Part 10
The Scriptures teach, 1. That we owe special duties to God, as reverence, love, devotion, worship, constant obedience, etc.
2. That we owe duties to our fellow-men, as parents, children, citizens, neighbors, fellow-creatures.
3. That these duties are not only consistent, the one class with the other, but that they are alike indispensable. That he who claims to fulfill the one while he neglects the other is a self-deceiver or a hypocrite.
4. That those which we owe to God are the higher and more important, and the foundation of the other class. No man ever performed his duties to God aright, without being faithful to his social duties.
5. That the attempt to dissociate morality from religion leads to the destruction of morality, first, because of a natural tendency. Deadness to higher duties cannot long co-exist with devotion to lower; or rather, the latter cannot continue without the former. Besides, the great and efficient motives to moral duties are derived from religion. And as God is the source of all good, nothing good can continue in those who live in alienation from him. And, finally, because God judicially abandons the irreligious to immorality.
6. A sixth great truth is, that obedience to God, obeying his commands from a pious spirit, is the most acceptable worship we can render to him. The Apostle James was contending against the practice of formalities. Among the Jews it was a prevailing whim, that if a man kept the ceremonial law and the tradition of the elders, he was eminently religious, a true worshipper of God. Of the Christian converts some fell into the same error. They held to faith without works. They taught that if a man believed aright, and prayed and worshipped in the sanctuary, he was all that he need be. James said, "faith without works is dead;" that outward profession and the observance of the rites and ceremonies of religion, were of no avail,
unless we obeyed the commandments and became doers, as well as hearers, of the word; that the most acceptable way of serving God, is discharging our social duties aright. This was a sacrifice with which God was well pleased. Our Lord taught the same doctrine when he said, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice;" i.e., that the moral is more important than the ceremonial. The prophet Isaiah had taught the same when he said in the name of Jehovah, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts." "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me." "Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well." The worship or service of God which is acceptable to God, is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Two things are here included.
1. Kindness to the poor and suffering, not merely in giving alms, but in kind ministrations.
2. Separation from the contaminations of the world. The men who would appear as God's true worshippers must not be immersed in the gayeties, schemes and machinations, much less in the vices of the world. They must be a holy, a peculiar people, and they must be active in the discharge of all the duties of benevolence. But if this is done as a matter of parade, to gain credit with men, it is nothing. If done to work out a righteousness of our own, or to make atonement for sin, it is nothing. If done out of mere kindness, human sympathy, it is good as far as it goes, but it is not θρησκεία, religious worship, or religion. A man may give all his goods to feed the poor, and even his body to be burned, yet if he have not charity, he is nothing. This service must be rendered from Christian motives, (a.) Because we thus honor Christ. (b.) Because the poor are his brethren. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto ME."
CLVIII. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be
of God, or whether I speak of myself.
John 7:17. He that is of God, heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God. John 8:47
[January 29th, 1868.]
What our Lord here asserts is: First, that if a man is in a right state of mind, he will know and believe the truth. Secondly, that those who are in a wrong state of mind reject the truth. This is saying that the cause of faith, or the reason why a man believes, is to be found in his right moral state, and that the cause of wrong belief and of infidelity, is a wrong moral state. This, reduced to one proposition, is saying that the faith of a man, so far as religious truth is concerned, depends on his moral state.
Proof that this is true.
1. This declaration of our Lord is of itself a sufficient proof of the truth of the proposition. It is plain that the expressions, "If any man will do his will," and "He that is of God," amount to the same thing. The one means If any one sincerely desires to please God, and the other, If any man is godly, i.e., of the same mind as God, congenial with him. Faith in the truth of God, he says, certainly flows from this congeniality with God, and, on the other hand, unbelief is due to, and therefore is the evidence of a want of this congeniality with God. This is a direct affirmation of the truth of the above proposition.
2. This, however, is proved by many other declarations of our Lord, and of the sacred writers generally. Christ says, "If God were your Father, ye would love me." He uniformly refers the unbelief of the Jews, and their rejection of him, to their wickedness. It was because
they were of their father the devil, that they rejected and hated him. The apostle John asserts that "He that knoweth God heareth us," and that believers have the witness or evidence of the truth in themselves. The Holy Spirit, or an unction from the Holy One is given to all God's people, whereby they know the truth. Paul says that the natural or unrenewed man, and because he is unrenewed, perceives not the things of the Spirit; whereas, the spiritual man, and because he is spiritual, perceives all things. He elsewhere says, "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." This is the constant doctrine of the Scriptures.
3. It is also the doctrine of experience. The good uniformly believe the truth, the wicked disbelieve, or neglect it. You may trace the history of the Church, and you will uniformly find truth and piety united on the one hand, error and irreligion, on the other. The more serious the error, the more clear is the evidence of the sinfulness of those who adopt it. This is true of all the grades of error, from the lowest to the highest, from the denial of unessential doctrines, to atheism. You may travel over the world, and you will everywhere find the same thing to be true. The infidels of England, France and Germany are uniformly irreligious, and generally immoral. On the other hand you never find the evidence of godliness without finding with it the firm belief of all truth connected with religious experience. Experience, therefore, is in accord with the Scriptures. A man's faith, so far as religious truth is concerned, depends upon the state of his heart.
4. A fourth argument on this subject is from analogy. There are different kinds of truth. For the sake of distinction we may call some speculative, as addressed to the intellect, as the truths of mathematics, of science, and of history. Some are æsthetic, as addressed to the taste, or sense of the beautiful. There is a standard of beauty. Some things in nature, in art, and in literature give delight, others excite disgust. This is not arbitrary. Some are moral, and suppose a moral sense for their apprehension. Some are religious or spiritual, and suppose a religious or spiritual state of mind for their
due apprehension. The evidence of any one of these classes of truths is suited to its nature. The evidence of speculative truths is addressed only to the understanding, and requires only intellectual ability to comprehend and receive them. They force assent. The evidence of æsthetic truth supposes cultivation and refinement. If a man denies the beauty of what the mass of educated and cultivated men pronounce beautiful, it is proof positive of his want of taste. The standard by which a man's taste is legitimately judged, is that he delights in what is truly beautiful. So of moral truths.
A good man inevitably approves of what is morally right and good. If a man pronounce the Decalogue evil, or the sermon on the mount immoral, it is proof positive that he himself is immoral. If this is so, why should it not be true that the religious or godly man should receive religious truths, and the ungodly man reject them?
1. The folly of the opinion that a man is not responsible for his faith. This is transferring a maxim true in one sphere to another in which it is not true. Our character is determined by our faith, because our faith depends upon our character.
2. Therefore we should be humbled on account of our unbelief; consider it an evidence of a dull and sluggish heart.
3. We see the true way to increase the strength of our faith. We must grow in holiness.
4. The consolation and security of believers. No speculative objections can subvert a faith founded on moral or religious evidence. Science can never disprove the Decalogue.
CLIX. Be not conformed to this world.
Rom. 12:3
[April 12th, 1857.]
I. What is the world?
The terms used are κόσμος and αἰών. They are very different in signification, but often the same in sense. In such connections as "Ye are not of the world," "As I am not of the world," "Love not the world," "The world hateth you," and the like, it means the mass of unrenewed men, as distinguished from the Church, or people of God. The world in this sense belongs to Satan; it is his kingdom. It has a reigning spirit. It has its laws and maxims. Its manners and customs are determined by its reigning spirit. It has its objects of desire and pursuit; and it has its consummation, which is perdition.
II. What is it to be conformed to the world?
1. It is to be inwardly like men of the world, in the governing principle of our lives; that is, to have a worldly spirit, a spirit occupied with, and interested in worldly things; a mercenary, selfish, earthly spirit.
2. It is to allow ourselves to be governed by the maxims and manners of the world, so that with us the question is not, What is right or wrong? What is agreeable to the will of God? but What do men do? What is the custom of society? or What does public sentiment command? To this the most slavish and ruinous subjection is rendered by the mass of men, and by many who call themselves Christians.
3. It is to allow ourselves to be carried away by the world, so as to be undistinguishable from men of the world in our manner of living, i.e., (a.) As to the objects which we seek. (b.) As to our amusements. (e.) As to our general conduct.
III. The consequences of this conformity
1. Those who identify themselves with the world, who are not distinguishable from it in their spirit, their pursuits, their principles of action, their mode of living, will undoubtedly perish with the world. If not separated from it here, they will not be separated from it hereafter.
2. It obliterates all distinction between the Church and the world. It destroys the power of the Church for good. It belies the profession of its members. They profess to renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil; and this profession is constantly contradicted, when professing Christians are as eager in the pursuit of wealth, as gay and devoted to frivolous amusements, as unscrupulous in their business habits as other men.
3. It is destructive to spirituality. It is impossible to live near to God, and yet be conformed to the world. It brings the Christian into innumerable dangers and temptations. It grieves the Spirit of God, and leads him to withdraw his influences.
IV. By what rule are we to determine what is, and what is not, sinful conformity to the world? This is more a theoretical, than a practical difficulty. 1. The man who is really filled with the Spirit of Christ, and devoted to his service, will not find much difficulty in determining what is, and what is not sinful conformity. 2. There are many things which the world does, which are in themselves sinful, and which, of course, Christians should avoid. 3. With regard to things indifferent, the rule laid down by the Scriptures is, that one man should not judge another, but determine for himself what is, and what is not injurious to his spiritual interests. 4. Another rule is that we are bound to avoid things in themselves indifferent, even though harmless to ourselves, which are injurious to others.
5. Another rule is that we should avoid things innocent in themselves, which by association are connected in fact, or in the minds of men with evil, as cards, dancing, the theater, etc.
6. The same rule as to particulars of dress and modes of living does not apply to all persons and places. It depends on usage, on rank, or on other adventitious circumstances. There is great danger of becoming pharisaical, and making religion consist in externals.
V. How should ministers act in endeavoring to prevent conformity to the world?
1. They should set a good example in themselves and in their families.
2. They should labor to promote a spirit of devoted piety, and get their people occupied and interested in good.
3. They should enlighten their consciences, and endeavor to govern them by motives rather than by coercion.
4. They should never resort to Church discipline for anything which is not forbidden in the word of God. The only ground of discipline is an offense.
CLX. And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth not after me, is not worthy of
me. Matt. 10:38
[Sept. 25th, 1864.]
There are two modes of presentation, as to the method and conditions of salvation, running through the Bible, the one representing the attainment of eternal life as easy, the other representing it as difficult. At one time we are told that "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;" and that whosoever confesses Christ before men, will also be confessed by him before his Father which is in heaven. We are not required to ascend to heaven, or go down to hell, but simply to believe with the heart and confess
with the lips, that God has raised up Jesus from the dead. "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved." This is illustrated in many cases besides that of the dying thief. It is vastly important. We need a method of salvation, in which, in one sense, we have nothing to do. We cannot atone for our sins; we cannot merit eternal life; we cannot change our own heart. We have a Saviour who has done all things for us. All that is required, in this view of the case, is that we should be willing to be saved. We are the recipients and subjects, and not the agents of salvation. On the other hand, however, we are told that the righteous are scarcely saved. We are commanded to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; to strive to enter in at the strait gate; that many shall seek to enter in, and not be able. We are to crucify the flesh, to overcome the world, to resist the devices of Satan. We are laborers, soldiers, wrestlers, runners in a doubtful race. These two modes of representation are of course consistent. The one regards the work of Christ, and its appropriation by us; the other concerns our acting consistently with the new relation into which we are brought to God. It may be easy to obtain adoption into a family, and difficult to live accordingly. It may be easy to have the eyes opened, the withered arm restored, but difficult to use those renovated members agreeably to the will of God. It is easy, in one sense, to believe; but to live a life of faith, to live so as to prove that our faith is genuine, may be a difficult task.
1. One of the conditions of salvation, that is, one of those things which we must do in order to prove that we truly believe, and belong to Christ, and which all who do believe will strive to do, is to live a holy life. That is, we are to avoid all sin, to exercise all right affections toward God and our fellow-men, and to be devoted to his glory and service.
2. Another thing is, to be willing to suffer for Christ. The cross is the emblem of suffering. To bear the cross is to endure suffering. The context shows that this is the meaning of the Lord in this place.
3. Another thing is, that we must love Christ more than any other object; more than our lives. And, therefore, if the sundering of all earthly ties be necessary to the service of Christ, we must be ready to submit to the sacrifice.
These are difficult conditions to fulfill; but, 1. They are essential. 2. They are reasonable. Nothing is required but what we ought to be gladly willing to perform. The difficulty arises not from the nature of the work so much as from our own state. If we were what we should be, if we were filled with faith and love, we should find all this easy. The early Christians did not find it hard to submit to the spoiling of their goods; they suffered it joyfully. Paul did not find it difficult to preach, to labor, to suffer. He rejoiced in all that he was called upon to do and to suffer in the cause of Christ.
Now this is illustrated and confirmed by the whole history of the Church, in its martyrs, confessors, missionaries, etc. They have been the happiest men on earth. We should bear in mind, then,
1. That we must be willing to suffer for Christ, and to renounce all things for him.
2. That those who do this are sustained in doing it. They receive in this world even a hundred-fold. Christ's heaviest burden is made light.
3. That these light afflictions are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
4. That to refuse to suffer for Christ, to prefer father or mother, brothers or sisters, houses or land to him, involves the forfeiture of this life, and of the life that is to come.
His cross. Each man has his own cross. One has that form of trial referred to in the context; another, sickness, feebleness of body; another, poverty; another, want of success; another, reproach; another, insignificance. In any case we must bear our burden
cheerfully, looking unto Christ as our example, our helper and our reward.
CLXI. Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus.—Phil. 2:5–11
[Oct. 3d, 1858.]
Sir Isaac Newton said that if he differed from other men, it was in the power of attention. If this is so, what wonders that one power wrought, not only subjectively in the expansion of Newton's own mind, but also in the discoveries to which it led. Whether this is correct of Newton or not, the point of difference between one Christian and another, so far as second or proximate causes are concerned, is mainly in the power or habit of contemplating divine truth long enough to allow it to produce its proper effect. All large subjects require time for the mind to adjust itself to them. So of works of art and of nature, so of Niagara, of the Alps, the heavens. The great doctrines of the Scriptures must in like manner be contemplated with a steady and protracted gaze. And here too, as in the analogous cases, it is passivity that is required. It is not active, discriminating thought, but clear and constant vision that is necessary. The same remark is applicable to particular passages of Scripture. This wonderful passage, Phil. 2:5–11, is a constellation of truths to which there are few comparable in all Scripture. If God should give us grace, we might sit down before it and gaze on its ever expanding wonders and glories until we were transformed and translated. Such is not now our duty. We are to consider the exhortation of the apostle, and the motive which he presents to enforce it.
1. The duty to which he exhorts us is entire self-negation, and devotion to the good of others and the glory of God. This is enforced by the example of Christ, which affords the most stupendous
instance of self-renunciation and devotion which the history of the universe furnishes.
Consider, 1. Who Christ was. He existed from eternity in the form of God and equal with God. The form of anything, is the thing itself in any given mode of manifestation. To exist in the form of God, is to exist as God. It involves equality with God. It is, therefore, equivalent to saying that Christ was a divine person. The passage is parallel to Heb. 1:3, and Col. 1:15.
2. Consider what he did. a. He made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. He emptied himself, laid aside his divine majesty. Instead of appearing on earth as a God, he appeared as man, not in the transient semblance of a man, but in reality. He became a man, subject to like infirmities and sorrows with us. He did not thereby cease to be God. He was God in the fashion of a man. He was God, who was born, lived, suffered and died.
3. Therefore, it is added that he, i.e., who was equal with God, humbled himself, even as a man, to be obedient unto death, i.e., so obedient as not to refuse to die, and even not to refuse to die on the cross, therefore as a malefactor.
It is to be remarked that the subject does not change in this whole connection. He—the same person who was equal with God—emptied himself, was made a man, humbled himself, to die on the cross!
4. Consider why he did this. The immediate object was our redemption, which could be effected in no other way. The motive was love for us.
The inference which the Apostle draws is, that the believing apprehension of the truth here set forth will make us like Christ.
1. Negatively, in not seeking our own.
2. In being willing, for the good of others and the glory of God, to humble ourselves.
3. In fact, that we will, as Christ did, renounce all self-seeking, and consecrate ourselves to the good of others, and to the glory of Christ. If we do not do this, it is evident that we do not believe what Paul has written concerning Christ.
CLXII. Living for Christ.—Col. 3:24. 2
Cor. 5:14
[May 8th, 1855.]
I. Unity of purpose is necessary.
I. For the development of character. 2. For success in life. Illustrations as to character.
Glory, duty, self-interest, benevolence, each gives unity and force, whereas a man without any such governing principle becomes weak.
As to success, it is by making one object predominant, and seeking that object, that great results are attained.
II. That which gives unity to the Christian life is Christ.
1. He is the unifying principle of Christian theology. 2. Of the inward life of the Christian, or of his religion. 3. Of his outward and active life. We have an illustration of all this in Paul, in his theology, in his religious experience, and in his outward life. Negatively—he did not seek wealth or honor, either as his main, or his subordinate object. He sought simply the glory of Christ. Now this is what we ought to do. This is what we expect you to do, and especially those who are now going away.
1. Because this is your duty. This is the highest thing you can do. Whatever else you do will in the end be regarded as nothing.
2. Because your own inward holiness and happiness will thereby be best advanced.
3. Because thus only can you be really useful. Thus only do you associate yourself with the saints and angels. The extension of Christ's kingdom is the only thing worth living for.
4. Because Christ has died for you. Paul thus judged that if one died for all, all should live for him.
CLXIII. Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2
Cor. 7:1
[April 27th, 1856.]
The promises referred to are, 1. "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 2. "I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
I. The duty. II. The motive.
I. The duty is to cleanse ourselves from sin.
1. These sins are of two kinds, those of the flesh and those of the spirit. 2. This is to be done by perfecting holiness. 3. This is a form of religion, it is to be in the fear of God. Sin is a defilement. It is
something which is offensive, debasing, marring the beauty of God's work.
1. This is true of sins of the flesh. In all false religions this class of sins are either denied to be sinful, or extenuated. According to the Scriptures they are debasing. (a.) Because the excellence of man consists in the harmony of his complex nature, in the due subordination of the lower to the higher element in our constitution. (b.) This harmony and subordination are destroyed by such sins. The sensual element is strengthened. If it gains complete ascendency, the man becomes brutal. (c.) The body belongs to Christ, is the subject of redemption, and the temple of the Spirit. It is a profanation, therefore, to make our members the instruments of unrighteousness. (d.) These sins grieve the Spirit. They are the evidence and consequence of reprobation. (e.) They are peculiarly destructive of our own excellence and of the welfare of society.
2. Sins of the spirit, such as pride, envy, malice, vanity, selfishness, indolence, as well as unbelief, impenitence, ingratitude, &c., are no less defilements. They render us offensive in the sight of holy beings.
We are to cleanse ourselves from these,
1. By washing in the blood of Christ.
2. By the work of the Holy Ghost.
3. By the use of the means of grace.
4. By avoiding evil, and perfecting holiness, i.e., endeavoring to be holy as God is holy.
5. By acting in the fear of God. We can be moral only by being religious. Men propose different theories of morality. (a.) Regard to the happiness of the universe. (b.) Regard to our own happiness, (c.) The nature of things, or the essential distinction of right and wrong. (d.) Self-respect, the dignity of our own spirit. All these are
irreligious. They leave God out of view. Religion is the only basis of morality.
II. The motive, viz. the promises.
1. Great power is in the Scriptures attributed to the promises. By them we are made partakers of the divine nature.
2. They are thus powerful because they enable us to draw near to God, to enter into that fellowship with the divine being, which is the source of life.
3. The special promises here referred to, are the great means and inducements to holiness. They are 1. God's presence, or indwelling. 2. His love. "I will be their God, and they shall be my people;" or "I will be their Father, and they shall be my sons and daughters." This includes everything.
If we are to stand in this intimate relation to God, then we must be holy. 1. Because otherwise he will cast us off. 2. Because otherwise we will be unable to apprehend his presence, or to enjoy his love. We must choose between sin and God. If we cherish or indulge sin, we renounce God. If we take God as our portion we renounce sin.
CLXIV. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them. Ephesians 5:11
[March 12th, 1865.]
Light and darkness are familiar figures for knowledge and ignorance. Knowledge is intellectual light, and ignorance is intellectual darkness. And as we know, in the Scriptures, knowledge and holiness, ignorance and sin, are always associated. Those who have the knowledge of God and divine things are holy, and they only; and
those who know not the things of the Spirit are the unregenerated. This is not an arbitrary usage. Knowledge produces holiness, and ignorance produces sin. The works of darkness are works which proceed from ignorance of God, or from the unenlightened, and therefore unrenewed, and therefore the polluted soul of man. It includes, therefore, all evil works such works as the heathen committed, and which unrenewed men everywhere commit. Such works are called "unprofitable" or "unfruitful" because they produce no holy effects, but are pernicious and destructive.
I. Our first duty with regard to such works is, not to have any fellowship with them, or rather, as the word is συγκοινωεῖτε, have no fellowship or companionship with the children of disobedience in works of darkness. The thing forbidden includes, 1. Congeniality with, or complacency in evil. 2. Companionship, or fellowship with those who do evil. We are not to share the state of mind of those who delight in sin, and we are not to take part with them in its commission. The evil here meant includes not merely, 1. Acts of gross immorality. 2. But all acts which, although not esteemed evil in the world, are really such in the sight of God. 3. The whole course of conduct and amusement characteristic of the men of the world.
This fellowship with evil may be, 1. Internal. It may be cherished in the heart, and by our reading and observation. 2. It may be external, either when we actually participate in what is wrong, or when we connive at it or countenance it in any way. This may be done, (a.) By our words. (b.) By our writings. (c.) By our conduct. A large class of professing Christians are, by the opinions which they advocate, and the course of conduct which they pursue, in fellowship with evil. They evince congeniality with it, and do much to promote it.
II. But we are to reprove them.
To reprove is, 1. To convince. 2. To rebuke. The duty enjoined is therefore, 1. Not to be silent in the presence of evil; not to pass it over. 2. But to show it to be evil. Convince those who advocate or
practice it, of its true character. 3. To rebuke, i.e., to declare that those who do evil offend God, and expose themselves to the consequences of his displeasure.
This duty, 1. Is a difficult one. 2. It should be performed with humility, with wisdom, with gentleness, and with a benevolent spirit, as well as with a zeal for the law and honor of God. 3. It should be done officially, by ministers in the pulpit and out of it; by private Christians, whenever the occasion calls for it; not when it is obvious that it would be useless or worse, for we are not to cast pearls before swine. 4. It is often better done privately than publicly.
The great thing is to be holy; to be illuminated by the Spirit; to shine as lights in the world, so that our spirit, opinions and conduct shall be a continual rebuke to evil. This requires that we should keep ourselves unspotted from the world and in fellowship with God, his truth and his people.
CLXV. Delighting in the Law of God
[Feb. 24th, 1861.]
I. Different senses of the word Law.
1. That which binds; hence the law of God as a rule of life, whether revealed in the Scriptures or in the heart.
2. The law as distinguished from the prophets.
3. The law as distinguished from the Gospel.
4. The whole revelation of God as contained in the Scriptures. This is the sense in which the word is often used in the Psalms, and the sense in which we are now to take it.
II. What is meant by "delighting in?"
In general, "to delight in," is to regard with lively satisfaction and pleasure. But what the expression really implies, depends on the nature of the object. When we say we delight in a landscape, we express a very different state of mind from that expressed when we say we delight in a friend; or, when we delight in a poem, the state of mind is very different from that of delighting in the law of God. There is, 1. An æsthetic delight in the Scriptures; such as Bishop Lowth so strongly expresses in his work on Hebrew Poetry. Many greatly admire the historical narratives, the prophetic exhibitions, the portraiture of character, etc., in the Scriptures. 2. An intellectual delight in the wisdom of the laws and institutions of the Scriptures. The principles of its jurisprudence and government have been the admiration of statesmen and legislators, and the model of modern nations and states. 3. A mere delight in the purity of its precepts. This is exhibited by those who deny its divine origin. All this is very different from what the Scriptures mean by delighting in the Law of God.
On this point the Scriptures teach,
1. That the natural or unrenewed man does not delight in the law of God. He does not do it, and he cannot do it, because he cannot know the things of the Spirit.
2. That this delighting in the law of the Lord is peculiar to the spiritual man, and is due to the influence of the Spirit. This influence is two-fold, or produces a two-fold effect. First, a subjective change in the state of the mind analogous to opening the eyes of the blind. It is such a change as imparts the power of spiritual vision, i.e., the vision of the spiritual excellence of divine things. This is not enough. A man may have the power of vision in a dark room. Second, it produces a revelation of the truth, a presentation of it to the mind in its true nature and relations. This is a special work of the Spirit. It is experienced much more abundantly at some times than at others. The effect of these operations of the Spirit is delighting in the law of God, which includes,
1. An apprehension of its truth and consequent conviction of its divine origin.
2. An apprehension of its excellence, of its purity, of its justice, and its goodness. It is seen to be right, to be morally glorious.
3. An experience of its power to convince, to sanctify, to console, to guide, to render wise unto salvation; an experience of its appropriateness to our necessities. It is seen to suit our nature as rational beings, as moral beings, as sinners.
4. An acquiescence in it, and rejoicing in it, as an exhibition of the character of God, of the rule of duty, of the plan of salvation, of the person and work of Christ, and of the future state. The Scriptures, therefore, are the treasury of truth; the store-house of promises; the granary of spiritual food; the never-failing river of life.
1. It is a fact that the people of God in all ages do thus delight in his law.
2. That if we are his people, this must in a measure be true of us.
3. That the more we delight in the law of God, the more we shall be conformed to it, and the better able to teach and preach it.
CLXVI. Fidelity in the service of God
[April 21th, 1864.]
Fidelity is that disposition of the mind and purpose of the will which secures the punctilious (or scrupulous) discharge of all our obligations. A faithful parent, a faithful magistrate, a faithful servant, a faithful Christian, and a faithful minister, is one who desires and
endeavors to discharge all the obligations arising out of his peculiar relations.
I. Fidelity requires a knowledge of our obligations, and, therefore, those who wish to be faithful will endeavor to obtain clear and correct views of what they are bound to do.
II. It requires an enlightened view of the grounds of those obligations. Without this there can be no rational desire or fixed purpose to discharge them.
III. It requires superiority over all conflicting tendencies. A man may have a desire to do his duty, and he may have a general purpose to perform it, but these may be too weak to withstand temptation. A son, a citizen, or a minister may have a desire to be faithful, and a general purpose to discharge his duty, but indolence, the love of pleasure, the desire of gain of some kind, may tempt him to disregard or neglect his most sacred obligations.
Fidelity in the service of God requires, therefore, 1. A knowledge of what he would have us to do, as men, in all our relations of life, as Christians or as ministers.
2. Such views of our relation to Christ and of our obligations to him, as shall awaken in us the desire to do his will, and lead us to form the purpose that we will in all cases endeavor to perform it.
3. Such a strength of this desire, and such firmness of this purpose as render them actually controlling over our whole inward and outward life.
IV. From this statement of the duty it is plain,
1. That it is a very simple one. There is no difficult point of casuistry about it. It is the desire and purpose to do what Christ requires, to carry out his will.
2. It is no less plain that it is a very comprehensive duty. It in fact includes all others. In saying that a servant is faithful, you say that he is diligent, honest, obedient, in short, that he performs all his duties as a servant. To say that a Christian is faithful, is to say that he receives God's truth, that he is assiduous in all his religious and social duties. So of a minister; to say that he is faithful, is to say that he is diligent in study; that he dispenses the truth, and nothing but the truth; that he does this in season and out of season; that he conscientiously discharges his obligations as a minister, to the ignorant, to the wicked, to the sick, to the suffering, to the young and to the old. It is also to say that he is devoted to his work; that he gives himself wholly to it; that he does not serve God and mammon, Christ and Belial, himself and his Master, but that his eye is single and his life undivided.
3. It is also plain, that as this duty is simple and comprehensive, so it is one of constant obligation. It is not a debt to be paid and forgotten. It is not a service to be rendered at a particular time or place, but one which lasts as long as we live. We are to be faithful unto death. If a man could be faithful for years, and become unfaithful, his former fidelity would count for nothing.
4. This duty being thus simple, comprehensive and permanent, is obviously exceedingly difficult. It supposes renunciation of ourselves and of the world. It supposes the mastery over all the evil principles of our nature, over our indolence, our passions, over the love of the world, over the fear of man, over the desire of wealth or applause. It supposes an entire consecration, not as a momentary act, as we might consecrate a votive offering, but as the surrender of our whole being unto Christ.
5. It is very clear that this cannot be done unless we have, (a.) The clearest apprehension of, and the strongest faith in, his divine majesty and glory. (b.) The firmest conviction of the value and absolute necessity of what he has done for our salvation. (c.) And
thirdly, the scriptural hope and assurance that we are objects of his love, and reconciled to God through him.
6. It is, finally, more clear than anything else, that we cannot be faithful, that we cannot discharge this high though simple duty, unless we are at all times filled by the Holy Ghost. It is only as he lives in us that we can live in Christ. "Yet not I," says the faithful Paul, "but the grace of God which was with me."
7. The encouragements to fidelity are abundant.
CLXVII. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58
[April 26th, 1867.]
Here are two duties, and the motive to obedience. The FIRST duty is steadfastness. The two words are used only for the sake of the climax.
I. Steadfast in the truth. This, Paul has specially in view. The Christians of his time were exposed to great temptations. (a.) From Judaism. (b.) From false philosophy. We also are so exposed, because we too are liable to be led away from the truth. How great this danger is, is shown by the history of the Church. In all ages the Church has been thus perverted, and it is now, in all countries, more or less turned aside.
Means of steadfastness. 1. A sense of danger. 2. Settled principles as to the source of truth. (a.) That it is not from reason, but by revelation. (b.) That it is revealed in the Scriptures. (c.) That the Scriptures are to be interpreted by ordinary rules. (d.) That the office
of the theologian is simply to ascertain, arrange and vindicate the truth as taught in the word of God.
3. Diligence in reaching clear and firm convictions.
4. Dependence on the grace of God, and constant prayer to be preserved from error.
II. Steadfastness of purpose, as well as of faith.
(a.) Steadfast purpose to be a Christian. (b.) To be devoted to the work of the ministry, not to give it up for anything else. (c.) To be steadfast in that department of labor to which God may call us.
The SECOND duty is to abound in the work of the Lord. To abound is to be abundant in labors, opposed to negligence and selfishness. It is to be active and diligent, improving our time, talents and opportunities constantly.
The work of the Lord is the work in which the Lord is engaged, the work of instructing, correcting and saving men. It is not any secular or worldly work, in which we are engaged, but the work which the Lord came down from heaven to accomplish; which he is now carrying on by his providence, by the ministry of angels, by the Church, and which is to be consummated in the kingdom of heaven. We are coworkers with God, with Christ, and with the Spirit, It is a great and glorious work in comparison with which everything else is insignificant.
The motive is that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. This is the negative statement implying the positive.
1. Our labor is not ineffectual. The work, though difficult, is not hopeless, but sure to succeed.
2. The labor is not in vain as to ourselves. God giveth us the victory.
CLXVIII. Walking with God
[February 18th, 1866.]
Walk is a word frequently used in the Scriptures in a figurative sense to denote the characteristic mode of life, as walking in the flesh, in the Spirit, walking after the manner of the world, &c. Walking with any one expresses a uniform and intimate fellowship or communion with him. It has this sense when the Bible speaks of our walking with God. This presupposes, first, that God is a person. Without that, personal communion with him would be impossible. It is therefore important that we should habitually think of him under this aspect. This is not inconsistent with his being infinite, immutable and eternal.
Secondly, it presupposes that this person is accessible to us, can hear and communicate with us. We may believe in the personality of Gabriel, but we cannot walk with him. We may believe in the continued personal existence of departed saints, and of our own friends, but we cannot walk with them. We may cherish their memory. Our hearts may frequently go out after them. But this is a matter of feeling. There is no real intercourse.
Thirdly, it presupposes reconciliation. How "can two walk together except they be agreed?" This reconciliation with God, which is the necessary condition of our walking with him, includes justification and sanctification. He must cease to regard us as under the sentence of his law, and we must have congeniality of mind with him. All these preliminaries, or antecedent conditions may be admitted, and may be pre sent, and yet God and we be comparative strangers. This walking with God is a rare and high attainment, as it implies more than casual or occasional intercourse. There is all the difference between the intercourse of ordinary Christians with God and habitual walking with him, that there is between an occasional intercourse, however agreeable, with a man whom we meet
occasionally, and our daily communion with an intimate friend, or member of our own family. Walking with God, therefore, means uniform, habitual communion with him. This includes, 1. An abiding sense of his presence. 2. An abiding sense of his favor. 3. A constant outgoing of our thoughts and feelings towards him. 4. A constant address, or direction of our desires to him for guidance, for assistance, for consolation. 5. An expectation and experience of his response. Communion cannot be one-sided. There must be conversation, address and answer. God does thus commune with us. He reveals himself to his people as he does not unto the world. He assures them of his love. He awakens in them confidence in his promises. He brings those promises to their minds, and gives them the power of response. These promises become his answers to their requests. And they experience a renewal of faith, love, zeal, etc., which is the manifestation of his presence with the soul. This is not imaginary. It is real. It is not enthusiasm. It does not suppose anything miraculous, no responses by voice, no unintelligent impulses; but the consciousness of the presence of the Infinite Spirit with our spirits; the conviction that he hears and answers us. We have probably all seen examples of this walking with God, men (as John S. Newbold) who lived in habitual communion with God through Christ.
The effects of this walking with God are,
1. Raising the soul into a higher sphere, above the passions and sins which disturb the mind, above the cares and anxieties of the world.
2. The rapid growth of the soul in grace.
3. A peace of mind which passes all understanding.
4. It invests the man with a halo of holiness, which is unmistakable and potent.
5. It renders him fit for all service and all trials. The means.
1. We must, as already said, be justified and reconciled.
2. We must avoid all known sin.
3. We must not only seek fellowship with God in the closet, but also keep him constantly before us all the day.
4. We must constantly address him, asking his guidance and support, and referring everything to him.
CLXIX. Walk in wisdom toward them that
are without, redeeming the time.—Col.
4:5
[Sep. 30th, 1855.]
Wisdom is a comprehensive word in the Scriptures. It is often used by Paul for the philosophy of the schools, or for human reason and its teachings; often for prudence and discretion; often for knowledge and understanding of the things of God, and hence for religion in a subjective sense, and for the gospel, the sum of truth, the highest form of truth. Frequently the same word is used both in an objective and subjective sense. It is so with "knowledge;" it is so with "righteousness," "hope," etc. So it is also with wisdom. This is either the system of divine truth, or the state of mind which the sincere reception of that truth produces. The latter is the sense here, as in Jas. 3:17. This is the wisdom by which our conduct is to be characterized.
1. It is from above. It is the gift of God, not a self-induced virtue. It is something supernatural and divine.
2. Pure, ἁγνή, as a dress or person newly washed; without spot, or defilement of any kind; as the garments of the saints who are clad in white. Thus pure should we be in all holy conversation and godliness.
3. Peaceable. Negatively, it does not promote dissension, conflicts, or wranglings. Therefore it is not censorious, or disputatious. Affirmatively, it promotes peace, it heals divisions, allays animosities, assuages anger.
4. Gentle. ἐπιεικής, courteous, decorous, proper or beseeming, suitable to the circumstances of each particular occasion.
5. Easy to be entreated; εὐπειθής, obsequious, open to conviction, ready to listen to admonition or reproof.
6. Full of mercy and of good fruits; full of kind feeling, and abounding in acts of piety and beneficence.
7. Without partiality; ἀδιάκριτος, unambiguous, unmistakable, that which is manifestly what it appears or pretends to be, and therefore connected with the next term.
8. Without hypoerisy. It is always what it pretends to be.
Such is the deportment we are to maintain in the world.
Those without, are those without the Church.
Redeeming the time. Availing ourselves of every opportunity to do good, so as to make the most of it, and so as to redeem it from evil.
1. The excellency of such a life.
2. It is honorable to religion and to our Saviour.
3. It is blessed in itself; it is a heavenly life.
4. It is beneficent. If all Christians were thus to live, the world would soon be as God's holy mountain, where there is nothing to hurt or to destroy. And if this community should thus walk, this house would be the ante-chamber of heaven.
CLXX. Earnestness in the service of God
[March 24th, 1861.]
I. God is defined to be a Spirit infinite, eternal and immutable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. In the presence of his immensity all creatures sink into insignificance. In the presence of his excellence, all sink into worthlessness. In the presence of his power, all else is weakness; and in the presence of his wisdom, all else is ignorance. He is so infinitely exalted above all things that all things are as nothing in comparison with him. His honor, his will, his blessedness is therefore the highest conceivable end of all things. To put anything in comparison or competition with this is supreme folly and wickedness.
But thus God in infinite condescension to the necessities of our race, and for man's redemption, has assumed our nature. He was found in fashion as a man. He was made under the law. He bore its curse. He died for our sins, and rose for our justification. He, in the person of the Son, is head over all things to the Church. To him, to God incarnate, our allegiance and devotion are due, not only as to God the Creator, but as to God the Redeemer, and as united to us by the bond of a common nature, and the indwelling of his Spirit. This is the God whom we are called upon to serve. The service of Christ is the service of God. There can be no service of God other than the service of Christ.
II. What is this service?
First, it is the inward subjection of our mind and heart to the revelation of his will. It is the acquiescence of our views of truth with the declarations of his word. It is the accordance of all our affections with his will. We love what he would have us love: himself, his people, all mankind. We hate and avoid all that he hates; sin, evil passions, inordinate desires, a worldly or selfish spirit. Much of the service of Christ consists in bringing down every imagination, and
every thought into subjection to his teaching, and in the inward life of the soul, as he is Lord, not of the body only, or of the outward life, but of the soul and all its states and exercises.
Second, the service of Christ includes the regulation of our outward life in obedience to his will. It is avoiding everything in our conduct which is unholy, unjust, unkind, impure, or unbecoming our character as his servants and children. It is the faithful performance of all our duties, private and social; our duties to our family, friends, neighbors, to the Church, and to the state. All this is properly his service, or obedience to him, because it is done according to his commands, out of regard to his authority, to please him and promote his glory.
Third, it includes the consecration of ourselves to the accomplishing of the work in which Christ is engaged. He came to save men, to redeem the world, to bring men to the knowledge and obedience of the truth, to cause all nations to love, worship and obey the Son of God. This is the end to which all things are directed, to which the Church is set apart. It is the highest end. It includes the highest happiness and excellence of our race, the highest good of the intelligent universe, and the highest glory of the Redeemer.
III. We are called upon to be earnest in this service.
Earnestness includes two things; first, fixedness of purpose, and, second, energy in exertion. It is not so much a matter of feeling. A man may be very calm, who is very much in earnest. Indeed those most excited and commonly in a flurry, accomplish little good. What we want is,
1. Fixedness of purpose; that is, such a sense of the greatness, sacredness and importance of the end in view, and of the obligations which rest upon us, that we shall deliberately and of settled purpose, determine, negatively, that we will not serve ourselves, or the world, or Satan; but positively, that we will serve God in Christ; that the
regulation of our inward and outward life according to his will, and the consecration of our time, efforts and talents to the promotion of his kingdom, shall be the end of our being.
2. Energy in the prosecution of this end, or execution of this purpose. What we suffer from is the distraction arising from the multiplicity of objects. We purpose to seek Christ as the main end, but there are so many subordinate ends, so many other things which we seek, that we lose all unity and force in our life. A stream divided into many channels, flows shallow and feebly in them all. It is only by collecting all the water into one channel that the current becomes deep and strong. So it is with life. If you would serve Christ with earnestness, you must serve him alone.
CLXXI. Self-knowledge
[February 6th, 1853.]
I. Its nature. II. Its difficulties. III. The means of its attainments.
I. Its nature.
All the objects of knowledge are included under the two heads of ourselves and what is not ourselves, the me and the not me. The two divisions are not equal, though both are vast. Self-knowledge philosophically considered, is the science of anthropology, including our nature, as to the elements of its constitution, and its relations to God and the world; physiology, or the science of the φὑσις, the sentient, living organism; the science of mind, or mental philosophy; the science of morals, or moral philosophy. Here are four of the widest and most difficult fields of human knowledge, all embraced under the head of knowledge of ourselves.
Practically considered, self-knowledge includes 1. A correct apprehension of ourselves as intellectual beings. 2. A correct view of
our peculiar dispositions and traits of character. 3. A correct knowledge of our religious or spiritual state.
A. KNOWLEDGE OF OURSELVES INTELLECTUALLY
1. Correct view of our peculiar intellectual gifts. Men differ; some men have a talent for one thing, some for another, some for one pursuit in life, some for another. It is not true that this is acquired. It is of great importance to know ourselves in this respect, (a.) In order to decide our profession, (b.) In order to determine our field of labor. Great mistakes are often committed, in choosing a wrong profession or a wrong field of labor.
2. A correct view of our relative ability. (a.) Some men underrate themselves. (b.) Some, and most, overestimate their talents. The one produces despondency, and the other, pride and vanity, and often egregious mistakes.
B. KNOWLEDGE OF CHARACTER
1. Of our natural dispositions. 2. Of our characteristic traits, as pride, vanity, irritability, selfishness, censoriousness, moroseness, obstinacy.
C. KNOWLEDGE OF OUR SPIRITUAL STATE
1. As to the reality of our conversion. 2. Our religious state, absolutely and relatively. Self-ignorance on these subjects is very common, as for example in the case of the Pharisees, the Papists and persecutors generally, fanatics of all classes. Real Christians are often under delusion.
II. Its difficulties.
They arise, 1. From the nature of the subject, the soul.
2. From the perverting medium of self-love and sin.
3. From the want of due attention.
4. From a wrong standard of judgment, as to knowledge, character and religion.
III. Means of obtaining self-knowledge.
1. Self-examination and constant watchfulness.
2. The word of God as a light and a rule.
3. The illumination of the Holy Spirit.
4. Collision with our fellow-men.
5. Providential trials revealing to us what we are.
CLXXII. Self-examination. (No. 1)
[Dec. 13th, 1868.]
Nothing to us is so important, and nothing so mysterious as self. What is the self? Wherein does the selfhood consist? Is it something real, or merely phenomenal? According to some the self is only a transient form of the infinite, as a wave is a form of the sea. Thus the self is of little value. According to others, what we call self is merely an affection of the body, and ceases when the body is dissolved. According to the Scriptures, and the common judgment of men, self is an individual substance and subsistence, having certain essential properties or attributes, intelligence, feeling and will; having a moral nature as well, and moral because a rational nature. If any of these essential attributes be wanting, self, a human personality, does not exist. This self is immortal, hence its infinite value. Its future destiny depends on its character, hence the unspeakable importance of knowing its true character, and hence the importance of selfexamination.
In this work self is the subject, self the judge, and self the witness. But it is not the rule or standard. This is fixed and immutable, and it is fixed by an authority out of, and higher than ourselves. That standard is the word, which teaches what men are and should be, what a Christian is, and what is or is not consistent with Christian character.
Three great ends are to be answered by self-examination.
First, conviction of sin, as necessary to repentance and faith in Christ. It is by examining himself and comparing himself with the law that the sinner becomes convinced of his guilt and just exposure to wrath; of his pollution, and is thus led to abhor himself; of his helplessness, so that he is prepared to believe in Christ, and look to him for salvation.
Second, the Bible teaches us what a Christian is, and thus enables us to determine whether or not we are Christians.
A Christian is, 1. One who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 2. That he is the Prophet, or infallible teacher. 3. That he is the High Priest, who by offering himself a sacrifice for sins, has reconciled us to God. 4. That he is our faithful and absolute sovereign, whose will we are bound to obey, in whom we must trust for protection, and to whose service we must be devoted. A Christian then, is one over whom these truths exert a controlling influence, both as to his inward and outward life. Is then, Jesus our God? Do we love and worship him as such? Do we receive his doctrines? Do we trust in his sacrifice and intercession? Do we obey, trust in, and serve him as our king? If so, we are Christians. It is not so much by the analysis of our experiences as by determining our principles, purposes, and course of life, that these questions are to be decided.
The third object of self-examination is a knowledge of ourselves, as Christians, i.e., whether our conduct be consistent, our motives pure, and our progress in the divine life what it ought to be. This should be
a daily exercise. We should call ourselves to account every day, to see where we have failed.
CLXXIII. Self-examination. (No. 2)
[February 11th, 1855.]
I. The object of self-examination and self-knowledge. It is to determine, 1. In general, what we are; whether or not we are the children of God. 2. Whether we are making progress in the divine life or not; whether our general deportment is consistent. 3. Whether in any given case we have acted agreeably to the gospel.
II. Self-examination requires, 1. A right standard of judgment. This is the word of God. (a.) It is not the experience or conduct of others, which in reference to our state or conduct is so often made the rule. (b.) It is not public opinion, or the standard of the class to which we belong. Merchants, lawyers, ministers, professors of religion in different churches, commonly adopt this standard. The only standard by which we should judge ourselves is that by which God will judge us in the last day. It is, therefore, of the first importance that we be well acquainted with the Scriptures as a rule of character and of conduct, to determine what we are, and what in any given case is right.
2. Self-examination requires an impartial, faithful and attentive judge. No matter how accurate the rule, if we are partial, unfaithful, and indifferent in applying it, we shall err.
3. It requires time. There must be a day of judgment. There are set times which are especially appropriate; for example, the close of the day, sacramental occasions, any period of emergency. The great evil is, that the work is neglected because of the want of a set time for it.
III. The difficulties of the work.
1. It is irksome, as an act of introspection. It is hard to determine the character of our feelings. The heart is deep, it is unsteady, it is deceitful.
2. It is not only irksome, but we are liable to many perverting influences, (a.) From self-love. (b.) From public sentiment. (c.) From the opinions of others regarding us.
3. Another difficulty arises from slothfulness, which leads to the slight performance of other religious duties.
IV. The advantages and obligations of self-examination.
1. It is a commanded work.
2. It is an indispensable work. It must and will be performed. We cannot fail to pass judgment on ourselves. The only question is, whether this judgment shall be hasty, biased and erroneous, or deliberate, formal, on a right standard and worthy of reliance.
3. It is necessary as a preservative against false hopes.
4. It is necessary to give us rational and Scriptural grounds of rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.
5. As a means of correcting our errors and avoiding sin.
CLXXIV. Gravity
[October 1st, 1856.]
I. It is a law of our nature that the outward expresses the inward. What a man is, will by necessity of nature, be revealed by his con duct.
Illustrations, are the proud, the selfish, the frivolous, the sedate, the generous, the devout, etc.
Exceptions. A man may profess what he does not believe. He may practice secret sins. He may pass for a Christian when he is not, because the reputation for religion may be secured by outward correctness joined with profession. Still the general truth remains.
II. Hence the only way for a man to appear good is to be good, to appear grave is to be grave. In other words, the only way to secure an outward deportment which is desired is to cultivate the inward disposition of which such deportment is the natural expression.
III. Gravity. The words by which this virtue is expressed as a quality are σεμνός and σὠφρων, the former expressing the inward quality, the latter its outward manifestation. It is, in one view, that state of mind which secures respect, in opposition to those states which excite disapprobation or contempt. This is σεμνότης (gravity, dignity). In another view, it is that state of mind and outward deportment which is in accordance with our true character, circumstances and destiny.
We are to feel and act as immortal men, as sinners, as redeemed sinners, as ministers. That is, we are to cherish a state of mind, and exhibit a deportment, which corresponds to these various relations. This is not opposed, 1. To cheerfulness. 2. To a natural and unrestrained deportment. But it is opposed, 1. To frivolity. 2. To moroseness. 3. To sanctimoniousness.
IV. Benefits or advantages.
These are of two kinds. 1. The advantage to ourselves. It is the state of mind congruous to our circumstances, and, therefore, the best adapted to secure the right impression of truth upon the heart. 2. The effect it has on others. A large part of the power of one man over others lies in his character or excellence. Everything which increases our excellence increases our power, and everything which increases
the respect and confidence which others entertain toward us, increases our influence over them for good. This is eminently a clerical virtue, necessary to the successful discharge of the duties of the ministerial office.
V. Means of cultivating this grace.
1. Cultivating intercourse with the great truths of the Scriptures. Let them have their appropriate influence.
2. Employ yourselves in important and serious work.
CLXXV. Fasting
[Feb. 4th, 1355.]
I. Its nature. II. Its obligations. III. Its benefits.
I. Fasting in a religious sense is a voluntary abstinence from food for a religious purpose. It is a natural expression of sorrow, because sorrow destroys the desire for food and the power to digest it. In all ages, therefore, fasting has been connected with religious services in times of humiliation and distress. It was prescribed on certain occasions under the law, voluntarily practiced by good men, and recognized in the New Testament. This abstinence is either total or partial, either for a day or for protracted periods.
II. Its obligations.
1. It is nowhere enjoined in Scripture, and therefore cannot be made obligatory. When recommended by civil or ecclesiastical authority, it should be observed, unless for due reasons to the contrary. Stated fasts are not desirable, because they are apt to be regarded as binding.
III. Benefits of fasting.
1. The fact that fasting was enjoined under the Old Testament, and that it has entered so largely into the religious observances of men, render it probable that there is a real ground for it.
2. The psychological, or physiological ground for it is the relation between the soul and the body, which as far as this matter is concerned, shows, (a.) That fasting is a natural effect of sorrow. (b.) That the mind is indisposed to act when the body is replete with food. (c.) That as the body sympathizes with the soul, so the soul does with the body.
3. The moral or religious ground. (a.) All acts of self-denial, the refusal to gratify the lusts of the flesh, even when natural and proper, is an assertion of the supremacy of the soul over the body, and tends to strengthen its authority. (b.) It is a general law of our nature that the outward should correspond with the inward. No man can maintain any desired state of mind while his bodily condition and acts are not in accordance. He cannot be sorrowful in the midst of laughter. This is the ground for reverential postures, and for decorum in dress and manner in public worship. This is a widely operating principle. There is, therefore, a scriptural, a psychological, and a moral and religious ground for fasting.
4. There is also the further ground of experience and the example of God's people. All eminently pious persons have been more or less addicted to this mode of spiritual culture. (1.) It must, however, be sincere. The hypocritical fasting of the Pharisees and Papists is at once hateful and destructive. (2.) It must be regarded as simply a means and not an end. (3.) It must be left free.
CLXXVI. The responsibility arising from
the possession of special privileges
[April 29th, 1855.]
The Scriptures teach that there is such a responsibility. Our Saviour said, "Unto whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required." The parable of the ten talents teaches the same: so his denunciations of Capernaum and Bethsaida. Paul says God will render to every one according to his works, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. The principle is one of natural justice. It is not with its correctness, but with its practical application that we have to do.
I. Our peculiar privilege as to personal religion.
1. As compared with the heathen. 2. With the ancient people of God. 3. With most other Christian nations. 4. With the great mass of men in our own country. We should, therefore, be among the best men in religion. Have we in any good measure made a proper improvement of these advantages? We shall assuredly be judged according to them. What can prevent our being rejected as slothful and unprofitable? Not our saying, "Lord, Lord, hast thou not prophesied in our streets?" Not our saying "God be merciful." Even if saved, it will be so as by fire.
II. Our privileges as to attainment of knowledge and other qualifications for usefulness. Compare these again with those possessed by others in other lands and in our own country. Who can look back over life without the deepest humiliation and sorrow, seeing we have attained so little in our school-days, in our college terms, in the seminary, and since. No one has done his best; scarcely any one has done what his conscience can at any moment be satisfied with. Is not God greater than our conscience? Again have we not reason to fear that we shall be rejected as slothful servants?