Part 3
2. In cleansing from guilt it cleanses from pollution. By restoring us to the favor of God.
a. By restoring us to the favor of God, wherein is our life. b. By securing for us the Holy Ghost who regenerates and sanctifies the soul, so that it ultimately becomes as pure as the angels of God.
3. It destroys the power of sin, by introducing, or securing the introduction of a new principle of life, which being the life of God, is stronger than the principle of evil, and ultimately triumphs over it.
As the blood of Christ is the only means of cleansing sin, it follows, 1. That our first duty is to apply for its healing and cleansing power for ourselves, and that daily. 2d. That we should make known this fountain for sin and uncleanness to our fellow-sinners. In one form or other these are the inferences which flow from every subject which comes up for consideration.
XXIX. Christ our Priest
[Nov. 11th, 1855.]
I. The idea and necessity of a Priest.
The holiness of God is his prominent characteristic. Hence he is opposed to sin. Hence he is inaccessible to sinners. Men are unholy. Holiness and sin are opposed not as two natural laws, or two elements, as fire and water, merely; nor as two principles, as justice and injustice; but as far as we are concerned, as persons, so uncongenial that association is impossible; and also, as far as the sinner is concerned, so guilty that God must forbid his approach.
As on the side of God there is infinite power, blessedness and excellence, this banishment from him involves on our part utter destruction. We cannot approach him. We must approach him or perish. All feel this. All this is symbolized under the Old Testament.
Hence the necessity of a mediator; one who can approach and who can propitiate. These are the functions of a priest. This is included in the radical meaning of כּחֵו (Kohen) and ἱερεύς (hiereus) from ἱερός (hieros.)
II. Christ is our Priest;—Christ, the person, the Theanthropos; not as Logos, but as both, God and man; Jesus the Son of God.
He is qualified for this work,
1. Because he has liberty of access.
2. Because he has somewhat to offer.
3. Because his infinite dignity gives infinite merit and efficacy to his work.
4. Because he ever lives.
5. Because he can be touched with a sense of our infirmities.
6. Because he is divinely appointed.
III. What he does as our Priest.
1. He actually atones. He renders God propitious. He expiates our sins.
2. He thus gives us access to God. This the old priests could not do because their sacrifices could not take away sin.
3. He makes intercession for us; prays for our justification, sanctification and preservation, the supply of all our wants.
IV. The duties we owe to Christ as Priest.
The recognition of him in his office, not attempting to draw near to God without him, which unbelievers do, and the inquiring sinner so often and so fruitlessly attempts.
This recognition is not merely the acknowledgment of him as HighPriest, but the actual committing our souls into his hands to be atoned for, and to be introduced to God by him. This must be done not once, but constantly.
2. Confidence, a. In his willingness to act for us as our priest. b. In the efficacy of his blood and in the prevalence of his intercession. c. In his sympathy and tenderness. He is called a merciful and faithful, i.e., trustworthy high-priest.
V. Importance of this doctrine.
1. To Christianity as a system of doctrine. Without this, the gospel is a mere philosophy. This constitutes the difference between Evangelical systems and Rationalistic, e.g., Socinianism; between Protestantism and Romanism.
2. To Practical Religion. Religion consists in intercourse with God. There is no intercourse except through Christ as priest. All our
religious exercises therefore depend on our experimental recognition of this great truth.
XXX. Christ Our Passover
[April 1st, 1855.]
I. What was the Passover?—1. The actual passing over by the angel of the doors of the Israelites. 2. The Lamb slain. 3. The festival.
II. Points of resemblance between Christ and the Passover.
1. The Passover was perfect.
2. It was crucified. 3. Exposed to the fire. 4. Must be eaten. 5. Its blood applied. 6. It effected deliverance.
III. 1. We are in danger of destruction. The angel of wrath has commission to destroy all the workers of iniquity.
This destruction certain, fearful, and will come as an angel of darkness at an hour we look not for him.
2. There is no other means of escape. We cannot bar our doors or windows against the entrance of this minister of wrath. We cannot propitiate him. We cannot resist him. We cannot bear up under his avenging stroke.
3. The blood of Christ, as it is the only means, is certainly efficacious. The angel entered no door sprinkled with the blood of the lamb.
4. That blood, however, must be applied. It is not enough that it has been shed. If men think themselves secure; if they either think the angel will not come, or that they can by other means escape his anger; or that the mere shedding the blood is enough, they will perish.
5. The application of this blood gives not only security but a sense of safety. Doubtless all degrees of confidence were felt by the Israelites. Some slept without anxiety; others trembled at every sound; others pressed their first-born to their bosoms and longed for the morning. So with sinners sprinkled with the blood; all are secure, but the measure of their confidence is very different. The want of confidence arises from the want of faith.
6. The Passover secures not only preservation from death but deliverance from slavery and introduction into Canaan. So our Passover delivers us not only from death, but from the bondage of Satan, and brings us to the heavenly Canaan.
7. The Passover was to be commemorated as long as the old economy lasted. The death of Christ is also to be commemorated.
8. The Passover was celebrated with unleavened bread, with everything indicative of separation from the land of Egypt. So the death of Christ binds us to holiness. What would have been thought of a Hebrew who after such a deliverance, having for its object his redemption from the bondage of Egypt, had clung to his fetters.
This is the special application. We are bound to be holy; to make our life a Paschal feast, a perpetual season of devotion and service to God.
XXXI. Christ the end of the Law for
Righteousness. Rom. 10:4
[January 28th, 1855.]
The immutability of the law is a fundamental truth. This rests on its nature, and on the immutability of God. The evidence is found in the Scriptures and in conscience. This the Jews believed, and this truth lay at the foundation of their error, which was twofold. 1. That the
law was to be fulfilled by their own righteousness. 2. That the form in which the law was immutable was the Mosaic law. This twofold error led to the effort, 1. To establish their own righteousness, and 2. To their making righteousness to consist in ceremonial obedience.
Paul taught, 1. That the law is immutable; as he asserts and proves. 2. That it cannot be satisfied by our righteousness, but is and can only be satisfied by the righteousness of God. 3. That Christ is therefore the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 4. Consequently the immutability of the law is consistent with its abrogation, because its abrogation is effected by its fulfilment. The law is immutable so far as it demands righteousness as an indispensable condition of justification. But it is abrogated so far as it says, do this and live, i.e., so far as it requires our own righteousness.
There are different senses in which Christ may be said to be the end of the law. 1st. In the sense of its completion. But this is contradictory to the meaning of τέλος, which never occurs in the sense of πλήρωμα. 2d. In the sense of having made an end of it, abolished it. This he has done in two ways. a. In so satisfying its demands that it ceases to require our own personal righteousness as the condition of justification; and b. In putting an end to the Mosaic institutions, so that obedience to that law is no longer necessary to salvation. 3d. Christ is the end of the law in being its aim or object. This means either. a. That the end of the law is righteousness. Christ is the end of the law because he is our righteousness. The end or design of the law is secured in him. So that it is by faith and not by works that the end of the law is to be attained. This agrees with what follows. The law demanded what we could not do. The gospel requires simply faith. Or, b. Christ may be said to be the end of the law as he is the object aimed at in the law. It was designed to bring us to Christ. The law is a school-master. This is true of the moral and also of the Mosaic law. In any sense the great truth taught is that Christ protects us from the law, and is our righteousness. Whether this is taught by saying that he made an end of it, or that it loses itself
in him as to its great design, so that what it contemplated is secured in him, matters little.
Out of Christ we are exposed, 1. To its inexorable demands. 2. To its awful curse. 3. To its slavish spirit.
In him, we are righteous. 1. We meet all the demands of the law by pleading what he has done. 2. We are free from the curse as he was made a curse for us. 3. We are delivered from the spirit of bondage again to fear and are filled with the spirit of adoption.
Hence, 1. As the apostle teaches, we have peace with God, and peace of conscience.
2. Assurance of eternal life, as no one can condemn those whom God justifies.
3. With this we have a principle of obedience, for until we are reconciled there can be no holiness.
4. We are made partakers of all the glory and benefits of his triumph. Having obeyed and suffered for us and as our representative, we share in all the blessings promised as his reward.
XXXII. The Intercession of Christ
[Oct. 27th, 1861.]
The figurative representations of Scripture are intended not to impress the imagination but instruct the understanding. They must therefore be interpreted so as to convey definite truth. They are not to be understood literally; nor is the analogy which they suggest to be pressed too far. Nevertheless they are never to be explained away as mere figures of speech. As the intercession of Christ is represented as the ground of confidence and a source of consolation, it must be understood to express, 1. The relation in which Christ stands to his
people. 2. The nature of one part of the work which he discharges on their behalf.
I. The relation which Christ as intercessor sustains to his people;—or, the relation which is implied in the work of intercession. It is that of an advocate to his client. The former personates the latter; puts himself in the client's place.
It is while it lasts, therefore, the most intimate relation. The client does not appear. He is not heard. He is not regarded. He is lost in his advocate, who for the time being is his representative. This is the relation in which Christ as our advocate stands to us. He appears before God for us. We are lost in him. He, not we, is seen, heard and regarded. It is not necessary that the client be personally present. His advocate supplies his place. Christ thus assumes our position.
II. The work of an advocate is twofold.
1. It is to vindicate an accused person from the crimes laid to his charge, to secure for him the verdict of not guilty. In other words, it is to save him from the infliction of the penalty with which he is threatened.
2. It is to establish the claims of his client, to secure for him the quiet enjoyment of his inheritance or property.
When Christ therefore is said to be our advocate or intercessor, it means that he performs for us these two offices. He secures for us the verdict of not guilty. He obtains our justification, at the bar of God. And he secures for us the enjoyment of all those blessings to which we are entitled according to the terms of the covenant of grace. These are not only our justification, but the gift of the Holy Ghost, which secures regeneration, sanctification, knowledge of the truth, consolation, guidance and perseverance in grace unto the end; together with that measure of temporal blessings which shall best minister to our holiness and usefulness; and finally the consummation of the work of salvation in heaven.
III. The qualifications for an advocate are,—1. The right to appear in court. This does not belong to every one. It must be admitted by competent authority. And this admission is founded on evidence that the applicant or candidate professes the requisite qualifications. Thus we have no right to appear before God. Christ was appointed by God for this office. And his appointment supposes that he has the requisite qualifications. He has the right of entry to the courts of the Lord, as the representative of his people.
2. Knowledge. a. Of the law; of the demands of justice; of the administration of the government to which the court belongs. b. Complete knowledge of his client's case. c. Knowledge of the way in which his case can be properly presented and urged. This knowledge on Christ's part is omniscience. It is coupled with sympathy both divine and human.
3. An adequate plea. No advocate is competent to plead a client's cause successfully unless he has a sufficient plea to offer in his behalf. Christ has this plea in his own perfect righteousness, and in the promise of God. On these grounds he secures our justification and the bestowment on us of all the blessings of redemption.
IV. Characteristics of Christ's intercession.
1. He is the only mediator or advocate. There is no other who is authorized or qualified to act in our behalf. And no other is necessary.
2. His intercession is perpetual. He ever maketh intercession for us.
3. It is successful. It has never failed and it can never fail.
4. It is freely offered to all and freely rendered.
V. Duties of a client to his advocate.
1. He must commit his case into his hands without reserve, and not depend on himself or any one else.
2. Trust and confidence. He must rely on his ability to conduct his cause, and not attempt to take it out of his hands.
3. Gratitude and love.
This, therefore, is a perpetual and everflowing source of consolation.
XXXIII. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. And he is the propitiation for
our sins. 1 John 2:1
[December 4th, 1859.]
I. Sin is always represented in Scripture as a very great evil,—as degrading the soul, as producing all misery, as separating us from God, as justly deserving his wrath and curse.
Viewed in the light of our own judgment, it is seen to be all that the Scriptures declare it to be. As seen by God, it is proportionately offensive in his sight. The opposition of his nature to sin is inevitable and necessary. It is infinitely great; and his justice renders the condemnation of the sinner inevitable.
II. All men are sinners.—We, of course, are among the number. Our sins are numerous, inexcusable and greatly aggravated. We cannot deny them. We cannot cancel them. We cannot atone for them. We are in a state of hopeless condemnation. Hopeless, because just.
III. We therefore need an advocate;—that is, one who has a right to appear before God for us, and who is qualified to plead our cause at
his tribunal. No one can do this for himself. No man can do it for his fellow-man. No creature can do it for his fellow-creature.
IV. We have an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous.—He is qualified for this office, 1. Because he is the Son of God; a divine person; entitled to appear before God, whose intercession must be right and sure to be heard. His divinity gives infinite dignity and worth to his work, and efficacy to all he does in our behalf.
2. He is the Son of Man; clothed in our nature, and therefore able to obey and suffer in our stead, and to sympathize in our infirmities.
3. He is righteous and a propitiation for our sins. He has done all that justice and holiness require in order to our pardon and acceptance. The plea which he is thus enabled to present is a sufficient one. It is not only sure to be heard, but it must be heard. It cannot be righteously disregarded. This plea is not only effectual for some, but for all in whose behalf it is urged. It is of force for all who come unto God. So that no man has a right to say there is no ground for his acquittal, though there may be ground for the acquittal of others. Christ's righteousness is not only of infinite value, but is equally available or suitable for all mankind.
4. This advocate, so exalted, so tender, furnished with an availing plea, with such solid reasons why those for whom he pleads should not be condemned, ever lives to make intercession for us. His advocacy is uninterrupted, and will never fail. He never can be absent from the court in which our case is to be decided.
5. He is always accessible. We can at all times go to him, at all times find him, no matter where we are or what may be the emergency.
This doctrine is presented by the apostle not as an encouragement to sin, but as a ground of consolation for those who desire to forsake their sins.
He acts for those who come to him for pardon, sanctification and salvation. For those who desire to continue in sin, he does not act unless it be to bring them to apply to him for help.
XXXIV. The Presence of Christ with his
Church
[Jan. 6th, 1867.]
The promise is, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
I. To whom is this promise addressed, and what is its purport?
Both the points are embraced in the Romish theory, which assumes, 1. That the promise was to the apostles and to their successors in the apostolic office. 2. That it was a promise to be with them as apostles. a. To impart to them the necessary gifts, first, for teaching, and secondly, for ruling. b. To render them infallible in their official acts. c. To enforce their decisions and sustain their authority.
This is a beautiful theory. It would to human view be a blessed thing to have a succession of apostles, i.e., of holy men, infallible in their judgments, to settle all points of doctrine, to remove all doubts, to solve all questions of conscience, and to rule with undeviating righteousness over the whole Church.
And when to this is added, on the assumed primacy of Peter, and of his successor, the Bishop of Rome, as the representative of Christ, we have the beau ideal of a theocracy for the Church and ultimately for the world.
But in proportion as this theory is good if true, it is destructive if false. If the prelates are not apostles, have not their gifts, their infallibility or authority, then for sinful, erring, wicked men to claim
their prerogatives is ruinous. To be under the guidance of a good angel is a blessing; but to be under the guidance of Satan, in the guise of an angel of light, is destructive.
That this view is not true is plain, 1. Because the promise is not addressed to the apostles exclusively. 2. Because the apostleship was not perpetual. 3. Because the Romish prelates do not claim individually but only collectively those endowments. 4. They do not show the signs of apostles. 5. History proves them to be false apostles.
II. The promise was not made to the apostles as ministers of Christ and to their successors in the ministerial office, but to the whole Church.
This is plain, 1. Because others than ministers were present when the promise was made. 2. Because the same commands and the same promise are elsewhere given to believers. 3. Because the presence of Christ, as realized, is with all his people.
III. The sense in which Christ is present with his Church.
The Speaker is not God, not the Spirit, but Christ. The thing promised is therefore specifically his presence and not merely the presence of his Father, or of the Holy Ghost. It is true that where the one is, there are the others; and therefore the forms of expression interchange.
The presence promised is, 1. Not a corporeal presence. 2. It is not a mere dynamical presence, as though a new energy, power, or life had been infused into humanity, which was to develop itself by its own forces. A certain school teaches that in every organism, such as the Church is assumed to be, there is, a. An underlying substance, principle, life, or force. In this case, it is the life of Christ. b. This principle contains in itself all that is evolved from it. c. The evolution is according to a law peculiar in itself. d. The evolution is constant and progressive. e. The whole is one, the underlying potential basis
and all that is evolved from it, as in the germ and they that spring from it. This is a mere philosophical theory, without support from Scripture, and contrary to its facts. It takes Christ from us. It gives us nothing of him but what we have in ourselves.
3. The presence of Christ is not merely a presence to the thoughts and feelings as in the case of an absent friend. 4. It is a personal presence. It is not merely God, or the Spirit, or the Eternal Logos, but Christ, who is ever present with his people. And this presence of Christ is not merely or exclusively as to his divine nature, but as to his whole person. That is, Christ, as God-man, is a. Near to us so that we can speak to him, praise him, confess to him, avow our love to him, pray to him with the assurance that he hears us. b. He is near to us in the sense that he always sees us. Knows our temptations, trials, our inward state, our outward circumstances, our weakness and wants. c. He is present in that he can and does hold intercourse with us, revealing to us his glory, assuring us of his love, and guiding us in the way in which we should go. d. He is present with us not only thus to instruct and comfort us, but to strengthen for duty, to support us under trial, to console us and to render our efforts in his service successful. e. He is with us as he was with the apostles, not only in their inward spiritual life, but in their work, guiding them; giving them words which their adversaries could not gainsay or resist; rendering their preaching effectual, confirming its truth and vindicating its authority. And thus he will be with his church to the end of the world.
XXXV. How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world?—
John 14:22
[Sep. 21st, 1862.]
The manifestation spoken of is, 1. Peculiar to believers. 2. Common to all believers, and therefore not that made in the body after his resurrection.
The great truth therefore here taught is: an inward spiritual manifestation of Christ to the souls of his people. He reveals himself to them so that they may be said to see him, to have intercourse or communion with him. As to this, it may be remarked, 1. That we are surrounded by a material world which reveals itself to our senses and acts upon them. And we are surrounded by a spiritual world, i.e., by the souls of other men, by spirits good and bad, by God.
2. We know that these spirits reveal themselves to us and act upon us. Our fellow-men address themselves to us in words, looks, and acts. Evil spirits we know act on the soul, as in the case of Satanic temptation and in the case of demoniacs. So God thus acts. This is the doctrine of natural religion and of all Christians.
3. This manifestation of God's presence in his providential agency, is analogous to that made by the soul of a man on the control and government of the body.
4. But the manifestation which he makes to his people is peculiar not only as to the mode in which it is made, i.e., by the Holy Ghost, but also as to what is revealed. God reveals himself to the wicked as an avenger, as a consuming fire. To his people he reveals his glory and his love.
5. The scriptural doctrine is distinguished on the one hand from the Deistical or Rationalistic doctrine, in that God's revelation of himself is only mediate, that there is no intercourse between the soul and God; and on the other hand from mysticism. This system teaches,
a. The immediate communication and contact of the soul with God.
b. That thus new truth is revealed and guidance granted. c. That the soul is ultimately merged in God. d. That this beatific vision is
attained by passivity and abstraction. In opposition to both these errors, the Scriptures teach, as above stated,
1. That God has intercourse with the soul, not merely through his works and by his word, but immediately by his Spirit. 2. That the effects of this manifestation are, a. Vision, we are said to see him. b. Knowledge. c. Holiness; we are transformed into his image. d. Assurance of God's love. e. Hope of his glory. f. Joy unspeakable. 3. That the subjective conditions of this manifestation are love and obedience. We must be first reconciled to God through Christ. But this may be with little or no intercourse between the soul and God, as in infants and children. And when reconciled we must have the soul in the requisite state, free from unholy and disturbing passions, and the conscience purged from dead works. 4. That this manifestation is not a matter of consciousness, only its effects. But this is true of all spiritual manifestations.
1. As intercourse with God is possible and is productive of such incalculable benefits, we should most earnestly desire it and assiduousl cultivate it.
2. We should be on our guard against either denying or abusing the doctrine.
XXXVI. Christ our Life
[Sept. 4th, 1853.]
What is meant by life? The word is very comprehensive. It includes, 1, appropriate activity; 2, happiness. The life here intended is a. Not natural life. b. Not intellectual life. c. But spiritual and eternal life.
Christ is our life in that he is its author, its object, and its end.
I. Christ the author of life.
1st. He saves us from death, a. By his atonement, which satisfies the law. b. By delivering us from the power of Satan.
2d. He is the author of inward spiritual life. a. Because he procures for us the gift of the life-giving Spirit. He has redeemed us in order that we might receive the promise of the Spirit. b. Because he not only merits, but sends or imparts the gift of the Holy Ghost. He baptizes with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
II. He is the object of life.
1. The exercises in which the spiritual life consists terminate on him.
2. The happiness involved consists in fellowship with him. He is our life, as he is our joy, our portion, our everlasting inheritance.
III. He is the end of our life.
It is Christ for us to live. While others live for themselves; some for their country, some for mankind, the believer lives for Christ. It is the great end and design of his life to promote his glory and to advance his kingdom.
1. Test of character. The difference between the true and nominal Christian lies here. The one seeks and regards Christ as his life, only as he delivers from death. The other, as the end and object of life.
2. The true way to grow in grace, or to get life, is to come to Christ.
3. The happiness and duty of thus making Christ our life.
XXXVII. I am that Bread of Life.—John
6:48
[April 11th, 1869.]
Occasion of this discourse. Christ had fed the multitude. The people flocked to him because they did eat of the loaves. He exhorted them not to labor for the meat that perishes, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto them. That meat was himself. "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.… Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life."
The truths taught in this connection are:
First. That Christ is the source of life. The life spoken of is called everlasting life. It is not physical life, but spiritual and eternal life. The life of the soul. The opposite of spiritual death. It includes holiness, blessedness, glory in the highest measure man can enjoy those blessings.
This eternal life can be obtained in no other way. Not from ourselves; not from any external rites or ceremonies; not from external privileges and special prerogatives, such as belonged to the theocratical people of old, who ate of the manna and died. Those who are without Christ; those who reject him; who refuse to recognize him as the source of life, or receive and appropriate him, shall perish. There is no life but in and through Christ.
Second. That Christ is the life-giving bread; not his doctrine, not his law, not his example, not his influence or moral power, not the form of religion which he introduced, not the Church which he established, but Christ himself, his person and his work.
Third. Christ is, or becomes our life, by giving himself for the life of the world. "The bread I will give is my flesh." He gave himself, his flesh, his body, his blood, as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. Thus he is the life of the world, 1. Because it saves us from the sentence of death. 2. It restores us to the favor of God. 3. It secures the indwelling of the Spirit, which is subjectively our life, eternal life in us.
Fourth. It is not enough that Christ gave himself; not enough that manna fell in the wilderness; not enough that bread should be provided; not enough that a sacrifice should be provided. The manna must be gathered and eaten. The bread must be appropriated and used. The sacrifice must be applied to each soul to be of benefit to the soul.
Fifth. This appropriation of Christ is expressed in different terms in the context, 1. By coming to Christ. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And I will raise him up at the last day.
2. By eating his flesh and drinking his blood. This all means the same thing, for the same effect is attributed to each.
Sixth. Eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood, does not mean, 1. Receiving the substance of his body and blood, as Romanists and Lutherans say. 2. Nor the dynamic influence of his glorified body as Calvin says is done in the sacraments. 3. Much less does it mean the mere moral influence of his sufferings and martyr death. 4. Nor his theanthropic life. 5. But, as giving his flesh for the life of the world is dying for the world; and dying for man is dying as a sacrifice, so eating his flesh and drinking his blood is appropriating to ourselves his flesh as broken and his blood as shed.
As he had spoken of himself as bread, and the act of appropriating as eating; and as he had said the bread was his flesh, so appropriating his flesh as a sacrifice is called eating.
The grand truths are,
1. That Christ is the only source of life.
2. That every man must receive and appropriate him for himself.
XXXVIII. Christ our Example
[December 3d, 1856.]
God himself is set before us as an example in the Scriptures. But Christ as possessing our nature, subject to our infirmities, temptations, and sufferings, brings before us not merely divine, but human perfection as a model for our imitation. We are therefore commanded to be followers or imitators of Christ.
We should thus imitate him,
I. In his piety or devotion to God, in the constant reference to God's glory;—constant confidence in his promise; constant obedience to his commands; constant submission to his will; and in the frequency, fervor and attendance on the other means of grace, for he fulfilled all righteousness.
II. In his benevolence, his disinterested devotion to the good of others.—He sought not his own. He went about doing good. Neither his own honor nor advantage was the end which he pursued. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Let the governing principle of your life, the end for which you live, be what his was.
III. In his manner of resisting temptation.
1. He never placed himself in danger. He refused to tempt God.
2. He resisted the first suggestions of evil.
3. He appealed to the authority of the Scriptures, or used them as the sword of the Spirit.
IV. In his endurance of injuries.—Never was such ingratitude, disrespect, indifference, malice, contempt and scorn, heaped on any other head; and that head encircled with the radiance of divine perfection, and the crown of universal dominion. Yet, 1. There was no resentfulness. He did not call down fire from heaven on his enemies. He did not return evil for evil. He did good for evil and prayed for those who shed his blood. 2. He did not threaten. In this there is a strong contrast between him and many of the martyrs.
V. His faithful rebuking of sinners.—1. Here it was sin he rebuked, and his censures were the expression of his hatred of sin. 2. It was fearless and impartial. 3. It was with authority.
VI. Christ as a teacher.—1. Adapted his instruction to the state of his hearers. 2. He seized every occasion and gave his lesson a character of being especially applicable. 3. He spake as a witness.
VII. Christ as a sufferer.—1. He did not manifest stoical indifference. 2. He was meek and resigned. 3. He looked to the end, the glory that should follow.
XXXIX. Christ our Physician
[January 27th, 1861.]
I. We are all laboring under the malady of sin.—This malady is, 1. Universal. 2. It pervades our whole nature. 3. It is attended by great suffering, degradation and loss of power. 4. It will issue, if not arrested, in eternal death.
II. No man can cure himself.—This is proved, 1. By consciousness. 2. By experience. All efforts at self-cure result in failure or selfdeception, or, at best in mitigation of the symptoms.
III. No man, or set of men can cure others.—This has been attempted, 1. By educators. 2. By philosophers. 3. By ascetics. 4. By ritualists. The world is filled with charlatans or quack pretenders to the power of healing the disease of the soul.
IV. Christ is the only physician.
1. He secures the right of applying the only effectual remedy by propitiating the justice of God, and securing liberty of access to the soul for the Holy Spirit.
2. He sends that Spirit as the Spirit of life and strength. As the constitution is radically affected, a radical cure is necessary, and this can only be effected by a life-giving spirit.
3. This cure is a long and painful process. The soul is not at once restored to a state of perfect health. It must pursue a protracted course of regimen. It must submit to self-denial, and to the use of the prescribed remedies.
4. But if we submit to his directions, the cure is certain and permanent. It results in immortal vigor, beauty and strength; to the restoration of our nature to a far higher state than its original condition.
5. Christ is not only the only physician, and one able to heal with certainty all our maladies, but he is accessible to every one and at all times. It is not any one form of spiritual disease, or any one degree of it, but all forms and all degrees. Any one in the last stage of spiritual death may come to him with the certainty of being received and cured. He demands no conditions. He asks no terms. He requires no preparation, and will receive no recompense.
6. He is not only thus infallible and thus accessible, but he is tender, patient and forbearing. He has all the attributes of a good physician in infinite perfection.
1. The duty of every one to apply to him for cure.
2. The one reason why we or any are not cured must be in us, not in him.
3. The duty of making this physician known to others.
XL. Christ the Bridegroom
[Jan. 8th, 1854.]
The relation of Christ to the Church is variously presented. 1. He is the head of the Church, as his body. 2. He is the vine. 3. The foundation or corner-stone. 4. He is her prophet, priest and king. 5. He is her shepherd. 6. He is the Bridegroom.
This is intended to express,
1. Intimate union. a. Sameness of nature. b. Common life.
2. Peculiar love. a. This love is exclusive. It has no other such object. b. Peculiar pride, delight. c. Strength of affection.
3. He adorns the Church with graces; clothes her in the robe of righteousness and the beauty of holiness; honors and exalts her, making her partaker of his own glory.
4. He cherishes, provides for and protects her from dishonor, from misery.
5. He enriches the Church. Not his honor only, but his possessions are shared with her. This is variously and frequently presented in the Scriptures. This wealth includes, a. The Holy Ghost. b. All needed means of grace and good. c. Heaven, or eternal life.
6. He uses towards her the language of endearment, gives and requires assurances of love. He has communion with her, not as a stranger, nor as a δοῦλος (slave), but an intimate associate.
7. He takes her to his Father's mansion with great honor and rejoicing, and abides with her in an indissoluble union forever.
Her duties.
1. Love. This again must be exclusive and supreme, without a rival, without an associate.
2. Obedience. His will must be her law, because it is his will. This obedience should be, a. Cheerful. b. Universal. c. Constant. d. Selfsacrificing.
3. Fidelity. The want of this violates and vitiates the union. The transfer of affection to any other object is the greatest sin against the relation which can be committed.
4. Dependence. She must look to him for protection, for support, for happiness.
5. Delight in his presence, longing for the manifestation of his love.
6. Zeal for his honor. Identified with him, what honors him honors her.
XLI. The Transfiguration
[March 29th, 1863.]
Different modes of interpretation. 1. The historical. 2. The naturalistic. 3. The symbolical. 4. The mythical. The first is the only one which can be admitted. The character of the narrative and the character of the gospel history forbid any other explanation.
I. The facts of the case.—1. Not a change of figure, but a change of state and appearance of the same figure.
2. Not a mere illumination of Christ's body, but a change in it, from its ordinary to an extraordinary state, so that it was refined and glorious as the sun. It was not a change of substance. Charcoal and diamond, flint and glass, are examples of the different states of same substances.
3. His garments themselves were changed, or merely illuminated.
4. Moses and Elias were really present in body, and they really talked with Jesus audibly and intelligibly to others.
Theophanies and manifestations of angels under the Old Testament dispensation. Mode of presence. Why they rather than others.
5. The cloud and voice, and what the voice uttered.
6. The effect on the disciples.
II. This was not a dream; nor a vision such as the prophets had. Much less a mere illusion, such as the sights seen in delirium, or in a somnambulistic state. But a real occurrence. Christ, Moses and Elias were actually present.
III. Cause of this change and of these occurrences.—Not natural causes alone. Not divine power through second causes. But the immediate efficiency of God.
IV. Design of this manifestation.
1. To prove that Christ had power over his own life. To him death was not a necessity of nature. His sacrifice was a voluntary one.
2. To prepare his disciples for the great trials which were before them.
3. To manifest his glory and attest his divine mission.
V. What this solemn scene teaches.
First, Concerning Christ.
1. His divinity. a. As a manifestation of his glory. Peter says, "we were eye-witnesses of his majesty." Μεγαλειότης, (megaleiotes) the word for majesty, is used in the New Testament only of God, with the single exception of being once applied to Diana in a heathen sense. It proved Christ to be God. b. This proved also by the recognition of him as the Son of God by the voice out of the cloud.
2. The unity of his person. It was the θεανθρωπος (Theanthropos); God manifested in the flesh.
3. It teaches and attests his divine mission.
Second, Concerning the intermediate state. It teaches the conscious individual existence of the soul after death. Moses and Elias appeared as individual men.
2. It seems also to teach that the souls of the departed have a knowledge of the state of the Church in this world, and are interested spectators of its progress.
Third, As to the future life.
1. It is a revelation of the nature of the resurrection body, which is to be glorious, identical with the present body and capable of recognition.
2. That there can be and will be in the future life not only recognition but intercourse.
The two great duties which the Transfiguration of Christ should impress on us are,
1. To regard and reverence Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as God and man, infinitely, glorious and lovely. 2. To obey him. Hear ye him. Receive as true all he says. Believe his doctrines. Rely on his promises. Obey his precepts.
XLII. The memory of Christ and the
reason why it should be cherished
[March 9th, 1856. Communion Sunday.]
Distance, absence and the past, form a dark region into which the eye cannot penetrate. Where are the Patriarchs, Adam, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and all the prophets? Not absolutely forgotten because they are historical, but thought of as shadows, shades only.
There are three classes of persons hidden in the past. 1. Those who have lived and died as the leaves of the forest, and left no trace. Such are the vast mass of men. 2. Those whose names are inseparably connected with the history, and who can never be forgotten as long as history is cultivated. 3. Those who not only have accomplished great things in their generation, but the effects of whose lives and acts continue and determine the condition of the present generation. To this class belong all men who are the authors of great revolutions and of permanent institutions, or of systems of doctrine or of philosophy which consciously determine the opinions or conditions of succeeding ages. Such were the men of our Revolution, Mohammed, Luther, Calvin.
Christ constitutes a class by himself. He is not only an historical personage, as Sesostris or Numa. He is not only the author of a system of doctrine embraced by one-third of the human family; not only the founder of the Church, which determines the form of modern civilization, and therefore, in that sense, cannot be forgotten, as his name is mentioned many millions of times every day, and in every part of the world. All this is true, but all this is too little.
To remember is not merely to recall the past, as the object of present knowledge. It is also to estimate, appreciate and duly consider. When we remember God, we remember our obligations, our privileges, and the promises which were made to us. There is recognition of the truth, and an appreciation of the effect which it ought to produce, which is implied and intended.
To remember Christ is therefore not merely to call to mind the facts of his life; nor to acknowledge our obligations to him as the teacher of the gospel and the founder of the Church, as Mussulmans may remember Mohammed; but besides all this, it is to consider and appreciate our present relation to him. It is to cherish the lively consciousness that he is our life. 1. Our deliverer from death, the judicial death to which we were exposed, and from which we are preserved only by him. We are to remember the hand which holds us up from Hell every moment. A man floating on the ocean might as well forget the plank which sustains him; or the man suspended over an abyss, forget the rope which holds him up, as we, to forget Christ.
2. We are to remember, i.e., be always mindful of the fact that it is not we that live, but Christ that liveth in us; that all right thoughts, all just purposes, all holy affections, all good acts, are the product of his continued agency in our hearts. Shall the branch forget the vine? The earth the sun?
3. We are to remember that he is the author of all happiness, of peace of conscience; the source of God's favor, of our access to God, of communion with him, of all temporal and social blessings, of security
from our spiritual enemies by whom we are surrounded, principalities and powers. Can a man forget the source of all his present joys? Can he forget his food, the air he breathes, the light of heaven, the all-sustaining power in which he lives and moves and has his being? Neither can the believer forget Christ.
4. We live not only in the past and in the present, but also in the future. We have an eternity before us. Christ is our life, not only in having delivered us and in now sustaining us, but in being to us, a. The principle of eternal life. b. In being its object, i.e., to know him, to be with him, to be like him, to be engaged in his service, fills all our future with light and glory.
We cannot look back without seeing Christ. We cannot look beneath, above, or around us in the present, but he fills the whole horizon. We cannot look forward but he is the effulgence which sheds its glory on our eternal career. To remember Christ, therefore, is all our duty, for it is to live on him, to live for him, and to live with him.
XLIII. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all.—Rev. 22:21
[April 22d.—Year not given.]
Grace.—The primary meaning of Χάρις (charis) is, that which gives joy. And as nothing is such a source of joy as love, grace means love. And as love of a superior to an inferior is specially gratifying, such love is with emphasis grace; and as love towards the unlovely, the ungrateful, the sinful, the guilty is of all other forms of love the most powerful and effectual in rendering blessed, so this is the distinctive idea of grace in the Scriptures,—undeserved love.
The secondary meaning of the word is gift, benefit, undeserved benefactions; and especially divine influence.
II. Whose grace or love is here invoked?
1. Of a divine person. It is the love of the Second Person of the Trinity. Therefore it is divine. The love of God is a. infinite, b. immutable, c. the sufficient and certain source of all good. If we are the special objects of this infinite, immutable and unmerited love of God, we are just as sure of receiving all we need, if we do his will, as a child is of receiving the care and protection of a parent.
2. This love of Christ is a human love. It is the love of a person who has human affections, human tenderness, human sympathies, human yearnings, just as truly and in the same sense that we have.
3. It is the love of a Lord. This includes a. The idea of possession. It is the love of one to whom we belong, as we belong to no one else; one who has bought us, bought us with his blood; to whom we are precious; whose heritage, whose reward, whose crown and glory we constitute. b. Lordship includes also the idea of authority. c. Of rightful power. d. Of actual protection.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the undeserved love of a divine person clothed with our nature, whose love has all the attributes of sinless human love; the love of one who owns us, who is invested with absolute dominion over us and who is our protector and preserver.
III. What is meant by this love being with us.—When one sends his love to another, it is only the assurance of his love. So when we say the love of Christ be with you, we mean, 1. May Christ actually love you; may you be the object of his love. 2. May you have the assurance of that love so as to be able to enjoy it and rejoice in it. 3. May you have the manifestation of that love. 4. The communion of loving intercourse, such as that between intimate friends. 5. All the benefits which flow from the love of Christ, not only the inward joy, fellowship and delight, but the supply of our wants, assistance,
protection, support and final deliverance which the love of an infinite Saviour can secure.
Now this assumes that Christ is present with us.
1. We have no such communion with an absent friend as Christians are assumed to have with Christ. We have no communion with the dead, i.e., no intercourse with them. We can't communicate our thoughts, our feelings, our wants to them, nor can they communicate with us or help us. He is present with us in the sense in which a friend is present, with whom we can converse, with whom we can constantly communicate.
2. It implies that Christ is present with us as to his human nature. There are different kinds of presence. a. Local in space as opposed to distance. b. A presence of power and influence and manifestation, as the sun.
In this sense Christ's human nature is present, i.e., the love of Christ is of a person who has the attributes of humanity, and therefore his love which is with us is a human love.
This conference this afternoon has special reference to the Senior Class. It is the invocation of their professors and their fellowstudents that the grace of the divine human Saviour, whose they are, whom they serve and who is their protector and master, may be with them; that is, that they may always be assured of his love enjoyed by them, and thus be sustained, assisted, supported and comforted by it to the end.
XLIV. Jesus crowned with glory and
honor. Heb. 2:9
[Dec. 14th, 1862.]
The interpretation of Scripture, especially of the prophecies, is to be determined, 1. By the usus loquendi. 2. By the facts of Scripture and history. 3. By the authoritative expositions found in the Bible. The declaration of the Psalmist concerning the exaltation and dominion of man would seem to mean nothing more than that man is to be the head or lord of this creation, i.e., over the irrational creatures inhabiting this globe. We learn from the Scriptures and from the exaltation of Christ, that this is but a drop of the bucket compared to its full meaning. The language of the Psalmist had its fulfilment in the exaltation of Christ. The passage is applied to him and interpreted in the same way in 1 Cor. 15:27 and in Heb. 2:8, which, by the way, is a strong collateral proof that Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews.
I. The subject of the exaltation here spoken of.—This is not the Logos, nor is it the human nature of Christ, but it is the Theanthropos. The union of the divine and human did not of itself necessitate this exaltation. Our Lord from his birth to his resurrection was a man of low degree, a δοῦλος, (doulos). There was nothing in his appearance to command the recognition of his divinity, or make him the object of admiration or fear. His exaltation was declared to be something given. The Logos, as one with the Father, would have had his divine excellence and blessedness; but as one with humanity, might have remained as He was here on earth.
II. The ground of this exaltation is twofold.
1. The possession of a divine nature. It is a principle in the Scriptures that no one is exalted to an office without the qualifications for it. The power exercised flows from what is inherent. Christ could not have been exalted to equality with God in dominion and glory, had he not been equal with God in all excellence. It is because he is the brightness of the Father's glory and upholds all things by the word of his power that he is seated at the Father's right hand.
2. His humiliation, suffering and death. This is taught in Heb. 1:4; 2:9; Phil. 2:6–11, and often in other places.
III. The nature of this exaltation.
1. Christ is made the head or ruler of all creatures. All divine authority is exercised through him. This was never so before.
2. He is the object of adoration. The central person in the universe. The invisible God is visible in him. Better known, comprehended, and therefore loved.
3. He is the head of his Church. His people, their salvation and blessedness, is a large part of his reward. Christ is the immediate sovereign to whom the allegiance, the love, the loyalty of all creatures, especially of his redeemed ones, belong.
IV. The effect of this exaltation.
First. On Christ himself, i.e., on his human nature.
1. It was not destroyed. It does not cease to have the substance and the attributes of humanity. It does not possess divine perfections. It is not infinite in reference to space, nor to power, nor to knowledge. 2. It does not destroy the individuality of that nature. He is still Jesus. Not only has he a true body and a reasonable soul, but the very body and the very soul which he assumed and wore on earth. 3. It does not destroy the marks of this identity. Those who knew him on earth, knew him on the mount and in heaven. His person in heaven bears the impress of his sufferings on earth. These are the things to be denied. What is to be affirmed is simply what the Bible teaches us, viz.: that his humanity is made so glorious that he cannot now be looked upon by mortal eyes. Those who saw him became as dead men. His body is glorious, incorruptible, powerful and spiritual. The humanity is included in the personality of the Logos. It is the same I who said: "Before Abraham was I am" and "I thirst." The
manifestation of his hypostatic union has been made since to all creatures. Before, it was seen imperfectly and only by the few.
Second. Its effects on other creatures.
1. It greatly increases their knowledge.
2. It enlarges the sphere of their activity.
3. It increases their blessedness.
Third. Its effects on his people.
1. It exalts human nature above all creatures. What the Psalmist said is true not only of Christ, but in its measure of his people. They are exalted above the angels in some things.
2. It brings them therefore into a participation of Christ's kingdom. Its effect is that we reign with him; we partake of his glory; we judge angels.
V. Inferences.
1. As we are to be like Christ, we should purify ourselves even as he is pure. We should live worthy of this destiny.
2. We should consecrate our whole soul, and life, and power to his service.
3. We should be content and happy. It is enough for us that we are one with Christ.
XLV. The Coming of Christ
[December 21st, 1856.]
I. Nature of it.—Christ came. He comes. He is to come.
1. He came in the flesh. The long lines of predictions from Adam to Malachi were accomplished at last, after long delay and anxious expectation.
2. He comes continually. a. In the extraordinary manifestation of his presence and power, whether for judgment or mercy. b. In the special manifestation of himself to his people.
3. He is to come. a. Personally and visibly. b. With power and great glory. c. The dead shall rise, the just and the unjust. d. The judgment will then be held. e. The world destroyed. f. The kingdom of God shall be consummated.
The consequences of his advent to his people will be. a. Their redemption; that is, their final deliverance from the power of death. b. Their complete conformity to the likeness of Christ. c. Their perfect enjoyment of that kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
II. As to the time of the Second Advent.
1. It is unrevealed. 2. It is to be unexpected. 3. It will not be until the conversion of the Jews, and the calling in of the Gentiles. Did the Apostles expect him in their day? 1. They regarded his coming as they regarded the coming of death. 2. It was at last revealed to them that there was to be a falling away first. We must distinguish between their personal expectations and their teaching. The latter alone is infallible.
III. Points of analogy between the first and second coming.
1. Both long predicted.
2. Long and anxiously expected.
3. The people indulged in many speculations as to the time and mode of his coming.
4. They were greatly disappointed as to the one and the other.
IV. The state of mind which the doctrine of the Second Advent should induce.
1. A firm belief in the revealed fact that he is to come. This faith should not be shaken by long delay. How long Abraham waited and died without the sight.
2. Earnest desire. The hopes of the ancient people were concentrated on the coming of the Messiah. This led them to bear patiently what they had to suffer. To set their hopes on the future and not on the present. The same effect should be produced on us.
3. Watchfulness and anxiety, lest that day should overtake us as a thief in the night. We should have our lamps trimmed and our lights burning. It would be a dreadful thing, should Christ come and find us immersed in the world.
4. Prayer and waiting. "Waiting for the consolation of Israel."
5. Solicitous efforts to prepare others for his coming, and to prepare the way of the Lord. He will not come to the individual nor to the Church until the way is prepared. This includes, 1. Taking out of the way obstructions to his coming. 2. The accomplishment of the appointed ingathering of his people.
III
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS
OFFICES
XLVI. The promise of the Spirit. Gal. 3:14
[September 21st, 1856.]
The doctrine of the Trinity is everywhere recognized as the foundation of religion. The Father elects, the Son redeems, the Spirit sanctifies. The Son came in execution of the covenant of redemption. Having fulfilled its conditions, he was entitled to its promises. One of those promises was the gift of the Spirit, Acts 2:33. "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." Accordingly the gift of the Holy Spirit was the great Messianic blessing promised and predicted; and as John said, the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified; and Christ promised that he would send them another comforter.
I. The first great truth on this subject is that the Holy Ghost is secured for the Church only by the mediation of Christ. It is due to his work that he is sent. His influence and presence is the great blessing secured by the death of Christ.
This does not imply that those living before the advent were not partakers of the Spirit, because all the benefits of Christ's death were enjoyed from the beginning. It is not the less true however that he died to secure those blessings.
II. The second great truth is that Christ is the immediate giver of the Holy Spirit. He sends him to whom he pleases, and bestows through him what blessings he pleases. Therefore men must seek the Spirit specially from Christ, as our mediator.
III. The third great truth is, that election by the Father and redemption by the Son avail only in virtue of the Spirit's work. Until the Spirit is received, the elect do not differ from the non-elect, the redeemed from the unredeemed. Hence our obligations to the several persons of the Trinity are the same. We owe as much to the Father who chose as to the Son who redeemed, and no less to the Spirit.
And as the Son acted voluntarily in redeeming those whom the Father chose, so the Spirit is voluntary in applying the redemption purchased by the Son.
This is consistent with the Father's sending the Son, and with the Son's sending the Spirit. Hence our love, gratitude, reverence and obedience are as much due to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son. This is not always remembered.
IV. The work of the Spirit, i.e., his inward subjective work, is,
1. To renew or quicken those dead in sins.
2. To illuminate. To reveal the glory of Christ, the holiness of God, the justice and extent of the law, the evil of sin, the certainty of judgment, and the truth and authority of the word of God.
3. To work repentance and faith, i.e., turning from sin and turning to God.
4. Constant guidance into the knowledge of truth and duty.
5. To qualify for special duties and offices.
6. To sanctify.
7. To comfort.
8. To glorify the soul and body. All this we owe to the Spirit.
V. The dependence of the individual and of the Church on the Spirit is absolute. Nothing can be experienced and nothing done but by him. Analogous to the dependence of the creatures on the Creator; a. for existence; b. for faculties; c. for activity; d. for the results or success. But not in any one of these cases is our activity superseded, and in them all the need of effort and exertion is the same.
VI. Election, redemption and sanctification are inseparably connected. Those whom the Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Spirit sanctifies. And consequently whom the Spirit does not sanctify, the Son has not redeemed and the Father has not elected.
Hence 1. The folly and wickedness of Antinomianism.
2. The only evidence of redemption and election is sanctification.
XLVII. Dependence on the Holy Ghost
[March 1st, 1857.]
Three forms of life in man: the sensual or corporeal, the intellectual and the spiritual. The first and second are sustained by the providential efficiency of God. The latter by the work of the Spirit.
I. The first is carried on according to material laws, i.e., the laws which control the operations of matter. The second according to the laws which determine the operations of mind. These are natural. The spiritual life is supernatural. That is, 1. It does not belong to our nature since the fall. 2. It is not produced by any natural process as in the case of our corporeal and intellectual life. In matter the
appropriate combinations always produce the same results. So of intellectual life; men may be trained or educated to any form of mental exercise. But there are no means which will produce spiritual life or sustain its exercises. You cannot produce faith, love, repentance, hope, joy, or heavenly-mindedness by any possible combination of agencies or by any possible exercise of efficiency. The analogies and illustrations of Scripture take this for granted. Men are said to be born of the Spirit, to be created, to be raised from the dead.
3. It is supernatural, (positively) because its existence is due to the direct agency of God through his Spirit; an agency not only distinct from the operation of all natural causes, but also from all the influences of the means of grace; neither the truth, nor the sacraments, nor priestly ministrations can impart life to those spiritually dead.
II. Although spiritual life, in the sense stated, is not natural, neither is it unnatural. 1. It is not incongruous to our nature. It is not incongruous that we should love God, worship Christ, exercise faith, repentance and all other forms of spiritual life. Our nature in its perfection would have these exercises, and all our rational, moral and emotional powers enter into them and form the basis, so to speak, of them. It is unnatural for a beast to speak, but not for one born dumb. 2. It is not unnatural in the sense of being magical, produced and sustained by occult causes, which have no relation to the effect produced. If washing with water, anointing with oil, or making the sign of the cross, produced holiness, it could be only by some magical influence. As when magicians by spells, amulets or incantation pretend to work wonders. There is nothing of this kind in the case of spiritual life. It is not in this sense unnatural. On the contrary, the means of grace are appropriate to the ends for which they are used. The truth concerning God, Christ and ourselves is adapted to produce the exercises of spiritual life where we are not dead. Just as heat, light and moisture would produce vegetation and growth in a seed if the seed be not dead; or as the powers of the mind are called forth by and developed by the appropriate moral training.
III. These are the two great truths taught us in the Scriptures on this subject. First. Spiritual life is not natural. Second. It is not unnatural.
From the former of these truths it follows,
1. That we are in a far higher sense dependent upon God for spiritual life than for corporal or intellectual life. For the latter we are indeed dependent; but they are communicated and continued according to fixed laws, while our spiritual life is not. It cannot in any way be produced in ourselves or communicated to others without a direct intervention of God. It is in this point analogous to a miracle. And we should feel our impotency to change our own heart, or to convert others as sensibly, and recognize it as being as absolute as it is to give sight to the blind or to raise the dead. And this is one of those truths which the Spirit forces men to acknowledge.
He never converts them unless they feel they cannot convert themselves; and he never makes them the instruments of converting others, until they feel that they cannot do it; that their skill in argument, in persuasion, in management, avails nothing. This is a pregnant truth, which should govern all our endeavors. We must feel it as men, as ministers and as a Church. The Spirit must be honored by this sincere and heartfelt recognition of dependence.
2. A second inference from this truth, or a second form of our dependence is, that the influence of the Spirit cannot be merited. We cannot place God under any obligation either as a matter of justice or as a matter of promise to give us the Holy Ghost, or to attend our labors with his divine influence. He has made general promises; general purposes have been announced. But the man who seeks repentance and faith, (and many seek to enter in who shall not be able,) has no right, should he fail, to complain. Divine influence is a grace. The man that preaches the gospel at home or abroad ever so long, or so faithfully, must be contented to acknowledge that success is a favor, not a debt. This is the second great truth which we must acknowledge.
3. Another inference is that this blessing is absolutely necessary, and yet may be withheld; that it must be sought with earnest importunate prayer. The sick in the days of Christ could not heal themselves. He was under no obligation to heal them; therefore they sought his help as a necessity and as a favor.
These are the inferences from the doctrine of the supernatural character of divine grace, or from the fact that it is not natural. The inferences from the doctrine that it is not unnatural are,
1. That we must not depend on rites and ceremonies, or outward institutions or ordinances.
2. That we must not expect the results without the diligent use of the means. This is true of ourselves. We mock the Spirit when we pray that he would sanctify us, and do not use the means. And no less when we pray for the conversion of others without using the means.
The doctrine of dependence produces,
1. Humility.
2. Gratitude.
3. Confidence.
XLVIII. Dependence of the believer and the Church on the Holy Spirit. Psalm 51:11
[Sept. 4th, 1859.]
The old saying that what is false in philosophy is true in theology is a contradiction in its obvious sense. It amounts to saying that the true may be false. Yet there is a sense in which the saying is true; or