Thus, indeed, every additional admonition, which a gracious God may be pleased to vouchsafe unto us, will be turned to good account; our faith will be confirmed, our affections purified, our knowledge increased,our resolutions strengthened and settled; “unto him that hath, shall more be given;” the sincere and pious believer will advance, at every call, a step nearer to his Saviour and his God; the still small voice of heavenly warning will be heard, even amidst the ordinary occurrences of life; the wonderful dealings of providence and the manifold means of grace will be turned to godly account; the instructions and examples of the living, and the contemplation of the saints at rest, will alike afford materials for spiritual edification. But if the great call to liberty and life be habitually neglected, to liberty from sin and shame, and life to holiness and glory, then the mind and heart are not in a condition to take advantage of occasional excitement; it strikes, but it does not overcome; it rouses, but the stupor returns.
2. Proceed we now to the second observation which may be drawn from the text, that when men reject the abundant evidence of truth, and the gracious invitations of heaven already given, when theyhave resisted the strivings of the Spirit of God, they are not to expect Him to deviate from the ordinary rules of His providence and grace, for the sake of removing their wilful blindness, and overcoming their perverseness and obstinacy.
It is a part of the divine economy, in the salvation of man, that he should of his own free will, by the grace of God preventing and assisting, “refuse the evil and choose the good:” and therefore man is not to expect from the Almighty any such interference in his favour, as might absolutely overrule his will, and compel him to hearken and obey. God’s infinite mercy is sufficiently manifested in His offer and promise to save those rebellious sinners, who listen to the teaching of His Spirit, who are willing to be saved in His own appointed way. To save those who quench the light afforded them, who discover no such willingness, who unthankfully turn away and refuse the inestimable gift presented to them, would be in direct opposition to the whole tenour of the wordof God. And experience concurs with Scripture to inform us, that no such extraordinary interposition is generally vouchsafed. The Jews, in our Saviour’s time, had read of the miracles of Moses and the prophets, professed to credit their inspiration, and their mission from on High; they had seen the astonishing miracles of Christ Himself; and might, if they would, have perceived the fulfilment of their prophecies in Him; many of them were eyewitnesses to the signs and wonders attendant upon His crucifixion; to the earthquake, and the supernatural darkness, and the rending of the veil of their temple; nor could they deny His resurrection from the dead. Against all this body of evidence, against all the means of conviction, they persevered in their rejection of Him. And the time came, when no further testimonial was to be granted; they were left “to fill up the measure of their fathers;” they died in their sins.
In addition to all these opportunities and advantages afforded to the Jew, weenjoy, at this day, the fulness of the manifestation of the gospel; the real nature of the Messiah’s kingdom is clearly and completely revealed unto us; the blessings of the gospel are set before us, in the most conspicuous and glorious light; we have all the certainty, which mortals can have, of a world to come; all the knowledge which our imperfect faculties could receive, of the nature of that world; and all the means of grace and hopes of glory. And if by all these mercies we are not convinced and persuaded, we can have no right or reason to look for any preternatural or overpowering interposition, even from the goodness and long-suffering of God. Rather may we fear that judicial infatuation, so frequently alluded to in Scripture, of the closed eye, the dull ear, and the gross obdurate heart. O let the sinner, instead of flattering himself with the delusion, that some extraordinary thing will one day be happening to him, which shall disengage him from earth, and fix his thoughts on heaven andeternity, O let him rather apprehend that the time is approaching, when the measure of his iniquity shall be filled up, and God will be no longer found.
I am not asserting, that such signal interferences have never been vouchsafed; that such loud awakenings have never been successful: I mean, that they are not in the ordinary course of divine providence, and are not to be expected. I mean to say, that where the grace of the gospel is continually resisted in the heart and life, the careless recusant is seldom reclaimed through the medium of any extraordinary visitation; whether of sickness, of accident, or any terrible calamity. The man, who entrusts his soul to the hope and operation of such occurrences, is placing it in imminent jeopardy. Whoever will save his soul alive, let him, without delay, “seek the Lord, while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near;”[130a]peradventure God may “laugh at his calamity, and mock when his fear cometh.”[130b]
And in other ways also does the same evil principle work, the same evil habit of “resisting the grace of God:” many persons, who express themselves thoroughly convinced of the truth of the christian revelation, and the absolute necessity of a spiritual obedience and a holy walking with God, put off their work of righteousness, from year to year, in the hope, not of any great or appalling event, but that some new circumstances may arise, which shall make it more convenient for them to renounce the world, and attend, without let or hindrance, to the salvation of their souls; they will have gained a sufficiency of earthly comforts, or they will be tired of the world; they will be growing old and feeble, and naturally more inclined to think of heavenly things. But this is only the same temptation as the former, presented in another shape; the “convenient season” is hoped for in vain; Satan never suffers us to be without a hindrance, real or imaginary; our attachment to the world does not wearoff; we grow older without growing more religious, without drawing nearer to God; and we never are, it is impossible we should be,naturallydisposed to “turn and seek after Him:” thus the delusion goes on; and we “will not be persuaded;” and thus, too frequently, the “expectation cometh utterly to an end for evermore.” There is no trusting to anything, but thepresentconviction and determination, but the instant and unreserved “obedience of the heart unto righteousness;” “to-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”[132]
In conclusion, I call upon you to think on the condition of the rich man in torment. His anxiety for a special interference in behalf of his brethren is represented as useless tothem, but it may be salutary tous: It may assure us of the wretchedness of that place, to which he was condemned; may incline us, by the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, to value and improve His gracious gifts, while they are mercifullybestowed; may determine us, while we have the all-sufficient light of the gospel, to be guided thereby into the way of peace; we may learn from this awful lesson, that if (God forbid that it should be so) butifany of us should be similarly doomed, we shall mourn for ourselves, and be anxious, that the companions we have left may be our companions no more; let us take heed for ourselves, and be anxious for one another in time, while the heed and anxiety may be crowned with success; may lead us to seek and find God’s favour and mercy, and so “escape from the wrath to come.”
1Johniv. 18.There is no fear in love,but perfect love casteth out fear:because fear hath torment;he that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1Johniv. 18.
There is no fear in love,but perfect love casteth out fear:because fear hath torment;he that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Ofall the sources of happiness, which the merciful God has opened to us, the most pure and abundant are the feelings of affection and love. I appeal, for the truth of this, not to the understandings, but to the hearts of those that hear me; and they will at once testify, unless corrupted and perverted by selfish or vicious habits, that such, even with regard to earthly happiness, is undoubtedly the fact. Persons indeed of inferior principle, ofirregular and irreligious lives, frequently draw from this source the most considerable portion of their pleasure, whatever abatements it may receive from their sin and folly: and when the passions are attempered, and the affections purified and exalted, by the influence of our holy religion, by the refining energy of the spirit of God, the delight naturally and necessarily becomes proportionably greater. “To love one another” is not only our first earthly duty, as injoined by the Saviour, but also our highest interest and advantage, as contributing to the happiness of all.
If then so much enjoyment is derived by mankind from the exercise of mutual love, how much more from the love of God—the pure, the gracious, the ever blessed God; “who loadeth us with His benefits;” who made us what we are, and gave us what we have; who created us for His glory, who redeemed us from sin and death, who sanctifieth all that trust in Him, that they may be happy for ever:in a word, whose goodness to us knows no bounds, but those which are set by our own perverseness and ingratitude. Almighty and most merciful Father, “whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.”[136]“Graft in our hearts the love of Thy name;” we cannot love Thee as Thou hast loved us; but give us the grace to love Thee with holy sincerity; with that devout and reverent affection, which shall render all other objects of desire comparatively indifferent to us, and make us satisfied with Thy favour, whatever else we want; which shall calm our apprehensions, when we think of an hereafter; and allay the uneasiness which arises in our breasts, when we reflect upon Thine infinite holiness, and our own degenerate condition.
Perhaps it may be imagined, that this is a state of blessedness attainable by few, if any, upon earth: some may urge the text against us, and say that this blessednessis promised only to perfect love, which mortals can never hope to attain; and that it is inconsistent with those numerous passages of Scripture, which admonish us of the necessity of fear; that in the admirable collect of our Church for this day,[137]we are instructed to pray for “a perpetual fear and love of God’s holy name.” How then can we possess the love which casteth out fear? I will endeavour to reply to these observations; and pray God that we may all derive, from the consideration of this subject, a more true and lively and abiding sense of the nature and necessity of that love towards Him, which, as His adopted children and the inheritors of His kingdom, we are absolutely bound to entertain.
Unquestionably true it is, that the fear of God is, and ever has been, indispensable to all His faithful servants; as well under the mild dispensation of the gospel, as under the severer discipline of the law. “The fear of the Lord is the beginningof wisdom.”[138a]“Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear Him.”[138b]“Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in His wings.”[138c]And accordingly the Apostle observes, “In every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.”[138d]“His mercy is on them that fear Him, from generation to generation.”[138e]But what is the nature of this fear? It is not a slavish principle, not a disturbing and distressful feeling. It consists in an awful sense of God’s glorious perfections; of His divine Majesty, unspotted purity, infinite knowledge and power; of His presence pervading every part of the creation, even the very mind of every intellectual being; such a sense, as to fill us with the deepest humility, perceiving ourselves unworthy even to stand in the sight of Him, “who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;” sucha sense, habitually impressed upon the heart, as inclines and constrains us to “follow the good” which He loves, and “depart from the evil” which He abhors.
And this principle is plainly and entirely consistent with the sincerest love: our love indeed is powerfully increased by the reflection, that our heavenly Father, of whose attributes we form conceptions so awful and sublime, should condescend to bestow such regard upon His frail and fallen, His disobedient and rebellious children; it may teach us to exclaim with the liveliest emotions of gratitude, as well as with humble adoration and astonishment, “Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him?”[139]Good reason, therefore, had the framers of our Liturgy, for directing us to implore the united influence of a perpetual fear and love of God’s holy name.
But the fear spoken of in the text is of another kind; it relates to uneasy anddistressful apprehensions respecting our acceptance with God; to a feeling of doubt and distrust, whether we are, in deed and in truth, partakers of the gracious promises of the gospel; whether we are living in a state of reconciliation with God; whether we have within us that earnest of the Holy Spirit, which is the pledge and seal of our redemption; whether, in a word, we are objects of God’s favour here, and have a well-grounded hope of his mercy hereafter.
That this is the state of mind represented to us by the beloved Apostle, is clear from his own reasoning; “for fear,” says he, “hath torment:” now the fear of God, as above described, has no torment at all; it makes us humble, and fills as with reverential awe, but it tends to comfort and peace. We could not entirely love a Being, whose manifestation inspired us with terror and dismay; and this is the very reason why many, when they come seriously to consider their condition, are filled with confusion and alarm; because theydo not love God in sincerity and truth: their affections have been set on the world; and therefore their title to salvation, upon the terms proposed to them in the gospel, is clearly insufficient; they have served other masters, and have reason to tremble for their reward from the great Lord and Master in heaven; they have employed their talents for other purposes, than those for which they were committed, and therefore, when they think of making up their accounts, their lord presents himself as “an austere man,” exacting more than they will be able to render: no man can heartily love God, without an entire obedience of the heart; this they have never shewn, and therefore have never loved Him: how then can they expect His favour; how can they reflect upon their condition with composure and comfort?
Truly is it said, that such fear hath torment; for of all the uneasiness which the mind can suffer here, the most painful is that, which is produced from an apprehensionof “the terrors of the Lord;” better not to have known the greatness of the salvation promised, than to neglect the means of securing it; better not to have heard of an hereafter, than to have a reasonable dread upon the spirits, what that hereafter shall be. They who have greater cause for fear than for hope, must, if they are given to meditate and look forward, find it cast a dismal shade over every scene and prospect of life; they may contrive to drown their serious thoughts, in the midst of worldly pursuits and intemperate pleasures; but this is only for the passing hour; they cannot possibly think, that their condition is thus really improved. But why take so much pains to mitigate or conceal a misery, which it is in our power, by God’s gracious mercy, effectually to prevent? Escape from these torments of the conscience by a sincere devotedness to the service of your Almighty Father, in the gospel of His beloved Son; by cherishing in the heart that “perfect love for Him, which casteth out fear.”
Yet is this possible, it may be said, for weak and imperfect man? Is it not rather a state at which we should aim, than one at which we can ever hope to arrive? Certainly the imperfect creature can never attain to actual perfection in any moral or spiritual duty; but his will and desire may be perfect, though his service is not; and in this sense, the duty of perfect love is equally binding upon all believers. It is a very common persuasion, and dangerous as it is common, that the standard of christian duty is raised much higher in the gospel, than it is necessary for the generality of Christians even to think of reaching; that some of the commands, there given, are intended only for the chosen few, more eminent than the rest of mankind in spiritual attainments; and thus too many professing disciples of our Lord, imagining themselves not bound by such extensive obligations, are content with measures of obedience, infinitely less than those, which are positively required; content with a state of heart and life, farshort of that, which the gospel recognises and injoins. But this is a mere delusion, to suit the wayward fancy and the corrupt inclination of man: where do we read in the Bible of such limitations and exceptions? Where do we find one set of rules for eminent Christians, and another for Christians in general? Are not all its precepts, and all its principles, and all its instructions, of universal obligation? When the Saviour promised His divine blessings to “the poor in spirit,” to them that “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” to “the pure in heart;” were the conditions intended only for the disciples around Him on the mount? Were they not also designed for His followers in every age? And when the Lord commanded Moses to “speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy,”[144]does the precept concern only the people of old? Is it not equally applicable to Christians? Yea, itis urged upon us all by the mouth of an Apostle.[145]The same is true of every spiritual doctrine, every moral command recorded in the Book of Life: there is no means of grace, no measure of obedience ordained, which a Christian can safely neglect.
Whatever, therefore, be meant in the text byperfectlove, that love it is the bounden and necessary duty of us all to attain and to cherish. And what is really meant by this expression, may be most readily and fully understood from a precept of the divine law, as confirmed and enforced by our blessed Redeemer; “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength.” This is the love described in the text; perfect inkind, as admitting of no rival principle, of no competition with “the world or the things that are in the world,” with any or all of them together; imperfect indegree, on account of the infirmity of our faith, ofthe weakness and corruption of human nature.
We cannot be at a loss to understand this distinction; yet it may be further illustrated by an example from ordinary life. The most affectionate and dutiful child will fail occasionally to please and obey its parent; but there will be a constant desire and endeavour to please: to have excited the parent’s displeasure, will bring uneasiness and sorrow; and therefore the violations of duty will be neither wilful nor habitual. And this sincere affection, for a kind and good parent, never ceases to produce delight; the child indeed, feeling so much respect and reverence, will be afraid of offending, afraid of the unworthiness, afraid of the dishonour; yet the service of obedience is rendered from choice, and not from constraint; with emotions of joy, with a grateful endearment of soul: slavish terror there is none; it is banished by the overpowering principle of love.
The case is similar, with respect to thelove of God: whoever, from a sense of the relationship which he is privileged to bear to the almighty and gracious Creator; whoever, from a contemplation of the high and holy perfections of the Godhead; whoever, from a perception of the divine goodness and mercy, does truly love the great and glorious Lord of all, will constantly delight to serve Him; sensible indeed of his manifold weaknesses and deficiencies, and thereby brought to grieve, and rendered the more fearful to offend; but still entertaining no doubt, that his services, imperfect and unworthy as they are, are accepted at the throne of grace, through the merits of his Redeemer, and as the fruit of faith in His prevailing name. For no earthly consideration would he exchange this heavenly joy and satisfaction; and no earthly event or dispensation, however afflicting, can drive him even to distrust, much less to despair. Though nature feels her bereavements and her troubles, his faith is strong; and it assures him, that the very chastisementsof the Lord are inflicted in mercy. “Who,” says the Apostle, “shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[148]
In speaking, however, of the holy confidence, with which we are inspired by the sincere love of God, far would I be, as far as possible, from confounding it with that self-sufficient and presumptuous tone into which some persons have been unbecomingly betrayed, when describing their spiritual condition. Humility is the foundation of the Christian’s confidence: he trusts, only because he is “strong in thelord, and in the power of His might;” he is sufficient, only because “all his sufficiency is of God.” And the purer his love, and the higher his attainments, the more humbly and modestly does he speak of them: he talks not of certainty, “as if he had already attained,” but delights himself with “full assurance of faith,”[149a]with “full assurance of hope;”[149b]his is not an extravagant joy, proceeding from the arrogant assertion of an elective claim, but a holy tranquillity of soul, arising from faith in the Redeemer’s undeserved mercy; from unfeigned love to the most benevolent and perfect Being; and reposing itself upon the unchangeable promises of Jehovah.
We do not question, my brethren, the claims of Almighty God to our perfect love. Is He not our Creator? and could He have formed us with any other design, than to make us happy? If reason could have doubted this truth, revelation makes it clear. And are we not preserved, everymoment of our lives, by His infinite wisdom and mercy and power? And though we are forgetful of His sustaining hand, still He feeds us with the bounties of nature; and invites us to partake of the riches of His grace. What are the greatest blessings, which a human being, which any creature could possibly desire? To be delivered from evil, and to enjoy everlasting good. And did not the adorable Son of God take upon him the infirmities and sufferings of our mortal state, to redeem us from misery, and exalt us even to glory? And does not the Holy Spirit condescend to dwell in our tabernacles of flesh, that He may cleanse us from every sinful defilement, “purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works,”[150a]and make us “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light?”[150b]Could we, even if we had been worthy, have desired, have imagined for ourselves, blessings so great and favours so exalted, as those which the good and gracious Godis showering down upon us? Shall we not then be inclined, from every consideration, shall we not be determined, by God’s grace, to love this heavenly benefactor with all our heart—from a principle of gratitude; from an admiration of divine perfection; from the inspiring hope and prospect of our eternal salvation? Yes, let us give unto Him, not that divided affection, which is the vain offering of a degenerate and degraded world; but the full and unreserved energies of the soul. If a portion of our heart be engrossed by any other object, we are not the true people of the Lord; we render Him not a reasonable or acceptable service; our love is embittered with fear; with a fear that has, and will have, torment. Lord, let our affections be altogether devoted unto Thee; pour Thy spirit of love into our hearts, for the sake of Him “who loved us and gave Himself for us;” we cannot love Thee here upon earth as we would do, but be pleased to accept what Thouenablest us to give, the tribute of a sincere heart; and let it be to us a never-failing source of humble confidence and holy comfort; so that we may anticipate the joyful hour, when we shall be removed, from this imperfect state of being, to a purer and happier world; where, with affections exalted and understandings enlarged, we shall render Thee a more delightful and laudable service; with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven.
“God is love;” and when the veil of the flesh is laid aside, and we are admitted into His glorious presence, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is;”[152]then will our felicity be complete, complete for ever; then, in the fullest sense of the words, we shall be “made perfect in love.” Here then, without a question, our true happiness lies; here is our all: let us pray that we may never lose sight of it; that the desire, nowkindled, may never be extinguished; that every “heart may there be fixed, where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1Peterv. 6.Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you in due time.
1Peterv. 6.
Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you in due time.
Thereis nothing, which more peculiarly marks the character of the faithful Christian, than the manner in which he submits himself to the appointments and dispensations of his God. The worldly and carnal spirit either frets and repines under the visitations of misfortune, or is disconsolate and cast down; or, at the best, bears up with a mere animal fortitude against them: it finds no comfort to flee unto,but such as is afforded by the vain world, in which it has already met with vexation und disappointment; and if the world is unable to secure a continuance in prosperity, still less is it able to provide a refuge in the dismal days of sorrow.
So lamentably indeed has this truth been experienced by many, that they have been driven to the fallacious and fatal expedient of attempting at once to drown their cares in intemperance; they have found nothing in the world sufficient to satisfy their reason, or to soothe their irritated feelings; and therefore have destroyed their faculties, that they might not reflect; and cut short the thread of that life, which they imagined themselves unequal to support: and some indeed have had recourse to a more speedy and awful means of delivering themselves from the burden of mortification and grief; ill prepared as they were, their own hand of violence has hurried them into the presence of their Judge. And even they, who have been preserved from these mostmiserable extremities, have sufficiently testified by their conduct, that the world has nothing satisfactory to offer, for the healing of a wounded spirit, or the removal of a load of sorrow.
Religion, the religion of the gospel, is the only source from which true comfort or support can possibly be drawn; and we see her triumphs manifested in the most blessed and remarkable manner when the faithful servant of God is overwhelmed with trouble; we perceive his mind in a state of tranquillity, under a conviction, that the Lord “doeth all things well;” and remembereth mercy, no less in chastisement, than in the time of prosperity; his unquiet emotions are subdued into holy subjection to the divine will; his affections are set the more earnestly on things above; the vanities of earth have lost their hold; and there ariseth in the heart that “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”
They who have been much conversant with scenes of sickness or of sorrow, cannotfail to have observed the truth of these remarks, to have been struck with the vast difference in the behaviour of men, in proportion as they have imbibed the true spirit and principle of the gospel. Some we have seen dismayed, disturbed, and restless; with nothing in their countenance, but vexation or anguish; others, cheerfully bearing up under the evils which have befallen them; and, by their expressions of joyful resignation, delighting and comforting the friends, who were shedding over them the tears of sympathy; the power of the word of God, the “joy of the Holy Ghost” has been visible in their very features. Those persons, who have beheld such an example, have been favoured with an instructive lesson, which they should “grave on the tablet of their heart;” a lesson teaching them, faithfully and forcibly, where to look for aid in the reverses and afflictions of life.
Yet, in order to lead us more effectually to cultivate, and to reap the benefit of, this heavenly frame of mind, let usnow consider the bearing of the apostolic charge in the text, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” Here we may discover powerful reasons intimated, why we should bring ourselves into a state of entire submission to the divine will, and rest satisfied and resigned under every dispensation. The hand of God is mighty: He is the sovereign Lord of all; has an absolute right to dispose of His creatures, according to His good pleasure; and is alone able both to know and to do, what their several necessities require. They, therefore, who profess themselves His people, are bound, by that very profession, unreservedly to submit to His sovereign disposal: “Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, what makest thou? O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.”[158]He who created, He who redeemed us, He to whom alone we can look for sanctification and life, should and will maintain the dominionover us: He that gave us our being, must be able, and cannot be unwilling, to “give us all things needful both for our souls and bodies.” We understand not how He formed us from the dust of the earth; so neither can we understand the methods of His providence; but, as “the life is more than meat,” so may we trust His goodness and His power, to preserve, in the best and wisest manner, the being of those, who seek His protection and submit to His government. A wise son yields to an affectionate father, even in points where he cannot comprehend the entire wisdom of his discipline and correction; yields, not only because experience has taught him the benefit of subjection, but also for the sake of obedience to a father, who is entrusted with the guidance of him, and has a right to be obeyed; much more should we, the adopted children of the Most High, bow with meekness and reverence before an Almighty and heavenly Father, though we altogether comprehend not the purposeof the trials, which He bringeth upon us: they are chastisements of mercy, of whatever kind they be, and moreover are ordained by Him, who has the entire undisputed right of dominion over us.
Another consideration here suggested is, that all resistance is vain; “the mighty hand of God” is uncontrollable. Utterly weak and fruitless were all the assembled powers of the universe, combined against His wall: what can a frail creature do, child of the dust, akin to the worm? If God strikes, who shall stay or avoid the blow? Whatever visitation He is pleased to send, to a family or to an individual—of sickness, of calamity, of death—there is no keeping it out of the dwelling; it may be softened by resignation, it may be removed, and even blessed, by prayer; but we cannot hinder the accomplishment of God’s will. In the language of the pious Hannah, “The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up—He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up thebeggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”[161a]
Yes truly; the afflicting hand of God is mighty in operation, both to the wicked and the good; the former are constrained to feel, though they will not heartily or practically acknowledge, that there is no dependence to be placed on the schemes or exertions of man; no trusting, that “to-morrow will be as this day and much more abundant.”[161b]When “riches shall have made themselves wings and have flown away;”[161c]when the favourite or the friend have been cut off; when the bodily frame is under the influence of alarming disease; then the sinner, if he be not spiritually humbled, will, at least be made sensible, that there is a power which canlay him low; the conviction is forced on his mind, though he may refuse to act upon it; his conscience is smitten, though he will not obey its emotions; it assures him of the vanity of human devices, of human dependencies and strength, though it fail to incline him to his God.
How blessedly different the effect of the mighty hand of God upon the sincere Christian! Even the heaviest affliction, the most untoward or adverse occurrence, produces, when he comes to reflect, a salutary influence on his mind and heart. Perceiving that it is the natural tendency of a smooth uninterrupted course, to make him rest satisfied with earthly enjoyments, and draw aside his attention from the sublimer delights and the more substantial interest of heavenly things, he acknowledges, not only with acquiescence, but with gratitude, the severer dispensations of providence; he knows, that his faith must be tried and his patience made perfect; it is the very object for which he is placed in this transitory state of existence;he therefore implores his gracious Father, to sanctify to him the crosses and disappointments below, and make them minister to the completion of his happiness above; whatever they are, they are less than his transgressions deserve; whatever they are, they are “of God’s sending,” to lead him to reflection and repentance; and very efficacious are they for the fulfilment of this merciful purpose; perhaps the only means by which he could have been preserved from falling, amidst the snares and temptations that surround him. The Christian is ready to confess, and many we have heard with thankfulness confessing, that of all the mercies received from the hands of God, the most distinguished, because the most effectual for his salvation, are the vicissitudes and troubles of life: how many a sincere believer, by the discomfiture of his earthly prospects, has been led to fix his heart more intently and stedfastly, upon the unchangeable felicity of heaven; how many, at the death of a friend, havesought more earnestly and experienced more abundantly, “the power of the spirit of consolation;” and have thereby been led to transfer their affections to that blessed world, where christian friends shall meet, and never separate again. How many, by the infirmities of the body, have been admonished and persuaded to make a better provision for the health and well-being of the soul! The hand of God has been mightily laid upon them, to rescue them from the tyranny of sin and Satan, to place them in the enjoyment of “the perfect law of liberty,” manifested in the gospel; to save their souls alive.
Let us not regard the various calamities that befal us, of whatever nature they may be, as the mere result of human design or contingency; for whether they be occasioned by our own imprudence and neglect, or by the instrumentality of an evil world, they are permitted and ordained by a wise and merciful God, to draw us nearer to Himself; to teach us the utter insufficiency of all earthlyinterests and possessions; and to raise our thoughts to the glory of an eternal kingdom. And if we receive them in a christian spirit, they will never fail to answer their high and holy purpose. Let us therefore watch and pray, that we may duly consider every calamitous day as a sacred opportunity, as a season of grace, as the rod of our Almighty Father to chastise us from sin: let it call us to deep meditation and contrition, to serious examination of heart; for it is only by the religious and spiritual observance of such seasons, that we can ever hope to derive from them improvement and comfort.
Remark and remember the language of the text, “Humbleyourselvesunder the mighty hand of God;” it is not enough that we be humbled, in a worldly sense, by the stroke of misfortune; that is a consequence, which may of necessity ensue: the loss of possession may drive us into needy solitude; the loss of health destroy our energy and activity; the loss of reputation bring us to shame; the loss offriends oblige us to mourn, from the very feelings of nature; but all this while, there may be no humility of heart, no self-abasement, no voluntary humiliation under “any of the dispensations of heaven:” the “hand of God hath touched us;” but we may not, nevertheless, be vitally touched ourselves, with a proper sense of the trials, which He has called us to endure: we must fall low before His footstool; we must bend our knees in humble fervent prayer; we must implore the aid of His Holy Spirit, to open our understandings, that we may perceive the graciousness of His dealings with us; and to enlarge our hearts, that we may take the full benefit of His “loving correction;” we must unfeignedly and fully confess, on our own part, that unworthiness and iniquity, which excited God’s displeasure, and required His afflicting visitation; and that mercy, on God’s part, which seeketh to reclaim us from error; to “purge our conscience from dead works;” to make us more alive to the “things which belongunto our peace;” to lead us from the vanities of time to the momentous realities of eternity.
If we thus improve the sorrowful events that await us, we shall find a happy deliverance from them all; and it is the only possible means, by which we can be happily delivered: this the text implies; “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you;” that you may thus be rendered meet to partake of His mercy; that He may visit and comfort you in your low estate; and make it instrumental to your spiritual exaltation. If you murmur or complain, or do but naturally mourn; if you manifest only the frettings of a worldly disposition and temper, your case thereby becomes still more grievous and intolerable; the heart is vexed by its vain and rebellious strivings; “the sorrow of the world worketh misery and death.” You are thus preventing the benediction of heaven from descending upon you; you are closing up the avenues, through which the grace ofGod may find its way into the heart; you are neglecting that remedy, by which alone the stricken soul can be healed, by which your trouble may be converted into a blessing. Embrace the proffered means; humble yourself beneath the burden, with “a godly sorrow,” for the sin that has brought it; bend yourself beneath the storm of heaven, and the Sun of righteousness will soon shine forth, and cheer you with His brightest beam; “the God of consolation,” your Redeemer, your unchangeable friend, “the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,” will turn your darkness into light; your “weeping will endure but for a night, and joy will come in the morning.”[168]
Or, if it be not literally so; if deliverance come not so speedily as you desire or expect, it will assuredly come in God’s “due time;” He may wait, to try the strength of your patience and your faith; may seem for a season, as though He heareth not your prayer; but rest assured,He does hear, and the answer is preparing: the wise and benevolent author of four blessings knows best when to bestow them; depend upon His mercy, and trust Him for the time: the delay will be nothing, as compared with the comfort when it arrives: the very delay will minister to the fulness of your joy: you will perceive the truth of the divine character, as drawn by the pencil of the prophet; you may apply the prophetic description to yourself; “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.”[169]
God will exalt every humble and faithful servant, in due time, even in this world; not perhaps to earthly greatness and honour; but, what is infinitely more important, to the height of His own blessed favour; to the delight of a peaceful reconciliation with Himself; tothe happiness of an approving conscience; to a “hope full of immortality:” and, after death, He will crown that hope with a glorious consummation; will exalt that servant to the skies; far beyond the reach of change, of trouble, or of fear. The Christian, like the Captain of his Salvation, “will be made perfect through sufferings;” like Him, when the combat is over, will receive the crown of glory, and sit down for ever at the right hand of his Father and his God.
He will then more fully see and admire the gracious dealings of his merciful God and Saviour; will see, what reason he had to be thankful for the chastisements of heaven; how they have trained and prepared his soul for the happiness of the blest; how wonderfully they have ministered to the fulness of his joy. Bear then patiently; bear, I ought to say, thankfully, what the Lord layeth upon thee; it is His hand that “worketh all in all,” His hand of might and mercy. Thou canst not always trace His designs and operations;if thou couldst, where would be the exercise of thy faith? But if thou wilt believe and trust Him, if thou wilt bow and submit, He will thus exalt thee in due time, when thou art ready, when thy trial is completed, when thy appointed work is done. This is the seed-time; sow, and thou shalt see it spring up; labour, and wait for the harvest; “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”[171]
2Sam. xii. 7.And Nathan said to David,Thou art the man.
2Sam. xii. 7.
And Nathan said to David,Thou art the man.
Theparable, of which these words are a part, is admired, even for its elegance and simplicity, by every one who is capable of appreciating its merit. It serves also to illustrate, in the clearest manner, the advantage of this mode of instruction; which is intended, in the first place, by a lively representation of the productions of nature, or the incidents of common life, to convey an adequate notion of a truth or doctrine in easy and familiar terms; and to leave a more striking impression of it upon the memory and the heart. The parable has a further advantage: the instructionit affords is not at once unfolded to the mind; the attention and the feelings are first awakened, by the relation of some interesting occurrence, apparently unconnected with the object in view; by which means, an assent is gained over to the side of truth, before the understanding has had time to be prejudiced, by the workings of self-love, or the disinclination to religious admonition.
Such was precisely the case with the parable before us. Had Nathan addressed to David a direct and formal expostulation, it is probable that the king would have considered his interference as intrusive and impertinent; would have either driven him from his presence, or have been prepared, by some plausible excuse, to cast a veil over the hideousness of his crimes. But the royal offender, though he could readily palliate his own atrocity, could not bear to hear of cruelty in another. When it was reported to him, that there were two men in a city, the one rich and the other poor; that the richman, when there came a traveller unto him, spared to take of the abundance of his own flock, and of his own herd, and took from the poor man a little ewe lamb, which was all he had in the world; took it from him under the most affecting circumstances; “for he had bought and nourished it up, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.” When the king heard all this, his feelings were violently excited, “his anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.”[174]This was the moment for making the application: and judge of David’s shame and confusion of face, on finding that all his pity, and all his anger, and all his condemnation, had in truth been directed against himself: “Thou art the man.” He could not help perceiving, that greatas was the cruelty, which he had been reprobating in the case laid before him, he had been guilty of still greater himself: though he had the whole kingdom for the exercise of his legitimate choice, he would rather deprive an humble servant of the only object of his conjugal affection, deprive him, by becoming, in the first instance, accessary to his murder.
We may here observe, how terrible is the infatuation of sin. It might have been thought that David, if he had not immediately perceived the full intention of the prophet in laying this parable before him, would at least, from an instantaneous recollection of his own notorious guilt, have treated, with some degree of lenity or forbearance, the barbarity of which Nathan appeared to be complaining; that he would not so soon have denounced against a delinquent, so much less heinous than himself, the utmost severity of punishment. But, as if his own conscience were clear, he immediately exclaimed against the imagined offender, as a wretchunfit to live; he does not appear to have been awakened to a sense of his own crimes, till he heard the overwhelming application, “Thou art the man.”
Such is generally the fascination of sin; it darkens the understanding, and deadens the conscience, and renders men insensible to their real condition. It is the great object of the enemy of our souls, an object in which he too often fatally succeeds, to make us blind, not only to the heinousness and danger, but also to the very existence of guilt: so that, however acute we may be in perceiving the transgressions of others, and however severe in reprobating and condemning them, we are, in very frequent instances, utterly regardless of our own. Many, it is to be feared, there are, who persist in a course of sin day after day, and year after year, without once feeling any lively or serious compunction; while they have frequently, in that time, been reproachfully animadverting upon the mote which they have detected in their brother’s eye.
Perhaps of all the temporal consequences of sin, the operation of this evil habit is one of the most calamitous; for it not only prevents us from a repentance of the past, but serves as an encouragement to our reckless perseverance in sin; it destroys the very principle of vital religion; removing entirely from our hearts the love and fear of God; and filling us with “envy, hatred, and malice and all uncharitableness.” Let David’s infatuation be a warning to us, let it induce us to take diligent heed, lest we be irreclaimably “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin;” lest the conscience be at length so entirely seared, as to become callous to the very perception of iniquity; as to make us “call evil good, and good evil; to put darkness for light, and light for darkness; to put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”[177]
Before, however, we further proceed to the practical inferences which may be drawn from this subject, it may be properto notice some irreverent and reproachful remarks, which have been made on the flagrant crimes of a person so distinguished as David. Is it possible, some have urged, that such guilt, and such hardihood in guilt, could have been found in the “man after God’s own heart?”[178]But this honourable appellation, be it observed, was given to David, not on account of his moral or spiritual purity, but on account of the excellence of his character as a king; he was so named in opposition to Saul, who had acted in wilful disobedience to the divine commands, and therefore, in the administration of his government, was not a man after God’s own heart; that is, he did not (as David did, in this particular,) perform God’s will.
Again, it has been said, could an inspired person possibly fall into such a complication of evil? Miraculous inspiration, we answer, was not given to the sacred pen-men, as a certain preservative from the corruption of sin, but to enable them toreveal the will of God; to guard them, in this respect, from error; and to “guide them into all truth:” their carnal appetites and passions were not supernaturally overruled; they still had their choice between good and evil; though revealing to mankind the holy law of God, they might themselves neglect the duties which it injoined: many instances are recorded of the abuse of spiritual gifts, many examples of their consisting with unholiness and transgression. The very chief of the apostles intimates to us the personal care and watchfulness and labour which were necessary, “lest, having preached to others, he himself should be a castaway.”[179]
Not but that David’s guilt was most deplorably inconsistent with his high character and office, and was a dishonour to religion itself; I am only shewing, that it was not incompatible with the appellation which he had received, and the high and holy functions which he was called to discharge. And be it remembered, toDavid’s honour, that though his sin was aggravated, his confession of it was full and unreserved; that he most humbly and religiously submitted to the penal retribution of his offended God; that his repentance was bitter and sincere: it was “a repentance indeed never afterwards repented of:” continually was his harp attuned to the bewailing of his own depravity; continually was he descending from the lofty strains of thanksgiving and joy, and pouring forth in the abasement of his soul, the doleful notes of mourning and lamentation.
And, in truth, there was abundant cause; for the crimes of David afford one of the most melancholy instances of the violation of conscience, of a departure from the service of the Most High. Let it fill us with humility and fear. If so eminent a servant of God could fall into such abominations, how deeply concerned, how “instant in prayer,” how vigilant and careful should we be, lest our feet be betrayed into evil! We see to whatcriminal and dangerous excess human nature may be led, if we fail to cherish the grace of God; and are abandoned to the government of our own corrupt desires, and the tyranny of our spiritual adversary. To the lukewarm and the wavering I need scarcely say, that without greater seriousness and circumspection, they will assuredly be overthrown: but let me also admonish the faithful Christian; him, who appears to be safely pursuing the even tenour of his way; who may be led, by the regular and habitual discharge of religious duties, into a state of presumptuous confidence and slumbering security; him I would admonish, from the instance of David, “that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;”[181a]that it may, when most implicitly trusted, most dangerously betray; let David teach “him that thinketh he standeth to take heed lest he fall.”[181b]
Some perverse and worldly-mindedpersons have made a very different use of the lamentable case before us; it has encouraged them in wilful transgression; it has served them as a “cloak for their sin.” Surely, say they, if David could so flagrantly transgress, how can we be expected to preserve our integrity? If he was accepted of God, indulgence would readily be extended to the comparatively trifling offences of inferior servants. True; we cannot be perfect; we may hope for pardon; but we are not, on that account, to sin presumptuously; not to offend, because God is merciful: this did not David. Whoever deliberately sins from the hope of God’s mercy, is taking the surest was to deprive himself of that mercy. There is frequently great error in the notion of trifling offences: no offence is trifling in the sight of an infinitely holy God: much less any wilful offence. The magnitude of a fault chiefly depends upon the circumstances under which it is committed; much more readily could we urge an excuse for him, who is heedlessly or suddenlyborne away by impetuous passion and carnal desire, than for him, who presumes deliberately to trample upon the law of God, because another has been forgiven. Shall we thus abuse the mercies of redeeming love? “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”[183]Would we find the favour that David did, we must seek it, like him, in the true spirit of penitence and devotion; we must “confess our wickedness, and be sorry for our sin:” we must hate the works and workers of iniquity: we must imitate David, not in his crimes, but in his repentance and reformation.
Let us learn another lesson from the history before us; let it teach us the importance of being always disposed and ready to receive spiritual counsel; of being in the habit of applying to ourselves every opportunity of improvement, with which we may be blessed. Too many, likeDavid, are extremely backward to receive an intimation of their own errors, and to avail themselves of the benefit of reproof. They are sufficiently quick-sighted in discovering the applicability of reproach, to their neighbour; without even suspecting that it may suit their own case and condition. How many have acknowledged the propriety and force of admonitions and rebuke, which they have heard in the house of God, without ever taking them home to their own breasts; and this undoubtedly is one cause, why the voice of public instruction produces, in general, so little effect upon the characters and conduct of men. While they are pleased to imagine, that the representations and censures of the preacher are suited to others rather than to themselves, no wonder that they retain their neglectful, sinful, unprincipled habits, in defiance of every remonstrance, and every warning. Instead of torturing their ingenuity, to discover to what particular persons in the congregation a discourse maybe most fitly and beneficially applied, let them rather be anxious to inquire, how far it may be accommodated to their own case; and to all those, who presume to make a further inquiry, who are looking around for the delinquencies of their neighbour, we would say, restrain thy wandering eye, and look within, “Thou art the man.”
A readiness to take advantage of religious instruction, is one of the surest evidences of a christian spirit, and one of the greatest blessings that a Christian can enjoy. It manifests a christian spirit, inasmuch as it shews an humble sense of our own failings and imperfections, and an anxious desire to recover from them all; to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”[185]It is one of the greatest blessings to the Christian, because there is seldom a day, seldom an hour that passes, from which he may not derive some spiritual benefit. While the recklessand self-conceited, who dwell with complacency upon their state and character, perceive not any counsel adapted to their wants, the humble-minded are gathering edification from every thing around them; from all they hear and all they see: doubtless, it must be so; for how can they, who think themselves whole, discover the need of a physician, how can they apply a remedy?
Suffer me to entreat you, in conclusion, that whenever you are seriously impressed with a conviction of evil, or the neglect of any christian duty, you will carry home the impression, to have its full effect upon the heart. For want of this care and this habit, many a salutary lesson, that strikes for the moment, is afterwards thrown away, unheeded and forgotten: and thus the very means of grace, which are ordained to recover us from sin, and enable us to “work out our salvation,” become the instruments of confirming us in error and guilt. The mind, which is continually accustomed to receive and toneglect religious instruction, may be thereby brought into a heedless and torpid state, from which it is well nigh impossible to be roused. Not that any thing “is impossible with God:” but I appeal to experience, and ask, whether it is not a notorious matter of fact, that many amongst us have for years uniformly persevered, in the same neglect of christian duties, the same worldly principles, the same evil courses, the same habits of intemperance and licentiousness and profaneness; and it will not be denied, that they have, in these years, frequently heard the voice of expostulation, and perceived the justice, the force, and the importance of it. Then why are they still unreclaimed?—because they have never followed up the conviction of “Thou art the man.”
God grant, that this admonition may have its full effect upon us; that we may go and meditate, and pray; pray daily for the blessing of an humble and a teachable heart; pray for God’s grace, to correct all our sinful follies, and supply allour deficiencies. Probably, my brethren, we have been “leaning too little upon the hope of this heavenly grace;” we have been relying upon our own perception of right and wrong, our own choice and decision, our own feeble resolutions; if so, no wonder that we have failed, in our work of repentance and spiritual change. “Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned:”[188]here lies our hope and our strength, in the renewing influence of the Spirit of God. As we do desire, so let us fervently pray, that we may, in our course of penitence, imitate the example of the royal psalmist, and let contrition “have its perfect work;” that we may, here below, with heart and soul, join in the pious and repentant strains of David’s harp, and thus may be admitted to sing to other harps hereafter, in the chorus of the Redeemed above.