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diff --git a/16645.txt b/16645.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b535a6e --- /dev/null +++ b/16645.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9645 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Sermons Preached at Brighton, by Frederick W. Robertson + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Sermons Preached at Brighton + Third Series + +Author: Frederick W. Robertson + +Release Date: September 4, 2005 [EBook #16645] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SERMONS PREACHED AT BRIGHTON *** + + + + +Produced by Laura Wisewell and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + + SERMONS + + _PREACHED AT BRIGHTON._ + + + BY THE LATE + + REV. FREDERICK W. ROBERTSON, + + THE INCUMBENT OF TRINITY CHAPEL. + + + _THIRD SERIES._ + + NEW EDITION. + + + LONDON: + KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH. & CO., 1 PATERNOSTER SQUARE. + 1884. + + + + (_The rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved_) + + + + TO + + _THE CONGREGATION_ + + WORSHIPPING IN + + TRINITY CHAPEL, BRIGHTON, + + FROM AUGUST 15, 1847, TO AUGUST 15, 1853, + + THESE + + RECOLLECTIONS OF SERMONS + + PREACHED BY THEIR LATE PASTOR, + + ARE DEDICATED + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + SERMON I. + + Preached April 28, 1850. + + THE TONGUE. + + ST. JAMES iii. 5, 6.--"Even so the tongue is a little + member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a + little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of + iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the + whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set + on fire of hell." Page 1 + + + SERMON II. + + Preached May 5, 1850. + + THE VICTORY OF FAITH. + + 1 JOHN v. 4, 5.--"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh + the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even + our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that + believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 15 + + + SERMON III. + + Preached Whitsunday, May 19, 1850. + + THE DISPENSATION OF THE SPIRIT. + + 1 CORINTHIANS xii. 4.--"Now there are diversities of gifts, + but the same Spirit." 29 + + + SERMON IV. + + Preached May 26, 1850. + + THE TRINITY. + + 1 THESS. v. 23.--"And the very God of peace sanctify you + wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be + preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 43 + + + SERMON V. + + Preached June 2, 1850. + + ABSOLUTION. + + LUKE v. 21.--"And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to + reason saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can + forgive sins, but God alone?" 61 + + + SERMON VI. + + Preached June 9, 1850. + + THE ILLUSIVENESS OF LIFE. + + HEBREWS xi. 8-10.--"By faith Abraham, when he was called to + go out into a place which he should after receive for an + inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. + By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange + country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs + with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath + foundations, whose builder and maker is God." 77 + + + SERMON VII. + + Preached June 23, 1850. + + THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. + + 2 COR. v. 14, 15.--"For the love of Christ constraineth us; + because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all + dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not + henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, + and rose again." 90 + + + SERMON VIII. + + Preached June 30, 1850. + + THE POWER OF SORROW. + + 2 COR. vii. 9, 10.--"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made + sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry + after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in + nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be + repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." 104 + + + SERMON IX. + + Preached August 4, 1850. + + SENSUAL AND SPIRITUAL EXCITEMENT. + + EPHESIANS v. 17, 18.--"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but + understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with + wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." 112 + + + SERMON X. + + Preached August 11, 1850. + + PURITY. + + TITUS i. 15.--"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto + them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even + their mind and conscience is defiled." 122 + + + SERMON XI. + + Preached February 9, 1851. + + UNITY AND PEACE. + + COL. iii. 15.--"And let the peace of God rule in your + hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye + thankful." 130 + + + SERMON XII. + + Preached January 4, 1852. + + THE CHRISTIAN AIM AND MOTIVE. + + MATT. v. 48.--"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father + which is in heaven is perfect." 143 + + + SERMON XIII. + + Preached January 4, 1852. + + CHRISTIAN CASUISTRY. + + 1 COR. vii. 18-24.--"Is any man called being circumcised? + let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? + let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and + uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of + God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. + Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou + mayest be made free use it rather. For he that is called in the + Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that + is called being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a + price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man + wherein he is called therein abide with God." 156 + + + SERMON XIV. + + Preached January 11, 1852. + + MARRIAGE AND CELIBACY. + + 1 COR. vii. 29-31.--"But this I say, brethren, the time is + short: it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though + they had none; and they that weep as though they wept not; and they + that rejoice as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as + though they possessed not; and they that use this world as not + abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away." 169 + + + SERMON XV. + + Preached January 11, 1852. + + THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH A FAMILY. + + EPH. iii. 14, 15.--"Our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole + family in Heaven and earth is named." 181 + + + SERMON XVI. + + Preached January 25, 1852. + + THE LAW OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE. + + 1 COR. viii. 7-13.--"Howbeit there is not in every man that + knowledge: for some, with conscience of the idol, unto this hour, + eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being + weak is defiled. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither if + we eat are we the better; neither if we eat not are we the worse. + But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a + stumbling-block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee + which hast knowledge, sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not + the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those + things which are offered to idols; and through thy knowledge shall + the weak brother perish for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so + against the brethren and wound their weak conscience ye sin against + Christ. Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend I will eat no + flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." + 196 + + + SERMON XVII. + + Preached May 16, 1852. + + VICTORY OVER DEATH. + + 1 COR. xv. 56, 57.--"The sting of death is sin, and the + strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us + the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 212 + + + SERMON XVIII. + + Preached June 20, 1852. + + MAN'S GREATNESS AND GOD'S GREATNESS. + + ISAIAH lvii. 15.--"For thus saith the High and Lofty One + that inhabiteth Eternity, whose Name is Holy. I dwell in the high + and holy place--with him also that is of a contrite and humble + spirit." 230 + + + SERMON XIX. + + Preached June 27, 1852. + + THE LAWFUL AND UNLAWFUL USE OF LAW. (A FRAGMENT.) + + 1 TIM. i. 8.--"But we know that the law is good, if a man + use it lawfully." 246 + + + SERMON XX. + + Preached February 21, 1853. + + THE PRODIGAL AND HIS BROTHER. + + LUKE xv. 31, 32.--"And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever + with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should + make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is + alive again; was lost, and is found." 253 + + + SERMON XXI. + + Preached May 15, 1853. + + JOHN'S REBUKE OF HEROD. + + LUKE iii. 19, 20.--"But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved + by him for Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the + evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut + up John in prison." 270 + + + + + SERMONS. + + + + + I. + + _Preached April 28, 1850._ + + THE TONGUE. + + + "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. + Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue + is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our + members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the + course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."--St. James iii. + 5-6. + + In the development of Christian Truth a peculiar office was assigned + to the Apostle James. + + It was given to St. Paul to proclaim Christianity as the spiritual law + of liberty, and to exhibit Faith as the most active principle within + the breast of man. It was St. John's to say that the deepest quality + in the bosom of Deity is Love; and to assert that the life of God in + Man is Love. It was the office of St. James to assert the necessity of + Moral Rectitude; his very name marked him out peculiarly for this + office: he was emphatically called, "the Just:" integrity was his + peculiar characteristic. A man singularly honest, earnest, real. + Accordingly, if you read through his whole epistle, you will find it + is, from first to last, one continued vindication of the first + principles of morality against the _semblances_ of religion. + + He protested against the censoriousness which was found connected with + peculiar claims of religious feelings. "If any man among you seem to + be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own + heart, this man's religion is vain." He protested against that spirit + which had crept into the Christian Brotherhood, truckling to the rich, + and despising the poor. "If ye have respect of persons ye commit sin, + and are convinced of the law as transgressors." He protested against + that sentimental fatalism which induced men to throw the blame of + their own passions upon God. "Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am + tempted of God; for God cannot tempt to evil; neither tempteth He any + man." He protested against that unreal religion of excitement which + diluted the earnestness of real religion in the enjoyment of + listening. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only; deceiving + your own souls." He protested against that trust in the correctness of + theological doctrine which neglected the cultivation of character. + "What doth it profit, if a man _say_ that he hath faith, and have not + works? Can faith save him?" + + Read St. James's epistle through, this is the mind breathing through + it all:--all this _talk_ about religion, and spirituality--words, + words, words--nay, let us have _realities_. + + It is well known that Luther complained of this epistle, that it did + not contain the Gospel; for men who are hampered by a system will + say--even of an inspired Apostle--that he does not teach the Gospel if + their own favourite doctrine be not the central subject of his + discourse; but St. James's reply seems spontaneously to suggest itself + to us. The Gospel! how can we speak of the Gospel, when the first + principles of _morality_ are forgotten? when Christians are excusing + themselves, and slandering one another? How can the superstructure of + Love and Faith be built, when the very foundations of human + character--Justice, Mercy, Truth--have not been laid? + + 1st. The license of the tongue. + 2nd. The guilt of that license. + + The first license given to the tongue is slander. I am not of course, + speaking now of that species of slander against which the law of libel + provides a remedy, but of that of which the Gospel alone takes + cognisance; for the worst injuries which man can do to man, are + precisely those which are too delicate for _law_ to deal with. We + consider therefore not the calumny which is reckoned such by the + moralities of an earthly court, but that which is found guilty by the + spiritualities of the courts of heaven--that is, the mind of God. + + Now observe, this slander is compared in the text to poison--"the + tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." The deadliest + poisons are those for which no test is known: there are poisons so + destructive that a single drop insinuated into the veins produces + death in three seconds, and yet no chemical science can separate that + virus from the contaminated blood, and show the metallic particles of + poison glittering palpably, and say, "Behold, it is there!" + + In the drop of venom which distils from the sting of the smallest + insect, or the spikes of the nettle-leaf, there is concentrated the + quintessence of a poison so subtle that the microscope cannot + distinguish it, and yet so virulent that it can inflame the blood, + irritate the whole constitution, and convert day and night into + restless misery. + + In St. James's day, as now, it would appear that there were idle men + and idle women, who went about from house to house, dropping slander + as they went, and yet you could not take up that slander and detect + the falsehood there. You could not evaporate the truth in the slow + process of the crucible, and then show the residuum of falsehood + glittering and visible. You could not fasten upon any word or + sentence, and say that it was calumny; for in order to constitute + slander it is not necessary that the word spoken should be false--half + truths are often more calumnious than whole falsehoods. It is not even + necessary that a word should be distinctly uttered; a dropped lip, an + arched eyebrow, a shrugged shoulder, a significant look, an + incredulous expression of countenance, nay, even an emphatic silence, + may do the work: and when the light and trifling thing which has done + the mischief has fluttered off, the venom is left behind, to work and + rankle, to inflame hearts, to fever human existence, and to poison + human society at the fountain springs of life. Very emphatically was + it said by one whose whole being had smarted under such affliction, + "Adder's poison is under their lips." + + The second license given to the tongue is in the way of persecution: + "therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God." + "We!"--men who bear the name of Christ--curse our brethren! Christians + persecuted Christians. Thus even in St. James's age that spirit had + begun, the monstrous fact of Christian persecution; from that day it + has continued, through long centuries, up to the present time. The + Church of Christ assumed the office of denunciation, and except in the + first council, whose object was not to strain, but to relax the bonds + of brotherhood, not a council has met for eighteen centuries which has + not guarded each profession of belief by the too customary formula, + "If any man maintain otherwise than this, let him be accursed." + + Myriad, countless curses have echoed through those long ages; the + Church has forgotten her Master's spirit and called down fire from + heaven. A fearful thought to consider this as the spectacle on which + the eye of God has rested. He looks down upon the creatures He has + made, and hears everywhere the language of religious + imprecations:--and after all, who is proved right by curses? + + The Church of Rome hurls her thunders against Protestants of every + denomination: the Calvinist scarcely recognises the Arminian as a + Christian: he who considers himself as the true Anglican, excludes + from the Church of Christ all but the adherents of his own orthodoxy; + every minister and congregation has its small circle, beyond which all + are heretics: nay even among that sect which is most lax as to the + dogmatic forms of truth, we find the Unitarian of the old school + denouncing the spiritualism of the new and rising school. + + This is the state of things to which we are arrived. Sisters of + Charity refuse to permit an act of charity to be done by a Samaritan; + ministers of the Gospel fling the thunderbolts of the Lord; ignorant + hearers catch and exaggerate the spirit,--boys, girls, and women + shudder as one goes by, perhaps more holy than themselves, who adores + the same God, believes in the same Redeemer, struggles in the same + life-battle, and all this because they have been taught to look upon + him as an enemy of God. + + There is a class of religious persons against whom this vehemence has + been especially directed. No one who can read the signs of the times + can help perceiving that we are on the eve of great changes, perhaps a + disruption of the Church of England. Unquestionably there has been a + large secession to the Church of Rome. + + Now what has been the position of those who are about to take this + step? They have been taunted with dishonest reception of the wages of + the Church; a watch has been set over them: not a word they uttered in + private, or in public, but was given to the world by some religious + busy-body; there was not a visit which they paid, not a foolish dress + which they adopted, but became the subject of bitter scrutiny and + malevolent gossip. For years the religious press has denounced them + with a vehemence as virulent, but happily more impotent than that of + the Inquisition. There has been an anguish and an inward struggle + little suspected, endured by men who felt themselves outcasts in their + own society, and naturally looked for a home elsewhere. + + We congratulate ourselves that the days of persecution are gone by; + but persecution is that which affixes penalties upon _views held_, + instead of upon _life led_. Is persecution _only_ fire and sword? But + suppose a man of sensitive feeling says, The sword is less sharp to me + than the slander: fire is less intolerable than the refusal of + sympathy! + + Now let us bring this home; you rejoice that the faggot and the stake + are given up;--_you_ never persecuted--you leave that to the wicked + Church of Rome. Yes, you never burned a human being alive--you never + clapped your hands as the death-shriek proclaimed that the lion's fang + had gone home into the most vital part of the victim's frame; but did + you never rob him of his friends?--gravely shake your head and + oracularly insinuate that he was leading souls to hell?--chill the + affections of his family?--take from him his good name? Did you never + with delight see his Church placarded as the Man of Sin, and hear the + platform denunciations which branded it with the spiritual + abominations of the Apocalypse? Did you never find a malicious + pleasure in repeating all the miserable gossip with which religious + slander fastened upon his daily acts, his words, and even his + uncommunicated thoughts? Did you never forget that for a man to "work + out his own salvation with fear and trembling" is a matter difficult + enough to be laid upon a human spirit, without intruding into the most + sacred department of another's life--that namely, which lies between + himself and God? Did you never say that "it was to be wished he should + go to Rome," until at last life became intolerable,--until he was + thrown more and more in upon himself; found himself, like his + Redeemer, in this world alone, but unable like his Redeemer, calmly to + repose upon the thought that his Father was with him? Then a stern + defiant spirit took possession of his soul, and there burst from his + lips, or heart, the wish for _rest_--rest at any cost,--peace + anywhere, if even it is to be found only in the bosom of the Church of + Rome! + + + II. The guilt of this license. + + The first evil consequence is the harm that a man does himself: "so is + the tongue among the members, that it defiles the whole body." It is + not very obvious, in what way a man does himself harm by calumny. I + will take the simplest form in which this injury is done; it effects a + dissipation of spiritual energy. There are two ways in which the steam + of machinery may find an outlet for its force: it may work, and if so + it works silently; or it may escape, and that takes place loudly, in + air and noise. There are two ways in which the spiritual energy of a + man's soul may find its vent: it may express itself in action, + silently; or in words, noisily: but just so much of force as is thrown + into the one mode of expression, is taken from the other. + + Few men suspect how much mere talk fritters away spiritual + energy,--that which should be spent in action, spends itself in words. + The fluent boaster is not the man who is steadiest before the enemy; + it is well said to him that his courage is better kept till it is + wanted. Loud utterance of virtuous indignation against evil from the + platform, or in the drawing-room, do not characterize the spiritual + giant: so much indignation as is expressed, has found vent, is wasted, + is taken away from the work of coping with evil; the man has so much + less left. And hence he who restrains that love of talk, lays up a + fund of spiritual strength. + + With large significance, St. James declares, "If any man offend not in + word, the same is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." + He is entire, powerful, because he has not spent his strength. In + these days of loud profession, and bitter, fluent condemnation, it is + well for us to learn the divine force of silence. Remember Christ in + the Judgment Hall, the very Symbol and Incarnation of spiritual + strength; and yet when revilings were loud around Him and charges + multiplied, "He held His peace." + + 2. The next feature in the guilt of calumny is its uncontrollable + character: "the tongue can no man tame." You cannot arrest a + calumnious tongue, you cannot arrest the calumny itself; you may + refute a slanderer, you may trace home a slander to its source, you + may expose the author of it, you may by that exposure give a lesson so + severe as to make the repetition of the offence appear impossible; but + the fatal habit is incorrigible: to-morrow the tongue is at work + again. + + Neither can you stop the consequences of a slander; you may publicly + prove its falsehood, you may sift every atom, explain and annihilate + it, and yet, years after you had thought that all had been disposed of + for ever, the mention of a name wakes up associations in the mind of + some one who heard the calumny, but never heard or never attended to + the refutation, or who has only a vague and confused recollection of + the whole, and he asks the question doubtfully, "But were there not + some suspicious circumstances connected with him?" + + It is like the Greek fire used in ancient warfare, which burnt + unquenched beneath the water, or like the weeds which when you have + extirpated them in one place are sprouting forth vigorously in another + spot, at the distance of many hundred yards; or, to use the metaphor + of St. James himself, it is like the wheel which catches fire as it + goes, and burns with a fiercer conflagration as its own speed + increases; "it sets on fire the whole course of nature" (literally, + the wheel of nature). You may tame the wild beast, the conflagration + of the American forest will cease when all the timber and the dry + underwood is consumed; but you cannot arrest the progress of that + cruel word which you uttered carelessly yesterday or this + morning,--which you will utter perhaps, before you have passed from + this church one hundred yards: that will go on slaying, poisoning, + burning beyond your own control, now and for ever. + + 3. The third element of guilt lies in the unnaturalness of calumny. + "My brethren, these things ought not so to be;" _ought not_--that is, + they are unnatural. That this is St. James's meaning is evident from + the second illustration which follows: "Doth a fountain send forth at + the same place, sweet water and bitter?" "Can the fig tree, my + brethren, bear olive berries, or a vine, figs?" + + There is apparently in these metaphors little that affords an argument + against slander; the motive which they suggest would appear to many + far-fetched and of small cogency; but to one who looks on this world + as a vast whole, and who has recognised the moral law as only a part + of the great law of the universe, harmoniously blending with the + whole, illustrations such as these are the most powerful of all + arguments. The truest definition of evil is that which represents it + as something contrary to nature: evil is evil, because it is + unnatural; a vine which should bear olive berries, an eye to which + blue seems yellow, would be diseased: an unnatural mother, an + unnatural son, an unnatural act, are the strongest terms of + condemnation. It is this view which Christianity gives of moral evil: + the teaching of Christ was the recall of man to nature, not an + infusion of something new into Humanity. Christ came to call out all + the principles and powers of human nature, to restore the natural + equilibrium of all our faculties; not to call us back to our own + individual selfish nature, but to human nature as it is in God's + ideal--the perfect type which is to be realised in us. Christianity is + the regeneration of our whole nature, not the destruction of one atom + of it. + + Now the nature of man is to adore God and to love what is god-like in + man. The office of the tongue is to bless. Slander is guilty because + it contradicts this; yet even in slander itself, perversion as it is, + the interest of man in man is still distinguishable. What is it but + perverted interest which makes the acts, and words, and thoughts of + his brethren, even in their evil, a matter of such strange delight? + Remember therefore, this contradicts your nature and your destiny; to + speak ill of others makes you a monster in God's world: get the habit + of slander, and then there is not a stream which bubbles fresh from + the heart of nature,--there is not a tree that silently brings forth + its genial fruit in its appointed season,--which does not rebuke and + proclaim you to be a monstrous anomaly in God's world. + + 4. The fourth point of guilt is the diabolical character of slander; + the tongue "is set on fire of hell." Now, this is no mere strong + expression--no mere indignant vituperation--it contains deep and + emphatic meaning. + + The apostle means literally what he says, slander is diabolical. The + first illustration we give of this is contained in the very meaning of + the word devil. "Devil," in the original, means traducer or slanderer. + The first introduction of a demon spirit is found connected with a + slanderous insinuation against the Almighty, implying that His command + had been given in envy of His creature: "for God doth know that in the + day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be + as gods, knowing good and evil." + + In the magnificent imagery of the book of Job, the accuser is + introduced with a demoniacal and malignant sneer, attributing the + excellence of a good man to interested motives; "Doth Job serve God + for naught?" There is another mode in which the fearful accuracy of + St. James's charge may be demonstrated. There is one state only from + which there is said to be no recovery--there is but one sin that is + called unpardonable. The Pharisees beheld the works of Jesus. They + could not deny that they were good works, they could not deny that + they were miracles of beneficence, but rather than acknowledge that + they were done by a good man through the co-operation of a Divine + spirit, they preferred to account for them by the wildest and most + incredible hypothesis; they said they were done by the power of + Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. It was upon this occasion that + our Redeemer said with solemn meaning, "For every idle word that men + shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment." It was + then that He said, for a word spoken against the Holy Ghost there is + no forgiveness in this world, or in the world to come. + + Our own hearts respond to the truth of this--to call evil, good, and + good, evil--to see the Divinest good, and call it Satanic evil--below + this lowest deep there is _not_ a lower still. There is no cure for + mortification of the flesh--there is no remedy for ossification of the + heart. Oh! that miserable state, when to the jaundiced eye all good + transforms itself into evil, and the very instruments of health + become the poison of disease. Beware of every approach of + this!--Beware of that spirit which controversy fosters, of watching + only for the evil in the character of an antagonist!--Beware of that + habit which becomes the slanderer's life, of magnifying every speck of + evil and closing the eye to goodness!--till at last men arrive at the + state in which generous, universal love (which is heaven) becomes + impossible, and a suspicious, universal hate takes possession of the + heart, and _that_ is hell! + + There is one peculiar manifestation of this spirit to which I desire + specially to direct your attention. + + The politics of the community are guided by the political press. The + religious views of a vast number are formed by that portion of the + press which is called religious; it becomes, therefore, a matter of + deepest interest to inquire what is the spirit of that "religious + press." I am not asking you what are the views maintained--whether + Evangelical, Anglican, or Romish--but what is the _spirit_ of that + fountain from which the religious life of so many is nourished? + + Let any man cast his eye over the pages of this portion of the + press--it matters little to which party the newspaper or the journal + may belong--he will be startled to find the characters of those whom + he has most deeply reverenced, whose hearts he knows, whose integrity + and life are above suspicion, held up to scorn and hatred: the organ + of one party is established against the organ of another, and it is + the recognised office of each to point out with microscopic care the + names of those whose views are to be shunned; and in order that these + may be the more shrunk from, the characters of those who hold such + opinions are traduced and vilified. There is no personality too + mean--there is no insinuation too audacious or too false for the + recklessness of these daring slanderers. I do not like to use the + expression, lest it should appear to be merely one of theatrical + vehemence; but I say it in all seriousness, adopting the inspired + language of the Bible, and using it advisedly and with accurate + meaning, the spirit which guides the "religious press" of this + country, which dictates those personalities, which prevents + controversialists from seeing what is good in their opponents, which + attributes low motives to account for excellent lives, and teaches + men whom to suspect, and shun, rather than point out where it is + possible to admire and love--is a spirit "set on fire of hell." + + Before we conclude, let us get at the root of the matter. "Man," says + the Apostle James, "was made in the image of God:" to slander man is + to slander God: to love what is good in man is to love it in God. Love + is the only remedy for slander: no set of rules or restrictions can + stop it; we may denounce, but we shall denounce in vain. The radical + cure of it is Charity--"out of a pure heart and faith unfeigned," to + feel what is great in the human character; to recognise with delight + all high, and generous, and beautiful actions; to find a joy even in + seeing the good qualities of your bitterest opponents, and to admire + those qualities even in those with whom you have least sympathy--be it + either the Romanist or the Unitarian--this is the only spirit which + can heal the love of slander and of calumny. If we would bless God, we + must _first_ learn to bless man, who is made in the image of God. + + + + + II. + + _Preached May 5, 1850._ + + THE VICTORY OF FAITH. + + + "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is + the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he + that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the + Son of God?"--1 John v. 4-5. + + There are two words in the system of Christianity which have received + a meaning so new, and so emphatic, as to be in a way peculiar to it, + and to distinguish it from all other systems of morality and religion; + these two words are--the World, and Faith. We find it written in + Scripture that to have the friendship of the world is to be the enemy + of God--- whereupon the question arises--The world?--did not God make + the world? Did He not place us in the world? Are we not to love what + God has made? And yet meeting this distinctly we have the inspired + record, "Love not the World." + + The object of the Statesman is, or ought to be, to produce as much + worldly prosperity as possible--but Christianity, that is Christ, + speaks little of this world's prosperity, underrates it--nay, speaks + of it at times as infinitely dangerous. + + The legislator prohibits crime--the moralist transgression--the + religionist sin. To these Christianity superadds a new enemy--the + world and the things of the world. "If any man love the world, the + love of the Father is not in him." + + The other word used in a peculiar sense is Faith. It is impossible for + any one to have read his Bible ever so negligently, and not to be + aware that the word Faith, or the grace of Faith, forms a large + element in the Christian system. It is said to work miracles, remove + mountains, justify the soul, trample upon impossibilities. Every + apostle, in his way, assigns to faith a primary importance. Jude + tells us to "build up ourselves in our most holy faith." John tells us + that--"he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is the born of + God;" and Paul tells us that, not by merit nor by works, but by trust + or reliance only, can be formed that state of soul by which man is + reckoned just before God. In these expressions, the apostles only + develope their Master's meaning, when He uses such words as these, + "All things are possible to him that believeth:" "O thou of little + faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" + + These two words are brought into diametrical opposition in the text, + so that it branches into a two-fold line of thought + + I. The Christian's enemy, the World. + II. The victory of Faith. + + In endeavouring to understand first what is meant by the world, we + shall feel that the mass of evil which is comprehended under this + expression, cannot be told out in any one sermon; it is an expression + used in various ways, sometimes meaning one thing, sometimes meaning + another;-but we will endeavour to explain its general principles--and + these we will divide into three heads; first, the tyranny of the + present; secondly, the tyranny of the sensual; and lastly, the spirit + of society. + + 1. The tyranny of the present. + + "Christ," says the Apostle Paul, "hath redeemed us from this present + evil world;" and again, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this, + present world." + + Let a stress be laid on the word _present_. Worldliness is the + attractive power of something present, in opposition to something to + come. It is this rule and tyranny of the present that constitutes + Demas a worldly man. + + In this respect, worldliness is the spirit of childhood carried on + into manhood. The child lives in the present hour--to-day to him is + everything. The holiday promised at a distant interval is no holiday + at all--it must be either now or never. Natural in the child, and + therefore pardonable, this spirit, when carried on into manhood, is + coarse--is worldliness. The most distinct illustration given us of + this, is the case of Esau. Esau came from the hunting-field worn and + hungry; the only means of procuring the tempting mess of his brother's + pottage was the sacrifice of his father's blessing, which in those + ages carried with it a substantial advantage; but that birthright + could be enjoyed only after _years_--the pottage was _present_, near, + and certain; therefore he sacrificed a future and higher blessing, for + a present and lower pleasure. For this reason Esau is the Bible type + of worldliness: he is called in Scripture a profane, that is, not a + distinctly vicious, but a secular or worldly person--an overgrown + child; impetuous, inconsistent, not without gleams of generosity and + kindliness, but ever accustomed to immediate gratification. + + In this worldliness, moreover, is to be remarked the gamester's + desperate play. There is a gambling spirit in human nature. Esau + distinctly expresses this: "Behold I am at the point to die, and what + shall my birthright profit me?" He might never live to enjoy his + birthright; but the pottage was before him, present, certain, _there_. + + Now, observe the utter powerlessness of mere preaching to cope with + this tyrannical power of the present. Forty thousand pulpits + throughout the land this day, will declaim against the vanity of + riches, the uncertainty of life, the sin of worldliness--against the + gambling spirit of human nature; I ask what _impression_ will be + produced by those forty thousand harangues? In every congregation it + is reducible to a certainty that, before a year has passed, some will + be numbered with the dead. Every man knows this, but he thinks the + chances are that it will not be himself; he feels it a solemn thing + for Humanity generally--but for himself there is more than a chance. + Upon this chance he plays away life. + + It is so with the child: you tell him of the consequences of to-day's + idleness--but the sun is shining brightly, and he cannot sacrifice + to-day's pleasure, although he knows the disgrace it will bring + to-morrow. So it is with the intemperate man: he says--"Sufficient + unto the day is the evil, and the good thereof; let me have my portion + now." So that one great secret of the world's victory lies in the + mighty power of saying "_Now_." + + 2. The tyranny of the sensual. + + I call it _tyranny_, because the evidences of the senses are all + powerful, in spite of the protestations of the reason. In vain you try + to persuade the child that _he_ is moving, and not the trees which + seem to flit past the carriage--in vain we remind ourselves that this + apparently solid earth on which we stand, and which seems so + immoveable, is in reality flying through the regions of space with an + inconceivable rapidity--in vain philosophers would persuade us that + the colour which the eye beholds, resides not in the object itself, + but in our own perception; we are victims of the apparent, and the + verdict of the senses is taken instead of the verdict of the reason. + + Precisely so is it with the enjoyments of the world. The man who died + yesterday, and whom the world called a successful man--for what did he + live?--He lived for this world--he gained this world. Houses, lands, + name, position in society--all that earth could give of enjoyments--he + had: he was the man of whom the Redeemer said that his thoughts were + occupied in planning how to pull down his barns and build greater. We + hear men complain of the sordid love of gold, but gold is merely a + medium of exchange for other things: gold is land, titles, name, + comfort--all that the world can give. If the world be _all_, it is + _wise_ to live for gold. There may be some little difference in the + degree of degradation in different forms of worldliness; it is + possible that the ambitious man who lives for power is somewhat higher + than he who merely lives for applause, and he again may be a trifle + higher than the mere seeker after gold--but after all, looking closely + at the matter, you will find that, in respect of the objects of their + idolatry, they agree in this, that all belong to the present. + Therefore, says the Apostle, all that is in the world--"the lust of + the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the + Father, but of the world," and are only various forms of one great + tyranny. And then when such a man is at the brink of death, the words + said to the man in our Lord's parable must be said to him. "Thou fool, + the houses thou hast built, the enjoyments thou hast prepared; and all + those things which have formed thy life for years--when thy soul is + taken from them, what shall they profit thee?" + + 3. The spirit of society. + + The _World_ has various meanings in Scripture; it does not always mean + the Visible, as opposed to the Invisible; nor the Present, as opposed + to the Future: it sometimes stands for the secular spirit of the + day--the Voice of Society. + + Our Saviour says, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his + own." The apostle says, "Be not conformed to this world;" and to the + Gentiles he writes, "In time past ye walked according to the course of + this world, the spirit which now worketh in the children of + disobedience." In these verses, a tone, a temper, a spirit is spoken + of. There are two things--the Church and the World--two spirits + pervading different bodies of men, brought before us in these + verses--those called the Spirit-born, and those called the World, + which is to be overcome by the Spirit-born, as in the text, + "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world." + + Let us understand what is meant by the Church of God. When we speak of + the Church we generally mean a society to aid men in their progress + God-wards; but the Church of God is by no means co-extensive in any + age with that organized institution which we _call_ the Church; + sometimes it is nearly co-extensive--that is, nearly all on earth who + are born of God are found within its pale, nearly all who are of the + world are extraneous to it--but sometimes the born of God have been + found distinct from the Institution called the Church, opposed to + it--persecuted by it. The Institution of the Church is a blessed + ordinance of God, organized on earth for the purpose of representing + the Eternal Church and of extending its limits, but still ever + subordinate to it. + + The Eternal Church is "the general assembly and church of the + first-born which are written in heaven;" the selected spirits of the + most High, who are struggling with the evil of their day; sometimes + alone, like Elijah, and like him, longing that their work was done; + sometimes conscious of their union with each other. God is for ever + raising up a succession of these--His brave, His true, His good. + Apostolical succession, as taught sometimes, means simply this--a + succession of miraculous powers flowing in a certain line. The true + apostolic succession is--not a succession in an hereditary line, or + line marked by visible signs which men can always identify, but a + succession emphatically spiritual. + + The Jews looked for an hereditary succession; they thought that + because they were Abraham's seed, the spiritual succession was + preserved; the Redeemer told them that "God was able of those stones + to raise up children unto Abraham." Therefore is this ever a spiritual + succession--in the hands of God alone; and they are here called the + God-born, coming into the world variously qualified; sometimes + baptized with the spirit which makes them, like James and John, the + "Sons of Thunder," sometimes with a milder spirit, as Barnabas, which + makes them "Sons of Consolation," sometimes having their souls + indurated into an adamantine hardness, which makes them living + stones--rocks like Peter, against which the billows of this world dash + themselves in vain, and against which the gates of hell shall not + prevail. But whether as apostles, or visitors of the poor, or parents + of a family, born to do a work on earth, to speak a word, to discharge + a mission which they themselves perhaps do not know till it is + accomplished--these are the Church of God--the children of the Most + High--the noble army of the Spirit-born! Opposed to this stands the + mighty confederacy called the World. But beware of fixing on + individual men in order to stigmatize _them_ as the world. You may not + draw a line and say--"We are the sons of God, ye are of the world." + The world is not so much individual as it is a certain spirit; the + course of this world is "the spirit which now worketh in the children + of disobedience." The world and the Church are annexed as inseparably + as the elements which compose the atmosphere. Take the smallest + portion of this that you will, in a cubic inch the same proportions + are found as in a temple. In the ark there was a Ham; in the small + band of the twelve apostles there was a Judas. + + The spirit of the world is for ever altering--impalpable; for ever + eluding, in fresh forms, your attempts to seize it. In the days of + Noah, the spirit of the world was _violence_. In Elijah's day it was + _idolatry_. In the day of Christ it was _power_ concentrated and + condensed in the government of Rome. In ours, perhaps, it is the _love + of money_. It enters in different proportions into different bosoms; + it is found in a different form in contiguous towns; in the + fashionable watering place, and in the commercial city: it is this + thing at Athens, and another in Corinth. This is the spirit of the + world--a thing in my heart and yours: to be struggled against, not so + much in the case of others, as in the silent battle to be done within + our own souls. Pass we on now to consider-- + + + II. The victory of faith. + + Faith is a theological expression; we are apt to forget that it has + any other than a theological import; yet it is the commonest principle + of man's daily life, called in that region prudence, enterprise, or + some such name. It is in effect the principle on which alone any human + superiority can be gained. Faith, in religion, is the same principle + as faith in worldly matters, differing only in its object: it rises + through successive stages. When, in reliance upon your promise, your + child gives up the half-hour's idleness of to-day for the holiday of + to-morrow, he lives by faith; a future supersedes the present + pleasure. When he abstains from over-indulgence of the appetite, in + reliance upon your word that the result will be pain and sickness, + sacrificing the present pleasure for fear of future punishment, he + acts on faith: I do not say that this is a high exercise of faith--it + is a very low one--but it _is_ faith. + + Once more: the same motive of action may be carried on into manhood; + in our own times two religious principles have been exemplified in the + subjugation of a vice. The habit of intoxication has been broken by an + appeal to the principle of combination, and the principle of belief. + Men were taught to feel that they were not solitary stragglers against + the vice; they were enrolled in a mighty army, identified in + principles and interests. Here was the principle of the + Church--association for reciprocated strength; they were thus taught + the inevitable result of the indulgence of the vice. The missionaries + of temperance went through the country contrasting the wretchedness + and the degradation and the filth of drunkenness with the domestic + comfort, and the health, and the regular employment of those who were + masters of themselves. So far as men believed this, and gave up the + tyranny of the present for the hope of the future--so far they lived + by faith. + + Brethren, I do not say that this was a high triumph for the principle + of faith; it was in fact, little more than selfishness; it was a high + future balanced against a low present; only the preference of a future + and higher physical enjoyment to a mean and lower one. Yet still to be + ruled by this influence raises a man in the scale of being: it is a + low virtue, prudence, a form of selfishness; yet prudence _is_ a + virtue. The merchant, who forecasts, saves, denies himself + systematically through years, to amass a fortune, is not a very lofty + being, yet he is higher, as a man, than he who is sunk in mere bodily + gratifications. You would not say that the intemperate man--who has + become temperate in order, merely to gain by that temperance honour + and happiness--is a great man, but you would say he was a higher and a + better man than he who is enslaved by his passions, or than the + gambler who improvidently stakes all upon a moment's throw. The + worldly mother who plans for the advancement of a family, and + sacrifices solid enjoyments for a splendid alliance, is only _worldly_ + wise, yet in that manoeuvring and worldly prudence there is the + exercise of a self-control which raises her above the mere giddy + pleasure-hunter of the hour; for want of self-control is the weakness + of our nature--to restrain, to wait, to control present feeling with a + large foresight, is human strength. + + Once more, instead of a faith like that of the child, which over-leaps + a few hours, or that of the worldly man, which over-passes years, + there may be a faith which transcends the whole span of life, and, + instead of looking for temporal enjoyments, looks for rewards in a + future beyond the grave, instead of a future limited to time. + + This is again a step. The child has sacrificed a day; the man has + sacrificed a little more. Faith has now reached a stage which deserves + to be called religious; not that this however, is very grand; it does + but prefer a happiness hereafter to a happiness enjoyed here--an + eternal well-being instead of a temporal well-being; it is but + prudence on a grand scale--another form of selfishness--an + anticipation of infinite rewards instead of finite, and not the more + noble because of the infinitude of the gain: and yet this is what is + often taught as religion in books and sermons. We are told that sin is + wrong, because it will make us miserable hereafter. Guilt is + represented as the short-sightedness which barters for a home on + earth--a home in heaven. + + In the text-book of ethics studied in one of our universities, virtue + is defined as that which is done at the command of God for the sake of + an eternal reward. So then, religion is nothing more than a + calculation of infinite and finite quantities; vice is nothing more + than a grand imprudence; and heaven is nothing more than selfishness + rewarded with eternal well-being! + + Yet this you will observe, is a necessary step in the development of + faith. Faith is the conviction that God is a rewarder of them who + diligently seek Him; and there is a moment in human progress when the + anticipated rewards and punishments must be of a Mahometan + character--the happiness of the senses. It was thus that the Jews were + disciplined; out of a coarse, rude, infantine state, they were + educated by rewards and punishments to abstain from present sinful + gratification: at first, the promise of the life which now is, + afterwards the promise of that which is to come; but even then the + rewards and punishments of a future state were spoken of, by + inspiration itself, as of an arbitrary character; and some of the best + of the Israelites, in looking to the recompense of reward, seemed to + have anticipated, coarsely, recompense in exchange for duties + performed. + + The last step is that which alone deserves to be called Christian + Faith--"Who is he that overcometh but he that believeth that Jesus is + the Christ?" The difference between the faith of the Christian and + that of the man of the world, or the mere ordinary religionist, is not + a difference in mental operation, but in the object of the faith--to + believe that Jesus is the Christ is the peculiarity of Christian + faith. + + The anticipated heaven of the Christian differs from the anticipated + heaven of any other man, not in the distinctness with which its + imagery is perceived, but in the kind of objects which are hoped for. + The apostle has told us the character of heaven. "Eye hath not seen, + nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to + conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love + Him"--which glorious words are sometimes strangely misinterpreted, as + if the apostle merely meant rhetorically to exalt the conception of + the heavenly world, as of something beyond all power to imagine or to + paint. The apostle meant something infinitely deeper: the heaven of + God is not only that which "eye hath not seen," but that which eye can + _never_ see; its glories are not of that kind at all which can ever + stream in forms of beauty on the eye, or pour in melody upon the + enraptured ear--not such joys as genius in its most gifted hour (here + called "the heart of man") can invent or imagine: it is something + which these sensuous organs of ours never can appreciate--bliss of + another kind altogether, revealed to the spirit of man by the Spirit + of God--joys such as spirit alone can receive. + + Do you ask what these are? "The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, + peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, + temperance." That is heaven, and therefore the Apostle tells us that + he alone who "believeth that Jesus is the Christ," and only he, feels + that. What is it to believe that Jesus is the Christ?--That He is the + Anointed One, that His life is the anointed life, the only blessed + life, the blessed life divine for thirty years?--Yes, but if so, the + blessed Life still, continued throughout all eternity: unless you + believe that, you do not believe that Jesus is the Christ. + + What is the blessedness that you expect?--to have the joys of earth + with the addition of the element of eternity? Men think that heaven is + to be a compensation for earthly loss: the saints are earthly-wretched + here, the children of this world are earthly-happy; but _that_, they + think, shall be all reversed--Lazarus, beyond the grave, shall have + the purple and the fine linen, and the splendour, and the houses, and + the lands which Dives had on earth: the one had them for time, the + other shall have them for eternity. That is the heaven that men + expect--this earth sacrificed _now_, in order that it may be + re-granted for _ever_. + + Nor will this expectation be reversed except by a reversal of the + nature. None can anticipate such a heaven as God has revealed, except + they that are born of the Spirit; therefore to believe that Jesus is + the Christ, a man must be born of God. You will observe that no other + victory overcomes the world: for this is what St. John means by + saying, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth + that Jesus is the Christ?" For then it comes to pass that a man begins + to feel, that to do wrong is hell; and that to love God, to be like + God, to have the mind of Christ, is the only heaven. Until this + victory is gained, the world retains its stronghold in the heart. + + Do you think that the temperate man has overcome the world, who, + instead of the short-lived rapture of intoxication, chooses regular + employment, health, and prosperity? Is it not the world in another + form, which has his homage? Or do you suppose that the so-called + religious man is really the world's conqueror by being content to give + up seventy years of enjoyment in order to win innumerable ages of the + very same species of enjoyment? Has he not only made earth a hell, in + order that earthly things may be his heaven for ever? + + Thus the victory of Faith proceeds from stage to stage: the first + victory is, when the Present is conquered by the Future; the last, + when the Visible and Sensual is despised in comparison of the + Invisible and Eternal. Then earth has lost its power for ever; for if + _all_ that it has to give be lost eternally, the gain of faith is + still infinite. + + + + + III. + + _Preached Whitsunday, May 19, 1850._ + + THE DISPENSATION OF THE SPIRIT. + + + "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."--1 + Corinthians xii, 4. + + According to a view which contains in it a profound truth, the ages of + the world are divisible into three dispensations, presided over by the + Father, the Son, and the Spirit. + + In the dispensation of the Father, God was known as a Creator; + creation manifested His eternal power and Godhead, and the religion of + mankind was the religion of Nature. + + In the dispensation of the Son, God manifested Himself to Humanity + through man; the Eternal Word spoke, through the inspired and gifted + of the human race, to those that were uninspired and ungifted. This + was the dispensation of the prophets--its climax was the advent of the + Redeemer; it was completed when _perfect_ Humanity manifested God to + man. The characteristic of this dispensation was, that God revealed + Himself by an authoritative Voice, speaking from without, and the + highest manifestation of God whereof man was capable, was a Divine + Humanity. + + The age in which we at present live is the dispensation of the Spirit, + in which God has communicated Himself by the highest revelation, and + in the most intimate communion, of which man is capable; no longer + through Creation, no more as an authoritative Voice from without, but + as a Law within--as a Spirit mingling with a spirit. This is the + dispensation of which the prophet said of old, that the time should + come when they should no longer teach every man his brother and every + man his neighbour, saying, "Know the Lord"--that is, by a will + revealed by external authority from other human minds--"for they shall + all know him, from the least of them to the greatest." This is the + dispensation, too, of whose close the Apostle Paul speaks thus: "Then + shall the Son also be subject to Him that hath put all things under + Him, that God may be all in all." + + The outward humanity is to disappear, that the inward union may be + complete. To the same effect, he speaks in another place, "Yea, though + we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we Him no + more." For this reason, the Ascension was necessary before Pentecost + could come: the Spirit was not given, we are told, because Jesus was + not yet glorified. It was necessary for the Son to disappear as an + outward authority, in order that he might re-appear as an inward + principle of life. Our salvation is no longer God manifested in a + Christ _without_ us, but as a Christ _within_ us, the hope of glory. + To-day is the selected anniversary of that memorable day when the + first proof was given to the senses, in the gift of Pentecost, that + that spiritual dispensation had begun. + + There is a twofold way in which the operations of the Spirit on + mankind may be considered--His influence on the Church as a whole, and + His influence on individuals; both of these are brought together in + the text. It branches, therefore, into a twofold division. + + I. Spiritual gifts conferred on individuals. + II. Spiritual union of the Church. + + Let us distinguish between the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit: by + the Spirit, the apostle meant the vital principle of new life from + God, common to all believers--the animating Spirit of the Church of + God; by the gifts of the Spirit, he meant the diversities of form in + which He operates on individuals; its influence varied according to + their respective peculiarities and characteristics. In the + twenty-eighth verse of this chapter a full catalogue of gifts is + found; looking at them generally, we discover two classes into which + they may be divided--the first are natural, the second are + supernatural: the first are those capacities which are originally + found in human nature--personal endowments of mind, a character + elevated and enlarged by the gift of the Spirit; the second are those + which were created and called into existence by the sudden approach of + the same influence. + + Just as if the temperature of this Northern hemisphere were raised + suddenly, and a mighty tropical river were to pour its fertilizing + inundation over the country, the result would be the impartation of a + vigorous and gigantic growth to the vegetation already in existence, + and at the same time the development of life in seeds and germs which + had long lain latent in the soil, incapable of vegetation in the + unkindly climate of their birth. Exactly in the same way, the flood of + a Divine life, poured suddenly into the souls of men, enlarged and + ennobled qualities which had been used already, and at the same time + _developed_ powers which never could have become apparent in the cold, + low temperature of natural life. + + Among the natural gifts, we may instance these: teaching--healing--the + power of government. Teaching is a gift, natural or acquired. To know, + is one thing; to have the capacity of imparting knowledge, is another. + + The physician's art again is no supernatural mystery; long and + careful study of physical laws capacitate him for his task. To govern, + again, is a natural faculty: it may be acquired by habit, but there + are some who never could acquire it. Some men seem born to command: + place them in what sphere you will, others acknowledge their secret + influence, and subordinate themselves to their will. The faculty of + organization, the secret of rule, need no supernatural power. They + exist among the uninspired. Now the doctrine of the apostle was, that + all these are transformed and renovated by the spirit of a new life in + such a way as to become almost new powers, or, as he calls them, gifts + of the Spirit. A remarkable illustration of this is his view of the + human body. If there be anything common to us by nature, it is the + members of our corporeal frame; yet the apostle taught that these, + guided by the Spirit as its instruments and obeying a holy will, + became transfigured; so that, in his language, the body becomes a + temple of the Holy Ghost, and the meanest faculties, the lowest + appetites, the humblest organs, are ennobled by the Spirit mind which + guides them. Thus he bids the Romans yield themselves "unto God as + those that are alive from the dead, and their members as instruments + of righteousness unto God." + + The second class of gifts are supernatural: of these we find two + pre-eminent--the gift of tongues, and the gift of prophecy. + + It does not appear that the gift of tongues was merely the imparted + faculty of speaking foreign languages--it could not be that the + highest gift of God to His Church merely made them rivals of the + linguist; it would rather seem that the Spirit of God, mingling with + the soul of man, supernaturally elevated its aspirations and glorified + its conceptions, so that an entranced state of ecstasy was + produced, and feelings called into energy, for the expression of which + the ordinary forms of speech were found inadequate. Even in a far + lower department, when a man becomes possessed of ideas for which his + ordinary vocabulary supplies no sufficient expression, his language + becomes broken, incoherent, struggling, and almost unnaturally + elevated; much more was it to be expected that when divine and new + feelings rushed like a flood upon the soul, the language of men would + have become strange and extraordinary; but in that supposed case, wild + as the expressions might appear to one coldly looking on and not + participating in the feelings of the speaker, they would be quite + sufficient to convey intelligible meaning to any one affected by the + same emotions. + + Where perfect sympathy exists, incoherent utterance--a word--a + syllable--is quite as efficient as elaborate sentences. Now this is + precisely the account given of the phenomenon which attended the gift + of tongues. On the day of Pentecost, all who were in the same state of + spiritual emotion as those who spoke, understood the speakers; each + was as intelligible to all as if he spoke in their several tongues: to + those who were coolly and sceptically watching, the effects appeared + like those of intoxication. A similar account is given by the Apostle + Paul: the voice appeared to unsympathetic ears as that of a barbarian; + the uninitiated and unbelieving coming in, heard nothing that was + articulate to them, but only what seemed to them the ravings of + insanity. + + The next was the gift of prophecy. Prophecy has several meanings in + Scripture; sometimes it means the power of predicting future events, + sometimes an entranced state accompanied with ravings, sometimes it + appears to mean only exposition; but prophecy, as the miraculous + spiritual gift granted to the early Church, seems to have been a state + of communion with the mind of God lower than that which was called the + gift of tongues, at least less ecstatic, less rapt into the world to + come, more under the guidance of the reason, more within the control + of calm consciousness--as we might say, less supernatural. + + Upon these gifts we make two observations: + + 1. Even the highest were not accompanied with spiritual faultlessness. + Inspiration was one thing, infallibility another. The gifts of the + Spirit were, like the gifts of Nature, subordinated to the + will--capable of being used for good or evil, sometimes pure, + sometimes mixed with human infirmity. The supernaturally gifted man + was no mere machine, no automaton ruled in spite of himself by a + superior spirit. Disorder, vanity, over-weening self-estimation, might + accompany these gifts, and the prophetic utterance itself might be + degraded to a mere brawling in the Church; therefore St. Paul + established laws of control, declared the need of subjection and rule + over spiritual gifts: the spirits of the prophets were to be subject + to the prophets; if those in the ecstatic state were tempted to break + out into utterance and unable to interpret what it meant, those so + gifted were to hold their peace. + + The prophet poured out the truths supernaturally imparted to his + highest spirit, in an inspired and impassioned eloquence which was + intelligible even to the unspiritual, and was one of the appointed + means of convincing the unconverted. The lesson derivable from this is + not obsolete even in the present day. There is nothing perhaps + precisely identical in our own day with those gifts of the early + Church; but genius and talent are uncommon gifts, which stand in a + somewhat analogous relation--in a closer one certainly--than more + ordinary endowments. The flights of genius, we know, appear like + maniac ravings to minds not elevated to the same spiritual level. Now + these are perfectly compatible with mis-use, abuse, and moral + disorder. The most gifted of our countrymen has left this behind him + as his epitaph, "The greatest, wisest, _meanest_ of mankind." The most + glorious gift of poetic insight--itself in a way divine--having + something akin to Deity--is too often associated with degraded life + and vicious character. Those gifts which elevate us above the rest of + our species, whereby we stand aloof and separate from the crowd, + convey no moral--nor even mental--infallibility: nay, they have in + themselves a peculiar danger, whereas that gift which is common to us + all as brethren, the animating spirit of a divine life, in whose soil + the spiritual being of all is rooted, cannot make us vain; we _cannot_ + pride ourselves on _that_, for it is common to us all. + + 2. Again, the gifts which were higher in one sense were lower in + another; as supernatural gifts they would rank thus--the gift of + tongues before prophecy, and prophecy before teaching; but as + blessings to be desired, this order is reversed: rather than the gift + of tongues St. Paul bids the Corinthians desire that they might + prophecy. Inferior again to prophecy was the quite simple, and as we + should say, lower faculty of explaining truth. Now the principle upon + which that was tried was that of utility--not utility in the low sense + of the utilitarian, who measures the value of a thing by its + susceptibility of application to the purpose of this present life, but + a utility whose measure was love, charity. The apostle considered + _that_ gift most desirable by which men might most edify one another. + And hence that noble declaration of one of the most gifted of + mankind--"I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I + might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown + tongue." + + Our estimate is almost the reverse of this: we value a gift in + proportion to its rarity, its distinctive character, separating its + possessor from the rest of his fellow-men; whereas, in truth, those + gifts which leave us in lonely majesty apart from our species, useless + to them, benefiting ourselves alone, are not the most godlike, but the + least so; because they are dissevered from that beneficent charity + which is the very being of God. Your lofty incommunicable thoughts, + your ecstasies, and aspirations, and contemplative raptures--in virtue + of which you have estimated yourself as the porcelain of the earth, of + another nature altogether than the clay of common spirits--tried by + the test of Charity, what is there grand in these if they cannot be + applied as blessings to those that are beneath you? One of our + countrymen has achieved for himself extraordinary scientific renown; + he pierced the mysteries of nature, he analysed her processes, he gave + new elements to the world. The same man applied his rare intellect to + the construction of a simple and very common instrument--that + well-known lamp which has been the guardian of the miner's life from + the explosion of fire. His discoveries are his nobility in this world, + his trifling invention gives him rank in the world to come. By the + former he shines as one of the brightest luminaries in the firmament + of science, by the latter evincing a spirit animated and directed by + Christian love, he takes his place as one of the Church of God. + + And such is ever the true order of rank which graces occupy in + reference to gifts. The most trifling act which is marked by + usefulness to others is nobler in God's sight, than the most brilliant + accomplishment of genius. To teach a few Sunday-school children, week + after week, commonplace simple truths--persevering in spite of + dullness and mean capacities--is a more glorious occupation than the + highest meditations or creations of genius which edify or instruct + only our own solitary soul. + + + II. The spiritual unity of the Church--"the same Spirit." + + Men have formed to themselves two ideas of unity: the first is a + sameness of form--of expression; the second an identity of spirit. + Some of the best of mankind have fondly hoped to realize an unity for + the Church of Christ which should be manifested by uniform expressions + in everything: their imaginations have loved to paint, as the ideal of + a Christian Church, a state in which the same liturgy should be used + throughout the world, the same ecclesiastical government, even the + same vestments, the same canonical hours, the same form of + architecture. They could conceive nothing more entirely one than a + Church so constituted that the same prayers, in the very same + expressions, at the very same moment, should be ascending to the + Eternal Ear. + + There are others who have thrown aside entirely this idea as + chimerical; who have not only ceased to hope it, but even to wish it; + who if it could be realized, would consider it a matter of regret; who + feel that the minds of men are various--their modes and habits of + thought, their original capacities and acquired associations, + infinitely diverse; and who, perceiving that the law of the universal + system is manifoldness in unity, have ceased to expect any other + oneness for the Church of Christ than that of a sameness of spirit, + showing itself through diversities of gifts. Among these last was the + Apostle Paul: his large and glorious mind rejoiced in the + contemplation of the countless manifestations of spiritual nature + beneath which he detected one and the same pervading Mind. Now let us + look at this matter somewhat more closely. + + 1. All real unity is manifold. Feelings in themselves identical find + countless forms of expression: for instance, sorrow is the same + feeling throughout the human race; but the Oriental prostrates himself + upon the ground, throws dust upon his head, tears his garments, is not + ashamed to break out into the most violent lamentations. In the north, + we rule our grief in public; suffer not even a quiver to be seen upon + the lip or brow, and consider calmness as the appropriate expression + of manly grief. Nay, two sisters of different temperament will show + their grief diversely; one will love to dwell upon the theme of the + qualities of the departed, the other feels it a sacred sorrow, on + which the lips are sealed for ever; yet would it not be idle to ask + which of them has the truest affection? Are they not both in their own + way true? In the same East, men take off their sandals in devotion; we + exactly reverse the procedure, and uncover the head. The Oriental + prostrates himself in the dust before his sovereign; even before his + God the Briton only kneels; yet would it not again be idle to ask + which is the essential and proper form of reverence? Is not true + reverence in all cases modified by the individualities of temperament + and education? Should we not say, in all these forms worketh one and + the same spirit of reverence? + + Again in the world as God has made it, one law shows itself under + diverse, even opposite manifestations; lead sinks in water, wood + floats upon the surface. In former times men assigned these different + results to different forces, laws, and gods. A knowledge of Nature has + demonstrated that they are expressions of one and the same law; and + the great difference between the educated and the uneducated man is + this--the uneducated sees in this world nothing but an infinite + collection of unconnected facts--a broken, distorted, and fragmentary + system, which his mind can by no means reduce to order. The educated + man, in proportion to his education, sees the number of laws + diminished--beholds in the manifold appearances of Nature the + expression of a few laws, by degrees fewer, till at last it becomes + possible to his conception that they are all reducible to one, and + that that which lies beneath the innumerable phenomena of Nature is + the One Spirit--God. + + 2. All _living_ unity is spiritual, not formal; not sameness, but + manifoldness. You may have a unity shown in identity of form; but it + is a lifeless unity. There is a sameness on the sea-beach--that unity + which the ocean waves have produced by curling and forcibly destroying + the angularities of individual form, so that every stone presents the + same monotony of aspect, and you must fracture each again in order to + distinguish whether you hold in your hand a mass of flint or fragment + of basalt. There is no life in unity such as this. + + But as soon as you arrive at a unity that is living, the form becomes + more complex, and you search in vain for uniformity. In the parts, it + must be found, if found at all, in the sameness of the pervading life. + The illustration given by the apostle is that of the human body--a + higher unity, he says, by being composed of many members, than if + every member were but a repetition of a single type. It is conceivable + that God might have moulded such a form for human life; it is + conceivable that every cause, instead of producing in different nerves + a variety of sensations, should have affected every one in a mode + precisely similar; that instead of producing a sensation of sound--a + sensation of colour--a sensation of taste--the outward causes of + nature, be they what they may, should have given but one unvaried + feeling to every sense, and that the whole universe should have been + light or sound. + + That would have been unity, if sameness be unity; but, says the + apostle, "if the whole body were seeing, where were the hearing?" That + uniformity would have been irreparable loss--the loss of every part + that was merged into the one. What is the body's unity? Is it not + this? The unity of a living consciousness which marvellously animates + every separate atom of the frame, and reduces each to the performance + of a function fitted to the welfare of the whole--its own, not + another's: so that the inner spirit can say of the remotest, and in + form most unlike, member, "That too, is myself." + + 3. None but a spiritual unity can preserve the rights both of the + individual and the Church. All other systems of unity, except the + apostolic, either sacrifice the Church to the individual, or the + individual to the Church. + + Some have claimed the right of private judgment in such a way that + every individual opinion becomes truth, and every utterance of private + conscience right: thus the Church is sacrificed to the individual; and + the universal conscience, the common faith, becomes as nothing; the + spirits of the prophets are not subject to the prophets. Again, there + are others, who, like the Church of Rome, would surrender the + conscience of each man to the conscience of the Church, and coerce the + particulars of faith into exact coincidence with a formal creed. + Spiritual unity saves the right of both in God's system. The Church + exists for the individual, just as truly as the individual for the + Church. The Church is then most perfect when all its powers converge, + and are concentrated on the formation and protection of individual + character; and the individual is then most complete--that is, most a + Christian--when he has practically learned that his life is not his + own, but owed to others--"that no man liveth to himself, and no man + dieth to himself." + + Now, spiritual unity respects the sanctity of the individual + conscience. How reverently the Apostle Paul considered its claims, + and how tenderly! When once it became a matter of conscience, this was + his principle laid down in matters of dispute: "Let every man be fully + persuaded in his own mind." The belief of the whole world cannot make + that thing true to me which to me seems false. The conscience of the + whole world cannot make a thing right to me, if I in my heart believe + it wrong. You may coerce the conscience, you may control men's belief, + and you may produce a unity by so doing; but it is the unity of + pebbles on the sea-shore--a lifeless identity of outward form with no + cohesion between the parts--a dead sea-beach on which nothing grows, + and where the very seaweed dies. + + Lastly, it respected the sanctity of individual character. Out of + eight hundred millions of the human race, a few features diversify + themselves into so many forms of countenance, that scarcely two could + be mistaken for each other. There are no two leaves on the same tree + alike; nor two sides of the same leaf, unless you cut and kill it + There is a sacredness in individuality of character; each one born + into this world is a fresh new soul intended by his Maker to develope + himself in a new fresh way; we are what we are; we cannot be truly + other than ourselves. We reach perfection not by copying, much less by + aiming at originality; but by consistently and steadily working out + the life which is common to us all, according to the character which + God has given us. + + And thus will the Church of God be one at last--will present an unity + like that of heaven. There is one universe in which each separate star + differs from another in glory; one Church in which a single Spirit, + the Life of God, pervades each separate soul; and just in proportion + as that Life becomes exalted does it enable every one to shine forth + in the distinctness of his own separate individuality, like the stars + of heaven. + + + + + IV. + + _Preached May 26, 1850._ + + THE TRINITY. + + + "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God + your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto + the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."--1 Thess. v. 23. + + The knowledge of God is the blessedness of man. To know God, and to be + known by Him--to love God, and to be loved by Him--is the most + precious treasure which this life has to give; properly speaking the + only treasure; properly speaking the only knowledge; for all + knowledge is valuable only so far as it converges towards and ends in + the knowledge of God, and enables us to acquaint ourselves with God, + and be at peace with Him. The doctrine of the Trinity is the sum of + all that knowledge which has as yet been gained by man. I say gained + _as yet_. For we presume not to maintain that in the ages which are to + come hereafter, our knowledge shall not be superseded by a higher + knowledge; we presume not to say that in a state of existence + future--yea even here upon this earth, at that period which is + mysteriously referred to in Scripture as "the coming of the Son of + Man"--there shall not be given to the soul an intellectual conception + of the Almighty, a vision of the Eternal, in comparison with whose + brightness and clearness our present knowledge of the Trinity shall be + as rudimentary and as childlike as the knowledge of the Jew was in + comparison with the knowledge of the Christian. + + Now the passage which I have undertaken to expound to-day, is one in + which the doctrine of the Trinity is brought into connection + practically with the doctrine of our Humanity. Before entering into it + brethren, let us lay down these two observations and duties for + ourselves. In the first place, let us examine the doctrine of the + Trinity ever in the spirit of charity. + + A clear statement of the deepest doctrine that man can know, and the + intellectual conception of that doctrine, are by no means easy. We are + puzzled and perplexed by _words_; we fight respecting _words_. + Quarrels are nearly always verbal quarrels. Words lose their meaning + in the course of time; nay, the very words of the Athanasian creed + which we read to-day mean not in this age, the same thing which they + meant in ages past. Therefore it is possible that men, externally + Trinitarians, may differ from each other though using the same words, + as greatly as a Unitarian differs from a Trinitarian. There may be + found in the same Church and in the same congregation, men holding all + possible shades of opinion, though agreeing externally, and in words. + + I speak within the limit of my own experience when I say that persons + have been known and heard to express the language of bitter + condemnation respecting Unitarianism, who when examined and calmly + required to draw out verbally the meaning of their own conceptions, + have been proved to be holding all the time--unconsciously--the very + doctrine of Sabellianism. And this doctrine is condemned by the Church + as distinctly as that of Unitarianism. Therefore let us learn from all + this a large and catholic charity. There are in almost every + congregation, themselves not knowing it, Trinitarians who are + practically Tri-theists, worshipping three Gods; and Sabellians, or + worshippers of one person under three different manifestations. To + know God so that we may be said intellectually, to appreciate Him, is + blessed: to be unable to do so is a misfortune. Be content with your + own blessedness, in comparison with others' misfortunes. Do not give + to that misfortune the additional sting of illiberal and unchristian + vituperation. + + The next observation we have to lay down for ourselves is, that we + should examine this doctrine in the spirit of modesty. There are those + who are inclined to sneer at the Trinitarian; those to whom the + doctrine appears merely a contradiction--a puzzle--an entangled, + labyrinthine enigma, in which there is no meaning whatever. But let + all such remember, that though the doctrine may appear to them absurd, + because they have not the proper conception of it, some of the + profoundest thinkers, and some of the holiest spirits among mankind, + have believed in this doctrine--have clung to it as a matter of life + or death. Let them be assured of this, that whether the doctrine be + true or false, it is not necessarily a doctrine self-contradictory. + Let them be assured of this, in all modesty, that such men never could + have held it unless there was latent in the doctrine a deep + truth,--perchance the truth of God. + + We pass on now to the consideration of this verse under the following + divisions. In the first place, we shall view it as a triad in discord: + "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved + blameless;" in the second place, as a Trinity in Unity: "the God of + peace sanctify you wholly." We take then first of all for our + consideration the triad in discord: "I pray God your whole body and + soul and spirit be preserved blameless." + + The apostle here divides human nature into a three-fold division; and + here we have to observe again the difficulty often experienced in + understanding words. Thus words in the Athanasian creed have become + obsolete, or lost their meaning: so that in the present day the words + "person," "substance," "procession," "generation," to an ordinary + person, mean almost nothing. So this language of the apostle, when + rendered into English, shows no difference whatever between "soul" and + "spirit." We say, for instance, that the soul of a man has departed + from him. We also say that the spirit of a man has departed from him. + There is no distinct difference between the two; but in the original + two very different kinds of thoughts--two very different modes of + conception--are represented by the two English words "soul" and + "spirit." + + It is our business, therefore, in the first place, to understand what + is meant by this threefold division. When the apostle speaks of the + body, what he means is the animal life--that which we share in common + with beasts, birds, and reptiles; for our life my Christian + brethren--our sensational existence--differs but little from that of + the lower animals. There is the same external form, the same material + in the blood-vessels, in the nerves, and in the muscular system. Nay, + more than that, our appetites and instincts are alike, our lower + pleasures like their lower pleasures, our lower pain like their lower + pain, our life is supported by the same means, and our animal + functions are almost indistinguishably the same. + + But, once more, the apostle speaks of what he calls the "soul." What + the apostle meant by what is translated "soul," is the immortal part + of man--the immaterial as distinguished from the material: those + powers, in fact, which man has by nature--powers natural, which are + yet to survive the grave. There is a distinction made in scripture by + our Lord between these two things. "Fear not," says He, "them who can + kill the body; but rather fear Him who can destroy both body and + soul in hell." + + We have again, to observe respecting this, that what the apostle + called the "soul," is not simply distinguishable from the body, but + also from the spirit; and on that distinction I have already touched. + By the soul the apostle means our powers natural--the powers which we + have by nature. Herein is the soul distinguishable from the spirit. In + the Epistle to the Corinthians we read--"But the natural man receiveth + not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto + him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. + But he that is spiritual judgeth all things." Observe, there is a + distinction drawn between the natural man and the spiritual. What is + there translated "natural" is derived from precisely the same word as + that which is here translated "soul." So that we may read just as + correctly: "The man under the dominion of the soul receiveth not the + things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; + neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. But + he that is spiritual judgeth all things." And again, the apostle, in + the same Epistle to the Corinthians, writes: "That is not first which + is spiritual, but that which is natural:" that is, the endowments of + the soul precede the endowments of the spirit. You have the same truth + in other places. The powers that belong to the Spirit were not the + first developed; but the powers which belong to the soul, that is the + powers of nature. Again in the same chapter, reference is made to the + natural and spiritual body. "There is a natural body and there is a + spiritual body." Literally, there is a body governed by the soul--that + is, powers natural: and there is a body governed by the Spirit--that + is, higher nature. + + Let then this be borne in mind, that what the apostle calls "soul" is + the same as that which he calls, in another place, the "natural man." + These powers are divisible into two branches--the intellectual powers + and the moral sense. The intellectual powers man has by nature. Man + need not be regenerated in order to possess the power of reasoning, or + in order to invent. The intellectual powers belong to what the apostle + calls the "soul." The moral sense distinguishes between right and + wrong. The apostle tells us, in the Epistle to the Romans, that the + heathen--manifestly natural men--had the "work of the law written in + their hearts; their conscience also bearing witness." + + The third division of which the apostle speaks, he calls the "spirit;" + and by the spirit he means that life in man which, in his natural + state, is in such an embryo condition, that it can scarcely be said to + exist at all--that which is called out into power and vitality by + regeneration--the perfection of the powers of human nature. And you + will observe, that it is not merely the instinctive life, nor the + intellectual life, nor the moral life, but it is principally our + nobler affections--that existence, that state of being, which we call + love. That is the department of human nature which the apostle calls + the spirit; and accordingly, when the Spirit of God was given on the + day of Pentecost, you will, remember that another power of man was + called out, differing from what he had before. That Spirit granted on + the day of Pentecost did subordinate to Himself, and was, intended to + subordinate to Himself, the will, the understanding, and the affection + of man; but you often find these spiritual powers were distinguished + from the natural powers, and existed without them. + + So in the highest state of religious life, we are told, men prayed in + the spirit. Till the spirit has subordinated the understanding, the + gift of God is not complete--has not done its work. It is abundantly + evident that a new life was called out. It was not merely the + sharpening of the intellectual powers; it was calling out powers of + aspiration and love to God; those affections which have in them + something boundless, that are not limited to this earth, but seek + their completion in the mind of God Himself. + + Now, what we have to say respecting this threefold state of man is, it + is a state of discord. Let us take up a very simple, popular, + every-day illustration. We hear it remarked frequently in conversation + of a man, that if only his will were commensurate with his knowledge, + he would be a great man. His knowledge is great--his powers are almost + unbounded; he has gained knowledge from nearly every department of + science; but somehow or other--you cannot tell why--there is such an + indecision, such a vacillation about the man, that he scarcely knows + what to do, and, perhaps does nothing in this world. You find it + remarked, respecting another class of men, that their will is strong, + almost unbounded in its strength--they have iron wills, yet there is + something so narrow in their conceptions, something so bounded in + their views, so much of stagnation in their thoughts, so much of + prejudice in all their opinions, that their will is prevented from + being directed to anything in a proper manner. Here is the discord in + human nature. There is a distinction between the will and the + understanding. And sometimes a feeble will goes with a strong + understanding, or a powerful will is found in connection with great + feebleness or ignorance of the understanding. + + Let us however, go into this more specially. The first cause of + discord in this threefold state of man is the state in which the body + is the ruler; and this, my Christian brethren, you find most visibly + developed in the uneducated and irreligious poor. I say uneducated and + irreligious, because it is by no means education alone which can + subordinate the flesh to the higher man. The religious uneducated poor + man may be master of his lower passions; but in the uneducated and + irreligious poor man, these show themselves in full force; this + discord--this want of unity--appears, as it were, in a magnified form. + There is a strong man--health bursting, as it were, at every pore, + with an athletic body; but coarse, and rude, and intellectually + weak--almost an animal. When you are regarding the upper classes of + society, you see less distinctly the absence of the spirit, unless, + you look with a spiritual eye. The coarseness has passed away--the + rudeness is no longer seen: there is a refinement in the pleasures. + But if you take the life led by the young men of our country--strong, + athletic, healthy men--it is still the life of the flesh: the + unthinking, and the unprincipled life in which there is as yet no + higher life developed. It is a life which, in spite of its refinement, + the Bible condemns as the life of the sensualist. + + We pass on now, to another state of discord--a state in which the soul + is ruined. Brethren, this is a natural result--this is what might have + been expected. The natural man gradually subordinates the flesh, the + body, to the soul. It is natural in the development of individuals, it + is natural in the development of society: in the development of + individuals, because that childlike, infantine life which exists at + first, and is almost entirely a life of appetites, gradually subsides. + Higher wants, higher desires, loftier inclinations arise; the passions + of the young man gradually subside, and by degrees the more rational + life comes: the life is changed--the pleasures of the senses are + forsaken for those of the intellect. + + It appears natural, again, in the development of society. Civilization + will subordinate the flesh to the soul. In the savage state, you find + the life of the animal. Civilization is teaching a man, on the + principle of this world, to subordinate his appetites; to rule + himself; and there comes a refinement, and a gentleness, and a + polish, and an enjoyment of intellectual pleasures; so that the man is + no longer what the apostle calls a sensual man, but he becomes now + what the apostle calls a natural man. We can see this character + delineated in the Epistle to the Ephesians. "Then we were," says the + apostle, "in our Gentile state, fulfilling the desires of the flesh + and of the mind." Man naturally fulfils not merely the desires of the + flesh, but the desires of the mind. "And were," says the apostle, + "children of wrath." + + One of the saddest spectacles is the decay of the natural man before + the work of the Spirit has been accomplished in him. When the savage + dies--when a mere infant dies--when an animal dies--there is nothing + that is appalling or depressing there; but when the high, the + developed intellect--when the cultivated man comes to the last hours + of life, and the memory becomes less powerful, and the judgment fails, + and all that belongs to nature and to earth visibly perishes, and the + higher life has not been yet developed, though it is destined to + survive the grave for ever--even the life of God--there is here ample + cause for grief; and it is no wonder that the man of genius merely + should shed tears at he idea of decaying life. + + We pass on to consider the Trinity in unity. All this is contained in + that simple expression, "The God of peace." God is a God of unity. He + makes one where before there were two. He is the God of peace, and + therefore can make peace. Now this peace, according to the Trinitarian + doctrine, consists in a threefold unity. Brethren, as we remarked + respecting this first of all, the distinction in this Trinity is not a + physical distinction, but a metaphysical one. The illustrations which + are often given are illustrations drawn from material sources: if we + take only those, we get into contradiction: for example, when we talk + of personality, our idea is of a being bounded by space; and then to + say in this sense that three persons are one, and one is three, is + simply contradictory and absurd. Remember that the doctrine of the + Trinity is a metaphysical doctrine. It is a trinity--a division in the + mind of God. It is not three materials; it is three persons in a sense + we shall explain by and by. + + In the next place I will endeavour to explain the doctrine--not to + prove it, but to show its rationality, and to explain what it is. + + The first illustration we endeavour to give in this is taken from the + world of matter. We will take any material substance: we find in that + substance qualities; we will say three qualities--colour, shape, and + size. Colour is not shape, shape is not size, size is not colour. They + are three distinct essences, three distinct qualities, and yet they + all form one unity, one single conception, one idea--the idea for + example, of a tree. + + Now we will ascend from that into the immaterial world; and here to be + something more distinct still. Hitherto we have had but three + qualities; we now come to the mind of man, where we find something + more than qualities. We will take three--the will, the affections, and + the thoughts of man. His will is not his affections, neither are his + affections his thoughts; and it would be imperfect and incomplete to + say that these are mere qualities in the man. They are separate + consciousnesses, living consciousnesses--as distinct, and as really + sundered as it is possible for three things to be, yet bound together + by one unity of consciousness. Now we have distincter proof than even + this that these things are three. The anatomist can tell you that the + localities of these powers are different. He can point out the seat of + the nerve of sensation; he can localize the feeling of affection; he + can point to a nerve and say, "There resides the locality of thought." + + There are three distinct localities for three distinct qualities, + personalities, consciousnesses; yet all these three are one. + + Once more, we will give proof even beyond all that. The act that a man + does is done by one particular part of that man. You may say it was a + work of his genius, or of his fancy; it may have been a manifestation + of his love, or an exhibition of his courage; yet that work was the + work of the whole man: his courage, his intellect, his habits of + perseverance, all helped towards the completion of that single work. + Just in this way certain special works are attributed to certain + personalities of the Deity; the work of Redemption being attributed to + one, the work of Sanctification to another. And yet just as the whole + man was engaged in doing that work, so does the whole Deity perform + that work which is attributed to one essential. + + Once more, let us remember that principle which we expounded last + Sunday, that it is the law of Being that in proportion as you rise + from lower to higher life, the parts are more distinctly developed, + while yet the unity becomes more entire. You find for example, in the + lowest forms of animal life one organ performs several functions, one + organ being at the same time heart and brain and blood-vessels. But + when you come to man, you find all these various functions existing in + different organs, and every organ more distinctly developed; and yet + the unity of a man is a higher unity than that of a limpet. When you + come from the material world to the world immaterial, you find that + the more society is cultivated--the more man is cultivated--the more + marvellous is the power of developing distinct powers. In the savage + life it is almost all one feeling; but in proportion as the higher + education advances and the higher life appears, every power and + faculty developes and distinguishes itself, and becomes distinct and + separate. And yet just in proportion as in a nation every part is + distinct, the unity is greater, and just in proportion as in an + individual every power is most complete, and stands out most distinct, + just in that proportion has the man reached the entireness of his + Humanity. + + Now brethren, we apply all this to the mind of God. The Trinitarian + maintains against the Unitarian and the Sabellian, that the higher you + ascend in the scale of being, the more distinct are the + consciousnesses, and that the law of unity implies and demands a + manifold unity. The doctrine of Sabellianism, for example, is this, + that God is but one essence--but one person under different + manifestations; and that when He made the world He was called the + Father, when He redeemed the world He was called the Son, and when He + sanctified the world He was called the Holy Ghost. The Sabellian and + the Unitarian maintain that the unity of God consists simply in a + unity of person, and in opposition to this does the Trinitarian + maintain that grandness, either in man or in God, must be a unity of + manifoldness. + + But we will enter into this more deeply. The first power or + consciousness in which God is made known to us is as the Father, the + Author of our being. It is written, "In Him we live, and move, and + have our being." He is the Author of all life. In this sense He is not + merely our Father as Christians, but the Father of mankind; and not + merely the Father of mankind, but the Father of creation; and in this + way the sublime language of the prophets may be taken as true + literally, "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God + shouted for joy;" and the language of the canticle which belongs to + our morning service, "the deeps, the fountains, the wells," all unite + in one hymn of praise, one everlasting hallelujah to God the Father, + the Author of their being. In this respect, simply as the Author of + life, merely as the supreme Being, God has reference to us in relation + to the body. He is the Lord of life: in Him we live, and move, and + have our being. In this respect God to us is as law--as the collected + laws of the universe; and therefore to offend against law, and bring + down the result of transgressing law, is said in Scripture language, + because applied to a person, to be provoking the wrath of God the + Father. + + In the next place, the second way through which the personality and + consciousness of God has been revealed to us is as the Son. Brethren, + we see in all those writers who have treated of the Trinity, that much + stress is laid upon this eternal generation of the Son, the + everlasting sonship. It is this which we have in the Creed--the Creed + which was read to-day--"God, of the substance of the Father, begotten + before the worlds;" and, again, in the Nicene Creed, that expression, + which is so often wrongly read, "God of God, Light of Light, very God + of very God," means absolutely nothing. There are two statements made + there. The first is this, "The Son was God:" the second is this, "The + Son was--_of_ God," showing his derivation. And in that, brethren, we + have one of the deepest and most blessed truths of revelation. The + Unitarian maintains a divine Humanity--a blessed, blessed truth. There + is a truth more blessed still--the Humanity of Deity. Before the world + was, there was that in the mind of God which we may call the Humanity + of His Divinity. It is called in Scripture the Word: the Son: the Form + of God. It is in virtue of this that we have a right to attribute to + Him our own feelings; it is in virtue of this that Scripture speaks of + His wisdom, His justice, His love. Love in God is what love is in man; + justice in God is what justice is in man; creative power in God is + what creative power is in man; indignation in God is that which + indignation is in man, barring only this, that the one is emotional, + but the other is calm, and pure, and everlastingly still. It is + through this Humanity in the mind of God, if I may dare so to speak of + Deity, that a revelation became possible to man. It was the Word that + was made flesh; it was the Word that manifested Itself to man. It is + in virtue of the connection between God and man, that God made man in + His own image; that through a long line of prophets the human truth of + God could be made known to man, till it came forth developed most + entirely and at large in the incarnation of the Redeemer. Now in this + respect, it will be observed that God stands connected with us in + relation to the soul as "the Light which lighteth every man that + cometh into the world." + + Once more; there is a nearer, a closer, and a more enduring relation + in which God stands to us--that is, the relation of the Spirit. It is + to the writings of St. John that we have to turn especially, if we + desire to know the doctrines of the Spirit. You will remember the + strange way in which he speaks of God. It would almost seem as if the + external God has disappeared to him; nay, as if an external Christ + were almost forgotten, because the internal Christ has been formed. He + speaks of God as kindred with us; he speaks of Christ as Christ _in_ + us; and "if we love one another," he says, "God dwelleth in us." If a + man keep the commandments, "God dwelleth in him, and he in God." So + that the spiritual manifestation of God to us is that whereby He + blends Himself with the soul of man. + + These then, my Christian brethren, are the three consciousnesses by + which He becomes known to us. Three, we said, _known_ to us. We do not + dare to limit God; we do not presume to say that there are in God only + three personalities--only three consciousnesses: all that we dare + presume to say is this, that there are three in reference to us, and + only three; that a fourth there is not; that perchance, in the present + state a fourth you cannot add to these--Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier. + + Lastly, let us turn to the relation which the Trinity in unity bears + to the triad in discord. It is intended for the entireness of our + sanctification: "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Brethren, + we dwell upon that expression "_wholly_." There is this difference + between Christianity and every other system: Christianity proposes to + ennoble the whole man; every other system subordinates parts to parts. + Christianity does not despise the intellect, but it does not exalt the + intellect in a one-sided way: it only dwells with emphasis on the + third and highest part of man--his spiritual affections; and these it + maintains are the chief and real seat of everlasting life, intended to + subordinate the other to themselves. + + Asceticism would crush the natural affections--destroy the appetites. + Asceticism feels that there is a conflict between the flesh and the + spirit, and it would put an end to that conflict; it would bring back + unity by the excision of all our natural appetites, and all the + desires and feelings which we have by nature. But when the apostle + Paul comes forward to proclaim the will of God, he says it is not by + the crushing of the body, but by the sanctification of the body: "I + pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless + unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." + + In this my Christian brethren, there is one of the deepest of all + truths. Does a man feel himself the slave and the victim of his lower + passions? Let not that man hope to subdue them merely by struggling + against them. Let him not by fasting, by austerity, by any earthly + rule that he can conceive, expect to subdue the flesh. The more he + thinks of his vile and lower feelings, the more will they be brought + into distinctness, and therefore into power; the more hopelessly will + he become their victim. The only way in which a man can subdue the + flesh, is not by the extinction of those feelings, but by the + elevation of their character. Let there be added to that character, + sublimity of aim, purity of affection; let there be given grandeur, + spiritual nobleness; and then, just as the strengthening of the whole + constitution of the body makes any particular and local affection + disappear, so by degrees, by the raising of the character, do these + lower affections become, not extinguished or destroyed by excision, + but ennobled by a new and loftier spirit breathed through them. + + This is the account given by the apostle. He speaks of the conflict + between the flesh and the spirit. And his remedy is to give vigour to + the higher, rather than to struggle with the lower. "This I say then, + Walk in the spirit, and ye _shall not_ fulfil the lust of the flesh." + + Once more; the apostle differs from the world in this, that the world + would restore this unity, and sanctify man simply from the soul. It is + this which civilization pretends to effect. We hear much in these + modern days of "the progress of Humanity." We hear of man's invention, + of man's increase of knowledge; and it would seem in all this, as if + man were necessarily becoming better. Brethren, it always must be the + case in that state in which God is looked upon as the Supreme Being + merely, where the intellect of man is supposed to be the chief + thing--that which makes him most kindred to his Maker. + + The doctrine of Christianity is this--that unity of all this discord + must be made. Man is to be made one with God, not by soaring + intellect, but by lowly love. It is the Spirit which guides him to all + truth; not merely by rendering more acute the reasoning powers, but by + convincing of sin, by humbling the man. It is the graces of the Spirit + which harmonize the man, and make him one; and that is the end, and + aim, and object of all the Gospel: the entireness of sanctification to + produce a perfectly developed man. + + Most of us in this world are monsters, with some part of our being + bearing the development of a giant, and others showing the proportions + of a dwarf: a feeble, dwarfish will--mighty, full-blown passions; and + therefore it is that there is to be visible through the Trinity in us, + a noble manifold unity; and when the triune power of God shall so have + done its work on the entireness of our Humanity, that the body, soul, + and spirit have been sanctified, then shall there be exhibited, and + only then, a perfect affection in man to his Maker, and body, soul, + and spirit shall exhibit a Trinity in unity. + + + + + V. + + _Preached June 2, 1850._ + + ABSOLUTION. + + + "And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is + this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God + alone?"--Luke v. 21. + + There are questions which having been again and again settled, still + from time to time, present themselves for _re_-solution; errors which + having been refuted, and cut up by the roots, re-appear in the next + century as fresh and vigorous as ever. Like the fabled monsters of + old, from whose dissevered neck the blood sprung forth and formed + fresh heads, multiplied and indestructible; or like the weeds, which, + extirpated in one place, sprout forth vigorously in another. + + In every such case it may be taken for granted that the root of the + matter has not been reached; the error has been exposed, but the truth + which lay at the bottom of the error has not been disengaged. Every + error is connected with a truth; the truth being perennial, springs up + again as often as circumstances foster it, or call for it, and the + seeds of error which lay about the roots spring up again in the form + of weeds, as before. + + A popular illustration of this may be found in the belief in the + appearance of the spirits of the departed. You may examine the + evidence for every such alleged apparition; you may demonstrate the + improbability; you may reduce it to an impossibility; still the + popular feeling will remain; and there is a lurking superstition even + among the enlightened, which in the midst of professions of + incredulity, shows itself in a readiness to believe the wildest new + tale, if it possess but the semblance of an authentication. Now two + truths lie at the root of this superstition. The first is the reality + of the spirit-world, and the instinctive belief in it. The second is + the fact that there are certain states of health in which the eye + creates the objects which it perceives. The death-blow to such + superstition is only struck when we have not only proved that men have + been deceived, but shown besides how they came to be deceived; when + science has explained the optical delusion, and shown the + physiological state in which such apparitions become visible. Ridicule + will not do it. Disproof will not do it. So long as men feel that + there is a spirit-world, and so long as to some the impression is + vivid that they have seen it, you spend your rhetoric in vain. You + must show the truth that lies below the error. + + The principle we gain from this is that you cannot overthrow falsehood + by negation, but by establishing the antagonistic truth. The + refutation which is to last must be positive, not negative. It is an + endless work to be uprooting weeds: plant the ground with wholesome + vegetation, and then the juices which would have otherwise fed + rankness will pour themselves into a more vigorous growth; the + dwindled weeds will be easily raked out then. It is an endless task to + be refuting error. Plant truth, and the error will pine away. + + The instance to which all this is preliminary, is the pertinacious + hold which the belief in a human absolving power retains upon mankind. + There has perhaps never yet been known a religion without such a + belief. There is not a savage in the islands of the South Pacific who + does not believe that his priest can shield him from the consequences + of sin. There was not a people in antiquity who had not dispensers of + Divine favour. That same belief passed from Paganism into Romanism. It + was exposed at the period of the Reformation. A mighty reaction was + felt against it throughout Europe. Apparently the whole idea of human + priesthood was proved, once and for ever, to be baseless; human + mediation, in every possible form, was vehemently controverted; men + were referred back to God as the sole absolver. + + Yet now again, three centuries after, the belief is still as strong as + ever. That which we thought dead is alive again, and not likely it + seems, to die. Recent revelations have shown that confession is daily + made in the country whose natural manners are most against it; private + absolution asked by English men and given by English priests. A fact + so significant might lead us well to pause, and ask ourselves whether + we have found the true answer to the question. The negation we have + got--the vehement denial; we are weary of its reiteration: but the + positive truth which lies at the bottom of this craving--where is + that? + + Parliaments and pulpits, senators and clergymen, have vied with each + other in the vehemence with which they declare absolution + un-Christian, un-English. All that is most abominable in the + confessional has been with unsparing and irreverent indelicacy forced + before the public mind. Still, men and women, whose holiness and + purity are beyond slander's reach, come and crave assurance of + forgiveness. How shall we reply to such men? Shall we say, "Who is + this that speaketh blasphemies? who can forgive sins, but God only?" + Shall we say it is all blasphemy; an impious intrusion upon the + prerogatives of the One Absolver? Well, we may; it is _popular_ to say + we ought; but you will observe, if we speak so, we do no more than the + Pharisees in this text: we establish a negation; but a negation is + only one side of truth. + + Moreover, we have been asserting that for 300 years, with small + fruits. We keep asserting, Man cannot give assurance that sin is + pardoned; in other words, man cannot absolve: but still the heart + craves human assurance of forgiveness. What truth have we got to + supply that craving? We shall therefore, rather try to fathom the + deeps of the positive truth which is the true reply to the error; we + shall try to see whether there is not a real answer to the craving + contained in the Redeemer's words, "The Son of Man hath power on earth + to forgive sins." What power is there in human forgiveness? What does + absolution mean in the lips of a son of man? These are our questions + for to-day. We shall consider two points. + + I. The impotency of the negation. + II. The power of the positive truth. + + The Pharisees denied the efficacy of human absolution: they said, + "None can forgive sins, but God only:" that was a negation. What did + they effect by their system of negations? They conferred no peace; + they produced no holiness. It would be a great error to suppose that + the Pharisees were hypocrites in the ordinary sense of the term--that + is, pretending to be anxious about religion when they knew that they + felt no anxiety. They _were_ anxious, in their way. They heard a + startling free announcement of forgiveness by a man. To them it + appeared license given to sin. If this new teacher, this upstart--in + their own language, "this fellow--of whom every man knew whence he + was," were to go about the length and breadth of the land, telling + sinners to be at peace; telling them to forget the past, and to work + onwards; bidding men's consciences be at rest; and commanding them not + to _fear_ the God whom they had offended, but to _trust_ in Him--what + would become of morality and religion? This presumptuous Absolver + would make men careless about both. If the indispensable safeguards of + penalty were removed, what remained to restrain men from sin? + + For the Pharisees had no notion of any other goodness than that which + is restrained; they could conceive no goodness free, but only that + which is produced by rewards and punishments--law-goodness, + law-righteousness: to dread God, not to love and trust Him, was their + conception of religion. And this, indeed, is the _ordinary_ conception + of religion--the ordinary meaning implied to most minds by the word + religion. The word religion means, by derivation, restriction or + obligation--obligation to do, obligation to avoid. And this is the + negative system of the Pharisees--scrupulous avoidance of evil, rather + than positive and free pursuit of excellence. Such a system never + produced anything but barren denial. "_This_ is wrong;" "_that_ is + heresy;" "_that_ is dangerous." + + There was another class of men who denied human power of absolution. + They were called Scribes or writers--pedants, men of ponderous + learning and accurate definitions; from being mere transcribers of the + law, they had risen to be its expounders. They could define the exact + number of yards that might be travelled on the Sabbath-day without + infringement of the law; they could decide, according to the most + approved theology, the respective importance of each duty; they would + tell you, authoritatively, which was the _great_ commandment of the + law. The Scribe is a man who turns religion into etiquette: his idea + of God is that of a monarch, transgression against whom is an offence + against statute law, and he the Scribe, is there to explain the + prescribed conditions upon which the offence may be expiated; he has + no idea of admission to the sovereign's presence, except by compliance + with certain formalities which the Scribe is commissioned to declare. + + There are therefore Scribes in all ages--Romish Scribes, who + distinguish between venial and mortal sin, and apportion to each its + appointed penance and absolution. There are Protestant Scribes, who + have no idea of God but as an incensed judge, and prescribe certain + methods of appeasing him--a certain price--in consideration of which + He is willing to sell forgiveness; men who accurately draw the + distinction between the different kinds of faith--faith historical and + faith saving; who bewilder and confuse all natural feeling; who treat + the natural love of relations as if it were an idolatry as great as + bowing down to mammon; who make intelligible distinction between the + work that _may_ and the work that may _not_ be done on the + Sabbath-day; who send you into a perilous consideration of the + workings of your own feelings, and the examination of your spiritual + experiences, to ascertain whether you have the feelings which give you + a right to call God a Father. They hate the Romish Scribe as much as + the Jewish Scribe hated the Samaritan and called him heretic. But in + their way they are true to the spirit of the Scribe. + + Now the result of this is fourfold. Among the tender-minded, + despondency; among the vainer, spiritual pride; in the case of the + slavish, superstition; with the hard-minded, infidelity. Ponder it + well, and you will find these four things rife amongst us: + Despondency, Spiritual Pride, Superstition, and Infidelity. In this + way we have been going on for many years. In the midst of all this, at + last we are informed that the confessional is at work again; whereupon + astonishment and indignation are loudly expressed. It is not to be + borne that the priests of the Church of England should confess and + absolve in private. Yet it is only what might have been expected. + + With our Evangelicalism, Tractarianism, Scribeism, Pharisaism, we have + ceased to front the _living fact_--we are as zealous as Scribes and + Pharisees ever were for negatives; but in the meantime Human Nature, + oppressed and overborne, gasping for breath, demands something real + and living. It cannot live on controversies. It cannot be fed on + protests against heresy, however vehement. We are trying who can + protest loudest. Every book, every journal, rings with warnings. + "Beware!" is written upon everything. Beware of Rome; beware of + Geneva; beware of Germany; some danger on every side; Satan + everywhere--God _nowhere_; everywhere some man to be shunned or + dreaded--nowhere one to be loved freely and without suspicion. Is it + any wonder if men and women, in the midst of negations, cry, "Ye warn + me from the error, but who will guide me into truth? I want guidance. + I am sinful, full of evil! I want forgiveness! Absolve me; tell me + that I am pardoned; help me to believe it. Your quarrels do not help + me; if you cannot do _that_, it matters little what you _can_ do. You + have restricted God's love, and narrowed the path to heaven; you have + hampered religion with so many mysterious questions and quibbles that + I cannot find the way to God; you have terrified me with so many + snares and pitfalls on every side, that I dare not tread at all. Give + me peace; give me human guidance: I want a human arm to lean on." + + This is a cry, I believe, becoming daily more passionate, and more + common. And no wonder that all our information, public and private, is + to the same effect--that the recent converts have found peace in Rome; + for the secret of the power of Rome is this--that she grounds her + teaching, not on variable feelings and correct opinions, but on + _facts_. God is not a highly probable God, but a _fact_. God's + forgiveness is not a feeling, but a _fact_; and a material symbolic + fact is the witness of the invisible one. Rome puts forward her + absolution--her false, priestly, magical absolution--a visible fact, + as a witness of the invisible. And her perversion prevails because + founded on a truth. + + + II. The power of the positive truth. + + Is it any wonder, if taught on every side distrust of man, the heart + should by a violent reaction, and by an extravagant confidence in a + priest, proclaim that its normal, natural state is not distrust, but + trust? + + What is forgiveness?--It is God reconciled to us. What is + absolution?--It is the authoritative declaration that God is + reconciled. Authoritative: that is a real power of conveying a sense + and feeling of forgiveness. It is the power of the Son of Man _on + earth_ to forgive sins. It is man, God's image, representing, by his + forgiveness on earth, God's forgiveness in heaven. + + Now distinguish God's forgiveness of sin from an arresting of the + consequences of sin. When God forgives a sin, it does not follow that + He stops its consequences: for example, when He forgives the + intemperate man whose health is ruined, forgiveness does not restore + his health. Divine pardon does not interfere with the laws of the + universe, for it is itself one of those laws. It is a law that penalty + follows transgression. Forgiveness will not save from penalty; but it + alters the feelings with which the penalty is accepted. Pain inflicted + with a surgeon's knife for a man's good, is as keen as that which + results from the knife of the torturer; but in the one case it is + calmly borne, because remedial--in the other it exasperates, because + it is felt to be intended by malevolence. So with the difference + between suffering which comes from a sin which we hope God has + forgiven, and suffering which seems to fall hot from the hand of an + angry God. It is a fearful truth, that so far as we know at least, the + consequences of an act are connected with it indissolubly. Forgiveness + does not arrest them; but by producing softness and grateful + penitence, it transforms them into blessings. This is God's + forgiveness; and absolution is the conveyance to the conscience of the + conviction of forgiveness: to absolve is to free--to comfort by + strengthening--to afford repose from fear. + + Now it was the way of the Redeemer to emancipate from sin by the + freeness of absolution. The dying thief, an hour before a blasphemer, + was unconditionally assured; the moment the sinner's feelings changed + towards God, He proclaimed that God was reconciled to him: "This day + thou shalt be with me in Paradise." And hence, speaking humanly, + hence, from this absolving tone and spirit, came His wondrous and + unparalleled power with sinful, erring hearts; hence the life and + fresh impulse which He imparted to the being and experience to those + with whom He dealt. Hence the maniac, freed from the legion, sat at + His feet, clothed, and in his right mind. Hence the outcast woman, + whom human scorn would have hardened into brazen effrontery, hearing + an unwonted voice of human sympathy, "washed His feet with her tears, + and wiped them with the hairs of her head." + + And this is what we have forgotten: we have not yet learned to trust + the power of redeeming love; we do not believe in the omnipotence of + grace, and the might of an appeal to the better parts, and not the + slavish parts of human nature. Settle it in your minds, the absolving + power is the central secret of the Gospel. Salvation is unconditional; + not an offer, but _a Gift_; not clogged with conditions, but free as + the air we breathe. God welcomes back the prodigal. God loves without + money and without price. To this men reply gravely, It is dangerous to + speak thus; it is perilous to dispense with the safeguards of + restriction. Law! law! there is nothing like law--a salutary fear--for + making men holy. O blind Pharisee! had you ever known the spring, the + life which comes from feeling _free_, the gush of gratitude with which + the heart springs to duty when all chains are shattered, and it stands + fearless and free in the Light, and in the Love of God--you would + understand that a large trusting charity, which can throw itself on + the better and more generous impulses of a laden spirit, is the safest + as well as the most beautiful means of securing obedience. + + So far however, there will not be much objection to the doctrine: it + will be admitted that absolution is true in the lips of Christ, + because of His Divinity. It will be said He was God, and God speaking + on earth is the same thing as God speaking in heaven. No my brethren, + it is _not_ the same thing. Christ forgiving on earth is _a new truth_ + added to that of God's forgiving in heaven. It is not the same truth. + The one is forgiveness by Deity; the other is the declaration of + forgiveness by Humanity. He bade the palsied man walk, that they might + know that "the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." + Therefore we proceed a step further. The same power He delegated to + His Church which He had exercised Himself. "Whosesoever sins ye + remit, they are remitted." Now perhaps, it will be replied to this, + that that promise belongs to the apostles; that they were + supernaturally gifted to distinguish genuine from feigned repentance; + to absolve therefore, was their natural prerogative, but that we have + no right to say it extends beyond the apostles. + + We therefore, bring the question to a point by referring to an + instance in which an apostle did absolve. Let us examine whether St. + Paul confined the prerogative to himself. "To whom ye forgive + anything, I forgive also: for to whom I forgave anything for your + sakes, forgave I it in the person of Christ." + + Observe now: it is quite true here that the apostle absolved a man + whose excommunication he had formerly required; but he absolved him + because the congregation absolved him; not as a plenipotentiary + supernaturally gifted to convey a mysterious benefit, but as himself + an organ and representative of the Church. The power of absolution + therefore, belonged to the Church, and to the apostle through the + Church. It was a power belonging to _all_ Christians: to the apostle, + because he was a Christian, not because he was an apostle. A priestly + power no doubt, because Christ has made all Christians kings and + priests. + + Now let us turn again, with this added light, to examine the meaning + of that expression, "The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive + sins." Mark that form of words--not Christ as God, but Christ as Son + of man. It was manifestly said by Him, not solely as divine, but + rather as human, as the Son of man; that is, as Man. For we may take + it as a rule: when Christ calls himself Son of man, He is asserting + His Humanity. It was said by the High Priest of Humanity in the name + of the race. It was said on the principle that human nature is the + reflection of God's nature: that human love is the image of God's + love; and that human forgiveness is the type and assurance of divine + forgiveness. + + In Christ Humanity was the perfect type of Deity, and therefore + Christ's absolution was always the exact measure and counterpart of + God's forgiveness. Herein lies the deep truth of the doctrine of His + eternal priesthood--the Eternal Son--the Humanity of the Being of + God--the ever Human mind of God. The Absolver ever lives. The Father + judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son--hath given + Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man. + + But further than this. In a subordinate, because less perfect degree, + the forgiveness of a man as man carries with it an absolving power. + Who has not felt the load taken from his mind when the hidden guilt + over which he had brooded long has been acknowledged, and met by + forgiving human sympathy, especially at a time when he expected to be + treated with coldness and reproof? Who has not felt how such a moment + was to him the dawn of a better hope, and how the merciful judgment of + some wise and good human being seemed to be the type and the assurance + of God's pardon, making it credible? Unconsciously it may be, but + still in substance really, I believe some such reasoning as _this_ + goes on in the whispers of the heart--"He loves me, and has compassion + on me--will not God forgive? He, this man, made in God's image, does + not think my case hopeless. Well, then, in the larger love of God it + is not hopeless." Thus, and only thus, can we understand the + _ecclesiastical_ act. Absolution, the prerogative of our humanity, is + represented by a formal act of the Church. + + Much controversy and angry bitterness has been spent on the absolution + put by the Church of England into the lips of her ministers--I cannot + think with justice--if we try to get at the root of these words of + Christ. The priest proclaims forgiveness authoritatively as the organ + of the congregation--as the voice of the Church, in the name of Man + and God. For human nature represents God. The Church represents what + human nature is and ought to be. The minister represents the Church. + He speaks therefore, in the name of our godlike, human nature. He + declares a divine fact, he does not create it. There is no magic in + his absolution: he can no more forgive whom God has not forgiven, by + the formula of absolution, or reverse the pardon of him whom God has + absolved by the formula of excommunication, than he can transfer a + demon into an angel by the formula of baptism. He declares what every + one has a right to declare, and ought to declare by his lips and by + his conduct: but being a minister, he declares it authoritatively in + the name of every Christian who by his Christianity is a priest to + God; he specializes what is universal; as in baptism, he seals the + universal Sonship on the individual by name, saying, "The Sonship with + which Christ has redeemed all men, I hereby proclaim for this child;" + so by absolution he specializes the universal fact of the love of God + to those who are listening then and there, saying, "The Love of God + the Absolver, I authoritatively proclaim to be _yours_." + + In the Service for the Visitation of the Sick, the Church of England + puts into the lips of her ministers words quite unconditional: "I + absolve thee from all thy sins." You know that passage is constantly + objected to as Romish and superstitious. I would not give up that + precious passage. I love the Church of England, because she has dared + to claim her inheritance--because she has courage to assert herself as + what she ought to be--God's representative on earth. She says to her + minister, Stand there before a darkened spirit, on whom the shadows of + death have begun to fall: in human flesh and blood representing the + Invisible,--with words of human love making credible the Love Eternal. + Say boldly, I am here to declare not a perhaps, _but a fact_. I + forgive thee in the name of Humanity. And so far as Humanity + represents Deity, that forgiveness is a type of God's. She does not + put into her ministers' lips words of incantation. He cannot bless + whom God has not blessed--he cannot curse whom God has not cursed. If + the Son of absolution be there, his absolution will rest. If you have + ever tried the slow and apparently hopeless task of ministering to a + heart diseased, and binding up the wound that _will_ bleed afresh, to + which no assurances can give comfort, because they are not + authoritative, it must have crossed your mind that such a power as + that which the Church of England claims, if it were believed, is + exactly the remedy you want. You must have felt that even the formula + of the Church of Rome would be a blessed power to exercise, could it + but once be accepted as a pledge that all the past was obliterated, + and that from that moment a free untainted future lay before the + soul--you must have _felt_ that; you must have wished you had dared to + _say_ it. My whole spirit has absolved my erring brother. Is God less + merciful than I? Can I--dare I--say or think it conditionally? Dare I + say, I hope? May I not, must I not, say, _I know_ God has forgiven + you? + + Every man whose heart has truly bled over another's sin, and watched + another's remorse with pangs as sharp as if the crime had been his + own, _has_ said it. Every parent has said it who ever received back a + repentant daughter, and opened out for her a new hope for life. Every + mother has said it who ever by her hope against hope for some + profligate, protested for a love deeper and wider than that of + society. Every man has said it who forgave a deep wrong. See then, + _why_ and _how_ the church absolves. She only exercises that power + which belongs to every son of man. If society were Christian--if + society, by its forgiveness and its exclusion, truly represented the + mind of God--there would be no necessity for a Church to speak; but + the absolution of society and the world does not represent by any + means God's forgiveness. Society absolves those whom God has _not_ + absolved--the proud, the selfish, the strong, the seducer; society + refuses return and acceptance to the seduced, the frail, and the sad + penitent whom God has accepted; therefore it is necessary that a + selected body, through its appointed organs, should do in the name of + Man what man, as such, does not. The Church is the ideal of Humanity. + It represents what God intended man to be--what man is in God's sight + as beheld in Christ by Him; and the minister of the Church speaks as + the representative of that ideal Humanity. Church absolution is an + eternal protest, in the name of God the Absolver, against the false + judgments of society. + + One thing more. Beware of making this a dead formula. If absolution be + not a living truth, it becomes a monstrous falsehood; if you take + absolution as a mystical gift conveyed to an individual man called a + priest, and mysteriously efficacious in _his_ lips, and his _alone_, + you petrify a truth into death and unreality. I have been striving to + show that absolution is not a Church figment, invented by priestcraft, + but a living, blessed, human power. It is a power delegated to you and + to me, and just so far as we exercise it lovingly and wisely, in our + lives, and with our lips, we help men away from sin: just so far as we + do not exercise it, or exercise it falsely, we drive men to Rome. For + if the heart cannot have a truth it will take a counterfeit of truth. + By every magnanimous act, by every free forgiveness with which a pure + man forgives, or pleads for mercy, or assures the penitent, he + proclaims this truth, that "the Son of man hath power on earth to + forgive sins"--he exhibits the priestly power of humanity--_he does_ + absolve; let theology say what it will of absolution, he gives peace + to the conscience--he is a type and assurance of what God is--he + breaks the chains and lets the captive go free. + + + + + VI. + + _Preached June 9, 1850._ + + THE ILLUSIVENESS OF LIFE. + + + "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which + he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went + out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the + land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles + with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for + he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and + maker is God."--Hebrews xi. 8-10. + + Last Sunday we touched upon a thought which deserves further + development. God promised Canaan to Abraham, and yet Abraham never + inherited Canaan: to the last he was a wanderer there; he had no + possession of his own in its territory: if he wanted even a tomb to + bury his dead, he could only obtain it by purchase. This difficulty is + expressly admitted in the text, "In the land of promise he sojourned + as in a strange country;" he dwelt there in tents--in changeful, + moveable tabernacles--not permanent habitations; he had no home + there. + + It is stated in all its startling force, in terms still more explicit, + in the 7th chapter of the Acts, 5th verse, "And He gave him none + inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet He + promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his + seed after him, when as yet he had no child." + + Now the surprising point is that Abraham, deceived, as you might + almost say, did not complain of it as a deception; he was even + grateful for the non-fulfilment of the promise: he does not seem to + have expected its fulfilment; he did not look for Canaan, but for "a + city which had foundations;" his faith appears to have consisted in + disbelieving the letter, almost as much as in believing the spirit of + the promise. + + And herein lies a principle, which, rightly expounded, can help us to + interpret this life of ours. God's promises never are fulfilled in the + sense in which they seem to have been given. Life is a deception; its + anticipations, which are God's promises to the imagination, are never + realized; they who know life best, and have trusted God most to fill + it with blessings, are ever the first to say that life is a series of + disappointments. And in the spirit of this text we have to say that it + is a wise and merciful arrangement which ordains it thus. + + The wise and holy do not expect to find it otherwise--would not wish + it otherwise; their wisdom consists in disbelieving its promises. To + develope this idea would be a glorious task; for to justify God's ways + to man, to expound the mysteriousness of our present being, to + interpret God,--is not this the very essence of the ministerial + office? All that I can hope however to-day, is not to exhaust the + subject, but to furnish hints for thought. Over-statements may be + made, illustrations may be inadequate, the new ground of an almost + untrodden subject may be torn up too rudely; but remember, we are here + to live and die; in a few years it will be all over; meanwhile, what + we have to do is to try to understand, and to help one another to + understand, what it all means--what this strange and contradictory + thing, which we call Life, contains within it. Do not stop to ask + therefore, whether the subject was satisfactorily worked out; let each + man be satisfied to have received a germ of thought which he may + develope better for himself. + + I. The deception of life's promise. + II. The meaning of that deception. + + Let it be clearly understood in the first place, the promise never was + fulfilled. I do not say the fulfilment was delayed. I say it _never_ + was fulfilled. Abraham had a few feet of earth, obtained by + purchase--beyond that nothing; he died a stranger and a pilgrim in the + land. Isaac had a little. So small was Jacob's hold upon his country + that the last years of his life were spent in Egypt, and he died a + foreigner in a strange land. His descendants came into the land of + Canaan, expecting to find it a land flowing with milk and honey; they + found hard work to do--war and unrest, instead of rest and peace. + + During one brief period, in the history of Israel, the promise may + seem to have been fulfilled. It was during the later years of David + and the earlier years of Solomon; but we have the warrant of Scripture + itself for affirming, that even then the promise was not fulfilled. In + the Book of Psalms, David speaks of a hope of entering into a _future_ + rest. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, quoting this passage, + infers from it that God's promise had not been exhausted nor + fulfilled, by the entrance into Canaan; for he says, "If Joshua had + given them rest then would he not have spoken of another day." Again + in this very chapter, after a long list of Hebrew saints--"These _all_ + died in faith, not having received the promises." To none therefore, + had the promise been fulfilled. Accordingly writers on prophecy, in + order to get over this difficulty, take for granted that there must be + a future fulfilment, because the first was inadequate. + + They who believe that the Jews will be restored to their native land, + expect it on the express ground that Canaan has never been actually + and permanently theirs. A certain tract of country--300 miles in + length, by 200 in breadth--must be given, or else they think the + promise has been broken. To quote the expression of one of the most + eloquent of their writers, "If there be nothing yet future for Israel, + then the magnificence of the promise has been lost in the poverty of + its accomplishment." + + I do not quote this to prove the correctness of the interpretation of + the prophecy, but as an acknowledgment which may be taken so far as a + proof, that the promise made to Abraham has never been accomplished. + + And such is life's disappointment. Its promise is, you shall have a + Canaan; it turns out to be a baseless airy dream--toil and + warfare--nothing that we can call our own; not the land of rest, by + any means. But we will examine this in particulars. + + 1. Our senses deceive us; we begin life with delusion. Our senses + deceive us with respect to distance, shape, and colour. That which + afar off seems oval, turns out to be circular, modified by the + perspective of distance; that which appears a speck, upon nearer + approach becomes a vast body. To the earlier ages the stars presented + the delusion of small lamps hung in space. The beautiful berry proves + to be bitter and poisonous: that which apparently moves is really at + rest: that which seems to be stationary is in perpetual motion: the + earth moves: the sun is still. All experience is a correction of + life's delusions--a modification, a reversal of the judgment of the + senses: and all life is a lesson on the falsehood of appearances. + + 2. Our natural anticipations deceive us--I say _natural_ in + contra-distinction to extravagant expectations. Every human life is a + fresh one, bright with hopes that will never be realized. There may be + differences of character in these hopes; finer spirits may look on + life as the arena of successful deeds, the more selfish as a place of + personal enjoyment. + + With man the turning point of life may be a profession--with woman, + marriage; the one gilding the future with the triumphs of intellect, + the other with the dreams of affection; but in every case, life is not + what any of them expects, but something else. It would almost seem a + satire on existence to compare the youth in the outset of his career, + flushed and sanguine, with the aspect of the same being when it is + nearly done--worn, sobered, covered with the dust of life, and + confessing that its days have been few and evil. Where is the land + flowing with milk and honey? + + With our affections it is still worse, because they promise more. + Man's affections are but the tabernacles of Canaan--the tents of a + night; not permanent habitations even for this life. Where are the + charms of character, the perfection, and the purity, and the + truthfulness, which seemed so resplendent in our friend? They were + only the shape of our own conceptions--our creative shaping intellect + projected its own fantasies on him: and hence we outgrow our early + friendships; outgrow the intensity of all: we dwell in tents; we never + find a home, even in the land of promise. Life is an unenjoyable + Canaan, with nothing real or substantial in it. + + 3. Our expectations, resting on revelation, deceive us. The world's + history has turned round two points of hope; one, the _first_--the + other, the _second_ coming of the Messiah. The magnificent imagery of + Hebrew prophecy had described the advent of the Conqueror; He came--"a + root out of a dry ground, with no form or comeliness; and when they + saw Him there was no beauty in Him that they should desire Him." The + victory, predicted in such glowing terms, turned out to be the victory + of Submission--the Law of our Humanity, which wins by gentleness and + love. The promise in the letter was unfulfilled. For ages the world's + hope has been the second advent. The early church expected it in their + own day. "We, which are alive, and remain until the coming of our + Lord." + + The Saviour Himself had said, "This generation shall not pass till all + things be fulfilled." Yet the Son of Man has never come; or rather, He + has been _ever_ coming. Unnumbered times the judgment eagles have + gathered together over corruption ripe for condemnation. Times + innumerable the separation has been made between good and bad. The + promise has not been fulfilled, or it has been fulfilled, but in + either case anticipation has been foiled and disappointed. + + There are two ways of considering this aspect of life. One is the way + of sentiment; the other is the way of faith. The sentimental way is + trite enough. Saint, sage, sophist, moralist, and preacher, have + repeated in every possible image, till there is nothing new to say, + that life is a bubble, a dream, a delusion, a phantasm. The other is + the way of faith: the ancient saints felt as keenly as any moralist + could feel the brokenness of its promises; they confessed that they + were strangers and pilgrims here; they said that they had here no + continuing city; but they did not mournfully moralize on this; they + said it cheerfully, and rejoiced that it was so. They felt that all + was right; they knew that the promise itself had a deeper meaning: + they looked undauntedly for "a city which hath foundations." + + + II. The second inquiry, therefore, is the meaning of this + delusiveness. + + 1. It serves to allure us on. Suppose that a spiritual promise had + been made at first to Israel; imagine that they had been informed at + the outset that God's rest is inward; that the promised land is only + found in the Jerusalem which is above--not material, but immaterial. + That rude, gross people, yearning after the fleshpots of + Egypt--willing to go back into slavery, so as only they might have + enough to eat and drink--would they have quitted Egypt on such terms? + Would they have begun one single step of that pilgrimage, which was to + find its meaning in the discipline of ages? + + We are led through life as we are allured upon a journey. Could a man + see his route before him--a flat, straight road, unbroken by bush, or + tree, or eminence, with the sun's heat burning down upon it, stretched + out in dreary monotony--he could scarcely find energy to begin his + task; but the uncertainty of what may be seen beyond the next turn + keeps expectation alive. The view that may be seen from yonder + summit--the glimpse that may be caught perhaps, as the road winds + round yonder knoll--hopes like these, not far distant, beguile the + traveller on from mile to mile, and from league to league. + + In fact, life is an education. The object for which you educate your + son is to give him strength of purpose, self-command, discipline of + mental energies; but you do not reveal to your son this aim of his + education; you tell him of his place in his class, of the prizes at + the end of the year, of the honours to be given at college. + + These are not the true incentives to knowledge, such incentives are + not the highest--they are even mean, and partially injurious; yet + these mean incentives stimulate and lead on, from day to day and from + year to year, by a process the principle of which the boy himself is + not aware of. So does God lead on, through life's unsatisfying and + false reward, ever educating: Canaan first; then the hope of a + Redeemer; then the millennial glory. + + Now what is remarkable in this is, that the delusion continued to the + last; they _all_ died in faith, not having received the promises; all + were hoping up to the very last, and all died in faith--not in + realization; for thus God has constituted the human heart. It never + will be believed that this world is unreal. God has mercifully so + arranged it, that the idea of delusion is incredible. You may tell the + boy or girl as you will that life is a disappointment; yet however you + may persuade them to adopt your _tone_, and catch the language of your + sentiment, they are both looking forward to some bright distant + hope--the rapture of the next vacation, or the unknown joys of the + next season--and throwing into it an energy of expectation which only + a whole eternity is worth. You may tell the man who has received the + heart-shock which in this world, he will not recover, that life has + nothing left; yet the stubborn heart still hopes on, ever near the + prize--"wealthiest when most undone:" he has reaped the whirlwind, but + he will go on still, till life is over, sowing the wind. + + Now observe the beautiful result which comes from this indestructible + power of believing in spite of failure. In the first centuries, the + early Christians believed that the millennial advent was close; they + heard the warning of the apostle, brief and sharp, "The time is + short." Now suppose that, instead of this, they had seen all the + dreary page of Church history unrolled; suppose that they had known + that after two thousand years the world would have scarcely spelled + out three letters of the meaning of Christianity, where would have + been those gigantic efforts,--that life spent as on the very brink of + eternity, which characterize the days of the early Church,--and which + was after all, only the true life of man in time? It is thus that God + has led on His world. He has conducted it as a father leads his child, + when the path homeward lies over many a dreary league. He suffers him + to beguile the thought of time, by turning aside to pluck now and then + a flower, to chase now a butterfly; the butterfly is crushed, the + flower fades, but the child is so much nearer home, invigorated and + full of health, and scarcely wearied yet. + + 2. This non-fulfilment of promise fulfils it in a _deeper_ way. The + account we have given already, were it to end there, would be + insufficient to excuse the failure of life's promise; by saying that + it allures us would be really to charge God with deception. Now life + is not deception, but illusion. We distinguish between illusion and + delusion. We may paint wood so as to be taken for stone, iron, or + marble; this is delusion: but you may paint a picture, in which rocks, + trees, and sky are never mistaken for what they seem, yet produce all + the emotion which real rocks, trees, and sky would produce. This is + illusion, and this is the painter's art: never for one moment to + deceive by attempted imitation, but to produce a mental state in which + the feelings are suggested which the natural objects themselves would + create. Let us take an instance drawn from life. + + To a child a rainbow is a real thing--substantial and palpable; its + limb rests on the side of yonder hill; he believes that he can + appropriate it to himself; and when, instead of gems and gold hid in + its radiant bow, he finds nothing but damp mist--cold, dreary drops of + disappointment--that disappointment tells that his belief has been + delusion. + + To the educated man that bow is a blessed illusion, yet it never once + deceives; he does not take it for what it is not, he does not expect + to make it his own; he feels its beauty as much as the child could + feel it, nay infinitely more--more even from the fact that he knows + that it will be transient; but besides and beyond this, to him it + presents a deeper loveliness; he knows the laws of light, and the laws + of the human soul which gave it being. He has linked it with the laws + of the universe, and with the invisible mind of God; and it brings to + him a thrill of awe, and the sense of a mysterious, nameless beauty, + of which the child did not conceive. It is illusion still; but it has + fulfilled the promise. In the realm of spirit, in the temple of the + soul, it is the same. All is illusion; "but we look for a city which + hath foundations;" and in this the promise is fulfilled. + + And such was Canaan to the Israelites. To some doubtless it was + delusion. They expected to find their reward in a land of milk and + honey. They were bitterly disappointed, and expressed their + disappointment loudly enough in their murmurs against Moses, and their + rebellion against his successors. But to others, as to Abraham, Canaan + was the bright illusion which never deceived, but for ever shone + before as the type of something more real. And even taking the promise + literally, though they built in tents, and could not call a foot of + land their own, was not its beauty theirs? Were not its trellised + vines, and glorious pastures, and rich olive-fields, ministers to the + enjoyment of those who had all in God, though its milk, and oil, and + honey, could not be enjoyed with exclusiveness of appropriation? Yet + over and above and beyond this, there was a more blessed fulfilment of + the promise; there was "a city which had foundations"--built and made + by God--toward which the anticipation of this Canaan was leading them. + The Kingdom of God was forming in their souls, for ever disappointing + them by the unreal, and teaching them that what is spiritual, and + belongs to mind and character alone can be eternal. + + We will illustrate this principle from the common walks of life. The + principle is, that the reward we get is not the reward for which we + worked, but a deeper one; deeper and more permanent. The merchant + labours all his life, and the hope which leads him on is perhaps + wealth: well, at sixty years of age he attains wealth; is that the + reward of sixty years of toil? Ten years of enjoyment, when the senses + can enjoy no longer--a country seat, splendid plate, a noble + establishment? Oh, no! a reward deeper than he dreamed of. Habits of + perseverance: a character trained by industry: that is his reward. He + was carried on from year to year by, if he were wise, illusion; if he + were unwise, delusion; but he reaped a more enduring substance in + himself. + + Take another instance: the public man, warrior, or statesman, who has + served his country, and complains at last in bitter disappointment, + that his country has not fulfilled his expectations in rewarding + him--that is, it has not given him titles, honours, wealth. But + titles, honours, wealth--are these the rewards of well-doing? can they + reward it? would it be well-doing if they could? To _be_ such a man, + to have the power of _doing_ such deeds, what could be added to that + reward by having? This same apparent contradiction, which was found in + Judaism, subsists too in Christianity; we will state it in the words + of an apostle: "Godliness is profitable for all things; having the + promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." + Now for the fulfilment: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, + then are we of all men most miserable." + + Godliness is profitable; but its profit it appears, consists in + finding that all is loss: yet in this way you teach your son. You will + tell him that if he will be good all men will love him. You say that + "Honesty is the best policy." yet in your heart of hearts you know + that you are leading him on by a delusion. Christ was good. Was he + loved by all? In proportion as he--your son--is like Christ, he will + be loved, not by the many, but by the few. Honesty is _not_ the best + _policy_; the commonplace honesty of the market-place may be--the + vulgar honesty which goes no further than paying debts accurately; but + that transparent Christian honesty of a life which in every act is + bearing witness to the truth, that is not the way to _get on_ in + life--the reward of such a life is the Cross. Yet you were right in + teaching your son this: you told him what was true; truer than he + could comprehend. It _is_ better to be honest and good; better than + he can know or dream: better even in this life; better by so much as + _being_ good is better than _having_ good. But, in a rude coarse way, + you must express the blessedness on a level with his capacity; you + must state the truth in a way which he will inevitably interpret + falsely. The true interpretation nothing but experience can teach. + + And this is what God does. His promises are true, though illusive; far + truer than we at first take them to be. We work for a mean, low, + sensual happiness, all the while He is leading us on to a spiritual + blessedness--unfathomably deep. This is the life of faith. We live by + faith, and not by sight. We do not preach that all is + disappointment--the dreary creed of sentimentalism; but we preach that + _nothing_ here is disappointment, if rightly understood. We do not + comfort the poor man, by saying that the riches that he has not now he + will have hereafter--the difference between himself and the man of + wealth being only this, that the one has for time what the other will + have for eternity; but what we say is, that that which you have failed + in reaping here, you never will reap, if you expected the harvest of + Canaan. God has no Canaan for His own; no milk and honey for the + luxury of the senses: for the city which hath foundations is built in + the soul of man. He in whom Godlike character dwells, has all the + universe for his own--"All things," saith the apostle, "are yours; + whether life or death, or things present, or things to come; if ye be + Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the + _promise_." + + + + + VII. + + _Preached June 23, 1850._ + + THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. + + + "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, + that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that He died for + all that they which live should not henceforth live unto + themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again."--2 + Corinthians v. 14, 15. + + It may be, that in reading these verses some of us have understood + them in a sense foreign to that of the apostle. It may have seemed + that the arguments ran thus--Because Christ died upon the cross for + _all_, therefore all must have been in a state of spiritual death + before; and if they were asked what doctrines are to be elicited from + this passage they would reply, "the doctrine of universal depravity, + and the constraining power of the gratitude due to Him who died to + redeem us from it." There is, however, in the first place, this fatal + objection to such an interpretation, that the death here spoken of is + used in two diametrically opposite senses. In reference to Christ, + death literal--in reference to all, death spiritual. Now, in the + thought of St. Paul, the death of Christ was always viewed as + liberation from the power of evil: "in that he died, he died unto sin + once," and again, "he that is dead is free from sin." The literal + death then in one clause, means _freedom_ from sin; the spiritual + death of the next is _slavery_ to it. Wherein then, lies the cogency + of the apostle's reasoning? How does it follow that because Christ + died to evil, all before that must have died to God? Of course that + doctrine is true in itself, but it is _not_ the doctrine of the text. + + In the next place, the ambiguity belongs only to the English word--it + is impossible to make the mistake in the original: the word which + stands for _were_, is a word which does not imply a continued state, + but must imply a single finished act. It cannot by any possibility + imply that before the death of Christ men _were_ in a state of + death--it can only mean, they became dead at the moment when Christ + died. If you read it thus, the meaning of the English will emerge--"if + one died for all, then all died;" and the apostle's argument runs + thus, that if one acts as the representative of all, then his act is + the act of all. If the ambassador of a nation makes reparation in a + nation's name, or does homage for a nation, that reparation, or that + homage, is the nation's act--if _one_ did it _for_ all, then _all_ did + it. So that instead of inferring that because Christ died for all, + therefore before that all were dead to God, his natural inference is + that therefore all are now dead to sin. + + Once more, the conclusion of the apostle is exactly the reverse of + that which this interpretation attributes to him: he does not say that + Christ died in order that men might _not_ die, but exactly for this + very purpose, that they _might_ die; and this death he represents in + the next verse by an equivalent expression--the life of unselfishness: + "that they which live might henceforth live not unto themselves." The + "dead" of the first verse are "they that live" of the second. + + The form of thought finds its exact parallel in Romans vi. 10, 11. + Two points claim our attention:-- + + I. The vicarious sacrifice of Christ. + II. The influence of that sacrifice on man. + + + I. The vicariousness of the sacrifice is implied in the word "for". A + vicarious act is an act done for another. When the Pope calls himself + the vicar of Christ, he implies that he acts for Christ. The vicar or + viceroy of a kingdom is one who acts for the king--a vicar's act + therefore is virtually the act of the principal whom he represents; so + that if the Papal doctrine were true, when the vicar of Christ + _pardons_, Christ has pardoned. When the viceroy of a kingdom has + published a proclamation or signed a treaty, the sovereign himself is + bound by those acts. + + The truth of the expression _for all_, is contained in this fact, that + Christ is the representative of Humanity--properly speaking, the + representative of human nature. This is the truth contained in the + emphatic expression, "Son of Man." What Christ did _for_ Humanity was + done by Humanity, because in the name of Humanity. For a truly + vicarious act does not supersede the principal's duty of performance, + but rather implies and acknowledges it. Take the case from which this + very word of vicar has received its origin. In the old monastic times, + when the revenues of a cathedral or a cure fell to the lot of a + monastery, it became the duty of that monastery to perform the + religious services of the cure. But inasmuch as the monastery was a + corporate body, they appointed one of their number, whom they + denominated their vicar, to discharge those offices for them. His + service did not supersede theirs, but was a perpetual and standing + acknowledgement that they, as a whole and individually, were under the + obligation to perform it. The act of Christ is the act of + Humanity--that which all Humanity is bound to do. His righteousness + does not supersede our righteousness, nor does His sacrifice supersede + our sacrifice. It is the representation of human life and human + sacrifice--vicarious for all, yet binding upon all. + + That He died for all is true-- + + 1. Because He was the victim of the sin of all. In the peculiar + phraseology of St. Paul, he died unto sin. He was the victim of + Sin--He died by sin. It is the appalling mystery of our redemption + that the Redeemer took the attitude of subjection to evil. There was + scarcely a form of evil with which Christ did not come in contact, and + by which He did not suffer. He was the victim of false friendship and + ingratitude, the victim of bad government and injustice. He fell a + sacrifice to the vices of all classes--to the selfishness of the rich + and the fickleness of the poor:--intolerance, formalism, scepticism, + hatred of goodness, were the foes which crushed Him. + + In the proper sense of the word He was a victim. He did not adroitly + wind through the dangerous forms of evil, meeting it with expedient + silence. Face to face, and front to front, He met it, rebuked it, and + defied it; and just as truly as he is a voluntary victim whose body + opposing the progress of the car of Juggernaut is crushed beneath its + monstrous wheels, was He a victim to the world's sin: because pure, He + was crushed by impurity; because just and real and true, He waked up + the rage of injustice, hypocrisy, and falsehood. + + Now this sin was the sin of all. Here arises at once a difficulty: it + seems to be most unnatural to assert that in any one sense He was the + sacrifice of the sin of all. We did not betray Him--that was Judas's + act--Peter denied Him--Thomas doubted--Pilate pronounced sentence--it + must be a figment to say that these were our acts; we did not watch + Him like the Pharisees, nor circumvent Him like the Scribes and + lawyers; by what possible sophistry can we be involved in the + complicity of that guilt? The savage of New Zealand who never heard of + Him, the learned Egyptian and the voluptuous Assyrian who died before + He came; how was it the sin of all? + + The reply that is often given to this query is wonderfully unreal. It + is assumed that Christ was conscious, by His Omniscience, of the sins + of all mankind; that the duplicity of the child, and the crime of the + assassin, and every unholy thought that has ever passed through a + human bosom, were present to His mind in that awful hour as if they + were His own. This is utterly unscriptural. Where is the single text + from which it can be, except by force, extracted? Besides this, it is + fanciful and sentimental; and again it is dangerous, for it represents + the whole Atonement as a fictitious and shadowy transaction. There is + a mental state in which men have felt the burthen of sins which they + did not commit. There have been cases in which men have been + mysteriously excruciated with the thought of having committed the + unpardonable sin. But to represent the mental phenomena of the + Redeemer's mind as in any way resembling this--to say that His + conscience was oppressed with the responsibility of sins which He had + not committed--is to confound a state of sanity with the delusions of + a half lucid mind, and the workings of a healthy conscience with those + of one unnatural and morbid. + + There is a way however, much more appalling and much more true, in + which this may be true, without resorting to any such fanciful + hypothesis. Sin has a great power in this world: it gives laws like + those of a sovereign, which bind us all, and to which we are all + submissive. There are current maxims in church and state, in society, + in trade, in law, to which we yield obedience. For this obedience + every one is responsible; for instance in trade, and in the profession + of law, every one is the servant of practices the rectitude of which + his heart can only half approve--every one complains of them, yet all + are involved in them. Now, when such sins reach their climax, as in + the case of national bankruptcy or an unjust acquittal, there may be + some who are in a special sense, the actors in the guilt; but + evidently, for the bankruptcy, each member of the community is + responsible in that degree and so far as he himself acquiesced in the + duplicities of public dealing; every careless juror, every unrighteous + judge, every false witness, has done his part in the reduction of + society to that state in which the monster injustice has been + perpetrated. In the riot of a tumultuous assembly by night, a house + may be burnt, or a murder committed; in the eye of the law, all who + are aiding and abetting there are each in his degree responsible for + that crime; there may be difference in guilt, from the degree in which + he is guilty who with his own hand perpetrated the deed, to that of + him who merely joined the rabble from mischievous + curiosity--degrees from that of wilful murder to that of more or less + excusable homicide. + + The Pharisees were declared by the Saviour to be guilty of the blood + of Zacharias, the blood of righteous Abel, and of all the saints and + prophets who fell before He came. But how were the Pharisees guilty? + They built the sepulchres of the prophets, they honoured and admired + them; but they were guilty, in that they were the children of those + that slew the prophets; children in this sense, that they inherited + their _spirit_, they opposed the good in the form in which it showed + itself in _their day_, just as their fathers opposed the form + displayed to theirs; therefore He said that they belonged to the same + confederacy of evil, and that the guilt of the blood of all who had + been slain should rest on that generation. Similarly we are guilty of + the death of Christ. If you have been a false friend, a sceptic, a + cowardly disciple, a formalist, selfish, an opposer of goodness, an + oppressor, whatever evil you have done, in that degree and so far you + participate in the evil to which the Just One fell a victim--you are + one of that mighty rabble which cry, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!" for + your sin He died; His blood lies at your threshold. + + Again, He died for all, in that His sacrifice represents the sacrifice + of all. We have heard of the doctrine of "imputed righteousness;" it + is a theological expression to which meanings foolish enough are + sometimes attributed, but it contains a very deep truth, which it + shall be our endeavour to elicit. + + Christ is the realized idea of our Humanity. He is God's idea of Man + completed. There is every difference between the ideal and the + actual--between what a man aims to be and what he is; a difference + between the race as it is, and the race as it existed in God's + creative idea when he pronounced it very good. + + In Christ, therefore, God beholds Humanity; in Christ He sees + perfected every one in whom Christ's spirit exists in germ. He to whom + the possible is actual, to whom what will be already _is_, sees all + things _present_, gazes on the imperfect, and sees it in its + perfection. Let me venture an illustration. He who has never seen the + vegetable world except in Arctic regions, has but a poor idea of the + majesty of vegetable life,--a microscopic red moss tinting the surface + of the snow, a few stunted pines, and here and there perhaps a + dwindled oak; but to the botanist who has seen the luxuriance of + vegetation in its tropical magnificence, all that wretched scene + presents another aspect; to him those dwarfs are the representatives + of what might be, nay, what has been in a kindlier soil and a more + genial climate; he fills up by his conception the miserable actuality + presented by these shrubs, and attributes to them--imputes, that is, + to them--the majesty of which the undeveloped germ exists already. + + Now the difference between those trees seen in themselves, and seen in + the conception of their nature's perfectness which has been previously + realized, is the difference between man seen in himself and seen in + Christ. We are feeble, dwarfish, stunted specimens of Humanity. Our + best resolves are but withered branches, our holiest deeds unripe and + blighted fruit; but to the Infinite Eye, who sees in the perfect One + the type and assurance of that which shall be, this dwindled Humanity + of ours is divine and glorious. Such are we in the sight of God the + Father as is the very Son of God Himself. This is what theologians, at + least the wisest of them, meant by "imputed righteousness." I do not + mean that all who have written or spoken on the subject had this + conception of it, but I believe they who thought truly meant this; + they did not suppose that in imputing righteousness there was a kind + of figment, a self-deception in the mind of God; they did not mean + that by an act of will He chose to consider that every act which + Christ did was done by us; that He imputed or reckoned to us the + baptism in Jordan and the victory in the wilderness, and the agony in + the garden, or that He believed, or acted as if He believed, that when + Christ died, each one of us died: but He saw Humanity submitted to the + law of self-sacrifice; in the light of that idea He beholds us as + perfect, and is satisfied. In this sense the apostle speaks of those + that are imperfect, yet "by one offering He hath perfected for ever + them that are sanctified." It is true again, that He died for us, in + that we present His sacrifice as ours. The value of the death of + Christ consisted in the surrender of self-will. In the fortieth Psalm, + the value of every other kind of sacrifice being first denied, the + words follow, "then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." The + profound idea contained, therefore, in the death of Christ is the duty + of self-surrender. + + But in _us_ that surrender scarcely deserves the name; even to use the + word self-sacrifice covers us with a kind of shame. Then it is that + there is an almost boundless joy in acquiescing in the life and death + of Christ, recognizing it as ours, and representing it to ourselves + and God as what we aim at. If we cannot understand how in this sense + it can be a sacrifice for us, we may partly realize it by remembering + the joy of feeling how art and nature realize for us what we cannot + realize for ourselves. It is recorded of one of the world's gifted + painters that he stood before the master-piece of the great genius of + his age--one which he could never hope to equal, nor even rival--and + yet the infinite superiority, so far from crushing him, only elevated + his feeling, for he saw realized those conceptions which had floated + before him, dim and unsubstantial; in every line and touch he felt a + spirit immeasurably superior yet kindred, and he is reported to have + exclaimed, with dignified humility, "And I too am a painter!" + + We must all have felt, when certain effects in nature, combinations of + form and colour, have been presented to us, our own idea speaking in + intelligible and yet celestial language; when for instance, the long + bars of purple, "edged with intolerable radiance," seemed to float in + a sea of pale pure green, when the whole sky seemed to reel with + thunder, when the night wind moaned. It is wonderful how the most + commonplace men and women, beings who, as you would have thought, had + no conception that rose beyond a commercial speculation, or a + fashionable entertainment, are elevated by such scenes; how the + slumbering grandeur of their nature wakes and acknowledges kindred + with the sky and storm. "I cannot speak," they would say, "the + feelings which are in me; I have had emotions, aspirations, thoughts; + I cannot put them into words. Look there! listen now to the storm! + That is what I meant, only I never could say it out till now." Thus do + art and nature speak for us, and thus do we adopt them as our own. + This is the way in which His righteousness becomes righteousness for + us. This is the way in which the heart presents to God the sacrifice + of Christ; gazing on that perfect Life we, as it were, say, "There, + that is my religion--that is my righteousness--what I want to be, + which I am not--that is my offering, my life as I would wish to give + it, freely and not checked, entire and perfect." So the old prophets, + their hearts big with unutterable thoughts, searched "what or what + manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, + when it testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and of the + glory which should follow;" and so with us, until it passes into + prayer: "My Saviour, fill up the blurred and blotted sketch which my + clumsy hand has drawn of a divine life, with the fullness of Thy + perfect picture. I feel the beauty which I cannot realize:--robe me in + Thine unutterable purity:-- + + "Rock of ages cleft for me, + Let me hide myself in Thee." + + + II. The influence of that Sacrifice on man is the introduction of the + principle of self-sacrifice into his nature,--"then were all dead." + Observe again, not He died that we might not die, but that in His + death we might be dead, and that in His sacrifice we might become each + a sacrifice to God. Moreover, this death is identical with life. They + who in the first sentence, are called dead, are in the second + denominated "they who live." So in another place, "I am crucified with + Christ, nevertheless I live;" death, therefore--that is the sacrifice + of self--is equivalent to life. Now, this rests upon a profound truth. + The death of Christ was a representation of the life of God. To me + this is the profoundest of all truths, that the whole of the life of + God is the sacrifice of self. God is Love; love is sacrifice--to give + rather than to receive--the blessedness of self-giving. If the life of + God were not such it would be a falsehood, to say that God is Love; + for even in our human nature, that which seeks to enjoy all instead of + giving all, is known by a very different name from that of love. All + the life of God is a flow of this divine self-giving charity. Creation + itself is sacrifice--the self-impartation of the divine Being. + Redemption too, is sacrifice, else it could not be love; for which + reason we will not surrender one iota of the truth that the death of + Christ was the sacrifice of God--the manifestation once in time of + that which is the eternal law of His life. + + If man therefore, is to rise into the life of God, he must be absorbed + into the spirit of that sacrifice--he must die with Christ if he would + enter into his proper life. For sin is the withdrawing into self and + egotism, out of the vivifying life of God, which alone is our true + life. The moment the man sins he dies. Know we not how awfully true + that sentence is, "Sin revived, and I died?" The vivid life of sin is + the death of the man. Have we never felt that our true existence has + absolutely in that moment disappeared, and that _we_ are not? + + I say therefore, that real human life is a perpetual completion and + repetition of the sacrifice of Christ--"all are dead;" the explanation + of which follows, "to live not to themselves, but to Him who died for + them and rose again." This is the truth which lies at the bottom of + the Romish doctrine of the mass. Rome asserts that in the mass a true + and proper sacrifice is offered up for the sins of all--that the + offering of Christ is for ever repeated. To this Protestantism has + objected vehemently, that there is but one offering once offered--an + objection in itself entirely true; yet the Romish doctrine contains a + truth which it is of importance to disengage from the gross and + material form with which it has been overlaid. Let us hear St. Paul, + "I fill up that which is behindhand of the sufferings of Christ, in my + flesh, for His body's sake, which is the Church." Was there then, + something behindhand of Christ's sufferings remaining uncompleted, of + which the sufferings of Paul could be in any sense the complement? He + says there was. Could the sufferings of Paul for the Church in any + form of correct expression be said to eke out the sufferings that were + complete? In one sense it is true to say that there is one offering + once offered _for_ all. But it is equally true to say that that one + offering is valueless, except so far as it is completed and repeated + in the life and self-offering _of_ all. This is the Christian's + sacrifice. Not mechanically completed in the miserable materialism of + the mass, but spiritually in the life of all in whom the Crucified + lives. The sacrifice of Christ is done over again in every life which + is lived, not to self but, to God. + + Let one concluding observation be made--self-denial, self-sacrifice, + self-surrender! Hard doctrines, and impossible! Whereupon, in silent + hours, we sceptically ask, Is this possible? is it natural? Let + preacher and moralist say what they will, I am not here to sacrifice + myself for others. God sent me here for happiness, not misery. Now + introduce one sentence of this text of which we have as yet said + nothing, and the dark doctrine becomes illuminated--"the _love_ of + Christ constraineth us." Self-denial, for the sake of self-denial, + does no good; self-sacrifice for its own sake is no religious act at + all. If you give up a meal for the sake of showing power over self, or + for the sake of self-discipline, it is the most miserable of all + delusions. You are not more religious in doing this than before. This + is mere self-culture, and self-culture being occupied for ever about + self, leaves you only in that circle of self from which religion is to + free you; but to give up a meal that one you love may have it, is + properly a religious act--no hard and dismal duty, because made easy + by affection. To bear pain for the sake of bearing it has in it no + moral quality at all, but to bear it rather than surrender truth, or + in order to save another, is positive enjoyment as well as ennobling + to the soul. Did you ever receive even a blow meant for another in + order to shield that other? Do you not know that there was actual + pleasure in the keen pain far beyond the most rapturous thrill of + nerve which could be gained from pleasure in the midst of + painlessness? Is not the mystic yearning of love expressed in words + most purely thus, Let me suffer for him? + + This element of love is that which makes this doctrine an intelligible + and blessed truth. So sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is + ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, + is warmth and life; it is the death of Christ, the life of God, the + blessedness, and only proper life of man. + + + + + VIII. + + _Preached June 30, 1850._ + + THE POWER OF SORROW. + + + "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed + to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that + ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh + repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of + the world worketh death."--2 Corinthians vii. 9, 10. + + That which is chiefly insisted on in this verse, is the distinction + between sorrow and repentance. To grieve over sin is one thing, to + repent of it is another. + + The apostle rejoiced, not that the Corinthians sorrowed, but that they + sorrowed unto repentance. Sorrow has two results; it may end in + spiritual life, or in spiritual death; and in themselves, one of these + is as natural as the other. Sorrow may produce two kinds of + reformation--a transient, or a permanent one--an alteration in habits, + which originating in emotion, will last so long as that emotion + continues, and then after a few fruitless efforts, be given up,--a + repentance which will be repented of; or again, a permanent change, + which will be reversed by no after thought--a repentance not to be + repented of. Sorrow is in itself, therefore, a thing neither good nor + bad: its value depends on the spirit of the person on whom it falls. + Fire will inflame straw, soften iron, or harden clay; its effects are + determined by the object with which it comes in contact. Warmth + developes the energies of life, or helps the progress of decay. It is + a great power in the hot-house, a great power also in the coffin; it + expands the leaf, matures the fruit, adds precocious vigour to + vegetable life: and warmth too developes, with tenfold rapidity, the + weltering process of dissolution. So too with sorrow. There are + spirits in which it developes the seminal principle of life; there are + others in which it prematurely hastens the consummation of irreparable + decay. Our subject therefore is the twofold power of sorrow. + + I. The fatal power of the sorrow of the world. + II. The life-giving power of the sorrow that is after God. + + The simplest way in which the sorrow of the world works death, is seen + in the effect of mere regret for worldly loss. There are certain + advantages with which we come into the world. Youth, health, friends, + and sometimes property. So long as these are continued we are happy; + and because happy, fancy ourselves very grateful to God. We bask in + the sunshine of His gifts, and this pleasant sensation of sunning + ourselves in life we call religion; that state in which we all are + before sorrow comes, to test the temper of the metal of which our + souls are made, when the spirits are unbroken and the heart buoyant, + when a fresh morning is to a young heart what it is to the skylark. + The exuberant burst of joy seems a spontaneous hymn to the Father of + all blessing, like the matin carol of the bird; but this is not + religion: it is the instinctive utterance of happy feeling, having as + little of moral character in it, in the happy human being, as in the + happy bird. + + Nay more--the religion which is only sunned into being by happiness, + is a suspicious thing: having been warmed by joy, it will become cold + when joy is over; and then when these blessings are removed, we count + ourselves hardly treated, as if we had been defrauded of a right; + rebellious hard feelings come; then it is you see people become + bitter, spiteful, discontented. At every step in the solemn path of + life, something must be mourned which will come back no more; the + temper that was so smooth becomes rugged and uneven; the benevolence + that expanded upon all, narrows into an ever dwindling selfishness--we + are alone; and then that death-like loneliness deepens as life goes + on. The course of man is downwards, and he moves with slow and ever + more solitary steps, down to the dark silence--the silence of the + grave. This is the death of heart; the sorrow of the world has worked + death. + + Again there is a sorrow of the world, when sin is grieved for in a + worldly spirit. There are two views of sin: in one it is looked upon + as wrong--in the other, as producing loss--loss for example, of + character. In such cases, if character could be preserved before the + world, grief would not come; but the paroxysms of misery fall upon our + proud spirit when our guilt is made public. The most distinct instance + we have of this is in the life of Saul. In the midst of his apparent + grief, the thing still uppermost was that he had forfeited his kingly + character: almost the only longing was, that Samuel should honour him + before his people. And hence it comes to pass, that often remorse and + anguish only begin with exposure. Suicide takes place, not when the + act of wrong is done, but when the guilt is known, and hence too, many + a one becomes hardened who would otherwise have remained tolerably + happy; in consequence of which we blame the exposure, not the guilt; + we say if it had hushed up, all would have been well; that the servant + who robbed his master was ruined by taking away his character; and + that if the sin had been passed over, repentance might have taken + place, and he might have remained a respectable member of society. Do + not think so. It is quite true that remorse was produced by exposure, + and that the remorse was fatal; the sorrow which worked death arose + from that exposure, and so far exposure may be called the cause: had + it never taken place, respectability, and comparative peace, might + have continued; but outward respectability is not change of heart. + + It is well known that the corpse has been preserved for centuries in + the iceberg, or in antiseptic peat; and that when atmospheric air was + introduced to the exposed surface it crumbled into dust. Exposure + worked dissolution, but it only manifested the death which was already + there; so with sorrow, it is not the living heart which drops to + pieces, or crumbles into dust, when it is revealed. Exposure did not + work death in the Corinthian sinner, but life. + + There is another form of grief for sin, which the apostle would not + have rejoiced to see; it is when the hot tears come from pride. No two + tones of feeling, apparently similar, are more unlike than that in + which Saul exclaimed, "I have played the fool exceedingly," and that + in which the Publican cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." + The charge of folly brought against oneself only proves that we feel + bitterly for having lost our own self-respect. It is a humiliation to + have forfeited the idea which a man had formed of his own + character--to find that the very excellence on which he prided + himself, is the one in which he has failed. If there were a virtue for + which Saul was conspicuous, it was generosity; yet it was exactly in + this point of generosity in which he discovered himself to have + failed, when he was overtaken on the mountain, and his life spared by + the very man whom he was hunting to the death, with feelings of the + meanest jealousy. Yet there was no real repentance there; there was + none of that in which a man is sick of state and pomp. Saul could + still rejoice in regal splendour, go about complaining of himself to + the Ziphites, as if he was the most ill-treated and friendless of + mankind; he was still jealous of his reputation, and anxious to be + well thought of. Quite different is the tone in which the Publican, + who felt himself a sinner, asked for mercy. He heard the contumelious + expression of the Pharisee, "this Publican." With no resentment, he + meekly bore it as a matter naturally to be taken for granted--"he did + not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven;" he was as a worm which + turns in agony, but not revenge, upon the foot which treads it into + the dust. + + Now this sorrow of Saul's too, works death: no merit can restore + self-respect; when once a man has found himself out, he cannot be + deceived again. The heart is as a stone: a speck of canker corrodes + and spreads within. What on this earth remains, but endless sorrow, + for him who has ceased to respect himself, and has no God to turn to? + + + II. The divine power of sorrow. + + 1. It works repentance. By repentance is meant, in Scripture, change + of life, alteration of habits, renewal of heart. This is the aim and + meaning of all sorrow. The consequences of sin are meant to wean from + sin. The penalty annexed to it is in the first instance, corrective, + not penal. Fire burns the child, to teach it one of the truths of this + universe--the property of fire to burn. The first time it cuts its + hand with a sharp knife, it has gained a lesson which it never will + forget. Now, in the case of pain, this experience is seldom, if ever, + in vain. There is little chance of a child forgetting that fire will + burn, and that sharp steel will cut; but the moral lessons contained + in the penalties annexed to wrong-doing are just as truly intended, + though they are by no means so unerring in enforcing their + application. The fever in the veins and the headache which succeed + intoxication, are meant to warn against excess. On the first occasion + they are simply corrective; in every succeeding one they assume more + and more a penal character in proportion as the conscience carries + with them the sense of ill desert. + + Sorrow then, has done its work when it deters from evil; in other + words when it works repentance. In the sorrow of the world, the + obliquity of the heart towards evil is not cured; it seems as if + nothing cured it: heartache and trials come in vain; the history of + life at last is what it was at first. The man is found erring where he + erred before. The same course, begun with the certainty of the same + desperate end which has taken place so often before. + + They have reaped the whirlwind, but they will again sow the wind. + Hence I believe, that life-giving sorrow is less remorse for that + which is irreparable, than anxiety to save that which remains. The + sorrow that ends in death hangs in funeral weeds over the sepulchres + of the past. Yet the present does not become more wise. Not one + resolution is made more firm, nor one habit more holy. Grief is all. + Whereas sorrow avails _only_ when the past is converted into + experience, and from failure lessons are learned which never are to be + forgotten. + + 2. Permanence of alteration; for after all, a steady reformation is a + more decisive test of the value of mourning than depth of grief. + + The susceptibility of emotion varies with individuals. Some men feel + intensely, others suffer less keenly; but this is constitutional, + belonging to nervous temperament, rather than to moral character. + _This_ is the characteristic of the divine sorrow, that it is a + repentance "not repented of;" no transient, short-lived resolutions, + but sustained resolve. + + And the beautiful law is, that in proportion as the, repentance + increases the grief diminishes. "I rejoice," says Paul, that "I made + you sorry, though it were but for a time." Grief for a time, + repentance for ever. And few things more signally prove the wisdom of + this apostle than his way of dealing with this grief of the + Corinthian. He tried no artificial means of intensifying it--did not + urge the duty of dwelling upon it, magnifying it, nor even of gauging + and examining it. So soon as grief had done its work, the apostle was + anxious to dry useless tears--he even feared lest haply such an one + should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. "A true penitent," says + Mr. Newman, "never forgives himself." O false estimate of the gospel + of Christ, and of the heart of man! A proud remorse does not forgive + itself the forfeiture of its own dignity; but it is the very beauty of + the penitence which is according to God, that at last the sinner, + realizing God's forgiveness, does learn to forgive himself. For what + other purpose did St. Paul command the Church of Corinth to give + ecclesiastical absolution, but in order to afford a symbol and + assurance of the Divine pardon, in which the guilty man's grief should + not be overwhelming, but that he should become reconciled to himself? + What is meant by the Publican's going _down to his house_ justified, + but that he felt at peace with himself and God? + + 3. It is sorrow with God--here called godly sorrow; in the margin + sorrowing according to God. + + God sees sin not in its consequences but in itself: a thing infinitely + evil, even if the consequences were happiness to the guilty instead of + misery. So sorrow according to God, is to see sin as God sees it. The + grief of Peter was as bitter as that of Judas. He went out and wept + bitterly; how bitterly none can tell but they who have learned to look + on sin as God does. But in Peter's grief there was an element of hope; + and that sprung precisely from this--that he saw God in it all. + Despair of self did not lead to despair of God. + + This is the great, peculiar feature of this sorrow: God is there, + accordingly self is less prominent. It is not a microscopic + self-examination, nor a mourning in which self is ever uppermost: _my_ + character gone; the greatness of _my_ sin; the forfeiture of _my_ + salvation. The thought of God absorbs all that. I believe the feeling + of true penitence would express itself in such words as these:--There + _is_ a righteousness, though I have not attained it. There is a + purity, and a love, and a beauty, though my life exhibits little of + it. In that I can rejoice. Of that I can feel the surpassing + loveliness. My doings? They are worthless, I cannot endure to think of + them. I am not thinking of them. I have something else to think of. + There, there; in that Life I see it. And so the Christian--gazing not + on what he is, but on what he desires to be--dares in penitence to + say, That righteousness is mine: dares, even when the recollection of + his sin is most vivid and most poignant, to say with Peter, thinking + less of himself than of God, and sorrowing as it were with God--"Lord, + Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee." + + + + + IX. + + _Preached August 4, 1850._ + + SENSUAL AND SPIRITUAL EXCITEMENT. + + + "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of + the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be + filled with the Spirit."--Ephesians v. 17, 18. + + There is evidently a connection between the different branches of this + sentence--for ideas cannot be properly contrasted which have not some + connection--but what that connection is, is not at first sight clear. + It almost appears like a profane and irreverent juxtaposition to + contrast fulness of the Spirit with fulness of wine. Moreover, the + structure of the whole context is antithetical. Ideas are opposed to + each other in pairs of contraries; for instance, "fools" is the exact + opposite to "wise;" "unwise," as opposed to "understanding," its + proper opposite. + + And here again, there must be the same true antithesis between + drunkenness and spiritual fulness. The propriety of this opposition + lies in the intensity of feeling produced in both, cases. There is one + intensity of feeling produced by stimulating the senses, another by + vivifying the spiritual life within. The one commences with impulses + from without, the other is guarded by forces from within. Here then is + the similarity, and here the dissimilarity, which constitutes the + propriety of the contrast. One is ruin, the other salvation. One + degrades, the other exalts. This contrast then is our subject for + to-day. + + + I. The effects are similar. On the day of Pentecost, when the first + influences of the Spirit descended on the early Church, the effects + resembled intoxication. They were full of the Spirit, and mocking + bystanders said, "These men are full of new wine;" for they found + themselves elevated into the ecstasy of a life higher than their + own, possessed of powers which they could not control; they spoke + incoherently and irregularly; to the most part of those assembled, + unintelligibly. + + Now compare with this the impression produced upon savage + nations--suppose those early ages in which the spectacle of + intoxication was presented for the first time. They saw a man under + the influence of a force different from and in some respects inferior + to, their own. To them the bacchanal appeared a being half inspired; + his frenzy seemed a thing for reverence and awe, rather than for + horror and disgust; the spirit which possessed him must be they + thought, divine; they deified it, worshipped it under different names + as a god; even to a clearer insight the effects are wonderfully + similar. It is almost proverbial among soldiers that the daring + produced by wine is easily mistaken for the self-devotion of a brave + heart. + + The play of imagination in the brain of the opium-eater is as free as + that of genius itself, and the creations produced in that state by the + pen or pencil are as wildly beautiful as those owed to the nobler + influences. In years gone by, the oratory of the statesman in the + senate has been kindled by semi-intoxication, when his noble + utterances were set down by his auditors to the inspiration of + patriotism. + + It is this very resemblance which deceives the drunkard: he is led on + by his feelings as well as by his imagination. It is not the sensual + pleasure of the glutton that fascinates him; it is those fine thoughts + and those quickened sensibilities which were excited in that state, + which he is powerless to produce out of his own being, or by his own + powers, and which he expects to reproduce by the same means. The + experience of our first parent is repeated in him: at the very moment + when he expects to find himself as the gods, knowing good and evil, he + discovers that he is unexpectedly degraded, his health wrecked, and + his heart demoralized. Hence it is almost as often the finer as the + baser spirits of our race which are found the victims of such + indulgence. Many will remember while I speak, the names of the gifted + of their species, the degraded men of genius who were the victims of + these deceptive influences. The half-inspired painter, poet, musician, + who began by soothing opiates to calm the over-excited nerves, or + stimulate the exhausted brain, who mistook the sensation for somewhat + half divine, and became morally and physically wrecks of manhood, + degraded even in their mental conceptions. It was therefore, no mere + play of words which induced the apostle to bring these two things + together. That which might else seem irreverent appears to have been + a deep knowledge of human nature; he contrasts, because his rule was + to distinguish two things which are easily mistaken for each other. + + 2. The second point of resemblance is the necessity of intense + feeling. We have fulness--fulness, it may be, produced by outward + stimulus, or else by an inpouring of the Spirit. What we want is life, + "more life, and fuller." To escape from monotony, to get away from the + life of mere routine and habits, to feel that we are alive--with more + of surprise and wakefulness in our existence. To have less of the + gelid, torpid, tortoise-like existence. "To feel the years before us." + To be consciously existing. + + Now this desire lies at the bottom of many forms of life which are + apparently as diverse as possible. It constitutes the fascination of + the gambler's life: money is not what he wants--were he possessed of + thousands to-day he would risk them all to-morrow--but it is that + being perpetually on the brink of enormous wealth and utter ruin, he + is compelled to realize at every moment the possibility of the + extremes of life. Every moment is one of feeling. This too, + constitutes the charm of all those forms of life in which the gambling + feeling is predominant--where a sense of skill is blended with a + mixture of chance. If you ask the statesman why it is, that possessed + as he is of wealth, he quits his princely home for the dark + metropolis, he would reply, "That he loves the excitement of a + political existence." It is this too, which gives to the warrior's and + the traveller's existence such peculiar reality; and it is this in a + far lower form which stimulates the pleasure of a fashionable + life--which sends the votaries of the world in a constant round from + the capital to the watering place, and from the watering place to the + capital; what they crave for is the power of feeling intensely. + + Now the proper and natural outlet for this feeling is the life of the + Spirit. What is religion but fuller life? To live in the Spirit, what + is it but to have keener feelings and mightier powers--to rise into a + higher consciousness of life? What is religion's self but feeling? The + highest form of religion is charity. Love is of God, and he that + loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. This is an intense feeling, + too intense to be excited, profound in its calmness, yet it rises at + times in its higher flights into that ecstatic life which glances in a + moment intuitively through ages. These are the pentecostal hours of + our existence, when the Spirit comes as a mighty rushing wind, in + cloven tongues of fire, filling the soul with God. + + + II. The dissimilarity or contrast in St. Paul's idea. The one fulness + begins from without, the other from within. The one proceeds from the + flesh and then influences the emotions. The other reverses this order. + Stimulants like wine, inflame the senses, and through them set the + imaginations and feelings on fire; and the law of our spiritual being + is, that that which begins with the flesh, sensualizes the + Spirit--whereas that which commences in the region of the Spirit, + spiritualizes the senses in which it subsequently stirs emotion. But + the misfortune is that men mistake this law of their emotions; and the + fatal error is, when having found spiritual feelings existing in + connection, and associated with, fleshly sensations, men expect by the + mere irritation of the emotions of the frame to reproduce those high + and glorious feelings. + + You might conceive the recipients of the Spirit on the day of + Pentecost acting under this delusion; it is conceiveable that having + observed certain bodily phenomena--for instance, incoherent utterances + and thrilled sensibilities coexisting with those sublime + spiritualities--they might have endeavoured, by a repetition of those + incoherencies, to obtain a fresh descent of the Spirit. In fact, this + was exactly what was tried in after ages of the Church. In those + events of church history which are denominated revivals, in the camp + of the Methodist and the Ranter, a direct attempt was made to arouse + the emotions by exciting addresses and vehement language. Convulsions, + shrieks, and violent emotions, were produced, and the unfortunate + victims of this mistaken attempt to produce the cause by the effect, + fancied themselves, and were pronounced by others, converted. Now the + misfortune is, that this delusion is the more easy from the fact that + the results of the two kinds of causes resemble each other. You may + galvanize the nerve of a corpse till the action of a limb startles the + spectator with the appearance of life. It is not life, it is only a + spasmodic hideous mimicry of life. Men having seen that the spiritual + is always associated with forms, endeavour by reproducing the forms to + recall spirituality; you do produce thereby a something that looks + like spirituality, but it is a resemblance only. The worst case of all + occurs in the department of the affections. That which begins in the + heart ennobles the whole animal being, but that which begins in the + inferior departments of our being is the most entire degradation and + sensualizing of the soul. + + Now it is from this point of thought that we learn to extend the + apostle's principle. Wine is but a specimen of a class of stimulants. + All that begins from _without_ belongs to the same class. The stimulus + may be afforded by almost any enjoyment of the senses. Drunkenness may + come from anything wherein is excess: from over-indulgence in society, + in pleasure, in music, and in the delight of listening to oratory, + nay, even from the excitement of sermons and religious meetings. The + prophet tells us of those who are drunken, and not with wine. + + The other point of difference is one of effect. Fulness of the Spirit + calms; fulness produced by excitement satiates and exhausts. They who + know the world of fashion tell us that the tone adopted there is, + either to be, or to affect to be, sated with enjoyment, to be proof + against surprise, to have lost all keenness of enjoyment, and to have + all keenness of wonder gone. That which ought to be men's shame + becomes their boast--unsusceptibility of any fresh emotion. + + Whether this be real or affected matters not; it is, in truth, the + real result of the indulgence of the senses. The law is this: the + "crime of sense is avenged by sense which wears with time;" for it has + been well remarked that the terrific punishment attached to the + habitual indulgence of the senses is, that the incitements to + enjoyment increase in proportion as the power of enjoyment fades. + + Experience at last forbids even the hope of enjoyment; the sin of the + intoxicated soul is loathed, detested, abhorred; yet it is done. The + irritated sense, like an avenging fury, goads on with a restlessness + of craving, and compels a reiteration of the guilt though it has + ceased to charm. + + To this danger our own age is peculiarly exposed. In the earlier and + simpler ages, the need of keen feeling finds a natural and safe outlet + in compulsory exertions. For instance, in the excitement of real + warfare, and in the necessity of providing the sustenance of life, + warlike habits and healthy labour stimulate, without exhausting life. + But in proportion as civilization advances, a large class of the + community are exempted from the necessity of these, and thrown upon a + life of leisure. Then it is that artificial life begins, and + artificial expedients become necessary to sharpen the feelings amongst + the monotony of existence; every amusement and all literature become + more pungent in their character; life is no longer a thing proceeding + from powers _within_, but sustained by new impulses from without. + + There is one peculiar form of this danger to which I would specially + direct your attention. There is one nation in Europe which, more than + any other, has been subjected to these influences. In ages of + revolution, nations live fast; centuries of life are passed in fifty + years of time. In such a state, individuals become subjected more or + less to the influences which are working around them. Scarcely an + enjoyment or a book can be met with which does not bear the impress of + this intensity. Now, the particular danger to which I allude is French + novels, French romances, and French plays. The overflowings of that + cup of excitement have reached our shores. I do not say that these + works contain anything coarse or gross--better if it were so: evil + which comes in a form of grossness is not nearly so dangerous as that + which comes veiled in gracefulness and sentiment. Subjects which are + better not touched upon at all are discussed, examined, and exhibited + in all the most seductive forms of imagery. You would be shocked at + seeing your son in a fit of intoxication; yet, I say it solemnly, + better that your son should reel through the streets in a fit of + drunkenness, than that the delicacy of your daughter's mind should be + injured, and her imagination inflamed with false fire. Twenty-four + hours will terminate the evil in the one case. Twenty-four hours will + not exhaust the effects of the other; you must seek the consequences + at the end of many, many years. + + I speak that which I do know; and if the earnest warning of one who + has seen the dangers of which he speaks realized, can reach the heart + of one Christian parent, he will put a ban on all such works, and not + suffer his children's hearts to be excited by a drunkenness which is + worse than that of wine. For the worst of it is, that the men of our + time are not yet alive to this growing evil; they are elsewhere--in + their studies, counting-houses, professions--not knowing the food, or + rather poison, on which their wives' and daughters' intellectual life + is sustained. It is precisely those who are most unfitted to sustain + the danger, whose feelings need restraint instead of spur, and whose + imaginations are most inflammable, that are specially exposed to it. + + On the other hand, spiritual life calms while it fills. True it is + that there are pentecostal moments when such life reaches the stage of + ecstasy. But these were given to the Church to prepare her for + suffering, to give her martyrs a glimpse of blessedness, which might + sustain them afterwards in the terrible struggles of death. True it is + that there are pentecostal hours when the soul is surrounded by a kind + of glory, and we are tempted to make tabernacles upon the Mount, as if + life were meant for rest; but out of that very cloud there comes a + voice telling of the Cross, and bidding us descend into the common + world again, to simple duties and humble life. This very principle + seems to be contained in the text. The apostle's remedy for this + artificial feeling is--"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, + and spiritual songs." + + Strange remedy! Occupation fit for children--too simple far for men: + as astonishing as the remedy prescribed by the prophet to Naaman--to + wash in simple water, and be clean; yet therein lies a very important + truth. In ancient medical phraseology, herbs possessed of healing + natures were called simples: in God's laboratory, all things that heal + are simple--all natural enjoyments--all the deepest--are simple too. + At night, man fills his banquet-hall with the glare of splendour which + fevers as well as fires the heart; and at the very same hour, as if by + intended contrast, the quiet stars of God steal forth, shedding, + together with the deepest feeling, the profoundest sense of calm. One + from whose knowledge of the sources of natural feeling there lies + almost no appeal, has said that to him, + + "The meanest flower that blows can give + Thoughts that too often lie too deep for tears." + + This is exceedingly remarkable in the life of Christ. No contrast is + more striking than that presented by the thought, that that deep and + beautiful Life was spent in the midst of mad Jerusalem. Remember the + Son of man standing quietly in the porches of Bethesda, when the + streets all around were filled with the revelry of innumerable + multitudes, who had come to be present at the annual feast. Remember + Him pausing to weep over his country's doomed metropolis, unexcited, + while the giddy crowd around Him were shouting "Hosanna to the Son of + David!" Remember Him in Pilate's judgment-hall, meek, self-possessed, + standing in the serenity of Truth, while all around Him was + agitation--hesitation in the breast of Pilate, hatred in the bosom of + the Pharisees, and consternation in the heart of the disciples. + + And this in truth, is what we want: we want the vision of a calmer + and simpler Beauty, to tranquillize us in the midst of artificial + tastes--we want the draught of a purer spring to cool the flame of our + excited life;--we want in other words, the Spirit of the Life of + Christ, simple, natural, with power to calm and soothe the feelings + which it rouses: the fulness of the Spirit which can never intoxicate! + + + + + X. + + _Preached August 11, 1850._ + + PURITY. + + + "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled + and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and + conscience is defiled."--Titus i. 15. + + For the evils of this world there are two classes of remedies--one is + the world's, the other is God's. The world proposes to remedy evil by + adjusting the circumstances of this life to man's desires. The world + says, give us a perfect set of _circumstances_, and then we shall have + a set of perfect men. This principle lies at the root of the system + called Socialism. Socialism proceeds on the principle that all moral + and even physical evil arises from unjust laws. If the cause be + remedied, the effect will be good. But Christianity throws aside all + that as merely chimerical. It proves that the fault is not in outward + circumstances, but in ourselves. Like the wise physician, who, instead + of busying himself with transcendental theories to improve the + climate, and the outward circumstances of man, endeavours to relieve + and get rid of the tendencies of disease which are from within, + Christianity, leaving all outward circumstances to ameliorate + themselves, fastens its attention on the spirit which has to deal with + them. Christ has declared that the kingdom of heaven is from within. + He said to the Pharisee, "Ye make clean the outside of the cup and + platter, but within ye are full of extortion and excess." The remedy + for all this is a large and liberal charity, so overflowing that "Unto + the pure all things are pure." To internal purity all external things + _become_ pure. The principle that St. Paul has here laid down is, that + each man is the creator of his own world; he walks in a universe of + his own creation. + + As the free air is to one out of health the cause of cold and diseased + lungs, so to the healthy man it is a source of greater vigour. The + rotten fruit is sweet to the worm, but nauseous to the palate of man. + It is the same air and the same fruit acting differently upon + different beings. To different men a different world--to one all + pollution--to another all purity. To the noble all things are noble, + to the mean all things are contemptible. + + The subject divides itself into two parts. + + I. The apostle's principle. + II. The application of the principle. + + Here we have the same principle again; each man creates his own world. + Take it in its simplest form. The eye creates the outward world it + sees. We see not things as they are, but as God has made the eye to + receive them. + + In its strictest sense, the creation of a new man is the creation of a + new universe. Conceive an eye so constructed as that the planets and + all within them should be minutely seen, and all that is near should + be dim and invisible like things seen through a telescope, or as we + see through a magnifying glass the plumage of the butterfly, and the + bloom upon the peach; then it is manifestly clear that we have called + into existence actually a new _creation_, and not new objects. The + mind's eye creates a world for itself. + + Again, the visible world presents a different aspect to each + individual man. You will say that the same things you see are seen by + all--that the forest, the valley, the flood, and the sea, are the same + to all; and yet all these things so seen, to different minds are a + myriad of different universes. One man sees in that noble river an + emblem of eternity; he closes his lips and feels that GOD is + there. Another sees nothing in it but a very convenient road for + transporting his spices, silks, and merchandise. To one this world + appears useful, to another beautiful. Whence comes the difference? + From the soul within us. It can make of this world a vast chaos--"a + mighty maze without a plan;" or a mere machine--a collection of + lifeless forces; or it can make it the Living Vesture of GOD, + the tissue through which He can become visible to us. In the spirit in + which we look on it the world is an arena for mere self-advancement, + or a place for noble deeds, in which self is forgotten, and + GOD is all. + + Observe, this effect is traceable even in that produced by our + different and changeful moods. We make and unmake a world more than + once in the space of a single day. In trifling moods all seems + trivial. In serious moods all seems solemn. Is the song of the + nightingale merry or plaintive? Is it the voice of joy or the + harbinger of gloom? Sometimes one, and sometimes the other, according + to our different moods. We hear the ocean furious or exulting. The + thunder-claps are grand, or angry, according to the different states + of our mind. Nay, the very church bells chime sadly or merrily, as our + associations determine. They speak the language of our passing moods. + The young adventurer revolving sanguine plans upon the milestone, + hears them speak to him as God did to Hagar in the wilderness, bidding + him back to perseverance and greatness. The soul spreads its own hue + over everything; the shroud or wedding-garment of nature is woven in + the loom of our own feelings. This universe is the express image and + direct counterpart of the souls that dwell in it. Be noble-minded, and + all Nature replies--I am divine, the child of God--be thou too, His + child, and noble. Be mean, and all Nature dwindles into a contemptible + smallness. + + In the second place, there are two ways in which this principle is + true. To the pure, all things and all persons are pure, because their + purity makes all seem pure. + + There are some who go through life complaining of this world; they say + they have found nothing but treachery and deceit; the poor are + ungrateful, and the rich are selfish, Yet we do not find such the best + men. Experience tells us that each man most keenly and unerringly + detects in others the vice with which he is most familiar himself. + + Persons seem to each man what he is himself. One who suspects + hypocrisy in the world is rarely transparent; the man constantly on + the watch for cheating is generally dishonest; he who suspects + impurity is prurient. This is the principle to which Christ alludes + when he says, "Give alms of such things as he have; and behold all + things are clean unto you." + + + Have a large charity! Large "charity hopeth all things." Look at that + sublime apostle who saw the churches of Ephesus and Thessalonica pure, + because he saw them in his own large love, and painted them, not as + they were, but as his heart filled up the picture; he viewed them in + the light of his own nobleness, as representations of his own purity. + + Once more, to the pure all _things_ are pure, as well as all persons. + That which is natural lies not in things, but in the minds of men. + There is a difference between prudery and modesty. Prudery detects + wrong where no wrong is; the wrong lies in the thoughts, and not in + the objects. There is something of over-sensitiveness and + over-delicacy which shows not innocence, but an inflammable + imagination. And men of the world cannot understand that those + subjects and thoughts which to them are full of torture, can be + harmless, suggesting nothing evil to the pure in heart. + + Here however, beware! No sentence of Scripture is more frequently in + the lips of persons who permit themselves much license, than the text, + "To the pure, all things are pure." Yes, all things natural, but not + artificial--scenes which pamper the tastes, which excite the senses. + Innocence feels healthily. To it all nature is pure. But, just as the + dove trembles at the approach of the hawk, and the young calf shudders + at the lion never seen before, so innocence shrinks instinctively from + what is wrong by the same divine instinct. If that which is wrong + seems pure, then the heart is not pure but vitiated. To the right + minded all that is right in the course of this world seems pure. + Abraham, looking forward to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, + entreated that it might be averted, and afterwards acquiesced! To the + disordered mind "all things are out of course." This is the spirit + which pervades the whole of the Ecclesiastes. There were two things + which were perpetually suggesting themselves to the mind of Solomon; + the intolerable sameness of this world, and the constant desire for + change. And yet that same world, spread before the serene eye of God, + was pronounced to be all "very good." + + This disordered universe is the picture of your own mind. We make a + wilderness by encouraging artificial wants, by creating sensitive and + selfish feelings; then we project everything stamped with the impress + of our own feelings, and we gather the whole of creation into our own + pained being--"the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain + together until now." The world you complain of as impure and wrong is + not God's world, but your world; the blight, the dullness, the blank, + are all your own. The light which is in you has become darkness, and + therefore the light itself is dark. + + Again, to the pure, all things not only seem pure, but are really so + because they are made such. + + 1. As regards persons. It is a marvellous thing to see how a pure and + innocent heart purifies all that it approaches. The most ferocious + natures are soothed and tamed by innocence. And so with human beings, + there is a delicacy so pure, that vicious men in its presence become + almost pure; all of purity which is in them is brought out; like + attaches itself to like. The pure heart becomes a centre of + attraction, round which similar atoms gather, and from which + dissimilar ones are repelled. A corrupt heart elicits in an hour all + that is bad in us; a spiritual one brings out and draws to itself all + that is best and purest. Such was Christ. He stood in the world, the + Light of the world, to which all sparks of light gradually gathered. + He stood in the presence of impurity, and men became pure. Note this + in the history of Zaccheus. In answer to the invitation of the Son of + man, he says, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, + and if I have done wrong to any man I restore him fourfold." So also + the Scribe, "Well, Master, thou hast well said, there is one God, and + there is none other than He." To the pure Saviour, all was pure. He + was lifted up on high, and drew all men unto Him. + + Lastly, all situations are pure to the pure. According to the world, + some professions are reckoned honourable, and some dishonourable. Men + judge according to a standard merely conventional, and not by that of + moral rectitude. Yet it was in truth, the men who were in these + situations which made them such. In the days of the Redeemer, the + publican's occupation was a degraded one, merely because low base men + filled that place. But since He was born into the world a poor, + labouring man, poverty is noble and dignified, and toil is honourable. + To the man who feels that "the king's daughter is all glorious + within," no outward situation can seem inglorious or impure. + + There are three words which express almost the same thing, but whose + meaning is entirely different. These are, the gibbet, the scaffold, + and the cross. So far as we know, none die on the gibbet but men of + dishonourable and base life. The scaffold suggests to our minds the + noble deaths of our greatest martyrs. The cross was once a gibbet, but + it is now the highest name we have, because He hung on it. Christ has + purified and ennobled the cross. This principle runs through life. It + is not the situation which makes the man, but the man who makes the + situation. The slave may be a freeman. The monarch may be a slave. + Situations are noble or ignoble, as we make them. + + From all this subject we learn to understand two things. Hence we + understand the Fall. When man fell, the world fell with him. All + creation received a shock. Thorns, briars, and thistles, sprang up. + They were there before, but to the now restless and impatient hands of + men they became obstacles and weeds. Death, which must ever have + existed as a form of dissolution, a passing from one state to another, + became a curse; the sting of death was sin--unchanged in itself, it + changed in man. A dark, heavy cloud, rested on it--the shadow of his + own guilty heart. + + Hence too, we understand the Millennium. The Bible says that these + things are not to be for ever. There are glorious things to come. Just + as in my former illustration, the alteration of the eye called new + worlds into being, so now nothing more is needed than to re-create the + soul--the mirror on which all things are reflected. Then is realized + the prophecy of Isaiah, "Behold, I create all things new," "new + heavens and a new earth." + + The conclusion of this verse proves to us why all these new creations + were called into being--"wherein dwelleth righteousness." To be + righteous makes all things new. We do not want a new world, we want + _new hearts_. Let the Spirit of God purify society, and to the pure + all things will be pure. The earth will put off the look of weariness + and gloom which it has worn so long, and then the glorious language of + the prophets will be fulfilled--"The forests will break out with + singing, and the desert will blossom as the rose." + + + + + XI. + + _Preached February 9, 1851._ + + UNITY AND PEACE. + + + "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also + ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."--Colossians iii. + 15. + + There is something in these words that might surprise us. It might + surprise us to find that peace is urged on us as a duty. There can be + no duty except where there is a matter of obedience; and it might seem + to us that peace is a something over which we have no power. It is a + privilege to have peace, but it would appear as if there were no power + of control within the mind of a man able to ensure that peace for + itself. "Yet," says the apostle, "let the peace of God rule in your + hearts." + + It would seem to _us_ as if peace were as far beyond our own control + as happiness. Unquestionably, we are not masters on our own + responsibility of our own happiness. Happiness is the gratification + of every innocent desire; but it is not given to us to ensure the + gratification of every desire; therefore, happiness is not a duty, and + it is nowhere written in the Scripture, "You must be happy." But we + find it written by the apostle Paul, "Be ye thankful," implying + therefore, that peace is a duty. The apostle says, "Let the peace of + God rule in your hearts;" from which we infer that peace is + attainable, and within the reach of our own wills; that if there be + not repose there is blame; if there be not peace but discord in the + heart, there is something wrong. + + This is the more surprising when we remember the circumstances under + which these words were written. They were written from Rome, where the + apostle lay in prison, daily and hourly expecting a violent death. + They were written in days of persecution, when false doctrines were + rife, and religious animosities fierce; they were written in an + epistle abounding with the most earnest and eager controversy, whereby + it is therefore implied, that according to the conception of the + Apostle Paul, it is possible for a Christian to live at the very point + of death, and in the very midst of danger--that it is possible for him + to be breathing the atmosphere of religious controversy--it is + possible for him to be surrounded by bitterness, and even take up the + pen of controversy himself--and yet his soul shall not lose its own + deep peace, nor the power of the infinite repose and rest of God. + Joined with the apostle's command to be at peace, we find another + doctrine, the doctrine of the unity of the Church of Christ. "To the + which ye are called in one body," in order that ye may be at peace; in + other words, the unity of the Church of Christ is the basis on which, + and on which alone, can be built the possibility of the inward peace + of individuals. + + + And thus, my Christian brethren, our subject divides itself into these + two simple branches: in the first place, the unity of the Church of + Christ; in the second place, the inward peace of the members of that + Church. + + + The first subject then, which we have to consider, is the Unity of the + Church of Christ. + + And the first thing we have to do is both clearly to define and + understand the meaning of that word "unity." I distinguish the unity + of comprehensiveness from the unity of mere singularity. The word one, + as oneness, is an ambiguous word. There is a oneness belonging to the + army as well as to every soldier in the army. The army is one, and + that is the oneness of unity; the soldier is one, but that is the + oneness of the unit. There is a difference between the oneness of a + body and the oneness of a member of that body. The body is many, and a + unity of manifold comprehensiveness. An arm or a member of a body is + one, but that is the unity of singularity. Without unity my Christian + brethren, peace must be impossible. There can be no peace in the one + single soldier of an army. You do not speak of the harmony of one + member of a body. There is peace in an army, or in a kingdom joined + with other kingdoms; there is harmony in a member united with other + members. There is no peace in a unit, there is no possibility of the + harmony of that which is but one in itself. In order to have peace you + must have a higher unity, and therein consists the unity of God's own + Being. The unity of God is the basis of the peace of God--meaning by + the unity of God the comprehensive manifoldness of God, and not merely + the singularity in the number of God's Being. When the Unitarian + speaks of God as one, he means simply singularity of number. We mean + that He is of manifold comprehensiveness--that there is unity between + His various powers. Amongst the personalities or powers of His Being + there is no discord, but perfect harmony, entire union; and that + brethren, is repose, the blessedness of infinite rest, that belongs to + the unity of God--"I and my Father are one." + + The second thing which we observe respecting this unity, is that it + subsists between things not similar or alike, but things dissimilar or + unlike. There is no unity in the separate atoms of a sand-pit; they + are things similar; there is an aggregate or collection of them. Even + if they be hardened in a mass they are not one, they do not form a + unity: they are simply a mass. There is no unity in a flock of sheep: + it is simply a repetition of a number of things similar to each other. + If you strike off from a thousand five hundred, or if you strike off + nine hundred, there is nothing lost of unity, because there never was + unity. A flock of one thousand or a flock of five is just as much a + flock as any other number. + + On the other hand, let us turn to the unity of peace which the apostle + speaks of, and we find it is something different; it is made up of + dissimilar members, without which dissimilarity there could be no + unity. Each is imperfect in itself, each supplying what it has in + itself to the deficiencies and wants of the other members. So, if you + strike off from this body any one member, if you cut off an arm, or + tear out an eye, instantly the unity is destroyed; you have no longer + an entire and perfect body, there is nothing but a remnant of the + whole, a part, a portion; no unity whatever. + + This will help us to understand the unity of the Church of Christ. If + the ages and the centuries of the Church of Christ, if the different + Churches whereof it was composed, if the different members of each + Church, were similar--one in this, that they all held the same views, + all spoke the same words, all viewed truth from the same side, they + would have no unity; but would simply be an aggregate of atoms, the + sand-pit over again--units, multiplied it may be to infinity, but you + would have no real unity, and therefore, no peace. No unity,--for + wherein consists the unity of the Church of Christ? The unity of ages, + brethren, consists it in this--that every age is merely the repetition + of another age, and that which is held in one is held in another? + Precisely in the same way, that is _not_ the unity of the ages of the + Christian Church. + + Every century and every age has held a different truth, has put forth + different fragments of the truth. In early ages for example, by + martyrdom was proclaimed the eternal sanctity of truth, rather than + give up which a man must lose his life.... In our own age it is quite + plain those are not the themes which engage us, or the truths which we + put in force now. This age, by its revolutions, its socialisms, + proclaims another truth--the brotherhood of the Church of Christ; so + that the unity of ages subsists on the same principle as that of the + unity of the human body: and just as every separate ray--the violet, + the blue, and the orange--make up the white ray, so these manifold + fragments of truth blended together make up the one entire and perfect + white ray of Truth. And with regard to individuals, taking the case of + the Reformation, it was given to one Church to proclaim that salvation + is a thing received, and not local; to another to proclaim + justification by faith; to another the sovereignty of God; to another + the supremacy of the Scriptures; to another the right of private + judgment, the duty of the individual conscience. Unite these all, and + then you have the Reformation one--one in spite of manifoldness; those + very varieties by which they have approached this proving them to be + one. Disjoint them and then you have some miserable sect--Calvinism, + or Unitarianism; the unity has dispersed. And so again with the unity + of the Churches. Whereby would we produce unity? Would we force on + other Churches our Anglicanism? Would we have our thirty-nine + articles, our creeds, our prayers, our rules and regulations, accepted + by every Church throughout the world? If that were unity, then in + consistency you are bound to demand that in God's world there shall be + but one colour instead of the manifold harmony and accordance of which + this universe is full; that there should be but one chaunted note--the + one which we conceive most beautiful. This is not the unity of the + Church of God. The various Churches advance different doctrines and + truths. The Church of Germany something different from those of the + Church of England. The Church of Rome, even in its idolatry, proclaims + truths which we would be glad to seize. By the worship of the Virgin, + the purity of women; by the rigour of ecclesiastical ordinances, the + sanctity and permanence of eternal order; by the very priesthood + itself, the necessity of the guidance of man by man. Nay, even the + dissenting bodies themselves--mere atoms of aggregates as they + are--stand forward and proclaim at least this truth, the separateness + of the individual conscience, the right of independence. + + Peace subsists not between things exactly alike. We do not speak of + peace in a single country. We say peace subsists between different + countries where war _might_ be. There can be no _peace_ between two + men who agree in everything; peace subsists between those who differ. + There is no peace between Baptist and Baptist; so far as they are + Baptists, there is perfect accordance and agreement. There may be + peace between you and the Romanist, the Jew, or the Dissenter, because + there are angles of sharpness which might come into collision if they + were not subdued and softened by the power of love. It was given to + the Apostle Paul to discern that this was the ground of unity. In the + Church of Christ he saw men with different views, and he said So far + from that variety destroying unity, it was the only ground of unity. + There are many doctrines, all of them different, but let those + varieties be blended together--in other words, let there be the peace + of love, and then you will have unity. + + Once more this unity, whereof the apostle speaks, consists in + submission to one single influence or spirit. Wherein consists the + unity of the body? Consists it not in this,--that there is one life + uniting, making all the separate members one? Take away the life, and + the members fall to pieces: they are no longer one; decomposition + begins, and every element separates, no longer having any principle of + cohesion or union with the rest. + + There is not one of us who, at some time or other, has not been struck + with the power there is in a single living influence. Have we never + for instance, felt the power wherewith the orator unites and holds + together a thousand men as if they were but one; with flashing eyes + and throbbing hearts, all attentive to his words, and by the + difference of their attitudes, by the variety of the expressions of + their countenances testifying to the unity of that single living + feeling with which he had inspired them? Whether it be indignation, + whether it be compassion, or whether it be enthusiasm, that one living + influence made the thousand for the time, one. Have we not heard how, + even in this century in which we live, the various and conflicting + feelings of the people of this country were concentrated into one, + when the threat of foreign invasion had fused down and broken the + edges of conflict and variance, and from shore to shore was heard one + cry of terrible defiance, and the different classes and orders of this + manifold and mighty England were as one? Have we not heard how the + mighty winds hold together, as if one, the various atoms of the + desert, so that they rush like a living thing, across the wilderness? + And this, brethren, is the unity of the Church of Christ, the + subjection to the one uniting spirit of its God. + + It will be said, in reply to this, "Why this is mere enthusiasm. It + may be very beautiful in theory, but it is impossible in practice. It + is mere enthusiasm to believe, that while all these varieties of + conflicting opinion remain, we can have unity; it is mere enthusiasm + to think that so long as men's minds reckon on a thing like unity, + there can be a thing like oneness." And our reply is, Give us the + Spirit of God, and we shall be one. You cannot produce a unity by all + the rigour of your ecclesiastical discipline. You cannot produce a + unity by consenting in some form of expression such as this, "Let us + agree to differ." You cannot produce a unity by Parliamentary + regulations or enactments, bidding back the waves of what is called + aggression. Give us the living Spirit of God, and we shall be one. + + Once on this earth was exhibited, as it were, a specimen of perfect + anticipation of such an unity, when the "rushing mighty wind" of + Pentecost came down in the tongues of fire and sat on every man; when + the Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in + Mesopotamia, the "Cretes and Arabians," the Jew and the Gentile, each + speaking one language, yet blended and fused into one unity by + enthusiastic love, heard one another speak as it were, in one + language, the manifold works of God; when the spirit of giving was + substituted for the spirit of mere rivalry and competition, and no man + said the things he had were his own, but all shared in common. Let + that spirit come again, as come it will, and come it must; and then, + beneath the influences of a mightier love, we shall have a nobler and + a more real unity. + + + We pass on now, in the second place, to consider the _individual + peace_ resulting from this unity. As we have endeavoured to explain + what is meant by unity, so now, let us endeavour to understand what is + meant by peace. Peace then, is the opposite of passion, and of labour, + toil, and effort. Peace is that state in which there are no desires + madly demanding an impossible gratification; that state in which there + is no misery, no remorse, no sting. And there are but three things + which can break that peace. The first is discord between the mind of + man and the lot which he is called on to inherit; the second is + discord between the affections and powers of the soul; and the third + is doubt of the rectitude, and justice, and love, wherewith this world + is ordered. But where these things exist not, where a man is contented + with his lot, where the flesh is subdued to the spirit, and where he + believes and feels with all his heart that all is right, there is + peace, and to this says the apostle, "ye are called,"--the grand, + peculiar call of Christianity,--the call, "Come unto Me, all ye that + labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." + + This was the dying bequest of Christ: "Peace I leave with you, my + peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you:" and + therein lies one of the greatest truths of the blessed and eternal + character of Christianity, that it applies to, and satisfies the very + deepest want and craving of our nature. The deepest want of man is not + a desire for happiness, but a craving for peace; not a wish for the + gratification of every desire, but a craving for the repose of + acquiescence in the will of God; and it is this which Christianity + promises. Christianity does not promise happiness, but it does promise + peace. "In the world ye shall have tribulation," saith our Master, + "but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Now, let us look + more closely, into this peace. + + The first thing we see respecting it is, that it is called God's + peace. God is rest: the infinite nature of God is infinite repose. The + "_I am_" of God is contrasted with the _I am become_ of all other + things. Everything else is in a state of _becoming_, God is in a state + of _Being_. The acorn has become the plant, and the plant has become + the oak. The child has become the man, and the man has become good, or + wise, or whatever else it may be. God ever _is_; and I pray you once + more to observe, that this peace of God, this eternal rest in the + Almighty Being, arises out of His unity. Not because He is an unit, + but because He is an unity. There is no discord between the powers and + attributes of the mind of God; there is no discord between His justice + and His love; there is no discord demanding some miserable expedient + to unite them together, such as some theologians imagined when they + described the sacrifice and atonement of our Redeemer by saying, it is + the clever expedient whereby God reconciles His justice with His love. + God's justice and love are one. Infinite justice must be infinite + love. Justice is but another sign of love. The infinite rest of the + "_I am_" of God arises out of the harmony of His attributes. + + The next thing we observe respecting this divine peace which has come + down to man on earth is, that it is a _living peace_. Brethren, let us + distinguish. There are several things called peace which are by no + means divine or Godlike peace. There is peace, for example, in the man + who lives for and enjoys self, with no nobler aspiration goading him + on to make him feel the rest of God; that is peace, but that is merely + the peace of toil. There is rest on the surface of the caverned lake, + which no wind can stir; but that is the peace of stagnation. There is + peace amongst the stones which have fallen and rolled down the + mountain's side, and lie there quietly at rest; but that is the peace + of inanity. There is peace in the hearts of enemies who lie together, + side by side, in the same trench of the battle-field, the animosities + of their souls silenced at length, and their hands no longer clenched + in deadly enmity against each other; but that is the peace of death. + If our peace be but the peace of the sensualist satisfying pleasure, + if it be but the peace of mental torpor and inaction, the peace of + apathy, or the peace of the soul dead in trespasses and sins, we may + whisper to ourselves, "Peace, peace," but there will be no peace; + _there_ is not the peace of unity nor the peace of God, for the peace + of God is the living peace of love. + + The next thing we observe respecting this peace is, that it is the + manifestation of power--it is the peace which comes from an inward + power: "Let the peace of God," says the Apostle, "rule within your + hearts." For it is a power, the manifestation of strength. There is no + peace except there is the possibility of the opposite of peace + although now restrained and controlled. You do not speak of the peace + of a grain of sand, because it cannot be otherwise than merely + insignificant, and at rest. You do not speak of the peace of a mere + pond; you speak of the peace of the sea, because there is the opposite + of peace implied, there is power and strength. And this brethren, is + the real character of the peace in the mind and soul of man. Oh! we + make a great mistake when we say there is strength in passion, in the + exhibition of emotion. Passion, and emotion, and all those outward + manifestations, prove, not strength, but weakness. If the passions of + a man are strong, it proves the man himself is weak, if he cannot + restrain or control his passions. The real strength and majesty of the + soul of man is calmness, the manifestation of strength; "the peace of + God" ruling; the word of Christ saying to the inward storms "Peace!" + and there is "a great calm." + + Lastly, the peace of which the apostle speaks is the peace that is + received--the peace of reception. You will observe, throughout this + passage the apostle speaks of a something received, and not done: "Let + the peace of God rule in your hearts." It is throughout receptive, but + by no means inactive. And according to this, there are two kinds of + peace; the peace of obedience--"Let the peace of God rule" you--and + there is the peace of gratefulness--"Be ye thankful." Very great, + brethren, is the peace of obedience: when a man has his lot fixed, and + his mind made up, and he sees his destiny before him, and quietly + acquiesces in it; his spirit is at rest. Great and deep is the peace + of the soldier to whom has been assigned even an untenable position, + with the command, "Keep that, even if you die," and he obediently + remains to die. + + Great was the peace of Elisha--very, very calm are those words by + which he expressed his acquiescence in the divine will. "Knowest + thou," said the troubled, excited, and restless men around + him--"Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy + head to-day?" He answered, "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." Then + there is the other peace, it is the peace of gratefulness: "Be ye + thankful." It is that peace which the Israelites had when these words + were spoken to them on the shores of the Red Sea, while the bodies of + their enemies floated past them, destroyed, but not by them: "Stand + still and see the salvation of the Lord." + + And here brethren, is another mistake of ours: we look on salvation as + a thing to be done, and not received. In God's salvation we can do but + little, but there is a great deal to be received. We are here, not + merely to act, but to be acted upon. "Let the peace of God rule in + your hearts;" there is a peace that will enter there, if you do not + thwart it; there is a Spirit that will take possession of your soul, + provided that you do not quench it. In this world we are recipients, + not creators. In obedience and in gratefulness, and the infinite peace + of God in the soul of man, is alone to be found deep calm repose. + + + + + XII. + + _Preached January 4, 1852._ + + THE CHRISTIAN AIM AND MOTIVE. + + "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven + is perfect."--Matthew v. 48. + + + There are two erroneous views held respecting the character of the + Sermon on the Mount. The first may be called an error of + worldly-minded men, the other an error of mistaken religionists. + Worldly-minded men--men that is, in whom the devotional feeling is but + feeble--are accustomed to look upon morality as the whole of religion; + and they suppose that the Sermon on the Mount was designed only to + explain and enforce correct principles of morality. It tells of human + duties and human proprieties, and an attention to these, they + maintain, is the only religion which is required by it. Strange my + Christian brethren, that men, whose lives are least remarkable for + superhuman excellence, should be the very men to refer most frequently + to those sublime comments on Christian principle, and should so + confidently conclude from thence, that themselves are right and all + others are wrong. Yet so it is. + + The other is an error of mistaken religionists. They sometimes regard + the Sermon on the Mount as if it were a collection of moral precepts, + and consequently, strictly speaking, not Christianity at all. To them + it seems as if the chief value, the chief intention of the discourse, + was to show the breadth and spirituality of the requirements of the + law of Moses--its chief religious significance, to show the utter + impossibility of fulfilling the law, and thus to lead to the necessary + inference that justification must be by faith alone. And so they would + not scruple to assert that, in the highest sense of that term, it is + not Christianity at all, but only preparatory to it--a kind of + spiritual Judaism; and that the higher and more developed principles + of Christianity are to be found in the writings of the apostles. + Before we proceed further, we would remark here that it seems + extremely startling to say that He who came to this world expressly to + preach the Gospel, should, in the most elaborate of all His + discourses, omit to do so: it is indeed something more than startling, + it is absolutely revolting to suppose that the letters of those who + spoke _of_ Christ, should contain a more perfectly-developed, a freer + and fuller Christianity than is to be found in Christ's own words. + + Now you will observe that these two parties, so opposed to each other + in their general religious views, are agreed in this--that the Sermon + on the Mount is nothing but morality. The man of the world says--"It + is morality only, and that is the whole of religion." The mistaken + religionist says--"It is morality only, not the entire essence of + Christianity." In opposition to both these views, we maintain that the + Sermon on the Mount contains the sum and substance of + Christianity--the very chief matter of the gospel of our Redeemer. + + It is not, you will observe, a pure and spiritualized Judaism; it is + contrasted with Judaism again and again by Him who spoke it. Quoting + the words of Moses, he affirmed, "So was it spoken by them of old + time, but _I say unto you_--" For example, "Thou shalt not forswear + thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths." That is + Judaism. "But I say unto you swear not at all, but let your yea be + yea, and your nay nay." That is Christianity. And that which is the + essential peculiarity of this Christianity lies in these two things. + First of all, that the morality which it teaches is _disinterested_ + goodness--goodness not for the sake of the blessing that follows it, + but for its own sake, and because it is right. "Love your enemies," is + the Gospel precept. Why?--Because if you love them you shall be + blessed; and if you do not cursed? No; but "Love your enemies, bless + them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them + which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the + children of"--that is, may be like--"your Father which is in Heaven." + The second essential peculiarity of Christianity--and this, too, is an + essential peculiarity of this Sermon--is, that it teaches and enforces + the law of self-sacrifice. "If thy right eye offend thee pluck it out; + if thy right hand offend thee cut it off." This, brethren, is the law + of self-sacrifice--the very law and spirit of the blessed cross of + Christ. + + How deeply and essentially Christian, then, this Sermon on the Mount + is, we shall understand if we are enabled in any measure to reach the + meaning and spirit of the single passage which I have taken as my + text. It tells two things--the Christian aim and the Christian motive. + + 1st. The Christian aim--perfection. 2nd. The Christian + motive--because it is right and Godlike to be perfect. + + I. The Christian aim is this--to be perfect. "Be ye therefore + perfect." Now distinguish this, I pray you, from mere worldly + morality. It is not conformity to a creed that is here required, but + aspiration after a _state_. It is not demanded of us to perform a + number of duties, but to yield obedience to a certain spiritual law. + But let us endeavour to explain this more fully. What is the meaning + of this expression, "Be ye perfect?" Why is it that in this discourse, + instead of being commanded to perform religious duties, we are + commanded to think of being like God? Will not that inflame our pride, + and increase our natural vainglory? Now the nature and possibility of + human perfection, what it is and how it is possible, are both + contained in one single expression in the text. "Even as your Father + which is in Heaven is perfect." The relationship between father and + son implies consanguinity, likeness, similarity of character and + nature. God _made_ the insect, the stone, the lily; but God is not the + Father of the caterpillar, the lily, or the stone. + + When therefore, God is said to be our Father, something more is + implied in this than that God created man. And so when the Son of Man + came proclaiming the fact that we are the children of God, it was in + the truest sense a revelation. He told us that the nature of God + resembles the nature of man, that love in God is not a mere figure of + speech, but means the same thing as love in us, and that divine anger + is the same thing as human anger divested of its emotions and + imperfections. When we are commanded to be like God, it implies that + God has that nature of which we have already the germs. And this has + been taught by the incarnation of the Redeemer. Things absolutely + dissimilar in their nature cannot mingle. Water cannot coalesce with + fire--water cannot mix with oil. If, then, Humanity and Divinity were + united in the person of the Redeemer, it follows that there must be + something kindred between the two, or else the incarnation had been + impossible. So that the incarnation is the realization of man's + perfection. + + But let us examine more deeply this assertion, that _our_ nature is + kindred with that of God--for if man has not a nature kindred to + God's, then a demand such as that, "Be ye the children of"--that is, + like--"God," is but a mockery of man. We say then, in the first place, + that in the truest sense of the word man can be a creator. The beaver + _makes_ its hole, the bee _makes_ its cell; man alone has the power of + _creating_. The mason _makes_, the architect _creates_. In the same + sense that we say God created the universe, we say that man is also a + creator. The creation of the universe was the Eternal Thought taking + reality. And thought taking expression is also a creation. Whenever + therefore, there is a living thought shaping itself in word or in + stone, there is there a creation. And therefore it is, that the + simplest effort of what we call genius is prized infinitely more than + the most elaborate performances which are done by mere workmanship, + and for this reason: that the one is produced by an effort of power + which we share with the beaver and the bee, that of _making_, and the + other by a faculty and power which man alone shares with God. + + Here however, you will observe another difficulty. It will be said at + once--there is something in this comparison of man with God which + looks like blasphemy, because one is finite and the other + infinite--man is bounded, God boundless; and to speak of resemblance + and kindred between these two, is to speak of resemblance and kindred + between two natures essentially different. But this is precisely the + argument which is brought by the Socinians against the doctrine of + the incarnation; and we are bound to add that the Socinian argument is + right, unless there be the similarity of which we have been speaking. + Unless there be something in man's nature which truly and properly + partakes of the divine nature, there could be no incarnation, and the + demand for perfection would be a mockery and an impossibility. + + Let us then endeavour to find out the evidences of this infinitude in + the nature of man. First of all we find it in this--that the desires + of man are for something boundless and unattainable. Thus speaks our + Lord--"What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world + and lose his own soul?" Every schoolboy has heard the story of the + youthful prince who enumerated one by one the countries he meant to + conquer year after year; and when the enumeration was completed, was + asked what he meant to do when all those victories were achieved, and + he replied--to sit down, to be happy, to take his rest. But then came + the ready rejoinder--Why not do so now? But it is not every schoolboy + who has paused to consider the folly of the question. He who asked his + son why he did not at once take the rest which it was his ultimate + purpose to enjoy, knew not the immensity and nobility of the human + soul. He could not _then_ take his rest and be happy. As long as one + realm remained unconquered, so long rest was impossible; he would weep + for fresh worlds to conquer. And thus, that which was spoken by our + Lord of one earthly gratification, is true of all--"Whosoever drinketh + of this water shall thirst again." The boundless, endless, infinite + void in the soul of man can be satisfied with nothing but God. + Satisfaction lies not in _having_, but in _being_. There is no + satisfaction even in _doing_. Man cannot be satisfied with his own + performances. When the righteous young ruler came to Christ, and + declared that in reference to the life gone by, he had kept all the + commandments and fulfilled all the duties required by the Law, still + came the question--"What lack I yet?" + + The Scribes and Pharisees were the strictest observers of the + ceremonies of the Jewish religion, "touching the righteousness which + is by the Law" they were blameless, but yet they wanted something more + than that, and they were found on the brink of Jordan imploring the + baptism of John, seeking after a new and higher state than they had + yet attained to,--a significant proof that man cannot be satisfied + with his own works. And again, there is not one of us who has ever + been satisfied with his own performances. There is no man whose doings + are worth anything, who has not felt that he has not yet done that + which he feels himself able to do. While he was doing it, he was kept + up by the spirit of hope; but when done the thing seemed to him + worthless. And therefore it is that the author cannot read his own + book again, nor the sculptor look with pleasure upon his finished + work. With respect to one of the greatest of all modern sculptors, we + are told that he longed for the termination of his earthly career, + for this reason--that he had been satisfied with his own performance: + satisfied for the first time in his life. And this expression of his + satisfaction was but equivalent to saying that he had reached the + goal, beyond which there could be no progress. This impossibility of + being satisfied with his own performances is one of the strongest + proofs of our immortality--a proof of that perfection towards which we + shall for ever tend, but which we can never attain. + + A second trace of this infinitude in man's nature we find in the + infinite capacities of the soul. This is true intellectually and + morally. With reference to our intellectual capacities, it would + perhaps be more strictly correct to say that they are indefinite, + rather than infinite; that is we can affix to them no limit. For there + is no man, however low his intellectual powers may be, who has not at + one time or another felt a rush of thought, a glow of inspiration, + which seemed to make all things possible, as if it were merely the + effect of some imperfect organization which stood in the way of his + doing whatever he desired to do. With respect to our moral and + spiritual capacities, we remark that they are not only indefinite, but + absolutely infinite. Let that man answer who has ever truly and + heartily loved another. That man knows what it is to partake of the + infinitude of God. Literally, in the emphatic language of the Apostle + John, he has felt his immortality--"God in him and he in God." For + that moment, infinitude was to him not a name, but a reality. He + entered into the infinite of time and space, which is not measured by + days, or months, or years, but is alike boundless and eternal. + + Again, we perceive a third trace of this infinitude in man, in the + power which he possesses of giving up self. In this, perhaps more than + in anything else, man may claim kindred with God. Nor is this power + confined to the best of mankind, but is possessed, to some extent at + least, by all. There is no man, how low soever he may be, who has not + one or two causes or secrets, which no earthly consideration would + induce him to betray. There is no man who does not feel towards one or + two at least, in this world, a devotion which all the bribes of the + universe would not be able to shake. We have heard the story of that + degraded criminal who, when sentence of death was passed upon him, + turned to his accomplice in guilt, in whose favour a verdict of + acquittal was brought in, and in glorious self-forgetfulness + exclaimed--"Thank God, _you_ are saved!" The savage and barbarous + Indian whose life has been one unbroken series of cruelty and crime, + will submit to a slow, lingering, torturing death, rather than betray + his country. Now, what shall we say to these things? Do they not tell + of an indestructible something in the nature of man, of which the + origin is divine?--the remains of a majesty which, though it may be + sullied, can never be entirely lost? + + Before passing on let us observe, that were it not for this conviction + of the divine origin, and consequent perfectibility of our nature, + the very thought of God would be painful to us. God is so great, so + glorious, that the mind is overwhelmed by, and shrinks from, the + contemplation of His excellence, unless there comes the tender, + ennobling thought that we are the children of God, who are to become + like our Father in Heaven, whose blessed career it is to go on in an + advance of love and duty towards Him, until we love Him as we are + loved, and know Him almost as we are known. + + + II. We pass on, in the second place, to consider the Christian + motive--"Even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Brethren, + worldly prudence, miscalled morality, says--"Be honest; you will find + your gain in being so. Do right; you will be the better for it--even + in this world you will not lose by it." The mistaken religionist only + magnifies this on a large scale. "Your duty," he says, "is to save + your soul. Give up this world to have the next. Lose _here_, that you + may gain _hereafter_." Now this is but prudence after all--it is but + magnified selfishness, carried on into eternity,--none the more noble + for being _eternal_ selfishness. In opposition to all such sentiments + as these, thus speaks the Gospel--"Be ye perfect." Why? "Because your + Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Do right, because it is Godlike + and right so to do. Here however, let us be understood. We do not mean + to say that the Gospel ignores altogether the personal results of + doing right. This would be unnatural--because God has linked together + well-doing and blessedness. But we do say that this blessedness is not + the motive which the Gospel gives us. It is true the Gospel + says--"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth; blessed + are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; blessed are they which + do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." + But when these are made our motives--when we become meek in order that + we may inherit here--then the promised enjoyment will not come. If we + are merciful merely that we may ourselves obtain mercy, we shall not + have that in-dwelling love of God which is the result and token of His + forgiveness. Such was the law and such the example of our Lord and + Master. + + True it is that in the prosecution of the great work of redemption He + had "respect to the recompense of reward." True it is He was + conscious--how could He but be conscious--that when His work was + completed He should be "glorified with that glory which He had with + the Father before the world began;" but we deny that this was the + _motive_ which induced Him to undertake that work; and that man has a + very mistaken idea of the character of the Redeemer, and understands + but little of His spirit, who has so mean an opinion of Him as to + suppose that it was any consideration of personal happiness and + blessedness which led the Son of God to die. "For this end was He + born, and for this end came He into the world to bear witness unto the + Truth," and "to finish the work which was given Him to do." + + If we were asked, Can you select one text in which more than in any + other this unselfish, disinterested feature comes forth, it should be + this, "Love ye your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing + again." This is the true spirit of Christianity--doing right + disinterestedly, not from the hope of any personal advantage or + reward, either temporal or spiritual, but entirely forgetting self, + "hoping for nothing again." When that glorious philanthropist, whose + whole life had been spent in procuring the abolition of the + slave-trade, was demanded of by some systematic theologian, whether in + his ardour in this great cause he had not been neglecting his personal + prospects, and endangering his own soul, this was his magnanimous + reply--one of those which show the light of truth breaking through + like an inspiration. He said, "I did not think about my own soul, I + had no time to think about myself, I had forgotten all about my soul." + The Christian is not concerned about his own happiness; he has not + time to consider himself; he has not time to put that selfish question + which the disciples put to their Lord, when they were but half + baptized with His spirit, "Lo, we have left all and followed Thee, + what shall we have therefore?" + + In conclusion we observe, there are two things which are to be learned + from this passage. The first is this, that happiness is not our end + and aim. It has been said, and has since been repeated as frequently + as if it were an indisputable axiom, that "Happiness is our being's + end and aim." Brethren, happiness is _not_ our being's end and aim. + The Christian's aim is perfection, not happiness, and every one of the + sons of God must have something of that spirit which marked their + Master; that holy sadness, that peculiar unrest, that high and lofty + melancholy which belongs to a spirit which strives after heights to + which it can never attain. + + The second thing we have to learn is this, that on this earth there + can be no rest for man. By rest we mean the attainment of a state + beyond which there can be no change. Politically, morally, + spiritually, there can be no rest for man here. In one country alone + has that system been fully carried out which, conservative of the + past, excludes all desire of progress and improvement for the future: + but it is not to China that we should look for the perfection of human + society. There is one ecclesiastical system which carries out the same + spirit, looking rather to the Church of the past than to the Church of + the future; but it is not in the Romish that we shall find the model + of a Christian Church. In Paradise it may have been right to be at + rest, to desire no change, but ever since the Fall every system that + tends to check the onward progress of mankind is fatally, radically, + curelessly wrong. The motto on every Christian banner is "Forwards." + There is no resting in the present, no satisfaction in the past. + + The last thing we learn from this is the impossibility of obtaining + that of which some men speak--the satisfaction of a good conscience. + Some men write and speak as if the difference between the Christian + and the worldly man was this, that in the one conscience is a + self-reproaching hell, and in the other a self-congratulating heaven. + Oh, brethren, is this the fact? Think you that the Christian goes home + at night counting up the noble deeds done during the day, saying to + himself, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" Brethren, that habit + of looking forwards to the future prevents all pride and + self-righteousness, and makes our best and only rest and satisfaction + to consist in contemplating the future which is bringing us nearer and + nearer home. Our motto, therefore, must be that striking one of the + Apostle Paul, "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching + forth to those things which are before, I press towards the mark for + the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." + + + + + XIII. + + _Preached January 4, 1852._ + + CHRISTIAN CASUISTRY. + + + "Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become + uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be + circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is + nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man + abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called + being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free + use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, + is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called being free, + is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the + servants of men. Brethren, let every man wherein he is called + therein abide with God."--1 Corinthians, vii. 18-24. + + The whole of these seven chapters of the First Epistle of the Apostle + Paul to the Corinthians, is occupied with questions of Christian + casuistry. In the application of the principles of Christianity to the + varying circumstances of life, innumerable difficulties had arisen, + and the Corinthians upon these difficulties had put certain questions + to the Apostle Paul. This seventh chapter contains the apostle's + answer to many of these questions. There are however, two great + divisions into which these answers generally fall. St. Paul makes a + distinction between those things which he speaks by commandment and + those which he speaks only by permission; there is a distinction + between what he says as from the Lord, and what only from himself; + between that which he speaks to them as being taught of God, and that + which he speaks only as a servant, "called of the Lord and faithful." + + It is manifestly plain that there are many questions in which _right_ + and _wrong_ are not variable, but indissoluble and fixed; while there + are questions, on the other hand, where these terms are not fixed, but + variable, fluctuating, altering, dependent upon circumstances. As, for + instance, those in which the apostle teaches in the present chapter + the several duties and advantages of marriage and celibacy. There may + be circumstances in which it is the duty of a Christian man to be + married, there are others in which it may be his duty to remain + unmarried. For instance, in the case of a missionary it may be right + to be married rather than unmarried; on the other hand, in the case of + a pauper, not having the wherewithal to bring up and maintain a + family, it may be proper to remain unmarried. You will observe + however, that no fixed law can be laid down upon this subject. We + cannot say marriage is a Christian duty, nor celibacy is a Christian + duty; nor that it is in every case the duty of a missionary to be + married, or of a pauper to be unmarried. All these things must vary + according to circumstances, and the duty must be stated not + universally, but with reference to those circumstances. + + These therefore, are questions of casuistry, which depend upon the + particular _case_: from which word the term "casuistry" is derived. On + these points the apostle speaks not by commandment, but by permission; + not as speaking by God's command, but as having the Spirit of God. A + distinction has sometimes been drawn with reference to this chapter + between that which the apostle speaks by inspiration, and what he + speaks as a man uninspired. The distinction, however, is an altogether + false one, and beside the question. For the real distinction is not + between inspired and uninspired, but between a _decision_ in matters + of Christian duty, and _advice_ in matters of Christian prudence. It + is abundantly evident that God cannot give advice; He can only issue a + command. God cannot say, "It is better to do this;" His perfections + demand something absolute: "Thou shalt _do_ this; thou shalt _not_ do + this." Whensoever therefore, we come to advice there is introduced + the human element rather than the divine. In all such cases therefore, + as are dependent upon circumstances the apostle speaks not as + inspired, but as uninspired; as one whose judgment we have no right to + find fault with or to cavil at, who lays down what is a matter of + Christian prudence, and not a bounden and universal duty. The matter + of the present discourse will take in various verses in this + chapter--from the tenth to the twenty-fourth verse--leaving part of + the commencement and the conclusion for our consideration, if God + permit, next Sunday. + + There are three main questions on which the apostle here gives his + inspired decision. The first decision is concerning the sanctity of + the marriage-bond between two Christians. His verdict is given in the + tenth verse: "Unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let + not the wife depart from her husband." He lays down this principle, + that the union is an indissoluble one. + + Upon such a subject, Christian brethren, before a mixed congregation, + it is manifestly evident that we can only speak in general terms. It + will be sufficient to say that marriage is of all earthly unions + almost the only one permitting of no change but that of death. It is + that engagement in which man exerts his most awful and solemn + power,--the power of responsibility which belongs to him as one that + shall give account,--the power of abnegating the right to change,--the + power of parting with his freedom,--the power of doing _that_ which in + this world can never be reversed. And yet it is perhaps that + relationship which is spoken of most frivolously, and entered into + most carelessly and most wantonly. It is not an union merely between + two creatures, it is an union between two spirits; and the intention + of that bond is to perfect the nature of both, by supplementing their + deficiencies with the force of contrast, giving to each sex those + excellencies in which it is naturally deficient; to the one strength + of character and firmness of moral will, to the other sympathy, + meekness, tenderness. And just so solemn, and just so glorious as + these ends are for which the union was contemplated and intended, just + so terrible are the consequences if it be perverted and abused. For + there is no earthly relationship which has so much power to ennoble + and to exalt. Very strong language does the apostle use in this + chapter respecting it: "What knoweth thou, O wife, whether thou shalt + _save_ thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt + save thy wife?" The very power of _saving_ belongs to this + relationship. And on the other hand, there is no earthly relationship + which has so much power to wreck and ruin the soul. For there are two + rocks in this world of ours on which the soul must either anchor or be + wrecked. The one is God; the other is the sex opposite to itself. The + one is the "Rock of Ages," on which if the human soul anchors it lives + the blessed life of faith; against which if the soul be dashed and + broken, there ensues the wreck of Atheism--the worst ruin of the soul. + The other rock is of another character. Blessed is the man, blessed is + the woman whose life-experience has taught a confiding belief in the + excellencies of the sex opposite to their own--a blessedness second + only to the blessedness of salvation. And the ruin in the other case + is second only to the ruin of everlasting perdition--the same wreck + and ruin of the soul. + + These then, are the two tremendous alternatives: on the one hand the + possibility of securing, in all sympathy and tenderness, the laying of + that step on which man rises towards his perfection; on the other hand + the blight of all sympathy, to be dragged down to earth, and forced to + become frivolous and common-place; to lose all zest and earnestness in + life, to have heart and life degraded by mean and + perpetually-recurring sources of disagreement; these are the two + alternatives, and it is the worst of these alternatives which the + young risk when they form an inconsiderate union, excusably + indeed--because through inexperience; and it is the worst of these + alternatives which parents risk--not excusably but inexcusably--when + they bring up their children with no higher view of what that tie is, + than the merely prudential one of a rich and honourable marriage. + + The second decision which the apostle makes respecting another of the + questions proposed to him by the Corinthians, is as to the sanctity of + the marriage bond between a Christian and one who is a heathen. When + Christianity first entered into our world, and was little understood, + it seemed to threaten the dislocation and alteration of all existing + relationships. Many difficulties arose; such for instance, as the one + here started. When of two heathen parties only one was converted to + Christianity, the question arose, What in this case is the duty of the + Christian? Is not the duty separation? Is not the marriage in itself + null and void? as if it were an union between one dead and one living? + And that perpetual contact with a heathen, and therefore an enemy of + God, is not that in a relation so close and intimate, perpetual + defilement? The apostle decides this with his usual inspired wisdom. + He decides that the marriage-bond is sacred still. Diversities of + religious opinion, even the farthest and widest diversity, cannot + sanction separation. And so he decides in the 13th verse, "The woman + which hath an husband that believeth not, if he be pleased to dwell + with her, let her not leave him." And, "if any brother hath a wife + that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not + put her away," v. 12. + + Now for us in the present day, the decision on this point is not of so + much importance as the reason which is adduced in support of it. The + proof which the Apostle gives of the sanctity of the marriage is + exceedingly remarkable. Practically it amounts to this;--If this were + no marriage, but an unhallowed alliance, it would follow as a + necessary consequence that the offspring could not be reckoned in any + sense as the children of God; but, on the other hand, it is the + instinctive, unwavering conviction of every Christian parent, united + though he or she may be to a heathen, "My child is a child of God," + or, in the Jewish form of expression, "My child is _clean_." So the + apostle says, "the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and + the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your + children unclean; but now they are holy," for it follows if the + children are holy in this sense of dedicated to God, and are capable + of Christian relationship, then the marriage relation was not + unhallowed, but sacred and indissoluble. + + The value of this argument in the present day depends on its relation + to baptism. The great question we are deciding in the present day may + be reduced to a very few words. This question--the Baptismal + question--is this:--whether we are baptized because we _are_ the + children of God, or, whether we are the children of God because we are + _baptized_; whether in other words, when the Catechism of the Church + of England says that by baptism we are "made the children of God," we + are to understand thereby that we are made something which we were not + before--magically and mysteriously changed; or, whether we are to + understand that we are made the children of God by baptism in the same + sense that a sovereign is made a sovereign by coronation. Here the + apostle's argument is full, decisive, and unanswerable. He does not + say that these children were Christian, or clean, because they were + _baptized_, but they were the children of God because they were the + children of one Christian parent; nay more than that, such children + could scarcely ever have been baptized, because, if the rite met with + opposition from one of the parents, it would be an entire and perfect + veto to the possibility of baptism. You will observe that the very + fundamental idea out of which infant-baptism arises is, that the + impression produced upon the mind and character of the child by the + Christian parent, makes the child one of a Christian community; and, + therefore, as Peter argued that Cornelius had received the Holy Ghost, + and so was to be baptized, just in the same way, as they are adopted + into the Christian family and receive a Christian impression, the + children of Christian parents are also to be baptized. + + Observe also the important truth which comes out collaterally from + this argument--namely, the sacredness of the impression, which arises + from the close connection between parent and child. Stronger far than + education--going on before education can commence, possibly from the + very first moments of consciousness, we begin to impress ourselves on + our children. Our character, voice, features, qualities--modified, no + doubt, by entering into a new human being, and into a different + organization--are impressed upon our children. Not the inculcation of + opinions, but much rather the formation of principles, and of the tone + of character, the derivation of qualities. Physiologists tell us of + the derivation of the mental qualities from the father, and of the + moral from the mother. But be this as it may, there is scarcely one + here who cannot trace back his present religious character to some + impression, in early life, from one or other of his parents--a tone, a + look, a word, a habit, or even, it may be, a bitter, miserable + exclamation of remorse. + + The third decision which the apostle gives, the third principle which + he lays down, is but the development of the last. Christianity he + says, does not interfere with existing relationships. First he lays + down the principle, and then unfolds the principle in two ways, + ecclesiastically and civilly. The principle he lays down in almost + every variety of form. In the 17th verse, "As God hath distributed to + every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk." In the + 20th verse, "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was + called." In the 24th verse, "Brethren, let every man wherein he is + called therein abide with God." This is the principle. Christianity + was not to interfere with existing relationships; Christian men were + to remain in those relationships in which they were, and in them to + develope the inward spirituality of the Christian life. Then he + applies this principle in two ways. First of all, ecclesiastically. + With respect to their church, or ecclesiastical affairs, he says--"Is + any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is + any man in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised." In other + words, the Jews, after their conversion, were to continue Jews, if + they would. Christianity required no change in these outward things, + for it was not in _these_ that the depth and reality of the kingdom of + Christ consisted. So the Apostle Paul took Timothy and circumcised + him; so, also, he used all the Jewish customs with which he was + familiar, and performed a vow, as related in the Acts of the Apostles, + "having shorn his head in Cenchrea; for he had a vow." It was not his + opinion that it was the duty of a Christian to overthrow the Jewish + system. He knew that the Jewish system could not last, but what he + wanted was to vitalize the system--to throw into it not a Jewish, but + a Christian feeling; and so doing, he might continue in it so long as + it would hold together. And so it was no doubt, with all the other + apostles. We have no evidence that before the destruction of the + Jewish polity, there was any attempt made by them to overthrow the + Jewish external religion. They kept the Jewish Sabbath, and observed + the Jewish ritual. One of them, James, the Christian Bishop of + Jerusalem, though a Christian, was even among the Jews remarkable and + honourable for the regularity with which he observed all his Jewish + duties. Now let us apply this to modern duties. The great desire among + men now, appears to be to alter institutions, to have perfect + institutions, as if _they_ would make perfect men. Mark the difference + between this feeling and that of the apostle, "Let every man abide in + the same calling wherein he was called." We are called to be members + of the Church of England--what is our duty now? What would Paul have + done? Is this our duty--to put such questions to ourselves as these? + "Is there any single, particular sentence in the service of my Church + with which I do not entirely agree? Is there any single ceremony with + which my whole soul does not go along? If so, then is it my duty to + leave it at once?" No, my brethren, all that we have to do is to say, + "All our existing institutions are those under which God has placed + us, under which we are to mould our lives according to His will." It + is our duty to vitalize our forms, to throw into them a holier, deeper + meaning. My Christian brethren, surely no man will get true rest, true + repose for his soul in these days of controversy, until he has learned + the wise significance of these wise words--"Let every man abide in the + same calling wherein he was called." He will but gain unrest, he will + but disquiet himself, if he says, "I am sinning by continuing in this + imperfect system," if he considers it his duty to change his calling + if his opinions do not agree in every particular and special point + with the system under which God has placed him. + + Lastly, the apostle applies this principle civilly. And you will + observe he applies it to that civil relationship which of all others, + was the most difficult to harmonize with Christianity--slavery. "Art + thou called," he says, "being a servant? Care not for it." Now, in + considering this part of the subject we should carry along with us + these two recollections. First, we should recollect that Christianity + had made much way among this particular class, the class of slaves. No + wonder that men cursed with slavery embraced with joy a religion which + was perpetually teaching the worth and dignity of the human soul, and + declaring that rich and poor, peer and peasant, master and slave, were + equal in the sight of God. And yet, great as this growth was, it + contained within it elements of danger. It was to be feared, lest men, + hearing for ever of brotherhood and Christian equality, should be + tempted and excited to throw off the yoke by _force_, and compel their + masters and oppressors to do them right. + + The other fact we are to keep in remembrance is this--that all this + occurred in an age in which slavery had reached its worst and most + fearful form, an age in which the emperors were accustomed, not + unfrequently, to feed their fish with living slaves; when captives + were led to fight in the amphitheatre with wild beasts or with each + other, to glut the Roman appetite for blood upon a Roman holiday. And + yet fearful as it was, the apostle says, "Care not for it." And + fearful as war was in those days, when the soldiers came to John to be + baptized, he did not recommend them to join some "Peace Association," + to use the modern term; he simply exhorted them to be content with + their wages. + + And hence we understand the way in which Christianity was to work. It + interferes indirectly and not directly with existing institutions. No + doubt it will at length abolish war and slavery, but there is not one + case where we find Christianity interfering with institutions, as + such. Even when Onesimus ran away and came to Paul, the apostle sent + him back to his master Philemon, not dissolving the connection between + them. And then, as a consolation to the servant, he told him of a + higher feeling--a feeling that would make him free, with the chain and + shackle upon his arm. And so it was possible for the Christian then, + as it is now, to be possessed of the highest liberty even under + tyranny. It many times occurred that Christian men found themselves + placed under an unjust and tyrannical government, and compelled to pay + unjust taxes. The Son of Man showed his freedom not by refusing, but + by paying them. His glorious liberty could do so without any feeling + of degradation; obeying the laws, not because they were right, but + because institutions are to be upheld with cordiality. + + One thing in conclusion we have to observe. It is possible from all + this to draw a most inaccurate conclusion. Some men have spoken of + Christianity as if it was entirely indifferent about liberty and all + public questions--as if with such things as these Christianity did not + concern itself at all. This indifference is not to be found in the + Apostle Paul. While he asserts that inward liberty is the only true + liberty, he still goes on to say, "If thou mayst be free use it + rather." For he well knew that although it was possible for a man to + be a high and lofty Christian even though he were a slave, yet it was + not probable that he would be so. Outward institutions are necessary + partly to make a perfect Christian character; and thus Christianity + works from what is internal to what is external. It gave to the slave + the feeling of his dignity as a man, at the same time it gave to the + Christian master a new view of his relation to his slave, and taught + him to regard him "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a + brother beloved." And so by degrees slavery passed into freed + servitude, and freed servitude, under God's blessing, may pass into + something else. + + There are two mistakes which are often made upon this subject; one is, + the error of supposing that outward institutions are unnecessary for + the formation of character, and the other, that of supposing that they + are _all_ that is required to form the human soul. If we understand + rightly the duty of a Christian man, it is this: to make his brethren + free inwardly and outwardly; first inwardly, so that they may become + masters of themselves, rulers of their passions, having the power of + self-rule and self-control; and then outwardly, so that there may be + every power and opportunity of developing the inward life; in the + language of the prophet, "To break the rod of the oppressor and let + the oppressed go free." + + + + + XIV. + + _Preached January II, 1852._ + + MARRIAGE AND CELIBACY. + + + "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth that + both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they + that weep as though they wept not; and they that rejoice as though + they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed + not; and they that use this world as not abusing it: for the + fashion of this world passeth away."--1 Corinthians vii. 29-31. + + The subject of our exposition last Sunday was an essential portion of + this chapter. It is our duty to examine now the former and the latter + portions of it. These portions are occupied entirely with the inspired + apostolic decision upon this one question--the comparative advantages + and merits of celibacy and marriage. One preliminary question, + however, is to be discussed. How came it that such a question should + be put at all to the apostle? + + In the church at Corinth there were two different sections of society; + first there were those who had been introduced into the church through + Judaism, and afterwards those who had been converted from different + forms of heathenism. Now it is well known, that it was the tendency of + Judaism highly to venerate the marriage state, and just in the same + proportion to disparage that of celibacy, and to place those who led a + single life under a stigma and disgrace. Those converts therefore, + entered into the Church of Christ carrying with them their old Jewish + prejudices. On the other hand, many who had entered into the Christian + Church had been converted to Christianity from different forms of + heathenism. Among these prevailed a tendency to the belief (which + originated primarily in the oriental schools of philosophy) that the + highest virtue consisted in the denial of all natural inclinations, + and the suppression of all natural desires; and looking upon marriage + on one side only, and that the lowest, they were tempted to consider + it as low, earthly, carnal, and sensual. It was at this time that + Christianity entered into the world, and while it added fresh dignity + and significance to the marriage relationship, it at the same time + shed a splendour and a glory upon the other state. The virginity of + the mother of Our Lord--the solitary life of John the Baptist--the + pure and solitary youth of Christ Himself--had thrown upon celibacy a + meaning and dignity which it did not possess before. No marvel + therefore, that to men so educated, and but half prepared for + Christianity, practices like these should have become exaggerations; + for it rarely happens that any right ideas can be given to the world + without suffering exaggeration. Human nature progresses, the human + mind goes on; but it is rarely in a straight line, almost always + through the medium of re-action, rebounding from extremes which + produce contrary extremes. So it was in the Church of Corinth. There + were two opposite parties holding views diametrically opposed to one + another--one honouring the married and depreciating the unmarried + life--the other attributing peculiar dignity and sanctity to celibacy, + and looking down with contempt upon the married Christian state. + + It is scarcely necessary to remind ourselves that this diversity of + sentiment has existed in the Church of Christ in almost all ages. For + example in the early ages, in almost all the writings of the Fathers + we have exaggerated descriptions of the dignity and glory of the state + of celibacy. They speak as if the marriage state was low, carnal, and + worldly; and the other the only one in which it is possible to attain + to the higher spiritual life--the one the natural state, fit for man, + the other the angelic, fit for angels. But ordinarily among men in + general, in every age, the state of single life has been looked down + upon and contemned. And then there comes to the parties who are so + circumstanced a certain sense of shame, and along with this a + disposition towards calumny and slander. Let us endeavour to + understand the wise, inspired decision which the Apostle Paul + pronounced upon this subject. He does not decide, as we might have + been led to suppose he would, from his own peculiarity of disposition, + upon one side only; but raises into relief the advantages and + excellencies of both. He say that neither state has in itself any + _intrinsic_ merit--neither is in itself superior to the other. "I + suppose, then," he says, "that this is good for the present distress. + Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed + from a wife? Seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not + sinned: and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless, such + shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you." That is, I will + spare you this trouble, in recommending a single, solitary life. You + will observe that in these words he attributes no intrinsic merit or + dignity to either celibacy or marriage. The comparative advantages of + these two states he decides with reference to two considerations; + first of all with respect to their comparative power in raising the + character of the individual, and afterwards with reference to the + opportunities which each respectively gives for the service of God. + + + I. With respect to the single life, he tells us that he had his own + proper gift from God; in other words, he was one of those rare + characters who have the power of living without personal sympathy. The + feelings and affections of the Apostle Paul were of a strange and rare + character--tending to expansiveness rather than concentration. Those + sympathies which ordinary men expend upon a few, he extended to many. + The members of the churches which he had founded at Corinth, and + Ephesus, and Colosse, and Philippi, were to him as children; and he + threw upon them all that sympathy and affection which other men throw + upon their own domestic circle. To a man so trained and educated, the + single life gave opportunities of serving God which the marriage state + could not give. St. Paul had risen at once to that philanthropy--that + expansive benevolence, which most other men only attain by slow + degrees, and this was made, by God's blessing, a means of serving his + cause. However we may sneer at the monastic system of the Church of + Rome, it is unquestionable that many great works have been done by the + monks which could not have been performed by men who had entered into + the marriage relationship. Such examples of heroic Christian effort as + are seen in the lives of St. Bernard, of Francis Xavier, and many + others, are scarcely ever to be found except in the single state. The + forlorn hope in battle, as well as in the cause of Christianity, must + consist of men who have no domestic relationships to divide their + devotion, who will leave no wife nor children to mourn over their + loss. + + Let this great truth bring its improvement to those who, either of + their own choice, or by the force of circumstances, are destined + hereafter to live a single life on earth; and, instead of yielding to + that feeling so common among mankind--the feeling of envy at another's + happiness--instead of becoming gloomy, and bitter and censorious, let + them remember what the Bible has to tell of the deep significance of + the Virgin Mary's life--let them reflect upon the snares and + difficulties from which they are saved--let them consider how much + more time and money they can give to God--that they are called to the + great work of serving Causes, of entering into public questions, while + others spend their time and talents only upon themselves. The state of + single life, however we may be tempted to think lightly of it, is a + state that has peculiar opportunities of deep blessedness. + + 2. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul brings forward, into strong + relief, the blessedness and advantages of the marriage state. He tells + us that it is a type of the union between the Redeemer and the Church. + But as this belongs to another part of the subject, we shall not enter + into it now. But we observe, that men in general, must have their + sympathies drawn out step by step, little by little. We do not rise to + philanthropy all at once. We begin with personal, domestic, particular + affections. And not only is it true that rarely can any man have the + whole of his love drawn out except through this domestic state, but, + also, it is to be borne in mind that those who have entered into this + relationship have also their own peculiar advantages. It is true that + in the marriage-life, interrupted as it is by daily cares and small + trifles, those works of Christian usefulness cannot be so continuously + carried on as in the other. But is there not a deep meaning to be + learned from the old expression--that celibacy is an _angelic_ state? + that it is preternatural, and not natural? that the goodness which is + induced by it is not, so to speak, the natural goodness of Humanity, + but such a goodness as God scarcely intended? + + Who of us cannot recollect a period of his history when all his time + was devoted to the cause of Christ; when all his money was given to + the service of God; and when we were tempted to look down upon those + who were less ardent than ourselves, as if they were not Christians? + But now the difficulties of life have come upon us; we have become + involved in the trifles and the smallness of social domestic + existence; and these have made us less devoted perhaps, less + preternatural, less angelic--but more human, better fitted to enter + into the daily cares and small difficulties of our ordinary humanity. + And this has been represented to us by two great lives--one human, the + other divine--one, the life of John the Baptist, and the other, of + Jesus Christ. In both these cases is verified the saying, that "Wisdom + is justified of all her children." Those who are wisdom's + children--the truly wise--will recognise an even wisdom in both these + lives; they will see that there are cases in which a solitary life is + to be chosen for the sake of God; while there are other cases in which + a social life becomes our bounden duty. But it should be specially + observed here that _that_ Life which has been given to us as a + specimen of life for all, was a social, a human Life. Christ did not + refuse to mix with the common joys and common sorrows of Humanity. He + was present at the marriage-feast, and by the bier of the widow's son. + This of the two lives was the one which, because it was the most + human, was the most divine; the most rare, the most difficult, the + most natural--therefore, the most Christ-like. + + + II. Let us notice, in the second place, the principle upon which the + apostle founds this decision. It is given in the text--"This I say, + brethren, the time is short: it remaineth that both they that have + wives be as though they had none," "for the fashion of this world + passeth away." Now observe here, I pray you, the deep wisdom of this + apostolic decision. In point of fact it comes to this: Christianity is + a spirit, not a law; it is a set of principles, not a set of rules; it + is not a saying to us--You shall do this, you shall not do that--you + shall use this particular dress, you shall not use that--you _shall_ + lead, you shall _not_ lead a married life--Christianity consists of + principles, but the application of those principles is left to every + man's individual conscience. With respect not only to this particular + case, but to all the questions which had been brought before him, the + apostle applies the same principle; the cases upon which he decided + were many and various, but the large, broad principle of his decision + remains the same in all. You may marry, and you have not sinned; you + may remain unmarried, and you do not sin; if you are invited to a + heathen feast, you may go, or you may abstain from going; you may + remain a slave, or you may become free; in _these things_ Christianity + does not consist. But what it does demand is this: that whether + married or unmarried, whether a slave or free, in sorrow or in joy, + you are to live in a spirit higher and loftier than that of the + world. + + The apostle gives us in the text two motives for this Christian + unworldliness. The first motive which he lays down is this--"The time + is short." You will observe how frequently, in the course of his + remarks upon the questions proposed to him, the apostle turns, as it + were entirely away from the subject, as if worn-out and wearied by the + comparatively trivial character of the questions--as if this balancing + of one earthly condition or advantage with another, were but a solemn + trifling compared with eternal things. And so here, he seems to turn + away from the question before him, and speaks of the shortness of + time. "The time is short!" + + Time is short in reference to two things. First, it is short in + reference to the person who regards it. That mysterious thing _Time_ + is a matter of sensation, and not a reality; a modification merely of + our own consciousness, and not actual existence; depending upon the + flight of ideas--long to one, short to another. The span granted to + the butterfly, the child of a single summer, may be long; that which + is given to the cedar of Lebanon may be short. The shortness of time, + therefore is entirely relative--belonging to us not to God. Time is + short in reference to _existence_, whether you look at it before or + after. Time past seems nothing; time to come always seems long. We say + this chiefly for the sake of the young. To them fifty or sixty years + seem a treasure inexhaustible. But, my young brethren, ask the old + man, trembling on the verge of the grave, what he thinks of Time and + Life. He will tell you that the three-score years and ten, or even + the hundred-and-twenty years of Jacob, are but "few and evil." And, + therefore, if you are tempted to unbelief in respect to this question, + we appeal to experience--experience alone can judge of its truth. + + Once more, time is short with reference to its _opportunities_. For + this is the emphatic meaning in the original--literally, "the + opportunity is compressed, or shut in." Brethren, time may be long, + and yet the opportunity may be very short. The sun in autumn may be + bright and clear, but the seed which has not been sown until then will + not vegetate. A man may have vigour and energy in manhood and + maturity, but the work which ought to have been done in childhood and + youth cannot be done in old age. A chance once gone in this world can + never be recovered. + + Brother men--have you learned the meaning of yesterday? Do you rightly + estimate the importance of to-day? That there are duties to be done + to-day which cannot be done to-morrow? This it is that throws so + solemn a significance into your work. The time for working is short, + therefore begin to-day; "for the night is coming when no man can + work." Time is short in reference to _eternity_. It was especially + with this reference that the text was written. In those days, and even + by the apostles themselves, the day of the Lord's appearance and + second advent seemed much nearer than it was. They believed that it + would occur during their own lives. And with this belief came the + feeling which comes sometimes to all. "Oh, in comparison with that + vast Hereafter, this little life shrivels into nothing! What is to-day + worth, or its duties or its cares?" All deep minds have thought that. + The thought of Time is solemn and awful to all minds in proportion to + their depth--and in proportion as the mind is superficial, the thought + has appeared little, and has been treated with levity. Brethren, let + but a man possess himself of that thought--the deep thought of the + brevity of time; this thought--that time is short, and that eternity + is long--and he has learned the first great secret of unworldliness. + + 2. The second motive which the apostle gives us is the changing + character of the external world. "The fashion of this world passeth + away"--literally "the _scenery_ of this world," a dramatic expression, + drawn from the Grecian stage. One of the deepest of modern thinkers + has told us in words often quoted, "All the world's a stage." And a + deeper thinker than he, because inspired, had said long before in the + similar words of the text, "the _scenery_ of this world passeth away." + + There are two ways in which this is true. First, it is true with + respect to all the things by which we are surrounded. It is only in + poetry--the poetry of the Psalms for example--that the hills are + called "everlasting." Go to the side of the ocean which bounds our + country, and watch the tide going out, bearing with it the sand which + it has worn from the cliffs; the very boundaries of our land are + changing; they are not the same as they were when these words were + written. Every day new relationships are forming around us; new + circumstances are calling upon us to act--to act manfully, firmly, + decisively, and up to the occasion, remembering that an opportunity + once gone is gone for ever. Indulge not in vain regrets for the past, + in vainer resolves for the future--act, act in the present. + + Again, this is true with respect to ourselves. "The fashion of this + world passeth away" in us. The feelings we have now are not those + which we had in childhood. There has passed away a glory from the + earth--the stars, the sun, the moon, the green fields have lost their + beauty and significance--nothing remains as it was, except their + repeated impressions on the mind, the impressions of time, space, + eternity, colour, form; these cannot alter, but all besides has + changed. Our very minds alter. There is no bereavement so painful, no + shock so terrible, but time will remove or alleviate. The keenest + feeling in this world time wears out at last, and our minds become + like old monumental tablets which have lost the inscription once + graven deeply upon them. + + In conclusion, we have to examine the nature of this Christian + unworldliness which is taught us in the text. The principle of + unworldliness is stated in the latter portion of the text; in the + former part the apostle makes an application of the principle to four + cases of life. First, to cases of domestic relationship--"it remaineth + that they that have wives be as though they had none." Secondly, to + cases of sorrow--"and they that weep as though they wept not." + Thirdly, to cases of joy--"and they that rejoice as though they + rejoiced not." And, finally to cases of the acquisition of worldly + property, "and they that buy as though they possessed not." Time will + not allow us to go into these applications; we must confine ourselves + to a brief consideration of the principle. The principle of Christian + unworldliness, then is this, to "use this world as not abusing it." + Here Christianity takes its stand, in opposition to two contrary + principles. The spirit of the world says, "Time is short, therefore + use it while you have it; take your fill of pleasure while you may." A + narrow religion says, "Time is short, therefore temporal things should + receive no attention: do not weep, do not rejoice; it is beneath a + Christian." In opposition to the narrow spirit of religion, + Christianity says, "_Use_ this world;"--in opposition to the spirit of + the world Christianity says, "Do not _abuse_ it." A distinct duty + arises from this principle to use the world. While in the world we are + citizens of the world: it is our _duty_ to share its joys, to take our + part in its sorrows, not to shrink from its difficulties, but to mix + ourselves with its infinite opportunities. So that if time be short, + so far from that fact lessening their dignity or importance, it + infinitely increases them; since upon these depend the destinies of + our eternal being. Unworldliness is this--to hold things from God in + the perpetual conviction that they will not last; to have the world, + and not to let the world have us; to be the world's masters, and not + the world's slaves. + + + + + XV. + + _Preached January 11, 1852._ + + THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH A FAMILY. + + + "Our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and + earth is named."--Ephesians iii. 14, 15. + + In the verses immediately before the text the Apostle Paul has been + speaking of what he calls a mystery--that is, a revealed secret. And + the secret was this, that the Gentiles would be "fellow-heirs and of + the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel." + It had been kept secret from the former ages and generations; it was a + secret which the Jew had not suspected, had not even dreamt of. It + appeared to him to be his duty to keep as far as possible from the + Gentile. Circumcision, which taught him the duty of separation from + the Gentile spirit, and Gentile practices, seemed to him to teach + hatred towards Gentile _persons_, until at length, in the good + pleasure and providence of God, in the fulness of time, through the + instrumentality of men whose _hearts_ rather than whose intellects + were inspired by God, the truth came out distinct and clear, that God + was the Father of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, "for the same + Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." + + In the progress of the months, my Christian brethren, we have arrived + again at that period of the year in which our Church calls upon us to + commemorate the Epiphany, or manifestation of Jesus Christ to the + Gentiles, and we know not that in the whole range of Scripture we + could find a passage which more distinctly and definitely than this, + brings before us the spirit in which it is incumbent upon us to enter + upon this duty. In considering this passage we shall divide it into + these two branches:--1st, the definition which the Apostle Paul here + gives of the Church of Christ; and, 2ndly, the Name by which this + Church is named. + + + I. In the first place, let us consider the definition given by the + Apostle Paul of the Christian Church, taken in its entirety. It is + this, "the whole family in heaven and earth." But in order to + understand this fully, it will be necessary for us to break it up into + its different terms. + + 1. First of all it is taught by this definition that the Church of + Christ is a society founded upon natural affinities--a "family." A + family is built on affinities which are natural, not artificial; it is + not a combination, but a society. In ancient times an association of + interest combined men in one guild or corporation for protecting the + common persons in that corporation from oppression. In modern times + identity of political creed or opinion has bound men together in one + league, in order to establish those political principles which + appeared to them of importance. Similarity of taste has united men + together in what is called an association, or a society, in order by + this means to attain more completely the ends of that science to which + they had devoted themselves. But as these have been raised + artificially, so their end is inevitably, dissolution. Society passes + on, and guilds and corporations die; principles are established, and + leagues become dissolved; tastes change, and then the association or + society breaks up and comes to nothing. + + It is upon another principle altogether that that which we call a + family, or true society, is formed. It is not built upon similarity of + taste, nor identity of opinion, but upon affinities of nature. You do + not _choose_ who shall be your brother; you cannot exclude your mother + or your sister; it does not depend upon choice or arbitrary opinion at + all, but is founded upon the eternal nature of things. And precisely + in the same way is the Christian Church formed--upon natural affinity, + and not upon artificial combination. "The family, the whole family in + heaven and earth;" not made up of those who _call_ themselves + brethren, but of those who _are_ brethren; not founded merely upon the + principles of combination, but upon the principles of affinity. That + is not a church, or a family, or a society which is made up by men's + choice, as when in the upper classes of life, men of fashion unite + together, selecting their associates from their own _class_, and form + what is technically called a society; it is a combination if you will, + but a society it is not--a family it is not--a Church of Christ it + cannot be. + + And, again, when the Baptists or the Independents, or any other + sectarians, unite themselves with men holding the same faith and + entertaining the same opinions, there may be a _sect_, a + _combination_, a _persuasion_, but a _Church_ there cannot be. And so + again, when the Jew in time past linked himself with the Jew, with + those of the same nation, there you have what in ancient times was + called Judaism, and in modern times is called Hebraicism--a system, a + combination, but not a Church. The Church rises ever out of the + family. First of all in the good providence of God, there is the + family, then the tribe, then the nation; and then the nation merges + itself into Humanity. And the nation which refuses to merge its + nationality in Humanity, to lose itself in the general interests of + mankind, is left behind, and loses almost its religious + nationality--like the Jewish people. + + Such is the first principle. A man is born of the same family, and is + not made such by an appointment, or by arbitrary choice. + + 2. Another thing which is taught by this definition is this, that the + Church of Christ is a whole made up of manifold diversities. We are + told here it is "the _whole_ family," taking into it the great and + good of ages past, now in heaven; and also the struggling, the + humble, and the weak now existing upon earth. Here again, the analogy + holds good between the Church and the family. Never more than in the + family is the true entirety of our nature seen. Observe how all the + diversities of human condition and character manifest themselves in + the family. + + First of all, there are the two opposite poles of masculine and + feminine, which contain within them the entire of our Humanity--which + together, not separately, make up the whole of man. Then there are the + diversities in the degrees and kinds of affection. For when we speak + of family affection, we must remember that it is made up of many + diversities. There is nothing more different than the love which the + sister bears towards the brother, compared with that which the brother + bears towards the sister. The affection which a man bears towards his + father is quite distinct from that which he feels towards his mother; + it is something quite different towards his sister; totally diverse + again, towards his brother. + + And then there are diversities of character. First the mature wisdom + and stern integrity of the father; then the exuberant tenderness of + the mother. And then one is brave and enthusiastic, another + thoughtful, and another tender. One is remarkable for being full of + rich humour, another is sad, mournful, even melancholy. Again, besides + these, there are diversities of condition in life. First, there is the + heir, sustaining the name and honour of the family; then perchance the + soldier, in whose career all the anxiety and solicitude of the family + is centred; then the man of business, to whom they look up, trusting + his advice, expecting his counsel; lastly perhaps, there is the + invalid, from the very cradle trembling between life and death, + drawing out all the sympathies and anxieties of each member of the + family, and so uniting them all more closely, from their having one + common point of sympathy and solicitude. Now, you will observe that + these are not accidental, but absolutely essential to the idea of a + family; for so far as any one of them is lost, so far the family is + incomplete. A family made up of one sex alone, all brothers and no + sisters; or in which all are devoted to one pursuit; or in which there + is no diversity of temper and dispositions--the same monotonous + repeated identity--a sameness in the type of character--this is not a + family, it is only the fragment of a family. + + And precisely in the same way all these diversities of character and + condition are necessary to constitute and complete the idea of a + Christian Church. For as in ages past it was the delight of the Church + to canonize one particular class of virtues--as for instance, purity + or martyrdom--so now, in every age, and in every individual bosom, + there is a tendency to canonize, or honour, or reckon as Christian, + only one or two classes of Christian qualities. For example, if you + were to ask in the present day where you should find a type of the + Christian character, many in all probability would point you to the + man who keeps the Sabbath-day, is regular in his attendance upon the + services of the Church, who loves to hear the Christian sermon. This + is a phase of Christian character--that which is essentially and + peculiarly the _feminine_ type of religion. But is there in God's + Church to be found no place for that type which is rather masculine + than feminine?--which, not in litanies or in psalm-singing does the + will of God, but by struggling for principles, and contending for the + truth--_that_ life, whose prayer is action, whose aspiration is + continual effort? + + Or again, in every age, amongst all men, in the history of almost + every individual, at one time or another, there has been a tendency + towards that which has been emphatically named in modern times + _hero-worship_--leading us to an admiration of the more singular, + powerful, noble qualities of humanity. And wherever this tendency to + hero-worship exists there will be found side by side with it a + tendency to undervalue and depreciate excellences of an opposite + character--the humble, meek, retiring qualities. But it is precisely + for these that the Church of Christ finds place. "Blessed are the + meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are they that hunger and + thirst after righteousness, blessed are the poor in spirit." In God's + world there is a place for the wren and the violet, just as truly as + there is for the eagle and the rose. In the Church of God there is a + place--and that the noblest--for Dorcas making garments for the poor, + and for Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, just as truly as there is + for Elijah confounding a false religion by his noble opposition; for + John the Baptist making a king tremble on his throne; or for the + Apostle Paul "compassing sea and land" by his wisdom and his heroic + deeds. + + Once more, there are ages, as well as times in our own individual + experience, when we set up charity as if it were the one only + Christian character. And wherever this tendency is found there will be + found at the same time, and side by side with it, a tendency to admire + the spurious form of charity, which is a sentiment and not a virtue; + which can sympathize with crime, but not with law; which can be tender + to savages, but has no respect, no care for national honour. And + therefore, does this principle of the Apostle Paul call upon us to + esteem also another form or type of character, and the opposite one; + that which is remarkable for--in which predominates--not so much + charity as _justice_; that which was seen in the warriors and prophets + of old; who perchance, had a more strong recoil from vice than + sympathy with virtue; whose indignation towards that which is wrong + and hypocritical was more intense than their love for that which is + good: the material, the character, out of which the reformer and the + prophet, those who are called to do great works on earth, are made. + + The Church of Christ takes not in one individual form of goodness + merely, but every form of excellence that can adorn Humanity. Nor is + this wonderful when we remember Who He was from whom this Church was + named. It was He in whom centred all excellence--a righteousness + which was entire and perfect. But when we speak of the perfection of + righteousness, let us remember that it is made not of one exaggerated + character, but of a true harmony, a due proportion of all virtues + united. In Him were found therefore, that tenderness towards sinners + which had no sympathy with sin; that humility which could be + dignified, and was yet united with self-respect; that simplicity which + is ever to be met with, side by side with true majesty; that love + which could weep over Jerusalem at the very moment when He was + pronouncing its doom, that truth and justice which appeared to stand + as a protection to those who had been oppressed, at the same time that + He scathed with indignant invective the Pharisees of the then existing + Jews. + + There are two, only two, _perfect_ Humanities. One has existed already + in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the other is to be found only + in the collective Church. Once, only once, has God given a perfect + representation of Himself, "the brightness of the Father's glory, and + the express image of His person." And if we ask again for a perfect + Humanity, the answer is, it is not in this Church or in that Church, + or in this man or in that man, in this age or in that age, but in the + collective blended graces and beauties, and humanities, which are + found in every age, in all churches, but not in every separate man. + So, at least, Paul has taught us, "Till we _all_ come"--_collectively_ + not separately--"in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of + the Son of God, unto a perfect man"--in other words, to a perfect + _Humanity_--"unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of + Christ." + + 3. The last thing which is taught us by this definition is, that the + Church of Christ is a society which is for ever shifting its locality, + and altering its forms. It is the _whole_ church, "the _whole_ family + in heaven and earth." So then, those who were on earth, and are now in + heaven, are yet members of the same family still. Those who had their + home here, now have it there. + + Let us see what it is that we should learn from this doctrine. It is + this, that the dead are not lost to us. There is a sense in which the + departed are ours more than they were before. There is a sense in + which the Apostles Paul, or John, the good and great of ages past, + belong to this age more than to that in which they lived, but in which + they were not understood; in which the common-place and every-day part + of their lives hindered the brightness and glory and beauty of their + character from shining forth. So it is in the family. It is possible + for men to live in the same house, and partake of the same meal from + day to day, and from year to year, and yet remain strangers to each + other, mistaking each other's feelings, not comprehending each other's + character; and it is only when the Atlantic rolls between, and half a + hemisphere is interposed, that we learn how dear they are to us, how + all our life is bound up in deep anxiety with their existence. + Therefore it is the Christian feels that the family is not broken. + Think you that family can break or end?--that because the chair is + empty, therefore he, your child, is no more? It may be so with the + coarse, the selfish, the unbelieving, the superstitious; but the eye + of faith sees there only a transformation. He is not there, he is + risen. You see the place where he was, but he has passed to heaven. So + at least the parental heart of David felt of old, "by faith and not by + sight," when speaking of his infant child. "I shall go to him, but he + shall not return to me." + + Once more, the Church of Christ is a society ever altering and + changing its external forms. "The _whole_ family"--the Church of the + Patriarchs, and of ages before them; and yet the same family. + Remember, I pray you, the diversities of form through which, in so + many ages and generations, this Church has passed. Consider the + difference there was between the patriarchal Church of the time of + Abraham and Isaac, and its condition under David; or the difference + between the Church so existing and its state in the days of the + apostles; and the marvellous difference between that and the same + Church four or five centuries later; or, once again, the difference + between that, externally one, and the Church as it exists in the + present day, broken into so many fragments. Yet diversified as these + states may be, they are not more so than the various stages of a + family. + + There is a time when the children are all in one room, around their + mother's knee. Then comes a time, still further on, when the first + separation takes place, and some are leaving their home to prepare for + after life. Afterwards, when all in their different professions, + trades, or occupations, are separate. At last comes the time when some + are gone. And, perchance, the two survivors meet at last--an old, + gray-haired man, and a weak, worn-out woman--to mourn over the last + graves of a household. Christian brethren, which of these is the right + form--the true, external pattern of a family? Say we not truly, it + remains the same under all outward mutations? We must think of this, + or else we may lose heart in our work. Conceive for instance, the + feelings of a pious Jew, when Christianity entered this world; when + all his religious system was broken up--the Temple service brought to + a violent end; when that polity which he thought was to redeem and + ennoble the world was cast aside as a broken and useless thing. Must + they not have been as gloomy and as dreary as those of the disciples, + when He was dead who they "trusted should have redeemed Israel?" In + both cases the body was gone or was altered--the spirit had arisen. + + And precisely so it is with our fears and unbelieving apprehensions + now. Institutions pass--churches alter--old forms change--and + high-minded and good men cling to these as if _they_ were the only + things by which God could regenerate the world. Christianity appears + to some men to be effete and worn out. Men who can look back upon the + times of Venn, and Newton, and Scott--comparing the degeneracy of + their descendants with the men of those days--lose heart, as if all + things were going wrong. "Things are not," they say, "as they were in + our younger days." No my Christian brethren, things are not as they + then were; but the Christian cause lives on--not in the successors of + such men as those; the outward form is altered, but the spirit is + elsewhere, is risen--risen just as truly as the spirit of the highest + Judaism rose again in Christianity. And to mourn over old + superstitions and effete creeds, is just as unwise as is the grief of + the mother mourning over the form which was once her child. She cannot + separate her affection from that form--those hands, those limbs, those + features--are they not her child? The true answer is, her child is not + there. It is only the form of her child. And it is as unwise to mourn + over the decay of those institutions--the change of human forms--as it + was unwise in Jonah to mourn with that passionate sorrow over the + decay of the gourd which had sheltered him from the heat of the + noontide sun. A worm had eaten the root of the gourd, and it was gone. + But he who made the gourd the shelter to the weary--the shadow of + those who are oppressed by the noontide heat of life--lived on: + Jonah's God. And so brethren, all things change--all things outward + change and alter; but the God of the Church lives on. The Church of + God remains under fresh forms--the one, holy, entire family in heaven + and earth. + + + II. Pass we on now, in the second place, to consider the name by which + this Church is named. "Our Lord Jesus Christ," the Apostle says, "of + whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." + + Now, every one familiar with the Jewish modes of thought and + expression, will allow here, that _name_ is but another word to + express being, actuality, and existence. So when Jacob desired to + know the character and nature of Jehovah, he said--"Tell me now, I + beseech thee, thy _name_". When the Apostle here says, "Our Lord Jesus + Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is _named_," it + is but another way of saying that it is He on Whom the Church + depends--Who has given it substantive existence--without Whom it could + not be at all. It is but another way of saying what he has expressed + elsewhere--"that there is none other name under heaven given among + men, whereby we may be saved." Let us not lose ourselves in vague + generalities. Separate from Christ, there is no salvation; there can + be no Christianity. Let us understand what we mean by this. Let us + clearly define and enter into the meaning of the words we use. When we + say that our Lord Jesus Christ is He "of whom the whole family in + heaven and earth is named," we mean that the very being of the Church + depends on Christ--that it could not be without Him. Now, the Church + of Christ depends upon these three things--first, the recognition of a + common Father; secondly, of a common Humanity; and thirdly, of a + common Sacrifice. + + 1. First, the recognition of a common Father. That is the sacred truth + proclaimed by the Epiphany. God revealed in Christ--not the Father of + the Jew only, but also of the Gentile. The Father of a "whole family." + Not the partial Father, loving one alone--the elder--but the younger + son besides: the outcast prodigal who had spent his living with + harlots and sinners, but the child still, and the child of a Father's + love. Our Lord taught this in His own blessed prayer--"_Our_ Father;" + and as we lose the meaning of that single word _our_, as we say _my_ + Father--the Father of _me_ and of _my_ faction--of _me_ and _my_ + fellow believers--_my_ Anglicanism or _my_ Judaism--be it what it + may--instead of _our_ Father--the Father of the outcast, the + profligate, of all who choose to claim a Father's love; _so_ we lose + the meaning of the lesson which the Epiphany was designed to teach, + and the possibility of building up a family to God. + + 2. The recognition of a common Humanity. He from whom the Church is + named, took upon Him not the nature merely of the noble, of kings, or + of the intellectual philosopher--but of the beggar, the slave, the + outcast, the infidel, the sinner, and the nature of every one + struggling in various ways. Let us learn then brother men, that we + shall have no family in God, unless we learn the deep truth of our + common Humanity, shared in by the servant and the sinner, as well as + the sovereign. Without this we shall have no Church--no family in God. + + 3. Lastly, the Church of Christ proceeds out of, and rests upon, the + belief in a common Sacrifice. + + * * * * * + + There are three ways in which the human race hitherto has endeavoured + to construct itself into a family; first, by the sword; secondly, by + an ecclesiastical system; and thirdly, by trade or commerce. First, by + the sword. The Assyrian, the Persian, the Greek, and the Roman, have + done their work--in itself a most valuable and important one; but so + far as the formation of mankind into a family was the object aimed at, + the work of the sword has done almost nothing. Then there was the + ecclesiastical system--the grand attempt of the Church of Rome to + organize all men into one family, with one ecclesiastical, visible, + earthly head. Being Protestants, it is not necessary for us to state + our conviction that this attempt has been a signal and complete + failure. We now come to the system of commerce and trade. We are told + that that which chivalry and honour could not do--which an + ecclesiastical system could not do--personal interest _will_ do. Trade + is to bind men together into one family. When they feel it their + _interest_ to be one, they will be brothers. Brethren, that which is + built on selfishness cannot stand. The system of personal interest + must be shivered into atoms. Therefore, we, who have observed the ways + of God in the past, are waiting in quiet but awful expectation until + he shall confound this system as he has confounded those which have + gone before. And it may be effected by convulsions more terrible and + more bloody than the world has yet seen. While men are talking of + peace, and of the great progress of civilization, there is heard in + the distance the noise of armies gathering rank on rank: east and + west, north and south, are rolling towards us the crushing thunders of + universal war. + + Therefore there is but one other system to be tried, and that is the + Cross of Christ--a system that is not to be built upon selfishness, + nor upon blood, nor upon personal interest, but upon Love. Love, not + self--the Cross of Christ, and not the mere working-out of the ideas + of individual humanity. + + One word only in conclusion. Upon this, the great truth of the + Epiphany, the Apostle founds a prayer. He prays, "For this cause I bow + my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole + family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, + according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by + His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by + faith." This manifestation of joy and good to the Gentiles was, + according to him, the great mystery of Love. A Love, brighter, deeper, + wider, higher than the largest human heart had ever yet dreamed of. + But the Apostle tells us it is after all, but a glimpse of the love of + God. How should we learn it more? How should we comprehend the whole + meaning of the Epiphany? By sitting down to read works of theology? + The Apostle Paul tells us--No. You must love, in order to understand + love. "That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to + comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth + and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." + Brother men, one act of charity will teach us more of the love of God + than a thousand sermons--one act of unselfishness, of real + self-denial, the putting forth of one loving feeling to the outcast + and "those who are out of the way," will tell us more of the meaning + of the Epiphany than whole volumes of the wisest writers on theology. + + + + + XVI. + + _Preached January 25, 1852._ + + THE LAW OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE. + + + "Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some, with + conscience of the idol, unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered + unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is denied. But meat + commendeth us not to God: for neither if we eat are we the better; + neither if we eat not are we the worse. But take heed lest by any + means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that + are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge, sit at + meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which + is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to + idols; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for + whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren and + wound their weak conscience ye sin against Christ. Wherefore if + meat make my brother to offend I will eat no flesh while the world + standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."--1 Corinthians viii. + 7-13. + + We have already divided this chapter into two branches--the former + portion of it containing the difference between Christian knowledge + and secular knowledge, and the second portion containing the apostolic + exposition of the law of Christian conscience. The first of these we + endeavoured to expound last Sunday, but it may be well briefly to + recapitulate the principles of that discourse in a somewhat different + form. + + Corinth as we all know and remember, was a city built on the sea + coast, having a large and free communication with all foreign nations; + and there was also within it, and going on amongst its inhabitants, a + free interchange of thought, and a vivid power of communicating the + philosophy and truths of those days to each other. Now it is plain, + that to a society in such a state, and to minds so educated, the + gospel of Christ must have presented a peculiar attraction, presenting + itself to them as it did, as a law of Christian liberty. And so, in + Corinth the gospel had "free course and was glorified," and was + received with great joy by almost all men, and by minds of all classes + and all sects; and a large number of these attached themselves to the + teaching of the Apostle Paul as the most accredited expounder of + Christianity--the "royal law of liberty." But it seems, from what we + read in this epistle, that a large number of these men received + Christianity as a thing intellectual, and that alone--and not as a + thing which touched the conscience, and swayed and purified the + affections. Thus this liberty became to them almost _all_--they ran + into sin or went to extravagance--they rejoiced in their freedom from + the superstitions, the ignorances, and the scruples which bound their + weaker brethren; but had no charity--none of that intense charity + which characterized the Apostle Paul, for those still struggling in + the delusions and darkness from which they themselves were free. + + More than that, they demanded their right, their Christian liberty of + expressing their opinions in the church, merely for the sake of + _exhibiting_ the Christian graces and spiritual gifts which had been + showered upon them so largely; until by degrees those very assemblies + became a lamentable exhibition of their own depravity, and led to + numerous irregularities which we find severely rebuked by the Apostle + Paul. Their women, rejoicing in the emancipation which had been given + to the Christian community, laid aside the old habits of attire which + had been consecrated so long by Grecian and Jewish custom, and + appeared with their heads uncovered in the Christian community. Still + further than that, the Lord's Supper exhibited an absence of all + solemnity, and seemed more a meeting for licentious gratification, + where "one was hungry, and another was drunken"--a place in which + earthly drunkenness, the mere enjoyment of the appetites, had taken + the place of Christian charity towards each other. + + And the same feeling--this love of mere liberty--liberty in + itself--manifested itself in many other directions. Holding by this + freedom, their philosophy taught that the body, that is the flesh, was + the only cause of sin; that the soul was holy and pure; and that + therefore, to be free from the body would be entire, perfect, + Christian emancipation. And so came in that strange, wrong doctrine, + exhibited in Corinth, where immortality was taught separate from, and + in opposition to, the doctrine of the resurrection. And afterwards + they went on with their conclusions about liberty, to maintain that + the body, justified by the sacrifice of Christ, was no longer capable + of sin; and that in the evil which was done by the body, the soul had + taken no part. And therefore sin was to them but as a name, from which + a Christian conscience was to be freed altogether. So that when one of + their number had fallen into grievous sin, and had committed + fornication, "such as was not so much as named among the Gentiles," so + far from being humbled by it, they were "puffed up," as if they were + exhibiting to the world an enlightened, true, perfect + Christianity--separate from all prejudices. + + To such a society and to such a state of mind, the Apostle Paul + preached in all its length, breadth, and fulness, the humbling + doctrines of the Cross of Christ. He taught that knowledge was one + thing--that charity was _another_ thing; that "knowledge puffeth up, + but charity buildeth up." He reminded them that love was the + perfection of knowledge. In other words, his teaching came to this: + there are two kinds of knowledge; the one the knowledge of the + intellect, the other the knowledge of the heart. Intellectually, God + never can be known. He must be known by Love--for, "if any man love + God, the same is known of Him." Here then, we have arrived in another + way, at precisely the same conclusion at which we arrived last Sunday. + Here are two kinds of knowledge, secular knowledge and Christian + knowledge; and Christian knowledge is this--to know by Love. + + Let us now consider the remainder of the chapter, which treats of the + law of Christian conscience. You will observe that it divides itself + into two branches--the first containing an exposition of the law + itself, and the second the Christian applications which flow out of + this exposition. + + I. The way in which the apostle expounds the law of Christian + conscience is this:--Guilt is contracted by the soul, in so far as it + sins against and transgresses the law of God by doing that which it + believes to be wrong: not so much what _is_ wrong as what _appears_ to + _it_ to be wrong. This is the doctrine distinctly laid down in the 7th + and 8th verses. The apostle tells the Corinthians--these strong-minded + Corinthians--that the superstitions of their weaker brethren were + unquestionably wrong. "Meat," he says, "commendeth us not to God; for + neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the + worse." He then tells them further, that "there is not in every man + that knowledge; for some with conscience of the idol, eat it as a + thing offered unto an idol." Here then, is an ignorant, mistaken, + ill-informed conscience; and yet he goes on to tell them that this + conscience, so ill-informed, yet binds the possessor of it: "and their + conscience being weak, is defiled." For example,--there could be no + harm in eating the flesh of an animal that had been offered to an idol + or false god; for a false god is nothing, and it is impossible for it + to have contracted positive defilement by being offered to that which + is a positive and absolute negation. And yet if any man thought it + wrong to eat such flesh, to him it _was_ wrong; for in that act there + would be a deliberate act of transgression--a deliberate preference of + that which was mere enjoyment, to that which was apparently, though it + may be only apparently, sanctioned by the law of God. And so it would + carry with it all the disobedience, all the guilt, and all the misery + which belongs to the doing of an act altogether wrong; or as St. Paul + expresses it, the conscience would become denied. + + Here then, we arrive at the first distinction--the distinction between + absolute and relative right and wrong. Absolute right and absolute + wrong, like absolute truth, can each be but _one_ and unalterable in + the sight of God. The one absolute _right_--the charity of God and the + sacrifice of Christ--this, from eternity to eternity must be the sole + measure of eternal right. But human right or human wrong, that is the + merit or demerit, of any action done by any particular man, must be + measured, not by that absolute standard, but as a matter relative to + his particular circumstances, the state of the age in which he lives, + and his own knowledge of right and wrong. For we come into this world + with a moral sense; or to speak more Christianly, with a conscience. + And yet that will tell us but very little distinctly. It tells us + broadly that which is right and that which is wrong, so that every + child can understand this. That charity and self-denial are + right--this we see recognised in almost every nation. But the + boundaries of these two--when and how far self-denial is right--what + are the bounds of charity--this it is for different circumstances yet + to bring out and determine. + + And so, it will be found that there is a different standard among + different nations and in different ages. That for example, which was + the standard among the Israelites in the earlier ages, and before + their settlement in Canaan, was very different from the higher and + truer standard of right and wrong recognised by the later prophets. + And the standard in the third and fourth centuries after Christ, was + truly and unquestionably an entirely different one from that + recognised in the nineteenth century among ourselves. + + Let me not be mistaken. I do not say that right and wrong are merely + conventional, or merely chronological or geographical, or that they + vary with latitude and longitude. I do not say that there ever was or + ever can be a nation so utterly blinded and perverted in its moral + sense as to acknowledge that which is wrong--seen and known to be + wrong--as right; or on the other hand, to profess that which is seen + and understood as right, to be wrong. But what I do say is this: that + the form and aspect in which different deeds appear, so vary, that + there will be for ever a change and alteration in men's opinions, and + that which is really most generous may seem most base, and that which + is really most base may appear most generous. So for example, as I + have already said, there are two things universally + recognised--recognised as right by every man whose conscience is not + absolutely perverted--charity and self-denial. The charity of God, the + sacrifice of Christ--these are the two grand, leading principles of + the Gospel; and in some form or other you will find these lying at the + roots of every profession and state of feeling in almost every age. + But the form in which these appear, will vary with all the gradations + which are to be found between the lowest savage state and the highest + and most enlightened Christianity. + + For example, in ancient Israel the law of love was expounded + thus:--"Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." Among + the American Indians and at the Cape, the only homage perchance given + to self-denial, was the strange admiration given to that prisoner of + war who bore with unflinching fortitude the torture of his country's + enemies. In ancient India the same principle was exhibited, but in a + more strange and perverted manner. The homage there given to + self-denial, self-sacrifice, was this--that the highest form of + religion was considered to be that exhibited by the devotee who sat in + a tree until the birds had built their nests in his hair--until his + nails, like those of the King of Babylon, had grown like birds' + talons--until they had grown into his hands--and he became absorbed + into the Divinity. + + We will take another instance, and one better known. In ancient Sparta + it was the custom to teach children to steal. And here there would + seem to be a contradiction to our proposition--here it would seem as + if right and wrong were matters merely conventional; for surely + stealing can never be anything but wrong. But if we look deeper we + shall see that there is no contradiction here. It was not stealing + which was admired; the child was punished if the theft was discovered; + but it was the dexterity which was admired, and that because it was a + warlike virtue, necessary it may be to a people in continual rivalry + with their neighbours. It was not that honesty was despised and + dishonesty esteemed, but that honesty and dishonesty were made + subordinate to that which appeared to them of higher importance, + namely, the duty of concealment. And so we come back to the principle + which we laid down at first. In every age, among all nations, the same + broad principle remains; but the application of it varies. The + conscience may be ill-informed, and in this sense only are right and + wrong conventional--varying with latitude and longitude, depending + upon chronology and geography. + + The principle laid down by the Apostle Paul is this:--A man will be + judged, not by the abstract law of God, not by the rule of absolute + right, but much rather by the relative law of conscience. This he + states most distinctly--looking at the question on both sides. That + which seems to a man to be right is, in a certain sense, right to him; + and that which seems to a man to be wrong, in a certain sense _is_ + wrong to him. For example: he says in his Epistle to the Romans (v. + 14.) that, "sin is not imputed when there is no law," in other words, + if a man does not really know a thing to be wrong there is a sense in + which, if not right to him, it ceases to be so wrong as it would + otherwise be. With respect to the other of these sides however, the + case is still more distinct and plain. Here, in the judgment which the + apostle delivers in the parallel chapter of the Epistle to the Romans + (the 14th), he says, "I know, and am persuaded of the Lord Jesus, that + there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth anything + to be unclean, to him it is unclean." In other words, whatever may be + the abstract merits of the question--however in God's jurisprudence + any particular act may stand--to you, thinking it to be wrong, it + manifestly _is_ wrong, and your conscience will gather round it a + stain of guilt if you do it. + + In order to understand this more fully, let us take a few instances. + There is a difference between _truth_ and _veracity_. Veracity--mere + veracity--is a small, poor thing. Truth is something greater and + higher. Veracity is merely the correspondence between some particular + statement and facts--truth is the correspondence between a man's whole + soul and reality. It is possible for a man to say that which, unknown + to him is false; and yet he may be true: because if deprived of truth + he is deprived of it unwillingly. It is possible, on the other hand, + for a man to utter veracities, and yet at the very time that he is + uttering those veracities to be false to himself, to his brother, and + to his God. One of the most signal instances of this is to be seen in + the Book of Job. Most of what Job's friends said to him were veracious + statements. Much of what Job said for himself was unveracious and + mistaken. And yet those veracities of theirs were so torn from all + connection with fact and truth, that they became falsehoods; and they + were, as has been said, nothing more than "orthodox liars" in the + sight of God. On the other hand, Job, blundering perpetually, and + falling into false doctrine, was yet a true man--searching for and + striving after the truth; and if deprived of it for a time, deprived + of it with all his heart and soul unwillingly. And therefore it was + that at last the Lord appeared out of the whirlwind, to confound the + men of mere veracity, and to stand by and support the honour of the + heartily true. + + Let us apply the principle further. It is a matter of less importance + that a man should state true views, than that he should state views + truly. We will put this in its strongest form. Unitarianism is + false--Trinitarianism is true. But yet in the sight of God, and with + respect to a man's eternal destinies hereafter, it would surely be + better for him earnestly, honestly, truly, to hold the doctrines of + Unitarianism, than in a cowardly or indifferent spirit, or influenced + by authority, or from considerations of interest, or for the sake of + lucre, to hold the doctrines of Trinitarianism. + + For instance:--Not many years ago the Church of Scotland was severed + into two great divisions, and gave to this age a marvellous proof that + there is still amongst us the power of living faith--when five hundred + ministers gave up all that earth holds dear--position in the church + they had loved; friendships and affections formed, and consecrated by + long fellowship, in its communion; and almost their hopes of gaining a + livelihood--rather than assert a principle which seemed to them to be + a false one. Now my brethren, surely the question in such a case for + us to consider is not this, merely--whether of the two sections held + the abstract _right_--held the principle in its integrity--but surely + far rather, this: who on either side was true to the light within, + true to God, true to the truth as God had revealed it to his soul. + + Now it is precisely upon this principle that we are enabled to indulge + a Christian hope that many of those who in ancient times were + persecutors, for example, may yet be justified at the bar of Christ. + Nothing can make persecution right--it is wrong, essentially, + eternally wrong in the sight of God. And yet, if a man sincerely and + assuredly thinks that Christ has laid upon him a command to persecute + with fire and sword, it is surely better that he should, in spite of + all feelings of tenderness and compassion, cast aside the dearest + affections at the command of his Redeemer, than that he should, in + mere laxity and tenderness, turn aside from what seemed to him to be + his duty. At least, this appears to be the opinion of the Apostle + Paul. He tells us that he was "a blasphemer and a persecutor and + injurious," that "he did many things contrary to the name of Jesus of + Nazareth," that "being exceedingly mad against the disciples, he + persecuted them even unto strange cities." But he tells us further + that, "for this cause he obtained mercy, because he did it ignorantly + in unbelief." + + Now take a case precisely opposite. In ancient times the Jews did that + by which it appeared to them that they would contract defilement and + guilt--they spared the lives of the enemies which they had taken in + battle. Brethren the eternal law is, that charity is right: and that + law is eternally right which says, "Thou shalt love thine enemy." And + had the Jews acted upon this principle they would have done well to + spare their enemies: but they did it thinking it to be wrong, + transgressing that law which commanded them to slay their idolatrous + enemies--not from generosity, but in cupidity--not from charity, but + from lax zeal. And so doing, the act was altogether wrong. + + + II. Such is the apostle's exposition of the law of Christian + conscience. Let us now, in the second place, consider the applications + both of a personal and of a public nature, which arise out of it. + + 1. The first application is a personal one. It is this:--Do what + _seems_ to _you_ to be right: it is only so that you will at last + learn by the grace of God to see clearly what _is_ right. A man thinks + within himself that it is God's law and God's will that he should act + thus and thus. There is nothing possible for us to say--there is no + advice for us to give, but this--"You _must_ so act." He is + responsible for the opinions he holds, and still more for the way in + which he arrived at them--whether in a slothful and selfish, or in an + honest and truth-seeking manner; but being now his soul's convictions, + you can give no other law than this--"You must obey your conscience." + For no man's conscience gets so seared by doing what is wrong + unknowingly, as by doing that which appears to be wrong to his + conscience. The Jews' consciences did not get seared by their slaying + the Canaanites, but they did become seared by their failing to do what + appeared to them to be right. Therefore, woe to you if you do what + others think right, instead of obeying the dictates of your own + conscience; woe to you if you allow authority, or prescription, or + fashion, or influence, or any other human thing, to interfere with + that awful and sacred thing--responsibility. "Every man," said the + apostle, "must give an account of himself to God." + + 2. The second application of this principle has reference to others. + No doubt to the large, free, enlightened mind of the Apostle Paul, all + these scruples and superstitions must have seemed mean, trivial, and + small indeed. It was a matter to him of far less importance that truth + should be _established_ than that it should be arrived at truly--a + matter of far less importance even, that right should be done, than + that right should be done rightly. Conscience was far more sacred to + him than even liberty--it was to him a prerogative far more precious + to assert the rights of Christian conscience, than to magnify the + privileges of Christian liberty. The scruple may be small and foolish, + but it may be impossible to uproot the scruple without tearing up the + feeling of the sanctity of conscience, and of reverence to the law of + God, associated with this scruple. And therefore the Apostle Paul + counsels these men to abridge their Christian liberty, and not to eat + of those things which had been sacrificed to idols, but to have + compassion upon the scruples of their weaker brethren. + + And this, for two reasons. The first of these is a mere reason of + Christian feeling. It might cause exquisite pain to sensitive minds to + see those things which appeared to them to be wrong, done by Christian + brethren. Now you may take a parallel case. It may be, if you will, + mere superstition to bow at the name of Jesus. It may be, and no doubt + is, founded upon a mistaken interpretation of that passage in the + Epistle to the Philippians (ii. 10), which says that "at the name of + Jesus every knee shall bow." But there are many congregations in which + this has been the long-established rule, and there are many Christians + who would feel pained to see such a practice discontinued--as if it + implied a declension from the reverence due to "that name which is + above every name." Now what in this case is the Christian duty? Is it + this--to stand upon our Christian liberty? Or is it not rather + this--to comply with a prejudice which is manifestly a harmless one, + rather than give pain to a Christian brother? + + Take another case. It may be a mistaken scruple; but there is no doubt + that it causes much pain to many Christians to see a carriage used on + the Lord's day. But you, with higher views of the spirit of + Christianity, who know that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man + for the Sabbath"--who can enter more deeply into the truth taught by + our blessed Lord, that every day is to be dedicated to Him and + consecrated to His service--upon the high principle of Christian + liberty you can use your carriage--you can exercise your liberty. But + if there are Christian brethren to whom this would give pain--then I + humbly ask you, but most earnestly--What is the duty here? Is it not + this--to abridge your Christian liberty--and to go through rain, and + mud, and snow, rather than give pain to one Christian conscience? + + To give one more instance. The words, and garb, and customs of that + sect of Christians called Quakers may be formal enough; founded, no + doubt, as in the former case, upon a mistaken interpretation of a + passage in the Bible. But they are at least harmless; and have long + been associated with the simplicity, and benevolence, and Christian + humbleness of this body of Christians--the followers of one who, three + hundred years ago, set out upon the glorious enterprise of making all + men friends. Now would it be Christian, or would it not rather be + something more than unchristian--would it not be gross rudeness and + coarse unfeelingness to treat such words, and habits, and customs, + with anything but respect and reverence? + + Further: the apostle enjoined this duty upon the Corinthian converts, + of abridging their Christian liberty, not merely because it might give + pain to indulge it, but also because it might even lead their brethren + into sin. For, if any man should eat of the flesh offered to an idol, + feeling himself justified by his conscience, it were well: but if any + man, overborne by authority or interest, were to do this, not + according to conscience, but against it, there would be a distinct and + direct act of disobedience--a conflict between his sense of right and + the gratification of his appetites, or the power of influence; and + then his compliance would as much damage his conscience and moral + sense as if the act had been wrong in itself. + + In the personal application of these remarks, there are three things + which we have to say. The first is this:--Distinguish I pray you, + between this tenderness for a brother's conscience and mere + time-serving. This same apostle whom we here see so gracefully giving + way upon the ground of expediency when Christian principles were left + entire, was the same who stood firm and strong as a rock when any + thing was demanded which trenched upon Christian principle. When some + required as a matter of necessity for salvation, that these converts + should be circumcised, the apostle says--"To whom we gave place by + subjection, no, not for an hour!" It was not indifference--it was not + cowardice--it was not the mere love of peace, purchased by the + sacrifice of principle, that prompted this counsel--but it was + Christian love--that delicate and Christian love which dreads to + tamper with the sanctities of a brother's conscience. + + 2. The second thing we have to say is this--that this abridgement of + their liberty is a duty more especially incumbent upon all who are + possessed of influence. There are some men, happily for themselves we + may say, who are so insignificant that they can take their course + quietly in the valleys of life, and who can exercise the fullest + Christian liberty without giving pain to others. But it is the price + which all who are possessed of influence must pay--that their acts + must be measured, not in themselves, but according to their influence + on others. So, my Christian brethren, to bring this matter home to + every-day experience and common life, if the landlord uses his + authority and influence to induce his tenant to vote against his + conscience, it may be he has secured one voice to the principle which + is right, or at all events, to that which seemed to him to be right: + but he has gained that single voice at the sacrifice and expense of a + brother's soul. Or again--if for the sake of ensuring personal + politeness and attention, the rich man puts a gratuity into the hand + of a servant of some company which has forbidden him to receive it, he + gains the attention, he ensures the politeness, but he gains it at the + sacrifice and expense of a man and a Christian brother. + + 3. The last remark which we have to make is this:--How possible it is + to mix together the vigour of a masculine and manly intellect with the + tenderness and charity which is taught by the gospel of Christ! No man + ever breathed so freely when on earth the air and atmosphere of heaven + as the Apostle Paul--no man ever soared so high above all prejudices, + narrowness, littlenesses, scruples, as he: and yet no man ever bound + himself as Paul bound himself to the ignorance, the scruples, the + prejudices of his brethren. So that what in other cases was infirmity, + imbecility, and superstition, gathered round it in his case the pure + high spirit of Christian charity and Christian delicacy. + + And now, out of the writings, and sayings, and deeds of those who + loudly proclaim "the rights of man" and the "rights of liberty," match + us if you can with one sentence so sublime, so noble, one that will so + stand at the bar of God hereafter, as this single, glorious sentence + of his, in which he asserts the rights of Christian conscience above + the claims of Christian liberty--"Wherefore if meat make my brother to + offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my + brother to offend." + + + + + XVII. + + _Preached May 16, 1852._ + + VICTORY OVER DEATH. + + + "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. + But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord + Jesus Christ."--1 Cor. xv. 56, 57. + + On Sunday last I endeavoured to bring before you the subject of that + which Scripture calls the glorious liberty of the Sons of God. The two + points on which we were trying to get clear notions were these: what + is meant by being under the law, and what is meant by being free from + the law? When the Bible says that a man led by the Spirit is not under + the law, it does not mean that he is free because he may sin without + being punished for it, but it means that he is free because being + taught by God's Spirit to love what His law commands he is no longer + conscious of acting from restraint. The law does not drive him, + because the Spirit leads him. + + There is a state brethren, when we recognize God, but do not love God + in Christ. It is that state when we admire what is excellent, but are + not able to perform it. It is a state when the love of good comes to + nothing, dying away in a mere desire. That is the state of nature, + when we are under the law, and not converted to the love of Christ. + And then there is another state, when God writes His law upon our + hearts by love instead of fear. The one state is this, "I cannot do + the things that I would"--the other state is this, "I will walk at + liberty; for I seek Thy commandments." + + Just so far therefore, as a Christian is led by the Spirit, he is a + conqueror. A Christian in full possession of his privileges is a man + whose very step ought to have in it all the elasticity of triumph, and + whose very look ought to have in it all the brightness of victory. And + just so far as a Christian suffers sin to struggle in him and overcome + his resolutions, just so far he is under the law. And that is the key + to the whole doctrine of the New Testament. From first to last the + great truth put forward is--The law can neither save you nor sanctify + you. The gospel can do both; for it is rightly and emphatically called + the perfect law of liberty. + + We proceed to-day to a further illustration of this subject--of + Christian victory. In the verses which I have read out, the Apostle + has evidently the same subject in his mind: slavery through the law: + victory through the gospel. "The strength of sin," he says, "is the + law." God giveth us the victory through Christ. And when we are + familiar with St. Paul's trains of thinking, we find this idea coming + in perpetually. It runs like a coloured thread through embroidery, + appearing on the upper surface every now and then in a different + shape--a leaf, it may be, or a flower; but the same thread still, if + you only trace it back with your finger. And this was the golden + recurring thread in the mind of Paul. Restraint and law cannot check + sin; they only gall it and make it struggle and rebel. The love of God + in Christ, that, and only that can give man the victory. + + But in this passage the idea of victory is brought to bear upon the + most terrible of all a Christian's enemies. It is faith here + conquering in death. And the apostle brings together all the + believer's antagonists--the law's power, sin, and death the chief + antagonist of all; and then, as it were on a conqueror's battle field, + shouts over them the hymn of triumph--"Thanks be to God, which giveth + us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." We shall take up these + two points to dwell upon. + + I. The awfulness which hangs round the dying hour. + II. Faith conquering in death. + + That which makes it peculiarly terrible to die is asserted in this + passage to be, guilt. We lay a stress upon this expression--the sting. + It is not said that sin is the only bitterness, but it is the sting + which contains in it the venom of a most exquisite torture. And in + truth brethren, it is no mark of courage to speak lightly of human + dying. We may do it in bravado, or in wantonness; but no man who + thinks can call it a trifling thing to die. True thoughtfulness must + shrink from death without Christ. There is a world of untold + sensations crowded into that moment, when a man puts his hand to his + forehead and feels the damp upon it which tells him his hour is come. + He has been waiting for death all his life, and now it is come. It is + all over--his chance is past, and his eternity is settled. None of us + know, except by guess, what that sensation is. Myriads of human beings + have felt it to whom life was dear; but they never spoke out their + feelings, for such things are untold. And to every individual man + throughout all eternity that sensation in its fulness can come but + once. It is mockery brethren, for a man to speak lightly of that which + he cannot know till it comes. + + Now the first cause which makes it a solemn thing to die, is the + instinctive cleaving of every thing that lives to its own existence. + That unutterable thing which we call our being--the idea of parting + with it is agony. It is the first and the intensest desire of living + things, to be. Enjoyment, blessedness, everything we long for, is + wrapped up in being. Darkness and all that the spirit recoils from, is + contained in this idea, not to be. It is in virtue of this + unquenchable impulse that the world, in spite of all the misery that + is in it, continues to struggle on. What are war, and trade, and + labour, and professions? Are they all the result of struggling to be + great? No, my brethren, they are the result of struggling _to be_. The + first thing that men and nations labour for is existence. Reduce the + nation or the man to their last resources, and only see what + marvellous energy of contrivance the love of being arms them with. + Read back the pauper's history at the end of seventy years--his + strange sad history, in which scarcely a single day could ensure + subsistence for the morrow--and yet learn what he has done these long + years in the stern struggle with impossibility to hold his being where + everything is against him, and to keep an existence, whose only + conceivable charm is this, that it _is_ existence. + + Now it is with this intense passion for being, that the idea of death + clashes. Let us search why it is we shrink from death. This reason + brethren, we shall find, that it presents to us the idea of _not + being_. Talk as we will of immortality, there is an obstinate feeling + that we cannot master, that we end in death; and _that_ may be felt + together with the firmest belief of a resurrection. Brethren, our + faith tells us one thing, and our sensations tell us another. When we + die, we are surrendering in truth all that with which we have + associated existence. All that we know of life is connected with a + shape, a form, a body of materialism; and now that that is palpably + melting away into nothingness, the boldest heart may be excused a + shudder, when there is forced upon it, in spite of itself, the idea of + ceasing for ever. + + The second reason is not one of imagination at all, but most sober + reality. It is a solemn thing to die, because it is the parting with + all round which the heart's best affections have twined themselves. + There are some men who have not the capacity for keen enjoyment. Their + affections have nothing in them of intensity, and so they pass through + life without ever so uniting themselves with what they meet, that + there would be anything of pain in the severance. Of course, with them + the bitterness of death does not attach so much to the idea of + parting. But my brethren, how is it with human nature generally? Our + feelings do not weaken as we go on in life; emotions are less shown, + and we get a command over our features and our expressions; but the + man's feelings are deeper than the boy's. It is length of time that + makes attachment. We become wedded to the sights and sounds of this + lovely world more closely as years go on. + + Young men, with nothing rooted deep, are prodigal of life. It is an + adventure to them, rather than a misfortune, to leave their country + for ever. With the old man it is like tearing his own heart from him. + And so it was that when Lot quitted Sodom, the younger members of his + family went on gladly. It is a touching truth; it was the aged one who + looked behind to the home which had so many recollections connected + with it. And therefore it is, that when men approach that period of + existence when they must go, there is an instinctive lingering over + things which they shall never see again. Every time the sun sets, + every time the old man sees his children gathering round him, there is + a filling of the eye with an emotion that we can understand. There is + upon his soul the thought of parting, that strange wrench from all we + love which makes death (say what moralists will of it) a bitter thing. + + Another pang which belongs to death, we find in the sensation of + loneliness which attaches to it. Have we ever seen a ship preparing to + sail with its load of pauper emigrants to a distant colony? If we have + we know what that desolation is which comes from feeling unfriended on + a new and untried excursion. All beyond the seas, to the ignorant poor + man, is a strange land. They are going away from the helps and the + friendships and the companionships of life, scarcely knowing what is + before them. And it is in such a moment, when a man stands upon a + deck, taking his last look of his fatherland, that there comes upon + him a sensation new, strange, and inexpressibly miserable--the feeling + of being alone in the world. + + Brethren, with all the bitterness of such a moment, it is but a feeble + image when placed by the side of the loneliness of death. We die + alone. We go on our dark mysterious journey for the first time in all + our existence, without one to accompany us. Friends are beside our + bed, they must stay behind. Grant that a Christian has something like + familiarity with the Most High, _that_ breaks this solitary feeling; + but what is it with the mass of men? It is a question full of + loneliness to them. What is it they are to see? What are they to meet? + Is it not true, that, to the larger number of this congregation, there + is no one point in all eternity on which the eye can fix distinctly + and rest gladly--nothing beyond the grave, except a dark space into + which they must plunge alone? + + And yet my brethren, with all these ideas no doubt vividly before his + mind, it was none of them that the apostle selected as the crowning + bitterness of dying. It was not the thought of surrendering existence. + It was not the parting from all bright and lovely things. It was not + the shudder of sinking into the sepulchre alone. "The sting of death + is _sin_." + + Now there are two ways in which this deep truth applies itself. There + is something that appals in death when there are distinct separate + acts of guilt resting on the memory; and there is something too in the + possession of a guilty heart, which is quite another thing from acts + of sin, that makes it an awful thing to die. There are some who carry + about with them the dreadful secret of sin that has been done; guilt + that has a name. A man has injured some one; he has made money, or got + on by unfair means; he has been unchaste; he has done some of those + thousand things of life which leave upon the heart the dark spot that + will not come out. All these are sins which you can count up and + number. And the recollection of things like these is that agony which + we call remorse. Many of us have remembrances of this kind which are + fatal to serenity. We shut them out, but it will not do. They bide + their time, and then suddenly present themselves, together with the + thought of a judgment-seat. When a guilty man begins to think of + dying, it is like a vision of the Son of Man presenting itself and + calling out the voices of all the unclean spirits in the man--"Art + thou come to torment us before the time?" + + But my brethren, it is a mistake if we suppose that is the common way + in which sin stings at the thought of death. Men who have lived the + career of passionate life have distinct and accumulated acts of guilt + before their eyes. But with most men it is not guilty acts, but + guiltiness of heart that weighs the heaviest. Only take yesterday as a + specimen of life. What was it with most of us? A day of sin. Was it + sin palpable and dark, such as we shall remember painfully this day + year? Nay my brethren, unkindness, petulance, wasted time, + opportunities lost, frivolous conversation, _that_ was our chief + guilt. And yet with all that trifling as it may be, when it comes to + be the history of life, does it not leave behind a restless + undefinable sense of fault, a vague idea of debt, but to what extent + we know not, perhaps the more wretched just because it is uncertain? + + My Christian brethren, this is the sting of sinfulness, the wretched + consciousness of an unclean heart. It is just this feeling, "God is + not my friend; I am going on to the grave, and no _man_ can say aught + against me, but my heart is not right; I want a river like that which + the ancients fabled--the river of forgetfulness--that I might go down + into it and bathe, and come up a new man. It is not so much what I + have done; it is what I am. Who shall save me from myself?" Oh, it is + a desolate thing to think of the coffin when that thought is in all + its misery before the soul. It is the sting of death. + + And now let us bear one thing in mind, the sting of sin is not a + constant pressure. It may be that we live many years in the world + before a death in our own family forces the thought personally home. + Many years before all those sensations which are so often the + precursors of the tomb--the quick short cough, lassitude, emaciation, + pain--come in startling suddenness upon us in our young vigour, and + make us feel what it is to be here with death inevitable to ourselves. + And when those things become habitual, habit makes delicacy the same + forgetful thing as health, so that neither in sickness, nor in health, + is the thought of death a constant pressure. It is only now and then; + but so often as death is a reality, the sting of death is sin. + + Once more we remark, that all this power of sin to agonize, is traced + by the Apostle to the law--"the strength of sin is the law;" by which + he means to say that sin would not be so violent if it were not for + the attempt of God's law to restrain it. It is the law which makes sin + strong. And he does not mean particularly the law of Moses. He means + any law, and all law. Law is what forbids and threatens; law bears + gallingly on those who want to break it. And St. Paul declares this, + that no law, not even God's law, can make men righteous in heart, + unless the Spirit has taught men's hearts to acquiesce in the law. It + can only force out into rebellion the sin that is in them. + + It is so, brethren, with a nation's law. The voice of the nation must + go along with it. It must be the expression of their own feeling, and + then they will have it obeyed. But if it is only the law of a + government, a law which is against the whole spirit of the people, + there is first the murmur of a nation's disapprobation, and then there + is transgression, and then, if the law be vindicated with a high hand, + the next step is the bursting that law asunder in national revolution. + And so it is with God's law. It will never control a man long who does + not from his heart love it. First comes a sensation of restraint, and + then comes a murmuring of the heart; and last, there comes the rising + of passion in its giant might, made desperate by restraint. That is + the law giving strength to sin. + + And therefore brethren, if all we know of God be this, that He has + made laws, and that it is terrible to break them; if all our idea of + religion be this, that it is a thing of commands and hindrances--Thou + shalt, and thou shalt not; we are under the law, and there is no help + for it. We _must_ shrink from the encounter with death. + + + We pass to our second subject--Faith conquering in death. + + And, before we enter upon this topic, there are two general remarks + that we have to make. The first is, The elevating power of faith. + There is nothing in all this world that ever led man on to real + victory but faith. Faith is that looking forward to a future with + something like certainty, that raises man above the narrow feelings of + the present. Even in this life he is a greater man, a man of more + elevated character, who is steadily pursuing a plan that requires some + years to accomplish, than he who is living by the day. Look forward + but ten years, and plan for it, live for it; there is something of + manhood, something of courage required to conquer the thousand things + that stand in your way. And therefore it is, that faith, and nothing + but faith, gives victory in death. It is that elevation of character + which we get from looking steadily and for ever forward, till eternity + becomes a real home to us, that enables us to look down upon the last + struggle, and the funeral, and the grave, not as the great end of all, + but only as something that stands between us and the end. We are + conquerors of death when we are able to look beyond it. + + Our second remark is for the purpose of fixing special attention upon + this, that ours is not merely to be victory, it is to be victory + through Christ "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through + our Lord Jesus Christ." Victory brethren, mere victory over death is + no unearthly thing. You may get it by infidelity. Only let a man sin + long enough, and desperately enough to shut judgment altogether out of + his creed, and then you have a man who can bid defiance to the grave. + It was so that our country's greatest infidel historian met death. He + quitted the world without parade and without display. If we want a + specimen of victory apart from Christ, we have it on his death-bed. He + left all this strange world of restlessness, calmly, like an unreal + show that must go to pieces, and he himself an unreality departing + from it. A sceptic can be a conqueror in death. + + Or again, mere manhood may give us a victory. He who has only learned + not to be afraid to die, has not learned much. We have steel and nerve + enough in our hearts to dare anything. And after all, it is a triumph + so common as scarcely to deserve the name. Felons die on the scaffold + like men; soldiers can be hired by tens of thousands, for a few pence + a day, to front death in its worst form. Every minute that we live + sixty of the human race are passing away, and the greater part with + courage--the weak, and the timid, as well as the resolute. Courage is + a very different thing from the Christian's victory. + + Once more brethren, necessity can make man conqueror over death. We + can make up our minds to anything when it once becomes inevitable. It + is the agony of suspense that makes danger dreadful. History can tell + us that men can look with desperate calmness upon hell itself when + once it has become a certainty. And it is this after all, that + commonly makes the dying hour so quiet a thing. It is more dreadful in + the distance than in the reality. When a man feels that there is no + help, and he must go, he lays him down to die, as quietly as a tired + traveller wraps himself in his cloak to sleep. It is quite another + thing from all this that Paul meant by victory. + + In the first place, it is the prerogative of a Christian to be + conqueror over Doubt. Brethren, do we all know what doubt means? + Perchance not. There are some men who have never believed enough to + doubt. There are some who have never thrown their hopes with such + earnestness on the world to come, as to feel anxiety for fear it + should not all be true. But every one who knows what Faith is, knows + too, what is the desolation of Doubt. We pray till we begin to ask, Is + there one who hears, or am I whispering to myself?--We hear the + consolation administered to the bereaved, and we see the coffin + lowered into the grave, and the thought comes, What if all this + doctrine of a life to come be but the dream of man's imaginative mind, + carried on from age to age, and so believed, because it is a venerable + superstition? Mow Christ gives us victory over that terrible suspicion + in two ways--first, He does it by His own resurrection. We have got a + fact there that all the metaphysics about impossibility cannot rob us + of. In moments of perplexity we look back to this. The grave has once, + and more than once, at the Redeemer's bidding, given up its dead. It + is a world fact. It tells us what the Bible means by our + resurrection--not a spiritual rising into new holiness merely--that, + but also something more. It means that in our own proper identity, we + shall live again. Make that thought real, and God has given you, so + far, victory over the grave through Christ. + + There is another way in which we get the victory over doubt, and that + is by living in Christ. All doubt comes from living out of habits of + affectionate obedience to God. By idleness, by neglected prayer, we + lose our power of realizing things not seen. Let a man be religious + and irreligious at intervals--irregular, inconsistent, without some + distinct thing to live for--it is a matter of impossibility that he + can be free from doubts. He must make up his mind for a dark life. + Doubts can only be dispelled by that kind of active life that realizes + Christ. And there is no faith that gives a victory so steadily + triumphant as that. When such a man comes near the opening of the + vault, it is no world of sorrows he is entering upon. He is only going + to see things that he has felt, for he has been living in heaven. He + has his grasp on things that other men are only groping after and + touching now and then. Live above this world, Brethren, and then the + powers of the world to come are so upon you that there is no room for + doubt. + + Besides all this, it is a Christian's privilege to have victory over + the fear of death. And here it is exceedingly easy to paint what after + all is only the image-picture of a dying hour. It is the easiest thing + to represent the dying Christian as a man who always sinks into the + grave full of hope, full of triumph, in the certain hope of a blessed + resurrection. Brethren, we must paint things in the sober colours of + truth; not as they might be supposed to be, but as they are. Often + that is only a picture. Either very few death-beds are Christian ones, + or else triumph is a very different thing from what the word generally + implies. Solemn, subdued, full of awe and full of solemnity, is the + dying hour generally of the holiest men: sometimes almost + darkness.--Rapture is a rare thing, except in books and scenes. + + Let us understand what really is the victory over fear. It may be + rapture or it may not. All that depends very much on temperament; and + after all, the broken words of a dying man are a very poor index of + his real state before God. Rapturous hope has been granted to martyrs + in peculiar moments. It is on record of a minister of our own Church, + that his expectation of seeing God in Christ became so intense as his + last hour drew near, that his physician was compelled to bid him calm + his transports, because in so excited a state he could not die. A + strange unnatural energy was imparted to his muscular frame by his + nerves overstrung with triumph. But brethren, it fosters a dangerous + feeling to take cases like those as precedents. It leads to that most + terrible of all unrealities--the acting of a death-bed scene. A + Christian conqueror dies calmly. Brave men in battle do not boast that + they are not afraid. Courage is so natural to them that they are not + conscious they are doing anything out of the common way--Christian + bravery is a deep, calm thing, unconscious of itself. There are more + triumphant death-beds than we count, if we only remember this--true + fearlessness makes no parade. + + Oh, it is not only in those passionate effusions in which the ancient + martyrs spoke sometimes of panting for the crushing of their limbs by + the lions in the amphitheatre, or of holding out their arms to embrace + the flames that were to curl round them--it is not then only that + Christ has stood by His servants, and made them more than + conquerors:--there may be something of earthly excitement in all that. + Every day His servants are dying modestly and peacefully--not a word + of victory on their lips; but Christ's deep triumph in their + hearts--watching the slow progress of their own decay, and yet so far + emancipated from personal anxiety that they are still able to think + and to plan for others, not knowing that they are doing any great + thing. They die, and the world hears nothing of them; and yet theirs + was the completest victory. They came to the battle field, the field + to which they had been looking forward all their lives, and the enemy + was not to be found. There was no Foe to fight with. + + The last form in which a Christian gets the victory over death is by + means of his resurrection. It seems to have been this which was + chiefly alluded to by the Apostle here; for he says, "when this + corruptible shall have put on incorruption ... _then_ shall come to + pass the saying which is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." + And to say the truth, brethren, it is a rhetorical expression rather + than a sober truth when we call anything, except the resurrection, + victory over death. We may conquer doubt and fear when we are dying, + but that is not conquering death. It is like a warrior crushed to + death by a superior antagonist refusing to yield a groan, and bearing + the glance of defiance to the last. You feel that he is an + unconquerable spirit, but he is not the conqueror. And when you see + flesh melting away, and mental power becoming infantine in its + feebleness, and lips scarcely able to articulate, is there left one + moment a doubt upon the mind, as to _who_ is the conqueror in spite of + all the unshaken fortitude there may be? The victory is on the side of + Death, not on the side of the dying. + + And my brethren, if we would enter into the full feeling of triumph + contained in this verse, we must just try to bear in mind what this + world would be without the thought of a resurrection. If we could + conceive an unselfish man looking upon this world of desolation with + that infinite compassion which all the brave and good feel, what + conception could he have but that of defeat, and failure, and + sadness--the sons of man mounting into a bright existence, and one + after another falling back into darkness and nothingness, like + soldiers trying to mount an impracticable breach, and falling back + crushed and mangled into the ditch before the bayonets and the + rattling fire of their conquerors. Misery and guilt, look which way + you will, till the heart gets sick with looking at it. + + Brethren, until a man looks on evil till it seems to him almost like a + real personal enemy rejoicing over the destruction that it has made, + he can scarcely conceive the deep rapture which rushed into the mind + of the Apostle Paul when he remembered that a day was coming when all + this was to be reversed. A day was coming, and it was the day of + reality for which he lived, ever present and ever certain, when this + sad world was to put _off for ever_ its changefulness and its misery, + and the grave was to be robbed of its victory, and the bodies were to + come forth purified by their long sleep. He called all this a victory, + because he felt that it was a real battle that has to be fought and + won before that can be secured. One battle has been fought by Christ, + and another battle, most real and difficult, but yet a conquering one, + is to be fought by us. He hath imparted to us the virtue of His + wrestlings, and the strength of His victory. So that, when the body + shall rise again, the power of the law to condemn is gone, because we + have learned to love the law. + + And now to conclude all this, there are but two things which remain to + say. In the first place, brethren, if we would be conquerors, we must + realize God's love in Christ. Take care not to be under the law. + Constraint never yet made a conqueror: the utmost it can do is to make + either a rebel or a slave. Believe that God loves you. He gave a + triumphant demonstration of it in the Cross. Never shall we conquer + self till we have learned _to love_. My Christian brethren, let us + remember our high privilege. Christian life, so far as it deserves the + name, is victory. We are not going forth to mere battle--we are going + forth to conquer. To gain mastery over self, and sin, and doubt, and + fear: till the last coldness, coming across the brow, tells us that + all is over, and our warfare accomplished--that we are safe, the + everlasting arms beneath us--_that_ is our calling. Brethren beloved, + do not be content with a slothful, dreamy, uncertain struggle. You are + to conquer, and the banner under which we are to win is not Fear, but + Love. "The strength of sin is the law;" the victory is by keeping + before us God in Christ. + + Lastly, there is need of encouragement for those of us whose faith is + not of the conquering, but the timid kind. There are some whose hearts + will reply to all this, Surely victory is not always a Christian's + portion. Is there no cold dark watching in Christian life--no struggle + when victory seems a mockery to speak of--no times when light and life + seem feeble, and Christ is to us but a name, and death a reality? + "Perfect love casteth out fear," but who has it? Victory is by faith, + but, oh God, who will tell us what this faith _is_ that men speak of + as a thing so easy; and how we are to get it! You tell us to pray for + faith, but how shall we pray in earnest unless we first have the very + faith we pray for? + + My Christian brethren, it is just to this deepest cry of the human + heart that it is impossible to return a full answer. All that is + true. To feel Faith is the grand difficulty of life. Faith is a deep + impression of God and God's love, and personal trust in it. It is easy + to say "Believe and thou shalt be saved," but well we know it is + easier said than done. We cannot say how men are to _get_ faith. It is + God's gift, almost in the same way that genius is. You cannot work + _for_ faith; you must have it first, and then work _from_ it. + + But brethren beloved, we can say, Look up, though we know not how the + mechanism of the will which directs the eye is to be put in motion; we + can say, Look to God in Christ, though we know not how men are to + obtain faith to do it. Let us be in earnest. Our polar star is the + love of the Cross. Take the eye off that, and you are in darkness and + bewilderment at once. Let us not mind what is past. Perhaps it is all + failure, and useless struggle, and broken resolves. What then? Settle + this first, brethren, Are you in earnest? If so, though your faith be + weak and your struggles unsatisfactory, you may begin the hymn of + triumph _now_, for victory is pledged. "Thanks be to God, which" not + _shall_ give, but "_giveth_ us the victory through our Lord Jesus + Christ." + + + + + XVIII. + + _Preached June 20, 1852._ + + MAN'S GREATNESS AND GOD'S GREATNESS. + + + "For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity, + whose Name is Holy. I dwell in the high and holy place--with him + also that is of a contrite and humble spirit."--Isaiah lvii. 15. + + The origin of this announcement seems to have been the state of + contempt in which religion found itself in the days of Isaiah. One of + the most profligate monarchs that ever disgraced the page of sacred + history, sat upon the throne of Judah. His court was filled with men + who recommended themselves chiefly by their licentiousness. The altar + was forsaken. Sacrilegious hands had placed the abominations of + heathenism in the Holy Place; and Piety, banished from the State, the + Church, and the Royal court, was once more as she had been before, and + will be again, a wanderer on the face of the earth. + + Now, however easy it may be to contemplate such a state of things at a + distance, it never takes place in a man's own day and time, without + suggesting painful perplexities of a twofold nature. In the first + place suspicions respecting God's character; and, in the second place, + misgivings as to his own duty. For a faithless heart whispers, Is it + worth while to suffer for a sinking cause? Honour, preferment, + grandeur, follow in the train of unscrupulous conduct. To be strict in + goodness, is to be pointed at and shunned. To be no better than one's + neighbours is the only way of being at peace. It seems to have been to + such a state as this that Isaiah was commissioned to bring light. He + vindicated God's character by saying that He is "the High and Lofty + One that inhabiteth Eternity." He encouraged those who were trodden + down, to perseverance, by reminding them that real dignity is + something very different from present success. God dwells with him, + "that is of a contrite and humble spirit" We consider + + I. That in which the greatness of God consists. + II. That in which man's greatness consists. + + The first measurement, so to speak, which is given us of God's + greatness, is in respect of Time. He inhabiteth Eternity. There are + some subjects on which it would be good to dwell, if it were only for + the sake of that enlargement of mind which is produced by their + contemplation. And eternity is one of these, so that you cannot + steadily fix the thoughts upon it without being sensible of a peculiar + kind of elevation, at the same time that you are humbled by a personal + feeling of utter insignificance. You have come in contact with + something so immeasurable--beyond the narrow range of our common + speculations--that you are exalted by the very conception of it. Now + the only way we have of forming any idea of eternity is by going, step + by step, up to the largest measures of time we know of, and so + ascending, on and on, till we are lost in wonder. We cannot grasp + eternity, but we can learn something of it by perceiving, that, rise + to what portion of time we will, eternity is vaster than the vastest. + + We take up for instance, the history of our own country, and then, + when we have spent months in mastering the mere outline of those great + events which, in the slow course of revolving centuries, have made + England what she is, her earlier ages seem so far removed from our own + times that they appear to belong to a hoary and most remote antiquity. + But then, when you compare those times with even the existing works of + man, and when you remember that, when England was yet young in + civilization, the pyramids of Egypt were already grey with 1500 years, + you have got another step which impresses you with a doubled amount of + vastness. Double that period, and you come to the far distant moment + when the present aspect of this world was called, by creation, out of + the formless void in which it was before. + + Modern science has raised us to a pinnacle of thought beyond even + this. It has commanded us to think of countless ages in which that + formless void existed before it put on the aspect of its present + creation. Millions of years before God called the light day, and the + darkness night, there was, if science speaks true, creation after + creation called into existence, and buried in its own ruins upon the + surface of this earth. And then, there was a time beyond even + this--there was a moment when this earth itself, with all its + countless creations and innumerable ages, did not exist. And, again, + in that far back distance it is more than conceivable, it seems by the + analogy of God's dealings next to certain, that ten thousand worlds + may have been called into existence, and lasted their unnumbered ages, + and then perished in succession. Compared with these stupendous + figures, 6,000 years of _our_ planet sink into nothingness. The mind + is lost in dwelling on such thoughts as these. When you have + penetrated far, far back, by successive approximations, and still see + the illimitable distance receding before you as distant as before, + imagination absolutely gives way, and you feel dizzy and bewildered + with new strange thoughts, that have not a name. + + But this is only one aspect of the case. It looks only to time past. + The same overpowering calculations wait us when we bend our eyes on + that which is to come. Time stretches back immeasurably, but it also + stretches on and on for ever. Now it is by such a conception as this + that the inspired prophet attempts to measure the immeasurable of God. + All that eternity, magnificent as it is, never was without an + Inhabitant. Eternity means nothing by itself. It merely expresses the + existence of the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth it. We make a + fanciful distinction between eternity and time--there is no real + distinction. We are in eternity at this moment. That has begun to be + with us which never began with God. Our only measure of time is by the + succession of ideas. If ideas flow fast, and many sights and many + thoughts pass by us, time seems lengthened. If we have the simple + routine of a few engagements, the same every day, with little variety, + the years roll by us so fast that we cannot mark them. It is not so + with God. There is no succession of ideas with Him. Every possible + idea is present with Him now. It was present with Him ten thousand + years ago. God's dwelling-place is that eternity which has neither + past nor future, but one vast, immeasurable present. + + There is a second measure given us of God in this verse. It is in + respect of Space. He dwelleth in the High and Lofty place. He dwelleth + moreover, in the most insignificant place--even the heart of man. And + the idea by which the prophet would here exhibit to us the greatness + of God is that of His eternal Omnipresence. It is difficult to say + which conception carries with it the greatest exaltation--that of + boundless space or that of unbounded time. When we pass from the tame + and narrow scenery of our own country, and stand on those spots of + earth in which nature puts on her wilder and more awful forms, we are + conscious of something of the grandeur which belongs to the thought of + space. Go where the strong foundations of the earth lie around you in + their massive majesty, and mountain after mountain rears its snow to + heaven in a giant chain, and then, when this bursts upon you for the + first time in life, there is that peculiar feeling which we call, in + common language, an enlargement of ideas. But when we are told that + the sublimity of those dizzy heights is but a nameless speck in + comparison with the globe of which they form the girdle; and when we + pass on to think of that globe itself as a minute spot in the mighty + system to which it belongs, so that our world might be annihilated, + and its loss would not be felt; and when we are told that eighty + millions of such systems roll in the world of space, to which our own + system again is as nothing; and when we are again pressed with the + recollection that beyond those furthest limits creative power is + exerted immeasurably further than eye can reach, or thought can + penetrate; then, brethren, the awe which comes upon the heart is only, + after all, a tribute to a _portion_ of God's greatness. + + Yet we need not science to teach us this. It is the thought which + oppresses very childhood--the overpowering thought of space. A child + can put his head upon his hands, and think and think till it reaches + in imagination some far distant barrier of the universe, and still the + difficulty presents itself to his young mind, "And what is beyond that + barrier?" and the only answer is "The high and lofty place." And this + brethren, is the inward seal with which God has stamped Himself upon + man's heart. If every other trace of Deity has been expunged by the + fall, these two at least defy destruction--the thought of Eternal + Time, and the thought of Immeasurable Space. + + The third measure which is given us of God respects His character. + His name is Holy. The chief idea which this would convey to us is + separation from evil. Brethren, there is perhaps a time drawing near + when those of us who shall stand at His right hand, purified from all + evil taint, shall be able to comprehend absolutely what is meant by + the Holiness of God. At present, with hearts cleaving down to earth, + and tossed by a thousand gusts of unholy passion, we can only form a + dim conception _relatively_ of that which it implies. None but the + pure can understand purity. The chief knowledge which we have of God's + holiness comes from our acquaintance with unholiness. We know what + impurity is--God is _not_ that. We know what injustice is--God is + _not_ that. We know what restlessness, and guilt, and passion are, and + deceitfulness, and pride, and waywardness--all these we know. God is + none of these. And this is our chief acquaintance with His character. + We know what God is _not_. We scarcely can be rightly said to know, + that is to feel, what God _is_. And therefore, this is implied in the + very name of holiness. Holiness in the Jewish sense means simply + separateness. From all that is wrong, and mean, and base, our God is + for ever separate. + + There is another way in which God gives to us a conception of what + this holiness implies. Tell us of His justice, His truth, His + loving-kindness. All these are cold abstractions. They convey no + distinct idea of themselves to our hearts. What we wanted was, that + these should be exhibited to us in tangible reality. And it is just + this which God has done. He has exhibited all these attributes, not in + the light of _speculation_, but in the light of _facts_. He has given + us His own character in all its delicacy of colouring in the history + of Christ. Love, Mercy, Tenderness, Purity--these are no mere names + when we see them brought out in the human actions of our Master. + Holiness is only a shadow to our minds, till it receives shape and + substance in the life of Christ. All this character of holiness is + intelligible to us in Christ. "No man hath seen God at any time, the + only begotten of the Father He hath declared Him." + + There is a third light in which God's holiness is shown to us, and + that is in the sternness with which He recoils from guilt. When Christ + died for man, I know what God's love means; and when Jesus wept human + tears over Jerusalem, I know what God's compassion means; and when the + stern denunciations of Jesus rung in the Pharisees' ears, I can + comprehend what God's indignation is; and when Jesus stood calm before + His murderers, I have a conception of what serenity is. Brethren, + revelation opens to us a scene beyond the grave, when this shall be + exhibited in full operation. There will be an everlasting banishment + from God's presence of that impurity on which the last efforts have + been tried in vain. It will be a carrying out of this sentence by a + law that cannot be reversed--"Depart from me, ye cursed." But it is + quite a mistake to suppose that this is only a matter of revelation. + Traces of it we have now on this side the sepulchre. Human life is + full of God's recoil from sin. In the writhings of a heart which has + been made to possess its own iniquities--in the dark spot which guilt + leaves upon the conscience, rising up at times in a man's gayest + moments, as if it will not come out--in the restlessness and the + feverishness which follow the efforts of the man who has indulged + habits of sin too long,--in all these there is a law repelling + wickedness from the presence of the Most High,--which proclaims that + God is holy. + + Brethren, it is in these that the greatness of God consists--Eternal + in Time--Unlimited in Space--Unchangeable--Pure in character--His + serenity and His vastness arise from His own perfections. + + + We are to consider, in the second place, the greatness of man. + + 1. The nature of that greatness. + 2. The persons who are great. + + Now, this is brought before us in the text in this one fact, that man + has been made a habitation of the Deity--"I dwell with him that is of + a contrite and humble spirit." There is in the very outset this + distinction between what is great in God and what is great in man. To + be independent of everything in the universe is God's glory, and to be + independent is man's shame. All that God has, He has from Himself--all + that man has, He has from God. And the moment man cuts himself off + from God, that moment he cuts himself off from all true grandeur. + + There are two things implied in Scripture, when it is said that God + dwells with man. The first is that peculiar presence which He has + conferred upon the members of His church. Brethren, we presume not to + define what that Presence is, and how it dwells within us--we are + content to leave it as a mystery. But this we know, that something of + a very peculiar and supernatural character takes place in the heart of + every man upon whom the gospel has been brought to bear with power. + "Know ye not," says the Apostle, "that your bodies are the temples of + the Holy Ghost." And again in the Epistle to the Ephesians--"In Christ + ye are builded for an habitation of God through the Spirit." There is + something in these expressions which refuses to be explained away. + They leave us but one conclusion, and that is--that in all those who + have become Christ's by faith, God personally and locally has taken up + His dwelling-place. + + There is a second meaning attached in Scripture to the expression God + dwells in man. According to the first meaning, we understand it in the + most plain and literal sense the words are capable of conveying. + According to the second, we understand His dwelling in a figurative + sense, implying this--that He gives an acquaintance with Himself to + man. So, for instance, when Judas asked, "Lord, how is it, that Thou + wilt manifest Thyself to us and not to the world?" Our Redeemer's + reply was this--"If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my + Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode + with him." In the question it was asked _how_ God would manifest + Himself to His servants. In the answer it was shown _how_ He would + make His abode with them. And if the answer be any reply to the + question at all, what follows is this--that God making His abode or + dwelling in the heart is the same thing exactly as God's manifesting + himself to the heart. + + Brethren, in these two things the greatness of man consists. One is to + have God so dwelling in us as to impart His character to us; and the + other is to have God so dwelling in us that we recognise His presence, + and know that we are His and He is ours. They are two things perfectly + distinct To _have_ God in us, this is salvation; to _know_ that God is + in us, this is assurance. + + Lastly, we inquire as to the persons who are truly great. And these + the Holy Scripture has divided into two classes--those who are humble + and those who are contrite in heart. Or rather, it will be observed + that it is the same class of character under different circumstances. + Humbleness is the frame of mind of those who are in a state of + innocence, contrition of those who are in a state of repentant guilt. + Brethren, let not the expression innocence be misunderstood. Innocence + in its true and highest sense never existed but once upon this earth. + Innocence cannot be the religion of man now. But yet there are those + who have walked with God from youth, not quenching the spirit which He + gave them, and who are therefore _comparatively_ innocent beings. All + they have to do is to go on, whereas the guilty man has to stop and + turn back before he can go on. Repentance with them is the gentle work + of every day, not the work of one distinct and miserable part of life. + They are those whom the Lord calls just men which need no repentance, + and of whom He says, "He that is clean needeth not save to wash his + feet." + + Now they are described here as the humble in heart. Two things are + required for this state of mind. One is that a man should have a true + estimate of God, and the other is that he should have a true estimate + of himself. + + Vain, blind man, places himself on a little corner of this planet, a + speck upon a speck of the universe, and begins to form conclusions + from the small fraction of God's government which he can see from + thence. The astronomer looks at the laws of motion and forgets that + there must have been a First Cause to commence that motion. The + surgeon looks at the materialism of his own frame and forgets that + matter cannot organise itself into exquisite beauty. The metaphysician + buries himself in the laws of mind and forgets that there may be + spiritual influences producing all those laws. And this brethren, is + the unhumbled spirit of philosophy--intellectual pride. Men look at + Nature, but they do not look through it up to Nature's God. There is + awful ignorance of God, arising from indulged sin, which produces an + unhumbled heart. God may be shut out from the soul by pride of + intellect, or by pride of heart. + + Pharaoh is placed before us in Scripture almost as a type of pride. + His pride arose from ignorance of God. "Who is the Lord that I should + obey His voice? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." + And this was not intellectual pride; it was pride in a matter of duty. + Pharaoh had been immersing his whole heart in the narrow politics of + Egypt. The great problem of his day was to aggrandise his own people + and prevent an insurrection of the Israelites; and that small kingdom + of Egypt had been his universe. He shut his heart to the voice of + justice and the voice of humanity; in other words, great in the pride + of human majesty, small in the sight of the High and Lofty One, he + shut himself out from the knowledge of God. + + The next ingredient of humbleness is, that a man must have a right + estimate of himself. There is a vast amount of self-deception on this + point. We say of ourselves that which we could not bear others to say + of us. A man truly humbled would take it only as his due when others + treated him in the way that he says that he deserves. But my brethren, + we kneel in our closets in shame for what we are, and we tell our God + that the lowest place is too good for us; and then we go into the + world, and if we meet with slight or disrespect, or if our opinion be + not attended to, or if another be preferred before us, there is all + the anguish of a galled and jealous spirit, and half the bitterness of + our lives comes from this, that we are smarting from what we call the + wrongs and the neglect of men. My beloved brethren, if we saw + ourselves as God sees us, we should be willing to be anywhere, to be + silent when others speak, to be passed by in the world's crowd, and + thrust aside to make way for others. We should be willing to put + others in the way of doing that which we might have got reputation for + by doing ourselves. This was the temper of our Master--this is the + meek and the quiet spirit, and this is the temper of the humble with + whom the High and Lofty One dwells. + + The other class of those who are truly great are the contrite in + spirit. At first sight it might be supposed that there must ever be a + vast distinction between the innocent and the penitent. It was so that + the elder son in the parable thought when he saw his brother restored + to his father's favour. He was surprised and hurt. He had served his + father these many years--his brother had wasted his substance in + riotous living. But in this passage God makes no distinction. He + places the humble consistent follower and the broken-hearted sinner on + a level. He dwells with both, with Him that is contrite, _and_ with + him that is humble. He sheds around them both the grandeur of His own + presence, and the annals of Church history are full of + exemplifications of this marvel of God's grace. By the transforming + grace of Christ men, who have done the very work of Satan, have become + as conspicuous in the service of heaven, as they were once conspicuous + in the career of guilt. + + So indisputably has this been so, that men have drawn from such + instances the perverted conclusion, that if a man is ever to be a + great saint, he must first be a great sinner. God forbid brethren, + that we should ever make such an inference. But this we infer for our + own encouragement, that past sin does not necessarily preclude from + high attainments. We must "forget the things that are behind." We + must not mourn over past years of folly as if they made saintliness + impossible. Deep as we may have been once in earthliness, so deep we + may also be in penitence, and so high we may become in spirituality. + + We have so many years the fewer to do our work in. Well brethren, let + us try to do it so much the faster. Christ can crowd the work of years + into hours. He did it with the dying thief. If the man who has set out + early may take his time, it certainly cannot be so with _us_ who have + lost our time. If we have lost God's bright and happy presence by our + wilfulness, what then? Unrelieved sadness? Nay, brethren, calmness, + purity, may have gone from our heart; but _all_ is not gone yet. Just + as sweetness comes from the bark of the cinnamon when it is bruised, + so can the spirit of the Cross of Christ bring beauty and holiness and + peace out of the bruised and broken heart. God dwells with the + contrite as much as with the humble. + + And now brethren, to conclude, the first inference we collect from + this subject, is the danger of coming into collision with such a God + as our God. Day by day we commit sins of thought and word of which the + dull eye of man takes no cognisance. He whose name is Holy cannot pass + them by. We may elude the vigilance of a human enemy and place + ourselves beyond his reach. God fills all space--there is not a spot + in which His piercing eye is not on us, and His uplifted hand cannot + find us out. Man must strike soon if he would strike at all; for + opportunities pass away from him, and his victim may escape his + vengeance by death. There is no passing of opportunity with God, and + it is this which makes His long suffering a solemn thing. God can + wait, for He has a whole eternity before Him in which He may strike. + "All things are open, and naked to Him with whom we have to do." + + In the next place we are taught the heavenly character of + condescension. It is not from the insignificance of man that God's + dwelling with him is so strange. It is as much the glory of God to + bend His attention on an atom as to uphold the universe. But the + marvel is that the habitation which He has chosen for Himself is an + impure one. And when He came down from His magnificence to make this + world His home, still the same character of condescension was shown + through all the life of Christ. Our God selected the society of the + outcasts of earth, those whom none else would speak to. + + Brethren, if we would be Godlike, we must follow in the same steps. + Our temptation is to do exactly the reverse. We are for ever wishing + to obtain the friendship and the intimacy of those above us in the + world. To win over men of influence to truth--to associate with men of + talent and station, and title. This is the world-chase, and this, + brethren, is too much the religious man's chase. But if you look + simply to the question of resemblance to God, then the man who makes + it a habit to select that one in life to do good to, and that one in + a room to speak with, whom others pass by because there is nothing + either of intellect, or power, or name, to recommend him, but only + humbleness, _that_ man has stamped upon his heart more of heavenly + similitude by condescension, than the man who has made it his business + to win this world's great ones, even for the sake of truth. + + Lastly, we learn the guilt of two things of which this world is + full--vanity and pride. There is a distinction between these two. But + the distinction consists in this, that the vain man looks for the + admiration of others--the proud man requires nothing but his own. Now, + it is this distinction which makes vanity despicable to us all. We can + easily find out the vain man--we soon discover what it is he wants to + be observed, whether it be a gift of person, or a gift of mind, or a + gift of character. If he be vain of his person, his attitudes will + tell the tale. If he be vain of his judgment, or his memory, or his + honesty, he cannot help an unnecessary parade. The world finds him + out, and this is why vanity is ever looked on with contempt. So soon + as we let men see that we are suppliants for their admiration, we are + at their mercy. We have given them the privilege of feeling that they + are above us. We have invited them to spurn us. And therefore vanity + is but a thing for scorn. But it is very different with pride. No man + can look down on him that is proud, for he has asked no man for + anything. They are forced to feel respect for pride, because it is + thoroughly independent of them. It wraps itself up in the consequence + of its own excellences, and scorns to care whether others take note + of them or not. + + It is just here that the danger lies. We have exalted a sin into a + virtue. No man will acknowledge that he is vain, but almost any man + will acknowledge that he is proud. But tried by the balance of the + sanctuary, there is little to choose between the two. If a man look + for greatness out of God, it matters little whether he seek it in his + own applause, or in the applause of others. The _proud_ Pharisee, who + trusted in himself that he was righteous, was condemned by Christ as + severely, and even more, than the _vain_ Jews who "could not believe + because they sought honour from one another, and not that honour which + cometh from God only." It may be a more dazzling, and a more splendid + sin to be proud. It is not less hateful in God's sight. Let us speak + God's word to our own unquiet, swelling, burning hearts. Pride may + disguise itself as it will in its own majesty, but in the presence of + the High and Lofty One, it is but littleness after all. + + + + + XIX. + + _Preached June 27, 1852._ + + THE LAWFUL AND UNLAWFUL USE OF LAW. + + (A FRAGMENT.) + + + "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully."--1 + Tim. i. 8. + + It is scarcely ever possible to understand a passage without some + acquaintance with the history of the circumstances under which it was + written. + + At Ephesus, over which Timothy was bishop, people had been bewildered + by the teaching of converted Jews, who mixed the old leaven of Judaism + with the new spirituality of Christianity. They maintained the + perpetual obligation of the Jewish law.--v. 7. They desired to be + teachers of the law. They required strict performance of a number of + severe observances. They talked mysteriously of angels and powers + intermediate between God and the human soul.--v. 4. The result was an + interminable discussion at Ephesus. The Church was filled with + disputations and controversies. + + Now there is something always refreshing to see the Apostle Paul + descending upon an arena of controversy, where minds have been + bewildered; and so much is to be said on both sides, that people are + uncertain which to take. You know at once that he will pour light upon + the question, and illuminate all the dark corners. You know that he + will not trim, and balance, and hang doubtful, or become a partisan; + but that he will seize some great principle which lies at the root of + the whole controversy, and make its true bearings clear at once. + + This he always does, and this he does on the present occasion.--v. 5 + and 6. He does not, like a vehement polemic, say Jewish ceremonies and + rules are all worthless, nor some ceremonies are worthless, and others + essential; but he says, the root of the whole matter is charity. If + you turn aside from this, all is lost; here at once the controversy + closes. So far as any rule fosters the spirit of love, that is, is + used lawfully, it is wise, and has a use. So far as it does not, it is + chaff. So far as it hinders it, it is poison. + + Now observe how different this method is from that which is called the + sober, moderate way--the _via media_. Some would have said, the great + thing is to avoid extremes. If the question respects + fasting--fast--only in _moderation_. If the observance of the Sabbath + day, observe it on the Jewish principle, only _not so strictly_. + + St. Paul, on the contrary, went down to the root; he said, the true + question is not whether the law is good or bad, but on what principle; + he said, you are both wrong--_you_, in saying that the observance of + the law is essential, for the end of it is charity, and if _that_ be + got what matter _how_--_you_, in saying rules may be dispensed with + entirely and always, "for we know that the law is good." + + I. The unlawful use, and + II. The lawful use of law. + + + I. The unlawful use. + + Define law.--By law, Paul almost always means not the Mosaic law, but + law in its essence and principle, that is, constraint. This chiefly in + two forms expresses itself--1st, a custom; 2nd, a maxim. As examples + of custom, we might give Circumcision, or the Sabbath, or Sacrifice, + or Fasting. + + Law said, thou shalt _do_ these things; and law, as mere law, + constrained them. Or again, law may express itself in maxims and + rules. + + In rules, as when law said, "Thou shalt not steal"--not saying a word + about secret dishonesty of heart, but simply taking cognizance of + _acts_. + + In maxims, as when it admonished that man ought to give a tenth to + God, leaving the principle of the matter untouched. Principle is one + thing, and maxim is another. A principle requires liberality, a maxim + says one-tenth. A principle says, "A merciful man is merciful to his + beast," leaves mercy to the heart, and does not define how; a maxim + says, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn. A + principle says, Forgive; a maxim defines "seven times;" and thus the + whole law falls into two divisions. + + The ceremonial law, which constrains life by customs. + The moral law, which guides life by rules and maxims. + + Now it is an illegitimate use of law. First. To expect by obedience to + it to make out a title to salvation. + + By the deeds of the law, shall no man living be justified. Salvation + is by faith: a state of heart right with God; faith is the spring of + holiness--a well of life. Salvation is not the having committed a + certain number of good acts. Destruction is not the having committed a + certain number of crimes. Salvation is God's Spirit in us, leading to + good. Destruction is the selfish spirit in us, leading to wrong. + + For a plain reason then, obedience to law cannot save, because it is + merely the performance of a certain number of acts which may be done + by habit, from fear, from compulsion. Obedience remains still + imperfect. A man may have obeyed the rule, and kept the maxim, and yet + not be perfect. "All these commandments have I kept from my youth up." + "Yet lackest thou one thing." The law he had kept. The spirit of + obedience in its high form of sacrifice he had not. + + Secondly. To use it superstitiously. + + It is plain that this was the use made of it by the Ephesian + teachers.--v. 4. It seemed to them that _law_ was pleasing to God as + restraint. Then unnatural restraints came to be imposed--on the + appetites, fasting; on the affections, celibacy. This is what Paul + condemns.--ch. iv., v. 8. "Bodily exercise profiteth little." + + And again, this superstition showed itself in a false + reverence--wondrous stories respecting angels--respecting the eternal + genealogy of Christ--awful thoughts about spirits. The Apostle calls + all these, very unceremoniously, "endless genealogies," v. 4, and "old + wives' fables."--ch. iv., v. 7. + + The question at issue is, wherein true reverence consists: according + to them, in the multiplicity of the objects of reverence; according to + St. Paul, in the character of the object revered ... God and Right the + true object. + + But you are not a whit the better for solemn and reverential feelings + about a mysterious, invisible world. To tremble before a consecrated + wafer is spurious reverence. To bend before the Majesty of Right is + Christian reverence. + + Thirdly. To use it as if the letter of it were sacred. The law + commanded none to eat the shewbread except the priests. David ate it + in hunger. If Abimelech had scrupled to give it, he would have used + the law unlawfully. + + The law commanded no manner of work. The apostles in hunger rubbed the + ears of corn. The Pharisees used the law unlawfully, in forbidding + that. + + + II. The lawful use of law. + + 1. As a restraint to keep outward evil in check ... "The law was made + for sinners and profane." ... Illustrate this by reference to capital + punishment. No sane man believes that punishment by death will make a + nation's heart right, or that the sight of an execution can soften or + ameliorate. Punishment does not work in that way. It is not meant for + that purpose. It is meant to guard society. + + The law commanding a blasphemer to be stoned, could not teach one + Israelite love to God, but it could save the streets of Israel from + scandalous ribaldry. + + And therefore clearly understand, law is a mere check to bad men: it + does not improve them; it often makes them worse; it cannot sanctify + them. God never intended that it should. It saves society from the + open transgression; it does not contemplate the amelioration of the + offender. + + Hence we see for what reason the apostle insisted on the use of the + law for Christians. Law never can be abrogated. Strict rules are + needed exactly in proportion as we want the power or the will to rule + ourselves. It is not because the Gospel has come that we are free from + the law, but because, and only so far, as we are in a Gospel state. + "It is for a righteous man" that the law is not made, and thus we see + the true nature of Christian liberty. The liberty to which we are + called in Christ, is not the liberty of devils, the liberty of doing + what we will, but the blessed liberty of being on the side of the law, + and therefore unrestrained by it in doing right. + + Illustrate from laws of coining, housebreaking, &c. We are not under + them.--Because we may break them as we like? Nay--the moment we + desire, the law is alive again to us. + + 2. As a primer is used by a child to acquire by degrees, principles + and a spirit. + + This is the use attributed to it in verse 5. "The end of the + commandment is charity." + + Compare with this, two other passages--"Christ is the end of the law + for righteousness," and "love is the fulfilling of the law." "Perfect + love casteth out fear." + + In every law there is a spirit; in every maxim a principle; and the + law and the maxim are laid down for the sake of conserving the spirit + and the principle which they enshrine. + + St. Paul compares God's dealing with man to a wise parent's + instruction of his child.--See the Epistle to the Galatians. Boyhood + is under law; you appeal not to the boy's reason, but his will, by + rewards and punishments: Do this, and I will reward you; do it not, + and you will be punished. So long as a man is under law, this is + salutary and necessary, but only while under law. He is free when he + discerns principles, and at the same time has got, by habit, the will + to obey. So that rules have done for him a double work, taught him the + principle and facilitated obedience to it. + + Distinguish however.--In point of time, law is first--in point of + importance, the Spirit. + + In point of _time_, Charity is the "end" of the commandment--in point + of _importance_, first and foremost. + + The first thing a boy has to do, is to learn implicit obedience to + rules. The first thing in importance for a man to learn is, to sever + himself from maxims, rules, laws. Why? That he may become an + Antinomian, or a Latitudinarian? No. He is severed from submission to + the _maxim_ because he has got allegiance to the _principle_. He is + free from the rule and the law because he has got the Spirit written + in his heart. + + This is the Gospel. A man is redeemed by Christ so far as he is not + under the law; he is free from the law so far as he is free from the + evil which the law restrains; he progresses so far as there is no evil + in him which it is an effort to keep down; and perfect salvation and + liberty are--when we,--who though having the first fruits of the + Spirit, yet groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, "to wit, + the redemption of our body"--shall have been freed in body, soul, and + spirit, from the last traces of the evil which can only be kept down + by force. In other words, so far as Christ's statement is true of + _us_, "The Prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." + + + + + XX. + + _Preached February 21, 1853._ + + THE PRODIGAL AND HIS BROTHER. + + + "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I + have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: + for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and + is found."--Luke xv. 31, 32. + + There are two classes of sins. There are some sins by which man + crushes, wounds, malevolently injures his brother man: those sins + which speak of a bad, tyrannical, and selfish heart. Christ met those + with denunciation. There are other sins by which a man injures + himself. There is a life of reckless indulgence; there is a career of + yielding to ungovernable propensities, which most surely conducts to + wretchedness and ruin, but makes a man an object of compassion rather + than of condemnation. + + The reception which sinners of this class met from Christ was marked + by strange and pitying mercy. There was no maudlin sentiment on his + lips. He called sin sin, and guilt guilt. But yet there were sins + which His lips scourged, and others over which, containing in + themselves their own scourge, His heart bled. That which was + melancholy, and marred, and miserable in this world, was more + congenial to the heart of Christ than that which was proudly happy. It + was in the midst of a triumph, and all the pride of a procession, that + He paused to weep over ruined Jerusalem. And if we ask the reason why + the character of Christ was marked by this melancholy condescension it + is that he was in the midst of a world of ruins, and there was nothing + there to gladden, but very much to touch with grief. He was here to + restore that which was broken down and crumbling into decay. An + enthusiastic antiquarian, standing amidst the fragments of an ancient + temple surrounded by dust and moss, broken pillar, and defaced + architrave, with magnificent projects in his mind of restoring all + this to _former_ majesty, to draw out to light from mere rubbish the + ruined glories, and therefore stooping down amongst the dank ivy and + the rank nettles; such was Christ amidst the wreck of human nature. He + was striving to lift it out of its degradation. He was searching out + in revolting places that which had fallen down, that He might build it + up again in fair proportions a holy temple to the Lord. + + Therefore He laboured among the guilty; therefore He was the companion + of outcasts; therefore He spoke tenderly and lovingly to those whom + society counted undone; therefore He loved to bind up the bruised and + the broken-hearted; therefore His breath fanned the spark which seemed + dying out in the wick of the expiring taper, when men thought that it + was too late, and that the hour of _hopeless_ profligacy was come. It + was that feature in His character, that tender, hoping, encouraging + spirit of His which the prophet Isaiah fixed upon as characteristic. + "A bruised reed will He not break." + + It was an illustration of this spirit which He gave in the parable + which forms the subject of our consideration to-day. We find the + occasion which drew it from Him in the commencement of this chapter, + "Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear + Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man + receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." It was then that Christ + condescended to offer an excuse or an explanation of His conduct. And + His excuse was this: It is natural, humanly natural, to rejoice more + over that which has been recovered than over that which has been never + lost. He proved that by three illustrations taken from human life. The + first illustration intended to show the feelings of Christ in winning + back a sinner, was the joy which the shepherd feels in the recovery of + a sheep from the mountain wilderness. The second was the satisfaction + which a person feels for a recovered coin. The last was the gladness + which attends the restoration of an erring son. + + Now the three parables are alike in this, that they all describe more + or less vividly the feelings of the Redeemer on the recovery of the + lost. But the third parable differs from the other two in this, that + besides the feelings of the Saviour, it gives us a multitude of + particulars respecting the feelings, the steps, and the motives of the + penitent who is reclaimed back to goodness. In the two first the thing + lost is a coin or a sheep. It would not be possible to find any + picture of remorse or gladness there. But in the third parable the + thing lost is not a lifeless thing, nor a mute thing, but a being, the + workings of whose human heart are all described. So that the subject + opened out to us is a more extensive one--not merely the feelings of + the finder, God in Christ, but besides that, the sensations of the + wanderer himself. + + In dealing with this parable, this is the line which we shall adopt. + We shall look at the picture which it draws of--1. God's treatment of + the penitent. 2. God's expostulation with the saint. God's treatment + of the penitent divides itself in this parable into three distinct + epochs. The period of alienation, the period of repentance, and the + circumstances of a penitent reception. We shall consider all these in + turn. + + The first truth exhibited in this parable is the alienation of man's + heart from God. Homelessness, distance from our Father--that is man's + state by nature in this world. The youngest son gathered all together + and took his journey into a _far_ country. Brethren, this is the + history of worldliness. It is a state far from God; in other words, it + is a state of homelessness. And now let us ask what that means. To + English hearts it is not necessary to expound elaborately the infinite + meanings which cluster round that blessed expression "home." Home is + the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. + It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that + mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to + wear in self-defence, and where we pour out the unreserved + communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where + expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of + awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. Let a man travel where + he will, home is the place to which "his heart untravelled fondly + turns." He is to double all pleasure there. He is there to divide all + pain. A _happy home_ is the single spot of rest which a man has upon + this earth for the cultivation of his noblest sensibilities. + + And now my brethren, if that be the description of home, is God's + place of rest your home? Walk abroad and alone by night. That awful + other world in the stillness and the solemn deep of the eternities + above, is it your home? Those graves that lie beneath you, holding in + them the infinite secret, and stamping upon all earthly loveliness the + mark of frailty and change and fleetingness--are those graves the + prospect to which in bright days and dark days you can turn without + dismay? God in his splendours,--dare we feel with Him affectionate and + familiar, so that trial comes softened by this feeling--it is my + Father, and enjoyment can be taken with a frank feeling; my Father has + given it me, without grudging, to make me happy? All that is having a + home in God. Are we at home there? Why there is demonstration in our + very childhood that we are not at home with that other world of God's. + An infant fears to be alone, because he feels he is not alone. He + trembles in the dark, because he is conscious of the presence of the + world of spirits. Long before he has been told tales of terror, there + is an instinctive dread of the supernatural in the infant mind. It is + the instinct which we have from childhood that gives us the feeling of + another world. And mark, brethren, if the child is not at home in the + thought of that world of God's, the deep of darkness and eternity is, + around him--God's home, but not his home, for his flesh creeps. And + that feeling grows through life; not the fear--when the child becomes + a man he gets over fear--but the dislike. The man feels as much + aversion as the child for the world of spirits. + + Sunday comes. It breaks across the current of his worldliness. It + suggests thoughts of death and judgment and everlasting existence. Is + that home? Can the worldly man feel Sunday like a foretaste of his + Father's mansion? If we could but know how many have come here to-day, + not to have their souls lifted up heavenwards, but from curiosity, or + idleness, or criticism, it would give us an appalling estimate of the + number who are living in a far country, "having no hope and without + God in the world." + + The second truth conveyed to us in this parable is the unsatisfying + nature of worldly happiness. The outcast son tried to satiate his + appetite with husks. A husk is an empty thing; it is a thing which + looks extremely like food, and promises as much as food; but it is not + food. It is a thing which when chewed will stay the appetite, but + leaves the emaciated body without nourishment. Earthly happiness is a + husk. We say not that there is no satisfaction in the pleasures of a + worldly life. That would be an overstatement of the truth. Something + there is, or else why should men persist in living for them? The + cravings of man's appetite may be stayed by things which cannot + satisfy him. Every new pursuit contains in it a new hope; and it is + long before hope is bankrupt. But my brethren, it is strange if a man + has not found out long before he has reached the age of thirty, that + everything here is empty and disappointing. The nobler his heart and + the more unquenchable his hunger for the high and the good, the sooner + will he find that out. Bubble after bubble bursts, each bubble tinted + with the celestial colours of the rainbow, and each leaving in the + hand which crushes it a cold damp drop of disappointment. All that is + described in Scripture by the emphatic metaphor of "sowing the wind + and reaping the whirlwind," the whirlwind of blighted hopes and + unreturned feelings and crushed expectations--that is the harvest + which the world gives you to reap. + + And now is the question asked, Why is this world unsatisfying? + Brethren, it is the grandeur of the soul which God has given us, which + makes it insatiable in its desires--with an infinite void which cannot + be filled up. A soul which was made for God, how can the world fill + it? If the ocean can be still with miles of unstable waters beneath + it, then the soul of man, rocking itself upon its own deep longings, + with the Infinite beneath it, may rest. We were created once in + majesty, to find enjoyment in God, and if our hearts are empty now, + there is nothing for it but to fill up the hollowness of the soul with + God. + + Let not that expression--filling the soul with God--pass away without + a distinct meaning. God is Love and Goodness. Fill the soul with + goodness, and fill the soul with love, _that_ is the filling it with + God. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us. There is nothing else + that can satisfy. So that when we hear men of this world acknowledge, + as they sometimes will do, when they are wearied with this phantom + chase of life, sick of gaieties and tired of toil, that it is not in + their pursuits that they can drink the fount of blessedness; and when + we see them, instead of turning aside either broken-hearted or else + made wise, still persisting to trust to expectations--at fifty, sixty, + or seventy years still feverish about some new plan of ambition--what + we see is this: we see a soul formed with a capacity for high and + noble things, fit for the banquet table of God Himself, trying to fill + its infinite hollowness with husks. + + Once more, there is degradation in the life of irreligion. The things + which the wanderer tried to live on were not husks only. They were + husks which the swine did eat. Degradation means the application of a + thing to purposes lower than that for which it was intended. It is + degradation to a man to live on husks, because these are not his true + food. We call it degradation when we see the members of an ancient + family, decayed by extravagance, working for their bread. It is not + degradation for a born labourer to work for an honest livelihood. It + is degradation for them, for they are not what they might have been. + And therefore, for a man to be degraded, it is not necessary that he + should have given himself up to low and mean practices. It is quite + enough that he is living for purposes lower than those for which God + intended him. He may be a man of unblemished reputation, and yet + debased in the truest meaning of the word. We were sent into this + world to love God and to love man; to do good--to fill up life with + deeds of generosity and usefulness. And he that refuses to work out + that high destiny is a degraded man. He may turn away revolted from + everything that is gross. His sensuous indulgences may be all marked + by refinement and taste. His house may be filled with elegance. His + library may be adorned with books. There may be the sounds in his + mansion which can regale the ear, the delicacies which can stimulate + the palate, and the forms of beauty which can please the eye. There + may be nothing in his whole life to offend the most chastened and + fastidious delicacy; and yet, if the history of all this be, powers + which were meant for eternity frittered upon time, the man is + degraded--if the spirit which was created to find its enjoyment in the + love of God has settled down satisfied with the love of the world, + then, just as surely as the sensualist of this parable, that man has + turned aside from a celestial feast to prey on garbage. + + We pass on to the second period of the history of God's treatment of a + sinner. It is the period of his coming to himself, or what we call + repentance. The first fact of religious experience which this parable + suggests to us is that common truth--men desert the world when the + world deserts them. The renegade came to himself when there were no + more husks to eat. He would have remained away if he could have got + them, but it is written, "no man gave unto him." And this, brethren, + is the record of our shame. Invitation is not enough; we must be + driven to God. And the famine comes not by chance. God sends the + famine into the soul--the hunger, and thirst, and the + disappointment--to bring back his erring child again. + + Now the world fastens upon that truth, and gets out of it a triumphant + sarcasm against religion. They tell us that just as the caterpillar + passes into the chrysalis, and the chrysalis into the butterfly, so + profligacy passes into disgust, and disgust passes into religion. To + use their own phraseology, when people become disappointed with the + world, it is the last resource they say, to turn saint. So the men of + the world speak, and they think they are profoundly philosophical and + concise in the account they give. The world is welcome to its very + small sneer. It is the glory of our Master's gospel that it _is_ the + refuge of the broken-hearted. It is the strange mercy of our God that + he does not reject the writhings of a jaded heart. Let the world curl + its lip if it will, when it sees through the causes of the prodigal's + return. And if the sinner does not come to God taught by this + disappointment, what then? If affections crushed in early life have + driven one man to God; if wrecked and ruined hopes have made another + man religious; if want of success in a profession has broken the + spirit; if the human life lived out too passionately, has left a + surfeit and a craving behind which end in seriousness; if one is + brought by the sadness of widowed life, and another by the forced + desolation of involuntary single life; if when the mighty famine comes + into the heart, and not a husk is left, not a pleasure untried, then, + and not till then, the remorseful resolve is made, "I will arise and + go to my Father:"--Well, brethren, what then? Why this, that the + history of penitence, produced as it so often is by mere + disappointment, sheds only a brighter lustre round the Love of Christ, + who rejoices to receive such wanderers, worthless as they are, back + into His bosom. Thank God the world's sneer is true. It _is_ the last + resource to turn saint. Thanks to our God that when this gaudy world + has ceased to charm, when the heart begins to feel its hollowness, and + the world has lost its satisfying power, still all is not yet lost if + penitence and Christ remain, to still, to humble, and to soothe a + heart which sin has fevered. + + There is another truth contained in this section of the parable. After + a life of wild sinfulness religion is servitude at first, not freedom. + Observe, he went back to duty with the feelings of a slave: "I am no + more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired + servants." Any one who has lived in the excitement of the world, and + then tried to settle down at once to quiet duty, knows how true that + is. To borrow a metaphor from Israel's desert life, it is a tasteless + thing to live on manna after you have been feasting upon quails. It is + a dull cold drudgery to find pleasure in simple occupation when life + has been a succession of strong emotions. Sonship it is not; it is + slavery. A son obeys in love, entering heartily into his father's + meaning. A servant obeys mechanically, rising early because he must; + doing it may be, his duty well, but feeling in all its force the + irksomeness of the service. Sonship does not come all at once. The + yoke of Christ is easy, the burden of Christ is light; but it is not + light to everybody. It is light when you love it, and no man who has + sinned much can love it all at once. + + Therefore, if I speak to any one who is trying to be religious, and + heavy in heart because his duty is done too formally,--my Christian + brother, fear not. You are returning, like the prodigal, with the + feelings of a servant. Still it is a real return. The spirit of + adoption will come afterwards. You will often have to do duties which + you cannot relish, and in which you see no meaning. So it was with + Naaman at the prophet's command. He bathed, not knowing why he was + bidden to bathe in Jordan. When you bend to prayer, often and often + you will have to kneel with wandering thoughts, and constraining lips + to repeat words into which your heart scarcely enters. You will have + to perform duties when the heart is cold, and without a spark of + enthusiasm to warm you. But my Christian brother, onwards still. + Struggle to the Cross, even though it be struggling as in chains. Just + as on a day of clouds, when you have watched the distant hills, dark + and gray with mist, suddenly a gleam of sunshine passing over reveals + to you, in that flat surface, valleys and dells and spots of sunny + happiness, which slept before unsuspected in the fog, so in the gloom + of penitential life there will be times when God's deep peace and love + will be felt shining into the soul with supernatural refreshment. Let + the penitent be content with the servant's lot at first. Liberty and + peace, and the bounding sensations of a Father's arms around you, come + afterwards. + + The last circumstance in this division of our subject is the reception + which a sinner meets with on his return to God. "Bring forth the best + robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his + feet, and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and + be merry." This banquet represents to us two things. It tells of the + father's gladness on his son's return. That represents God's joy on + the reformation of a sinner. It tells of a banquet and a dance given + to the long lost son. That represents the sinner's gladness when he + first understood that God was reconciled to him in Christ. There is a + strange, almost wild, rapture, a strong gush of love and happiness in + those days which are called the days of first conversion. When a man + who has sinned much--a profligate--turns to God, and it becomes first + clear to his apprehension that there is love instead of spurning for + him, there is a luxury of emotion--a banquet of tumultuous blessedness + in the moment of first love to God, which stands alone in life, + nothing before and nothing after like it. And brethren, let us + observe:--This forgiveness is a thing granted while a man is yet afar + off. We are not to wait for the right of being happy till we are good: + we might wait for ever. Joy is not delayed till we deserve it. Just so + soon as a sinful man trusts that the mercy of God in Christ has done + away with his transgression, the ring, and the robe, and the shoes are + his, the banquet and the light of a Father's countenance. + + Lastly, we have to consider very briefly God's expostulation with a + saint. There is another brother mentioned in this parable, who + expressed something like indignation at the treatment which his + brother met with. There are commentators who have imagined that this + personage represents the Pharisees who complained that Jesus was + receiving sinners. But this is manifestly impossible, because his + father expostulates with him in this language, "Son, thou, art ever + with me;" not for one moment could that be true of the Pharisees. The + true interpretation seems to be that this elder brother represents a + real Christian perplexed with God's mysterious dealings. We have + before us the description of one of those happy persons who have been + filled with the Holy Ghost from their mother's womb, and on the whole + (with imperfections of course) remained God's servant all his life. + For this is his own account of himself, which the father does not + contradict. "Lo! these many years do I serve thee." + + We observe then: The objection made to the reception of a notorious + sinner: "Thou never gavest me a kid." Now, in this we have a fact true + to Christian experience. Joy seems to be felt more vividly and more + exuberantly by men who have sinned much, than by men who have grown up + consistently from childhood with religious education. Rapture belongs + to him whose sins, which are forgiven, are many. In the perplexity + which this fact occasions, there is a feeling which is partly right + and partly wrong. There is a surprise which is natural. There is a + resentful jealousy which is to be rebuked. + + There is first of all a natural surprise. It was natural that the + elder brother should feel perplexed and hurt. When a sinner seems to + be rewarded with more happiness than a saint, it appears as if good + and evil were alike undistinguished in God's dealings. It seems like + putting a reconciled enemy over the head of a tried servant. It looks + as if it were a kind of encouragement held out to sin, and a man + begins to feel, Well if this is to be the caprice of my father's + dealing; if this rich feast of gladness be the reward of a licentious + life, "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in + innocency." This is natural surprise. + + But besides this there is a jealousy in these sensations of ours which + God sees fit to rebuke. You have been trying to serve God all your + life, and find it struggle, and heaviness, and dulness still. You see + another who has outraged every obligation of life, and he is not tried + by the deep prostration you think he ought to have, but bright with + happiness at once. You have been making sacrifices all your life, and + your worst trials come out of your most generous sacrifices. Your + errors in judgment have been followed by sufferings sharper than those + which crime itself could have brought. And you see men who never made + a sacrifice unexposed to trial--men whose life has been rapture + purchased by the ruin of others' innocence--tasting first the + pleasures of sin, and then the banquet of religion. You have been a + moral man from childhood, and yet with all your efforts you feel the + crushing conviction that it has never once been granted you to win a + soul to God. And you see another man marked by inconsistency and + impetuosity, banqueting every day upon the blest success of impressing + and saving souls. All that is startling. And then comes sadness and + despondency; then come all those feelings which are so graphically + depicted here: irritation--"he was angry;" swelling pride--"he would + not go in;" jealousy, which required soothing--"his father went out + and entreated him." + + And now brethren, mark the father's answer. It does not account for + this strange dealing by God's sovereignty. It does not cut the knot of + the difficulty, instead of untying it, by saying, God has a _right_ to + do what He will. He does not urge, God has a right to act on + favouritism if He please. But it assigns two reasons. The first reason + is, "It was _meet_, right that we should make merry." It is meet that + God should be glad on the reclamation of a sinner. It is meet that + that sinner, looking down into the dreadful chasm over which he had + been tottering, should feel a shudder of delight through all his frame + on thinking of his escape. And it is meet that religious men should + not feel jealous of one another, but freely and generously join in + thanking God that others have got happiness, even if _they_ have not. + The spirit of religious exclusiveness, which looks down contemptuously + instead of tenderly on worldly men, and banishes a man for ever from + the circle of its joys because he has sinned notoriously, is a bad + spirit. + + Lastly the reason given for this dealing is, "Son, thou art always + with Me, and all that I have is thine." By which Christ seems to tell + us that the disproportion between man and man is much less than we + suppose. The profligate had had one hour of ecstasy--the other had + had a whole life of peace. A consistent Christian may not have + rapture; but he has that which is much better than rapture: + calmness--God's serene and perpetual presence. And after all brethren, + that is the best. One to whom much is forgiven, has much joy. He must + have it, if it were only to support him through those fearful trials + which are to come--those haunting reminiscences of a polluted + heart--those frailties--those inconsistencies to which the habit of + past indulgence have made him liable. A terrible struggle is in store + for him yet. Grudge him not one hour of unclouded exultation. But + religion's best gift--rest, serenity--the quiet daily love of one who + lives perpetually with his Father's family--uninterrupted + usefulness--_that_ belongs to him who has lived steadily, and walked + with duty, neither grieving nor insulting the Holy Spirit of his God. + The man who serves God early has the best of it; joy is well in its + way, but a few flashes of joy are trifles in comparison with a life of + peace. Which is best: the flash of joy lighting up the whole heart, + and then darkness till the next flash comes--or the steady calm + sunlight of day in which men work? + + And now, one word to those who are living this young man's + life--thinking to become religious as he did, when they have got tired + of the world. I speak to those who are leading what, in the world's + softened language of concealment, is called a gay life. Young + brethren, let two motives be urged earnestly upon your attention. The + first is the motive of mere honourable feeling. We will say nothing + about the uncertainty of life. We will not dwell upon this fact, that + impressions resisted now, may never come back again. We will not + appeal to terror. That is not the weapon which a Christian minister + loves to use. If our lips were clothed with thunder, it is not + denunciation which makes men Christians; let the appeal be made to + every high and generous feeling in a young man's bosom. + + Deliberately and calmly you are going to do _this_: to spend the best + and most vigorous portion of your days in idleness--in uselessness--in + the gratification of self--in the contamination of others. And then + weakness, the relics, and the miserable dregs of life;--you are going + to give _that_ sorry offering to God, because His mercy endureth for + ever! Shame--shame upon the heart which can let such a plan rest in it + one moment. If it be there, crush it like a man. It is a degrading + thing to enjoy husks till there is no man to give them. It is a base + thing to resolve to give to God as little as possible, and not to + serve Him till you must. + + Young brethren, I speak principally to you. You have health for God + now. You have strength of mind and body. You have powers which may fit + you for real usefulness. You have appetites for enjoyment which can be + consecrated to God. You acknowledge the law of honour. Well then, by + every feeling of manliness and generosity remember this: now, and not + later, is your time to learn what religion means. + + There is another motive, and a very solemn one, to be urged upon those + who are delaying. Every moment of delay adds bitterness to after + struggles. The moment of a feeling of hired servitude must come. If a + man will not obey God with a warm heart, he may hereafter have to do + it with a cold one. To be holy is the work of a long life. The + experience of ten thousand lessons teaches only a little of it; and + all this, the work of becoming like God, the man who delays is + crowding into the space of a few years, or a few months. When we have + lived long a life of sin, do we think that repentance and forgiveness + will obliterate all the traces of sin upon the character? Be sure that + every sin pays its price: "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also + reap." + + Oh! there are recollections of past sin which come crowding up to the + brain, with temptation in them. There are old habits which refuse to + be mastered by a few enthusiastic sensations. There is so much of the + old man clinging to the penitent who has waited long--he is so much as + a religious man, like what he was when he was a worldly man--that it + is doubtful whether he ever reaches in this world the full stature of + Christian manhood. Much warm earnestness, but strange inconsistencies, + that is the character of one who is an old man and a young Christian. + Brethren, do we wish to risk all this? Do we want to learn holiness + with terrible struggles, and sore affliction, and the plague of much + remaining evil? Then _wait_ before you turn to God. + + + + + XXI. + + _Preached May 15, 1853._ + + JOHN'S REBUKE OF HEROD. + + + "But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his + brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, + added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison,"--Luke + iii. 19, 20. + + The life of John the Baptist divides itself into three distinct + periods. Of the first we are told almost nothing, but we may + conjecture much. We are told that he was in the deserts till his + showing unto Israel. It was a period probably, in which, saddened by + the hollowness of all life in Israel, and perplexed with the + controversies of Jerusalem, the controversies of Sadducee with + Pharisee, of formalist with mystic, of the disciples of one infallible + Rabbi with the disciples of another infallible Rabbi, he fled for + refuge to the wilderness, to see whether God could not be found there + by the heart that sought Him, without the aid of churches, rituals, + creeds, and forms. This period lasted thirty years. + + The second period is a shorter one. It comprises the few months of his + public ministry. His difficulties were over; he had reached conviction + enough to live and die on. He knew not all, but he knew something. He + could not baptize with the Spirit, but he could at least baptize with + water. It was not given to him to build up, but it was given to him + to pull down all false foundations. He knew that the highest truth of + spiritual life was to be given by One that should come after. What he + had learned in the desert was contained in a few words--Reality lies + at the root of religious life. Ye must be real, said John. "Bring + forth fruits meet for repentance." Let each man do his own duty; let + the rich impart to those who are not rich; let the publican accuse no + man falsely; let the soldier be content with his wages. The coming + kingdom is not a mere piece of machinery which will make you all good + and happy without effort of your own. Change yourselves, or you will + have no kingdom at all. Personal reformation, personal reality, _that_ + was John's message to the world. + + It was an incomplete one; but he delivered it as his all, manfully; + and his success was signal, astonishing even to himself. Successful it + was, because it appealed to all the deepest wants of the human heart. + It told of peace to those who had been agitated by tempestuous + passion. It promised forgetfulness of past transgression to those + whose consciences smarted with self-accusing recollections. It spoke + of refuge from the wrath to come to those who had felt it a fearful + expectation to fall into the hands of an angry God. And the result of + that message, conveyed by the symbol of baptism, was that the desert + swarmed with crowds who owned the attractive spell of the power of a + new life made possible. Warriors, paupers, profligates--some admiring + the nobleness of religious life, others needing it to fill up the + empty hollow of an unsatisfied heart; the penitent, the heart-broken, + the worldly, and the disappointed, all came. And with them there came + two other classes of men, whose approach roused the Baptist to + astonishment. + + The formalist, not satisfied with his formality, and the infidel, + unable to rest on his infidelity--they came too--startled, for one + hour at least, to the real significance of life, and shaken out of + unreality. The Baptist's message wrung the confession from their + souls. "Yes, our system will not do. We are not happy after all; we + are miserable. Prophet, whose solitary life, far away there in the + desert, has been making to itself a home in the mysterious and the + invisible, what hast thou got to tell us from that awful other world? + What are we to do?" + + These things belong to a period of John's life anterior to the text. + The prophet has been hitherto in a self-selected solitude, the free + wild desert, opening his heart to the strange sights and sounds + through which the grand voice of oriental nature speaks of God to the + soul, in a way that books cannot speak. + + We have arrived at the third period of his history. We are now to + consider him as the tenant of a _compelled_ solitude, in the dungeon + of a capricious tyrant. Hitherto, by that rugged energy with which he + battled with the temptations of this world, he has been shedding a + glory round human life. We are now to look at him equally alone; + equally majestic, shedding by martyrdom, almost a brighter glory round + human death. He has hitherto been receiving the homage of almost + unequalled popularity. We are now to observe him reft of every + admirer, every soother, every friend. He has been hitherto overcoming + the temptations of existence by entire seclusion from them all. We are + now to ask how he will stem those seductions when he is brought into + the very midst of them, and the whole outward aspect of his life has + laid aside its distinctive and peculiar character; when he has ceased + to be the anchorite, and has become the idol of a court. + + Much instruction, brethren, there ought to be in all this, if we only + knew rightly how to bring it out, or even to paint in anything like + intelligible colours the picture which our own minds have formed. + Instructive, because human life must ever be instructive. How a human + spirit contrived to get its life accomplished in this confused world: + what a man like us, and yet no common man, felt, did, suffered; how he + fought, and how he conquered; if we could only get a clear possession + and firm grasp of _that_, we should have got almost all that is worth + having in truth, with the technicalities stripped off, for what is the + use of truth except to teach man how to live? There is a vast value in + genuine biography. It is good to have real views of what Life is, and + what Christian Life may be. It is good to familiarize ourselves with + the history of those whom God has pronounced the salt of the earth. We + cannot help contracting good from such association. + + And just one thing respecting this man whom we are to follow for some + time to-day. Let us not be afraid of seeming to rise into a mere + enthusiastic panegyric of a man. It is a rare man we have to deal + with, one of God's heroic ones, a true conqueror; one whose life and + motives it is hard to understand without feeling warmly and + enthusiastically about them. One of the very highest characters, + rightly understood, of all the Bible. Panegyric such as we can give, + what is it after he has been stamped by his Master's eulogy, "A + prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. Among them that + are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the + Baptist." In the verse which is to serve us for our guidance on this + subject there are two branches which will afford us fruit of + contemplation. It is written, "Herod being _reproved_ by John for + Herodias." + + Here is our first subject of thought. The truthfulness of Christian + character. + + And then next, he "shut up John in prison." + + Here is our second topic. The apparent failure of religious life. + + The point which we have to look at in this section of the Baptist's + life is the truthfulness of religious character. For the prophet was + now in a sphere of life altogether new. He had got to the third act of + his history. The first was performed right manfully in the + desert--that is past. He has now become a known man, celebrated + through the country, brought into the world, great men listening to + him, and in the way, if he chooses it, to become familiar with the + polished life of Herod's court. For this we read: Herod observed John, + that is, cultivated his acquaintance, paid him marked attention, heard + him, did many things at his bidding, and heard him gladly. + + For thirty long years John had lived in that far-off desert, filling + his soul with the grandeur of solitude, content to be unknown, not + conscious, most likely, that there was anything supernatural in + him--living with the mysterious God in silence. And then came the day + when the qualities, so secretly nursed, became known in the great + world: men felt that there was a greater than themselves before them, + and then came the trial of admiration, when the crowds congregated + round to listen. And all that trial John bore uninjured, for when + those vast crowds dispersed at night, he was left alone with God and + the universe once more. That prevented his being spoilt by flattery. + But now comes the great trial. John is transplanted from the desert to + the town: he has quitted simple life: he has come to artificial life. + John has won a king's attention, and now the question is, Will the + diamond of the mine bear polishing without breaking into shivers? Is + the iron prophet melting into voluptuous softness? Is he getting the + world's manners and the world's courtly insincerity? Is he becoming + artificial through his change of life? My Christian brethren, we find + nothing of the kind. There he stands in Herod's voluptuous court the + prophet of the desert still, unseduced by blandishment from his high + loyalty, and fronting his patron and his prince with the stern + unpalatable truth of God. + + It is refreshing to look on such a scene as this--the highest, the + very highest moment, I think, in all John's history; higher than his + ascetic life. For after all, ascetic life such as he had led before, + when he fed on locusts and wild honey, is hard only in the first + resolve. When you have once made up your mind to that, it becomes a + habit to live alone. To lecture the poor about religion is not hard. + To speak of unworldliness to men with whom we do not associate, and + who do not see _our_ daily inconsistencies, _that_ is not hard. To + speak contemptuously of the world when we have no power of commanding + its admiration, _that_ is not difficult. But when God has given a man + accomplishments, or powers, which would enable him to shine in + society, and he can still be firm, and steady, and uncompromisingly + true; when he can be as undaunted before the rich as before the poor; + when rank and fashion cannot subdue him into silence: when he hates + moral evil as sternly in a great man as he would in a peasant, there + is truth in that man. This was the test to which the Baptist was + submitted. + + And now contemplate him for a moment; forget that he is an historical + personage, and remember that he was a man like us. Then comes the + trial. All the habits and rules of polite life would be whispering + such advice as this: "Only keep your remarks within the limits of + politeness. If you cannot approve, be silent; you can do no good by + finding fault with the great." We know how the whole spirit of a man + like John would have revolted at that. Imprisonment? Yes. Death? Well, + a man can die but once,--anything but not cowardice,--not + meanness,--not pretending what I do not feel, and disguising what I do + feel. Brethren, death is not the worst thing in this life; it is not + difficult to die--five minutes and the sharpest agony is past. The + worst thing in this life is cowardly untruthfulness. Let men be rough + if they will, let them be unpolished, but let Christian men in all + they say be sincere. No flattery, no speaking smoothly to a man before + his face, while all the time there is a disapproval of his conduct in + the heart. The thing we want in Christianity is not politeness, it is + sincerity. + + There are three things which we remark in this truthfulness of John. + The first is its straightforwardness, the second is its + unconsciousness, and the last its unselfishness. The + straightforwardness is remarkable in this circumstance, that there is + no indirect coming to the point. At once, without circumlocution, the + true man speaks. "It is not lawful for thee to have her." There are + some men whom God has gifted with a rare simplicity of heart, which + make them utterly incapable of pursuing the subtle excuses which can + be made for evil. There is in John no morbid sympathy for the + offender: "It is not lawful." He does not say, "It is _best_ to do + otherwise; it is unprofitable for your own happiness to live in this + way." He says plainly, "It is wrong for you to do this evil." + + Earnest men in this world have no time for subtleties and casuistry. + Sin is detestable, horrible, in God's sight, and when once it has been + made clear that it is not lawful, a Christian has nothing to do with + toleration of it. If we dare not tell our patron of his sin we must + give up his patronage. In the next place there was unconsciousness in + John's rebuke. We remark, brethren, that he was utterly ignorant that + he was doing a fine thing. There was no sidelong glance, as in a + mirror, of admiration for himself. He was not feeling, This is brave. + He never stopped to feel that after-ages would stand by, and look at + that deed of his, and say, "Well done." His reproof comes out as the + natural impulse of an earnest heart. John was the last of all men to + feel that he had done anything extraordinary. And this we hold to be + an inseparable mark of truth. No true man is conscious that he is + true; he is rather conscious of insincerity. No brave man is conscious + of his courage; bravery is _natural_ to him. The skin of Moses' face + shone after he had been with God, but Moses wist not of it. + + There are many of us who would have prefaced that rebuke with a long + speech. We should have begun by observing how difficult it was to + speak to a monarch, how delicate the subject, how much proof we were + giving of our friendship. We should have asked the great man to accept + it as a proof of our devotion. John does nothing of this. Prefaces + betray anxiety about self; John was not thinking of himself. He was + thinking of God's offended law, and the guilty king's soul. Brethren, + it is a lovely and a graceful thing to see men natural. It is + beautiful to see men sincere without being haunted with the + consciousness of their sincerity. There is a sickly habit that men get + of looking into themselves, and thinking how they are appearing. We + are always unnatural when we do that. The very tread of one who is + thinking how he appears to others, becomes dizzy with affectation. He + is too conscious of what he is doing, and self-consciousness is + affectation. Let us aim at being natural. And we can only become + natural by thinking of God and duty, instead of the way in which we + are serving God and duty. + + There was lastly, something exceedingly unselfish in John's + truthfulness. We do not build much on a man's being merely true. It + costs some men nothing to be true, for they have none of those + sensibilities which shrink from inflicting pain. There is a surly + bitter way of speaking truth which says little for a man's heart. Some + men have not delicacy enough to feel that it is an awkward and a + painful thing to rebuke a brother: they are in their element when they + can become censors of the great. John's truthfulness was not like + that. It was the earnest loving nature of the man which made him say + sharp things. Was it to gratify spleen that he reproved Herod for all + the evils he had done? Was it to minister to a diseased and + disappointed misanthropy? Little do we understand the depth of + tenderness which there is in a rugged, true nature, if we think that. + John's whole life was an iron determination to crush self in + everything. + + Take a single instance. John's ministry was gradually superseded by + the ministry of Christ. It was the moon waning before the Sun. They + came and told him that, "Rabbi, He to whom thou barest witness beyond + Jordan baptizeth, and all men come unto Him." Two of his own personal + friends, apparently some of the last he had left, deserted him, and + went to the new teacher. + + And now let us estimate the keenness of that trial. Remember John was + a man: he had tasted the sweets of influence; that influence was dying + away, and just in the prime of life he was to become _nothing_. Who + cannot conceive the keenness of that trial? Bearing that in mind--what + is the prophet's answer? One of the most touching sentences in all + Scripture--calmly, meekly, the hero recognises his destiny--"He must + increase, but I must decrease." He does more than recognise it--he + rejoices in it, rejoices to be nothing, to be forgotten, despised, so + as only Christ can be everything. "The friend of the bridegroom + rejoiceth because he heareth the bridegroom's voice, this my joy is + fulfilled." And it is _this_ man, with self so thoroughly crushed--the + outward self by bodily austerities, the inward self by Christian + humbleness--it is this man who speaks so sternly to his sovereign. "It + is not lawful." Was there any gratification of human feeling there? Or + was not the rebuke unselfish? Meant for God's honour, dictated by the + uncontrollable hatred of all evil, careless altogether of personal + consequences? + + Now it is this, my brethren, that _we_ want. The world-spirit can + rebuke as sharply as the Spirit which was in John; the world-spirit + can be severe upon the great when it is jealous. The worldly man + cannot bear to hear of another's success, he cannot endure to hear + another praised for accomplishments, or another succeeding in a + profession, and the world can fasten very bitterly upon a neighbour's + faults, and say, "It is not lawful." We expect that in the world. But + that this should creep among religious men, that _we_ should be + bitter--that we, _Christians_, should suffer jealousy to enthrone + itself in our hearts--that we should find fault from spleen, and not + from love--that we should not be able to be calm and gentle, and + sweet-tempered, when we decrease, when our powers fail--_that_ is the + shame. The love of Christ is intended to make such men as John, such + high and heavenly characters. What is our Christianity worth if it + cannot teach us a truthfulness, an unselfishness, and a generosity + beyond the world's? + + We are to say something in the second place of the apparent failure of + Christian life. + + The concluding sentence of this verse informs us that John was shut up + in prison. And the first thought which suggests itself is, that a + magnificent career is cut short too soon. At the very outset of ripe + and experienced manhood the whole thing ends in failure. John's day of + active usefulness is over; at thirty years of age his work is done; + and what permanent effect have all his labours left? The crowds that + listened to his voice, awed into silence by Jordan's side, we hear of + them no more. Herod heard John gladly, did much good by reason of his + influence. What was all that worth? The prophet comes to himself in a + dungeon, and wakes to the bitter conviction, that his influence had + told much in the way of commanding attention, and even winning + reverence, but very little in the way of gaining souls; the bitterest, + the most crushing discovery in the whole circle of ministerial + experience. All this was seeming failure. + + And this, brethren, is the picture of almost all human life. To some + moods, and under some aspects, it seems, as it seemed to the psalmist, + "Man walketh in a vain shadow and disquieteth himself in vain." Go to + any churchyard, and stand ten minutes among the grave-stones; read + inscription after inscription recording the date of birth, and the + date of death, of him who lies below, all the trace which myriads have + left behind, of their having done their day's work on God's + earth,--that is failure or--seems so. Cast the eye down the columns of + any commander's despatch after a general action. The men fell by + thousands; the officers by hundreds. Courage, high hope, + self-devotion, ended in smoke--forgotten by the time of the next list + of slain: that is the failure of life once more. Cast your eye over + the shelves of a public library--there is the hard toil of years, the + product of a life of thought; all that remains of it is there in a + worm-eaten folio, taken down once in a century. Failure of human life + again. Stand by the most enduring of all human labours, the pyramids + of Egypt. One hundred thousand men, year by year, raised those + enormous piles to protect the corpses of the buried from rude + inspection. The spoiler's hand has been there, and the bodies have + been rifled from their mausoleum, and three thousand years have + written "failure" upon that. In all that, my Christian brethren, if we + look no deeper than the surface, we read the grave of human hope, the + apparent nothingness of human labour. + + And then look at this history once more. In the isolation of John's + dying hour, there appears failure again. When a great man dies we + listen to hear what he has to say, we turn to the last page of his + biography first, to see what he had to bequeath to the world as his + experience of life. We expect that the wisdom, which he has been + hiving up for years, will distil in honeyed sweetness then. It is + generally not so. There is stupor and silence at the last. "How dieth + the wise man?" asks Solomon: and he answers bitterly, "As the fool." + The martyr of truth dies privately in Herod's dungeon. We have no + record of his last words. There were no crowds to look on. We cannot + describe how he received his sentence. Was he calm? Was he agitated? + Did he bless his murderer? Did he give utterance to any deep + reflections on human life? All that is shrouded in silence. He bowed + his head, and the sharp stroke fell flashing down. We know that, we + know no more--apparently a noble life abortive. + + And now let us ask the question distinctly, Was all this indeed + failure? No, my Christian brethren, it was sublimest victory. John's + work was no failure; he left behind him no sect to which he had given + his name, but his disciples passed into the service of Christ, and + were absorbed in the Christian church. Words from John had made + impressions, and men forgot in after years _where_ the impressions + first came from, but the day of judgment will not forget. John laid + the foundations of a temple, and others built upon it He laid it in + struggle, in martyrdom. It was covered up like the rough masonry below + ground, but when we look round on the vast Christian Church, we are + looking at the superstructure of John's toil. + + There is a lesson for us in all that, if we will learn it. Work, true + work, done honestly and manfully for Christ, _never_ can be a failure. + Your own work, my brethren, which God has given you to do, whatever + that is, let it be done truly. Leave eternity to show that it has not + been in vain in the Lord. Let it but be work, it will tell. True + Christian life is like the march of a conquering army into a fortress + which has been breached; men fall by hundreds in the ditch. Was their + fall a failure? Nay, for their bodies bridge over the hollow, and over + them the rest pass on to victory. The quiet religious worship that we + have this day--how comes it to be ours? It was purchased for us by the + constancy of such men as John, who freely gave their lives. We are + treading upon a bridge of martyrs. The suffering was theirs--the + victory is ours. John's career was no failure. + + Yet we have one more circumstance which _seems_ to tell of failure. In + John's prison, solitude, misgiving, black doubt, seem for a time to + have taken possession of the prophet's soul. All that we know of those + feelings is this:--John while in confinement sent two of his disciples + to Christ, to say to Him, "Art thou He that should come, or do we look + for another?" Here is the language of painful uncertainty. We shall + not marvel at this, if we look steadily at the circumstances. Let us + conceive John's feelings. The enthusiastic child of Nature, who had + roved in the desert, free as the air he breathed, is now suddenly + arrested, and his strong restless heart limited to the four walls of a + narrow dungeon. And there he lay startled. An eagle cleaving the air + with motionless wing, and in the midst of his career brought from the + black cloud by an arrow to the ground, and looking round with his + wild, large eye, stunned, and startled there; just such was the free + prophet of the wilderness, when Herod's guards had curbed his noble + flight, and left him alone in his dungeon. + + Now there is apparent failure here, brethren; it is not the thing + which we should have expected. We should have expected that a man who + had lived so close to God all his life, would have no misgivings in + his last hours. But, my brethren, it is not so. It is the strange + truth that some of the highest of God's servants are tried with + darkness on the dying bed. Theory would say, when a religious man is + laid up for his last struggles, now he is alone for deep communion + with his God. Fact very often says, "No--now he is alone, as his + Master was before him, in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." + Look at John in imagination, and you would say, "Now his rough + pilgrimage is done. He is quiet, out of the world, with the rapt + foretaste of heaven in his soul." Look at John in fact. He is + agitated, sending to Christ, not able to rest, grim doubt wrestling + with his soul, misgiving for one last black hour whether all his hope + has not been delusion. + + There is one thing we remark here by the way. Doubt often comes from + inactivity. We cannot give the philosophy of it, but this is the fact, + Christians who have nothing to do but to sit thinking of themselves, + meditating, sentimentalising, are almost sure to become the prey of + dark, black misgivings. John struggling in the desert needs no proof + that Jesus is the Christ. John shut up became morbid and doubtful + immediately. Brethren all this is very marvellous. The history of a + human soul _is_ marvellous. We are mysteries, but here is the + practical lesson of it all. For sadness, for suffering, for misgiving, + there is no remedy but stirring and doing. + + Now look once more at these doubts of John's. All his life long John + had been wishing and expecting that the kingdom of God would come. The + kingdom of God is Right triumphant over Wrong, moral evil crushed, + goodness set up in its place, the true man recognised, the false man + put down and forgotten. All his life long John had panted for that; + his hope was to make men better. He tried to make the soldiers + merciful, and the publicans honest, and the Pharisees sincere. His + complaint was, Why is the world the thing it is? All his life long he + had been appealing to the invisible justice of Heaven against the + visible brute force which he saw around him. Christ had appeared, and + his hopes were straining to the utmost. "Here is the Man!" And now + behold, here is no Kingdom of Heaven at all, but one of darkness + still, oppression and cruelty triumphant, Herod putting God's prophet + in prison, and the Messiah quietly letting things take their course. + Can that be indeed Messiah? All this was exceedingly startling. And it + seems that then John began to feel the horrible doubt whether the + whole thing were not a mistake, and whether all that which he had + taken for inspiration were not, after all, only the excited hopes of + an enthusiastic temperament. Brethren, the prophet was well nigh on + the brink of failure. + + But let us mark--that a man has doubts--_that_ is not the evil; all + earnest men must expect to be tried with doubts. All men who feel, + with their whole souls, the value of the truth which is at stake, + cannot be satisfied with a "perhaps." Why, when all that is true and + excellent in this world, all that is worth living for, is in that + question of questions, it is no marvel if we sometimes wish, like + Thomas, to see the prints of the nails, to know whether Christ be + indeed our Lord or not. Cold hearts are not anxious enough to doubt. + Men who love will have their misgivings at times; that is not the + evil. But the evil is, when men go on in that languid, doubting way, + content to doubt, proud of their doubts, morbidly glad to talk about + them, liking the romantic gloom of twilight, without the manliness to + say--I must and will know the truth. That did not John. Brethren, John + appealed to Christ. He did exactly what we do when we pray--and he got + his answer. Our Master said to his disciples, Go to my suffering + servant, and give him proof. Tell John the things ye see and + hear--"The blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor + the Gospel is preached." There is a deep lesson wrapped up in this. We + get a firm grasp of truth by prayer. Communion with Christ is the best + proof of Christ's existence and Christ's love. It is so even in human + life. Misgivings gather darkly round our heart about our friend in his + absence; but we seek his frank smile, we feel his affectionate grasp: + our suspicions go to sleep again. It is just so in religion. No man is + in the habit of praying to God in Christ, and then doubts whether + Christ is He "that should come." It is in the power of prayer to + realize Christ, to bring him near, to make you feel His life stirring + like a pulse within you. Jacob could not doubt whether he had been + with God when his sinew shrunk. John could not doubt whether Jesus was + the Christ when the things He had done were pictured out so vividly in + answer to his prayer. Let but a man live with Christ anxious to have + his own life destroyed, and Christ's life established in its place, + losing himself in Christ, that man will have all his misgivings + silenced. These are the two remedies for doubt--Activity and Prayer. + He who works, and _feels_ he works--he who prays, and _knows_ he + prays, has got the secret of transforming life-failure into + life-victory. + + In conclusion brethren, we make three remarks which could not be + introduced into the body of this subject. The first is--Let young and + ardent minds, under the first impressions of religion, beware how they + pledge themselves by any open profession to more than they can + perform. Herod warmly took up religion at first, courted the prophet + of religion, and then when the hot fit of enthusiasm had passed away, + he found that he had a clog round his life from which he could only + disengage himself by a rough, rude effort. Brethren whom God has + touched, it is good to count the cost before you begin. If you give up + present pursuits _impetuously_, are you sure that present impulses + will last? Are you quite certain that a day will not come when you + will curse the hour in which you broke altogether with the world? Are + you quite sure that the revulsion back again, will not be as impetuous + as Herod's, and your hatred of the religion which has become a clog, + as intense as it is now ardent? + + Many things doubtless there are to be given up--amusements that are + dangerous, society that is questionable. What we give up, let us give + up, not from quick feeling, but from principle. Enthusiasm is a lovely + thing, but let us be calm in what we do. In that solemn, grand + thing--Christian life--one step backward is religious death. + + Once more we get from this subject the doctrine of a resurrection. + John's life was hardness, his end was agony. That is frequently + Christian life. Therefore, says the apostle, if there be no + resurrection the Christian's choice is wrong; "If in this life only we + have hope in Christ, then are we of all men most miserable." Christian + life is not visible success--very often it is the apparent opposite of + success. It is the resurrection of Christ working itself out _in_ us; + but it is very often the Cross of Christ imprinting itself on us very + sharply. The highest prize which God has to give here is martyrdom. + The highest style of life is the Baptist's--heroic, enduring, manly + love. The noblest coronet which any son of man can wear is a crown of + thorns. Christian, _this_ is not your rest. Be content to feel that + this world is not your home. Homeless upon earth, try more and more to + make your home in heaven, above with Christ. + + Lastly we have to learn from this, that devotedness to Christ is our + only blessedness. It is surely a strange thing to see the way in which + men crowded round the austere prophet, all saying, "Guide us, we + cannot guide ourselves." Publicans, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herod, + whenever John appears, all bend before him, offering him homage and + leadership. How do we account for this? The truth is, the spirit of + man groans beneath the weight of its own freedom. When a man has no + guide, no master but himself, he is miserable; we want guidance, and + if we find a man nobler, wiser than ourselves, it is almost our + instinct to prostrate our affections before that man, as the crowds + did by Jordan, and say, "Be my example, my guide, my soul's + sovereign." That passionate need of worship--hero-worship it has been + called--is a primal, universal instinct of the heart. Christ is the + answer to it. Men will not do; we try to find men to reverence + thoroughly, and we cannot do it. We go through life, finding guides, + rejecting them one after another, expecting nobleness and finding + meanness; and we turn away with a recoil of disappointment. + + There is no disappointment in Christ. Christ can be our souls' + sovereign. Christ can be our guide. Christ can absorb all the + admiration which our hearts long to give. We want to worship men. + These Jews wanted to worship man. They were right--man is the rightful + object of our worship; but in the roll of ages there has been but one + man whom we can adore without idolatry,--the Man Christ Jesus. + + + THE END. + + _Spottiswoode & Co., Printers, New-street Square, London_ + + + + + A SELECTION FROM THE NOTICES + + OF + + MR. ROBERTSON'S SERMONS, + + AND OF THE + + LIFE AND LETTERS OF F.W. ROBERTSON. + + BY THE REV. STOPFORD A. BROOKE, M.A. + + + + + [BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE, August, 1862.] + + "For while hapless Englishmen complain in the papers, and in + private, in many a varied wail, over the sermons they have to + listen to, it is very apparent that the work of the preacher has + not fallen in any respect out of estimation. Here is a book which + has gone through as great a number of editions as the most popular + novel. It bears Mudie's stamp upon its dingy boards, and has all + those marks of arduous service which are only to be seen in books + which belong to great public libraries. It is thumbed, + dog's-eared, pencil-marked, worn by much perusal. Is it then a + novel? On the contrary, it is a volume of sermons. A fine, tender, + and lofty mind, full of thoughtfulness, full of devotion, has + herein left his legacy to his country. It is not rhetoric or any + vulgar excitement of eloquence that charms so many readers to the + book, so many hearers to this preacher's feet. It is not with the + action of a Demosthenes, with outstretched arms and countenance of + flame, that he presses his gospel upon his audience. On the + contrary, when we read those calm and lofty utterances, this + preacher seems seated, like his Master, with the multitude + palpitating round, but no agitation or passion in his own + thoughtful, contemplative breast. The Sermons of Robertson, of + Brighton, have few of the exciting qualities of oratory. Save for + the charm of a singularly pure and lucid style, their almost sole + attraction consists in their power of instruction, in their + faculty of opening up the mysteries of life and truth. It is pure + teaching, so far as that ever can be administered to a popular + audience, which is offered to us in these volumes." + + + [EDINBURGH CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE.] + + "They are Sermons of a bold, uncompromising thinker--of a man + resolute for the truth of God, and determined in the strength of + God's grace to make that truth clear, to brush away all the + fine-spun sophistries and half-truths by which the cunning sins of + men have hidden it.... There must be a great and true heart, where + there is a great and true preacher. And in that, beyond everything + else, lay the secret of Mr. Robertson's influence. His Sermons + show evidence enough of acute logical power. His analysis is + exquisite in its subtleness and delicacy.... With Mr. Robertson + style is but the vehicle, not the substitute for thought. + Eloquence, poetry, scholarship, originality--his Sermons show + proof enough of these to put him on a level with the foremost men + of his time. But, after all, their charm lies in the warm, loving, + sympathetic heart, in the well-disciplined mind of the true + Christian, in his noble scorn of all lies, of all things mean and + crooked, in his brave battling for right, even when wrong seems + crowned with success, in his honest simplicity and singleness of + purpose, in the high and holy tone--as if, amid the discord of + earth, he heard clear, though far off, the perfect harmony of + heaven; in the fiery earnestness of his love for Christ, the + devotion of his whole being to the goodness and truth revealed in + him." + + + [CHURCH OF ENGLAND MONTHLY REVIEW.] + + "It is hardly too much to say, that had the Church of England + produced no other fruit in the present century, this work alone + would be amply sufficient to acquit her of the charge of + barrenness.... The reputation of Mr. Robertson's Sermons is now so + wide-spread, that any commendation of ours may seem superfluous. + We will therefore simply, in conclusion, recommend such of our + readers as have not yet made their acquaintance, to read them + carefully and thoughtfully, and they will find in them more deeply + suggestive matter than in almost any book published in the present + century." + + + [MORNING POST.] + + "They are distinguished by masterly exposition of Scriptural + truths and the true spirit of Christian charity." + + + [BRITISH QUARTERLY.] + + "These Sermons are full of thought and beauty, and admirable + illustrations of the ease with which a gifted and disciplined mind + can make the obscure transparent, the difficult plain. There is + not a Sermon that does not furnish evidence of originality without + extravagance, of discrimination without tediousness, and of piety + without cant or conventionalism." + + + [ECLECTIC REVIEW.] + + "We hail with unaffected delight the appearance of these volumes. + The Sermons are altogether out of the common style. They are + strong, free, and beautiful utterances of a gifted and cultivated + mind. Occasionally, the expression of theological sentiment fails + fully to represent our own thought, and we sometimes detect + tendencies with which we cannot sympathize: but, taken as a whole, + the discourses are fine specimens of a high order of preaching." + + + [GUARDIAN.] + + "Very beautiful in feeling, and occasionally striking and forcible + in conception to a remarkable degree.... Even in the imperfect + shape in which their deceased author left them, they are very + remarkable compositions." + + + [CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER.] + + "We should be glad if all preachers more united with ourselves, + preached such Sermons as these." + + + [WESTMINSTER REVIEW.] + + "To those who affectionately remember the author, they will + recall, though imperfectly, his living eloquence and his living + truthfulness." + + + [GLOBE.] + + "Mr. Robertson, of Brighton, is a name familiar to most of us, and + honoured by all to whom it is familiar. A true servant of Christ, + a bold and heart-stirring preacher of the Gospel, his teaching was + unlike the teaching of most clergymen, for it was beautified and + intensified by genius. New truth, new light, streamed from each + well-worn text when he handled it." + + + [BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.] + + "When teaching of this description keeps the popular ear and + secures the general attention, it is unquestionable proof that the + office of the preacher has, in no way, lost its hold on the mind + of the people. The acceptance of a voice so unimpassioned and + thoughtful, so independent of all vulgar auxiliaries, so intent + upon bringing every theme it touches to the illustration and + sanctifying of the living life of the hour, that which alone can + be mended, and purified, and sanctified, is a better tribute to + the undying office of the preacher than the success of a hundred + Spurgeons. Attention and interest are as eager as ever where there + is in reality any instruction to bestow." + + + [LITERARY GAZETTE.] + + "In earnestness of practical appeal, and in eloquent and graceful + diction, Mr. Robertson has few rivals, and these characteristics + are sufficient to account for his unusual popularity." + + + [NATIONAL REVIEW.] + + "A volume of very fine Sermons, quite equal to the previous + series." + + + [BRIGHTON EXAMINER.] + + "There is in the Sermons in this volume the same freshness, vigour + of thought and felicity of expression, as characterised whatever + Mr. Robertson said." + + + [ECONOMIST.] + + "Mr. Robertson's Sermons have the great and rare merit of + neutralising by a more charitable and affectionate spirit, and by + a wider intelligence, all that may appear rigid and _doctrinaire_ + in the Church of England. The result seems to have been his + special mission: it most fully explains the mind of the man.... We + recommend the Sermons to the perusal of our readers. They will + find in them thought of so rare and beautiful a description, an + earnestness of mind so steadfast in the search of truth, and a + charity so pure and all-embracing, that we cannot venture to offer + praise, which would be, in this case, almost as presumptuous as + criticism." + + + [SATURDAY REVIEW.] + + "When Mr. Robertson died, his name was scarcely known beyond the + circle of his own private friends, and of those among whom he had + laboured in his calling. Now, every word he wrote is eagerly + sought for and affectionately treasured up, and meets with the + most reverent and admiring welcome from men of all parties and all + shades of opinion.... To those that find in his writings what they + themselves want, he is a teacher quite beyond comparison--his + words having a meaning, his thoughts a truth and depth, which they + cannot find elsewhere. And they never look to him in vain.... He + fixes himself upon the recollection as a most original and + profound thinker, and as a man in whom excellence puts on a new + form.... There are many persons, and the number increases every + year, to whom Robertson's writings are the most stable, + satisfactory, and exhaustless form of religious teaching which the + nineteenth century has given--the most wise, suggestive, and + practical." + + + [BRIGHTON HERALD.] + + "To our thinking, no compositions of the same class, at least + since the days of Jeremy Taylor, can be compared with these + Sermons delivered to the congregation of Trinity Chapel, Brighton, + by their late minister. They have that power over the mind which + belongs only to the highest works of genius: they stir the soul to + its inmost depths: they move the affections, raise the + imagination, bring out the higher and spiritual part of our nature + by the continual appeal that is made to it, and tend to make us, + at the same time, humble and aspiring--merciful to others and + doubtful of ourselves." + + + [From a SERMON preached at the CONSECRATION of the BISHOP of NORWICH, + by the REV. J.H. GURNEY, late of MARYLEBONE.] + + "I do not commit myself to all his theology; I may differ from the + preacher in some things, and listen doubtfully to others. But I + know of no modern sermons at once so suggestive and so + inspiriting, with reference to the whole range of Christian duty. + He is fresh and original without being recondite: plain-spoken + without severity; and discusses some of the exciting topics of the + day without provoking strife or lowering his tone as a Christian + teacher. He delivers his message, in fact, like one who is + commissioned to call men off from trifles and squabbles, and + conventional sins and follies, to something higher and nobler than + their common life: like a man in earnest, too, avoiding + technicalities, speaking his honest mind in phrases that are his + own, and with a directness from which there is no escape. O that a + hundred like him were given us by God, and placed in prominent + stations throughout our land!" + + + [GUARDIAN.] + + "Without anything of that artificial symmetry which the + traditional division into heads was apt to display, they present + each reflection in a distinct method of statement, clearly and + briefly worked out; the sentences are short and terse, as in all + popular addresses they should be; the thoughts are often very + striking, and entirely out of the track of ordinary sermonising. + In matters of doctrine such novelty is sometimes unsafe; but the + language is that of one who tries earnestly to penetrate into the + very centre of the truth he has to expound, and differs as widely + as possible from the sceptic's doubt or the controversialist's + mistake. More frequently Mr. Robertson deals with questions of + practical life, of public opinion, and of what we may call social + casuistry--turning the light of Christian ethics upon this + unnoticed though familiar ground. The use of a carriage on Sunday, + the morality of feeing a railway porter against his employers' + rules, are topics not too small for illustration or application of + his lessons in divine truth." + + + [BRIGHTON GAZETTE.] + + "As an author, Mr. Robertson was, in his lifetime, unknown; for + with the exception of one or two addresses, he never published, + having a singular disinclination to bring his thoughts before the + public in the form of published sermons. As a minister, he was + beloved and esteemed for his unswerving fidelity to his principles + and his fearless propagation of his religious views. As a + townsman, he was held in the highest estimation; his hand and + voice being ever ready to do all in his power to advance the moral + and social position of the working man. It was not till after his + decease, which event created a sensation and demonstration such as + Brighton never before or since witnessed, that his works were + subjected to public criticism. It was then found that in the + comparatively retired minister of Trinity Chapel there had existed + a man possessed of consummate ability and intellect of the highest + order; that the sermons laid before his congregation were replete + with the subtleties of intellect, and bore evidence of the keenest + perception and most exalted catholicity. His teaching was of an + extremely liberal character, and if fair to assign a man possessed + of such a universality of sympathy to any party, we should say + that he belonged to what is denominated the 'Broad Church.' We, + with many others, cannot agree in the fullest extent of his + teaching, but, at the same time, feel bound to accord the tribute + due to his genius." + + + [MORNING CHRONICLE.] + + "A volume of very excellent Sermons, by the late lamented + Incumbent of Trinity Chapel, Brighton." + + + [TITAN.] + + "But the Sermons now under notice are, we venture to say, taking + all the circumstances into consideration, the most remarkable + discourses of the age.... They are throughout vital with the + rarest force, burning with an earnestness perhaps never surpassed, + and luminous with the light of genius.... We suspect that even + Brighton little knew what a man Providence had placed in its + midst." + + * * * * * + + On the "_Analysis of Mr. Tennyson's In Memoriam_:"-- + + [GUARDIAN.] + + "An endeavour to give, in a few weighty words, the key-note (so to + speak) of each poem in the series. Those will best appreciate the + amount of success attained by Mr. Robertson who try to do the same + work better." + + * * * * * + + From a few of the Notices on Mr. Robertson's "_Lecture on the Epistles + to the Corinthians_:"-- + + + [MORNING POST.] + + "It was Mr. Robertson's custom every Sunday afternoon, instead of + preaching from one text, to expound an entire chapter of some book + in the Scriptures. The present volume is made up from notes of + fifty-six discourses of this kind. 'Some people were startled by + the introduction of what they called secular subjects into the + pulpit. But the lecturer in all his ministrations refused to + recognize the distinction so drawn. He said that the whole life of + a Christian was sacred--that common every-day doings, whether of a + trade, or of a profession, or the minuter details of a woman's + household life, were the arenas in which trial and temptation + arose; and that therefore it became the Christian minister's duty + to enter into this family working life with his people, and help + them to understand its meaning, its trials, and its + compensations.' It is enough to add that the lectures now given to + the public are written in this spirit." + + + [CRITIC.] + + "Such discourses as these before us, so different from the shallow + rhapsodies or tedious hair-splitting which are now so much in + vogue, may well make us regret that Mr. Robertson can never be + heard again in the pulpit. This single volume would in itself + establish a reputation for its writer." + + + [BRIGHTON HERALD.] + + "... Were there no name on the title-page, the spirit which, + shines forth in these lectures could but be recognized as that of + the earnest, true-hearted man, the deep thinker, the sympathizer + with all kinds of human trouble, the aspirant for all things holy, + and one who joined to these rare gifts, the faculty of speaking to + his fellow-men in such a manner as to fix their attention and win + their love.... In whatever spirit the volume is read--of doubt, of + criticism, or of full belief in the truths it teaches--it can but + do good; it can but leave behind the conviction that here was a + genuine, true-hearted man, gifted with the highest intellect, + inspired by the most disinterested motives and the purest love for + his fellow-men, and that the fountain at which he warmed his heart + and kindled his eloquence was that which flows from Christ." + + + [BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.] + + "This volume will be a welcome gift to many an intelligent and + devout mind. There are few of our modern questions, theological or + ecclesiastical, that do not come up for discussion in the course + of these Epistles to the Christians at Corinth." + + + [MORNING HERALD.] + + "No one can read these lectures without being charmed by their + singular freshness and originality of thought, their earnest, + simple eloquence, and their manly piety. There is no mawkish + sentiment, no lukewarm, semi-religious twaddle, smacking of the + _Record_; no proclamation of party views or party opinions, but a + broad, healthy, living, and fervent exposition of one of the most + difficult books in the Bible. Every page is full of personal + earnestness and depth of feeling; but every page is also free from + the slightest trace of vanity and egotism. The words come home to + the reader's heart as the utterance of a sincere man who felt + every sentence which flowed from his lips." + + + [PRESS.] + + "One of the most marked features of these lectures is the deep + feeling which the preacher had of the emptiness and hollowness of + the conventional religionism of the day. The clap-trap of popular + ministers, the pride and uncharitableness of exclusive + Evangelicalism, the pomp and pretension of ritualism and priestly + affectation--the miserable Pharisaism which is lurking underneath + them all--form the subject of many strikingly true and often + cutting remarks. He has no patience with the unrealities of + sectarian purism and pedantic orthodoxy. His constant cry, the + constant struggle of his soul is for reality. Hence while his + views of objective truth are at times deficient, or, at least, + very imperfectly stated, he leaves a deep impress of subjective + religion upon the mind, by a style of teaching which, far from + uninstructive, is yet more eminently suggestive." + + + [THE SPECTATOR.] + + "The _Notes on Genesis_--sketches more or less full of lectures on + Genesis, delivered by Mr. Robertson--will be welcomed by the many + who have read, with a profound interest, those writings of his + which have already been given to the world.... Few will be able to + read this volume without having brought before them certain + passages out of their own lives, which they will be compelled to + reconsider from a fresh point of view. As an interpreter of + Scripture also, Mr. Robertson nowhere appears to greater + advantage. While not ignoring difficult points, he is always + looking for, and never fails to find, that which is profitable and + edifying." + + From a few of the Notices on Mr. Robertson's "_The Human Race and + other Sermons_." + + + [THE ACADEMY.] + + "It need not be said that there is here much that is beautiful and + happily expressed." + + + [THE BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.] + + "The volume is as fresh and striking and suggestive as any of its + predecessors. For unconventional and spiritual conceptions of + Bible teachings; for unexpected, penetrating, and practical + applications of them, and for general spiritual truth and force, + these Sermons and Notes of Sermons are as noble as their + predecessors." + + + [THE ENGLISH CHURCHMAN.] + + "We are glad to see the publication of the eloquent Sermons now + before us, especially those of a devout and practical character, + such as those on the human race and education." + + + [THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.] + + "These Sermons exhibit many of those features of unsurpassable + excellence which have gained for the preacher a reputation which + has had no equal in our time. They are full of thought and + suggestiveness, and are marked by that rare beauty of style which + Mr. Robertson's readers have learned to associate with all his + Sermons. His devoted admirers--and how numerous they are--will be + sure to place this new volume upon their shelves." + + + + + A SELECTION FROM THE + + NOTICES BY THE PRESS OF + + "THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF THE LATE + + REV. F.W. ROBERTSON." + + + + + [THE SPECTATOR.] + + "No book published since the 'Life of Dr. Arnold' has produced so + strong an impression on the moral imagination and spiritual + theology of England as we may expect from these volumes. Even for + those who knew Mr. Robertson well, and for many who knew _him_, as + they thought, better than his Sermons, the free and full + discussion of the highest subjects in the familiar letters so + admirably selected by the Editor of Mr. Robertson's _Life_, will + give a far clearer insight into his remarkable character and + inspire a deeper respect for his clear and manly intellect. Mr. + Brooke has done his work as Dr. Stanley did his in writing the + 'Life of Arnold,' and it is not possible to give higher praise.... + Everyone will talk of Mr. Robertson, and no one of Mr. Brooke, + because Mr. Brooke has thought much of his subject, nothing of + himself, and hence the figure which he wished to present comes out + quite clear and keen, without any interposing haze of literary + vapour." + + + [THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.] + + "The Life of Robertson of Brighton supplies a very unique + illustration of the way in which a man may attain his highest fame + after he has passed away from earth. There are few who make any + pretension to an acquaintance with modern literature who do not + know something of Mr. Robertson's works. His sermons are + indisputably ranked with the highest sacred classics.... The + publication of his 'Life and Letters' helps us to some information + which is very precious, and explains much mystery that hangs + around the name of the great Brighton preacher. It will be + generally admitted that these two volumes will furnish means for + estimating the character of Mr. Robertson which are not supplied + in any or all of his published works.... There was no + artificiality or show about the pulpit production, no + half-utterances or whispers of solemn belief; but there was the + natural restraint which would be imposed by a true gentleman upon + his words when speaking to mixed congregations. Many of us wanted + to know how he talked and wrote when the restraint was removed. + This privilege is granted to us in these volumes.... There was no + romance of scene and circumstance in the life of Frederick + Robertson; but there was more than romance about the real life of + the man. In some respects it was like the life of a new Elijah.... + A more thoughtful, suggestive, and beautiful preacher never + entered a pulpit; a simpler and braver man never lived; a truer + Christian never adorned any religious community. His life and + death were _vicarious_, as he himself might have put it. He lived + and died for others, for us all. The sorrows and agonies of his + heart pressed rare music out of it, and the experience of a + terribly bitter life leaves a wealth of thought and reflection + never more than equalled in the history of men." + + + [THE GUARDIAN.] + + "With all drawbacks of what seem to us imperfect taste, an + imperfect standard of character, and an imperfect appreciation of + what there is in the world beyond a given circle of interest, the + book does what a biography ought to do--it shows us a remarkable + man, and it gives us the means of forming our own judgment about + him. It is not a tame panegyric or a fancy picture. The main + portion of the book consists of Mr. Robertson's own letters, and + his own account of himself, and we are allowed to see him, in a + great degree at least, as he really was.... It is the record of a + genuine spontaneous character, seeking its way, its duty, its + perfection, with much sincerity and elevation of purpose, many + anxieties and sorrows, and not, we doubt not, without much of the + fruits that come with real self-devotion; a record disclosing a + man with great faults and conspicuous blanks in his nature." + + + [THE MORNING POST.] + + "Mr. Brooke has done good service in giving to the world so + faithful a sketch of so worthy a man. It would have been a + reproach to the Church if this enduring and appropriate memorial + had not been erected to one who was so entirely devoted to its + service; and the labour of love, for such it evidently was, was + committed to no unskilful hands.... Mr. Robertson's epistolary + writings--gathered in these valuable volumes--often unstudied, + always necessarily from their nature free and unrestrained, but + evidencing depth and vigour of thought, clear perception, varied + knowledge, sound judgment, earnest piety, are doubtless destined + to become as widely known and as largely beneficial as his + published Sermons. It is impossible to peruse them without + receiving impressions for good, and being persuaded that they are + the offspring of no ordinary mind." + + + [THE MORNING HERALD.] + + "Mr. Brooke has done his own work as a biographer with good sense, + feeling, and taste.... These volumes are of real value to all + thoughtful readers. For many a year we have had no such picture of + a pure and noble and well spent life." + + + [THE ATHENAEUM.] + + "There is something here for all kinds of readers, but the higher + a man's mind and the more general his sympathies, the keener will + be his interest in the 'Life of Robertson.'" + + + [THE NONCONFORMIST.] + + "As no English sermons of the century have been so widely read, + and as few leaders of religious thought have exerted (especially + by works in so much of an unperfected and fragmentary character) + so penetrating and powerful an influence on the spiritual + tendencies of the times, we can well believe that no biography + since Arnold's will presently be possible to be compared with + this, for the interest excited by it in the minds of readers who + consciously live in the presence of the invisible and eternal, who + feel the pressure of difficult questions and painful experiences, + and who seek reality and depth, and freedom in the life and + activity of the Church of Christ.... Mr. Brooke has produced a + 'Life of Robertson' which will not unworthily compare with Dean + Stanley's 'Life of Arnold,' and which, with that, and Ryland's + 'Life of Foster,' and the 'Life of Channing,' is likely to be + prized as one of the most precious records of genuine manly and + godly excellence." + + + [THE MORNING STAR.] + + "The beautiful work which Mr. Brooke has written contains few, if + any, romantic episodes. It is the life of a man who worked hard + and died early.... Mr. Brooke has acted wisely in allowing Mr. + Robertson to speak so fully for himself, and in blending his + letters with his narrative, and arranging them in chronological + order. These letters are in themselves a mine of intellectual + wealth. They contain little of table-talk or parlour gossip: but + they abound with many of his best and most ripened thoughts on + multitudes of subjects, political, literary, and scientific, as + well as theological. We wish we could present our readers with + extracts from them; but even if we had space, it would be unfair + to the writer to quote disjointed fragments from a correspondence + which now belongs to the literature of the country.... Mr. Brooke + has performed his responsible task as a biographer and an editor + in a spirit of just and discriminating appreciation, and with + admirable ability." + + + + LONDON: PRINTED BY + SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE + AND PARLIAMENT STREET + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sermons Preached at Brighton +by Frederick W. 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