the
gospel sacrifice, and to plead for mercy in his name. We may not be able to go,
considering ourselves as Christians: but this affords no reason why we should
not go as sinners. The injury and danger of such a state of mind will appear
from a consideration of the effects which it produces; and must continue to
produce, if not healed by a return to God by Jesus Christ.

Firsts IT WILL NECESSARILY DEPRIVE US OF ALL TRUE ENJOYMENT IN RELIGION, AND BY
CONSEQUENCE, OF ALL THAT PRESERVATION TO THE HEART AND MIND WHICH SUCH ENJOYMENT
AFFORDS. - The principal sources of enjoyment to a Christian that walketh
spiritually, are, communion with God and his people: but to him that is out of
the way these streams are dried up: or, which is the same thing in effect to
him, they are so impeded as not to reach him. Guilt, shame, darkness, and
defilement have taken possession of the soul: love is quenched, hope clouded,
joy fled, prayer restrained, and every other grace enervated. It becomes the
holiness of God to frown upon us under such a state of mind, by withholding the
light of his countenance; and if it were otherwise, we have no manner of desire
after it. Such was the state of David after he had sinned, and before he had
repented: the joys of God’s salvation were far from him. The thirty-second and
thirty-eighth Psalms appear to have been written, as has already been observed,
after his recovery: but he there describes what was the state of his mind
previous to it. There is much meaning in what he sets out with in the first of
these psalms: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is
covered - Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no guile! He knew the contrary of this by bitter
experience. Guilt and defilement had eaten up all his enjoyment. When I kept
silence, saith he, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long: for
day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought
of summer. It does not appear that he fully desisted from prayer; but there was
none of that freedom in it which he was wont to enjoy. It was roaring rather
than praying; and God is represented as disregarding it. In the thirty-eighth
psalm he speaks of the rebukes of God’s wrath, and the chastening of his hot
displeasure; of his arrows sticking fast in him and his hand pressing him sore:
of there being no soundness in his flesh because of his anger, nor rest in his
bones because of his sin. There is one expression exceedingly appropriate: My
wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. A wound may be dangerous
at the time of its being received; but much more so if it be neglected till the
humours of the body are drawn towards it. In this case it is hard to be healed;
and the patient has not only to reflect on his heedlessness in first exposing
himself to danger, but on his foolishness in so long neglecting the prescribed
remedy. Such was the state of his mind, till, as he informs us, he acknowledged
his transgressions, and was sorry for his sin. And as there can be no communion
with God, so neither can there be any with his people. If our sin be known, it
must naturally have occasioned a reservedness, if not an exclusion from their
society. Or if it be unknown, we shall be equally unable to enjoy communion with
them. Guilt in our consciences will beget shame, and incline us rather to stand
aloof than to come near them; or if we go into their company, it will prove a
bar to freedom. There is something at first sight rather singular in the
language of the apostle John; but upon close inspection, it will be found to be
perfectly just: If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another. But if we are deprived of fellowship with God and
his people, from what can we derive consolation? If we have only had a name to
live, and been dead, the joy arising from vain hope may possibly be supplied by
carnal pleasures. We may drown reflection by busying ourselves in worldly
pursuits, mingling with worldly company, and in short, returning like the dog to
his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire: but if we
have any true religion in us, we cannot do this; and then what is there under
the sun that can yield relief! Nor shall we be deprived merely of the enjoyments
of religion, but of all that preservation to the soul which they afford. The
peace of God is represented as that which keeps or fortifies our hearts and
minds (Php 4:7). Without this the heart will be in continual danger of being
seduced by the wiles, or sunk by the pressures of this world; and the mind of
being drawn aside from the simplicity of the gospel.

Secondly. IT WILL RENDER US USELESS IN OUR GENERATION. - The great end of
existence with a good man, is to live to him who died for us and rose again. If
God bless us, it is that like Abraham we may be blessings to others. Christians
are said to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world; but while we
are in the state above described, we are as salt that has lost its savour, which
is good for nothing; or as a light that is hid under a vessel. Of what use with
respect to religion are we in our families, while this is the case? Neither
servants nor children think well of religion from any thing they see in us; and
when we go into the world, and mingle among mankind in our dealings, in whose
conscience does our conversation or behavior plant conviction? Where is the man,
who, on leaving our company, has been compelled by it to acknowledge the reality
of religion? Or if we occupy a station in the church of God (and this character
may belong to a minister no less than to another man) we shall do little or no
good in it; but be as vessels in which the Lord taketh no pleasure. There is a
threatening directed against vain pastors, which ought to make a minister
tremble. Woe to the idol shepherd, that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be
upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his
right eye shall be utterly darkened (Zechariah 11:17). Perhaps one of the
greatest temptations to backsliding in ministers may lie in this way: being
selected from their brethren, and chosen to the office of public instructors,
they are in danger of indulging in self-valuation. A man may labour night and
day in his study, and all to get accomplished, that he may shine before the
people. When this is the case, the preacher is his own idol, and it may be, that
of the people. He feels little or no regard to the charge which he has
undertaken, but is ready to desert it whenever a difficulty arises, or any
opportunity offers of improving his circumstances. The consequence is, the sword
of the Lord is upon his arm - he does no manner of execution in his work: and
upon his right eye - whatever proficiency he may make in science, or polite
accomplishments, he has but little, if any, spiritual understanding in the
things of God. This character may respect ungodly preachers, such to whom the
Jewish nation were given up for their rejection of Christ; but there is no sin
committed by the most ungodly man, of which the most godly is not in danger.

Thirdly. WE SHALL NOT ONLY BE USELESS, BUT INJURIOUS TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST. -
Indeed it is impossible to stand neuter in this cause. If we do no good, we
shall do harm; not only as cumberers of the ground, occupying that place in
society which might be better filled by others, but as giving a false
representation of religion, and diffusing a savour of death among mankind. If
our domestics infer nothing favourable to religion from our conduct in the
family, they will infer something unfavorable; and if there be but little good
to be seen in our example, it is well if there be not much evil; and this will
surely be imitated. Who can calculate what influence the treachery, unchastity,
and murder committed by David, had upon his family? We know that each was acted
over again by Ammon and Absalom. And thus many a parent has seen his own sins
repeated in his posterity; and perhaps, if he had lived longer might have seen
them multiplied still more to his shame and confusion. The servants of God are
called to bear testimony for him: Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord of Hosts
(Isaiah 44:8). This is not done merely by words, but by deeds. There is a way of
bearing witness to the reality and importance of religion by a zealous
perseverance in it, to its dignity by our firmness, to its happy influence by
contentedness and cheerfulness, and to its purity by being holy in all manner of
conversation: and this is a kind of testimony which is more regarded than any
other. Men in common form their judgments of religion more by what they see in
the professors of it, than by the profession itself. Hence it was that David by
his deed is said to have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to
blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14). They were not contented with reproaching him, but
must speak against God and religion on his account. In this view he considered
his sin when he was brought to repentance for it. Against thee, THEE only have I
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. - Do good in thy good pleasure unto
Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. If his sin had not greatly dishonored
God’s name, and, as it were, broken down the walls of Zion, such language would
not have appeared among his lamentations. Things operate much the same to this
day. Whatever evil is done by a professor, it is ascribed to his religion. In
this view we may justly consider our unchristian conduct as bearing false
witness of God; for it is giving false representations of his gospel and
government to the world. A grasping selfish spirit is saying to those around us,
that, after all which we have professed of living by faith in a portion beyond
death, the present world is the best, and therefore we are for making sure of
that, and running all hazards as to the other. In like manner a cruel and
revengeful disposition towards those who have offended us, is saying, that
Christianity, after all its professions of meekness and forgiveness of injuries,
renders its adherents no better than others. And when a Christian professor is
detected of having privately indulged in the lusts of the flesh, the conclusion
that is drawn from it is, that there is nothing in religion but outside
appearance, and that religious people are the same as others in secret. It is
impossible to say how much such conduct operates to the hardening of men in sin,
to the quenching of their convictions, to the weakening of the hands of God’s
servants, and to tho stumbling of persons who are inquiring the way to Zion.

These things, if we be mere professors, may have but little effect upon us. We
may not care for God’s being dishonored, provided we do but get pardoned at
last: but if there be any true religion about us, it will be otherwise. An
ingenuous mind will feel more for the dishonor which he has done to Christ, and
injury to his fellow creatures, than for the reproach which he has brought upon
himself.

Fourthly. WE ARE IN THE UTMOST DANGER OF FALLING INTO FUTURE TEMPTATIONS, AND SO
OF SINKING DEEPER, AND FALLING FARTHER FROM GOD. - So long as sin remains upon
the conscience unlamented, it is like poison in the constitution: it will be
certain to operate; and that in a way that shall go on more and more to kill all
holy resolution, to harden the heart, and to defile the imaginations and
desires. Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart (Hosea 4:11). It
is from sad experience of the defiling nature of past sin, that David when he
came to himself prayed as he did; Create in me a CLEAN HEART, O God, and renew a
right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10) A mind thus enfeebled, stupefied, and
defiled, must needs be in a very unfit condition to resist new temptations. The
inhabitants of a besieged city, who are weakened by famine and disease, and
discouraged by a number of disaffected persons within their walls, have no heart
to resist, but stand ready to listen to the first proposals of the besiegers.
And in proportion as we are disabled for resistance it may be expected that the
tempter will renew his attempts upon us. If Satan have any influence on the
human mind, it may be supposed that he acts with design, and knows how to avail
himself of the most favourable seasons to effect his purpose. And this we find
to be true by experience. In proportion as we have yielded to temptation, it
will rise in its demands; solicitations, greater in number and in force, will
ply our minds. As a resistance of the devil will be followed by his fleeing from
us so, on the contrary, a non-resistance of him will be followed by renewed and
stronger attempts upon us. One sin makes way for another, and renders us less
able to resist, or to return to God by repentance. When once the thief has
gained admission into our habitation, he will bid us defiance. Innumerable evils
will compass us about, and our iniquities take hold upon us, so that we shall
not be able to look up: they will be more than the hairs cf our heads; therefore
our hearts will fail us (Psalms 40:12). Sampson first yielded to his sensual
desires; after this, to the entreaties of his Delilah, who in proportion as she
saw him pliant to her wishes, increased in her assiduousness, till at length he
lost his hair, his liberty, his eyes, and his life.

If we be mere professors, these considerations may effect us but little: we
shall continue the willing slaves of our own corruptions, hoping, it may be,
nevertheless, that we shall sometime be brought back again, till at some
unexpected hour we are taken out of the world. But if there be any good thing in
us towards the Lord God of Israel, this part of the subject alarms us: for of
all the methods which God takes to punish sin, there is none more awful and more
dreaded by a good man, than that of being given up to sin.

Fifthly. SO LONG AS SIN REMAINS UPON THE CONSCIENCE UNLAMENTED, WE ARE IN DANGER
OF ETERNAL DAMNATION. - It may be thought by some that such language is
inconsistent with the final perseverance of believers: but it is manifest that
our Lord did not so teach the doctrine of perseverance as to render cautions of
this nature unnecessary. He did not scruple to declare, even to his own
disciples, that, " Whosoever should say to his brother, thou fool, should be in
danger of hell-fire. - That if they forgave not men their trespasses, neither
would God forgive theirs - and if a right hand, or a right eye, caused them to
offend, it must be cut off, or plucked out, and that lest the whole body should
be cast into hell. (Mat 5) The object at which sin aims, whether in believers or
unbelievers, is death, eternal death; and to this it hath a natural and direct
tendency. The apostle James in a very affecting manner describes its process. "
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted when he
is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it
bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death. (James
1:13-15)" If it does not in all cases come to this issue, it is not because of
its being different as to its nature or tendency in some persons from what it is
in others, but because a timely stop is put to its operations. Only let it go on
without repentance till it has finished its work, and eternal death will be the
issue.

Whatever we are, so long as sin lies unlamented upon the conscience, we can have
no scriptural foundation to conclude that we are Christians. No real Christian,
it is true, will prove an apostate; yet while we are under the influence of sin,
we are moving in the direction which leads to apostasy. If we are contented with
a relapsed state of mind, what grounds can we have to conclude that it is not
our element, or that we have ever been the subjects of true religion? If the
waters continue to be naught, it is a sign that the spring has not been healed.
There is no reason to think that Judas himself laid his accounts with such an
issue as things actually came to. During the ministry of our Lord, while he kept
the bag, and sometimes made free with its contents, it is probable he
nevertheless reckoned himself a good man. He saw many failings in his
fellow-disciples, and in all other good men; and he might think this to be his.
When he had covenanted with the chief priests, it does not appear that he
expected his master would be eventually taken and crucified. When they were
about to lay hands on him, he had often passed through the midst of them and
went his way; and he might suppose that it would be so again. When therefore he
saw that he was condemned he was thrown into a state of terrible amazement, and
in the issue went and hanged himself. Such was the process of an apostate; and
such his end. Surely it behooves us to take heed how we trifle with those
things, the end of which is death?


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  CHAPTER 6: 04  THE MEANS OF RECOVERY
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Chapter 4 ON THE MEANS OF RECOVERY. Were it not for the hopes of being
instrumental in saving some from the error of their way, and of inducing others
to a greater degree of watchfulness, I should not have written the preceding
pages. It can afford no satisfaction to expose the evil conduct of a
fellow-sinner, or to trace its dangerous effects, unless it be with a view to
his salvation or preservation.

It is natural for those who have fallen into sin, unless they be given up to a
rejection of all religion, to wish, on some consideration, to be restored. A
backsliding state is far from being agreeable. Hence it is that many have
prematurely grasped at the promise of forgiveness, and said to their souls.
Peace, peace, when there was no peace. IT IS DESIRABLE THAT WE BE RECOVERED FROM
OUR BACKSLIDINGS; BUT IT IS NOT DESIRABLE THAT WE SHOULD THINK OURSELVES
RECOVERED WHEN WE ARE NOT SO. As there are many ways by which a convinced sinner
seeks peace to his soul, without being able to find it, so it is with a
backslider. Self-righteous attempts to mortify sin, and gain peace with God, are
not confined to the first period of religious concern. Having through the power
of alarm desisted from the open practice of sin, many have laboured to derive
comfort from this consideration, without confessing their sin on the head, as it
were, of the gospel sacrifice. Their sins may be said rather to have been worn
away from their remembrance by length of time, than washed away by the blood of
the cross. But this is not recovery; the hurt, if healed, is healed slightly;
and may be expected to break out again. The same way in which, if we be true
Christians, we first found rest to our souls must be pursued in order to recover
it; namely, by repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the way to which the scriptures uniformly direct us. " My little
children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. - If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness." This was the way in which David was recovered. He
confessed his sin with deep contrition, pleading to be purged with hyssop, that
he might he clean and washed that he might he whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7). By
this language he could not mean that his sin should be purged away by anything
pertaining to the ceremonial law, for that law made no provision for the pardon
of his crimes: he must therefore intend that which the sprinkling of the unclean
with a bunch of hyssop, dipped in the water of purification, was designed to
prefigure; which, as we are taught in the new testament, was the purging of the
conscience by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. This is the only way in
which it is possible to find rest to our souls. As there is no other name given
under heaven, or among men, by which we can be saved, so neither is there any
other by which we can be restored. Whatever be the nature of our backsliding
from God, this must be the remedy. If it be a relinquishment of evangelical
principles we must return to the way, even the highway whither we went. Paul
travailed in birth for the recovery of the Galatians; and in what did he expect
it to consist? In Christ being formed in them. He also strove to bring back the
Hebrews; and all his labours were directed to the same point. His epistle to
them is full of Christ, and of warnings and cautions against neglecting and
rejecting him. If any man have been perplexed concerning the deity or atonement
of Christ, let him humbly and carefully read that epistle; and if his heart be
right with God, it will do him good. If our departure from God have issued in
some gross immorality or in the love of the worlds or in conformity to it, the
remedy must be the same. It is by this medium, if at all, that the world will be
crucified unto us, and we unto the world. If we have no heart to repent, and
return to God by Jesus Christ, we are yet in our sins, and may expect to reap
the fruits of them. The scriptures give no counsel to anything short of this.
They are not wanting, however, in directions that may lead to it, and
considerations that may induce it. What these are I shall now proceed to
inquire. In general, I may observe, The scriptures assure us of the exceeding
great and tender mercy of God, and of his willingness to forgive all those who
return to him in the name of his Son. - It is necessary that we be well
persuaded of this truth, lest, instead of applying as supplicants, we sink into
despair. If an awakened sinner under his first religious concern be in danger of
this species of despondency, a backslider is still more so. His transgressions
are much more heinous in their circumstances than those of the other, having
been committed under greater light, and against greater goodness: and when to
this is added the treatment which his conduct must necessarily draw upon him
from his religious connexions, he may be tempted to relinquish all hopes of
recovery, and to consider himself as an outcast of both God and man. Unhappy
man! Thy breach may be great like the sea, and the language of an awakened
conscience may suggest, Who can heal me? Yet do not despair. Hear what God the
Lord will speak. He will speak peace unto his people and to his saints: but let
them not turn again to folly. Hear what he speaks to the backsliding Israelites,
reduced by their sins to the most deplorable state of guilt and wretchedness.
"The Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few among
the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the
works of men’s hands; but if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou
shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul: when
thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, if thou turn
to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice, (for the Lord thy God
is a merciful God) he will not forsake thee, nor forget the covenant of thy
fathers which he sware unto them." (Deuteronomy 4:27-31) The pardoning mercy of
God towards those who return to him by Jesus Christ is not limited by such
measures as are framed by creatures in their treatment of one another, or by
such expectations as, on this account, they are apt to form. There are
circumstances which may render it almost impossible for forgiveness to be
exercised among men; and therefore men are ready to think it must be so with
respect to God. But with the Lord there is mercy., and with him there is
plenteous redemption. He will not only pardon, but pardon abundantly: " for his
thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and his
thoughts than our thoughts" ( Psalms 130:7-8 and Isaiah 55:7-9) - The blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. - If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). The threatenings against the unpardonable sin
itself do not affect the truth of these merciful declarations; for that sin is
all along described as excluding repentance as well as forgiveness. (Hebrews
6:6) The person is supposed to be given up to hardness of heart. If therefore we
confess our sin with contrition, we may be certain it is not unpardonable, and
that we shall obtain mercy through the blood of the cross. But the great
question is. How we shall repent of our sins, and return to God by Jesus Christ?
Undoubtedly it is much easier to get out of the way than to get in again; to
lose the peace of our minds than to recover it. Sin is of a hardening nature;
and the farther we have proceeded in it, the more inextricable are its chains.
But however this be, we either do desire to return, or we do not. If not, it
will be in vain to address any directions to us. It is right indeed for the
servants of Christ to point them out, whether we will hear or whether we will
forbear; and there leave them: but as to any hope of our recovery, while such is
the state of our minds, there can be none. If we can think of our sin without
grief, and of the cross of Christ without any meltings of spirit, there is great
reason to fear that our hearts are not right in the sight of God: but that we
are yet in the gall of bitterness, and the bonds of iniquity. If, on the other
hand, we do desire to return; if, like Israel in the days of Samuel, we lament
after the Lord, we shall readily hearken to every direction given us in his
word.

If my reader, supposing him to have backslidden from God, be in such a state of
mind, it is with a mixture of hope and tenderness that I attempt to point out to
him the means of recovery. Or should it even be otherwise, I will nevertheless
endeavor to show him the good and the right way, that at least I may deliver my
own soul.

First. EMBRACE EVERY POSSIBLE SEASON OF RETIREMENT FOR READING THE HOLY
SCRIPTURES, especially those parts which are suited to thy case, and accompany
it with prayer. - God’s word hid in the heart, is not only a preservative
against sin, but a restorative from it. It both wounds and heals: if it rebukes,
it is with the faithfulness of a friend: or if it consoles, its consolations
carry in them an implication, which, if properly understood, will melt us into
repentance.

Read especially those parts of scripture which are addressed to persons in your
situation; as the second chapter of Jeremiah: or which express the desires of a
returning sinner; as the twenty-fifth, thirty-second, thirty-eighth,
fifty-first, and hundred-and-thirtieth psalms. You may not be able to adopt all
this language as your own; but it may be useful nevertheless. To read the
genuine expressions of a contrite heart, may produce at least a conviction of
the disparity between the frame of mind possessed by the writer and yourself:
and such a conviction may be accompanied with a sensation of shame and grief.

It is also of importance that you read the scriptures by yourself. To read a
portion of them in your families is right, and ought not to be neglected; but
there is a wide difference, as to personal advantage, between this and reading
them alone. Your mind may then be more at liberty for reflection; you can read,
and pause, and think, and apply the subject to your case.

It is of still greater importance to unite prayer with it, Reading the word of
God and prayer, are duties which mutually assist each other; the one furnisheth
us with confessions, pleas, and arguments, while the other promotes solemnity
and spiritually of mind, which goes farther towards understanding the
scriptures, than a library of expositions.

It was in one of these seasons of retirement that David put up this petition, "
I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy
commandments." (Psalms 119:176) He seems to have had in his thoughts the
condition of a poor wandering sheep, that had left the flock, and the rich
pastures whither it was wont to be led; ranging rather like a native of the
woods, than one which had been led, and fed, and protected by its owner.
Bewildered by its own wanderings, entangled in the thorns and briars of the
wilderness, and exposed to beasts of prey, it feels its forlorn condition, and
bleats after the shepherd and the flock! Is there nothing in this that may suit
thy case? Yes, thou art the man! Thou hast gone astray like a lost sheep, got
entangled in thine own corruptions, and knowest not how to find the way back:
yet it may be thou hast not forgotten his commandments nor utterly lost the
savour of those happy days when walking in them. Let thy prayer then be directed
like that of the Psalmist, to the good shepherd of the sheep, Seek thy servant!

Prayer is a kind of religious exercise which is necessary to accompany all
others. " In every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known unto God." Solemn approaches unto God are adapted to
impress the mind with a sense of sin, and to inspire us with self-abhorrence on
account of it. It was by a view of the holiness of God that Isaiah felt himself
to be a man of unclean lips; and by conversing with him that Job was brought to
abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes. The very exercise of prayer carries
in it an implication that our help must come from above; a truth which in all
cases it is highly necessary for us to know, and with which, in this case
especially, we cannot be too deeply impressed. We easily get out of the way; but
if ever we return to it, it must be by his influence who restoreth our souls,
and leadeth us in the paths of righteousness, for his name sake. To tell a
person who is out of the way, that he has no help of himself, and that if ever
he get in again it must be by the restoring grace of God, may seem to some
people paradoxical and disheartening: but it is a truth, and a truth which if
properly understood and felt, would go farther towards our recovery than we at
first may apprehend. Paul found that when he was weak then was he strong; and
many others have found the same. The more we are emptied of self-sufficiency,
the more sensibly shall we feel our dependence, and the more importunately
implore that the Lord would save us as it were from our selves, and restore us
for his name sake. This was the way in which we at first found rest for our
souls, and this must be the way in which we recover it. An awakened sinner
frequently labours hard after peace, without being able to obtain it. Wherefore?
" Because he seeks it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law,
stumbling at the stumbling-stone." In all his labours there is a large portion
of self-righteous hope, or an idea that God will pity him on account of his
painful endeavors to please him. But this is like bad flesh in a wound, which
must be eaten out before it can be healed. If ever he obtain peace, it must be
by utterly despairing of all help from himself, and falling, as a sinner
entirely lost, into the arms of sovereign mercy. This is walking in the good old
way, which brings rest to the soul: and the same sense of our insufficiency
which is necessary to find rest in the first instance, is equally necessary to
find it in all that follow.

We may pray from year to year, and all without effect. It is only the prayer of
faith that succeeds; the distinguishing characteristic of which is, under a
sense of there being no help in us, to lay hold of the mercy and faithfulness of
God, as revealed in the gospel. David for a time groaned, and even roared, by
reason of the disquietness of his heart: but he obtained no relief from this. On
the contrary, he sunk deeper and deeper into despondency. At length he betook
him to another manner of praying. Out of the DEPTHS CRIED I UNTO THEE: and thou
heardest my voice! We find him here pleading the exceeding greatness of Gods
mercy, and the plenteousness of his redemption. ( Psalms 38 and 130) Here he
found rest for his soul! - Jonah also for a time was in much the same state.
With a conscience so far awakened as to deprive him of all enjoyment, he retired
to the bottom of the ship; and wearied with the load of his guilt, slept away
his time. Even the horrors of a tempest did not awaken him. At length being
roused, and reproved by heathens, and marked out by lot as the guilty person, he
confesses who he is, and what he had done, and advises them to cast him into the
sea. Humanity struggles for a time with the elements, but in vain; he must be
cast away. Think what a state of mind he must at this time have possessed! He is
thrown into the deep, is swallowed by a fish, and retains his reason even in
that situation; but no light shines upon his soul. Conceiving himself to be on
the point of expiring, his heart sighed with in him, I am cast out of thy sight!
But ere the thought had well passed his mind, another struck him, - Yet will I
look again towards thy holy temple! He looked, and was lightened: Out of the
belly of hell cried I unto thee, and thou heardest my voice I

Secondly. REFLECT ON THE AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES OF THINE OFFENSES, or on
those things which render it an evil and bitter thing to have departed from the
living God, and to have sinned against him in the manner thou hast done. - Every
return to God begins with reflection. " I thought on my ways, and turned my feet
unto thy testimonies. - Commune with thine own heart upon thy bed, and be
still." (Psalms 119:59) "If the God against whom I have sinned had been like the
idols of this world, I might have been justified in departing from him. but I
have acted the part of the backsliding Israelites, who were the only people who
had a God worth cleaving to, and yet were the only people distinguished by their
fickleness. The world cleave close enough to their gods, which yet are no gods:
but I have committed those two evils at which the heavens are astonished. I have
forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewed to myself cisterns, broken
cisterns that can hold no water! If the service of the Lord had been a heavy
yoke, and if the way of his commandments had been an unfruitful and miserable
path, I might have some plea for deserting it: but what have I gained except
guilt, and shame, and wretchedness, by leaving him? Was he a barren wilderness
to me, or a land of darkness? How can I answer his tender, yet cutting
expostulations - " O my people, what have I done unto thee: wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against me! "

" If I had been born and educated a benighted pagan, a deluded Mohammedan, or a
superstitious papist: if the oracles of God had been withheld from me; or if I
had lived all my days in a state of ignorance and insensibility, like multitudes
in my native country, the sins that I have committed had been little in
comparison of what they now are. I have verged near to the unpardonable sin. It
is against light and love that I have offended. He has been as a husband unto
me; but I have forsaken him, and have gone after other lovers. Yet he still
invites me to return. And what hindereth? I am not straitened in him, but in my
own bowels. Lord save me from myself! Surely I will return to my first husband,
for then was it better with me than now."

Thirdly. REFLECT ON THE GOODNESS OF GOD IN HAVING HITHERTO BORNE WITH THEE, and
prevented thy sins from fully operating according to their native tendency. - It
is a common observation that one sin leads on to another. Of this history and
experience furnish many tragical examples. The sauntering indolence of David
occasioned his adultery. Adultery when committed must be concealed, and this
leads to treachery and intrigue. When these fail, recourse is had to murder. And
when the murder is effected, to carry on the concealment the event must be
attributed to providence - The sword devoureth one as well as another! The
connexion between uncleanness and blood is strongly marked in the history of
human crimes. A large proportion of those who have been publicly executed for
the one, were induced to perpetrate the horrid deed as a covert to the other.
And hast thou been tampering with these vices; playing at the hole of the
cockatrice den?

How is it that death and hell have not ere now swallowed thee up? Behold that
wretch who went but yesterday to suffer the just vengeance of his country, for
having murdered the object whom he had first seduced; and see what thou mightest
have been! Is it not owing to singular mercy that thy sins have been restrained
from their wonted and deadly issues?

It may be, some who have been companions, or at least contemporaries, with thee
in the first stages of sin, have meanwhile been suffered to make more rapid
progress. Their follies have ended in infamy, while thine have been restrained,
and comparatively hid. And it is possible, while the public voice has been
raised against them, thou hast joined in.

" And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and
doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou
the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" If the recollection of
such things leadeth thee not to repentance, it is a dark sign of " a hard and
impenitent heart treasuring up to itself wrath against the day of wrath, and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

Fourthly. REFLECT ON THE STATE AND EXERCISES OF THY MIND IN FORMER TIMES. This
was the counsel of the apostle to the Hebrews, who, disheartened by persecution,
were half inclined to go back again to Judaism: " Call to remembrance the former
days, in which, after that ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of
afflictions." This was the counsel of our Lord himself, to the churches of
Ephesus and Sardis: " Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent -
remember how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent." (Hebrews
10:31; Revelation 2:5; Revelation 3:3)Ask thine own soul, "Are there no seasons
of tenderness in my life which it would be for my profit to recall to mind? I
have professed repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ:
and was it only a profession? Was there not a time when my sins were more bitter
to me than death, and more dreaded than hell? How is it that I have turned again
to folly? Has sin changed its nature, or become less odious? Rather is not the
change in me? Was there not a time when the word of the Lord was precious to my
soul; when my Sabbaths were my happiest days, and godly people my chosen
companions? Whence this lamentable change? Is Christ or the gospel less precious
than heretofore? I once thought that if I might but be found in him, and live
for ever with him and those that love him, I should not care what I lost or
suffered in the present world. And was I all this time deceiving myself? Were my
repentance, and faith, and hope, and love, and joy, all counterfeit? I endured
reproaches and losses, as I supposed, for his name sake; and is it all in vain?
Must I at last be separated forever from him, and have my portion with
unbelievers? "O Lord, have mercy upon me a most wretched caitiff and miserable
sinner! I have offended both against heaven and earth more than my tongue can
express! Whither then may I go, or whither shall I flee? To heaven I may be
ashamed to lift up mine eyes, and on earth I find no place of refuge, or
succour. TO THEE, therefore, O Lord, do I run: TO THEE do I humble myself. O
Lord, my God, my sins are great: but yet have mercy upon me, for thy great
mercy. The great mystery, that God became man, was not wrought for small or few
offenses. Thou didst not give thy Son unto death for little sins only: but for
all the greatest sins of the world, so that the sinner returns to thee with his
whole heart, as I do here at this present. Wherefore have mercy on me, O God,
whose property is always to have mercy. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for thy
great mercy. O Lord, I crave nothing for my own merits, but for thy name sake,
that it might be hallowed thereby, and for thy dear Son Jesus Christ’s sake.""
[An important footnote: "That which is included in italics text is a part of the
prayer of Archbishop Cranmer, who, through fear of man, had denied his faith,
but was notwithstanding burned to death. When brought to execution, which was at
Oxford, on March 21, 1556, he uttered the above prayer; and on the flames
approaching him, first thrust into the fire the hand with which he had signed
his recantation.] This part of our Lord’s counsel would apply not only to those
who have fallen into gross immoralities, but to such as have deserted the
principles of the gospel. It was asked the Galatians, through what medium it was
that they first received the Spirit; by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith? (Galatians 3:2))This question proceeds upon the principle of that
being the true doctrine which is productive of the best effects; and by the
manner in which it is introduced, This ONLY would I learn of you, it is
intimated that the solution is of itself sufficient to determine what the true
doctrine is. And what are the effects produced by a relinquishment of the
doctrines usually denominated evangelical? Nay, I might say, by only a
hesitation concerning them? I appeal to those who have made the trial. Have you
the same joy and peace in believing in your present principles, as you had in
your former ones? Can you, or do you go to a throne of grace with the same holy
freedom as heretofore? Do you feel an equal concern for the salvation of your
poor ungodly neighbors? Rather is not the fad greater part of your zeal consumed
in laboring to make proselytes of serious Christians to your new way of
thinking? Does the society of those who are like minded with yourself, afford
that inward satisfaction which you once enjoyed in the fellowship of those whom
you are now taught to pity as enthusiasts? If while professing those things you
are strangers to them, you may answer these questions in the affirmative: but if
otherwise, you could not. "Remember from whence you are fallen, and repent!
Remember how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent!

Fifthly. SET APART SPECIAL TIMES TO HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD BY FASTING AND
PRAYER. - Extraordinary cases require the use of extra-ordinary means. When a
great army was coming against Jehoshaphat, it is said, he feared and SET HIMSELF
to SEEK THE LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (2 Chronicles
20:3) But the loss of a soul is of more account to you than the temporal
overthrow of a country was to him. When Judah for its backslidings was under the
frowns of God in Babylon, and had been so for about seventy years, Daniel says,
I SET MY FACE unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting
and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:3) The apostle Paul plainly intimates that
there are times wherein we are required to give ourselves to fasting and prayer.
(1 Corinthians 7:3) And surely there can be no times in which these means are
more necessary than when we have got out of the way, and desire to recover it.
There is much meaning in the words, He SET HIMSELF to seek the Lord and I SET MY
FACE unto the Lord God. They denote something more than the extraordinary
exercises of prayer; even a special fixedness of the thought, purposes, and
desires, to particular objects: and God has usually honoured those extraordinary
approaches to him, when influenced by a pure motive, with success. It is true,
we may attend to duty in a superstitious, or self-righteous spirit; resting in
it as an end, instead of using it as a means: but this is not setting our face
unto the Lord God, or seeking him. A day devoted to God in humiliation, fasting
and prayer, occasionally occupied with reading suitable parts of the holy
scriptures, may, by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, contribute more to the
subduing of sin, and the recovery of a right mind, than years spent in a sort of
half-hearted exercises.

Sixthly. TO PRAYER IT IS NECESSARY TO ADD WATCHFULNESS. - Our Lord unites these
together as an antidote against temptation. It has sometimes been one of the
devices of Satan, after a backslider has been drawing near to God, and strongly
soliciting for mercy; yea, after a time has been set apart for this purpose, to
ply him afresh with some powerful temptation: and while his mind has been
unsuspicious, and it may be thinking itself to be somewhat secure on account of
having so lately been engaged in earnest devotion, he has been surprised, and
over come! The consequence, as might be expected has been, a future neglect of
prayer, under the idea that it must have been mere hypocrisy before, and would
now be adding sin to sin. Instead of depending upon spiritual frames for
preservation, and especially when they are over, perhaps we ought to expect that
our comforts should be succeeded by conflicts. We know it was so in several
cases recorded in the scriptures. Immediately after drinking at the smitten rock
at Rephidim, Israel was called to fight with Amalek. Paul’s thorn in the flesh
succeeded to extraordinary revelations. Our Lord himself went up from Jordan
into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Seventhly. IN YOUR APPROACHES TO THE SAVIOUR, LET IT BE UNDER THE CHARACTER IN
WHICH YOU FIRST APPLIED TO HIM FOR MERCY, THAT OF A SINNER. - If you attempt to
approach the throne of grace as a good man who has backslidden from God you may
find it impossible to support that character. The reality of your conversion may
be doubtful, not only in your apprehension, but in itself. Your approach,
therefore, must not be as one that is washed, and needeth not, save to wash his
feet: but as one who is defiled throughout, whose hands and head, and every part
needs to be cleansed. Do not employ yourself in raking over the rubbish of your
past life in search of evidence that your are a Christian. You will not be able
in your present state of mind to decide that question: nor would it be of any
service to you if you could decide it. One thing is certain; you are a sinner, a
poor miserable perishing sinner: the door of mercy is open; and you are welcome
to enter it. Let your past character then have been what it may, and let your
conversion be ever so doubtful, if you can from this time relinquish all for
Christ, eternal life is before you. The Laodiceans, who, though composing a
Christian church, were doubtful characters, are counseled to deal with Christ in
the same manner as sinners deal with him, for riches, for righteousness and for
heavenly wisdom.

Lastly. IN ALL YOUR SUPPLICATIONS, BE CONTENTED WITH NOTHING SHORT OF A COMPLETE
RECOVERY. - It is possible you may obtain so much ascendancy over your evil
propensities that they may seem to be slain before you; or at least, that you
are in no particular danger of yielding to them any more; and yet you may not
have recovered that holy rest in God, that sweet peace which arises from
confessing our sins upon the head of the gospel sacrifice. But while this is the
case there is no security against their revival. The first temptation by which
you are assaulted may afford lamentable proof that they are yet alive. Nothing
will serve as a preservative against the risings of evil propensities short of
walking with God. There is much important truth in that declaration of the
apostle, "This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts
of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) Sin is not to be opposed so much directly as
indirectly; not by mere resistance, but by opposing other principles to it. It
is not by contending with the fire, especially with combustible materials about
us, that we should be able to quench it; but by dealing plentifully with the
opposite element. The pleasures of sense will not be effectually subdued by
foregoing all enjoyment; but by imbibing other pleasures, the relish of which
shall deaden the heart to what is opposite.

It was thus that the apostle became dead to the world by the cross of Christ. Do
not therefore reckon thyself restored till thou hast recovered communion with
God. David, though the subject of deep contrition, yet was not contented with
out gaining this important point. Till then the poison would still at times be
rankling in his imagination. Hence arose the following petitions - "Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from
thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit." (Psalms 51:10-12) Make these
petitions thy own: and if God grant the thing that thine heart desireth, go and
sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee!


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/fuller-andrew-the-backslider/
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