Christ is all

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CHRIST IS ALL.

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STEPHEN H. TYW, D:I).

B E C T 0 R Itfi" ■ ST . ; O'jE 0 R T E * e* e H U R'C H ,
,^^,Vi YORK.

NEW YORK:

ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS,
No. 285 BROADWAY.

1849.

flA^

THE MEW YORK
PUBLIC LlCnAHY

«TOR, LENOX AND
T!LD-N FCUNOATIONS.

R 191* . ■ L

ENT«KKD,'apcctr(Jing b> 'Act of Congfefitf,' i>i <(^e year 1848, by

• • ■ S 1 -E P H E PT K . T Y N'G ,

In the Clerk's Office oi fix-) District Court of the United States for the
Souti<<m DiscriJt of N3't York.

STSRKOTTPKD BY THOMAS B. SMITH,
216 WILLIAM STRKET, N. T.

INTRODUCTION.

— N/N/NA/S/^—

The great kindness with which his former pub-
lications have been received in the Christian com-
munity, has emboldened the Author to oifer also
the present work to their acceptance. His object
in it is a very distinct Qne. How far it has been
successfully accomplished, he does not presume to
judge. His purpose, and wish a^^o, to display the
spiritual safety of man, as found solely in his per-
sonal union, by a living faith, to Christ; — a faith
which is of the operation of God ; the work of the
Holy Ghost within the heart. He believes that
there is a very extending tendency and dis-
position displayed in the current writings upon
the subjects of spiritual instruction, to exalt that
which is outward and visible in religious profes-
sion, above that which is inward and spiritual in
religious experience. It is a tendency which
goes far towards making the real work of the
Holy Spirit upon the heart, appear fanatical and
contemptible, while it elevates the means and

4 INTRODUCTION.

agencies which are in the hands of man, into an
undue place of honour and regard. It almost
completely substitutes the outward church for
Christ himself; and the form of godliness for its
power. It is often united with a mysticism
of expression, which wears a false appearance
of depth of thought ; and a serious earnestness of
statement, which would claim the aspect of a real
reverence for truth. Against this whole system
of ecclesiastical exaltation, the author of this work
feels a deep repugnance, as being unscriptural in
its character, and destructive of true spiritual
piety in its operation. . W:^thvout a direct or
avowed conflict wilh 'the principles of this system
of error, as he esteems it, he has attempted in
these pages, to state, to the best of his ability,
the opposite principles of Gospel truth. He has
avoided all attempts at fine speech, or newly-
invented terms, upon this great subject, and has
endeavoured to state his views of truth, in the
simplest and most intelligible manner. His single
object, is really to exalt and honour the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to be the instrument of gather-
ing the souls of others unto him. If the Gracious
Saviour shall please so to employ and bless his
labours, the whole purpose of his efforts will be
accomplished. He has no wish to deprecate crit-
icism, if his work is considered worthy even of so

INTRODUCTION. 5

mifch notice ; for he believes the principles here
taught, to be the principles of eternal and un-
changeable truth. They are the Gospel, for
which he must contend, and which it is impos-
sible for him to yield. Living or dying, all his
hope and all his desire are indissolubly bound to
the great and precious truths which are here pro-
claimed. May God the Spirit, lead his readers to
accept and rejoice in the same truths ; by giving
them a living, spiritual union with the Glorious
Saviour of sinners ! — May they find Him to be in
life, or in death, their everlasting portion ! And
in a blessed and blissful eternity, may it be their
privilege to exclaim, from the consciousness of an
unalterable possession of this Mighty Redeemer,
as their own Lord, " Christ is all."

S. H. T.

St. George's Church,
New York, November 1, 1848.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

Page

I.

CHRIST IS ALL.

• .

9

II.

IN CHRIST.

Retrospection,

24

III.

do.

do.

39

IV.

do.

Enjoyment, . . . .

52

V.

do.

Hope,

66

VI.

do.

Security,

80

VII.

do.

Honour,

93

VIII.

do.

Responsibility,

105

IX.

do.

The Life op Faith,

118

X.

do.

The Spiritual Call,

132

XI.

do.

Oneness in Christ,

148

XII.

WITH CHRIST.

Introduction,

163

XIII.

do.

Rest,

177

XIV.

do.

Holiness, Removal of

Obstacles,

190

XV.

do.

Aids to Holiness,

204

XVI.

do.

Heavenly Joy,

218

XVII.

do.

Heavenly Worship,

232

XVIII.

do.

The Saviour's Glory,

249

XIX.

do.

Preparation,

263

XX.

WITHOUT CHRIST

Difficulties,

. 276

XXI.

do.

Contests,

. 289

XXII.

do.

Unhappiness,

. 303

XXIII.

do.

Dangers,

. 317

XXIV.

do.

Guilt, .

. 330

XXV.

do.

Possible Excellences,

343

XXVI.

do.

Necessary Deficiencies

, 356

XXVII.

do.

Solemn Anticipations,

369

CHEIST IS ALL,

Colossi ANS, iii. 11.

CHAPTER I.

The spiritual character and the eternal inter-
ests of man are both wholly dependant upon his
personal relation to the Lord Jesus Christ, the ap-
pointed Saviour of mankind. The proposition of
the text refers to this spiritual salvation of man ;
and it must be received as entirely unlimited in
its affirmation. In reference to this w^hole work
of grace for the soul of man, " Christ is all." The
sinner's deliverance from the penalty and the
power of sin, and his reinstatement in the family
and the favour of God, are accomplished for him,
exclusively by the Saviour himself. In the great
undertaking of redeeming mercy, which was to
give the victory to man. His arm brought salva-
tion to him. In the atoning sufferings which
were to be endured for man. He trod the wine-
press alone. The righteousness which was to be
finished for man's justification. He hath perfected
and brought in for divine acceptance in man's be-
half. By one offering of Himself, once offered, He
hath perfected forever, them that are sanctified.
All fulness dwells in him. Exceeding riches of
grace are laid up in him. And from his fulness

10 CHRIST IS ALL.

we receive grace for grace. The righteousness of
God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, is unto all,
and upon all that believe. There is no difference.
Men are justified freely by the grace of God,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ;
and being justified by faith, they have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. In this re-
spect, referring to man's acceptance with God,
" Christ is all." He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not
life.

But the apostle makes the affirmation also, in
reference to the inward work of man's sanctifica-
tion. In the putting on of that new man, which
is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him
that created him,— that setting of man's affections
on things above, and mortifying his members
which are upon the earth, — which distinguish
those who are risen with Christ, " Christ is all."
By his Spirit, in obedience to his will, and after
the pattern of his holiness, this work of new crea-
tion is carried on and completed; so that man
becomes a new man, renewed in holiness, be-
cause by the ingrafting power of the Holy Spirit,
he is in Christ, and has put on Christ. Christ is of
God, made unto man, wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption ; so that he
that glorieth, must glory wholly and only in the
Lord. The great question therefore which is to
be settled in regard to every man, as deciding
the whole condition of his soul, is the relation in
which he stands to the Lord Jesus Christ. In
this great and all important concern, " Christ is
all."

CHRIST IS ALL. 11

In displaying this personal relation of man to
the Son of God, the Holy Scriptures exhibit his
condition as threefold. Every descendant of man,
is either " in Christ," or " with Christ,'^ or " with-
out Christ." These three descriptions include the
whole race, and in reference to each, " Christ is
all." To be in Christ, is to be in a state of grace
and spiritual security on earth, in preparation for
a future state of blessedness and glory. " If any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old
things are passed away : behold all things are
become new." To be with Christ, is to be in a
final state of exaltation and bliss. " Having a
desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is
far better." To be without Christ, is to be in a
condition of entire spiritual destitution, guilt, and
misery. " At that time, ye were without Christ,
having no hope, and without God in the world."
The state of every man living, whether in the
present, or in the unseen world, is described, by
one or the other, of these three expressions. No
child of Adam can be found, who is not either in
a state of unpardoned guilt, and thus without
Christ ; or pardoned, and in a state of acceptance
with God, and thus in Christ ; or in a state of
eternal blessedness and reward, and thus with
Christ. And in each of these conditions, every
thing connected with the state and prospects
of the soul, depends upon this one fact. " Christ
is all." The whole misery of the guilty man, in
time and in eternity, arises from his being with-
out Christ. The whole security and comfort of
the pardoned man, springs from his being in
Christ. The whole blessedness of the glorified

12 CHRIST IS ALL.

man, is comprised in the one fact, that he is with
Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is himself the fountain
of all blessings to the soul of man. Union with
him, partnership in his possessions, whether in
the present state of grace, or in the future, final
state of glory, is the secure possession of every
thing, which can be to the soul of man, at all
desirable. Man can ask nothing more, to enrich
him with all conceivable blessings, than to have
a real fellowship, and connection, with the Saviour
of mankind; and that fellowship made perma-
nent and everlasting. Such a fellowship must
open to his endless enjoyment, rivers of pleasure,
of the purest and the most satisfying character.
If he is one with Christ, all things adapted to
promote his joy, or to enlarge his glory, become
his forever. He is enriched with all spiritual
blessings in Christ, and all things are his, —
whether things present, or things to come, — be-
cause he is Christ's, and Christ is his. For the
same reason, separation from Christ, is the neces-
sary loss of every thing which the soul of man
can desire. There can be no peace to man in
this condition, whatever other circumstances of
outward advantage he may possess, — because
Christ alone is our peace, and alone is able to
speak peace, whether to him that is far off, or to
him that is nigh. Man has nothing more to dread j
and if his eyes were open to the truth, he would
dread nothing more, than to be thus cut off from
the only Redeemer of the guilty soul, — shut out
from his favour, and obliged to spend his present
time, and his future eternity, without a participa-

CHRIST IS ALL. 13

tion in the mercies which this gracious Redeemer
alone bestows. The presence of the Saviour
makes a heaven of blessedness for the redeemed ;
comforting them in every possible trial of an
earthly state ; and establishing them in the
inconceivable, and unchangeable glories of an
everlasting world. Banishment from the Saviour,
leaving the guilty forever under the burden and
power of their own iniquities, is a punishment in
itself, greater than a sinful creature can bear.
When he says, therefore, " Depart from me, ye
cursed," it is a sentence overwhelming in itself,
in the relation in which man stands to him, the
only source of light and life to the soul, — even
though he had not added, " into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels."

This threefold condition of man in his relation
to the Saviour, I purpose, with the Lord's bless-
ing, to consider in the following pages. I would
exhibit, the state of man by nature, — the state of
man in grace, — and the state of man in glory. My
object is to consider him, in each of these con-
ditions, in his relation to the Saviour of mankind ;
and to display, in various aspects, and illustra-
tions, the all-important fact, that in the vast con-
cerns of man's redemption, " Christ is all ;" — has
accomplished all the work, — bestows all the
benefits, — and is entitled to all the glory.

To the man in Christ, " Christ is all." He is
personally the source and fountain of all the bless-
ings which such a man enjoys ; and is himself
the greatest and most precious of all gifts, — the
unspeakable gift of God to him. The complete
redemption of man, in all the particular acts and

14 CHRIST IS ALL.

works of mercy which constitute it, is to be found
in Christ. And whether you view the whole as
one divine work, or pass into an examination of
each of the particulars which is comprised within
it, the assertion remains unchanged. " Christ is
all." The pardon of his sin is in Christ. His
iniquities have been laid upon the Saviour, who
has become a ransom in his stead, — and as was
figured in the ceremony of the scape-goat, — he
has taken them completely away, and made an
end of sin for him, in its condemnation and its
penalty, by enduring that condemnation in his
own body, once for all. There is therefore now,
no condemnation for them that are in Christ
Jesus. God sees not iniquity in them, but has
blotted out, as a thick cloud, all their transgres-
sions.

The justification of his soul is in Christ. It
was the perfect obedience of this one Saviour,
which magnified the law, and made it honorable.
His obedience was a righteousness, spotless and
everlasting. With this, imputed to his servants, he
has covered them as with a robe. For this obe-
dience, he was justified ; and declared to be justi-
fied, in his resurrection from the dead ; — for death,
in consequence of it, could have no dominion over
him. By this obedience, they also are justified,
partakers of his justification, receiving the right-
ousness of God, by faith. And having thus passed
from death unto life, in the entire and everlasting
reversal of the sentence of God concerning them,
they receive that crown of this perfect righteous-
ness, which the Lord the righteous Judge, shall
give them in the last day. The conversion and

CHRIST IS ALL. 15

regeneration of the man in Christ, is also in Christ.
It is by the power of the Spirit of Christ, — and
through the operation of the truth of Christ, — and
by the influence of the love of Christ, — that he
has been brought from Satan unto God. The
Holy Spirit dwelling within him, brings him unto
Jesus, for every grace, — and shows him, that He
is the light and the salvation of his soul. His
progress in grace, is all in Christ ; — he lives in
Christ, — and walks in Christ, — and is growing up
into Him who is the head, by the power of His
Spirit which dwells within him. If he looks for
the source of his gifts, he finds it in Christ. If
he considers the origin of his hopes, this also is
in Christ. If he contemplates his path of duty,
or his personal responsibility ; — the work which
he must do, — or the strength by which he must
do it, — or the authority under which it must be
done, — or the account which he must give for it,
when it is done, — " Christ is all." He returns
from every meditation upon his personal condition,
in all its aspects, whether of the joys which he
receives, — or the consolations which attend his
trials, — or the trials which are made the means
of consolations, — or the sorrow which he feels for
sin, — or the forgiveness which comforts him in
his sorrow, — or his hope of acceptance at a Fa-
ther's throne, — or his prospect of perseverance
in the path of earthly duty, — or his desire for
the spirit of adoption, to make that path peaceful
and happy, — or his inheritance in the kingdom
of his Father ; — he returns from every meditation
upon each of these subjects of most serious an'd
absorbing thought, to say, — " Christ is all." He

16 CHRIST IS ALL.

becomes more simply determined, to know noth-
ing else, in his soul's relations, and more invol-
untarily convinced, that there is nothing else
to know. And however self-righteousness may
reject, or unbelief may despise, this Glorious Re-
deemer ; his simple faith lays hold upon Him, in
the exclamation, " This is all my salvation and
all my desire :" — " Here will I dwell, for I have
a delight therein ; and this shall be my heritage
forever, for it is the very joy of my heart."

To the man with Christy " Christ is all." It is
His gracious presence, which makes an abode of
peace, and a recompense of reward, for His peo-
ple. His promise was, that they should be with
Him, and behold His glory. He went before
them, as a forerunner, to prepare a place for
them, — that where He was, they might also be.
And however partial, and general in other re-
spects, are the revelations of this future state of
glory, they are all combined in this one fact,
most clearly displayed, the presence of Christ, —
and they are made dependant upon this. The
living, inward principle, of true religion upon
earth, is an abiding, conscious love for Christ, —
exciting the soul to desire, — and enabling it to
prepare for, the personal presence of the Being,
thus truly and ardently loved. And in every
anticipation of a coming glory, to a really spirit-
ual mind, — the expression of its feeling towards
a beloved Redeemer is, " Whom have I in hea-
ven, but Thee ? and there is none upon the earth,
that I desire in comparison with Thee." In the
present joys of a state of salvation, " Christ is all."
These depend not upon the outward circum-

CHRIST IS ALL, 17

stances of advantage or disadvantage, in which
a man is placed, but upon the conscious enjoy-
ment of the presence of a Saviour with tlie soul ;
and a clear and reasonable assurance of a per-
sonal interest in Him. They are often higher
and purer, when man is destitute of all outward
ministrations, and is compelled, by the Provi-
dence which guides him, to go up from the
wilderness of life, leaning upon this beloved
Lord alone. The peace of God, which passeth
understanding, keeps the hearts and minds of
the people of God, through Christ Jesus alone.
It depends upon the degree of simplicity and
affection with which He is confided in, and em-
braced ; and is as sure and abiding to the truly
believing soul, in the seclusion of the chamber
of sickness, or in the dungeon of confinement,
as amidst any or all of the outward ministra-
tions and means of the earthly sanctuary. The
more completely Christ becomes all to the soul,
the more certain and elevated its joys become.
And on the other hand, the nearer a soul ap-
proaches in character, and in enjoyment, to the
blessedness and glory of a state of heavenly
reward, — the more simply and entirely it finds
its all, of provision, and joy, and hope, laid up
in Christ. With this divinely imparted spirit,
it is prepared for glory, and rendered meet for
the inheritance of the saints in light. In the
possession and exercise of this spirit, it enters
into life. And it is this habit and state of mind
and affection, which places the soul perfectly
and at once, at home where to every redeemed
being, " Christ is all," and the fulness of the Di-

18 CHRIST IS ALL.

vine glory shines forth for all in the face of
Jesus Christ. If you could conceive, that the
Saviour should be separated or absent, from
such an expected and offered reward ; — that the
redeemed man, who has lived upon the earth,
only as he lived in Christ, and stood fast in the
Lord ; who was taught by the Holy Spirit, to
grow up into Christ in all things ; who has been
happy only in the anticipation of a Saviour's
presence ; and would have been wretched, could
he have been deprived of this anticipation ; —
should find no Saviour there, — should search
in vain for the Lord whom he loved ; — there
would be no heaven for him. Every hope
which he had cherished would expire in dis-
appointment ; and in perfect emptiness of spirit,
would he ask, " Tell me, where is He, whom
my soul loveth." Crowds of angelic beings
would be nothing to him. All the beautiful
illustrations which the sacred Scriptures contain,
made actual realities, would not satisfy a single
want. To his soul, — fed with hope of the pres-
ence of Christ, and accustomed to look forward
with joy unspeakable, to the hour when he
should be like Him, and see Him as he is, — the
universe would be emptiness, if He were not
there. This divine presence gives attraction and
charm to every other provision, which grace has
made for him, in the riclies of glory ; and is itself,
the chief attraction and glory of the state, which
thus derives every thing from it. For what is
heaven, but a complete elevation and establish-
ment of pure religion to the soul ? Whence can
such joy ever arise, but from the love of Christ ?

CHRIST IS ALL. 19

In the joys of anticipation here, to the spiritual
mind, " Christ is alj." In the future state, anti-
cipation has become possession ; and to the man
with Christ, it is this possession which consti-
tutes his bhss. There, " Christ is all." And all
joys abound upon him, because he is with Christ.
To the man without Christ, " Christ is all.'* Not
in the possession of such a Saviour, — because he
is without Christ. But in his actual state of need,
and guilt, and sorrow, all his wants are comprised
in this one fact of destitution, that he has no Sa-
viour. The difficulties which press him, arise
from this one want. Could this want be supplied,
every grief would be banished, and every danger
would be removed forever. And whether you
view him, in his condition on earth, or in a future
state of recompense, this fact is unchanged ; — could
you bring him to Christ, and unite him in love
and faith to Him, at any period of his progress,
you would change all his mourning into joy, and
wipe away all tears from his eyes. In the pres-
ent earthly condition of the man without Christ, a
change of this one fact would make an entire
change in all the facts which constitute or affect
his state. The works impossible for him to per-
form, and which must notwithstanding be finished,
would be found completed in a SaA-iour. The
dangers from which he can never escape in any
strength or wisdom of his own, would be found
removed forever by the divine power of his Lord.
The sorrows which now crush him with their bur-
den, and which can only increase as time passes
away, would find an adequate and perfect conso-
lation in Jesus. The sinner would become a new

20 CHRIST IS ALL.

man in all his relations, and find nothing left for
him to desire, but a constant increase in the know-
ledge and love of this glorious and accepted Re-
deemer. Every longing of his soul would be
satisfied, when blessed with this full salvation.
The reality of this statement has been already
proved, in all the millions of instances, in which
men have been brought from the darkness of their
guilt to the marvellous light of the Gospel.
Herein they do rejoice, — yea, and will rejoice,
receiving the end of their faith, even the salvation
of their souls. They are filled with all hope, and
joy, and peace in believing, because they are no
longer strangers and foreigners, — aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and without God in the
world, — but have put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and have access unto the Father, through Him, by
the Holy Ghost. Could the same mighty Saviour
be offered and accepted in hell, there would be
hell no more. Redemption offered and accepted
through the blood of Jesus, would transform all
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction into ves-
sels of mercy, meet for the Master's use; — would
change the groans of bitterness into songs of
praise ; — would bring deliverance to the captive,
and let the oppressed go free. It is the eternal
impossibility of this, — the everlasting absence
of a Saviour, — the fearful fact, that no anointed
Redeemer can ever go into that world to save
sinners, — which constitutes the gloom and wretch-
edness of that abode of despair, and shuts out
every ray of hope, and light, from the souls who
are condemned to be without Christ forever.
Because they have rejected Him, He hath also

CHRIST IS ALL. 21

rejected them. He will laugh at their calamity,
and mock when their fear cometh. They may
call upon Him, but He will not answer. They
may seek Him early, but they shall not find Him.
Yet though this transformation of their condition
is impossible, the fact remains the same, that
" Christ is all'' for them. Their wants are all com-
prised in that which He has done. Their sorrows
all arise from their despising and rejecting of this
one provided Saviour. They are miserable for-
ever, because they are forever without Christ.
Their wretchedness in this condition is extreme,
and cannot be alleviated ; — because the Lord
whom they have rejected, visits them no more,
and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but
a fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indig-
nation, which shall devour the adversaries of God.
Whether, therefore, the man without Christ be
in a state of probation, or in a state of recompense,
" Christ is all" to him, — he needs nothing else.
Could he gain an interest and portion in Him, he
would have every thing laid up in Him, and all
things would become his, because he is Christ's.
The importance of the truth which has been
here laid open, cannot be magnified. Every thing
for you depends upon this one fact. The impor-
tance of a distinct statement of such truth to you,
is equally great. Unfaithfuhiess in ministration
on this point is ruin to the souls of men. The
ministers of the Gospel are sent to teach and to
preach the Lord Jesus Christ, and to persuade
men not to receive the grace of God in vain. The
weapons of their warfare are not carnal, but spir-
itual, and mighty through God, to the pulling

22 CHRIST IS ALL.

down of strongholds, and bringing every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Clirist. The
instrument of their influence and power, is not an
oflicial authority residing in them, but the preach-
ing of the Gospel w^ith the Holy Ghost sent down
from Heaven. The method by which you be-
come partakers of the blessing, is not by any in-
corporation in outw ard ordinances or services, but
by an acceptance of the truth in your hearts, by
the Holy Ghost who is given unto you. And as
freely as Christ is offered to you, — to be all your
salvation, — so freely is He to be accepted by you,
as having every thing laid up in himself for you.
We do not labour, therefore, to lead you to a
mere external union with an earthly church, but
to bring you to a spiritual, inward fellow ship with
Christ, — a fellowship which you will attain and
enjoy, when it is. given you on behalf of God, by
His Holy Spirit, to believe on His name. We urge
you therefore to receive Christ Jesus the Lord;
to be rooted and built up in him ; to renounce all
works of your own, that you may find your right-
eousness in him. We urge you to count every
thing but loss for Christ's' sake ; to lose your own
life, — all confidence in any inward power of your
own to live, — for Him, that you may find in Him
a life eternal, — a life hidden with Him in God;
that when He shall appear, you may also appear
with Him in glory. O ! it is this coming to Christ,
in the conscious emptiness of a craving nature, —
this hungering and thirsting after Him ; this feed-
ing upon Him in the soul, eating and drinking
Him in the delighted resting of the spirit upon
Him ; making Him alone your life and your sal-

CHRIST IS ALL. 23

vation ; seeking every thing in Him, contented
that every thing for you, should dwell in Him for-
ever ; — it is this transferring of the soul, in all its
hopes, and fears, and aims, and doubts, and vs orks,
and responsibilities, completely to Him, — this tak-
ing of Him in exchange for the soul, this embracing
of Him in the work which he has finished, and the
work which he only is able to finish ; this simple,
determined abiding at his feet, in confidence
amidst all doubts, in affectionate trust amidst
all fears, with entwining adherence amidst all
temptations ; — it is this, which gives life to the
soul, and then preserves it, in the life which it
has imparted. It is this which removes all dan-
gers, settles all difficulties, bestows all gifts, and
establishes the soul in grace, and keeps it by the
power of God, through faith unto salvation. Hith-
er, then, let sinners gather with unfeigned repen-
tance. Here let saints abide in living faith. All
shall be one in Christ Jesus; and every hand-
writing which is against you, and contrary to you,
shall be blotted out, and taken away, and nailed
forever to his cross, by this one almighty, all-
sufficient, Saviour of guilty, perishing man.

IN CHRIST,

I KNEW A MAN IN CHRIST.— 2 Corinthians, xii. 2.

CHAPTER 11.
RETROSPECTION,

I HAVE selected this simple statement of the
Apostle, because it precisely affirms the one great
fact of man's condition, which I desire now
to present to the consideration of my readers.
" In Christ." It is a state of hope, of grace,
and of acceptance with God. It is the condition
of those who have been begotten again by the
power of the Holy Ghost, to the enjoyment of
a lively hope, through the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Several dif-
ferent aspects of this spiritual condition I desire,
by the Divine blessing, to present to your notice.
They will be all designed to bear upon the one
great point of our previous consideration, " Christ
is all." The Apostle says, "I knew a man in
Christ." Let us adopt his expression, and con-
sider some of the facts which distinguish such a
nian, from other men who are " without Christ."
Of this peculiar condition of man, what have we
known ?

The title Christ points out the official char-
acter of the glorious Son of God, as the anointed

IN CHRIST. 25

Saviour of mankind. To be in Christ is there-
fore readily understood to mean, to be a partaker
of the benefits of tliose gracious offices which the
Son of God has been anointed to fulfil ; to have
embraced the blessed Gospel which this Saviour
has proclaimed, and the religion which He has
established among men, in sincere faith and
love ; to have been made personally one with
Him, by his Holy Spirit living and dwelling in
the soul, and forming Him there, as the hope of
glory ; to be a Christian not only in outward
profession, by union with the ordinances of the
visible church, but in heart and character also,
by the washing of regeneration, and the renew-
ing of the Holy Ghost. The expression indicates
a completely new condition of being in relation to
his Divine Redeemer and Lord, to which a man
has been brought by the power of God ; a con-
dition which is filled with varied retrospections,
and prospects and experiences, both of joys and
griefs, entirely peculiar to itself. The statement
of this new condition immediately calls to mind,
a period of life, at which the man was brought
to this new state ; and the power, and the means,
by which he was led from being " without
Christ," his natural condition of want and dan-
ger, to be "in Christ," his present state of secu-
rity and peace.

He was inwardly convinced of sin by the Holy
Ghost, because he believed not in Christ. By
the same Spirit, he was led in godly sorrow
for sin, to seek the Saviour whom he had before
rejected, that he might win Him, and be found
in Him This Saviour, offered to him, and found

2

26 IN CHRIST.

"by him, in the open revelation of His Gospel,
he received as his own Redeemer with grati-
tude and joy. He embraced the message which
presented him, with sincere faith, as a personal
message from God. He was thus justified freely
by the grace of God, through the redemption
which was provided in Jesus Christ the Lord.
He was thus engrafted by the Holy Spirit into
Christ, and made one body with Him. And
now in regard to his relation to God, and to his
standing before God, he is " in Christ ;" known
and received, as a member of Christ ; and made
an eternal partaker of all His glory and triumph.
Of such an one, the Apostle says, " I knew a
man in Christ," — a man who was accepted be-
fore God, in Christ as his perfect righteousness,
and was made a partaker of the Divine nature,
in Christ as his entire sanctification. Of some
of the attributes and characteristics of such a
man, I wish to vspeak.

I knew him, standing at a point for most im-
portant and useful retrospection. I knew him, in
a situation, in the experience, and the interests
of his spiritual being, from which, he might look
back, with great profit and advantage, upon the
diiferent events and characteristics of his past
life.

The powers of memory and reflection have
been given to man, that he may acquire and
employ for his future benefit the full advantage
of his own experience in life that is past. True
wisdom will lead him often to sit down, and
recall to mind, events through which he has
passed; difficulties which he has been enabled

IN CHRIST. 27

to overcome ; and trials of character and feeling
which he has been required to endure. Even
in the limited and transitory concerns of his
present life, he finds it useful and necessary,
to permit the errors of former days to teach him
a wiser system of labour and improvement for
the time to come; and thus to gain valuable
instruction, even from the follies w^hich memory
recounts. The man who is in Christ, renewed
in the spirit of his mind, and sustaining an en-
tirely new relation towards God, from his con-
nection with his Gracious Saviour, looks back
from his present condition of happiness and
safety, both upon the old things, which have
passed away ; and upon the beginnings of the
things which have been made new. Some few
facts, which are contained in this useful retro-
spection, first of the old things which have passed
away, it will be profitable for us to consider.

From his present position of gracious acceptance
with God, he looks back upon his former hardness
of heart, under the dispensations of divine mercy,
with amazement. The heavenly messages of the
Gospel, which now so deeply affect his soul, and
call into exercise the most tender and anxious
feelings of his nature, in his former condition, pro-
duced upon him no softening impression. The
contrast between his present and his former state
of mind, in regard to the power and influence of
the divine word upon him, fills him with aston-
ishment. Then, the terrors of God did not per-
suade him, whether they spake in the awakening
dealings of a Divine Providence, or in the solemn
threatenings to the ungodly, of a judgment to

28 IN CHRIST.

come. The fidelity of Christian ministers often
seemed to him, the mere cant of their profession.
The solemnity and earnestness of their appeals to
his conscience, he considered a mere artifice for
influence and effect. The wonderful love of
Christ for a lost world, did not attract or move
him. The affectionate entreaties of the Gospel,
so exciting, now that their need is felt, then passed
upon his ear without a trace behind. The fre-
quent repetition of the Saviour's name, in the
ministration of his word, now to him like the
sweetest fragrance poured out, was tedious and
annoying. The daily long-suffering of God, now
so manifest, and so arresting to his attention, was
then unnoticed, and produced in him no repent-
ance. He thought not of God, nor of any of His
marvellous works. The word of God, now so
filled to his mind, with the riches of wisdom and
knowledge, opening to him views of truth, so
exhilarating and so delightful, conveyed no salu-
tary teachings to him then. The letter w as some-
times read, but its spirit was unfelt and unnoticed.
In his present condition, when the whole effect
of God's gracious dispensations upon his mind and
heart, is so different, he cannot but be amazed at
his former carelessness and inattention. He finds
it difficult to account for a state of affection and
character, which was so unsuited to his necessary
dependance upon God, and so unworthy of his
ability to enjoy and honour him. He is sometimes
ready to imagine, that the Saviour could not have
spoken to him then, as he does now.' He is now
surprised to observe in others, under faithful ex-
hibitions of the truth, which arrest every thought,

IN CHRIST, 29

and awaken every energy of his own mind, — the
same total unconcern which once marked himself.
He looks back upon this native hardness of heart
towards God, in himself, with unqualified amaze-
ment and distress. But it is one of the old things
which have passed away. And grieved as he is,
in contemplating it, he is able to say, " Such
indeed was I ; but I have been washed from this
guilt in the blood of Christ my Lord ; and by the
Spirit of God, have been brought from this state
of darkness and hardness of heart, to the marvel-
lous light and love which shine forth in the Lord
Jesus Christ."

He looks back ii2:)on his former devotion to this
perishing world with shame. He has now been
taught to make the Apostle's comparison, between
the things which are seen, and are temporal, and
the things which are unseen, and are eternal ;
and he reckons with him, that the one are not
worthy to be compared with the other. As the
practical result of this contrast, he forgets the
things which are behind, as objects of his desire
and pursuit, and reaching after the things before,
presses forward, that he may lay hold on eternal
life. But from this, his present state of mind, he
looks back upon one which was very different
from it. There was a time, when the pleasures
of the world attracted him, and he loved them.
The seductive scenes of giddiness and mirth
invited his affections, and he yielded to their in-
fluence. It formed, then, no part of his plan to
ask counsel of God. It was no repelling fact to
him, that the curse rather than the blessing of
God rested upon any recreation or employment to

30 IN CHRIST.

which he was called. But now, he calls to mind,
with shame and pity for himself, the low and
grovelling spirit which made his immortal powers
stoop to such pursuits. He feels the solemn truth
of the divine assertion, " He that liveth in plea-
sure, is dead while he liveth." The emoluments
of the world then seemed to him also, of vast
importance and worth. He thought not of the
inevitable end of such things, or of the danger
that they might be pursued to the everlasting
ruin of the soul. His time and powers were un-
reservedly devoted to their acquisition. Even
the fearful question of the Saviour, " What shall
it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul 1" never caused him to hesi-
tate in this vain pursuit. And yet, while he loved
the pleasures, and eagerly sought the gains of the
world, its cares and losses, the suspense which
it required in getting, the uncertainty which at-
tended its possession, and the remorse which it
occasioned after enjoyment, constantly agitated
and harassed him, and more than counterbal-
anced, all the gains the world could give. Now,
when he looks back, from his present high, hon-
ourable, and happy station, as a redeemed man, a
man renewed and justified in Christ, he sees the
exceeding folly of this whole system of life. He
is ashamed to think he could ever have been such
a slave, to that which he knew, must eventu-
ally leave him to perish ; that he could have so
long willingly sacrificed all the bleSvsings and hopes
which were offered him in Christ, for the mere
transitory pampering of a subject of condemnation
and death. Bunyan's description of the man with

IN CHRIST. 31

the muck rake, in the Pilgrim's Progress, shows
him the very sottishness and degradation, which
he now sees to have marked himself. And he is
conscious of a deep sense of shame, as he recurs
to the time which he passed, in his former lusts,
in ignorance of God, and in contempt for the
noble objects which God presented. But this
also is one of the old things which have passed
away. The love which he once gave to the
world, and the things of the world, he now grate-
fully devotes to God his Saviour, and to the glories
of his inheritance, and the pleasures of his service.
He looks back upon his former' opposition to God
with unfeigned sorrow. He sees that he was a
fighter against God, in all the conduct and pur-
poses of his former life. When the Lord gra-
ciously called him, he refused to hear. Nor was
he ever obedient to his voice. There could have
been no addition, it seems to him, to the variety
of the methods, or to the tenderness of the ex-
pedients, by which God attempted to gain his
affections, and win his heart to his own service
and favour. And yet they were all unsuccessful.
Nothing could induce him to submit himself to
the will of God. The chastisements of a Divine
Providence produced no good effect upon him.
He resisted the kind and salutary operation of
them all. The affectionate admonitions of the
Holy Spirit, that would so often have led him
back to holiness and God, were rejected and
expelled. While God was employing every in-
strument, and applying every influence, to raise
his darkened spirit from the earth, and to inspire
him with a wish to feed on angels' food, he was

32 IN CHRIST.

turning the whole bent of his affections and mind,
to an aversion as wide as possible from him. He
was always resisting the Holy Ghost ; and pur-
sued his chosen course of sin, in defiance of every
effort that could be made for his recovery and
salvation. Now, he sees the inestimable worth
of all God's operations of love for him, and he
feels a deep sorrow, in the recollection that he
neglected them so long ; — that their beneficial
influence was wholly cast away, through so large
a portion of the time which was given him as a
preparation for a happy eternity. He mourns that
he did not commence the work of his salvation,
with the commencement of his reasoning powers.
He grieves to see, that his childhood and youth,
and perhaps a large part of his maturity also, were
wasted and thrown away, in the pursuit of idle
vanities, while no provision was laid up for a
future rest. He deeply regrets that he should
have so spurned the grace of God, so mocked his
law, so disregarded his loving-kindness, and thus
counted himself unworthy of eternal life. These
are sources of deep sorrow, in every retrospection
of his life. But these tears are precious, and this
is a sorrow which is permanently useful. It leads
him to be far more jealous of the rising again of
this spirit of opposition to God ; to be vigilant in
submitting himself to the divine will ; and to be
earnest and diligent, in making full improvement
of the opportunities and privileges, which are still
remaining for his enjoyment.

He looks back upon his former condemnation
in sin with awe and terror. He sees the rock
whence he was hewn, and the hole of the pit

IN CHRIST.

whence he was digged. He feels a deep solem-
nity pervading his spirit, as he reverts to the
dangers, from which Almighty grace has rescued
him. Like a man who has escaped from a ship-
wreck, and stands upon the shore, to look upon
the angry waters, from which the hand of God
has plucked him, pitying and praying for, those
who are still struggling in the billows ; so the
Christian meditates upon the fearful dangers of
his soul, when he was at enmity with God, and
lying under his righteous indignation, for his
unbelief. He sees now, that God would have
been holy and just in his everlasting condem-
nation. He sees that he long stood ignorantly
and blindly, upon the very brink of eternal per-
dition, provoking the justice of God to punish
his transgressions ; and defying Him by contin-
ued rebellions to fulfil the threatenings which he
had made. He now sees, that his unjustified
and sinful soul lay under the sentence of eternal
death ; and that nothing but the despised long-
suffering of God kept back that sentence, from
its full and final execution. Boundless compas-
sion alone held him up from going down into
the pit. Hell had enlarged herself, and opened
her mouth without measure, to receive him in
all the pomp and glory of his sin. Satan was
saying in malicious triumph, " There, there, so
would I have it;" — when the despised love of
a Saviour snatched him from ruin, — rolled away
the curse from his soul, — rescued him from the
condemnation which he had brought upon him-
self,— converted him by His own Holy Spirit,

2*

34 IN CHRIST.

and bound him as a living sacrifice to himself
forever.

Through the exceeding riches of divine grace,
he is now in Christ, accepted and forgiven. He
has been reconciled unto God, by the Saviour's
one offering for vsiii. And he looks back upon
the blackness of this cloud of indignation which
has passed over him, with unfeigned gratitude,
but with the deepest awe. He ascribes it singly
to the great love wherewith God has loved him
wdien he was dead in sins, that this condem-
nation has passed away, and that he is no longer
a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction. He gives
unceasing glory to God, who, when he was far
oflf, made him nigh by the blood of Christ. And
he looks with sorrow and pity, upon the con-
dition of those who are still wandering in the
blindness of their minds, without Christ, having
no hope, and without God in the world.

This is a part of the retrospection which dis-
tinguishes the man in Christ. These are some
views of the old things which are passed away.
Now, in these respects, all things have become
new. - His heart is not hardened against the
truth, — his affections are not devoted to the
world, — his spirit is not arrayed in opposition
to God,— his soul is no longer under the con-
demnation of death. He is a new man in Christ
Jesus. Such indeed was he ; but he has ob-
tained mercy from a pardoning God. He has
passed from death unto life. He is renewed in
the spirit of his mind. He has been born again
from above. There is no longer any condem-
nation for him. He is walking not according

IN CHRIST. 35

to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. He
is washed, — he is justified, — he is sanctified, in
the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit
of his God. In this habitual retrospection of
his former guilty life, he feels that now for him,
Christ is all. It is by no human power or might,
that this darkness has passed from his soul.
The truth which he has learned and feels, he
was not taught by man. The Saviour alone
brought deliverance and peace to him. Jesus
alone rescued him from his condemnation, and
has established him in grace. And whatever
may have been the instruments employed by
this Redeeming Lord, — and however he may
have honoured and blessed the ministry of man,
to lead his sinful soul to himself, — still the man
looks up to His power and to His personal pres-
ence and agency, above all possible dependance
upon any instruments, — to say and to realize,
that Christ is all. Every instrument without His
presence and blessing, would have been dead
and useless. To Him belongs all the praise, for
the exceeding riches of His grace, which He has
thus freely bestowed upon a guilty and perishing
soul. And the redeemed sinner delights to con-
sider his Divine Lord, as having pitied him when
he was cast out to perish, and spoken the words
of life and healing to his soul.

This retrospection upon old things which have
passed away, is one of the peculiar attributes of
the man in Christ. Those of my readers who
have been brought to this blessed condition, can
hardly fail to realize their own experience, in
the facts which I have thus stated. As you con-

36 IN CHRIST.

sider them, let your past experience teach you
wisdom in your present state. You are safe,
and tranquil, and happy now, in the simple pro-
portion, in which you cling with humble faith
to Christ. Cultivate, then, the spirit of thank-
fulness, for the unsearchable riches of His mercy.
Realize that all you have, or can have, is laid
up in Him, — and that in the possession of Him as
your Lord, you are rich in the exceeding riches of
His grace. Vast is the importance to you, of a
constant recurrence to this great fact, of your en-
tire dependance upon the Lord Christ. He is your
sun and your shield. Seek life, light, and secu-
rity, only and always in Him. Live upon Him
by faith, and grow up into Him, in the knowl-
edge of His grace and truth. Be not entangled
by any of the superstitious vanities, which would
lead you to a dependance upon human ministries,
or human works. Remember that the hour has
come for you, when neither upon this mountain,
nor yet at Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Fa-
ther ; when no outward appointments or human
services, are to take the place of that spiritual
worship, which distinguishes those whom the
Father seeketh to worship Him. Cultivate, too,
a spirit of tenderness and compassion for un-
converted souls. Grace has made you thus to
differ. Look upon those from whom you dif-
fer, with an anxious desire that they may be
partakers of your grace. Be willing to spend,
and to be spent, — with no reference to earthly
remuneration, — that you may glorify God in
their salvation. Consider that you are kept
upon the earth, though your souls are renewed

IN CHRIST. 37

for the atmosphere, employments, and society
of heaven, that you may be made useful to
others, in leading them to taste and see the grace
and loving-kindness of the Lord. O seek a
heart to feel for them, — a spirit to labour for
their salvation. Be ready to give, to act, and
to suffer, that those who are without Christ, —
ready to perish, — may be made to know His
truth, and to rejoice in His salvation. By all
means, save some. Life is valuable for no other
end. Upon you, must depend the Saviour's
honour, and the Saviour's triumph. May He
give you grace, ever to set Him forth, as the
only refuge and hope of suffering, dying man.

But I pray you forget not, that the retrospec-
tion of the Christian, is the actual state of the
sinner's soul. What the one was, the other still
is. O think of this, you, who to-day are far off,
that you also may be brought nigh by the blood
of Christ. God hath set before you an open door,
in the all-sufhcient and glorious work of His own
dear Son. Rise ye also, from this state of death,
and fly to Him, whose power can make all things
new, for you as well as for those who are now
alive in Him. Your means of grace are most
abounding ; your opportunities of deliverance are
most pressing; your dangers are also extreme.
For you, the Lamb has died, — for you the Ransom
lives. He calls you to come to Him without
doubt or fear ; — to cast your load upon Him, — to
trust yourselves to His all-sufficient grace, — to re-
joice in His great salvation. O, awake to a sense
of your privileges, as well as your dangers, that
you may lay hold of the hope which is set before

38 IN CHRIST.

you ; and in the security which He will impart to
your souls, be able to say, " Thanks be to my
God, which giveth me the victory, through our
Lord Jesus Christ." Think of the increased con-
demnation which must come upon you, if after
you have thus known the way of truth, and seen
a Saviour lifted up before you, evidently crucified
for you, you shall still reject His offered mercy,
and love darkness rather than light. I beseech
you by the mercies of God, that ye will not har-
den your hearts against the love of Christ, and
the power of His Spirit : that ye will not bring
upon you the awful curse, " Behold ye despisers,
wonder and perish, for I work a work in your
days, which ye shall in no wise believe, though a
man declare it unto you :" — " 1 have sworn in
my wrath, ye shall not enter into my rest."

Reflect how soon thy life will end,
And think on what thy hopes depend.
What aim thy busy thoughts pursue, _
What work is done, and what to do.

Eternity is just at hand !
And wilt thou waste thy ebbing sand.
And careless view departing day.
And throw thy span of time away ?

Eternity ! tremendous word,
To souls unpardoned and abhorred ;
But oh, if Christ and heaven be thine.
How sweet the accents, how divine !

Be this thy chief, thy only care,
Thy high pursuit, thy ardent prayer —
An interest in thy Saviour's blood.
Thy pardon sealed, thy peace with God.

CHAPTER III.

RETROSPECTION.

The spiritual condition of a man in Christ, I have
proposed to consider, in several of the attributes
and facts which distinguish it. The first view of
this condition which I have selected for our con-
sideration, is as an useful position for profitable
retrospection. From his present point of attain-
ment in grace, the man who is in Christ looks
back, upon what he was by nature, and upon the
course of folly and sin which he then pursued ; and
also, upon the way through which God has led him
by His grace to forgiveness and hope, and upon
the mercies which he has already received at the
Lord's hands. The first of these views, is of old
things which have passed away. The second is
of the beginnings of things which have been made
new. The first we have already considered.
The second comes before us for our present med-
itation. We are now to consider the man in
Christ, as contemplating some of the new things
which God has been pleased to do for his soul.

The whole of the present life may be consid-
ered, and well described, as but the beginnings
of the things which are made new for the child
of God. It is all childhood in reference to eter-

40 IN CHRIST.

nity. We see not yet what we shall be. The
whole of the present work of grace for man, is
but the earnest, of the riches of divine glory in
Christ Jesus. The whole attainments of Christian
character here, are but the commencement of
the eternal character of God's redeemed. And
when the man in Christ has passed through the
whole of his mortal life, and looks back upon all
its scenes, from the margin of the grave, he sees
in the whole retrospect, but the commencement
of a work, which God will carry on for him,
throughout an everlasting state. Upon this com-
mencement of a divine work for his soul, we
suppose the man in Christ now to look back.
The facts which he sees in it, are various. The
feelings also with which he looks upon them, dif-
fer very widely. Some of these facts and feel-
ings we will successively consider.

He looks back upon the first awakening of his
soul from his natural state of guilt, with ardent
gratitude. He thinks of the time, when the mo-
mentous concerns of religion, as they are-present-
ed in the Gospel, first really arrested his attention.
This awakening of his mind, to things eternal and
unseen, was wholly new to him. Perhaps it was
equally unexpected ; — he was thinking of nothing
less. God looked upon him in His amazing kind-
ness, when he was perishing without the least
concern for himself. The instrument which was
appointed to arouse him, may have been severe
and painful. But the grace which directed it,
and which applied it so successfully to his soul,
is worthy of all gratitude and praise. The views
of himself, not only of his outward conduct, but

IN CHRIST. 41

of his inward heart and life, which were opened
to his mind, were repulsive and dreadful. But
they were necessary, and they proved to be
wholesome. The pride of his glory was stained.
His boasting spirit was overcome. His vain con-
ceits were broken in the air. Every aspect of
his own character, became to him humbling and
distressing. He saw and felt that there was no
good thing in him. At the time, perhaps, the
operation seemed to be a hard and unreasonable
one. But now he sees its worth, and the mercy
which ordered it. He looks up to God with un-
speakable gratitude, that he was willing to have
mercy upon a creature so wholly unworthy; — that
he did not suffer him to press on in his chosen
course of ruin ; — that he did not leave him to fill
himself with his own devices. He now sees, that
the excited feelings of that period of his life were
not disproportioned to the occasion which called
ihem out. He has now, far deeper views of his
own sinfulness, than he had then. And in reflect-
ing upon that period, he wonders that he felt so
little, rather than feels surprise that he mourned
so much. Upon this event of his life, he daily
reflects with thankfulness and praise. He feels
that God hath showed forth in him, a pattern of
long-suffering. Above all the blessings of a mu-
nificent Providence, and the tenderness of his
daily preservation, he places the great love which
rescued him from misery and sin, and would not
suffer him to remain unmoved and hardened
in guilt. He sees that this love of God was
boundless in its operation. Though he resisted
the divine grace, and drew back from the first

42 IN CHRIST.

exhibitions which were made to him, of his own
depravity and hardness of heart, the divine hand
still led him on, and brought him at last, a willing
captive, to his present state of security and peace.
He now calls upon his soul, to bless the Lord,
who had mercy upon him, when he was sinning
ignorantly in unbelief. And he gives the whole
glory for this work of mercy, to Him who pitied
him, and sought him when he was far off, and
brought him nigh by the blood of Christ.

He looks back npon the first devotion of him-
self to the service of his Redeeming Lord, with a
single determination to adhere to this covenant,
to the end of life. Long had divine mercy
called upon him in vain. No earnestness of ad-
monition, no tenderness of appeal, could persuade
him, to take upon himself the easy yoke and
burden, of union with Christ, and obedience to
Him. But when the hour came, that he was
made willing to enter upon the heavenly path,
he united himself affectionately unto his Lord,
in an everlasting covenant, never to be forgotten.
And now he recalls this solemn dedication of
himself to the service of his Lord, as the hap-
piest moment of his life. He thinks of his se-
cret submission to God, — of the hour, when his
heart first really accepted the perfect righteous-
ness which was offered him in the Gospel, and
gave up its affections to God, in a voluntary and
cheerful devotion to His will. He feels it to
have been a privilege, as well as a duty ; — hon-
ourable and filled with comfort. It was honour-
able, because he was then truly exalted to be a
child of God, and an heir of the kingdom which

IN CHRIST. - 43

He had promised. It was filled with comfort,
because it removed from him the burden of his
guilt, and gave him peace in reconciliation with
the God whom he had offended by such re-
peated transgressions. He calls to mind, the
first public devotion of himself to the service of
God, in the ordinances of the sanctuary ; when,
perhaps, in baptism, he entered into the door
of the fold ; — or when in confirmation, he pub-
licly renewed and established his covenant with
his Great Redeemer ; — or when at the Lord's
table, he again recorded his obligations to his
crucified Lord, and determined to be his alone.
He is not ashamed, that he has thus openly con-
fessed the name of Christ, and arrayed himself
upon the Lord's side. He remembers his former
state of life, but with no desire to return to it.
He has put away childish things. All his sal-
vation and all his desire are in Christ, — and
he presses forward to the measure of a perfect
man in Christ Jesus. He Avould hold fast that
which he has attained, and glory in the riches
of a Saviour's love, unto his life's end. He
ceases not to give praise to God, who has called
him by His grace to this unspeakable privilege,
of forsaking all to follow Him. He feels that
he then only began to live, when he began to
live for Him who had bought him with a price.
This was the actual birth-day of his real life.
And it is his single and fixed purpose to maintain,
even unto death, the covenant of service which
he has thus made ; — and to be ever, a faithful
soldier and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He looks back upon his limited progress tn

44 IN CHRIST.

grace and religious 'knowledge, with sincere hu-
miliation. He thinks of what he might have
been amidst the abundant privileges which he
has enjoyed. He contrasts with that, what he
acknowledges himself still to be. He confesses,
that whereas he ought to have been a teacher
of others, he has often need, that some one teach
him again, what be the first principles of the
Gospel of Christ ; and he is still such an one, as
has need of milk, not of meat, being so unskil-
ful in the way of righteousness. He finds so
many unholy habits of thought and feeling, still
unsubdued, — so much selfishness and pride still
unhumbled, — so much forgetfulness of God still
marking his days; that he is often ready to
exclaim, " If I am a child of God, why am I
thus? — why is this insensibility to religious joys?
— this restless chase after earthly vanities? —
this partial preparation for eternity ? — this cling-
ing to time and sense ?'' He cannot but feel him-
self deeply humbled, over such a retrospection
as this. Were there not a surer foundation for
hope, than his own character and holiness affords,
he would be ready to despair of ever entering
into rest. There is nothing within himself which
gives him comfort, amidst all these evident defi-
ciencies of character, but the witness that God
has really given to him, the Spirit of adoption,
the desire for obedience, and the determina-
tion to persevere in His service unto the end.
Though humbled by a consideration of his own
actually sinful character, he is conscious of a
single purpose to strive to enter into the strait
gate, and to endure unto the end, that through

IN CHRIST. 45

grace he may be saved. His holiness of char-
acter has in fact, every day increased, and he has
been continually growing more conformed to
God. But his views of his own sinfulness; his
quick and tender sense of personal guilt ; and
his apprehensions of the holiness of the character
and the law of God, have also so much advanced,
that he feels himself in the end, far more vile
and unworthy, than he was at first. He casts
himself w holly and simply at the feet of Jesus,
to be saved according to the good pleasure of
His grace, freely by His blood. In himself,
there dwelleth no good thing. His own right-
eousness, is w^orthless and unclean. And he
feels himself to be excluded from all boasting,
but in the Lord alone.

He looks back upon the partial benefits which he
has conferred upon mankind, with the deep convic-
tion that he has failed much in his duty to others.
The heavenly treasure which has been placed in
his hands, was for distribution to them. The
light which he has received, was to have been
set upon a candlestick. Perishing sinners on
every side w ere looking to him for spiritual bene-
fits. The heathen world, like a thirsty land, was
gasping for the grace, for the dispensation of
which he has been made an instrument. How
many precious souls might have been saved and
blessed, if he had acted up to the measure of his
responsibility, he fears to think. But when he
realizes, how few have actually been blessed
through him, — how little he has really done to
promote the salvation of mankind, — how often,
and how much, selfishness and indolence, and

46 IN CHRIST.

pride and covetousness, have come in to hinder his
desires and his purposes to do good, — he cannot
resist the solemn conviction, that he ought to have
done far more, for the glory of God, and for the
spiritual benefit of mankind. His time, and pow-
ers, and money, ought all to have been the Lord's.
He trembles to think, how much he has hid his
talent under a bushel, or buried it in the earth.
His only hope in this retrospect of life, is that
God may have made him an instrument of bless-
ing, beyond his own knowledge or conception.
And if he shall meet in glory, a single child of
man, who can say, " I owe my salvation under
God, to you," — he feels that the remembrance of
such a fact, will be the brightest .spot in the deeds
of life, on which his memory can rest. The use-
fulness of a Christian to others, and in this, the
glory that he shall bring to God, is the great pur-
pose of his continued life. Certainly this useful-
ness may be extended, far beyond his own oppor-
tunities of knowledge or observation ; and he is
not always to determine the measure of the
results, merely by the facts which are open to his
notice. But no Christian can forget this purpose
of life, or be indifferent to its attainment. And
it will always be, on the one side, a subject for
thankfulness, when God has seemed to own, and
to bless his efforts ; and on the other, of humilia-
tion and sorrow, that he has appeared to do so
little, that can be for the divine glorv. The man
in Christ sees far more of his defects than of his
faithfulness in duty, in this retrospection. He
has done far less than he has desired, — and he

IN CHRIST. 47

looks back upon the whole view of himself with
self-condemnation and sorrow.

But amidst all his own unworthiness and guilt,
and the unprofitableness of his Christian course
and character, he looks back upon the wonderful
grace of God which has thus far held him up, with
confidence that it will keep him to the end. His
hope rests in no degree upon his own personal
character. It is fixed wholly upon the infinite
sufficiency of the divine provisions, the everlast-
ing merit of the Saviour, and the unfailing power
of His Spirit. But resting here, it has among its
comforting attendants and evidences, the recol-
lections of what God has been pleased to do for
him, through the riches of His grace. God was
mercifully pleased to pluck his feet out of the
net ; — to set him upon a rock ; — to teach him to
sing a new song of praise to Him, — the song of
Moses and the Lamb. When he was an enemy
to God, God reconciled him unto himself, through
the blood of His Son. This precious fact becomes
clear to his mind, as he discerns the blessed tes-
timonies which are brought out to his view, that
his conversion of heart was not by his own will,
or by the will of man, — but by the power of God.
The all-powerful grace of which he was then
made the subject, has never forsaken him. It
rescued him then from condemnation, — and it
has sustained him in all his conflicts, — comforted
him in his trials, — given him joy in the midst of
suffering, — and inspired him with a continually
rejoicing hope. This grace is all-sufficient, and
everlasting. It supplies every want, and removes
and overcomes every difficulty. It enables him

48 IN CHRIST.

to confide in the assurance, that God who has be-
gun a good work in him, will carry it on, in His own
way, and to His own glory. With this habitual
recollection of mercies which are passed, he re-
poses with confidence and joy, in the favour and ac-
ceptance of the Most High God, who hath led him
all his life long, unto this day, and who will still
keep his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling ;
and will givg him an inheritance of glory in the
land of the living. All his comfort and hope are
in this mighty power of God, covenanted for his
salvation. The Saviour who loved him when he
was dead in sin, exercises an everlasting love.
And he cheerfully renounces all other things, for
this single, all-sufficient ground of hope. That
which God has already done for him, becomes
the earnest, and the assurance to his mind, of
what he purposes to do for him forever. If when
he was an enemy to God, he was reconciled by
the death of Christ, much more, being reconciled,
he shall be saved by His life. In this humble,
but joyful hope, he presses forward, praising God
for all that is past ; — giving Him all the glory, for
the greatness of His love ; — and committing every
thing for time and for eternity, to His hands.

These are some of the retrospections of the
man in Christ. Self is humbled under the bur-
den of conscious sin ; — and personal excellence,
as a foundation for hope, is entirely renounced.
God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, is
adopted and received by his soul, as his own God,
and rejoiced and confided in, as a source of com-
fort entirely unbounded. The old things which
belong to his state of nature, have passed entirely

IN CHRIST. 49

away. The new things which belong to his state
of grace, are encouragements to his hope, that he
shall be kept even unto the end. With sincere
gratitude, he thinks of the hour of his awakening
from sin, and of the day of his dedication unto
God. With humiliation, he reflects upon his
partial attainments in religious character, and his
limited efforts for the spiritual benefit of other
men. With humble joy, he calls to mind, the
love which has pardoned him, and endured with
him, and brought him on thus far in a path of
peace. All these retrospections are most profita-
ble to him. They teach him where he may rest
his hope, and where he must avoid all confidence.
They bring him completely out of himself, and
every thing which is his own. They show him
how truly and really " Christ is all ;" — and cast
him entirely upon that grace, which is all-suf-
ficient and unfailing. ' They teach him how com-
pletely every thing is laid up for him, in the
power and grace of one Lord, in whom all fulness
dwells, and from whom all mercy and spiritual
life proceed. It is a lesson hard to acquire, but
one most precious when it has been learned, — to
live out of ourselves, in spiritual dependance,
entirely upon the presence and all-sufficiency of
our Glorious Redeemer. And every reflection
upon his own life, the more thoroughly convinces
the man in Christ, that this is his only course of
peace, or safety, or success. It is thus, that re-
trospection is made a blessing ; and experience
teaches him a wisdom, which can in no other
way be obtained.

And now, that we have taken these views of

3

50 IN CHRIST.

the condition of the man who i.s in Christ, allow
me to ask, my readers, — how far do you identify
in them, your own experience and state ? Per-
mit me to urge upon you, a more simple and
uniform cultivation and exercise of the principles
which are involved in them. Realize how cer-
tainly you are nothing, and less than nothing,
and strive to live with entire self-renunciation,
upon Him who has accomplished every thing for
you, and is alone able, to sanctify and to save you.
This is a, spiritual exercise, which you never
fully learn, and which you cannot learn too fully.
There is no magnifying beyond the certainty of
its truth, the fact, that in all your spiritual inter-
ests, welfare and prospects, " Christ is all." Seek
to be taught it by the Holy Spirit, more and more
completely, as you make these inevitable reflec-
tions upon life past. Make it the practical fact
in your experience, as well as the foundation of
your views of doctrine, that all your fulness
dwells in Christ.

Allow me to urge you all, to cast away every
self-righteous feeling and view, and to enter into
the privileges, and possess the benefits, which are
freely offered you in the Lord Jesus Christ. In-
trust yourselves with entire confidence to Him, as
the life and light of your souls, and you will never
find yourselves straitened or disappointed there.
Consider how much the simplicity of the Gospel
condemns those who reject it. God brings these
mercies to your very doors. He invites you to
partake of them and live. He urges you not to
lose a participation in their rich provisions. He
warns you that their rejection will be your in-

IN CHRIST. 51

creased condemnation. What excuse can you
offer for rejecting them ? You may enjoy them
all. Why do you not ? Why are not all who
read these lines, voluntary and sincere professors
of the Gospel of the Son of God, — happy partak-
ers of His promises and inheritance ? Surely
from no want of conviction of duty, — from no
want of ability, or opportunity, to follow out this
conviction ; — from no want of external privileges
and means. But from a strange perverseness of
will, — an alienation of affections from God, — an
aversion to His government, — and to the plan of
His salvation. It is an aversion which contends
with all your convictions, and overcomes all the
constraint of your sense of need. Even while
you feel the danger, it is leading many of you
into captivity to ruin, — a ruin, from which you
will find no future means of escape. I beseech
you therefore, stir up yourselves, to take hold of
God's offered mercy, and in your day of visitation,
to make your calling and election sure. The
Saviour stands ready to receive and ble.ss you.
He will heal your backslidings, and cover your
unrighteousness. He will give you grace and
glory, — and no good thing will He withhold, as
your heritage forever.

CHAPTER IV.

ENJOYMENT.

The cliaracter and condition of man in Christ,
we have already partially considered. He is in a
position in the great journey of his immortal
being, at which he has begun to sustain new and
peculiar relations to his Divine Creator. No
longer an enemy to God in the spirit of his mind,
he is now reconciled to Him, and his heart is
filial, affectionate, obedient, and confiding towards
Him. From this position in his spiritual being,
he looks back upon the different scenes through
which he has passed, and forward upon other
scenes still different, which are yet to come.
He stands in a condition of acceptance with God,
because Christ, in wiiom he is, is accepted. He is
released forever from the punishment of sin, be-
cause Christ, who has answered for him, has borne
it fully in his behalf. He is made, and shall be
made forever, holy in his mind and character,
because Christ, in whom he dwells, and who
dwells also in him, is holy, and the fountain of
holiness to His people. Of such a man we now
speak. We have considered him, as at a point for
useful retrospection. Some of the views which
he takes, of the old things which have passed

IN CHRIST. 53

away, and of the beginnings of the things which
have been made new, we have also considered.

I purpose now to speak of him, as in a state of
present enjoyment.

The Holy Scriptures, in exhibiting the life of a
servant of God, appear to speak in contradictions.
The way in which he travels is a way of pleas-
antness, and a path of peace. Yet he must take
up his cross, and deny himself, — he must suffer
persecution, — and through much tribulation, he
must enter into the kingdom of God. His condi-
tion, is a filling of barns with plenty, and a burst-
ing out of presses with new wine ; — and yet it is
a renouncing of all for Christ, and a conformity to
the likeness of His sufferings, who had not where
to lay His head. He is riding upon the high
places of the earth, as a king and a priest unto
God ; — he is rich, full, reigning as a king, and
all things are his ; and yet he is exposed to be
hated of all men, — to liave his name cast out as
evil, — to be made the filth and the offscouring of
the world, for his Master's sake. Here are ap-
parently, great contradictions, in the descriptions
which are given of the same object, by the one
infallible Spirit of God. The reconciliation of
them is easy, when we think of the vast differ-
ence which there is between the prospective
view, which the carnal mind takes of the things
of God, before they are made the subjects of per-
sonal experience, — and the experimental view,
which the spiritual mind takes of the same things,
when man has tasted for himself, and seen that
the Lord is gracious. The man in Christ finds no
difficulty in understanding, how the path in which

54 IN CHRIST.

he walks, should be represented, as exceedingly-
repulsive in the view of others, and yet be at the
same time, in the highest degree, attractive to
himself. He is at no loss, in reconciling' the ne-
cessity of actual self-denial and personal mortifi-
cation, in regard to the power of sin, — with the
consciousness of a pure and elevated satisfaction,
in the submission of his soul to the will and com-
mandments of God. The thoughtless and irre-
ligious may wonder, how he can find enjoyment
in his peculiar life, or what pleasure there can be
in taking up a cross, and entering upon a life of
voluntary unceasing conflict. But he finds the
joys which he possesses, to be not only actual and
abiding, but of a very high and valuable char-
acter. He considers them as enjoyments, for
which, if there were no other recompense pro-
posed, it would be in the highest degree reason-
able, to exchange all the delights which are
merely earthly and sensual.

The man in Christ is happy in the consciousness
of the spiritual change of mind and character, of
which he has been made the subject. Amidst all his
present infirmities, which no one can see so clearly
as he does, he still cannot but feel, that after all,
he is not what he once was. The contrast be-
tween his present state of mind, and that which
marked his former period of life, shows him most
clearly that he is pursuing far other objects, and
deriving his pleasure from far other sources, than
those which marked his purposes then. Much
as he laments his want of a proper delight in
God, he really finds a pleasure in religious duties
md services, which was not natural to him, and

IN CHRIST. 55

which he could never before discover. Low as
are still his aspirations and eagerness for heavenly
things, he is conscious, that he has for them an
estimation and desire, which was no native growth
in his OAvn soul, and which could have been only
the gift of God. Partial as are all his views of
his own unworthiness and guilt, he truly beholds
a depth of sin in his own heart, which he used
not to see ; and he beholds it with a sorrow,
which secret sin used not to produce. Faint as
are all the affections which he lifts up to God his
Saviour, he does exercise towards Him, a thank-
fulness and love, which were entire strangers to
his former self. In all these facts, he sees evi-
dences of a very important spiritual change in his
mind and character. In them all, far as he is
from what he ought to be, and from what he de-
sires to be, his character is not what it was by
nature. The consciousness of this, is a constant
source of real enjoyment to his heart. It leads
him to the language of unfeigned thanksgiving
and praise, that such mercy has been showed to
the chief of sinners ; — that God has visited him
with the dayspring from on high, to guide his feet
into the way of peace. x\nd he is thus encour-
aged still to ask, that he may receive ; — to run,
that he may obtain ; — and to hold fast and watch,
that no man take his crown.

He is happy in the assurance of his pardon and
acceptance with God. He does not pretend infalli-
bly to determine this fact ; — but he has a testi-
mony of it, and a degree of certainty regarding it,
which is to him a sufficient and a very abundant
source of peace and comfort. He beholds the

56 IN CHRIST.

pardon of his sin, as an act of free and very dis-
tinguishing grace on the part of God. And as
his chief sorrows arise from the consciousness
and pressure of sin, he can gain no peace of mind,
but in the well-founded hope, that this pardoning
grace has been really extended to him. He sees
it freely offered and fully secured, to every pen-
itent, returning sinner, w ho shall sincerely seek
it in the gracious mediation of the Lord Jesus
Christ. By the sure faithfulness of God's sacred
word, it becomes therefore, the actual and certain
property, of all who have thus returned to seek
and to accept an offered Saviour. In his own con-
scious change of mind and character, he finds the
witness, that he has thus come to depend upon
Christ, as his only Saviour and hope. He can
therefore apply to himself, the assurance of the
forgiveness of sins that are past. Faith in the
word of divine promise, that it shall be done, be-
comes testimony in his mind, to the fact that it is
done for him. But beyond this certainty of in-
ference from the divine promise, he has an assur-
ance which springs up immediately within him,
without the intervention of any argument from
abroad. He has a peace in the reconciliation of
his heart to God, — an ability to look up to God
as a Father, — an humble, filial confidence, in His
love and guidance, — a delight in trusting all to
His grace, — a reaching of his spirit after clearer
and brighter views of His perfections and love, —
an affection and submission in prayer, — a pleasure
in attaining a knowledge of the character and
will of God, — which become a testimony of the
Spirit of God to his spirit, of his pardon and ac-

IN CHRIST. 5^

ceptance with God. From this assurance, he
derives abundant and precious satisfaction. The
violated law has stilled its thunders, and in
strains as sweet as angels use, the Gospel whis-
pers peace. God makes him not to possess the
sins of his youth. He has blotted out his trans-
gressions as a thick cloud, and allows him no
longer to be an enemy to Him, — but has trans-
formed him into an affectionate and confiding
friend. He has been washed from his guilt. He
has found peace in his glorified Mediator. He is
set upon the rock that is higher than himself, and
he has been taught to sing a new song, even of
praise to his pardoning God, his own God.

He is happy in the consciousness of his love for
Christ. He needs no argument to convince him
of the fact, that he really loves the Saviour, who
hath bought him with His own blood. This Glo-
rious Saviour has been received by him as his
chosen and most desired friend. He is dwelling
in his heart by^faith, the object of his affections,
his hope of glory. The same consciousness which
he has, that he loves any earthly friend, he has
that he loves this best of all friends. He would
think it quite unnecessary, to attempt the convic-
tion of himself by a laboured argument, from the
facts which he could gather, that he loved his
parents, or wife, or children, or any dear earthly
object. And he feels it to be still more unneces-
sary to argue himself into the belief of his real
love for Christ. He is more certain of the fact,
from his own consciousness, than he could make
himself by any process of argument. He can say
with Peter, "Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou

58 IN CHRIST.

knowest that I love thee." His actual preference
above all other things, is for Christ. His real de-
sire and concern are for the glory of Christ. His
real fellowship with a Saviour, in a state of earthly
deprivations, suits his desires, and his frame of
mind, far more entirely, than all earthly blessings
could, without the mercy and favour of his Lord.
This consciousness of his love for Christ, gives
him a pure and abiding pleasure. The divine
character, which to the eye of the careless sinner
presents no attraction, appears to him clothed
with unqualified loveliness. The work of grace,
which the carnal mind rejects w-ith heedless un-
concern, is shining before his mind, as w^orthy
of all adoration and all acceptance. That his
thoughts are not unceasingly occupied with his
Glorious Redeemer, is no more an argument that
he does not love Him, than the same fact would
be a proof of this want of love, in regard to any
of his earthly friends. He does not think of any
one of them always. But when he does think of
them, it is with an undissembled and undoubting
feeling of affection. So when his thoughts are
directed to the Saviour, it is not as an object of
aversion or indifference, — but as an object of
sincere desire and love. He has no feeling to-
wards this chosen and precious Saviour but this.
He could not say, "I love him not!" without the
clear conviction of falsehood to himself. And in
this consciousness of his love to Christ, he finds a
happiness which is real and most valuable.

He is happy in a consciousness of the actual vic-
tory which the Lord JesKS is accomplishing for him.
The work which the Saviour first commenced

IN CHRIST. 59

within him, in turning him from darkness to light,
he finds Him still carrying on in his heart. Un-
holy and irritable passions are yielding to the
dominion of the Prince of Peace. A love of the
world, and of the things of the world, is giving
place to an increased estimation and desire for
the things which are above. There is still much
within him, which gives him frequent and deep
distress. But there has been also much done for
him, which gives him unspeakable thankfulness
and pleasure. And O, how real is the pleasure
which he enjoys, when he is able to place his
foot upon a vanquished appetite, or a conquered
spirit of petulance or pride. Just as the Israelites
sang their song of praise, when they saw their
enemies dead upon the sea-shore, does he praise
God, when he beholds the foes which have op-
pressed him from within, and from without, bow-
ing their necks beneath a Saviour's feet, and
confessing Him in their submission to His power,
to be Lord of all. Temptations formerly resistless,
have now to a great degree lost their power.
Provocations which formerly triumphed over all
his own determinations, do not, and cannot now
overcome the power of Christ dwelling within
him. He has a growing delight in religious du-
ties ; an increasing interest in the things which
belong to his peace ; a conversion more and more
entire, of his cares and studies, to the great work
of his soul's salvation ; an extending submission
of his will in holiness to God ; an enlarging con-
formity of his life and character to the will of
God. This growth in grace gives him undoubted
pleasure. It is certainly far less evident, than he

60 IN CHRIST.

desires to have it. There is far more unholiness
remaining within him, than, amidst all his privi-
leges and means of spiritual benefit, there should
be. Yet he cannot but see, that this growth in
grace is real and evident. What he could not do
for himself, God in infinite mercy is doing for him ;
overturning the habit and the influence of sin,
and carrying him on from strength to strength,
that unto the God of gods, he may appear in
Zion.

He is happy in the habitual contemplation
of the high and interesting subjects presented in
the Gospel. Even an infidel was compelled to
say of the history of our Blessed Lord, — " If
Socrates died as a man, Jesus died as a God."
The mind of every serious and reflecting man,
may find in the great truths of the Bible, — in
the events there described, — in the characters
there delineated, — in the promises there be-
stowed,— a majesty and glory which can be dis-
covered nowhere else. To the truly spiritual
mind, these form delightful subjects for thought.
The man in Christ loves to contemplate the glo-
ries which God hath prepared for them that love
Him ; to meditate upon what God is, and upon
what He has done for man. He finds in such
contemplations, an employment and a pleasure
which mark him as kindred with the skies, and
which give full scope to the highest and noblest
powers of his being. " O how I love Thy law,"
says the Psalmist, in reference to the Scriptures
which are given by inspiration of God, and
which testify especially and fully of the Saviour's
glory, " It is my meditation all the day." The

IN CHRIST, 61

Spirit takes of the things of Christ, and shows
them unto the man in Christ, — and gives him a
delight in meditating upon their character, and
upon his interest in them, far above any pleasure
which increasing knowledge in mere earthly
things can ever bestow. The Bible opens to
him its treasure-house of wondrous things. He
loves to follow angels in their great occupation
of looking into the manifold wisdom of God,
as displayed in the work of man's redemption.
The more he knows, the more he desires to
know, and the more he is able to know of these
unsearchable riches of grace, — for he finds no
end thereof. Here is employment which is al-
ways new, and always affording the highest, and
the purest pleasure. And in this, the man in
Christ finds continued enjoyment.

He is happy in a simple confidence in divine
'protection. He looks up to God as a very pres-
ent help in time of need ; as a Guardian who has
pledged to him his word, — " I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee." Abiding satisfaction
arises in his mind, from the recollection of the
uninterrupted presence of this covenant God,
around his path, and about his bed. All that he
does, is known to Him. Wherever he may go,
he is not, and he cannot be, beyond the reach of
His inspection and care. In all his concerns,
there is therefore nothing contingent or unset-
tled. Whatever is made a part of his experi-
ence, was previously a part of God's great plan
of blessing for him. And though to his own dim
and feeble power of vision, the future is still
entirely inexplicable,— to this divine Protector it

62 IN CHRIST,

is all present, and all perfectly arranged. God
knows the way that he takes, — and when he is
tried by Him, it is that he may come forth as
gold. O how great is this happiness, in a life of
apparent accident, and incalculable chance, to
rest with assurance upon the divine ordinance
and government, — to realize and perceive, that
God is over all, and in all. By His wisdom, will
and power, all things are guided, and made to
work together for good to them that love Him.
The man who is in Christ, is firm, and tranquil,
and confident in this blessed assurance, this pre-
cious hope.

Calm in the confidence of faith,

He trusts His firm decrees.
Lies humbly passive in His hands,

And knows no will but His.

It is this assurance of a divine protection and
power, which enlightens his darkness, — secures
him from his foes, — makes even his enemies to
be at peace with him, — brings good for him out
of every apparent evil, — and keeps his mind in
perfect peace, because his trust is stayed on
God.

These are some of the pleasures which belong
to the man in Christ. They are real and per-
manent pleasures. They form in his heart, a
source of daily joy. They lead him to be more
and more thankful, for the grace which has vis-
ited him when he was far off in a sinful and
hardened state of mind ; and which brought him
back to sit down at the feet of his beloved Lord,
in the full purpose to cleave with his whole heart

IN CHRIST. 63

unto Him. They are enjoyments which depend
for no part of their worth, upon the power of
man's imagination. The heart of man can con-
ceive nothing, which can add to their substantial
value. They are flowers of amaranth and gold
ever blooming ; — they are springs of living water
ever flowing ; — they are hidden treasures which
unfold their value, in proportion as they are
sought with diligence and desire. Perfectly con-
fident in their own real sufficiency for man, they
can say to him, " Come, taste and see that the
Lord is gracious. — Come, eat of our bread, and
drink of the cup which we have mingled, — that
vou hunsfer no more, and 2:0 no where else to
draw, — for whoso chooseth us, chooseth life,
and shall find the favour of the Lord." Yet in
these enjoyments, Christ is all. They arise from
His favour. They depend simply upon His
smile. They are enjoyed in a spiritual connec-
tion with Him. They are not to be found in
separation from Him. He that hath the Saviour
as his own, hath all these durable riches and
enjoyments also with Him.

But to whom do these precious enjoyments be-
long ? Are they the property of a few only ? Alas,
that we should be compelled to say, of a few in
fact : — but certainly not of a few of necessity, or
by a divine determination. They belong to all
who are in Christ; and whosoever will, is invited,
to come to Him, and partake of them. It is a
strait and narrow way for carnal nature, yet open
beyond the power of man to shut, for the awak-
ened and penitent soul. None who come, can
be cast out, nor need any mistake the path who

64 IN CHRIST,

desire to come. Jesus addresses his kind and
attractive invitations to every sinner, and offers
a full salvation freely to the acceptance of all.
To those who are seeking their pleasures in the
corrupting follies of the world, he offers in himself
the joys of an eternal kingdom, and of everlasting
communion with God. To those who are making
gold their hope, and the fine gold tlieir confidence.
He presents everlasting gains and glory. To those
who are cast down amidst earthly disappointments,
He offers a security, in which they shall not be
ashamed or confounded forever. And though He
requires all to enter upon a path, which seems to
the unsubdued heart, nothing but a course of
painful self-denial, He assures all that they shall
find it in experience, a path of peace.

My friends, these precious offers are presented
to you. Can you find no attractions in the Chris-
tian's pleasures ? Is there no worth, in your esti-
mation, in the enjoyments of the man in Christ ?
He does not find it so, — nor will any of you, by
whom the experiment is made. To the end of
life, he feels more and more anxious that nothing
should separate him from the love of Christ. Hav-
ing tried for himself, all that could be found in
his original state, without Christ, and the worth
of the privileges which he has now received in
Christ ; he has no desire to go back, to make a
. re-exchange with sin. O, let this experience of
redeemed millions be allowed to convince your
judgments, and lead your minds to Christ, as your
own chosen Saviour and Lord. Be assured, you
will find no disappointment in Him. You will
regret nothing which you have given up for His

IN CHRIST. 65

sake. You will lament no cross or burden which
you assume in His service. You will be satisfied
with the holy inheritance to which you have
awaked, under the new-creating power of His
Spirit; — finding His favour to be life, and His lov-
ing-kindness better to you than life forever. Can
you not say then, —

What though the path which leads to God,
Is thick with woes and troubles strewed,
Yet rather than I back would turn,
I'd wander all my days forlorn.

Only, dear Lord, prepare my seat
Beneath Thy smile, and at Thy feet.
The meanest place Thy coui'ts afford,
Will be a heaven to me, my Lord.

Only secure my living crown.
And foes may hate, and friends disown ;
No worldly wealth shall claim my care,
Thy presence only would I share.

How gladly would I yield my breath.
And bow my willing head in death,
If Thou Thy pardoning love proclaim,
And seal my forehead with Thy name.

"Behold thou art mine," 0 wouldst Thou say,
How gladly would I flee away ;
Keeping my Saviour's throne in \iew,
And bid this fleeting world adieu.

CHAPTER V.

HOPE.

The man in Christ, we hare already consid-
ered, as deeply serious in a retrospection upon his
life past, and truly happy in the enjoyment of his
present condition. From a consideration of these
facts, we will pass on to remark upon some other
attributes and facts which mark his present state.
In the present view of him, I would exhibit him
as animated hj a lively and glorious hope. This is
an entirely new fact in his history. He has been
begotten again to the enjoyment of a lively hope,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead. It is a hope which sustains him in every
conflict and trial ; and which gives him a cheer-
ful, peaceful spirit, in the midst of all his hours of
darkness and distress. Literally perhaps, in the
actual exercise of hope, he is not peculiar. There
is probably no living man wholly without hope.
An utter destitution of hope, — a state of actual,
unmixed despair, is the characteristic of the sin-
ner's last abode of recompense. There alone,
hope comes not, which comes to all who are not
inhabitants of that deep abyss. On this side the
grave, all men cherish for themselves some kind
of hope. Man could not live without it. Whether

IN CHRIST. 67

this hope be real and substantial, or only imag-
inary and delusive, in its character and objects, it
is still the sweetest solace of human life ; and
whatever may be man's burden of cares and la-
bours, it is still found in a great degree sufficient
to uphold the spirit of a man, and to urge him
forward in the path of effort in his earthly con-
cerns, with alacrity and cheerfulness. In the
pecuniary embarrassments which often press him
down, he hopes for subsequent, returning pros-
perity, and still works on with ardour and confi-
dence. In sickness, while he feels the load of
pain, he still hopes for returning health, and en-
dures with patience the burden which he is
required to bear. In relative sorrows, the hope
of future rising peace in his earthly condition,
still encourages him to cling to his passing life,
and to bear with submission, the yoke which is
placed upon his neck. This is the universal
property and characteristic of man.

If his eye here and there a thin cloud may behold,
Hope plays on its edges, to tinge them with gold.

The difference between the man in Christ, and
other men who are without Christ, is not, that
he alone entertains or enjoys, an actual hope of
some description, and derives habitual comfort
from it ; — but in the remarkable diversity be-
tween the objects of their different hopes, and
in the opposition of the several grounds upon
which they rest them. If it may be said of all
men, that they are not destitute of some kind of
hope in their present condition, — it may still be
said of the man who is in Christ, that his condi-

68 IN CHRIST.

tion is emphatically a state of hope. He is saved
by hope. He rejoices in hope. Hope is an an-
chor to his soul, both sure and steadfast. And
this is so peculiarly his condition, that it is justly
said of those who are without Christ, that they
have no hope, — that is, no real, well-grounded
hope, — no hope of things which are truly perma-
nent and unfading. The true Christian, who is
dead indeed to the world, and whose life is hid
with Christ in God, — is in actual possession of
this most precious comfort of life, and is able to
give a sufficient reason for it to others.

The hope of the man in Christ, may be consid
ered chiefly in its objects. These objects are
various. But they are all contained within the
terms of the divine promise ; and they are there-
fore all secured to him, by the word of God, who
cannot lie.

The man in Christ is animated and encour-
aged by a joyful hope in regard to all the concerns
of his present life. But these earthly hopes are to
be carefully discriminated, lest we give counte-
nance to that secret, sinful spirit, which looks
more to the things which are seen and temporal,
than to the things which are unseen and are eter-
nal. It is not hope of mere earthly treasures and
dignities, though he is not shut out from these.
God may bestow them upon his chosen servants ;
and the voice of humble, spiritual prayer may be
heard, and the evidences of holy, living devotion
to God may be seen, amidst all the circumstances
of grandeur, which adorn the highest possible sta-
tion in human life. But these things are not the
subjects of divine promise under the Gospel, and

IN CHRIST. 69

therefore the man in Christ fixes no hope upon
the possession of them. Did he possess them,
they would perhaps be the occasions and instru-
ments of his severest conflicts and temptations,
and he might justly long for the lowest vale of
earthly humiliations in their stead. It is not hope
either, of freedom from personal cares and sor-
rows. The servant of God is plagued like other
men; — sometimes chastened every day; — and
sorrows from a full cup are poured out for him.
Sickness and grief, temptation and affliction, min-
gle themselves in his experience, as they do in
the experience of others, and often in a higher
degree of suffering. He often realizes in such
conditions, that if in this life only, he had hope
in Christ, he should be of all men most miserable.
This freedom from earthly sorrow, is not a subject
of divine promise. Nay, God rather speaks of
chastisements here, as the portion of his people,
chastening those whom he loveth, and scourging
every son whom he receiveth. These are not,
therefore, the objects of earthly hope to the man
who is in Christ.

But he hopes for perfect security in all the pos-
sible changes of this present life. All things
work together for good, to those who love God,
who are called according to His promise. He is
perfectly defended by divine power, from the
possible injury to which he is exposed, while he
is a follow^er of that which is good. His earthly
advantages may be very small, and his trials may
be accumulated and great. But nothing can sep-
arate him from that love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus the Lord. Every tongue that riseth

70 IN CHRIST.

against him in judgment, he is able to confound ;
and darkness is made light, and crooked things
become straight, in his path. Nothing which can
be made to promote his ultimate happiness, can
be withdrawn from him. The hairs of his' head
are numbered, and angels bear him in their hands,
lest he dash his foot against a stone. This per-
fect security from the evil power of trials and
enemies, is his portion as a member of Christ, by
the certain provisions of a divine covenant. God
is a wall of fire about him, by day and night.

He hopes for certain benefit to himself, and
equally certain glory to God, as the result from
every suffering and loss which he is required to
bear. His present dispensations in whatever shape
they come, are instruments of personal gain to
him, by the same assurance of the divine promise.
Peaceable fruits of righteousness must be gathered
from the bitter roots of present sorrow. And he
learns to look for these, with confidence, and
without fear. He is to be stablished, strength-
ened, and settled, by the operation of the very
temptations, in the midst of which he is often in
heaviness. His spirit will grow more humble,
his mind more heavenly, and his affections more
spiritual, under the training which often seems so
grievous, that his wounded spirit can scarcely en-
dure its operation. He thus enters upon every
path of duty without fear ; and upon every con-
test' without carefulness. All that he really pos-
sesses, and really values, is always secure ; laid
up in the keeping of a Being whose truth remain-
eth ; and whose power cannot be overcome.
These two facts, which are the subjects of the

IN CHRIST. 71

divine promise, and, therefore, of a proper Chris-
tian hope, cover all the possible changes of the
present life. The power of harm is removed from
every trial ; and certain and abiding benefit is to
be brought by divine ability and determination
out of every painful dispensation. This is the
portion of the man who is in Christ, because he
is there. It is a result of the everlasting covenant,
in all things well ordered and sure, which God has
there made with him. And thus on the very jour-
ney to his home, while lie has here no continuing
city, but is seeking one to come, he actually en-
joys more of the real comforts of the road, than
any of those who are without Christ can, though
they have made it their rest, and have said in the
madness of their hearts, " Here will I dwell, and
this shall be my heritage forever, for I have a de-
light therein."

The man in Christ is animated by objects of
hope, which are entirely peculiar to the condi-
tion in which he is placed, and appertaining to
his state as a member of Christ. These are spir-
itual and invisible things. But notwithstanding
this, they are real, and inestimably valuable.
They are entirely secure, and wholly unfailing,
because they depend simply upon the power, and
the promise of an unchanging God. They are
hopes, therefore, which cannot be cut off; which
are not affected by earthly changes, and which
remain imperishable, though all things should
seem to be against him to whom they are given.

He hopes for full and permanent victory over all
that is evil, both in the corruptions of his nature,
and the temptations of his state. Sin cannot have

72 IN CHRIST.

the dominion over him, because he is under the
protection and government of grace. The sure
promise of God secures to him a new heart, and
will make him, eventually, holy as God is holy.
Infirmities press upon him. Passions and tempers
of an unholy character rebel against him. Sin is
mingled with the very best services which he
performs. The plague of his own heart is brought
out to his view, with a clearness of exhibition,
and a bitterness of influence, which fills him with
unutterable distress. But though, amidst this
fearful display of secret sin, his spirit is sometimes
overwhelmed within him, he still has a sure hope
of victory through the power of God which work-
eth in him, and which is promised to him. This
blessed hope supports and comforts him, while
struggling with many foes, and enduring much
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. When
he mourns over past deficiencies, — when he grieves
for his backslidings from God, — when he dare
hardly deem himself a child, so pressing and
victorious seems to him the power of sin within
him, — this sure hope of final triumph over sin
gives him encouragement and joy. God will make
him at last, a conqueror, because Christ, to whom
he belongs, and in whom he lives and dwells, has
already conquered. The hour will yet come,
when, with a perfectly pure and peaceful spirit,
he shall adore the grace which has sanctified him
wholly, and made the bones within him which
have been broken, to rejoice. With this hope
he presses forward in the path of duty, mingling
songs of praise, with his cries and tears beneath
the burden of sin; so that it may be sometimes

IN CHRIST. 73

said of him, as of the Israelites at the building of
their second temple, — you can hardly discern be-
tween the noise of the shout of joy, and the noise
of the weeping. But of his riven and contending
soul it may be also said, as of that house, and with
equal certainty, "In this place will I give peace,
saith the Lord of hosts."

He hopes for a full and everlasting acceptance
before God. I say he hopes for this, — for although
he has it now, by the certainty of the divine pro-
mise, yet its glory has not been fully revealed to
him, for his own present actual enjoyment. But
his confidence rests upon one who is mighty to
save. Being one with Him, he has all, and
abounds in him, — in reference to his full justifica-
tion in the sight of God, — and he can look up to
Him as to an accepting Father, with undoubting
confidence, and without fear. He knows in
whom he has believed. He is willing to venture
every thing upon the revealed sufiiciency of a
divine Saviour. When God shall enter into judg-
ment with his soul, he knows that there is one
who hath borne his burden, and is near to justify
him. In the perfect ability of that Miglity Sub-
stitute, he is safe forever. And although it does
not yet appear what he shall be, he knows that
when He shall appear, he shall be like Him, and
see Him as He is. This blessed hope comforts
and encourages him under a sense of guilt, be-
neath which he truly mourns; — amidst all the
accusations of his own conscience, and all the re-
collections of his past folly and sin. This supports
him, when Satan tempts him to despair. This
gives him a sufficient answer, when many tongues

5

74 IN CHRIST.

rise against him in judgment, and call for the
condemnation of his soul. The abundance of
grace, and the gift of righteousness which he has
received, supply every want, and remove every
fear. And, comforted w ith the assurance of this
hope, he endures continually, as seeing Him who
is invisible.

He hopes for a triumphant entrance into the pre-
sence of the Lord Jesus Christ. His present term
of being is short, and coming rapidly to its con-
clusion. Its final hour is fixed, how near he knows
not. The Judge standeth at the door. As he
daily sleeps, and wakes again, he goes through
the daily semblance of his departure. He cannot
but often think of it seriously, and with a solemn
calculation of its results. But, though his heart
is sometimes afraid, he has a bright and blessed
hope connected with this hour. When it comes,
it will be an hour of lil>erty. The Saviour will
attend his departure from the earth ; — He will
w^atch over the operation of his dying hours, — like
the skilful refiner who has placed his precious
substance in the crucible, and marks it with an
intense interest and observation, while he applies
the proportion of heat which is necessary to ac-
complish his design regarding it. The chamber
where the Christian meets his death, is indeed a
sacred spot ; privileged beyond the common walk
of virtuous life, quite on the verge of heaven.
There is no lear in such a death ; — there are no
bands of servitude in such a departure. He is in
the everlasting arms of a Saviour omnipotent, and
he will soon be with Him in His glory. The dy-
ing strife will soon be over. The spirit's jubilee

IN CHRIST. ' 75

has come. It is to be free from bondage forever.
And however the saint may suffer in the flesh,
for a little time if need be, in a moment he will
be at home. Death is uniformly made an occa-
sion of peaceful joy to the man who is in Christ.
Through his whole life, he looks forward to this
hour w ith hope as the appointed time, w hen he
shall receive an abundant entrance into the ever-
lasting kingdom of his Lord and Saviour.

He hopes for di future glorious resurrection of his
hody from the grave, in a spiritual and undying
form and nature. This is a peculiar and blessed
hope w Inch the Gospel gives. With this hope, he
parts with his mortal body, that like a seed sown
in the earth, it may go through its appointed
process of decay, to a future brighter and more
beautiful manifestation. Jesus, as a faithful Cre-
ator, will watch over it, till His own appointed
hour shall come. In that hour. He will raise it
from the dust of the earth again, however appa-
rently commingled and lost, and bring it to the
glory which He has provided for it. The man in
Christ confides in this hope, as founded upon a
divine assurance, and rejoices to contemplate the
day, W'hen the Lord shall return with the archan-
gel's shout, to be glorified in His saints, and when
those who are asleep in Christ, shall arise to meet
Him in clouds, when the uncounted myriads of
His people shall reflect the brightness of His own
appearance, and manifest the power of His grace,
and the riches of His glory.

He hopes for a crown of glorij in the great day of
his account with God. When in body and spirit
again united, he stands before God in judgment.

76 IN CHRIST.

it will be to have his full salvation there proclaimed.
He shall shine as the sun, in the kingdom of his
Father. He shall be brought with triumph to
God, as the reward of the travail of a Saviour's
soul. The crown which he receives, is the rec-
ompense of a Saviour's merit. The righteousness
which earned and deserved it, was the righteous-
ness of Christ. But it is by the grace of Christ
bestowed upon him, and secured to him, as his
eternal portion. Jesus has triumphed, and His
servants and people have triumphed in Him.
Jesus has merited, and they receive the reward
which He has earned for them. To this glorious
day, the man in Christ looks forward, when the
Lord shall make up His jewels, and receive His
servants with an affectionate welcome, to His own
abode.

Then he hopes to dwell with Christ forever. So
shall he be ever with the Lord. So ! So raised,
and sanctified, and crowned ; — so accepted and
welcomed, and triumphant. This is the grand
end of all his plans, and labours, and desires.
He asks for no heritage on this side Jordan. He
looks for a permanent abode with Christ. He
looks for this, as the final, crowning gift of grace
The life and principle of his religion here, is per
sonal union with the Lord Jesus Christ. All h;s
hopes spring from this union, and were given to
him, when this union was perfected in his con-
version. But here, the influence of this principle
is but gradually developed. He is drawn contin-
ually nearer to Christ, and enjoys more of the
presence of his Saviour in his soul. But yet all
that he knows is but in part, and all that he sees^

IN CHRIST. 77

is through a glass darkly. There, this union is
exhibited in all its glory, and bestowed upon him
in all its blessedness. He dwells forever with
Christ, and Christ forever with him. But who on
earth can speak of these glorious results of faith
and hope for those who are with Christ. It hath
not entered into the heart of man, to conceive
the least part of the joys which God has prepared
for those who love Him.

Faith strives, but all her efforts fail.

To trace them ia their flight ;
No eyes can pierce within tlie veil

Which hides that world of light.

These are the precious hopes which belong to
the man in Christ. They are found by him, grow-
ing more dear and precious to him every day.
As years multiply upon him, and cares press
around him ; these become more constantlv his
light and his comfort, in the house of his affliction.
They literally save him. He is " saved by hope."
He would have perished without them, and utterly
have fainted, had he not believed to see the good-
ness of the Lord, in the land of the living. In all
these precious hopes, Christ is all. They are
founded upon His word, — they depend upon His
power. They are composed of blessings in pros-
pect, which He only can give. He is himself the
great object of them, including all other objects
of desire in His own person and love. He is
Himself the hope which is as an anchor to the
soul, both sure and steadfast. The man in Christ
is a man of trials and sorrows. He mourns over
the darkness of the world around him; — he is

78 IN CHRIST.

grieved with the corruptions which go under a
Christian name ; — he is pained with the incon-
sistencies of professed believers; — he is deeply-
anxious amidst the dangers and trials to which
the truth is exposed; — he groans under the bur-
den of sin, and over the plague of his own heart.
But amidst all this pressure upon him, he has still
a bright and glorious hope ; and in this he cannot
but rejoice, and he does rejoice.

How unspeakably precious would these hopes
be to all ! How sad is the thought, my beloved
friends, that many of you first see their worth, in
the consciousness of their final loss ; and behold
too late, the unspeakable glories which you have
vainly and sinfully cast away ! O that you would
think of the importance of this ! Here is the great
concern for you. How happy would it be for you,
would you give half the attention and care to
this, Avhich you are ready to devote to the mere
dead discussions of religion, or to the vanities of
a dying world ! Here come, to the feet of Jesus,
— an appointed and sufficient Lord, — make Him
the object of your choice, and your confidence.
You will find there, a glorious hope, — a comfort-
ing and satisfying hope. It will watch around
you as a ministering spirit from on high. It will
stand by you, as an angelic messenger of peace.
It will supply you with daily provisions of joy and
strength. Why will you not embrace it, and
hold it fast ? Who of you is excluded from its
offers ? — who is driven away from the feast of joy
which it prepares ? Why stand you remote from
a blessing so free, and so precious ? My friends,
every interest for you, is involved in the posses-

IN CHRIST. 79

sion of this blessed hope ; — a possession which
is imparted by no mere ordinances or ministries
of man, but by the converting and transforming
power of the Holy Ghost, forming Christ within
the heart. Seek, then, the blessing thus pro-
posed. Seek it sincerely, and with your whole
heart. Seek it in a self-renouncing, humbled
spirit. Seek it Avith a determination to find and
to possess it, — but seek it only in Christ; — in an
acceptance of His offered pardon ; in a trust in
His perfect and sufficient righteousness ; in a
choice of His service, and a willingness to suffer
and to count all but loss, for His sake. Seek this
blessed hope, as the great business before you,
to which every other object, relation, and engage-
ment in life, is to give away ; resolved to come
out, and be separate from sin, and to walk in new-
ness of life, under a Saviour's guidance. Thus
shall you find yourselves sheltered and comforted
in Christ, and built up and protected in Him, for
every duty, — in every trial, — and for the enjoy-
ment of His glory ; filled by the God of hope, with
all joy and peace in believing, so that you may
abound in hope through the power of the Holy
Ghost.

CHAPTER VI.

SECURITY.

The view which I now purpose to exhibit of
the man in Christ, is that of his entire and final
security. He is in a state in which the mercy of
God has placed him, unalterably and finally se-
cure. How exceedingly precious and important,
this view of his condition is, every reflecting
mind is competent to estimate and understand.
The very thought of such a security as possible
for man, in the midst of a changing and unsettled
world like this, comes with a peculiar refreshment
and delight over the mind. In earthly arrange-
ments, the universal experience of man shows
that nothing is secure. The life and ingenuity
of man are literally expended, and the varied
powers of man are taxed to their utmost extent,
in guarding against the occurrence of anticipated
losses and dangers. The chief exhibition which
is made of human wisdom, is in the success of
the expedients which man contrives for this pur-
pose. Fear treads upon the heels of every invest-
ment, and every occupation. He cannot build
him an habitation, but he must guard and insure
against the devouring flame. He cannot send his
merchandise to traffic upon the ocean, but he

IN CHRIST. 81

must provide for all the fears of winds and storms.
He cannot confide his property to the hands of
his fellow-man, but the known depravity and un-
faithfulness of man unsettles all his expectations,
and fills him with doubt. He cannot fasten his
affections on a child, or a friend, but disease will
eat down his idol, or ingratitude will punish his
idolatry. This is the character of the world in
which man dwells, and the universal experience
of man as he passes through it.

Amidst all these changes, and these fears of
change, — as the attributes of earth, — is there
any real security to be offered to man ? Is there
any foundation upon which his hope and his con-
fidence may rest without fear? Certainly not in
the things of this world. " In the world ye shall
have tribulation." This is the portion of fallen
and imperfect man. This is the very atmosphere
in which he is born, — the inheritance which he
cannot avoid. And as surely as you will find
water in the ocean, or behold the .sparks ascend-
ing, will you find trouble and insecurity to be the
natural and universal inheritance of man.

But there is security in Christ. " Be of good
cheer," says He, " for I have overcome the world."
The outward condition and the present temporal
concerns of His people, may be the subjects of
continual decay and alteration ; — like the waters
of the troubled sea when it cannot rest, unceas-
ingly moving, never to be settled. But their real
interests, — their abiding concerns, become per-
fectly immovable and secure in the provisions of
the Gospel, and under the dominion of the Sav-
iour. Though in the world, they have no con-

4*

82 IN CHRIST.

tinuing city, they may still here receive, and here
possess, a kingdom which cannot be removed.
This certain security is the unspeakable privilege
of the true Christian. The " man in Christ,"
with a new mind and heart, by a faith which is
of the operation of God, has accepted Christ as
his foundation, and rests himself wholly upon
Him. He has thus by the Holy Spirit, been unit-
ed unto Him forever. In this connection, he is
happy in a state of present enjoyment, — animated
and encouraged by glorious hopes, — and made
perfectly secure from harm and loss, in any change
or trial to which he may be exposed. This di-
vine security is the point now before us.

All security has reference to some anticipated
possible loss ; and the value of the security rises,
in proportion to the worth of the interests which
are at hazard. But here, the interest contem-
plated, is the spiritual, permanent welfare of man,
— his undying existence, — his glorious immortal-
ity. In this connection, temporal things are not
to be considered. The security of which we
speak, is a spiritual, permanent security. There
are three sources of danger appertaining to the
interests of the soul, which every reflecting man
must apprehend as possible to himself: — Pi'esent
condemnation, — eventual captivity under the domin-
ion of si7i, — and final rejection from the glorious
presence of God. No other harm or loss can be
anticipated for the soul, than will come under
one, or the other, of these three classes of dan-
ger. To each of these dangers, the man without
Christ is inevitably and absolutely subjected.

IN CHRIST. 83

From them all, the man in Christ is made en-
tirely and infallibly secure.

The man in Christ, is entirely secure from
present condemnation in trial before God. This
trial all men must sustain. In fact all men are
passing through it every day they live. The
work of each day as it passes, is finished in itself
And though its actual results may yet be changed
while other days of grace remain, — its facts as it
passes, and the character of those facts, are un-
alterable for eternity. God is thus continually
proving men, and passing judgment upon them.
They are daily, either accepted and approved, or
condemned and rejected, by Him whose judg-
ment is according to truth. Men are taught to
look forward to a future hour, when this long se-
ries of judgments shall all be made up ; — when
there shall be a final investigation and settling of
human character and condition ; — when the as-
tounding results of human life shall be brought
but ; — and the whole family of man shall be, for
a succeeding eternity, either approved or con-
demned, before a just and Holy God.

But God also teaches us, that sinful men are
condemned already ; — condemned every day.
The Great Judge of all, in His heart-searching
power, is marking and recording the conduct of
man from day to day ; — and the result of actual
transgression and guilt discerned in man, is dis-
approbation and condemnation. O how impor-
tant,— how alarming is this view of the relation
of unpardoned man to his Creator ! He walks
forth continually, a sinner under the wrath of
God. Examined faithfully and justly in the ha-

84 IN CHRIST.

bitual character and conduct of his life, he is
ev ery day rejected and condemned. The uncon-
verted man seeks no refuge, but in his own ex-
cellence and worth. He stands alone. No other
being shelters him, or pleads for him. He lies
down, and he rises up, under the condemnation
of his righteous Judge. A dark life, and an infi-
nitely darker eternity, are before him. All the
dispensations of divine government, only serve to
ripen him in his sins, for final destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His
power.

From all this condemnation, the man in Christ
is entirely secure. There is no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus. Through the
riches of divine grace, he has been united to a
Saviour, who has borne all his guilt. The lavr
of God demands no other penalty, than that which
has been already endured for him ; and which he
has been taught and enabled by the Holy Spirit,
to embrace and plead before God. Christ has
been made for him, a debtor to do the whole law,
as an obedience and a sin-offering for him. In
his relation to this atoning Redeemer, having an
eternal personal union with him, he stands per-
fectly accepted before God ; — his sins are par-
doned, his backslidings are healed, his infirmities
are endured with, and his soul is sheltered and
loved forever. Though he is in the flesh, he is
not walking after the flesh, but after the Spirit ; —
and the Spirit of Christ dwells within him. The
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes him
free from the law of sin and death. He daily
offends; and if he should ever say he had no

IN CHRIST. ' 85

sin, the truth would not be in him. But his life
is not that of a wilful sinner, for he is born of God,
and his seed remaineth in him; so that his sin-
fiilness of nature, which is not a sinfulness of
choice, is pardoned; and he is every day accepted
with God, in that Saviour, who, by one offering,
hath perfected forever, them that are sanctified.
He is thus delivered from present condemnation,
because he is in Christ. He is blessed of the
most High God, an heir of God, and a joint heir
with Christ.

The man in Christ, is ^ecuve frorn all future
captivity under the power of sin. Sin shall never
be allowed to have dominion over him. An un-
converted mind is ruled AvhoUy by the principles
and propensities of a sinful nature : — it is, volun-
tarily and by continual desire, under the power
of sin. Though perfecth^ conscious of its sin, and
often feeling the importance of a deliverance from
its power, it is still a willing captive, and deter-
mines, for the present at least, to abide in this
condition, though the Gospel unceasingly and
freely offers liberty from the power of sin. But
the soul which has been led to fly for refuge to
Jesus, to receive him as a Saviour, and to yield
to his authority as a Ruler, finds the dominion of
sin, and its own captivity to it, to be broken.
The strong man armed is by the power of the
Holy Spirit, cast down and overcome. The
reigning power of rebellion has been dethroned,
in the conversion of the heart to God. The do-
minion of grace has been established within it by
divine power. This is an actual conquest, of
which every converted man has been the subject.

86 IN CHRIST.

The captivity of Satan has been led captive by
the power of the Son of God. But after thi.s
amazing change in man's condition, there may be
supposed a twofold danger possible, of the future
restoration of the power of sin ; — either from a
change in the dispositions of man himself, or from
the superior power of the enemy with whom he
is obliged to contend. From both of these dan-
gers, however, the man in Christ is made en-
tirely secure, and by the same power.

He is rescued from the possible disposition of
his own infirm nature to go back again to his
folly, because he has received as a divine gift, a
new heart. He has been brought voluntarily to
choose a new path of conduct. His affections are
really set upon new objects. These new affec-
tions are every day increasing in their power and
constraint. He loves the things of God, and he
loves them more and more. His mind is con-
tinually more alienated from disobedience, and
more abhorrent of sin. He presses forward in
the paths of holiness, because he has a delight
therein. To suppose him to turn again with de-
sire to the paths of sin, is to suppose him, either
discovering deception and unsoundness in the
heavenly objects which he pursues, which is im-
possible ; or else to suppose, that continual love
for an actually precious and much-valued object,
has in itself a tendency to turn into hatred and
dislike, which is absurd. How can sin ever again
appear attractive to him, when he is dead indeed,
unto sin, and it is the abominable thing which he
hates ? All his desires are by the Divine Spirit

IN CHRIST. 87

averted from sin; and with his own w^sh, its do-
minion can never again be restored.

But can he be led captive by its superior
power, without his own consent ? Still less is
this possible. It was by absolute superior power
that he was rescued from its influence at the
first. Can the almighty power wiiich then de-
livered him, fail ? Nay, it has pledged itself to
him, that sin shall not have dominion over him.
The power of sin is broken, and though it dwells
within him, it is only as a captive. It may be a
restless captive, — an insurgent, unwilling captive,
— but it is a captive still. It is left there, as the
Canaanites were left in the land of Israel, to
prove him, to make him watchful, to lead him
and to excite him to pray and strive for farther
conquests. While he rests upon the power of
Christ, he may glory even in his infirmities, and
feel that even when he is weak, then is he strong.
His personal holiness is the subject of a divine
covenant with him. God will make him holy,
for He is holy. He has solemnly bound himself
to do so. Sin cannot therefore have dominion
over him, unless the enemy shall prove to be
stronger than God. This is his certain security;
and though his heart may be sometimes over-
wiielmed within him, it is still a joy to him, to
reflect, that God hath solemnly confirmed to him
His promise never to forsake him. The victory
which has been obtained for him, is therefore, a
final victory ; and he shall be kept by divine
power, through faith unto salvation.

The man in Christ is secure from rejection in
the hour of his final trial. All men look forward

88 IN CHRIST.

to this day of account. There is an undeniable
inward conviction in the mind of man, whicii it is
extremely difficult to silence, that every secret
thing shall finally be brought into judgment, be-
fore the Living God. Then the register of hu-
man life will be exposed, and men will be judged
according to the deeds done in the body. Then,
the man who bears his own guilt must sink for-
ever. He cannot answer before God, for one of
a thousand of his faults. And when infinite
power, armed and directed by unerring justice,
enters into contest with him, it will be impossible
for him to escape. But the man in Christ will
not bear his own guilt. It has already been laid
upon a Divine Saviour, who has borne it for him
freely and entirely. Jesus has carried all his
grief And what penalty remains then, for man
to bear himself? There is not one conditional
justification of man now, and another actual one
then which is dependant upon man's own fidelity
of conduct. The believer in Christ is now justi-
fied, and having peace with God, is justified for-
ever. Then his acceptance will be publicly
owned and declared in the presence of the Lord
of all ; — and the evidences arising from his faith-
fulness in life, will be brought forward to testify
to the blessed fact. God will proclaim him as
His servant and His property forever, and will
receive him with a joyful welcome to His own
abode. Though his sins have been as scarlet,
they shall be found as white as snow. He can
bear to have them all exposed, because their
guilt and condemnation has been removed, and
the Saviour is glorified in the amazing grace

IN CHRIST. 89

which has been manifested in their forgiveness.
He makes mention of his Redeemer's righteous-
ness, even of that only ; and whatever may be
the accusations against him, this conquering Lord
will answer for him, and he is secure. God will
acknowledge him before the countless multitudes
of the redeemed, as His own ; as a jewel of His
choice, forever and ever. And shouts of grace,
grace, — shall exhibit and proclaim the bringing
forth of the topstone of his salvation in the king-
dom of his Father.

This is the securitij of the man in Christ. When
these dangers are removed, there can be no other
cause for fear to him. Secure in these facts, he
is secure forever. God is the portion of his in-
heritance, and of his cup. In the Lord, he is justi-
fied, and he glories forever. There, is the simple
foundation of his security. It does not depend
in any degree, upon his own strength or works.
It rests upon the simple fact, that he has been
made through grace, a member of Christ, — of an
all-conquering Saviour. His personal character
is the evidence of his state. It bears the same
relation to his actual condition, which the hand
upon the dial-plate bears to the main-spring or
the weight within. That is, it announces his
real state to the* eyes of others. If a man is not
manifestly and uniformly, a holy, watchful, perse-
vering Christian in his character and conduct, he
is not in Christ at all. He has no spiritual con-
nection with the Saviour. The Lord Jesus can
dwell in no heart, but as the principle and source,
of a new and holy life. But if a man be mani-
festly a holy, watchful man, he is not secure

90 IN CHRIST.

from condemnation because he is so, but because
Christ the Lord, who hath chosen him to be His
servant, maintains his cause, and answers for him
before the throne of God. His own best deeds
can never bear the scrutiny of divine inspection.
His very imagination that they can, woukl itself
destroy their worth entirely. Such a thought in-
dulged, would be the pride of a fallen spirit. The
ripest and the best fruits of grace in the Christian
soul, are the deep lowliness and humility which
cast down every high imagination, and lay all
the glory of all the w^ork of man's salvation at the
feet of the anointed Saviour. Faith which lays
hold, and keeps hold, upon Christ alone, is the
single instrument of safety to man. This cleaves
to the blessed hope which is set before him, and
rejoices in the conquests of the Lord alone.

How^ unspeakably important to guilty man, is
a security like this! When a conscious sinner is ,
going forward to his trial, is not the assurance
that he shall come off secure, of inestimable
worth ? When the dying patient has summoned
his physician, is not the assurance of certain re-
covery, and of future deliverance from disease,
of priceless value? But such certain security as
this, is offered only in Christ. Realize its worth,
— its preciousness to you. Through how many
scenes must you pass, when you will require His
presence and aid ? How^ many hours of trial and
distress will there be, when you cannot do without
Him ! You may look upon other friends, until
they bid you farew ell upon your dying bed. You
may enjoy earthly treasures, until the last hour
of life covers them with its pall of darkness.

IN CHRIST. 91

But then you will pine and sicken for the support,
which is only to be found in Christ. You cannot
behold an approaching judgment, or meet an un-
changing eternity, on any other ground, than the
perfect acceptance of your soul in the infinite
sufficiency and righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. There is no security for you then, but in
Him. This is the security which is now offered
to you in the Gospel. How easily it is to be ob-
tained ! How much does this fact increase your
ingratitude and guilt ! If God had bid vou do
some great thing, Avould you not have done it ?
How, much rather, when He only says, " believe
and be saved." The only security for your souls
is in Christ. Receive Him, — submit to Him, —
love Him ; — and He offers all to you freely.
Every blessing is thus proposed to you, — brought
to your doors, — urged upon your acceptance. It
is not to go up to the heaven, or down into the
deep. It is but to take the mercies which are
brought to your hearts, and thrust upon your ac-
ceptance. The responsibility upon you, is not of
getting^ but of rejecting, the unspeakable mercies
of God. How amazing is the heedlessness,
which shall reject such mercies, and such a Lord !
You act in no other concerns, upon such princi-
ples as these. Smaller matters far, by your own
acknowledgment, occupy your mind intensely.
You drive through the world in ardent, anxious
pursuit, of business, and gain, and pleasure. Your
whole earnestness of soul, in purpose and feeling,
can be given to earthly things. Alas ! that all
your energy should be wasted upon engagements
which cannot profit ; that you should have a taste

92 ■ IN CHRIST,

for every thing which perishes in the using, and
no heart left for the Glorious Redeemer who so
affectionately invites you to find rest in Him.
Why will you thus submit to the hardening influ-
ence of an unconverted heart ? Why, in defiance
of all your convictions of interest and duty, driv^e
from your souls that Blessed Spirit, who struggles
within you, to lead you to embrace the provisions
of the Gospel ? Return, return to God, — from all
your wanderings in folly, — from all your love for
the things of this vain world ; and seek and find
in Christ, a fulness of peace, — a security of sal-
vation,— an inheritance of life for evermore.

How wonderful is that infatuation which strives
against the Divine Spirit who would lead men to
Christ, and struggles with the attracting influence
of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, as if it were a
forcing of man into Nebuchadnezzar's furnace,
heated sevenfold ! Yet this is the course and
conduct of unconverted men. Thus do they al-
ways resist the Holy Ghost, and cast away with
determined obstinacy, all the boundless mercies
of the Gospel.

CHAPTER VII.

HONOUR.

" A Christian is the highest style of man." It
is the peculiar title which permanently connects
him with all beings who are more elevated in sta-
tion, and more abundant in wealth and power,
than himself. This is the view which I purpose
now to take of the man in Christ, as of a man
occupying a position of venj peculiar honour.

The standard of honour is in the relations which
man sustains to others around him. The honour
of this world is in the comparative elevation of
men in wealth, or power, or learning ; or in any of
the artificial distinctions in human society, over
their fellow-men. It is regulated by a connection
with those who are in superior stations. It is ac-
knowledged in the homage and respect of those
who are inferiors in their condition of life. It is
fed and kept in life, by the anticipation and hope
of something yet more exalted, to be obtained.
And yet its highest attainment is as transitory and
as uncertain as its lowest. Man being in honour,
abideth not. In reference to the certain passing
away of all his most valued earthly distinctions,
he is like the beasts which perish.

The station which is occupied by the man in

94 IN CHRIST.

Christ, is in the highest degree, honourable to him;
and is a permanent and imperishable elevation.
It gives him an union of family, and name, and
expectations, with worlds of beings who are all
higher, and more powerful, than man is able to
conceive. It bestows upon him, an adoption into
the family of the Living God ; and an heirship in
the everlasting inheritance of his children. Each
angelic being is a brother and a companion to
him. Beings so powerful, and so glorious, that
men have trembled for fear, when they have mo-
mentarily beheld them in their glory, are united
to him, in the deepest and most permanent affec-
tion. He is made a fellow-citizen with the saints,
and one with the spirits of the just made perfect.
The Great God and Father of all is his God and
Father. To him he is united in Christ Jesus by
a bond of inexhaustible, inextinguisliable grace
and love. He is a partaker of that holy fellow-
ship with God, which is the joy of heaven, and
the honour and privilege of glorified saints.

Such honour have all His saints. And yet the
almost uniform feeling of the carnal mind, con-
nects with a religious profession and character,
precisely the opposite association. Such a mind
is opposed to God, as well in its judgment of
truth, as in its tastes, desires, and pursuits. And
in this false estimate of character, it gives an il-
lustration of that entire perversion which trans-
gression has produced in the nature of man.
Guilty man must sacrifice his imaginary indepen-
dence, renounce his own avowed excellence, and
acknowledge the great personal wants and per-
sonal unw orthiness which truly distinguish him,

IN CHRIST. 95

before he can be received into the family of God,
and be clothed with the garments of His right-
eousness, and His salvation. Such demands seem
extremely derogatory to human pride ; and for
this reason, multitudes reject all the offers of the
Gospel to themselves, and affect to regard, and
to treat with contempt, those who yield to the in-
vitations which they despise, and submit to the
motives which they renounce, as unworthy and
degraded persons. In their view, true piety is
humiliating, not ennobling to the character and
station of man. Yet God says, — " those who
honour me, I will honour." And while He is pos-
sessed of glorious majesty, it must be ever to His
creatures, an unspeakable honour to be connected
with Him, and to be united to Him. Such honour
has the man in Christ ; — and some of the facts
which contribute to this excelling glory, we will
briefly consider.

The man in Christ has a most elevated object
of pursuit. The Holy Spirit divides the objects
of human pursuit, into two classes, — the " things
which are seen and are temporal, and the things
which are unseen and are eternal." The man
who is in Christ dwells as much in the necessity
of his present being, among things visible and
temporal, as the man without Christ. This is the
inevitable law of his being. His dispensation and
his duty are, to use the world as not abusing it ;
to make even that which is to others, the mam-
mon of unrighteousness, the instrument of pre-
paring him for everlasting habitations. But these
earthly things are not the things at which he aims.
They are not the real objects of his pursuit. In-

96 IN CHRIST.

deed, the natural desires of man cannot be satis-
fied with the perishing portion of this world, even
when he pursues it with the most devotion, and
attains it with the most abundant success. He is
secretly conscious of possessing powers and capac-
ities, which are far too lofty to be chained down
to earth ; and however he has gained, he feels
himself to be without hope, and to have spent his
strength for naught, when God takes away his
soul. But earth has a far different aspect and
influence when used as an home, and when used
as a journeying place to another and eternal home
beyond it. This is the condition and purpose of
the man in Christ. His object lies beyond the
verge of earth. He is pursuing an incorruptible
treasure, and he strives to pursue it with increas-
ing earnestness, in every new condition in which
he is placed. He is labouring with increasing zeal
and desire, to walk worthy of God, who has given
him His image, and called him to His kingdom and
glory. Every attainment which he makes in like-
ness to his Redeemer, and in submission to his
God, gives him increased satisfaction and delight.
The more earnestly he loves, and labours to gain
the heavenly things before him, the happier he
feels in a reflection upon his own condition. He
is never ashamed of any efforts which he puts
forth in this pursuit, nor dissatisfied with the ob-
jects which he really gains. The crown before
him is in his view, worthy of all his labours. The
nearer he approaches to it, the more attractive,
and glorious does it appear. And however the
world around him may affect to despise his course,
in casting away the baubles which it calls treas-

IN CHRIST. 97

ures, he feels himself to be pursuing an end,
which will be eternally precious and honourable,
when all earthly things shall have faded and
fallen forever. And in the certainty, and the
worth of this blessed and exalted object of pur-
suit, is one important fact of the honour of his
condition.

The man in Christ has a real independence of the
world. Just in proportion as our hearts are truly
fixed on God, and tilled and actuated with the
power of His grace, do the changes of the present
life cease to affect us. The unfailing rule of the
divine government in the family of God, is that
all thinofs work together for ffood to those who
love Him. The experience of His children is an
enjoyment of the elevation and tranquillity which
arise from this unchanging law. St. Paul could
say, when looking forward to bonds, imprison-
ment, and death, — " None of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so
that I may finish my course with joy, and the
ministry which I have received of the Lord Je-
sus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." I
would not be understood to say that every man in
Christ uniformly feels thus independent. But he
certainly does so, in proportion to the simplicity
of his faith in God, to the power of his religious
spirit, to the attainments of his religious charac-
ter, and to his real perception of the fulness of
his inheritance in Christ. His infirmities may of-
ten press him down into the vale of care and trial.
His faith may be often w^eak, and his light ob-
scured. But the rule of his condition is actual in-
dependence, and the increasing spirit of it is con-

5

98 IN CHRIST.

scious independence, of the world around. The
vain and fickle judgments of the world do not trou-
ble him. Its alluring provisions for sensual appetite
do not entice him. Its threats and denunciations
do not alarm or deter him. Its persecutions can-
not affright him, or turn him back from his known
and chosen duty to God. He exercises himself
to have always a conscience void of offence to-
wards God, and towards men. He is in sure
possession of a kingdom which cannot be re-
moved ; — and he is as happy in its possession,
when affliction and distress are heaped upon him,
as when prosperity and earthly joys surround him.
This is real independence of the world. For who
is he that overcometh the world, but he that be-
lieveth on the Son of God ? The habitation of *
such a man is founded upon a rock ; and storms
and winds will beat upon it, entirely in vain.
And in this real and abiding independence of the
world, is another element of the honour which be-
longs to the man in Christ.

The man in Christ is intimately connected with
high and ennobling relations. The whole elect of
God are united together in one communion and
fellowship, in the mystical body of His dear Son.
In Him, elect angels are upheld in duty to God.
In Him, elect men are gathered from all lands, and
made partakers of the divine nature, and the di-
vine love. To this great and holy fellowship, the
Spirit of God brings every converted, believing
soul. They come thus, in the exercise of that
living faith which unites them to Jesus, unto the
city of the Living God, — the heavenly Jerusalem,
— to the innumerable company of angels, and to

IN CHRIST. 99

the general assembly and church of the first-born,
which are written in heaven. The man in Christ
is a citizen of no mean city. His name is written
in heaven. He is encompassed on earth by heav-
enly guards ; and however he may be despised,
and counted as nothing, by the world around him,
— the manifestation to their view, of those who
watch over him, who are interested in him, and
have a common inheritance with him, would strike
the earth with awe and terror. This amazing
manifestation is yet to be made, when Jesus shall
appear in His glory, and acknowledge His saints
in the midst of surrounding millions ; — when they
shall shine in His presence, like the brightness of
the firmament, and like the stars forever and ever.
But the glory of this high connection is not now
the less real, though it be the less apparent. The
children of God are sojourning in a land of stran-
gers. But they are not the less certainly, the
heirs of the divine promises, and partakers of an
immovable and incorruptible kingdom. It doth
not yet apjjfar what they shall be : — but this is
all. The believing soul is now made by the Holy
Spirit, one with Christ ; and whatever glory Christ
possesses, is his also, by the divine covenant and
gift. The man in Christ has thus, his conversa-
tion, his citizenship in heaven. He is taught the
language of praise and love, which is the dialect
of heaven. He is a son of God; and wherever
there are beings, whose affections and powers are
consecrated to God his Father, there are those
who are united to him, in the closest intimacy,
and the most imperishable relations. This con-
nection is permanent, indissojible, and real. And

100 IN CHRIST.

God the Saviour rejoices over the vessels of His
mercy, which He hath afore prepared for glory, as
the crown and recompense of all His humiliation
and suffering on the earth.

The man in Christ has a certain inheritance of
future glory, God hath laid up for his enjoyment,
such things as it hath not entered into the heart
of man to conceive. The personal happiness and
peace of his future inheritance, is a precious as-
pect of it in his view. But this is not the pecu-
liar one, which we now regard. Its elevation
and glory constitute the aspect which we here
consider, as an element of honour. It will be a
glorious triumph. The Christian is made more
than a conqueror. All enemies are put in sub-
jection under his feet. Having been kept faith-
ful unto death, he is now the possessor of a crow n
of life. It will be an exalted dominion. " Ye
shall sit upon thrones." — "Ye shall reign as
kings." — " To him that overcometh, will I give
to sit with me on my throne, even as I also have
overcome, and have sat down with my Father
on His throne." It will be a glorious priesthood
for worship and praise. He is one of a royal
priesthood ; — made a king and a priest unto God,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Him
by Jesus Christ. This future triumphant glory
is an eternal glory. And while the countenance
of the Father shines upon him with unutterable
peace, and the presence of the Son fills his soul
with overflowing joy, and the Spirit breathes
through him, the influence of holy satisfaction
and delight; — all this is an everlasting inheri-
tance. And oh, what excelling glory is this!

IN CHRIST. 101

The last enemy conquered, — the last distress
passed, — the last temptation overcome, — the last
tear of sorrow wiped away; — and the spirit, —
trembling with the mingling power of humility
and joy, — receiving a crown from the Saviour's
hand, surrounded with choirs of rejoicing an-
gels,— welcomed in public audience of all who
have rejected and despised him before, — listens
with rapture and amazement, while voice after
voice takes up the anthem of praise, and the far
distant throngs of God's elect, unite in the trans-
porting shout, like the noise of many thunders,
" Such honour have all His saints." And all this
is not a future, possible glory, merely. It is a
present, actual inheritance of the child of God ;
for which he is kept, and which is kept for him,
because he is in Christ. It is not a recompense of
his own personal, partial works, nor made con-
tingent upon any ability in himself It is the
crown of a Saviour's merit and excellence, with
whom he is one by the gift and power of grace ;
and of which, therefore, he is a partaker, simply
because he is in Christ. It does not depend upon
his own power to overcome. It is secured by
the faithfulness of a Lord, who hath already over-
come in his behalf; and who gives to His servant
whom He hath chosen, the kingdom which He
hath merited and obtained. The man who is in
Christ, is even now, in possession of an indisput-
able title to this glory, and is an actual partaker
of the honour v^^hich its greatness and worth im-
parts.

These are some views of the honour of this
condition of grace. How blessed and precious

102 IN CHRIST.

they are, the children of God can readily under-
stand. The influence which they exercise upon
them is most evident and powerful. They lead
the man in Christ, to an utter disesteem of earth
as an inheritance, and of his own character as a
ground of hope. When he is elevated, under the
dominion of a spiritual mind, to consider these
glorious privileges as his own inheritance, the
things of this world fade in the distance, to total
insignificance, as an object of pursuit. All sup-
posed excellence of his own seems completely
annihilated. What is man, as considered in
himself, when he is viewed in this connection,
but a thing of nought, passing away as a shadow ?
These blessed privileges lead the man in Christ
to an affectionate choice of God, as his only de-
sirable treasure. He cheerfully counts all things
but loss for His sake. He has no higher wish
than to follow the Lord only and forever, who
hath enriched him with- such boundless mercies,
and made him the heir of such inconceivable and
eternal glory. He rejoices to acknowledge his
crucified Lord, before all men, as the one object
of his desire and choice ; — to appear on earth as
His servant ; — to bear His beloved name in all his
intercourse Avitli the \^orld; and never to be
ashamed of His cross, or of any of the reproaches
which it may bring upon him.

The sons of God are thus led ever to confide in
the Father's assured divine presence and protec-
tion, with a filial spirit ; — to trust all their wants
and cares completely to him; — and thus to be
cheerful amidst sorrows, confident under the
presence of difficulties, hoping even against hope.

IN CHRIST. 103

rejoicing ever in the assurance of the rest, — the
glorious rest, which remaineth for the people of
God. It is thus, that they are upheld and saved.
The more entirely they walk by faith in things
unseen, the more elevated and tranquil their
spirits become. When their minds and hearts
are brought down, to mingle in the conflicts, and
to be anxious for the cares of this present world,
they are twisted and overthrown, by the whirl-
winds of passion, or appetite, or pride. When
they look above and beyond the world, and real-
ize their privileges in Christ, earthly things cease
to distress them. While they walk closely and
humbly with God, in the spirit of dependance,
watchfulness, and faith, — however they may be
reproached and outcast among men, they feel
themselves exalted completely above them, and
glory in the shame which they suffer for a be-
loved Lord.

Beloved friends in Christ, this is your privilege,
your purchased right. O realize the blessing of
keeping and cultivating a heavenly mind ! — of
maintaining an abiding sense of your actual rela-
tion to the Lord Jesus, and of walking simply and
humbly in the enjoyment of His love. Li this
honour which you receive in the chosen family
of God, Christ is all. It comes to you, as the
purchase of His obedience, and from your personal
union with Him. It depends upon His all-suffi-
cient merit and power to save you. It is per-
ceived and enjoyed, as He is himself embraced,
remembered, and enjoyed by you. Its enjoy-
ment is the work within you, of that Divine Spirit,
who is ever ready to sanctify, uphold, and bless

104 IN CHRIST.

you ; and whose office it is, to form Christ in your
hearts, as your chief object of affection, and your
only ground of hope, and to reveal to you, His
excellence, power and love, as your own Re-
deemer and Lord. Strive then daily, to walk
worthy of this high calling, as becometh saints;
in- all points of duty and labour, pleasing Him
who hath called you to a knowledge of His truth
and His salvation.

Yea, all of you, to whom these blessed invita-
tions come, seek to participate in the same
abounding provisions of grace. If you will fly
with an humbled and broken heart, to Him, in
whom all these bounties dwell, as the chosen
treasure of your hearts, and the one object of your
desire and affection, they become yours forever.
Secure an interest in the Lord Jesus, and you
secure every thing in Him. Believe, trust in Him
with all your hearts, and He becomes eternally
your own. When you are one with Him, by this
simple trust of your souls to Him, through the
power of His own Holy Spirit, you are in posses-
sion of all the treasures which reside in Him for
His people, — of all the joys which flow out from
Him to the heirs of His salvation, — of all the glo-
ries which are laid up for them at His right hand
forever. O refuse not Him that speaketh in invi-
tations and offers like these ! While in amazing
reconciliation to the guilty. He comes to you; in
reciprocal reconciliation to Him, kiss the Son, lest
He be angry, and ye perish from the right way.
If His wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, blessed
are all they who put their trust in Him.

CHAPTER YIII.

RESPONSIBILITY.

We have considered the man in Christ as oc-
cupying a position of peculiar honour. But there
can be no elevation in the condition of man, with-
out its corresponding obligations and responsibil-
ity. The man vsiio is exalted in privileges in any
walk or line of human life, will also find himself
distinguished by attending and proportionate cares
and duties. This is also the condition of the man
in Christ. He is highly exalted in the union
which he has received with his glorious Lord, and
he has a peculiar, and most important measure
of responsibility resting upon him, corresponding
with this high measure of advantage and exalta-
tion.

The responsibility of his condition, is the view
to which I would direct your notice, in my pres-
ent remarks. There is a mutual responsibility
to each other, inseparable from the condition of
men. In whatever station in human life, a man
may be placed, there are always others, in a
greater or less degree, made in the Divine Prov-
idence, dependant upon him ; and he is bound to
exercise the influence which is committed to him,
for their permanent benefit. He is therefore held

106 IN CHRIST.

accountable in this measure, for the happiness and
security of their present and future condition.
And his own final happiness is to a great extent,
wrapped up in his faithful discharge of his obli-
gations to them. The man in Christ has all the
various personal relations of human life to sus-
tain towards others, according to the peculiar out-
ward circumstances in which he is placed. And
besides these, he has a peculiar responsibility
resting upon himself, arising from the particular
blessings which he has received from God, and
the special means and opportunities of influence
which he possesses. He is one of a community of
persons, whom God has set up as the light of the
world, and upon whom He has made the everlast-
ing salvation of their fellow-men, in a great degree
dependant. They have been constituted vessels
of special mercy; and in the exercise of their
duty towards others, the excellency of the power
is of God, and not of themselves. The responsi-
bility of the world's salvation is devolved upon
them, as the chosen and appointed instruments of
God, commissioned for this important end. They
are in possession of intelligence which is able to
make men wise unto salvation, — which can im-
part consolation in every human trial, and bind
up and comfort the broken heart, in every con-
dition of human sorrow. If they are faithful in
duty, men are saved by the divine blessing upon
their efforts. If they are slothful and negligent
in their appointed work, much suffering and loss
must ensue to others from their neglect. These
important facts constitute a measure of respon-
sibility which they cannot avoid, and which rests.

IN CHRIST, 107

and must rest, upon every individual member of
this community.

In considering this responsibility of the man in
Christ, I would remark first, upon the things for
which he is respofisible ; the actual substance and
facts of this responsibility. These may be profit-
ably divided into the two points, of personal ex-
ample, and active efforts to do good to others.

The man in Christ is responsible for his per-
sonal example. After all the privileges we have
seen in his possession, the mercies, and the means
of influence, which have been bestowed upon him,
it is hardly possible unduly to magnify the de-
mands which may be justly made upon him, for
a personally holy example. The Saviour con-
nects the exhibition of these great privileges,
with the influence which ought naturally and
properly to result from them. He teaches us, in
many different forms, the relative position which
his followers were designed by him to occupy,
in reference to the world around them. He calls
them, " The light of the world,"—" The salt of
the earth," — " The leaven which is to leaven the
w^hole lump." These and similar expressions
point to the fact, of a necessary operation of their
character and conduct upon other persons. A
light cannot be hidden, and is not brought to be
put under a bushel. Salt that has lost its savour,
is good for nothing. Such expressions display
this purpose of relative influence as the chief de-
sign of their peculiar condition among men. For
the exercise of this influence, they are endowed
with many instruments and gifts, which under
the blessing of God may be made thus effective.

108 IN CHRIST.

But among them all, probably none is more likely
to be powerful, than a holy example. The word
of God has established a standard, and revealed a
pattern, for the character of every Christian, in
the perfect excellence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To this, every disciple of Christ is to be conformed,
by the renewing power of the Holy Ghost. And
according to its principles and demands, will he
be judged and approved at last before God. His
personal conformity to Christ, is the example
which he must exhibit before men. The life
of the Lord Jesus must be manifested in his
life. The facts which make up this example will
be found to extend into the most secret and con-
stant cultivation of the mind of Christ within.
Even there, as the only source of holy influence
upon others, is he to acquire and maintain, that
holy and spiritual mind which is life and peace.
His external, open conduct also comes under this
requisition for personal example. What the man
in Christ really is, he is abroad in his whole in-
tercourse with the world in which he dwells.
The transactions of his daily business will be
sanctified by the uniform and evident influence
of a religious and holy temper. There can be
no stain of insincerity, or unfaithfulness, or un-
reasonable anger, or inconsistent levity, or sen-
sual impurity allowed or excused in him. He is
a living epistle, to be known and read of all men,
every day. And if he does not bear with him
the marks of the Lord Jesus, in his free and un-
premeditated walk and character among men, it
cannot be, but they will disbelieve the profession
which he makes, and blaspheme the holy name

IN CHRIST. 109

whereby he is called. His domestic habits must
also be included within the range of his personal
example. Here also, is he examined with an
habitual, and very searching eye. And he can-
not lay aside the watchfulness of his walk with
God, because he has returned to the retirement of
his own house. As a general rule, the standard
of his manifest conduct will be the standard of
family judgment in regard to the whole claims of
personal religion, and for the formation of relig-
ious character in all who come after him in lower
stations of the household. In this aspect of his
character, he will see himself reflected in multi-
plying mirrors around him ; and he cannot be too
scrutinizing or guarded in the control of himself
at home. His own private and personal actions,
even to the secret engagements of his closet, will
be a part of his example. The character of a
Christian is an unbroken unit. To be effective,
it must be always thus. If he relax his line of
duty in any point, he has broken the principle
which professedly controls him. He has a right
to uniform independence of the false and harsh
judgments of the world. But he can have no
dispensing power or privilege, in reference to Ihe
claims of the divine character and truth. By the
demands of these he must be seen to be habitu-
ally governed. And as secretly as the eye of any
human being can follow him, is he to consider
the claims and the responsibility of his personal
example to extend. Even the temper and habit
of his mind, the manifest state and current of his
thoughts and feelings, will come also under this
head of personal example. Indeed, it may be

110 IN CHRIST.

justly said, that this is the main fact of example.
He will be daily and habitually judged by the
sincerity with which he manifestly acts, and the
evident freedom and unconstrained exhibition of
his religious character. The Saviour was obliged
to say, " Ye know not what manner of spirit ye
are of," to some who had forsaken all to follow
him. Alas ! how often do we feel such a re-
buke to be justly applicable to ourselves ! What
strange fire do we often bring to the Lord's altar !
What selfish and careless hands do we often lay
upon the ark of God ! And though God may
mercifully pardon our infirmities, and heal our
backslidings, and hide his face from our trans-
gressions ; we may not reasonably expect any
thing of men, but that our failures will be remem-
bered, far more accurately and permanently, than
any efforts subsequently to amend them. All
these points are necessarily included in the re-
sponsibility for personal example. Whether the
man in Christ be a man of prayer, of meekness,
of tenderness, of love, is a subject for the judg-
ment of others around him ; — one upon which
their unceasing scrutiny will be fixed, and in
reference to which their opinions will very gener-
ally be according to truth.

This persoi al example, must be one of positive
agency for good, and not merely negatively harm-
less. It is not enough to ask of the man in Christ,
that he do no harm to others, either in his conver-
sation, or his conduct. He is to be actually use-
ful, to all with whom he is connected in life, to
the utmost extent of his means and power. The
life and spirit of true religion are habitually active

IN CHRIST. Ill

in their influence. The Gospel is in the world
as a conquering dispensation. It is to gain over
to obedience and subjection to the Son of God,
many whose hearts are naturally alienated from
Him. And the influence of its real subjects and
professors, is the great instrument in the power
of the Holy Spirit in carrying out these victories
of the truth of God. Each single Christian be-
comes therefore personally responsible, for all the
influence which his own example can be made to
produce in the attainment of this all- important
end. Thus God designs to bless and save the
world. If but a single Christian be resident in a
household, he is there by God's appointment, as
an instrument and messenger of the Lord of Hosts;
and he must be about his Master's business, and
make it his meat and drink to do His will. His
personal example is one of the most important
facts in the daily history of that family, and will
constitute one of the most serious items in the
account which shall be required both of him and
them. Sad will it be for him, if those who are most
intimate with him, have never known, by the ac-
tual, manifest character of his life, that he was
standing truly on the Lord's side, and gathering
daily Avith Christ. What he might have been the
instrument of accomplishing, had his light been
shining steadily and clearly before men, he has
not only lost, but it is vain for him to calculate.
The hour of mourning will come over privileges
and means so unreasonably neglected and unim-
proved. And the measure of his privileges, and
his possible attainments, will be made the measure
of responsibility for him. This responsibility for

112 IN CHRIST.

personal example can never be laid aside. Wher-
ever the man in Christ may be, — though but a
wayfaring man tarrying for the night, this burden
is laid upon him, and his example must and will
operate, either for good, or for evil, to an extent,
which will only be revealed to him at the judg-
ment seat of Christ. O that all who belong to
Jesus, might be led to reflect habitually and
seriously, upon this undoubted fact ; and feel the
weight of that inevitable influence, which they
must exercise upon others, and the responsibility
which they must consequently bear. Let your
light so shine before men, that they, seeing your
good works, may glorify your Father who is in
heaven.

The man in Christ is responsible for personal
efforts to do good to others, with whom the Provi-
dence.of God has been pleased to connect him.
He has a divine and precious treasure committed
to his charge. And however earthen and worth-
less may be the vessel which contains it, the ex-
cellency of the power is of God. He can do much
for the divine glory, and the happiness of man ;
and he is answerable for all that he can do. His
efforts for the welfare of others, will require a real
and deep interest in their condition. As he think-
eth in his heart, so is he. He must feel for their
necessities and dangers. He must have a clear
perception of the need, and the nature of their
salvation. God must be able to witness how ar-
dently he longs for them all, in the love of the
Lord Jesus. In this deep concern for their spir-
itual benefit, as well as for their present happi-
ness, he must feel himself, and show hims'elf, to

IN CHRIST. 113

be perfectly sincere. Such an interest will speak
in habitual prayer. He knows God to be one
that heareth prayer. He has been accustomed to
receive, and to understand, manifest answers from
God, to prayer. He will therefore abide in his
calling upon God, with watchfulness, earnestness,
and perseverance. He will be much engaged in
intercessory prayer, — pleading for all saints, for the
whole household of God; for all earthly friends;
for those who have declared themselves enemies
to him ; for the world which lieth in sin. Daily
will his supplications rise up to God, in affection-
ate intercessions, for those whom he is bid thus
to remember before God, in the assurance that
praying breath can never be spent in vain. But
this active spirit of prayer will lead to a habit of
effort just as active. The man in Christ will learn
to be ingenious in devising methods of spiritual
benefit to others. Affectionate religious conver-
sation, directing and suggesting to a profitable
course of reading, leading to the faithful preach-
ing of the Gospel, as Andrew found his own bro-
ther Simon, and brought him to hear the Saviour
whom he had previously seen, — all these are very
familiar, and very effective instruments of relig-
ious benefit. How much a feeble Christian may
in this way, by the divine blessing, accomplish
for the benefit of his fellow-men, and the glory of
his Redeemer, none can adequately describe. A
sincere and believing heart, in faithful prayer, and
earnest Christian effort, is attended with an om-
nipotent divine power. And by the most feeble
of such instruments, God habitually accomplishes
very great results.

114 IN CHRIST.

But the man in Christ, will go farther than the
mere employment of these instruments of benefit
to man. He will rejoice to dedicate liis money,
and to devote his time, to the great purpose of
saving the souls of men. All that he possesses,
he realizes to be God's gracious gift, or rather
God's confiding loan to him; and he acknowl-
edges the obligation to dispense it, according to
the rules which God has himself prescribed. He
sees how much the cause of true benevolence
languishes among men, in want of the efforts
which those whom God hath redeemed and pros-
pered, should put forth for Him. He feels, there-
fore, the more bound, to do all that he can, to
promote and encourage every good work. It is
with him a fixed principle of faith, that the world
in which he dwells, is the property, and will be
ultimately under the dominion, of the Redeemer
whom he loves and serves. As this is a subject
of divine promise, so is it with him a subject of
habitual, joyful expectation. To hasten the ful-
filment of this promise, and to accomplish to the
utmost of his power, the glorious result which it
proclaims, is the purpose of his heart, and the ob-
ject of his cheerful and persevering exertions in
every path of influence which may be laid open
to him. He waits for and desires the coming of
his great God and Saviour, according to the Lord's
command ; and labours in his vocation, to have the
Gospel preached unto all nations, as the appoint-
ed antecedent to this glorious manifestation of his
Lord. The responsibility for the faithful discharge
of this duty, the man in Christ continually rea-
lizes. And as he looks round upon his own ad-

IN CHRIST. 115

vantages, upon the means of influence committed
to him, and the wonderful mercies and blessings
which God has been pleased to bestow upon him ;
he cannot but remember, and feel, that for all
these things God will bring him into judgment.
And he accustoms himself to make a serious and
solemn estimate of the final account which he
must be prepared to give to God.

But to whom is the man in Christ responsible ?
How shall he except any ? His character and
influence are the property and the right of others :
and they may justly claim, all that he is bound
by the divine commands to impart. He is re-
sponsible to the family with whom he dwells, and
whatever may be his station in the household,
every member of it has a just claim to a divine
blessing through him ; and will meet him in the
presence of the heart-searching God at last, to
settle the record of the mercies which they have
received or lost, in their connection with him.
He is responsible to the church in which he has
been planted by the providence and grace of God.
His character, and exertions, and influence are a
portion of the property of this spiritual body, in
which God has ingrafted him. If he sins in an
inconsistent walk, the church is dishonoured. If
he shines in manifest holiness, the church is ad-
vanced. It is his duty and privilege to edify the
body of Christ, and to fulfil his portion of the
great work, which God has assigned to his church
upon the earth. What other Christians think of
him, and say of him — if the estimate which they
form of his character, and the record which they
give of his life be just — is a fact of vast consequence

116 IN CHRIST.

to him. He is also responsible to the world around
him. God has placed him there, as a light shin-
ing in a dark place. All that he can do for the
happiness and salvation of mankind, they have a
right to expect from him. He must by all means
save some. With them also he must stand in
judgment. For them, he must answer before
God. The perishing souls of sinful men have a
right to his care, and time, and thoughts. Their
desolate and ruined condition claims his pity and
his help. And though it is a small thing for him
to be judged of man's judgment ; it is not a small
thing to be judged before God, for the neglect of
that which lie was bound to do for the salvation
of men, by the divine appointment. But amidst
all this intermediate responsibility, he is finally
accountable to God. All previous facts are but a
gathering of the materials for this last account.
There, before the tribunal of the Living God, he
will be seen, and known, and thoroughly under-
stood. All that he has done, and all that he has
left undone, will come out in equal clearness be-
fore him. And according as he has sown upon the
earth, must he reap an harvest for eternity. His
life has been the evidence of his character, and
will be the standard of his account. He has been
enriched with amazing privileges, and God must
require of him, according to that which he hath
received. And though his glorious recompense is
wholly the reward of a Saviour's perfect work
of obedience for him ; though his crown is merited
by that everlasting righteousness which is im-
puted to him without his works ; his own conduct
and character are the proofs that he is really a

IN CHRIST. 117

partaker of that work of merit, and a possessor
of that righteousness, which has purchased for
him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory.

This is the responsibility of the man who is in
Christ. Let all those who believe this to be their
condition, realize the importance of the view
which we have now taken of it. As you have
considered the various pleasing attitudes of this
state of grace, so now make it your solemn pur-
pose to realize and appropriate the serious and
impressive responsibility which belongs to it.
Let it be the labour of your life to fill up the
measure of this responsibility, remembering how
short your time is. You cannot be too active in
effort, or too devoted in spirit, or too zealous in
affection and plan, to comport with the high vo-
cation wherewith you are called. You have pro-
fessed to give up all for Christ, and to make Him
your treasure, and your portion. O hold not back
any thing which belongs to Him ! So serve Him,
and so follow Him, in newness of mind, and holi-
ness of life, that you may honour Him in your
daily walk on earth, and rejoice before Him, at
His glorious coming, with the multitude of His
redeemed.

CHAPTER IX.

THE LIFE OF FAITH.

It has been my object to view the man in Christ
in this special connection ; — to consider the bles-
sings which he derives, and the duties for which
he is responsible, from the simple, but all-impor-
tanf fact, that he is in Christ. In every aspect
under which his character and condition may be
considered, every benefit that he enjoys is made
dependant upon the Saviour's grace, and flowing
continually from His good pleasure, — Christ is all.
He has received a real and everlasting union with
Christ, the gift of the Father's love, and the re-
sult of the immediate agency of the Holy Ghost.
In this work of divine mercy, he has been trans-
formed in the renewing of his mind, subdued in
the yielding of his will to the commands of God,
enlightened to follow after heavenly treasures,
elevated to desire and seek the things which are
above, drawn to unfeigned and ardent love for
the Saviour, and made cheerfully and thankfully
ready to submit himself completely to Him. He
has thus given up all attempts to establish any
righteousness of his own, and has submitted him-
self with gratitude and confidence, to the right-
eousness of God. He has received Christ, both

IN CHRIST. 119

as a Sovereign and a Saviour. He acknowledges
to Him as a Sovereign, that he has no claim or
righteousness of his own ; — no reason in himself
why mercy should be extended to him; — that he
is justly condemned under the sentence of His
law, and therefore has no merit whatever to plead
in His presence ; and that he must rely upon the
perfect freeness of His pardoning grace for every
hope. He depends upon Him as a Saviour, who
has fulfilled the righteousness of the law for him,
and is ready to bestow His whole work of merit
upon him. He relies, therefore, for all his hope,
upon the actual humiliation, obedience, and tri-
umph, perfected by Christ for him ; — and trusts
himself before God to be tried and sentenced,
with no other plea than this perfect work of Jesus,
as a Saviour, upon which he rests with simple
and affectionate faith. He thus yields to the
righteousness of the law's demands, thougli it ut-
ters his certain condemnation, — and accepts the
righteousness of the Gospel's provision, as furnish-
ing the only, and a complete redemption for his
soul. He exalts the sovereignty of God, in con-
fessing himself, like clay in the hands of the
potter, dependant upon His absolute will ; and he
exalts the salvation of God, by trusting himself
unreservedly to its sufficiency and provision for
him.

The single principle of his spiritual life, is there-
fore ya^YA; an unhesitating belief of the words of
God, and an entire reliance upon the merit and
power of Christ. It is a faith, which is of the
operation of God ; an inward imparted perception
and apprehension of the unchangeable redeeming

120 IN CHRIST.

love of God for him, which enables him to hope,
and to rejoice in hope, notwithstanding the abiding
sin which he still perceives within himself. He
has thus received Jesus Christ the Lord, and he
thus walks in Him. The living principle of his
progressive course, is faith, which gives present
substance to things hoped for, and is the assuring
evidence of the things wdiich are not seen. The
man in Christ walks by faith, not by siglit. Iii
total despair of ever finding any good thing in
himself, or of his own, or of becoming any better
qualified by efforts of his own, for the exercise
upon him of a Saviour's love, — he commits his soul,
his present and eternal welfare, entirely and un-
reservedly to Christ ; both to guide him in this
world, and to save him in the next; believing
that He is both able and willing to do the whole
work for him, in the freedom and fulness of His
grace.

This trust in Christ, is the abiding motive and
principle of the man in Christ. It is the very
opposite of mere worldly prudence. The children
of this world walk by sight, not by faith. To
them the visible possession of a smaller gain, is
better than the possible acquisition of a larger.
But the Christian's treasures are all unseen. He
has nothing in visible possession. The earnest
of his promised inheritance is the renewing and
love- working faith, which the Holy Spirit has
bestowed upon him, and maintains within him.
And his whole walk, his uniform course of char-
acter, is a life of faith, — not faith in man, which is
mere imagination, and is doomed with a curse, —
but faith in God, — in the word of God; in the

IN CHRIST. 121

feeling and mind of God towards himself; and in
the purposes and plans of God in relation to him.
This is the view which I desire to take now of
the man in Christ. — He walks by faith.

It is faith in the divine provisions for the pardon
of the past. There is nothing in past life which
awakens anxiety, or which need inspire concern,
but sin. The troubles which have been encoun-
tered, and the sorrows which have been endured,
have passed away, and are readily forgotten. But
sin invariably leaves a sting, which harasses the
mind, disturbs the conscience, and sooner or later
awakens the deepest and most distressing grief.
Unless this be pardoned, man is without hope
forever. Unless man has some intelligence or
knowledge of its forgiveness, it is impossible for
him to be at peace. The fear of punishment,
and the confidence in pardon, are necessary al-
ternatives in an awakened and considerate mind.
Nor can man rest, until he has some good reason
to believe that God is really reconciled to him,
and willing to receive and bless him. For the
evidence of this important fact, the man in Christ
rests upon the certainty of the divine word, God
has provided and revealed a full atonement for
sin in the offering of His Son. He has received
Him as manifested in the flesh, a sufficient substi-
tute and surety for guilty man. The Father has
accepted His offering once for all, when the ini-
quities of men were laid upon Him, and He bore
them in His own body upon the cross, — being
made a ransom for them., a sacrifice instead of
them. There is in tliis amazing provision of di-
vine mercy and grr.ce, a perfect sufficiency for

6

122 IN CHRIST.

guilty man. It is unquestionable that the blood
of Jesus Christ, — God manifest in the flesh, — is
able to cleanse him from all sin. There is a dig-
nity, and worth, and power, in His mediation, in
this peculiar attitude, as an offering for man,
which furnishes the clearest and most sufiicient
ground for hope. Upon this, the man in Christ
rests his confidence of pardon. He believes the
testimony which proclaims this work of divine
love ; and commits himself, as a consciously con-
demned sinner, to its all-sufficient worth as a
means of divine forgiveness for him. There is
in this system of grace, not only sufficiency, but
adaptation also to his wants and condition. It
is a plan which is perfectly suited to his case ;
which precisely meets the demands of his soul.
What the law could not do through the weakness
of the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the like-
ness of sinful flesh, and for sin, has perfectly fin-
ished. And while the Christian contemplates
this suffering, mighty Saviour, as actually bearing
the burden of man's condemnation, and putting
away sin by the sacrifice of himself; he perceives
it to be a plan, which precisely meets every need
of his soul. It furnishes every thing in which he
is deficient, and in just the way, most suited to
his necessities, and most adapted to relieve and
comfort him. Upon the certainty of this provis-
ion, as made and proclaimed by the God of Truth,
he rests himself in humble faith. It is all that he
wants. He casts his burden of conscious guilt
upon this suffering Lord, and is at peace. His ev-
idence, his reason for believing, is the truth and
certainty of the word of God, who cannot lie.

IN CHRIST. 123

The object upon which his faith rests, is this re-
vealed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the same yester-
day, to-day, and forever. In the view and plans
which this faith forms and acknowledges, Christ
is all. To intrust himself to this all-sufficient
Saviour, he does not wait for evidences within
himself, — the fruits and eifects of faith upon him-
self He does not make his own state of mind and
feeling, the reason for his confidence in Christ.
This would be confidence in himself, not in Christ.
There are many blessed results of faith, in the
comforting and upholding of the soul, which are
subsequent pr6ofs that the Christian does really
believe, not reasons why he should believe ; and
which can only come when he has actually com-
mitted himself entirely in simple faith to Christ.
And it is an ensnaring temptation, which often
leads men, to seek for these effects of faith, as a
ground of confidence and hope, rather than the
mere truth and fidelity of God. The man in
Christ lives and walks by faith, not by the fruits of
faith. He comes as an ungodly man, — a sinner
against God ; without seeing any thing in himself
but sin ; neither feeling nor finding any thing in his
own heart and nature, but hardness, deadness, ig-
norance, and rebellion ; and casts his soul for time
and for eternity, on the revealed and sole suffi-
ciency of an offered Saviour, — on the free grace of
God in Him, having and desiring to have, no other
ground of confidence, than the covenant faithful-
ness of God, the indubitable certainty of His word.
This never-failing faithfulness of God proves a
strong consolation — an anchor to his soul, both sure
and steadfast, — whatever difficulties and storms

124 IN CHRIST.

may arise to overturn his hope. Confiding in this,
he looks upon God, as a pardoning God ; and stag-
gers not in unbelief, in approaching Him and rent-
ing upon Him, as thus passing by his transgres-
sions, and multiplying His pardons upon him, for
the Saviour's sake. He finds himself saved in
this resting of his soul upon God, and obtains in-
creased strength in this quietness and confidence
in Him. Thus he walks by faith in the divine
provisions of grace for the pardon of his sin, and
the acceptance of his soul with God. Being jus-
tified by faith, he has peace with God, through
Jesus Christ the Lord.

It [fi faith in the divine protection for the securitij
of the present . The solemn promise has been giv-
en, that all things shall work together for good,
to those who love God. In the assurance of the
truth of this promise, the man in Christ rests,
with simple and entire confidence. He realizes
the presence of an unseen. Almighty God, — a liv-
ing present Saviour and Friend, — who is about
his path, and spieth out all his ways. The sim-
ple dependance of his soul upon the divine prom-
ise and presence, settles all possible anxiety about
his outward, temporal concerns. In the degree
in which he is enabled to exercise it, he comes
boldly to the throne of grace, feeling able in every
condition to say, " The Lord is my helper, I will
not fear what man can do to me." There is in
his mind, an assurance of an all-sufficient and all-
controlling Providence, whose never-failing power
orders all things both in heaven and earth. It is
a Providence which has a special reference to the
vessels of divine mercy, the heirs of salvation.

IN CHRIST. 125

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most
High, shall abide under the shadow of the Al-
mighty. He can with sincere affection and con-
fidence, say of the Lord, " He is my refuge, and
my fortress ; my God : in Him will I trust." He
is therefore without carefulness; but in every
thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanks-
giving, he makes known his requests unto God.
His filial faith in divine protection answers every
anxious question and concern of his soul. It cov-
ers all the possible contingencies of human life,
and keeps him in perfect peace, while his mind is
stayed on God. Whatever persecutions arise,
and whatever sorrows press him, — whatever he
may be required to lose, or to bear, — there "is
an unseen power ever at hand, going with him
through the waters, and through the fire, making
even enemies at peace with him, and bringing
light out of darkness in his path. This faith is
the grand practical principle of his life. It brings
every event into a direct co'nnection with a gra-
cious ruling Lord. It constitutes every hour and
place, as a time and occasion of spiritual wor-
ship. It enables him in every thing to give thanks.
Though all present appearances may be against
him, it leads him forward with confidence to an
approaching hour, when the ways of God shall be
made plain, and he shall receive the full reward
of the faith in which he has endured; — an hour in
which not only his Benjamin and Simeon shall be
restored, but his long lost Joseph also shall be found
again ; — when God shall render him consolations
double for all his trials, and his present light af-

126 IN CHRIST.

fliction shall bring out its far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory.

The same spirit of faith quiets also his inward
conflicts, by presenting before him the assured
upholding, renewing, and sanctifying power of
the Spirit of God, as the Saviour's covenanted
gift to him. He has been enabled to cast him-
self entirely upon the power of a Saviour, whose
promises of sufficient grace are all bestowed upon
him ; and he is confident that He is able to
perfect the work which He has begun within His
servant's soul, and to keep that which His servant
has committed unto Him, unto the great day.
The Christian thus feels himself kept by the power
of God, through faith, unto salvation ready to be
revealed in God's own appointed time. In the
exercise of this faith, there are many conflicts to
be endured, and many objections to be encoun-
tered. Sin, — too frequently indulged and con-
scious sin, — not loved, desired, or wilful sin, — ri-
ses up in a thousand 'shapes in the soul, to unset-
tle its confidence, and overturn its hope. But
faith enables the man in Christ to see himself ac-
cepted in the Beloved ; and still to rejoice in the
assurance of divine acceptance, though he find
much to war with in himself He sees that God
regards him not as he is in himself, but as he is in
Christ ; and accepts him not for his own merit,
but for the perfect righteousness of Christ. He
confides in God as a faithful God, keeping His
promises forever. He thus finds strength for wait-
ing upon Him, for contending with every corrup-
tion of his own nature, and for cleaving closely
and humbly to Him. Thus faith in divine protec-

IN CHRIST. 127

tion OA^ercomes all the arts of the adversary, keeps
the soul in peace in the midst of its inward tri-
als, and makes the man in Christ to rejoice in the
assurance of the Lord's goodness and favour to
him. It is in this operation the principle of new
obedience, and the fountain of holiness in the
heart. While it is maintained, love, joy, peace,
and every virtue flow out from it. If it can be un-
dermined, and God be no longer regarded with
confidence and affection, — but with fear and dis-
trust,— every fruit of the Spirit in the life and
temper fades and dies. The Christian walks in
holiness, only in the degree in which he walks in
faith. It is this faith which brings him and keeps
him in union with his Lord, and thus overcomes
the world around, and purifies the heart within.
Resting every thing concerning him without and
within, upon the covenanted protection and ac-
ceptance of a faithful God, his path is a path of
conquest and of peace ; and he cheerfully presses
forward to the hour, when he shall receive the
end of his faith, even the salvation of his soul.

It is faith in the divine promises, for the com-
fort of the future. The man in Christ is a man
of strong and precious anticipations. Whatever
may be his present condition of blessing and
comfort, he looks constantly forward for far better
things to come, than he now enjoys. But all his
hopes are regulated by the divine promises, and are
resting upon them. In the concerns of the present
life, these promises cover all his necessities and
cares. He can be placed in no condition, which
God has not already prepared, and for Avhich He
has not already made provision. As he looks for-

128 IN CHRIST.

ward to days to come, he seeks not great things
for himself; and all things which are necessary
for life and for godliness, God has promised to
supply, out of the riches of His grace and glory
in Christ Jesus. Bread shall be given him, and
his water shall be sure. His Heavenly Father
knoweth that he hath need of all these things be-
fore he asks Him. This faith in the certainty
and sufficiency of the divine promises, keeps him
free from distracting cares for his future time ;
and enables him to commit to his Holy and Al-
mighty Helper, every want and every fear, as it
arises to his mind. How precious and comforting
he finds this simple confidence in the divine pro-
visions ! He presses forward in the path of ap-
parent duty, leaving all results to Him, who
watches about his path, and spieth out all his
ways, — and who, when He has tried him, shall
bring him forth as gold. Clouds may arise over
his transient prospects, — darkness may endure
for the night, — but light is sure to spring up for
him from its thickest glooms, and joy cometh in
the morning. In all these anticipations, he w^alks
by faith. God has spoken to him, in every variety
of shape of illustration; — uttering promise upon
promise ; — filling up His sacred word with blessed
assurances of providing mercy, upon which he
hath caused his heart to rest. Each of these pro-
mises, to whomsoever among the servants of God,
they may have been particularly, originally ad-
dressed, he feels a right to appropriate to him-
self:— they belong to all the servants of God,
who are in the circumstances, to which they are
adapted. They are like blanks already signed

IN CHRIST. 129

and sealed, in which each man in Christ, by a
faith which embraces them, and gives them real-
ity for him, writes his own name, and thus uses
them, and walks in perfect confidence of their
fulfilment to him.

But these divine promises reach far beyond the
present life. God has laid up for His people, in
a future and unseen world, such glories as pass
man's understanding. There is a crown of life, a
crown of righteousness, — a kingdom which cannot
be removed, — an inheritance which fadeth not
away. These, and more than these, are secured by
the gracious promises of God, to those who first trust
in Christ. They are all the reward of a Saviour's
merit, and the purchase of a Saviour's obedience.
They are the gifts of grace to all who believe in
Him. The hope with which the man in Christ
embraces and enjoys them, is founded entirely
upon the gracious power and fidelity of this Glo-
rious Saviour, Confiding in His exceeding great
and precious promises, — resting upon His all-
sufiicient and justifying righteousness, — the Chris-
tian strong in faith, looks forward without fear,
to an eternal world before him. Whatever earthly
hopes may fail, and whatever griefs the disap-
pointments of earth may bring, these heavenly
promises abide secure. Not one word can pass
from them, until all be fulfilled. The assurance
of this keeps the mind in peace, and awakens
the purest and liveliest joy, in the expectation of
the hour when mortality shall be swallowed up
of life ; and man in the perfect possession of eter-
nal glory, shall need the support of promises no
more. In this walk of faith, in the divine prom-

6*

130 IN CHRIST.

ises, — to live, is Christ, and to die, will be gain.
And as faith thus brings to the soul, and prepares
for its enjoyment, forgiveness for the past, and
protection for the present, — so it also completely
and securely provides, all comfort and abounding
consolation for the future.

These three operations of faith may be consid-
ered as comprising the principles of the walk of
the man in Christ. By the one he embraces the
Gospel, as the fountain of all his consolations.
By another, he applies this Gospel in its blessed
provisions of grace, to his daily recurring present
wants. By the third, he expects and waits for
the fulfilment of all its promises and provisions
for him, in a future world of glory. The one
answers all the questions of the awakened con-
science under the burden of unconverted guilt.
The other meets all the difficulties of a passing
mortal life. The third consoles and removes all
the infirmities and fears which conscious sin pro-
duces. The one assuages the griefs which mem-
ory creates from the records of the past. The
other tranquillizes the anxieties which present
endurance calls up from the facts now passing.
The third sustains the heart in the anticipations
which spring from the unknown futurity. In the
employment of them all, the man in Christ walks
by faith, — stands by faith, — and overcomes by
faith, in his journey to a Father's home. These
are the principles of practical tiiith, and of spiri-
tual strength, which I have desired to press upon
the notice and acceptance of my readers, in these
pages. Happy is the man who understands and
employs them. They open a free, consistent,

IN CHRIST. 131

rational, and adequate path to eternal life, mak-
ing Christ to be all for guilty man, and showing
the actual present connection of Christ with His
redeemed in the work of their personal salvation.
O that every mind that has passed with me through
the consideration of them, might be led in sim-
ple affectionate confidence to Him, as all the sal-
vation, and all the desire of the lost.

CHAPTER I.

THE SPIRITUAL CALL.

The great privileges, and responsibilities, and
principles of the condition of the man in Christ,
we have already considered. Let us now medi-
tate upon the method of grace, by which the
Holy Spirit has brought him into this exalted and
blessed state. Of his own will, God was pleased
to beget him with the word of truth ; being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorrupti-
ble, by the word of God which liveth and abid-
eth forever. In Christ Jesus he has been begot-
ten again through the Gospel ; the influence and
operation of which Gospel upon him, in this work
of divine salvation, I wish in some measure to
trace.

The influence of the Gospel upon man in its
publication, is twofold. There is a general call
of the Gospel, by which all sinful men are invited
to become partakers of the grace of Christ ; and
there is a particular, personal call, by which each
real believer is made individually interested in the
mercies, the offer of which is thus generally pro-
posed. The first of these, the general call, may
be found expressed in such passages of Holy
Scripture as the following : " Ho, every one that

IN CHRIST. 133

thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come,
buy wine and milk without money and without
price." — " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the
ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none
else." — " If any man thirst, let him come unto me
and drink." — " Whosoever will, let him take of
the water of life freely." This call of mercy is
unlimited in its application to men. It is ad-
dressed to all the members of an alienated race,
and to all with equal freedom. It is permanent
in the opportunity which it opens to mankind ;
going from generation to generation, and abiding
among men, as the recorded message of divine
compassion to their perishing souls. It is contin-
ually and frequently repeated ; not only to man-
kind as a race, in their successive generations, but
also to individual men, in the brief history of their
lives. In every page of Holy Scripture which is
opened to the eye ; — in every proclamation of the
word of God which is addressed to the ear; the
warnings, offers, and invitations of the Gospel are
again presented to the notice of men, and they
are urged to consider and to obey them. Men
are thus placed entirely beyond excuse in a sin-
ful and unpardoned state, because they willingly,
and with determination, reject an offer of recon-
ciliation from God, which is perfectly cleared from
all difficulties, and precisely adapted to their con-
dition and wants. And yet vast multitudes do
reject this offer of mercy, and abide by their
own choice in a state of condemnation and death.
But there is a second, personal call of the Gos-
pel, which is addressed immediately to the indi-

134 IN CHRIST.

vidual soul, to whom the message comes. It is a
secret, silent appeal of the Holy Spirit ; his em-
ployment of the Gospel, uttered to the conscience
and the heart within, with no other witness to His
presence or design. It is an effective and con-
straining appeal, coming not in word only, but
with power ; selecting its appointed object, and
leading and persuading him to turn from his un-
godliness, and accept the offered mercies of a
Saviour now revealed. This special call of the
Gospel may be considered as illustrated in such
passages of the Scripture as these : " When it
pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His
Son in me, immediately I conferred not with flesh
and blood." — " A certain woman named Lydia,
heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, that she
attended unto the things which were spoken of
Paul." — " Thy people shall be willing in the day
of Thy power." — " Our Gospel came not unto
you, in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." It was by
this special personal call of the Gospel addressed
to him, when he was dead in sins, and having no
hope, that the man in Christ was brought to his
new condition, and made to taste and experience
the power of the grace of God ; so that he may
truly say with St. Paul, in reference to this spir-
itual knowledge and experience, "The Gospel
which is preached of me, is not after man, for I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." To con-
sider this special call, and the peculiar manifesta-
tion of divine power which it has made in him.

IN CHRfST. 135

we may wisely say something first of the general
invitation, from which we have separated it.

The general annunciation of the Gospel to
man is in the outward message by human instru-
ments, of the grace of God to mankind. It is a
proclamation of the great facts which make up
the history of man's redemption ; — of the mighty
Saviour who has himself alone accomplished that
redemption, by His own incarnation, obedience,
and death. It declares His dignity and power,
His humiliation and obedience, His substitution
and sufferings for man. His triumph over death :
His ascension and intercession, and future coming
for His people. It announces His ability to save
unto the uttermost, all who come unto God
through Him, and His readiness to receive and,
bless all who come to Him ; and thus proclaims
a finished and glorious work of salvation in Him
for the chief of sinners, for all sinners, that who-
soever cometh to Him may be in no wise cast
out. This general message of the Gospel, the
ministers of Christ are sent to proclaim. They
are to announce without ceasing, the glorious
fulness and sufficiency of a divine Saviour. With-
out limit, and with the most perfect freedom, are
they to preach the sure mercies of the Lord
Jesus to sinful men, and to call earnestly upon
them not to receive the grace of God in vain.
There is a fountain opened, and an atonement
made for all the sons of men. And the needy
and perishing are called from the very ends of
the earth, to come and cast in their lot with
Jesus, and to be partakers of His grace and His
glory. Every burden has been borne for them ;

136 IN CHRIST.

and every responsibility has been met in their
behalf. All fulness is thus proclaimed in Jesus,
and a fulness for all ; and whosoever will, is
urged to take advantage of the offered mercy.
While this proclamation of the work of Christ,
and of the reconciliation of God is freely made, it
is impossible for man to tell, who will embrace,
or who will reject the offer. According to God's
command, the glad tidings are preached to every
creature. The unlimited, unconditional offer of
pardon is made to all who will receive the gift,
and penitently turn to God and live. We know-
not which shall prosper, or who will obey the
heavenly message. But we know that God will
not leave himself without witnesses, nor fail to
• be glorified in the publication of His grace, nor
suffer His word to return unto Him void. And
therefore we sow beside all waters; and in season
and out of season, preach the same word of
mercy to unrighteousness, and of pardon to the
guilty ; assured that we shall become a sweet
savour of Christ, both in them that are saved, and
in them that perish.

But connected with this general annunciation,
there has been made to the man in Christ, a per-
sonal application of the message of mercy to his
own soul ; an inw ard work of divine power ; so
that he has no more doubt by whose power he
has been influenced in his course of obedience to
God, than by whose power he was made at first.
This is an act of divine grace and power indis-
pensable to man's salvation. The offers of Christ
were all in vain, until they were received by him
as an individual messaore from God to himself.

IN CHRIST. 137

His .soul was made to realize and feel, its per-
sonal connection with the things which had been
done by the Saviour of men. He was made to
see and to acknowledge that the guilt which was
laid upon Christ was his ; — that the atonement
which He made for sin was for him ; — that the
book which proclaims this boundless mercy was
written for him, and addressed to him. He thus
felt himself to be singled out from the residue of
men, and God to be speaking to him alone, as if
the whole plan of grace had been contrived and
accomplished especially and solely for himself.
Until he was made thus to separate himself in
mind from the surrounding mass of men, and to
feel that he had a special and peculiar interest in
the things which he heard, all was heard in vain.
The wheat while growing in the field, or the
bread while lying upon the board, was no nour-
ishment for him, however adapted and adequate
to his wants. He must take it, and feed upon it,
before he could gain life and health through its
sustaining power. Thus did he receive the mes-
sage from God, — not as a general annunciation,
in which he was interested in common with
others, but as a particular communication which
God designed especially for himself, and which it
was of the most vital consequence to him that he
should hear, and understand, and believe.

This was a secret application of the word to
him. The power which was operating in this
great crisis, to write the word upon his heart,
came unseen by him, and unknown to others,
and called his attention secretly to the word which
was set forth before him. The evidence of the

138 IN CHRIST.

presence of the renewing Spirit, was in his con-
sciousness of a very peculiar interest in the things
which he heard. His heart within was deeply
stirred. A secret conviction of his guilt arose
before his view. He felt the truth of what he
heard. He perceived its vast importance to him-
self. Views such as he never had before, w^ere
impressed upon his conscience. The eye of an
heart-searching God seemed to be directly fast-
ened upon him. There might have been crowds
around, but he was alone. Deep emotions agi-
tated his breast. His thoughts were arrested,
and his judgment was sw ayed. The danger of his
unpardoned soul appeared fearfully before him.
The perfect adaptation of Christ to his wants
was clearly seen. His hour of mercy had come ;
a door of hope was opened before him ; he
heard the inviting voice of God speaking to him,
and his heart w^as at once inclined to obey. He
hardly dared to procrastinate for another hour.
Something within urged him, — now% to-day, harden
not your heart, but hear His voice. O, it was the
special call of the Holy Ghost ; and though none
around might see or feel that there was a shade
of difference from the habitual course of facts
concerning him; — he felt that every thing was
changed, and a new power seemed to have ar-
rested him, and to be leading him on. His dear-
est friend might be wholly ignorant of w hat had
taken place within him. But God had entered
into his very soul, and there, w^as arguing with
himself alone, the unspeakable interests of Christ
and eternity. O, what memories rose up in that
wonderful hour ! What fears, what doubts, what

IN CHRIST. 139

hopes were called into being ! How much of life
seemed to be compressed in a space so narrow !
There was a mighty power at work within him,
bringing him into captivity to Christ, and making
him to understand and feel, that it was not by
might or power of man, but by the Spirit of the
Lord of Hosts, that the human soul is turned from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
unto God.

This secret call was the special, personal
agency of the Holy Ghost. It was an experi-
ence and condition of the soul, in which the
Divine Spirit was acting entirely alone. He had
passed beyond the region of outward, instruments
and ministries, — of ordinances and messengers, — •
to take the message and the work completely
into His own hands. Perhaps the sermon, or the
providence, which had been made the instrument
of first arousing the sinner's attention, had been
quite forgotten. Some single text of Holy
Scripture, it may be, alone remained in mind.
The man may have been in deep retirement and
solitude, away from all the agencies of an out-
ward church ; — but the Spirit, the infallible and
unfailing preacher of righteousness was there ;
and His great power was manifested, in this
secret transformation of a vessel of wrath fitted
to destruction, into a vessel of mercy prepared
for glory. Here was the voice of God, which
breaketh the cedars. He reasoned with the sin-
ner alone. He showed him his guilt, his ruin, and
his remedy. He lifted up the cross before him,
and proclaimed a free forgiveness. He removed
the darkness which was spread out before his

140 IN CHRIST.

anxious soul, and offered him abundant hope.
He exhibited Christ as the perfect righteousness
of the believing soul, and presented Him as a
garment, and a robe of eternal glory, to the
doubting, fearing sinner. He showed the power
of new creation to be of God, and not of man,
and urged to an immediate confidence and sub-
mission. He pressed an instant acceptance of
the Gospel offer, announcing to the guilty man
that God had become his salvation, and he mighf
trust, and not be afraid. In this crisis of the life
of man, every thing w as brought within a narrow
compass. The contest w^as maintained in the
closest engagement. The time was short. Every
thing was pressing. Eternity hung upon a sin-
gle moment of life. Heaven w^as within his very
grasp. Will the sinner now hear and submit ?
was the great question upon which his eternal
interests were made dependant. Will he now
go with a reconciled God and live ? O, precious,
joyful hour! God obtained the victory, captivity
was led captive, and the prey was plucked from
the jaws of the oppressor. This call of the Gos-
pel was made effectual upon his heart, and guilty
man was brought, humbled, pardoned, and be-
lieving, to find his all in Christ forever.

This secret, personal call of the Gospel, was to
an immediate course of duty and action. Convic-
tions of truth were impressed upon the conscience
and judgment. Light was throw^i upon the un-
derstanding. Attracting influence was exercised
from heaven upon the heart. All these gifts of
grace were bestowed. But now under their com-
bined operation, man must act. The question

IN CHRIST. 141

proposed to him, was a question for himself to
settle. He was brought to a line, where the
next step was final safety, and where he must either
go forward in chosen, voluntary devotion, or go
back in hopeless, perhaps deserted rebellion. A
circle of privileges and responsibility was thus
drawn around him; the accepted time, the day
of salvation had come; and he must, in a con-
scious choice and determination, embrace the
offered mercy, and render up himself a living
sacrifice to God. God demanded his whole life,
all that he was, and had, — as bought with an in-
estimable price, — to be supremely, and forever
devoted to Him. He was calling him to a godly
sorrow for sin, as it was now displayed to him ;
to a simple dedication of himself to His service
and glory ; to a love and confidence of his heart
towards Him ; to a communion and fellowship of
his spirit with Him ; to an habitual recognition
and remembrance of Him ; to an earnest and sin-
cere effort and determination to obey Him. He
was to choose and accept the Saviour now re-
vealed, as his Master and Lord ; and renouncing
all other lords but Him, to make mention of His
name alone, as his Ruler and his hope. God had
opened before him a life of new obedience, — the
fruits and product of a spiritual mind within ; in
which He covenanted to lead on his believing
soul from strength to strength by His own Spirit,
assuming the whole responsibility of blessing and
protecting him, while he faithfully rested upon
His word, and trusted to His power. He invited
him to a life of happiness and peace in Him; — to
a course of energy and faithfulness for Him'; — to

142 IN CHRIST.

a firm but successful contest with the enemies of
His truth ; requiring the solemn and cheerful con-
secration of all his powers and hopes to Him ; —
to an exalted, holy walk with Him upon the
earth ; — and to an eternal inheritance with Him
in the kingdom of His glory. All these invita-
tions and arguments were not now merely re-
corded in the written word of truth, as they had
always been, but were carried forward by the
same Spirit who breathed that word, and written
upon the living tables of the conscience and the
heart. They were now the voice of God within
himself, and he heard and obeyed it, as the word
of God which liveth and abideth forever.

His acceptance of this offered mercy, and
obedience to this call, brought security and sal-
vation to his soul. The Holy Spirit thus placed
him under a heavenly protection, interested him
in an everlasting covenant, and armed him with
a divine power. He was now sheltered in the
hiding-place which Jesus had opened for him,
and received the end of his faith, even the salva-
tion of his soul. From that hour, he has gone
forward over conquered foes, under the guidance
of an all- conquering and powerful Redeemer.
He has been pressing on to eternal life ; a new
man, transformed, regenerated, born again, and a
partaker in Christ, — in whom he now dwells, and
will dwell forever, — of all the glories and tri-
umphs, of the Saviour's victory and power. In
the strength of this Saviour unceasingly bestowed
upon him, and exercised for him, he cheerfully
bears every appointed cross, and counts nothing
dear unto himself, so that he may win Christ,

^^ IN CHRIST. 143

and be found in Him, and finish his course with
joy, magnifying his glorious Lord, whether by
life or by death. This is the happy condition of
the man in Christ, to which he was brought by
that secret, special call of the Gospel ; which was
the effectual w orking of the pow er of the Spirit
in his believing soul.

This special, personal call of the Gospel is 7iever
to be trifled with. It cannotJpe disregarded with
safety. Instant obedience to its demand is the
only course of security for man. Thus the Psalm-
ist says, " When thou saidst, Seek ye my face ;
my heart replied, Thy face Lord, will I seek."
If you yield thus to the voice of God, and follow
the guidance of His Spirit, your path is open and
plain, and your hope is clear and bright. God
will guide you by his counsel, and afterward re-
ceive you to his glory. But the peculiar danger
and guilt of man under the privileges of the Gos-
pel, is not only in his rejection of the general in-
vitation w hich it gives ; but his resistance also,
of this inward, secret call. Here it is, that sin-
ners pluck down ruin upon themselves. Let
unconverted men remember this. The general
intelligence of the Gospel they treat with indif-
ference ; but they do not deny, nor do they refuse
to acknowledge in general terms, their own guilt
of which it speaks, and their need of the sufficient
Saviour whom it offers. But when the Spirit takes
this message from God, and carries it home to
their own consciences and hearts ; — w hen they
must consider the message as a personal matter,
and can be indifferent and unm'^ . ed no longer ;
then they often resist the Holy Ghost, and strive

144 IN CHRIST.

with their Maker, until God proclaims in His
wrath, that they shall not enter into His rest.
There are few persons under the faithful preach-
ing of the Gospel, who are not conscious of hav-
ing received some special, personal call of the
Holy Ghost. Their secret sins have been made
to appear before them. Their neglect of God,
and of God's commands, has been presented in
its aggravated aspect^o their view. Their he-arts
and eyes have borne witness to the deep sense
of sin with which they have been visited from the
convincing Spirit, They have seen and acknowl-
edged the advantages, and the obligations of the
Lord's service. They have been almost per-
suaded to be Christians. They have been some-
times ready to arise in the very midst of the
congregation, and declare their determination to
follow Jesus only in time to come. The pressure
upon them was very great ; — God seemed to be
calling them onward to a new and living path,
with a power which it appeared impossible to re-
sist. And at that very point, when apparently
there wanted but another step, — a thankful, self-
renouncing closing in with God's proposal of
reconciliation ; — an actual, affectionate grasping
of the hand of kindness which God appeared to
hold out to them from the heavens,^a simple
yielding up of all, to follow Jesus, though in
great weakness, — then they held back, till to-
morrow, another time, a change of circumstances,
— some expected end ; — and God arose and de-
parted from them, and they were left to them-
selves, perhaps to perish. O, it is a deeply criti-
cal point in the soul's history, upon which from

IN CHRIST. 145

an eternity of sorrow, they may look back, to see
with amazement, and with bitter self-condemna-
tion, how near they were to the heavenly king-
dom,— to a final peace with God, — when foolish,
wicked procrastination, or sensual worldly indul-
gence, delayed them for a season upon the road,
and shut them out from hope forever.

This secret personal call is rarely often repeated .
When the Holy Spirit brings man up to this line,
where nothing separates him from the Saviour,
but man's own determination ; — when awakened,
convinced, impressed, sensitive, and sorrowing,
the Saviour stands out before him, offers to him
every thing freely, and asks him to obey Him ; O,
could his heart reply, — " I will," — could he then
resolve to turn at once from every tempting op-
poser, and follow Jesus only, and make one sacri-
fice of pride, and indolence, and fear, to enter
into a covenant with Christ ; the conquered ene-
my would depart from him. Angels would shout
a Saviour's glory over another soul rescued as a
brand plucked out of the fire. But if such an offer,
and such grace, are rejected, the despised Spirit
rarely returns. The sinner is left to be rejected
in his turn. And God is vindicated, even in His
mercy, when He passes judgment upon his soul.

In concluding our view of this very important
subject, it will be perceived, that it presents the
real interests of the soul of man, as a personal se-
cret concern between himself and Christ. The
Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the
world. The Holy Spirit reveals and exalts this
Son to be accepted as a Saviour to the individual
man. The Saviour is thus brought into immedi-

7

146 IN CHRIST.

ate connection with the sinner ; — and in the whole
work of his salvation, the sinner is really alone
with Christ. It is Christ personally, whom he
must receive and obtain, as the life of his soul.
It is Christ personally, whom he rejects, when
he refuses the life which is thus offered in the
Gospel. However ministries and instruments
may be employed, as God shall please, in leading
the sinner to Christ, and in preaching Christ to
him, they are none of them indispensable in this
great concern. Nay, they are worthless, but as
they become completely subsidiary to this one
great end of bringing Jesus, and the work of
Jesus, distinctly, constantly, and really, before
the sinner's view. It is not union with the
outward church, by sacraments and ordinances,
which is security for the soul of man. It is the
inward, spiritual union of the soul by faith with
Christ ; an union which is the work of the Holy
Spirit within, leading the heart to believe unto
righteousness ; and which is afterwards to be
witnessed and proclaimed in the outward ordi-
nances of the Gospel, as a confession unto salva-
tion. Between the sinner and the Saviour, in this
inward work, no man can interpose, either as a
mediator, or a judge. The ministry of man is as
an enlightened instructor and guide, to lead the
soul to Christ ; — to proclaim the fulness of His
work, and to exhort the sinner, spiritually to
receive and follow Him. Before the Saviour's
feet, the soul is to pour forth its wants with per-
fect confidence, and the assurance that He will
hear ; and from the Saviour's hands it is to re-
ceive abundantly, grace upon grace; — so that

IN CHRIST. 147

man, coming in faith to Christ, shall come short
in no gift, but rejoice in the fulness of Him who
filleth all in all.

And now, my friends, the Saviour thus calls
for you. Go, listen to Him ; confer with Him, sub-
mit to Him ; find every thing in Him ; be satisfied
to have Him alone as your portion and treasure.
But stay not back from Him. Stop not short of
Him. If you have Him, you have every thing.
As His, you will delight to obey His commands,
and to honour His name. But your first great
want is Christ himself. And your great and all-
important and precious privilege is, that Christ is
ready and waiting, to receive and bless you with
the possession of himself; to enter into you, and
to dwell within you forever. O, let this animate
and encourage you to obey His calls, and to culti-
vate a still more near and intimate acquaintance
and communion with Him. In every providence,
in every gift, in every trial, O, seek the voice of
Jesus, speaking by His Spirit to yourself, and
hear what the Lord God will speak concerning
you. He has much to tell you that you have
never heard ; and much which you will rejoice to
hear, as He gives you the ability to understand
His words. There are treasures of grace laid up
in Him, which eternity will not exhaust. And
the habit of delighting in Him, and of being sat-
isfied with Him, which you will acquire here, by
dwelling and abiding " in Christ," will be a blessed
preparation for the high privilege of understand-
ing, and possessing, and enjoying Him forever ;
— when " with Christ," you receive the end of
your faith, even the full salvation of your souls.

CHAPTER XI.

ONENESS IN CHRIST.

We have passed through many of the attributes
of the members of Christ, in their present state of
grace. We cannot better conclude this portion
of our subject than by dwelling a little, upon their
complete oneness in Christ, in whom they are.
The Saviour's purpose and prayer for his disciples
was, that they might be one. One, in the strict-
est and most entire sense in which intelligent and
independent beings could be united ; — " as thou
Father in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us." That His real disciples are therefore
one, and must always be one, in the sense to which
His mind was directed in this prayer, cannot be
doubted, without questioning His ability to ac-
complish the result for which He prayed, and thus
unsettling the whole stability and prospect of the
Gospel and the church of God. That His Gospel
is really adapted and competent in the ministra-
tion of the Holy Spirit, to produce this projected
unity, can no more be questioned, without deny-
ing the Saviour's ability to frame an instrument,
competent and adapted to attain the end which
He desired and proposed. The Apostle Paul lays
down the principle that unity is the uicirk of true

IN CHRIST. 149

religion ; — and that unity in true religion is the
work of God, the mark of God's people, and the
proper object of pursuit, for those who would hon-
our Him, and build up His spiritual church. On
the other hand, divisions among the professed sup-
porters of the Gospel, are represented as carnal in
their origin and influence, and conformed only to
the will and habits of men, in the course to which
they lead. This religious unity among men, is the
end, to wiiich the real operation of the Gospel
tends. And w'herever the Gospel rules alone, un-
molested and unperverted by earthly influence,
and the corrupting plans of men, the actual result
of its operation, is this unity of wdiich the Apostle
speaks. Wherever there are seen and found, di-
visions in opposition to this Christian oneness, and
envying and strife attending upon these divisions,
and arising out of them; they are, and they are
to be considered, the evidence of the interference
of another power, entirely diverse from that of the
Gospel, and operating in direct opposition to it.
If among any bodies of professed Christians, or
within any such body separately considered, there
be divisions, envying and strife, we are therefore
authorized to say of them, " they are carnal, and
walk as men." But in considering this subject, it
is important to inquire, what is the testimony of
facts in this case 1 Has this Gospel ever produced
among men, any thing which may be considered
as the unity here specified ? Is there such an
oneness within our reach, as a visible and practi-
cable object of pursuit? These are questions in-
volving much that is of great practical consequence
to us. As such, I w^ould consider them.

150 IN CHRIST.

What is this oneness in Christ to which we
refer ?

It is most evidently, not a mere intellectual
unity ; an agreement however perfect, in every
view of religious doctrine ; that is, an entire uni-
formity of religious sentiment. Such an unity as
this, is not iiomhle among unequal minds. Unless
every single mind is supposed to have attained
an entire, and an equally perfect view of religious
truth, it is impossible to imagine an entire uni-
formity of religious sentiments pervading them.
Every step in the progress of spiritual study and
acquirement opens, not only new truths to view, but
also, which is a fact of equal consequence, new
relations of actual truths to each other. There is
an intellectual perspective, as well as a physical
one ; in .the opening of which, as the mind pro-
ceeds on its journey in science, the whole land-
scape continually changes ; distances, proportions,
relations successively come forth to view; past
impressions are relinquished, and new ones are re-
ceived ; judgments formed upon partial consider-
ation are renounced, and general convictions in-
cluding and modifying them in every variety of
shape are formed. There are involved in the
very progress of the mind in the study of the
Gospel, new conceptions of truth, and varying
conceptions of the truth every day.

Light after light, well used, they shall attain.

Even the angels above cannot be said to agree
in a perfect intellectual unity. They are ever
studying, learning, mutually imparting, and mu-
tually acquiring. They are of necessity there-

IN CHRIST. 151

foie^ changing their conclusions, and their Aaews
of truth, the partial for general, and the superfi-
cial for deeper, at every step. If this were not
so, learning and study would be idle, and without
an object. It cannot be said of any inferior
minds, unless we suppose them to be perfectly
equal in their powers, and in the progress of their
attainments, that they can thus perfectly agree.
While any thing remains to be learned, new
conclusions, perhaps very different conclusions,
are still to be formed and to be expressed.
An omniscient mind alone can understand all
truth. " The unity required in the church," says
Bishop Stillingfleet, "is not an unity of judgment
and apprehension among the members of it, which,
though it be their duty to endeavour after, yet is
no further attainable by man's endeavours, than
Adamic perfection is. And iinio Chrhtimiorum in
this sense, is one of the jewels belonging to the
crown of heaven."

This intellectual equality, without which there
can be no intellectual uniformity, would not be
desirable, even if it were possible. Its necessary
result would be a tame and uninteresting iden-
tity of minds, constituting the whole race in fact,
but a single individual. It would destroy the
chief beauty of the intelligent world ; breaking
up that whole variety of constiniction and display,
which in minds as in matter, forms a yet more
glorious harmony, from the very diversity in
which its individuals shine. It would close that
opened heavenly way which now directs

Our knowledge, and the scale of nature sets
From centre to circumference, ■whereon

152 IN CHRIST.

In contemplation of created things
By steps we may ascend to God.

As it annihilated the beauty, so would it overturn
much of the mutual benevolence of intelligent
beings. It would constitute an entire independ-
ence of minds upon each other ; making all to
know as much as any ; calling into being an in-
difference to others, and a selfish satisfaction and
complacency, for which no uniformity of senti-
ment, or agreement in opinion, could ever be
considered an adequate compensation. Vainly
therefore, do men strive for, and insist upon, this
perfect similarity of opinion and judgment, as the
intended unity of the Christian church. Had
this been the point divinely proposed and ap-
pointed, the Bible would have been a simple
catena of articles, like the ancient Creeds; arti-
cles to be imposed upon all, and to be received
by all ; articles without which there could be no
salvation ; less than which would have been infi-
delity, more than which additions of man's device.
God be praised, His blessed Bible is no iron mask
like this. It is full of divine instruction, with
which the diligent soul shall be made fat. But
its blessings are to descend only upon those who
read, and study, and meditate; who are not only
learning, but also coming to the knowledge of
the truth. And the discovered width and depth
of the stream of light and knowledge, is regu-
lated by the distance we travel along its heavenly
banks, and the zeal with which we attempt to
ford it ; presenting unceasing encouragement to
those who labour to understand, and to stand
perfect in all the will of God.

IN CHRIST. 153

Tliis religious unity is as evidently, not a mere
external, apparent unity of profession and name,
— a oneness of temporary discipline, and outward
type. Such an unity as this, an universal form,
without a co-ordinate entire intellectual unity de-
lighting to express itself through this form, would
be an intolerable burden. Outward union of re-
ligious form is the creature of mere earthly power
and arrangement, and it must perish, and pass
away with the earth from which it springs. It
may be Aalued as an expression of truth, for the
inferior purposes to which it may be made sub-
servient, and which it is able to promote. But it
cannot justly be considered as any thing beyond
an incident, however occasionally of increased
importance, in the spiritual and abiding system
of Gospel truth. The very condition of man
upon earth renders the actual perfection of such
an outward union in discipline and appearance,
excluding all variety, utterly impossible. The
changes in human generations and circumstances,
as man passes on through successive steps in the
history and destiny of his race, must continually
tend to break it up. To say that these necessary
changes only break up certain less important parts
of this discipline, but leave its fundamental sub-
stratum of authority and requisition still entire, is
an assertion wholly arbitrary, and a weak begging
of the whole question. If God has appointed an
entire oneness in the circumstances of outward
religious discipline, as man's absolute duty under
the Gospel, as he did under the Law, it is not for
man to speculate upon the comparative impor-
tance of its various impovsitions. The bell and

154 IN CHRIST.

the pomegranate are of as much importance, and
clothed with as much authority, in such a system,
as the Temple and the veil. The Jewish system
of religion was necessarily local. And any Juda-
izing of the Gospel, to cramp it up in an unyield-
ing outward shape of ministration and observance,
of equal necessity localizes and limits it. No
mere outw^ard imposition, unless it be of the sim-
plest character, can be unvaryingly preached to
every creature. Had this external uniformity been
the Lord's plan of oneness for His people under
the Gospel, He would have laid down exactly, the
outward system, to which it might be possible to
conform all the generations and nations of men,
to whom His Gospel was to be proclaimed. And
wherever such an arrangement of ordinances had
been established and proclaimed by Him, the very
omission of every point beyond it, becomes the
strongest declaration that in this relation, such
points w-ere merely incidents and not essentials.
This our God and Saviour has done, in setting up
a living ministry of men to preach His word, and
two outward rites as marks and professions of
those wdio embrace it. Beyond this, men may go
in the expediency of circumstances, not in the
authority of absolute imposition.

The attempt to carry out such an outward sys-
tem in every possible application, and to make a
mere uniformity of circumstances and outward
condition the desired oneness of the church of
God, has been Satan's imitation of the spiritual
kingdom of the Lord, and the spiritual com-
munion over which He reigns, in that perfec-
tion of his craft for man's destruction, the system

IN CHRIST. 155

of Anti-Christian Rome. All such impositions,
set forth and received, as the required unity of
the church, must he the result of constraint on
the one side, and of indifference or weakness on
the other ; the usurpings of ambitious authority,
and the yielding of the spirit of feebleness in
submission to it. It is a worthless impounding
of the divergent spirits of men, under the mere
key of terrifying force, instead of the transforma-
tion of them by the inwardly renewing and sub-
duing influence of spiritual and unchanging truth.
It is a shell to cover merely, and not a substance
to abide. In such a system Satan accomplishes
the destruction of men in two entirely separate
ways, — by the power of superstition within, and
by the power of infidelity without. If you allow
external toleration in religious concerns, you have
necessarily external variety, the natural result of
freedom. If you refuse it, you make the alterna-
tive of submission, infidelity, — the inevitable pro-
duct of constraint. Rome refuses toleration, and
in doing it, has all the responsibility of propagat-
ing infidels. It says to surrounding men who look
upon its system, " You shall be this or nothing,
for no other system shall be allowed." And men
reply, " Then we will be nothing," and they abide
by their choice. And whether they are brought
in, or excluded, Satan's plan in their destruction
is equally secured. External minute uniformity
is not the Lord's plan of oneness for his people.

The unity of the Gospel, — the unity which it
gives to man, and enjoins upon man, and by which
the church of God is known, in opposition to all
the divisions of men, is a spiritual unity ; which

J 56 IN CHRIST.

though consistent with much outward diversity,
is real, operative, and permanent. " Ye are all
one in Christ Jesus." It is the fruit of the Holy-
Spirit in the hearts in which He dwells and rules;
the result of which is an everlasting and un-
changeable oneness of such souls thus renewed,
in their relations to God, and to each other. It is
an unity of motive, by which every true Christian,
every real member of the body of Christ, is led
to desire only and above all things, the promotion
of the divine glory. It is an unity of desire, by
which each one seeks to attain the one mind, and
character, and presence, of a beloved Lord. It
is an unity of purpose and plan, by which every
possessor of it is prompted to obey, and honour,
and imitate, one Divine Master and Guide of all
renewed souls. It is an unity of spiritual experi-
ence, in which each one has been enlightened and
quickened by the same Divine Spirit, — made to
feel the same burden of guilt, — to be conscious
of the same personal deficiencies, — to seek the
same provisions of divine mercy, — to accept the
same complete salvation in Christ, — to find pardon
in the same fountain of love, — to depend upon the
same inward spiritual power, divinely bestowed, —
to ask for the same gifts of grace, — to rest upon
the same Almighty victorious arm, — to hope for
the same eternal glory, — to confide in the same
perfect obedience, and to fasten all their hopes
and joys upon the same infinite sufficiency of one
glorious reigning Lord. It is an unity of re/a^z'o/j
which has joined together vast multitudes who
have no outward knowledge of each other, in one
eternal and indissoluble bond, — an unity which in

IN CHRIST. 157

this view expresses itself habitually in prayer, in
sympathy, in love, in spiritual aid, and which in
this operation, is made the grand instrument of
the Holy Ghost in enlarging this heavenly com-
panionship, and of gathering lost and perishing
souls into the shelter which is thus displayed. It
is an unity of affection and feeling, which the
Apostle calls the most perfect bond which can
subsist among men. " Put on charity, which is
the bond of perfection !" far higher, more real,
more operative, more lasting, more divine, than
all the possible bonds of intellectual agreement,
or accordance in outward discipline.

Here is unity, — real, actual oneness. A one-
ness which brings vast multitudes who had no
common relations, but the needs, and guilt, and
feebleness of a common humanity, into one spir-
itual connection from which they go no more out.
Here is " one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all and in
all ; one body, one spirit, one hope of one divine
calling." How can there be greater unity among
independent, intelligent beings ? In what do
they differ, which is not temporary and compara-
tively unimportant ? In what do they agree,
which can ever fade or perish ? Surely, the
boasted unity in discipline of Papal Rome, is
nothing in comparison of this. That is the one-
ness of bodies which are alike, because all are
dead, and motionless, and without self-control.
This is the union of living agents, who are one,
because all perfectly agree in the same great and
choral harmony of love, and activity, and praise.
That is the organized working of a machine, in

158 IN CHRIST.

which every automaton figure obeys the will of
him who directs the motions of the whole. This
is the combined energy of responsible beings,
who, moved by the same spirit, accord in volun-
tary united operation, to produce the same great
and desired result. That is the valley of Ezekiel,
when its bones were scattered, and were alike,
because all were bleached and dry. This is the
same valley when the army stood forth clothed
in the activity, and endowed with the powers of
a new life, and the one Spirit of God breathed
from every quarter, upon the standing host, and
they lived, and moved, and acted, and went forth
to victory, under His single heavenly guidance.
This is unity, — entire, actual, operative unity.
But it is perfectly consistent with great outward
diversity of nation, and language, and form of
worship ; — with many and wide differences of
judgment upon many unessential points of mere
intellectual perception ; — with very differing con-
ceptions of truth progressively understood, and,
as yet, but very partially discerned by any.

This blessed oneness of heart and feeling must
everywhere govern the members of Christ.
"Wretched is the house and heart which has it
not. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
peace and order, as well as liberty. It must rule
in the individual congregation of professing Chris-
tians, uniting in the same house of prayer, for
worship and mutual edification. It must there
oppose and correct all the divisions which jeal-
ousy and earthly pride, or selfish interest may
tend to produce. Here men are to be all of one
mind, to love as brethren, to be pitiful and cour-

IN CHRIST. 159

teous, to be of the same mind one towards an-
other, according to Christ Jesus. In the whole
church of God it must be the governing princi-
ple, extending its influence and embrace, not
merely within the limits of one particular out-
ward communion, but to the whole company of
God's people, — to all who love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity.

It is an union however, with the people of God
alone,— with real manifest believers in the Lord
Jesus, — with the true servants of the Most High ;
which seeks them for its objects here, because
they are to be its eternal objects hereafter ; and
which renounces for them, the society and fel-
lowship of the unbelieving, superstitious, and pro-
fane. Whoever is to dwell with us forever in
the Saviour's glory, must be united with us, in
our exercise of sympathy and love upon the
earth. And though we may differ, and must
differ, in judgment and perception, and conclu-
sions here, — yet there need be no divisions,
envyings, or strife. Whereto we have already
attained, we are to walk by the same rule, we
are to mind the same thing. Our union is not
to be with the ungodly, or profane ; or with this
evil world, whose friendship is enmity with God ;
but with the people of the Living God. Union
with them for efforts to advance His glory, and
to establish His truth, we have no right to with-
hold, or to refuse. We are bound to edify them ;
— we have no authority to destroy them. To
withhold our fellowship and co-operation in the
Saviour's work for those whom we really believe

160 IN CHRIST.

to be His servants, in the extent to which we are
able to impart it, must always be sin.

This is a oneness whose duration will be eter-
nal. The bond by which the renewed people
of God are bound together on earth, is the bond
which unites them all to Christ. It is an imper-
ishable bond. It is the work of a Spirit of al-
mighty and undying power. It is the operation
of a plan of grace which was formed in an eter-
nity past, and which will abide in an eternity to
come. The principles upon which it is formed,
and by which it is governed, are the inseparable
elements of a purified, intelligent mind. And
when all the bonds of earthly circumstances, the
outward conformations of ministries and ordinan-
ces have passed forever away, the whole company
of God's elect, the real church and body of Christ,
shall stand up together in an imperishable fellow-
ship, known by one name, animated by one spirit,
combined together in one glorious employment
for eternity. The chaff of material organizations,
whose protection was needful for a season, shall
have been swept from the floor ; and the wheat
of abiding principle, of sympathy, and peace, and
love, and truth, shall be gathered into the garner,
and remain forever.

In opposition to this enjoined and required
unity of the Christian body, the Apostle solemnly
declares, that divisions, envyings, and strife, are
carnal. He does not mean mere differences of
opinion, of judgment, even upon important points
of doctrine, — differences which were found and
tolerated, not only among the apostolic churches,
but among the Apostles themselves. They re-

IN CHRIST. 161

ceived different measures of divine light, and
their conckisions and views of duty varied accord-
ingly. And the Holy Spirit has thought fit to
record this important fact, and to show how, in
the case of Peter, (compare his Epistles with the
Epistle to the Galatians,) even in an inspired man,
increasing experience brought out a clearer and
better understanding of the Gospel, in the closing
years of life. That tlie whole church of Christ
should be of one judgment and habit, in external
conformity, can never be expected, nor is it in all
respects to be desired. The divisions against
which the Apostle warns, are such as spring from
envy, and result in strife. They are carnal, —
carnal in their origin. It is not truth, nor the
love of truth, which promotes them, but often
extreme hostility to truth, and to the spirit which
real truth imparts. They are carnal in their in-
Jluence. Nothing more certainly disturbs and
destroys the spiritual mind. They break up all
peace and joy within the soul. They destroy all
the holiness and power of the church without.
They are carnal in their effects. They separate
real brethren from each other; and often divide
into unnecessary and lasting hostility, those who
are partakers of common privileges and blessings.
They are the walk and the course of men, merely
selfish in their purposes and operations, eager for
personal aggrandizement, careless of mutual in-
jury. Sad indeed is it that such a course should
ever be introduced into the church of Christ.
But, blessed be God, they are carnal in their dii-
ration also. They belong to the earth, and they
will perish with the earth from which they

162 IN CHRIST.

spring. The servants of the Lord will soon out-
live them, and pass beyond the field of their opera-
tion and influence. The hour will come, when
they shall be mere men no longer, — but, equal
unto the angels, as the children of the resurrec-
tion, they shall all have the one mind which was
in Christ Jesus the Lord.

I would entreat my readers, let such a system
have no dominion among you. Strive to walk,
not as men, but as the servants of the Living God.
Avoid these contentions among Christians, and
those who originate them. Look less at the facts
in religion which are temporary and fading, and
more at those which are permanent and un-
changeable,— less at mere outward characteristics,
and more at the real and spiritual marks of the
church of God, — less at the deficiencies of others,
and more at the needs and dangers of your own
souls. We are in no danger of loving the true
servants of God too much, or of uniting too much
with those who are really united to Christ. Let
it be our purpose and effort, to pray for, and to
communicate peace and mercy to all who walk
according to this rule, as the Israel of God.

WITH CHRIST.

TO BE WITH CHRIST, WHICH IS FAR BETTER.— Philippuns i, 23.

CHAPTER XII.

In our preceding^ pages, we have considered
the condition of man " in Christ" — his state of
grace on earth. I wish now to lead my readers tc
a series of remarks upon the condition of man
" with Christ'* — his state of everlasting glory.
The passage of Scripture before us, brings this
subject simply and directly to our view. " To be
with Christ, which is far better."

It is a striking peculiarity of the Gospel, that
the special reward which it offers to its faithful
disciples and defenders, is simply an enjoyment
of the presence and glory of their Master. The
result of all their toil, deprivation, and suffering
in His service, is that they shall be with Him, be-
hold His glory, and see Him as He is. They are
taught to consider this a recompense fully ade-
quate for every suffering which is endured, and
for all the persecutions through which they pass,
in doing His will upon the earth. They are to be
happy, and it is supposed they will be eternally
and perfectly happy, in the permission to dAvell
forever with Him whose service has been their

164 WITH CHRIST.

chosen treasure upon the earth, and for whom
they have freely counted all other things but
loss.

This peculiarity of promise and reward, is a
very important distinction of the Gospel. It con-
stitutes one of the most important incidental
proofs of the divine authority and character of
the Saviour, and one wliich has received far too
little attention, in the general consideration of
this subject. If an impostor had been attempt-
ing to delude mankind into submission to him-
self, by the promise of an ultimate recompense
for their present losses in his service ; he would
have necessarily adopted into his scheme of at-
traction, those rewards, and those only, which
were suited to the habits, and likely to meet
the tastes and desires of the persons whom he
would persuade. Any other course would be
an infatuation, inevitably punished with total fail-
ure. How remarkably was this fact illustrated
in the case of Mohammed ! To attract the ar-
dent and sensual Asiatics, he described for them,
as a futute perpetual residence, a material para-
dise, furnished with every indulgence for earthly
appetites, and unlimited gratifications for the pas-
sions of conquerors who had died in blood. The
principle of his course was natural and wise. It
accorded perfectly with the most powerful, and
the ruling propensities, of those to whom he ad-
dressed himself. And because it did so, it was
extensively successful. The same principle might
be equally illustrated from other sources. It is
necessarily universal in the schemes of future
hope, which men form for themselves. Man can

WITH CHRIST. 165

create no expectations, but according to the gen-
eral guidance of his past experience and knowl-
edge. The hopes of the future will be shaped
and coloured by the enjoyments of the past ; and
men will habitually look for happiness in the
lines, in which their happiness has been already
found.

The application of this rule to our Divine Lord
would have compelled Him, were He an impos-
tor, to the adoption of a far different course from
that which distinguished His ministry on earth.
He would have addressed to the Jewish people,
arguments and prospects suited to their habits
and desires. He might have promised them de-
liverance from Roman oppression. He might
have assured to them the restoration of the days
of Solomon, when Judah and Israel were many,
as the sand which is by the sea in multitude,
eating, and drinking, and making merry. He
might have flattered them, that Jerusalem should
immediately become the metropoh's of an univer-
sal empire, and their land be made the joy and
mistress of the whole earth. He would of course
have exalted the worth of observances to which
they were devoted, and have been, like them,
fierce, exclusive, and inexorable in the enforce-
ment of their law. And when He proposed a
reward for their fidelity, which should be con-
ferred in a future and unseen world, He could
have imagined no other, than some special na-
tional elevation, which would attract the pride
of the children of Abraham, and appear to be a
recompense adequate to the degradation which
they had suifered, and the losses which they might

166 WITH CHRIST.

bear for Him. This course would have been
inevitable, if our Lord, as a mere man, had orig-
inated for himself a plan, by which, under the
profession of divine authority, he would impose
upon the Jewish nation, — deceive mankind, and
elevate himself. It would be vain to suppose
Him able to select any other instruments of per-
suasion, than those to which His natural habits
of thinking, and the circumstances of His educa-
tion had accustomed Him ; or desirous to employ
any methods, but those which should promise to
be most availing and successful among the people
to whom they were addressed. Had He assumed
this standing and appearance, as an ambitious
founder of a new sect on earth. He would proba-
bly have been, like many other impostors, suc-
cessful in the enterprise Avhich he had underta-
ken.

But vv hat are the ficts in the case ? A lowly
being appeared among men in Palestine, mild,
forbearing, and retired in His character ; — accused
of ignorance, — known to be poor ; — without abil-
ity to reward His followers, or to protect him-
self. He wandered for years among the people,
who everywhere despised Him, except as they
were sometimes startled and astonished at the
miracles which He wrought; and who always
hated Him, notwithstanding this occasional aston-
ishment at His power. He was in a lonely life,
the object of unceasing persecution ; — and finally
in a wretched death, the unresisting victim of
human malignity and rage. He lived in poverty
and suffering, and He died in agony and dishon-
our ; — though He had done no evil, and in His

WITH CHRIST. 167

mouth was found no guile. This meek and re-
tired man preached in Judea, and called disciples
to himself. He warned them of their sins and
exhorted them to holiness. He required them to
forsake every thing else for His sake. He com-
manded them to take up a cross and follow Him.
He reminded them that He had not where to lay
His head, and the disciple could not hope to be
better provided than his Master. He forewarned
them that they would probably suffer a violent
death, as the result of becoming followers of
Him; — that they would endure painful persecu-
tions for His sake ; — that they must be hated, and
cast out, and scourged, and killed ; — that the
world, which allowed no resting place for Him,
would prepare no shelter, more kind or com-
fortable for them. This was the prospect, — and
the only prospect, as far as the present life was
concerned, which He proposed to any whom He
invited to follow and to serve Him, in His great
undertaking for the spiritual salvation of the
world.

And for all this earthly deprivation and suffer-
ing, what did He offer them, as their expected
future reward ? Simply tliat they should be with
Him, — they should see His glory, — they should
partake of His throne, — they should have a man-
sion in His Father's house. But how little was
such a proposal adapted to persuade mankind to
embrace persecution and death, for the elevation
of a leader, who appeared so perfectly incompe-
tent, to fulfil even the promises which He had thus
indefinitely made. What prospect had He, of a
throne hereafter, who could not find security from

168 WITH CHRIST.

a violent death here ? What pleasure could arise
from merely being with Him ? Where would He
be ? Would He be more likely to be able to re-
ward them in another world, than He had been to
protect them in this 1 How little attraction was
there, in persecution and death, with no other al-
leviation than a hope so doubtful and visionary as
this to succeed it ! It may well be asked, who
but one insane would have selected such a sys-
tem as this, in an attempt to impose upon, and to
govern mankind ? Its success would be an anom-
aly that TV ould contradict every record of past
history, and every established principle of the
human mind connected with this subject. So far
as mere human motives and calculations are con-
cerned, such an attempt would have been an in-
fallible method to deter, and drive oif, all who
desired to become disciples of this new, and ap-
parently self-commissioned teacher. And were
our blessed Lord a man, having merely the pur-
poses of human ambition and personal elevation
to secure, there is presented here a difficulty in
the way of accounting for the history of His Gos-
pel, which no man can solve.

From such a review of this peculiar character-
istic of the Gospel, that the presence of its Au-
thor is the reward which it offers to its disciples ;
we rise with the deep impression upon our
minds, that our Divine Lord could not have been
an impostor, attempting to deceive ; and the infi-
del has to explain in his view of the case, a won-
der greater and more inexplicable, than any of
the miracles which he rejects : — by what means,
with such a motive, such success should have

WITH CHRIST. 169

been obtained. Our conviction becomes the
deeper, and the more indelible, that He was in
truth, the Holy One of God, the Divine and
mighty Lord, whose goings forth have been from
everlasting, and in whose presence there is the
fulness of eternal joy. With this conviction we
acknowledge the wisdom of His disciples, in for-
saking all things to follow Him ; and feeling that
it would be a sufficient reward for them to be
with Him forever, and to see Him eternally as
He is. In this prospect, we wonder at no suffer-
ings voluntarily endured ; — we are startled at no
relinquishment which they were required to
make for Him. The far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory of His own exalted and
everlasting abode, still remained, when the pres-
ent light affliction which was but for a moment,
had passed away forever.

But this peculiarity of the Gospel scheme, was
not presented in the Saviour's personal ministry
alone. The Apostles, whom He sent abroad to
preach the glad tidings of His redemption, after
He had returned to His glory, assume the same
ground, and describe precisely the same reward.
They dwell upon their future eternal presence
with their beloved Lord, as the single and com-
plete object of their desires and hopes. With
them in this relation, Christ was all. To be in
Christ here, was to be peaceful, secure, and
happy on the earth. To be with Christ here-
after, was to be forever, all that the heart of a
redeemed man could want or conceive. To be
without Christ, was to be separated from the
enjoyment, or the possibility of any good. The

8

170 WITH CHRIST.

writers of the New Testament form no descrip-
tions of joy, but in connection with Him ; — and
of every denunciation, or picture of wretchedness,
the chief feature is a separation from Him.
Where Christ is, there is heaven for them.
Where Christ cannot be, there for them is hell.
With this prospect they were actuated and com-
forted, and with this, they would persuade others
also. Having this in view, they exhort believers
to count it all joy, though they should fall into
divers temptations ; and to rejoice in this, though
they were counted worthy to suffer shame, and
sorrow, and death, for Christ's sake.

In writing to the Philippians, the words before
us, the Apostle expresses this, as the hope which
animated and encouraged him under circumstan-
ces of very deep distress. He was bound with a
chain, — the prisoner of the Lord, — in bonds for
the Gospel's sake. As it regarded the present
life, he knew not how it should go with him.
But the presence of his Divine Lord illuminated
his dungeon, and the hope of being with Christ
could quiet and console all his sorrows. The
bonds of personal friendship on the earth were
strong. The ties of a spiritual father to His chil-
dren in the Lord were still stronger. And for
their sakes, he was willing to be absent from the
Lord for a season. But the dwelling with Christ,
for which he hoped and looked, was far better
than all that he could have upon the earth,— and
therefore his desire was to depart, and to be with
Christ. He exhibits this as the Christian's state
of glory. All other descriptions which may be
given of the blessedness of the people of God,

WITH CHRIST. 171

range themselves under this one grand fact, and
like lesser lights, gather all their power and
beauty from this solar point. Angels are there, —
blessed spirits of the redeemed are there, — celes-
tial harmony is there, — splendor inconceivable to
man, and glories unutterable in the language of
man. But all these are circumstances. The
great fact is, Christ is there. In His presence is
the fulness of joy, and at His right hand are plea-
sures for evermore. Of this glory of the saints
with Christ, I desire to speak ; — though it is but
little, that man can wisely say upon such a
theme. From this introductory consideration we
are led to remark upon the sublime simplicity of
the Gospel, as it is displayed in the general views
which we now propose to take.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as a grand
system and principle of divine grace and power,
ministered by the Holy Ghost to man, includes
within itself many particulars. But it has remark^
able unity as a whole, and to be adequately un-
derstood and appreciated, it is to be regarded as
a single whole. As it reveals a system of duties
and obligations, it includes every particular de-
mand in the one grand requisition of perfect rec-
onciliation to God. As it reveals the actual spir-
itual condition of man to whom it is sent, every
minute trait of human necessity is included in the
one great fact of man's native alienation from God.
Though many evils in his habits, tastes, and de-
terminations may be very apparent, and deserve
very serious consideration, this one evil is the
fountain of the whole ; and when this is cleansed,
all will be clean. Though the Gospel imposes

172 WITH CHRIST.

many duties upon man. they are all flowing from
the one principle of union with God in Christ
whom it reveals, and simple submission and con-
formity to Him. It urges the wandering heart
therefore, to a simple return to God the Saviour,
in filial, thankful faith. " This is the work of
God," it says, " that ye believe on Him whom He
hath sent." All inquiries, hesitation, and doubts,
are here shut up in the single principle of personal
inward thankful confidence in the Lord of all. No
will-worship is enjoined, — no varied framework
of services and duties. The one command of new
love to God, in the reconciled soul, includes all
the residue ; and all these grow of necessity from
an obedience to that ; so that the message of the
Gospel is a single and uniform message, every-
where the same, adapted to all mankind, and in-
telligible to all to whom it comes.

In the promises of the Gospel, the same divine
simplicity is displayed. All possible points for in-
quiry to a believing soul, in reference to a future
world, are shut up, in the one single, blessed tes-
timony, " Where I am, there shall ye be also."
Curiosity is thus completely arrested, and doubts
and hesitations are completely silenced. The
soul that loves Christ, understands and appreci-
ates the worth of this blessed prospect. Many
precious facts are included in this promise ; and
many important fields for contemplation are thus
thrown open. But they are all subordinate to the
one grand point of the Redeemer's personal pres-
ence and glory ; and that abides, the great fact
of the believer's rest. There is a sublimity in this ;
a perfect assurance on the Lord's part, of His own

WITH CHRIST. 173

sufficiency to reward and bless His people, which is
far too little considered. Here in the whole pros-
pect of the Christian, " Christ is all." Every thing
else is but the fringe of the garment of blessed-
ness which eternity presents. Jesus, Jesus is the
robe itself, — the seamless, spotless, changeless
vesture of the soul redeemed and justified eter-
nally in Him. And when this one hope takes pos-
session of the heart, and man united to the Lord
Jesus, loves Him, and lives upon Him : — all other
joys are laid up in this one. To such a man, liv-
ing in Christ ; of all possible portions, " to depart
and be with Christ, is far better." His mind will
rest upon this. His thoughts will revolve around
it. His hopes will be excited by it. And as faith
living upon Christ is the main principle of his life
on earth, so hope reaching forward to be with
Christ, is the one uniform source of his happiness
for the future world. Thus simply does the Gos-
pel present the Christian's state of glory. It is
" to depart and to be with Christ."

This leads us to the very important fact, that
increasing preparation for future glory, is dis-
played in an increasing satisfaction and delight,
with the Saviour whose presence is to constitute
this glory. He that grows in grace, grows in the
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ;
becomes more acquainted with His character and
work ; more grateful for every instruction in these
great subjects, and for every apportunity to medi-
tate upon them. This is the great principle of the
Christian's preparation for glory. He derives his
comfort and peace more abundantly and directly
from Christ. He becomes actually more con-

174' WITH CHRIST.

formed to Him in mind and character. He de-
sires to see Him, and to serve Him more simply
and completely. He strives to be increasingly,
in the custom of consulting Flim, following Him,
and depending upon Him. In his habitual expe-
rience, Christ becomes more really, all to him.
And his affections, his conscience, and his under-
standing, are all occupied in the effort to embrace
and hold fast that blessed hops which has thus
been given him in his Divine Redeemer and Lord.
This constitutes an increasing preparation for
that state, in wdiich to be with Christ, is to be,
and to have, forever, all that the soul can desire
or need. The very simplicity which marks the
commands, and the promises of the Gospel, thus
marks also, the character of those whom the
Saviour blesses and receives. The nearer they
approach Him, this simplicity of character marks
them more completely. They gain more of that
child-like spirit which lives, — and loves to live,
— alone upon Him. And as each earthly idol is
successively removed, — and the cares of earth
become less engrossing and distracting, — and the
heart is made more ready to be satisfied with
Christ alone, as all its salvation, and all its desire,
the river is drawing nearer to the ocean, into
which it will pour at last its cheerful current ; —
the soul is becoming riper and readier for a
happy eternity ; and the Christian becomes more
able, intelligently and affectionately to say, —
" To depart, and to be with Christ, which is far
better."

I would urge my readers to estimate properly

WITH CHRIST. 175

this important subject, and strive by all means,
and constantly, to have the Saviour exalted in
their minds, as himself the rock of their salva-
tion, and the crown of their hope. There is much
in our own self-righteous spirits, and much in the
state of the world around us, to lead us off from
this. The arts of the enemy are constantly di-
rected here ; to separate us from personal ap-
proach to the Saviour, and to unsettle our confi-
dence in Him. By every distracting allurement
or care which he can employ, he will try to call
off our minds from a constant waiting upon Christ.
Be watchful and anxious my friends, upon this
subject. Be not satisfied with any aspect of ap-
parent religion within you, or around you, which
does not lead you, to look off from every thing
besides, and with more constant and complete
dependance, to find your all in Jesus Christ the
Lord ; — to seek Him in prayer, to depend upon
Him in love, and to rejoice in Him with hope.
The first failings of a backsliding spirit are found
here. The complete triumph of w^orldliness of
mind w ill be found here. Let those of you who
hope that they are in Christ, see to this danger
and guard against it.

To others, I can only say, that there is no
entrance to a Christian's state of glory, but through
a Christian's state of grace on earth. To be with
Christ hereafter, you must now be reconciled in
Him to God. O seek in living faith, and with
true repentance, the refuge which is here pro-
posed. Approach the shelter which is here laid
open. In the conversion of your souls to God,

176 WITH CHRIST.

by accepting and following the offered Saviour,
through the Holy Spirit, obtain the hope which
Jesus gives His people here ; and following Him
in newness of life, you shall be made partakers
of His promises and His glory.

CHAPTER XIII.

REST.

Under these two words " with Christ," we are
speaking of the future blessedness of the people
of God. They describe the everlasting recom-
pense of reward, to which the Apostle looked
forward, amidst the labours of his life and the
sorrows of his imprisonment. They exhibit the
provision of glory which a Saviour offers to His
people. They describe the whole portion which
a renewed heart desires. To this description,
our attention is directed, and it will be profitable
and pleasant for us to consider some of the vari-
ous aspects of this state of glory, which are pre-
sented to us in the sacred word of God, as pecu-
liarly adapted to the different circumstances and
capacities of man. This is the appointed issue
of the present life of faith and trial in the Sav-
iour's service ; and its provisions and offers are
particularly appropriate to the special trials and
experience which characterize the present state.

We will first consider the Christian's state of
glory as a state of rest, for the disciple whose
present life has been that of a stranger and a pil-
grim on the earth. To be with Christ, is to be

178 WITH CHRIST.

in a state of permanent spiritual rest. " There
remaineth a rest for the people of God."

The present probation of the renewed soul is
in the school of care and sorrow. This is the
necessary result of its native alienation from God.
Man's sufferings are the legitimate consequences
of his sin. But God is mercifully pleased to
overrule these sufferings, and the painful conflicts
which they produce, to strengthen the character,
and to perfect the holiness, of those whom He
hath set apart for himself He makes their trials
to be the fountain of their hopes. He teaches
them to value and to desire, the salvation which
He has provided for them, by a deep experience
of its want. He prepares them fully to enjoy it,
by undergoing much to discourage, as well as
much to excite them, in their way to it.

While the Christian was still in his unrenewed
nature, alienated from God, — a child of disobe-
dience,— he was subjected to a vast multitude of
outward sorrows, appertaining to man's present
earthly condition. But tliese outward sorrows,
though hard to bear, are not the worst, nor the
most painful attendants upon man's condition as
a fallen being. The burden of conscious sin is
far heavier. And however careless man may treat
it with indifference, the man in Christ deeply and
painfully feels it. It is particularly in the ser-
vice of his redeeming Lord, upon which he enters
when he is born again of the Holy Spirit, that
the Christian finds his conflicts to be prepared,
and himself required to endure hardness as a
good soldier of Jesus Christ. His victory then
comes as the result of serious contest. Peculiar

WITH CHRIST. 179

and nntried enemies are around him, from the
very day on which he enters upon the strait and
narrow way that leadeth unto life eternal. It is
the immutable will and disj)ensation of God, to
lead him onward in the Saviour's path, perfected
through sufferings ; and to stablish, settle, and
strengthen him for a future glory, by keeping him
in the constant and active exercise of every wea-
pon of his holy warfare.

As a soldier in contest, he is in the midst of in-
numerable powerful enemies within and without.
He must fight unceasingly, not as one that beateth
the air. His own heart must be subdued to a
spirit of uniform submission to the will of God.
Abroad are burdens and temptations in ever-
ehanging variety. At home are despondencies
and fears yet more numerous and distressing.
This is the character of his present dispensation.
And though individual causes of suffering are as
countless as the various characters and feelings
of men, the same general rule applies to all the
servants of the Lord ; — through much tribulation
they must enter into the kingdom of God.

As a pilgrim and traveller seeking his inheri-
tance in a continuing city to come, he has often
a long and weary road to pass, before he can gain
his promised home. This journey is not indeed
without its pleasures. It is not destitute of all
circumstances adapted to animate and encourage
him in its pursuit. But it is a journey without a
rest. It is a constant forgetting of things which
are behind, and an anxious pressing forward to
things which are before. It is an unceasing reach-
ing for an unseen glory ; while every attending

180 WITH CHRIST.

circumstance seems to utter a new testimony,-—
" Here we have no continuing city, but we vseek
one to come."

As a labourer in the vineyard of the Lord, a
worker together with God, he has a full and pre-
scribed measure of duty to accomplish on the
earth. The Lord has laid out for him his course
of work, and he must finish the work which has
been given him to do. Whether this work be
chiefly to strive for his own soul, or to give dili-
gence also to save the souls of others ; — it is still
a work before him, which must be finished, and
which allows no cessation of his toil, until it has
been completed. He must continue to work the
works of Him that sent him while the day lasts.

But as a soldier in contest, as a pilgrim in his
journey, as a labourer in his work, there remain-
eth for the Christian a rest ; and he looks forward
with joyful confidence to that rest, when he shall
depart, and be with Christ. When this glorious
result of his course shall have been attained, his
dispensation of conflicts and sorrows will have
passed ; and he will find himself in an enduring
state of spiritual rest. Whatever griefs have
arisen from mere earthly circumstances, they will
have ceased forever. There will be no lamenta-
tion, where nothing can be lost. There can be no
suspense where nothing is uncertain. There can
be no contest, where there is no enemy; — no re-
pentance where there is no sin. There it will
have become true, that all tears are wiped from
the eyes of those who are glorified with Christ.
Every fountain of tears shall be dried, and the

WITH CHRIST. 181

causes which have conspired to produce anguish
and crying shall have ceased to exist.

Under this inviting aspect, the Holy Spirit
often presents the future dwelling of the re-
deemed soul. There the weary are at rest. It
is not, however, mere dormancy of being, — a
merely negative rest. There is occupation, and
duty, and positive pleasure, suited to the enlarged
capacities, and the holy tendencies of glorified
spirits. But a remaining rest is the view of the
recompense of reward, which contrasts it with
present trials ; and which leads us, while exer-
cised with them, and groaning under their burden,
to desire to depart, and be with Christ, — as the
labourer seeketh the shadow of the evening, that
the toil of his work may give place to his neces-
sary and wished for repose. In the world, says
the Lord to His disciples, ye shall have tribula-
tion, but in me ye shall have peace. The Apostle
comforts the Thessalonians in their troubles,
with this prospect of rest with the Lord Jesus,
when He shall be revealed from heaven with
power and great glory. Each wearied believer
shall participate in this rest, and unite in the
glory of the Lord, who, for the joy that was set
before Him, endured the cross, and despised the
shame, and is now set down at the right hand of
the throne of God. Within him will be peace,
because all the power and propensities of sin
have been annihilated forever. Around him
there will be peace, for but one desire and feeling
shall govern the multitude of the redeemed, and
one Master only shall they serve and follow.
And while no possibility of future anguish can be

182 WITH CHRIST.

presented before Christ himself, every soul that
is with Christ shall partake of the same glorious
privilege. And in this one negative aspect, — a
rest from toil and care, — the gain of being with
Christ will be unspeakable.

But this rest with Christ, is not the mere free-
dom of the soul from sorrow and care. It is the
pure and spiritual satisfaction and delight which
the redeemed spirit derives from the eternal pos-
session of a Divine Saviour. It is the calm and
confiding enjoyment of His perfections and His
glory ; — it is the uninterrupted and unending con-
templation of what He is, and of what He has
done for His people ; — it is the overflowing delight
which the purified mind, and the enlarged heart
of the sanctified believer experience, in the at-
tainment and secure possession of an object infi-
nitely precious, long sought for and desired, and
in no degree disappointing the expectations it
has awakened. It is the triumphant passage of
thought over unknown scenes and objects of
glory, — searching still more deeply into the un-
searchable riches of grace, as revealed and laid
up in the only begotten Son of God. It is the
unutterable joy of harmony and order, to a
soul which is alive with the most delicate sen-
sibility to the delight which they aflford. It is
the rest of an affectionate child in the wise and
uniform government of a father's house. It is
the rest of an intelligence, now angelic, — may I
not say superangelic, in the experience through
which it has passed, — in the pure and spotless
dominion of the Most High, all whose ways are

WITH CHRIST. 183

perfect, and whose will is the highest manifesta-
tion of wisdom and love.

How valuable is such a prospect, — how precious
is such a rest to the true follower of the Lord
Jesus ! Under all his present trials in despond-
ency and suffering, this anticipation of the excel-
ling glory which is laid up with Christ, will be of un-
speakable importance, and of the greatest practi-
cal worth. We may consider this practical worth,
under three distinct aspects, applicable to the pres-
ent circumstances of the Christian, arising from
the views which have been now presented.

It is a relative rest for the servant of Christ, con-
sidered as a sufferer from present outward circum-
stances. J[t is a condition of perfect peace in con-
nection with those with whom he dwells. Are
the members of Christ here burdened with earthly
sorrows ? Do they look back to number years
which have gone by, by the afflictions and sor-
rows which have successively distinguished them?
Have they once said with Job, " I shall die in my
nest," and yet have they lived to say with him in
the sadness of subsequent experience, " My days
fly away, and I see no good ?" Have anxieties and
disappointments corroded their peace ? Have bod-
ily pains racked their bones, and driven sleep from
their eyes ? Do they write the memorials of their
days with tears ? — How precious to such wayworn
pilgrims is the opening hope, which our subject
presents ! What a world will that be, where no
hand shall be pressed in final separation, — where
the signals of departure shall have lost their mean-
ing,— Avhere we can look upon those whom w^e
love, without the harsh thought pressing upon the

184 WITH CHRIST.

mind, that the place which now knows them shall
soon know them no more, — where no inhabitant
shall say, " I am sick," — where no retrospection
shall bring to mind, scenes and thoughts, whose
whole power is to minister distress ! Let all the
suffering members of Christ look forward to this
rest. Make it sure to your minds, that you are
in Christ, in the spiritual renewing of those minds
by the Holy Ghost, and then fix your hopes upon
the peace and blessedness which shall follow,
when mortality shall be swallowed up of life.
Contrast the unvarying aspect of this blessedness,
with the tossings of the present tempestuous
world. Let the hope which it offers teach you,
while troubled about many things, that ihis inher-
itance alone is the one thing needful ; and that
he is the happy man, whoever and wherever he
may be, to whom Christ is now the hope of glory,
abiding within his heart ; and for whom, He will
therefore be the everlasting gain in the hour of
his departure. You meet with many temporal
disappointments, and embarrassments ; — perhaps
your agitated mind has often asked, " What shall
I eat ?^what shall I drink ? — wherewithal shall I
be clothed ?" Well : be you found in Christ, and
it will not always be so. With Him is durable
riches and righteousness. And he is rich,— not
who layeth up treasure for himself here, — but who
is rich toward God. You meet with many friends
who fail you. Like Job, you are ready to say,
" My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook ;"
or with the Prophet, " Every brother will utterly
supplant, and every neighbour will walk with
slanders." Disappointed successively in the char-

WITH CHRIST. 185

acters of men, you are ready to exclaim, " The
godly man ceaseth ; truth is perished from the
earth." Look forward then with Paul to this bet-
ter prospect. There is a Friend who loveth at all
times. There is a place, where all countenances
wear the habitual expression of honest and affec-
tionate hearts ; — where none are deceiving, or be-
ing deceived. See that your hopes and your af-
fections are there established, and it will not be
long, before things temporal shall yield to things
eternal. We cannot pursue this particular appli-
cation more minutely. It is designed to show,
that there is no present outward trial, for which
the dwelling with Christ does not furnish an ade-
quate recompense in eternal rest ; — and thus to
encourage the living, suffering members of Christ,
to endure unto the end, rejoicing in hope of the
glory of God.

It is an internal spiritvMl rest for the believer,
from his inward personal conflicts and trials, — a
state of peace for his soul, — encouraging him by
the hope which it presents, to endure with per-
severance in his present contests with sin, and in
his growth in holiness and grace. Do those who
are now in Christ find that they cannot do the
things that they woul I ? When they Avould do
good, is evil present \a ith them ? After all their
efforts, and vigilance, and prayer, are unholy pas-
sions within them still unsubdued ? Is a rebel-
lious, wandering heart still beyond their power
of constraint or control ? Do they look back upon
a Christian profession, and feel deeply sad, in the
conviction how far they yet are, from having
attained what they desire and ought to be ? Are

18(5 WITH CHRIST.

they almost ready to conclude, while there is so
much within them that is dark and unsatisfying,
they have never been made the children of God ?
This is doubtless the case with many ; the most
truly .so perhaps, with those who are attaining
deeper views of the claims of Jesus, and of the
sinfulness of their own hearts. O, what joy is
presented in the prospect of a rest for the soul in
the kingdom of the Lord ! How happy would a
single day now be, should it pass without one
selfish desire, or one sinful passion to ruffle the
temper of the mind ! — without one wandering pur-
pose to distract the heart from entire devotion to
God ! — without one sight or sound of sin abroad to
wound the soul with the thought, Wo is me, that
I am constrained to dwell among those who are
enemies unto peace ! And yet, how faint an
illustration would such a day be, of the eternity
provided for the rede 3med soul ! There the
heart will be finally cleared and rescued from
the stain and power of sin ! Not one turbulent
passion shall go with the believer, to the land of
his inheritance ! Not one sorrowful recollection
of deficiency in duty, or of transgression against
God, shall mar the perfection of its enjoyment !
Not a temptation shall be presented to draw a
single thought aside from God. There is no
being with Christ, who wishes any thing for the
believer, but his growth in holiness and enjoy-
ment; no one who desires, or is able, to provoke
him to any thing but love and good works. When
the suffering members of Christ are wearied
with spiritual contests and temptations here, let
this remaining rest be present to their minds

WITH CHRIST. 187

Multitudes have already conquered, and have en-
tered into its enjoyment. And they may also
participate in all that it can give. But then they
must endure with fidelity, through every dispensa-
tion, and contend with the power of sin with
unfailing perseverance. They must be vigilant
through every season, and hope and quietly wait for
the end proposed. But how great is the encourage-
ment which is oflfered in Christ to this perseve-
rance in our warfare ! The Lord Jesus is watch-
ing over every event of our lives. He searches our
hearts ; and sees, and accepts, all our desires and
motives for good, even though we are unable to
bring them to a successful action. Often perhaps,
while the world scoffs and condemns, he can say,
— It is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
He accepts, though men condemn. With this
prospect of rest in our warfare, we are encouraged
to fight a good fight, — to keep the faith, — to finish
our course, and to lay hold upon the prize of our
high calling in Christ Jesus ; and in the midst of
confiict, to look forward to the peacefulness of
spirit which shall come to us from Him, when
we depart to be with Christ.

It is a rest of 'perfect satisfaction in the knowl-
edge and enjoyment of God our Saviour; a state
of entire peace, in regard to our view of Christ,
and his glorious Gospel. Believers are here, in
the posture of the cherubim over the mercy-seat,
desiring to look farther into the character, and
work, and will of the Lord of all. There is vast
mystery in the revelations of God ; mystery which
is inevitable from the nature of the things revealed,
and of the beings to whom they are revealed.

188 WITH CHRIST.

And the man who rejects from his faith in the Bi-
ble, every thing which he cannot now understand,
shows an entire ignorance of the actual character
and nature of the Being with whom he has to do.
The Gospel contains many mysteries of wisdom,
which cannot be made intelligible to us now, from
our total want of capacity to comprehend them.
Many things which were obscure to the feeble
mind of childhood, have become quite intelligi-
ble in maturer age. Many things which are
wholly obscure to the natural mind, are made
clear and open, by the divine teaching, to the
spiritual mind. And in the same way, many
things which we know not now, we shall know
hereafter. There Avill be a fulness of knowledge
of revealed truth, to the man with Christ, of which
we can now form no conception. There is also
vast mystery in the Providence of God, — mystery
which no human mind can unravel. And the at-
tempt to detail the wise and perfect scheme upon
which it is made to operate, is utterly vain.
These mysteries fill the mind of an inquiring man
with restlessness, and strong desire for the hour
of explanation. "I have a wonderful curiosity,"
said my dying father to me, " to see what there
is in another world." The believer in Jesus looks
beyond the present restless state, to a time when
he shall forever enjoy the calm and sure rest of
perfect satisfaction and knowledge. We shall
see face to face, what we now see through a
clouded and often distorting glass. We shall
know as perfectly as we are known, what we are
now able to know only in part. We shall see
the king in His beauty ; the beauty of His person,

WITH CHRIST. 189

the beauty of His character, the beauty of His
government, the beauty of His redemption; beauty
which all His now visible works vainly attempt
to illustrate and display. The sun, the lily, and
the rose, but feebly betoken the perfect excel-
lence of the Sun of Righteousness, the lily of
the valley, the rose of Sharon. Then He will ap-
pear from Zion in perfect beauty. All that is now
obscure, will then be made plain. The veil which
now covers the excelling glory shall then be rent
asunder ; and from it, what resplendent light
shall shine back upon all the mysteries of Provi-
dence and revelation ! — what penetrating beams
illuminate the deepest recesses of redeeming
love ! What abundant glory shall gather from
the whole, around the throne of God ! As if new
worlds of suns and planets clothed with meridian
splendour, were instantly called into beinc:, to fill
up that which was the dark void of midnight be-
fore ! Are our minds here often clouded, some-
times almost unbelieving ? Are our views often
confused and unsatisfying ? Let us remember
the far better part has not yet been manifested to
the struggling people of God. With faith in the
truth and fidelity of God, let us commit secret
things to Him, and by patient continuance in well-
doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality ;
and wait with desire and confidence, for the hour
which He has appointed, for the glorious exhibi-
tion of things before concealed. Then, when we
are glorified with Christ, shall we adore the great-
ness of His wisdom, and join with rapture in the
song, " Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty, — just and true are all thy ways,
thou King of saints."

CHAPTER XIV.

HOLINESS. REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES.

The Christian with Christ, is in a state of tran-
scendant enjoynient and glory. Of tiiis eternal,
unchanging glory, we are now speaking. We
have considered it as a state of rest for the be-
liever who is now in a condition of conflict and
suffering. It is a permanent spiritual rest for
every weary, heavy-laden soul ; a rest in which
all the Christian's trials shall have passed away,
and complete satisfaction shall have been obtained
for every desire and every hope.

I wish now to consider this state of glory
under another aspect, as a state of unchanging
holiness ; — a view which will apply to the Chris-
tian, as he is here struggling with the influence
and power of sin. He is here but partially sanc-
tified. He is in a very small degree conformed to
the image of God, and hoping for a work of
grace which is to be carried on triumphantly for
him unto the day of the Lord Jesus. In his
present condition, God is beginning to make all
things new within him, — transforming him in the
renewing of his mind after the likeness of Christ.
To be holy, as God is holy, perfectly possessed
of the mind which was in Christ, he must wait

WITH CHRIST. 191

until in another .state of being-, mortality is swal-
lowed up of life. This is his blessed prospect
and hope. To be with Christ is to be in a state
of unchanging holiness. This is a most impor-
tant point for our consideration, in connection
with this great subject.

In order to obtain adequate and enlightened
views of this point, we must mark distinctly
what we* mean by the holiness of a Christian. It
is the restoration to his soul of the perfect image
of God. It is the entire conformity of his whole
character, will, and desires, to the pure and per-
fect commandments of the Most High. It is a
personal inherent purity and rectitude of affec-
tion and principle, produced within him by the
power of the Holy Ghost dwelling within him.
It is a progressive growing up of his renewed
nature, into the spotless likeness of Christ his
Lord. Its commencement in the heart, is in the
hour when the heart is first brought from the
power of Satan in reconciliation unto God. Then
man is born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible ; — even the word of God, which
liveth and abideth forever. Its progress is
through the whole course of a life of obedience on
earth, in a steady, constant increase of divine
power and influence. Its growth and manifesta-
tion depend upon the increasing influence of the
Divine Spirit, given and exercised in proportion
to the increasing desires and diligence of those in
whom He dwells. This progress is often re-
tarded, perhaps may seem sometimes almost ar-
rested, by the power of indwelling sin. But it is
still growing in the whole history of its course.

192 WITH CHRIST.

like the grain of mustard seed, to an overspread-
ing tree, until it gains its full and everlasting per-
fection in a world which is suited to its maturity.
This is Christian holiness ; the renewal of the
soul after the image and will of God. In the
present world, it is comparatively weak and par-
tial. In the world to come, it is dominant, uni-
versal, and perpetual. The Christian in Christ,
is holy, but in a limited measure. The Christian
with Christ, is holy to the utmost extent of his
capacity. Here, he is really, but, partially, only
in his measure and degree, conformed to the will
of God. There, he will be fully like God, and
like Him forever. To be with Christ, is to be in
this unchanging state of holiness.

There, all obstacles to the Christian's confor-
mity to God will be removed forever. In the
present world, the obstacles to the cultivation of
personal holiness are great and numerous. The
grace of God in the heart of man, is a tender plant
in a strange unkindly soil. It is easily checked in
its operation and growth; and demands, for its
continuance in life, constant divine watchfulness,
and unceasing human earnestness and care. It
is exposed to many dangers, from within and
from without. And every man, who will live
godly in Christ Jesus, finds multiplied calls upon
him for earnest and assiduous effort, to retain and
cultivate within himself the spirit of pure and in-
creasing piety.

Many of these obstacles arise from the nature
of the society in which the Christian now dwells.
This world is a fallen world ; and the principles
and motives which naturally govern mankind, are

WITH CHRIST. 193

not essentially altered by a succession of genera-
tions, or change of climates. Lot's righteous soul
was vexed from day to day in Sodom, by the un-
godly deeds of those with whom he dwelt. And
in our age and land, all who desire to live sepa-
rate from sin, and to walk with God in newness
of life, must experience the very same probation.
Evil examples, and pernicious principles and
maxims for human conduct, everywhere prevail,
around every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Men are seen to rule by the law of wickedness.
The great majority of mankind are found by uni-
versal concession, to be deeply corrupted. In-
numerable precedents for conduct which is known
to be against the will of God, are established by
the customs of human society. The man of God
must often stem an exceedingly heavy and rapid
current, if he hold on his way in faithful obedience
to the Lord who has called him to His service.
He often finds himself in such situations and rela-
tions in life, that no sorrow seems to him greater,
and no punishment would be more dreadful, than
the obligation to dwell in such societv forever.
To maintain the spirit and habits of piety in such
a condition, is like keeping a spark alive in the
midst of the ocean.

If -we look off from the world, to the professing
church, even there society offers numerous obsta-
cles to the growth of holiness in the heart. Many
who profess their subjection to the high princi-
ples and standard of the Gospel, live very far be-
low the high vocation wherewith they are called.
A worldly, covetous, or giddy spirit distinguishes
them, by very peculiar and distressing acts of in-

9

194 WITH CHRIST,

consistency and folly. They become an evident
and an exceeding evil attaching itself to the pro-
fessed body of Christ. It is far too often the fact,
whether the Christian associate with those within
or those without the professed communion of the
followers of Christ, that the chief influence aris-
ing from such intercourse, is to lead him to a con-
tentment with a low standard of piety, and to aim
at nothing beyond what they have attained and
practised. The frequent mingling in society, ex-
cept for the purposes of positive usefulness to
others, very rarely promotes, and far more fre-
quently hinders, the growth of grace in the Chris-
tian's heart. Much experience of this difficulty
compels him to retreat, as much as possible, from
his contests with outward things, wearied with
every aspect of human society, to seek for strength
and refreshment at home, in secret with his Lord.
Many obstacles to the Christian's personal holi-
ness arise from the circumstances of his present
being, the condition in which it has been the will of
God to place him in preparation for eternity. He
has here perhaps to labour for his bread with the
sweat of his brow ; — to obtain sometimes by ex-
ceeding and unremitting toil, the means of living
for himself and others. If this be his dispensation,
he finds lurking beneath this necessity, a worldly
and gainful spirit, which attempts to justify itself
in an excessive pursuit of earthly things, by this
necessity which appears to cover it. If, on the
other hand, the Divine Providence has abundantly
blessed him by the labours of others ; by the gift
of fields and vineyards which he hath not planted :
in the very comforts of his station, — in the oppor-

WITH CHRIST. 195

tunities which it affords for luxury, indulgence,
and ease, — there is found a still more dangerous
obstacle to his growth in holiness. Pride of heart,
rebellion against God, and forgetfulness of eter-
nity, naturally spring for him, out of fulness of
bread and abundance of idleness. Then again,
he has to support his present existence, by an
adequate indulgence of natural appetite ; and he
finds a stumbling-block for his . soul continually
set, in the spirit of intemperance and excess
which hides itself under every natural and law-
ful gratification of sense. The dividing limit be-
tween that which is necessary and expedient,
and that which is unnecessary and inordinate, it
is often exceedingly difficult to settle. Again, he
has many causes for anxiety in earthly things ;
obliged to judge and act for himself, in many
changing and perplexing concerns of life ; and
often at a loss in what direction he shall move
with safety. Disappointments are in every path,
and often mar his most fairly formed plans. Dis-
tresses arise from quarters wholly unexpected,
and in a shape extremely painful to bear. In
these circumstances, there is much to provoke
the spirit of fretfulness and discontent ; much to
lead his soul ungratefully away from God. All
these are very serious obstacles to the growth of
personal holiness. And whatever peculiarities
there may be in the circumstances of his station,
they will each be found to furnish their several
obstacles to the progress of the work of grace
within him. Difficulties are thus unceasingly
arising, from the condition of being in which God
has been pleased to place him, which are calcu-

196 WITH CHRIST.

lated very much to retard the prog"ress and power
of true religion in his heart. Prosperity and ad-
versity, poverty and wealth, health and sickness,
each in its turn, cover the varied devices of Sa-
tan against his soul. And he is taught by this
experience, that piety does not depend upon any
peculiar condition in life ; and that it is not to be
maintained in any condition, without a constant
and serious contest with many and great obsta-
cles to the growth of holiness within him.

Many of these obstacles arise also from the
depraved tendencies of his own nature. Foreign
enemies to his soul have always the countenance
and assistance of a secret foe within his own
heart. The imaginations of the thoughts of his
heart are naturally, and only, evil continually.
And it requires great effort, and constant govern-
ment and determination to fix them, in any mea-
sure, upon that which is good. There is a pride
of reason which resists captivity to faith ; a pride
of will, which refuses subjection to the will of
Christ; and a rebellion of appetite which rejects
the restraint and control of divine commands.
With all his watchfulness and effort to purify the
fountains of his soul, there are unceasingly bub-
bling up from the deep recesses of its corruptions,
purposes and imaginations which he utterly ab-
hors. If he become heedless in cleansing this
source of the issues of his life, the whole mass is
not slow in becoming corrupted, beyond the
power of restoration. The Spirit of God must
both cleanse him from secret faults, and keep him
back from presumptuous sins, or else they will
get the dominion over him, and he becomes not

WITH CHRIST. 197

innocent even from the great offence. This in-
ward obstacle to his personal holiness, remains
through the whole course of his probation here.
When can he say, — or who can say, " I have
made myself clean from my transgression?" Its
influence is often extremely depressing, and the
contest which it requires, becomes in the highest
degree wearisome. But it is one of the instru-
ments by which God is pleased to humble and
correct him ; and by the very resistance to his
holiness of character which it presents, and which
he is made to overcome, it really promotes it.

With these three classes of obstacles to his
growth in holiness, the Christian in a state of
grace must unceasingly contend. How great
their influence is in hindering him from an obe-
dience to the truth, can hardly be estimated.
Under all circumstances, they are a weight which
he cannot easily throw aside. They sometimes
become a difficulty so serious, that they cause
him to fall, and sadly to grieve the Holy Spirit,
whereby he is sealed unto the day of redemption.
But all these obstacles are peculiar to his present
state. From the Christian with Christ, they are
removed forever. All opposition to his growth
in grace, his increase in conformity to God, has
been taken away ; and the principle of holiness
implanted by the Holy Spirit within his heart,
the rene^^ ing of his nature which he has received
from God, goes forward in an unchanging advance^,
throughout eternity.

He is brought into society, in which there is
no example of evil, no influence of rebellious
principle, no low or partial standard of conformity

198 WITH CHRIST.

to God. No angel or blessed spirit shall ever
say to him, " Who is the Lord, that we should
serve Him ? Come, let us break His bonds asun-
der, and cast away His cords from us." Had he
the principle of disobedience still remaining with-
in him, there would be no companion for his
crime, and no room to bring it into action and
effect. He cannot desire an elevation in the
service of his Lord, for which he will not find an
example in beings around him, and the utmost
encouragement and assistance in realizing it in
his own experience. All external influence over
him, will be of the happiest and purest kind;
and all society around him will be adapted to
impart this perfect character to his own mind.

He can be in no circumstances w hich will ever
excite him to disobedience again. The condition
in which he is placed, will be only and wholly,
favourable to a growth in every virtue and every
grace. There will be no cause for anxiety or
fretfulness ; no root to bear gall or wormwood ;
no unhallowed appetite to seek the cloak of out-
ward necessity ; no exposure to harassing disap-
pointments. Where all wants are supplied, — all
weaknesses made up, — all fears removed ; and
no event can arise in the progress of experience
to give shape or colour to the spirit of transgres-
sion,— which is the blessed condition of the Chris-
tian with Christ, — what further opening or in-
ducement to sin can be found, in any of his out-
ward relations or circumstances ?

From within himself, there will spring no fur-
ther obstacle to his growing and eternal holiness.
Every sinful propensity which has arisen from a

WITH CHRIST. 199

body material and corruptible, will have ceased
to exist when that body shall have become incor-
ruptible and spiritual forever. The children of
the resurrection, equal unto the angels, neither
buy, nor sell, nor eat, nor drink, nor marry, nor
are given in marriage. Neither can they sin nor
die any more. The appetites of sense, and the
infirmities of the flesh, have passed away with the
perishing body to which they belonged. The
spiritual iniquities of the soul, the pride, envy,
and rebellion which have been the plague of the
corrupted nature of man, shall have no more do-
minion there. The spirit of man shall be sub-
dued to the will, and raided to the image of
Christ. He shall follow none other than the
Lamb forever, and shall seek for no enjoyment
or provisions, but the hidden manna, and the liv-
ing fountains of water, which the Glorious Lamb
shall have provided for him. The whole of man
will be cleansed by the Divine Spirit and power
of God ; and be completely restored to God, to
be His temple and His possession forever.

For the Christian with Christ, there will be a
permanent removal of all obstacles to his growth
in holiness. By this he becomes secured in an
eternal progression towards God, and an eternally
increasing conformity in himself to the image and
will of God. The principle of a new nature was
implanted within him before, though it was ex-
ceedingly kept down by encompassing difficulties
and temptations. Now all these difficulties are
removed, and these temptations have passed
away, and it becomes immediately the predomi-
nant principle. It rules the whole character, and

200 WITH CHRIST.

brings every thought and feeling into perfect and
lasting subordination to itself. Dwelling in a
state of perfect liberty, and of perfect adaptation
to its fruitfulness and maturity, it can expand at
pleasure, and bring forth abundant fruit to the
everlasting glory of God. The Christian's glory
is thus the perfection of the Christian's grace.
To be with Christ in a state of recompense, is
the ripened fruit, and the accomplished result of
being in Christ in a state of probation. The im-
perfections of grace in its development and ex-
hibition on earth, arise from no imperfection in
its own nature, but from the many obstacles w^ith
which it must contend. The sunbeam is equally
pure and perfect, whether it shine upon a clod,
or a diamond. The power of reflection is in the
object itself. Happy is the thought, that every
aspect of the believer with Christ, will present
an additional beautiful and perfect reflection of
the glory of his Lord. And when all these ob-
stacles are forever removed, grace will flourish
in everlasting perfection ; and the renewed na-
ture of man w ill become permanently and per-
fectly holy. There will be nothing to interfere
with its constant and happy approximation to the
perfect likeness of the Lord of all. Like a river
which has passed all the obstructions of its moun-
tainous origin, and is flowing in a calm, full, and
even current to the ocean, the redeemed soul
shall flow on, in an increasing conformity to God,
expanding itself in a fuller current of joy, as it
approaches daily more near to the perfect fulness
of the Deity.

This is a very partial view^ of the Christian's

WITH CHRIST. 201

state of glory, as a state of holiness. But it is also
a very important view. The removal of present
obstacles is of unspeakable moment to the future
conquest and growth of the Christian. The posi-
tive aids and encouragements to a growth in per-
sonal holiness, which are furnished to a redeemed
soul in the kingdom of glory, and which we will
proceed to consider, are of still greater impor-
tance. But how really encouraging to the con-
tending servants of God, is the present view ! —
While the true members of Christ are daily fight-
ing with foes on every side, they are bid to re-
member that their present warfare is temporary,
and its result of victory is certain. Look up then.
Christian believers, and lift up your heads ; and
be not slack or faithless in pressing forward to the
triumph before you. Soon shall come your last
contest with every enemy, when the full power
of Satan shall be bruised under your feet. God
is thus sifting the chaff from His precious grain
within you, and making you daily more ready for
His garner, and more precious in His sight. In
this contest, the Saviour becomes daily more desi-
rable and valuable in your esteem ; you feel your
need of Him, and you learn to rest upon Him,
and to count upon Him as your all. As each suc-
cessive victory is gained by His power, there re-
mains the less to do and suffer ; and the crown
of the work approaches more nearly, and shines
more attractively before you. Press onward then,
encouraged and upheld by the hope before you.
God will make you conquerors over all.

But in concluding our view of this branch of our
subject, a painful thought presses itself upon the

9*

202 WITH CHRIST.

mind, that so many actually love all these obstacles
to the holiness of their characters, and the submis-
sion of their hearts to God, and have no desire to
give them up. The sinfulness of human society,
— its giddy neglect of God, — its short-lived de-
ceptions,— its vain self-devotion ; all these con-
stitute to their minds a charm, which they do not
wish to relinquish. That all these things within
them and around them are not of the Father, but
of the world, gives them no concern or sorrow.
Like the maniac in his cell, their fancy can con-
vert chains of bondage into ornaments of honour,
and straws into sceptres. How sad is this aspect
of the character of man to those who truly esti-
mate his condition, and look surely forward to its
necessary result in a world to come ! O, let me
speak to such among my readers, with seriousness
and solemnity ! I would arouse them from their
delusions. I would awaken them to behold them-
selves in the light of truth, as God sees them. I
would array before them the prospect of eternity.
I would show them the real influence of the follies
which they love so much. But perhaps it is not
light and knowledge which they need, so much
as a will to improve the blessings which are re-
ally so freely bestowed upon them. They are
throwing away inestimable gifts from God ; — gifts
of mercy, upon the loss of which they will here-
after look back with the bitterest regret ; and de-
prived of which, they must sink into sorrow and
condemnation for eternity. When will they be
wise ? When will scorners cease their refusal
of pardoning love 1 And lovers of the world be-

WITH CHRIST. 203

come the lovers of God and of His Christ ? O,
may the Divine Spirit arouse all who read these
lines, to fly from this chosen guilt and folly of un-
converted man, with a new and obedient heart
to Jesus Christ the Lord, both theirs and ours.

CHAPTER XV.

AIDS TO HOLINESS.

The Christian's state of glory as a state of
unchangeable holiness, is the particular point for
our present consideration. We have spoken of
the removal there, of all the obstacles which are
here found to oppose the growth of the soul in
grace. Let us now consider some of the positive
aids and advantages to a life of pure and perfect
obedience to God, which are also there pre-
sented.

Every instrument and influence which can pro-
mote the life and power of true piety in the
heart, shall be there present and prevailing. The
importance of this view of our subject is very
manifest. The experience of every Christian
declares, and the character and attainments of
every Christian show, how much the growth of
the soul in holiness in the present life, depends
upon the kind of influence which is exercised
upon it from abroad. Take from the holiest fol-
lower of the Lord Jesus upon the earth, all the
ordinances and means of the Gospel, — all opportu-
nities of private, personal communion with God, —
all the society of those who love God, and delight
to speak of God ; — let him hear nothing of his be-

WITH CHRIST. 205

loved Saviour, or of his amazing works of grace ;
— let him find no companion who shall take sweet
counsel together with him, and go to the house
of God in company ; — let him have no associates
who fear God ; — let there be none of the excel-
lent of the earth in Avhom he shall find delight; —
and how bleak and barren would his present
life become, as a state of grace, and of increasing
conformity to God ! How evidently would his
strength flag, and his heart grow cold, and his
spirit sink in negligence and lethargy, in this
mere deprivation of outward influence adapted to
encourage and edify him in his path of spiritual
obedience to God ! But add to this deprivation,
so serious and painful, tlie entire removal of that
divine influence from heaven, without which
nothing is strong, nothing is holy ; — let no refresh-
ing dew from God descend upon his soul ; — let
the sanctifying Spirit of truth and holiness arise
and depart, like an eagle toward heaven ; and how
certainly would this deprivation cut him off from
the possibility of eternal life ! He would relapse
again from absolute necessity, into a state of pos-
itive and final hardness of heart, under an ever-
lasting condemnation and curse. The presence
and power of the Sun of Righteousness would
have been removed, and universal spiritual con-
gelation and perpetual death would be the inev-
itable result.

It is not enough, therefore, that obstacles to
holiness be removed. There must be also an
added excitement and strength given from on
high, to enable the Christian to obey and glorify
God in the spirit and habit of personal holiness.

206 WITH CHRIST.

The universal experience of the chui'ch of Jesus
testifies, that His people improve in holiness, and
ripen in comformity to God, in proportion as they
abundantly enjoy the sanctified opportunities of
the appointed means of grace. Frequency in
private and social prayer, sincerity and freedom
in religious conversation, constancy and interest
in studying the word of God, habitual participa-
tion in the public institutions and privileges of
the Gospel, are the instruments by which the
Divine Spirit habitually enlightens, animates, and
sanctifies the servants of God, in their progressive
submission to the Lord's will. Upon the oper-
ation of these instruments, under His blessing,
their growth in grace is made to depend ; and in
the degree in which they are employed with a
true and assiduous heart, do the children of God
grow in personal piety, and go on from strength
to strength, towards the presence and kingdom
of their Heavenly Father.

But the spiritual growth which is thus excited
for the man in Christ, here in an uncongenial soil
and climate, under an artificial heat, like an exotic
plant in the conservatory, — in another world, in
a state of recompense and glory with Christ, be-
comes perfectly natural and unforced. The plant
of beauty and renown has been transplanted to
its own clime, and strikes its roots deeply amidst
the welcome soil of its native hills. And thus,
beyond the negative advantage in the removal of
all present obstacles to the Christian's holiness,
there is added also, the actual presence and ope-
ration of every influence which can purify the

WITH CHRIST. 207

soul, and quicken it in a life of unrelaxing and
eternal obedience to God.

For the Christian with Christ, there is all the
influence of holy society, in the highest and purest
degree. How precious and important is this fact,
may he readily seen. Even were the principle
of sin still existing in the soul, it could never be
-exhibited, where every being among countless
millions, would silently and instantly frown it
down, in the purity of his own example. The
white robes of heaven are but emblematic of the
more spotless character of the glorified saints by
whom they are worn. Their externa] glory,
shining abov^e the splendour of the sun, is but
significant of the far higher brightness of a mind
perfectly renewed for God. The believer's inter-
course with all around him there, is adapted and
calculated, to stimulate and encourage him, to
forget the things which are behind, and to reach
forward to those which are before, pressing on
forever to the mark of the prize of his high calling
in Christ Jesus.

The redeemed saint has there, the perpetual
society of his glorified Lord. He follows Him,
dwells in His presence, beholds His face, and
hears His voice, with unceasing and inexpressi-
ble delight. The presence and society of the
Saviour, is to him, the awakening and all-con-
quering stimulant to perpetual obedience and
love. Even in the present life, while the princi-
ple of transgression is still abiding within his
heart, and unnumbered temptations to indulge it
are ever around him, how sanctifying and power-
ful would be the personal society of the Lord

208 WITH CHRIST,

Jesus ! How certainly would he be restrained
and kept back, even from secret sin, if this shi-
ning, spotless Saviour, were ever at his side ;
following whithersoever he went ; exhorting, ad-
monishing, advising, encouraging him in every
path of duty, and in every hour of temptation ;
and casting upon him continually, the piercing
look of reproof, or the beaming smile of approba-
tion, as reproof or approbation were severally
required ! This presence of Christ is now, in tact,
the great instrument of encouraging him to obe-
dience, as it is realized and perceived by faith,
in the midst of temptations and infirmities. But
there, the Christian will gain the whole benefit
of this divine presence, in actual manifest reality,
without the counteracting principle of sin within
him, to be overruled and checked by influence
from without. The smile of Jesus will reward
for every effort which is made to honour Him ;
and His word of approval will abundantly excite
to new desires and exertions to do His will.
And while the Christian beholds Him as He is,
— so attractive, so lovely, so desirable will His
perfect character appear to be, that it will be the
prevailing, uniform wish of the soul, to be more
and more like Him forever. This personal society
of the Adorable Saviour, as a familiar friend, as a
known and beloved benefactor, as the source of
all his joys ; — the Lord by whom he has been re-
deemed from eternal death, — will be to him, the
union of all motives, exciting him to an eternal,
unchanging progress in the conformity of his soul
to God.

The redeemed saint will also have the society

WITH CHRIST. 209

of angelic beings. The New Testament gives us
delightful views of the eternal union which shall
subsist between all classes of holy beings with
Christ, in one family under Him. Angels have
been always obedient to the will of God, and
spotless from sin since the hour of their creation.
The image of God there remains original and
untarnished. And the Christian will see in every
one of them, the living, perfect example of what
God requires him to be. Their love, and zeal,
and ardour, and disinterestedness; their watch-
fulness for divine commands, and their eagerness
to obey them ; will show him in every succeeding
hour, what he was originally designed to be, and
for what, he has since been redeemed from the
power and dominion of sin. This will be a
bright and lovely pattern always before him, and
be rendered perfectly accessible to his imitation.
Their conversation, their instructions, their his-
tory of past ages of grace, their animating appeals
to his heart, to give glory to God and the Lamb, —
as they surround the redeemed ones who encom-
pass the throne, — will excite and encourage him,
with them, to mount up with wings as an eagle,
to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint,
in the way of divine commands.

Besides these, he will have the society of all
redeemed saints. Every quarter of this fallen
world will have its representation in a world of
glory. All nations, kindreds, tongues and people
shall be collected there, to sing the song of Moses
and the Lamb. With a voice like the noise of
waters, or the voice of many thunders, will they
surround the throne of Him who has loved them,

210 WITH CHRIST.

and washed them from their sins in His own blood.
In them shall be seen the full manifestation of
the power of divine grace. They were all once,
fallen in sin, — vile, destitute, and polluted. They
are all now, raised in holiness, — shining, glorious,
and happy. How various have been the instru-
ments, by which they were brought to God !
How great the change which has been accom-
plished in the character and condition of each.
How wonderful to all, the grace which has been
thus severally bestowed ! What Christ has done
for them and for all, will fill their souls with the
universal harmony and elevation of praise. How
exciting to a continual progress in obedience, will
be the example of each ransomed soul, and the
retrospective view which each will take of the
wonderful w^orks of God ! When the Christian
mingles in this glorious society, — when he lits
down with Abraham, the friend of God, to hear
from his own lips, the story of his faith, over
which he has so often meditated, with the most
humble and earnest desire to imitate his exam-
ple ; or listens to Paul, the chosen vessel by whose
heavenly writings he has been so much admon-
ished and comforted on earth ; or unites with the
multitude of later witnesses, who counted noth-
ing dear to them for Christ's sake, and who freely
poured forth their lives for the honour of His
name ; — what animation will fill his mind ! — what
joys will enlarge his heart ! — what ardent desires
will inspire him to grow up with them still more
and more, in conformity to the pure and perfect
image of the Most High God ! How intensely
will he strive to copy their example, and like

WITH CHRIST. 211

them, with still enlarging capacities, to stand
forever perfect in all the will of God !

Such will be the whole influence of society
around the man who is with Christ. There can
be nothing there which is not spiritually improv-
ing. Every outward influence is adapted to pu-
rify and exalt. And the whole assemblage of
things abroad, constitutes an unceasing and im-
portant aid to the unchanging holiness of the re-
deemed saint. When he enters upon that hea-
venly scene, what wonder and joy will fill his
soul ! All beings employed for one Ruler ; no
discord, variance, or reserve, in the employment
of any ; all faces beaming happiness and peace ;
all tongues united in praise ; — " Glory, glory be to
God on High," echoing in the sweetest melody
from every quarter of the Father's kingdom.
How lovely and attractive will that spotless obe-
dience appear, which fills them all with joy !
How ardent and constraining will be the de-
sire of the Christian, never to be separated from
associates so holy, and so improving ! How cer-
tain will be his growth in piety, amidst a world
of beings whose whole influence is so calculated
to advance it !

Then the Christian with Christ, will also have
the imfnediate and full influence of the Holy Spirit
shining upon his soul, without any thing within
him or around him, calculated to resist, or to per-
vert His power. In his present life, this sacred
influence is given to him, but in a partial degree,
and is often quenched, and grieved, and driven
away. But even here, this divine influence is
the source of all the holiness he has. There is

&

212 WITH CHRIST.

nothing within him acceptuble to God, which has
not been produced by the pow er of this Sacred
Comforter. This heavenly influence is bestowed
upon the followers of Christ, in very different de-
grees, and the exceeding value of His operations
is in the character of some, beautifully and pow-
erfully displayed. But never, save upon one
Being in the form of man, has the Spirit of God
been poured out without measure. And how
fflorious was that exhibition of an Incarnate Sav-
iour ! How holy and perfect did this unmeasured
gift make that tried and conquering Being to ap-
pear! He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners. There was no guile or
stain in Him. He was unceasingly benevolent,
and loving, and useful to all. The holiness of
heaven is perfect conformity to this image of
Christ. And when the Divine Spirit shines with
His noontide radiance upon the redeemed soul,
as He did upon the Lord Jesus when He was
upon the earth, and there is no sinful propensity
within, and no temptation around, to draw the
soul from under the full operation of His grace,
what shall arrest the unchanging progress in holi-
ness, which is the natural fruit of His influence ?
How would such a flood of purifying grace cleanse
even the pollutions of earth, and make this fallen
world, a world in which righteousness should
dwell alone ! It is not a change of place alone,
but the change of character and relations which
constitutes the Christian's heaven. And while
under the partial and interrupted influences of
the Holy Spirit here, he is constantly gaining
this change of character, and increasingly be-

WITH CHRIST. 213

coming a partaker of the divine nature ; — with
Christ in a world of glory, the full and uninter-
rupted influence of this Spirit resting unceasingly
upon his soul, shall secure to him this blessed
change of character, perfectly and forever, and
make him awake up after the spotless likeness of
his glorious Lord.

The Christian with Christ, will have the sup-
port derived from unceasmg religious occupatioti.
This is a most important element of holiness.
The inhabitants of a world of glory rest not day
and night, in the delightful worship and praise of
Him who hath washed them from their sins in His
own blood, and made them kings and priests unto
God. To do His perfect will, and to honour His
glorious name, has become their employment and
their delight. Their natures are completely pu-
rified. They have no thought that wanders from
God. They therefore find no weariness, but
new and increasing rapture, in their songs of har-
mony and love. Their whole souls, and all that
is within them, are given up to the glorious work
of praising God for His goodness, and declaring
the wonders which He hath done for the chil-
dren of men. This constitutes a perfect atmos-
phere of purity, — an unceasing excitement to ar-
dent and active obedience to the great Ruler of
all. In this present life, the Christian grows in
holiness in proportion as he improves the means
of grace, and of spiritual occupation. Religious
duty is a most important instrument of improving
•religious character. But here, it is often found
that the spirit is willing, while the flesh is weak.
The Christian cannot do the things that he would.

214 WITH CHRIST.

He is wearied and worn out by the very service
in which he delights. Sometimes it is impossi-
ble for him to watch with the Saviour, even for
one hour. He deeply feels the injurious influ-
ence of this infirmity ; and mourns exceedingly
over his involuntary lethargy, dulness and sloth.
How often does his flagging, contending spirit
cry out, when bearing these burdens which he
cannot cast off, " O that I had wings like a dove,
then would I fly away, and be at rest !" He
longs to love without distraction, to praise with-
out weariness, to serve with an undivided heart.
But still, even in the midst of all these hindran-
ces and burdens, he grows in grace, through the
blessing of the Holy Spirit, in his religious occu-
pations, sometimes largely and richly. But when
he shall be with Christ, he will have all the ad-
vantages of spiritual and holy occupation, with-
out any of the drawbacks of infirmity and sin.
He will be able to realize the full benefit of all
these instruments of spiritual communion with
the source of all holiness and truth, which the
Lord has established in heaven, as upon the
earth, as channels to the redeemed soul of the
water of life and salvation. He will abide in the
service of his Lord, obeying His commandments,
fulfilling His will. And unceasingly engaged in
holy occupation, with a mind and heart perfectly
attuned to its pleasures, and its improving influ-
ence ; he shall be growing in holiness, and in
perfectness of conformity to the Lord of all.

It is thus the gracious will of God, that His
servant should become perfectly holy in the di-
vine presence of his Lord. When with Christ,

WITH CHRIST. 215

every sinful trait, propensity, and habit of his na-
ture, shall be laid aside ; — his immortal spirit
shall be delivered from all fleshly weights, and
he shall rejoice in an everlasting conformity to the
image and the mind of his Creator. Surely, we
may say of this blessed and glorious arrangement
for the Christian's bliss, " it is far better." Far
better than the highest privileges we can pos-
sibly enjoy upon the earth, under any circum-
stances of spiritual advantage. What view of
Jesus given to the soul here, even in its highest
possible elevation, is to be compared with the
unveiled glory in which He there continually
shines before His people. They are the wonders
of Mount Tabor, made the daily experience of
his admiring saints ; while the deep feeling of
every soul shall constantly utter forth the testi-
mony, " it is good for us to be here." What
earthly fellowship among the people of God be-
low, at all approaches the power of spiritual com-
munion with saints and angels in the tabernacle
of the Redeemer above ? What divine influence
of the Spirit here, is to be compared with the
full and eternal presence of the Holy Ghost upon
the redeemed soul in its world of glory ? What
spiritual employment on earth, can so influence
and sanctify the nature of man as the everlasting
occupations of the heavenly family ? And as we
look upward and forward to this eternal and ex-
celling glory, and compare it with the highest.
brightest, and best advantages of the spiritual
life on earth, we may cheerfully and fully adopt
the Apostle's conclusion, " which is far better."
O, let our hopes and efforts be proportionate to

216 WITH CHRIST.

our privileges ! With bright and clear views of
the foundation on which we rest, — with animat-
ing anticipations of the result which we are ap-
proaching; let us press forward to a home of
eternal glory, — striving daily to become in tastes
and habits, more and more meet for the inheri-
tance of the saints in light. Remember that our
rest with Jesus is a rest of perfect holiness, and
our only education for its enjoyment, and ap-
proach to its perfections, is in our continual in-
crease in personal holiness in conformity to the
image and will of our Lord Jesus Christ. There
" Christ is all." The very atmosphere of His
habitation is one of unalloyed spiritual health,
because He is there. All that can promote and
attract love for Him, the very essence and prin-
ciple of true piety, will exercise its power there.
New discoveries of His divine excellence will
awaken new devotion. Increasing capacity, and
power of perception, will enable the Christian to
appreciate and enjoy them all. The very habit
of unrestrained and unforbidden love, will grow
upon him in a daily increase of power. His
whole eifort, encouraged, aided, and upheld by
all that he sees, and hears, and does, will be to
become holy as God is holy, that he may be
happy in the enjoyment of Him forever. In an
atmosphere so genial and perfect, his own char-
acter, purified from sin, and enlightened with
truth, shall flourish in undecaying youth, and
eternal loveliness. Every obstacle to his growth
in grace upon the earth shall have been removed,
and every means which was divinely appointed
to lead him on to God, shall be increased and

WITH CHRIST. 217

perfected in its influence ; and he shall be secured
with Christ, in a state of unchanging holiness, and
released from the further possibility of sin.

How unspeakable are the privileges of the rea^
members of Christ, who have passed from death
unto life, in the renewal of their souls by His
power ! All things are theirs. The present joys
of a Saviour's service, repay for all the sacrifices
which they ever make for Him; and beyond the
highest of these, God has provided such good things
as pass man's understanding, to be revealed in a
world to come. How precious and important is
the privilege of being in Christ ! He will give
grace and glory ; and no good thing will He
withhold from those who live a godly life

10

CHAPTER XYI.

HEAVENLY JOY.

Having considered the rest and the holiness of
the man with Christ, I propose now to speak of his
condition, as one of glory and joy. To enter upon
such a theme, however, seems to be in a great de-
gree presumptuous. But our attempt to consider
the condition of the saint with Christ in its other
aspects, makes an effort necessary to say something
also of this amazing and exalted topic. Flesh and
blood cannot inherit this glory. Earthly vision
cannot discern it. Human language has no power
adequately to utter or describe it. Some of the
first privileged disciples of the Lord were permit-
ted to behold the vast provisions of this glorified
joy, in a divine revelation. But in their attempts
to convey some views to others, of what they had
been permitted to witness in the realms of glory,
all instruments of communication seem to be in
vain. Three of the chosen followers of the Lord,
saw^ His glory for a season on the mount of trans-
figuration. But when they come to describe the
glorious vision, it is all done in relative earthly
comparisons, each of which flags and fails, in the
effort to convey some adequate image of that which
they beheld. " His face," say they, in speaking

WITH CHRIST. 219

of their Lord, " did shine as the sun, and his rai-
ment was white as the light, exceeding w hite as
snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them."
It was " the glory," says one of them, " of the
only begotten of the Father." It was " the power
and coming," says another, — or the revelation in
glory, — " of our Lord Jesus Christ ;" w^e " were
eye-witnesses of His majesty." The atmosphere
around them seemed a shining cloud, the very
glory of w hich, as it overshadowed them, made
them afraid. Another of these chosen messen-
gers of the Lord, was " caught up into the third
heavens." Whether he was in the body, or out
of the body, he could not tell ; but all that he
could say of this heavenly abode was, that he
heard unspeakable words, w'hich it is not possible
for man to utter. When he would describe its
state, it was a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. When he would speak of its
blessedness, he declares it hath not entered into
the heart of man to conceive the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him. Its pos-
session was an overwhelming of every thing that
man had before called joy, as in an ocean of eter-
nal bliss, — " a swallowing up of mortality in life ;"
— a condition of joint heirship with Christ in glory,
in the view of which, any sulTe rings of this present
life, were not worthy of notice ; — the far better
part, for the clothing of which in full possession,
he longed with earnest desires and groans. By
another of these privileged servants who had be-
held the remaining glory, it is described as an in-
corruptible, undeliled, and unfading inheritance,
reserved in heaven for the suffering but protected

220 WITH CHRIST.

people of God ; — a crown of unfading, amaranthine
glory. Another heaps up amazing expressions of
exalted aspects and attributes, to convey some
idea of what he saw, in the revelation of the heav-
enly home : — The glory of the meridian sun ; — the
intense brightness of the furnace ; — the pure radi-
ance of the light ; — the transparent beauty of the
rainbow ; — an ocean of gold, translucent as the
crystal ; — precious stones, of every hue, and of the
richest forms ; — fountains, ever sparkling w ith
living water; — streams, with an unceasing flow
of perfect purity; — trees of unchanging verdure,
clothed with endless varieties of beautiful fruit;
— living beings, of the noblest and most exalted
aspect, clad in garments which earthly art in vain
would imitate ; — music, of the tenderest influence
and of the most overwhelming power ; sometimes
the single melody of a heavenly harp and voice,
and again flowing forth in a volume of harmony,
like approaching thunders, or the majestic water-
fall, or the mysterious rolling of the sea; — a state
of being, in its aspect of loveliness, feebly illus-
trated by the most perfect bridal beauty and pu-
rity of earth. All these, and many like them, are
efforts to express to man, the things which he saw
and heard. But they are all in vain. One sen-
tence of his own conclusion sums up his acknowl-
edged inability to describe the glory of the saints
with Christ : — " Beloved, noAv are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be : but we know that, when He shall appear,
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as
He is."

How shall I attempt then to speak of the joy

WITH CHRIST. 221

and glory of this heavenly state ? Yet we are
invited to consider it, to look forward to it, to
desire it, and to seek and strive to gain it. Let
us then attempt to utter some views of it, which
may be instructive and encouraging to the peo-
ple of God. We will speak of the joy and glory
of the Christian with Christ, as he views the j^ast,
the 2?resent, and the future, in his exalted state.

As he looks upon the past, there is an entire
passing away, of all the sorrows and trials of his
previous condition. His consciousness of this is
a source of unspeakable joy. How gratefully
and triumphantly he looks back upon the way
through which God hath led him, in his journey
to his heavenly rest ! His former condition was
full of varied burdens and cares. He has suf-
fered much in bodily pain amidst the infirmities
of his mortal state ; — much in the anxieties of
poverty and earthly destitution; — much in the
sorrows of his family and friends around him ; —
much in the separation from him in death, of those
whom he tenderly and ardently loved ; — much in
the griefs and distresses of others, which he in
vain desired and attempted to allay ; — much in
the misrepresentations and reproaches, not only
of the worldly on earth, but even of those who in
their Christian profession, ought to have been
brethren and friends in kindness to him; — much
in the ingratitude and cruelty, the oppression and
hostility which he has endured from men ; — much
in the anxious suspense with which the future
has ever thrust itself upon his view ; — much in
the constant perception of his own secret sins, in
the frequent overwhelming of his holiest purposes

222 WITH CHRIST.

by sudden temptations to transgression; — much
in his inability to accomplish the obedience, or to
attain the character, or to maintain the spirit and
state of mind which he desired; — much in his
frequent backslidings from his chosen and still
desired path, and in his failures in attempted
conformity to his Lord; — much in the constant
steps of his passage to the grave ; — much in the
fears, and darkness, and doubts, which have so
often bewildered and distressed, and sometimes
almost overwhelmed and crushed him in his pil-
grimage to his home. Upon all these springs
and sources of sorrow, he now looks back, with
a memory exceedingly enlightened, and a mind
highly discriminating. They constitute in his
view, a method of divine guidance and prepara-
tion of his soul for a heavenly rest, wonderful in
its exhibitions of wisdom, power, and love. And
alarming and distressing as this system often was,
while the cloud was rising, or the storm was
raging ; now that it has been completed and gone
back never to return, he can admire the beauty
which is displayed upon it, and rejoice in a con-
templation of the glorious manifestation which
it has made of the greatness and goodness of his
God. There is, therefore, in the very recollec-
tion of all these trials of earth, a joy which could
never have been fairly anticipated under their
passage. Nothing of the whole system has been
in vain. Nothing of it was unnecessary. He w ho
made the Captain of his salvation perfect through
earthly sufferings, has thus also led on the sons
of God whom He had chosen to be conformed to
the image of His only begotten, to their inheri-

WITH CHRIST. 223

tance of glory, in the same needful and sanctify-
ing path. To understand all this, to appreciate
its importance, to discern its operation, to per-
ceive its actual result, to comprehend the glory
which it has brought to God, and the happiness
which it has produced for man ; will doubtless
be no small part of the employments and joys of
a heavenly abode. It is the peculiar joy of wit-
nessing the triumphant and perfect result of a
course of effort, in which the mind and heart
have been intensely interested, and the details of
which, in their operation, were a constant trial
of faith, and patience, and hope. The top-stone
of the edifice is now brought out, and it shines
in glorious beauty, and no defect can be charged
upon the least portion of the structure. The
magnificent fruit is now gathered, and it amply
confirms the hope, and rewards the labour, of the
husbandman who waited long and with patient
diligence, to reap his autumnal recompense. The
work is now finished. The trial of precious faith
has been completed, and it is found according to
the promise, unto praise, and honour, and glory,
in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
saint may acknowledge with peculiar rapture and
thankfulness, in this view of the result of his
trials past, " I am one of those who have come
out of great tribulation, and have washed my
robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb; therefore am I before the throne of God,
and shall serve Him day and night in His temple ;
and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
with me ; and I shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on

224 WITH CHRIST.

me, nor any heat ; for the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed me, and shall lead
me unto living fountains of waters, and God shall
wipe away all tears from my eyes." He has now^
found eternal access to the Father, through the
Son, by the Spirit ; and he gives unceasing glory
unto the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
for the perfect work of grace and wisdom which
has been accomplished for him. His trials have
passed away in the entire accomplishment of the
purpose for which they were designed. And he
has received the full and intended result of tri-
umph and glory, for which they were all contrived
and overruled.

But they have also passed as facts and attri-
butes of his own actual condition. There is a
perpetual end for him of every shape of suffering
and woe. His wants have been all supplied.
Hostility and oppression have forever ceased.
Persecutions and reproaches can never again be
excited against him. No anxieties or deferred
hopes, will again harass him. No friends will
forsake him, or be taken from him. No tempta-
tions will distract him in the service of his God;
or corruptions arise within him, to unsettle or
enfeeble his affections or efforts for Him. He
hath ceased forever from sin, in every shape and
influence. Neither in thought, or appetite, or
word, shall the spirit of inward rebellion tempt
him more. All these characteristics of his fallen
condition have gone by forever. The joy and
glory of a perfect and eternal deliverance from
them, he only can appreciate, who has struggled
and suffered through them, in a sincere and

WITH CHRIST. 225

earnest desire to do the will of God. To such a
man, what joy is there, in the simple fact, that
sorrow has passed ! And when all sorrow has
passed, and passed forever, and no future expe-
rience of being is to bring out any new trial or
grief for the soul, how completely does the view
of the past contribute to promote the joy and glory
of the servant of God with Christ.

But the past not only contains his ow^n trials
and preparation for eternal bliss. It is also
charged with the amazing work of God for him.
An enlightened memory, now under the imme-
diate teaching and guidance of Christ himself,
will recall all the wonderful things which have
distinguished the divine interposition in his be-
half. New beauties of wisdom and grace will
be perceived in every dispensation of his great
Creator and King. The creation and govern-
ment of the heavens and earth which the Sacred
Scriptures describe, — the demonstration of the
schemes and purposes of an infallible providence
of God, which the whole history of man exhibits, —
the fixed purpose of His will that all things should
work together for good to them that love Him,
which has been triumphantly accomplished — shall
be spread out before his view, for his contempla-
tion and study. The glorious plan of redeeming
mercy, in all its facts, and operations, and results,
will arise before him. The love of the Father,
the incarnation, submission, death, and triumphs
of the Son, and the long-suffering mission and
agency of the Holy Ghost, will appear in new
and exalted light. How will he meditate then
upon the glory of the cross, upon the love, of the

10*

226 WITH CHRIST.

Spirit, upon the priesthood of the Saviour ! How
filled will memory be of glorious demonstrations
of grace, of which, though he knew the facts be-
fore, he never perceived or understood the power
until now. But the special redemption and con-
version of his own soul, with all its attending
evidences of love and forbearance in his Saviour,
and of ingratitude and resistance in himself, — of
tenderness to his infirmities in the Spirit, and of
his unfruitfulness under the divine guidance, — of
patience with his manifold errors, and triumph
over all his sluggishness and hostility, will as-
suredly arrest and occupy his mind. And in all
these remembrances of the past, of the blessings
with which it has been filled, and the grace and
glory which have crowned it, there will arise to
the saint with Christ, unspeakable joy.

But we may speak also of the joys in the pres-
ent condition of the saint with Christ. It is a
subject of which we can know but little. I trust
it may not be presumptuous to offer a few hints
upon it in the little that we do know, such as
may naturally and justly arise to the mind. These
joys manifestly spring from the condition of per-
fect adaptation to its wants and capacities, in
which a soul perfectly sanctified, and greatly en-
larged in its powers, is now placed. There is
the joy of perfect confidence in God, the unceas-
ing indulgence and exercise of that filial, trustful
spirit, the least bestowal of which on the earth,
has made for the saint a heaven in the midst of
his extremest trials. It is interrupted by no re-
bellions, weakened by no doubts, withdrawn by
no disappointments, and contending with no ap-

WITH CHRIST. 227

prehensions or fears. Every hour and every ex-
perience of an eternal state will bring out a new
expression of the sweet consciousness, " As for
the Lord, His work is perfect :" — " How great is
His goodness, and how great is His beauty." It
is the joy of perfect fellowship with Christ; a
fellowship which leads not only to unquestioning
and delighted submission to His authority, but to
an active, cheerful, and inquiring fulfilment of
His commands. All His preciousness and excel-
lence, as an everlasting and all-powerful Saviour,
w^U appear to view ; and every perception of His
worth will be connected with the consciousness
of a personal possession of this amazing treasure ;
so that the heart can exclaim, without fear or
doubt, " My beloved is mine and I am His ; He
is the chief among ten thousand, and altogether
lovely." It is the joy of entire conformity to the
Holy Spirit. His sacred and purifying influence
completely fills the soul, governing and exalting
all its desires and powers; and enabling it, in
every moment and every act, perfectly to obey,
and richly to enjoy, a glorious justifying God,
from whose fulness of love and goodness, bound-
less blessings are unceasingly flowing out. It is
the joy of unbroken harmony and mutual confi-
dence with all the other vessels of His grace, the
vast multitudes of His elect and redeemed peo-
ple ; a harmony which is interrupted by no sus-
picion, disturbed by no fears, marred by no envy,
but is continually excited, encouraged, and re-
warded by every possible expression of kindness,
and by unceasing acts of love. It is a blessed-
ness which no opposing thought ever arises to

228 WITH CHRIST.

embitter; while the soul in a clear perception of
its unsurpassed excellence and worth, cannot but
utter forth the inspired testimony, " Behold ! how
good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell to-
gether in unity !" It is the joy of active and
abounding love to a soul which is taught to hnd
all its happiness in the exercise of this heavenly
affection ; love to God, supreme and perfect, ex-
pressing itself in grateful adoration, obedience,
and praise ; love to all whom God loves, because
they wear His image, and for His sake ; love, the
light of which from within, throws a pure bril-
liancy upon every thing without ; and the over-
flowing of which from the fountain of the soul,
adds sweetness to every engagement and every
duty of a heavenly state. It is a joy so adapted
to the soul's condition, and so combined of every
element which an all-gracious God can gather
to fill up the measure of its bliss, that there is no
possible deficiency or failure. The exalted Sav-
iour there sets himself to bless His people. They
are partakers of His glory, and His delights are
with them. The joy which they receive, has no
contingency or condition fovuided upon their lim-
ited excellence connected with it. He bestows
it freely, as the merited result of His own obe-
dience for them. The foundation upon which it
rests is eternal, and eternally secure. How^ great
is the rejoicing arising from this fact ! With un-
speakable delight and transport, they receive the
gift from Him ; and as they drink of the pleasures
which are at His right hand, they ascribe all the
glory of their exalted condition to His unsearch-
able grace. " Worthy is the Lamb that w^as

WITH CHRIST. 229

slain to receive honour, and glory, and blessing,"
is the song of their grateful hearts. And in His
presence, and in an enjoyment of His glory, they
come short in no gift which He has power to be-
stow, to perfect their nature, or to enlarge and
confirm their bliss.

While the past and the present are thus filled
with sources of joy and glory for the saint with
Christ, the future must be forever the crowning
glory of the whole. This exalted state is an ev-
erlasting state; — no possibility of failure or decay
remains within it. All its glories are bestowed
and covenanted by a redeeming God for an eter-
nity. No fears of change, no suspense in expec-
tation, no anxiety in anticipating approaching pe-
riods, can ever have place in the glorified soul.
All is settled, and upheld, and governed by an
Omnipotent God, wiiose great power is now to be
forever exercised in the rewarding and comfort-
ing His people. With perfect tranquillity, and
with assured confidence, may they repose them-
selves upon Him, and take the cup of salvation, and
call upon His holy name. What power and w orth
does this single word add to their condition of
glory — Eternity ! A secure, settled, unspeaka-
bly happy eternity! The soul may embark upon
it without a single doubt or hazard, and yield it-
self to a free and full enjoyment of its blessedness
and glory. It is an ocean without a shore, but
w^ithout a storm. It is a kingdom which cannot
be removed, — the kingdom of God, in which He
rules, and gives, and blesses, and exalts His glo-
rified people for succeeding ages ; and in which
the great employment of the exalted Head, and

230 WITH CHRIST.

His immortal subjects, is to promote, and extend,
and perpetuate, to the utmost possible degree, the
universal happiness of the vast and unfading do-
minion, in which as Immanuel, He reigns. Won-
derful beyond our expression is this elevated and
abiding state ! Before the foundation of the world,
God prepared it for His saints. During the time-
state and history of His church. He was fitting
them to enjoy it, and reserving it in heaven for
them. Now in an eternity of glory He is de-
lighted in bestowing it upon them, enabling them
to possess it, securing their enjoyment of it, and
receiving their grateful and rejoicing praises for
the everlasting stability and fulness of His love.
With such prospects and hopes are the servants
of Christ comforted and upheld in their present
earthly course. They willingly here count all
things but loss for Christ, and receive Him in ex-
change if need be, for every earthly relation, or
gain. He is their portion and their treasure ; and
they are rich and full in possessing Him. Christ
is all, in their present hope, and their future en-
joyments. As they are rejected and reproached
by men, and mingle their drink with weeping,
and their bread with ashes, tliey have still within
them, this divine upholding Saviour, and before
them, this glorious heavenly home. O that they
might all taste the full benefit of such provisions
of grace and love; and press forward with in-
creasing earnestness, to lay hold of the prize before
them ! Why should they be conformed to earth ?
Why should they cultivate a desire for its gifts,
or yield to the influence of its snares, or think of
its portions as if they w ere of value and impor-

WITH CHRIST. 231

tance ? Witli such privileges and hopes, what
maDner of persons ought they to be, in all holy
conversation and godliness! People of Christ!
ye are bought with a price. Ye are the temples
of the Holy Ghost. Ye are the messengers and
glory of Christ. Ye are members of the family
of God. Ye are inhabitants of the heavenly city,
and heirs of the heavenly inheritance. O live
and walk as such, amidst the cares and follies of
earth ! Strive, not to make heaven compatible
with earth, but earth subservient to heaven. So
that in every day and every engagement of life,
whether apparently important or trifling, you may
be gaining for eternity, and laying a faster hold
upon the life to come. Thus may you look for-
ward with increasing confidence, that to depart,
will be •' to be with Christ, which is far better."

CHAPTER XVII.

HEAVENLY WORSHIP.

The Apostle teaches us, that in the ancient
worship of the tabernacle and temple, the priest
who " offered gifts according to the law, served
unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,"
or as an illustration and type of heavenly things.
The ritual of worship which was divinely ap-
pointed for them, was of an instructive and pre-
figurative character. To the spiritual mind, it
was a guide to higher and heavenly facts. It
led the thoughts of faith, forward, to a sacrifice
that should afterwards be offered, as a true pro-
pitiation for the sins of men ; — to a priesthood
which should be established as a real mediation
between God and men ; — and to the actual
hohj of holies, the place of the dwelling of the
Most High, into which this Priest should enter
as a forerunner, and living advocate for His
people, after he had once for all, offered himself
to put away their sins. There was thus an un-
ceasing preaching and testimony of heavenly
things within this divinely prescribed ritual of
earthly worship. And though the spirit of negli-
gence,— and the love of novelty, — and the indiffer-
ence of unbelief, might be ready to say, " what a

WITH CHRIST. 233

weariness is it ;" — and though without this con-
stant realized connection between present and
future, — earthly and heavenly things -, it would
have been a yoke upon all, which none would
have been able to bear; yet faith in the word
of God kept constant hold of this promise of fu-
ture things ; and the true believers in God in all
the twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and
night, rejoiced in the hope, of coming at last, to
this promise made of God unto their fathers. The
delight which they had in the worship in which
they were unceasingly engaged, was that they
were not only having present communion and
fellowship with God, but were serving Him also
after the example and shadow of heavenly
things ; — and their taste for these was enhanced,
and their desires after them were quickened,
as they were led forward in the circle of their
year, offering oftentimes, the same sacrifices of
homage, worship, and praise.

In the gracious providence of God, we are liv-
ing upon earth, in a dispensation, in which the
examples and shadows of the earlier ritual have
been filled up, and completed, so far as this
present life is concerned. The plans of God
have travelled forward, until the true offering has
been made for sin, and bleeding sacrifices on earth
have therefore ceased ; and the real priesthood
has been revealed, and therefore typical earthly
priesthoods have passed away ; — and the actual
Leader has entered into the holiest for His people,
— and therefore all illustrating symbols of this
great work have become unnecessary. But nei-
ther for the church, nor for individual believers,

234 WITH CHRIST.

are we yet in a final state. All who are now
in Christ, are expecting the hour when in the
full enjoyment of His glory, they shall be with
Him forever. We have still to look forward to
real heavenly things, as the experience of the
church of God ; and to an eternal participation in
them, as the portion of each individual believer in
the Son of God. And as faith receives the divine
promise, and contemplates its certain realiza-
tion in the appointed time, the tribes of God in
every nation, and in every land, are still instantly
serving God day and night, in the blessed hope
of coming to this glorious end. The worship in
which they engage on earth, to be acceptable
and useful, should be adapted to sustain this
faith, and confirm this hope ; and be both for an
introduction to their enjoyment, and for an in-
struction into their nature, as nearly as possible
conformed to the example and pattern of heavenly
things.

The divine Apostle brings forth to our view, the
worship of the heavenly sanctuary, and of the
glorified ones with Christ, when he says, " They
rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy.
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to
come." Whatever earthly facts may be pour-
trayed in the succeeding symbols of that sacred
book from which this passage comes, which to
the mind of the Apostle, were conveyed in its
glowing and wonderful figures ; there can be no
doubt that many portions of its early chapters are
intended to describe the actual view of heavenly
things, which the unveiling of this invisible world
displayed to him. He beheld a door opened in

WITH CHRIST. 235

heaven ; — he heard the voice of a celestial trum-
pet, in\ iting him to ascend in spirit and see the
wonders which should be revealed ; — he saw the
mysterious throne of the Deity shining before
him ; — the unspeakable glory of the Father, like
a jasper and a sardine stone, seated upon the
throne ; — the personal exhibition of the Son, as a
Lamb that had been slain, in the midst of the
throne ; — the peculiar emblem of the Holy Spirit,
like lamps of fire burning around the throne ; —
the mysterious living ones, called by us the che-
rubim and seraphim; — the congregated elders of
the redeemed church, who could testify to the
work which had been finished for them; and
hosts of attending angels vainly counted, crowd-
ing in the far distance, like thousands of thou-
sands, and ten thousand times ten thousand, filled
up the courts of the Lord, and made up the con-
gregation of this heavenly sanctuary. Here was
the true tabernacle ; — the priest, the sacrifice, the
altar, the Deity, were all there ; not in shadow,
but in fact. He saw this amazing congregation
in the worship of their unchanging sabbath.
He listened to their praise, — he drank in the
harmony of their triumphs, — he heard the sweet
melody of their new song, and the deep, pro-
longed, swelling chorus of their glorious re-
sponses. He seemed to himself to be with them
long, for he tells of the repetition of their praises
through succeeding days and nights. He re-
ceives the command, " Write the things which
thou hast seen, and the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter." And he
writes for the guidance, consolation, and encour-

236 WITH CHRIST.

agement of the members of Christ on earth, the
glories which he saw ; and especially, and in
many descriptions, the worship which he beheld, —
the worship of heaven, — the worship of those who
are with Christ forever.

In its outward shape and mode, this heavenly
worship was worship in a precribed, unchang-
ing form. The redeemed ones rested not, day
and night, in the offering of their form of praise.
And although individual being in heaven, as
upon earth, must have individual and peculiar
memories of blessings received, and secret con-
sciousness of obligations, and private special rea-
sons for thanksgiving and love ; — and it is impos-
sible to suppose that these are not indulged, and
uttered in personal, private communion with God,
in the individual enjoyment of His presence and
glory ; — yet, when the united offering of their
worship is made, individual peculiarity yields to
a common experience, and a common condition ;
and the heavenly worship is unceasing worship
in a known, and a divinely prescribed form.
This form in various parts of the divine liturgy,
the Apostle describes : — he repeats, and writes,
the very words, he heard the choirs of the blest
ones utter, as they were engaged in it. He lis-
tened to them, as they sang over and over again,
the glorious chant, " Holy, holy, holy Lord God
Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come ;"
as they repeated the triumphant song in memory
of creation, " Worthy art thou, O Lord, to re-
ceive glory, and honour, and power ; for thou
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created ;" as they uttered together

WITH CHRIST. 237

the thankful tribute to the Lamb for His redeem-
ing love, " Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God, by thy blood,
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation ; and hast made us kings and priests
unto our God." — " Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

These are parts of the heavenly form of praise
and prayer. What millions of Christ's suffering
ones have been taught it, and have united in it,
since the Apostle beheld its amazing glory !
What millions (some, perhaps, individually most
dear to us) are this hour engaged in the worship
of the heavenly sanctuary, according to this di-
vine liturgy ! And may we not ask, is that which
is the appointed vehicle of heavenly worship,
likely to be unsuitable, or deadening in its influ-
ence, or unspiritual in its character, upon the
earth ? Shall the religious experience and emo-
tions of redeemed souls in heaven rejoice to ex-
press themselves in forms of prayer, and shall
prescribed forms be considered necessary de-
struction to the spirit of religion among redeemed
souls below ? Nay, — blessed is the privilege of
the permanence of the words prescribed for
united w^orship, so that they are words of excel-
lence and truth, and adapted to edify the believ-
ing soul. O that we might catch in our earthly
liturgies, something of the spirit that glows in
that which is uttered by immortal tongues !

St. Paul describes two earthly churches, by
strangely different characteristics. To the one,
1 Cor. xiv. 26, he says, " How is it then, brethren ?

238 WITH CHRIST.

when ye come together, every one of you hath a
psalm, — hath a doctrine, — hath a tongue, — hath a
revelation, — hath an interpretation. God is not
the author of confusion, but of peace ; — as in all
the churches of the saints." — " Let all things be
done decently, and in order." To the other,
Colos. ii. 5, he says, " Though I be absent in
the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying
and beholding your order, and the steadfast-
ness of your faith in Christ." Now let the char-
acteristics of these two churches be transferred
to the heavenly sanctuary : — O, how sad would
be the fall in the description, had St. John writ-
ten of the church above, — I heard, and " every
one had a psalm, had a doctrine, had a tongue,
had a revelation !" Alas ! it is no longer the
deep, clear, unbroken harmony of heaven ; — but
discord and confusion, which have no authorship
in God, transported thither. And which of the two
churches was the more evidently becoming ready
for the heavenly worship ; — discordant, confused,
unsettled Corinth, — or orderly, steadfast, uniform
Colosse ? Can we think, then, that a form of
prayer and praise prescribed in the public wor-
ship of the church below, is a necessary hindrance
to devotion, and to the work of the Spirit, in a
preparation for the church above ; when, in their
heavenly worship, they rest not day and night,
in the utterance of the same blessed form of
words ? And if heavenly worship be not mere
formal worship, — though it be worship in a pre-
scribed form, — is it indispensable that a form of
prayer in earthly worship, shall be always and
only, the religion of form ?

WITH CHRIST. 239

Again, the heavenly worship, as described by
St. John, was a responsive worship. The evi-
dences of this are very striking and peculiar.
The parts of the liturgy which he records, seem
founded upon a comprehensive and perfect system,
which includes many important particulars : —
First, the four living ones, the cherubim, utter
their general ascription of praise and honour,
as in our text, to God in Trinity : — " They rest
not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy Lord
God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to
come." Then, when they have uttered forth this
glorious awakening tribute, giving glory, and
honour, and thanks to Him that sitteth upon the
throne, who liveth forever and ever, — the elders,
the representatives of the redeemed church, fall
down before Him that sitteth on the throne, and
worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, and utter
together their glorious response, " Thou art wor-
thy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and
and power ; for thou hast created all things, and
for thy pleasure they are, and were created."

So again, — when the mysteries of redemption
are opened and commemorated, — the redeemed
of the Lord, fall down before the Lamb, having
every one of them harps, and golden vials full of
odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And
they sung a new song, saying, " Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof,
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God
by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation, and hast made us unto
our God, kings, and priests." And when this oiTer-

240 WITH CHRIST.

ing of praise for complete redemption has been
made, by those who have received the blessing,
then the response is uttered by the voice of
many angels round about the throne, saying,
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing." And then
comes forth, with sublime and unutterable power,
the chorus of united harmony, from every crea-
ture which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and all that are in them, saying,
" Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb forever." And the living ones around
the throne close this offering of heavenly homage,
with their final response, — Amen ; and the re-
deemed elders again fall down and worship Him
that liveth forever and ever. Here is a succes-
sion of responses ; each portion of the glorified
congregation taking up their part, in the worship
in which all are engaged, and offering their own
peculiarly prescribed tribute of praise, with de-
light and order.

The same fact is recorded in the sixth chapter
of Isaiah, where, when the vision of the glorious
throne and sanctuary of the Lord of hosts was
given to the Prophet, he heard the seraphim
which stood around the throne, and veiling their
faces with reverence before the King of kings,
crying one to another, — or singing in alternate
response, — " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts, — the whole earth is full of His glory."

It was doubtless from a divine instruction in
these examples and shadows of heavenly things,

WITH CHRIST. 241

that responsive worship made up the liturgy of
the Jewish church. When Moses and the Israel-
its sang together upon their safe passage through
the sea, that beautiful ode recorded in the fif-
teenth chapter of Exodus, they commenced and
repeated their testimony of praise, — " I will sing
unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously ;
the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the
sea." And Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel
in her hands, and all the women went out after
her with timbrels and dances. And Miriam
answered them, " Sing ye to the Lord, for he
hath triumphed gloriously ; — the horse and his
rider hath he thrown into the sea."

The worship of Israel was always upon this
pattern of heavenly worship ; — one portion re-
sponding to another, in their successive ascrip-
tions of praise to God ; and in the Christian
church, the very same divine system has pre-
vailed from the beginning. Responsive liturgies
were the early and permanent method of public
worship among the churches, in the primitive
ages of the Christian dispensation ; and who can
think it an improvement, which in modern days,
has so much robbed the people of their union in
praise, and prayer, and giv^en both the one and
the other, wholly to different appointed individual
agents, in the public worship of the sanctuary.
The worship of God is the united act of the as-
sembled people. And I esteem the possession of
a pure and evangelical form of public prayer, a
very great privilege and happiness for any church.
That precious form of worship which God has
mercifully granted to us in the Episcopal Church,

11

242 WITH CHRIST.

is distinguished by its imitation of heavenly hom-
age. Its harmonious responses of thankfuhiess
and humiliation, while in their constniction they
partake of this excellency of heavenly worship, —
allowing none to be deprived of their union in
the blessed and happy work, — partake also in
their character, of the very spirit of the heavenly
sanctuary. And the mind is not to be desired,
that is not animated and enlivened in worship,
and does not find in itself accordance and delight,
as we unite together in the heavenly strains of
our Te Deum, or the penitential supplications of
our beautiful Litany. Can it be a renewed and
Christian heart, that finds not food adapted to its
taste, or language expressive of its feelings, in
these responsive offerings of prayer and praise ?
Can one be ready to enter upon his portion of the
higher and purer worship above, who has scorn-
fully rejected, — despised, — perhaps scoffed at, —
the expressive responses, in which we are here
engaged below ?

Again, the worship of heaven is a repeated
worship. It is not only a responsive form, but it
is a form continually repeated. " They rest not
day and night," saying again and again, the very
same words of thanksgiving and adoration. There
is no other gratification to the desire of change,
or provision for the passion for novelty there,
than that which is found in the acquisition of
deeper, clearer, and happier views of the love,
and worthiness of their glorious object of praise.
Their joys, pleasures, and employments, man-
ifestly all run in the same line, and towards
the same point. To suppose w^eariness in this

WITH CHRIST. 243

unity, is to impute either defect to the object,
or deficiency of affection to the worshippers.
But there are new glories continually seen in
Him ; and new delights, and new flames of love,
continually arising in them. And though day by
day, they gather with the same offering ; and
unite again in the same song ; and testify to the
glorious excellency of their God in the very same
words of praise ; — the song is always new, the
employment always a privilege ; and the Being
whom they serve, is always, all their salvation,
and all their desire. But is the continually re-
peated worship of heaven, " battology," — " vain
repetitions ?" Would it be improved, if new ad-
ditions or varieties were every day brought in ?
Do saints become wearied of saying, " Holy,
holy, holy Lord God Almighty :" — " Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain ?" And is that which
is no evil in heaven, but made a part even of the
bliss and blessedness of heaven, an evil, — yea, an
evil destructive of all good, when it is imitated
and maintained on earth ? Would redeemed
ones there reject with displeasure, an objection
to their repetitions, or an offering of improvement
by something new in their worship ? And do
we become spiritually dead, and show ourselves
so, because we repeat over and over again, with
new satisfaction, the blessed prayer which our
Lord hath taught us, or sing the time-honoured
ascription, " Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the be-
ginning, is now, and ever shall be, world with-
out end ?" Alas, then, how different is the esti-
mate of facts, by minds in heaven and minds on

244 WITH CHRIST.

earth I Nay, we do not find it so. Years pass
by us ; but our wants remain, and our obliga-
tions are undiminished. And the Avords with
which we yesterday went to Jesus, we find just
as appropriate to day ; for He is the same, and
the same to us, " yesterday, to-day, and forever."
The sorrows which we felt last year under the
burden of sin, are repeated and renewed in this ;
and we can find no other, or better expressions,
to utter feelings which are thus wholly unchanged,
than those which have proclaimed the feelings of
our hearts before. The liturgy which guided our
youth, attends with appropriateness as complete
upon our old age. The confessions, the thanks-
givings, the prayers, the praises, which we heard
when we were first brought to the sanctuary, we
just as sincerely love to unite in, when we are
gathering near the tomb. Many things have
changed with us and around us ; but our needs,
and our relations to God, and our dependance
upon Him have never changed ; — we are the same
sinners still, and He is still the same glorious and
benignant Benefactor. And we are ready to say
with good old George Herbert, even in the hour
of death, " Give me the prayers of my good
mother, — the Church of England ; — there are
none better than those." And if it be a weari-
ness to us here voluntarily allowed and indulged,
to watch one hour with angels and archangels in
their songs of worship ; O, how are we becom-
ing ready to rest not day and night, in the wor-
ship of the heavenly sanctuary, saying, " Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and
is, and is to come !"

WITH CHRIST. 245

But though the heavenly worship is in a re-
peated responsive form, it is a purely spiritual and
elevated worship. The principles upon which it
is founded, are those great and precious truths
which give the Gospel all its glory, and make it
the glad tidings of salvation to suffering, fallen
man. The worship of the saints unceasingly ac-
knowledges the Glorious Trinity of persons in
the Godhead. " Holy, holy, holy Lord God of
hosts," is the great type of this foundation-truth,
and the token and index of their hahitual praise.
The gracious offices of these Divine Persons in
their behalf, the saints joyfully remember. The
works which they have severally done, in restor-
ing guilty man to God, and in bringing many sons
to eternal glory, they proclaim and adore. For
all their works of mercy, these Divine Persons are
severally personally praised. But the divine unity
of their nature, is with equal delight honoured and
confessed. As in the striking expression of the
Book of Common Prayer, the saints with Christ
have received "grace to acknowledge the glory
of the Eternal Trinity, and in the power of the
Divine Majesty, to worship the unity," of that
Great and Glorious Being who is from everlasting
to everlasting, the only wise God. With the
deepest reverence of mind and spirit, they con-
template and adore this amazing manifestation of
Jehovah. With unfeigned and exalted gratitude
they commemorate the practical exhibition of His
redeeming power, which they have themselves
received. Perfect faith in the truth of His reve-
lation cjists out all doubts, and answers all ques-
tions; while deep humility feels and confesses

246 WITH CHRIST.

still, the weakness and ignorance of the creature,
however exalted, in any attempt, by searching to
find out God, or to understand the Almighty to
perfection. The worship of the saints continu-
ally exalts the Lamb who was crucified for sin,
and hath washed them in His own blood. He is
in the midst of the throne, as the object of their
praise. He dwelleth among them, as the great
source of their spiritual nourishment and support.
Their comforts and joys are derived from His pres-
ence. Their glory and honour depend upon His
power and love. They are adorned with His ex-
cellence ; they shine in the majesty of His tri-
umphs ; and they delight to cast their crowns at
His feet. Almost above all other relations and
aspects, in which we can consider this great truth,
may it be said, that in the worship of heaven, —
Christ is all. There the deepest personal humil-
iation, under the burden of conscious sin, — sin
remembered by themselves, though forgiven by
God, — and the feeling of their own insignifi-
cance in the presence of the Majesty on High ;
take away every vain thought of pride or boast-
ing, and bring down all the saints in the lowest
prostration of spirit and aspect before the throne
of God. Nothing of all the amazing mercies which
they have so abundantly received, is attributed
to any power or excellence of their own. Per-
fect self-renunciation is the uniform spirit and
habit of the saints with Christ, and speaks in all
the offerings of their heavenly worship. There
God hath all the glory, for every grace. The
Father, approached through the Son, by the Spirit,
receives the unmingled honour for the glorious

WITH CHRIST. 247

plan and the triumphant accomplishment of re-
deeming mercy. The whole work of grace is re-
ceived as a free gift ; as much a gift in the crown
of glory in which it results, as in the purpose of
election in which it began. Unceasing glory is
thus given to Him who has done exceeding abun-
dantly above all they could ask or think, in the
heavenly church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all
ages. In all these facts, the spiritual worship of
heaven is displayed. And the continually re-
peated form of the heavenly liturgy, is the offer-
ing of their eternal praise, who w^orship God in
the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesli.

Allow me to remind you, how" eminent, and
how eminently beautiful, holy and impressive, in
all these spiritual characteristics of heavenly wor-
ship, is our own earthly liturgy. There is but
one sun shining upon its pages, and that is every-
where presenting the noonday of truth. It is the
glorious name, and character, and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. While the praying soul is
taught to feel and to confess itself, deeply hum-
bled under the burden of its guilt, Jesus has all
the honour and glory of His interposing grace,
forgiving and upholding it. Is it then unreasona-
ble, that we should cling to this precious book in
our earthly worship, as our heritage and guide ?
or feel thankful for the privilege of being led by
such a provision of wisdom in our present offer-
ings of prayer ? We may indeed exalt the Prayer
Book too highly, in a mere barren eulogy. But
we can hardly elevate it beyond its worth, in a
spiritual and practical use of it, as an aid and in-

248 WITH CHRIST.

strument for the united worship of the members of
Christ on earth. The frame of mind which it im-
plies and requires, is that in which a happy eternity
may be passed. And the more tliis frame becomes
deeply and permanently the possession of those
who are in Christ on earth, are they becoming
ready in heart and mind, for the worship of that
higher congregation with Christ, in which they
are invited eternally to join. O let us seek to
make it, and to find it, our beloved companion in
a heavenly road to a heavenly home ! The heart
which is conformed to its teachings, is certainly
conformed to the will of God. And they who
thus worship God in the earthly sanctuary, in the
spirit and mind which are here inculcated and
required, are certainly worshipping Him after the
pattern of heavenly things; and may rejoice in
the blessed hope of uniting with certainty and
with pleasure, in that heavenly host who rest
not day and night, saying, " Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is
to come."

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE SAVIOUR'S GLORY.

" On His head were many crowns," says the
divine Apostle, in describing the appearance of
the triumphant Saviour. Of these crowns of
Jesus, I would try to speak. The footstool of the
Lord Jesus Christ, is the attractive centre for all
holy minds. Angels who have never sinned,
delight to worship Him, — to be His servants, —
ministering spirits, fulfilling all His will. On
earth, they proclaimed His advent and incarna-
tion, with songs of rapture. They ministered to
His infirmities in the flesh; and consoled, and
honoured Him in the sorrows which He endured,
as the substitute for man. They rolled the stone
from the door of His sepulchre, and adorned and
proclaimed the glory of His resurrection. They
attended His ascension in triumph, and announced
as He departed. His future reappearance, for the
vindication of His saints, — the establishment of
His kingdom, — and the judgment of the world.
In heaven they encircle the multitude of His re-
deemed, and bow together with them, in grateful
homage around His throne. Numbering ten thou-
sand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou-
sands, they unite in their song, and their ascription

11*

250 WITH CHRIST.

of unlimited honour and praise to Him. They take
up their responsive part, in that glorious tribute
of the saints, " Worthy is the Lamb, that was
slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and bless-
ing."

Redeemed beings who have been rescued from
the condemnation and the power of sin, owe all
that they have to Him. It is their peculiar
characteristic, that they call upon the name of
Jesus Christ the Lord, and honour Him with all
the honour which limited minds can give, be-
cause they find Him precious to their hearts. To
every such mind, He is the Sun of Righteousness,
— the source of light, — the fountain of all protec-
tion, life, and peace. Are they on earth ? — They
have been ransomed and renewed by His power.
He is the foundation of their hope ; — all fulness
of desirable treasure dwells in Him ; — and He is
to them, the single practical source, of every
thing which is important, and precious in their
esteem. They feel it impossible, to exalt Him
too highly, or to employ terms of ascription to
Him, which shall exceed His rightful claim upon
them. To them. He is all, in all. Are they in
heaven? — They possess, and exhibit in a still
higher degree, the spirit which concentrates all
honour and praise upon the name, and character,
and work of Jesus. Their highest enjoyment is
to follow Him. Their loftiest occupation is to
serve Him. Their most elevated recompense is
the permission to praise Him in the courts of His
holine.ss, and to cast their tributary glories, in
humble acknowledgment, before His feet.

WITH CHRIST. 251

This is the pervading spirit of the whole fam-
ily of God. It is the spirit which unites earth to
heaven, and which constitutes upon earth, the
only preparation for heaven. It combines angels
and redeemed sinners, in unerring harmony of
praise ; and wakes up a chorus, w hich knows no
discordance, nor lassitude, nor end, as it gives
utterance to the universal desire, to honour the
Son of God with all honours, and to acknowledge
His title to all blessing and praise. In this spirit
would I close our present subject, with a con-
sideration of the Saviour's glory and triumph, as
they are proclaimed in the Apostle's beautiful
form of illustration, " On His head were many
crowns."

The crown has been in all ages and nations of
men, the symbol of elevation and triumph. It is
also the mark of acknowledged and respected
dominion. Several crowns the conceded rig^ht
of a single person, are the representations of
varied and successive triumphs, or the pledges
of authority, over different communities com-
bined. As the symbol of triumph and dominion,
" many crowns " describe the varied honours
and rights of the Son of God. He is exalted
above all principalities and powers in heavenly
places; angels, and authorities, and powers, be-
ing made subject unto Him. He leads forth His
redeemed to linal triumph. His work for them
completed, and himself bearing the emblematic
sign of the honours which it has conferred upon
Him.

He wears the crown of primitive creation.
By Him were all things made, which are in

252 WITH CHRIST.

heaven or in earth, visible or invisible ; and
without Him was there not so much as one thing
made, which was made. We are divinely taught
to take the history of the creation, as the first
manifestation of the power and work of the Son
of God. And as light shines out of darkness,
and day is divided from night; — and the waters
gather into the seas, and the appearing land
brings forth its fruit; — and planets and suns
illuminate the heavens above, and living beings
spring from the earth beneath ; — and man walks
forth under the divine hand, in the image of his
Maker; — we are directed by the Holy Spirit, to
bring all our offerings of praise, to the feet of the
only begotten Son, and to say, "How manifold
are thy works, O Lord ! In wisdom hast thou
made them all." — "The heavens declare thy
glory, the firmament showeth thy handy work, —
the earth is full of thy riches." All these are the
works of His hands. The wisdom, power, and
goodness which they display, combine to adorn
His name, and to manifest the attributes of His
person. They shine as radiant jewels, in the
crown, which, as Creator of all, Jesus wears for-
ever. And the heavenly host acknowledge His
right, while they sing, " Worthy art thou, O Lord,
to receive glory, and honour, and power; for
thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are, and were created."

He wears the crown of universal Providence
and government. " By Him all things consist :"
■ — " He upholdeth all things by the word of His
power." To Him is the divine ascription ad-
dressed, " Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou

WITH CHRIST. 253

hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens with
all their host, — the earth, and all things that are
therein, — the seas, and all that is therein, — and
thou preservest them all ; and the host of heaven
worshippeth thee." This amazing work of prov-
idence and support, is indeed, but a prolonged
creation. Its wonders, who can comprehend ?
It calls into being, every successive generation
of existence, and it provides for them all. What
human arithmetic can count the numbers of this
single globe, — running in their scale, from the
little insect that defies the piercings of the micro-
scope, to the hugest monster of the deep ? And
yet all these, in their orders and varieties, end-
lessly combining, and endlessly differing, are sus-
tained, preserved, provided for, by Him who up-
holdeth them all, from generation to generation,
and by whom they all consist. But even these
wonders yield to the greater events of the history
of man. Here, there is not only provision for
animal wants, but a controlling, and overruling,
of intellectual powers, and moral determinations.
And yet, in all these voluntary acts of beings of
calculation and motive, the Divine Ruler perfectly
accomplishes His own determinate counsel and
will; and weaves, with every varied thread, a
robe of glory for himself, and a curtain of happi-
ness for man. Ages succeed each other, but as
the several chapters of His gracious Providence.
Many generations, all independent and distinct
in their apparent action, unwittingly combine, to
bring His single purpose to pass. And yet, this
single globe is but an unit in the system which
His hand sustains. Of the history of others, we

254 WITH CHRIST.

know nothing. But we may certainly with rea-
son suppose, tliat their whole destiny is not
fulfilled, in giving light by day and night to us.
But whether to us, they be worlds visible or
invisible, He is Lord of all. All live through
Him ; and the glory of preserving them all, and
of making them all to promote His own high,
and w4se, and perfect ends, is one of the crowns
of that Divine Redeemer, who is God over all,
blessed forever.

He wears the crown of a perfect and accepted
sacrifice for sin, accomplished by Him. This is
the beginning of another work, — His great and
marvellous work, — to wliich the whole dignity of
His Deity was applied, and for which all the
wonderful excellencies of His humanity were
acquired. In this incarnate state, He gav^e him-
self a sacrifice for sin, — a ransom for many, — a pro-
pitiation for the sins of the whole world. He
became a curse for us. He bare our sins in His
body on the tree. The death of the guilty was
laid upon Him, and in Him was life for the be-
lieving. His course of sorrow was closed in a
voluntary death, as the substitute and sacrifice
for sinners. He filled their place,— assumed
their obligations, — endured their punishment, —
and paid in His own sufferings, what their guilt
deserved. This wonderful sacrifice was accepted
by the Father for them. Its acceptance was an-
nounced in the divine assurances conveyed to
man by the Holy Spirit, before the Saviour came
into the \Aorld, to make the offering of himself.
It was proclaimed by the repeated celestial
voices, during His lowly incarnation, which de-

WITH CHRIST. 255

clared the Father's good pleasure to be fulfilled
in Him. It was sealed by the Spirit of power
and holiness in His revivifying and raising from
the dead, the body which had been crucified
for sin. It is continually reiterated, as He lives
to be the prevailing, abiding representative, be-
fore the Majesty on High, of those for whom he
died, — to bestow upon them the finished and
perfect salvation, which He hath consequently
attained. This accepted sacrifice for sin, is a
wonderful and glorious work. No other being
in the universe could have accomplished it. And
its crown of peculiar glory, Jesus wears, while a
ransomed church cry out before Him, " Thou art
worthy, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood, and hast made us unto
our God, kings and priests."

He wears the crown of an honourable recon-
ciliation between God and man ; — honourable I
mean, to the character of God ; — for the reconcil-
iation of a condemned creature to an offended
Creator, giving him pardon upon any terms, is
honourable to him, and an unspeakable privilege
and blessing. But to enable God, so to exercise
His disposition to forgive, that the foundations of
His authority shall not be unsettled, nor tlie fidel-
ity of His government stained, was a great and
difficult work. And this is that which Jesus has
effected. His solution of the difficulty has showed
how God can be just, and yet the justifier of
guilty man. He has magnified the law, and
made it honourable, even while He rescues man
from its dominion, and forbids the exercise of its
power upon him. He is set forth, — as the di-

256 WITH CHRIST.

yine, — and the divinely appointed, representative
of God's reconciliation to man. God loving the
world, desiring and determining its restoration,
has given in Him the wonderful revelation of this
fact, and provided in Him the all-sufficient means
for its accomplishment. " God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them;" — but bearing them
as a voluntary burden upon himself Here is a
reconciliation which is perfectly honourable to
God. No attribute of His character suffers, — no
aspect of His nature or government has been
clouded, — no purpose or determination of His ho-
liness and truth has been compromised or given
up. But here is the brightness of His glory, —
here are the treasures of His wisdom and know-
ledge,— here are the previous hidings of His
power, — here are the highest and purest emana-
tions of His excellence, even in the view of the
creatures who know Him best. Angels desire
to look into the glories which shine forth in the
face of Jesus Christ. The Son is glorified, and
the Father is glorified in Him. The riches of di-
vine grace and glory are displayed in the abolish-
ing of enmity, and the bringing those who were
far off, nigh by the blood of Christ. For this
manifestation of His power, the whole family
which is named by Him in heaven, and on earth,
unite together to give Him praise, and the crown
of this glorious work. He wears forever.

He wears the crown of final victory over the
power of death for man. Death reigned as the
penalty of sin, — and reigned over all, because all
had sinned. Its dominion brought the body of

WITH CHRIST. 257

man down, through pain, and suffering, and de-
cay, to entire dissolution. Its power over the
soul was like its subject, undying, and threw it
into the condition of perpetual sorrow in banish-
ment from God, — with no prospect of rest, or
possibility of decay. This reigning power Jesus
met and conquered. His plan of grace restores
all the ruins of the fall. He plucks the body
from the grave,— by sanctifying, and rendering
promotive of ultimate happiness, every sorrow
which leads to it ; and by guarding and protect-
ing it in the tomb, with an assurance of future
resurrection. He rescues the soul from death,
by bringing it back in peace to God ; — by opening
before it a glorious immortality, — and by making
it a partaker of life unfading in the heavens,
through the gift of all the work and merits of His
per.sonal mediation, to its secure possession and
enjoyment. This is the victory of Jesus. It is a
complete and eternal victory. Being raised from
the dead. He dieth no more, — death hath no more
dominion over Him. Because He liveth, all who
believe in Him, shall live also. All things for
them, are put under his feet. He giveth them
the victory, — and every ransomed soul in glory,
and ail the shining multitude who shall stand in
the general resurrection clothed in bodies spirit-
ual and incorruptible, will give all the praise to
Him, who through death, has abolished death,
and made them to sit on His throne as more than
conquerors in Him. In Him they triumph, and
with Him they reign ; — and he wears forever, the
crown of the victory which He hath given them.
He wears the crown of personal redemption for

258 WITH CHRIST.

each soul that receives life through Him. The
whole work of mediation He has accomplished
for a world destroyed. The individual applica-
tion of this work, He makes to each, — as He ap-
plies by the power of His Holy Spirit, pardon for
sins past, and righteousness for complete justifi-
cation ; — and impresses anew His own image
upon the pardoned and justified soul ; — dwelling
within it, as a hope of glory, and enabling it in
assured faith, to confide, and to rejoice in Him.
This is a successive and repeated work of divine
mercy, accomplished in every single case of spir-
itual conversion, and finished in each case by His
power. Thus by the Holy Ghost, He restores the
lost, rescues the condemned, confirms the weak,
and brings His chosen sons to the enjoyment of
His glory. In the finishing of this work, how
many obstacles interpose, — how many difficulties
must be overcome, — how much long suffering
must be exercised ; — how patiently must He wait,
and labour, and strive with each, in the long pil-
grimage, through which they sometimes pass to
their final rest ! New enemies are to be over-
come,— new wants are to be supplied, — new sor-
rows are to be consoled, — new weaknesses are to
be filled up, — new sins are to be pardoned, every
day : — and His single power accomplishes the
whole. Who is he that overcometh, but he that
belie veth on the only begotten Son of God ? And
when this victory is finished, and brought forth
for each, — to whom but unto Him, will all the
glory be ascribed ? Each perfected spirit will
take up its part, in the accordant confession of a
redeemed race, " We are they who have come

WITH CHRIST. 259

out of great trilDiilation, and have washed our
robes, and made them white, in the blood of the
Lamb ; — therefore are we before the throne of
God, and serve Him day and night in His tem-
ple,— and He that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among us." And He will wear the crown
of triumph, for the redemption of each, who hath
bought them all, a peculiar people for himself.
It will be the glory of Christ, thus to be crowned
with his church. He has a throne, a sceptre,
and a crown, in every particle of dust, and every
created atom adds to His glory. But to be
crowned with His church, is His greatest glory,
— all other is eclipsed by this.

He will wear the crown of his millennial king-
dom. To this glorious issue, all prophecy leads
us. The Son of man is to receive for himself a
kingdom, and to return and reign among his
saints. The whole earth shall be possessed and
filled with his glory, and the knowledge of his
grace, like an overwhelming sea. The blindness
and the wanderings of Israel shall be finished, in
their acknowledgment of his truth, and their
peaceful possession of their fathers' land. The
fulness of the Gentiles shall flow in upon the tri-
umphant church, — all people shall walk in the
light of the Lord,

One song employ all nations, —

Till nation after nation taught the strain.

Earth rolls the rapturous hosanna round.

The wickedness of the wicked shall have come
to a perpetual end, and God will forever establish
the just. The Son of God shall appear in His

260 WITH CHRIST.

glory, and reign over a ransomed world, in the
perfection of honour, beauty, and peace. His
tabernacle shall be with His people, and the
shout of the King of Zion shall be heard among
them. In reference to this glorious crown, who
would not unite in the poet's prayer : —

" Come then, and added to thy many crowns.
Receive yet one,
The crown of all the earth, —
Thou who alone art worthy !

It was thine by ancient covenant, ere nature's birth.
And thou hast made it thine, by purchase since.
And o'erpaid its value with thy blood.
Thy saints proclaim thee King ; — and in their hearts
Thy title is engraven with a pen
Dipped in the fountain of eternal love. —
Thy saints proclaim thee King ; and thy delay
Gives courage to thy foes, who, could they see
The dawn of thy last advent, long desired.
Would creep into the bowels of the hills,
And flee for safety to the falling rocks.
Come then, and added to thy many crowns.
Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest.
Due to thy last, and most efiectual work,
Thy word fulfilled, the conquest of a world."

Even beyond this triumph. He shall wear the
crown of the eternal security of His saints, in
the kingdom which they have received. They
are established in that final glory by His power, —
clothed in the garments of excellency which He
hath provided, — and fed and nourished by Him,
in the kingdom which He hath prepared for them.
All that they have, they have in Him, and from
Him forever. To His glory they shine. By His
power they are sustained, and their everlasting

WITH CHRIST. 261

triumph is an unceasin;^ manifestation of His grace
in upholding and blessing tliem. In acknowl-
edgment of this fact, they cast their crowns
before the throne on which He rules, and adore
the Lamb, as their light, and their glory forever.
Their state is forever one of divine grace, not of
creature merit. Their everlasting recompense
is the free gift of Him, who purchased it for
them, by His sufferings in the flesh, and of whose
righteousness it is the crown. The honour of all
belongs to Him forever. He is glorified in His
saints, and admired in all who believe. He
shows to principalities and powers in heavenly
places, the manifold riches of His wisdom and
grace, as they are displayed in this ransomed
church, which He hath chosen, purchased, and
sanctified for himself.

These are some of the " many crowns " which
are worn by the Son of God. They exhibit the
glorv which belongs to Him, and the honour
which He justly claims from all.

To those of you who are one with Christ, how
deeply interestincr is a consideration of His heav-
enly triumph! O, while your names are written
in His book, and your hearts are partaking of
His love, learn to bless Him as the single source
of all your inheritance of peace and glory ! Con-
sider with deep humiliation, what you were,
when you were called by His grace. Remember
with new thankfulness, through what trials He
has carried you. Try to estimate, — you can
never do it perfectly, — how important He is to
your welfare, — how unspeakably precious He
ought to be to your hearts !

262 WITH CHRIST.

To those of you who are still neglecting" Him,
how important is a recollection of His power and
greatness. Who else, in heaven or in earth, can
be a Saviour to you? Is all His mercy nothing
to you ? Look at the free and gracious offers,
which He makes to you. Look at the alterna-
tive of ruin, to which their rejection exposes you.
See the glory to which you are invited. See the
limited time, in which your participation in it,
is to be secured and proved. Cast not away
from you, this blessed liope offered in Him, which
hath great recompense of reward.

CHAPTER XIX.

PREPARATION.

No consideration connected with this everlast-
ing state, can be unimportant. But among all
others, perhaps no one is of more consequence,
than a view of a proper preparation for its enjoy-
ment. There is a distinct meetness for the inheri-
tance of the saints with Christ, to be acquired by
man upon the earth. And having considered some
attributes of this inheritance in itself, we may
now well bestow a few thoughts upon this inter-
esting point.

We are always to distinguish accurately be-
tween a title to this heavenly inheritance, and an
ability to enjoy it ; — between the riglit to be par-
takers of it, and the meetness to become so.
This is a perfectly familiar distinction. The right
to enter within the limits of a foreign land is in
the regular permission of its authorities, identi-
fied by the customary passport. An ability or
meetness to enjoy this right, — to make this per-
mission available and useful to him who holds it,
depends among other things, upon his familiarity
with the language, and the similarity of his tastes
and habits with the customs and circumstances of
the country, to which the right admits him. If he

264 WITH CHRIST.

be wholly destitute of the latter, the former will
be but an empty and valueless possession to him.
And on the other hand, if he be thoroughly qual-
ified in the latter, the want of the former will be
a fatal want. Now, though in our relation to the
better country, even an heavenly, where the
redeemed are with Christ, this separation can
never take place ; — but God actually gives the
meetness, to every one who accepts the offered
right to enter into His rest ; the ideas are per-
fectly distinct, and are so to be regarded. Our
whole title to this glorious rest, this heavenly
inheritance, consists in the perfect obedience and
victory of the Son of God in our behalf, who by
His death has overcome death, and brought life
and immortality to light. We can never plead
any thing, as constituting a right to be with Christ,
and to behold the face of God in peace, but the
perfectly finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ
himself, — the glorious, everlasting righteousness
which He has accomplished, and which He be-
stov> s upon us through His grace, without any
regard to our own works or de servings ; a right-
eousness of which we partake by a simple self-
renouncing faith in Him. Our meetness for this
glorious inheritance consists in our attainment,
through the Holy Ghost dwelling within us, of
the mind, and tastes, and habits, which will
render it suitable to us, and ourselves suitable to
it ; — in that forming of Christ within us, as the
great object of our affections and trust, which
will enable us to improve and enjoy the title to
dwell with Him which we have received in His
merits, and make it practically available for our

WITH CHRIST. 265

personal benefit. We are permitted to come
before God in peace, and to dwell in the presence
of His glory, because we have a Mediator and
Advocate with God, who is Jesus Christ, the
Righteous. We are enabled and prepared thus
to come before God, — to depart and be with
Christ, — because we are created anew and sanc-
tified by one Spirit, and have received the mind
which was also in Jesus Christ our Lord. The
title would be of no avail were it separated from
this ability to enjoy it. The ability to enjoy it,
if we can suppose its separate possession, would
be equally ineffectual, without the title thus di-
vinely conferred. In our title to the heavenly
inheritance, Christ, in His perfect and everlasting
righteousness, is all. In our preparation for its
enjoyment, Christ, in His renewing and sanctify-
ing power, is also all. In each view, he that hath
the Son, hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God, hath not life.

In our view of the actual meetness which is
given to the Christian for this heavenly glory, w^e
may refer in some points, to the characteristics
of this glorious state in itself. They must con-
stitute the standard. Meetness for it, is con-
formity to them. Whatever are the marks which
distinguish the holy and triumphant household
of God in glory, are also the attributes which
must distinguish those who are fulfiiling their
work upon the earth in anticipation of this state
of glory, and in preparation for its enjoyment.

Among these traits of a heavenly character,
there is manifested by the saints above, a 'perfect
devotion to the will of God. Their delight is to

12

266 WITH CHRIST.

do His will. This fact is so prominent, that our
Lord presents it as the highest possible standard
of obedience to God. Nothing more can be
asked of Him in this relation, than that His will
may be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.
The instant obedience of angels to the divine
commands, is exhibited in a very striking and
interesting manner in many passages of the Holy
Scriptures. They are all ministering spirits,
waiting upon His word. To them the redeemed
of God have become like, — equally obedient, and
equally devoted. It was the meat and drink of
the Son of God, when He came in His voluntary
subjection to the earth, to do the will of His
Father in heaven. The law of God was within
His heart. The saints in glory are perfectly con-
formed to His image, and have the same mind
which was in Him. They are, therefore, su-
premely and completely devoted to the will of
God. It cannot be conceived that one of them
would hesitate in the instant fulfilment of any
divine command. God has but to make known
to them what His will requires, to have it thor-
oughly and at once accomplished. They bow
around His throne with significant reverence.
They rejoice in the government which he exer-
cises, and in the kingdom over which He reigns.
This devotion must be considered absolutely per-
fect. A single rebellious thought has no counte-
nance, even for a moment, in a heavenly mind.
God is all, and in all. They are holy as He is
holy, and rejoice in the possession of a spot-
less likeness to His eternally perfect character.
This perfect devotion is a manifest characteristic

WITH CHRIST. 267

of the saints with Christ. A meetness for their
inheritance must consist in the attainment of this
character. But how elevated it is above the
spirit of the earth ! How opposite it is to the
spirit of the unrenewed man ! God is not in all
His thoughts. His state of mind is mainly dis-
tinguished by his rebellion against God, and by the
alienation of his affections and will from the ser-
vice of God. There must, therefore, be a total
transformation of this aspect of the character of
man, before he can become prepared to be with
Christ. This humble and affectionate reverence
for divine authority peculiarly marks a holy mind.
Every real servant of God obeys His commands,
simply upon the ground that they are His com-
mands. The more completely he becomes a
servant of God, the more will this principle per-
vade and control his character and heart. His
discharge of earthly duties, his fulfilment of rel-
ative obligations, flow out from this grand princi-
ple. The will of God leads him to render unto
all their dues. Even in the most inferior station
in life, he will be found with good will doing
service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.
The rebellion in which his unconverted heart
lived with satisfaction, he will now loathe and
abhor. The unquestioning submission to the
known commands of God, against which his
pride so much revolted, is now his most earnest
desire and effort. He has learned to ask for
no reasons, but simply for evidence of authority.
Show him that thus saith the Lord, and you give
him sufficient reason for conduct, which men
may think exceedingly absurd. In this blessed

268 WITH CHRIST.

gift of a submissive and devoted spirit of obe-
dience, is a meetness for the heavenly inheri-
tance. And the proportion in which the spirit
of entire submission to divine authority has been
established in the soul, is the proportion of man's
preparation to be with Christ. The Christian
who is growing in readiness for his exalted state,
is maturing in the conscious possession of this
principle, devotion to the will, and submission to
the authority of God. He finds the service of
God to be perfect freedom ; and enjoys more the
lowest place in His service, — to be a doorkeeper
in His house, than to dwell as the owner in the
tents of wickedness.

A second very manifest characteristic of the
saints with Christ, is ari entire satisfaction in Him
as their eternal portion. They find in the knowl-
edge and love of Him, in the enjoyment of His
presence and the contemplation of His glory, that
which meets their whole desires, and completely
fulfils all their expectations. They have awaked
in His likeness, and they are satisfied with it.
His presence with them is exhibited as their pe-
culiar source of joy. He feeds them. He enlight-
ens them. He refreshes them with the living foun-
tains of His grace. They meet with no disap-
pointment in relation to Him ; — He is all they can
or do desire. There is peculiar strength and dis-
tinctness in the Scriptural representations upon
this subject. There is hardly a promise, or a de-
scription of the saints' inheritance, in the centre
of which the Heavenly Lamb is not found as its
chief glory and attraction. Angels worship Him
and minister to Him. Redeemed men proclaim

WITH CHRIST. 269

Him to be their whole salvation. His presence
makes the fulness of joy, and His right hand con-
fers pleasures for evermore. As the Redeemer
who bought them, and washed them from their
sins in His own blood ; — who has covered them
with the garments of righteousness and salva-
tion, and become himself their portion forever;
they unite with one accord to declare His perfect
adequacy and adaptation for all their wants. This
God is their God forever and ever. This perfect
satisfaction in Christ as a portion, is a very impor-
tant characteristic of their state ; and a meetness
for the recompense which they have received,
will require the establishment of this principle in
every man who desires that rest. To the uncon-
verted heart there is no beauty or attraction in
a Saviour's character. It has not felt His par-
doning love. It has not tasted His transforming
grace. It knows nothing therefore of His exceed-
ing excellence and fitness for itself. Here then,
there must be set up in man who desires to be
with Christ, — as the work of the Holy Ghost, —
a principle and standard entirely new, and ex-
tremely opposite to his native disposition. I do
not say merely, that he must become the servant
of Christ, to obey His commands; but that he
must find this service to be the real joy and de-
light of his heart ; involving no hardships, demand-
ing no renunciations, for which it does not repay
him an hundredfold. He must acquire a state of
mind, to which the obedience which Jesus re-
quires, and the services in which He permits him
to engage, will be the actual joy and delight of
his heart; making the privileges of religion his

270 WITH CHRIST.

pleasure ; and constituting communion with Christ
his exceeding great reward. There certainly can
be no real preparation for being with Christ, until
this state of mind is by the Holy Spirit in some
degree bestowed. And in proportion as it is at-
tained, and constitutes the character of the soul,
will there be an increased preparation for the
kingdom of God. In every really sanctified mind,
this principle is very manifest, and is the control-
ling principle. There is to such a mind, much
and high enjoyment in its relations to the Saviour,
— enjoyment which renders the offers of earth, in
all their shapes, exceedingly trifling and worth-
less, generally disgusting. The mire of the street
is not more repulsive to the neat and cleanly, than
is the sensual madness of a world without God, to
the heart that really loves Christ. Such an heart
has drank of the living water which the Saviour
gives, and it thirsts no more, neither goes else-
where to draw. Every thing which it can want,
or ask, or imagine, as attractive, is found laid up
in Christ. The more it knows, the more it loves.
The deeper are its examinations, the fuller is the
satisfaction which it receives. It is connected
with Christ by this principle of unchanging love.
His presence makes its light and glory on the
earth, and identifies its prospects of light and
glory in the heavenly world. And however it
often mourns its want of a desired possession and
perception of His love, it never experiences any
other feeling than entire satisfaction with all that
it knows of Him, and intense desire to know Him
yet more and more perfectly. This is another
very manifest characteristic of increasing meet-

WITH CHRIST. 271

ness for that far better part, which is to be with
Christ.

Another characteristic of the saints with Christ,
is their joyful occupation in the service and worship
of the Saviour. There is a continued, persever-
ing consecration of heavenly beings to this one
great end. No expression to exhibit this could
be stronger, than the single one, " they rest not
day and night." It is an employment which
brings no toil, and asks for no relaxation. They
have been admitted to behold the fair beauty of
the Lord, and to inquire and serve in His temple.
They delight to do His commandments, and
hearken to the voice of His word. This consti-
tutes their joy and crown. And as their devo-
tion to His will is perfect, so their occupation in
His service is permanent and persevering. It is
true, they are released from the clogs and weights
of an earthly state ; — from that weakness of the
flesh, which encumbers the willingness of the
spirit ; and the vast advantage in their condition
which this freedom bestows, is to be considered
and allow^ed for. But I refer now to a character-
izing principle, which, however it may operate
more perfectly amidst higher advantages, cannot
fail to operate also as really amidst the lower.
The heavenly state is all activity. The very
shape under which its exalted inhabitants are
exhibited, as clothed with wings, indicates thrs
fact. And this activity is all devoted to a perse-
vering occupation in the service of God. Must
not this attribute then, be attained by those who
would acquire a meetness to be w ith Christ ?
Can the heart which cannot watch with Jesus

272 WITH CHRIST.

one hour, be prepared to enter upon this eternal
occupation ? The Saviour's work intrusted to His
people on the earth, is manifest and intelligible.
His saints shall bless Him. They shall speak of
the glory of His kingdom, and talk of His power ; —
that His power, Hisglory, and the mightiness of His
kingdom might be known unto men. The heart
wiiich has been led to choose Him, will rejoice
to serve Him. All who have Him as a portion,
will delight to have Him as a ruler also. The ex-
tending of His spiritual dominion upon the earth,
involves every duty which can be made incum-
bent upon His people. There is not an act of
obedience to which they are called, which does
not in some way exercise an influence upon the
work in which He is engaged, and in which they
are representatives of him. Their opportunities
and means of service and influence may be vastly
diflferent, running through a most extensive scale
of time and circumstances. But in the principle
w^hich governs them, there can be no difference.
We cannot conceive of a converted and renewed
heart which does not find itself continually led
to ofi'er all that it has to Christ, whether it be the
mites of penury, or the gold, frankincense, and
myrrh of royal possession ; — whether it be the
few^ days of piety which precede an early grave,
or the long protracted period of life which brings
old age to man. The Christian loves to be occu-
pied for Christ ; and counts it his highest honour,
and his dearest pleasure, that he may be per-
mitted to do any thing for Him. If there could
be to him an object of envy on earth, it would
be the man who has been favoured with a life

WITH CHRIST. 273

of the hifrhest honour to his Redeemin2r Cod,
and of the largest and longest usefulness to his
fellow-men.

These are three very distinct characteristics
of a meetness to be with Christ. The man in
Christ on earth, who is growing the most ma-
ture and ready to be with Christ in heaven, at-
tains and manifests an increasing devotion to the
W'ill of God ; an increasing satisfaction with Christ
as a portion ; and an increasing desire to be ac-
tively and faithfully occupied in the service of
the Saviour upon the earth. They are attributes
which are easily designated and known. The
possession of them is readily identified in the
personal consciousness of the man who has them.
They involve all the particulars of human duty,
and include all the joys of a heavenly state.
Where they are found, the accepted child of God
is seen maturing for his own glorious and eternal
abode. When the Apostle speaks to the Colos-
sians, of this meetness for the inheritance of the
saints in light, he carries it out into many particu-
lars ; — filled with the knowledge of His will, in
all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye
might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleas-
ing, being fruitful in every good work, and in-
creasing in the knowledge of God ; strengthened
with all might according to His glorious power,
unto all patience and long-suffering with joyful-
ness, giving thanks unto the Father, who hath
thus made us meet to be partakers of the inheri-
tance of the saints in light. This is a meetness
to be with Christ, a faithful, practical, perse ver-

12*

274 WITH CHRIST.

ing obedience of divine commands, and attain-
ment of a divine and lieavenly spirit.

This all important character and readiness for
the presence of God, is at all times, the gift of His
ow^n Holy Spirit, whose office is to produce in
the hearts of all who are in Christ on earth, this
preparation for their state of glory. He w orks in
them in proportion as they submit to His guid-
ance, and welcome, and rejoice in His power.
The whole result of the Christian's sanctilication
is accomplished by Him, — the fruit of His power.
He delivers them from the power of darkness,
and translates them into the kingdom of God's
dear Son. Here He makes the commencement
of their religious walk, in the turning of their
hearts to God, and renewing and converting them
by His grace. There is no other starting point
in a religious life, than this real conversion of the
heart. They w^ho would attain the subsequent
attributes of a holy life, are to be sure of this
foundation of it, in a real new^ birth from God.
Thus the Spirit leads them on in a patient contin-
uance in well-doing, growing in grace, and in the
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Their walk is in increasing holiness, like the shin-
ing light, which shineth more and more unto the
perfect day. Every act of duty makes the suc-
ceeding effort easier and more effectual. There
may not be always much apparent gain, but there is
real gain for the soul, in every exertion which it
puts forth for obedience to the will of God. In this
connection no claim is to be despised, and no rela-
tive duty is to be esteemed unimportant. The ser-
vants of Christ are in every act of lil'e, to press for-

WITH CHRIST. 275

WBrd in another step towards their eternal inher-
itance. They are led forward in continual prayer.
Thus the spirit of real dependance upon God ever
indicates itself. The heart that w^ants, w ill ask.
The exercise of this praying spirit will be more
constant, as they grow in likeness to God, and
in preparation for His abode. That which at first
appears sometimes rather, as a duty, will come to
be considered a high and precious privilege. Hav-
ing gained the Spirit of adoption, they call upon
God as their Father, not because they feel it an
obligation upon them, but because they have the
hearts of children, and love to come to His feet.
Being thus in all things, led by the Spirit of God,
thev are manifested to be the sons of God, heirs
of God, and joint heirs with Christ. God gra-
ciously leads them in succeeding years to His own
abode. He loosens successively, the ties which
bind them to the earth. The world gradually
recedes and disappears. It becomes of less value
and influence, and their anticipated separation
from it involves fewer difficulties and less discour-
agement. They are thus preparing in circum-
stances, as w^ell as in character, for a journey
to the better country which is set before them.
And as each earthly bond is loosed, they are more
ready to part from others also, wiien it shall be
the will of God. A wise and gracious Providence
thus unites with a merciful and loving Spirit, in
making them ready for that far better part, which
is to depart, and be with Christ. And God thus
brings home His many sons to glory, through that
Captain of their salvation who was perfect through
sufferings.

CHAPTER XX.

AT THAT TIME YE WERE WITHOUT CHRIST— Ephesians ii. 12,

DIFFICULTIES.

Man's relation to the Divine Saviour in a state
of grace on earth, and in a state of future glory,
we have already considered. There is a third
relation of man to the same Saviour, which de-
serves our most serious and deliberate attention.
It is the state of man without Christ. I wish now
to speak of this condition, and of the misery,
danger, and guilt, which distinguish it. " At
that time ye were without Christ." The Apostle
speaks to those who had been since made the
spiritual workmanship of God, — created anew in
Christ Jesus, by the Holy Ghost. He exhorts
them to remember the time past of their lives,
when they were without Christ, — strangers to
the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world. He calls upon them
for thankfulness and praise to God, that now, they
who were afar off, had been brought nigh by the
blood of Christ. The condition which is here
described, as it referred to them, was a past con-
dition. But as it applies to multitudes of others,
it is a present condition, and an abiding condi-
tion,— nay, it is a chosen and loved condition. I

WITHOUT CHRIST, 277

speak of it now, in relation to these last ; and I
would call their minds to some peculiar facts,
which are the attributes and distinctions of a man
who is without Christ.

This condition in itself, is perfectly discrimi-
nated and precise. A man without Christ, is
simply, a man destitute of the peculiar benefits
Avhich Christ bestows ; — exposed to the peculiar
sorrows, from which Christ relieves ; — and bear-
ing the peculiar burdens from which Christ deliv-
ers. Who are the special individuals involved in
this description, I do not now stop to consider.
I wish to speak of the condition itself. Are any
of my readers convinced that this condition is
their present one ? I speak to them. In former
pages, we have considered the way and methods
by which sinful men are made partakers of Christ,
and the distinctions which mark those who. are
in Christ. I desire now to describe some of the
attributes of their condition, who are without
Christ, — who have no real spiritual union of their
souls with Him, and no partnership in His joys
and glory. To them is this message sent. O
that they may have an heart to consider, and to
improve it ; — the wish, and the determination, and
the power to fiy to the Glorious Saviour of men,
from the burdens and woes which this condition
heaps upon them.

I would first consider the iinJiappiness of the
man who is without Christ. I do not mean
merely the imhappiness which he now actually
experiences and perceives, because this is far
lessened by the compensating pleasures which
he derives from sin. His mind is blinded to the

278 WITHOUT CHRIST.

whole facts of his condition, by the delusions of
present things. I speak of the misery of his con-
dition, as it is apparent to those who now under-
stand it ; and as it will be fearfully apparent in
the future experience of his soul to himself In
this consideration, I will not refer to merely pos-
sible attendants upon his condition, which he
may perhaps in some way avoid, but simply con-
sider the misery w hich grows for him, out of this
one fact, that he is without Christ.

There are large and various classes of sorrows
which are inherent in the condition of man as a
mortal creature. His joints are loosed in sick-
ness, and his bread is dipped in tears, and he sits
repeatedly upon the margin of the grave, to
mourn in the bitterness of his soul, refusing to be
comforted. But even these sorrows are the lineal
consequences of sin ; and it is perfectly just and
reasonable to speak of them as the attributes of
a sinful course, and the necessary portion of a
sinful man ; and to charge them upon him as the
attendants and characteristics of his condition.
These are, however, rather the secondary, than
the immediate results of transgression. And
they are endured perhaps as largely, and as bit-
terly, by the man whose sins have been forgiven,
as by the man who is still unpardoned ; — by
the man who is in Christ, as by the man who
is without Christ ; — though the former has, un-
der the pressure of these burdens, a sure and
adequate consolation, of which the latter is de-
prived. While I describe the sorrows of his
condition, who has chosen to be without Christ,
it would be perfectly to my purpose to show.

WITHOUT CHRISr. 279

how he is ohliged to bear all these sorrows with-
out comfort; because his want of consolation
under them, comes wholly from this fact, that he
is without Christ. But this would not particularly
exhibit his real condition, nor the views which I
desire especially to impress upon the minds of
my readers. I will not wander in this region
of merely outward sorrows, to cull the prick-
ing thorns and briars, which I might discover
there. There are other far worse evils than these.
The spirit of a man may sustain his infirmities ;
but a wounded spirit who can bear ? The pecu-
liar evils which spring from the condition which
we are now considering, are not connected with
outward sorrows. They are equally pressing,
though man be comparatively released from them.
The condition of which we speak, is described by
a single mere negation. He is without Christ.
He may not be without money, — without bodily
health, — without family or friends, — without hon-
our and applause among men,— without great es-
teem of himself, — but he is without Christ. And
of course, he is necessarily destitute of b\\~ those
advantages, blessings, and comforts, whatev^er
they are, which are peculiarly connected with
Christ, and which are bestowed only by Him.
It is unhappiness hence arising, which forms the
chief attribute of his spiritual condition ; and
which is to be considered as the peculiar sorrow
that presses upon him. It is unhappiness in con-
nection with his future safety ; and unhappiness
connected with his present state of being.

It is unhappiness connected with his future
safety. He must live forever, and yet he must

280 WITHOUT CHRIST.

accomplish absolute impossibilities for his own
salvation ; and unless he can accomplish them,
he must forever perish. The only possible alter-
native in his present condition, is an everlasting
condemnation, or the accomplishing of works
which no fallen creature can do. This is one cir-
cumstance, and it is a tremendous one, of his un-
happy condition, simply as he is without Christ,
and wholly because he is so. It remains a cir-
cumstance indissolubly connected with this con-
dition. If he be ready, though thus afar off from
hope and safety, to be brought nigh by the blood
of Christ, to the God whom he has rejected, this
tremendous evil may be avoided. But it can be
avoided in no other way. The man without
Christ, still holds fast to a delusive hope of final
safety. He tries to comfort himself with this in
his views of the future. But he does not for a
moment really consider the ground upon which
he stands. To sustain this hope, and give it re-
ality, I say he must accomplish absolute impossi-
bilities. Unless he can succeed in this, he must
perish forever ; he cannot escape the damnation
of hell.

He must perfect! ij justify his own soul in the sight
of an infinitely Holy Judge, and present to Him a
perfect obedience of His commands. There can
be no just hope of eternal life, which is not
founded upon an entire obedience of divine com-
mands. The simple ofl'er which is made to man,
is, the man that doeth these things shall live by
them. This is the unalterable rule of the gov-
ernment of God. But the individual application
of this rule would inevitably shut out from the

WITHOUT CHRIST. 281

hope of life, the whole race of fallen men, not one
of whom has ever done, or can ever do, the things
which are written in the divine commandments.
God has therefore mercifully provided for man a
glorious substitute and representative, who has
offered a perfect and complete obedience for him.
He has graciously accepted the voluntary obedi-
ence of this sufficient surety for man, in behalf of
those who believe in Him. They are thus made
partakers of His merit. By the obedience of this
one, they are made righteous. The man who is
in Christ, is a partaker of this gift of God. He is
justified before God, freely by His grace. He is
released forever from the penalty of sin. He is
entitled to the eternal rewards of obedience, be-
cause, though he is not in himself perfectly obe-
dient, by any excellence of his own ; yet in his
divinely appointed Representative, he possesses
the perfect obedience of divine commands, which
is a title to reward, and a full foundation for hope.
The Lord has become his righteousness, and in
Him, he is justified, and glories.

But the man without Christ, stands simply and
wdioUy upon his own ground. He must establish
the sufficiency of his own merit to meet the de-
mands of God. He has neither part nor lot in the
gracious provision which a Saviour has made for
those who believe in Him. All this he has vol-
untarily cast away. His present condition with-
out Christ, is one of his own choice. If, therefore,
he hope for a future acceptance and reward, he
must assume the obligation to furnish the perfect
obedience to the divine law which God requires.
He hears the annunciation, the man that doeth

282 WITHOUT CHRIST.

these things shall live by them. He agrees to
the terms. He accepts the offer. He binds him-
self to stand or fall for eternity, by the result.
But how can this agreement ever be fulfilled ?
He sets out upon the plan, a bankrupt from the
very beginning. With the misery of a mind and
conscience, enlightened far beyond the will or
power of the heart to follow ; he finds, in every
step of the course which he has proposed to fin-
ish, that he cannot do the things which he would.
He feels himself unceasingly lashed forward to an
effort, which it is impossible for him to make,— -
goaded to an attainment which he can never reach.
There is no day of his life, in which he can jus-
tify himself. And when the whole amount of his
own righteousness is estimated by his own con-
science and judgment of himself, it seems to him
to be, and it is indeed, nothing but a covering of
filthy rags, for a more polluted soul.

Consider, then, the wretched issue to which
he is brought by this plan of his own adoption.
The penalty of disobedience, the wages of sin, is
death. It is still more necessarily, and certainly
so, to the man who rejects the remedy which
God has mercifully provided and revealed. If,
then, a man without Christ, could furnish an obe-
dience to God, faultless in every particular but a
single transgression, that one defect would neces-
sarily annihilate the whole. You will remember
that his hope of life, his claim to glory and re-
ward, is a matter of distinct agreement and con-
tract. The terms of this agreement are most
specific and precise. God promises eternal life
to man, for the perfect obedience of man to His

WITHOUT CHRIST. 283

commands. And this man has entered into the
obligation to furnish precisely what God requires.
If a man shall sell a property for ten thousand
pounds, is he unjust in refusing to deliver it,
though but half, or three-fourths of the sum be
paid ? Nay, is it not the operation of the law con-
tinually, that the portion which is paid, is forfeited
and lost, from the default of making up the re-
mainder, which is also due ?

But does a man ask, what has the law to do in
this case ? I pray you to remark, that the law
has every thing to do, and nothing else can be
considered. The man without Christ, casts away
the offer of mercy at the very commencement
of his course, in his rejection of a provided Sav-
iour. He volvmtarily puts himself upon the
ground of his own obedience, and God agrees
without hesitation, to accept it. This do, and
thou shalt live ; — I will do this, or die ;-— is the mu-
tual agreement. Now I beseech you to remem-
ber, that this is not God's plan for weak and fallen
man. He well knows how impossible it is that
man should ever accomplish it. He has there-
fore opened a plan of grace, which freely justifies
the many guilty, by the obedience of one mighty
and appointed Saviour. This is man's deter-
mined plan for himself. This he will have, and
he will have no other. He puts himself, by his
own choice, upon the ground of law. If then, he
come short in a single particular ; — if the uttermost
farthing be left unpaid, the contract is as much
annihilated, and the hope which rested upon its
fulfilment is as much destroyed, as if there had
been nothing done towards the end proposed.

284 WITHOUT CHRIST.

But how absurd it is to talk about small de-
ficiencies, and in single particulars, in regard to
a man who drinketh up iniquity like water ! So
far is the man without Christ from presenting an
obedience of his own, adequate to the known
commands of God, or even substantially, in any
proportion, a fulfilment of his agreement with
God, that the most entire bankrupt the world has
ever known in its business, is not more completely
insolvent than he. A single penny towards the
supposed ten thousand pounds demanded and
promised for the property sold, is a larger propor-
tion of the payment, than the sinner has ever
made to God. And the man might in this sup-
posed instance, more reasonably ask and expect
the acknowledged title to the property con-
cerned ; than can any man, in the right of his
own obedience, ask or expect that eternal life
which is the reward of spotless merit and obe-
dience alone. The sinner has done nothing, ab-
solutely nothing, that can be reckoned as obedi-
ence to God. And yet in his position without
Christ, he must deserve and claim an everlasting
recompense of glory, upon the ground of his own
obedience alone.

I have already remarked, he sets out upon this
plan, a bankrupt at the very commencement.
Original, inherent sin, and guilt and exposure to
punishment, its necessary attendant, have stained
and tainted every act of his life from the begin-
ning. Every work of his life has therefore been
wholly defective. No one act, however minute,
however transitory, has ever passed from him
unstained. How can an accumulation of works

WITHOUT CHRIST. 285

all defective in their particulars, constitute an
obedience perfect as a whole ? They are defec-
tive even in his own examination of their charac-
ter. There has not been an hour, or an act, in
the whole course of his days, upon which he
would be w illing to cast himself, though he should
be allowed the privilege of selection for himself,
and every thing else should be forgotten by divine
agreement. He would shudder to have an expo-
sure and analysis of this single point of his own
selection by the penetrating power of divine ho-
liness, as the test by which his eternity should
be finally decided. Never for an hour, have his
w^hole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength,
been given to the love of God. And while this
inherent impurity has rendered every act defec-
tive, however excellent its superficial appearance
might be ; there have been, in every day of his
life, a multitude of sins, — positive known trans-
gressions,— transgressions which he cannot deny
or cover, — from which he has experienced deep
regret and shame, — and to which he cannot
blind his eyes, by any attempt at excuse. His
own heart condemns him. And yet with this
conscious defect in the very best that he hath
ever done, and with this load of multiplied trans-
gressions lying upon his conscious soul ; he binds
his hopes to his ability to furnish God with a
perfect obedience to His commands, and pledges
himself to endure the dreadful and unchanging
consequences of his failure. How awful is this
condition ! How absurd is this hope ! He re-
jects the ofler of divine mercy in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He refuses to rest the dependance of his

286 WITHOUT CHRIST.

soul upon the provisions and promises of grace
in Him. He goes on toward the fixed point of
judgment, in the boast of his own sufficiency to
meet its demands. And he most unreasonably
supposes, that God will at last concede to his
pride, and will not be extreme to mark w^hat he
has done amiss. He reads it w^ritten by God
himself, " Cursed is he that continueth not in
all things written in the book of the law to do
them." He confesses to himself, that he is far,
inconceivably far, from this unbroken continu-
ance in Avell-doing ; and yet he casts an all-suf-
ficient Saviour completely from him, and agrees to
be, and to be judged, and to be sentenced, without
Christ. To accomplish his safety, he must effect
an absolute impossibility. In default of this, he
must bear the solemn curse of God forever.

What unhappiness is this ! How miserable
beyond our present power of conception is such
a condition ! How can such a man escape the
fearful consequences of unpardoned sin ? A
flaming sw ord turns every way to guard the tree
of life from his approach. The mount of God
is fenced around against him. Blackness, and
darkness, and tempest, crown its summit with
unutterable terrors. Tlie God wiio reigns there,
is wholly and forever inaccessible to him. He
draws nigh to Him but to be rejected in confu-
sion and dismay. He beholds the chosen Media-
tor pass up before him, and open in His perfect
obedience for man, a new and living w^ay to God.
He sees a holy, happy throng clothed in garments
of salvation, and covered with a robe of right-
eousness by Him, follow Him with songs of triumph

WITHOUT CHRIST. 287

to His glory. They are complete in Him. It is
God who justifieth, and there is no one to con-
demn. It is Christ that died for them — yea, rather
that is risen again, who is at the right hand of
God, wlio also maketh intercession for them. They
cast their crowns at his feet. They sing in entire
self-renunciation, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name be all the glory. Thou
alone art worthy, and all live in thee." The
self-justifying sinner sees all this triumphant, glo-
rious array. He hears the Saviour begging him
also to follow Him, in tones of kindness, clear,
and soft, and winning, as the music of the heav-
ens ; and offering to present him also, before the
throne of God, faultless and with exceeding joy.
But there is a madness in the hearts of men.
The infatuated sinner rejects this whole provision
of grace ; casts away from him the precious atone-
ment, and the perfect righteousness which the
Gospel proclaims ; — refuses all the invitations of a
suffering, exalted Redeemer; and chooses to live
and die without Christ, whatever may be the
results of his determination. He will plunge
through a river of atoning blood, to seek the ev-
erlasting damnation which lies buried at the bot-
tom. He might be freely saved in the merit of
the Lord Jesus. But no ! — He prefers to rest
upon an impossible merit of his own. He will
force the barriers w hich guard the mount, or he
will perish in the attempt. He will compel the
law of God to justify him, or he w ill sink in death.
He will not let go his integrity until he die. He
will try the hazard of answering for himself.
He will peril every thing upon this determina-

28S WITHOUT CHRIST.

tion. And if he cannot scale the battlements of
heaven, and place upon his own head the crown
of his own righteousness, he will sink into the
blackness of darkness forever. Must he not there-
fore sink ? Does he not rest his hope of safety
upon the accomplishment of an entire impossibil-
ity ? He can never justify himself. He cannot
answer to God, for one of a thousand of his
faults. He has therefore no hope. He must be
without God forever. He will dwell in the ever-
lasting burnings, which are the result, — the known,
determined, and forewarned result, of his own se-
lection and course.

This is one point of the misery of the man who
is without Christ. O that all who read these
pages, might solemnly think of this ! — That sin-
ners might lay to heart the dangerous and dis-
tressing condition in which their rejection of a
Saviour places them, and fly for refuge to that
sure and blessed hope which God has set before
them in His beloved Son. In Him there is eter-
nal rest, and whosoever cometh to Him, shall in
no wise be cast out. May I not entreat them, by
all the amazing mercies of a reconciling God, to
renounce the folly of their vain attempts, and to
submit themselves, in a living faith, freely and
entirely to the justifying Saviour. He is near
them, — ready to receive them,— waiting to bless
them. And if with sincere self-renunciation they
are ready to accept Him, to trust themselves to
Him, to rest their souls upon Him, He will love
them with an everlasting love, and save them
with a complete salvation.

CHAPTER XXI.

CONTESTS.

*' At that time " says the Apostle to the Ephe-
sians," ye were without Christ." This was their
condition in a state of unpardoned guilt. "At
that time ;" — it was when they Avere Gentiles,
unconverted, dead in sins, walking according to
the course of this world, under the spirit which
worketh in the children of disobedience ; when
they had their conversation in the lusts of the
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the
mind. At that time, they who, when the Apostle
wrote to them, had been brought nigh by the
blood of Christ, had found peace with God, and
had obtained in Christ, an access by one Spirit
unto the Father ; — " at that time they were w ith-
out Christ." This was a simple and sufficient
designation of their condition. And it is an
equally descriptive exhibition of all others, who
are in a similar state of unpardoned guilt, and in
the rebellion of their hearts, far off from God.

Taking these words, as thus descriptive of a
known and conscious condition of man in relation
to the Saviour of men, I proposed to speak of the
unhappiness of this condition. Considering this
unhappiness in connection with the future safety

13

290 WITHOUT CHRIST.

which man desires, I have attempted to display
it, in the fact, that man must accomplish impossi-
ble things for his own salvation, or perish, if he
cannot succeed. One of these impossible things,
— the perfect justification of his own soul before
God, — we have considered. I propose to exhibit
some other items in this list, showing the misera-
ble condition which a man selects for himself, who
is willing to be without Christ. He must accom-
plish impossible things for his own salvation, or
he must be destroyed forever. And yet, the ag-
gregate of these constitute but a single point of
the unhappiness of his condition ; — simply that
which arises from his connection with a future
world. There are other various sources of un-
happiness, remaining for him still, besides this
fruitful and important one. But we will proceed
a little farther with this.

The man without Christ, must not only furnish
for himself a perfect obedience of divine com-
mands,— he must also entirely renew and sanctify
his own nature within, to render himself adapted
and meet for the inheritance which he seeks. He
must acquire for himself, the image and charac-
ter of God, that he may be prepared, and made
ready, for the pure and perfect state, which is
the only alternative to an everlasting condition
of darkness and despair in a world to come. Man
cannot come into the holy presence of God, but
with the mind and nature which belongs to that
glorious state. This is a truth perfectly self-evi-
dent to the mind of man. God is light, and in
Him is no darkness at all. And man who loves

WITHOUT CHRIST. 291

darkness, and walks in darkness, and desires not
the light, can have no dwelling-place with Him.

Will an earthly prince allow his halls to be
filled with loathsome, naked sots, or noisy rude
blasphemers ? Will the refinement of human so-
ciety receive into its intimacy and embrace, the
filthy and corrupt wanderers of the haunts of
guilt ? Yet how little does this difference in
character and circumstances, compare with the
one now under our view. Into the presence of
the God of holiness, nothing can enter that in any
wise defileth, or worketh an abomination. Unholy
beings will be more certainly excluded thence,
than foul lepers from the royal couch of earthly
grandeur. But all men are by nature unholy,
the children of wrath, following after all evil.
There is no man who sinneth not. God has
therefore mercifully provided a fountain for hu-
man cleansing. He has opened in Christ, the ap-
pointed Saviour, all sufficient means of spiritual
purity to those who believe in Him. He can
cleanse them, and purge them, until they are
whiter than snow. He will put His Spirit within
them, and write His laws upon their hearts. He
will sanctify them wholly by the imparted influ-
ences of the Holy Ghost. In this gracious reno-
vation of their character and nature, He will make
them equal unto the angels, and enable them in
the beauties of holiness, to glorify God, and to en-
joy Him forever. While this Glorious Saviour as
their representative and Surety, bestows upon
them, in His own personal obedience imputed
unto them, a sure title to the inheritance of glory;
He also gives them in the renewing of their na-

292 WITHOUT CHRIST.

ture, and in the communication to them, of His
own image, the power to enjoy, and the prepara-
tion to receive, the kingdom provided for them
before the foundation of the world, and purchased
and secured by His obedience for them. This is
the happy state of those who are in Christ, even
of all who believe in His name. Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God. Happy are
the people, whose God is the Lord.

But this is a condition peculiar to them. An
unconverted man, a man without Christ, remain-
ing so, is of necessity, a lost man. Jesus has
said, " Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom
of heaven." — " Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." The man with-
out Christ can have no hope therefore of eternal
life, until his heart has been renewed to the love
of holiness, and his nature has become conformed
to the image and will of God. In his present con-
dition, he assumes the obligation and responsibility
of this upon himself. If he can accomplish it by
his own power, he may enjoy a rational hope of
life, so far as this one point is concerned. If he
cannot, he must perish forever. Every man with-
out Christ assumes this whole hazard, and throws
himself completely upon it. He agrees to stand
or fall by the result of this assumption.

But what is the prospect of his success ? What
possibility is there of his effecting thus his own
security ? I pray you to examine the case in its
particulars. See how little he can do towards
the change of his own character, even in the ex-
ternal acts of his life. He often contends with

WITHOUT CHRIST. 293

the most intense earnestness, and with the ut-
most perseverance, through many years, against
a single outward habit of conscious iniquity.
Forgetting every other enemy in himself but this
single one, he attempts to grapple in a single,
deadly conflict with this alone. He wrestles
with a tremendous convulsive struggle. Though
often thrown, and rolled, and tumbled in the dust,
he rises again and again, bleeding and torn, to
grasp his hateful antagonist again. What strength
does he put forth ! What energy does he con-
secrate to the perilous contest ! But how dis-
tressing is the result! How often, after all this
tumultuous conflict, does nature sink, exhausted
with resistance ; and tliis one triumphant lust,
scoffing at the weakness of man, sit with its foot
upon his neck, and laugh in derision at the wretch-
edness and degradation of its victim. Yet all
this effort has been devoted, not to a chano:ing'
the nature of man, but to the simple destruction
of a single development or offshoot of that na-
ture. It has been spent, and has wasted the man
himself, not for the correction or the attainment
of a principle ; but for the subjection of the
mere fruits of a single tolerated principle in out-
ward acts. It has been the unavailing chase of a
solitary serpent, while myriads are left, to grow
and gather strength for equal contests ; and the
very intensity of pursuit which is thus devoted
to one, has been just so much done towards
drawing off the vigilance and labour which might
prevent the increasing power of all the residue.
And yet if the man were successful in this effort,
to what does it amount ? To gain a character

294 WITHOUT CHRIST.

and meetness for heaven, is not to alter one, or
all the habits of the outward life merely. The
heart in its affections, the mind in its judgments,
and the will in its choice, are all to be changed
and renewed. All this the man without Christ
must do for himself, or perish. And no amount
of mere outward restraint or regulation has any
necessary connection with this. But how absurd
and futile, are all the attempts of man to change
and purify these fountains of the character ! His
purposes and efforts in opposition to the acts of
sin, are generally but cobwebs to catch lions.
And all that he can do, by any strength of his
own, to eradicate the principles of sin from within
his heart, is even more ridiculous and weak. He
cannot alter one single habit of his sinful nature.
He can hardly repress or restrain one, but by
giving to some other one a greater prominence,
and thus simply making a revolution in the as-
pects of his iniquity. And yet this alteration, this
complete renovation of his whole sinful nature,
must be effected, or he can never see the face of
God and live. He can have no hope of salvation,
but in the accomplishment of this work in its
whole extent. So far as any mere efforts of his
own are concerned, he remains in his sins, and
the wrath of God abideth on him.

How miserable is this condition ! Yet the de-
luded man who is without Christ, voluntarily
thrusts himself into it, and assumes upon himself
the responsibility of accomplishing this impossible
work. He will not be persuaded to receive as a
free gift, that which he can never attain by his
own merit, — or to allow another to do for him,

WITHOUT CHRIST. 295

with divine power, that which he can never ac-
complisli by human strength. But he will spend
his life, if he be at all sincere in his desire to es-
cape the wrath to come, in this absurd and fruit-
less attempt. The alternative before him is sol-
emn and dreadful. He must bring a clean thing
out of an unclean. He must exercise creative
power in the new creation of himself. If he can-
not do it, he must go out with unholy and rejected
beings, to make his abode in the blackness of
darkness forever, where there is weeping, and
wailing, and gnashing of teeth. He must be re-
newed in his whole nature, or he must perish eter-
nally. The Saviour offers him divine power, to re-
new him in holiness after the perfect image of God.
He proposes to adopt him into an eternal fellow-
ship with himself, justifying him completely in
His own righteousness, and sanctifying him wholly
by His divine power. But he refuses to have the
power of Christ rest upon him, and chooses rather
to be without Christ, whatever the result shall
be. He determines to assume the whole respon-
sibility of renewing his own soul, and acquiring
for himself, by his own efforts, a character which
shall live in heaven, and be adequate for its bliss ;
— a character which shall deserve and demand
the divine approval, — or to abide by the result of
his failure. The attainment is, for him, by any
strength of his own, an absolute impossibility ; and
he must perish in an everlasting ruin, because he
cannot effect it. O, how miserable is this condi-
tion ! All the condemnation of sin is upon him.
All the sorrows of a world of punishment are star-
ing him in the face ; and he is doomed to go down

296 WITHOUT CHRIST.

to the pit in final despair, or effect an absolute
impossibility for his escape. With all this fearful
load upon him, and still refusin^^ the saving power
of a Mighty Redeemer, so freely offered to him,
how can he escape the damnation of hell ?

But even this is not the whole exhibition of the
work which the sinner must accomplish. Besides
the justification of his own soul, and the renewal
of his own nature, he must conquer and destroy in-
superable enetnies, who oppose him in his path to
holiness and God. These spiritual enemies are
leagued in opposition to all who would seek a
better and heavenly country, and contend with
them in every step of their progress. The man
who is in Christ, justified and renewed by grace,
meets them as certainly and as painfully as others.
But for him there is no fear in the contest. An
Omnipotent Lord has become the Captain of his
salvation, and leads him on infallibly to glory,
whatever may oppose him. Chariots of fire and
horses of fire surround him on every side. Though
hosts of enemies should encamp against him, his
heart will not fear. He is more than a conqueror,
through the conquering power of his mighty Lord.
No weapon that is formed against him can pros-
per. No enemy can arrest his progress to the
kingdom which God hath promised to him, and
which cannot be removed. He may unceasingly
sing his song of triumph, " Thanks be to God,
who giveth me the victory, through my Lord Je-
sus Christ." This victory over all spiritual ene-
mies is indispensable. No man can come to Zion
who does not effect it. The throne is for those
who have overcome. Those who have been over-

WITHOUT CHRIST. 297

come in this contest, are led off in eternal bond-
age,— bound in chains of everlasting darkness, —
imprisoned where there is no discharge. The
warfare is inevitable. The man who is without
Christ has no release from it. But he has no as-
sistance to gain the victory. If he be ready to
yield himself at once a willing captive to sin,
there certainly will be no contest for him, except
the faint strivings of the Spirit within him to lead
him to a better life. He will go on as a captive,
a prisoner in chains, to be trodden under the feet
of enemies, and to lie down at last in everlasting
burnings. This is not, however, the view I wish
now to take of the man without Christ. I sup-
pose him determined and hoping to be saved, —
anxious to find an eternal rest. To accomplish
this determination, and to settle this anxiety, while
he casts from him the power of Christ, he must in
his own strength, overcome hosts of insuperable
foes.

He must contend with, and conquer himself; —
and if there were not an enemy in his path, but
those which are created and brought into being,
from his own heart; even if no foreign influence
were brought to their help, he would find the vic-
tory over them absolutely impossible. He cannot
be urged to a single holy thought, or a desire for
salvation, but a deceitful and desperately wicked
heart within, throws innumerable evils in his way.
Appetites, affections, and propensities of the most
unholy character, rise up into being in multitudes.
They are as persevering and as tenacious of life,
as they are numerous. — And all these he must
conquer for himself. The Holy Scriptures assure

13*

298 WITHOUT CHRIST.

him {Jer. iv. 22.) that it is easier to set the sand
for a bound to the sea, that it cannot pass, than
it is to correct a revolting and a rebellious heart.
Yet he must do this. And his contest with this,
is not with a single enemy, that may be finally
slain by a single successful blow; nor with an
army, that stands or falls together as one man.
It is with each individual of the host in a separate
personal encounter. For the man who is in Christ,
the tvhole heart and nature have been changed, and
renewed by divine power. The dominion and
principles of sin have been destroyed. But this
single complete renovation, man cannot accomplish
for himself When he contends, it must neces-
sarily be with each separate propensity and habit
of sin alone. And even in this, it is not with sin-
ful habits in their embryo state within, annihilat-
ing if successful, the source of the evil. No. He
turns the stream ; — he dams it up ; — he digs a well
to sink it. But after all his efforts, the fountain
still Hows ; and his hopeless toil is to be renewed
and repeated every day. These enemies from
within himself are innumerable. They spring
upon him when he least expects it. They assume
every possible variety of shape. They start into
being far more rapidly, from the very resistance
which he makes. The deep experience of their
influence, and the unceasing perception of their
number and power, will compel him to cry out
with the Psalmist, " Who can understand his er-
rors ?" though he may never be really brought to
the Psalmist's humble prayer, " Cleanse thou me
from secret faults ; keep thy servant back from
presumptuous sins." He is far more easily led to

WITHOUT CHRIST. 299

despair in himself, than he is to a iceal renuncia-
tion of himself, and an humble calling upon God.
And it is hardly possible that he should long con-
tinue this unavailing contest within himself, with-
out being brought to absolute despair. For how-
ever long continued, the victory is still utterly
beyond his reach.

Besides these foes in himself, he has to over-
come the opposition of the world around. I mean
by this, all the outward difficulties which arise
from his present condition of being. The contest
which he is carrying on within himself, is under
the utmost possible disadvantage, from the nature
of the circumstances around him. Every thing
abroad ministers strength to his internal enemies.
Nothing in all this range increases his power to
overcome them. It is not merely the opposition of
worldly men that I mean, when I .speak of this
contest with the world. This portion of the conflict
is comparatively, but a small matter. Every thing
around man, animate and inanimate, to a mind
at war with God, is made to furnish strength to
its rebellion. The sinner's heart, like the fabled
son of earth who gathered new strength from ev-
ery fall upon the bosom of his mother, gains in
every connection with outward things, additional
power for his opposition to God. The remedy for
this to man, is not, to retire from these necessary
circumstances of his condition, as some under this
painful experience, fain would do; but to have
his own heart within transformed and changed by
the divine 'powder of the Holy Spirit, .so that out-
ward things under this heavenly ministration, may
constrain him to obedience, and not aid him in re-

300 WITHOUT CHRIST,

bellion. But so long as he remains without Christ,
— unreconciled to God, — living for himself, — de-
voted to this outward world, and careless of eter-
nity ; every earthly scene will supply new vigour
to his cherished spirit of hostility to God. All
this outward ministration to his rebellion, and op-
position to his obedience, the sinner who rejects a
Saviour, must conquer for himself in an endless
succession of separate struggles, or he must perish
under the weight of evil, which his own sinful
soul has thus gathered upon itself.

And yet, as if all this opposition were not enough
to bind him in bondage under sin, there is an evil
spiritual influence, — an adversary who is unseen,
wily, and powerful, — who throws all his energy
in this now unequal warfare, upon the most pow-
erful and the conquering side. And man, feeble,
dispirited, certain to be overcome, — must stand
and fight alone, amidst uncounted enemies, against
this fearful power of evil, and must conquer by
his own power, or must perish. Any single indi-
vidual of this host, in any department of this tre-
mendous opposition to his soul's interests, would
be more than he could conquer. In any single
conflict, with any selected spiritual foe, with no
foreign assistance, — though he might contend
through the whole course of his life, he would
inevitably have been overcome at last. And still,
in rejecting a Saviour, whom God has mercifully
appointed and revealed, he casts away the offer
of divine strength, and throws himself upon his
own unassisted power, in his contest with the whole
combined. O, how absurd, how impossible is this
undertaking ! Jesus conquers for His people, with

WITHOUT CHRIST. 301

almighty power, and makes them conquerors over
all, in Him. They are of good cheer in every
contest, because he has already overcome in their
behalf. They who are in Christ, are thus already
conquerors. They can never perish, nor shall any
one pluck them out of His hand. They who are
without Christ, must conquer for themselves, or
be destroyed. And yet so infatuating is the spirit
of rebellion, that in multitudes of instances, they
will rather cling to this impossibility, than em-
brace a victory already finished, and given freely
to them by the Great Conqueror who hath over-
come all for man. What must be the inevitable
result of this contest ? Will they not certainly
be destroyed ? Yes ; their neglected, struggling
souls will perish. Their spiritual interests and
hopes will be torn limb from limb, by contending
enemies ; and they be driven away in their wick-
edness, dragged from the field at last, conquered
and lifeless, by scoffing and triumphant foes.

How great is the wretchedness of such persons!
And yet these three points which have been now
presented, constitute but a single general aspect
of the unhappiness of the man who is without
Christ. It is merely that which is connected with
his hope of future safety. To gain security for
his soul, the security which he seeks and expects,
he dooms himself to accomplish these absolute
Impossibilities. If he cannot meet the crisis with
success, he must sink and perish eternally. These
things must be done for every man, who would
become a partaker of the kingdom of God. They
are done for every real believer in the Lord Jesus,
by His divine power. They must be done by

302 WITHOUT CHRIST.

the man who rejects the Saviour, for himself.
Now what condition for man can be more wretched
than this ? How painful is this observation of his
state ? We see him unnecessarily contending
with impossibilities ; — having noble desires and
plans set before him, which he can never fulfil ;
— seeking a great and permanent good which is
entirely beyond his reach. And all this misery
is of his own choice. The very good which he
desires, — the triumph which he seeks, — is freely
offered to his acceptance in a provided Saviour.
He may have all, and abound in Him. Unsearch-
able riches of grace are pressed upon his enjoy-
ment in this Redeeming Lord, who stands at the
door and knocks in vain. But all this he volun-
tarily rejects. He deliberately throws himself
upon the ground of his own merit, and his ovi^n
power. He assumes the whole responsibility of
his own condition and prospects. He signs with
his own hand, the warrant for his own destruc-
tion. O that men were wise, and would con-
sider their latter end : that they could be per-
suaded to fly from their condition of sorrow, and
find in a Conquering Saviour, the peace they
need !

CHAPTER XXII.

UNHAPPINESS.

The sad condition of man without a Saviour,
may be considered by us, under several aspects.
It has many peculiarities of its own, which iden-
tify it and uniformly attend upon it. I proposed
to speak of its unhappiness, its danger, and its
guilt, as combining to illustrate the circumstances
and prospects by which it is distinguished. One
view of this unhappiness we have already taken;'
the one which is connected with the future pros-
pects and safety of the man without* Christ. To
make the salvation of his soul secure upon the
ground on which he stands, he must accomplish
absolute impossibilities. He therefore shuts him-
self out of all hope, and all means of hope, in his
voluntary rejection of an offered Saviour, the con-
dition which he has chosen for himself. He
has refused deliverance in the only name in which
it can be offered among men, and must, therefore,
remain under condemnation, with the wrath of
God abiding on him.

I would now speak of the unhappiness of his
condition in his present state. Supposing that he
has no plans of salvation for the future, he is not
less an unhappy man in his present condition, and

304 WITHOUT CHRIST.

for the same simple reason, that he is without
Christ. As under our former view, the putting
him in possession of a sufficient Saviour, the bring-
ing of his soul to Christ, would have removed all
his difficulties and answered all the questions and
hopes of his soul ; so in the view of his condition
which we propose now to take, his coming to
Christ, and accepting the divine offers of forgive-
ness and eternal life in Him; the casting of his
soul upon the promises of God, proposed and se-
cured in Christ, would take away all the bitter-
ness of his cup, and make him to rejoice in the
portion of his Jippointed inheritance, with confi-
dence and delight. But here again I would re-
mark, that in this view of the unhappiness of man,
I do not mean to cull the gloomy features of
outward misery, as they are seen in the mere
circumstances of man, and to charge them as the
habitual portion of the man without Christ. They
are often not his portion. He is frequently one of
those who prosper in the world, and heap up its
gains and pleasures for their enjoyment. Neither
are these outward sorrows always, indeed, a por-
tion of sorrow merely. Paul and Silas could sing
praises in the dungeon, and Lazarus could feed
upon God's hidden manna, while perishing witli
hunger at the rich man's gate. The pirate's dun-
geon, and the martyr's dungeon, built equally of
stone, in damp and gloomy darkness, may look in
all respects alike. But there is a peace-giving
power present in the one, which covers in oblivion
the gloom and remorse which remain as the sole
characteristics of the other. The martyr's dun-
geon is heaven ; — the pirate's dungeon is hell, in

WITHOUT CHRIST. 305

living anticipation. These outward fact?^ of tem-
porary earthly misery, are not the rightful index
of the character and condition of man. And I
pass them over, to speak of a misery which is
peculiar and abiding; which is the inevitable por-
tion of the man without Christ, and is only to be
removed by a change in this essential particular
of his condition ; — a change by the Spirit of God,
which will bring him to find his portion in a
Saviour's goodness, and in the enjoyment of the
favour of God, reconciled through Him.

The man without Christ has a portion of sor-
rows in his present condition, which appertain
peculiarly to his condition, and which are only
to be avoided in a change of that.

He is destitute of all peace of conscience. And in
the very proportion in which he becomes ac-
quainted with his own character and spiritual
state, is this found to be the fact. God has set
up a witness in the human breast, which, to the
degree of light and knowledge which it receives,
testifies always against the guiltiness of man.
Man may become, perhaps, so seared and hard-
ened in iniquity, that for a time his conscience
may be stupified, and cease to speak. He may be
so deluded by the indulgence of appetite, and be-
vSotted in a course of sensuality, that the accusa-
tions of his conscience may, for a season, be over-
wdielmed and unheeded. But such facts consti-
tute exceptions in the history of human life. And
the individuals in whose experience they occur,
are themselves, also, exceptions among mankind.
The rule for man is, that his transgressions of
known duties, have remorse and sorrow for their

806 WITHOUT CHRIST.

uniform attendants. And whenever the dream of
appetite and the pleasure of indulgence have
passed away, man finds himself suffering the ter-
rors of God with a troubled mind. Reflection
upon himself speaks out the w rath and judgment
of God revealed against him. The anguish which
flows from this distressing source is frequently so
intolerable, that his soul chooses death rather than
life. Conviction of sin is but the setting in op-
eration, this machinery of judgment and sorrow,
and making man to feel, how evil and bitter a
thing it is to depart from the Living God. And
when this awakened and convinced conscience
testifies, and lifts up its awful voice against the
sins of men, man is driven under its lash to seek
some shelter in which he may find a refuge for
himself. Ignorant of God's righteousness, he goes
about to establish a righteousness for himself.
Rejecting an offered Saviour, perfectly able to
support and pardon, he undertakes to be a saviour
for himself. He will renovate his own character
in a thousand purposes and efforts for amendment.
He will pay the penalty of his sins in money, in
labour, or in blood. He will task his inven-
tion, to find some method in which he may com-
pensate for the evils which he feels he has done
by his transgressions. And each of all these
efforts and plans, whether public or secret, an-
nounces the fact, that his own heart condemns
him, and his guilty conscience has no rest or
peace. The whole secret and principle of super-
stition, in all its endless schemes, is but a con-
science awakened and alarmed by sin, and desti-
tute of all real means or assurance of peace. This

WITHOUT CHRIST. 307

is a burden which the soul of man cannot endure;
and no excesses of voluntary suffering are weighed
in the comparison, if they may but furnish the
peace which the sinner needs.

But all these inventions and labours are com-
pletely useless. Nothing can give peace to a con-
sciously guilty man, but the clear perception, and
the sincere acceptance of that glorious offering for
sin, which God has revealed as made in the death
of Jesus Christ; and which He has offered freely
to the acceptance and enjoyment of the guilty.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.
This Saviour is our peace. And when our faith
receives the truth of His revelation, and adopts
the provision which He has made, as the founda-
tion of our hope; pleading for a justification be-
fore God, through His obedience and death, that
w^e may be saved from wrath in Him; then our
hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
we have hope in God, — yea, we rejoice in the
hope of the glory of God. Our peace flows down
like a river. Our righteousness is as the waves
of the sea. The man who is in Christ has this
peace. He has brought his burden of guilt to the
altar which God has established in His Son ; he
has laid his heavy load upon this divine and per-
fect sacrifice ; and his iniquities are remembered
no more against him forever. His sins appear no
more in judgment. He is now, not what he is in
himself, guilty and condemned ; but w^hat he is in
Christ, pardoned, justified, and at peace.

But the man without Christ, can have no peace.
No efforts of his own will remove the load which
lies upon him. His guilt is there, and haunts him

308 WITHOUT CHRIST.

still. His outward troubles only bring it to his re-
membrance anew, and the more distinctly. And
however bitter may be his cup, this is the thing
which lies at the bottom, and disseminates its
more intolerable bitterness through the whole,
O, what misery is this ! What scalding tears are
shed in secret ! What anguish, like a secret twin-
ing serpent stings within, when the outward ap-
pearance would conceal it all ! What sorrow
without consolation, asking for relief within in
vain, makes up the portion of the man without
Christ ! And yet, this portion of distress he
chooses, rather than he will submit to free for-
giveness, and find his peace in the Lamb of God's
providing. He will walk in darkness through his
earthly days, and meet his wretched doom at last
in the eternal perpetuation of all this unappeased
remorse, rather than come, to sit down at the feet
of Jesus, clothed, converted, pardoned, loved, and
redeemed forever, by the unsearchable riches of
His grace.

The man without Christ, is without contentment
in his present condition. He is here the victim
of unceasing disquietude. The only view of the
present life, which is consistent with peace of
mind, is that which considers it a place and
scene of education for eternity ; a plan of God's
wise and gracious government for the preparation
of His people for himself. The converted and
renewed man, sheltered in the obedience, and
secured by the power of his accepted Saviour,
feels and knows himself to be a part of the heri-
tage of the Lord, having all his wants regarded,
and his condition considered and provided for, in

WITHOUT CHRIST. 309

the court of heaven. All things must eventually
work together for his good. Darkness and sor-
row must ripen into light and glory. He is thus
taught, in the view which is given to him of the
connection betw^een the present and a future
world, in w hatsoever state he is for a season, there-
with to be content ; knowing both how to abound
and how to suffer need. He sees with joy, the
perfect sovereignty of God. He submits with
filial confidence to His authority. He is con-
tented to be offered a living sacrifice to the hon-
our of His name. He is thus kept in perfect peace,
while his heart is stayed upon an unchangeable
and immovable God, in whose hands are the is-
sues of life and death. But this is not the result
of any peculiar arrangement of his earthly con-
cerns. It is simply the fruit of his relation to
Christ, and of his union with Him. Dwelling in
the confidence of faith, under the divine shadow
and protection, his main and permanent interests
are all secure. Nothing can separate him from
that love of God, which is in Christ Jesus the
Lord. And, though he may be tried beyond
other men in outward things, his bow abides in
strength, by the might of his covenant, everlast-
ing God.

But the man who is without Christ, has no such
inward principle of contentment under the prov-
idence of God. God does not seem to him, to be
his eternal, unchangeable friend. The ways of
God are at war with the interests and plans,
which he cherishes for himself. He may be
sometimes apparently unmoved. He may, to a
degree, become indifferent and unfeeling. He

.710 WITHOUT CHRIST.

may even take a kind of pleasure in his bitter
hostility of feeling to the government of God.
But all this is not contentment or peace. He has
no confidence in God. He cannot justify his
ways with himself. He feels his losses and suf-
ferings to be hard, unmerited, and unjust. He
considers himself to be dealt with unkindly, while
disappointment and sorrow seem so often to settle
themselves upon his schemes of life. And the
best he can do, is to draw himself up, in assumed
dignity of feeling, as if he were injured, and
known to be injured, by the dealings of his Crea-
tor ; claiming as a kind of right which at least
remains to him, the privilege of unanswerable
complaint.

But what a wretched state of mind is this !
How poor is the consolation which comes from
this fostered bitterness and pride ! It seems to
be the doom of such a man to walk amidst quick-
sands ; — to fall and sink continually ; — while his
only comfort is in the indulgence of an impious
spirit of rebellion, and the uttering to himself,
blaspheming thoughts of God his Maker. The
ways of God are not equal, is the expression
which often dwells upon his heart, and which may
be called the real index of his state of mind. All
is darkness in his view. The reason for the pres-
ent, and the result in the future, seem equally
unintelligible. He is driven throuo-h a confused
and twisted life, to a gloomy uncertainty at the
best, beyond the grave ; — having never had one
filial, contented feeling towards God, nor ever en-
joyed the unspeakable privilege of sitting down

WITHOUT CHRIST. 311

to say, Good is the Lord, and good is the word
that he hath spoken.

The single reason of all this discontented, bit-
ter state of mind is, that he is without Christ.
The simple remedy for it, is to bring him really
to Christ, and to reconcile him unto God in Him.
This would remove his conscious hostility to God,
unite his interests to Him, and thus, in every di-
vine dispensation, publish glad tidings of great
joy, and make him thankful, that the Lord God
Omnipotent reigneth. This would fill him with
entire confidence in God, and a perfect readiness
that the will of God should be completely done,
in him, and in all concerning him. But this
simple remedy, the sinful man refuses. He will
have no balm from Gilead, and no physician
there. He will abide without a Saviour ; and
thus settle upon himself, the unhappiness of a dis-
quieted, tempest-tossed life, without hope, and
without rest, because he is without Christ.

The man without Christ binds himself to a por-
tio7i li'hich is wholly unsatisfying ; — in its own na-
ture inadequate to his wants. There are but two
portions for man, between which he must always
choose for himself. Of the one, the advantages
are temporary, while the sorrows are permanent.
Of the other, the possible disadvantages are tran-
sitory, while the benefits are eternal. But we
may cast out of our present view the element of
distress on each side, and consider, simply, the
several remaining benefits of each. The man
without Christ has his portion in this life. This
is undoubted. If it be not so, there is no difference
between them, and our preaching, and our faith.

312 WITHOUT CHRIST.

are alike in vain. All prospect of a future rest,
of an inheritance of peace, we have already seen
to be impossible for him. His views and desires
must all be satisfied with earthly attainments.
Whatever he can get in the present life to answer
the appetites of his nature, or the wants of his im-
agination, may be considered within his reach.
But nothing beyond this. This is the portion for
him in this condition; and there is nothing better
for him than that he should eat and drink, and
make his soul enjoy what good he can, in the
fruit of his labour here. Solomon estimates this
whole portion for him in his acknowledgment of
its folly. " Whatsoever mine eyes desired, I
kept not from them ; I withheld not my heart
from any joy ; for my heart rejoiced in all my la-
bour. Then I looked on all the works that my
hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had
laboured to do ; and behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under
the sun." If man were a creature of mere animal
appetite, there would be some nearer proportion
between his wants and these provisions. It is not
that there is inadequacy in the visible works of
God, for the creatures for whose portion they
were designed to be sufficient. But man has
wants in his own nature which they were not in-
tended to supply ; and, therefore, however exten-
sively he may possess these visible goods, he
finds himself unsatisfied still. The theory of his
nature, and the experience of his history, unite to
show him how vain it is to hope for a satisfying
portion among the things which perish ; while the
more extensively he acquires them, beyond the

WITHOUT CHRIST. 313

merely reasonable demands of his animal nature,
he but increases with them his cares and sorrows.
How painful it is to see him attempting to till up
the fathomless void of his desires with these heaps
of emptiness ; to see him miserable in their pos-
session, because they meet not his wants, and
equally miserable in their loss, because he has
nothing else. The world is filled with his com-
plaints;— complaints against God, against his fel-
low-men, against himself. And why is he thus
unsatisfied and wretched ? Simply because he is
without Christ. Bring him to the Saviour's feet;
let him there wash and be made clean and whole ;
and you make his portion satisfying, because you
change the whole current of his desires, and give
him that which supplies every defect. The hab-
itation has become an inn, and the field a road ;
and, looking to a better country, that is, an heav-
enly, he asks not for the things which he sought
before. His portion is now above. His real in-
heritance is beyond the earth, and every comfort
which he receives on earth, is just so much addi-
tional to that blessed portion in which, even with-
out earthly comforts, he rejoices with joy un-
speakable and full of glory. But how unhappy
is his condition while he refuses the offer of this
better portion, and clings to this doom of Tanta-
lus as his choice, bringing continually to his lips a
cup from which he can never drink ! See him
miserable in the cares of prosperity ; — miserable
in the fear of deprivation ; — miserable in the endur-
ance of loss ; — most miserable when, naked and
helpless, he stretches himself out to die, and of all
that he has, he can carry nothing away with him.

14

314 WITHOUT CHRIST.

See, in all these facts of wretchedness, the unsat-
isfying portion of the man without Christ. The
severest condemnation of the present world, and
the sharpest satires upon its vanity, may be gath-
ered from the lips and experience of those who
have lived and died its votaries. Wretched and
uncomforted, this they have, that they lie dow^n
in sorrow, because they have lived and perish
without Christ.

The man without Christ has no confidence in the
prospects of the future. I speak not now of the
actual right to hope. I have before proved him
destitute of this. But in his present state, he is
really destitute of the actual present confidence
in the security of future prospects, which gives
the Christian peace. He has no foundation upon
which he can rest in his anticipations of days to
come. This is a most important element of his
unhappiness. Nature and experience announce
in the transmitted sorrows of men, the emptiness
of the present state. Faith in divine revelation
alone unveils the future, and compensates for this
defect. For the man in Christ, futurity is settled
by divine provisions. One single sentence con-
veys the whole. " Thou shalt answer for me, O
Lord, my God ! I w ill go on in thy strength, and
make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine
only." All things w ork together for good, to those
who love God. But for the man who rejects this
simple and all-sufficient provision of triumphant
grace, there is but a choice betw^een two schemes
of hope. Either there must be no punishment for
sin, and no danger for the sinner in a future
world ; or man's own character and works must

WITHOUT CHRIST. 315

be sufiicient to endure the divine inspection, and
to merit and insure reward. I shall not now ex-
amine the principles of these schemes. It is suf-
ficient, that neither of them probably secures the
confidence of any living man. Doubts at the
best, — painful, harassini^, immovable doubts, rest
upon them for all ; and none feel able to go for-
ward in either of these schemes with boldness,
and say, I know in what I have believed, and I
am persuaded it is able to keep that w hich I have
committed to it, unto that day. The man without
Christ may often, for a season, be indififerent to
the future. He may shut it out of his view. He
may live without a calculation upon it. But he
has no confidence in his provision for it, and when
he is compelled, as he often is, to look upon it,
and to consider it, it is only with unavoidable
feelings of doubt, uncertainty, and distressing ap-
prehension. The grave, upon the edge of which
he stands, is filled with darkness and gloom to
his mind, and he is without hope, because he is
without Christ. The only remedy for this bitter
sorrow, is to bring him really and spiritually to
Christ. At His mouth, every question is an-
swered, and every assurance and promise is giv en.
In Him, a foundation is discovered, upon which
the soul may rest with perfect confidence, and
without fear.* And the man without Christ, lives
and perishes in this deep darkness and despair,
simply because he will not come to Christ, for the
security which His grace bestows.

In this wretched condition, the man without
Christ is always living. Without peace of con-
science,— without contentment in his present con-

316 WITHOUT CHRIST.

dition, — without any satisfying portion, — without
confidence in his future prospects, — because he is
without Christ. How extreme and dreadful is
the uniiappiness of this condition ! O that a view
of its misery might persuade all my readers to fly
to Jesus, as the only Saviour, and the only sal-
vation ! O, bring your wounded and careworn
spirits in simple faith to Him, to receive the ful-
ness of His grace, to become partakers of His
peace, and to unite the interests of your souls
with the Lord your God, forever ! Happy are
they who, having received Him in an affectionate,
living faith, as their ever-present friend and por-
tion, live under the shadow of his wings, and are
presented before God in Him, acceptable, justi-
fied, and at peace forever ! Such happiness is
open to you all. Here is a refuge from every sor-
row,— a covert from every storm. Fly to the sanc-
tuary which God has opened, and there be at
peace. Consent to be blessed eternally in the
fulness of a Saviour's unfailing power, and ex-
haustless love. Thus shall every sorrow be over-
past, and peace which passeth understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

CHAPTER XXIII.

DANGERS.

We have considered the unhappiness of the
man ^vithout Christ, viewing him as necessarily
shut out of the future hope, and as wholly desti-
tute of the present real comforts of the redeemed
man. I purpose now to speak of the dangers of
his condition. To display these, I shall still con-
line myself wholly to the facts which peculiarly
appertain to the state in which he is, in relation
to the Divine Saviour of men ; allowing him every
other possible advantage of his condition, and con-
fining myself to the dangers which accumulate
around him, because he is without Christ. They
are dangers which are not necessarily affected,
either for their increase or their relief, by earthly
circumstances. His is not peculiarly the danger
of disease under the blast of pestilence, — or of pain
and injury from accidents unforeseen, — or of loss
and disappointment from the failure or violation
of human contracts, — or of solitude and darkness,
from the separation in death, of those whom he
has loved. These are the inheritance of man in
every condition. The man w ithout Christ may
indeed sometimes be especially released from
their pressure. He may bask in earthly prosper-

318 WITHOUT CHRIST.

ity from his cradle to his grave ; and go down to
death, in all his earthly relations, full of days,
riches, and honour ; so that men may look upon his
external condition, and say, These are they that
prosper in the world, they increase in riches ; and
be tempted to exclaim in unbelief, " Then have I
cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands
in innocency, for all the day long have I been
plagued, and chastened every morning." But
there is a further lesson to be learned upon this
subject in the sanctuary of God. There, from the
divine revelation, we understand their end. We
see the slippery places in which they are set, — the
destruction to which they are cast down, — the
desolation to which they are brought in a mo-
ment,— the terrors with which they are utterly
consumed ; — the passing away in an issue of sor-
row and despair, of all the dream by which they
have been deluded. And when we have con-
ceded to the man without Christ, the possible
possession of every earthly gain, we have still re-
maining the solemn and fearful dangers to which,
in this condition of unhappiness and guilt, he is
certainly exposed. The necessary issue of his
chosen course is everlasting death; and the pecu-
liar dangers which surround, his path, are in the
extreme improbabilities, that he will ultimately
escape the result to which it so surely leads.

The necessary issue of his course is everlasting
death. It is the banishment of his soul from God ;
destruction from the presence of God, and from
the glory of His power. The Holy Spirit, in the
fidelity of His warnings to ungodly men, has ac-
cumulated the most tremendous expressions, and

WITHOUT CHRIST. 319

the most alarming illustrations, which the knowl-
edge of man can comprehend, or the language of
man can supply, to display the future, final suffer-
ings of the unpardoned man. The undoubted
reason of this great fidelity of statement is, that
God desireth not the death of a sinner, and would
not have him ignorantly entrapped, in a sorrow so
intolerable and beyond recovery. It is amazing
mercy, and not cruelty, or a love of punishment,
which has spread out these awful testimonies
upon the pages of inspiration. It is like the kind-
ness which builds the light-house upon the sunken
rock, and fences off the p\ ecipice before con-
cealed from view. We are Lot, therefore, at lib-
erty to reduce the strength, or to neutralize the
force of these descriptions of the results of sin, as
if the Omniscient and Infallible God were carried
away by unreal imaginations, and took pleasure
in the description of horrible fictitious scenes, or
loved to see the unnecessary terrors which craft
had produced in the bosom of ignorance. When
we know that God delighteth in mercy, and that
punishment is his strange work, it becomes an
undeniable principle of Scriptural interpretation,
that every description of punishment and suffering
for the ungodly which the Scriptures contain, must
be understood to the utmost of its literal, mani-
fest meaning and design. The opposite principle
becomes a libel upon the character of God, and
unsettles the abiding certainty and truth of ail the
revelations which He has made. It not only ex-
hibits Him as false in statement, but as vindictive,
arbitrary, and cruel, in personal character and
feeling. Thus the very plan which, falsely ar-

320 WITHOUT CHRIST.

guing from the supposed mercy of God, would
set aside the solemn warnings of His anger against
sin, as if they were a reflection upon His mercy ;
is the means of exhibiting Him as really unmerci-
ful, because it declares Him to have made, and to
delight in, false and unnecessary statements of
awful woe and cruelty as the portion of the crea-
tures of His hands. We must, therefore, take the
descriptions of the issue of an ungodly course, the
result of a perverse rejection of the offered Sav-
iour, which God has given to us, as not only the
truth, but as the truth entirely unexaggerated,
and precisely limited within the facts of the case.
What, then, are these descriptions ? Shall I
dwell upon them ? Shall I present them ? It
would be merciful fidelity, the evidence and tes-
timony of a disinterested spirit of love. I say,
then, you are to take all the inspired descriptions
of the future sorrow and woe of the ungodly, and
apply them to the utmost extent of their literal
meaning and purpose. When you are warned of
an inward gnawing worm that dieth not, — of a con-
suming fire that cannot be quenched, — of a lake of
fire and brimstone, the smoke of which ariseth up
forever and ever, — of chains of everlasting dark-
ness,— of a dwelling with loathsome, disgusting,
and fearful beings, — of an unceasing mingling of
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, — of
a state in which utter annihilation seems a heaven-
ly relief; you are to consider these, if not literal
descriptions of circumstances, at least figurative
illustrations, which are wholly within the facts of
literal suffering they were intended to display; —
else you make God to delight in giving false de-

WITHOUT CHRIST. 321

scriptions of anguish and distress. Your only es-
cape from this, is to say, these Scriptures are
without authority. That surely cuts the knot;
and it brings an end to all discussion of the sub-
ject. Whether it betters your own condition and
prospects, I must leave it for yourselves to settle.
All these sorrows are before the man who is
without Christ. They are the certain and de-
clared issue of his chosen course, the assurance ot
his attainment of which is only to be unsettled by
us, by undermining the whole authority of the
divine revelation. They are the issue of his
course, because he is without Christ. It was to
deliver him from these wages of sin, by bearing
them upon himself, that the Son of God came into
the world in his likeness and nature. The death
of the Lord Jesus, as an offering for sin, has made
the everlasting death of the sinner wholly unne-
cessary. His transgressions, though a thick cloud,
may be blotted out ; his iniquities, though risen
up like a mountain unto the heavens, may be all
forgiven ; his crimson stains may be made as white
as snow, by his improvement of that blessed op-
portunity and opening for peace, which the fin-
ished atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ has pro-
vided. But his continued voluntary rejection of
Christ as the Saviour, to whom the Gospel calls
him ; and his continued contempt of the Holy
Spirit, who would graciously lead him to this Sa-
viour, and to everlasting security in Him, hath no
forgiveness, no hope of escape. There remaineth
for him in this voluntary rebellion, no further sac-
rifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour

14*

822 WITHOUT CHRIST.

the adversaries of God. And when in hell he lifts
up his eyes, being in torments, the testimony will
resound continually in his ears, " Thou hast de-
stroyed thyself." The Saviour may then cliarge
him, " In me was thy help." — " Ye would not come
unto me, that ye might have life." — " O, that thou
liadst hearkened unto me ! then thy peace should
have flowed down like a river; thine adversaries
should have been found liars unto thee; thou
shouldest have trodden upon their high places."
The sinner rejecting the divine counsels of mercy,
is eternally destroyed, and suffering the vengeance
of eternal fire, because he has been, by his own
choice and determination, without Christ. That
is his certain portion forever there, because this
has been his chosen condition here. Could he be
brought out of this condition; — could he be brought
to Jesus, washed, and clothed, and sanctified in
Him, all this prospect would be changed immedi-
ately, and uninterrupted and eternal security would
take its place. The Father would be pleased with
him, as one with his beloved Son ; and his sins and
his iniquities would be remembered no more.

But his dangers are in the extreme improba-
bilities of this result, — improbabilities which are
accumulating in numbers, and increasing in power,
day by day. We grant, that could he be led to
accept an offered Saviour in his heart, all would
be well. But what is the likelihood that he will
be led to do this ? What are the rational ele-
ments of calculation in his behalf, that he will
really ever fly to the bosom of Jesus, and thus,
found in him, escape the just judgment of God ?
Are there any opportunities of mercy yet to be

WITHOUT CHRIST. 323

granted to him, which he has not ah-eady enjoyed ?
Will there be any further means of salvation pro-
vided for him, which he has not hitherto pos-
sessed ? Has not a descending Saviour, once for
all, borne the penalty of his sins ? Has not a
rising Saviour, once for all, conquered for him the
power of death 1 Has not an ascended Saviour,
on His priestly throne, offered His glorious inter-
cession ? Has not an awakening Spirit touched
the inward conscience of the sinner? Has not an
enlightening Spirit thrown heavenly illumination
everywhere around Him ? Has not a convincing
Spirit made him sometimes feel and mourn under
the burden of his sin ? Has not a persuading
Spirit almost compelled him to be a Christian ?
Has not a Father of mercies stood waiting to
receive this erring sheep, when folded by the
Spirit in the Shepherd's bosom, he should be seen
returning from the dreary wilderness of his unpar-
doned rebellion ? And has not the man without
Christ, gone through all these blessed opportuni-
ties, by which millions have been saved around
him, to remain in his guilty condition, of his own
will and determination, still without Christ ? Now
I ask, what more can be done for such a man ?
What probability is there, that a future effect
shall be found from these opportunities of deliv-
erance, which all past time has been unable to
produce ?

Are there any outward privileges or means to be
bestowed upon him, of which he has been thus
far deprived, that can make these great offered
mercies more effectual in future ? Has he not de-
spised the volume of divine inspiration, refusing to

324 WITHOUT CHRIST.

seek in it, for the hidden treasures of God's mercy
and love 1 Has he not rejected the sacred minis-
try of the Gospel, filling his heart with thorns that
may choke it; searing his conscience with indif-
ference, that it may give no lodging-place to the
truth of God ; opening his mind with carelessness,
that any intruding enemy might pluck from thence
the heavenly seed; nurturing every rising shape
of prejudice against the truth, and rejecting thus,
with unyielding perseverance, all the counsels of
God against himself? Has he not refused the
voice of prayer; bending no knee in humble sup-
plication, bringing no sincere and broken spirit to
the thone of mercy ; liaving not, because he would
not ask ? Has he not dwelt in the midst of very
peculiar privileges, having ever before him, a door
opened in heaven, and possessing every advantage
which can be bestowed upon man, to lead him to
the unfailing portion of God's redeemed ? He has
gone through all these thus far, without Christ.
What likelihood is there, that they will exercise,
a future power which they have been unable to
put forth in all these days of his rebellion, which
have now gone by ? What probability is there,
that other, greater privileges will be granted to a
man who, with such determination, has made these
continually unavailing ? The improved talent
brings out the increased gift. The neglected
talent insures condemnation and rejection as its
certain result. How then can a man, w^hose his-
tory and character are, that he has neglected all
his privileges past, ask or hope for increase of
privileges in time to come 1

Are there any motives to be urged upon him.

WITHOUT CHRIST. 325

to which he has not been hitherto accustomed ?
Have not all the arguments, persuasions, and en-
treaties, which could be gathered from a Saviour's
love, — a Father's mercy, — the Spirit's presence, —
the worth and glory of a heavenly world, — the sor-
rows of a death without hope,— been united in
their varied pleading with his soul, to lead him to
the fountain of divine appointment ? Have not all
the facts and interests of three worlds been brought
together, to urge him to make his calling and
election sure? God has opened the heavens, and
uncovered the destruction of hell, that He might
persuade and compel the guilty man to think of
the eternity to come. The joys of divine benev-
olence have crowned his days, and asked for an
offering of heartfelt gratitude and praise. The
warnings of divine correction have lilled his soul
with sorrow, and expostulated with his negli-
gence of eternal things. The fleeting vanities of
earth have passed from his embrace, and taught
him that he hath no portion here. The opening
grave has gathered in its bosom, multitudes of
those whom he has loved, and has solemnly bid
him to remember the necessity of an everlasting
portion hereafter. All these instruments of in-
fluence, and motives to immediate concern and
action for his soul, have been united in their
operation upon his mind, for years. But they
have been all in vain. He has remained through-
out the whole of this agency of divine solici-
tation and mercy, still without Christ. What
more can now be done to influence his rebellious
mind, or to persuade him to find his life and hope
in a Saviour's power ? What likelihood is there.

-326 WITHOUT CHRIST.

that motives which have so long proved so com-
pletely unavailing, will in future exercise a power,
which has thus far been altogether denied to
them ?

He has maintained his ground without Christ
thus far. The improbabilities of his future es-
cape from this condition are extreme. All that
can be done for him has been already tried in
vain. What can there be remaining, but the cer-
tain prospect of that banishment from the pres-
ence of God, and the glory of His power, which
has been exhibited, as the necessary issue of his
course ? You are further to add, to all these im-
probabilities, the alarming fact, that his heart
grows harder, and his conscience becomes more
seared against the power of the truth, by every
step in this continued rejection of opportunities,
privileges, and motives, so adapted to arouse and
rescue him. You see him in the early stages of
his connection with the truth, restless, excited, un-
satisfied,— -perhaps angry with the power of the
word, — gnashing upon the arrow which for a
moment has pierced his side. You see him af-
terwards become habituated to the assaults of
the truth, contented under its appeals, and peace-
ful amidst its alarming denunciations. But how
sad and fatal is this change ! The former state
was the rustling rapids of the stream, just enter-
ing the walls of its confinement, and commencing
its impetuous career. The latter is the calm,
full, but more certainly fatal rushing of the tor-
rent, when the rapids are passed, and the current
rolls forward to the precipice in unresisted quiet-
ness. The condition of the man who is borne

WITHOUT CHRIST. 327

upon the stream, was dangerous before. It has
now become desperate. The man who saw him
in his first condition, felt every drop of blood in
his body quiver in intense sympathy. The man
who sees him in this last condition, before he
takes his final plunge, finds all sympathy to be
stupified and destroyed by an overwhelming hor-
ror at the certainty of his fate. While the man
without Christ is still restless and susceptible to
excitement, — nay, conscious of anger under the
power of the word, there remains for him the
hope of possible escape. But, when unbelieving
indifference has taken possession of his mind, his
destruction becomes certain, his damnation sure.
This indifference is the natural uniform result of
long continued rejection of the truth ; and it is to
be taken into the account, as a certain element of
calculation, when the dangers of the man with-
out Christ are to be estimated by us.

And yet, even to this, you are to add the fact,
that God has limited the hour of His forbearance with
the rejecters of His grace. The fixed period is
before Him, when He will proclaim of the man
who is joined to his idols, " Let him alone ;" — when
the Spirit shall strive no more, and the descend-
ing dew s and rains shall but hasten him as fuel
for the fire ; — when repentance shall be hidden
from his eyes, and as he loved cursing, so it shall
clothe him about as a garment ; — when the heavens
shall shut out his prayer, and the answer to his
remorseful entreaties shall be, "I never knew
you ; — depart from me, ye workers of iniquity."
This is an awful condition. But it is assuredly
before the man without Christ, as the necessary

328 WITHOUT CHRIST.

result of his course. And it is but cruelty in the
professed ministry of the word of God, to see him
thus pressing forward with outspread canvas, in-
evitably to dash upon this rock, and not to lift up
the voice like a trumpet, to warn him of his dan-
ger in the most solemn and awakening terms of
appeal.

But you are still to add to this, that while
the Holy Ghost will thus forsake him, the Judge
standeth at the door for his condemnation. In the
midst of all his calculations that to-morrow shall
be as this day, and more abundant, the command
may have already gone forth, " Cut him down ;
why cumbereth he the ground ? — I have sworn
in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest/'
And to-morrow his boastful tongue may be silent,
his limbs encliained in death, his self-confiding
heart have ceased to beat, and his soul, neglected,
despised, sold under sin, be bound, unpardoned,
to answer for his guilt, in the presence of an of-
fended God. Then the solemn final issue is at-
tained. The fruit of his procrastinating folly has
been ripened. And the outer darkness from
which he refused to flee, has become his dwelling-
place forever.

These are the dangers of the man without
Christ. They belong to him, simply because he
is without Christ. The effect of their solemn
consideration should be, to lead such instantly to
cast away the chains which hang about them, and
to give themselves no rest, until their souls are
reconciled to God. The refuge which is opened
for them in the Lord Jesus is a complete and suf-
ficient one. The method of access to it, through

WITHOUT CHRIST. 329

an affectionate, living faith, which believes Him
and trusts in Him, is easy and open. The Holy-
Spirit waits to guide them to it, and to secure
them in it. But all these provisions and instru-
ments are vain, until, with sincere and anxious
desires for salvation, they will lay hold of the
provided strength, and embrace, with humility
and joy, the hope which is set before them.
Could one such soul be moved by these lines,
now to flee with thankfulness to Jesus, as a refuge
from the wrath to come, thanks would be given
by many to God, that this effort to testify His truth
has not been labour in vain.

CHAPTER XXIV.

GUILT.

IjV our previous consideration of the important
subject now before us, we have dwelt upon the
unhappiness of the man without Christ, both in
reference to his future prospects and his present
condition, and upon the extreme dangers to which
he is exposed in this condition. We must now
reflect upon the guilt which necessarily appends
itself to this state.

Guilt is the consequence of transgression. It
is the just desert in man of the penalty which was
denounced against transgression, and the expo-
sure and subjection of man to this penalty. The
wages of sin against God is everlasting death, —
and the guilt of the sinner is his just exposure to
this awful punishment of sin. Every sin consti-
tutes man guilty before God, and brings him under
His just condemnation. But some sins are exceed-
ingly sinful, as committed against commandments
peculiarly clear and undeniable, and in defiance
of warnings and privileges most adapted to secure
obedience. Nay, some sins are declared to be
in their aggravation, so peculiarly and certainly
unto death, that intercessory prayer in the sin-
ner's behalf is prohibited, and forgiveness refused.

WITHOUT CHRIST. 331

by God himself. There is a sin unto death ; —
there is a sin which hath no forgiveness. There
are those for whom God will not be entreated with
success.

We have now to speak of the guilt of the man
who is w ithout Christ. In this, I shall refer only
to that guilt which is peculiar to this condition.
Men are accustomed to contemplate sin as a suc-
cession of acts. They hardly imagine guilt to be
attendant upon a state or condition of life. These
acts of sin, they estimate almost exclusively by
their influence upon society and surrounding men.
The authority and honour of God, are hardly
brought in as elements in this calculation and
account. However rebellion may triumph against
Him, or impiety may trample upon His will, or
unbelief may treat His word of truth with derision
or contempt ; — if apparent integrity towards men,
or a kindness of natural temper in his intercourse
with men, still gilds and adorns the character of
man in these relations, all the guiltiness of his re-
lation to God is forgotten in the admiration which
this aspect of his life may excite. But these as-
pects of human character are not especially before
us now. We are not to accuse man of being a
murderer, a drunkard, or a thief We are not to
charge him with oppression or fraud in his inter-
course with his fellow-men. We willingly allow
that he may be especially free from just exposure
to every charge of this kind, so that he may stand
on the eminence of his integrity and faithfulness,
and look round upon an admiring world with the
expostulation of the ancient Prophet, and with
equal success, — " I have w alked before you from

332 WITHOUT CHRIST.

my childhood imto this day. — Behold, here I am ;
witness against me ; — whose ox have I taken ? or
whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de-
frauded ? or of whose hand have I received any
bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? and I will
restore it to you." We do not undervalue, still
less despise, these aspects of the character of man.
They have their worth, and they have their re-
ward. But they are not acquired or exercised
for God ; and they can therefore claim no reward
from Him. Allowing, however, that man possesses
them all, they do not touch the view of his char-
acter, or of his responsibility, which we are now
considering. We here charge man simply with
being without Christ, — and we speak of his guilt
in this fact, and arising from this fact alone.

It is the guilt of this condition, and of the facts
which flow out of this condition, of which we are
to speak. When God hath sent His Son, to be-
come His last Ambassador to the rebellious race
of men ; to assume their nature, and to endure its
sorrow in the tenderest sympathy ; to offer him-
self a sacrifice for sin; to fulfil all righteousness in
their behalf; to open, in His own conquest over
death, the way to life and immortality ; — and when
this has been done, as the only way of salvation
for the guilty, and of reconciliation to an oflfended
Creator; this man chooses to remain, without any
personal interest in this work of divine mercy,
and to cast entirely away from him, the blessings
and benefits which it brings; he is voluntarily
without Christ.

But has he not the right to take this stand?
Allowing that it is a course of misery, and that

WITHOUT CHRIST. 333

he runs the hazard of tremendous dangers; still,
if he be willing to assume it, and to endure all this
responsibility, has he not the right to do it ? If
he chooses to be damned, has any other one the au-
thority to interfere ? Who else is injured but him-
self ? Will you call the state a guilty one, when
he merely rejects proffered benefits, which either
he does not value or desire ; or in the existence
of which he perhaps does not believe, though he
might desire them ? This is the argument of
human pride. Thus men set their faces against
the heavens, saying, " We are our own ; — who is
Lord over us ?" liut upon this very ground, the
Bible meets them; and proclaims them in this
condition to be guilty before God, and to come
under the just judgment of Ilis law.

In this condition, they are voluntary rebels against
the divine authority. This is not a question of
mere personal interest. The Creator has an un-
doubted right to the obedience and service of His
creatures. God, who hath made all men for him-
self, and in whose hand their breath is, and whose
are all their ways, is supremely entitled to the
utmost of their powers and ability in the fulfilment
of His commands. Shall man claim, to the ex-
clusion of all his fellow-men, power over the ma-
chine which his skill has invented, or over the
house which his hands have built; and shall sur-
rounding men sustain and justify this claim, and
pronounce the violation of it robbery and wrong;
and shall God have no such right over the works
of His hands ? Shall He be robbed of the service
of the creatures whom He has made ; and shall
there be no guilt in the denial of His authority and

334 WITHOUT CHRIST.

right ? Shall the ruler among men be counted
just, and ruling in the fear of God, while he de-
mands the obedience which is due from a subject ;
or shall the parent be acknowledged to be injured,
while he is refused the honour which is his right
from his child ; and may not Gk>d be permitted to
say, with equal right, " If I be a father, where is
mine honour; and if I be a master, where is my
fear ?" If one single creature has the right to
rebel against the divine authority, every other
one must have the same right. If one race, or a
portion of one race of beings, may remain in a
condition of voluntary separation from the author-
ity of God, certainly another may do so ; and so
may all. And heaven becomes desolate, and earth
scoffs, and hell triumphs, and universal order is
annihilated, and God, the mighty God, is despised
by the work of His hands, and left alone to stand
as the mere object of their contempt. Is this,
then, a question of the mere interests of the crea-
ture ? And will not all this argument apply to
the man who is without Christ ? It will and must,
beyond all dispute. The acceptance or rejection
of the salvation of the Gospel, is a question of
divine authority. God has opened the way for
the rebel's return, in reconciliation to himself;
and then commands him to come back. When
He bringeth His first begotten into the world,
He saith, "This is my beloved Son, hear Him ; let
all the Angels of God worship Him. He that
despiseth this Son, despiseth Him that sent Him.
In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily. And he that despiseth, despiseth not
man, but God. Upon whomsoever this stone shall

WITHOUT CHRIST. 335

fall, it will grind him to powder. — Those, mine
enemies, who would not that I should reign over
them, bring them hither, and slay them before
me." The man without Christ, is, therefore, a
man in rebellion against God. Had no pardon
been offered to him, and no ransom provided for
him; though he would have been still a rebel, and
still under condemnation, he might have been
called an involuntary rebel. But now that there
is a Christ, an anointed Mediator, in whom eter-
nal life is fully secured, and whom God hath per-
mitted and commanded all men everywhere to
receive, the man without Christ is an unnecessary
and a voluntary rebel. This is the point of his re-
bellion. Here, over a rejected and despised Sav-
iour, he is at war with God. How absurd, then,
becomes the plea of reciprocal kindness and in-
tegrity witli his fellow-rebels ! How vain the
allegation, that they are in mutual amity, united
in benevolent affection, and do each other no
wa'ong ! If this be true, can the fact have any
other influence upon the point of his rebellion,
than to increase its guilt ? Does it not confess
that he can be affectionate, and upright, and rev-
erent, if he will ; and that therefore, his continued
refusal of all this to God the L-aviour, to whom
it is all supremely due, is yet more manifestly a
voluntary and intentional robbery and wrong ?
These acts and attributes of imaginary excellence
in him, even were they real, so far from tending
to create a merit in him, or to diminish or excuse
his guilt in the sight of God, actually increase the
wickedness of his rebellion, and condemn him out
of his own mouth. If he can love any thing, he

336 WITHOUT CHRIST.

is just so much the more guilty for not loving God.
Is is thus that the very ploughing and the prayer
of the wicked still remaining in their rebellion,
become hateful and an abomination in the sight
of God. And the more helpful wicked men are
willing and able to be to each other, the more
thoroughly inexcusable is their ingratitude and
rebellion against God. The fixed point of this
rebellion against the authority of God, is in man's
refusal to accept and serve this appointed Sav-
iour. There is the embodying of the divine au-
thority, and there is the manifestation of human
hostility; — man is without Christ. And he is in
rebellion against God, because he is so. In no
way can this breach be made up, but by the
thankful and humble submission of man to this
glorified Lord, according to God's commands.
Every day that he remains in his present condi-
tion, all the increasing guilt of determined re-
bellion against the will of his Creator, is accumu-
lating upon him, and hurrying him onward to
everlasting woe.

The man without Christ is in this condition ; — a
perverse rejecter of the amazing love of God. He
has been the object of a benevolence wdiich has
filled the heavens with astonishment. It is not
necessary for us to enhance this love, which the
Gospel exhibits and proclaims, by a comparison
of it with the tenderness displayed in inferior
gifts. We have a far higher standard. Angelic
beings, who have always dwelt in the purity of
the divine presence, and have known, and seen,
and understood, all of the excellence of their Cre-
ator, which was communicable to the creature;

WITHOUT CHRIST. 337

whose views and apprehensions of the divine be-
nevolence in the joys of which they have had their
permanent abode, must be exalted, deep, and
clear, beyond all other knowledge ; — are displayed
as adoring and admiring the manifold riches of
divine grace, which the redemption of man has
unfolded ; and as desiring to investigate the
depths of a subject, every aspect of which is so
overwhelming and grand. What higher view can
be given of the love of God in the gift of His Son,
than this ? The subject of the study of heaven, is
the love of God to guilty man ; a love which pass-
eth knowledge, the riches of which are unsearcha-
ble, and its extent past finding out. Of this love
of God, the man without Christ has been the
object. For him, the heavens have bowed their
glory. For him, the Lord of life hath descended
to the earth. For him, the Son of God hath be-
come the Son of man; and the possessor of a hea-
venly throne hath been made the victim of an
earthly cross. For him, this mysterious traveller
upon the earth, was humbled and bruised, has
agonized and died, has triumphed and interceded.
And when you ask the secret of all the amazing
grandeur of his work; — why purity is tempted, and
innocence suffers, and kindness is despised, and
majesty is crushed, and all the dignity and glory
of Immanuel is covered with shame; — you are
brought to the habitation of this rebel without
Christ, and told, it was all for him. It was all to
redeem that guilty man from ineWtable condem-
nation and death, — to save his perishing soul from
an everlasting punishment in hell. Do you not
ask at once, with incredulous amazement, Does he

15

338 WITHOUT CHRIST,

know this fact ? has he ever heard of this wonder-
ful work of love for him ? Yes ; he has been
assured of it all, a thousand times, by God him-
self. Does he not instantly spring to embrace it ?
Does he not weep with gratitude ? Does he not
shout in praise ? Does he not summon every
power of his soul to tell the love he feels, for love
like this ? O no ! He sits unmoved. He scoffs
at the intelligence. He perversely rejects it all.
He smiles in scorn at the eagerness with which it
is urged upon him. He has done all this for
years. This bleeding messenger of love, — this
pleading advocate of grace, has knocked at the
door of his heart ; has expostulated with his con-
science ; has entreated him, hung around him, and
begged him to enjoy the rest which He had
brought to him. But His amazing tenderness has
been completely in vain. The man dwells there
still, in his chosen habitation, willingly without
Christ. Is this not guilt ? Yes, heaven and earth
unite to say, nothing else is guilt in comparison
with it ; and the damnation of such a man is just.
If ingratitude be guilt, then in proportion as the
object of the kindness is unworthy and without
claim, and the giver has been injured, and the
gifts are great and precious, and the bestowal is
persevering and prolonged, does the guilt of the
ingratitude become the greater. Now, all these
facts are gathered around the man wdio is without
Christ. They appertain to him in their highest
possible degree. Is not his condition, then, a
guilty one ? Is he not guilty for remaining in
it ? Is he not increasingly guilty, every day that
he abides in it still, amidst the means of knowl-

WITHOUT CHRIST. 339

edge and conversion which are kept within his
reach ?

The man without Christ, to the extent of his
power, makes utterly vain, the whole work of the
divine redemption. The Holy Scriptures display
this work, as in the great covenant of mercy, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost have united
in it. They carry us back to the counsels of
eternity, and show the wisdom which planned,
and the love which proposed it, before the world
began. They take us through the history of its
accomplishment, in the fulness of the time, and
show us how, in every step, the patient execution
of the design was fulfilled. They lead us forward
to an eternity to come, and bring out all that can
be told to man, of the joys passing man's under-
standing, which God hath prepared for them that
love Him. They display a kingdom provided, and
a crown prepared, for all who accept this amazing
w^ork of mercy to guilty man. All this is the plan
of divine redemption. It brings together, all
things in one, in Christ. The man who is in
Christ, possesses all this in Him. The man who
is without Christ, makes all this void. To the
extent of the influence which he can exercise,
Christ hath died in vain. It is vain to say that all
men, to whom these offers are made, do not thus
reject them. It is no argument to diminish the
guilt charged upon one man, that others avoid a
following of his wicked course. His acts must be
judged by their own principles, not by the possible
counteracting of their influence by other power.
And if ev ery man should follow the path which he
hath chosen, of what benefit to the race of sinners

340 WITHOUT CHRIST

for whom it was devised, would all this scheme
of mercy be ? Would not the grace of God be
completely made of none effect ? And is there no
guilt in such a perversion and overthrow of this
wonderful love of God to man ? When wanton
malice destroys some complicated and beautiful
product of human ingenuity, or consumes in
flames, the result of years of man's benevolent
study for the benefit of his fellow-men ; is there
no guilt in such unnecessary, reckless overturning
of the purposes and property of man ? And how
strange it is, that man shall see the guilt of every
wrong inflicted upon himself, and yet deny the
guilt of such far greater wrongs heaped upon a
merciful and gracious God. The purpose of re-
demption is to make an end of sin, to arrest the
sorrows of creation, to save the victims of con-
demnation, to make innumerable multitudes of
beings eternally happy, to secure them in ever-
lasting peace in heaven, and to bring the highest
eternal glory to God, in the accomplishment of
these ends. These great purposes all meet in
Christ. The man who joyfully receives Him, is a
worker together with Him, in their attainment.
The man who is without Christ, is scattering where
Jesus gathers, and overturning where Jesus builds.
The whole issue and operation of his life, is the
destruction of good. It is a mercy to creation,
that his power is so limited and temporary. Give
him an unrestrained and unlimited exercise of
might, with the motives and principles which now
constrain him, and you would bury the universe
in ruins, trampled beneath the feet of his rebel-
lion. And when he is brought to the final esti-

WITHOUT CHRIST. 341

mate of his earthly career, it will be seen by him-
self, that he has spent his utmost strength and
time, in destroying all the plans of God for the
deliverance of a sinful world ; in heaping up in-
iquity and wretchedness for the sons of men ; and
in peopling with outcast souls, the everlasting
abodes of sorrow and death. Now, is there no
guilt in this ? I ask again, what other guilt can
be greater? or what else is guilt at all, in com-
parison with such a course ?

While the man without Christ is in this condi-
tion, voluntarily a rebel against divine authority,
a perverse rejecter of divine love, a destroyer of
the whole scheme of divine redemption; he is
still further guilty, in choosing a state of hostility
against God, when it is wholly unnecessary, and he
may be instantly rescued from it. He has no ad-
vantages in his sin. He gains nothing by its com-
mission. He has no comparative temptations to
lead him to remain in it. It is completely unne-
cessary ; and it is persevered in, exclusively, as a
matter of his own desire and choice. It is, there-
fore, his condemnation, that he loves darkness
rather than light, because his deeds are evil.
What can make him more guilty than his choice
of a consciously guilty state, as the condition
which he desires and loves — though every mo-
tive which might be conceived adapted to influ-
ence him, unites to urge him to flee from it ? Sin,
rebellion against God, the abominable thing which
God hates, is the thing which he loves and
chooses, and to which he adheres with persever-
ing determination. Of necessity, therefore, he
shuts himself out from all excuse, and must stand

342 WITHOUT CHRIST.

before God under the whole burden of his trans-
gressions; and with the whole responsibility of
the condition which they characterize, and out of
which they flow. He must defend and make
good his selected ground of open and persevering
rebellion against the Most High, or he must be
destroyed forever.

This is the condition of the man without Christ,
and because he is without Christ. We have
traced his course, as unconverted and unpardoned,
through its misery, its danger, and its guilt. How
serious and alarming is such a condition, all who
have followed me must be able to discern. Thus
wretched, thus guilty, thus condemned, thus de-
stroyed, is every one who remains an alien from
God, and a stranger to that cleansing blood of
Jesus, by which alone, remission of sin is to be
obtained. How wonderful is the delusion which
persuades vain Jind guilty man, for this condition
of barrenness and ruin, to sacrifice all that is de-
sirable in the present life, and all that is worthy
of hope in the life to come ! What is there that
seems attractive in it ? What wages can it give ?
What promise does it offer ? And why shall man
submit to the delusion which would keep him
spellbound under its influence, until the Com-
forter who would relieve his soul is driven far
from him, and God finally refuses to be gracious
unto him ? Again would I repeat the urgent en-
treaty to every reader, fly to the hope which is
set before you, and seek your refuge and your
rest in the power and love of Jesus Christ the
Lord.

CHAPTER XXV.

POSSIBLE EXCELLENCES.

In pursuing our view of this condition of man,
it seems desirable that we should consider with
more precision, the facts and the state of mind
which distinctly and precisely mark it. I have
spoken of the misery, the danger, and the guilt
which attend upon it. But these are not the only
aspects under which it should be regarded. It is
often attended with many apparent personal ex-
cellences; — many traits and attributes which seem
to be most desirable in the character of man ; and
which are precious indeed, if they are sanctified
by the Divine Spirit, and carried forward, as the
attributes of a really Christian character. To
represent the man Avithout Christ, as necessarily,
and always, the agent of manifest and open de-
pravity; as having no trait which can adorn the
human station, or dignify and exalt the character
of man, would be manifestly unjust. This I have
not attempted to do. It is equally unnecessary.
We may concede to him all that he can rightly
claim. We may form our estimate of his charac-
ter, wholly by his own acknowledgments. We
may give him full credit for every thing which is
really his own. Neither the argument which we

344 WITHOUT CHRIST.

hold with him, nor the cause of truth which we
plead hefore him, require any extravagance or
deception to make them perfectly distinct and
clear. The ground w hich we occupy is entirely
plain and demonstrable. The conclusions to
which we are conducted, in connection with it,
are w holly undeniable. We thus stand upon the
rock of unshaken and eternal truth, while we
faithfully describe and openly warn the ungodly.
By the manifestation of the truth, we commend
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight
of God.

We may therefore concede to the man without
Christ, a highly cultivated intellect. Blinded as
his understanding may be, to a spiritual discern-
ment of the things which God reveals, he may
be, by no means, an ignorant man. The natural
powers of his mind may be highly elevated. The
acquisitions which they have enabled him to
make, may be varied and profound. His ability to
be useful to his fellow-men is thus great. His
actual usefulness in their earthly concerns, may
be great also. His mental stores, gathered with
care, arranged w ith order, brought out with the
elegance of refinement and wisdom, may render
him extensively attractive, instructive, and popu-
lar, in the society of men. But what has all this
to do with a redeeming God ? The man may still
be an infidel, w ith regard to the very truth of the
divine revelation itself. And all that glittering
variety of intellectual attainment, may be shining
in the wedded embraces of a scoffing spirit ; like
the magnificent brilliants wiiich are employed, to
decorate the base and hideous stock of a Hindoo

WITHOUT CHRIST. 345

idol, or the jewels which adorn a harlot's brow.
Even if this be not the fact, the wisdom of man
gives no security against it. There is no san'^tify-
ing influence in mere intellectual power. The
understanding of all .mysteries, and all knowledge,
separated from the transforming power of the love
of God, by the Holy Ghost, leaves the man with-
out Christ still to perish, with beings of far higher
intelligence, in a similar condemnation. And
though he may be a man of highly cultivated mind,
he is still, as voluntarily without a Saviour, a man
unconverted, — under condemnation, — having no
hope, and without God in the world.

He may be a man of a reaUij serious temper. It
is not necessary to suppose him light, trifling, and
profane. All this class of loose and careless im-
piety he may truly abhor, and utterly shun. His
tendency of mind may lead him to estimate very
highly, the importance of religion, and of divine
worship, to the right ordering of a household, and
the peaceful constraint of a community. He may
see most clearly how certainly the contempt of
the Holy Scriptures, the habitual violation of the
Sabbath, and the neglect of the decencies of pub-
lic worship, and of the claims of divine authority,
break down the most important and abiding bar-
riers against the inroads of human lawlessness
and vice, and rive asunder the strongest securities
of the lives and property of men. And, though he
may secretly doubt the very inspiration of the
Scriptures, and almost question whether there be
a Deity, or no, still he may confess that man has
seen no other book of morals or precepts like this,
and that it would be a dark and dreadful day for

15*

346 WITHOUT CHRIST.

earth, which should blot out the power of the be-
lief that there is a God w ho judgeth in the worlds
even though it were certainly nothing more than
a fiction of man. This temper of mind will lead
him to support and encourage the public worship
of God ; to give his countenance to all the institu-
tions of the Gospel in the community ; to uphold
and sanction the power of religious restraint in
the family ; and even to make himself habitually
familiar with the instructions which the Bible
contains. But to what does all this amount, but
the following out a naturally grave and quiet
temper ? — or the pursuit of the purposes of selfish
interest ? — or, if any thing beyond, the intentional
bestowal of outward countenance upon that which
is secretly disbelieved ? And what is this last but
mere hypocrisy ? When this serious temper is
sifted and examined at the last, the man is still
without Christ. And if it be true, that there is sal-
vation in no other name, and that he who believ-
eth not in Him, must be damned ; what possible
prospect is there before the man in this condition,
but everlasting destruction ?

He may be entirely upright, in his outward,
earthly intercourse with his fellow-men. He may
pursue this course, not from a mere low desire of
gain, but from an inward purpose of proud integ-
rity, a real disgust at all which is mean, delusive,
and fraudulent in the dealings of mankind. In the
fine conception of a distinguished writer, " his
eye, when turned on empty space, beams keen
with honour." It would require a stronger temp-
tation than he has ever met, to induce him to
enrich himself by frauds upon the ignorance, or

WITHOUT CHRIST. 347

oppression upon the weakness of his fellow-men.
You may fearlessly intrust to his care uncounted
money ; justly convinced, that you shall receive
from him again, all that is your own. This is a
most valuable and dignified attitude of character;
when man not only shuns participation in those
wholesale frauds, which scatter distress and ruin
in the community around, but when he cannot be
satisfied with any thing short of the fulfilment of
the least requirements of justice and equity. And
yet all may be mere worldly integrity, and have
in it no principle of real religion. It does not in
any degree, respect the great fact, that God hath
redeemed, and will judge the world, by His own
equal and glorified Son. This you are ready to
acknowledge. But then you say. Is it not far
better than professed religion without integrity ?
This we concede ; — nay, still further allow, that
there is no aspect of human character more dis-
gusting and hateful than a fraudulent religionist ;
a man who assumes the profession and title of a
follower of the Lord Jesus, and yet wounds Him
in the world continually, by undeniable faithless-
ness in his contracts and his promises. But the
consideration of this character, is not our present
point. We are estimating the worth of integrity
to men, without love to God ; not of a professed
love to God, which is manifestly false, because
destitute of integrity to men. And may not this
man be thus upright, and yet never have bent a
knee in secret prityer, — nor have so much as
thought, with desire, of the salvation which is
offered in the blood of Jesus Christ the Lord ? Is
he not, therefore, a man without Christ ? And is

348 WITHOUT CHRIST.

he not necessarily exposed to all the proper
results attendant upon this condition? — Even
though, if the very secrets of his habitual conduct
could be openly displayed, it should be really
proved, that he had never voluntarily defrauded
a human being of a single farthing ?

He may be a man of great domestic amiability.
There may be a suavity in his demeanour, a kind-
ness in his manners, — nay, a real tenderness of
affection towards those who are united to him in
life, which shall render him the idol of the house-
hold. In every relation which he sustains in life,
from that of a child to that of a parent, he may
have justly won for himself, the affections of cor-
responding relatives, and the universal respect of
those who have observed him. This is a most
attractive and really valuable aspect of character.
Those who are mourning under the corroding
power of natural fretfulness of temper, either in
themselves or others, best know" how to value it,
and are most ready to magnify its worth. And
w hen this dove-like spirit is sanctified, and brought
by the Spirit of God, under the dominion of heav-
enly grace, and of divine motiv es, it constitutes,
perhaps, the most beautiful exhibition of which
the character of man is susceptible. It seems like
the very link which binds the human to the an-
gelic station. But then we must not be deceived
by false estimates of its worth. It is not piety.
It is not a new nature. Its possessor may never
have put on Christ; nor even in one single desire,
or thought, have respected Him as an object of
reverence, through the whole of life. Nay, all
this blandness and domestic excellence may be

WITHOUT CHRIST. 349

united with an utter disregard of religion ; some-
times with the most intense hatred for it. It is
sometimes the fact, that tlie only subject which
ever seems competent to rouse up the anger
which is hidden beneath, and to turn the law of
kindness habitually upon the lips, to words of bit-
terness and wrath, is the one blessed subject of
redemption for the ungodly, through the blood of
God's dear Son; and the pressing upon the heart
of the motives which this amazing love from God
suggests. The attribute of which we speak, has
its reward, and a very abundant reward, in the
happiness which it brings to its possessor; and in
the approbation and kindness which it wins, as a
constant tribute from others. But its possessor
has never done any thing for God ; and he cannot
be allowed to come with the Lord's servants, for
the recompense which is given in His vineyard,
wiien his life has been spent in planting strange
slips in the vineyard of another. Unwashed in
that precious fountain which Christ hath opened,
and unbelieving in that glorious righteousness
which Christ hath provided, he is still without
Christ ; and if there be salvation in no other, he
is still without salvation, and has neither part nor
lot in any hope which extends beyond the grave.
He may be a man of benevolent feelings towards
his fellow-men. His kindness of temper may ex-
tend entirely beyond the mere circle of his do-
mestic scene. I do not now speak of mere sen-
sibility to suffering ; though that is by no means to
be undervalued. I honour the spirit that would
weep over the agonies of the poor wounded bird,
far more highly than the skilful indifference w hich

350 WITHOUT CHRIST.

delights in its causeless destruction. I speak of
actual efforts of kindness, in works of benefi-
cence to mankind. There may be a liberality to
the poor, the possible extent of which, though
w holly separated from the love of God, the inpired
Apostle estimates, as " giving all our goods" to
feed them. There may be, in reference to the
temporal wants and sorrows of mankind, a large-
ness of heart, like the sand upon the sea-shore,
wdiich makes unceasing provision and effort for
their relief; endowing hospitals for the sick, asy-
lums for the suffering, and schools for the young ;
never refusing bread to the hungry, or raiment to
the naked. But do we undervalue all this ? By
no means. Do we place it in an antagonist posi-
tion to true religion ? Far from it. We only
show that it may exist, separate from real re-
ligion ; — though true piety can never subsist with-
out these also as its fruits. All this benevolence
of which I speak, has no respect to Christ, or His
Gospel. Thousands of its suffering objects may
still say, in reference to its possessors and agents,
" No man cared for my soul." Infidelity may use
it, as a chosen weapon against the Gospel. Ab-
solute hostility to Ciirist may boast of its fruits,
as the magicians of Pharaoh did of their miracles,
as if they rendered divine interposition unneces-
sary and useless. It may scoff at the poor spirit
which would lay aside all confidence in such
works of righteousness which we have done, to
find and embrace the offer of an undeserved sal-
vation, merely in a revealed atonement for guilt,
and in the declared obedience of an unseen Sav

WITHOUT CHRIST. 351

iour. Thus manifestly, may such a man be with-
out Christ.

But while we freely concede to the man with-
out Christ, all this, — the possible possession of
intellectual cultivation, seriousness of temper, in-
tegrity in trust, domestic amiability, and general
beneficence, — and assert that they do not affect
his condition, in the relation in which we now
view it ; we may go still farther, and allow the
man without Christ to possess certain states and
exercises of mind, which are attendant upon a truly
religious character, but which are still separable
from it. He may be thoroughly weaned in his
desires from the present world, and dissatisfied
with it as a portion. The extent of this feeling
in unsanctified men, is often truly alarming. Their
proud disgust with the faithlessness of other men,
amounts to a hatred of mankind. Their weari-
ness with the disappointments of the human con-
dition, drives them to desire the dark relief of
suicide. They loathe the world in which they
dwell. None others can speak in stronger terms,
or with more sincerity, of its thorough emptiness,
and worthlessness, as a portion for the aft'ections
of man. But hatred of the world is not love for
God ; — though love of the world is enmity against
Him. The very things of the world, for which
the man without Christ hates it — its disappoint-
ments and its trials, — are the seeds of the peacea-
ble fruits of righteousness to the servants of God.
The things in it which he loves, the prosperity
of a course of sin, are those which the servants
of God most fear ; and against the power of which
they watch the most earnestly. Yet this weari-

352 WITHOUT CHRIST.

ness of earth in the human mind is too often mis-
taken for a desire for heaven. In long-continued
affliction and suffering, it is a dangerous tempta-
tion to self-deceit. There may be no love for
Christ, no gratitude for redemption, no joy in
communion with God, no delight in prayer, no
longing for holiness, no groaning under the bur-
den of secret sin, no meetness for the inheritance
of the saints in light ; — and yet there may be a
dissatisfaction with the gains and giddiness of
earth, a voluntary alienation of mind from all the
objects of mere earthly pursuit, which the pos-
sessor may fondly hope has been given him from
above. But the children of God are not wearied
with life ; nor rebellious under His appointments in
it ; nor complaining of the lot which He has cast
for them in it. If they find such a tendency in
themselves, they uniformly check and renounce
it. They cannot be deluded into an encourage-
ment of it, as if it were desirable, or a duty.
They desire and endeavour, in whatsoever state
they are, therewith to be content. They strive
to do all things which are required of them,
through Christ, who strengtheneth tliem. This
is their duty and their desire. Man may have all
of mere earthly dissatisfaction, therefore, and still
be without Christ.

The man without Christ may have much awak-
ened feeling in connection with the interests of
his soul, and a frequent, deep conviction of his
sin. The solemn testimonies of the word of God
may often arrest his thoughts, and fasten them-
selves upon his conscience. The majestic voice
of the divine law may sound an alarm throughout

WITHOUT CHRIST. 353

his soul, and arouse, with an irresistible power,
every dormant feelinf^, in anxiety for himself.
The facts of his guilt in the sight of God, may
shine out in his terror-stricken memory, as if
written with the lightning's glare. Abhorrent
as may be the consciousness and the confession
of his guilt, he may as readily deny or forget his
very being, as the degradation of character which
is made so apparent to his view. This conviction
may be permanent, powerful, always present, and
yet the man, though he feels himself to be a sin-
ner, still be voluntarily without Christ. There
is a manifest line which separates his condition in
its highest attainments, from a state of accept-
ance, hope, and peace with God. At that divid-
ing line, the converted heart yields to the divine
power, — feels a godly sorrow for the sin which is
perceived, — looks with an humble faith to the
glorious Saviour who is there revealed, — puts on
Christ, in a simple affectionate choice of Him
as a portion, and dependance upon Him as an
Almighty Lord, — is created anew by the Holy
Ghost after His image, and becomes a new crea-
ture in Him. The man who is in Christ, has
crossed that line of spiritual experience, and
travels onward in the land which God has given
him, to an endless rest. The Holy Spirit brought
him to that line, in a real conviction of his sin.
There, the question which is proposed by God,
and answered by man, is, " Will you now grate-
fully receive and follow the Blessed Lord, whom
you have so long rejected ?" His glad reply was,
" When thou saidst, seek ye my face ; my heart
said, thy face, Lord, will I seek." But the man

354 WITHOUT CHRIST.

without Christ may be brought up to that b'lie
repeatedly, under the awakened conviction of his
conscience to his sin. There may seem nothing
for him to do, but gladly to bow to the Saviour,
who is there presented to him. No apparent
reason can be suggested why he does not avail
himself of a privilege so important to him. Deep
surrounding anxiety may be felt by others, that
he should not cast away from him, the hope of
eternal life. And yet he may perversely refuse
the Saviour's voice, and go back, with increased
hardness of heart, to a state of voluntary unbe-
lief and sin. He is far from being unawakened,
or indifferent, or unconvinced. He is not far
from the kingdom of God. But he is still with-
out Christ. He has now chosen to cast His cords
from him. You may trace him back, sometimes
to absolute impiety and scoffing ; — sometimes to
seek oblivion in intemperance and profligacy ; —
and sometimes to work out a salvation for him-
self, by the vain sufferings and services of super-
stition. But though he has deep convictions of
sin, he is without Christ. And if it be true, that
they only have life, who come to Christ, and re-
ceive Him; it must be equally true, that he is
necessarily without life, for he will not come.
He hath no hope, and is without God in the world.
I have thus endeavored to trace certain attri-
butes of character which the man without Christ
may have. They are attributes which, in other
connection, would be most valuable to the well-
being of man, and to the Lord's glory. But they
cannot, in themselves, alter the hopeless condition
in which he stands, — a condition from w^hich a

WITHOUT CHRIST. 355

real spiritual union with Christ can alone rescue
him. Amidst all these advantages, because he
still rejects the offered Saviour, his condition is
comfortless, and his soul is without hope. The
Saviour is driven from his heart. His own imagi-
nary excellence and attainments in virtue, are
made the very reason of his refusal of the salvation
which Jesus offers. And he lives and dies in the
determination to answer for, and justify himself.
If he cannot do this, his soul is lost.

O that men would think of the hazard which
they thus assume, and cease from their own vain
works, as any foundation for future hope, and cast
themselves in faith upon Him who is able to sus-
tain them ! May the Gracious Lord mercifully
bless these thoughts to those who read them, as
an instrument of awakening them from all self-
confidence, and of leading them in a real guid-
ance to Christ.

CHAPTER XXVI.

NECESSARY DEFICIENCIES.

We have already considered some of the attri-
butes and states of mind and character, which a
man without Christ may possess^ which are in
themselves highly attractive, and in many re-
spects valuable. I have no disposition to detract
in the least degree from the worth or beauty of
these traits. But I think it has been clearly
proved, that he may possess all these, and still
be without Christ, and therefore, if there be hope
and salvation in no other, still without hope. But
the full description of his state is by no means
finished, until we have also considered the attri-
butes in which he is necessm'ily deficient, as well
as those which he may really possess. This is
the purpose now before us.

There are certain facts which are peculiar to
the condition of the man who is in Christ, and
which the man who is without Christ cannot have,
as marks appertaining to his character. I am
aware of the extreme delicacy, and of the vast
importance and responsibility, of this delinea-
tion of spiritual character. I desire to rest upon
the promises and guidance of the Divine Spirit,
both to lead my own mind into truth in connection

WITHOUT CHRIST. 357

with this subject, and to make that truth impres-
sive and effectual in the minds of others.

I think it clear, that the man who voluntarily
remains without Christ, cannot have a real con-
viction of his guilt in injecting the Gospel from his
heart. The Saviour teaches us what is the con-
vincing work of the Holy Spirit. " When the
Comforter is come, he shall reprove the world of
sin, because they believe not in me." All true
conviction of sin is the work of the Holy Spirit.
When He awakens and convinces the mind that
He leads to a knowledge and experience of the
truth. He gives this peculiar view of the sinfulness
of man. He makes him to feel the guiltiness of
his life arising from this fact. Man under His in-
fluence, beholds himself a sinner, chiefly in his
rejection of the saving power and authority of the
Gospel. The man without Christ may have a
conviction of sin. Esau had such a conviction,
when he uttered his exceeding bitter cry for the
blessing which he had lost, Judas had such a
conviction when he exclaimed, " I have betrayed
the innocent blood." Simon Magus had such a
conviction, though he was still in the gall of bit-
terness, and in the bond of iniquity. St. Paul de-
clares such a conviction to be a sorrow of the
world which worketh death. Such a conviction
rests wholly upon the outward acts of life ; — upon
manifest violations of divine commands, in the
external conduct of man. It arises from a dread
of the condemnation and loss to which such trans-
gressions must lead. It is wholly selfish in its
character and operation ; — having no other view
of sin than that which is connected with man's

358 WITHOUT CHRIST.

own interest. The man who is led as a penitent
sinner to Christ feels all this guilt of his outward
conduct. But he feels much more beyond this.
He sees the guilt of his condition as a voluntary
rejecter of divine grace ; — the guilt of his state of
mind, as an unbeliever in the Son of God ; — the
guilt of his secret neglect and disregard of Christ
as a Divine Saviour. He feels the condemnation
for his past life to be, not only, that in ten thou-
sand things he has manifestly offended against the
law of God, but also, and above this, that he has
loved the darkness of his sinful state ; and that he
has ungratefully refused the offered light and love
of God the Saviour. He is thus convinced of sin,
because he has not believed in the only-begotten
Son of God. The man without Christ has no such
secret view of guilt. He feels it rather a strange
proceeding, and a hard measure, that this should
be spoken of as guilt at all. He will confess him-
self a sinner ; — but the rebellion of his soul, in
long silently rejecting God's dear Son from His
rightful control over it, he does not feel or under-
stand. He cannot truly say. My chief view of
guilt within myself, is in the fact, that I have so
long ungratefully neglected a Divine Saviour: —
in this I see the exceeding sinfulness of sin. But
no other conviction of sin will lead the soul to
Christ. Conviction of sin can only lead, in any
instance, to the renunciation of that which is felt
in it to be the sin. Real faith in Christ can never
grow but from the conviction of the extreme guilt
of unbelief. In this all-important state of mind,
and view of himself, the man without Christ,

WITHOUT CHRIST. 359

whatever he may have, is always deficient. He
has no real conviction of his sin.

The man without Christ cannot have a real sor-
row for 8171. We are taught by the Apostle, that
there is more than one kind of sorrow for sin.
" Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salva-
tion. The sorrow of the world worketh death."
They are both sorrow. But their issues and re-
sults are everlastingly opposite. The man with-
out Christ is often sorry for his sin. If he remain
finally without Christ, he will be everlastingly
sorry for sin. The abode of future punishment
for sin, is the abode of weeping and wailing for-
ever. But this is a sorrow which worketh death.
It arises from an experience of the present results
of sin, and from a fear of its future consequences.
It is a sorrow completely selfish, without the least
regard to the honour or government of God, as
in any 'degree concerned in man's transgression.
But a true godly sorrow for sin springs from a
sense of guilt, — not from an experience or fear of
punishment. It has a regard to the glory and the
goodness of God, and not to the mere effects of
sin upon the sinner himself. It is therefore a per-
manent principle in the heart of man, even when
sin has been forgiven, and punishment has been
withdrawn forever. Such a sorrow^, which is the
only availing vSorrow for sin, the man without
Christ can never have. He sees no guilt in his
refusal of a Saviour's kindness, or in his rejection
of the spiritual pow er of His revelation. He can
therefore have no mourning connected with his
conduct towards Him. Go to him in his secret
hours of grief, — if there be a time when the silent

360 WITHOUT CHRIST.

tear falls from liis eye, or the sleepless hour be-
comes the index of an anxious mind, — and should
he reveal the real cause of his mourning, it is not
his neglect of God, his ingratitude to Christ, his
resistance of the Spirit. These facts do not se-
cretly rise before him, as reasons for inward grief.
If he mourn at all for sin, it is only for that
which he believes to be sin, in the manifest trans-
gressions of relative duty of which he has been
guilty. Far more frequently, his sorrow has no
connection with his sins ; but arises from the un-
welcome facts and circumstances which he per-
ceives in his condition. Whatever may be his
apparent excellences of personal character, or the
promising aspects of his state of mind ; this true
sorrow for sin, the man without Christ never pos-
sesses, nor is able adequately to understand.

The man without Christ can have no real love
for the will, the service, or the worship of the Saviour
of men. In how many instances and passages in
the Holy Scriptures, love to Christ is made the
discriminating test of character to His disciples, I
hardly need to remind you. " He that loveth me,
keepeth my commandments." — " He that loveth,
is born of God." — "He that loveth, fulfilleth the
law." — "He that loveth not, knoweth not God." —
" I know you, that ye have not the love of God in
you." These are some of the divine testimonies
upon this subject. To the man in Christ, the
Saviour's service is perfect freedom. He delights
to do His will. He grieves if he cannot do it. He
loves His worship. To be a door-keeper in His
house, is in his estimation a higher privilege, and
a more just object of desire, than to be the

WITHOUT CHRIST. 361

possessor and ruler of the tents of ungodliness.
Involuntary neglect and forgetfulness of the Re-
deemer in his heart, gives him unfeigned grief.
Coldness of affection towards Him is a source of
real sorrow and humiliation. He can truly say,
that he has no pleasures on earth to be compared
with the joys of a Saviour's service, and the sal-
vation which he has received from Him. This is
a state of mind which the man without Christ can
never have. Religious subjects may often occur
to his thoughts, as involving a very serious and
important duty. He may, perhaps, sometimes
consider and realize in some degree, the value of
the benefits which are to be derived from the
favour of God. But he has no conception of en-
joyment, privilege, pleasure, delight, in an obe-
dient following of Christ. He is not attracted to
His service, by any such feelings or views. The
Son of God is no object of personal affection to
him. To labour for Him, to be spent in His ser-
vice, to be able to promote His glory, seems to be
no important end of life in his view. He is not
conscious of any feeling that he can call love for
Christ, or a desire for His service, as in itself a
privilege. However excellent his character may
appear in other respects, in the view of man ; he
is in this, wholly and necessarily destitute of a
proper state of mind towards the great Saviour
and Friend of perishing sinners.

The man without Christ, can have no habit of
cordial prayer. Prayer is the utterance and ex-
pression of actual wants, in supplication to God ;
and not the habitual utterance of solemn words
alone. The man without Christ may be in the

16

362 WITHOUT CHRIST.

latter sense, a man of prayer. The world is full
of such. He may keep all the canonical hours,
go through a daily liturgy, fast twice in the week,
and, like the prophets of Baal, make the air re-
sound with his vain cries, and torment himself
with sufferings equally vain. But all this is not
prayer. There will not be a single acceptable
offering of supplication in it. Saul of Tarsus thus
prayed, according to the straitesl sect of his re-
ligion, from his youth up. But when the hour of
his conversion came, one of the leading evidences
which the Lord announces of his new state of
mind is, "Behold, he prayeth." Every man who
has been brought to Christ, has experience of this.
His vain oblations of form have yielded to the sin-
cere expression of new desires, with which his
heart is now filled. He has ceased to say or
repeat his prayers merely; and he now prays
with the heart and in the spirit, — not because it is
his duty to pray, but because he feels his need,
and knows that the power of God alone is able to
supply it. His experience and habit now are,
new and cordial supplication to the God and Fa-
ther of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mer-
cies, and God of all comfort. The man without
Christ has no such habit. He will not call always
upon God. He knows not how to pray. Of all
the privileges and joys which come from accept-
able prayer, he is destitute and ignorant. To a
great extent, he will generally neglect even the
serious observ^tnce of the form of prayer. Of the
spirit of prayer, he knows nothing. Li a simple,
cordial reliance upon the name of Jesus, with a
deep feeling of his own wants, he asks nothing.

WITHOUT CHRIST. 363

He is without Christ, — and in this condition, he
is habitually a prayerless man.

The man without Christ has 7io feeling of con-
fidence m God. Trust in God is a peculiar char-
acteristic of a filial relation to Him. The natural
feeling; of the heart towards God, is dread and
apprehension. He may be feared by man in this
state. He may be in an outward manner rev-
erenced: But he cannot be loved, or confided
in. The sinner is happier when he forgets Him,
than when he thinks of Him. The more com-
pletely he can pass his life without God, and
without a reference to God, the more quiet is his
mind, and the more prosperous is his condition.
Nothing more disturbs his peace, or breaks up
the harmony of his spirit, than to have God
brought near to him in the power of His provi-
dence, or in the piercing truth of His word. The
man without Christ never gains this confidence
in God, of which I speak, — in the state of mind
in God towards himself, — in the care of God over
him, — in God's acceptance of him,— in God's
kind remembrance of him, until he is led to ac-
cept of divine reconciliation in Christ, and in
Him to be reconciled himself to God. Then he
becomes one with God in Christ ; and his feel-
ings are affectionate dependance and trust in Him,
as a Father, a Benefactor, and a Friend. The
value and importance of this feeling I need not
here stop to consider. It lies at the foundation
of all the real comfort of human life. But while
man is without Christ, he cannot have this state
of mind. He is a stranger to God. He feels him-
self to be so;— afraid of His judgments, alarmed

364 WITHOUT CHRIST.

at His approach, and unwilling to trust himself
to Him. From this cause, when conscious sin
presses upon him he has no peace. When suffer-
ings and distresses encompass him, he has no ref-
uge. When earthly friends and hopes fail him,
he has no compensating recourse to One more
permanent and mightier than they.

The man without Christ has 7io clear and con-
soling hope for an eternal world. He may not be-
lieve that he shall be lost for eternity ; — because
he is either deluded with the belief that no one
will be lost, or else is not sufficiently alive to the
subject, to consider the future prospects or likeli-
hoods of any. It would be a happy thing for
him, were he really awakened to feel and under-
stand the danger of his soul. His unbelief or in-
difference surely cannot be called hope. Hope
implies an object of desire and thought, and
the exercise of desire and thought upon it. His
state of mind produces neither of these, in con-
nection with eternity. He may be thoroughly
disgusted with the present world. But his anti-
dote to this, the remedy which he would secretly
propose and desire, would not be an exchange
for heaven, but a remodelling of earth under his
own direction. Take away the objectionable
things in his earthly condition, and he would
cheerfully agree to remain in it forever. He has
no real hope of any thing better. Yet how many
mistake the calmness of indifference and unbe-
lief in regard to a future world, for hope. No
two things can be more unlike in fact. Take an
affectionate son or husband from our happy land
to China, for a season of years, with the certain

WITHOUT CHRIST. 365

prospect of a future return to the collected ob-
jects of his affection at home. He is upheld by
hope of this return in all the labours and depri-
vations of his absence. But he is surrounded by
multitudes, who are perfectly indifferent to his
native land, — perhaps incredulous of the real ex-
istence of such a land. How very different is the
joy of his hope, from the calmness of their incre-
dulity and unconcern ! Hope is positive, actual,
and gives occupation to the thoughts, desires,
and plans. This is the hope of the man who is
in Christ. He is not dissatisfied with his present
life. His mind is daily grateful and happy to-
wards God, who here loadeth him with benefits.
But God has provided far better things for him ;
and in looking forward to them, he rejoices in
hope of the glory of God. The man without
Christ has no such hope. The most he can ever
profess in regard to an everlasting world to come,
is an unbelief that he shall be lost. Any clear,
consoling assurance, that he shall certainly be
saved, founded upon reasons which have satisfied
his investigation, and meet his demands and judg-
ment, he has never had. This is an attribute
which cannot appertain to his condition. All
hope for man in an eternal world is connected
indissolubly with Christ, who alone has brought
life and immortality to light. There is salvation
in no other. And the man who is without Christ,
is of necessity, a man without hope.

The man without Christ has no anxious concern
for the souls of his fellow-men. The doubts which
he has of the absolute need of a Saviour for him-
self, are equally operative in reference to the

366 WITHOUT CHRIST,

spiritual interests of others. He does not believe
them to be in a lost condition. He cannot feel
any mourning- or sorrow for their state ; or any
anxious desire for their salvation ; or any willing-
ness to exert himself, or to deny himself in any
way, that this salvation may be promoted. If he
is ready to contribute of his money for the spread-
ing of the Gospel, it is with some other view,
than a real belief of the danger of those who are
destitute of its blessings. His beneficence habit-
ually limits itself to the temporal wants of men,
because they are the only wants of which he is
conscious, or by the suffering of which he feels
disturbed. If in any way, he is led to unite in
efforts for the relief of the spiritual suffering of
men; he is ready, even then, to make the need
of those immediately connected with him, the
reason for rejecting all concern for any persons
beyond these limits. Now it is almost needless
to speak of the variance of this mind, from the
mind which was in Christ. He who came from
heaven to earth to save the sinner's soul, and
cheerfully endured the extreme of his earthly sor-
rows, that He might effectually relieve his spiritual
sufferings and wants has given an example so
different from this, that a child must see the con-
trast. The man who is in Christ, has the mind
which was in Christ. He feels, and prays, and la-
bours for the salvation of the souls of his fellow-
men. He earnestly desires their deliverance from
the power of sin, and their acceptance of Christ,
as their hope of glory. But he learns this lesson
only at a Saviour's feet, and from a Saviour's Spirit.
It is Christ alone who is able to impart the gift.

WITHOUT CHRIST, 367

And while man is witliout Christ, he is necessa-
rily wholly destitute of it.

The man who is without Christ, does nothing
with the honour of Christ as the motive of his actions.
The Glorious Saviour is the centre, around whom
the actions of a real Christian are ever i-evolvin"".
Whatsoever he does, his desire is to do it unto the
Lord, and not unto men ; — not as a man-pleaser,
but doing the will of God from his heart. The
man without Christ, has no such view in any of
his acts. Neither his seriousness, nor his integ-
rity, nor his amiableness, nor his beneficence, are
for the Lord's sake, or designed for the Lord's
honour. This fact constitutes an immense differ-
ence between any two acts of the two men de-
scribed, which may be alike in every other par-
ticular. The one acts for Christ; the other acts
for himself, or for other men. The one, however
he may fail of human approbation, has the entire
favour and acceptance of his Lord. The other,
if men do not honour and repay him, has lost the
w hole result of his labour in any recompense for
himself. This distinction between them can only
be altered, by a change in the condition of the
man without Christ. He must put on Christ, and
become one with Him, before he can make it the
purpose of his heart, to live and labour for His
glory.

These are some of the attributes which it is
perfectly manifest, a man without Christ cannot
have. They will mark the wants of his character
and his state, with sufficient accuracy. It is not
necessary to enlarge upon them further. They

368 WITHOUT CHRIST

are commended in the fear of God, and the hum-
ble desire to be useful to my fellow-men, to the
solemn consideration of my readers. May God
graciously grant, that His word shall not return to
Him void.

CHAPTER XXVIl.

SOLEMN ANTICIPATIONS.

Having gone through this extensive view of the
man without Christ, considered in the unhappi-
ness, danger, and guilt of his condition ; it becomes
us, in conclusion, to glance for a moment at the
issue of his course. There is a solemn hour before
him of separation from earth, and of trial before
God. He may trust in his vain spe.culations,
while the day of evil is postponed. He may bury
his convictions of want in pressing occupations,
while occupation may be pursued. He may riot in
his rebellion, while an avenging God seems to stand
afar off. But in the hour when he is compelled
to yield up his spirit, to be judged by God who
gave it, the fears of his awakened conscience will
rarely be suppressed. Then he will be unable to
conceal from himself, his actual condition. The
awful dangers which encompass him will be ac-
knowledged. And he will stand out as he is, to
perceive, and to display, the real character and
tendency of the principles and course which he
has adopted, in a death-bed without Christ.
There is an overwhelming majesty in the near
approach of God, — so holy, so mighty, — which
causes the unconverted soul to sink in despera-

16*

370 WITHOUT CHRIST.

tion. The heart of guilty man cannot brave out
the terrors of that approach. He feels his sepa-
ration from that Glorious Being, and his misery, his
insignificance, and his guilt while thus separated.
He trembles while reflecting upon himself. He
feels that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the Living God. There is then no room for
flattery, and no covering for truth. The awakened
conscience testifies ; — and appetite, and indul-
gence, and worldly lusts, have lost all their power
to repel the charge, or to alleviate the pain. The
sinner will cry out in the anguish of his soul, " O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me
from the body of this death V What expressions
of sorrow and remorse does the approach of death
often extort from the guilty man, in a review of
his abused and wasted life ! How earnestly does
he wish that he might but have his time again ; a
single further opportunity of knowing and doing
the will of God ! Deep anguish agitates his soul.
The midnight hour has come. The voice of the
bridegroom standing at the door, is heard. But
he is entirely without a readiness to meet Him;
and trembles at the prospect of beholding his
offended God, face to face. Lamentations without
consolation, make up the whole experience of his
soul. Every view of that which is passed, and of
that which is to come, fills him with distress.
Perhaps his excessive pride may, in a degree, con-
ceal the wants and miseries of his soul. He may
attempt to maintain the appearance of an entire
indiff'erence, which shall be above every acknowl-
edgment of the deep emotions of his awakened
spirit. He may profess full dependance in his own

WITHOUT CHRIST. 371

integrity, and go forward to the judgment-seat,
avowing his own innocence, and refusing all ac-
knowledgments of guilt. Perhaps he may be
allowed ignorantly to slide into an everlasting
world, while deluding friends around combine to
conceal the awful fact. Earthly trifles may be
presented to his view, to divert him from a possi-
ble thought of the eternity which is before him.
The glad tidings of the Gospel may be shut out,
because they will make him anxious and gloomy.
Men and devils are conspiring to destroy a soul
that Christ has purchased, and would gladly save.
But even here, the revelation of the vengeance
of God upon his guilt, is but for a little postponed.
Soon he will awake to discover the real wretch-
edness of his condition ; and in eternal rage and
anguish, utter forth his useless imprecations upon
his own folly, in being thus deluded, and the
enormity of their guilt, in combining to deceive
him. But even these temporary delusions, are
exceptions in the history of man. The sinner's
death is habitually a violent tearing of him from a
w^orld beloved, — an awful avulsion ! He clings to
every hope of life, like a drowning man. He can-
not bear to die. Hell is stirred up to meet him
at his coming. Go, grasp a man, and drag him to
the mouth of a heated furnace, and attempt with
force to plunge him into the flames ! Take him
to the giddy height of a precipice, and try to throw
him headlong down ! — with what desperate vehe-
mence does he shrink back from a certain ruin !
Thus is the sinner driven away in his wicked-
ness ; — a resistless force constrains him. He dare
not go on, — he cannot stop. His sins are all lying

372 WITHOUT CHRIST.

upon him. He is unpardoned, pressed down with
an intolerable load. The nearer he approaches
to the presence of God, the more he hates Him,
and the more anxiously he labours to avoid Him.
What wretchedness can be greater ! What suf-
fering more insupportable ! It is all because he
is without Christ. An accepted, trusted Saviour,
would have removed all this load, and filled him
with perfect and eternal peace. But he has lived,
and he dies, without Him ; and his soul is far oif
from peace.

But he has another anticipation still. He must
stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Dragged
from every pleasurable scene and possession, he
has nothing there but despair and anguish. The
indignation of Jehovah will consume him as stub-
ble in the fire. He may call in vain, upon rocks
and mountains, to hide him from the face of God
and the wrath of the Lamb. Conscious of his
utter inability to stand in that fearful day, he
would gladly shrink into annihilation, in the pros-
pect of its solemn retributions upon his guilty soul.
But God cannot be mocked. They who have
sowed to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corrup-
tion. The sinner can look upon that crucified
One, whom he heedlessly despised and trampled
upon, only with the most overwhelming fear and
aversion. He would gladly avoid Him, and fly
from Him if he could. He would delight to over-
turn His power, to destroy His right to judge, and
to break up the authority, before which he trem-
bles in dismay. He sinks in the prospect of meet-
ing Him, in unutterable despair. He has no claim
which will stand the test of God's examination;

WITHOUT CHRIST. 373

no garment of righteousness, in which he may
wrap himself; no argument to plead against the
sentence of condemnation from his Judge. His
own conscience confesses the justice of the divine
determination. His mouth is speechless from all
excuse. And God is proclaimed righteous in His
judgment upon the ungodly. It is a judgment
seat, with Christ upon the throne ; but without
Christ in the sinner's soul. O, could he there
have this righteous Advocate with God, all would
be well. His crimson sins would be forgiven,
and his guilty soul rejoice in the peace of God.
But he is without Christ ; — this he has chosen as
his portion, and he now reaps the harvest he has
sown. He is condemned forever. There is now
a final separation, and another solemn anticipa-
tion. He is to be without Christ forever. Ban-
ished from God, and from the fellowship of the
redeemed, he is driven into endless woe. The
result of his choice is now unchangeable. Eter-
nity will but continue unceasingly to reveal the
consequences of his folly. Consigned to an eter-
nal rebellion, there is an endless punishment for
an endless iniquity. He will never be brought
to repentance. Though suffering forever for sin,
he will have no true sorrow for it. He will mourn
for his misery, not for his guilt. He will hate
God forever, more and more ; but he will never
be grieved that he has sinned against Him. The
presence of Jesus, gives all the peace which
eternity can bring to man. He goes from the
throne of Jesus, cast out from His presence for-
ever. The compassion of God shines upon him
no more. He looks around upon others, without

374 WITHOUT CHRIST.

comfort. He is alone in the midst of a multitude.
Without sympathy or support, he sinks into the
abyss of eternal sorrow and despair. There is
before him no ray of hope. He lies under the
everlasting condemnation and curse of an aveng-
ing God. Without the possible attainment of
relief, he has this at the Lord's hands, that he lies
down in sorrow. It is an eternity of darkness ;
— an eternity without Christ. A fearful, awful
doom ! O, may every reader think of it, and flee
from it, — An Eternity without Christ !

f

finis,

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