choose God before the world except faith.
to yourself "I must have it; I must have it; I cannot tear myself away? "What sacrifices are you making? Are you making any at all? Is there any cross in your Christianity? Are there any sharp corners in your religion, anything that ever jars and comes in collision with the earthly-mindedness around you, or is all smooth and rounded off, and comfortably fitted into custom and fashion? Do you know anything of the afflictions of the Gospel? Is your faith and practice ever a subject of scorn and reproach? Are you thought a fool by any one because of your soul? Have you left Pharaoh's daughter, and heartily joined the people of God? Are you venturing all on Christ? Search and see.
Reader, these are hard and rough sayings. I cannot help it. I believe they are founded on Scripture truths. I remember it is written, "There went great multitudes with Jesus; and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke xiv. 25, 27.) Many, I fear, would like glory, who have no wish for gracethey would fain have the wages, but not the work, the harvest, but not the labour, the reaping, but not the sowing, the reward, but not the battle. But it may not be. As Bunyan says, "the bitter must go before the sweet." If there is no cross there will be no crown.
2. The second thing I will say is this-nothing will ever enable you to choose God before the world except faith.
Nothing else will do it. Knowledge will not; feeling will not; a regular use of outward forms will not; good companions will not. All these may do something, but the fruit they produce has no power of continuance, it will not last. A religion springing from such sources will only endure so long as there is no tribulation or persecution because of the word; but so soon as there is any, it will dry up. It is a clock without weights-its face may be beautiful, you may turn its fingers round, but it will not go.
A religion that is to stand must have a living foundation, and there is none other but faith.
Reader, have you got this faith? If you have, you will find it possible to refuse seeming good, and choose seeming evil-you will think nothing of to-day's losses, in the hope of to-morrow's gains-you will follow Christ in the dark, and stand by Him to the very last. If you have not, I warn you, you will never war a good warfare, and so run as to obtain-you will soon be offended and turn back to the world.
There must be a real belief that God's promises are sure and to be depended on, a real belief that what God says in the Bible is all true, and that every doctrine contrary to this is false, whoever may say it. There must be a real belief that all God's words are to be received, however hard and disagreeable to flesh and blood, and that His way is right, and all others wrong, this there must be, or you will never come out from the world, take up the cross, follow Christ and be saved.
You must learn to believe promises better than possession; things unseen better than things seen, things in heaven out of sight, better than things on earth before your eyes; the praise of the invisible God better than the praise of visible man. Then, and then only, you will make a choice like Moses, and prefer God to the world.
This was the faith by which the old saints obtained a good report. This was the weapon by which they overcame the world. This made them what they were.
This was the faith that made Noah go on building his ark, while the world looked on and mocked-and Abraham give the choice of the land to Lot, and dwell on quietly in tents-and Ruth cleave to Naomi, and turn away from her country and her gods-and Daniel continue in prayer, though he knew the lions' den was prepared-and the three children refuse to worship idols, though the fiery furnace was before