THE
ENTIRE WORKS
REV. CHARLES SIMEON, M.A
WITH COPIOUS INDEXES,
PREPARED BY THE REV.
THOMAS HARTWELL HORNE, B.D.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY RICHARD CLAY, BRKAD-STREET-HILL.
HOR^E HOMILETIC^E:
OR
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NOW FIRST DIGESTED INTO ONE CONTINUED SERIES,
AND FORMING A COMMENTARY
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THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT;
TO WHICH IS ANNEXED,
AN IMPROVED EDITION OF A TRANSLATION OF
CLAUDE S ESSAY ON THE COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.
IN TWENTY-ONE VOLUMES.
BY THE REV. CHARLES SIMEON, M.A.
SENIOR FELLOW OF KING S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
VOL. XX.
JAMES TO JUDE.
LONDON:
HOLDSWORTH AND BALL,
AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW.
MDCCC XXXIII.
6:
CONTENTS TO VOL. XX.
Discourse.
Text.
Subject.
Page.
2352.
JAMES
i. 2 4.
The Duty of Patience
1
2353.
2354.
2355.
2350.
i. 5, 6.
i. 8.
i. 9, 10.
i. 12,
The Way to obtain true Wisdom . .
The double-minded Man exposed .
The Effects of Religion on the dif
ferent Orders of Society ....
The Testimony of God respecting his
7
12
17
23
2357.
2358.
2359.
i. 1315.
i. 16, 17.
i. 18.
Sin, the Offspring of our own Hearts .
God the only Source of all Good . .
Regeneration its Author, Means,
27
32
35
2360.
2361.
i. 25.
i. 26.
The Reward of obeying the Gospel .
41
45
2362.
2363.
2364.
i. 27.
ii. 5.
ii. 12.
Pure and undejiled Religion described
God s Regard for the Poor , . .
50
55
59
2365.
2366.
2367.
2368.
2369.
2370.
ii. 24.
in. 2.
iii. 6.
iii. 13.
iii. 17.
iv. 4.
Justification by Works explained .
The best of Men but weak and frail .
The Evils of the Tongue . . . .
Influence of Wisdom upon the Conduct
The Nature of true Religion .
Friendship of the World is Enmity
64
71
74
78
84
86
2371.
iv. 8* 10.
89
2372.
2373.
2374.
2375.
iv. 13, 14.
iv. 17.
v. 7, 8.
v. 9.
The Folly of undue Security . . .
Sins of Omission considered
Patient Perseverance urged
93
97
101
2376.
v. 11.
The Patience of Job
112
2377.
2378.
v. 16.
v. 19, 20.
The Efficacy of fervent Prayer . .
Conversion of a Sinner a great Benefit
118
124
VI
CONTENTS.
Discourse.
Text.
Subject.
Page.
2379.
2380.
2381.
1 PETER
i. 1, 2.
i. 3 5.
i. 6, 7
Offices of the Holy Trinity ....
Regeneration considered ....
The End of Affliction .
130
135
141
2382.
2383.
2384.
2385.
i. 8, 9.
i. 1012.
i. 12.
i. 13.
J JJ
The Christian s Happiness . . .
The Importance of the Prophecies .
The Angels interested about the Gospel
Directions how to seek Heaven with
144
147
150
156
2386.
i. 15, 16.
159
2387.
2388.
2389.
i. 17.
i. 18, 19.
i. 20, 21.
The Necessity of holy Fear . . .
Redemption from a vain Conversation
The Father s Part in the Work of
Redemption
164
167
171
2390.
i. 22
175
2391.
2392.
ii. 13.
ii. 4 5
Growth in Grace is to be desired .
179
184
2393.
2394,
2395.
ii. 6.
ii. 7.
ii. 710.
Security of those who believe in Christ
Christ precious to Believers
The different States of Believers and
188
190
193
2396.
2397.
ii. 1317.
ii. 19 23.
Subjection to civil Government
198
9Q6
2398.
2399.
2400.
ii. 24.
ii. 25.
iii. 12.
The vicarious Sacrifice of Christ . .
The Nature of true Conversion stated
God s Disposition towards the Right-
211
215
2*>0
2401.
2402.
iii. 1315.
iii. 15.
The Persecuted encouraged
The Christian ready to give an Ac-
223
229
2403.
2404.
2405.
2406.
iii. 18.
iii. 21.
iv. 3.
iv. 7.
Nature and Ends of Christ s Death .
Noah s Ark a Type of Christ . . .
A worldly Life to be relinquished
Nearness to Death a Motive to Watch-
235
238
242
247
2407.
2408.
2409.
2410.
iv. 8.
iv. 1216.
iv. 17.
iv. 18.
The Duty and Office of Christian Love
Persecution for Christ s sake . . .
The End of Unbelievers ....
The Difficulty of Salvation ....
250
254
260
264
CONTENTS.
Vll
Discourse.
Text.
Subject.
Page.
2411
1 PETER
iv. 19.
Advice to the Persecuted or Tempted
267
2412.
v. 5.
Humility inculcated
269
2413.
v. 7.
The Duty of casting our Care on God
275
2414.
v. 8, 9.
Means of defeating Satan s Malice .
278
2415.
v. 10, 11.
God s Goodness an Encouragement to
281
2 PETER
2416.
i. 1, 2.
Peter s Salutation to the Saints . .
284
2417.
i. 3.
Every Thing needful provided for us .
286
2418.
i. 4.
The Preciousness of the Promises .
290
9.11 Q
i. 5 9.
294
^*r iy.
2420.
i. 10, 11.
Making our Calling and Election sure
301
9^191
i 1 9 i f.
A pastoral Admonition . . . .
305
2)4291
It I ^ 1 i J .
2422.
i. 16.
Truth and Certainty of the Gospel .
315
2423.
i. 19.
The Testimony of Prophecy . . .
321
2424.
ii. 49.
God the Punisher of Sin ....
328
2425.
ii. 20, 21.
Apostates in a worse State than ever .
333
OyJ O/J
m*" 7
The Day of Judgment
340
^J42o.
i
949*7
iii. 8, 9.
God s Forbearance ......
344
i ~ / .
949ft
iii. 10 14.
349
~tZO.
94.90
iii. 17, 18.
353
4S7
1 JOHN
2430.
i. 13.
Benefits arising from Faith in Christ
356
2431.
i. 57.
The Importance of being conformed
to God s Imaoe
361
2432.
i. 8, 9.
Confession necessary to Forgiveness .
366
2433.
ii. 1, 2.
Advocacy and Atonement of Christ .
372
2434.
ii. 35.
The true Test of Love to God . . .
377
2435.
ii. 6.
Christ an Example to his Followers .
382
2436.
ii. 8.
387
2437.
ii. 1214.
The different Growth and Privileges
of God s Children
393
2438.
ii. 1517.
r jove of the World forbidden . . .
397
2439.
ii. 19.
True Grounds of a Christian s Stability
404
2440.
ii. 20.
The Unction of the Holy One . . .
411
2441.
iii. 1.
Believers are Sons of God ....
416
2442.
iii. 2.
The inestimable Privileges of Believers
421
CONTENTS.
Discourse.
Text.
subject.
Page.
1 JOHN
2443.
iii. 3.
The Fruits and Effects of Hope .. .
423
2444.
iii. 5.
Christ manifested to take away Sin .
426
2445.
iii. 8.
The End of Christ s Incarnation . .
431
2446.
iii. 9.
The Christian s Deliverance from Sin
435
2447.
iii. 14.
442
2448.
iii. 16.
The Love of Christ a Pattern for us .
445
2449.
iii. 17.
No Love to God without Love to Man
450
2450.
iii. 20, 21.
A good and evil Conscience . . .
454
2451.
iii. 23.
Faith in Christ enjoined ....
459
2452.
iii. 24.
The mutual In-dwelling of God and
464
2453.
iv. 4.
n 3 ff I nl Tl01fY\
469
2454.
iv. 6.
The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of
r,
474
2455.
iv. 9, 10.
Love of God in giving his Son for us .
470
2456.
iv. 14.
Christ the Saviour of the World . .
485
2457.
iv. 16.
Distinctive Character of a Christian .
490
i (
n 7 T
494
2458.
2459.
IV. 1O.
iv. 16, 17.
Believer s resemblance to God in Love
501
2460.
iv. 18.
Influence and Importance of Love
508
2461.
iv. 19.
God s Love the Source of ours . .
513
2462.
v. 3.
The Commandments not grievous . .
515
2463.
v. 4, 5.
r\ 4J> IVrvrJfJ
519
2464.
v. 6.
Justification and Sanctification by
525
2465.
v. 7.
The Doctrine of the Trinity vindicated
531
2466.
v. 10.
The Believer s inward Witness . .
537
2467.
v. 11, 12.
539
2468.
v. 13.
Use of the Scriptures to Believers .
543
2469.
v. 14, 15.
548
2470.
v. 20.
The Christians Knowledge of Christ .
552
3 JOHN
2471
4.
A Minister s chief Joy .... r
557
JUDE
2472
14, 15.
Christ s coming to Judgment . . .
562
2473
20, 21.
The Christian s Duties .....
566
2474
24, 25.
An Ascription of Praise to Jehovah .
571
JAMES.
MMCCCLII.
THE DUTY OF PATIENCE.
Jam. i. 2 4. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into
divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
WE at this time are scarcely able to form a con
ception of the state of the Church in the
apostolic age. Christianity amongst us is attended
with none of the evils to which the primitive profes
sors of it were exposed. But to what is this owing ?
Is Christianity altered at all ? or is it less offensive
than it was in the eyes of ungodly men ? No : it is
the same as ever : and, if those who profess it be not
despised and hated now as they were in former times,
it is because they retain " the form only of godliness,
and have none of its power." Let persons enter into
the spirit of Christianity now, as the Christians did
in the Apostles days, and they will be treated pre
cisely as they were, so far at least as the laws of the
land will admit of it : and, if they be not persecuted
unto death, it will not be from there being any more
love to piety in the carnal heart now, than there was
then ; but from the greater protection which is
afforded by the laws of the land, and from a spirit of
toleration jvhich modern usages have established.
Real vital godliness was then universally hated ; and
it is so still. It was not to the Jewish converts in
VOL. XX. B
2 JAMES, I. 24. [2352.
Palestine only that St. James wrote, but " to the
twelve tribes who were scattered abroad." Religion
was persecuted not by one party only, but by every
party and in every place: and it is still, in every
place, " to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the
Greeks foolishness :" and all who will cultivate it
will sooner or later need to have the consolations of
our text administered to them for their support.
In the words which we have read, we see,
I. The appointed portion of God s people
In former ages they were hated for righteousness
sake
[Go back to the time of Abel. You well know that he
was murdered by his own brother Cain. And what was the
ground of Cain s enmity against him ? We are informed on
infallible authority : " Cain slew his brother, because his own
works were evil, and his brother s righteous a ." Descend
through all successive ages, and you will still find the same
enmity subsisting between the seed of the woman, and the seed
of the serpent. As light and darkness, so Christ and Belial,
both in themselves and in their members, ever have been, and
ever must be, opposed to each other b . As to the diversify of
trials to which the godly have been exposed, we need look no
further than to the short summary given us in the llth chapter
of the Epistle to the Hebrews : " Some were tortured : others
had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of
bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword : they wan
dered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute,
afflicted, tormented :" (yes, they were so treated " of whom
the world was not worthy :) they wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth c ." Come we to
the time of Christ and his Apostles : it might be hoped that
their superior light and piety, and the innumerable miracles
with which their divine commission was confirmed, would
screen them from such evil treatment; and especially that the
Lord Jesus Christ, whose character was so spotless, and whose
wisdom was infinite, should be able to overcome the prejudices
of a blind infatuated world. But they were only the more
exposed to the taunts and cruelty of the ungodly in propor
tion as their light shined with the brighter splendour. And
all who in the first ages of the Church became tjj^eir followers,
a 1 John iii. 12. b 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. c Heb. xi. 3538.
2352.] THE DUTY OF PATIENCE. 3
were, in their measure, subjected to the same trials, and made
to drink of the same bitter cup,]
The same treatment they meet with in the present
day
[We have observed, that a mere form of piety will pass
without opposition: but real, vital godliness, will subject us
to reproach at this day, as much as ever: " All that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution d ." That kind of
godliness which arises from self and terminates in self, will
bring us into favour with the world : but that which is derived
altogether from Christ as its proper source and author, and is
exercised altogether for the advancement of his glory, is, and
ever will be, odious in the eyes of the ungodly : and a man
who exemplifies it in his life and conversation can no more
escape persecution than Christ himself could. To receive all
from Christ, and to do all for Christ, is the very essence of
Christian piety: and in requiring this of his followers, our
blessed Lord has bequeathed to his Church a never-failing
source of variance with the world. This he himself tells us :
" Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I came
not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man
at variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law :
and a man s foes shall be they of his own household." Ac
cordingly we find universally, that where a person begins to
live by faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, and to devote himself
to his service, all his friends and relatives will take the alarm,
and try, by every method of ridicule, or menace, or persuasion,
to divert him from his purpose. Let him live in an entire
neglect of his soul, and no one will trouble himself about him.
He may live his whole life in such a state, and not a friend
will exhort him to serve the Lord : but the least approach to
piety will be discouraged by every friend and relative that he
has. Not that religion will be discountenanced as religion :
some evil name must be given to it first ; and then it will be
reprobated under that character. But the very persons who
hold in the highest veneration the names of the Apostles, and
of the great reformers of our Church, and who would raise
shrines and monuments to departed saints, will persecute the
living saints with the utmost rancour : and were the Apostles
or reformers to live again upon the earth, they would receive
the very same treatment from them that they met with from
the people of the age in which they lived. If they called the
Master of the house Beelzebub, it is in vain for any servant of
his to hope that he shall escape a similar reproach 6 .]
d 2 Tim, iii. 12. e Matt. x. 24, 25.
4 JAMES, I. 24. [2352.
Painful as this portion is to flesh and blood, none
need to fear it, if only they attend to
II. The Apostle s directions in relation to it
God graciously appoints to his people this portion,
in order to promote their spiritual welfare, and pro
gressively to transform them into the Divine image
in righteousness and true holiness. Hence St. James
exhorts his afflicted brethren to regard their trials as
means to an end ; and,
1. To welcome the means
[The proper tendency of trials is to work patience in our
souls. At first indeed they operate to the production of
impatience, or, rather I should say, to the eliciting of those
evil dispositions which lurk in our hearts. Till we have had our
pride in some measure subdued, we know not how to bear the
unkindness which we meet with : we fret under it, and rage
even as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: but when we
discover our weakness, we are ashamed of it, and humble our
selves before God on account of it, and implore grace from him
to support us, and thus gradually become instructed by the
discipline, and are at last " strengthened with all might by his
Spirit unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness,
giving thanks unto the Father," who has wrought in us that
very change of heart and life which has exposed us to the
enmity of the ungodly world f .
Now when we see what good our God designs us by these
trials, we should not only be reconciled to them, but be thank
ful for them, arid " count them just occasions for exalted joy."
For, what price can be too great for so valuable an acquisition
as that of a meek, submissive, and patient spirit ? We submit
with readiness to many things which are displeasing to flesh
and blood for the advancement of our bodily health : and shall
we not thankfully take the prescriptions of our heavenly
Physician for the health of our souls ? What, if they be un
palatable to our taste? We should regard the affliction as
good, when we know what benefits will ultimately result from
it g ; assured, that " the sufferings of this present life are not
worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed
in us h ." When therefore we see the clouds gathering around
us, we should not be alarmed, but should say rather, like the
countryman whose fields are burnt up with drought, Now
God is about to refresh and fructify my barren heart, and his
clouds shall drop fatness on my soul. What if your enemies
f Col. i. 11, 12. g Isai. xxvii. 9. h Rom. viii. 18.
2352.] THE DUTY OF PATIENCE. 5
meditate nothing but evil? Should that be of any concern to
you, when you know who has engaged to overrule it all for
good 1 ? I say then with the prophet, " Fear not" any me
naces or preparations, how formidable soever they may
appear k ; nor complain of any trials, however oppressive they
may be at the time ; but rejoice in them 1 , and bless God who
counts you " worthy to bear" them" 1 , and accept them as an
invaluable "gift at his hands"," and " take pleasure in them ,"
as knowing that they will assuredly issue in your welfare, and
" in the honour of your God p ."]
2. To cultivate the end
[Does God design by means of trials to make you re
semble him " who was led as a sheep to the slaughter, arid as
a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so opened he not his
mouth?" Seek to experience this benefit from them; and
" let patience have its perfect work in you, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Complain not that
your trials are heavy, or of long continuance : but be more
anxious to have your dross consumed, than to have the inten
sity of the furnace diminished. It was " through sufferings
that the Lord Jesus Christ himself was made perfect q :" and if
" he learned obedience by the things which he suffered 1 "," will
not ye be content to learn it in the same way ? We are ready
to think that perfection consists in active virtue : but God is
not a whit less honoured by passive virtue : and when patience
has so far operated upon your soul as to make you " glory in
tribulations" for the Lord s sake 8 , and you can say from your
inmost soul, under all circumstances, " Not my will, but thine
be done," you will have attained that measure of holiness which
constitutes perfection ; and you will ere long, as a shock of
corn that is fully ripe, be treasured up in the garner of your
heavenly Father. You have seen " Jesus, after having endured
the cross, and despised the shame, set down at the right hand
of the throne of God 1 :" be content then to " suffer with him,
that in due time you may be glorified together 11 ." Let this be
the one object of your concern : and pray that " the God of
peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, would make you perfect
in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is
well pleasing in his sight through Christ Jesus V]
j Rom. viii. 28. * i sa j. v jii. 12, 13. 1 Luke vi. 22, 23.
m Acts v. 41. n Phil. i. 29. 2 Cor. xii. 10.
P 1 Pet. iv. 14, 16. q Heb. ii. 10. r Heb. v. 8.
s Rom. v. 3. l Heb. xii. 2.
u Rom. viii. 17. 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. x Heb. xiii. 20.
6 JAMES, I. 24. [2352.
ADDRESS
1. The timid Christian
[" Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man
that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be as grass, and
forgettest the Lord thy Maker?" O! "fear not the oppres
sor, as if he were able to destroy : for where is the fury of
the oppressor 5 "?" Look at Pharaoh and all his host: what
could they do against the God of Israel 2 ? Look at Herod,
when he would " stretch out his hand to vex the Church :" " he
falls a prey even to worms," which eat him up alive a . Know
that the creature is no more than " an axe or saw in your
Father s hands :" and that he can do nothing, but as your
Father sees fit to employ him for your good b . In all that
he attempts, he is limited and controlled , and shall effect
nothing which shall not subserve your eternal interests d . Be
strong then, and of good courage : and whatever cross may lie
in your way, take it up cheerfully, and bear it after your Lord
and Saviour : for be w r ell assured, that your Saviour deserves it
richly at your hands ]
2. The suffering Christian
[Shall I pity you? No ; rather let me congratulate you
as being made conformable to your Lord and Saviour 6 . Re
peated are St. James s declarations, that sufferings for Christ s
sake are subjects rather for joy than for grief. " We count
them happy that endure f ." And again, " Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation ; for, when he is tried, he shall re
ceive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him g ." Receive then trials as " the portion which
God has appointed you h ;" and expect that, if your afflictions
abound for Christ s sake, " so shall your consolations also
abound by Christ 1 ;" and whatever you may lose for his sake,
you shall even in this present life receive an hundred-fold more
than you have lost k , and, in the world to come, " an accumu
lated weight of happiness and glory " to all eternity *. And
when you shall have arrived at the realms of glory, it will be
no grief to you that you " came out of great tribulation ;" for
then will "your Saviour lead you to the living fountains of
bliss, and God himself will wipe away all tears from your
eyes."]
y Isai. li. 12, 13. * Rom. ix. 17. a Acts xii. 13, 23.
b Isai. x. 7, 11, 15. c Rev. ii. 10. d 1 Pet. i. 7.
e 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13. * Jam. v. 11. s Jam. i. 12.
11 1 Thess. in. 3. i 2 Cor. i. 5. k Mark x. 2830.
1 2 Cor. iv. 17. ra Rev. vii. 1417.
2353.] THE WAY TO OBTAIN TRUE WISDOM. 7
MMCCCLIII.
THE WAY TO OBTAIN TRUE WISDOM.
Jam. i. 5, 6. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering.
WISDOM is necessary for the due discharge of
every office of life : but it is more particularly neces
sary for a Christian, on account of the many difficul
ties to which he is subjected by his Christian profes
sion. For no sooner does he give himself up to the
service of his God, than his friends and relatives exert
themselves to draw him back again to the world.
Every species of temptation they lay in his way, if
by any means they may effect their purpose, and
divert him from the path which he has chosen. They
fail not to represent to him, the injury that will arise
to his reputation and worldly interests, and the pain
which his new course occasions to those whose hap
piness he is bound to consult. Not unfrequently too
parental authority is interposed to arrest his progress,
and to interdict the use of such means as he has
found conducive to his spiritual welfare. Those
books which would best inform his mind, that society
which would most strengthen his heart, and those
ordinances which would most edify his soul, are all
prohibited ; and no alternative is left him, but to
relinquish his pursuit of heavenly things, or incur the
contempt and hatred of his dearest friends. What
now must be done ? He wishes to keep a conscience
void of offence : but how can it be effected ? If he
is faithful to his God, he offends man : and, if he
pleases man, he violates his duty to God. The prin
ciple which he adopts is in itself plain and simple ;
namely, that he must obey God, and not man. But
how to apply this principle is a difficulty which fre
quently involves him in the greatest embarrassment.
If he relax in nothing, he appears absurd in the
extreme : if his compliances be carried too far, he
8 JAMES, I. 5, 6. [2353.
endangers his peace of mind, and the welfare of his
soul. Again, in the manner of executing what his
conscience dictates, he is also at a loss. He may be
too bold, or too timid ; too faithful, or too obse
quious. The different dispositions of all with whom
he has to do must be consulted, and his conduct be
adapted to them in all the diversified situations in
which he is called to act. But " who is sufficient for
these things?" Often does he wish for an expe
rienced counsellor to advise him ; and almost sit
down in despair of ever attaining such a measure of
wisdom as is necessary for him. It is to persons so
circumstanced that St. James addresses the direc
tions in our text. He supposes them to have " fallen
into divers temptations," and to be labouring so to
" possess their souls in patience," that " patience may
have its perfect work, and that they may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing." But how is all this to
be effected ? Any mariner may steer a vessel in a
calm : but how shall one so inexperienced regulate
it in a storm ; and so regulate it, that it shall in no
respect be driven out of its course ? To these anxious
questions the Apostle gives an answer : wherein he
directs us,
I. How to seek wisdom
True wisdom is the gift of God
[Even earthly wisdom must in reality be traced to God
as its author. The persons who formed the tabernacle and
all its vessels derived all their skill from God a : and even those
who move in a sphere which may be supposed to be suited to
the meanest capacity, and spend their lives in the common
pursuits of agriculture, can no farther approve themselves
skilful in their work, than they are instructed by God himself b .
But spiritual wisdom is still farther out of the reach of unas
sisted reason, because it is conversant about things " which no
human eye has seen, or ear heard, or heart conceived, and
which can only be revealed by the Spirit of God c ." It is
emphatically " a wisdom which is from above d ," and which
can " come only from the Father of lights, with whom is no
a Exod. xxxvi. 1,2. b Isai. xxviii. 23 29.
c 1 Cor. ii. 912. d Jain. iii. 17.
2353.] THE WAY TO OBTAIN TRUE WISDOM. 9
variableness, neither shadow of turning 6 ." The Spirit of God,
whose office it is to impart it unto men, is called " the Spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord f :" and to
him are we directed " to open the eyes of our understandings,"
and to " guide us into all truth h :" since it is only by the
unction derived from him, that we can possibly attain a spi
ritual discernment 1 .]
To him must we look for it in earnest prayer
[Study, doubtless, even a study of the Holy Scriptures,
is necessary ; because it is only by the written word that we
are to regulate our course. But to study we must add humble
and fervent supplication ; according to that direction of Solo
mon, " If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice
for understanding ; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures ; then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God: for the Lord
giveth wisdom ; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and under
standing 11 ." Accordingly we find the Apostle Paul crying to
God in behalf of the Ephesian Church, that " God the Father
would give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of Christ 1 ;" and, for the Colossians he prayed,
that they also might by the same Spirit " be filled with the
knowledge of God s will, in all wisdom and spiritual under
standing 1 "."
And to seek it in this way we are all encouraged, both from
a general view of God s goodness, and from a particular and
express promise.
" God giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not :" " he
opens his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteous-
ness ;" he " gives alike to the evil and the good, to the just
and to the unjust." If then he give so abundantly to those
who seek him not, " will he refuse his Holy Spirit unto them
that ask him?" True, they are unworthy of so rich a blessing:
and, as Jephthah upbraided those who requested his assistance
against the Ammonites, saying to them, " Did not ye hate me,
and expel me out of my father s house ? and why are ye come
unto me, now ye are in distress ?" so might God reply to them ;
" Ye have resisted my Spirit, and rebelled against the light,
times without number ; and how can you expect that I should
aid you any more?" But he will not so treat the weeping
suppliant; but will surely impart unto him the blessing he
e ver. 17. with Matt. xvi. 17. f Isai. xi. 2.
e Eph. i. 18. h John xvi. 13.
1 1 John ii. 20, 27. and v. 20. with 1 Cor. ii. 14.
k Prov. ii. 26. J Eph. i. 16, 17. ra Col. i. 9.
10 JAMES, I. 5, 6. [2353.
desires. Of this he assures us by an express promise : " Let
him ask of God ; and it shall be given him" This promise
may be relied on, as may many others which he has given us
to the same effect 11 The time, and the manner, and
the measure in which it shall be fulfilled, must be left to God :
but fulfilled it shall be to all who rest upon it. Not that a
man shall be rendered infallible, or have such wisdom imparted
to him as shall keep him from every degree of error ; but so
much as his necessities require, God will assuredly vouchsafe
to all who seek it of him in sincerity and truth.]
That no man shall seek wisdom in vain, St. James
adds a caution, from which we learn,
II. How to secure the attainment of it
" We must ask in faith, nothing wavering." Here
it will be proper for me to shew,
1. What is that faith which we are called to
exercise
[It has not respect to that individual thing which we may
chance to ask ; for we may possibly be asking for something
which God sees would be injurious to us, or, if riot injurious,
yet inconsistent with the ends which he has determined to
accomplish. When our blessed Lord prayed for the removal
of the bitter cup, and Paul for the removal of the thorn in
his flesh, neither the one prayer nor the other was granted
literally ; though both were answered in the way most satis
factory to the suppliants, and most conducive to God s honour.
So the specific thing which we ask, may be withheld : but we
shall be sure of receiving something better in its stead : and
it is with this latitude only that our faith must be exercised,
except where there is an express promise for us to plead :
and then we may assuredly expect that very thing to be granted
to us.
Now respecting such a measure of wisdom as shall ulti
mately guicle us through all our difficulties, we may ask with
the fullest possible assurance : and in asking it, we should have
no more doubt of its being given to us, than of our own exist
ence : we should " ask in faith, nothing wavering," If we
doubt at all, our doubt must arise, either from not being fully
persuaded of the power of God to help us, or from some
suspicion of his willingness. But to limit his power is sinful
in the extreme : and to doubt his willingness is, as St. John
expresses it, " to make God a liar :" for the promise in the
text is to every creature under heaven who asks in faith. I
n John xiv. 13, 14. and xv. 7. and xvi. 23, 24.
2353.] THE WAY TO OBTAIN TRUE WISDOM. 11
well know that persons pretend to found their doubts on their
own unworthiness : but this is a mere fallacy : for every man
is unworthy : and, if unworthiness be such a disqualification as
deprives a man of all right to expect the blessing in answer to
his prayers, then no man living has any right to expect the
blessing ; and the promise of God is a mere nullity. Our need
of wisdom is supposed in the very petition that is offered for it :
and the more deeply we feel our need of it, the more willingly
and more largely will God confer it upon us. In praying for
it therefore, we are to ask, not on the ground of any fancied
worthiness in us, but on the sole ground of its having been
freely promised to us : and, in that view, we must lift up our
hands, " as without wrath, so also without doubting ."]
2. Its certain efficiency to the desired end
[In some circumstances, the fulfilment of the promise
seems to exceed all reasonable hope, if not the limits of pos
sibility itself. But in proportion as it seems to exceed hope,
we are to " believe in hope," just as Abraham did, when the
promise was given to him of a posterity as numerous as the
stars of heaven P. Our blessed Lord has taught us this in a
very striking manner. To his disciples, who expressed their
surprise that the fig-tree, which he had cursed, should wither
away in one single night, he said, " Have faith in God : for
verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this moun
tain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and
shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things
which he saith shall come to pass ; he shall have whatsoever he
saith. Therefore I say unto, " What things soever ye desire
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them q ." The truth is, that God, if I may so say, feels his own
honour implicated in fulfilling his own word : and therefore,
if not for our sakes, yet for his own name s sake, " he will ac
complish the thing which hath gone out of his mouth." Yet
not for his own sake only will he do it, but for our sakes also :
for, " them that honour him he will honour."]
ADDRESS
1. Those who are unconscious of their need of
wisdom
[Though men are sensible enough of their ignorance in
relation to human sciences, they almost universally fancy them
selves competent to decide every thing relating to their faith
or practice. But very pointed is that declaration of Solomon,
" He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool r ." Respecting
1 Tim. ii. 8. P Rom. iv. 1820.
a Mark xi. 22 24. r Prov. xxviii. 26.
12 JAMES, I. 8. [2354.
spiritual things we are all by nature blind, and need, the learned
as well as the unlearned, to have our understandings opened
to understand them 8 . We all "lack wisdom" exceedingly:
and to all equally would I address those words of Solomon,
" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean not to thine
own understanding : in all thy ways acknowledge him ; and he
shall direct thy paths*" ]
2. Those who are discouraged by their want of
wisdom
[If you look either to the greatness of your difficulties, or
your own insufficiency to meet them, you may well faint and
fail : but if you look to God, there is no ground for dis
couragement at all. For, can he not " ordain strength in the
mouths of babes and sucklings u ?" And " does he not put his
treasure into earthen vessels on purpose that the excellency
of the power may be seen to be of Him x ?" See how he re
proved Jeremiah for his desponding thoughts y : and be con
tent to be " weak, that his strength may be perfected in your
weakness 2 " See how he reproved Peter also a ; and be
careful how you admit a doubt. If you are doubting, he warns
you plainly, that " you must not expect to receive any thing
of the Lord b :" but, if you will believe, according to your faith
it shall be unto you c ]
8 Rev. iii. 17, 18. Luke xxiv. 45. t p rO v. iii. 5, 6.
u Ps. viii. 2. x 2 Cor. iv. 7. y Jer. i. 6, 7.
z 2 Cor. xii. 9. Matt. xiv. 30, 31. b ver. 7.
c Matt. ix. 29. -
MMCCCLIV.
THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN EXPOSED.
Jam. i. 8. A double-minded, man is unstable in all his ways.
IT is a generally-acknowledged truth, that the
mind constitutes the man. In human friendships, an
insincere profession of regard will not stand a severe
trial ; but will fail us, when we most need a firm sup
port. In religion too, if the heart be not right with
God, we shall never persevere amidst the difficulties
and dangers with which we shall be encompassed.
That our faith will be tried, is certain ; and that we
shall need support from above, is certain : I may add
too, that, if we be " strong in faith, giving glory to
2354.] THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN EXPOSED. 13
God," we shall derive such aid from above, as shall
carry us through all our temptations, how great
soever they may be, and make us " more than con
querors" over all our enemies. But, if we are of a
doubtful mind, we shall never finally maintain our
steadfastness ; but shall draw back when dangers
threaten us, and faint when trials come upon us ;
for " the double-minded man is unstable in all his
ways."
Let us endeavour,
I. To ascertain the character here specified
The Apostle is speaking solely respecting confi
dence in God : to that therefore we shall confine
our observations. Were we to enter at large into
the character of a " double-minded man," we should
have a vast field before us, sufficient to occupy our
attention through many discourses : but by adhering
simply to the view proposed to us in the text, we
shall best consult the scope of the Apostle s argument,
and the edification of your minds.
" The double-minded man" then is one,
1. Whose reliance on God is not simple
[There is in every man a proneness to self-dependence :
and, in matters of ordinary occurrence, no man, except the
truly pious, will look higher than to himself for wisdom to guide
him, or for strength to succour him. Even when obstacles
arise which call for the intervention of a superior power, he
will cry unto his God for help : but he will not " pray in
faith," because he still " leans to his own understanding," and
is unable to " commit his way entirely to the Lord." As there
were in the days of old those who " swore by Jehovah and by
Malcham too a ," and those who " feared the Lord and yet served
other gods" at the same time b , so the double-minded man will
rely on the Lord, but will rely on himself also ; and make God
and himself successively or conjointly the objects of his hope,
as the variations of his mind, or the urgency of his necessities,
may seem to require.
We must however distinguish between a prudent use of
means, and a divided ground of hope : for confidence in God is
on no account to supersede the use of prudent means. Jacob
a Zeph. i. 5. b 2 Kings xvii. 33, 41.
14 JAMES, I. 8. [2354.
acted wisely in his endeavours to pacify his brother s wrath,
sending presents by many successive messengers, and dividing
his family, so that, if some were slain by Esau, others might
escape. These precautions sprang not from any want of faith
in God, but from a determination to leave nothing undone on
his part which might contribute to the desired end. His con
fidence was not at all in the means he used, but in God, who,
he hoped, would accomplish by them the purposes of his grace .
But where means are so used as to become a joint ground of
confidence to those who use them, there is the evil complained
of in the text. Such was the character of the Jews who went
down to Egypt for help against their enemies. God had told
them, that " in returning and rest they should be saved ; that
in quietness and confidence should be their strength ; and that
their strength was to sit still." But not able to rely on God
alone, they went down to Egypt for help, and thereby pro
voked God to give them up to utter destruction d . God is a
jealous God, and requires that we should trust in him alone,
and have no confidence whatever on an arm of flesh 6 .]
2. Whose confidence in God is not entire
[Not only is there to be no reliance on the creature, but
there should be no distrust of God. We should rely upon
him without any doubt as to the issue of our confidence. We
should view every thing, even to the falling of a sparrow, as
under his controul. We should feel that there is no power
or counsel against him : and that for man to defeat his pur
poses, is utterly impossible. We should see, that, if we trust
in God, he will accomplish for us every thing that is good ;
and the things which are not, shall as certainly exist, as if
they were already in existence f .
But this measure of faith is not in the double-minded man.
He cannot so repose his confidence in God. He does not so
realize the thought of God s universal agency, as to be able to
commit every thing into his hands, and to " stand still in an
assured expectation of seeing the salvation of God g ." On
the contrary, he is ever " limiting the Holy One of Israel :"
and when successive trials arise, he overlooks his former de
liverances, and reiterates his wonted apprehensions ; like those
who said, " He smote the stony rock indeed, that the waters
gushed out; but can he give bread also, or provide flesh for
his people 11 ?"]
The character of the double-minded man will be
more fully seen, whilst we proceed,
c Gen. xxxii. 13 23. and xxxiii. 1 3.
d Isai. xxx. 7, 15, 16. e Jer. xvii. 5 8. f Rom. iv. 17.
e Exod. xiv. 13, 14. h Ps. Ixxviii. 20.
2354.] THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN EXPOSED. 15
II. To mark his conduct
" He is unstable in all his ways," and is ever liable
to be turned from the truth
1. In his principles
[Not having such clear views of the covenant of grace as
to be able to lay hold of it, and confidently to expect all the
blessings contained in it, he is ever open to the allurements of
novelty, and ready, " like a child, to be tossed to and fro with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and the cunning
craftiness with which they lie in wait to deceive 1 ." Matters
which really are of doubtful disputation, possess in his mind
an importance which does not belong to them : and he will
dwell on them, to the neglect of other things which are
essential to his salvation. Hence it is that heretics of every
description gain such influence : and hence it is that so many,
" led away by the error of the wicked, fall from their own
steadfastness 11 ." The versatility both of the one and of the
other originates in this, that they have never obtained such a
knowledge of God in Christ Jesus as has brought perfect peace
into their souls. They know not what God is to his people :
they see not to what an extent he has pledged himself to
them : they have no conception of the interest which the
Lord Jesus Christ takes in them, or how indissolubly con
nected their happiness is with his honour and glory. Let
them be well " rooted and built up in Christ, and established
in the faith, as they have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving 1 ;" and they will "stand fast in the faith,"
and suffer nothing to " move them away from the hope of the
Gospel."]
2. In his practice
[The man that cannot fully confide in God will be alarmed,
whenever a storm is gathering around him. Were " his mind
fully stayed on God, he would be kept in perfect peace" 1 " ; and,
when menaced with the most formidable assaults, would reply,
" None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto me, so that I may but finish my course with joy n ." But
the double-minded man is so terrified by his adversaries, that
he dares not to proceed in the plain path of duty. Like " the
stony-ground hearers, he is presently offended, and in time of
temptation will fall away." How many of this description are
there in every place, where the Gospel is preached in sincerity
and truth ! It convinces many ; it calls forth many to make
an open profession of their acceptance of it: but in a little
* Eph. iv. 14. k 2 Pet. iii. 17. 1 Col. ii. 6, 7.
m Isai. xxvi. 3. n Acts xx. 24.
16 JAMES, I. 8. [2354.
time how many fair blossoms wither ! how many are blown off
from the tree by storms and tempests ! and how many, through
their unbelief, are found rotten at the core ! Verily, it is
rather the gleanings, than the harvest, that is brought home
to reward the toil that has been bestowed upon them ; so
many " turn back unto perdition, and so few believe to the
saving of the soul."
But it may here be asked, Are we in no case to bend to
circumstances ? Did not St. Paul himself diversify his modes
of conduct, sometimes complying with Jewish rites, which at
other times he declared to have been utterly abolished ? - Yea,
was he not of so accommodating a disposition, that he became
all things to all men, and acted as a Jew or as a Gentile,
according to the society with which he mixed ? Yes ; he did
so : but there is this great difference between his conduct and
that of a double-minded man : what Paul did, he did for the
benefit of others : but the compliances of the double-minded
man are only for the purpose of preventing evil to himself.
His compliances too were only in things of perfect indifference:
he would not have been guilty of denying or dishonouring the
Saviour on any account : but the double-minded man cares
not what dishonour he brings on the Gospel, provided he may
but escape the evils with which he is menaced for his adherence
to it. He is " like the wave," now raised, now depressed, and
driven hither and thither as the wind impels it ; whilst the
upright soul is as the rock, which, amidst all the storms and
tempests that assail it, is unshaken and unmoved.]
Let us LEARN then from hence,
1. The vast importance of self-examination
[Men do not easily see their own duplicity. " The heart
is deceitful above all things," and readily persuades us, that
our doubtful confidence in God, and our partial obedience to
him, are all that is required of us. But God discerns the
inmost recesses of the heart, and sees there all the latent
workings of worldliness and unbelief: nor will he at the last
day approve of any but those whom he can attest to have been
" Israelites indeed, and without guile." As for " the fearful
and unbelieving," he will assign to them no other portion than
" the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone ." O let us
fear, lest, after all our profession, " our religion prove vain,"
and we be found to have " deceived our own souls p ."]
2. The indispensable necessity of being " renewed
in the spirit of our minds"
[Never, till that takes place, shall we possess " the single
eye q ," and walk before God in one undeviating path of holy
Rev. xxi. 8. P Jam. i. 26. 1 Matt. vi. 23, 24.
2355J EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON SOCIETY. 17
obedience. We may take up a profession of religion ; but
instability will mark our every step. To rely on God uni
formly, and to " follow him fully," are far too high attainments
for the natural man. Let me then entreat you to seek of God
a new heart, and to pray that he would " renew a right spirit
within you." Then may you hope to be " steadfast, and im-
moveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord :"
and then shall you be fixed " as pillars in the temple of your
God, that shall go no more out for ever 1 "."]
r Rev. iii. 12.
MMCCCLV.
THE EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON THE DIFFERENT ORDERS OF
SOCIETY.
Jam. i. 9, 10. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he
is exalted : but the rich, in that he is made low : because as
the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
RELIGION certainly appears in some respects
adverse to the happiness of men, inasmuch as it
inculcates the daily practice of humiliation and con
trition, mortification and self-denial. The injunction
to cut off a right hand and pluck out a right eye,
cannot, it might be thought, conduce to our comfort
in this world, whatever it might do with respect to
the world to come. But, if Christianity deprive us
of some carnal joys (I should rather say, limit and
refine them), it affords abundant ground for joy of a
more exalted kind. It does not merely concede as
a privilege, but prescribes as a duty, that we should
" rejoice evermore." To persons of every description
is this direction addressed in the words before us ;
and the reasons upon which it is founded are de
clared. In conformity with the Apostle s views, we
shall shew,
I. The effects of religion upon the different orders of
society
We shall notice them,
1. Upon the poor
[These are represented as " exalted" by Christianity.
Not that they are raised out of their proper sphere, or have
VOL. XX. C
18 JAMES, I. 9, 10. [2355.
any right to assume consequence to themselves on account of
their acquaintance with religion a : but they are exalted in their
state and condition, their dispositions and habits, their hopes
and prospects.
The poor are for the most part regarded in so low and mean
a light, that a rich man would be ashamed to acknowledge
them as related to him : yea, they themselves feel a very humi
liating disparity between themselves and their opulent neigh
bours. But, when once they embrace the Gospel, and are
made " rich in faith," " God himself is not ashamed to be
called their God :" he calls them " his friends," " his sons,"
" his peculiar treasure :" " he gives them a name better than
of sons and of daughters." They instantly become " kings and
priests unto God ;" and the very angels in heaven account it
an honour to wait upon them, as their ministering servants.
In short, being born from above, they are sons of God, and
" if sons, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ."
What an elevation is this! Surely, in comparison of it, all
earthly dignities are no better than the baubles of children, or
the conceits of maniacs.
When elevated thus, the poor begin to feel also dispositions
suited to their state. While they are destitute of religion, they
either riot in a licentious independence, without any regard to
character, or, with a servility unrestrained by conscience,
yield themselves willing instruments to any one that can
reward their services. But when once they are taught of
God, they learn primarily and solely to regard his will. We
again say, that they will obey all the lawful commands of their
superiors b ; they will regard their authority as God s, and do
whatever is required of them, " as unto the Lord :" but their
first inquiry will be, " What does rny God require ? " and, if
urged to violate their duty to him, they will reply as the
Apostles did, " Whether it be right to hearken unto you
more than unto God, judge ye:" " we ought to obey God
rather than men c ." Nor have they a lower standard of action
than the most polished Christian upon earth : if they are truly
upright before God, the rule by which they walk is that pre
scribed by the Apostle d ; and what can the highest refinement
suggest more ? Here therefore their elevation again appears,
inasmuch as their habits are no longer formed by interest or
the caprice of men, but founded on, and assimilated to, the
mind and will of God.
As to the hopes of the poor, they have little to stimulate
a Ignorant persons are sometimes faulty in this respect ; but St.
Paul strongly cautions all, and especially servants, upon this head.
1 Tim. vi. 1, 2.
b Rom. xiii. 1, 2, 4. c Acts v. 29. d 1 Cor. vii. 2123.
2355. J EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON SOCIETY. 19
their ambition. To provide for their present wants, and to
lay up something for a time of sickness, is the utmost that the
generality of them aspire to. But what glorious views does
religion open to them! Truly, instead of looking up with
admiration to the great and opulent, they rather stand on an
eminence, from whence they can look down upon them with
pity and compassion. What are the prospects of princes, to
those which are unfolded to their view? They can look within
the vail of heaven itself, and there see crowns and kingdoms
reserved for them, yea, a seat upon the throne even of God
himself. Who that contemplates this will not say that reli
gion " exalts" the poor?]
2. Upon the rich
{These religion humbles. It does not indeed despoil them
of that honour which is due to their rank ; (it rather confirms
it to them 6 ;) but it humbles them in their own estimation,
and in the estimation of others, and in the daily habit of their
minds.
The rich are apt to arrogate much to themselves on account
of their distinctions ; and even before God to entertain high
thoughts of themselves : " Our lips are our own : who is lord
over us?" But let grace reach their hearts, and they no longer
say, " I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing ;" but, " I am wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked." And so far are they from despising the
poor on account of the inferiority of their station, that they
most gladly " condescend to men of low estate," and love
them truly as brethren, notwithstanding they are " brethren
only of low degree."
It is scarcely needful to say how much they are lowered also
in the eyes of others. Only let them become true disciples of
Christ, and it will soon appear that they have Jost the esteem
of an ungodly world. However wise or amiable they may be,
the serpent s seed will hiss at them. Though David was a
king, and as eminent for piety as man could be, he was the
sport of fools, and " drunkards made songs upon him." If
any qualities could have insured universal respect, the Lord
Jesus Christ would have obtained it. But " he was despised
and rejected of men :" and " if they called the Master of
the house Beelzebub, much more will they those of his house
hold."
But though the contempt of men was once the most formi
dable of all evils, they are not much concerned at it now ; for
they are made " poor in spirit," and consequently regardless
of the indignities that are offered to them. They know what
they deserve at God s hands ; and therefore they are willing
e Rom. xiii. 7.
c 2
20 JAMES, I. 9, 10. [2355.
to bear any thing from those whom He may use as instruments
of his indignation or love. They are willing also that God
should deal with them in any way he may see fit ; and whether
he give or take away, they are ready to bless his holy name.
They are brought to a state of mind resembling that of a man
subsisting upon alms : " they come to their God and Saviour
for gold, that they may be enriched; for eye-salve, that they
may see ; and for raiment, that the shame of their nakedness
may not appear." They are contented, yea they are glad, to
seek their daily bread at his hands, and to live altogether as
pensioners on his grace and mercy. In short, as in their own
estimation they are vile and guilty, so in the habit of their
minds they are meek, patient, submissive, and dependent.
Thus, while the poor are elevated by religion, the rich " are
reduced and made low."]
And what shall we say of these diversified effects ?
Are they represented as adverse to our happiness ?
No : we are rather led to contemplate,
II. The universal satisfaction which they are calcu
lated to produce
That the poor have cause to rejoice in their exalta
tion, is obvious enough
[Think only what the poorest of the Lord s people are
privileged to enjoy
First, they have the most exalted of all characters. Though
some few of the Lord s people have been opulent, the gene
rality have been " a poor and afflicted people." The Apostles
had little else besides a scrip and a staff ; they were " poor,
though making many rich ; and had nothing, though in some
respects they possessed all things." When it pleased God also
to send his only dear Son into the world, what was the state
to which he appointed him ? It was that of a poor man, who
" had not where to lay his head." And has not this dignified
the condition of the poor? Yea, have they not reason to
glory, in being so assimilated to their Lord and Saviour?
The tribe of Levi had no portion allotted to them in Israel :
but were they therefore less honourable than the rest ? No :
the Lord was their portion : and their want of earthly posses
sions was a favour conferred, and not a privilege denied.
Thus it is an honour to the poor that they have their all in
God : and though flesh and blood cannot receive the saying, it
is really a greater honour to be fed like Elijah from day to
day by the special providence of God, than to be living upon
stores collected by the hands of men.
Next, they are in the most favourable of all states. Our
adorable Saviour has determined this point beyond a doubt.
2355. J EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON SOCIETY. 21
He has declared, that " it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of heaven :" " with men," he says, " it is altogether
impossible." The Rich Youth perished only because he would
not sacrifice his earthly possessions : had he been a poor man,
he would in all probability have followed Christ, and have
been at this moment in heaven. Besides, a rich man is afraid
of being thought singular, if he " follow the Lord fully:" he
fancies that his situation obliges him to conform to the customs
of the world: he is ashamed to associate with the Lord s
people : nor will he suffer any one to deal faithfully with him :
but a poor man may follow his own ways, and seek instruction
wherever he can obtain it; and nobody will trouble himself
about him : his instructor also may, without compliment or
circumlocution, come at once to the point, and " declare unto
him all the counsel of God." What an advantage is this for
the obtaining of everlasting happiness ; and what a solid
ground of joy to all who possess it.
Once more ; they have a sovereign antidote against all their
disadvantages. Be it granted ; they want the benefit of human
learning: but they have the teachings of God s Spirit. They
want many earthly comforts; but they have the promises of
the living God. " Their afflictions may abound ; but their
consolations also abound by Christ." Whereinsoever they
may be supposed to labour under any disadvantage, they have
every thing that they need, treasured up for them in Christ
Jesus; and out of his fulness they receive, in the time and
measure which he knows to be best for them. Poor they may
be in this world s goods; but they are enriched with " the
unsearchable riches of Christ."
Now let the poor say whether they have not reason to re
joice. Surely if they estimate their state aright, they may
well " rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorified f ."]
That the rich have equal reason to rejoice in their
humiliation, is, though less obvious, not at all less
true
[What a mercy is it to them, that they are brought to see
the vanity of all their earthly distinctions. In their unenlight
ened state, they have no conception how contemptible those
things are, which they suppose to be of such mighty conse
quence. What is a high-sounding title, or a large estate, to
a man that in a few hours is about to launch into eternity ?
Yet that is the real condition of all : we are like the grass,
which by the influence of the sun and rain is brought forth
rapidly into gay luxuriance, but by an eastern blast is withered
f See Hab, iii. 17, 18.
22 JAMES, I. 9, 10. [2355.
in an hour. Every thing we possess is perishing; and we
ourselves also are fading away in the midst of our enjoyments^.
Ungodly men do not like to reflect on these things ; but the
true Christian delights to realize them in his soul : and he well
deserves our warmest congratulations, who has learned to esti
mate earthly things by the standard of truth.
It is also a mercy to the opulent servants of God, that they
are made to know wherein true honour and happiness consist.
That which may be possessed by the vilest, as well as by the
best of men, can never constitute the chief good of man. But
to be restored to the favour of God, to live in the enjoyment
of his presence, to possess his image on our souls, to glorify
him in the world, and to be growing up into a meetness for
his everlasting inheritance, this is honour, this is happiness :
and O ! what a mercy is it to see and feel this ! Happy art
thou, whoever thou art, that hast lost thy relish for earthly
vanities, and art brought to set thine affections upon things
above !
Finally, it is a mercy past all conception to have for their
portion an inheritance that shall never fade. Were they
instantly, and of necessity, to be deprived of all they possess,
we should still bid them to "rejoice that they were made low :"
for earthly riches, however great, are only dung and dross in
comparison of the Christian s portion. Let those who in this
life " took joyfully the spoiling of their goods," say, whether
they found any reason to alter their minds, when once they
reached the mansions of bliss ? How small do their sacrifices
now appear, how unworthy of a single thought ! Blessed then
indeed are ye who are enabled to " forsake all and follow
Christ :" even " in this world" he promises you " an hundred
fold ;" but what ye shall possess in the world to come " no eye
hath seen, or ear heard, or heart conceived."]
ADDRESS
[But what shall we say, either to the poor or rich, who are
destitute of an interest in Christ ? Shall we bid them rejoice ?
What cause of joy have the poor, who, after all their trials and
privations here, shall have no part or lot with the saints above ?
or what ground of glorying have the rich, who will so soon be
" lifting up their eyes in torments, seeking in vain a drop of
water to cool their tongues?" Should we attempt to console
any from a consideration of their present attainments or pos
sessions, the prophet would rebuke our folly, and dash the cup
out of their hands h . Be it known then to you all, that the
g This is particularly noticed in the text, and amplified in the verse
that follows it.
11 Jer. ix. i>:3, 24.
2356.] GOD S TESTIMONY OF HIS TEMPTED PEOPLE. 2o
poor must be exalted here, if ever they would be exalted in a
better world ; and the rich must be humbled here, if ever they
would attain the true riches. The poor must be made par
takers of a divine nature, before they can " inherit a throne
of glory ;" and the rich must be emptied of self, before they
can be " filled with all the fulness of God."]
MMCCCLVI.
THE TESTIMONY OF GOD RESPECTING HIS TEMPTED PEOPLE.
Jam. i. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him.
UNDER the afflictions with which we are visited
in. this vale of tears, philosophy has suggested many
grounds for resignation and submission : but to find
in them matter for self-congratulation and joy, was
beyond the reach of unassisted reason. To that how
ever are we led by the voice of revelation, which
teaches us to look with confidence to a future state,
wherein all that we endure for God, and in meek
submission to his will, shall be compensated with a
weight of glory, proportioned to the trials we have
here sustained for his sake, and the spiritual improve
ment which we have derived from them. St. James,
who wrote to " his Jewish brethren who were scat
tered abroad" through the violence of persecution,
frequently repeats this consolatory idea. He begins
with bidding them to "count it all joy when they fall
into divers temptations." Towards the close of his
epistle he declares this to be at least the persuasion
of his own mind ; " Behold, we count them happy
that endure a ." But in the text he does not hesitate
to affirm it as an unquestionable truth, that such
persons are truly blessed : " Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation : for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him." Now as he spake
this by inspiration from God, I shall consider it as a
a Jam. v. 11.
21 JAMES, I. 12. [2356.
declaration from God himself; and shall unfold to
you,
I. God s testimony respecting his tempted people
" Blessed is the man that endureth temptation "-
This sentiment doubtless, at first sight, appears
very paradoxical
[How can it be ? Consider the state of God s tempted
people. Consider only the lighter trials which they are called
to bear for their Lord s sake : hatred, reproach, contempt,
ridicule, the opposition of their nearest friends and relatives ;
this, every one that will follow the Lord Jesus Christ, must
endure : a variety of circumstances may tend to screen a man
from heavier trials ; but these, in some measure at least, are
the lot of all, even of the least and poorest of Christ s followers,
as well as of the most conspicuous among them : let the light
but shine even into the poorest cottage, and the surrounding
darkness will evince its incapacity to maintain communion
with it. But come to the severer trials which thousands have
to sustain : think of privations, the most distressing that can
be imagined to flesh and blood : think of bonds, and impri
sonment: think of death in its most terrible and appalling
forms : shall it be said that there is any blessedness in these ?
Must we not rather say, that the persons who are called to
endure such things are in the most wretched state ? Yes, I must
confess, as St. Paul himself says, "If in this life only such
persons have hope, they are of all men most miserable," and
altogether in a most pitiable condition. Nevertheless, whilst
we heartily subscribe to this position of the Apostle, we must
still say of the declaration in our text, that]
Yet it is most true
[These sufferings must be viewed in their reference to
eternity ; and then they will wear a very different aspect from
what they do when considered merely in themselves. For, " to
those who love him and suffer for him, God has promised a
crown of life, which they shall receive" at his hands the very
instant that their sufferings are finished. Consider, " a crown ! "
the highest of all distinctions ! " a crown of life ! " not a cor
ruptible one, like those which were given to the victors in the
Olympic games ; nor a temporary one, which is soon to be
transferred to a successor ; a crown of life and glory, which
fadeth not away ! Conceive of the saint as just entering into
the eternal world, and ascending to heaven from the flames of
martyrdom : what a cloud of witnesses come forth to congra
tulate him on his victory, and to welcome him to those blest
abodes ! Behold him welcomed too by his Lord and Master,
2356.] GOD S TESTIMONY OF HIS TEMPTED PEOPLE. 25
for whose name lie has suffered, and under whose banners he
has fought : hear the plaudit with which he is received, " Well
done, good and faithful servant ; enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord." See the crown brought forth, and put upon his
head ; and behold him seated on the very throne of God him
self, according to that promise, " To him that overcometh,
will I give to sit down with me upon my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father upon his throne :"
I say, behold these things, and then tell me, whether the pro
spect of such glory, assured to him by the promise and oath of
God, did not constitute him blessed in the midst of all his
sufferings ? Of the myriads, respecting whom it is said, " These
all came out of great tribulation," do you suppose there is one
who regrets the sufferings he once endured for the sake of
Christ? Not one assuredly: not one, who does not congra
tulate himself that he was ever counted worthy to suffer for
the Redeemer s sake. But is St. James peculiar in his senti
ments on this head ? No ; our blessed Lord bids all " who
suffer for righteousness sake, to rejoice and leap for joy b :" and
to the same effect speak all his holy Apostles . Though
therefore " no suffering is for the present joyous, but grievous,"
yet, taken in connexion with their present consolations, and
with all the future consequences, sufferings may justly be
regarded as grounds of self-congratulation and joy d .]
Such then being God s testimony, I proceed to set
before you,
II. Some instructions arising out of it-
There are in our text several instructive hints,
which ought not to be overlooked
1. We should so love the Lord Jesus Christ, as to
be willing to suffer for him
[Love, even amongst men, is of little value, if it will make
no sacrifices for the object beloved. But the Lord Jesus Christ
is worthy of all the love that can ever be exercised towards
him. Consider only what love he has manifested towards us :
how he left the bosom of his Father for us, and emptied him
self of all his glory, in order to assume our nature, and to
expiate by his own blood the sins of the whole world : is it a
mere cold esteem that is a proper return for such love ? When
the terms on which alone he could save the world were proposed
to him, he said, " Lo ! I come, I delight to do thy will, O
God." When he then proposes that we, in testimony of our
b Matt. v. 1012. c Rom. v. 3. 1 Pet. iv. 1214.
d Phil. ii. 17, 18.
26 JAMES, I. 12. [2356.
love to him, should " take up our cross and follow him," shall
we draw back, and complain that his yoke is too heavy for us ?
Of what value will he account such love as that? Go, he will
say, and " offer it to your earthly friend," and see whether he
will value it e : how much less then is it suited to express your
obligations to me, who have redeemed you to God with my
own blood !
It is worthy of observation, that the same person who in the
first clause of the text is spoken of as " enduring temptation,"
in the last clause is characterized as " loving God :" for, in
fact, none will suffer for him who do not love him ; nor can any
love him without being willing to suffer for him. If therefore
we profess love to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ whilst yet
we are afraid of bearing the contempt and hatred of an un
godly world for his sake, we only deceive our own souls : for
he has plainly told us, that he will consider none as his dis
ciples, who will not take up their cross daily and follow him.
He has told us, that, if we are ashamed of him and deny him,
he will be ashamed of us and deny us : and that those only
who are willing to lay down their lives for his sake, shall ever
save them unto life eternal.
I pray you, brethren, try your love to the Saviour by this
touchstone : and never imagine that it is sincere, unless it will
stand this test ]
2. We should so apprehend God s promises, as
utterly to despise men s threats
[" Exceeding great and precious are the promises which
God has given unto them that love him :" nor is it possible for
us to be in any situation, wherein he has not made ample pro
vision for our support and consolation. Now these promises
are all sure and certain : " they are all yea and amen in Christ
Jesus:" nor can so much as one jot or tittle of them ever fail.
But look at the threatenings of man ; how empty and vain are
they ! The whole universe combined cannot effect the smallest
thing without God s special permission: and, if permitted to
execute their purposes, how impotent is their rage, when God
is pleased to interpose in behalf of his people ! Fire could not
hurt the Hebrew Youths, nor lions injure the defenceless Daniel,
nor chains and dungeons confine Peter on the eve of his in
tended execution. Men, the most potent monarchs not
excepted, are no more than an axe or saw in the hand of God,
who uses it, or not, according to his own sovereign will, and for
the promotion only of his own glory. " Who then art thou,
that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of a
son of man that shall be as grass ; and forgettest the Lord thy
Mai. i. 8.
2357 J SIN THE OFFSPRING OF OUR OWN HEARTS. 27
Maker ?" Besides, suppose man to prevail to the extent of his
wishes ; what can he do ? He can only reach the body : the
soul he cannot touch. " Fear not man therefore, who can
only kill the body, and after that hath no more that he can
do ; but fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell:
yea, I say unto you, Fear him." And, as God has promised
that " our strength shall be proportioned to our day " of trial,
let us rest on his word, and hold in utter contempt all the
menaces of our most potent enemies f .]
3. We should so realize eternity as to rise superior
to all the concerns of time and sense
[In the view of eternity, all that relates to time vanishes,
as the twinkling star before the mid-day sun. If we could sup
pose a man caught up, like the Apostle Paul, to the third
heavens, and then sent down again to abide a few more years
upon earth, what would be his estimate of those things which
so occupy and enslave our carnal minds ? The baubles of
children would not be more contemptible in his eyes than the
glittering pageantry of courts: and, though the sufferings
which are sometimes inflicted on the saints are heavy, they
would be reckoned by him as " not worthy to be compared
with the glory that shall ere long be revealed in us." But it
is not needful that we be transported to heaven to this end :
we have the whole set before us in the oracles of God : and, if
we believe those oracles, we may be as fully convinced of the
comparative insignificance of earthly things, as if we saw the
crown of glory with our bodily eyes, or already tasted of the
heavenly bliss. Let us then seek that " faith, which is the
substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not
seen." Then shall we, like those of old, " take joyfully the
spoiling of our goods, knowing that we have in heaven a better
and an enduring substance ;" and, with Moses, shall " esteem
even the reproach of Christ as greater riches than all the
treasures of Egypt."]
f See Isai. xxxvii. 22.
MMCCCLVII.
SIN THE OFFSPRING OF OUR OWN HEARTS.
Jam. i. 13 15. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man : but every man is tempted,
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then
when lust hath conceived, it bring eth forth sin : and sin, when
it is finished, bring eth forth death.
28 JAMES, I. 1315. [2357.
THERE are temptations necessarily connected
with the Christian life, and which often, through the
weakness of our nature, become the occasions of sin :
and there are other temptations which are the direct
and immediate cause of sin. The former are external;
the latter are within a man s own bosom. The
former may be referred to God as their author, and
be considered as a ground of joy : the latter must
be traced to our own wicked hearts ; and are proper
grounds of the deepest humiliation. This distinction
is made in the passage before us. In the foregoing
verses the former are spoken of a ; in the text, the
latter.
In the words of our text, we notice the origin, the
growth, and the issue of sin. We notice,
I. Its origin
Many are ready to trace their sin to God him
self
[This is done when we say, " I could not help it :" for
then we reflect on our Maker, as not enduing us with strength
sufficient for our necessities. It is done also, though not quite
so directly, when we ascribe our fall to those who were in some
respect accessary to it: for then we blame the providence of
God, as before we did his creative power. It was thus that
Adam acted, when he imputed his transgression to the influ
ence of his wife, and ultimately to God who gave her to
him b .]
But God neither is, nor can be, the Author of
sin
[He may, and does, try men, in order to exercise their
graces, and to shew what he has done for their souls. Thus he
tempted Abraham, and Job, and Joseph, and many others.
But these very instances prove that he did not necessitate, or
in any respect influence, them to sin ; for they shone the
brighter in proportion as they were tried. But he never did,
nor ever will, lead any man into sin. And though he is said
to have " hardened Pharaoh s heart," and to have " moved
David to number the people," he did not either of these things
in any other way than by leaving them to themselves .]
a ver. 2, 12. b Gen. iii. 12.
c Exod. iv. 21. and 2 Sara. xxiv. 1. with 2 Chron. xxxii. 31.
2357.] SIN THE OFFSPRING OF OUR OWN HEARTS. 29
All sin must be traced to the evil propensities of
our own nature
[" A clean thing cannot be brought out of an unclean ;"
and therefore no descendant of Adam can be free from sin.
We have within us a secret bias to sin ; which, however good
our direction appear to be, operates at last to turn us from
God. That bias is called " lust," or desire, or concupiscence :
and it works in all, though in a great variety of degrees and
manner. All sin is fruit proceeding from this root, even from
" the lust that wars in our members ;" and in whatever chan
nel our iniquity may run, it must be traced to that as its
genuine and proper source.]
This will appear more strongly, while we mark,
II. Its growth-
Its first formation in the soul is often slow and
gradual
[" Lust," or our inward propensity to sin, presents some
thing to our imagination as likely to gratify us in a high degree.
Whether it be profit, or pleasure, or honour, we survey it with
a longing eye, and thereby our desire after it is inflamed.
Conscience perhaps suggests that it is forbidden fruit which
we are coveting ; and that, as being prohibited, it will ulti
mately tend rather to produce misery than happiness. In
opposition to this, our sinful principle intimates a doubt whe
ther the gratification be forbidden ; or at least whether, in our
circumstances, the tasting of it be not very allowable : at all
events, it suggests that our fellow-creatures will know nothing
respecting it ; that we may easily repent of the evil ; and that
God is very ready to forgive ; and that many who have used
far greater liberties are yet happy in heaven ; and that, conse
quently, we may enjoy the object of our desire, without suffer
ing any loss or inconvenience. In this manner the affections
are kindled, and the will is bribed to give its consent d : then
the bait is swallowed, the hook is fastened within us ; and we
are " dragged away 6 " from God, from duty, from happiness ;
yea, if God do not seasonably interpose, we are drawn to
everlasting perdition.]
Its progress to maturity is generally rapid
[The metaphor of a foetus formed in the womb, and
brought afterwards to the birth, is frequently used in Scrip
ture in reference to sin f . When the will has consented to
d Isai. xliv. 20. See this whole process illustrated, Gen. iii. 1 6.
e These seem to be the precise ideas intended to be conveyed by
o/jievos Kat ttjeX/co/ievor.
f Job xv. 35, Ps. vii. 14. with the text.
30 JAMES, I. 1315. [2357.
comply with the suggestions of the evil principle, then the
embryo of sin is, if we may so speak, formed within us ; and
nothing remains but for time and opportunity to bring it forth.
This of course must vary with the circumstances under which
we are : our wishes may be accomplished, or may prove
abortive : but whether our desire be fulfilled or not, sin is
imputed to us, because it formally exists within us : or rather
it is brought to the birth, though not altogether in the way we
hoped and expected.]
We proceed to notice,
III. Its issue
Sin was never barren ; its issue is numerous as the
sands upon the sea-shore : but in every instance the
name of its first-born has been " death." Death is,
1. Its penalty
[Death temporal, spiritual, and eternal, was threatened
as the punishment of transgression while our first parents
were yet in paradise. And on many occasions has the threaten
ing been renewed^ So that sin and death are abso
lutely inseparable.]
2. Its desert
[The fixing of death as the consequence of transgression
was no arbitrary appointment. The penal evil of death is
no more than the moral evil of sin. Consider the extreme
malignity of sin : What rebellion against God ! What a de
throning of God from our hearts ! What a preferring of
Satan himself, and his service, to God s light and easy yoke !
View it as it is seen in the agonies and death of God s only
Son : Can that be of small malignity which so oppressed and
overwhelmed " Jehovah s fellow?" Of those who are now
suffering the torments of the damned, not one would dare to
arraign the justice of God, or to say that his punishment ex
ceeded his offence : whatever we in our present state may
think, our mouths will all be shut, when we have juster views,
and an experimental sense, of the bitterness of sin 11 .]
3. Its tendency
[We may see the proper effect of sin in the conduct of
Adam, when he fled from God, whom he had been accustomed
to meet with familiarity and joy 1 . He felt a consciousness that
his soul was bereft of innocence ; and he was unable to endure
the sight of Him whom he had so greatly offended. In the
g Ezek. xviii. 4. Rom. i. 18. and vi. 21, 23. Gal. iii. 10.
h Matt. xxii. 12. * Gen. iii. 8.
2357.] SIN THE OFFSPRING OF OUR OWN HEARTS. 31
same manner sin affects our minds : it indisposes us for com
munion with God ; it unfits us for holy exercises : and, if a
person under the guilt and dominion of it were admitted into
heaven, he would be unable to participate the blessedness of
those around him ; and would rather hide himself under rocks
and mountains, than dwell in the immediate presence of a holy
God. Annihilation would be to him the greatest favour that
could be bestowed upon him ; so truly does the Apostle say,
that " the motions of sin do work in our members to bring
forth fruit unto death k ."]
ADVICE
1. Do not palliate sin
[Though circumstances doubtless may either lessen or
increase the guilt of sin, nothing under heaven can render it
light or venial. Our temptations may be great ; but nothing
can hurt us, if we do not ourselves concur with the tempter.
That wicked fiend exercised all his malice against our adorable
Lord ; but could not prevail, because there was nothing in
him to second or assist his efforts. So neither could he over
come us, if we did not voluntarily submit to his influence.
All sin therefore must be traced to the evil dispositions of our
own hearts ; and consequently affords us a just occasion to
humble ourselves before God in dust and ashes. If we pre
sume to reflect on God as the author of our sin, we increase
our guilt a hundred-fold : it is only in abasing ourselves that
we can at all hope for mercy and forgiveness.]
2. Do not trifle with temptation
[We carry about with us much inflammable matter, if we
may so speak ; and temptation strikes the spark which pro
duces an explosion. How readily are evil thoughts suggested
by what we see or hear ; and how strongly do they fix upon
the mind ! " Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth !"
Let us then stand at a distance from the places, the books, the
company, that may engender sin. And let us, in conformity
with our Lord s advice, " watch and pray, that we enter not
into temptation."]
3. Do not for one moment neglect the Saviour
[There is none but Jesus that can stand between sin and
death. Indeed even " he overcame death only by dying" in
our stead : and we can escape it only by believing in him.
We deserve death : we have deserved it for every sin we have
ever committed. Ten thousand deaths are our proper portion.
Let us then look to Him who died for us. Let us look to
k Rom. vii. 5.
32 JAMES, I. 16, 17. [2358.
him, not only for the sins committed long ago, but for those
of daily incursion. Our best act would condemn us, if he did
not " bear the iniquity of our holy things." He is our only
deliverer from the wrath to come : to Him therefore let us
flee continually, and " cleave unto him with full purpose of
heart."]
MMCCCLVIII.
GOD THE ONLY SOURCE OF ALL GOOD.
Jam. i. 16, 17. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh doiun
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
THERE is much evil in the world. But people
are little aware from whence it proceeds. We forget
that at the first creation there was no such thing as
evil, either natural or moral, in the whole universe.
God, it is true, could have prevented the existence
of it : and so he could have prevented the existence
of the world itself, which only came into being
through the operation of his sovereign will and of his
almighty power. It is not for us to inquire, why he
permitted evil to exist. Doubtless he will ultimately
be glorified in all that he has done, yea and, on the
whole, in all that he has permitted, though we cannot
exactly say how that glory shall accrue to him. All
that we, in our present state, are called to, is, to feel
and to maintain that he does all things well : that,
however he may permit, he does not do evil ; but
that, on the contrary, all good, and nothing but good,
is to be ascribed to him.
Now it is of great importance that we should, at
least as far as regards ourselves, have just views of
this matter, since for want of them we greatly err.
So the Apostle evidently intimates in the words
which we have read : from whence I will take occa
sion to shew,
I. The true character of the Deity
He is here declared to be the only, and the un
changing source of all good
2358. ] GOD THE ONLY SOURCE OF ALL GOOD. 33
1 . He is the only source of all good
[The sun in the material world may properly be called
" the father of lights," because there is no light but what pro
ceeds from him. The moon and stars only reflect the light
which they receive from him. Thus is God to the whole
creation the only source of light and life. There is no " good
and perfect gift," but proceeds from him. In nature, all the
worlds were framed by him, and every thing in them was fitted
for its peculiar use, and for the benefit of the whole. In pro
vidence, every thing is ordered with unerring wisdom to sub
serve the designs of God, and to accomplish his holy will, yea,
and ultimately to further the welfare of all his chosen people
In grace this appears in a still more striking point of
view. Every good disposition is formed by him in the heart
of man, which, without the agency of his Spirit, would continue
one entire and unaltered mass of corruption through all eter
nity. If we either will or do any thing that is good, it is in
consequence of his electing love and sovereign grace a ]
2. He is the unchanging source of all good
[If in the communication of good he in some respects re
sembles the sun, he in other respects differs widely from it.
The sun, though the fittest emblem that we have of immuta
bility in dispensing good, has yet its changes, both annual and
diurnal, and at different seasons of the day and year, casts its
shadows in a widely different form, according to the quarter in
which it shines, and to its position in our hemisphere, as more
vertical or horizontal. But not so Jehovah, the Father of all
heavenly lights. There are no changes with him b . "With
him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." To his
believing people he is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for
ever ." True, his light may be intercepted by a cloud : but
he himself remains the same : and let only the cloud be
dispelled, and he will shine as bright as ever on the believing
soul ]
Now that you may see how important this view of
the Deity is, I beg you to notice,
II. The errors we run into for want of duly advert
ing to it
We err exceedingly,
1. In a way of self-vindication
[This is the precise point to which St. James directs our
attention. After saying, " Let no man say, when he is tempted,
I am tempted of God : for God cannot be tempted with evil ;
neither tempteth he any man : but every man, when he is
a Phil. ii. V2, 13. b Mai. Hi. 6. c Heb. xiii. 5, 8.
VOL. XX. D
31 JAMES, I. 1G, 17. [2358.
tempted, is drawn away of his own lust and enticed ;" he adds,
" Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift, and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning :" Evil is from yourselves, and/row yourselves alone:
good, and only good, is from God.
Now you cannot but know, that, like our first parents, we
are ever ready to exculpate ourselves, and to cast the blame
of our sins, either on the tempters that led us to them, or on
the propensities which God himself has implanted in us. But
in both of these cases we do, in fact, cast the blame on God,
as either immediately or remotely the cause of the evils we
commit. But beware of all excuses, be they what they may.
The fault is all your own, and nothing but humiliation and
contrition will become you to the latest hour of your lives
- If ever you perish, you will have none but yourselves
to blame.]
2. In a way of self-dependence
[We are ever prone to look for some good in ourselves,
instead of seeking all good from God alone. But it is in vain
to rely on any wisdom of our own to guide us, or strength of
our own to support us, or righteousness of our own to justify
us. Satan himself may as well look for these things in himself
as we : and it is on this account that God has been " pleased
to treasure up in his dear Son a fulness of them, that we may
receive them all from him" from day to day, and from hour to
hour. Know ye this, that in yourselves " ye are wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;" and "from
Christ alone can ye ever receive raiment to cover you, or gold
to enrich you, or the eye-salve" that shall administer healing
to your organs of vision. " All your fresh springs must be in
God," even in God alone ]
3. In a way of self-applause
[We are no less prone to take to ourselves credit from
what is good, than to shift off from ourselves blame in what is
evil. But " if we differ from others or from our former selves,
who is it that has made us to differ ? or what have we that we
have not received from God himself?" As well might the earth
boast of its fertility independently of the sun, whose genial
rays have called it forth, as we arrogate to ourselves honour
on account of any good that we have ever done. If you would
see what the earth would be independent of the sun, go to the
polar regions in the depth of winter. And, if you would see
what you yourselves would be independent of God, go down
to that place where God never comes by the operations of his
grace, and where the damned spirits are left without controul.
If there be any good in you, it is from Christ that you have
2359.] OF REGENERATION. 35
received it: for " without him you could do nothing." If you
have attained to any thing more than ordinary, you must say,
" He that hath wrought me to the self-same thing is God."
Even if you equalled the Apostle Paul in holiness, you must
say, " By the grace of God I am what I am ;" and in refer
ence to every individual act, " It was not I, but the grace of
God that was with me d ."]
APPLICATION
" Do not err then, my beloved brethren"
[Be aware of your tendencies ; and remember how to
correct them. You never can err in taking shame to your
selves: nor can you ever err in giving glory to God. But if
you arrogate any thing to yourselves, you will rob God : and,
in robbing him, you will eventually, and to your utter ruin,
rob yourselves."]
* 1 Cor. xv. 10.
MMCCCLIX.
REGENERATION ITS AUTHOR, MEANS, AND END.
Jam. i. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.
THERE is an evil in the world so monstrous and
so horrible, that one can scarcely conceive how it
should ever be committed ; namely, the ascribing
unto God our own iniquities, and tracing them to
him as their proper author. Yet is this the common
refuge of sinners ; who, when led captive by their
own lusts, excuse themselves by averring, that no
criminality can attach to the indulgence of passions
which God himself has given them. But St. James
protests against this impiety, and declares, that
" God tempteth no man ; but that every man who
yields to temptation, is drawn away and enticed by
his own lust a ." Another evil also he sets himself to
counteract, namely, the tracing of good to ourselves,
as though it originated with us as its proper authors.
This, though it does not shock our feelings so much
as the former does, yet is of the same nature with it,
and no less offensive in the sight of God : for, whilst
a ver. 13, 14.
36 JAMES, I. 18. [2359.
the former sentiment makes God the cause of evil, the
latter denies him to be the cause of good. But on
this subject also St. James rectifies our views ; assur
ing us, that, as all light proceeds from the sun, so
does <e every good and perfect gift come down from
above, even from God the Father of lights." We
may indeed have great changes, as from day to night,
or from summer to winter : but these arise from our
selves only ; for " with him is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning ;" and, if we have less abundant
communications from him at one time than another,
it is owing to the change of our position with respect
to him, and to our temporary departure from him.
If, on the contrary, a spiritual change has taken place
in any of us, so that we have been born again, it is
because " he begat us with the word of truth ;" and
begat us, not on account of any merit in us, but
purely " of his own will," and " to the praise of the
glory of his own grace."
In this assertion of the Apostle the whole subject
of regeneration or conversion comes before us : and
we shall be led to mark,
I. The source from whence it flows-
It is not from man
[Man has neither power nor inclination to convert himself
truly and thoroughly to God. If only we consider what is said
in the Scriptures respecting the extreme weakness of man in
relation to every thing that is spiritually good, that " without
Christ he can do nothing ;" that " no man can say that Jesus
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost ;" and that " we are not
of ourselves sufficient even to think any thing that is good;"
that our sufficiency even for that is of God alone, how can
it be thought that we should be able to " put off the old
man and to put on the new," and to " renew ourselves in the
spirit of our minds after the image of our God in righteousness
and true holiness ? " The very terms in which this change is
spoken of, as a resurrection, a new birth, a new creation,
clearly import, that it is beyond the power of man to effect it
in himself. We need go no further than to the image used
in the text itself, to shew the utter absurdity of any such idea.
Nor have any others a power to effect it in us : for man can
only address himself to our outward senses : he has no access
whatever to our hearts ; he can therefore never accomplish in
2359. J OF REGENERATION. 37
us so great a work, as that of " giving us a new heart, and
renewing a right spirit within us."
Nor has any man the inclination thus to renew himself.
Let us look around, and see what is the state of mankind
at large. Are they mourning over their degeneracy and cor
ruption ? Are they panting after holiness ? Are they using
the means which are confessedly within their reach ? Are
they thankful for every aid they can receive, and for every
instruction by which their good desires may be furthered ?
If you think they are, take your Bible with you, and go to
all your neighbours and proffer your assistance to them, and
solicit a reciprocal aid from them : act as if you all were ship
wrecked, and all were anxious for their own personal welfare,
and for the welfare of those around them. Do this, and you
will soon see how much inclination men have for a thorough
conversion of their souls to God.]
It is from God, and from God alone
[This we are not left to determine by any fallible reason
ings of our own : it is decided for us by God himself ; who,
speaking of all who received the Lord Jesus Christ, and thereby
received power to become the sons of God, says, " They were
born, not of blood (or in consequence of their descent from any
particular parents), nor of the will of the flesh (that is, from
any good desires of their own), nor of the will of man (that is,
from the kind efforts of others), but of GodV It is God
alone who makes one to differ from another : it is " God alone
who gives us either to will, or to do d ," what is good : and " He
who is the Author, is also the Finisher 6 ," of all that can issue
in a man s salvation.]
But as God is pleased to use means and instruments
in this work, I will proceed to shew,
II. The means by which it is effected
It becomes not us to restrict God in the use of
means. We know that he frequently makes use of
b John i. 12, 13. c 1 Cor. iv. 7. d Phil. ii. 13.
e Heb. xii. 2. How all this accords with the doctrines of the
Church of England, may be seen by referring to our Articles and
Liturgy : In our Liturgy we thus address the Deity : " O God, from
whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do pro
ceed." And the tenth Article runs thus : " The condition of man
after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare him
self by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling
upon God. Wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant
and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing
us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have
that good will."
38 JAMES, I. 18. [2359.
affliction, and of conversation ; and we will not pre
sume to say that he never employs even dreams or
visions for the attainment of his ends : we know
assuredly that he has done so in former times ; and
therefore he may do so at this time (we confess,
however, that we are not partial to any thing arising
out of such means : we are always fearful that they
will issue in something transient and delusive : we
prefer infinitely what proceeds from causes more
rational, and more tangible, and more consonant with
the dispensation under which we live) ; but we are
not at liberty to limit God to any particular mode of
communicating his blessings to mankind. Of one
thing however we are sure (and that will effectually
cut off all occasion for enthusiastic delusions) ;
namely, that whatever means God makes use of to
bring the soul to a consideration of its state, it is
"by the word of truth" alone that he savingly con
verts it to himself. By other means he may call our
attention to the word ; but by the word only does he
guide us to the knowledge of his truth, and to the
attainment of his salvation.
By the word he begins the good work within us
[It is from thence alone that we attain the knowledge of
our fallen state From thence alone can we learn the
way of salvation through a crucified Redeemer From
thence alone can we derive encouragement to lay hold on the
hope that is set before us : for the only legitimate object of
faith is the word of God ; and " without faith, so grounded, we
cannot possibly please GodV]
By the word also he carries it on, and perfects it,
within us
[" The word is that unadulterated milk by which the
new-born babes must grow g ." And, whatever degrees of
sanctification are produced in us at a more advanced period,
they are effected by the same divine instrument ; as St. Paul
has said : " Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it,
that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious
Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but
that it should be holy, and without blemish 11 ." Hence our
f Heb. xi. 6. 1 Pet. ii. 2. ] > Eph. v. 26, 27.
2359.] OF REGENERATION. 39
blessed Lord, when praying for his Church, said, " Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth 1 ." Not that the
word has this power in itself: for thousands both hear and
read it without deriving any benefit from it to their souls. It
is " the sword of the Spirit k ;" and effects no more than what
He who wields it sees fit to accomplish. If it " come in word
only," it is of no weight at all : but when it " comes in demon
stration of the Spirit and of power 1 ," then " it effects all for
which God himself has sent it m :" and " through him is mighty to
the pulling down of all the strong-holds n " of sin and Satan.]
Thus is the whole work of grace wrought within us :
and a blessed work it will appear, whilst we shew,
III. The end for which it is wrought
The contemplation of this may well reconcile us to
all that has been said about the sovereign will of
God. The ground on which men are so jealous of
the Divine sovereignty is, that they think it leads to
a disregard of holiness ; since, if God have chosen
men to salvation, they shall attain it without holi
ness ; and if he have not chosen them to salvation,
they can never be saved, how holy soever they may
be. But this is altogether an erroneous statement.
God is not so regardless of holiness as this sup
poses : on the contrary, if he elect any, it is " that
they may be holy, and without blame before him in
love ;" and, if " he beget any with the word of
truth," it is " that we may be to him a kind of first-
fruits of his creatures "-
[The " first-fruits" were, by God s own appointment, holy ;
so that every one was bound to consecrate them unto him p .
In like manner are God s people to be holy, and altogether
devoted to his service. They are on no account to imagine
themselves at their own disposal : " They are God s ; and must
glorify him with their body and their spirit, which are his q ."
It is not to salvation only that God ordains his people ; but
to sanctification, as the way to, and the preparation for, the
blessedness of heaven 1 . " He has chosen them out of the world 5 "
from which " they are to be separated*," as the first-fruits are
1 John xvii. 17. k Eph. vi. 17. ] 1 Thess. i. 5. andii. 13.
m Isai. Iv. 10 t 11. "2 Cor. x. 4, 5. Eph. i. 4.
P Deut. xviii. 4. <i 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. r 2 Thess. ii. 13.
s John xv. 19. l 2 Cor. vi. 17.
40 JAMES, I. 18. [2359.
from the remainder of the harvest. Being " a chosen genera
tion, they are to be a peculiar people u ," " zealous of good
works x ." To this " the word of truth" bears testimony in
every part. To think that God should " beget" any person by
his word and Spirit, and leave him at liberty to be a servant of
sin and Satan, is a thought from which one revolts with utter
abhorrence. Thus at least did St. Paul : " Is Christ the mi
nister of sin ? God forbid y." " Shall we sin, because we are
not under the law, but under grace ? God forbid 2 ." " Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid a ."
" God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness :"
and, whatever men may say respecting God s " will" in ordain
ing us to life, or respecting our relation to him as his children,
" begotten of him," this is a truth that must never for one
moment be questioned, " Without holiness no man shall see
the LordV]
SEE then that you,
1. Value the ordinances of God
[The word is doubtless to be read with care and dili
gence at home : for, as we have said, it is the food of God s
new-born offspring, and the great medium by which he com
municates his blessings to the soul. But it is through the
ministry of that word that God chiefly works. He will bless
those who read it in their own houses : but he will bless also,
and more abundantly, those who at the same time attend upon
the ministration of it by those whom he has sent to speak in
his name ; for " he loveth the gates of Zion more than all the
dwellings of Jacob." Let not any think light of the ordi
nances, because the persons who dispense them are weak as
other men : for " God has put his treasure into earthen vessels,
on purpose that the excellency of the power may the more
manifestly appear to be of him." If indeed men look to the
instrument, they will meet with nothing but disappointment :
but if they will look through the instrument to God, they
shall find the "word as quick and powerful " as ever, and
shall experience it to be " the power of God unto their ever
lasting salvation d ." There is no blessing which God will not
dispense to them by means of it Nor, if only they mix
faith with what they hear 6 , shall their most enlarged expecta
tions of " profit" ever be disappointed.]
2. Labour to improve them for their destined
end
u 2 Pet. ii. 9. * Tit. ii. 14. y Gal. ii. 17.
z Rom. vi. 15. a Rom. vi. 1, 2. b Heb. xii. 14.
c Heb. iv. 12. d Rom. i. 16. e Heb. iv. 2.
2360.] THE REWARD OF OBEYING THE GOSPEL. 41
[Sanctification, as you have heard, is that for which both
the word and ordinances are to be improved. Examine then
yourselves by what you hear, that you may find out every de
fect in your obedience ; and keep in remembrance both the
precepts and examples that are set before you, that so you
may attain to the highest degrees of holiness, and " stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God f ." You know,
that to appropriate any of the first-fruits to a common use would
have been sacrilege : beware then lest the world rob God of
any measure of those services which are due to him alone.
You are to be his wholly and altogether : " your bodies are to
be his," and " your members instruments of righteousness unto
him g ." Your souls, with all their faculties, are to be his also;
his temple, wherein he is to reside ; his throne, wherein he is
to reign : " your whole body, soul, and spirit are to be sancti
fied wholly unto him 11 :" you are to be altogether " a living
sacrifice unto him :" and this is no other than " your reason
able service 1 ." And, as it is by this only that you can make a
due improvement of ordinances, so it is by this only that you
can have in your own souls any evidence that you are born of
God. As for others, they can form no judgment at all of you,
but by your works. The rule for them to judge by, is this :
" He that committeth sin is of the devil : whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin ; for his seed, namely, the word of
God, abideth in him : and he cannot sin, because he is born
of God V Press forward then for the highest attainments,
that, " being blameless and harmless, and without rebuke in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation, ye may shine as lights
in the world, and approve yourselves indeed to be the sons and
daughters of the Lord Almighty 1 ."]
f Col. iv. 12. s Rom. vi. 13.
h 1 Thess. v. 23. * Rom. xii. 1 .
k 1 John iii. 8, 9. " The seed" in this passage means the word :
see 1 Pet. i. 23. and 1 John ii. 14.
1 Phil. ii. 15, 16.
MMCCCLX.
THE REWARD OF OBEYING THE GOSPEL.
Jam. i. 25. Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and
continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer
of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
A PROFESSION of religion without the practice
of it will avail us little. Obvious as this truth is, it
42 JAMES, I. 25.
needs to be frequently insisted on. Even in the
Apostle s days there were many who " professed to
know God, while in works they denied him." St. James
wrote his epistle with a more immediate view to such
persons. He tells them plainly that they only " de
ceive their own selves a :" but affirms with equal
confidence that the practical Christian shall be
blessed.
We shall consider,
I. The Apostle s description of the Gospel
The Gospel is generally thought to be a mere sys
tem of restraints
But it is, in truth, a " law of liberty"
[It finds us under a worse than Egyptian bondage ; and
proclaims liberty from our oppressive yoke b . It offers pardon
to those who are under the condemnation of the law; and
freedom from sin to those over whom it has had dominion.
It rescues us from the captivity in which Satan has held us ;
it breaks the fetters whereby the world has retained its
ascendency over us ; and opens the way for the unrestrained
observance of holy duties. It is to captive sinners, what the
jubilee-trumpet was to the enslaved Jews c ; and effects for
the imprisoned soul what the angel wrought for Peter d . This
liberty however it proclaims with the authority of a " law."
It does not merely offer what we may alter or reject : it is
properly called by the Apostle " the law of faith." It pre
scribes the only possible method of obtaining salvation ; it
declares that all attempts to find out another will be vain e ;
and it enjoins us to embrace this at the peril of our souls f .]
It is justly called a "perfect" law of liberty
[Nothing can be added to it to render it more effectual :
neither ceremonial nor moral duties can at all improve Christ s
finished work g . It will be utterly made void also, if any
thing be taken from it. The blood of Christ, not any work of
ours, must be regarded as the price of our redemption 11 ; and
the liberty itself must be received as the gift of God through
faith* . The Gospel is perfect also with respect to its effects
upon the conscience. The Mosaic sacrifices were little more
than remembrances of sins k ; but in the Gospel we have a
a ver. 22. b Isai. Ixi. 1. c Lev. xxv. 9, 10.
d Acts xii. 710. e 1 Cor. iii. 11. f 1 John iii. 23.
e Gal. v. 2, 4. h 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. * Eph, ii, 8.
k Heb. x. 3.
2360.] THE REWARD OF OBEYING THE GOSPEL. 43
sacrifice that takes away our sin 1 . The soul, once purged by
the Redeemer s blood, is cleansed for ever m ; and, once freed
by his almighty grace, is free indeed 11 !]
This beautiful view of the Gospel will easily ac
count for,
II. The regard which the Christian pays to it
A man immured in a dungeon, would not treat
with indifference a proclamation of pardon ; nor can
he who is in earnest about salvation, disregard the
Gospel
He endeavours to understand it
[He does not inspect it to gratify a foolish curiosity : he
searches into it with care and diligence. Like the Berasans of
old, he maturely weighs its declarations , and " proves all
things in it, that he may hold fast that which is good." Even
the angels themselves desire to investigate its mysteries :
much more does he, who feels so great an interest in its con
tents. Nor does he do this in a transient manner, but with
persevering diligence 1 ?.]
He labours also to obey it
[What he hears or reads is not suffered to escape his
memory : he at least " gives earnest heed to it, lest at any
time he should let it slip." He cannot be satisfied to " see
his face in a glass, and presently to forget what manner of man
he was q :" he desires to have the word engraven on his heart,
and transcribed into his life. When he hears of liberty, he
feels a solicitude to obtain it; or, having obtained it, he
strives to honour his almighty Deliverer. He is well aware
i John i. 29. m Heb. x. 14.
n Johnviii. 36. Acts xvii. 11.
P It is worthy of observation that as St. Peter, speaking of the
angels, uses the word TrapaKv^ai in reference to the bending posture
of the cherubims that were over the ark, 1 Pet. i. 12 ; so St. James,
speaking of the Christian, uses both 7rapaKv\^ag and Tropc^u/ae, in
reference to the continuance of the cherubims in that posture. The
ark was an eminent type of Christ ; in it was contained the law ; and
over it was placed the mercy-seat : overshadowing all, were the
cherubims of glory ; Heb. ix. 4, 5. These things were typical of
evangelical truths ; Heb. x. 1. They represented God as reconciled
to us through Christ, by whom the law was kept inviolate : compare
Ps. xl. 7, 8. with Heb. x. 7. And the cherubims represented, not
angels only, but men also, as contemplating and searching into this
stupendous mystery.
q ver. 23, 24.
44 JAMES, 1. 25. [2360.
that his pretensions to faith must be supported by a suitable
life and conversation 1 "; and it is his determination, through
grace, to shew forth his faith by his works.]
That he does not find it vain to serve God, will
appear by considering,
III. The reward which he ensures to himself
thereby
The world suppose that the service of God is irk
some and unprofitable ; but the Christian can attest
the contrary from his own experience
In the very act of obeying he finds a rich reward
[He can adopt, in reference to the law, the declaration of
St. Paul 8 . However strict the commandments be, he does
not account them grievous*: on the contrary, he feels " the
ways of religion to be pleasantness and peace u ." His deli
verance from impetuous passions is no small source of happi
ness : his exercise of benevolent aifections greatly tranquillizes
his mind x . The testimony of his own conscience is a rich and
continual feasts Moreover God himself will vouchsafe to him
delightful tokens of his approbation. HE will shed abroad
his love in the hearts of his faithful servants ; HE will lift upon
them the light of his applauding countenance ; and " seal them
with the Spirit of promise, as the earnest of their inheritance."
Thus, in the most literal sense, is that expression realized 2 ;
and the description, alluded to in the text, is abundantly
verified a .]
A still more glorious recompence also awaits him
in the future world
[Many are extremely cautious of asserting this truth.
They are afraid lest they should be thought to be advocates
for the doctrine of human merit; but there is no truth more
clear than that our works shall be rewarded 13 . Nor does this
at all interfere with the doctrines of grace. Our persons and
our services are equally accepted through Christ , and our
happiness will be altogether the gift of God for his sake : but
our works will assuredly be the measure of our reward d , and
we may with propriety be stimulated by the hope of a future
recompence 6 . Let the Christian then know, that not the
r Jam. ii. 17 20. s Rom. vii. 22. i I John v. 3.
u Prov. iii. 17. x Isai. xxxii. 17. y 2 Cor. i. 12.
* Ps. xix. 11. * Ps. i. 13. b Rom. ii. 6.
c 1 Pet. ii. 5. d 1 Cor. iii. S. e Heb. xi. 26.
2361.] SELF-DECEIT EXPOSED. 45
meanest of his services shall be forgotten 1 "; but that his weight
of glory shall be proportioned to his services g .]
ADDRESS
1. The inconsiderate hearers
[It is obvious that many hear the word without receiving
any saving benefit. This is owing to their own carelessness
and inattention. They are like the way-side hearers, from whom
Satan catches away the word h ; but such hearers do not
merely lose the blessings which the faithful Christian obtains.
If the word be not " a savour of life, it becomes a savour of
death, to their souls." O that all would remember the admo
nition once given to the Jews 1 . Thus should they know the
truth, and the truth should make them free k .]
2. The practical hearers
[You have been brought from bondage to liberty, from
darkness to light ; and, doubtless, you experience the blessed
ness of doing the will of God. " Stand fast then in the liberty
wherewith Christ has made you free ;" " and be not entangled
again with any yoke of bondage." Shew that you consider
God s service as perfect freedom. Seek to have your very
" thoughts brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 1 ."
Thus shall your "peace flow down like a river;" and abundant
treasures be laid up for you in the heavenly kingdom" 1 .]
f Matt. x. 42. e 2 Cor. iv. 17. h Matt. xiii. 19.
j John xii. 48. k John viii. 32. 1 2 Cor. x. 5.
m Matt. vi. 20.
MMCCCLXI.
SELF-DECEIT EXPOSED.
Jam. i. 26. If any man among you seem to be religious, and
bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this
mans religion is vain.
IF there be persons in the present day who per
vert the doctrines of the Gospel, and take occasion
from them to depreciate morality, we must not
wonder at it, since this evil obtained to a very great
extent even in the apostolic age. It was with a view
to persons of this description chiefly that St. James
wrote this practical and vituperative epistle. It is
evident that the Christian temper was too much
46 JAMES, I. 26. [2361.
overlooked by many who professed themselves fol
lowers of Christ. There were many who loved to
hear the Gospel, but neglected to comply with its
injunctions. In particular, they would give a very
undue licence to their tongues, indulging themselves
in most uncharitable censures of each other ; whilst
in the opinion of their own party, and in their own
estimation, they stood high as " saints of the Lord."
But, in the words which we have read, the Apostle
James declared plainly to them, that they " deceived
their own souls," and that "their religion was vain."
In this declaration we may see,
I. The proper office of religion in the soul-
Religion is not intended to fill the mind with
notions, but to regulate the heart and life
1. As admitted into the soul, it brings us under the
authority of God s law
[Previous to our reception of the Gospel, we know no
other rule of conduct than that of our own will, or the opinions
of the world around us. But when we have " received the
truth as it is in Jesus," we see that God is a Sovereign who
must be obeyed ; and that his law is to be a rule of action to
all his creatures. His law extends not to outward actions
only, but to the thoughts and desires of the heart ; over which
it exercises a complete controul. We now begin to see, that
the requirements of that law, in their utmost extent, are all
" holy, and just, and good ;" precisely such as it became Jeho
vah to enact, and such as it is our truest happiness to obey.
The mere circumstance that it has been spoken by the Lord,
is quite sufficient to give it, in all cases, a paramount autho
rity : nor are the customs or opinions of the whole world, how
ever long or universally established, accounted of any weight
in opposition to it ]
2. As operating in the soul, it disposes and qualifies
us to obey that law
[The Gospel duly received, does not merely convince the
judgment, but engages the affections; and at the same time
that it gives a new taste, it imparts a vital energy ; whereby
we are enabled to " put off the old man, which is corrupt ac
cording to the deceitful lusts, and to put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
It is an engine of vast power : it is " mighty through God to
2361.] SELF-DECEIT EXPOSED. 47
the pulling down of the strong-holds of sin and Satan : it casts
down all towering imaginations, and every thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God ; and brings into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ 3 ."
Now all this is implied in the text. It is taken for granted,
that religion, duly operating, will enable us to " bridle the
tongue." But, to regulate the tongue, we must of necessity
" keep and rectify the heart," since "out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speakethV If therefore the not bridling
of the tongue argues our religion to be vain, it is evident, that
the proper office of religion is to bring the whole soul into
subjection to God s law, and to render us conformed to the
perfect example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It
will make us to aspire after this, and to strive for it, and in a
considerable measure to attain it. I say, in a considerable
measure ; because perfection, sinless perfection, is not to be
attained by such corrupt and feeble creatures as we. " The
wildest beasts have been so tamed as almost to have changed
their nature : but the tongue can no man tame c ," so as never
in any instance to offend with it. Not even Moses, or Job, or
Paul, attained such perfection as that. But still, as to any
predominant habit of sin, we shall be delivered from it, if we
are truly upright before God ; and shall be enabled to say with
David, " I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my
tongue : I will keep my mouth with a bridle," when most
tempted and provoked to speak unadvisedly with my lips d .]
From hence we can be at no loss to determine,
II. The state of those in whom its appropriate influ
ence is not found
The declaration in our text may be accounted
harsh ; and particularly as made to persons who were
considered as eminent in the Church of Christ. But
it is true ; and must be delivered, whether men will
hear, or whether they will forbear. Mark,
1. What is here supposed-
fit is supposed that a man may seem to others to be reli
gious, and may be fully persuaded in his own mind that he is
so ; and yet have so little government of his tongue, as to prove
that he deceives his own heart, and that his religion is vain.
And is this a supposition that is not warranted in fact ? Would
to God it were so ! but he can know very little of the Chris
tian world, divided as it is into innumerable sects and parties,
a 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. b Matt. xii. 34.
c Jam. iii, 7, 8, d Ps. xxxix. 1.
48 JAMES, I. 26. [2361.
and not know, that the most prominent in every sect have
been but too ready to condemn each other, and oftentimes with
an acrimony which has shewn clearly enough under whose
malignant influence they were. A little difference of senti
ment about certain doctrines (though not of primary or funda
mental importance), or about matters of discipline only (which
are confessedly less plainly revealed in the Gospel), have been
sufficient, and still are, to rend the seamless garment of Christ
into ten thousand pieces, and to fill with mutual enmity whole
communities, who profess to have embraced a religion of love.
Nor is it in this respect only that the Christian world are ob
noxious to the reproof given in our text. The pride, and
conceit, and vanity, of many professors proclaim to the whole
world how destitute they are of true humility, and conse
quently of true religion. Their envious surmisings too, their
uncharitable censures, their vindictive recriminations; alas!
there are scarcely any persons more guilty of these things than
blind bigots and party zealots, and talkative professors. Shall
I mention the licence which many give to their tongue, in
ungoverned anger, in palpable falsehood, in shameless impu
rity ? Ah ! tell it not in Gath ; publish it not in the streets
of Askelon : such are the defects of many who yet stand fair
with the Christian world, and would think themselves greatly
injured, if their piety were held in doubt. It is plain that
such things existed in the Apostle s days ; and we flatter our
selves too much, if we think that the Church is a whit purer
in the present day. There ever were, and there still are,
" tares growing with the wheat ;" and they must be left to
God, who alone can make the separation.]
2. What is here asserted
[The religion of such persons, however eminent they may
be in the estimation of themselves or others, is altogether
" vain :" for it will neither be accepted of God, nor be of any
avail for the salvation of their souls. God cannot accept it,
because he looketh at the heart. External forms, or strong
professions, cannot deceive him. " He requireth truth in the
inward parts:" and forms his estimate of men by the conformity
of their hearts to his mind and will. To what purpose will it
be that we " cry, Lord, Lord, if we do not the things which he
says?" We are told by St. Paul to what a height of religion
men may apparently attain, even " exercising a faith that can
remove mountains, and speaking as with the tongues of angels,
and giving all their goods to feed the poor, yea and their bodies
also to be burnt, and yet be no better before God than sound
ing brass or tinkling cymbals 6 ." Let those who have not the
e 1 Cor. xiii. 13.
2361.] SELF-DECEIT EXPOSED. 49
government of the tongue attend to this. The want of that
self-command argues a radical want of the vital principle of
love: and the want of that principle vitiates all that we can
either do or suffer, and renders it of no value in the sight of
God. He has warned us beforehand, that " he will take
account even of every idle word that we speak f ," and much
more of every uncharitable word ; and that " by our words
we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be con
demned e."]
In reflecting on this subject, we cannot but ob
serve,
1. In what an awful state they must be, who have
not even the appearance of religion
[I know that persons who have no desire after vital god
liness will bless themselves because they are not hypocrites.
But is it to the credit of any, that they do not even pretend to
have the fear of God in their hearts ? Is it to the credit of
any, that whilst they name the name of Christ, they do not so
much as profess to depart from iniquity, or to take his yoke
upon them ? What is this boast, but an avowed acknowledg
ment that they are rebels against God, violaters of his laws,
haters of his Christ, and contemners of his salvation ? Go ye
on then, and glory that ye are not hypocrites ; though it
were easy enough to prove that you are the basest hypocrites,
because you profess yourselves Christians, and would be indig
nant with any one who should dispute your title to Christian
ordinances and Christian burial, whilst you give the lie to that
profession by the whole tenour of your life and conversation ;
I say, go on, and glory that ye are not hypocrites. Then you
shall not be condemned as hypocrites. But ye are rebels ;
and, as rebels, ye shall be condemned : and that Saviour whom
you now despise, will shortly say, " Bring hither those mine
enemies, who would not that I should reign over them, and
slay them before me." Yes, verily, if those who have so much
religion as to stand high in the estimation of the Christian
Church on account of it, may yet deceive themselves, and have
their religion vain, much more must you deceive yourselves, if you
hope to escape the judgments of God in the eternal world. If
their religion will not save them, much less will your ir religion
save you. Repent then, and turn unto your God in sincerity and
truth. Yet look not to your reformation to save you, but to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who expiated your guilt by his own
blood, and offers you by my mouth the forgiveness of your
sins. As an ambassador from him, I beseech you in his stead,
f Matt. xii. 3G. e Matt, xii. 37.
VOL. XX. E
50 JAMES, I. 27. [2362.
be ye reconciled to God. Then shall not only your " sins be
blotted out as a cloud," but your very love of sin shall be sub
dued and mortified by his Spirit and grace ; so that the foun
tain which has hitherto emitted so much that was impure,
shall henceforth flow in endless streams of praise to your
redeeming God h .]
2. What need the professors of religion have of
vigilance and care
[You see in others how difficult it is to have the full
government of the tongue. Know then that the same diffi
culty exists in relation to yourselves. But in yourselves you
are apt to overlook it. It is surprising how faulty a religious
professor may be in the licence which he allows to his tongue,
whilst he is not conscious of any fault at all, or perhaps takes
credit to himself for his fidelity and zeal. But, when you hear
how fatally you may deceive your own souls, it becomes you
to be upon your guard, and to pray continually, with David,
" Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door
of my lips 1 ." And be not content with abstaining from evil
discourse, but let your words be always such as may " minister
grace to the hearers, and tend to the use of edifying k ." The
power of speech is that which above all others may be employed
for the honour of God, and the welfare of your fellow-creatures.
In this respect your tongue is " your glory." Bid it then
" awake to honour and adore your God V Remember, it is
not the talkative professor of religion that is always the most
humble or most acceptable in the sight of God. Many of that
description there are, who " think themselves to be something,
when they are nothing ;" and thereby eventually deceive and
ruin their own souls m Be not ye of that unhappy
number. Be rather "swift to hear, and slow to speak 11 ."
And, if you do stand forward to instruct and benefit others,
be doubly careful to set an example of all that you inculcate,
and to let the power of religion appear in the whole of your
own spirit and deportment.]
h Jam. iii. 11. * Ps. cxli. 3. k Eph. iv. 29.
1 Ps. Ivii. 8. m Gal. vi. 3. See especially Rom. ii. 1820,
n ver. 19.
MMCCCLXII.
PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION DESCRIBED.
Jam. i. 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the zvorld.
2362.] OF PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION. 51
ERRORS of the most fatal kind were early found
in the Christian Church. So speedily had vital god
liness decayed, that even in the Apostles days a
mere form and profession of religion was deemed
sufficient. Under the idea of exalting faith, the
value of good works was depreciated, and the ne
cessity of performing them denied. Against such
errors the Apostle James lifted up his voice like a
trumpet : he bore testimony against them in the most
energetic manner : he declared that " faith without
works was dead a :" that to be " hearers of the word
and not doers of it, was the way to deceive our own
souls b :" that the " religion" which did not produce
self-government, " was vain c :" and that that religion,
which alone God would acknowledge as " pure
and undefined," would lead to the most self-denying
exercises of love, and to a freedom from all those
corruptions with which the world abounded : " Pure
religion, &c. &c."
Let us consider,
I. His description of true religion
We must remember that the Apostle is here speak
ing of religion solely in a practical view. He is not
speaking of principles. Not that he disregards them :
on the contrary, instead of setting aside the doctrines
of justification by faith, as some would represent,
he insists on the necessity of faith as strongly as
St. Paul himself ; only he distinguishes between that
which is living and operative, and that which is
uninfluential and dead; and affirms, that it is the
living and operative faith only, which will save the
soul.
Nor is the whole even of practical religion in the
contemplation of the Apostle in this passage. He
does not advert to the exercise of our affections
towards God, but only to our actions towards men:
and it is in this confined view that we must under
stand him as speaking in the words before us.
b ver. 22. c ver. 26.
E 2
52 JAMES, I. 27. [2362.
He informs us how religion will influence us in
reference to,
1. The world at large
[The terms here made use of draw the line with great
accuracy. It is not required of us to renounce the world
entirely : we are social beings, and have many social duties to
perform : and, if we were to abandon society altogether, we
should withhold from mankind many benefits which they have
a right to expect from us. When God calls us " the salt of
the earth," it is necessarily implied that we are to come in
contact with that mass, which, by our influence, is to be kept
from corruption. But from " the corruptions that are in the
world d " we are to " keep ourselves unspotted." Its pleasures,
riches, and honours we are to despise 6 , even as our Lord
Jesus Christ himself did f . Nor are we to be conformed to
its sentiments and habits g : even its friendship we are neither
to court nor desire h . If we would approve ourselves Christians
indeed, we must " feel such an influence from the cross of
Christ, as to be crucified unto the world, and to have the world
altogether crucified unto us 1 ." Thus, though in the world, we
shall clearly shew that we are not o/the world.]
2. That part of it which is destitute and afflicted
[Love is the life and soul of religion : and, as it will
extend to all in general, so will it manifest itself particularly
towards those who are bowed down with affliction. The
" visiting" of the afflicted is an office which the true Christian
will delight to execute; yet not in a slight and transient
manner : he will so interest himself in all their concerns, as
to relieve and comfort them to the utmost of his power k .
His conduct towards them will resemble that of Job 1 . It is
the way in which he expresses his obligations to God m ; and
in which he shews his love to his Lord and Saviour 11 . He
considers love and charity as a commandment stamped with
peculiar authority by Christ himself ; and, in obedience to
it, he desires to " weep with them that weep, as well as to
rejoice with them that rejoice p ." This is " pure and undefiled
religion." Other things may pass for religion before men, but
this is religion " before God:" it is that which he will acknow
ledge as agreeable to his will, and will recompense with tokens
of his approbation.]
d 2 Pet. i. 4. e i J hn ii. 15, 16. f John xvii. 1416.
8 Rom. xii. 2. h Jam. iv. 4. * Gal. vi. 14.
k This is implied in the word i-maKiirTeaQai.
1 Jobxxix. 12, 13. and xxx. 25. and xxxi. 1620.
m Isai. Iviii. 6, 7. " Matt. xxv. 45.
John xiii. 34. p Rom. xii. 15.
2362. J OF PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION. 53
This description of religion will probably force
from us a tribute of applause : but, instead of bestow
ing on it empty commendations, it will be proper to
consider,
III. The use we are to make of it
The Apostle doubtless designed that we should
regard it,
1. As a criterion whereby to judge of our state
["Victory over the world" is one of those marks which
are universally found in the Lord s people, and in no other q .
Other persons, it is true, may be free from open vices, and,
through disappointments and infirmities, may become dis
gusted with the world : but their love of the world is not at all
changed, provided they could have the things on which their
hearts are fixed, with health and strength to enjoy them.
A delight in all the offices of love to men for Christ s sake
is another mark, whereby Christians are distinguished from all
other persons. It is a disposition which springs out of a sense
of redeeming love r , and infallibly " accompanies salvation 8 ."
The want of this disposition argues a total absence of divine
grace 4 ; whilst the exercise of it warrants an assured confidence
in the Divine favour u .
Let us then bring ourselves to this touchstone. Let us ask
ourselves, whether we do indeed account it " better to go to
the house of mourning than to the house of feasting?" Do we
consider ourselves as " pilgrims and sojourners here ;" and
value our possessions, not so much for the respect or comfort
which they procure to ourselves, as for the opportunities they
afford us of honouring God and benefiting our fellow-creatures ?
Alas ! alas ! when estimated according to this rule, how little
of "pure and undefiled religion" will be found! This is a
melancholy view indeed of the Christian world ; but it is the
view which God himself gives us of it ; and it is in vain for us
to controvert it; for by his decision we must stand or fall x .]
2. As a directory whereby to regulate our con
duct
[The commands of God relative to these things are clear
and express : " Come out from the world, and be separate, and
touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will
be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
<i 1 John iv. 4, 5. r i J hn iv. 10, 11.
8 Heb. vi. 9, 10. t i Cor. xiii. 13.
* 1 John iii. 1719. * See Matt, xxv. 3146.
54 JAMES, I. 27. [2362.
saith the Lord Almighty y ." Nor is the law respecting sym
pathy at all less forcibly enjoined : " Bear ye one another s
burthens, and so fulfil the law of Christ 2 ."
In a word, I call upon you all to obey these great commands.
Remember, it is not to any peculiarities of a sect that we are
urging you, but to that which God himself dignifies with the
name of " pure and undefiled religion."
Say not, "This is not my office: I cannot thus come out
from the world, nor can I thus devote myself to deeds of
charity." I readily grant that all cannot consecrate an equal
measure of their time or property to these offices : but no man
in the universe has any dispensation from devoting such a
measure of his time and property to these things as his situation
and circumstances will admit of. The command is equally obli
gatory on all : and a disposition to obey it ought to be equally
strong in all. The various modes of our obedience will be
judged of by God himself, who alone knows what our respective
states and circumstances require. But this I say, " He that
soweth liberally shall reap liberally ; and he that soweth spa
ringly, shall reap also sparingly." Respecting the excellence
of such religion I dare appeal to your own consciences. See
a person, whether of higher or lower rank, laying aside the
cares and pleasures of the world, and visiting the abodes of
misery : see the disconsolate " widow, and the helpless chil
dren," bemoaning their bereavement, whilst to the anguish
occasioned by so severe a loss, the pressure of poverty is added ;
and, to the want of immediate sustenance, the prospect of per
manent and irremediable distress : see the compassionate visitor
opening the sources of consolation which the Gospel affords, till
the unhappy sufferers are brought to kiss the rod that smites
them : see him administering present relief, and devising means
for the future support of the family : how is he received as an
angel from heaven! And how does " the widow s heart even
sing with joy," whilst she acknowledges the hand of God in
these succours, and, with feelings too big for utterance, adores
her Heavenly Benefactor ! Go ye, beloved, to such scenes as
these, and ye will soon begin to see the beauty of religion, and
to understand that paradox, " It is more blessed to give than
to receive." Yea, realize one such scene as this, and ye will
need no further persuasion to assist the charity before us, or to
emulate the zeal of those who are most active in it a .]
y 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. ^ Gal. vi. 2.
a The particular Institution may here be more fully opened, and be
further recommended by either local, or general, considerations.
2363.] GOD S REGARD FOR THE POOR. 55
MMCCCLXIII.
GOD S DISTINGUISHED REGARD FOR THE POOR.
Jam. ii. 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God
chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of th e
kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him ?
IT is a duty incumbent on all ministers to dis
countenance any errors, whether of faith or practice,
that may have crept into the Church. But when
compelled by necessity to reprove what is amiss,
they should shew by most unquestionable evidence,
that there is just occasion for censure ; and, by their
tender manner of reproving, they should evince that
they are actuated only by a sense of duty to God,
and of love to man. St. James had seen a very
shameful partiality prevailing in the Church in favour
of the rich, while the poor were too generally neg
lected and despised. Against this great evil he bears
his testimony, not merely with fidelity, but with
unoffending tenderness, and unanswerable wisdom.
His argument is to* this effect ; Hath not God chosen
the poor, and selected them as monuments of his
love, and as heirs of his glory ? With what con
sistency then can you pour contempt upon them,
as though they were unworthy of the smallest atten
tion ?
In discoursing upon his words we shall shew,
I. What inheritance God has chosen for the poor-
While man is unmindful of the poor, God has
exalted them above others in respect of,
1. Their present portion
[Faith is that precious gift which he has bestowed on
them : and though few among the rich regret their want of it,
yet is it a most inestimable blessing. The smallest portion of
it is sufficient (provided it be a true and living faith) to prove
their election of God a ; to secure to them the remission of
sins b ; to bring peace into their conscience ; and to sanctify
a Actsxiii. 48. b Acts x. 43. c Rom. v. 1.
56 JAMES, II. 5. [2363.
their hearts d . The smallest portion of it is a peculiar gift
bestowed on very few 6 ; and one which neither men nor devils
ever shall deprive them of f . Yet God has not chosen them to
enjoy a small portion of it, but " to be rich in it:" he would
have them " strong in faith, not staggering at any promise g ,"
but " living," both for temporal and spiritual things, altogether
" by faith in the Son of God h ," fully assured, that all things
needful shall be supplied for their bodies 1 , and that all things
shall work together for the good of their souls k .
The Levites were not suffered to have any inheritance
among their brethren ; but the Lord their God was their in
heritance 1 . And this, so far from being a grievance to them,
was deemed their highest privilege. Thus privileged are the
poor : they have little of this world ; but, if they have God for
their portion, they are the richest people upon earth.]
2. Their eternal inheritance
[God has provided " a kingdom for them that love him ;"
a kingdom worthy to be possessed by those, whom God de
lights to honour. And it is his will that " the poor of this
world" should not only aspire after it, but consider themselves
as " heirs" to it. While they are destitute, perhaps, of food
to eat, or of raiment to put on, he would have them like minors
that are heirs to a large estate, who delight to survey the
grounds which they are speedily to possess : he would have
them survey all the glory of heaven, and say, " That is my
patrimony : the instant I attain the age appointed by my Fa
ther s will, I shall have a host of angels sent to bear me on
their wings to the mansions prepared for me."]
To vindicate the ways of God, we shall proceed to
shew,
II. Why he has chosen this portion for them in par
ticular
That God has chosen this portion for the poor is
beyond a doubt
[If the Apostle had only affirmed it, no room would have
been left for doubt ; but he ventured to appeal even to the rich
themselves respecting it, and that too at the very time that he
was reproving them for their contempt of the poor ; yea, he
even grounded the reproof itself upon that very appeal. He
could not possibly express more strongly his own persuasion
d Acts xv. 9. e Isai. liii. 1. John xii. 38. Rom. x. 16.
f John iv. 14. e Rom. iv. 20. h Gal. ii. 20.
Matt. vi. 33. k Rom. viii. 28.
1 Numb, xviii. 20. Josh. xiii. 33.
2363.] GOD S REGARD FOR THE POOR. 57
of the truth in question. But it is capable of abundant proof
both from Scripture and experience. Who were the people
that received the testimony of our blessed Lord ? " Did any
of the rulers or of the Pharisees believe on him m ?" Who
constituted the great majority of the Church in the apostolic
age ? St. Paul informs us ; " Ye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble,
are called : but God hath chosen the foolish, the weak, the
base, the despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are"." And we might appeal to you at
this day ; Who are they that crowd the churches where the
Gospel is preached, notwithstanding they meet with the same
contemptuous treatment that the Apostle so justly complains
of ? Who are they that " receive the word with meekness,
and have it engrafted" in their hearts, and exemplified in their
lives? are these the rich? A few there may be ; but it is " to
the poor chiefly that the Gospel is preached p ," and it is " the
common people that hear it gladly q ."]
Nor are we at a loss to assign reasons for this
procedure
[God has thus distinguished the poor, in order to stain
the pride of man. Men, if they are exalted above their fellow-
creatures in wealth or dignity, are ready to conceive that they
are as great in the eyes of God as they are in their own eyes.
They think themselves (I had almost said) above God himself:
they are too wise to learn of God, and too great to be con
trolled by him. God therefore pours contempt on them, as
they do on him r . He will let them see that their possessions
or endowments, however great, are not a child s portion, but
only as crumbs cast to the dogs. He will render the poor as
superior to them in spiritual things, as they are to the poor in
temporal things : he will " lift up the beggar from the dung
hill, and set him among the princes 8 ," while he casts down the
mighty from their thrones to the lowest abyss of shame and
misery.
Moreover, in thus distinguishing the poor, God further
m John vii. 48. n 1 Cor. i. 26 28.
How many will open their pews to a rich or well-dressed person,
that would suffer a poor man, however pious or infirm, to " stand "
during the whole service, without ever offering him a seat, when they
had room enough to accommodate many ! Yea, how many rich per
sons will absent themselves from the ordinances, and lock up their
pews, to prevent their being occupied ! What would St. James have
said to these things ? See ver. 2 4, 9.
P Matt. xi. 5. q Mark xii. 37.
r 1 Sam. ii. 30. s i Sam. ii. 8.
58 JAMES, II. 5. [2363.
designs to magnify the riches of his own grace. If God bestowed
his favours principally on the rich, we should be ready to think
that they had some peculiar claim upon him, and that his
attention to them was no more than their due : or perhaps we
should rather conclude, that their superior talents enabled
them to unravel the divine mysteries, and to attain heaven by
their own unassisted efforts. But when we see the Gospel
" hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed to babes 1 ," we
are constrained to acknowledge the marvellous condescension,
and uncontrollable sovereignty, of our God.]
ADDRESS
1. Those who despise the portion that God has
chosen
[It is to be lamented that many even among the poor
themselves are regardless of the " true riches u ." But what
madness is it to reject that which would assuage all their
present sorrows; and to render themselves infinitely more
destitute in the next world than they are in this ! O that
they would accept the portion that God offers them !
The rich too almost universally despise the Gospel. But
how painful will their reflections be in that day when the
parable of Dives and Lazarus shall be realized in them ! O
consider, ye are not excluded ; God is willing to bestow the
same inestimable blessings upon you. Seek then to be rich in
faith, and heaven itself shall be your everlasting inheritance.]
2. Those who desire to possess that portion
[Blessed be God, there are some among the poor that
know and enjoy their privileges. But whence is it that they
discern what is hid from others? Had they any thing in
themselves more than others ; " any thing which they have not
received?" No x : they would never have chosen God, if God
had not first " chosen" them y . Let them then adore that
grace which has been thus magnified towards them.
Do any of the rich inquire, What shall we do to get a share
in this inheritance? Shall we cast away all our riches, and
reduce ourselves to poverty ? No ; there is an infinitely better
and safer way ; " LOVE GOD." You may give away all your
goods, and be nothing profited 2 : but if you " love God, the
kingdom is absolutely promised to you." The poor cannot be
saved unless they be rich in faith : and you, if you exercise
faith and love towards our adorable Saviour, shall also be saved
with an everlasting salvation.]
t Matt. xi. 25. u 2 Cor. vi. 10.
x 1 Cor. iv. 7. y John xv. 16.
z 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Thrice is this expressly repeated in that fore-cited
passage, 1 Cor. i. 26 28.
2364.] THE LAW OF LIBERTY. 59
MMCCCLXIV.
THE LAW OF LIBERTY.
Jam. ii. \2. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be
judged by the law of liberty.
THE law of works contained in the Ten Com
mandments is continued in force under the Gospel
dispensation, as a rule of life. This appears from the
frequent reference which is made to it in the New
Testament in this particular view. St. Paul, in his
Epistle to the Romans, when inculcating the duty of
love, says, " Owe no man any thing, but to love one
another : for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the
law .... for love is the fulfilling of the law*." In
like manner St. James, condemning an undue respect
of persons which had obtained to a great extent in
the Christian Church, says, " If ye have respect to
persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law
as transgressorsV The difference which exists be
tween the Law and the Gospel, is not that the Gospel
dispenses with any thing which the law had enjoined,
but that it requires the same things in a different
manner ; the law inculcating them as the means of
obtaining life ; the Gospel requiring them as the
means of honouring God, and of manifesting that life
which God has already imparted to the soul. The
law in its requirements begets a spirit of bondage:
but the Gospel, whilst its requirements are the same,
operates as " a law of liberty ;" inspiring us with
motives of a more ingenuous kind, and at the same
time imparting to the believer such powerful assist
ance as renders obedience easy and delightful. Hence
the Apostle, shewing that the conduct which he was
reproving was condemned by the Gospel no less than
by the law, (for the Gospel itself declares, that " he
shall have judgment without mercy, who has shewn
no mercy V ) entreats the whole Christian Church
a Rom. xiii. 810. b ver. 9. ver. 13.
CO JAMES, II. 12. [2364.
"so to speak, and so to act, as they that shall be
judged by the law of liberty."
Now in these words we see,
I. The true character of the Gospel
It is a law, and has all the force of a law, and must
be obeyed on pain of God s heavy displeasure ; but it
is " a law of liberty :" and this it is,
1. As freeing men from the guilt of sin
[The Gospel proclaims, to all who receive it, pardon and
peace. It holds forth a Saviour, who has bought us with his
blood, and by the sacrifice of himself has effected our recon
ciliation with the offended Majesty of heaven. It declares,
that " by receiving that Saviour," however guilty we may have
been in times past, " we shall have the privilege of becoming
the sons of God d " In this it differs widely from the
law : the law knew nothing of pardon : it simply said, " Do
tliis, and live :" and if in one single instance it was violated, all
hopes of acceptance by it were destroyed for ever 6 . A certain
kind of forgiveness indeed was obtained by the offering of
certain sacrifices : but it was only such a measure of it as ex
empted the person from present punishment, but could never
procure acceptance for him in the eternal world ; and hence,
as " it could never really take away sins," it could " never
make any man perfect as pertaining to the conscience f ."
Moreover, there were some sins for which no sacrifice what
ever could be received. But the Gospel offers a full and
everlasting remission from all sins, and declares, that " all
who believe, are justified from all things, even from those
from which they could never (even in appearance) be justified
by the law of Moses g ." Thus by announcing to the whole
world, that " there is no condemnation to them that are in
Christ Jesus h ," the Gospel may justly be called " A law of
liberty."]
2. As freeing men from the power of sin
[The promise which the Gospel makes to all who truly
receive it, is this ; " Sin shall not have dominion over you ;
for ye are not under the law, but under grace 1 ." And, whilst
it gives this assurance to its votaries, it imparts to them the
power of carrying it into effect. The person who is united unto
Christ by faith, is like a scion, which when engrafted into a
d John i. 12. e Compare ver. 10. with Gal. iii. 10.
f Heb. ix. 9. and x. 14. s Acts xiii. 39.
h Rom. viii. 1. i Rom. vi. 14.
2364.] THE LA W OF LIBERTY. 61
tree, lives by virtue derived from the tree, and is enabled from
that time to bring forth its appropriate fruits. Our Lord in
this view says, " I am the vine ; ye are the branches. He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit : for without me, or separate from me, ye can do
nothing k ." In this again the Gospel differs widely from the
law : for, whilst the law issued its commands, it imparted no
power to obey them : but the Gospel conveys to the soul of
the believer such a measure of strength, as enables it to mortify
sin, and to abound in all the fruits of righteousness to the
praise and glory of God. This is what St. Paul expressly tells
us : " The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, that is, the
Gospel, (which St. James in nearly similar terms calls * the law
of liberty, ) hath made me free from the law of sin and death :
for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, (hath done; that is, he hath) condemned sin in
the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit 1 ."
I may add, that the Gospel gives us a more liberal spirit,
in that it does not force us to do what is hateful to us, but
disposes us willingly to take upon us the yoke of Christ,
and renders " his yoke easy, and his burthen light." The
current of a believer s affections is changed by it m ; so that,
though he still feels the workings of corruption strong within
him, he " delights in the law of God after his inward man n ,"
and " has his conversation in heaven," as the unbeliever has
on earth .
Thus does " the law of faith p " " make men free q ;" and
" the liberty which they receive from Christ renders them free
indeed 1 ."]
The Apostle, in calling men s attention to the law
of liberty, marks,
II. Our duty in relation to it
If we have been made free by the Gospel, we are
bound to regard it,
1 . As our rule of conduct here
[The substance of all its commands is comprehended in
one word, Love. As he that loveth fulfils the law, so he that
loveth fulfils the Gospel also ; as St. Paul has said ; tl Bear
ye one another s burthens, and so fulfil the law of Christ 8 ."
But here we must particularly observe, that our obedience to
* John xv, 1, 5. i Rom. viii. 24. Col. iii. 2.
n Rom. vii. 22. Phil. iii. 19, 20. P Rom. iii. 27.
q John viii. 32. r John viii. 36. 8 Gal. vi. 2.
62 JAMES, II. 12. [2364.
this law is not restricted to overt acts : our whole spirit must
accord with it, and be moulded by it. If we notice the par
ticular conduct which the Apostle reproves, we shall find, that
it was not such as would have brought down censure from the
world at large : it would rather have been commended as a
respect due to the higher orders of society. But, when strictly
examined, it was contrary to the principle of love : and that was
quite sufficient to render it an object of severest reprobation.
The doing as we would be done unto, forms the proper standard
for our conduct towards all mankind : and if, either in word or
deed, we deviate from that, we transgress that holy law which
we are bound to obey. How far this heavenly principle ex
tends, may be seen in the description given of it by St. Paul :
and, if we do not in the constant habit of our minds endeavour
to attain it, we may believe what we will, and do what we
will, and suffer what we may, but, after all, we shall be only
" as sounding brass, and as tinkling cymbals 1 .]
2. As God s rule of judgment hereafter
[By this law we shall be judged in the last day. It is
remarkable, that in the account which our Lord gives us of
the final judgment, there is no mention made of any actual
transgression as determining the fate of the ungodly: their
performance of the offices of love is the only subject of in
quiry ; and their neglect of them is the only ground that is
specified for their eternal condemnation 11 . Of course, I must
not be understood to say, that this will really be the only
subject of inquiry, or the only ground of a sinner s condemna
tion ; for no doubt the whole of men s lives will be taken into
the account in fixing their eternal destiny : but it is the only
thing mentioned by our Lord in his account of that day : and
this is sufficient to shew us the vast importance of keeping it
ever in our view. We must attend to it no less in our words,
than in our actions ; and " so speak, and so do, as they that
shall be judged by the law of liberty."]
That we may bring home this subject more power
fully to your hearts, we would entreat you to bear in
mind the main points contained in it :
REMEMBER
1. The true nature of the Gospel
[Men universally conceive of the Gospel as a system of
restraints : and when we call upon them to obey the Gospel,
they consider us as attempting to abridge their liberty. But
the very reverse of this is true. We find men slaves to the
t 1 Cor. xiii. 17. u Matt. xxv. 34 46.
2364.] THE LAW OF LIBERTY. 63
world, and sin, and Satan ; and we come to break their chains,
and to set them at liberty. Our blessed Lord proclaimed
this as the great object of his mission, " to preach deliverance
to the captives, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord x ." There are now, as there were in the Jewish state,
many who love their bonds, and account the service of their
master preferable to the liberty that is proclaimed. But this
does not at all change the nature of the Gospel, which is alto
gether "a law of liberty" to all who truly embrace it. Do
not then imagine, that, when we would induce you to renounce
all the lords that have had dominion over you, we would
bring you into bondage, or deprive you of any thing that will
conduce to your real happiness. We make our appeal to
yourselves, and ask, Whether what you have hitherto consi
dered as liberty, has not been in reality the sorest bondage ?
We ask, Whether sin has not kept you from the love and
service of God, and bound you as with adamantine chains to
the objects of time and sense ? We ask, Whether in pro
portion as you were brought to the employment and felicity
of the heavenly hosts, you would not attain to perfect free
dom ? To all then we say, Believe in Christ, and give your
selves up to him, and ye shall then " be delivered from the
bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children
of God V]
2. Its proper tendency
[Strange as the inconsistency is, the very persons who
will exclaim against the Gospel as making the way to heaven
so strait that nobody can walk in it, will cry out against it also
as a licentious doctrine, and will represent the preachers of it
as saying, that men may live as they please, provided only
they believe. But the Gospel is " a doctrine according to
godliness ;" and the very " grace of God which bringeth sal
vation, teaches men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live righteously, soberly, and godly in this present
world." The Gospel, it is true, is " a law of liberty;" but
not of liberty to live in sin : it is a liberty from sin ; and a
liberty in the ways of God. Instead of superseding morality,
it raises the tone of morals to the highest possible pitch,
requiring us to " walk in all things as Christ walked," and to
" purify ourselves even as he is pure." And, whilst it sets up
this high standard for our attainment, it sets up the same for
our trial in the last day ; and requires us so to speak and so to
do, as they that shall be tried and judged by it. Know there
fore, that notwithstanding the Gospel is as free for all as the
light we see and the air we breathe, its proper tendency is to
assimilate us to God, whose name and nature is LOVE Z .]
x Luke iv. 18, 19. y Rom. viii. 21. z 1 John iv. 8, 16.
64 JAMES, II. 24. [2365.
3. The wisdom of all who profess to have em
braced it
[Doubtless it is your privilege to be rejoicing in God
your Saviour, and in the freeness and fulness of his salvation
But you must also keep in view the future judgment,
and be acting continually with a reference to it. There is no
dispensation given to you to continue in sin: " Shall you
continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." The
scrutiny which you shall undergo in the last day, so far from
being less exact than that of others, will be more strict, in
proportion to the advantages you have enjoyed, and the pro
fessions you have made a . Your acceptance, it is true, will be
solely on account of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done and
suffered for you : but the truth of your faith will be tried by
the works it has produced : and according to the measure and
quality of them will be your reward. I say then, in all that
you say and do, have respect to the future judgment, when
" God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and
will make manifest the counsels of the heart :" and in order to
your being approved of God in that day, " walk in love, as
Christ has loved you b ;" and, whilst you endeavour to " walk in
his steps" " let the same mind also be in you as was in Christ
Jesus V]
* 1 Pet. iv. 17. b Eph. v. 2. c Phil, ii. 5.
MMCCCLXV.
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS EXPLAINED.
Jam. ii. 24. Ye see then how that "by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only.
CERTAINLY, of all the questions that can occupy
the human mind, the first and greatest is, " How
shall man be just before God a ?" On this subject
men have differed from each other as far as the east
is from the west. To this difference the passage
before us has not a little contributed. It is therefore
most desirable that we enter candidly into the inves
tigation of it, and endeavour to ascertain with all
possible precision what is so indispensable to our
eternal welfare.
a Job ix. 2,
2365. J JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS EXPLAINED. 65
It is obvious, that the words which I have read to
you are a deduction from a preceding argtfment.
We ought therefore carefully to examine the argu
ment itself; for, it is only by a thorough knowledge
of the premises that we can understand the conclu
sion drawn from them. Suppose that I were, as a
conclusion of an argument, to say, ( So then man is
an immortal being ; if the argument itself were not
investigated, you might understand it as a denial of
man s mortality : but, if the argument shewed, that
the conclusion referred to his soul alone, the con
clusion would be found perfectly consistent with an
apparently opposite position, namely, that man is a
mortal being. In like manner, if the Apostle s argu
ment in the preceding context be candidly examined,
there will be found no real inconsistency between the
deduction contained in the text, and an apparently
opposite deduction which may be founded on pre
mises altogether different.
Let us consider then,
I. The Apostle s argument
The first thing to be inquired is, Whence the
argument arose ? or, What was the occasion of it ?
[St. James was reproving an evil which obtained to a
very great extent among the Church in his day; namely, the
shewing partiality to the richer members, whilst the poorer
were treated with supercilious contempt, and harassed with
the most flagrant acts of oppression b . Now, as this was directly
contrary to the whole spirit of Christianity, he introduced his
reproof with these words ; " My brethren, have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of
persons ." Now THESE WORDS, DULY NOTICED, WILL GIVE
A CLUE TO THE WHOLE. " Have not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ with respect of persons :" HOLD NOT THE TRUE
FAITH IN SO ERRONEOUS AND UNWORTHY A MANNER. He
then proceeds to shew, that a faith productive of no better
conduct than that, will never justify, " never save" the soul d :
for that it is a dead faith, and not a living one, a mere carcass,
and not a living body 6 .]
The next thing we have to do is, to trace the steps
of his argument
b ver. 2 6, c ver. 1. d ver. 14. fc ver. 26.
VOL. XX. F
66 JAMES, II. 24. [2365.
[Having reproved the partiality before-mentioned, he
shews, that it is alike contrary both to the law and to the
Gospel : to the law, the very essence of which is love ; (which
if any person habitually violates, he violates the whole law f ;)
and to the Gospel, which inspires its votaries with a more
liberal spirit g , and declares, that the person who exercises not
mercy to his brethren, of whatever class they may be, shall
find no mercy at the hands of God h .
He then appeals to the whole Church ; and calls upon them
to say, whether any person so holding the faith of Christ can
be saved? and whether all the faith whereon he builds his
confidence, be not a nullity, and a delusion ? " What doth it
profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have
not works? can faith, such a faith as that, save him 1 ?"
He then proceeds to shew how vain any man s pretences to
love would be, if it were as inoperative as this faith. " If a
brother or sister be naked, and be destitute of daily food ; and
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed,
and be ye filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things
which are needful to the body; what doth it profit k ?" Could
that person be said to possess any real love ? or would such a
love as that be approved and rewarded by God? Certainly
not. " Even so then," says he, "faith, if it have not works,
is dead, being alone 1 :" and any person before whom you might
boast of such a faith as that, might justly reply, " Shew me
thy faith without thy works, (which you can never do :) and I
will shew thee my faith by my works;" which is the only test
to which such pretensions can be referred. Nay more, such a
faith as that is no better than the faith of devils. " The devils
believe that there is one God : and they tremble ;" but they do
not love. So you may believe that Jesus Christ is a Saviour ;
and you may be partially affected by that persuasion : but, if
you do not love, your faith is no better than theirs : and, by
pretending to a living and saving faith, when you have nothing
but a dead and inoperative faith, you only shew, that you are
a " vain," ignorant, and self-deluded " man n ."
He now goes on to confirm these assertions by an appeal to
the Scriptures themselves. " Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the
altar ? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by
works was faith made perfect ?" Abraham believed in the
promised Seed, " in whom all the nations of the earth should
be blessed." But what kind of a faith was his? Was it
unproductive of holy obedience ? No : it led him to obey the
f ver. 8 11. g ver. 12. h ver. 13.
1 ver. 14. k ver. 15, 16. J ver. 17.
m ver. 18. " ver. 19, 20. ver. 21, 22.
2365.] JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS EXPLAINED. 67
hardest command that was ever given to mortal man, even to
slay, and to reduce to ashes upon the altar, that very son, to
whom the promises were made, and through whom alone they
could ever be accomplished: so that his works evinced the
truth and sincerity of his faith ; and proved indisputably, that
he was accepted of his God. His faith existed before : but
now it operated ; and " was made perfect by the works which
it produced ;" just as a tree is then only in a state of complete
perfection, when it is laden with its proper fruits. The fruit
indeed does not add to the vegetative power that produced it ;
but it evinces that power, and displays it in full perfection :
and so did Abraham s works evince the truth of the faith
which previously existed in him, and complete the objects for
which it had been bestowed. " And then was fulfilled the
Scripture which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was
imputed unto him for righteousness : and he was called, The
friend of God p ." The same he illustrates by another instance
from Scripture, even that of Rahab, who evinced the truth of
her faith, and was accepted in the exercise of it, when at the
peril of her life she concealed the Jewish spies, and sent them
home in safety to their own camp q .
Now from all this he draws, as an unquestionable deduction,
that very truth, which in the first instance he had only as
serted ; namely, that persons, whatever degrees of faith they
might pretend to, could never be accepted of God, unless their
faith wrought by love : " Ye see then how that by works a man
is justified, and not by faith only :" for as the body without the
spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also 1 .]
Thus viewed, the argument is clear from beginning
to end. That the terms which are used are strong,
is certain : but then they may be accounted for from
the general drift of the argument, and its immense
importance to the Church of God. The Apostles do
not measure words and syllables as we are apt to do,
but speak in broad unqualified terms. St. Paul had
done so on the subject of a sinner s acceptance by
faith alone : and St. James does so on the subject of
those vain pretences to faith which were made by
many who were destitute of good works : but an
attention to the scope of their respective arguments
will lead us to a just view, both of the terms which
P ver. 23. <i ver. 25.
r ver. 24, 26. If ver. 25. were put into a parenthesis, the con
nexion between ver. 24 and ver. 26 would more plainly appear, and
the argument stand more full and complete.
68 JAMES, II. 24. [2365.
they use, and of the conclusions at which they arrive.
St. James s argument we have seen. Let us now
attend to,,
II. The conclusion drawn from it
This must accord with the argument on which it is
founded. If we make the premises refer to one thing,
and the conclusion to another, or, if we make the
conclusion broader than the premises, we destroy the
argument altogether, and make the Apostle reason,
not only as if he were not inspired, but as if he were
not endowed with common sense. What then does
his conclusion amount to ? it amounts to this :
1. That the future judgment will proceed on
grounds of perfect equity
[God could, if it pleased him, assign to every man his
portion in the eternal world, according to what he has seen
existing in the heart. But it is his intention to shew before
the whole universe, that, as the governor and the judge of all,
he dispenses rewards and punishments on grounds which are
not arbitrary, but strictly equitable. On this account the day
of judgment is called "the day of the revelation of the right
eous judgment of God s ." If the judgment were passed on
men solely on grounds which none but God could see, it would
be impossible for any one to judge of the equity of his pro
ceedings : but when the works of all are brought forth as
witnesses of the inward dispositions and habits of their minds,
all can see the correctness of the estimate which is formed of
men s characters, and the justice of the sentence that is passed
upon them. This then is one part of the conclusion which the
Apostle arrives at in the words before us : God will not judge
of men by their faith, which he alone can discern, but by their
works, which all may judge of as soon as ever they are laid
before them. A man may pretend to faith of the strongest
kind : but the inquiry will be, what effects did it produce ?
And, if the fruits which it produced were such as were insuffi
cient to attest its genuine truth and excellence, they will be
utterly disregarded ; and God will say, " Depart from me, I
never knew you, ye workers of iniquity*." However confi
dently the truth and genuineness of it may be asserted by the
persons themselves, God will not at all regard it, but will bring
every thing to the test which is here established, and condemn
or justify every man according to his works u .]
8 Rom. ii. 5. * Matt. vii. 212-3. Matt. xii. 3G, 37.
2365.] JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS EXPLAINED. 69
2. That faith, of whatever kind it be, is of no
value, any farther than it is attested by works
[If faith in the first instance apprehends Christ as a Sa
viour from guilt and condemnation, it does not rest there : it
lays hold on him for sanctification, as well as for righteousness x ;
and would account him not worthy of the name of Jesus, if he
did not save his people from their sins y . The characters given
to faith in the inspired volume are inseparable from it : it works
by love 2 , and overcomes the world a , and purifies the heart b :
and if it produce not these effects, it will never benefit the
soul. Knowing therefore in what way God will appreciate it
hereafter, it becomes us to form a correct estimate of it now ;
and to weigh ourselves in the balance of the sanctuary now,
that we may not be found wanting in the day of judgment.]
It will here be expected, of course, that we answer
a common OBJECTION to the foregoing state
ment
[It is said that St. Paul s sentiments and declarations on
this subject are directly opposed to those of St. James ; since,
after a long argument, he comes to this conclusion : " There
fore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law c ." He goes farther still, and says, that "to
him that worketh not, but believeth in him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness 11 ." Now it may
well be asked, How can this be reconciled with the foregoing
statement? I answer, * Only examine St. Paul s argument,
as you have that of St. James, and you will see that there is
no opposition at all between their respective assertions. The
two Apostles are writing on two different subjects. St. Paul
is proving that a man is not to seek salvation by any right
eousness of his own, but simply by faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ : whereas St. James is proving, that the man who pro
fesses to have faith in Christ, must shew forth his faith by his
works. St. Paul endeavours to convince the self-justiciary ;
St. James, the Antinomian ; St. Paul, by shewing, that works
are nothing without faith ; St. James, by shewing, that faith is
nothing without works. St. Paul exalts Christ, as giving a
title to heaven ; St. James, as giving a meetness for heaven.
St. Paul bends the whole force of his mind to establish the one
leading doctrine of the Gospel ; St. James, to have that doc
trine adorned. Thus, according to the two Apostles, a man is
justified by faith, because by it he is made righteous; and he
x 1 Cor. i. 30. y Matt, i. 21. z Gal. v. 6.
a 1 John v. 4. b Acts xv. 9. c Rom. iii. 28.
d Rom. iv. 5.
70 JAMES, II. 24. [2365.
is justified by works, because by them he is proved righteous :
and God in justifying him, whether on the one ground, or the
other, approves himself both " a just God and a Saviour." We
may render this matter somewhat more clear by means of a
familiar illustration. A scion must be engrafted into a stock in
order that it may live : and it must bring forth fruit in order
to prove that it does live. Is there any opposition between
these two assertions? None whatever. So then with Paul I
assert, that man must be engrafted into Christ by faith, in order
that he may live : and with St. James I assert, that he must
bring forth fruits of righteousness, to prove that he does live.
Without being engrafted into the stock, he can have no life :
and, if he bring not forth good works, he shews that he has no
life. These two positions are perfectly compatible with each
other : and so, when properly understood, are the apparently
opposite positions of these two Apostles.]
Hoping now that I have set the whole of this matter
in a clear light, I CONCLUDE with a few words,
1. Of caution
[Two things in particular I would caution you against :
first, Do not separate faith and works ; and next, Do not con
found them.
Do not separate them, or imagine that you can be saved by
either of them apart from the other : for faith, if it be alone, is
dead ; and works, if they be alone, leave you altogether desti
tute of any interest in Christ. If your faith be strong enough
to remove mountains, yet, if it work not by love, it will leave
you no better than " sounding brass, or tinkling cymbals."
And if your works be ever so perfect, they can never exceed
what the law requires of you ; and consequently, can never
discharge the debt which you owe to God for your past viola
tions of it : nor indeed can you ever in your present imperfect
state fulfil the law so perfectly as not to come short of it every
day you live : and consequently, every day you live, you stand
in need of mercy for your daily transgressions, instead of pur
chasing heaven by your superabounding merits.
On the other hand, Do not confound the two, as though you
were to be saved by faith and works united ; or to have a first
justification by faith, and a second justification by works.
Either the one or the other of these errors will invalidate the
whole Gospel ; and will rob Christ of his glory, and you of
your salvation. Christ is the only Saviour of sinful man : and
his righteousness is that in which alone any child of man can
be accepted before God. If you join any thing with that, you
make it void : and, as far as respects you, " Christ will have
2366.] THE BEST OF MEN BUT WEAK AND FRAIL. 71
died in vain e ." The true way of salvation is this : go to Christ
as a sinner : and seek salvation altogether through his atoning
sacrifice, and his obedience unto death. But, when you have
believed in him, be careful to " maintain good works," yea,
and to " excel in" good works f . Then will Christ be honoured
in every way : your faith will honour him as the alone Saviour
of mankind ; and your works will honour him as your Lord
and Master. But remember to keep each in its place. In
building an edifice, you do not build the superstructure first,
(if I may so speak,) and then lay the foundation afterwards ;
nor do you mingle the foundation and superstructure in one
indiscriminate mass : but you keep each in its place ; and then
it answers the end for which it was raised. So you must lay
Christ as your foundation first ; and afterwards raise on him
the superstructure of good works : then shall you be found
" workmen that need not be ashamed ;" and both in your faith
and in your works be justified before God.]
2. Of encouragement
[Let not any apparent difficulties in this subject embarrass
you. They will all vanish in an instant, if only you get a
broken and contrite heart. It is surprising what light such a
state of mind will reflect on the subject before us. It may not
indeed enable you to solve all the verbal difficulties that may
be raised : but, as far as relates to the main subject, it will
scatter all doubts, as mist is scattered by the noon-day sun.
It will convince you that no righteousness but that of Christ
can ever avail for your acceptance before God : and, at the
same time, that holiness is no less necessary for your final
enjoyment of his favour. It will convince you too, that both
faith and holiness, being the gifts of God, you have no reason
to despair of attaining all that is necessary to your complete
salvation ; since God is pledged " not to despise the contrite
heart," or to withhold from his upright people the blessings
either of grace or glory g .]
e Gal. v. 2, 4. f Tit. iii. 8. irpoiaraaQai. s P s . Ixxxiv. 11.
MMCCCLXVI.
THE BEST OF MEN BUT WEAK AND FRAIL.
Jam. iii. 2. In many things we offend all. If any man offend
not in wordy the same is a perfect man, and able also to
bridle the whole body.
THAT persons instructed in divine truth should
be anxious to instruct others is well : but to rush
72 JAMES, III. 2. [2366.
uncalled into the ostensible office of the ministry, is
by no means expedient. By his life, as well as by
his doctrine, must a minister instruct his people : and
if, on the one hand, his reward will be glorious if he
discharge his duties aright ; his punishment will, on
the other hand, be proportionably severe, if by word
or deed he " cast a stumbling-block before others,"
and " cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of."
Before a man therefore engage in this arduous call
ing, he should see his way clear : lest, by entering
rashly upon it, he involve himself in the heavier con
demnation. This is the hint given by St. James,
in the verse before my text : and, to enforce it, he
reminds us of our extreme frailty ; since " in many
things we all offend," and have therefore abundant
reason for caution in contracting, without necessity,
such an augmented responsibility.
Let me, then, shew you,
I. What even good men have to mourn over, in their
daily walk before God
" There is no man that liveth, and sinneth not."
By reason of our extreme weakness, and the num
berless obstacles which lie in our way, there is not
any man who does not occasionally " make a trip,"
and " offend,"
1. By a slip of his feet
[No good man will, knowingly and deliberately, do that
which is evil. " A man truly born of God cannot so commit
sin." He has a principle within him which will not suffer it.
But, sometimes through ignorance and inadvertence, and some
times through weakness and corruption, the very best of men
may err : as it is said, " The righteous falleth seven times."
When James and John proposed to call fire from heaven, to
consume a Samaritan village, it was doubtless from a mistaken
idea, that the example of Elijah, who so vindicated the honour
of Jehovah, was applicable to the occasion which then pre
sented itself to them ; and that such was a proper way of
expressing their indignation against those who had refused to
their Master the rights of hospitality. It was also from a mis
taken love to his Divine Master that Peter dissuaded Jesus
from subjecting himself to the sufferings which he had just
predicted. But the principle, in both these instances, was
2366.] THE BEST OF MEN BUT WEAK AND FRAIL. 73
really evil, though the Apostles themselves thought it to be
good : and therefore they brought on themselves a just rebuke.
In Peter s requiring the Gentiles to submit to the Jewish law,
there was downright " dissimulation ;" such as betrayed Bar
nabas also into the very same fault. Here was weakness;
here was the sad effect of human corruption : and, accordingly,
it was reproved with a severity proportioned to the offence.
In Paul and Barnabas too, there was a blameworthy conten
tion, issuing in their final separation. The error of Peter and
Barnabas proceeded from an undue compliance ; and that of
Paul and Barnabas from an undue pertinacity, both in senti
ment and determination. But, as such things have been in
the Church, even amongst the Apostles themselves ; so must
they be expected to arise, whilst human nature is so weak,
and so many difficulties beset our way ]
2. By a slip of his tongue
[" If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man, and able also to bridle the whole body." The fact is,
that every corruption of the heart finds its first and readiest
gratification through the tongue. If pride or vanity inflate
the mind, it will discover itself, not only in the look and ges
ture, but through some appropriate language of the lips. If
levity have put a man off his guard, it will betray itself by
some unadvised expressions, some " jestings " (facetious terms
of double import), which may excite a smile at the moment,
but are quite offensive to God. Need I say how anger will
vent itself, or how uncharitableness will indulge its malignant
propensities ? But so it is with every unhallowed feeling of
the soul : and he is the most perfect man who puts the most
complete restraint upon his tongue, and suffers it not to utter
any thing which God will not approve.]
Whilst good men have so much occasion to mourn,
let us consider,
II. What they have more especially to attend to, in
order to counteract the evil of their hearts
Amongst the many things which might be men
tioned, I will recommend,
1 . Humiliation
[Who has not found, by sad experience, the truth of the
Apostle s assertion, that " in many things we all offend ?" Who
then has not reason to lie low both before God and man ? If
Paul complained of " the law in his members warring against
the law of his mind," much more may we ; and with him cry
out, " O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?"
74 JAMES, III. 6. [2367.
Methinks, if Job abhorred himself, and the Prophet Isaiah
complained, " Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips," a leper in the
midst of a leprous population ; no humiliation can be too deep
for us. Let us walk softly then, every one of us, in the re
membrance of our manifold infirmities ; and abase ourselves
before God, as " less than the least of all saints," yea, " as the
very chief of sinners."]
2. Watchfulness
[Never can we tell what an hour may bring forth; or
what temptations may arise, to cause us to offend either in
word or deed. We should therefore " make a covenant with
our eyes," as holy Job did ; and " set a watch before the door
of our lips," as did the man after God s own heart. We should
mark the first risings of inclination, that they may not operate
with undue force, and betray us into actual sin. We should
mark with jealous care the motives and principles by which
we are actuated ; remembering, that by them will the quality
of our actions be determined, and that by them we shall be
judged in the last day. In a word, we must " keep our hearts
with all diligence, knowing that out of them are the issues of
life."]
3. Dependence upon God
[Here is our only security. If we trust in our own hearts,
our folly will very soon appear. Satan can " assume the form
of an angel of light," and deceive us by specious appearances :
and, if we would be preserved from his wiles, our prayer
should continually be to God ; " Hold thou up my goings in
thy paths, that my footsteps slip not :" " Hold thou me up,
and I shall be safe." Then, notwithstanding our weakness
and frailty, we may hope to be " preserved blameless till the
day of Christ."
" Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and
to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, for ever and ever ! Amen."
MMCCCLXVII.
THE EVILS OF THE TONGUE.
Jam. iii. 6. The tongue is afire, a world of iniquity : so is the
tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body,
and setteth on fire the course of nature ; and it is set on fire
of hell.
2367.] THE EVILS OF THE TONGUE. 75
AMONGST the most important of all subjects
must be reckoned the government of the tongue.
The consideration of it is well calculated to convince
the profane, to pluck off the mask from hypocrites,
to humble the sincere, and to edify every description
of persons. St. James, who intended his epistle as a
corrective to the abuses that prevailed in the Chris
tian Church, insisted strongly upon this subject :
and, in the words before us, has given us such a
description of the tongue, as, if it had proceeded
from any other than an inspired writer, would have
been deemed a libel upon human nature. In order
that the text may be fully understood, we shall
shew,
I. The true character of the human tongue
The Apostle tells us " it is a fire"
[Fire, in its original formation, was intended for the good
of man ; and, when subordinated to his wishes, is highly bene
ficial : but its tendency is to consume and to destroy. Thus
the tongue was at first made for the Creator s praise ; but
through the introduction of sin, that member, which was, and,
if well used, yet is, the glory of man a , is become " an instru
ment of unrighteousness" and all iniquity.
Fire also, even the smallest spark, is capable of producing
incalculable mischief; such mischief as it may not be in the
power of man to repair. Thus also will one single motion of
the tongue b . It may so irritate and inflame a man, as to
change him instantly into a savage beast, or an incarnate devil :
and, if the whole world should labour to remedy the evil, it
would mock their endeavours.]
He further adds that it is " a world of iniquity"
[There is not any sin whatever, which does not stand in
the nearest connexion with the tongue, and employ it in its
service. Search the long catalogue of sins against God ; then
inspect those against our neighbour ; and, lastly, those against
ourselves ; and there will not be found one, no, not one, that
has not the tongue as its principal ally c All iniquities
whatsoever centre in it, and are fulfilled by it : so justly is it
called, " A world of iniquity."]
Its character will yet further appear by consider
ing.
a Ps. Ivii. 8. b ver. 3, 4. c See Rom. iii. 13, 14.
76 JAMES, III. 6. [2367.
II. Its effects-
1. These are defiling
[Sin, as soon as ever it is conceived in the heart, defiles
the soul : but when it is uttered by the lips, " it defileth the
whole body." Utterance gives solidity and permanency to that
which before existed in idea, and might have passed away :
and, inasmuch as the tongue has every other member at its
command to execute, according to their several powers, the
things it has divulged, the whole man is become a partaker of
its guilt and defilement d . And, though all its communications
are not equally polluting, yet is there a stain left by means of
them, a stain which nothing but the Redeemer s blood can
ever wash away.]
2. Destructive
[To such an astonishing degree has this fire gained the
ascendant, that it has " inflamed the whole course of nature."
Look at individuals ; what malignant passions has it kindled in
them! Visit families; what animosities, and inextinguishable
feuds has it produced ! Survey churches ; and you will find the
unhallowed fire burning even in the sanctuary of God e ; and
sometimes too, even in the very censers of his ministers f . Cast
your eyes round upon whole nations; and you will perceive
that, times without number, it has kindled the flames of war,
and spread desolation through the globed]
To prove that this account is not exaggerated, we
shall point out,
III. The reason of its producing these effects
The tongue "itself is set on fire of hell"
[Satan is the source and author of all the evils that pro
ceed from the tongue. Does it falsify ? behold it does so at
the instigation of that wicked fiend, " the father of liesV
Does it discourage men from the prosecution of their duty ?
It does so as the devil s agent 1 . Does it accuse and scandalize
the people of God ? Who but Satan is the author of such
calumnies k ? Does it disseminate error ? the propagator of
that error is Satan s minister, however he be transformed into
d Eccles. v. 6. Mark vii. 2023.
e By means of heretics, cavillers, and proud disputers, and others
who cause divisions and dissensions.
f Alluding to Lev. x. 1.
g What has not been perpetrated during the French Revolution
under the influence of those two words, liberty and equality !
h Acts v. 3. John viii. 44. * Matt. xvi. 23.
k Rev. xii. 10.
2367.] THE EVILS OF THE TONGUE. 77
an angel of light 1 . Does it encourage any bad design? It
is the devil himself who speaks by it m . In every sin that it
commits, it is actuated by " the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in all the children of disobe
dience 11 ." Its whole " wisdom is earthly, sensual, devilish ."
It comes from hell, and leads to hell : and, if God were to
withdraw his restraints here, as he does in hell, it would
speedily produce a very hell upon earth.]
This alone can account for the effects that proceed
from it
[Doubtless the wickedness of the heart may account for
much : but, if the flames were not fanned by satanic agency,
we can scarcely conceive that they should rage with such an
irresistible force, and to such a boundless extent.]
INFER
1. How great must be the evil of the human
heart !
[The heart is the fountain, in which " the evil treasure
is?;" the tongue is only the channel in which it flows. If the
channel then be so vile, what must the fountain be? Yet
every one of us has this tongue in his mouth, and this heart
in his bosom : and, if God should leave us without restraint,
there is not one of us but would proclaim all the evil of his
heart, as much as the most lothesome sensualist, or most daring
blasphemer.]
2. How much do we need the influences of the
Holy Spirit !
[It is absolutely impossible for man to tame this unruly
member q . Yet restrained it must be, if ever we would be
saved 1 . What then shall we do? Shall we sit down in despair?
God forbid. The Holy Spirit will help our infirmities 8 , and
Christ will give us his Spirit if we call upon him. Let us then
look to Christ ; and we shall prove by sweet experience, that
his " grace is sufficient for us 4 ," and that through him,
strengthening us, we can do all things"."]
3. How careful should we be of every word we
utter !
[Immense injury may we do by one unguarded word. We
may take away a character which we can never restore, or
1 2 Cor. xi. 3, 1315. m 1 Kings xxii. 21, 22.
n Eph. ii. 2. ver. 15. P Matt. xii. 35.
q ver. 7, 8. r Jam. i. 26. 8 Rom. viii. 26.
2 Cor. xii. 9. u Phil. iv. 13.
78 JAMES, III. 13. [2368.
inflict a wound which we can never heal. On this account
we should " set a watch before the door of our lipsV Nor is
this a matter of expediency merely, but of necessity ; for God
has warned us that we shall give account of every idle word,
and that by our words we shall be justified, and by our words
we shall be condemned 5 ". Let us then be utterly purposed
that our mouth shall not offend 2 . Let our tongue be as
choice silver, or a tree of life, to enrich and comfort the Lord s
people*. Let our " speech be always with grace seasoned
with salt," for the honour of God, and the good of our fellow-
creatures 15 .]
x Ps. cxli. 3. y Matt. xii. 36, 37. and v. 22. last clause.
2 Ps. xvii. 3. a Prov. x. 20. and xv. 4.
b Col. iv. 6. Eph. iv. 29.
MMCCCLXVIII.
INFLUENCE OF WISDOM UPON THE CONDUCT.
Jam. iii. 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge
among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his
works with meekness of wisdom.
THE government of the tongue is of all things the
most difficult ; because every evil that is in the heart
seeks for vent through that organ. A man who
should be able so to controul it that no unadvised
word should ever escape from his lips, would be a
perfect man. Yet, if a man profess to be religious,
and have not so much self-government as to impose
an habitual restraint upon his tongue, he deceives his
own soul, and his religion is vain a . The gift of
speech is to be improved for God by holy and hea
venly communications, and the man who suffers it
to be a vehicle of sin, discovers himself to be a hypo
crite before God. The inconsistency of such conduct
is obvious. " A fountain cannot send forth both fresh
water and bitter ; nor can a tree bear both olives
and figs :" so neither can a renewed heart bear such
different and discordant fruits b . Whoever therefore
professes godliness, should take care that no such
^inconsistency be found in him. " Who is a wise man,
a Jam. i. 26. b ver. 9 12,
2368.] INFLUENCE OF WISDOM ON THE CONDUCT. 79
and endued with knowledge among you ? let him
shew out of a good conversation his works with
meekness of wisdom."
In these words we see,
I. The proper character of Christians
When we say that the Christian is " a wise man,
and endued with knowledge," we seem to be guilty
of great arrogance ; since it is a notorious fact, that
the great majority of religious persons, as St. Paul
himself acknowledges, are of the lower orders of
society, whose talents and attainments are extremely
limited . And even where the disadvantages of
education are not so great, it is often found that
" the children of this world are in their generation
wiser than the children of light." How then can we
presume to designate the godly by such inappropriate
and high-sounding names ? I answer, That the wis
dom of this world is in God s estimation, folly ; and
that his people alone deserve the titles that are here
assigned them. They are wise and intelligent,
1. As fearing God
[They all without exception fear God. This is the lowest
attainment that will justify any pretensions to true piety. And
what is said of it by holy Job ? " The fear of the Lord, that
is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding^" Here
then at once is their character fixed by the testimony of God
himself. And to them does it belong exclusively : for of all
others the Prophet Jeremiah says, " They have rejected the
word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them 6 ?" They
may possess much which passes under that name : they may
be skilled in arts and sciences, even as Solomon himself: yet
they shew that they are fools and idiots, as it respects the
things of God. They shew that they know not the true end
of their being: they know not wherein real happiness consists:
they know not the value of an immortal soul : they know not
the judgment that awaits them, or the importance of preparing
for it. Thei r views are circumscribed by the things of time
and sense ; and of heaven and heavenly things they have no
knowledge. " Their wisdom and knowledge, such as it is,
only perverts them f ." Hence of them it is said, that " madness
c 1 Cor. i. 2628. d Job xxviii. 28.
e Jer. viii. 9. f Isai. xlvii. 10.
80 JAMES, III. 13. [2368.
is in their hearts while they live g ." But of the Lord s
people, how ignorant soever they may be of other matters, it
may be said, as on this very ground it was said of the Jews
of old, " Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding
people V]
2. As instructed by God himself
[This also is peculiar to them, and abundantly vindicates
their title to the character given them in the text. To them
universally, and to them exclusively, does that promise belong,
" They shall all be taught of God 1 ." They are taught of God,
who by his Spirit has "opened the eyes of their understanding k ,"
and " brought them out of darkness into the marvellous light
of his Gospel 1 ." To them he has given a spiritual discern
ment, whereby they are enabled to discern the things of the
Spirit" 1 . He has given to them such views of Christ as " flesh
and blood could never have revealed to them"." " Wonderful
things are they enabled to behold in God s law ." They see
what others have no conception of the spirituality of that law,
extending to every thought and desire of the heart. They
see in that glass the unsearchable wickedness of their own
hearts P; their just desert of God s wrath and indignation;
their utter need of a Saviour; the suitableness of Christ to
their extreme necessities, and his sufficiency for all their
wants. " They have an understanding given them to know
Him that is true ; and, in consequence of that, they are in Him
that is true, even in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true
God and eternal life q ." To them are made known things
which from all eternity were hid in God ; and things which
the natural man, whatever be his endowments, cannot receive
or know r : yea, though they be in every other respect mere
" babes, to them God has revealed what he has hid from the
wise and prudent 8 :" so that, whilst the man of learning, that
is wise in his own conceit, looks down upon them with con
tempt as weak and foolish, they see the vanity of all his
boasted wisdom, and they pity the blindness of his deluded
mind. See how strongly all this is asserted by the Apostle
Paul : " He that is spiritual (however destitute he may be of
human learning) judgeth all things: yet he himself is judged
of no man : (he estimates rightly the state of others, whilst
they can form no just estimate of his :) for who (what carnal
man) hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct
him ? But we (we who are taught of God) have the mind of
8 Eccl. ix. 3. h Deut. iv. 6. * John vi. 45.
k Eph. i. 17, 1 8. * 1 Pet. ii. 9. m 1 Cor. ii. 912.
n Matt. xvi. 16, 17. Ps. cxix. 18. Pi Kings viii. 38.
q 1 John v. 20. r 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8, 14. s Matt. xi. 2.5.
2368.] INFLUENCE OF WISDOM ON THE CONDUCT. 81
Christ;" and consequently can form a correct judgment both
of our own state and theirs 4 . Thus, whilst all others are
" perishing for lack of knowledge"," they have " that unction
of the Holy One whereby they know all things x ," and are
become truly wise, being made " wise unto salvation through
faith in Christy."]
Such being their high character, they are con
cerned to know, and to consider well,
II. The conduct that befits them
Doubtless their deportment should be such as is
suited to the distinguished rank which they bear
amongst their fellows : and their superiority to others
should be marked,
1. In their works
[Their whole " conversation should be such as becometh
the Gospel of Christ 2 ." A tree must be known by its fruits;
and their faith be judged of by their works a . The whole
tenour of these must be good : and, though they are not to
be done with a view to man s applause, they must be such as
to evince to all around them the excellence of the principles
which they profess : " they must make their light so to shine
before men, that all who behold their good works may glorify
their Father that is in heaven V They must " shew out of a
good conversation their works."
But in relation to these (their works) the godly will find no
difficulty, if they attend to that which is principally adverted
to in our text, namely, to walk worthy of their profession.]
2. In their spirit
[The Christian is renewed, not in knowledge or in the
outward conduct only, but " in the spirit of his mind c ." He
is poured into a new mould, the mould of the Gospel d . He
is assimilated to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, especially in
the meekness and gentleness of his spirit under the heaviest
trials, and the bitterest provocations. Of him we are told,
that " he was led as a lamb to the slaughter ; and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so opened he not his mouth 6 :"
and in that particular he is more especially commended to us
as an example : for " he suffered, leaving us an example that
we should follow his steps ; who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth ; who, when he was reviled, reviled not
4 1 Cor. ii. 15, 16. u Hos. iv. 6. x 1 John ii. 20, 2V.
y 2 Tim. iii. 15. z Phil. i. 27. a Jam. i. 18.
b Matt. v. l(j. c Eph. iv. 23.
(i Rom. vi. 17. the Greek. e Isai. liii. 7.
VOL. XX. G
82 JAMES, III. 13. [2368.
again ; when he suffered, threatened not ; but committed him
self to him that judge th righteously f ." This is the state
which God approves. The outward act is comparatively of
little value in his sight ; since that may abound even where
the inward principle is most corrupt : but when he sees " the
hidden man of the heart" thus habited, he views it with delight:
" the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is in his sight of
great price"." This is what the Apostle so beautifully incul
cates in our text : " Let him shew out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom." Meekness and wisdom
are intimately and indissolubly connected : as it is said, " He
that is hasty of spirit, exalteth folly ; whereas he who is slow
to wrath, is of great understanding 11 ." In this then must
every true Christian excel : and it will be in vain for him to
pretend that he has been taught of God, if he have not learned,
and practically too, this important lesson. Do you ask how
the true Christian must be distinguished? St. Paul shall tell
you : " Put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-
suffering ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another,
if any man have a quarrel against any : even as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye 1 ." This is the proper test of your principles.
If you have knowledge, it is well : if you have faith, it is well :
if you have works, it is well : but you may " have the know
ledge of men and angels, and a faith that can remove moun
tains ; and such zeal, both of an active and passive kind, as
may lead you to give all your goods to feed the poor, and
your bodies to be burned, and yet, after all, want that internal
principle of love, which is necessary to your acceptance with
God k ." Your proper character is, that you are " the meek of
the earth: seek righteousness therefore, and seek meekness 1 ."
"I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ 111 "
that you cultivate this spirit to the uttermost : for, if you have
not in this respect " the mind that was in Christ Jesus n ," you
are not, you cannot be, his .]
For the more extensive improvement of this subject,
I would add two solemn ADMONITIONS
1. Rest not in attainments, whilst destitute of
knowledge
[There is a great diversity in the natural dispositions of
men : some are from their very birth more meek and gentle
than others : and certainly they whom nature has formed in
f 1 Pet. ii. 21 23. & 1 Pet. iii. 4. h Prov. xiv. 29.
1 Col. iii. 12, 13. k 1 Cor. xiii. 13. J Zeph. ii. 3.
m 2 Cor. x. 1. n Phil. ii. f..
" 1 John iii. 24. and iv. 1 7.
2368. J INFLUENCE OF WISDOM ON THE CONDUCT. 83
this better mould, have much to be thankful for. But let not
any one mistake this natural gentleness for grace. The meek
ness of which my text speaks, is " a fruit of the Spirit p ," and
is always associated with true wisdom. It springs from a sense
of our own unworthiness, and of the obligations which we owe
to Christ for all the wonders of redeeming love. It is a humble
submission to Almighty God, whose hand is viewed in all
events, and whose love is tasted in the bitterest dispensations.
It is a resignation of the soul to him, that he may perfect it in
his own way, and glorify himself upon it, as seemeth him good.
Before you draw inferences then from your comparative pro
ficiency in gentle habits, inquire how they have been obtained ?
Examine whether they are associated with this heavenly wis
dom ; and whether they are the result of deep humiliation, and
of ardent love to God? If you have not been taught of God
to know yourselves and the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in
darkness even until now : and though you appear to be in the
fold of Christ, you have never entered it at the strait gate,
and therefore are not regarded by him as his sheep indeed.
O ! may God instruct you, and by his Holy Spirit guide you
into all truth !]
2. Rest not in knowledge, whilst destitute of these
attainments
[Many possess a very clear knowledge of Scripture truths,
whilst yet they experience not their sanctifying and transform
ing efficacy. It is a melancholy fact, that many who profess
religion are grievously under the dominion of evil tempers. It
was evidently so among those to whom St. James addressed
this epistle. But, beloved, " these things ought not so to be,"
and must not so be : for, if they be, they will terminate in
fearful disappointment at the last day. Think not to excuse
yourselves by saying, That your temper is naturally hasty and
violent. It may be so : but this is no reason why it is to have
the mastery over you. If the struggles which you have to
maintain be the greater, the strength of Christ shall be the
more displayed in the victories which he will enable you to
gain. Only go to him in fervent and continual prayer, and
you shall find, that " his grace is sufficient for you :" it never
failed yet ; nor shall it ever fail, when sought in sincerity and
truth. Only prostrate yourselves before him with shame, and
sorrow, and contrition, and implore of him the assistance of his
good Spirit; and then will he "beautify you with salvation* 1 :"
for " instead of the thorn shall grow up the fir-tree, and instead
of the brier shall grow up the myrtle-tree : and you shall be to
the Lord for a name, and for an everlasting sign that shall not
be cut off ."]
P Gal. v. 22, 23. n Ps. cxlix. 4. r Isai. Iv. 13.
84 JAMES, III. 17. [2369.
MMCCCLXIX.
THE NATURE OF TRUE RELIGION.
Jam. iii. 17. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
RELIGION, like a tree, must be judged of by its
fruits. That which savours of pride, earthliness, or
sensuality, is not of God. Its character is justly
drawn in the words before us. It is,
I. Holy in its nature
Religion, above all other things, is entitled to the
name of " wisdom"
[It enlightens the mind, informs the judgment, regulates
the life ; and he who lives under its influence, is wise in the
estimation of God himself.]
Being from above, it resembles its Divine Author
[Religion is a beam issuing from God the fountain of
light ; and, as " in him is no darkness at all," so neither is
there any thing impure in that which flows from him. It may
be mixed with sin, but in its own nature it is " pure ;" and,
in proportion as it prevails, it will dissipate the clouds of igno
rance and sin. All " spiritual or fleshly filthiness " will surely
vanish before it a .]
In consequence of this it is,
II. Useful in its tendency
It renders us,
1. Amiable in our spirit
[Though men differ widely in their natural tempers, yet
the unregenerate are, on many occasions, quarrelsome, fierce,
implacable. But as soon as ever religion exerts its influence
on our minds, we mortify these unhallowed tempers, and be
come " peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated." From
thenceforth it is the delight of our souls to cultivate and pro
mote peace, to maintain in ourselves a meek and quiet spirit,
and to exercise, as occasion may require, forbearance and for
giveness to all around us.]
a Matt. v. 8. Acts xv. 9. 2 Cor. vii. 1.
2369.] THE NATURE OF TRUE RELIGION. 85
2. Benevolent in our conduct
[Compassion and diligence are inseparable attributes of
true religion. The real Christian is not, like the barren fig-
tree, covered with the leaves of an outward profession, but
destitute of fruit. He labours to abound in every good word
and work, and to benefit to the utmost the bodies and souls of
his fellow-creatures. His heart is " full " of love, and out of
the abundance of his heart he both speaks and acts.]
It is within us a living principle, that is,
III. Uniform in its operations
Its extends,
1. To duties without limitation
[The grace of God will not admit of " partiality " in our
obedience. It will stimulate us to difficult and self-denying
duties, as well as to those which are more easy and pleasant ;
and will make us as solicitous to do what is right towards
strangers or enemies, as towards our own friends or par
tisans 1 .]
2. To desires without reserve
[Religion penetrates to the inmost soul, and regulates all
our motives and principles of action. The person whose out
ward conduct only is good, is in God s sight no other than a
" whited sepulchre." The man whose heart is right with God,
will watch against all selfish ends, and endeavour to act with a
single eye to the glory of his God.]
INFER
1. How unjustly is religion condemned in the
world !
[Many consider religion as destructive of all personal and
social happiness ; but what is there in this representation of
religion that deserves such a character ? Let the world call it
folly if they will ; but God accounts it " wisdom"]
2, What reason have the most godly to blush and
be ashamed !
[We must not estimate our religion by our opinions so
much as by our practice. Doubtless we must build on Christ
as our only foundation ; but we have no evidence of an union
with him any further than we raise upon him this holy super
structure. Alas ! what poor builders have the very best of us
been ; and how little progress have we made when we judge by
this test !]
t> 1 Tim. v, 21.
86 JAMES, IV. 4. [2370.
3. What need have we to wait continually upon
our God in prayer !
[This wisdom is " from above," and can be derived from
God alone ; and how can we obtain it of him, but in the exer
cise of prayer ? Let us then ask it of him, who has promised
to impart it " liberally, and without upbraiding ."]
c Jam. i. 5.
MMCCCLXX.
FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD.
Jam. iv. 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that
the friendship of the world is enmity with God ? whoso
ever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
God.
THERE is a boldness of speech, which not only
comports well with the character of God s ambas
sadors, but is necessary to the faithful discharge of
the ministerial office. To those who are unused to
the figurative language of Scripture, the address of
St. James to the professors of Christianity may appear
coarse and severe. But the truth he delivered,
needed to be strongly insisted on even in the apo
stolic age ; so much did the practice of the Church
fall short of the knowledge which was at that time
generally diffused. As to the appellation which he
gave the worldly temporizing Christians, it could
not fail of being understood in its proper sense ;
because all knew that God called himself the hus
band of the Church ; and consequently, that the
violation of the people s engagements to him justly
entitled them to the name by which they were
addressed.
To the Christians of this age the doctrine of the
text should be very fully opened. It is indeed far
from being calculated to please men : but we proceed
to the consideration of it, in the hope that the word
shall not go forth in vain.
We shall endeavour to shew,
2370.] ENMITY WITH GOD. 87
I. What we are to understand by the friendship of
the world
[The "world" must be understood in its largest sense, as
comprehending not only the people, but also the pleasures,
riches, and honours of the world a . To draw the precise limits
of that which is here called " the friendship" of the world, is
not so easy. Nevertheless we may ascertain this with as much
accuracy as is necessary on the present occasion.
If we love any one person above all others, and strive to
please him habitually, not only in common with others, but
even in direct opposition to them, we certainly must be
acknowledged to have a considerable degree of friendship for
him. Let us inquire then,
1. Which do we love more, the world, or God?
2. Which do we strive to please when their commands are
irreconcileable with each other?
If conscience testify that the world have in these respects a
decided preference, we are, beyond all doubt, the friends of
the world.]
II. In what respects it is enmity with God
[This may seem a strong expression ; but it does not
exceed the truth. For the friendship of the world is, in fact,
a denial of God s excellency, since it declares that the world
is a better portion than he - It is a contempt of his
authority, seeing that when he says, " My son, give me thy
heart," it makes us reply with Pharaoh, " Who is the Lord,
that I should serve him ? I know not the Lord, neither will
I obey his voice"- It is also a violation of our most
solemn engagements with him. He is our Husband; and we
bound ourselves to him in baptism to " renounce the world,
the flesh, and the devil," and to be his, even his only. But by
receiving the world to our bosom, we suffer that to invade his
property, and, as the text intimates, are guilty of spiritual
adultery Moreover it is (as far as our influence ex
tends) a banishing of the very remembrance of him from the
earth. God himself testifies respecting the friends of the
world, that " he is not in all their thoughts :" and it is certain
that, while they can converse readily on every worldly subject,
they like not to hear or speak of his name : and if there
were not a few who stand forth as his witnesses upon earth,
his very name would soon be blotted out of our remem
brance
If the friends of the world would view their conduct in this
light, they would see an extreme malignity in the practices
which they now maintain and justify: and they would tremble
a 1 John ii. 15, 10.
88 JAMES, IV. 4, [2370.
at the thought of being found enemies to HIM, who, as omni
scient, sees; as holy, hates; as just, condemns; and, as
almighty, will punish, such daring impiety.]
III. The state of those who cultivate it
[Nothing can be more express than the declaration of the
text : they are " enemies of God." Whether they intend it or
not, whether they think of it or not, they are enemies of God.
However sober, modest, kind, generous, and amiable they
may be in their deportment, they still are enemies of God.
Exalt their characters ever so highly, so that they shall
appear in the most enviable light, you must bring them down
at last with this melancholy exception, but " they are enemies
of God*"
Nor is this a matter that admits of doubt. St. James even
appealed to the very persons whom he was condemning, and
made them judges in their own cause; " Know ye not this?"
can ye doubt of it one moment ? does not the Scripture fully
declare it? does not experience universally attest it?
But there is an emphasis in the text that marks this truth
in the strongest manner. As an avowed desire to compass the
death of the king is treason, though that wish should never
be accomplished ; so the determining to maintain friendship
with the world, when God commands us to " come out from it
and be separate," is treason against the King of kings : the very
willing to side in this manner with the world, constitutes* us
enemies of God.]
ADDRESS
1. The friends of the world
[It is to be feared that even in a Christian assembly the
doctrine of the text will be called in question ; and that many,
whose conduct in other respects is unexceptionable, impute no
blame to themselves for their attachment to the world. Yea,
so ignorant of their duty are the generality of Christians, that
instead of saying, " Know ye not" we must rather say to them,
" Know ye that the friendship of the world is enemity with
God ? " For, alas ! few in this day seem to know it, or even
to suspect it : and their reply to us would be, No, I neither
know it, nor believe it ; nor shall any thing that you can say
persuade me to receive a sentiment so unreasonable, and so
contrary to common sense. But, brethren, so it is, whether
ye know it or not. Let none therefore deceive themselves, or
attempt to unite the friendship of the world with friendship
with God ; for that is impossible, as our Lord has plainly told
us : " Ye cannot serve God and mammon."]
b 2 Kings V. 1. c *Oc av fiovXrjOrj Ka.Qiara.rai.
2371.] REPENTANCE URGED. 89
2. The friends of God-
fit is a great mercy to be " delivered from the love of
this present world." But we may mistake our experience with
respect to this. Age, sickness, poverty, disappointment, and
other trials may render us apparently indifferent to the world,
while yet, under other circumstances, our old attachment to it
would revive. Let us take care therefore that, as an evidence
of our friendship with God, our delight in him proportionably
increase. This must of necessity accompany our deadness to
the world. As one scale descends, the other must rise. We
must guard also against a relapse; for the world is ever
soliciting a place in our affections; and if we be not on
our guard, we shall, like Demas, forsake the path of self-
denial for the more enchanting one of earthliness and self-
indulgence d .]
d 2 Tim. iv. 10.
MMCCCLXXI.
REPENTANCE URGED. a
Jam. iv. 8 10. Draiv nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners / and purify your
hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and
weep : let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall lift you up.
THE season of Lent has been set apart by the
Church for the purpose of calling all her members to
deep humiliation of soul before God : and, were it
observed according to the intention of those who
destined it to this holy use, there can be no doubt
but that it would tend exceedingly to the advance
ment of religion in the world. So, at least, the
reformers of our Church judged; as appears from
the peculiarly solemn service which is appointed for
the day with which this season commences. And I
cannot but think, that, whilst we value ourselves on
an increased freedom from the errors of superstition,
we have reason to fear that we have suffered loss in
respect of real piety ; since, with the forms of reli
gion, we have relinquished also, in no small degree,
a For Ash- Wednesday.
90 JAMES, IV. 810. [2371.
the spirit of it. Not that a becoming reverence for
this season has altogether ceased. On the contrary,
a discourse which was not pertinent to the occasion
would very generally be deemed unseasonable and
indecorous : so that I have at least your prejudices
and your expectations in my favour, whilst I propose
to your consideration the solemn subject before us.
In the Apostle s exhortation we see,
I. An encouragement to repentance
A person under conviction of sin is ready to fear
that God will not receive him to mercy
[Nor is this without reason, when we consider how awfully
we have all departed from our God. Though " in him we
live and move and have our being," and are bound by all
possible ties to obey and honour him, we have altogether
" conternned b " his authority, and " lived without him in the
world ." We have in our hearts said to him, " Depart from
me ; for I desire not the knowledge of thy ways d ." We have
altogether " forgotten him 6 ," and wished that there were " no
God f ," or, at least, that, as to his claims upon us, he might be
" made to cease from before us g ." Would it be wonderful,
therefore, if God, in his righteous indignation, should execute
on all, what he certainly will execute on every impenitent
offender, a sentence of utter and everlasting exclusion from
his presence h ? This is merited by all ; and therefore
might well be apprehended by all, if God, of his unbounded
mercy, had not assured us of his willingness to receive return
ing penitents.]
But God has declared, that, " if we draw nigh to
him, he will draw nigh to us"
[He will not despise the prayer of the poor destitute 1 ,
or " cast out any who come unto him" in his Son s name k .
However great or long-continued their sins may have been, he
will not withhold his mercy from them 1 . No, in truth : " he
will incline his ear unto them, and hear them :" he will " look
down upon them from the habitation of his holiness and his
glory m ;" yea, "he will rend the heavens, and comedown";"
and " at their cry he will answer, Here I am ." Even " before
b Ps. x. 13. c Eph. ii. 12. d Job xxi. 14.
e Jer. ii. 32. f Ps. xiv. 1. s Isai. xxx. 11.
b Prov. i. 2431. 5 Ps. cii. 17. k John vi. 37.
1 Isai. i. 18. m Isai. Ixiii. 15. n Isai. Ixiv. 1.
Isai. Iviii. 9.
2371-] REPENTANCE URGED. 91
the supplication is well uttered, he will answer ; and whilst
they are yet speaking, he will hear P." No language can ex
press the depth of the condescension which he will manifest to
the poor suppliant, or the riches of that grace which he will
impart to the believing penitent. Pardon, peace, holiness,
glory, are not too great for him to bestow on the most un
worthy of men, who call upon him with their whole hearts.]
But, that we may not miscarry in the exercise of
this duty, the Apostle gives us,
II. A direction for the acceptable performance of it
Our repentance must be attended with,
1. A sincere renunciation of all evil
[Oh ! " cleanse your hands, ye sinners ;" and think not to
find acceptance with God, whilst ye " hold fast iniquity " of
any kind. Hear what God said to his people of old : " When
ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your
hands, to tread my courts ? . . . . When ye spread forth your
hands, I will hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye make
many prayers, I will not hear : your hands are full of blood.
Wash ye ; make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes : cease to do evil : learn to do welK"
In truth, " the very prayers of the wicked are an abomination
to the LordV Look, I pray you, to all the habits of your
past life ; your conduct in your respective trades and callings,
no less than in your common intercourse with mankind : and,
as God enjoins you to " shake your hands from holding of
bribes," so I would say, Shake your hands from holding of
unjust gains of any kind, and from retaining any evil which
you have been wont to perpetrate 8 .
Nor is this sufficient : you must put away evil from the
heart, as well as in the act : for " if you regard iniquity in your
heart, the Lord will not hear you*." " Your heart must be
right with God u ," who demands the whole of it for himself x ,
and will not accept " a divided hearth" " Purify your hearts
then, ye double-minded :" for " ye cannot serve God and
mammon too 2 ." You must " not love the world, nor any
thing that is in it," if you would approve yourselves to God a :
the very desire to retain friendship with the world is con
structive treason, and a decisive proof of enmity against God b .
P Isai. Ixv. 24. <i Tsai. i. 12 16.
r Prov. xxi. 27. and xxxviii. 9. s Isai. xxxiii. 15.
t Ps. Ixvi. 18. u Ps. Ixxviii. 37. x Prov. xxiii. 26.
y Hos. x. 2. z Matt. vi. 24. a 1 John ii. 15, 16.
b ver. 4. See the Greek.
92 JAMES, IV. 810. [2371.
See, then, that ye be " Israelites indeed, in whom is no allowed
guile c ." Then, whether it be " under the fig-tree," or in any
place whatever, God will behold you with complacency ; and
not only listen to your prayers, but exceed in his answers your
largest petitions or desires d .]
2. A deep contrition for all your past iniquities
[A forsaking of sin is not sufficient. There are many
grounds on which some lust may be subdued: a change of
age, or even of our circumstances in life, may operate to the
abstaining from some sins, whilst yet the evil of them may
never have been truly felt. Sin, of whatever kind, is hateful
in the sight of God ; and must become so in our eyes. " Be
afflicted therefore, and mourn, and weep : let your laughter
be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness : humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, if ever ye would be lifted
up." It is " the broken and contrite heart, which God will not
despise 6 :" and all repentance that falls short of that, will only
prove " a repentance that must itself be repented of f ." But,
if ye come to God with a holy and ingenuous shame, even
though you had been as wicked as Manasseh himself, you
shall not be rejected : for " all manner of wickedness shall be
forgiven unto men g ;" nor will God ever suffer any human
being to " seek his face in vain V No, verily ; if he see one
prostrating himself before him in dust and ashes, he will " lift
him up," just as the father in the parable did his prodigal son ;
testifying over him the joy with which he will restore him,
not to his favour only, but to all the blessedness that he him
self is able to impart 1 . He that thus sows in tears, shall surely
" reap in joy k :" and " he who thus humbles himself, shall surely
be exalted 1 ."]
APPLICATION
1. It may be, that some amongst you doubt the
necessity of such a repentance
But who amongst you is not " a sinner" before God?
or, who amongst you has not been " double-minded," giving
at least a portion of his heart to the creature, when the whole
of it should have been fixed on God ? I accuse not any
one amongst you of gross sin : but as corresponding with the
character drawn in my text, I must accuse every child of man.
I grant there is a great diversity in the guilt of different men :
but there is no man so innocent as not to need repentance,
c John i. 47. d John i. 48 51. with Eph. iii. 20.
e Ps. li. 17. f 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. s Matt. xii. 31.
h Isai. xlv. 19. j Luke xv. 20 24. k Ps. cxxvi. 6.
1 Luke xviii. 14.
2372. J THE FOLLY OF UNDUE SECURITY. 93
and repentance too of the very kind that is here required. I
pray you therefore, brethren, not to rest satisfied with a few
faint acknowledgments of your guilt ; but to abase yourselves
before God, even as holy Job did, in dust and ashes ]
2. There may possibly be others, also, who doubt
its efficacy
[You may perhaps have sought the Lord for some time,
and not yet have obtained an answer of peace. But does this
discourage you? Think, I pray you, how long God sought
after you, and followed you with his invitations and entreaties
to return unto him. Think, I say, of this ; and then you will
acknowledge, that, if you cried to him for a hundred years,
and yet obtained an answer only at the last hour, you would
have no reason to complain. But God has gracious designs
in delaying the manifestations of his favour towards you. He
desires to humble you the more deeply before him, and to
prepare you more fully for the due reception of his favour.
St. Peter says, " Humble yourselves under his mighty hand,
and he will exalt you in due time." And who is the best judge
what " the due time " is ? Surely you may well leave this matter
to Him who cannot err; and who, " having given you his dear
Son, will surely with him also freely give you all things ."
You yourselves do not give to your child a thing the instant
that he cries for it, but judge of the fittest season wherein to
give it. Wait, then, the Lord s leisure ; assured, that " the
vision, though delayed, shall not tarry" beyond the period
which you yourselves, if you saw things as clearly as God
does, would be the foremost to assign for it .]
m 1 Pet. v. 6. n Rom. viii. 32. Hab. ii. 3.
MMCCCLXXII.
THE FOLLY OF UNDUE SECURITY.
Jam. iv. 13, 14. Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we
tvill go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy
and sell, and get gain : whereas ye know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life ? It is even a vapour,
that appearethfor a little time, and then vanisheth away.
RELIGION has ever a tendency to decline. Sin
has pre-occupied the ground : and though religion
expels it for a time, it is ever watching, as it were,
for an opportunity to return, and to regain its former
ascendant over the soul. Even in the Apostolic age
91 JAMES, IV. 13, 14. [2372.
manifold declensions were found, not only in indivi
duals, but in whole Churches : and St. James, with
the utmost fidelity and earnestness, set himself to
counteract the fatal evil. Amongst the various evils
which he had to reprove, was that of undue security,
or of presuming on the success of our plans for
future advancement, without any becoming reference
to the shortness and uncertainty of life : and there
being still but too much reason to complain of this
habit in the Christian world, I shall distinctly mark,
I. The habit which is here censured
The Apostle does not intend to condemn all fore
thought and contrivance ; for then we should all be
as weak and foolish as children : nor, indeed, if
prospective plans were unlawful, would any one
branch of agriculture or commerce, or even of liberal
education, be carried forward. It is the proud
reliance on our own wisdom, and the confident ex
pectation of time to come, that is here condemned ;
and this is,
1. A great evil
[What is it but an entire forgetfulness of our dependence
upon God ? For who is it that can give success to any plans,
but God himself? And, if we could command success, who
can tell whether that which we seek as a blessing, may not
prove to us the greatest curse? Even an unqualified desire
of the things themselves, without a reference to the wisdom
of God to choose for us, and his will to bestow them on us, is
highly sinful. It contravenes that express command, " Thou
shalt not covet," and is, in fact, an usurpation of God s prero
gative to direct and govern the affairs of men. Besides, such
a confident expectation of life is of itself most offensive to
God : for it is " he who holdeth our souls in life :" " in him
we live, and move, and have our being :" and the contempla
tion of life, irrespective of his agency, is no other than practical
atheism.]
2. A common evil
[We imbibe these atheistical sentiments from our earliest
infancy. Scarcely any other ever meet our ears. Our very
parents are constantly speaking to us of what is to be gained
by us in future years in consequence of our own care and
industry. As we grow up, we buoy up ourselves with the
2372.] E FOLLY OF UNDUE SECURITY. 95
same unqualified hopes and expectations : from youth to man
hood, and from manhood to old age, we still continue to speak
of future events as depending on ourselves, rather than on God ;
and seldom, if ever, have any direct reference in our minds to
the superintending and all-directing providence of God. In
deed, it is from hence that our exertions principally arise : and
so gratifying to our minds is this corrupt habit, that our chief
happiness in life arises from it : for it is a well-known fact, that
the fond dreams of hope almost invariably exceed the pleasures
of actual enjoyment.]
Such is the evil which the Apostle censured in the
words before us : which, however, lead us yet further
to consider,
II. The folly of it-
There is nothing in reality at our command, or
under our controul. We cannot by any means
secure,
1. The success of our labours
[" We cannot tell what shall be on the morrow:" we can
not tell how soon circumstances may arise to make us view that
as an evil, which we just before coveted as a good. The fact
is, that there is scarcely a man living, who has not as much
reason to bless God for the dispensations by which his desires
have been thwarted, as for those by which they have been
gratified. How foolish then is it to take the disposal of events
out of God s hands, instead of committing it to him, whose
wisdom cannot err, and whose power cannot be counteracted !
We may, like Israel, cause him "in wrath to give us" the
object of our inordinate desires, and constrain him to inflict
upon us the judgment denounced against his disobedient people ;
" I will curse their blessings."]
2. The continuance of our lives
[" What is our life? it is a vapour that appeareth but a
little time, and then vanisheth away." This is a truth which
all acknowledge ; and which, if duly considered, would abate
the ardour of our earthly pursuits, and moderate our too san
guine expectations. Who has not seen persons in the bloom
of youth, when promising themselves years of prosperity and
joy, cut off suddenly, even as the flower of the grass, which in
the morning looks gay and flourishing, and in the evening is
cut down, dried up, and withered ? Yes, a light, airy, unsub
stantial vapour is but too just an image of life, which in its
best estate is vanity, and in the twinkling of an eye may pass
away for ever. Is it wise then to be either looking forward to
96 JAMES, IV. 13, 14. [2372.
future joys, or resting too confidently in joys possessed, when
for aught that we know, the decree may have already gone
forth, " This year," this month, this very day, " shalt thou
die a ?"]
Let us LEARN from this subject,
1. To have a direct reference to God in all
things b
[God will govern all things, whether we acknowledge him
or not : and, if we refer all to him, he will govern all things
for our good. Not a hair of our head shall fall to the ground
without his special permission.]
2. To be moderate in our anticipations of earthly
bliss
[What a lesson is taught us by the fate of him who said
to his soul, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many
years; eat, drink, and be merry." The reply of God to him
was, " Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee."
The true way to avoid disappointment from earthly things, is,
to regard them as vanity and vexation of spirit, and to be
contented with such a measure of them as God sees to be best
for us.]
3. To bend all our attention to the concerns of
eternity
[These will never disappoint our hopes : we shall never
seek eternal happiness in vain. Our desires in reference to
them cannot be too large, nor our expectations from them too
sanguine. Who, on coming to our blessed Saviour, was ever
cast out ? In what instance did the blood of Christ ever prove
insufficient to justify, or his grace to save ? As for life, the
cutting short of that will not deprive us of any blessing which
we have ever sought : on the contrary, it will bring us to the
speedier possession of all good. We must indeed, in spiritual
as well as carnal things, place our hope in God alone ; because
God alone can " give us either to will or to do ;" and in the
bestowment of his blessings he will consult only " his own
will and pleasure :" but if we look steadfastly to him, and rely
confidently on him alone, " we shall not be ashamed or con
founded world without end."]
a Here any instances of hopes disappointed by sudden death may
be referred to.
b ver. 15, 16.
2373.1 SINS OF OMISSION CONSIDERED. 97
MMCCCLXXIII.
SINS OF OMISSION CONSIDERED.
Jam. iv. 17. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not,
to him it is sin.
THERE is not any thing of which men are more
convinced, than the shortness and uncertainty of life :
yet in the habit of their minds they live as if they
were certain of many months and years to come.
They form their plans and projects as if they were
sure of living to see them executed. Of this the
Apostle complains in the preceding context, because
it altogether overlooks God in the government of the
world, and is nothing less than practical atheism.
Having pointed out the evil of such a habit, the
Apostle deduces from it this general position ; that,
as the person who in theory acknowledges the pro
vidence of God, and practically denies it, sins ; so,
whoever omits to do any other thing which he knows
to be right, sins also.
It is my intention,
I. To confirm this truth
Let us consider what such conduct manifests. It
argues,
1. An insensibility in the conscience
[God has given to every man a conscience, to be, as it
were, his vicegerent in the soul. It is designed by him to
check us, when we are in danger of committing any evil, and
to stimulate us continually to whatever is pleasing in his sight.
But if, when we know what is good, we do it not, we shew
that we have silenced the voice of conscience, or have rendered
ourselves incapable of attending to its suggestions. And is
this no sin ? Is a sentinel who sleeps at his post guilty of
no crime, when through his unwatchfulness a camp or city
is surprised ? And is not a minister, who, when he seeth
the sword of God s vengeance uplifted to strike his people,
neglects to warn them, justly chargeable with their blood a ?
Shall not guilt then attach to you, who lull your consciences
a Ezek. xxxiii. 6.
VOL. xx. H
98 JAMES, IV. 17. [2373.
asleep, and say to yourselves, " I shall have peace, notwith
standing I walk after the imagination of my own evil heart* ?"
The very heathen were charged with guilt, because, " when
from the works of creation they knew God, they glorified him
not as God c :" depend upon it, therefore, that your neglect of
known and acknowledged duties cannot but involve your souls
also in much guilt.]
2. An indifference to the welfare of our own
souls
[It is by our works that we shall be judged in the last
day. We are as servants that have talents committed to us :
they who make a good improvement of them will have a pro
portionable reward : but those who hide them in a napkin will
be dealt with as wicked and unprofitable servants d . What
then do you say, in fact, when you neglect an acknowledged
duty ? You say, in reality, * I care not for my soul ; I care
not whether it is happy in a future world, or not : I know
that by a diligent attention to all God s commands, I might
advance its eternal interests : and I know that by inattention
to his will I shall involve it in misery : but let me have present
ease ; let me be excused the trouble of doing what does not
suit my taste and inclination: let me have the world with its
pleasures and interests : and if through my love to present
things I must lose my soul, be it so : I consent to " the ex
change 6 :" " I will sell my birth-right for a mess of pottageV
Tell me now, Is there nothing criminal in this ? May not such
persons be justly charged with " loving death, and wronging
their own souls 8 ?" Yes : whether a man do a thing of which
he doubts the lawfulness, or neglect to do a thing of which he
admits the necessity, he is equally " a sinner against his own
soul :" for, as " whatsoever is not of faith, is sin h ," so to know
what is good and to neglect it, is sin also.]
3. A contempt of Almighty God
[Whatever obedience a man may pay to all other com
mandments, if there be one which he knowingly violates, or
wilfully neglects, he is a rebel against God, and a contemner
of his Divine Majesty 1 . For the same authority that enjoins
one, enjoins all : and if it be disregarded in one, it is in reality
disregarded in all k : for it is impossible to have a due regard
to it in any thing, if we have not a regard to it in every thing.
And is it no sin to cast off the yoke of God, and to say, " As
for the word that has been spoken to me in the name of the
b Deut. xxix. 19, 20. c Rom. i. 21. d Luke xix. 1527.
5 Matt. xvi. 26. f Heb. xii. 16. s Prov. viii. 36.
h Rom. xiv. 23. * Ps. x. 13. Luke x. 16.
k Jam. ii. 10, 11.
2373.] SINS OF OMISSION CONSIDERED. 99
Lord, I will not hearken unto it l ?" Our blessed Lord has told
us what he will say to such persons in the last day : " Bring
hither those that were mine enemies, who would not that I
should reign over them, and slay them before me." " Those
who knew not their Lord s will," and sinned through ignorance,
are chargeable with guilt, and will be visited with punishment ;
because they had the means of instruction, and did not dili
gently improve them : but if " the servant who knew not his
Lord s will shall be beaten with few stripes, be assured, that
the servant who knew his Lord s will and did it not, shall be
beaten with many stripes."]
Verily this is a solemn truth, and deeply to be
weighed by every child of man. Let me therefore
proceed,
II. To suggest some reflections arising out of it
Who that duly considers it must not see,
1. What ground we all have for humiliation before
God
[I will suppose that we have never committed any enor
mous sin, and that in respect of the letter of the law we have
been as blameless as ever Paul was previous to his conversion :
still, are we not sinners ? There has been no doubt on any of
our minds whether we had occasion for the acknowledged
duties of repentance, faith, and obedience: but have we dili
gently performed these duties? Have we from day to day
humbled ourselves before God, and wept in dust and ashes?
Have we laboured to find out all our past transgressions, to
spread them before God with penitential sorrow, and to im
plore with all earnestness the remission of them ?
Have we fled to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge, as to the
hope that is set before us? Have we pleaded before God
the merit of his sacrifice, and sprinkled our souls with his all-
atoning blood? Is this the daily habit of our minds; and
the only source of peace to our souls ? And have we
given up ourselves to God without reserve, to fulfil his every
command, and to live altogether to his glory ? Do we for this
end study his blessed word with all diligence, that we may
know his mind? and do we labour incessantly to " stand per
fect and complete in all the will of God ? " We have known
these things to be right; but have we done them? Can we
appeal to the heart-searching God, that this has been, and yet
is, the daily tenour of our lives ? Must we not rather acknow
ledge, that no one day of our lives has been so occupied with
1 Jer. xliv. 16.
m Luke xii. 47, 48.
H 2
100 JAMES, TV. 17. [2373.
these duties as it ought to have been ? Then we are sinners,
" sinners before the Lord exceedingly":" and, if we turn not
to God in newness of life, we shall speedily become monuments
of his wrath and fiery indignation.]
2. The folly of seeking salvation by any righteous
ness of our own
[I will not only grant, as before, that we are free from
any gross sins, but I will admit, that we have done a great
deal that was good and praiseworthy. But how shall we get
rid of this immense load of guilt which we have contracted by
our wilful and habitual neglects? Our good deeds, admitting
that we have performed some, have been only occasional :
whereas our neglects have been continual, from the first
moment that we began to be capable of acting. Our good
deeds have all been marred with imperfections ; but our
neglects have had in them no mixture of good : they were pure
and unmixed evil ; and in comparison of them, any good that
we do is lighter than dust upon the balance. In truth, no
man who reflected a moment on my text could any more
entertain a hope of being justified by any righteousness of his
own, than he could form a purpose to create a world. He
would see, that, whilst he was doing those very works on
which he was inclined to build his hopes, the weakness and
defectiveness of his exertions infinitely outweighed any merit
which they might be supposed to have ; and rendered his
works a just ground for condemnation, rather than of justifi
cation before God. Bear in mind then the declaration before
us ; and limit not your views to sins of commission, but extend
them to sins of omission: and then you will no longer hesitate
to renounce all hope in yourselves, but will say with the
Apostle Paul, " I desire to be found in Christ, not having
mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith ."]
3. The improvement which we should make of
divine ordinances
[We should not come to the house of God merely to
satisfy conscience and to perform a duty, but really to get
instruction respecting the mind and will of God. A mariner
about to navigate a ship, and having the assistance of a skilful
builder to examine whether she was in a state fit for sea,
would not listen to his observations as a mere matter of
curiosity or amusement, nor would he shut his eyes to any
defects that were pointed out : his object would be, to find out
n Gen. xiii. 13. Phil. iii. 9.
2374.] PATIENT PERSEVERANCE URGED. 101
defects, in order to their being remedied : and if only a doubt
were suggested, he would endeavour to ascertain how far there
was any foundation for it. He would say, I am about to
commit my life and property to this vessel, and I must not
stay till I am got into the midst of the ocean before I search
into her state : it will be too late to do that when I am in the
midst of a storm : I must do it now, before I go on board.
Precisely in this way should you come up to the house of
God. You are about to embark for eternity: and the in
structions given by your minister are intended to point out
every defect in your vessel, in order to its being remedied in
time. Shut not then your ears to his instructions ; and close
not your eyes to your defects: but bless God for every
assistance which you can obtain in a matter of such infinite
importance, and endeavour to improve it for the salvation of
your soul. In particular, search out your defects ; and cry
mightily to God to pardon them for the Redeemer s sake, and
to repair them by the influences of his good Spirit : so may
you hope to navigate in safety this tempestuous ocean ; and in
due season to " have an abundant entrance" into the haven of
eternal bliss.]
MMCCCLXXIV.
PATIENT PERSEVERANCE URGED.
Jam. v. 7, 8. Be patient, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the
earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early
and latter rain. Be ye also patient ; stablish your hearts :
for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
CHRISTIANITY, even in the apostolic age, was
professed by multitudes who neither understood its
doctrines nor obeyed its precepts. The great and
fundamental doctrine of justification by faith was
denied by some, and abused by others ; who took
occasion from it to "turn the grace of God into
licentiousness," and to " continue in sin that grace
might abound." To this latter class more especially
St. James directed his epistle. He did indeed write
to the unbelieving Jews also : for his epistle is
addressed " To the twelve tribes who were scattered
abroad :" and, as they were in no state to receive
such affectionate salutations as are observable in the
102 JAMES, V. 7, 8. [2374,
epistles which were addressed to Christians only, he
contented himself with merely sending to them
" greeting a ." There were indeed many truly pious
persons who were suffering for the truth s sake ; and
these he sought to comfort and encourage. The
foregoing part of this chapter seems addressed to the
former ; the text and following verses to the latter.
We cannot conceive that the oppressive and mur
derous conduct which he lays to the charge of some,
could admit of their being numbered with the Church
of God. But their cruelties rendered the path of
the true Christians who were among them far more
difficult : and therefore, after warning those who
were so grossly violating every principle of common
morality, he encourages the suffering Christians to
persevere in a patient discharge of their duty, and in
an assured expectation of recompence at the coming
of their Lord.
We shall consider the injunction which he gives
them in a two-fold view ;
I. In reference to the terms by which it is ex
pressed
These are strong and energetic. Twice he says,
" Be patient ;" that is, bear with all long-suffering
the trials that are come upon you : and then he adds,
" Stablish your hearts ;" let them be so firmly fixed,
that nothing may ever shake them.
Now from these expressions we gain a very con
siderable insight into Christianity : we see, that,
1. It exposes us to heavy trials
[No man could profess Christianity at its first establish
ment, but at the peril of his life : thousands and myriads being
called to seal the truth with their blood. If the same perse
cutions be not experienced at this day, let us not imagine that
they have therefore ceased : for it is as true at this day as it
was in the apostolic age, that " all who will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." And every man now,
as well as then, must be prepared to lay down his life for
Christ, if he will be acknowledged as " a disciple indeed."
a Jam. i. 1.
2374. J PATIENT PERSEVERANCE URGED. 103
Nor let it be thought that the persecutions of the present day
are so very light. It is no easy thing for flesh and blood to
withstand the hatred, and contempt, and ridicule to which he
will be assuredly exposed, if he set himself in earnest to serve
the Lord. The fear of these consequences is abundantly
sufficient to deter multitudes from embracing the Gospel, and
to turn back multitudes after they have embraced it. True
it is, that all are not exposed to these things in an equal
degree : but every follower of Christ must have his cross to
bear, and be conformed to his Divine Master in sufferings,
before he can be made like him in glory b .]
2. It calls for great exertions
[Religion is the same that it ever was, and calls for the
same efforts on the part of all who embrace it. A race is not
won at this day without exertion ; nor does a wrestler over
come a strong antagonist without effort : nor a man engaged
in warfare obtain a triumph without labour. Our spiritual
enemies are as strong as ever : sin is not subdued and mortified
by listless endeavours; nor is Satan defeated without much
watchfulness and prayer. The whole man must be engaged.
We must summon to the conflict all our faculties and powers ;
yea, such are the efforts required, that, if we be not strength
ened by that same almighty power which raised Jesus Christ
from the dead, we can never prevail c .]
3. It requires incessant efforts even to the end
[There is to be no period when we are to give way either
to impatience or sloth. However long our trials may continue,
we are " in patience to possess our souls :" and however diffi
cult the path of duty may be, we are " never to be weary in
well-doing." God should be able to say of us, as he does of
the Church of Ephesus, " Thou hast borne, and hast patience,
and for my name s sake hast laboured, and not fainted d ."
This in particular is intimated in our text. It is supposed
that the trials are long, and heavy, and calculated to turn us
from the faith: and hence it is necessary that we "be long-
suffering," and that our " souls be established with grace." It
is in this way only that we can finally prevail : for to those only
who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and
honour and immortality, will eternal life be adjudged 6 .]
To enter fully into the Apostle s exhortation, we
must consider it,
II. In reference to the comparison with which it is
illustrated
b Rom. viii. 17. c Eph. i. 19, 20. d Rev. ii. 3. e Rom. ii. 7.
104 JAMES, V. 7, 8. [2374.
This Apostle seems particularly to affect easy and
familiar illustrations. The whole epistle abounds
with them. He compares certain hearers of the
word to persons beholding themselves in a glass, and
then forgetting what manner of persons they were.
Those who have a dead and unproductive faith he
compares to persons who speak kind words to an
indigent brother or sister without relieving their
necessities. Those who govern not their tongue he
reproves, by contrasting their conduct with horses
that obey the bit ; with ships that are turned by a
helm ; with beasts, birds, and even fishes of the sea,
all of which have been tamed by men : and by warn
ing them, that as no fountain can send forth sweet
water and bitter, and no tree bear both olives and
figs, so they can be no true Christians, whilst such
unworthy and inconsistent speeches issue from their
mouths. Here in our text he brings to our view the
husbandman, whose continued labours and patient
expectations form a fit model for the Christian. Him
we are called to resemble,
1. In a steady prosecution of the appointed
means
[Many are the discouragements which the husbandman
meets with in the cultivation of his ground. Sometimes the
weather is untoward : sometimes blights, or insects, or mildew,
injure his crops : sometimes drought almost destroys all his
hopes : but still he goes on from year to year, ploughing his
ground, clearing it from weeds, manuring it, casting in his
seed, and harrowing it; and this he does, not knowing for
certain that a single grain which he casts into the furrows
shall rise again. But he expects nothing without the use of
means ; and therefore he does his part ; and that too as regu
larly and diligently as if every thing depended on himself. He
well knows that God alone can give rain, or cause the sun to
shine, or give power to the seed which he has sown to spring
up: but still he labours, that he may not fail through any
neglect of his own.
Now in this he is a pattern for all Christians. They have
their work to do. True, they cannot ensure success : but they
know that it is in the use, and not in the neglect, of the ap
pointed means, that God will bless them : and therefore they
are labouring as assiduously as if every thing depended on
2374.] PATIENT PERSEVERANCE URGED. 105
themselves. Behold them in secret : they read the Scriptures
with diligence: they pray over them with earnestness: they
set themselves to mortify their evil propensities, and to fulfil
their duties both to God and man. Observe them at all times,
and you will see, that they are in earnest for heaven. When
you go into the fields, and see the husbandman ploughing,
manuring, sowing, harrowing, weeding his ground, you will
never hesitate a moment to say, that he has the harvest in view.
So, see the Christian from day to day, and you will without
fail remark, that he has heaven in view, and that he is preparing
for a future harvest.]
2. In a patient expectation of the desired end
[Many months intervene between the seed-time and the
harvest : but the husbandman waits with patience. It is some
time before the seed springs up from under the clods : but he
waits for it, and for " the former rain," which alone can call
forth its vegetative powers. Its growth is afterwards impeded
by drought : but still he waits for the latter rain, without
which the corn can never come to maturity. There may be
many alternations of hope and fear : but he commits the matter
to the Lord, and waits the destined time, in expectation that
God will give him to see, in an abundant increase, the fruit of
his labours. So the Christian must wait upon his God : many
things he will meet with to try his faith and patience : but he
must commit them all to the Lord, not doubting but that God
will give him " strength according to his day," and cause " all
events to work together for his good." As the husbandman
knows that a few months will bring the appointed harvest ; so
the Christian knows, that his Lord is quickly coming, and
" will not tarry beyond the appointed time :" and for that time
he must wait ; fully assured, that the harvest which he shall
then reap will amply repay all his cares and all his toil.
This then, Christian, is the pattern you are to follow : you
must be " steadfast, and immoveable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord ; and then you are assured, that your labour
shall not be in vain in the Lord."]
LEARN then from hence,
1. How to estimate your true character
[The Apostle addresses those whom he is exhorting by
the endearing name of " brethren :" for they are all children
of one common Father, even of God himself. Now, wherein
soever they differ from each other, they all agree in this :
the true child of God is engaged in a work, which demands,
and in which he puts forth, all his energies. In it he is occu
pied throughout the year. He consults not the clouds, to
know whether he shall plough and sow his ground : he knows
106 JAMES, V. 7, 8. [2374.
that the work must be done, and he engages in it in a humble
dependence on his God : and he looks to the future judgment,
as the period when all his labours shall be compensated, and
his hopes fulfilled. Now, I would ask, would every one that
sees you, know you by these marks ? The husbandman, with
out intending to attract notice, discovers to all, his views, his
occupations, his desires. Are yours also in like manner appa
rent to all who behold your life and conversation ! Doubtless
your daily calls of duty are not so visible to every observer :
but upon the whole, the great scope and end of your life is not
a whit less visible to all who are round about you. Here then
you may easily ascertain your own character. If eternity be
not ever in your view ; if all you do have not a reference to
it ; if you be not willing both to do and suffer every thing that
may conduce to your future welfare; and if you be not
" looking for, and hasting unto, the coming of the day of
Christ," as to the period for the completion of all your wishes,
you do not belong to this holy family : you may call yourselves
Christians ; but you are not Christians indeed. We read of
those who " said that they were Jews, and did lie:" so you say
that you are Christians ; but your whole conduct gives the lie
to your profession. If you are Christians in deed and in truth,
" your works of faith, and labours of love, and patience of hope,
are known to all ;" and they vouch for you, that "you are the
elect," the children of the living God f .]
2. How to anticipate your certain end
[All imagine that they are going to heaven ; and will not
be persuaded to the contrary. But, if you have ears to hear,
and hearts to understand, you shall know this day whether you
are going to heaven or to hell. Ask yonder husbandman :
Have you been ploughing and sowing your ground this year?
No ; I have had other things to do. * And do you expect a
harvest ? Yes, I shall have as good a crop as any of my
neighbours. * But do you think that you shall obtain the end
without the means? Tell me not about means and end:
others give themselves a great deal of unnecessary trouble :
and I shall have as good a crop as my neighbours : nor shall
any one persuade me to the contrary.
Now what, suppose you, will be the issue ? Will the event
accord with this man s expectations ? Will he not, when the
time of harvest comes, find that his confidence has been delu
sive ; and that his barns are empty, whilst the granaries of
others are filled with store ? Then I agree that you shall be
your own judges. If you can form a doubt about the issue of
that man s confidence, especially when it is repeated for many
f 1 Thess. i. 3, 4.
2375.] NEARNESS OF JUDGMENT. 107
years together, then I will be content that you shall buoy up
yourselves with the hopes of heaven, though you never use any
means to obtain it. But if you have no doubt about that man s
folly, then see in it a just picture of your own.
Behold then, I declare to all of you, that the means must be
used in order to the end. You must repent, " ploughing up
your fallow ground," and " sowing in tears" of deep contrition.
You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Saviour
of sinners ; and must look to him for " the former and the latter
rain," whereby alone the seed of the word can live and grow
in your souls. Lastly, you must make it the one labour of
your life to prepare for his second coming, that you may give
up your account to him with joy and not with grief. If you
thus " go on your way weeping, bearing precious seed, you
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing your
sheaves with you e : " but if you act not thus, know that you
shall reap according to what you sow. " He that soweth to the
flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; whilst he who soweth
to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting 11 ."]
Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. h Gal. vi. 7, 8.
MMCCCLXXV,
NEARNESS OF JUDGMENT.
Jam. v. 9. Behold ! the Judge standeth before the door.
OF the Day of Judgment there is frequent men
tion in the New Testament : and so strongly was
the idea of it realized in the minds of the inspired
writers, that they conveyed to the Church, uninten
tionally on their parts, an expectation of its speedy
arrival. This arose indeed, in part, from our blessed
Lord himself having blended his description of it
with a prediction of the judgments which impended
over Jerusalem, and which were to be inflicted upon
it before that generation should have passed away a .
Yet, when there was no reference to the destruction
of the Jewish polity, the language used respecting it
was often exceeding strong. St. Paul, in his first
Epistle to the Thessalonians, thus expresses himself:
" This we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
a Matt, xxiv 29 35.
108 JAMES, V. 9. [2375.
that we who are alive, and remain unto the coming of
the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise
first : then we who are alive, and remain, shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with
the LordV We wonder not that some should mis
take his meaning, as we find they did, insomuch
that, in his next epistle, he was constrained to rectify
their misapprehension of his words, and to bring to
their recollection, that he had before told them of
many important events, which would occur previous
to the arrival of that day c . St. James speaks of that
period in terms of similar aspect with those of the
Apostle Paul : " The coming of the Lord draweth
nigh d :" and again, " The Judge standeth before the
door." Whether, in these passages, St. James had
any reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, I can
not exactly say : it is possible he might ; because it
would be some consolation to the suffering Chris
tians to know that their oppressors would soon be
disarmed of their power : but, beyond a doubt, he
chiefly refers to the time appointed for the future
judgment ; when all the inequalities of this present
state will be done away, and every person receive a
suitable recompence, according to the injuries he
has either inflicted or sustained. In this view, the
Apostle says, " Grudge not one against another,
brethren, lest ye be condemned :" that is, vent not
your indignation against an oppressor, no, not even
in an inarticulate sound 6 , lest the same judgment
come on you which you would be ready to inflict
on him : but leave the matter to your Almighty
"Judge, who standeth before the door," ready to
b 1 Thess. iv. 1517. c 2 Thess. ii. 15. : d ver. 8.
e The word means " groan." There is a certain vehement, though
inarticulate sound, resembling a groan, by which we are apt to ex
press an angry and indignant feeling against one whom we are unable
to punish. This is the feeling forbidden in the text.
2375.] NEARNESS OF JUDGMENT. 109
" award tribulation to those who trouble you ; but
to you, who are troubled, rest f ."
Let us consider,
I. The truth that is here suggested
To enter into the full meaning of this awful truth,
we must distinctly notice its two leading parts :
1 . Death is at hand, to carry us before our Judge
[This is an undoubted truth. The experience of every
day attests it. Death lurks within us ; and finds, in the dis
ordered state of our bodies, ten thousand means of accomplish
ing our destruction. He lies in ambush, too, in every thing
around us. There is not any thing which may not prove an
instrument in his hands to bring us down. Nor is it by dis
ease or accident alone that he can effect his purpose. In
instances without number he inflicts the fatal stroke, without
so much as employing any visible or acknowledged agent. If
only he receive his commission from God, he is able to work
either by means or without means. It need only be said,
" This night shall thy soul be required of thee ;" and with
irresistible power he executes the decree ; and transmits us,
prepared or unprepared, into the immediate presence of our
God.]
2. Our Judge is at hand, to pronounce our de
served doom
[He is not afar off, that he must be sought after : nor is
he so occupied with the cases of others, as not to be at liberty
to consider ours. The instant we are brought before him, he
is ready to pronounce his sentence. Of this, the parable of
the Rich Man and Lazarus is a striking illustration. " All is
naked and open before him," at one view ; and in one instant
of time he can so present every thing before our minds, that
we also may discern the equity of his sentence. If at night
we wished to see a variety of objects, we must take a light,
and view them in succession, one at a time : but if the sun be
risen upon the earth, we can see ten thousand objects at once.
Thus can the Judge of quick and dead, in one instant of time,
present to our view the records of our whole life, to serve as a
foundation of the sentence that he shall pass upon us. Some
notion of this we may form from the account given us of the
Samaritan woman. She had had some conversation with our
Lord, who had made known to her one particular circumstance
of her life: and with such power was that particular truth
f 2 Thess. i, 6, 7.
110 JAMES, V. 9. [2375.
accompanied to her soul, that she went home and said, " Come,
see a man who has told me all that ever I did s ." Now this
omniscient Judge is at the door, ready to pass sentence on us,
the very instant we are brought before him : and, if our eyes
were opened, as those of Elisha s servant were h , we might see
the throne of judgment already set; the Judge himself seated
upon it ; the books opened before him ; the list of the prisoners,
according as they are in succession to be brought before him ;
and the officers ready, both to summon them in their turn, and
to execute on all the sentence awarded to them.]
To impress this solemn truth upon your minds,
let me proceed to shew,
II. The attention it demands
" Behold ! the Judge standeth before the door :"
mark it ; contemplate it ; act upon it. Surely the
consideration of this awful truth should prevail upon
us,
1. To seek without delay the pardon of our past
sins
[If we " die in our sins," woe be to us ! " it had been
better for us never to have been born." But through repent
ance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ all our past sins may
be forgiven : they may all " be blotted out, as a morning
cloud ;" yea, though they may have been of a " scarlet or crim
son dye, they may be made white as snow." Should we, then,
defer a moment to seek this inestimable blessing ? When we
know not but that the very next hour we may be summoned
into the presence of our Judge, should we endanger the ever
lasting welfare of our souls by waiting for a more convenient
season? Oh ! " Agree with your adversary quickly, while you
are in the way with him ; lest the adversary deliver you to the
Judge, and the Judge deliver you to the officer, and you be
cast into prison. Verily, you shall not come out thence, till
you have paid the utmost farthing 1 ."]
2. To guard with all diligence against the incursion
of fresh sin
[Remember, that whatever be the state of our souls at
the moment of death, that will continue to be our state to all
eternity. It may be said, " I have repented long since, and
sought for mercy through Christ, and attained to a consider
able measure of righteousness." Be it so. Yet must I declare
unto you, that " if you relapse into sin, your past righteousness
g John iv. 29. h 2 Kings vi. 17. * Matt. v. 25, 26.
2375.] NEARNESS OF JUDGMENT. Ill
shall not be remembered ; but in the iniquity which you have
committed, shall you die k ." There cannot be a more fatal
error, than to imagine that your past experience, whatever it
may have been, shall avail you any thing, if you turn back to
sin. So far will it be from screening you from the wrath of
God, that it will rather render you obnoxious to it, in a ten
fold heavier degree : " You only have I known of all the
families of Israel ; therefore will I punish you for your iniqui
ties 1 ." Hear how strongly God himself has cautioned you
against this error : "Be not deceived : God is not mocked :
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap : he that
soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption : and he
that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlast
ing 111 ." When, therefore, you consider how suddenly you may
be called into the presence of your Judge, it becomes you
to " keep your garments clean," and to " use all diligence
that you may be found of him in peace, without spot, and
blameless."]
3. To watch in a more especial manner over the
secret workings of your hearts
[It is not our actions only that our God will call into
judgment, but " every secret thing, whether it be good or
evil." There is much that is externally " good in the eyes of
men, which yet is an abomination in the sight of God n ."
There may be in the best exercises of our religion much of
pride and self-complacency ; and in our most benevolent
actions, also, a mixture of ostentation and vanity. Now " God
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make
manifest the counsels of the heart ." How attentive then
should we be to the secret workings of our minds ! They are
all discerned by God, as clearly as our overt acts : " He search-
eth the heart, and trieth the reins :" " he weigheth the very
spirits of men :" and thousands, who took credit to themselves
for acting from the best of principles, will be found no better
than hypocrites before him. Beloved, know of a truth, that if
ever you would find acceptance with your Judge, you must be
" Israelites indeed, and without guile."]
4. To improve for your good every summons which
is sent to those around us
[You see in the circumstances now before you a striking
illustration of our text p - And does not this event
k Ezek. xxxiii. 13, 18. 1 Amos. iii. 2. Gal. vi. 7, 8.
n Luke xvi. 15. 1 Cor. iv. 5.
P Here the particular circumstances of the person s death if it be
on account of an individual, or of the epidemic sickness, if that be the
occasion may be entered into at large.
112 JAMES, V. 11. [2376.
speak to you ? What if you had been the person summoned
into the presence of your Judge : were you prepared to meet
him ? Would he have found you truly penitent for all your
past transgressions ; and watchful against every sin, yea, against
every degree of evil, even in thought or desire ? If not, what
would have been your feelings at this moment ? Do
you not tremble at the thought ? Or, suppose that this night
a similar summons should be sent to you, (and you have no
security that there will not,) are you ready ? Do not trifle,
my beloved brethren, on the very brink of eternity : but
" stand with your loins girt, and your lamps trimmed, as ser
vants waiting for the coming of your Lord." Then, " whether
your Lord come in the morning, or in the evening, or at the
cock-crowing, or at midnight," it shall be well with you. In
a word, learn to " die daily :" and then it will be a joy to you
to reflect, that your Judge is at the door : for the door at
which he stands shall no sooner be opened to summon you into
his presence, than angels, as his ministering servants, shall
bear you from his tribunal to the realms of bliss.]
MMCCCLXXVI.
THE PATIENCE OF JOB.
Jam. v. 11. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have
seen the end of the Lord ; that the Lord is very pitiful, and
of tender mercy.
ONE of the most singular ideas that can be sug
gested to a carnal mind, is that which occurs in the
words immediately preceding the text ; " We count
them happy that endure." An ungodly man sees,
that it is better to bear afflictions patiently than to
sink under them ; but he can scarcely conceive how
afflictions, under any circumstances, can become a
ground of congratulation. This difficulty, however,
is solved by taking into the account " the end " of
those afflictions : and it admits of easy illustration
from the case of Job.
In prosecuting the Apostle s view of this subject,
we shall consider,
I. The patience of Job under his afflictions
Great and unparalleled were the afflictions of
Job
2376.] THE PATIENCE OF JOB. 113
[The destruction of all his property, and all his servants,
by bands of robbers, and by lightning, announced to him as it
was in three different accounts, by different messengers in
speedy succession, would of itself have been sufficient to over
whelm his mind, if he had not been endued with uncommon
fortitude ; since by this he was reduced in a moment from the
height of opulence and grandeur to the lowest indigence and
want*.
But, distressing as these events were, what an inconceivable
aggravation must they have received from the tidings delivered
by a fourth messenger, the sudden death of all his children !
Had he heard of only one child dying, and that by any natural
disorder, it would, to such a parent, have been a fearful
addition to all his other burdens : but to hear of seven sons,
and three daughters, all crushed in a moment by the falling of
his house b , if it did not bereave him of his senses, we might
well expect, that it should, at least, draw forth some murmur
ing, and unadvised expressions.
To all these calamities were added yet others, that affected
more immediately his own person ; and which, in such a
conjuncture, must be beyond measure afflictive. Satan, having
permission to try him to the uttermost, smote him from head
to foot with the most lothesome ulcers, insomuch that he was
constrained to sit down among the ashes, and to scrape himself
with a potsherd .
In the midst of all this trouble one might hope that he
would have some comfort in the kind offices of neighbours,
the compassion of friends, and the tender assiduities of his
wife. But, alas! his servants turned their backs upon him d :
the children in the streets despised and mocked him 6 : the
very friends who came to comfort him, loaded him with the
most unfounded accusations, and asserted, that his sufferings
were indications of peculiar wickedness, which God was now
disclosing and punishing f . His wife also derided his affiance
in God, and counselled him to renounce it utterly, yea, to
"curse God, and die g ."
Take any one of these trials separately, and it was great :
but view them collectively, and they exceeded all that ever
were endured by mortal man.]
They served however to call forth his most un
rivalled patience
[Mark his conduct when informed of all his accumulated
misfortunes, and especially the loss of all his children : " Then
a Job i. 1317. b Job i. 18, 19. c Job ii. 7, 8.
a Job xix. 15, 16. e Job xix. 18. f Passim.
e Job ii. 9.
VOL. XX. I
Ill JAMES, V. 11. [2376.
Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell
down upon the ground, and worshipped; and said, Naked
came I out of my mother s womb, and naked shall I return
thither : the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed
be the name of the Lord h ."
Behold him yet again after his body was so smitten, and
when his wife gave him that desperate, that atheistical, advice :
all was meekness still : his very reproof was mild, though firm :
" He said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women
speaketh. What? shall we ^receive good at the hand of God,
and shall we not receive evil ?"
Thus " in all this he never once charged God foolishly, or
sinned in the least respect 1 ."
It is true that, after this, we find him " cursing the day of
his birth," and uttering some unwarranted expressions against
God : nor would it become us either to conceal, or 1o exte
nuate, his guilt in these respects. Our blessed Lord alone
was absolutely without sin. But though Job betrayed his
infirmity in some hasty words, yet, on the whole, his argu
ment was right in opposition to that of his friends : and God
himself, as the arbiter of the dispute, declared, that " they had
not spoken the thing that was right as his servant Job had k ."
Moreover, the deep humility with which he acknowledged his
offence, proved his title to the character which God had given
him in the beginning, that he was the most perfect and upright
of the sons of men 1 .]
Having taken this view of Job s afflictions, and of
his patience under them, let us consider,
II. The design which God had in them
We, who behold every part of this mysterious
dispensation in one view, are enabled, from its
catastrophe, to mark the design of God in every
intermediate step of the plot : we see what God in
tended, by what he actually effected.
1. He confounded Satan
[Satan had accused Job as a hypocrite, who, if he were
brought into trying circumstances, would even curse God to
his face : and he undertook to prove him such a character, if
God would only suffer him to make the trial. God gave him
this permission 111 , and thereby afforded Satan an occasion to
prove himself a liar, and to demonstrate that integrity, the
existence of which he was so forward to deny.
h Job i. 20, 21. * Job i. 22. and ii. 10.
k Job xlii. 7. i Job i. 8. and ii. 3.
m Job i. 012. and ii. 46.
2376.] THE PATIENCE OF JOB. 115
Nor is this a small consolation to the people of God, whom
Satan is ever ready to accuse and harass. When he would
persuade them that they are hypocrites, they may recollect,
that " he was a liar from the beginning." When he, through
Divine permission, assaults them either in body or mind, they
may look back to this history, and see, that he can in no
respect exceed his commission, or overthrow those who trust
in God. He may toss them vehemently as in a sieve ; but
shall never destroy the smallest grain of solid wheat 11 .]
2. He exercised and improved the graces of Job
[If " men do not light a candle, in order to put it under
a bushel, but that it may give light to those who are in the
house ," we may be sure that God does not implant his grace
in the heart, but with a view to call it into exercise. Now
he had endued Job with such eminent patience, that the
common events of life were not sufficient to call it forth : he
therefore suffered Satan to exert all his power against him, in
order that Job s piety might be displayed, augmented, and
confirmed. Behold the sufferer when coming out of his trial ;
how bright does he shine, when " abasing himself in dust and
ashes !" How eminent does he appear, when God himself not
only takes his part, but refuses forgiveness to his uncharitable
friends, except as an answer to his intercession for themi !
Truly he lost nothing in the furnace but his dross ; and " he
came out of it purified as gold q ."]
3. He increased Job s happiness both in this and
in the eternal world
[Doubtless the afflictions of Job were inexpressibly severe :
yet was he no stranger to consolation even in his most distress
ing hours. If all his earthly comforts were dead, and he had
lost all hope of happiness on this side the grave, still he saw
that he had a Redeemer living ; and he knew that the day was
fast approaching, when he should enjoy an intimate and ever
lasting communion with him r .
But beyond all expectation he was raised from his low estate;
his family was again increased to the very number he had
before lost ; his possessions were doubled ; and his life, which
probably at that time was somewhat advanced, was prolonged
a hundred and forty years, that he might see his posterity
even to the fourth generation 8 . We must confess, therefore,
that even in this life he was abundantly recompensed for the
months of trouble that he had endured.
n Luke xxii. 31. with Amos ix. 9. Matt. v. 15.
P Job xlii. 8. 4 Job xxiii. 10. * Job xix. 2527.
s Job xlii. 10, 13, 16.
i 2
116 JAMES, V. 11. [2376.
How much his eternal happiness was affected by it, it is
impossible for us to say : but sure we are that his affliction was
the means of greatly augmenting it. In this view, affliction
was better to him than heaven itself would have been : for,
if he had been removed to heaven at once, his state, though
glorious, would have been for ever fixed : whereas his affliction
was " working for him" as long as it continued : it was every
moment increasing that weight of glory which he was to pos
sess for ever*. Who does not see that it would be better for
a man to be cut off and be cast into hell immediately, than to
live only to " treasure up wrath against the day of wrath 11 ?"
for though his torments would come upon him a little sooner,
yet the respite of a few months, or years, would bear no pro
portion to the increased weight of misery that he must eternally
endure. And exactly thus the additional weight of glory
which Job will eternally possess, will far overbalance the trials
he suffered, or the short period of bliss, which, by an earlier
removal, he might have enjoyed.]
To make the just improvement of this history, we
must notice,
III. The general character of God, as it is exhibited
in this particular dispensation
This seems to be the more immediate object, to
which St. James would direct our attention. Persons
in the midst of their trouble are apt to entertain
hard thoughts of God : but we who, in this instance,
" have seen the end of the Lord," may rest assured
" that he is very pitiful, and of tender mercy," how
ever dark or painful his dispensations towards us
may be. It is by love alone he is actuated,
1. In sending afflictions
[He does " not willingly afflict his people x ." He knows
what we stand in need of; and he sends it for our good. He
chastises us, not as earthly parents too often do, to indulge
their own evil tempers, but purely " for our profit, that we
may be partakers of his holiness y ." And as he knows what
we want, so he knows what we can bear ; and will take care
either to apportion our burden to our strength 2 , or to give us
strength sufficient for our trials " 1 . Besides, in all our afflic
tions he sympathizes with us b ; he watches over us with the
* 2 Cor. iv. 17. u Rom. ii. 5. x Lam. iii. 33.
y Heb. xii. 10. * \ Cor. x. 13. Deut. xxxiii. 25.
b Isai. Ixiii. 9.
2376.] THE PATIENCE OF JOB. 117
care of a refiner , and the solicitude of a parent d : and when
he sees that his rod has produced its desired effect, he is glad
to return to us in the endearments of love, and to confirm our
confidence in him by the sweetest tokens of reconciliation and
acceptance 6 .]
2. In multiplying afflictions
[When our troubles, like those of Job, are many and
various, we are ready to conclude that they are sent in wrath.
But it is not for us to prescribe how many, or of what con
tinuance, our afflictions shall be. We must consider God as
a physician, who prescribes with unerring wisdom, and con
sults the benefit, rather than the inclination, of his patients.
We must " walk by faith, and not by sight :" it will be time
enough hereafter to see the reasons of God s procedure f . Job
was induced at last to account God his enemy : and they who
beheld the afflictions of Christ, were ready to say, that " he
was judicially stricken, and smitten of God" as the most
abandoned of mankind g . But we know that, as Job was, so
was Christ, beloved of the Father; and never more beloved
than when crying in the depths of his dereliction, " My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?"
Let not any then " write bitter things against themselves"
on account of the greatness of their afflictions, but rather
accept their trials as tokens of his love; for, " whom he
loveth he chasteneth ; and scourgeth every son whom he re-
ceivethV]
ADVICE
1. Let none be secure, as though affliction were
far off from them
[We may be to-day in affluence ; to-morrow in want :
to-day in health ; to-morrow languishing on a bed of sickness :
to-day enjoying the society of wife, or children ; to-morrow
lamenting their loss. Let us remember, that whatever we
have is God s; it is only lent us for a little while, to be recalled
at any hour he shall see fit. Let us learn to hold every thing
as by this tenure, that we may be ready at any moment to
give up whatever he shall be pleased to require of us. Since
" we know not what a day may bring forth," we should stand
girt for the service of our God, ever ready to do or suffer his
righteous will.]
2. Let none be hasty in their judgments, when
called to suffer
c Mai. iii. 3. <* Ps. ciii. 13. e Jer. xxxi. 20.
f John xiii. 7. g Isai. liii. 4. h Heb. xii. 6.
118 JAMES, V. 16. [2377.
[Jacob thought all his trials were against him ; when, in
fact, they were designed for the good of himself and of all his
family 1 . And we know not but that the events we so deeply
bewail, are indispensably necessary to our salvation. We
have reason to think that, if we saw the end as God does, we,
instead of regarding our losses or bereavements as afflictions,
should adore God for them as much as for the most pleasing
of his dispensations. Let us then wait till he shall have dis
covered to us the whole of his designs; and be content to form
our judgment of him when all the grounds of judging are laid
before us.]
i Gen. xlii. 36. with xlv. 5, 7. and 1. 20.
MMCCCLXXVII.
THE EFFICACY OF FERVENT PRAYER.
Jam. v. 16. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
PRAYER and intercession are generally consi
dered as duties : but, if viewed aright, they would
rather be regarded as privileges ; seeing that they are
the means of obtaining for ourselves and others those
blessings which no created being can bestow. In
this point of view, the passage before us, together
with the preceding context, affords us the greatest
possible encouragement. It is to be regretted, how
ever, that instead of making a due improvement of
these gracious declarations, the Papists have made
use of them chiefly, if not solely, to advance the tem
poral interests of their clergy, at the expense of the
eternal welfare of the laity.
On the direction given to " pray over a sick per
son, and to anoint him with oil in order to his
recovery*" they have founded an ordinance, to be
observed when a man is absolutely past recovery :
and that which was designed of God as emblematic
only of a miraculous power, given at that time for the
restoration of bodily health, they have established as
a ver. 14, 15. The forgiveness of sin here mentioned refers only
to the removal of any particular judgment that had been inflicted on
account of sin. See John v. 11. and 1 Cor. xi. 30.
2377.] THE EFFICACY OF FERVENT PRAYER. 119
the essential means in all ages of saving the immortal
soul.
Again ; Because the saints are encouraged to
" confess their faults one to another," with a view to
the augmenting of their mutual sympathy, and the
directing of them in their mutual intercessions^
these deceivers have required the laity to confess
their sins to the clergy, in order to their obtaining the
forgiveness of them at the hands of God : whereas,
according to St. James, there is no such deference
due to any particular order of men ; but the confes
sion is as much required from the clergy to the laity,
as from the laity to the clergy.
We stop not however to notice these grievous
errors, but pass on to that which more immediately
concerns ourselves ; and to point out to you,
I. The import of the assertion before us
The preceding context certainly leads our thoughts
chiefly to the work of intercession : yet since it is
also said, " Is any afflicted, let him prayV we must
not confine our attention to prayer as offered for
others, but must notice it also as offered for our
selves. We say then, that when " a righteous man "
draws nigh to God, and presents before him prayers
inspired and dictated by the Holy Ghost (whose
peculiar office it is to "help our infirmities" in
prayer d , and to " make intercession for us e "), he
shall prevail ;
1. For others
[Of this the instances are so numerous, that we can only
give a short specimen of them : yet shall it be such a specimen,
as will abundantly confirm the truth before us.
We will begin with Moses, who, when God was exceed
ingly wroth with his people for making and worshipping the
golden calf, set himself to pray and intercede for them. But
God, feeling, if I may so say, how impossible it would be for
him to resist the importunity of his servant, said, " Let me
alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I
may consume them : and," if thou thinkest that my covenant
with Abraham will be broken thereby, I assure thee it shall
b vor. 16. c ver. 13. d Horn. viii. 2G. e Rom. viii. 27.
120 JAMES, V. 16. [2377.
not; for " I will make of thee a great nation f ." But Moses
would not " let him alone," but pleaded for them with all
imaginable earnestness and importunity : and the consequence
was, " the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do
unto his people g ."
My next instance shall be that of Joshua, who, desiring
to prosecute the advantage which he had gained over the
Amorites, and destroy them utterly, prayed that neither the
sun nor moon might advance in their course, but continue to
aid him with their light, till he had accomplished his desire.
To effect this, the whole universe must be arrested in its
career ; and such a shock be given to it, as to endanger its
utter dissolution. But whatever stood in the way, it must
yield to his prayer. Accordingly, no sooner did this righteous
man issue the command, " Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon,
and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon," than all the laws of
nature were suspended, " and the sun stood still, and the moon
stayed, till the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to
go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that
before it, or after it, that the Lord so hearkened to the voice
of a man h ."
Here we have seen all the material creation stopped by the
voice of prayer. Now we will refer to another instance,
wherein heaven itself is moved, and an angel sent from thence
to fulfil the petitions of two chosen servants. Jerusalem was
besieged, and utterly incapable of holding out against the
enemy who was come against it. But Hezekiah and Isaiah
betook themselves to prayer. And what was the result? An
angel was sent from heaven to destroy, in one single night,
one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the besieging army:
and the blaspheming monarch, who had boasted that nothing
could withstand him, was forced to return immediately to his
own country, where he was slain by his own sons, whilst in the
very act of worshipping the senseless idol in which he had
trusted for success. For this cause, says the historian, " Heze
kiah the king, and the Prophet Isaiah the son of Amos, prayed
and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, which cut
off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains
in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with
shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into
the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels
slew him there with the sword 1 ."
One more instance I will mention, in order to shew how
immediately the prayer of a righteous man succeeds. Daniel
f Exod. xxxii. 10. s Exod. xxxii. 14.
* Josh. x. 1214. i 2 Chron. xxxii, 20, 21.
2377. J EFFICACY OF FERVENT PRAYER.
had understood, from the prophecies of Jeremiah, that the
time for the close of the Babylonish captivity was near at
hand : and he set himself to seek more particular instruction
from God respecting it, in order that he might be able to
take advantage of such circumstances as might occur for the
benefit of his nation. " I set my face," says he, " unto the
Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting,
and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my
God." And now behold the effect! " And whiles I was
speaking and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of
my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the
Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God ; yea, while I
was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly,
touched me about the time of the evening oblation, and in
formed me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give
thee skill and understanding : at the beginning of thy suppli
cations the commandment came forth ; and I am come to shew
thee all that thou didst ask k ." See what expedition was
used, by God s special command, to answer whilst in the very
act of prayer; and to let him know, that, at the very com
mencement of his suit, his prayer was heard !
More on this subject is unnecessary: yet less could scarcely
have been spoken, if we would in any degree do justice to it.]
2. For ourselves
[I mention this last, because it is, in reality, the greatest :
for the prayers which are offered in behalf of others, prevail
only for the obtaining of some temporal blessing : they cannot
certainly procure for men the salvation of their souls : for, if
they could, no creature would ever perish. When Stephen
prayed, " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," it prevailed
probably in behalf of Saul, and perhaps of some others : but it
cannot be supposed that it succeeded in behalf of all. But for
a man s own self his prayer is sure to prevail. There is no
limit to the benefits which he shall receive, provided only he
ask according to the will of God. He may not be answered in
the particular way that he may desire. The cup, for the
removal of which the Lord Jesus Christ himself prayed, was
not taken out of his hands ; nor was the thorn for the extrac
tion of which St. Paul cried with such eager importunity
removed : but both he and his divine Master were answered in
a way more consonant with the purposes of Jehovah. But in
some way, and that the best, prayer shall most assuredly
be answered to all who cry to God in sincerity and truth 1 .
k Dan. ix. 3, 4, 2023. 1 Jer. xxix. 13.
122 JAMES, V. 16. [2377.
Whatever they ask in Christ s name, shall be given them 111 .
Let them "open their mouth ever so wide, it shall be filled 11 ."
They may exhaust all the powers of language in their petitions,
and may then extend their thoughts to the utmost limit
of a finite conception ; and they shall not only have all, but
more than all, yea, " abundantly above all that they can ask
or think ."]
The assertion in our text deserves the most atten
tive consideration on its own account ; but more
especially on account of,
II. The insight which it gives us into truths of the
greatest importance
From this we obtain an insight into,
1. The character of God
[We think of God, for the most part, as a Being of infinite
majesty, who, unless in matters of very extraordinary moment,
does not trouble himself with the concerns of men : and hence,
if a person were to speak of having received answers to his
prayers, he would be accounted wild, visionary, and presump
tuous. But let God be viewed as he is represented in the
text : let him be viewed as noticing with the deepest interest
the very least and meanest of his children; as attending to
their every cry, and treasuring up in his vials their every tear p .
Not so much as a "breathing" of theirs escapes his notice; or
a desire, of which they themselves perhaps are scarcely con
scious q . The highest archangel does not more engage his
attention, than does a poor despised Lazarus : nor is he less
concerned about every individual amongst his people, than if
there were but one in the whole universe. This is the true
light in which to view his condescension and grace ; of which
a mother s feelings towards her first-born child afford but a
slender and very inadequate idea r .]
2. The Christian s state
[In respect of external appearance, there is no difference
between a child of God and any other person : but in reality,
as they are viewed by God, they are widely dissimilar. In the
one God beholds his own image : in the other, the image of
the wicked one. On the one he looks with pleasure and com
placency : the other he views afar off, with utter disdain 8 . To
m John xiv. 13, 14. and xv. 7. and xvi. 23. and 1 John iii. 22.
and v. 14, 15.
n Ps. Ixxxi. 10. Eph. iii. 20. P Ps. Ivi. 8.
q Ps. cxlv. 18, 19. Lam. iii. 5G. r Isai. xlix. 15.
8 Ps. cxxxviii. C.
2377.] EFFICACY OF FERVENT PRAYER. 123
the one his ears are open, to hear their every request*: " the
sacrifices of the other are an abomination to him u ." Look at
Abraham, when interceding for Sodom: there you see the
friend of God. Look at those who, merely under the pressure
of some calamity, cry and plead for help, whilst yet they have
no love to God in their hearts : there you see the contrast ; for
God " laughs at their calamity, and mocks at their fear x ." And
all this is but a prelude to that which will speedily be accom
plished in them; when the one shall be called to his right hand,
and be exalted to a throne of glory ; and the other be turned
to his left hand, and be cast into the lake that burneth with
fire and brimstone. Ungodly men endeavour to persuade
themselves that all this is nothing but a vain conceit : but the
Jews, notwithstanding all their blindness, could see that this
difference did exist : " We know" say they, " that God heareth
not sinners : but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do
his will, him he heareth y ." Do ye then know it : for, whether
ye will believe it, or not, so it is : nor are light- and darkness,
Christ and Belial, heaven and hell, further asunder, than are
the children of God, and the children of the wicked one 2 .]
3. The use and excellency of the Gospel-
fit is the Gospel alone that can bring a man into this
>y state. Nothing else can shew him how to draw nigh
to God with acceptance, or to obtain reconciliation with him.
This exhibits to us a Saviour; a Saviour, who bought us with
his blood. This brings us into union with that Saviour, so
that we are made " one spirit with him a ," and are entitled to
a participation of all that he himself possesses ; " of the love
wherewith the Father loveth him b ;" of " the joy with which
his soul is filled ;" and " of the glory which the Father hath
given to him d ." Here is the true secret of the difference of
which we have before spoken. The believer is viewed as in
Christ ; as washed in his blood ; as clothed in his righteous
ness ; as altogether " one with him, even as the Father and
Christ are one 6 ." This accounts for all which we have before
mentioned of the believer s peculiar and exalted privileges.
Let me then entreat you, beloved, to embrace the Gospel
without delay; seeing that through that alone you can have
access to God, and obtain that fellowship with him which it is
your privilege to enjoy.]
To CONCLUDE
4 Ps. xxxiv. 15, 16. u Prov. xv. 8. * Prov. i. 2428.
y John ix. 31. z 2 Cor. vi. 1416. a 1 Cor. vi. 17.
b John xvii. 23, c John xvii. 13. d John xvii. 22.
c John xvii. 21.
124 JAMES, V. 19, 20. [2378.
[Bear in mind to whom these privileges belong : they be
long exclusively to " the righteous man." The ungodly and the
hypocrite have no part in them. Seek then to attain the cha
racter of the righteous : seek it by faith in the Lord Jesus ;
" by whose obedience you shall be made righteous f ," and by
whose all-powerful grace you shall " be renewed after the
Divine image in righteousness and true holiness e." Then shall
all these blessings be yours. You shall be " a people near
unto God h :" yea, you shall " have power with God, and shall
prevail 1 " in all your supplications : even for others you shall
prevail to a great extent, but for yourselves you shall obtain
all the blessings both of grace and glory.]
f Rev. v. 19. s Eph. iv. "24.
h Ps. cxlviii. 14. i Hos. xii. 4.
MMCCCLXXVIII.
CONVERSION OF A SINNER A GREAT BENEFIT.
Jam. v. 19, 20. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth,
and one convert him ; let him know, that he which converteth
the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from
death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
IN the apostolic age, the power of working miracles
was vouchsafed to many; and was much coveted, not
only on account of the benefit which it enabled its
possessor to impart, but on account of the honour
which it brought to him that exercised it. That
power has long since been withdrawn, it being no
longer necessary for the support and credit of the
Christian cause. Nor need we regret its discon
tinuance ; since there is yet communicated to every
true Christian a power of infinitely greater value ;
namely, a power to instruct and save the souls of
men. We cannot any longer by the prayer of faith
save the sick, and raise him up from the bed of sick
ness, and remove the judgments that have been
inflicted on him on account of his sins a : but by
instructing a sinner, and turning him from the error
of his sins, we can now, no less than in the apostolic
age, save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of
sins. The miraculous power was in the hands of
a ver. 14, 15.
2378.] BENEFIT OF A SINNER\S CONVERSION. 125
few, even of " the elders of the Church ;" but this
spiritual power, as my text intimates, is common to
all, and is to be exercised by all.
From hence we see,
I. Our duty towards our erring brethren
There are still, as formerly, many, who, whilst they
are called Christians, do materially " err from the
truth"
[No one can read this epistle without seeing that very
awful errors obtained in the Church, both in relation to faith
and practice: and no one can know any thing of the Christian
world, and not know, that Christianity amongst them is little
more than a name. The very way of salvation, simple as it is,
is very little understood. There is scarcely any one who is
not expecting to be saved in whole, or in part, by some works
of his own. The generality imagine that their repentance and
reformation are to recommend them to God : and even those
who acknowledge their obligations to the Lord Jesus Christ
for what he has done and suffered for them, yet hope to obtain
an interest in Him by their good works, or acceptance on
account of their ivories through him. The simple life of faith is
but little known : and frequently but little experienced, even
where in terms the necessity of it is acknowledged.
The same may be said of men s practice also. Look at the
life and conduct of the whole Christian world, and say, what
resemblance you see in it to the life of Christ. Christians are
said to be " epistles of Christ, known and read of all men."
But what more would you learn of the mind and will of Christ,
from what you see in the Christian world, than from what you
might find in the better sort of heathens ? In the Lord Jesus
Christ there was an entire superiority to the world : but in his
professed followers you see an entire subjection to it. In the
Lord Jesus Christ you find that " it was his meat and drink
to do the will of his heavenly Father :" but in his professed
followers you will see no such effort, no such determination to
serve and honour God. Let all of you, who are here present,
look at their own principles, and their own practice, and see
whether they are founded altogether upon God s revealed will,
and altogether conformed to the pattern set before them in
the Scriptures. The more candidly these matters be inquired
into, the more clearly will you see, that the great mass of no
minal Christians are " erring from the truth, "and need to " be
converted from the error of their ways."]
Towards these our duty is to use all possible means
for their conversion
126 JAMES, V. 19, 20. [2378.
[We are not all called to take upon us the ministerial
office : but we all in our respective circles should exert our
selves for the edification of those around us. No man is at
liberty " to put his light under a bed, or under a bushel :" no
man is at liberty to ask, " Am I my brother s keeper ? " Would
any man, who should see a house on fire, be justified in saying,
It is no concern of mine ? or, if the inhabitants were burnt
to death through his unconcern, would there be a creature
upon earth that would not execrate him for his inhumanity ?
Much more therefore, if we see immortal souls " erring from
the truth," and hastening to destruction, should we be inex
cusable, if we neglected to warn them of their danger, and to
shew them how their souls might be saved alive. We should
warn those who are living in a wilful neglect of God : we should
declare to them their guilt and danger : we should set before
them what the Scriptures have spoken respecting " the death
of the soul," and should entreat them to " flee from the wrath
to come." In particular, we should, as far as our capacity ad
mits of it, open to them " the truth as it is in Jesus." We
should make known to them the wonders of redeeming love :
we should set the Lord Jesus Christ before them in all his
endearing qualities ; and shew them how " able, and willing,
he is to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him."
We should encourage them to believe in him ; and, by the
holy violence of argument and entreaty, should " compel them"
to accept his gracious invitations, and to sit down as guests at
the marriage supper of the Lamb. In a word, we should do
our utmost to enlighten, convert, and save their souls.]
That we may the more readily engage in this duty,
let us consider,
II. Our encouragement to perform it
We may doubtless find much of our labour to be
in vain. But, if in any single instance we succeed,
1. We shall " save a soul from death"
[Unconverted sinners, whatever they may imagine, are
hastening to death : for the " wrath of God is revealed against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ;" and the soul
that sinneth, it shall die. And let not any one imagine, that
this death consists in a mere annihilation : no ; the soul, as to
its existence, shall never die : but it will endure a misery of
which we can form no conception, a torment in the lake that
.burneth with fire and brimstone, which is called in Scripture
" the second death." From this however, if we are made the
happy instruments of converting a soul to God, we deliver it.
What a wonderful thought is this ! to deliver a soul from
2378.] BENEFIT OF A SINNEIl s CONVERSION. 127
" everlasting burnings ! " If we laboured throughout our whole
lives, and succeeded but in one instance to accomplish our
desire, how richly should we be recompensed ! What if the
great mass of those whose welfare we had sought, had derided
us as weak enthusiasts ? the thought of saving one soul from
everlasting perdition would compensate all the obloquy that
ever could be cast upon us. The truth is, we can form no
idea what it must be to spend eternity in w r eeping and wailing
and gnashing our teeth in the regions of despair, and under
the wrath of an offended God. But, if we could form any
conception of it, we should need no other inducement to labour
day and night in endeavours to guide men into the way of
truth, and to save their souls alive.]
2. We shall hide a multitude of sins
[Who can ever count the sins of an unconverted soul ?
Yet shall they all be hidden, hidden from the sight of Almighty
God, " out of the book of whose remembrance they shall be
blotted," and from before whose face they shall pass away " as
a morning cloud :" yea, God himself will " cast them behind
his back into the very depths of the sea," and " will remember
them against the sinner no more." Hear the declaration of
God upon this subject : " The iniquity of Israel shall be sought
for, and there shall be none ; and the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found : for I will pardon them whom I reserve 15 ."
Now consider this : consider an immortal soul laden with
iniquities more numerous and weighty than the sands upon
the sea-shore ; and liberated from its burthen through your
offices of love ! Methinks, the most distant hope of conferring
such a benefit is enough to turn you all into heralds and am
bassadors of the Most High God. Yet let me not be misun
derstood. It is not to the office of public instructors that I
would call you ; for that should be undertaken by none but
those who are called to it by God himself: but to the office
of private instructors, I would invite you ; and would urge you
with all importunity to engage in it: for it is not of ministers
that the Apostle speaks in my text, but of private Christians;
every one of whom he encourages to engage in this labour of
love, saying, " LET HIM KNOW, whoever he be that converts
a sinner from the error of his ways, LET HIM KNOW, that he
saves a soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins."]
SEE then, beloved,
1. What is the true end of the ministry
[The whole world is out of course : all are erring from
the fold of Christ, and wandering like sheep that know not
b Jer, 1. 20.
128 JAMES, V. 19, 20. [2378.
how or whither to return. That they may not irremediably
perish, God has appointed ministers, to go forth, as under
shepherds, to search out the wandering sheep, and to bring
them back to his fold. This is the one object of our lives ; to
shew you how far you " have erred from the truth ;" to con
vert you from the error of your ways ; and thus eventually to
save your souls. In our execution of this office we perhaps
appear to some to be uncharitable and harsh. But if we do
believe that death, even the death of your immortal souls, will
be the end of your wanderings, does it not become us " to
lift up our voice like a trumpet, and to shew to the house of
Israel their sins" with all fidelity? Suppose a person. taking
the soundings of a ship in full sail, were to find, on a sudden,
that the ship were running upon rocks or shoals, and would
speedily, if the helm were not instantly turned, be irremediably
lost ; would he not feel it his duty to apprise the pilot of his
danger? or would the passengers, whose lives were in such
imminent peril, be offended with him, if he spake as one who
believed what he said, and as one who had the safety of the
crew at heart ? Methinks, if there were somewhat of vehe
mence in his words and manner, all would readily excuse it ;
and not excuse it only, but applaud it also, as the proper
effect of fidelity and love. Then consider us as placed in that
situation by Almighty God. You are all embarked on board
the vessel, and we are appointed by God to take the sound
ings : and we do declare unto you, that, unless your course be
changed, you must inevitably and eternally perish. If you
doubt it, take the line in your own hands, and examine the
chart by which you are to steer. We do not wish you to take
our word, but to see and judge for yourselves: and, if our
testimony be true according to the written word, then be
thankful for our labours ; and, instead of being offended at
our fidelity, adore your God, who has appoined us " to watch
for your souls," and has connected our welfare with yours : for
it is only by a faithful discharge of our duty to you that " we
can save ourselves, or them that hear us c ."]
2. What should be your view in attending on the
ordinances of the Gospel
[You should not come to be amused, but to be instructed
and edified. You should come desirous of knowing wherein
you have erred, and how you may get safely into the way of
truth. Your minds should be open to conviction. You should
be aware of the danger of self-deception. You should beg
of God to instruct his ministers how to speak most to your
edification ; and should entreat him to accompany the word
c 1 Tim. iv. 16.
2378.] BENEFIT OF A SINNER* S CONVERSION. 129
with power from on high, and to render it effectual for the
salvation of your souls. You should bear in mind, that,
" though Paul should plant, and Apollos water, it is God alone
that can give the increase ;" and you should judge of your
profiting, not by the pleasure with which you heard, but by
the insight which you have gained into the evils of your own
heart, and the ability that has been imparted to rectify your
errors. As God in the appointment of ordinances seeks the
conversion of your souls, so should you in attending on them ;
" receiving with meekness the engrafted word," and praying
that, as it is able, so also it may be effectual, to save your
souls alive d .]
3. What should be the one object of your whole
lives
[What is there of any importance, compared with the sal
vation of the soul ? I do not hesitate to say, that the care of
the soul is the " one thing needful." If there were no future
state, men might go on in their own ways without much con
cern. But, when there is an eternity awaiting us, an eternity,
either of happiness in heaven, or of misery in hell ; when our
destination to the one or other of these depends entirely on
our conduct in this present life ; and when no man knows that
he has another day to live ; I see not how any doubt can exist
in the mind of a rational being, that the care of his soul
should infinitely outweigh all the concerns of time and sense.
True it is, that when men act according to this truth, they are
derided as enthusiasts : but there is no man who, in his deli
berate judgment, does not see, that " the fear of the Lord is
the very beginning of wisdom." Regard not then the scoffs
of foolish and ungodly men ; all of whom, if not in this life,
yet in the next at least, will applaud your wisdom. As for
the angels, they, though in the very presence of their God,
will not be so occupied with the glories of heaven, but they
will have their joys augmented when they shall behold you
turning into wisdom s ways. I pray you then to be in earnest
about the salvation of your souls. If God has appointed an
order of men on purpose to promote your welfare, and has
suspended their salvation on their fidelity to you, and has
taught them to consider success in one single instance as a
rich recompence for the labour of their whole lives, surely it
does not become you to be careless and indifferent. I pray
you, awake to a sense of your condition : think how great a
work you have to do, and how short and uncertain is the time
wherein you have to do it : and now, ere it be too late, " turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die, O house
of Israel?"]
d Jam. i. 21.
VOL. XX. K
1 PETER.
MMCCCLXXIX.
OFFICES OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
1 Pet. i. 1,2. Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ : grace unto you,
and peace, be multiplied.
CONTEMPTIBLE as Christians often appear in
the eyes of men, they are of high estimation in the
sight of God. Many glorious descriptions are given
of them in the inspired volume : but in no part of it
have we more exalted views of them than in the
words before us ; where, at the same time that they
are represented as treated by man with all manner
of cruelties and indignities, they are spoken of as
most dear to every person in the Godhead, having
been elected by God the Father, redeemed by the
Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the operations of the
Holy Ghost. This is a great mystery, the union of
the Sacred Three in the redemption and salvation of
fallen man. But the consideration of this mystery
is of peculiar importance ; not only as establishing
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, but as shewing the
connexion of that doctrine with every part of our
salvation ; which originates with God the Father, is
carried on by God the Son, and is perfected by God
the Holy Ghost.
2379.] OFFICES OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 131
Let us, under a deep sense of our own ignorance,
and with a humble dependence upon God for his
guidance and direction, proceed to a calm, dispas
sionate, and candid consideration of this all-important
subject.
I. The Father elects-
The doctrine of election is here, as in many other
passages, plainly asserted
[Christians are " elect, according to the foreknowledge of
God." By " the foreknowledge of God" I understand, God s
infallible discernment of future things, how contingent soever
they may appear to us. That he possesses this perfection is
unquestionable : for if he did not, how could he ever have
inspired his prophets to foretell such distant and improbable
events ? It is not possible to read the life of our Lord, and to
compare the predictions concerning him with the events by
which they were fulfilled, and not to say, " Known unto God
are all his works from the foundation of the world a ." Indeed
a man who denies this truth must " think God to be even such
an one as himself," ignorant of the future, and made wiser by
the occurrences of every succeeding day ; a supposition from
which the mind revolts with utter abhorrence.
Considering then the foreknowledge of God as comprising
every thing relating to the salvation of man, we are constrained
to view all that relates to man s salvation as ordained of God.
For though we may easily distinguish in idea between fore
knowledge and fore-ordination, we cannot separate them in
fact ; since if God foreknow every thing, he foreknows it, not
as probable, but as certain ; and therefore certain, because it
has been fore-ordained by him " before the foundation of the
world," and is " wrought by him in time according to the
counsel of his own willV
Hence to God s electing love we refer all the grace and
mercy that we have ever experienced ; and thankfully acknow
ledge, that " by the grace of God we are what we are c :" and
that, if ever we be saved at all, it will be, " not according to
our works, but according to his purpose and grace which were
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began d ."]
The objections which are usually brought against
this doctrine, by no means disprove its truth
[Many affirm, that, if the doctrine of election be true, that
of reprobation, of absolute reprobation, must be true also. In
a Acts xv. 8. b Eph. i. 4, 11.
c 1 Cor. xv. 10. <* 2 Tim. i. 9.
132 1 PETER, I. 1, 2. [2379.
answer to this, I would say, that we know nothing, either of
the one or of the other, but from the revelation which God has
given us ; and that, if that revelation affirm the one and deny
the other, we must receive that which it affirms^ and reject
that which it denies. That it does deny the doctrine of abso
lute reprobation, I think is clear as the light itself. If when
Almighty God swears by his own life and immortal perfections,
that " he has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather
that he should turn from his wickedness and live ;" and then
founds on that oath this gracious invitation, " Turn ye, turn
ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel 6 ?" I am constrained to say, that the doctrine of abso
lute reprobation, that is, of God s forming any persons with
an express determination to destroy them, irrespectively of any
works of theirs, cannot be true. But must I therefore deny
the doctrine of election, which the whole Scriptures uniformly
assert, merely because I know not how to reconcile the two
opinions ? Surely not. My sentiments are formed on Scrip
ture, and not on the fallible deductions of human reason : and
if / cannot reconcile the two, it is no reason that God cannot.
/ cannot reconcile the existence of sin with the holiness of
God : but do I therefore deny, or doubt, either the one or
the other? Certainly not; so neither do I doubt God s exer
cise of sovereign grace towards his elect, because my weak and
fallible reason would be ready to connect with it an arbitrary
decree against the non-elect. Sure I am, that the Judge of
all the earth will do right ; and that, whilst all the saved will
ascribe their salvation simply and solely to the grace of God,
there will not be found one amongst those who perish, who
will not confirm God s sentence of condemnation upon him,
saying, " Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments f ."
Another objection against this doctrine is, That the elect will
be saved, though they never should strive at all ; and the non-
elect will perish, however earnestly they may strive. But God
has united the end with the means : and to attempt to separate
them will be in vain. Who the elect are, we know not, till
they themselves discover it by the effects produced upon them :
nor will it ever be known who the non-elect are, till the day
of judgment shall reveal it. But this we know, and this we
affirm for the comfort of all, that " every one who asketh,
receiveth ; and every one that seeketh, findeth ; and that to
every one that knocketh, shall the gate of heaven be opened &."
What can the most determined opposer of the doctrine of elec
tion say more than this, or ivishfor more than this?
Some will yet further urge, That, if this doctrine be true,
e Ezek. xxxiii. 11. f R ev . xvi. 7. e Matt. vii. 7, 8.
2379.] OFFICES OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 133
men may be saved without any regard to holiness. This objec
tion is of the same kind with the former : and that there is no
just ground for it, our text itself sufficiently declares : for we
are " elect unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ;" elect, not to salvation only, but to obedience also ;
to the one as the means, and to the other as the end.]
What is spoken respecting our being elect " to the
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ/ will lead me
to shew, that whom the Father has elected,
II. Christ redeems
On the subject of obedience being an end to which
we are elect, we shall speak under the next head : at
present, we confine ourselves to the sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ.
That the elect are sprinkled with the blood of
Jesus Christ, is certain
[Moses, when he confirmed the covenant which the Israel
ites entered into with their God, sprinkled both the altar and
the people with the blood of the sacrifices 11 : and in like man
ner we, when we embrace the covenant of grace, are sprinkled
with the blood of our Great Sacrifice, which purges us from
the guilt of all our former sins, and sanctifies us as an holy
people unto the Lord: " We come to the blood of sprinkling,
which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel 1 ."
And here it is particularly to be noticed, that it is not by
the shedding of the Redeemer s blood that any are saved, but
by the application of it to their souls. Millions " perish for
whom Christ died k :" but no one ever perished, whose "heart
had been sprinkled from an evil conscience," and " purged
from dead works to serve the living God 1 ."]
To this they are elected, as to the necessary means
of their acceptance with God
[None, however elect by God the Father, could come to
God, unless a sacrifice were provided for them. All are sin
ners: all need pardon for their multiplied iniquities: no man
could make satisfaction for his own sins. One sacrifice was
provided of God for the whole world, even the sacrifice of
God s only-begotten Son. Through that, God determined from
all eternity to accept them : and in due time he reveals it to
them, as the way opened for their access to him. Thus they
are brought to see Christ, as " the way, the truth, and the
h Exod. xxiv. 6, 8. * Heb. xii. 24.
k 1 Cor. viii. 11. * Heb. ix. 14. and x. 22.
134 1 PETER, I. 1, 2. [2379.
life :" and thus they receive " redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of all their sins."
We must not however imagine that God elects any in a way
inconsistent with his own honour. He does not by a mere
absolute decree forgive them: he does not so overlook the
honour of his own law, or disregard the demands of his own
truth and justice. On the contrary, he provides for them a
Saviour, through whose atoning blood they may be forgiven,
and in whose obedience they may find a justifying righteous
ness. If he elected them simply to salvation without any re
gard to an atonement, he would exercise one attribute at the
expense of all the rest: but in electing them to the sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ, he provides for the honour of his
broken law, and maintains in united and harmonious exercise
the glory of all his perfections : he provides, that " Mercy and
truth should meet together, and righteousness and peace should
kiss each other m ."]
As Christ redeems whom the Father has elected,
so those, whom Christ has redeemed,
III. The Spirit sanctifies
It is in reality through the influence of the Holy
Ghost that the souls of the elect are sprinkled with
the blood of Christ : because it is He who reveals
Christ unto them, and enables them to believe on
him. But, besides this, " The Spirit sanctifies them
to obedience"
To this are the elect chosen, as to the means
whereby their ultimate salvation shall be attained
[It would be dishonourable to God if an unholy creature
were admitted to a participation of his throne : nor, if we
could suppose such a creature admitted into heaven, could he
be happy there ; because he would want all the dispositions
which were necessary to qualify him for the enjoyment of that
holy place. On this account God has ordained to sanctify his
elect in body, soul, and spirit, and to " transform them into
his own image in righteousness and true holiness."]
And this work he has committed to the Holy
Spirit
[The Spirit originally breathed upon the face of the
waters, and reduced the chaotic mass to order and beauty.
So does he move upon the believer s soul. Whatever is
corrupt, he mortifies; whatever is wanting, he supplies.
111 Ps. Ixxxv. 10.
2380.] REGENERATION CONSIDERED. 135
Above all, he reveals the Saviour to the soul, and thereby
changes the soul progressively into the Saviour s image n .
This is precisely what St. Paul also has spoken in his Second
Epistle to the Thessalonians : " We are bound to give thanks
to God for you all, brethren, beloved, because God hath
chosen you to salvation (there is the end) through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Here are the means to
that end, even faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning
blood ; and the sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit upon
the soul .]
INFER
1. Of what infinite value are the souls of men !
[Every one carries about him a treasure which God
himself covets. The Father has given his only dear Son to
redeem it : and Christ has shed his own blood to purchase it :
and the Holy Ghost is ever striving with us, to make us
surrender it up willingly to God O that men would
view their souls in this light, and bestow upon them the care
which they so richly deserve ! ]
2. What encouragement has every man to seek
after salvation !
[The doctrines of election, of faith in Christ, and of the
influences of the Holy Spirit, are supposed by many to create
despondency. But, if duly considered, they afford the best
possible antidote to despair. Suppose a person to be bowed
down under a sense of his own guilt and weakness, is it no
comfort to him to reflect, that the Father may elect whomso
ever he will; that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse
from guilt even of the deepest dye ; and that the Holy Spirit
can renew and sanctify a soul, however inverate its corruptions
be ? Let this then be the improvement made of these doctrines;
and they will soon commend themselves by their cheering and
transforming efficacy ]
n 2 Cor. iii. 18. 2 Thess. ii. 13.
MMCCCLXXX.
REGENERATION CONSIDERED.
1 Pet. i. 3 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ) which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefded, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven
for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
136 1 PETER, I. 35. [2380.
AMONGST the many distinguishing characters of
the true Christian, this is not the least remarkable,
that he can rejoice in the midst of the heaviest tribu
lations. Others may be patient under them : but no
man who is not born of God can attain this high
state of feeling, to glory in them. The Christians
to whom the Apostle wrote were in a state of very
severe affliction, scattered over divers countries,
whither they had been driven by the violence of per
secution. Yet, how did the Apostle address them ?
in terms of pity or condolence ? No: but in terms of
the sublimest congratulation. He thinks not of what
man has done against them, but of what God has
done for them ; and bursts forth in this rapturous
strain : " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who of his abundant mercy hath be
gotten us again!" The recollection of the mercy
vouchsafed to them by regeneration swallowed up
all thought of their trials, and superseded, for a time,
all mention of their sufferings.
The terms in which regeneration is here spoken of
will lead us to consider it in,
I. Its nature
Regeneration is a spiritual and supernatural change
of heart
[Many, when they hear this word, are ready to merge its
import altogether in the rite of baptism. I deny not, but that
the word "regeneration" is used in Scripture as synonymous
with baptism ; and it was properly so used ; because in baptism
there is a real change of state ; and there was good reason to
hope that, in the person submitting to that rite there was also
a change of nature : nor can I doubt, but that, wherever
baptism is duly received, there is a descent of the Holy Spirit
upon the soul, to seal it with a blessing from on high. But
ihe strongest advocates for baptismal regeneration will not
deny, but that the spiritual gift is that in which we are chiefly
interested ; and that, without that, the outward act would be
of little value. And God forbid that we should be disputing
about a term, when our main concern should be about the
blessing connected with it ! All are agreed, that we must be
baptized with the Holy Ghost : all are agreed, that we must
be made " partakers of a new and a divine nature 3 ," and
a 2 Pet. i. 4.
2380.] REGENERATION CONSIDERED. 137
become " new creatures in Christ JesusV in a word, all
agree, that, in order to be children of God, we must be " be
gotten of God :" and that being admitted, I am indifferent as
to the name by which it shall be called: call it a new birth, a
new creation, a renewal in the spirit of the mind, or a conver
sion of soul to God ; only let an entire change of heart and
life be included in it, and (though one word may more strictly
and appositely express it than another) we are satisfied. Suf
fice it to say, that " a new heart must be given us, and a new
spirit be put within us ;" and that this change is essential to us,
as children of God.]
It is this that distinguishes the Lord s people from
all the rest of the world
[The natural man possesses nothing but what he brought
into the world with him. His faculties may be of the first
order, so far as they relate to earthly things : yet is he as blind
as others in relation to heavenly things. In order to compre
hend these, he must have a spiritual discernment ; which can
only be given to him from above. This may be possessed by
the poorest and most illiterate man, whilst it is withheld from
the wise and prudent. In fact, God has so ordered it, that
" what he has hid from the wise and prudent, should be re
vealed unto babes d :" and there are but " few of the wise and
learned, in comparison," to whom this gift is imparted ; for
" God has chosen the weak and foolish, on purpose to con
found the wise and mighty 6 ." Nor is this a mere conceit: it
is proved by the life and conversation of all who are born of
God. They shew that they have a view of God and of eter
nity, which others do not possess : and, in consequence of this
view, they manifest a heavenliness, both of heart and life,
which others cannot attain. Being born of God, they live no
longer to themselves, but unto Him who begat them, and
to Him who redeemed them with his blood.]
But in the passage before us we are more parti
cularly led to notice regeneration in,
II. Its causes
The great efficient cause of it is God
[Jehovah, in the Old Testament, is called " the God of
Abraham :" but to us he is revealed under the more endearing
title of the " God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," and our
God and Father in him. In this relation he is considered as
b 2 Cor. v. 17. c 1 Cor. ii. 14.
d Matt. xi. 25, 26. e 1 Cor. i. 2629.
138 1 PETER, I. 35. [2380.
" begetting us again ;" and forming us, as it were, altogether
anew. This he does by the operation of his word upon the
hearts and consciences of men, and by the Almighty power of
his Spirit working effectually in them. Hence we are said to
be " born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever f ." In
like manner we are said to be " born of the Spirit g ." And
this birth is not only distinguished from, but put in direct
opposition to, the natural birth of man ; for "to as many as
receive Christ, to them gives he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name; who are born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God h ." Here, then, the efficient cause of our regenera
tion is distinctly marked : it is not effected by any power which
is possessed by the man himself, or by others over him, or by
any created being : it must be traced to God himself, to God
only, to God entirely, to God exclusively.]
The moving cause of it is his " mercy"
[Man never merited it ; never asked it ; never of himself
desired it. God, who sees us when dead in trespasses and sins,
is moved only by his own " mercy" towards us, to impart unto
us this transcendent gift. He saw us, like new-born infants,
" lying in our blood; and bade us live 1 ." O! who can ever
appreciate this blessing aright ? Who can ever estimate the
blessing of being "begotten of God," and "born of God?"
To be begotten and born of an earthly monarch were nothing
in comparison of it ; nothing in respect of honour ; nothing in
respect of benefit. That we were created men, was grace;
because we might have been of a lower order of beings, like
beasts : but to be new-created, after that we were fallen, and
by this new creation to be made sons of God, is not only
" mercy" but such mercy as never was vouchsafed to the angels
that fell: no; it was reserved for us: and "abundant" mercy
it was ! The very angels in heaven have not in this respect
been so highly favoured as we : for they can sing of grace only:
whereas we, when we had abused and forfeited all the blessings
of grace, had them all restored to us through the tender mercy
of our God.]
The instrumental or procuring cause of it was the
Lord Jesus Christ
[In general, the blessings of salvation are traced to the
death of Christ, as their procuring cause. And such, no doubt,
it was : for by it we are reconciled to God, and obtain the
f 1 Pet. i. 23. See also Jam, i. 18. g John iii. 5, 6.
fc John i. 12, 13. i Ezek. xvi. G.
2380.] REGENERATION CONSIDERED. 139
remission of all our sins. But here the blessing of regeneration
is traced to the resurrection of Christ; and with great pro
priety ; because, if " he was delivered to death for our offences,
he was raised again for our justification 11 ." To enter into this
aright, we should place ourselves in the situation of the imme
diate followers of our Lord. What comfort should we have
derived from the death of our Divine Master ? We might be
told, indeed, that he offered himself a sacrifice for our sins :
but how should we know that that sacrifice was accepted in
our behalf? It was his resurrection alone that put that matter
beyond a doubt: and therefore we find the Apostles every
where insisting principally on this 1 , as proving, beyond all
reasonable doubt, that he was indeed the Christ, the Saviour
of the world m . Moreover, it is as a risen Saviour that " he
lives to make intercession for us n ;" and is enabled to send the
Holy Ghost down upon us, for the commencing and perfecting
of a work of grace within us . Hence St. Paul, speaking of
the death of Christ as prevailing for our salvation, yet lays the
greater stress upon his resurrection^: and hence also, in order
to attain higher eminence in the divine life, he desired to
"know Christ in the power of his resurrection q ." So that
our regeneration may well be ascribed to the resurrection of
Christ, not only on account of its proving his death to have
been available for us, but as through it he is empowered to
send down the Holy Spirit upon our souls.]
We must, however, proceed yet further to trace
this work in,
III. Its effects
Of its sanctifying effects I have spoken under the
first head. But we must on no account omit to
notice those great benefits which it confers,
1. In entitling us to heaven
[Repeatedly does St. Paul mark the indissoluble connexion
which God has established between our sonship and our in
heritance : " If sons, then heirs, heirs of God through Christ,
and heirs of God tuith Christ 1 "." Now, the inheritance to
which God has begotten us is nothing less than all the glory
of heaven ; an inheritance, " not corruptible," as earthly
treasures, " which moth and rust will corrupt;" " not defiled,"
like the earthly Canaan, by wicked inhabitants, (for " into
k Rom. iv. 25. * Actsii. 24 36. iii. 15. andxvii. 3, 13, 31.
m Rom. i. 4. n Heb. vii. 25. Acts ii. 33, 38, 39.
P Rom. viii. 34. and v. 10. q Phil. iii. 10.
r Rom. viii. 17. Gal. iv. 7.
140 1 PETER, I. 35. [2380.
heaven nothing entereth that can defile s ;") " not fading," by use,
or age, or enjoyment, like the pleasures of sense : no, it is an
inheritance worthy of God to give to his beloved children, even
that inheritance which Christ himself, as our Forerunner, our
Head, and Representative, already occupies. " To a lively
hope of this" are we begotten, whilst yet we are in this vale of
tears ; and to the full possession of it, as soon as we go hence.]
2. In securing to us the possession of it
[In two ways is this inheritance secured to us : " it is
reserved by God for us ; and we are kept by God for it ;" so
that neither shall it be taken from us by any enemy ; nor
shall we be suffered to come short of it through our own
weakness. This is what God promised, by his prophet of
old : " I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I
will not turn away from them to do them good ; but I will put
my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me*."
O inestimable gift ! This security is the crown of all. What
would regeneration be without it ? What would it be to be
made sons of God, and heirs of heaven, if we were left to our
selves, to engage in our own strength our great adversary ?
Truly there is not one of us, however elevated he may at this
moment be, who would not, in a very short space of time, if
left to himself, become a child of Satan, and an heir of hell.
But the power of God! what shall withstand that? or who
shall fail, that has that exerted for him ? All that is required
of us is, to " have faith in God u ." If only our faith be as a
grain of mustard-seed, there is nothing that we shall not be
able to effect x . But " Christ has prayed for us, that our faith
may not fail ; and therefore, though Satan desires to have us,
that he may sift us as wheat," yet shall he not finally prevail
against us y ; but " shall be bruised under our feet 2 ," even as he
was under the feet of our triumphant Saviour : for " because
HE, our Almighty Saviour, liveth, we shall live also a ." Like
persons in an impregnable fortress b , we may defy all the
powers of darkness, and smile at all the confederacies both of
earth and hell.]
OBSERVE then, beloved,
1. How happy are the saints, the sons of God
[If we consider only the " hope," " the lively hope," to
which they are begotten, methinks they are by far the happiest
of all mankind. But, if we take a view of the inheritance itself,
s Rev. xxi. 27. * Jer. xxxii. 40.
u Markxi. 22. John xiv. 1. x Matt. xvii. 20.
y Luke xxii. 31,32. z Rom. xvi. 20. a John xiv. 1.9.
3 This is the precise import of the word ^OV
2381.] THE END OF AFFLICTION. 141
the wonderful inheritance to which they are begotten and,
above all, the security which they possess for the ultimate en
joyment of it what shall I say ? Are they not happy ? Or
can they be placed in any circumstances whatever (sin only
excepted) wherein they are not proper objects of envy to the
whole creation ? Be it granted, that they are as much op
pressed as ever saints were, and as destitute of all earthly
comfort; still will I congratulate them from my inmost soul,
and bid them exclaim with joy and gratitude, " Blessed be
God, who hath begotten us again !" ]
2. How pitiable is the condition of the unrege-
nerate
[You, alas! have no part or lot in the felicity of God s
children. Never having been begotten of him, you have no
relation to him, nor any title to his inheritance. Ah ! think,
then, whose children ye are c , and with whom you must take
your everlasting portion d ! I tremble to announce such awful
tidings. But I thank God that yet ye may become new
creatures : for, as all the saints once were what ye now are,
so may ye become what they are 6 . Yes, the word, which is
God s great instrument, yet sounds in your ears : and it is as
powerful as ever, to convert souls to him f . Only receive
it into your hearts by faith ; and it shall " turn you," as it
has unnumbered millions of your fellow-creatures, " from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God g ."
Only believe in Christ, and you shall instantly become sons of
God h , and be enabled to look up to heaven as your everlasting
inheritance. My dear brethren, "make not light of" this
great salvation. Do but think how " ready it is to be re
vealed," and how certainly it shall be attained by all who
believe in Christ. May God now pour out his Holy Spirit
upon you all, that not one of you may " receive this grace of
God in vain ! "]
c John viii. 44. d Matt. xxv. 41. e Gal. iv. 12.
f Heb. iv. 12. g Acts xxvi. 18.
h John i. 12. before cited, with Gal. iii. 26.
MMCCCLXXXI.
THE END OF AFFLICTION.
1 Pet. i. 6, 7. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a
season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations : that the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried ivith
fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ,
142 1 PETER, I. 6, 7. [2381.
THE enlightening and converting of souls are the
first objects of a minister s attention : nevertheless,
the comforting of God s people is also an essential
part of his duty. This was the special direction
which God gave to the prophet of old a : it is a con
formity to the Divine Exemplar b : it is the fruit of the
comforts they themselves receive c ." St. Peter is a
striking pattern of a sympathizing and affectionate
pastor. He writes to the Christians who were scat
tered through divers countries ; and begins with
setting before them the richest topics of consolation d .
He shews them the blessed end for which their pre
sent troubles are suffered to come upon them
I. The state and condition of God s people
Believers have at all times within themselves a
ground of joy : yet they are also frequently oppressed
with deep and pungent sorrow. They experience a
peculiar and united exercise of these opposite affec
tions.
They "greatly rejoice" in the mercy which has
been vouchsafed unto them
[They have been begotten of God to a lively hope of a
glorious inheritance : they see that inheritance reserved for
them, and themselves kept for it. This cannot but be matter
of exceeding joy to them at all times.]
But they are at the same time encompassed with
manifold temptations
[They are hated, reviled, and persecuted by the world :
they are assailed with " the fiery darts of the devil:" they are
harassed with innumerable corruptions in their own hearts.]
Through these temptations they are sometimes
"in great heaviness"-
[Grace does not destroy, but only moderates our natural
feelings. Christians therefore may be deeply oppressed with
grief: not that God will suffer them to continue always in
heaviness. Nevertheless he permits them to be in this state
occasionally, and " for a season."]
There is " a necessity" that they should undergo
trials of this kind
a Isai, xlii. I. b 2 Cor. vii. 6. c 2 Thess. i. 3, 4.
2381.] THE END OF AFFLICTION. 143
[God could save them without leaving them to endure
any trial ; but he " perfected his own Son by sufferings :" he
has ordained that the members shall in this respect be con
formed to their Head 6 .]
Their temptations, however afflictive at the time,
are permitted for their good.
II. The end for which they are suffered to be in that
state
Temptations, of whatever kind they be, are justly
called " trials of our faith "
[No man can exercise the grace of patience, or of content
ment, unless he be in a situation that may give rise to impa
tience or discontent : nor can faith be known to exist in the
heart, unless there be some circumstances that give scope for
the manifestation of it; but temptations, especially such as
produce much grief, can be surmounted only by strong faith.
Hence God himself speaks as though he discovered Abraham s
grace by means of the difficulties into which he was brought f .]
In this view they are " much more precious than
the trial of gold"
[Gold, though it stand the trial of the fire, will perish at
last ; but faith, in its effects at least, will endure for ever. The
value and the brightness given to gold by the furnace are
not so estimable, as the purity and brightness which our faith
derives from affliction.]
Their real worth will not be discerned till the day
of judgment
[They will have a different aspect in " the day of Christ s
appearing" from what they have now. The benefit resulting
from them will be then fully discovered.]
They will then " be found to the praise and honour
of those who endured them"-
[Every thing we have done or suffered for Christ will be
brought to light : a reward proportioned to our faithfulness
will then be given us. Great sufferings will issue in "an
eternal weight of glory ".]
They will be declared also to the praise and
honour of Christ himself
[Christ is " the author and finisher of our faith :" he will
have the glory of carrying his people through their trials.
Zech. xiii. 9. f Gen. xxii. 12.
1 PETER, I. 8, 9. [2382.
Thus they will issue in the good of the sufferers, and the glory
of Christ.]
This is the end for which God permits his people
to endure them
INFER
1. How little cause have any persons to question
their interest in God s favour on account of their
trials, or their grief under them !
[Satan takes advantage of the afflictions of the saints to
impress their minds with desponding thoughts : their natural
turn of mind, too, sometimes favours such impressions. Even
bodily disorder also may concur to deject their souls. But the
being in heaviness through temptations is no just ground of
doubting our acceptance with God. The persons of whom the
Apostle speaks in the text, were most undoubtedly in a con
verted state g . Let not any tempted soul then be desponding
or dejected 11 .]
2. What abundant reason have we to be reconciled
to afflictions !
[Afflictions are trying to our frail nature, but they are
salutary to our souls 1 . We shall ere long see the necessity and
benefit of each of our sorrows. The praise and honour in
which they will issue will make amends for all. Let us then
even now account them " precious k :" let us consider how
light they are, when compared with the glory of heaven 1 : let
us only be concerned to possess our souls in patience 111 .]
s They were " begotten again," had " a lively hope," " believed in
Christ," "loved him," " rejoiced in him with joy unspeakable," and
had " received the salvation of their souls." ver. 3, 8, 9.
h Isai. xl. 2731. * Heb. xii. 11. k Jam. i. 2, 3.
1 Rom. viii. 18. m Jam. i. 4.
MMCCCLXXXII.
THE CHRISTIAN S HAPPINESS.
1 Pet. i. 8, 9. Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though
now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeak
able and full of glory : receiving the end of your faith, even
the salvation of your souls.
THE world often wonder that Christians do not
conform to the vices of the age a : and are yet more
a 1 Pet. iv. 4.
2382.] THE CHRISTIAN S HAPPINESS. 145
surprised, that any should be willing to suffer for the
sake of their religion. But every Christian is ac
tuated by a principle of love to Christ ; which prin
ciple even gathers strength from the opposition it
meets with. The Apostle is writing to those who
were in heaviness through manifold temptations. He
declares, however, that their trials were promoting
their eternal good ; and that they were supported
under them by their attachment to their adorable
Redeemer.
In his words we may see,
I. The state of true Christians-
Christians cannot be distinguished better by any
thing, than by their regard to their Divine Master :
1. They love Christ
[Once, like the ungodly around them, they were enemies
to Christ and his cross b : they " saw no beauty in him, for
which he was to be desired ." But now he is truly precious
to their souls d : and they claim him as their best friend and
portion e . This is the character of every true Christian f
If any answer not to this character, they are, and must be,
accursed g .]
2. They rejoice in Christ
[They have a good hope, if not a full assurance, of an in
terest in him. They have access to him in their secret duties.
They receive strengthening and refreshing communications
from him. They rejoice in him, as their faithful and almighty
Friend h . Their joy in him is " incapable of being fully de
clared 1 ." It is a " glorified" joy, such as the saints in heaven
possess k . Every Christian indeed does not experience the
same measure of joy ; nor is any one at all times alike joyful :
but no one is a Christian, who does not esteem the light of
the Redeemer s countenance above every other good 1 .]
That their felicity may be more generally expe
rienced, we proceed to state,
II. The means by which they attain it
[Many suppose, that if they could have a personal inter
view with Christ, such as Paul was favoured with, they should
t> Phil. iii. 19. c Isai. liii. 2. <* 1 Pet. ii. 7.
e Cant, v. 16. f Eph. vi. 24. 1 Cor. xvi. 22.
h Phil. iv. 4. * dvK\u\riro),
1 Ps. iv. 6. and Ixxiii. 25.
VOL. XX. L
146 1 PETER, I. 8, 9. [2382.
love him, and rejoice in him. But a sight of him with the
bodily eyes only never in any instance produced this effect.
Many who even heard his discourses, and beheld his miracles,
were amongst his bitterest enemies. The Christians to whom
St. Peter wrote had never seen Christ. The Apostle twice
mentions this circumstance, to shew that their regard for him
did not arise from any personal acquaintance with him. Faith
is the only mean whereby we are brought to this love and joy:
as it is said, " in whom believing, ye rejoice." Tt is only by
faith that we can behold the excellency of Christ by
faith only that we can apply his merits to ourselves
by faith only that we can receive his gracious communications" 1 .
Repentance will lead to this state; and obedience spring from
it: but it is faith only that will prevail to bring us into it".]
To increase our ardour in pressing forward to this
state, let us consider,
III. The blessedness of those who have attained it
[The salvation of the soul is the great " end of our faith."
Present comforts are desirable ; but eternal happiness is that
which the Christian has principally in view. It is to this that
he looks forward, under his first convictions. This is the end
for which he cheerfully endures all his privations and conflicts.
In every possible state he has an eye to this, as the consum
mation of all his hopes and desires. And this blessed object
is already attained by all true Christians : they do not wait
for it till they arrive in heaven ; their full reward indeed is
reserved for another world. But believers have the foretastes
of heaven already communicated to them ; yea, their love to
Christ, and their joy in him, are an earnest, as well as pledge,
of their eternal inheritance ; they now, in a way of anticipation
and actual enjoyment, " receive the end of their faith, even
the salvation of their souls."]
INFER
1. What a rational character is the Christian!
[He is thought an enthusiast, for loving and rejoicing in
Christ ; and they who have no such love or joy appropriate to
themselves the name of rational Christians. Now we are
willing to meet our adversaries on this ground, and to submit
our sentiments to this test. If to admire supreme excellence,
to love infinite amiableness, and to rejoice in unbounded good
ness, be a rational employment ; yea, if the glorified saints
and angels be rational, then the Christian is a rational charac
ter ; and the more so, in proportion as he loves and rejoices in
m Eph. iii. 17. n Rom. xv. 13.
2383.] IMPORTANCE OF THE PROPHECIES. 147
Christ : and their adversaries are most irrational, in that they
can love and rejoice in the things of time and sense, and yet
feel no love to, nor any joy in, our adorable Lord and Saviour.
Let those who are now despised as enthusiasts, think who will
be accounted rational in the day of judgment ]
2. How clearly may we know, whether we be real
Christians or not !
[There are certainly different degrees of faith, love, and
joy ; but every true Christian experiences them in some mea
sure. This is decided by an authority that cannot be doubted .
Let us then examine what is the supreme object of our affec
tions, and chief source of our joys Nor let us ever
conclude well of our state, unless we can adopt from our hearts
the language of St. Paul ; " I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord p ."]
Phil. iii. 3. P Phil. iii. 8.
MMCCCLXXXIII.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROPHECIES.
1 Pet. i. 10 12. Of which salvation the prophets have in
quired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace
that should come unto you : searching what, or what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify,
when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow. Unto ivhom it was revealed, that
not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things,
which are now reported unto you by them that have preached
the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from
heaven : which thinqs the anqels desire to look into.
/ u
THE same " salvation " that is made known to us,
was revealed from the beginning. It was gradually
unfolded to the world by many succeeding prophets.
It is indeed exhibited as with meridian splendour in
the New Testament. Yet by comparing the predic
tions of the prophets with the writings of the Apostles,
we attain at once the fullest evidence of its divine
original, and the deepest insight into its mysterious
doctrines.
The truth of this observation will appear, while we
consider,
148 1 PETER, I. 10-12. [2383.
I. The substance of the prophecies
Though many things contained in them related
only to the times wherein they were written, yet
much of them undoubtedly relates to future and dis
tant periods.
The grand scope of them in the general is " the
grace that should come unto us"-
[The Gospel is called " grace," because it is the highest
expression of God s kindness towards our guilty world. It
declares the wonderful provision which he has made for our
recovery, and calls us to receive his blessings as a free un
merited gift. It represents every part of our salvation as the
effect of his grace, and requires us now, as well as hereafter, to
give him all the glory of it.]
More particularly Christ is the sum and substance
of the prophecies
[God himself tells us that " the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy a :" the prophets " testified plainly of the
sufferings of Christ." So minutely did they describe the
smallest and most improbable circumstances of his death, that
their writings appear rather like a narration than a prophecy b :
nor did they speak less accurately respecting " his glory that
should follow." Every step of his exaltation, from his resur
rection to his future coming to judge the world, is distinctly
marked ; and the triumph of his Gospel over the benighted
Gentiles is proclaimed with confidence and exultation d .]
As in this light they deserve the deepest attention,
so do they also on account of,
II. The importance of them
The words before us mark the importance of the
prophecies in a variety of views :
1. They were dictated by "the Spirit of Christ "-
[The Holy Ghost was the agent whom Christ employed
from the beginning 6 : through him did Christ inspire the
prophets, and enlighten the world f . Thus were all the pro
phecies clearly of divine original ; and can any thing more
strongly mark their value and importance?]
a Rev. xix. 10. and John v. 39.
b See Ps. xxii. 8, 16, 18. and Ixix. 21. and Isai. liii.
c Ps. Ixviii. 18. and ii. 6.
d Ps. ii. 8. Compare Rom. xv. 9 12.
e Compare 1 Pet. iii. 18 20. f 2 Pet. i, 21.
2383.] IMPORTANCE OF THE PROPHECIES. 149
2. The Prophets themselves " inquired and searched
diligently" into their meaning
[The inspired men did not understand the precise import
of their own prophecies. They only knew that they " minis
tered to the Church in distant ages ;" but they studied the
word, and sometimes with good effect, to gain an insight into
the intentions and purposes of God g . And if they judged
their predictions so important while they were involved in
obscurity, shall they be less valuable to us who have seen
their accomplishment?]
3. The Apostles, in declaring their accomplish
ment, received miraculous testimonies from the Holy
Ghost
[They, " who first preached the Gospel, reported those
things as done, which the prophets had beforehand testified "
as to be done in due time ; and their word was accompanied
" with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven 11 ." Nor was
this divine seal ever more immediately set to their ministrations
than when they expressly referred to the prophecies as fulfilled
in Jesus 1 . Nothing surely could put a greater honour on the
prophecies than this.]
4. The very Angels "desire to look into them"-
[The angelic figures over the ark were formed looking
down upon it k . This intimated the interest they feel in the
work of redemption. They arc indeed made wiser by the
revelation given to the Church 1 . Though they dwell in the
presence of God, they desire to know more of this mystery.
Though they have no personal interest in it, they long to
comprehend it. Can we then, whose interest in it is so great,
have low thoughts of any part of those Scriptures which exhibit
and illustrate it?]
INFER
1. What a mercy is it to live under the full light
of the Gospel !
[Those things, which the patriarchs saw only in types
and prophecies, we are privileged to enjoy in their substance
and accomplishment. Well therefore does Christ say to us,
Blessed are your eyes, blessed are your ears;" but if our
light be greater than theirs, our obligations to follow it are
proportionably increased; and if we neglect to improve it,
surely both prophets and angels will appear against us to
condemn us.]
g Dan. ix. 2. & Heb. ii. 4. J Acts x. 43, 44.
k Exod. xxv. 20. i Eph. iii. 10.
150 1 PETER, I. 12. [2384.
2. In searching the Scriptures we should attend
particularly to what is said of Christ
[Many read the Scriptures without ever discovering the
fulness and excellency of Christ ; but as " they testify of him"
so we are most concerned in what relates to him. Let us
then fix our eyes diligently on that ark of God ; let us trea
sure up in our minds whatever is spoken of " his sufferings
and glory ;" and, <( mixing faith with what we read," let us
seek to be made wise unto salvation.]
MMCCCLXXXIV.
THE ANGELS INTERESTED ABOUT THE GOSPEL.
1 Pet. i. 12. Which things the angels desire to look into.
THE Gospel comes recommended to us by a great
variety of most important considerations. It occu
pied the mind of God from all eternity. From the
beginning of the world it has been revealed with
gradually increasing light and evidence. When the
period arrived for its full promulgation, it was opened
by the Lord of life himself, and was spread with
incredible effect by a few poor fishermen, whom he
chose and qualified to proclaim it. The Holy Ghost
also bore testimony to it by miracles unnumbered,
that were wrought expressly in confirmation of it.
But there is one circumstance, which is rarely ad
verted to, which yet should exceedingly endear the
Gospel to us ; namely, that the holy angels are greatly
interested in it, and that they are daily studying to
comprehend it. This is affirmed by St. Peter in the
words before us : for the elucidation of which we
shall point out,
I. The subjects of their inquiry
The two preceding verses inform us, that the
" salvation " of man, and " the grace that is brought
unto us" for the securing of that salvation, are ob
jects of their continual regard. More particularly
they inquire into these things,
1. As foretold by prophets
2384 J ANGELS INTERESTED ABOUT THE GOSPEL. 151
[Every minute circumstance relative to the Gospel has
been foretold by one or other of the prophets ; insomuch, that,
if we understood perfectly every part of the prophetic writings,
we might extract from them as complete an account of the
person, work, and offices of Christ, and of the establishment
of his kingdom upon earth, as from the New Testament itself.
But the prophets did not know the full extent of their own
prophecies. They knew that they spake by a divine impulse ;
but the precise import of what they spake, they knew not.
As the wicked Caiaphas, intending to stimulate the Jewish
council to put Jesus to death, delivered unwittingly a pro
phecy that Jesus should die for the whole world a ; so the pious
prophets frequently delivered their sentiments in language,
which was dictated by the Holy Ghost for the purpose of pro
claiming mysteries which they themselves understood not.
Hence they "inquired and searched diligently "into the mean
ing of their own prophecies b . The angels, in like manner, are
desirous of investigating these deep subjects. To intimate the
concern which they take in these things, there was a very
striking emblem of it in the Jewish temple. In the holy of
holies was the ark : on that was placed the mercy-seat : and
over that were two cherubims overshadowing it with their
wings. The ark (in which the tables of the law were kept)
was a type of Christ, in whose heart the law was ; and by whom
it was fulfilled for us ; and through whose obedience to it God
exercises mercy towards us. This exhibited the substance of
the Gospel. Now the cherubims were formed somewhat in an
inclined posture, looking down upon the ark c : and this was
ordered of God on purpose to denote the interest which angels
take in this deep mystery, and the desire which they have to
comprehend it: and it is to this very thing that St. Peter
alludes in the words of our text d .]
2. As executed by Christ
" The sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should fol
low," were fully declared before he became incarnate. The
angels therefore were prepared for that stupendous series of
events which in the fulness of time began to be accomplished :
and, no doubt, they waited for them with devout and earnest
expectation. Accordingly, the very instant that they saw him
brought into the world, they carried the glad tidings to the
shepherds, and informed them of the place of his nativity.
From that moment, and especially in the most important
scenes of his life, they watched him, not only as anxious spec
tators, but as agents employed by their Creator to minister to
a John xi. 4952. b vcr. 10, 11.
- Exod. xxv. 20. d ETriOf/.toDrTtv 7ra(xtcw//ai.
152 1 PETER, I. 12. [2384.
his necessities, or to attest his triumphs. After his temptations
in the wilderness, and his conflicts in the garden, they gladly
interposed their friendly offices to comfort and support him.
Though we are not expressly told that they were present at his
crucifixion, we can have no doubt but that they attended on
him at that awful period with more than ordinary solicitude.
Were they capable of sorrow, methinks, their eyes would on
that occasion be as a fountain of tears ; and they would beat
their breasts with grief and anguish. But with what joy did
they roll away the stone from his sepulchre, in order that his
re-animated body might arise 6 ! How happy were they to
satisfy the inquiring females respecting the truth of his resur
rection, and the accomplishment of his own predictions ! At
his ascension, too, they comforted his astonished followers, by
announcing to them his intended return in the clouds of heaven
at the last day. Shall we say that in these things they were
mere servants and messengers, who felt no interest in the
events themselves ? We know the contrary : for at his birth
a whole multitude of the heavenly hosts burst forth into that
rapturous hymn, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good-will towards men ! "J
3. As enjoyed by the Church
[It is not in a speculative view merely that they contem
plate the great work of redemption : they consider it as " the
grace that is brought unto us :" and in that view their bene
volent hearts are most deeply affected with it. Hence, as well
as from a sense of duty to their God, arose that affectionate
solicitude which they expressed on all the occasions above
referred to. Wherever the glad tidings are carried, they
hasten, to mark the effects produced by them: and if they
behold a sinner impressed by them with humble penitence and
contrition, not even the presence of their God, nor all the
i^lory of heaven, will keep them from rejoicing on his account.
They acquire, as it were, new joy from every triumph that the
Redeemer gains, and from every benefit that man receives.
From the moment of a sinner s return to God, they watch over
him with the tenderest care. They encamp around him, and
minister unto him. Little do we think how much we are
indebted to their friendly aid ; from how many snares they
deliver us ; in how many conflicts they succour us ; and with
what transport they bear our triumphant spirits into the world
of bliss. As once they waited with impatience to see the
prophecies accomplished, and the work of redemption executed
in the person of Christ; so do they now wait with ardent
desire to see the consummation of the Church s happiness,
e Matt, xxviii. 2 4.
2384.] ANGELS INTERESTED ABOUT THE GOSPEL. 153
and the completion of the Redeemer s glory. And at that
great and solemn day will whole myriads of them attend, to
perform their last kind offices to God s elect ; to assemble them
in one collective body ; and to unite with them in ascribing
everlasting praises to God and to the Lamb. They cannot
indeed say, " He has loved us and washed us ;" but they will
most heartily join in singing, " Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain."]
Their solicitude about things that relate to us,
however strange it may appear at first sight, will not
be thought strange, if we consider,
II. The reasons of it
If we were unable to assign any reasons for their
conduct, we might be well assured that their actions
were regulated by wisdom and prudence.
But it is not difficult to account for their anxiety
respecting these things : they look into them, not to
gratify a vain curiosity, but,
1. Because of the glory of God displayed in them
[The angels have been blessed with many bright disco
veries of the Divine glory, both in the works of creation and of
providence. But these have all been eclipsed by the brighter
displays of it in the works of redemption. Every thing in the
universe bespeaks the wisdom, the power, and the goodness of
God : and the punishment inflicted on the fallen angels declares
his justice and holiness. But the plan of salvation revealed in
the Gospel is represented as being eminently, and beyond all
comparison, " the wisdom of God, and the power of God."
Terrible as the justice of God appears in the miseries of the
damned, it appears incomparably more tremendous in the suf
ferings of the Son of God, which were inflicted on him for our
sins, and which were indispensably necessary to satisfy its inex
orable demands. But what shall we say of mercy ? There
was not a single trace of that to be found in the whole universe.
The angels, after seeing the judgments executed on the apos
tate spirits, could have no idea that mercy could be exercised
towards the guilty. But in the Gospel it shines forth as with
meridian splendour ; and all the other perfections of the Deity
unite and harmonize with it. Can we wonder then, that when
they have a prospect of beholding " the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," they should
look into that glass which reflects it? Can we wonder that
they should examine with unwearied attention the prophecies
that relate to Christ, the various incidents of his life and death,
1 PETER, I. 12. [2384.
and the numberless benefits that he confers on all his followers ?
This alone were ample reason for all the care and diligence
they can possibly exert.]
2. Because of the benefit accruing to themselves
from the contemplation of them
[Wise as those bright intelligences are, we have no doubt
but that they are made wiser by their progressive discoveries
of the truth of God. The revealing of the Gospel unto man
is one way which God has adopted for the further illumination
of the heavenly hosts : he makes known his manifold wisdom
to the Church, in order that by the Church it may be exhibited
before the eyes of angels and archangels f . We have no reason
to think that they have any revelations made to them, except
through the medium of the Church : and consequently, if
they would grow in knowledge, they must search, as it were,
the sacred oracles, and " draw their water out of our wells of
salvation."
But by their contemplation of the Gospel they are made
happier too, as well as wiser. For, in what does their happi
ness consist? Is it not derived principally from the knowledge
of God, and their admiration of all his glorious perfections ? But
it has been before shewn, that their views of the Divine glory
are rendered incomparably more clear and full by the repre
sentations given of it in the Gospel : consequently, their ad
miration of God must continually increase ; and their delight
in him be proportionably enlarged.]
INFER
1. How unfounded is men s contempt of the
Gospel !
[The Gospel ever has been despised by proud self-sufficient
men, and ever will be, as long as such men continue upon
earth. It will ever appear " foolishness to the natural man."
It is still loaded with reproach, and stigmatized with oppro
brious names ; and he must be " a stranger indeed in our
Jerusalem," who has not known and witnessed this humiliating
fact. But what do these scoffers think of themselves? Are
they wiser or better than the angels ? Do they imagine the
angels so weak as to admire and search into things which are
unworthy the notice of a sensible man ? Alas ! these proud
despisers of God and of good men evince to the world, that
they themselves are the greatest objects of pity and compassion.
We do not, however, say to them as Paul did to the obstinate
f Eph. iii. 10.
2384.] ANGELS INTERESTED ABOUT THE GOSPEL. 155
and obdurate Jews, " Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and
perish^-" but rather, Behold, and wonder, and adore.]
2. How criminal is their neglect of it !
[Though the angels are in some measure interested in the
Gospel, yet their concern with it is not to be compared with
ours. They would have been happy, though no Saviour had
come into the world : but where should we have been ? what
would have become of us ? Christ took not on him their
nature : he shed not his blood for them : it was for us he be
came a man : for us he died upon the cross. What guilt then
do we contract in slighting all his overtures of mercy ! Surely
the angels will rise up in judgment against us, and condemn
us, if we are indifferent to the salvation he has so dearly pur
chased, and so freely offered.]
3. How great a blessing is it to be well instructed
in it!
[We do not wish to depreciate human knowledge : but we
do not hesitate to affirm, that all other knowledge, how deep,
extensive, or valuable soever it may be, is no better than dung
and dross in comparison of this 11 . All other knowledge shall
vanish away ; but this shall endure for ever. Angels would
account all other things beneath their notice : but they never
think they can pay too much attention to this. Know then,
that if your eyes are opened to behold aright the great mystery
of redemption, you have the most valuable gift that God him
self can bestow. You have that which will bring salvation to
your soul. Yea, if you have but moderately clear views of the
Gospel, you are in that respect greater and more highly-
favoured than all the prophets ; not excepting even John him
self, who was more than a prophet, and had the distinguished
honour of pointing out to men " the Lamb of God that should
take away the sin of the world." Whatever then God has
bestowed upon you, value this above all : whatever he has with
held from you, be satisfied with this. Whatever you do, or
whatever you neglect, be sure to cultivate this. Resemble the
angels in " looking into these things ;" and you shall resemble
them in holiness, and be with them in glory.]
s Acts xiii. 41. h Phil. iii. 8.
156 1 PETER, I. 13. [2385.
MMCCCLXXXV.
DIRECTIONS HOW TO SEEK HEAVEN WITH SUCCESS.
1 Pet. i. 13. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
THE truths of God deserve our attention on ac
count of their own excellence ; but they are prin
cipally to be valued for the effects they produce on
our lives. The Apostles never rest satisfied with
stating a mere system of doctrines, they invariably
proceed to make a practical application of them to
the soul. St. Peter had briefly opened the blessed
state of true believers. He had represented them as
begotten to a glorious inheritance, of which their joy
in Christ was an earnest, and to which, through their
present trials, they would be advanced. He then
urged the near approach of that glory, as a reason
for exerting themselves more diligently in their Chris
tian calling " Wherefore" &c.
The words of the text lead us to consider,
I. The great object of a Christian s pursuit
There are in Scripture many beautiful descriptions
of heaven, but none more interesting than that con
tained in the words before us.
The day of judgment is here called " the revelation
of Jesus Christ"
[Jesus Christ was revealed in the first promise that was
made to man a . He was also exhibited in the sacrifices which
Abel offered b . In successive ages he was made known in
clearer prophecies , and typified by various ordinances of the
Jewish ritual d . In process of time he was personally " mani
fested in human flesh," and shewed himself to be the Son of
Grod by most irrefragable proofs 6 . In the preaching of his
a Gen. iii. 15. b Heb. xi. 4. and xii. 24.
c Gen. xxii. 18. and Isai. liii. 4, 5, 11.
d Compare Exod. xii. f>. with 1 Pet. i. 19.
Acts ii. 22. Rom. i. 4.
2385.] HOW TO SEEK HEAVEN WITH SUCCESS. 157
Gospel he was yet more fully revealed. The glory of God as
shining in his face is most transcendently displayed f ; still
however " we see him as yet only through a glass darkly g ."
But in the last day he will appear in all his majesty and glory h :
he will " be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in
flaming fire 1 ." His enemies, no less than his friends, will then
see him to be " King of kings, and Lord of lords."]
In that day, " grace will be brought unto us"
[Grace and glory are sometimes used as synonymous
terms in Scripture k ; indeed, grace is glory begun, and glory
is grace consummated. The spiritual blessings which God
bestows, appear now to be the gifts of grace 1 ; but how much
more shall we acknowledge the glories of heaven to be so !
How shall we marvel at the goodness of God in all his deal
ings towards us! How shall we adore his wisdom, even in
the darkest of his dispensations. How shall we stand amazed
that we were saved, while so many others were lost! Surely,
" when the top-stone is brought forth, we shall cry, Grace,
grace, unto it m ." All this felicity "shall be brought unto us"
openly, and in rich abundance. Now, the grace imparted to
us is small, though " sufficient for us ;" and the consolations
vouchsafed unto us, are known only to ourselves. But in that
day the kingdom will be given us in the presence of the whole
universe n ; and our happiness shall be commensurate with our
capacities and desires. What we partake of now, we obtain
by diligent pursuit. What we receive then, shall be " brought
unto us" freely by the hand of Jesus himself.]
In the meantime it becomes us to seek it with all
earnestness.
II. In what manner we ought to seek it
The directions given by the Apostle are very suit
able and instructive
He recommends to us three things :
1. Activity of mind
[The Jews were accustomed to wear long garments ; these
they girded about their loins, when it was needful to use ex
pedition . By this figure, familiar to them, the Apostle re
presents our duty. Our minds are dissipated by ten thousand
vanities, and our affections, for the most part, flow loosely
f 2 Cor. iv. 6. si Cor. xiii. 12. }j Matt. xxv. 31.
* 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. k 2 Cor. iii. 18. compared with the text.
1 Eph. ii. 7, 8, m Zech. iv. 7. n Matt. xxv. 32, 34.
Luke xii. 3537.
158 1 PETER, I. 13. [2385.
round us, but our thoughts and desires should be carefully
gathered in. We should pray, like David, " Unite my heart
to fear thy name p ." Heaven is not to be sought with a divided
heart. Earthly affections would impede our progress, as flow
ing garments in a race : the prophet compares them to an in-
cumbrance of thick clay upon the feet**. We should therefore
" gird up the loins of our mind," and " give all diligence to
make our calling and election sure."]
2. Sobriety of manners
[Sobriety, in the scripture use of the term, means mode
ration. Excessive cares, and inordinate attachments, are very
unfavourable to the soul: they so engross the mind with
present things, as to draw it away from those which are eternal.
We cannot therefore too carefully watch against these evils.
We should endeavour to be "dying daily" to the world. We
should be as one crucified to it; and it, as one crucified to us r .
This is the state and character of every true Christian 8 ; and
we must attain it, if we would successfully pursue the one thing
needful.]
3. Steadfastness of faith
[Faith respects the certainty of the promises; and hope,
the accomplishment. Now, our faith is apt to waver, and our
hope, to languish. Temptations often allure us to forego our
interest in heavenly things, and unbelief would often persuade
us that we have no part or lot in them. But we must be
careful never to be moved away from the hope of the Gospel*.
Hope is the very anchor of the soul, that must keep us steadfast
in this tempestuous world u . We must " therefore hold fast
our confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm to the end*."
The nearer we come to the prize, the more earnest should be
our expectation of it. If our conflicts be many, we should,
even against hope, believe in hope y . The proper disposition
of our souls is well described by the Apostles 2 ; and it is to
persons of this description only, that Christ s appearance will
be a source of joy a .]
ADDRESS
1. Those who are only nominal Christians
[Your loins indeed are girt, but it is for the pursuit of
earthly objects. Instead of having your souls engrossed with
heavenly things, you are perfectly indifferent towards them.
As for your hopes they extend to nothing but what relates to
P Ps. Ixxxvi. 11. 1 Hab. ii. 6. r Gal. vi. 14.
s Gal. v. 24. t Col. i. 23. u Heb. vi. 19.
x Heb. iii. 6. y Rom. iv. 18. z 2 Pet. iii. 12.
a Heb. ix. 28.
2386.] NECESSITY OF HOLINESS. 159
this present life. Alas! what an awful contrast is therebe
tween you and the true Christian ! What then, suppose ye,
shall be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ?
The Apostle, in a fore-cited passage, tells you, it will be
" vengeance b ;" yes, and Jesus will bring it with his own hand.
It is in vain to think that your portion will be the same with
that of a diligent, self-denying Christian. But, blessed be God,
grace is now brought to you by the Gospel ; yea, all the glory
of heaven is now offered you by God himself . Only repent,
and go unto God as reconciled in Christ Jesus, then shall you
" pass from death to life," and from hell to heaven.]
2. Those who are Christians indeed
[There are some, who " shine as lights in a dark world :"
some, who, while living on earth, " have their conversation in
heaven." Doubtless, ye meet with many conflicts and troubles
in your way. To you then in particular is the text addressed :
for persons circumstanced like you these words were written d .
Survey that grace which is now speedily to be brought unto
you. Take a view of all the glory and felicity of the heavenly
world; compare with that your light and momentary afflic
tions: you will then soon form the same estimate as St. Paul
before you did 6 . Be not then diverted from the great object of
your pursuit. Remember the solemn caution which God him
self has given you f ; and take for your encouragement that
faithful promise 8 ]
b 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. c Acts ii. 38, 39. d 1 Pet. i. 1, C.
e Rom. viii. 18. f Heb. x. 38. & Matt. xxiv. 13.
MMCCCLXXXVI.
NECESSITY OF HOLINESS.
1 Pet. i. 15, 16. As lie ivhich hath called you is holy, so be ye
holy in all manner of conversation ; because it is written, Be
ye holy ; for I am holy.
IT is thought by many, that the Gospel is un-
frieridly to morality : and it must be confessed, that,
when stated in all its freeness and in all its richness,
it bears that aspect : for it proclaims a free and full
salvation to men ; and that solely by faith. It de
clares, that if men rely on their works, in any mea
sure, for justification before God, or perform them
in any respect with a view to obtain justification by
them, they make void the cross of Christ, and cut
1GO 1 PETER, I. 15, 16. [2386.
themselves off from all hope of an interest in him.
The Gospel authorizes us to say, that the most aban
doned of mankind are as welcome to all its benefits as
the most moral ; and that " where sin has abounded,
grace shall much more abound." Now, these state
ments certainly do appear open to the objection that
is brought against them : for, if past sins are no bar
to our acceptance with God, and moral services can
not procure it, to what purpose is it to avoid sin, or
to do good works ? We may as well at once give
loose to all our evil propensities, and " continue in
sin, that grace may abound." Now, it is worthy of
particular notice, that these were the very objections
urged against St. Paul s statements a : and he was
constrained to answer them, not by weakening the
force of his statements, but by obviating the objec
tions themselves ; and shewing, that the Gospel, as
preached by him, both made provision for holiness,
and secured it against a possibility of failure b . The
truth is, that though the law, as a covenant, is super
seded by the Gospel, which introduces a better cove
nant, it is in force as much as ever, as a rule of life ;
and that, whilst we are without the law, in relation to
its ceremonial ordinances, we are " not without law to
God, but under the law to Christ," in relation to its
moral power and ascendency*. St. Peter shews this
with peculiar force : for, speaking to persons who
were called to the knowledge of Christ and of sal
vation by him, he cites out of the Levitical law the
command of God respecting holiness, and applies it
to Christians as still existing in all its primitive force.
Without any fear, therefore, of being legal, as it is
called, or of clogging the Gospel with duties not
pertaining to it, I proceed to set before you,
I. The injunction given us
Repeatedly was this command given to the Jews
of old d . Let us consider,
1. Its import
a Rom. v. 1, 15. fa Rom. iii. 31.
c 1 Cor. ix. 21. d Lev. xi. 44. xix. 2. and xx. 7.
2386.] NECESSITY OF HOLINESS. 161
[Holiness is a conformity to the mind and will of God.
And to it are we called by the Gospel 6 . " The grace which
brings salvation to us, teaches us, that, denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world f ." Negative holiness, if I may so
express myself, is to be sought in the first instance. We are
" no longer to fashion ourselves according to our former lusts
in our ignorance g ;" but, advancing to the positive execution of
our duty, we are to be u holy in all manner of conversation."
In all our walk with God, we must be sincere and upright :
there must be no allowed guile in our hearts. And in our
intercourse with men, every action, word, and thought, must
be under the influence of love, and agreeable to its dictates.
Neither times nor circumstances are so to operate as to pro
duce in us any allowed deviation from God s perfect law. We
are to be altogether " a holy people unto the Lord." It was
for this end that the Lord Jesus Christ both lived and died,
even " that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works 11 ." And
to this are we chosen by God himself: for though " we were
chosen to salvation, it was to be through sanctification of the
Spirit, as well as through the belief of the truth 1 ." To this
effect St. Paul speaks: " God has chosen us in Christ before
the foundation of the world, that we may be holy k ." And to
the same effect St. Peter also says, in the commencement of
this epistle ; " We are elect, according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience 1 ." The command then is clear, that we are to be
holy both in heart and life.]
2. The reason with which it is enforced
[As children of God, we ought to be " children of obe
dience." The very circumstance of our having been " called "
by divine grace, lays this obligation upon us. But there is a
remarkable force in the reason here assigned ; " Be ye holy ;
FOR I am holy." It seems to import these three things : " Be
ye holy ; for without holiness you cannot belong to me, or
enjoy me, or dwell with me in my kingdom." I could never
acknowledge an unholy person as having an interest in my
favour : it would be unworthy of me : it would be to make
myself a patron and partaker of his sins. Nor could an unholy
being gain access to me : his very dispositions would separate
him from me; and prevent his having communion with me.
Nor, though he were admitted into heaven, could he be happy
c 1 Thess. iv. 7. f Tit. ii. 11, 12. & ver. 14.
* Tit. ii. 14. * 2 Thess. ii. 13. * Eph. i. 4.
1 ver. 2.
VOL. XX. M
162 1 PETER, I. 15, 16. [2386.
there. He would find no one there that resembled him, or
that had a like taste with him, or that could join with him in
any of his pursuits. He would be out of his element alto
gether : nor would one in hell pant more for deliverance, to
get rid of his pains, than he would for an escape from the
company and occupations for which he felt no relish. Hence,
when God says, " Be ye holy ; for I am holy," we must under
stand him, not as issuing a mere arbitrary command, but as
declaring, that none but a holy being has any reason to expect,
or any capacity to enjoy, his favour.]
But we shall have a deeper insight into the injunc
tion, if we consider,
II. The exhortation founded upon it
" As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy,
in all manner of conversation." In these words the
Apostle does not merely confirm the authority of the
injunction itself, but points out the extent to which
it is to be obeyed, and the object we must aim at in
order to a full compliance with it.
We must take God himself for our pattern" 1
[The natural perfections of the Deity are, and ever must
be, peculiar to himself: but his moral perfections must be
possessed by us, so far as we are capable of attaining them.
His goodness, his patience, his mercy, his love, his truth, his
faithfulness, are all to be imitated by us ; so that " what God
himself is in the world, that are we to be also"." That we
might be at no loss on this all-important subject, the Lord
Jesus Christ has " set us an example, that we might follow his
steps :" and we are "to walk in all things as he walked p ,"
and to " purify ourselves even as he was pure q ." Of course,
we cannot expect ever to attain his perfection: but that is no
reason why we should not aim at it. There is no one point
in which we should allow ourselves to fall short of it : we
should strive to be holy in all things, even as God himself is
holy ; and " perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is
perfect 1 ."]
By this must we shew that we are his people
indeed
[It is to this that " God has called us." It is the very
object which he had in view, in his whole work of grace upon
m This is the idea suggested in the original. n 1 John iv. 17.
1 Pet. ii. 24. Pi John ii. 6. <i 1 John iii. 3.
r Matt. v. 48.
2386.] NECESSITY OF HOLINESS. 163
our souls, even that we might be " created anew after his
image, in righteousness and true holiness s ." And, if our hearts
be upright before God, this is the thing which we shall pant
after, no less than after heaven itself. Sin will be our burthen
and aversion ; and a conformity to God will be regarded as
the first object of our desire. Yea, to be " like him" will be
contemplated by us as the perfection of our happiness, in
" seeing him as he is 1 ."]
ADDRESS
1. Those who are yet in nature s "ignorance"
[To exhort you to holiness were a vain attempt. You
have no eyes to discern, no heart to appreciate its excellence.
You must have the eyes of your understanding enlightened by
the Spirit of God, before you can form any just conception of
the beauty of holiness: you must have your heart of stone
removed, and a heart of flesh given you, before you can be
capable of bearing on you any lineaments of the Divine image.
Let your first concern, therefore, be to become regenerate:
for most assuredly, except ye be born again, you can never
enter into, nor ever see, the kingdom of God. Remember, I
say not this to those only who are openly and grossly wicked :
I say it to the most moral amongst you : if you were as moral
and amiable as Nicodemus himself, I would say to you, " Ye
must be born again u ." " A new heart must be given you,
and a new spirit must be put within you," ere you can have
the very first principles of holiness in your souls. I pray you,
therefore, to seek this first of blessings at the hands of God ;
and not to rest, till, through the operation of his Spirit upon
your souls, " old things are passed away, and all things are
become new."] <
2. Those who have been " called " out of darkness
into God s marvellous light
[You are longing for the very blessing of which we have
spoken. But in many of you there yet remains a considerable
degree of ignorance respecting the appointed method of obtain
ing it. You are looking too much to your own exertions, and
too little to the Saviour : and hence you make but little pro
gress in the divine life. Hence, also, you obtain but little
comfort in your own souls. You are ready to say, How can I
be a child of God, when I bear so little of his image ? and how
can I venture to apply to myself his promises, whilst I am so
unworthy of them. But these persons need to be informed,
that they reverse God s method of making his people holy.
They would become holy first, and then apply to themselves
8 Eph. iv. 24. t 1 John iii. 2. u John iii. 3, 5, 7.
Mo
rv
164. 1 PETER, I. 17. [2387.
the promises of God : whereas they must first take to them
selves the promises of God as sinners ; and then, through their
influence upon the soul, obtain a conformity to the Divine
image. " God has given to us exceeding great and precious
promises, that by them we may be made partakers of the Divine
nature x ." Hence the Apostle says, "Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthi-
ness, both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God y ." Adopt this method, then: look to the Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ, and " lay hold on him as your sure hope
and refuge." First receive him in all the freeness and all the
fulness of his salvation ; then shall you attain the holiness you
desire ; and be able to say with the Apostle, " We, beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord 2 ."]
x 2 Pet. i. 4. y 2 Cor. vii. 1. z 2 Cor. iii. 18.
MMCCCLXXXVII.
THE NECESSITY OF HOLY FEAR.
1 Pet. i. 17. If ye call on the Father, who without respect of
persons judgeth according to every mans work, pa-ss the time
of your sojourning here in fear.
CHRISTIANS possess many privileges by means
of their relation to God ; yet it is not their privileges,
but their practical improvement of them, that will
determine their state in the eternal world. They are
called to be holy after the example of their God ; and
they must be conformed to his image, if they would
be partakers of his glory. There will be no more
partiality shewn to them than to others in the day
of judgment. God will determine the fate of all by
their actions ; and the condition for which they are
meet, shall be the condition allotted them to all
eternity. St. Peter, inculcating the need of holy fear,
insists upon it particularly as conducing to fit us
for that strict account to which we shall all be very
shortly called. In discoursing on his words we shall
shew,
I. The impartiality of the future judgment
2387.] THE NECESSITY OF HOLY FEAR. 165
The children of God maintain communion with
God as their Father in Christ
[The Apostle speaks of Christians as " obedient chil
dren ;" and as calling upon the Father for a supply of their
daily wants. This is the privilege of all true Christians ; " a
spirit of adoption is given them, that they may cry, Abba,
Father ;" and, because they are children, they may expect to
receive all the glory of heaven as their inheritance ]
Nevertheless they will experience no partiality in
the day of judgment
[Among men it is but too common for parents to feel an
undue bias in concerns relating to their children. But God
has established one mode of procedure for all. His written
law is the standard to which every thing shall be referred.
The principles from which our actions flowed, the manner in
which they were performed, and the end for which they were
done, will be minutely investigated, and a sentence passed
upon us according to their real quality. There will be no dif
ference in this respect between Jew or Gentile, rich or poor ;
nor will any regard be shewn to men s professions : it will be
to no purpose to plead, " that they had Abraham to their
Father," or that they had " cast out devils in the name of
Christ;" the one inquiry will be, Were ye holy? and accord
ing as this appears, their state will be for ever fixed.]
Interested as we are in the event of that day, let
us inquire into,
II. The influence which this consideration should
have upon us
God requires us to pass our short span of life in
fear
[We are " sojourners in this world, as all our fathers
were." It is but a short time that any of us have to live, and
then we shall be removed to our long home. The present state
is a state of probation, a moment allotted us to prepare for
eternity. Under such circumstances we should be " working
out our salvation with fear and trembling." Not that we should
indulge a servile dread of God as a hard master, and a vin
dictive judge, but a holy reverential fear of offending him, and
a tender concern to please him in all things. This is " the
fear in which we should walk all the day long."]
Nor can any thing tend more to produce this fear
in us than the consideration now before us
166 1 PETER, I. 17. [2387.
[Shall I be judged according to my works? Will every
action, word, and thought, be weighed in the balance of the
sanctuary ? Will all my motives be inspected by Him, who
" searcheth the heart, and weigheth the spirits?" Surely I
have need to fear, lest some hidden abomination lurk within
me, and lest I should be " speaking peace to my soul when
there is no peace." I need be studious to please him, whose
favour or displeasure are of such importance to my soul. If I
must stand or fall for eternity, it becomes me to redouble my
care.]
Now, methinks, you will say, Give me some SPECIAL
DIRECTIONS, that I may know how to carry into
effect the Apostle s advice. This I will endea
vour to do in four particulars.
1. Be watchful against all occasions of sin
[Our Lord has taught us to " pray lest we enter into
temptation ;" for in temptation how rarely do we retain our
integrity! Let not those pretend to fear God, who need
lessly expose themselves to the assaults of Satan. If we would
" keep our garments clean," we must be careful ivhere, and
with whom we walk. Does the command to " come out from
the world" appear severe? it is not severe, but merciful, and
necessary. If I bade you not go where the plague was raging,
would you account that severe ? May God enable all of you
carefully to obey it, that you may escape infection, and
live!]
2. Reflect frequently on the strictness of that
scrutiny which we must undergo
[When tempted to sin, let us not ask, What will the world
say? but, How will this appear in God s eyes? How will this
affect my eternal state ? Apply this thought to your duties
as well as to your temptations ; How will this service appear
when brought to the touchstone of God s law? If this be
done, too many of us will have to rank their services among
their greatest sins.]
3. Apply continually to the blood of Christ for
pardon
[However circumspect we be, our feet will contract some
defilement in this polluted world ; and " if Christ wash us not,
we can have no part with him." Indeed our very tears need
to be washed, and our repentances to be repented of: nor is
there any fountain but that of the Redeemer s blood, that
can ever cleanse us. There, however, " sins even of a crimson
die may be made white as snow." Let there then be no hour
2388.] REDEMPTION FROM A VAIN CONVERSATION. 167
wherein we do not bathe in that fountain, lest sin be found
upon us in the day that we give up our account to God.]
4. Be much in prayer for the direction and assist
ance of the Holy Spirit
[In vain will be all our fear and caution, if God do not
both direct and uphold us : if he leave us for one moment, we
fall; "without him we can do nothing." Let us then be often
praying, " Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Thus shall
we escape the snares that are laid for our feet, and " be pre
served blameless unto his heavenly kingdom."]
MMCCCLXXXVIII.
REDEMPTION FROM A VAIN CONVERSATION.
1 Pet. i. 18, 19. Ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conver
sation received by tradition from your fathers ; but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.
THE Christian s duty is by no means easy to be
performed. It requires the exercise of much firm
ness and self-denial. The inspired writers, aware of
this, enforce it by every consideration that can in
fluence our minds. In the passage before us the
Apostle is recommending an holy fear and jealousy
lest we should be drawn back into the love of this
present world. He first urges this duty from a regard
to the impartial tribunal of God a , and then from the
very intent of Christ s death. This latter and most
powerful argument calls for our attention at this time.
To illustrate it we shall consider,
I. The extent of man s redemption
The " conversation" of men in all ages and in all
places has been the same
[Different customs indeed have obtained in different
countries : but all have walked after the imagination of their
own hearts : they have prohibited such things as they thought
injurious to the welfare of society, but left themselves at liberty
to consult their own inclinations in every tiling else. Their
a ver. 17.
168 1 PETER, I. 18, 19. [2388.
practices in time formed a kind of law. What was sanctioned
by one generation was followed by another. And the " con
versation received by tradition from their fathers" was that
which was adopted by every succeeding age.]
It is almost superfluous to observe that such con
versation has been " vain"-
[Let any one ask himself what has his past conversation
profited him ? Has it given him any solid satisfaction ? No ;
the remembrance of it cannot at all assuage the anguish of a
mind bowed down with affliction, much less of a mind bur-
thened with a sense of guilt. Has it brought honour to God,
or any real benefit to mankind ? It has been the means of
almost shutting out the knowledge of God from the world ;
but has never honoured him in any single instance: and as for
mankind, if it have in any respect advanced their temporal
interests, it has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts,
and encouraged them to walk in the broad way that leadeth to
destruction.]
From this however the true Christian has been
redeemed
[Tt is not only from hell that the Christian is delivered,
but from sin. He once indeed "walked according to the
course of this world (which is the devil s course b ) fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind even as others :" but now
he has seen the vanity of such a life : he proposes to himself
another pattern, even Jesus, " who hath set us an example,
that we should follow his steps :" he is no longer " conformed
to this world, but transformed by the renewing of his mind."
By the cross of Christ the world is become lothesome to him,
even as a crucified object : while he is in it indeed, he per
forms the duties of it in a conscientious manner : but he goes
into it only, as a physician into an hospital, from a sense of
duty, and for the good of others ; and is glad enough to retire
from it to a purer atmosphere.]
He endeavours to keep before his eyes,,
II. The price paid for him
Slaves and captives are redeemed with silver and
gold ; but gold was of no value in the redemption of
our souls
[The whole world was not a sufficient price for one soul :
it could not atone for our sin or reconcile an offended God :
nor could it at all avail to change our carnal dispositions.
b Eph. ii. 2, 3. c Gal. vi. 14.
2388.] REDEMPTION FROM A VAIN CONVERSATION. 169
Gold and silver might rivet our chains, and fix us more strongly
in a vain conversation ; but it could never detach us from the
love of present things.]
That, which alone was of value sufficient, was,
" the precious blood of Christ"
[The lamb that was offered daily in sacrifice to God was
to be spotless and without blemish. By its blood, atonement
was made for the sins of the Jewish nation ; and they were
preserved a holy and peculiar people. This was a typical ordi
nance : it represented Christ, who in due time " offered himself
without spot to God :" and the benefits visibly, and in a figure,
enjoyed by the Jewish nation, are invisibly, but really enjoyed
by us. We have the substance of which they had the shadow.
Well then might the Apostle call his blood " precious." There
is no bondage from which it does not deliver us. Were we
under the curse and condemnation of the law ? The blood of
Christ redeems us from the penalty of all our transgressions :
it gives peace to the guilty, and liberty to the captive, soul: it
frees, moreover, from all the snares and entanglements of this
vain world. This is mentioned both in the text and in other
places as a principal end of Christ s death d . Precious indeed
is it, when its influence is thus felt. To a true Christian the
blood of Christ is not less precious as delivering him from sin,
than it is as delivering him from hell itself.]
While we wonder that such a price was ever paid,
let us inquire into,
III. The effect which the consideration of this price
should have upon us
The Apostle introduces the text as an argument
for passing our time in fear
[A slavish fear is one of those things from which we are
delivered by the blood of Christ. We sprinkle that blood on
our door-posts, and have no dread of the destroying angel.
But there is a holy jealousy, which it is our duty ever to
maintain. We are only sojourners in this world, and are
hastening to our Father s house. We are moreover in danger
of being diverted from our path. We have a subtle adversary
and a deceitful heart. Sin itself also is deceitful, and will
beguile us, if we watch not against its wiles. We should there
fore be on our guard, and pass the time of our sojourning here
in fear.]
And well may this effect be produced by such a
wonderful consideration
* Gal. i. 4.
170 1 PETER, I. 18, 19. [2388.
[Were we laden with bags of gold, we should be cautious
how we ventured ourselves among thieves and robbers. And
shall we be careless when we carry about with us what is of
more value than the whole world ? Shall we trifle with that
which nothing but the precious blood of God s own Son could
redeem? Shall Satan as a roaring lion go about seeking to
devour us, and we not stand on our guard against him ? Shall
we suffer him to " destroy that for which Christ died?" O let
not that precious blood be so vile in our eyes. Let not our
souls appear of so little value. Let us rather watch night and
day. It is but a little time : soon we shall be at home ; safe
in the bosom of our Lord, safe beyond the reach of harm.]
APPLICATION
1. Let us inquire what we "know" concerning
these things
[The Apostle takes for granted that all Christians " know"
them. But do ye know them ? Do ye know that a worldly
conversation is a vain conversation ? Do ye know that no
resolutions, no services, yea, nothing but the precious blood of
Christ could ever redeem you from it ? And do ye know by
daily experience the efficacy of his blood in that view ? " Ex
amine yourselves whether ye be in the faith," and whether you
have that deadness to the world, which alone can warrant a
favourable conclusion. If ye be Christ s, " ye are not of the
world, even as he was not of the world 6 :" " ye are dead to it,"
and " have your conversation in heavenV]
2. Let us labour to experience them more and
more
[There is something very fascinating in the temptations
of the world. Its pleasures, riches, or honours are but too
apt to draw us aside. But whenever ye are tempted, say,
Shall I return to that bondage from which I have been re
deemed with the precious blood of Christ ? Shall I trample
under foot the Son of God, and crucify him afresh e ? Shall I,
as it were, see his dead corpse lying in my way, and go over
that to the gratification of my base desires? Surely such re
flections will not fail to animate your resolution, and to keep
you at a distance from those scenes of vanity, where your
steadfastness would be endangered. Let us live as citizens of
a better country, and " no more fashion ourselves according
to our former lusts in our ignorance 11 ." Let us drink of purer
pleasures, even of " that river, the streams whereof make glad
the city of God." Thus, experiencing the full benefits of
redeeming love on earth, we shall ere long sing its praises in
heaven for evermore.]
e John xvii. 16. f Phil. iii. 20. s Heb. x. 29. h 1 Pet. i. 14.
2389.] THE FATHER S PART IN REDEMPTION. 171
MMCCCLXXXIX.
THE FATHER S PART IN THE WORK OF REDEMPTION.
1 Pet. i. 20, 21. Who verily was foreordained before the foun
dation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for
you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from
the dead, and gave him glory ; that your faith and hope might
be in God.
THE salvation of man is with great propriety
ascribed to Christ, because he laid down his own
life a ransom for us. But we shall have very imper
fect views of this mystery, if we do not trace it up to
God the Father, and see him concurring with Christ
in every part, and performing, as it were, an appro
priate office in the economy of redemption. Indeed
a distinct knowledge of the Father s work is highly
conducive to our progress in the divine life. This
being intimated in the text, we shall endeavour to
shew,
I. What part the Father bore in the work of redemp
tion
He ordained his Son to his mediatorial office from
all eternity
[As the prophets frequently speak of the Messiah as sent
and qualified for his office by the Father*, so our Lord him
self constantly acknowledged that he received his commission
from him b . Nor was he first appointed when he became
incarnate : he was fore-ordained before the foundation of the
world. The time of his incarnation, the manner of his death,
together with every the minutest circumstance relating to him,
were fixed in the Divine counsels . Hence he is called the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world d .]
In due season he manifested his Son to the world
[The Father prepared him a body in the Virgin s womb ;
and by a preternatural star conducted the Magi to him as
soon as he was born. He afterwards bore testimony to him
repeatedly by an audible voice from heaven, and by causing
the Holy Ghost to light visibly upon him with the hovering
a Isai. xlii. 1. b John viii. 28, 42.
c Acts ii. 23. and iv. 28. d Rev. xiii. 8.
172 1 PETER, I. 20, 21. [2389.
motion of a dove. In all the miracles which he wrought, the
Father bore witness of him 6 even in the hour of his disso
lution, when most of all his divine mission might seem doubt
ful, even then did the Father so testify of him, as to make the
Centurion, who superintended the execution, exclaim, Truly
this was the Son of God f !]
After suffering him to be put to death,, he raised
him up again from the dead
[Jesus was able to raise himself, and is often said to have
risen by his own power g . But we are expressly told here,
and in many other places, that the Father also raised him h .
Indeed, as the Father, to whose justice he paid the debt, gave,
as it were, the commission, by virtue of which he was im
prisoned in the grave, it was necessary that he should also
give him his discharge, when the demands of justice were fully
satisfied. Accordingly, his restoration to life is spoken of as
the strongest evidence of his Messiahship, and of his having
finished that work which the Father had given him to do .]
Lastly he exalted him to heaven, and invested him
with all the glory thereof
[Jesus, in his obedience, had looked to " the joy that was
set before him ;" and when that obedience was fulfilled, his
Father gave him the promised reward. He placed that very
person, who was crucified, at his own right hand. He seated
him upon his own eternal throne, and committed the govern
ment of the universe into his hands k . He has commanded all
to honour HIM even as himself; and to all eternity shall that
adorable Lamb of God be the medium of his people s happi
ness, as he has been the Author and Procurer of it.]
That this is not a matter of mere speculation will
appear, if we inquire,
II. What effect the consideration of it is intended to
produce upon us ?
The ultimate end, for which the Father has thus
interposed on our behalf, is, to glorify himself in the
salvation of man. But there are other and more
immediate ends, which the knowledge of his inter
ference is intended to accomplish :
1. It should confirm our faith
e John v. 36. f Matt, xxvii. 54.
s John ii. 19. and x. 18. * Acts ii. 32. iv. 10. and v. 30.
1 Rom. i. 4. k p hil . iL 9_ lh
2389.] THE FATHER S PART IN REDEMPTION. 173
[We are called particularly to believe that Christ was the
true Messiah ; that he performed every thing that was neces
sary for our salvation ; and that the Father is willing to be
reconciled to all who come to him by Jesus. Now it is not
possible to entertain a doubt of any one of these points, if we
duly consider what the Father has done for us. Would God
have so frequently, and in such a wonderful manner, borne
witness to Jesus if he had been an impostor? Would
he have liberated him from the prison of the grave, and have
exalted him to glory, if the work assigned him had been left
unfinished Would he have sent him into the world to
redeem us, and have so gloriously rewarded his services, if,
after all, he were not willing to accept returning prodigals ?
Can we suppose that God has done all these things
only to mock, and to deceive us ? Far be it from us to enter
tain the thought one moment. Let us rather conclude, that,
as "it is impossible for God to lie," so it is most injurious to
him to question one jot or tittle of the record which he has
given us of his Son.]
2. It should enliven our hope
[Many are the grounds upon which we are apt to indulge
fear and despondency : but there is not one, which a due con
sideration of what God has done would not instantly remove.
Do we suppose ourselves to have been overlooked by God ?
He gave his Son to be " a propitiation, not for our sins only,
but also for the sins of the whole world ;" and has asserted
with an oath, that he is " not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance and live." Do we
imagine ourselves to be too vile ? " It is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that he sent his Son to save sinners,
even the chief" Do we fear lest, nottvithstanding we do believe,
we should by some means or other be left to perish ? Behold
he has exalted his Son as our Head, our Representative, our
Forerunner, in whom we are already accepted, and with whom
we shall assuredly be glorified in due season : yea, " he has
made his Son to be Head over all things to his Church," in
order that HE may put all his enemies under his feet, and
secure the purchase of his own blood. Let us then yield no
more to gloomy apprehensions, but ask of God the gift of his
blessed Spirit, through whose powerful influence we shall both
abound and rejoice in hope 1 .]
In CONCLUSION let me tell you
1. Who they are that are especially interested in
this great mystery
1 Rom. xv. 13
174 1 PETER, I. 20, 21. [2389.
[It was manifested for " those wlio by Christ do believe in
God :" these are the persons interested in it, these universally,
and these alone. Shew me a poor self-condemning sinner,
one who under a sense of his utter guilt and helplessness comes
to God through Christ, renouncing all dependence on himself,
and hoping for acceptance solely through the merits and me
diation of the Lord Jesus, lie is the person for whom God sent
his only-begotten Son ; he is the person for whose benefit
God raised up and glorified his Son, and for whose complete
salvation he has invested his Son with all power in heaven and
in earth. A man who feels not his own guilt and danger has
no interest in all this; nor has the man who relies in any
measure on his own righteousness or strength for his accept
ance with God. It is the penitent believer, and he alone, that
can derive any comfort from this stupendous mystery. Dear
brethren, let this sink deep into your hearts ; you must come
to God through Christ, and " believe in God in and by Christ."
I pray you, do not forget this : for, till you come to God in
this way, you have no saving faith, no scriptural hope. But,
if once you be brought to this state of affiance in the Lord
Jesus, whatever you may have been, or whatever you may
have done, in times past, God s promises are made to you,
and shall be fulfilled in you ; for " they are all yea and amen
in Christ Jesus." " All things are yours, if ye are Christ s ;
and, as Christ is God s," so shall ye be to all eternity.]
2. What more particularly this mystery speaks to
them
[God s design in all was, " that your faith and hope might
be in God." This then it says to you ; Believe in God, and
hope in God. Did God fail in any thing which he had pro
mised to his dear Son ? Neither then will he fail you, if only
you believe in him. Look at the Lord Jesus: see his dis
couragements : see him in the manger at Bethlehem : what
can that infant ever do ? see him in the garden of Gethsemane,
and on the cross, and in the grave : what can be hoped for
from him ? But behold him rising from the grave, ascending
to heaven, seated on his throne, and invested with all power
in heaven and in earth ; and then you will see what God can
and will do for you in your most desperate condition. The
power exercised for Christ is the same that is engaged for
you : yea, and the work wrought in and for Christ, is the very
pattern and pledge of what shall be wrought for you. Do I
speak too strongly here ? Consult the Apostle Paul : it is
the very thing which he himself speaks by inspiration of God :
he declares, that " the exceeding greatness of God s power
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him up from the
dead, and set him at his own right hand above all the princi-
2390.] LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 175
palities and powers of earth and hell, is that which he will
exercise towards every believing soul m " Look then
to God and " believe in him :" yea look at Christ Jesus, and
" hope," that, for his sake, all that has been done in and for
him, shall be done in and for you. Think of nothing less :
expect nothing less : be satisfied with nothing less : and, if at
any time a doubting thought arise, chide your drooping spirit,
as David did, and say, " Why art thou cast down, O my soul,
and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God ;
for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance
and my God n ."]
m Eph. i. 1921. n Ps. xlii. 11.
MMCCCXC.
LOVE TO THE BRETHREN.
1 Pet. i. 22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren,
see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
AS our Christian profession lays us under peculiar
obligations to holiness, so our Christian experience
should influence us to exert ourselves as much as
possible in the service of our God. The more we
have attained, the more we should aspire after still
higher attainments. To this effect is St. Peter s
exhortation in the passage before us. In his words
we may observe,
I. What he takes for granted respecting all true
Christians
The Apostle, writing to those who professed to be
followers of Christ, gives them credit that they were
his disciples indeed ; and takes for granted,
1. That they had " obeyed the truth"
[To "obey the truth" is, in scripture-language, the same
as to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The substance of the
divine record is, that in Christ Jesus there is life, and that we
either have life or are destitute of it, according as we possess,
or are destitute of, the knowledge of Christ a . This is the true
record of God, which we are enjoined to receive with all
a 1 John v. 11, 12.
17(5 1 PETER, I. 22. [2390.
humility and thankfulness ; and when we so embrace it as to
found all our hopes of salvation entirely upon it, then we may
properly be said to obey the truth. Now this every Christian
does ; he does not merely give his assent to any propositions
about Christ, but he " flees to Christ for refuge," and relies
upon him as his only Saviour. And the Apostle takes for
granted (with good reason too) that they to whom he was
writing, had so received Christ : for, however they might have
been baptized into the faith of Christ, they were no better than
mere heathens, if they had not truly believed in him.]
2. That in obeying the truth they had also " puri-
rified their souls"
[We may cleanse the outward part of our conduct by
various means. A regard to our reputation, a self-righteous
desire of recommending ourselves to God, or a spirit of pride
and self-complacency, will be sufficient to rectify in a measure
our external behaviour ; but it is the property of faith alone
to purify the heart b . And as nothing but faith will prevail
for this end, so wherever faith is, it will infallibly produce this
effect . The faith that has not this fruit is dead ; and will no
more avail for our salvation than the faith of devils d . Well
therefore does the Apostle take it for granted, that they, to
whom he wrote, experienced this effect of their faith ; seeing
that it is the principal intent of the Gospel to ensure and
produce it 6 .]
3. That they had so purified their souls as to have
attained an unfeigned love of the brethren
[As faith purifies the heart, so in a more especial manner
it " works by love f ." The love of the brethren never was nor
ever can be, found in an unrenewed soul. There may be a
semblance of it ; there may be a partial attachment to our own
sect and party, or a carnal attachment to a person who is
spiritually-minded ; but there never can be a love to spiritual
persons simply on account of their relation to Christ, and their
conformity to his image. But let the smallest portion of true
grace be imparted to the soul, and instantly will this love spring
up in the heart. Many things indeed may occur in the mind
to restrain its exercise for a season, and to impede its growth ;
but it may be taken for granted that this principle both abides
and operates in the heart of every true Christian ; " he that
loveth him that begat, cannot but love those who are begotten
of him C ]
b Acts xv. 9. c 1 John iii. 3. d Jam. ii. 19, 20.
e Tit. ii. 11, 12. f Gal. v. 6. e 1 John v. 1.
2390.] LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 177
4. That they had attained all this through the
influence of the Holy Spirit
[Faith itself cannot exist in the heart, till the Spirit of
God has wrought it in us : he must overcome our reluctance,
and make us willing to obey the truth h . Neither can our
hearts be purified but by the same almighty power. Faith
indeed is the instrument whereby our sanctification is effected ;
but the Holy Spirit is the agent. Every progressive step of it
must be wrought by him 1 . Our love can flow from no other
source ; whatever be the grace that is exercised by us, He must
be acknowledged as the author of it ; " it is the same Spirit
that worketh all in allV]
If what is here taken for granted be really found
in us, nothing will be more acceptable than,
II. The exhortation grounded upon it
" The end of the commandment," says the Apostle,
" is charity ;" and our profession as Christians sup
poses that it exists, and operates, in our hearts. But
care must be taken that it be exercised,
1. With sincerity
[There is a politeness and civility which is only a counter
feit of Christian love : but it is not this which the text incul
cates. We are indeed commanded in other parts of Scripture
to " be courteous ;" and it would be well if some professors of
religion paid more attention to this command. But the love
enjoined in the text, is an " unfeigned" love to all the saints,
arising from a view of their relation to God, and to ourselves.
It must be an abiding principle in our hearts, operating uni
formly in the whole of our conduct towards them. It must
lead us to exercise meekness, forbearance, and forgiveness, and
to seek both their temporal and spiritual welfare, as occasion
may serve 1 . In short, our love must be without dissimulation" 1 ;
it must be not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in
truth".]
2. With purity-
[Even where there is a portion of Christian love, there
may be a considerable alloy mixed with it. We may be influ
enced too much by selfish considerations. We may be seeking
our own interest or honour, while we imagine that we are
giving a testimony of Christian love. Yea, our love which
was pure at first, may easily degenerate into mere carnal affec
tion. The greatest caution is necessary, especially among
h Ps. ex. 3. ! Rom. viii. 13. k 1 Cor. xii. 711.
1 1 Cor. xiii. 4 7. m Rom. xii. 9. n 1 John iii. 18.
VOL. XX. N
178 1 PETER, I. 22. [2390.
young persons, lest our hearts betray us into indiscretion
of any kind, and Satan take advantage of us to lead us into
sin.]
3. With fervour
[An empty profession of benevolence to the poor will not
be deemed equivalent to an actual relieving of their wants ; nor
will a cold expression of regard to the brethren fulfil the sacred
duty of love to them. In the latter especially, it should know
no bounds, but those which were affixed to the love of Christ.
Did he love us to such a degree as to lay down his life for us ?
we ought also to lay down our lives for the brethren . There
is no service, however difficult or self-denying, which we should
not render them for good. We should love one another, as
the Greek word means, tf intensely*." To sum up all in one
word, we should love one another, as Christ has loved us q .]
APPLICATION
Let us,
1. Inquire whether the things here taken for
granted be found in us
[Have we indeed received the Holy Ghost? and through
his almighty influence have we believed in Christ, and purified
our souls, and got a principle of holy love implanted in us ?
And do these attainments become so many motives to dili
gence, and means of spiritual advancement ! Let this be duly
weighed, and it will serve to shew us what we are. If we be
in the faith, our self-examination will increase our comfort ;
and, if we be not in the faith, it may be the means of carrying
conviction to the soul. Let us be assured that faith, love, and
holiness universally characterize the Christian, and that our
evidences of conversion will bear an exact proportion to our
attainments in these things 1 . Let therefore our exercise of
these graces be so manifest and undeniable, that the Spirit s
agency in us may be confessed by all 8 .]
2. Endeavour to fulfil the duties that are here
imposed on us
[A sweeter command cannot possibly be given. To obey
it is to enjoy a heaven upon earth. Heaven is a region of
ineffable, unceasing love ; and the more we have of that divine
principle the more happy shall we be. Let us then strive to
mortify whatever may retard its growth in our souls. Let us
beware lest through the abounding of iniquity it wax cold.
And let us strive to exercise it with all that purity and fervour
which become persons so highly privileged.]
1 John iii. 1C. P EKTEVUQ. q Eph. v. 1, 2. John xv. 12.
r John xiii. 3o. and Isai. Ixi. 9. 8 1 John iii. 19.
2391.] GROWTH IN GRACE TO BE DESIRED. 179
MMCCCXCI.
GROWTH IN GRACE IS TO BE DESIRED.
1 Pet. ii. 1 3. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as
new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye
may grow thereby ; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious.
A STRANGE opinion has obtained amongst some,
that there is no such thing as growth in grace. But
the whole tenour of Scripture, from one end of it to
the other, proclaims the contrary. We will go no
further than to the passage before us, and to the
context connected with it. In the beginning of his
epistle, the Apostle had spoken of Christians as
" begotten by God the Father to a lively hope a ." To
stir them up to walk worthy of their high calling, he
says to them, " Gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end, as obedient children ; not
fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts
in your ignorance ; but, as he who hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation ;
because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holyV
This injunction he enforces by a great variety of
arguments. He urges, first, the consideration, that
God the Father will judge them according to their
works ; then, that they have been redeemed by God
the Son d ; and then, that they have been born of God
the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the
preached word, which unalterably inculcates and
requires holiness 6 . From these premises he deduces
the exhortation in our text : " Wherefore, as new-born
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye
may grow thereby ; if so be ye have tasted, (or as it
should rather be translated, since ye have tasted,) that
the Lord is gracious." Here the idea is kept up of
their being children of God, though children but
* 1 Pet. i. 3. b 1 Pet. i. 1316. 1 Pet. i. 17.
a 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. e 1 Pet. i. 2325.
N 2
180 1 PETER, II. 13. [2391.
newly born ; and they are urged to desire and feed
upon that blessed provision which God has made for
them in his word, and which alone can secure their
growth in the divine life.
The words, thus viewed, will lead us to consider,
I. The character of God s children-
Many are the descriptions given of them in the
Holy Scriptures ; but there is not one in all the
inspired volume more simple or more accurate than
this : " They have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
This, I say, is,
1. Their universal experience
[There is not a child of God in the universe to whom this
character does not belong. The very instant that a child is
born of God, this is his experience. Indeed it is of " new-born
babes" that it is spoken. As to their knowledge of God, his
nature, his perfections, his purposes, it may be extremely
limited and imperfect. Even of the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and of " the exceeding riches of God s grace as dis
played in him," they may know but little: but they have
" tasted that the Lord is gracious," and they do assuredly
know it by their own happy experience. If the person be
young or old, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, he has
learned this, and knows it, and feels it in his inmost soul.
He has heard of the Saviour ; he has sought for mercy through
him ; and he has received into his soul a sense of God s par
doning love and mercy in Christ Jesus : and in this he does
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. He may indeed have received
but a taste : but a taste he has received : and it is " sweeter to
him than thousands of gold and silver." The most uncivilized
savage, when born of God, is in this respect on a footing with
the most enlightened philosopher : he has believed in Christ ;
and he " makes Christ all his salvation, and all his desire."]
2. Their exclusive distinction
[Simple as this is, there is not a creature upon the face
of the whole earth of whom it can with truth be predicated,
but of one who has been " begotten of God," and " born again
of the Holy Spirit." Others may be very wise and learned,
and may be able to descant with accuracy upon all the deep
things of God, They may in words and in profession greatly
magnify the grace of God : but they have never had a taste
of it in their own souls. And the reason is plain : they
have never felt their undone state by nature : they have never
been sensible of the immense load of guilt which they have
2391.] GROWTH IN GRACE TO BE DESIRED. 181
contracted by their own actual transgressions. Consequently,
they have never trembled for fear of God s wrath, nor with
strong crying and tears sought deliverance from it through
the atoning blood of Jesus. Hence the grace of God has
never been extended to them ; and consequently they have
never " tasted that the Lord is gracious." They, as I have
before said, may descant learnedly upon the subject of divine
grace ; but their discussions proceed from the head only, and
not from the heart. As a man who has never tasted honey,
however conversant he may be with its qualities, has no just
conception of its flavour, so none but he who has experienced
the grace of God in his soul can know really what it is.
He knows it, because he has tasted it: and others know it not,
because they have not tasted it.]
The Apostle addressing these declares to them,
II. Their duty-
He teaches them,
1. What they are to put away, as injurious to their
welfare
[The unconverted man, though he may appear righteous
before men, is in reality full of the most abominable evils.
He may not indulge in any gross sins; but he is full of
" malice" towards those who have injured him in any tender
point; and would feel gratified, rather than pained, at any
evil that should befall him. His whole converse with mankind,
too, is for the most part little better than one continued system
of "guile and hypocrisy" which are the two chief constituents
of what is called politeness. If a rival surpass him in any
thing on which his heart is set, and gain the honours which he
panted for, he will soon find that the spirit which is in him
lusteth to " envy." Moreover, whether he be more or less
guarded in his general conversation, he will find in himself a
propensity to " evil speaking," as if he felt himself more
elevated in proportion as others are depressed. Now these
dispositions are more or less dominant in the natural man, as
St. Paul has strongly and repeatedly declared f and,
after a person is converted to the faith of Christ, he needs to
watch and pray against them with all imaginable care : for as
inveterate disorders in the constitution will impede the growth,
and destroy the vigour, of the body, so will these hateful
dispositions " war against," and, if not subdued and mortified,
prevail to the destruction of, the soul. These things therefore
must be " put away."]
f Eph. ii. 3. Tit. iii. 3.
182 1 PETER, II. 13. [2391.
2. What they must seek after, as conducive to
their growth
[As " the word is the incorruptible seed of which they
are born^," so is it the food, upon which, as " new-born
babes," they must subsist. In the inspired volume, they have
truth without any mixture of error. The writings of men
take partial views of things, and all more or less savour of
human infirmity. Nor can the soul live upon them. If we
have read a human composition two or three times, we are
weary of it : but this is not the case with the word of God :
that is ever new, and ever sweet to the taste of a regenerate
soul. A little infant affects nothing so much as its mother s
breast. From day to day it prefers that before every thing
else that can be offered to it : and it thrives with that, better
than with any food that human ingenuity can devise. So in
the " sincere" and unadulterated " milk of the word," there is
something more sweet and nutritious, than in all other books
in the universe. In the inspired volume, God is presented to
the soul under such endearing characters; the Lord Jesus
Christ is set forth in such glorious views ; the precepts, the
promises, the threatenings, the examples, are all so harmo
niously blended ; in short, truths of every kind are conveyed
to the mind with such simple majesty and commanding force,
that they insinuate themselves into the whole frame of the
soul, and nourish it in a way that no human composition can.
This therefore we should desire, in order to our spiritual
growth. We should read it, meditate upon it, delight our
selves in it : we should embrace every truth contained in it ;
its precepts, in order to a more entire conformity to them ;
its promises, in order to the encouragement of our souls in
aspiring after the highest degrees of holiness. In short, we
should get it blended with the whole frame and constitution of
our souls, so that, to all who behold us from day to day, our
growth and profiting may appear : nor should we be satisfied
with any attainment, till we have arrived at " the full measure
of the stature of Christ."]
Let me further IMPROVE this subject,
1. In a way of inquiry
[I am not now about to inquire, Whether you have made
a great proficiency in the divine life, but Whether you have
ever begun to live, or whether you are yet " dead in trespasses
and sins ?" In all the book of God, there is not a more sim
ple, or more decisive test, than in the words before us. The
extent of your knowledge or attainments is at present out of
B 1 Pet. i. 23.
2391.] GROWTH IN GRACE TO BE DESIRED. 183
the question. The only point I wish to ascertain is this ;
" Have you been born again ?" If you have not made any
progress in the divine life, are you " as new-born babes ?"
Have you been brought, as it were, into a new world ? and are
you living altogether in a new way ? I do not ask whether, in
" passing from death unto life," you have experienced any ter
rors of mind; or whether the change has been so sudden, that
you can fix on the time when it commenced? but this I ask,
Whether you have attained such views of Jesus Christ, that he
is become truly " precious to your souls 11 ?" You cannot but
know, that, however you may have been accustomed to call
Christ your Saviour, you have not really found any delight in
him in past times. But if you have been " born again of the
Spirit," a change has taken place in this particular, and you
have been made to feel your obligations to him, and to claim
him as " the Friend, and the Beloved of your soul." I entreat
you to examine carefully into this matter ; for, if this change
have not taken place within you, ye are yet in your sins. Oh,
reflect on what our blessed Lord has so solemnly and so re
peatedly affirmed ; " Verily, verily, I say unto you, that except
a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God 1 ." If you ask, What shall I do to attain this experience?
I would say, Search out your sins, in order that you may know
your need of Christ; and then go to him as the friend of
sinners, who casts out none who come unto him. In a word,
I would refer you to the words of our text, as contained in the
34th Psalm, from whence they are taken ; " O taste and see
that the Lord is good ! Blessed is the man that trusteth in
himV]
2. In a way of affectionate exhortation
[You have reason, I will suppose, to believe that you
have been born again ; and that, though of no great stature in
the divine life, you are new-born babes. If this be so, you
have more reason to be thankful than if you were made pos
sessors of the whole world : and I therefore call upon you to
bless and magnify the Lord with your whole souls. But be not
contented to continue in a state of infantine weakness, but
seek to grow up into the stature of " young men, and fathers 1 ."
Some imagine that, as children, they may stand excused for
the smallness of their attainments ; but this is a grievous error.
See with what severity St. Paul reproved the Corinthian con
verts for their want of progress in the divine life. Their con
tinuing babes in their attainments proved them to be yet
carnal, instead of spiritual ; and prevented his feeding them with
h ver. 7. John iii. 3, 5.
k Ps. xxxiv. 8. * 1 John ii. 12, 13.
184 1 PETER, II. 4, 5. [2392.
stronger meat, that would have nourished and strengthened
their souls m . See also how he condemned the same in the
Hebrew converts, who by their infantine weakness were in
capacitated for the reception of those sublime truths, which
he would gladly have imparted to them". Be afraid then of
standing still in religion : for if you make not progress in it,
you will speedily go backward ; and if you decline from God s
ways, O, how terrible will your state become ! The Apostle
tells us, that " if, after having tasted of the heavenly gift, and
tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world
to come, you fall away, it is impossible for you ever to be re
newed unto repentance, seeing that you will have crucified the
Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame ." Seek
then to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ ; and, by a constant attention to the sug
gestions in my text, so increase with the increase of God, that
you may grow up into Christ in all things as your living Head,
and finally attain the full measure of the stature of Christ."]
ra 1 Cor. iii. 14. " Heb. v. 12, 14. Heb. vi. 4 G.
MMCCCXCII.
THE TEMPLE A TYPE.
1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. To whom coming, as unto a living stone) disal
lowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also,
as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priest
hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ.
AS in the natural life, so in the spiritual, a state of
maturity is attained by a slow and gradual progres
sion ; but every one should be aspiring after a further
growth in grace, in order that he may reach the full
measure of the stature of Christ. For this end the
Apostle exhorts those who had tasted that the Lord
is gracious, to covet the sincere milk of the word ;
and to come continually to Christ, in order to their
more abundant edification in faith and love. His
allusions to the material temple are worthy of our
attentive consideration : he compares Christ to the
foundation-stone, and believers to the other stones
built upon it ; thereby shewing, that the temple had
a typical reference to them,
2392.] THE TEMPLE A TYPE. 185
I. In its foundation
Christ is here represented as the foundation-stone
on which all are built
[When personally considered, Christ is represented as the
temple itself, in which dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead a :
but, as considered in relation to his people, he is the foundation-
stone, that supports the whole edifice b . The quality ascribed
to this stone is indeed singular ; but it is perfectly suited to him
of whom it is spoken. Christ is called " a living" stone, not
merely as being of distinguished excellence (as he is also the
" living bread," and " living water ") but as having life in him
self, and being the author of life to all who depend upon him :
a quickening energy proceeds from him, which pervades and
animates every part of this spiritual fabric .]
In this situation He is precious to all who know
him
[He has indeed in all ages been " disallowed of men," who,
blinded by Satan and their own lusts, neither " saw any beauty
in him for which he was to be desired," " nor would come to
him that they might have life." The very persons appointed
to build the temple have been the first to reject him d : they
could not endure that so much honour should be put upon
him ; or that they should be constrained to acknowledge him
as the one source of all their stability. But he was " chosen
of God " from all eternity, as the only Being capable of sup
porting the weight of this vast edifice ; and, so perfectly is he
suited to his place, that " he is precious" to God, and precious
to all who are built upon him. If all the angels in heaven were
ordered to fill his place but for a moment, the whole building
would fall to ruins : but in him there is a suitableness and
sufficiency, that at once delights the heart of God e , and inspires
his people with implicit confidence.]
Nor is the foundation only of the temple typical ;
there is a typical reference also,
II. In its superstructure
Believers are the stones of which the temple is
composed
[Every man, in his natural state, is as the stones in a
quarry, ignorant of the end to which he is destined, and
incapable of doing any thing towards the accomplishment of it.
But the great Master-builder, by the instrumentality of those
a John ii. 19 21. b Isai. xxviii. 16. 1 Cor. iii. 11.
c John v. 21, 26. * Acts iv. 11. Isai. xlii. 1.
186 1 PETER, II. 4, 5. [2392.
who labour under his direction, selects some from the rest, and
fashions them for the places which he intends them to occupy
in this spiritual building. But, as the temple of Solomon was
built without the noise of an axe or hammer, or any other
tool f , so are these brought in a silent manner 8 , and " fitly
framed together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit 11 ."]
By "coming to Christ" they are gradually built up
upon him
[Believers, quickened by Christ, be come " lively," or
living " stones," like unto Christ himself: " they live by him,"
yea, he himself is their life*. Notwithstanding therefore they
have of themselves no power, through his quickening Spirit
they become voluntary agents ; and though it is true that they
are "drawn to him by the Father k ," yet it is also true, that
they " come to him," willingly and with strong desire. And
this is the way in which " they are built up a spiritual house :"
by " coming to him " they are placed upon him ; and by com
ing to him yet again and again, they derive " more abundant
life " from him ; they are more and more fitted for the place
they occupy ; they are more closely knit to all the other parts
of this sacred building, and more firmly established on- him as
their one foundation. It is thus that the fabric itself is en
larged by the constant addition of fresh materials ; and thus
that " every part of the building groweth unto an holy temple
in the Lord."]
A similar view must yet further be taken of the
temple,
III. In its services
The same persons, who before were represented as
the stones of the building, are now, by an easy tran
sition, spoken of as the priests officiating in it.
Believers are " an holy priesthood"
[None could officiate in the material temple but those of
the tribe of Levi : but, in the spiritual temple, all are priests,
whether Jews or Gentiles, male or female : " The chosen gene
ration are also a royal priesthood 1 ;" who are not only entitled,
but bound, to transact their own business with God. This
honour also they attain by " coming unto Christ :" by him
they are " made kings and priests unto God ;" and " through
f 1 Kings vi. 7. s Job xxxiii. 15, 16. Acts xvi. 14.
h Eph. ii. 21, 22. i Col. iii. 4.
k John vi. 44. l 1 Pet. ii. 9.
2392.] THE TEMPLE A TYPE. 187
him they have boldness to enter into the holiest," and to pre
sent themselves before the majesty of heaven.]
Nor shall the sacrifices which they offer be pre
sented in vain
[They come not indeed with the blood of bulls and of
goats; but they bring the infinitely more precious blood of
Christ. On account of his atonement, their prayers and praises,
their alms and oblations, yea, all their works of righteousness
come up with a sweet savour before God, and their persons as
well as services find a favourable acceptance in his sight m . Nor
though, through the infirmity of their flesh, their offerings be
very imperfect, shall they therefore be despised : if only they
be presented with an humble and willing mind, God, even
under the law, and much more under the Gospel, has promised
to accept them".]
Let us LEARN from this subject,
1. Our duty
[Whatever be our attainments in the divine life, we have
one daily and hourly employment, to be " coming to Christ :"
by these means we shall be advanced and established ; but, if
we neglect them, we shall fall and perish. Nor must the
opinions of men be of any weight when opposed to this duty :
whoever despise, we must " choose " him ; whoever abhor, we
must account him " precious :" if the whole universe should
combine against him, we must be firm in our adherence to
him. Nor must we rest in cold uninfluential professions of
regard. We must devote ourselves to him, while we build
upon him ; and present ourselves, and all that we possess, as
living sacrifices unto our God and Father.]
2. Our privilege
[Being brought nigh to God by the blood of Christ, it is
our privilege to maintain fellowship with him as our reconciled
God. We should banish all doubts about the acceptance of
our feeble endeavours ; and come, like the high-priest himself,
even to his mercy-seat, there to make known our wants, and
obtain the blessings we stand in need of. Methinks our state
on earth should resemble, in a measure, the state of those in
heaven : we should possess the same humble confidence, the
same holy joy: and our sacrifices, enflamed with heavenly fire,
should ever be ascending from the altar of a grateful heart, that
God may smell a sweet savour, and " rejoice over us to do us
good."
Thrice happy they who so walk before him ! Let it be the
m Heh. xiii. 1,"), 16. n Lev. xxii. 19 23. 2 Cor. viii. 12.
188 1 PETER, II. G. [2393.
ambition of us all to do so : then shall we indeed be " temples
of the Holy Ghost :" we shall " draw nigh to God, and God
will draw nigh to us ;" we shall " dwell in God, and God will
dwell in us;" and the communion, begun on earth, shall be
carried on and perfected in glory.]
1 Cor. vi. 19.
MMCCCXCIII.
THE SECURITY OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST.
1 Pet. ii. 6. It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in
Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious : and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded.
THE Scriptures universally speak the same lan
guage with respect to Christ : in every part he is
represented as the only Saviour, and the all-sufficient
help of sinful man. In this respect the Old Testa
ment prepares us for what is contained in the New,
and the New reflects light upon the Old ; and thus
they mutually illustrate and confirm each other.
This observation naturally arises from the frequent
appeals made by the Apostles to the prophetic
writings ; and particularly from the manner in which
St. Peter introduces the passage before us : he seems
to intimate not only that the prophet had been
inspired to declare the same truth, but that this pro
phecy had been given of God on purpose to prepare
the way for the more direct injunctions of the Gospel.
His words declare to us,
I. The excellency of Christ-
Christ is often spoken of as a foundation, because
he supports the spiritual temple of God ; but here he
is represented as a corner-stone laid by the hands of
God himself
[The excellency of the chief corner-stone, which lies also
at the foundation, consists in this, that while it supports the
building, it also connects the different parts of it together.
Now Christ has united together, not only Jews and Gentiles,
but men and angels, in one spiritual building : and while they
all derive their strength from him, they all feel, through hini,
2393.] SECURITY OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST. 189
an union with each other a . For this purpose " God laid" him
in Sion from the beginning ; he laid him, I say, in types and
prophecies, and declarations, and promises ; and he requires
all both in heaven and earth to honour him as the one source
of their strength, and the one bond of their union.]
Tn this view he is " elect and precious" in the eyes
of God-
[God has appointed him to execute this office from all
eternity, and determined that there shall be " no other name
whereby any shall be saved." And, as qualified for it, as dis
charging it in every respect, and as saving man in perfect
consistency with the honour of the Divine perfections, God
esteems him " precious ;" He declares that " in this his be
loved Son He is well-pleased ;" and He acquiesces fully in the
salvation of all who shall approve of this appointment.]
Nor will he be less precious in our eyes, if we
consider,
II. The security of those who " believe in him"
To believe in him, is, to feel an entire dependence
on him ourselves, and to have such an union with
him as produces a correspondent union with all the
other parts of his spiritual temple. They who thus
believe in him shall never be confounded,
Here-
[Much there is in their experience, which might well
confound them, and which nothing but their union with him
could enable them to support. How should they endure a
sense of guilt, or bear up against their indwelling corruptions ?
How should they sustain the fiery trial of persecution, or
stand composed in the near prospects of death ? These are
things which disconcert and confound others ; and drive them
like a ship from its moorings. But they have " an anchor
both sure and steadfast." They are not agitated, and driven
to hasty conclusions, or ill-advised methods of deliverance b .
" Their heart standeth firm, trusting in the Lord." " Being
justified by faith, they have peace with God." The promise
that " sin shall not have dominion over them," encourages
their hope. Their present consolations, and future prospects
of reward, soften all their trials, and enable them to " glory in
tribulations." And, knowing in whom they have believed,
a Eph. ii. 14, 2022.
b Compare the text with the passage from whence it is taken,
Isai. xxviii. 16.
190 1 PETER, II. 7. [2394.
the sting of death is taken away, and^ they are " delivered
from their bondage to the fear of death."]
Hereafter
[Terrible indeed must be the apprehensions of an unbe
liever, when first dismissed from the body and carried into the
presence of a holy God ; and at the day of judgment how
will he stand appalled! But the believer will go as a child into
the presence of his Father, with love, and joy, and confidence.
He will not be confounded at the glory of the Divine Majesty,
because he is washed in the Redeemer s blood, and clothed in
his righteousness. Even Mary Magdalen, or the dying thief,
know no terror in the presence of their God, because they are
" complete in Christ :" it is on this account that they shall have
confidence before him at his coming, and great boldness in the
day of judgment . Nor is this the privilege of a few only, who
are strong in faith, but of "all that believe," whether their
faith be strong or weak.]
INFER
1. How great is the difference between believers
and unbelievers !
[The world perhaps may not in some instances discern
much difference ; but God, who sees the heart, gives this glo
rious promise to the one, while there is no such promise in all
the sacred oracles to the other. Let us then believe on Christ ;
and make him " all our salvation and all our desire."]
2. How unreasonable is the unbelief of sinful men !
[God has laid his Son for a chief corner-stone in Sion,
and declared him to be precious to himself in that view: why
then should he not be "elect and precious" unto us also?
Have we found a better foundation, or a surer bond of union ?
Or can we produce one instance wherein any person that
believed in him was finally confounded? O let us consider
what confusion will probably seize us here, and certainly here
after, if we continue to reject him. And let us without delay
" flee for refuge to the hope set before us."]
c 1 John ii. 28. and iv. 17.
MMCCCXCIV.
CHRIST PRECIOUS TO BELIEVERS.
1 Pet. ii. 7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.
THERE is a great difference between the views of
natural and spiritual men. This exists even with
2394.] CHRIST PRECIOUS TO BELIEVERS. 191
respect to things temporal; much more in those
which are spiritual and eternal. It appears particu
larly with respect to Christ. Hence St. Peter repre
sents him as disallowed of some, but chosen by
others. This was designed of God, and agreeable
to the prophecies; and it justifies the inference drawn
from it in the text.
We shall,
I. Confirm this saying of the Apostle, that Christ is
precious to believers
We might suppose that Christ would be precious
to all men ; but he is not so. Nevertheless he is so
to all that truly believe.
The history of the Old Testament affords abundant
proof of this
[Abraham rejoiced to see his day, though at a distance a .
Job delighted in the thoughts of death as introducing him to
his presence b . Moses esteemed reproach for his sake c . David
regarded nothing in earth or heaven in comparison of him d .
Isaiah exulted in the prospect of his incarnation 6 . All the
prophets contemplated him as the Messiah, the Saviour of the
world.]
The New Testament Scriptures confirm it
[The Virgin, while he was yet in her womb, sang his
praises f The angels congratulated the shepherds on his in
carnation s The just and devout Simeon after seeing him,
could depart in peace 11 John Baptist, as the bridegroom s
friend, rejoiced in his voice 1 How precious was he to that
Mary who was a sinner k St. Paul counted all as dung for the
knowledge of him, was willing to be bound, or to die for him,
and knew no comfort like the expectation of being with him 1
The glorified saints and angels incessantly adore him m ]
The experience of living saints accords with that
of those who have gone before 11 . The world even
a John viii. 56. b Job xix. 25 27. c Heb. xi. 26.
d Ps. Ixxiii. 25. e Isai. ix. 6. f Luke i. 47.
g Luke ii. 10. h Luke ii. 29, 30. * John iii. 29.
k Luke vii. 38. l Phil. iii. 8. Acts xxi. 13. 1 Thess.iv. 18.
m Rev. v. 12, 13. This and all the foregoing passages should be
cited in whole or in part.
11 There are many to whom he is riju//, preciousness itself; who
account him as the pearl of great price, desire to know more of him,
grieve that they cannot love him more, welcome every thing that leads
to him, and despise all in comparison of him.
192 1 PETER, II. 7. [2394.
wonders at them on account of their attachment to
him.
II. Account for the fact, and shew why he is so
precious to them
They have reason enough for their attachment :
They love him for his own excellence
[He is infinitely above all created beauty or goodness.
Shall they then regard these qualities in the creature, and not
in him? Whosoever views him by faith cannot but admire
and adore him.]
They love him for his suitableness to their necessi
ties
[There is in Christ all which believers can want ; nor can
they find any other capable of supplying their need : hence
they delight in him as their " all in all."]
They love him for the benefits they receive from
him
[They have received from him pardon, peace, strength, &c.
Can they do otherwise than account him precious ?]
We may rather wonder why all do not feel the
same attachment.
III. Shew why this regard for him is found in them
exclusively
There certainly exists no reason on his part ; he
is good to all. But unbelievers cannot love him :
1. Because they have no views of his excellency
[The god of this world has blinded them that they cannot
see him . How then should they esteem him, whose excel
lency they know not ? They must of necessity be indifferent
to him, as men are to things of little value.]
2. Because they feel no need of him
[Christ is valuable only as a remedy P; nor can any man
desire him as a physician, a fountain, a refuge, unless he feel
some disease, some thirst, some danger.]
APPLICATION
[All, who have any spiritual discernment, feel a love to
Christ : he is beloved of the Father, of angels, and of saints.
2 Cor. iv. 4. P Isai. xxxii. 2.
2395.] STATES OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 193
None but devils and unbelievers despise him ; and shall any,
who do not account him precious, be objects of his regard?
Surely his final decision will correspond with that declaration 01 .
Let all then believe in him, that he may become precious to
them ; nor let any be dejected because they cannot delight in
him as they wish. The more we love him, the more shall we
lament the coldness of our love. In a little time all the powers
of our souls shall act without controul. Then shall we glory
in him with unrestrained and unabated ardour.]
<i 1 Sam. ii. 30.
MMCCCXCV.
THE DIFFERENT STATES OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS.
1 Pet. ii. 7 10. Unto you therefore which believe he is pre
cious : but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which
the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the
corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even
to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient :
whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar peo
ple ; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvellous light : which
in tim.e past were not a people, but are now the people of
God : which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained
mercy.
THERE is a great and manifest difference put
between men in respect to the advantages they enjoy,
and the endowments they possess. Some are born
to great possessions, while others from their birth
experience nothing but penury and want. Some are
blessed with a strength of intellect, that qualifies
them for the deepest researches ; while others are
so limited in their capacities, that they can scarcely
comprehend the plainest and simplest things. A still
greater difference obtains in respect to the oppor
tunities which men have for spiritual instruction.
As of old, the light of divine truth was confined to
one single nation, so, at this present moment, there
is but a small part of the world who hear any thing
of Christ, and a very small part indeed to whom the
VOL. xx. o
1 PETER, II. 710. [2395.
Gospel is preached in its purity. Such being unques
tionably the dispensations of God s providence, we
must not wonder if a similar exercise of sovereignty
appear in the dispensations of his grace. To draw
the precise limits, where human agency concurs with
the operations of God s Spirit, or where it resists
and frustrates them, is beyond our power; but of
this we may be well assured, that all evil is from
man ; all good from God. We shall have strong
evidence of this in the passage before us ; in which we
see the difference that exists between different men,
I. In their regard for Christ
Mankind may be divided into two classes ; be
lievers, and unbelievers.
Now of all the things which may serve to distin
guish these, there is none more decisive than their
different regard to Christ.
To the believer, Christ is " precious"
[We need not enter into all the grounds of a believer s love
to Christ : suffice it to say, that he feels himself indebted to
Christ for all his hopes in this life, and for all his prospects in
the next. He has washed in the fountain of the Redeemer s
blood, and has been cleansed by it from all sin : he has lived
by faith on the Son of God, and has received out of his ful
ness all needful supplies of grace and peace. Hence he looks
upon Christ, not merely as a friend and benefactor, but as a
Saviour from death and hell. He esteems him, not only as
precious, but as preciousness a itself. In comparison of him, all
other things are considered as dung and dross b .]
To the unbeliever, Christ is " a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence"
[Unbelief and disobedience are so nearly allied, that they
are, in the Greek language, expressed by the same word c .
Indeed unbelief is the highest act of disobedience ; for " this
is God s commandment, that we should believe on the name of
his Son, Jesus Christ d ."
To exercise faith on Christ is the duty of all. He is " the
stone which is laid in Zion," and on which we are to build all
a rip/. b Phil. iii. 8.
c uTreideia. Compare Rom. xi. 32. with Eph. ii. 2.
d 1 John iii. 23.
2395.] STATES OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 195
our hopes. But " the builders themselves, the heads of the
Jewish Church, rejected him :" and notwithstanding " he is
become the head of the corner," " the disobedient" still reject
him. It was foretold that this would be the treatment shewn
him by the generality 6 : and the event has fully justified the
prediction. The grounds indeed on which men reject him,
are altered ; but their conduct towards him is the same as was
observed in the days of old. The Jews were offended at his
mean appearance, and his high pretensions; and particularly
at his professing to supersede the Mosaic law : and, on these
accounts, they crucified him as an impostor. We on the con
trary, profess to honour him as the true Messiah ; but are
offended at the salvation which he has revealed : we think it
too humiliating in its doctrines, and too strict in its precepts :
we cannot endure to give him all the glory of our salvation :
nor can we submit to walk in those paths of holiness and self-
denial which he has trodden before us. On these accounts
many reject his Gospel : they cry out against it, as discouraging
the practice of good works, as opening the very flood-gates of
iniquity, and (strange as the contradiction is) making the way
to heaven so strait and difficult that no one can walk in it.
Thus, instead of building on Christ as the foundation-stone,
they make him only " a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence f ."]
How far this is to be traced to any antecedent
purposes of God, will appear more distinctly, while
we mark the difference between them,
II. In their states before God-
In the words of the text there is a double anti
thesis, which is rather obscured by the present trans
lation, but which should be noticed in order to a clear
understanding of the passaged
" These (the unbelievers) stumble at the word,
being disobedient"
[In what manner they stumble at the word, has been
already noticed. We must now endeavour to trace their
stumbling to its proper causes.
It is certainly, in the first instance, owing to their own
e Ps. cxviii. 22. f Isai. viii. 14.
g The words in Italics, ver. 8. should be left out ; and Ol be
translated " these." The double antithesis will then be clear :
Y/zIi/, he is precious ; aTreidovart e, he is a stumhling-block. Ot, these,
stumble through their own depravity ; Y^ufTe ce, enjoy your privileges
as a chosen generation.
196 1 PETER, II. 710. [2395.
" disobedience." Men are filled with pride, and are unwilling to
embrace any sentiment that tends to abase them. They are
also full of worldly and carnal lusts, which they cannot endure
to have mortified and subdued. In short, their prejudices
and their passions are altogether adverse to the Gospel : so
that, when the word is preached to them, they instantly set
themselves against it. In vain are proofs adduced; in vain
are motives urged ; in vain are all human efforts to conciliate
their regard to Christ : the language of their hearts is, " I have
loved strangers, and after them will I go h ." The contempt
which the Pharisees poured on Christ, on account of his pro
hibiting the love of money, is traced by the Evangelists to this
very source ; " The Pharisees were covetous, and they derided
him 1 ." And our Lord expressly recommends obedience as the
best preparative for receiving the knowledge of his Gospel ; "If
any man will do God s will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God k ."
But, according to the words of the text, it seems as if
men s unbelief was to be traced ultimately to the decrees of
God respecting them. We cannot however understand them
as establishing so awful a doctrine : nay. ^ve cannot think that
the doctrine of absolute reprobation can ever be established,
while those words remain in the Bible, " As I live, saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner 1 ."
Nevertheless we are not disposed to explain away the words
of the text; for they certainly have a very awful and im
portant meaning, to which it becomes us to attend. God has
decreed, that they who will not receive the Gospel for the
illumination of their minds, shall eventually be blinded by it;
that they who are not softened by it, shall be hardened 111 ;
that they to whom it is not " a savour of life unto life, shall
find it a savour of death unto death n ." The Gospel is cer
tainly so constituted, that it shall produce these effects. Christ
is " set for the fall, as well as for the rising, of many in Israel ."
" He is for a sanctuary," to protect and save the humble ; but
he is also " for a stone of stumbling," yea, " for a gin and a
snare, that many (even all that are proud, perverse, and obsti
nate) may stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and
be taken?."]
"But ye" (believers) are exalted to the highest
privileges by the Gospel
[The various terms here used were originally intended
to mark the privileges of the Jewish national but they are
h Jer. ii. 25. i Luke xvi. 14. * John vii. 17.
1 Ezek. xxxiii. 11. m i sa j. v j i g^ 10> n 2 Cor. ii. 16.
Luke ii. 34. P Isai. viii. 14, 15.
1 Exod. xix. 6. Dent. vii. 6.
2395 J STATES OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 197
applicable to believers in a higher and more appropriate
sense.
Believers are " a chosen generation:" they have been " chosen
of God from before the foundation of the world r ." Though
the misery of unbelievers is owing, not to any absolute decrees
of reprobation, but to their own pride and wickedness, we
must not imagine that the happiness of believers is owing to
their own inherent goodness: for they have no good qualities
which they have not first received from God s ; and consequently
their good qualities are the effect, not the cause, of God s
kindness to them. Though therefore we cannot accede to the
doctrine of reprobation, we have no doubt whatever on the
subject of election ; since both by Scripture and experience it
is established on the firmest grounds.
Believers are also " a royal priesthood:" they are now made
both " kings and priests unto God 4 ." They are chosen of
God to reign over their own lusts, and to have the nearest
access to him in all holy duties. There is no difference now
between Jew and Gentile, or between male and female : but
all are permitted to approach unto the mercy-seat of their
God, and to offer to him the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and
praise.
Moreover, they are " a holy nation, and a peculiar people."
All are united under the same King; all obey the same laws ;
all participate the same interests. They are all separated by
God, and "set apart for himself:" they are not of the world,
though they are in it : they are mere " pilgrims and sojourners"
here ; and are travelling to " a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God."
All these distinctions they enjoy ; and they owe them all to
the sovereign grace of God.]
ADDRESS
1. Unbelievers
[You need only to examine your regard for Christ, and
you will soon find with which class you are to be numbered.
You may easily discover whether Christ be supremely precious
to your souls, or whether you are averse to the doctrines and
precepts of his Gospel.
Think with yourselves, what guilt you contract, and to what
danger you are exposed, while you remain insensible to all the
love of Christ: your guilt is greater than that of the very
persons who crucified him, because you sin against greater
Tight, and contradict your most solemn professions. O provoke
not God to give you over to judicial blindness; nor make
r Eph. i. 4. s 1 Cor. iv. 7. * Rev, i. 6.
198 1 PETER, II. 1317. [2396.
God s richest mercy an occasion of your more aggravated
condemnation !]
2. Believers
[You see in the latter part of the text how infinitely you
are indebted to your God : once you were in darkness ; now
you are " brought into the marvellous light" of his Gospel:
" once you were not the people of God ; now you are : once
you had not obtained mercy; now you have obtained mercy."
And for what end has God vouchsafed to make this altera
tion in your state, and to distinguish you thus from millions,
who are still left, in the very condition in which you so lately
were ? Was it not " that you should shew forth the praises,
yea the virtues^ too, of Him that called you?" Entertain
then a becoming sense of your obligations: and endeavour to
"render unto the Lord according to the benefits" conferred
upon you. Shew forth his praises by frequent arid devout
acknowledgments ; and shew forth his virtues by following his
steps and obeying his commandments.]
MMCCCXCVI.
SUBJECTION TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT.
1 Pet. ii. 13 17. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man
for the Lord s sake : whether it be to the king, as supreme ;
or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do
well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may
put to silence the ignorance of foolish men : as free, and not
using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the ser
vants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear
God. Honour the king.
THE great duty of a Christian minister is, to exalt
the Saviour, and to call men to submit to his govern
ment. But we must not imagine that this is neg
lected, when our minds are led to the consideration
of human governments, and the duties we owe to
them : for there is a manifest connexion between the
two subjects ; the latter being, in reality, a branch
of the former. We cannot truly submit to Christ,
unless we yield obedience to all his laws to those
which relate to our conduct in civil life, as well as
2396.] SUBJECTION TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 199
those which are given to regulate the inmost work
ings of our souls towards God. And we should be
essentially wanting in our duty as Christian pastors,
if we did not take occasion, especially from the inter
esting events of this day a , to open to you a subject
of such great and universal importance. The words
which I have read will lead me to shew you.
I. Our duty in relation to civil government
Civil government is an ordinance of God
[It is called, in my text, " an ordinance of man :" and so
it is, as far as relates to the particular form of government
established in any particular kingdom. In some countries
absolute monarchy is established : in our own, a limited
monarchy. In some, there are republics ; in others, the
power is vested in an aristocracy. In fixing the precise mode
in which the affairs of any nation shall be administered, the
agency of man has been altogether employed : God having
never interposed by an authoritative mandate from heaven,
except in the case of the Jewish people. The history of our
own nation sufficiently informs us, that the changes which
take place in human governments are the result of human
deliberation, or of human force. Yet, in its original appoint
ment, civil government proceeds from God himself. He has
ordained, that man shall not be left in the state of the brute
creation, every one independent of his fellow, and every one at
liberty to follow the bent of his own inclinations, without any
regard to the welfare of others : but that power shall be vested.
in some for the good of the community ; and that every one
shall be responsible to that power for his own conduct, as
far as the welfare of the community is concerned. St. Paul
expressly tells us, that " there is no power, but of God; and
that the powers that be, are ordained of God V]
To it we are to submit, "for the Lord s sake"
[Power must, of course, be delegated to a great variety
of persons, and in different degrees : and to it, in whomsoever
it is vested, or in whatsoever degree, we are to yield that
measure of submission which the laws require. We owe
allegiance, primarily, " to the king, as supreme ;" and, sub-
ordinately, to all other classes of magistrates or governors, who
are appointed by him for the exercise of his authority in their
respective jurisdictions. The obedience which we are to pay
a The Coronation of George the Fourth, July 19, 1821. But it
might he applied to the King s Accession, or 30th of January.
b Rom. xiii. 1.
200 1 PETER, II. 1317. [2396.
may be rendered more easy, or more difficult, by the personal
character of him who exacts it : but it is due, not to the man,
but to the office ; and therefore it must be paid, even though
the man who executes the office may be far from deserving the
homage he requires. If only we recollect that Nero was the
governor of the Roman empire at the time that the Apostle
wrote his epistle to the Church at Rome ; and that towards
him, notwithstanding his great cruelty and his bitter persecu
tion of all who bore the Christian name, the Apostle required
all to shew the utmost reverence and submission ; we shall see
that there is no room for any person to withhold allegiance
from the reigning monarch on account of any thing that there
may be offensive in his personal character. The words of
the Apostle are most decisive on this point : " Let every soul
be subject to the higher powers ; for there is no power, but of
God : the powers that be, are ordained of God. Whosoever
therefore resisteth the power," even though it be exercised by
a very Nero, " resisteth the ordinance of God : and they that
resist shall receive to themselves damnation ." Nor does this
observation extend to the supreme governor alone ; but to
all, according to the measure of authority that is vested in
them : and it is not only from fear of their displeasure that we
are to render them this homage, but "for conscience sake d ,"
or, as my text expresses it, " for the Lord s sake."]
How " the Lord" is interested in our performance
of this duty, will appear, whilst we consider,
II. The grounds and reasons of it
We are bound to yield submission to civil govern
ment because of,
1. Its being altogether of God s appointment
[The institution of government is from him, as has already
been shewn. Moreover, the power that is exercised by earthly
governors is God s authority delegated to men, who are con
stituted his vicegerents upon earth. It is not man therefore,
but God, whom we are called to obey : it is God, I say, in
the person of the civil magistrate 6 . We are to " submit" our
selves to man ; " for so is the will of God :" and, in rendering
to man the service that is due, we are to consider ourselves,
not as the servants of men, but " as the servants of God"
What need we further than this, to evince the indispensable
necessity of submitting to civil government, and of obeying
implicitly the laws which are enacted by the constituted
c Rom. xiii. 1, 2. d Rom. xiii. 5.
e Numb. xvi. 1J 1 Sam. viii. 7. with Rom. xiii. 4.
2396.] SUBJECTION TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 201
authorities of the realm? If we are to obey God in the
duties of the first table, so are we in those of the second
also: and if, "for the Lord s sake" we are to submit our
selves to the religious ordinances of God, so are we, with
equal readiness, for his sake, to submit ourselves to every
civil ordinance of man.]
2. Its conduciveness to the public welfare
[Though authority may not always be exerted for the
best ends, it is committed to men solely with a view to the
public good. It is ordained for the restraining and " punish
ing of evil-doers," and for the protection and " benefit of those
who do well." I need not occupy your time with shewing
how great a mercy it is to live under an equitable and active
magistracy, who are engaged in enforcing the observance of
the laws. Let us suppose only that the laws were suspended
through the land for the space of three days, and that every
one were left to follow the bent of his own will without fear
and without restraint : what misery, even during that short
space of time, would pervade the whole kingdom ! What scenes
of rapine, and violence, and lust, and cruelty, would pervade
the whole country f ! Who would not be crying out for the
restoration of legitimate authority, and bless God the very
moment that he was permitted once more to experience the
benefits of civil government ? Who would not then feel happy
in discharging his duty to that government, by a just payment
of tribute and of custom, for the support of the legitimate
authorities, and of the public weal ? Then should we need no
arguments to prove, that partial restraint is universal liberty ;
and that true freedom can be found only in such an exercise
of our powers, as will consist with the freedom and happiness
of all around us.]
3. Its tendency to recommend religion
[God has special respect to this ; as we should have also :
" It is His will" that we should fulfil this duty, " that by well
doing we may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."
The Jews were generally considered, and with great justice
too, as averse to civil government, especially as maintained by
heathens. They had received a civil code from God himself:
and they could not endure that any thing should be withdrawn
from it, or added to it. They had also been under a Theo
cracy*; even their kings being, as subordinate magistrates,
f An awful picture of this state, when there was no king in Israel,
" but every one did that which was right in his own eyes," may be
seen in Judg. xvii. 5 10. xix. 1, 2, 22 30. xx. 1 48. and xxi.
1 25. A juster picture cannot be conceived.
g 1 Sam. xii. 12.
202 1 PETER, II. 1317. [2396.
appointed by him. They judged, therefore, that all other
authority was an usurpation ; and they were ready at all times,
if possible, to throw off a foreign yoke. This being the known
character of the Jews, (though it was in direct opposition to
the command which God himself had given them, to " seek
the peace of the cities to which they should be carried captive,
and to pray for them h ,") it was supposed that the same charac
ter attached to them after they became Christians, and that, in
fact, it was the habit of the whole Christian world. It was in
vain that Christians denied this imputation : their enemies
were ignorant, wilfully ignorant, of their principles ; and con
tinued, in spite of all remonstrances, to load them with this
reproach. Now, says the Apostle, it is the will of God that
you should cut off all occasion for this calumny ; and though
you cannot hope to convince " ignorant " people, who do not
knoiv, and " foolish " people, who will not learn, yet you may,
" by well-doing, put them to silence;" and so " muzzle 1 " their
ignorance and folly, that they may not be able to open their
mouths against you.
This should be an object near to the heart of all the Lord s
people ; and they should labour to accomplish it, " for the
Lord s sake."]
After viewing your duty in this light, you will be
prepared to consider,
III. The manner in which it should be performed
It should be performed,
1. With integrity of mind, as unto the Lord
[Christians were " free," and had a right to assert their
freedom. But, from what were they free? from obedience to
civil magistrates ? from those bonds which hold all society
together ? No : God forbid. They are, in these respects,
under the same restraints as all other people under heaven.
But, as Christians, they were free from the yoke of bondage,
to which they had been subject in their Jewish state ; and the
command of God to them was, " Stand fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage k ." In like manner, those who
had been converted from heathenism were freed from the va
rious superstitions which, under their former state, they had
been bound to observe : and though they should be under
heathen governors, yet were they absolved from all allegiance
to them in this respect, being now placed under the higher
authority of God himself. Daniel, and the Hebrew Youths
h Jer. xxix. 7. * iiovv. k Gal. v. 1.
2396.] SUBJECTION TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 203
had done well in resisting the authority that would have kept
them from honouring the true God, or have compelled them
to transfer his honour to any created object. And the Apostles,
when forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus, did well in
answering, " Whether it be right to hearken unto you, more
than unto God, judge ye 1 ." The same liberty is transmitted
to us also m : and from whatever quarter a command may come,
to omit what God enjoins, or to do what he forbids, our answer
must be, " We ought to obey God rather than men 11 ." But
we must be careful not to make this liberty of ours " a cloak
for wickedness, " and, under pretence of asserting our Christian
liberty, to withhold from our civil governors that reverence
which is their due. This is an observation of vast importance.
There is in the human mind a restlessness and impatience of
controul : there is also a proneness to enlarge or contract the
bounds of duty, and the consequent demands of conscience,
according as interest or inclination may bias our minds. Who
does not see this as exhibited in others? and who has not rea
son to suspect this, as harboured in himself? I am well aware
that this is a delicate subject, and especially when promulgated
amongst persons who live under a free constitution, and have
been taught to venerate the very name of liberty with an
almost idolatrous regard. But the caution is the more neces
sary, on that very account : for, in proportion as we are tena
cious of liberty, we are in danger of transgressing the bounds
which God has prescribed, and of deluding ourselves with an
idea, that we are only exercising the rights of British subjects,
when we are, in fact, indulging a restless and factious spirit ;
a spirit, which, if it were opposed to us, we ourselves should be
the foremost to condemn : for there are no persons more ready
to cry out against the exercise of liberty in others, than those
who are most clamorous for the maintenance of it in them
selves. Let the Apostle s caution, then, be well received, and
duly attended to. We are all concerned to " know what spirit
we are of," and to do that only which God himself will approve :
and let me not be thought to be advocating the cause of a
party, whilst I declare what is really and truly the mind of
God. We are greatly exposed to self-deception in this matter.
And we have seen it prevailing, to a very awful extent, in this
kingdom, not only at the time of the French revolution, but at
more recent periods. We have seen religious persons uniting
with those who were openly regardless both of God and man,
and with an unhallowed zeal countenancing the most lawless
1 Acts iv. 19.
m That Christians are free from guilt and condemnation, and from
the power of sin, is all true ; but nothing to the present purpose.
n Acts v. 29.
204 1 PETER, II. 1317. [2396.
proceedings. Surely, if the true character of God s people be,
that they are "the quiet in the land?," these persons would
do well to consider whether they are not carried by a party-
spirit beyond what Christ or his Apostles ever practised, or ever
sanctioned, and whether they would not honour their profession
more by attending to the caution given them in my text. And
I the rather say this, because religion has of late been griev
ously scandalized by the departure of multitudes from Christian
duty in this particular.]
2. With an harmonious attention to all other
duties
[In all Christian duties there is a perfect harmony : no
one of them is in any degree opposed to any other. In the
pursuits of earthly men, it is necessary to check one propen
sity, in order to indulge another. A man who is ambitious,
and yet covetous, must sacrifice, in a measure, his love either
of honour or of wealth; because the line he must pursue in
the prosecution of the one, must impede him in the pursuit of
the other. But the Christian, in the performance of his duties,
iinds no such counteracting influence : he may serve God in
the utmost perfection, and yet not be defective in any duty
which he owes to man. Let no duty then be neglected : but,
as all are compatible with submission to civil government, so,
if performed in their proper manner, they will all contribute
to advance, rather than obstruct, the best possible execution
of our social obligations.
" Honour all men." There is no man who does not claim
at our hands a measure of respect. Those who excel in wis
dom and goodness are doubtless entitled to a larger share.
But even the most unworthy object is not to be despised; for
asmuch as he was " made after the similitude of God q ," and
has been redeemed by the blood of God s only dear Son, and
may, for aught that we know, become a child of God, and an
heir of his eternal glory.
Yet, doubtless, we must with a more especial affection " love
the brotherhood." The saints, to whatever nation or sect
they belong, ought to be dear to us : for with God there is no
respect of persons : there is neither Jew, nor Greek, Bar
barian, Scythian, bond, nor free ; but all are regarded as one
in Christ Jesus 1 ." They are all members of his mystical
body, yea, " members one of another 8 :" and though we are to
" do good unto all men," there is a special obligation upon us
to do good unto " them that are of the household of faith*."
Towards the world we should feel a love of benevolence : but
P Ps. xxxv. 20. Q Jam. iii. 9.
r Gal. iii. 28. Col. iii. 11. I Cor. xii. 12. Eph. iv. 25
1 Gal. vi. 10.
2396.] SUBJECTION TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 205
towards the saints, a love of complacency. We are united to
them in the closest bonds ; and should " love them with a pure
heart, fervently" and intensely 11 .
We must " fear God" also. Our regards must not be con
fined to man : they must soar upwards to God ; and be fixed
on him supremely. We must love man ; but not fear him :
whereas God must be the object both of love and fear. No
thing under heaven must induce us to displease him. All the
creatures in the universe are to be withstood, if they enjoin
what is contrary to his revealed will : for his commands are of
paramount obligation ; and life itself must be sacrificed rather
than the least of them be violated by us. If, however, so
painful a necessity arise as that of disobedience to an earthly
governor, we must shew clearly, in the whole of our conduct,
that our opposition is the offspring, not of a contentious mind,
but of a pious regard to superior authority.
Together with all this, we must " honour the king." What
ever is good in him, we must delight to applaud: and, if there
be any thing in him of human infirmity, we must readily cast
a veil over it, and make due allowance for the temptations
with which he is surrounded, and for the weaknesses of our
common nature. Viewing him as God s representative, we
must honour him in our hearts ; and be ready to shield him
against every adversary, and to concur with him in all his en
deavours for the welfare of his people. If he appear disposed
to exceed the powers which are assigned to him by law, we
are not to indulge in strains of querulous invective : for even
" against the devil himself would not Michael bring a railing
accusation; but temperately said, The Lord rebuke thee x ."
And, if an archangel so restrained the emotions of his mind,
much more should we, who are expressly enjoined " not to
despise dominion, or to speak evil of dignities." Whatever
methods of redress the constitution prescribes, we may cer
tainly use : but we should use them, not in a spirit of clamour
ous opposition, but in the spirit of Him " who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, threatened not ;
but committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously?."
In a word, we are to maintain an harmonious regard to all
our duties ; compromising none, forgetting none. We must
be conscientiously intent on all ; " rendering unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar s, and unto God the things which are
God s 2 ."]
I cannot CLOSE this subject better than by desiring
you all devoutly to unite with me in the follow
ing prayer
u 1 Pet. i. 22. the Greek. x Jude, ver. 8, 9.
y 1 Pet. ii. 23. z Matt. xxii. 21.
206 1 PETER, II. 1923. [2397
"Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting,
and power infinite, have mercy upon the whole
Church ; and so rule the heart of thy chosen servant
***** our king and governor, that he, knowing
whose minister lie is, may above all things seek thy
honour and glory : and that we, and all his subjects,
duly considering whose authority he hath, may faith
fully serve, honour, and obey him, in thee, and for
thee, according to thy blessed word and ordinance,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
MMCCCXCVII.
HOW TO BEAR INJURIES.
1 Pet. ii. 19 23. This is thankworthy, if a man for con
science toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For
what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently ? but if, when ye do well, and suffer
for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For
even hereunto were ye called : because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps :
who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth : who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, he
threatened not ; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously.
THE practical nature of the Gospel meets us
through every part of the New Testament, from the
beginning to the end. Our Lord s sermon on the
mount was wholly of this character ; as are also his
addresses to the seven Churches of Asia, in the book
of Revelations. Nor are the epistles, which were
written by different Apostles, at all different in their
scope and tendency : they do indeed insist more on
doctrines : but yet the preceptive parts of them are
singularly minute and full ; and are distinctly ad
dressed to persons in every situation and relation of
life. The passage before us is a peculiar address to
servants, to shew them how they are to conduct
themselves towards their masters, who shall be
embittered against them for embracing the Gospel of
Christ.
2397.] HOW TO BEAR INJURIES. 207
But the Apostle did not intend this instruction to
be limited to servants ; for, in the close of the chap
ter, he extends it to all, who " like sheep have gone
astray, but are now returned to the Shepherd and
Bishop of their souls."
His words suggest,
I. A precept for our observance
It is here taken for granted that persons in every
age will be persecuted for righteousness sake
[And the whole history of mankind fully justifies this as
sumption : for from the time of Abel to the present hour it has
been verified. The lovers of darkness hate the light ; and will
endeavour, when it lies in their power, to extinguish it a . The
whole life of David tends to illustrate this : " They that render
evil for good are mine adversaries," says he ; " because I fol
low the thing that good is b ." And what shall I say of him
who was greater than David, even the Son of God himself?
Surely his wisdom precluded a possibility of any fault being
found with him ; whilst his goodness suppressed, in every
bosonij a disposition to find fault. But this was by no means
the case : on the contrary, in proportion to his superiority
above all the sons of men, was the inveteracy of the carnal
mind against him. Can we, then, hope to escape their malig
nity ? No ; " The disciple cannot be above his Master, or the
servant above his Lord : if they have hated him, they will hate
us also c :" we, like him, must have our cross to bear 1 : and " all
who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 6 ."]
But, whatever be our trials, and however unde
served, we must "take them patiently"
[" We are called to them" by God himself; who has
wisely and graciously " appointed f ," that, by means of them,
our graces should be both elicited and improved, and our
fidelity to him be placed beyond a doubt. He has ordained
too, that by means of these trials, glory shall accrue to him,
and everlasting good to our own souls. They give to us an
opportunity of shewing how highly we regard his favour,
when, for his sake, we are willing to endure all that men or
devils can inflict upon us. They display, at the same time,
the power of his grace, which can uphold us under such cir
cumstances ; and the excellency of his religion, which shines
a John iii. 19. b Ps. xxxviii. 20.
c Matt. x. 24. John xv. 18. a Luke xiv. 26, 27.
2 Tim. iii. 12. f 1 Thess. iii. 3.
208 1 PETER, II. 1923. [2397.
so bright in contrast with the spirit and conduct of our ungodly
persecutors. They are the means, too, of augmenting our
happiness in the eternal world ; since there is not a sacrifice
which we are called to make, or a suffering to endure, which
shall not be richly recompensed at the resurrection of the just g .
If it be said, that it is an intolerable hardship to suffer, when
we have given no occasion whatever for man s displeasure ; I
answer, your innocence should operate rather to lighten, than
to aggravate, your affliction ; since it administers sweet conso
lation to your own soul, and serves as a testimony in your
behalf before God. If your punishment were merited, you
would have no ground for approbation, either before God, or
in your own minds, for submitting patiently to it : but, if you
suffer patiently for well-doing, you evince a truly gracious
disposition, and render an acceptable service to your God.
This, then, we are to consider as a precept given to us,
under whatever injuries we may be called to sustain : we must
" possess our souls in patience 11 ;" and "let patience have its
perfect work, that we may be perfect and entire, lacking
nothing 1 ."]
To this precept the Apostle adds,
II. An example for our imitation
Not one of all the children of men was ever so
blameless as our Lord Jesus Christ
[" In him was no sin k ;" " nor was any guile found in his
mouth 1 ." He appealed even to his bitterest enemies ; " which
of you convinceth me of sin m ?" With all the disposition to
criminate him that the most inveterate malignity could cherish,
his accusers were all put to shame, and his judge proclaimed
his innocence".]
Yet, never was man so evil-entreated as he
[Scarcely was he come into the world, before his life was
sought ; and for the sake of securing, at all events, his destruc
tion, thousands of poor innocents were slain. During the
four years of his ministry, there was nothing too malignant for
his enemies to say concerning him: " He was a deceiver :"
He was " a devil, and was mad?." The efforts made to take
away his life were continual : and the more good works he did,
the fiercer was men s rage against him : nor did his enemies
rest, till they had attained their end, and nailed him to the
accursed tree.]
g 1 Pet. iv. 1216. h Luke xxi. 19. * Jam. i. 3, 4.
k 1 John iii. 5. ! Isai. liii. 9. *- m John viii. 46.
n Luke xxiii. 4. Matt, xxvii. 63.
P John vii. 20. viii. 48. and x. 20.
2397.] IIOW T0 BEAR INJURIES. 209
But how did he conduct himself under his trials ?
[Not so much as one hasty word escaped him ; nor one
angry feeling betrayed itself in him : " when he was reviled,
he reviled not again : when he suffered, he threatened not ;
but committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously."
Truly " he was as a lamb led to the slaughter ; and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so opened he not his mouth q ."
In all this, he was an example to us : " He suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps." He
submitted to all those indignities, on purpose that he might
shew us how to act under similar trials : and God permits us
to be brought, in some small degree, into similar circumstances,
on purpose that we may" be conformed to his image r ," and be
" made perfect in the very same way" that he was 8 , and enter
into glory by the very same path*. To this, then, must our
minds be made up : we must be willing to endure sufferings
for well-doing ; to submit to them, however great they be, with
unruffled patience ; and to " commit ourselves to God in well
doing, as into the hands of a faithful Creator 11 ."]
Let us LEARN then from hence,
1. How we are to regard the Lord Jesus Christ
[Many who profess to believe, and even to preach, the
Gospel, confine their views of Christ almost exclusively to him
as dying for our sins, or as reigning in glory to carry on and
perfect his work in our behalf. This, doubtless, is a most
important view of him : it is the very foundation of all our
hopes. Yet is it by no means a complete view : and they who
confine themselves to it are greatly deceived : and, whether
willingly or not, they grievously dishonour him. He must be
regarded as an example : nor is he less glorious in that view,
than in any other. Nay, if we omit to regard him in that
light, we surfer an irreparable loss.
Would we know what treatment we must expect, if we will
faithfully serve our God ? Look at HIM. Not all the wisdom
of his lips, nor all the blamelessness of his deportment, nor all
the wonders which he wrought, could avert from Him the
hatred, the contempt, the cruelty, of an ungodly world. Who
then are we, that we should hope to escape these things ?
Would we know how to conduct ourselves under sufferings
inflicted on us for righteousness sake ? Look at HIM. Behold
his meekness, his patience, his long-suffering, and forbearance ;
yea, and hear him praying for his very murderers: and then
say, whether this be not the spirit that becomes you.
f i Isai. liii. 7. r Rom. viii. 29. s Heb. ii. 10. and v. 8.
1 Pet. iv. 19. u Heb. xii. 1, 2.
VOL. XX. P
210 1 PETER, II. 19-23. [2397.
Would we know the issue of such a life ? Look at HIM ;
and see him seated at the right hand of God, and all his ene
mies become his footstool. Such shall be the end of all who
tread in his steps : * having suffered with him, they shall surely
reign with him x ."
Take him then, beloved, as your example ; and be content
to " suffer with him, that you may also be glorified together V]
2. How we are to approve ourselves his faithful
servants
[If we are to bear injuries from others, we must, beyond
all doubt, be " good and gentle" ourselves ; " shewing all meek
ness to all men :" and, however injured by others, we must
endure unto the end. We must not draw back through fear
of sufferings ; or faint under them, when they are inflicted on
us. If we enlist under the banners of an earthly prince, we
expect to fight his battles : we do not, when we hear of an
enemy, desert and hide ourselves. We do not, when we meet
him in the field, lay down our arms. We rather gird ourselves
to the fight, and say, Now is the time for me to display my
zeal in the cause I have espoused, and my fidelity to him whom
I have engaged to serve. Thus, then, must you do in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must not be ashamed
of wearing, if I may so speak, his uniform ; and of shewing, in
the face of the whole universe, on whose side you are.
Yet, remember that it is with his armour only that you must
go forth to the battle. You must " be armed with righteous
ness on the right hand and on the left." Your breast-plate,
in particular, must be of that material : " your helmet must
be the hope of salvation ;" and your sword, " the sword of the
Spirit, the word of GodV It was " by death that the Lord
Jesus Christ overcame death 3 ;" and it is " by patiently en
during, that you also must obtain the promise of an eternal
inheritance b ." Keep, then, your eyes fixed on the " Captain
of your salvation ;" and, " being faithful unto death, you shall
receive at his hands the crown of life ."]
* 2 Tim. ii. 12. y Rom. viii. 17. z Eph. vi. 1417.
a Heb. ii. 14. b Heb. vi. 15. c Rev. ii. 10.
2398.] THE VICARIOUS SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 211
MMCCCXCVIII.
THE VICARIOUS SACRIFICE OF CHRIST.
1 Pet. ii. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on
the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto right-
eousness : by whose stripes ye were healed.
AN attentive reader of the New Testament cannot
but have observed, that there is one subject in parti
cular to which the Apostles frequently recur, and on
which they delight pre-eminently to dwell : and that
is, the great work of redemption. St. Paul scarcely
ever has occasion to mention the name of Christ, but
he digresses from his main subject, to indulge the
feelings of his heart in expatiating upon the glory and
excellency of his Divine Master. It is the same with
the Apostle Peter. He has been speaking to ser
vants ; and instructing them to bear with meekness
and patience any injuries that may be inflicted on
them for the Gospel s sake : and he has proposed to
them the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose
patience, under the most painful sufferings, was alto
gether unmoved and inexhaustible. But he could
not be satisfied with the bare recital of the Saviour s
excellence. Having touched on the subject, he must
enlarge upon it, and not leave it till he has more fully
declared the greatness of our obligations to him. Yet
was this digression not by any means irrelevant to
his purpose. It had a manifest bearing upon his
main subject ; and was, in that view, capable of the
richest improvement.
In opening to you his words, I will,
I. Consider the work of redemption, as here set
forth
And, that we may enter the more fully into it, let
us distinctly shew,
1. Who is the person here spoken of
[He was a man : for what he did, he did " in his own
body." But was he a mere man ? No : he was God as well
I>
1 PETER, II. 24. [2398.
as man, even " Emmanuel, God with us a ." He was " Jehovah s
Fellow b ;" " the Mighty God c ;" " God over all, blessed for
evermore d ." He it was, " who, being in the form of God, and
thinking it not robbery to be equal with God, yet made him
self of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant ;
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross 6 ."]
2. What he did for us
[He, " his own self, bare our sins in his own body on the
tree." What this imports, will be understood by referring to
the rites by which it was shadowed forth. Under the law,
sacrifices were offered. The victims were beasts : to them
were transferred, by the imposition of hands, the sins of the
offender : in the offender s stead they died ; their flesh was con
sumed upon the altar: and, through the sacrifice thus offered,
the sins of the offerer were forgiven.
But Jesus, who came down from heaven to redeem us, had
no other offering to make but his own body : on him, there
fore, our sins were laid : and the cross was, as it were, the altar
on which he was placed ; and the fire of God s wrath, the flame
with which he was consumed.
Stupendous mystery! But " it is a true saying, and worthy
of all acceptation."]
3. For what end he did it
[Doubtless he did it, in the first place, to effect our re
conciliation with God ; as St. Peter says, in the very next
chapter, " He died, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God f ." But he had also a further end in view;
namely, to destroy in us the power of sin ; and to restore us to
that life of righteousness which is indispensable to our happi
ness, either in this world, or in the world to come. In truth,
if this were not effected, it would be to little purpose that an
atonement had been made for sin : for as long as sin retained
its dominion over us, we must of necessity have a very hell
within us : nor would heaven itself be any source of blessedness
to us, for want of a disposition suited to it, and a capacity to
enjoy it.]
4. What is already the issue of it to every believ
ing soul
[" By his stripes" every believing soul " is healed." The
whole elect world was virtually healed in him, as soon as ever
his sacrifice was offered ; even as a debtor is absolved, the very
moment that his debt is discharged ; or a captive is liberated,
a Matt. i. 23. b Zech. xiii. 7. c Isai. ix. 6.
d Rom. ix. 5. e Phil. ii. 68. f 1 Pet. iii. 18.
2398.] TH E VICARIOUS SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 213
the very instant that the redemption price is paid for him.
But really, and in fact, our souls are healed, the very instant
we believe in Christ : " our sins are blotted out as a morning
cloud," and are "put away from us as far as the east is from
the west;" " nor shall they be remembered against us any
more for ever g ." A principle of grace, too, is infused into
the soul, just as the cruse of salt was into the fountain by
Elisha the prophet h ; and by it are its deadly qualities cor
rected ; so that whatsoever proceeds from it in future is, com
paratively at least, salubrious : the Holy Spirit in him is " a
well of water, springing up unto everlasting life 1 ."]
That we may not lose sight of the objects for which
this mystery is here adduced, we shall,
II. Improve it in the precise view in which the
Apostle intended it to be applied
We must bear in mind, that he is speaking to ser
vants, and exhorting them to take patiently whatever
injuries they may be called to sustain for righteous
ness sake. For their direction and encouragement,
he proposes to them the example of our Lord Jesus
Christ : and, not content with specifying his conduct
under the most cruel injuries, he suggests the ulte
rior ends of his sufferings, and the benefits which we
derive from them ; intending thereby to fix our at
tention on that mysterious subject,
1. As a balm for all our wounds
[Be it so; we are suffering wrongfully, and because we
endeavour to maintain a good conscience towards God. But
what are our sufferings, when compared with those which our
blessed Lord endured for us ? Hear the revilings that were
cast on him : " Say we not well, that thou hast a devil, and
art mad k ?" Behold the sufferings inflicted on him! Go
into the hall of Pilate ; and there see the thorns driven into
his temples, and his sacred body torn with scourges, " the
ploughers ploughing on his back, and making long their
furrows 1 !" Behold his meekness and resignation; and will
not you be ashamed to complain ? Will you not rather take
up your cross with cheerfulness ; and " rejoice that you are
counted worthy to partake of his sufferings, and be conformed
e Heb. viii. 12. h 2 Kings ii. 1922. * John iv. 14.
k John vii. 20. viii. 48. and x. 20. Nothing less than this would
sufficiently express their contempt for him.
1 Ps. cxxix. 3.
214 1 PETER, II. 24. [2398.
to him m ?" If he submitted to " stripes, that you might be
healed," will not you welcome them, if by any means " he
may be glorified"?" Surely, if you reflect aright on this
subject, you will regard the sacrifice even of life itself as a
small matter, or rather as a ground for self-congratulation ,
and for thankfulness to God, who has conferred upon you that
high honour for Jesus s sake p .]
2. As an incentive to every duty
[What shall " constrain you q ," if this do not? or what
other motive can you wish for, than that which this stupendous
mystery affords? Will you hesitate to forego any thing for
Him who gave up all the glory of heaven for you ? or to en
dure any thing for Him, who endured the penalties of God s
broken law, and " became a curse for you?" Methinks, the
more arduous the duty is, the more eager you will be to per
form it ; and the more self-denying your labours be, the more
will you account yourselves honoured in being called to sustain
them. Nothing will be any obstacle to you, if only his will
may be done by you, and his glory be advanced r .]
3. As a pattern of every grace-
fin all that Jesus did, he intended " to set you an ex
ample, that you should follow his steps." Mark his steps, then,
from the cradle to the grave. Mark him, especially under
those peculiar circumstances referred to in my text. See how
he held fast his integrity, amidst the fiercest opposition. Do
ye the same : nor let all that either men or devils can effect,
ever divert you from " well-doing ;" or cause you to violate, in
the slightest degree, the dictates of your " conscience before
God." Mark what returns he made to his persecutors : never,
for a moment, did he render evil for evil ; or cease to seek, to
the uttermost, the welfare of his very murderers, praying to
his " Father to forgive them." Let this be your invariable
line of conduct also; " blessing them who curse you, and
praying for those who despitefully use you, and persecute
you s ." There is no grace which you may not see exercised
by him, during his last hours, in the highest possible perfec
tion. Set him then before you, under all those circumstances;
and endeavour to " walk in all things as he walked :" so will
you have an evidence that you are his, and that your hope in
him is well founded ; seeing that " you have the same mind
that was in him," and " purify yourselves even as he was
pureV]
m 1 Pet. iv, 12, 13. 1 Pet. iv. 14. Phil. ii. 17, 18.
P Phil. i. 29. q 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. Acts xx. 24.
5 Matt. v. 44. * 1 John iii. 3.
2399.] THE NATURE OF TRUE CONVERSION STATED. 15
MMCCCXCIX.
THE NATURE OF TRUE CONVERSION STATED.
1 Pet. ii. 25. Ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
NOTHING so reconciles the Christian to suffer
ings, or so quickens him to exertions, as a recollec
tion of the mercies he has experienced at the Lord s
hands. The Apostle is speaking here to servants,
who were likely to meet with cruel and oppressive
usage from their masters on account of their holy
profession. To encourage them to a meek submis
sion to their trials, he reminds them of the example
which the Lord Jesus Christ had set them, when, for
the redemption of their souls, he had endured all the
agonies of crucifixion ; and of the exceedingly rich
mercy which they had experienced, in having been
brought to the knowledge of Christ, and to the
enjoyment of his salvation. " They were healed :"
they were healed " through the stripes inflicted on
their Divine Master ;" who was now " the Shepherd
and Overseer," as he had been the Redeemer and
Saviour, of their souls. Enjoying then such benefits
through the superabounding grace of Christ, they
ought willingly and cheerfully to endure for him
whatever, in his providence, he might permit to be
inflicted on them.
This appears to be the scope of the passage before
us : in discoursing upon which, I shall have occasion
to consider,
I. Our state by nature-
All of us in our unconverted state have been " as
sheep going astray." The Prophet Isaiah, whose
words the Apostle cites, declares this to have been
the condition of all without exception : " All we like
sheep have gone astray a ." In respect of folly, we
have resembled the silly sheep; which wanders it
a Isai. liii. 6.
216 1 PETER, II. 25. [2399.
knows not whither, and exposes itself to dangers,
from which, by continuing in the fold, it might have
been exempt. In respect of criminality, our conduct
justly subjects us to blame, from which the senseless
animal is free : for our departure from God has
been,
1. Wilful, without any just occasion
[The mind of every unregenerate man is alienated from
God : he hates his law : he is averse to his yoke : " he says to
God, Depart from me ; I desire not the knowledge of thy
ways," All indeed do not choose the same path ; but, as the
prophet says, they " go every one to his own way :" one in
a way of open profaneness ; another in a way of self-righteous
formality : but in this all are agreed, that they listen not to
the voice of the good Shepherd, nor walk in the footsteps of
his flock
And now, I would ask, What reason have they for this ?
" Has God been a wilderness to them ? a land of darkness ?
Wherefore have they said, We are lords : we will come no
more unto thee b ?" The true reason of our departure from
him has been, that we have " not liked to retain him in our
knowledge c :" on the contrary, the notices which we have had
of his power and grace " we have imprisoned in unrighteous
ness* 1 :" and actually " knowing that they who did such things
were worthy of death, we have both done them, and had plea
sure in those who did them," choosing them as our friends
and daily companions 6 .]
2. Habitual, without one serious effort to return
to him
[The sheep in its wandering state betrays to all its dis
quietude; and if it knew which way to go, it would gladly return
to the fold that it has left. But the unconverted man goes
farther and farther from his God, without so much as a desire
to return : or if a desire occasionally arise in his mind, it is so
weak and so transient, as to produce no permanent effect. If
a sense of guilt and danger obtrude itself upon him, he strives
to silence the conviction, and to divert the thought from his
mind. If urged to return to the fold of Christ, he replies,
; * No : I have loved strangers : and after them will I go f ."
This is their way, from the first moment that they begin to
act s : and in this they persist, till the good Shepherd, of his
own grace and mercy, searches them out, and brings them
back to his fold.]
b Jer. ii. 31. c Rom. i. 28. d Rom. i. 18.
e Rom. i. 32. f Jer. ii. 25. e Jer. xxii. 21.
2399.] THE NATURE OF TRUE CONVERSION STATED.
Then takes place the change which is described in
my text, and which leads me to set before you,
II. Our state by grace
" We return to the Shepherd and Bishop of our
souls :" we return to the Lord Jesus Christ,
1. As our Owner
[By grace we are taught, what in an unconverted state we
little consider, that the Lord Jesus Christ is " that good Shep
herd who has laid down his life for his sheep V This thought,
coming with power to the soul, has a constraining influence :
it fills us with wonder and admiration at the love of Christ;
and at the same time with grief, on account of our having for
saken such a Shepherd. Now we are perfectly amazed at our
own ingratitude : and no terms are sufficiently strong whereby
to express our self-lothing and self-abhorrence. Aware now
that " we have been bought with a price," even with the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus, we are convinced that " we
are not our own," but his ; and consequently, that we are bound
to " glorify him with our body and our spirit, which are his."
Under this conviction we return to him, and give ourselves up
to him as " his purchased possession."]
2. As our Provider
[When once Divine grace has begun to operate effectually
on our hearts, we see how we have been all our days feeding on
the husks of swine, whilst we deserted the pastures in which it
was our privilege to feed. But no longer can we be satisfied
with such things Now we affect that better food, which
the Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us ; and desire to be
led into those " pastures, where he maketh his flock to lie
down at noon." Now we begin to understand what is meant
by " eating the flesh of Christ and drinking his blood ;" and we
find " his flesh to be meat indeed, and his blood to be drink
indeed;" and the promises, which we once despised, are "sweeter
to us than honey or the honey-comb."]
3. As our Protector
[Now we tremble at the thought of the dangers to which
we have been exposed : nor can we rest without imploring the
protection of our good Shepherd, to deliver us from that roaring
lion that seeketh to devour us. No longer can we venture
ourselves at a distance from him : we feel that we are unable
in ourselves to cope with the feeblest enemy : and we " cast
all our care on Him who careth for us."]
h John x, 15.
218 1 PETER, II. 25. [2399.
4. As our Governor
[To hear the voice of our good Shepherd is now our
delight. Wherever he calls, we follow. If we are erring in
any thing, a word from him reclaims us. Wherever he calls,
we go : whatever he forbids, we shun : whatever he commands,
we do. The temptations which once allured us, have now in a
great measure lost their power ; the terrors that alarmed us,
their influence. What wilt thou have me to do ? is now our
one inquiry : and, having ascertained that, we are satisfied ;
nor can all the powers of earth and hell divert us from our
purpose to obey his will.]
Such is the change which takes place in conversion.
We say not that it is perfected in the first moment ;
nor that it is ever so perfect, but that it admits of
increase. In respect of parts, a babe is perfect as a
man ; though every part admits of growth. So it is
in the new man. All these things are found in him,
though imperfect as to their degree. Contemplate
then this change,
1. For the satisfying of your own minds
[We cannot conceive of any figure better calculated to
illustrate the conversion of a soul, than this. The state of a
wandering sheep is known to all : the poor rustic that attends
the sheep has as perfect an idea of its wants and dangers, as
the most enlightened philosopher can have ; and can apprehend
as well the comparative felicity of those who are within the
fold, watched over, and provided for, by a tender and faithful
shepherd. Nor is there any difficulty in transferring these
ideas to the state of a soul before, and after, its conversion.
Consider then whether you are conscious of having experienced
such a change ? I will admit indeed that there are some who
are sanctified, as it were, from the womb, and whose transition
from a natural to a spiritual state is not so distinctly marked.
But these are very few : and in them the image of a sheep
obedient to its shepherd s voice, is as just, as in any other per
son whatever. The great mass of mankind have been far off
from God ; and they, when converted, are brought nigh unto
him, as their owner, their provider, their protector, their
governor, under all which characters they look unto him, and
devote themselves to him, and expect every thing from him. I
pray you, brethren, see whether it be thus with you : for,
if you are Christians indeed, "you were as sheep going astray;
but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your
souls."]
THE NATURE OF TRUE CONVERSION STATED.
2399.]
2. For the inflaming of your gratitude to the Lord
Jesus Christ
[If you have been brought home to the fold of Christ,
need I ask, whence this change arose ? You will know full
well that it did not originate with you, nor was carried into
effect by any power of your own. The silly sheep would as
soon return by its own wisdom to the fold it has deserted, as
you would accomplish such a change in yourselves. It was
the Lord Jesus Christ who sought you out, and apprehended
you, and brought you home on his shoulders rejoicing : and if
he had not effected it all for you and in you, you would have
been roving from him to your latest hour, and would have
perished in your sins. Be thankful to him then : adore him
for the grace that has so distinguished you. And, whilst you
give him glory for having so made you to differ from others
and from your former selves, let his mercy constrain you to
surrender up yourselves to him wholly, and without reserve.]
3. To excite your compassion towards a perishing
world
[Were you to see a straying sheep beset with dogs who
were tearing it to pieces, who amongst you would not com
passionate its wretched condition ? Yet is this but a very
faint image of the world around you ; and not of the heathen
world only, but of Christians also. We see not indeed the
fate prepared for them : we see not how they are already, as
it were, in the jaws of the roaring lion, whose prey they will
be to all eternity. But this is not the less true, because we
do not see it. It is their real state ; and soon shall we see it
w 7 ith our bodily eyes. Our blessed Lord, " when he saw the
multitudes around him," (of persons nominally the Lord s
people,) " he had compassion on them, because they were as
sheep not having a shepherd." Do ye then consider the
deplorable condition of all around you, and use all possible
means to bring them to the fold of Christ And know
for your comfort, that " he who shall convert a sinner from
the error of his way, will save a soul from death, and hide a
multitude of sins."]
1 PETER, III. 12. [2400.
MMCCCC.
GOD S DISPOSITION TOWARDS THE RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED.
1 Pet. iii. 12. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and
his ears are open unto their prayers : but the face of the
Lord is against them that do evil.
THERE is an error which obtains, to a conside
rable extent, amongst religious people, and which
meets with too much encouragement also in the
preaching of pious ministers ; namely, an idea that to
insist on moral duties is legal. Suppose a servant
of Christ were to address his audience in the words
of David ; " Come, ye children, hearken unto me :
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is
he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he
may see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy
lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do
good ; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the
Lord are over the righteous ; and his ears are open
to their cry : but the face of the Lord is against them
that do evil a :" I say, suppose a minister of the Gospel
were to address his people thus, he would be thought
by many to be bringing them back to the law, and to
be instructing them in a way contrary to the whole
tenour of the Gospel. But this is a great mistake.
Legality consists in principle only, and not in prac
tice. If we teach men to do good works in order to
obtain justification by them, that is legality ; and that
subverts the Gospel : but if, whilst we make Christ
the only foundation of a sinner s hope, we inculcate
moral duties, we do nothing more than what Christian
fidelity requires, and nothing but what the Apostles
themselves continually did. It is remarkable that
St. Peter, addressing the whole Christian Church,
cites the entire passage which I have read to you
from the Psalms, and applies it precisely as David
himself did b . In fact, we all need to be reminded,
that " God will put a difference between those who
serve him, and those who serve him not ;" and that,
a Ps. xxxiv. 1116. b ver. 10 12.
2400.] GOD S DISPOSITION TOWARDS THE WICKED. 221
whilst " his eyes are over the righteous, and his ears
are open to their prayers, his face is, and ever will be,
against them that do evil."
In confirmation of this sentiment, I will shew,
I. God s tender regard for " the righteous "-
Here we must first state who " the righteous"
o vo
cti c
[We are not to understand this as relating to persons
who are perfectly righteous, since there is no such a character
to be found on earth. " There is not one that liveth and
sinneth not :" " in many things we all offend." The term
comprehends those who, in the prevailing habit of their lives,
turn from iniquity to serve the living God. He, therefore, who
has fled to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge, and, through the
operation of the Spirit of God, is endeavouring to fulfil the
will of God, may justly consider himself as answering to this
character, notwithstanding many infirmities yet cleave unto
him ]
Over all such persons the eyes of the Lord are
fixed
[God " beholdeth all, as well the evil as the good." But
on the righteous his eyes are fixed, with peculiar complacency.
He delights to look upon them : " His eyes run to and fro
throughout the whole earth," to shew himself strong in their
behalf; to protect them from every evil and to supply
them with every needful good ]
His ears, too, are open to their prayers
[We all know with what a different feeling a parent be
holds the children of strangers and his own. If his own child
be in a situation of danger, his eye is upon it, to interpose in
the time of need ; and, if he were to hear its cry, all the ten-
derest feelings of his soul would be called forth, and all the
efforts which he could make would be exerted for its relief.
The inarticulate cry of an infant does not fall unheeded on a
mother s ear. So God hears, not the prayer only, but the
sighs and groans of his people ; and will fulfil the unexpressed
desires of their hearts " Even before they cry, he will
answer ; and whilst they are yet speaking, he will hear."]
Such, however, are not his feelings towards all :
for, in perfect contrast with this, is,
II. His indignation against the wicked
<( Those that do evil" must also be here defined
1 PETER, III. 12. [2400.
[We do not comprehend under this character those who
have yet some remaining infirmities ; for this were to confound,
in one indiscriminate mass, the righteous and the wicked : it
is the workers of iniquity who are here spoken of ; even those
who, in the general tenour of their lives, are acting contrary
to God s mind and will ]
Against these God sets his face
[It is impossible but that he should view them with dis
pleasure. He cannot forget what he has done for them, in
sending his own Son to be the propitiation for their sins, and
in striving with them by his Spirit to bring them to repent
ance : and when he sees how they requite these mercies, by
holding fast their iniquities, by treading under foot his dear
Son, and doing despite to his Spirit, he must of necessity be
incensed against them. Accordingly, we are told that " he is
angry with them every day ; 1 that " he sets his face upon
them for evil, and not for good d ;" and that he determines to
execute upon them his wrathful indignation 6 . They, perhaps,
are full of confidence in their own minds, and are saying, " I
shall have peace, though I go on adding sin to sin." But this
only ensures the evils which they will not deprecate : for God
says, " The Lord will not spare that man ; but the anger of
the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against him ; and all
the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him ;
and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven f ."
Instead of hearing his prayers, God further says concerning
him, " I will deal in fury with him : mine eye shall not spare,
neither will I have pity : though he cry in mine ears with a
loud voice, yet will I not hear him^." Unhappy man ! whoever
thou art, that livest in wilful sin ! this is thy lot ; and this, if
thou die in sin, will be thy portion to all eternity.]
OBSERVE, from hence,
1. Of how little signification are the opinions of
men
[If thou art righteous, perhaps the world will condemn
thee as an enthusiast : and if thou art countenancing them in
their evil ways, they will perhaps applaud thee as rational and
wise. But to what purpose do men condemn, if God approve;
or approve, if God condemn ? If God s eye be upon us for
good, we need not fear either men or devils : but if God set
his face against us, though the whole universe were confederate
to protect us, they could afford no help : " Though hand join
in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished."]
c Ps. vii. 11. d Amos. ix. 4, e Deut. xxxii. 40 42.
f Deut. xxix. 19, 20. s Ezek. viii. 18.
2401.] THE PERSECUTED ENCOURAGED.
2. How desirable it is to obtain the approbation of
our God
[If there were no future world, the sense which the right
eous have of God s favour were an ample recompence for all
their services. But we must take eternity into our account.
We must follow the righteous and the wicked into the presence
of their God : we must there see what his favour imports, and
what his displeasure: we must there behold the objects of his
complacency seated on thrones of glory, and the monuments
of his indignation cast into the lake that burneth with fire and
brimstone. We must then contemplate their states as fixed
to all eternity ; so that, after millions of ages, the one will have
no mitigation of his punishment, and the other no diminution
of his bliss. Reflect on this, my brethren, and I shall not
need to urge you to serve your God : your own feelings will
urge you sufficiently : without any further loss of time, you
will flee from the wrath to come, and, with all possible earnest
ness, lay hold on eternal life.]
MMCCCCI.
THE PERSECUTED ENCOURAGED.
1 Pet. iii. 13 15. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be
followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for
righteousness sake, happy are ye : and be not afraid of their
terror, neither be troubled ; but sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts.
EVERY kind of argument is urged in the Holy
Scriptures to animate and encourage the followers of
Christ. Sometimes the present benefit, arising from
piety, is proposed as an inducement to walk in the
paths of holiness : " He that will love life, and see
good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and
his lips that they speak no guile : let him eschew
evil, and do good ; let him seek peace, and ensue it a ."
Sometimes a holy life and conversation is recom
mended, by a consideration of the regard which God
himself will pay to it, and the approbation of it which
he will be sure to express ; " For the eyes of the
Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open
to their prayers : but the face of the Lord is against
a ver. 10, 11.
1 PETER, III. 1315. [2401.
them that do evil." In my text, the approbation of
men also is held forth, as in some respects a recom-
pence to be hoped for : " For who is he that will
harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good ? "
But, aware that this argument would not always
prove valid, the Apostle turns his address to a con
solatory strain ; and encourages the Lord s people
with the thought, that if they should not meet with
approbation from men, they might yet assure them
selves of abundant support and comfort from their
God.
Now, in these words, I wish you to notice,
I. The point conceded
Humanly speaking, it should seem impossible that
any should " suffer for righteousness sake"
[If we be "followers of that which is good," and maintain
a holy consistency in our conduct, we must, one would think,
meet with universal approbation. For we give to no one any
occasion for offence : and when we meet with unkindness from
others, we render nothing but good in return for it. If per
verse and prejudiced people will speak evil of us, "our good
conversation will put them to silence" and " to shame b ." Hence
wives are encouraged to hope, that if, unfortunately, they are
connected with unbelieving husbands, they may " by their good
conversation win" those who would not be won by any thing
else c . At all events, after a season this may be expected, if
not at first ; since God has said, that " when a man s ways
please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace
with him d ." Hence the question in my text is reasonable,
arid, one would think, unanswerable.]
Experience, however, proves that sufferings for
righteousness sake cannot altogether be avoided
[This is conceded in my text ; and in other parts of this
epistle is plainly intimated : " This is thankworthy, if a man
for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently ? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for
it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God : for even
hereunto were ye called*" Now, here it is intimated, not that
we may suffer though we do well, and maintain a good con
science toward God, but because we do so : our very piety may
*> 1 Pet. ii. 12, 15. and iii. 16. c ver. 1.
d Prov. xvi. 7. e 1 Pet. ii. 1921.
2401.] THE PERSECUTED ENCOURAGED. 225
be the ground on which the sufferings are inflicted. This shews
that there is more connexion between the different beatitudes
in our Lord s Sermon on the Mount than we should be ready
to imagine. Our Lord, after saying, " Blessed are the poor in
spirit, and they that mourn, and the meek, and they that
hunger and thirst after righteousness, and the merciful, and
the pure, and the peace-makers," adds, " Blessed are they that
are persecuted for righteousness sake f ." But what connexion
can there be between persecution and the characters before
portrayed? Can they be persecuted? Are there any people
in the world so blind, yea, so abandoned, as to " revile them,
and persecute them, and say all manner of evil falsely against
them" and that too "for Christ s sake," and because of his
image that is thus enstamped upon them ? Yes ; this piety is
the very thing which will provoke the world s enmity, and call
it forth in every act of hostility that can be conceived. , For
thus has our Lord forewaned us: " If ye were of the world,
the world would love its own : but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth youC David found it so in his day : " They that
render evil for good are against me, because I follow the thing
that good is\" And we also shall find the same : for it is said,
" All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecu
tion 1 ." Indeed, if our blessed Lord himself could not escape,
notwithstanding the inconceivable wisdom of his discourses, and
the immaculate purity of his whole conduct, how shall we, who
are so frail and fallible, hope to pass without much inveterate
opposition ? " If they called the master of the house Beelze
bub, much more will they those of his household k ." Hence
we are told not to be surprised at persecution, when it comes :
" Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto
you But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a
thief, or as a busy-body in other men s matters: yet, if any
man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed ; but let him
glorify God on this behalf 1 ."]
This point being conceded, let us proceed to con
sider,
II. The consolation administered
Persecution for righteousness sake is by no means
so great an evil as people are apt to imagine.
1. It is no proper ground for sorrow
f Matt. v. 311. g John xv. 18, 19.
h Ps. xxxviii. 20. 2 Tim. iii. 12.
k Matt. x. 25. i 1 Pet. iv. 12, 15, 16.
VOL. XX. Q
226 1 PETER, III. 1315. [2401.
[Would any one wish for a testimony from God, that he
is in the right way, and that God is well-pleased with him ?
Behold, that is the very satisfaction which such evil treatment
is intended to convey : " They shall lay their hands on you,
and persecute you; delivering you up to the synagogues and
into prisons; being brought before kings and rulers for my
name s sake: and it shall turn to you for a testimony 1 "." But
it is, in fact, a participation of Christ s sufferings, and a source
of great glory to God. And is that a ground of sorrow ? No ;
but rather of exalted joy ; as the Apostle tells us: " Rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ s sufferings ; that when
his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding
joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are
ye ; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On
their part, he is evil spoken of; but on your part, he is glori
fied 1 ^." In truth, it is a signal honour conferred upon us :
and, instead of repining at it, we ought to " rejoice that we
are counted worthy" to sustain it . But to speak of it thus,
is, in reality, to come very far short of the statement which
should be given : for, if the truth be spoken, it is a most
invaluable gift : " Unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake p ."
Yes, it is conferred as God s choicest gift, in answer to the
prayers of his only dear Son. In bestowing upon us pardon,
and peace, and holiness, and glory, God gives to us : but when
we are permitted to suffer for righteousness sake, we give to
God : we give our reputation, our property, our body, our life,
to be disposed of according to his will, and for the glory of his
name. And surely this is an honour in which we ought to
rejoice with most unfeigned and exalted joy q .]
2. It is no just occasion for fear
[I will grant, that there is a confederacy of the whole
world against us : (that is the case supposed by the prophet,
whose words are cited in my text r :) What can they do?
They cannot touch so much as a hair of our head, without
the special permission of our God s : nor can they do any one
thing which shall not be overruled for our eternal good*.
Hear the representation which holy David gives us of this
matter: " The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth
upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him u ."
And if the Lord " laugh," shall we cry ? God designs both
to prepare us for glory, and to increase to us the measure of
our happiness to all eternity: and for these ends he permits
m Lukexxi. 12, 13. n 1 Pet. iv. 13, 14. Acts v. 41.
P Phil. i. 29. i Matt. v. 12. Isai.viii. 12, 13.
8 Matt. x. 2P, 30. * Rom. viii. 28. Ps. xxxvii. 12, 13.
00"
2401.1 THE PERSECUTED ENCOURAGED.
ungodly men to put us into a furnace, that he may " purify
us from our dross ;" and he makes " our light and momentary
affliction to work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory x ." Now, who that knew the designs of Heaven
in relation to us, would dread the process by which such ends
were to be accomplished ? God has said, that " the wrath of
man shall praise him ; and the remainder of it he will restrain."
As one, who, in a flood that threatens to destroy his mill, lets
upon it so much water only as shall accomplish his own pur
poses, and turns off the remainder by another sluice ; so will
God effect his gracious purposes for his people s good, by the
very efforts which their enemies are making for their destruc
tion. Knowing this, therefore, we should " not be afraid of
their terror, nor be troubled" at any confederacies they may
make against us.]
3. A due regard to God is an ample security to all
his people
[To "sanctify the Lord God in our hearts" is to conceive
of him as an all-wise Governor, that orders every thing in
heaven and earth; and as an all-sufficient Protect or, who is "a
wall of fire round about" his people, not only to protect them,
but to devour their assailants 7 ; and, lastly, as an all-gracious
Reiuarder, who, " if we suffer with him, will cause us also to
reign with him, that we may be glorified together 2 ." In this
view of him, our duty is precisely what St. Peter tells us :
" Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit
the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a
faithful Creator a ." We have only to realize in our hearts
the agency, the power, the love, the faithfulness, of the omni
present God, and we shall be as composed in the conflict,
and as confident of the victory, as if we were already in heaven.
If God has said, " Fear not ; for I am with thee : be not dis
mayed ; for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness 13 ;" it is not merely our privilege, but our duty,
to reply with David, " The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid ?"]
IMPROVEMENT
1. Let us be thankful for the peace we enjoy
[There have been seasons in the Church when persecution
has raged with great fury, and almost driven Christianity from
the face of the earth. That it is not so now, is not owing to
* 2 Cor. iv. 17. y Zech. ii. 5.
z 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. Rom. viii. 17. a 1 Pet. iv. 19.
b Isai. xli. 10. c Ps. xxvii. 1.
1 PETER, III. 1315. [2401.
men s love of religion ; but to the protection afforded by human
laws, and to the prevalence of an idea, that toleration in reli
gion is essential to civil liberty. It is however a great mercy
to us to live in these days : and I call upon you to improve the
opportunities afforded you. You can assemble together, none
making you afraid : you can consecrate yourselves to the
Lord, without any apprehension of being dragged for it to
prison or to death. You must not however imagine, that
" the offence of the cross has ceased," or that you will not in
your domestic and social circles have any thing to suffer.
You may still have to make considerable sacrifices : your
parents and governors may still act an unkind and oppressive
part towards you ; and your friends may treat you with such
contempt as is not easy to be borne. But, if you are not
" called to resist unto blood," you have reason to be thankful :
and, in this season of comparative peace, you must prepare to
maintain, when called to it, a vigorous and active warfare.
The roaring lion is as vigilant as ever to destroy ; and you also
must be vigilant, if you would defeat his efforts d .]
2. Let us, when persecution shall arise, act worthy
of our high and holy calling
[The command of our blessed Lord is, that we should be
ready to lay down our lives for his sake. And he has plainly
told us, that " he who will save his life, shall lose it ; and he
only who will lose his life for his sake, shall save it unto life
eternal 6 ." On no other terms can we be acknowledged as his
disciples. Nor should we wish for any other terms than these.
We should be ready to " rejoice in tribulation f ;" and to " glory
in the cross^" for our Lord s sake : yea, we should even " take
pleasure in infirmities and distresses for his sake," in order that
he may be glorified in us, and that " his strength may be per
fected in our weakness h ." To all of you then I say, Prepare
to approve yourselves " good soldiers of Jesus Christ." Who
ever you are, you are to " fight the good fight of faith 1 ," and
to stem the torrent against all the enemies of your salvation :
and to you God says, as he did to the Prophet Ezekiel, " Be
hold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy
forehead strong against their foreheads ; as an adamant, harder
than flint, have I made thy forehead : fear them not, neither
be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house k ."
" Be faithful unto death, and then will God give unto you the
crown of life 1 ."]
d 1 Pet. v. 8. e Luke xvii. 33. f Rom. v. 3.
g Gal. vi. 14. h 2 Cor. xii. 10. * 1 Tim. vi. 12.
k Ezek. iii. 8, 9. 1 Rev. ii. 10.
2402.] THE CHRISTIAN S REASON OF HIS HOPE.
MMCCCCII.
THE CHRISTIAN READY TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF HIS HOPE.
1 Pet. iii. 15. Be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meek
ness and fear.
THE Christian s life must of necessity appear
strange to those who know not the principles by
which he is actuated. They see a friend or relative
pause amidst the crowd of his associates, and retrace,
in opposition to them, all the steps he has trodden
throughout his whole life. Perhaps he was highly
respected ; and he now subjects himself to ridicule
and contempt, from those who once held him in esti
mation. Perhaps he had fair prospects of advance
ment in the world, which now, by what are called his
fanatical and over-righteous proceedings, he abandons.
He once seemed happy in the enjoyment of all that
the world could give him ; and now he is turning his
back upon it all, and following after phantoms of his
own imagination. What can all this mean ? Whence
does it proceed ? Is it the effect of a disturbed ima
gination ? Is it from a desire after notoriety and
distinction ? or is it the fruit of deliberate hypocrisy ?
What has he seen, what has he found, that can
account for such a change in his conduct ?
Such questions will arise in the minds of many.
Many indeed will not trouble themselves with
making such inquiries. A shorter method with them
is to revile and persecute, if by any means they may
deter this supposed enthusiast from persisting in his
folly : but others, who are more candid, will be glad
of information, in order that they may be able to
form some judgment about the proceedings which
appear at first sight so unaccountable.
Now with respect to the former of these, the open
persecutors, the Christian has nothing to do, but to
commit his cause to God, and to go forward in hum
ble dependence upon him : but with respect to the
280 1 PETER, III. 15. [2402.
latter, he should gladly rise to the occasion, and " be
ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh him a reason of the hope that is in him with
meekness and fear."
You will perceive that the principle by which the
Christian is carried forward, is hope " a hope that
is within him." What the Christian s hope is, will
form the first point for our inquiry. His duty in
relation to it shall then, in the next place, be set
before you.
I. What is the hope by which the Christian is carried
forward ?
Whatever may be thought of it,
It is a glorious hope
[It has respect to all that the soul of man can need, and
to all that God himself can bestow. Contemplate man as a
sinner, redeemed from sin and death through the blood of
God s only dear Son, who at the same time has purchased for
him all the glory and felicity of heaven : hope fixes upon all
these things as promised to the penitent and believing soul.
Pardon and acceptance with a reconciled God ; fellowship with
the Lord Jesus Christ, and a constant communication of grace
and peace out of his fulness; the preserving and sanctifying
influences of the Holy Spirit; victory over death and hell;
and an everlasting possession of heaven as a rightful inherit
ance ; all is apprehended by the believing Christian as his
true and proper portion : by hope, he surveys it all, anticipates
it all, enjoys it all. How wonderful ! how surpassing all con
ception ! Yet " to a lively hope of all these things is every
child of God begotten 3 ."]
It is a well-founded hope
[It may well be asked, What warrant has the Christian
to indulge such a hope as this ? Is it a mere conceit of his
own, an expectation unauthorized and presumptuous ? No : it
is a hope founded upon the promise and oath of the immutable
Jehovah. God has revealed a way of salvation, through the
blood and righteousness of his only-begotten Son ; and has
promised to accept to mercy all who shall come to him in the
name of Christ. To all such, without exception, he has engaged
to give all the blessings both of grace and glory. And in rest
ing on his engagements, the believer cannot be deceived : for
" God cannot lie," " cannot deny himself."
a 1 Pet. i. 3.
2402.] THE CHRISTIAN S REASON OF HIS HOPE. 231
The Christian has a further ground of hope, in his own actual
experience of these things : for in coming to God through
Christ, he has found peace to his soul : he has received grace,
whereby he is enabled to serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear : and " through the hope that is in him he does
actually purify himself, even as Christ is pureV
Here then he stands as upon a rock, that defies the assaults
whether of men or devils.]
It is a hope that raises Mm up above all the tilings
of time and sense
[In the prospect of all the blessings that are promised to
him, how empty and insignificant do all earthly things appear !
They are regarded by him as the dust upon the balance, yea,
as lighter than vanity itself. However important the concerns
of this world may seem, they are but for a moment : whereas
the objects of the Christian s hope are everlasting. Nor are
the sufferings of this present world, how formidable soever in
themselves, regarded by him as worthy of any consideration,
in comparison of the glory which he sees revealed before his
eyes, and which he expects shortly to inherit . Here is the
great secret of all his movements. Even in this life a man
will endure much labour and self-denial, in order to obtain
some great advantage : what then will not a man both do and
suffer, who has all the glory of heaven in view, and an assured
prospect of attaining it, if only he " hold on his way," and " be
not moved away from the hope of the Gospel ? "]
Such being the Christian s hope, let us inquire,
II. What is his duty in relation to it ?
The principle which operates so forcibly on the
Christian s mind cannot be fully appreciated by one
who is a stranger to it in his own soul : yet may it,
by a judicious statement, be brought so far within the
view of an unenlightened mind, as to carry convic
tion with it to the heart and conscience : and every
one who professes it should be ready to afford to an
inquirer all possible satisfaction respecting it : he
should " be ready to give to every one a reason of
the hope that is in him :"
1. With frankness and fidelity
[It is here supposed that an inquiry is made respecting
it : for otherwise it is by no means expedient that a Christian
be bringing forward his own personal experience, and making
t> 1 John iii. 3. Rom. viii. 18.
232 1 PETER, III. 15. [2402.
that the subject of conversation. To do this is hateful. St.
Paul, when forced by the accusations of his enemies to vindi
cate himself, and to declare the experience of his soul, again
and again, with indignation, as it were, against himself, says,
" I speak as a fool." And, where it is done without necessity,
it is as strong a proof of a vain and weak mind as can well be
conceived. But where a man asks us a reason of the hope
that is in us, we should readily and cheerfully give him an
answer. We should not be ashamed of our principles. We
should never doubt whether they will bear us out, provided
they be perspicuously and justly stated. We should candidly
state, That we are sinners, deserving of God s wrath and indig
nation : that God has sent his only-begotten Son to die for
us : that through his precious blood we hope and believe that
we have obtained the forgiveness of all our sins. We should
then state our conviction, that sinners redeemed with so
inestimable a price are bound to consecrate themselves to him,
and, above all things, to seek the glory of his great name. We
should further avow our full persuasion, that in the day of
judgment we shall all be dealt with according to our works;
that those who have suffered any thing to stand in competition
with their duty to Christ, will assuredly be cast out as wicked
and unprofitable servants ; but that they who have loved, and
served, and honoured him with their whole hearts, shall be
applauded by him as good and faithful servants, and enter for
ever into the joy of their Lord. We may then appeal to the
most prejudiced mind, and ask, Whether, with such views and
principles, it be not our bounden duty to act as we do ?
This kind of statement should be made " readily," to all
without exception who desire to hear it, and are ready to
attend to it. Whether they be more or less candid in their
inquiries, we should account it a valuable opportunity to set
before them the leading truths of Christianity ; and we should
avail ourselves of it, with a view at least to silence their
objections, and, if it may please God, to convert and save
their souls.]
2. With meekness and fear
[There is, not unfrequently, found amongst the professors
of religion a very unhallowed boldness and forwardness in
declaring their sentiments. This is extremely indecorous, and
odious in the eyes both of God and man. Though, as far as
respects the truth itself, we should have no hesitation in de
claring it, yet we should be much on our guard against any
thing harsh or acrimonious in our manner of declaring it.
Suavity and kindness become us on all occasions, and especially
when speaking on the things of God. We must speak the
truth indeed, whether it be palatable or not : but we must
2402.] THE CHRISTIAN S REASON OF HIS HOPE. 233
" speak the truth in love," and "instruct in meekness them
that oppose themselves, if God peradventure may give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth that so they
may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, by whom
they have been taken captive at his will d ." A Christian on
such occasions must bear in mind how much the honour of
God is involved in his conduct ; and how much, humanly
speaking, the salvation of others may depend on him. By an
indiscreet mode of vindicating the truth, he may shut the ears,
and harden the hearts of many ; and so embitter their minds,
as to make them determined haters and despisers of vital
godliness : but by a meek, modest, affectionate, and prudent
statement, he may remove their prejudices, and lead them to
a candid examination of their own state before God. Hence
then he should speak " with fear," even as the Apostle Paul
himself did at Corinth, where, as he himself tells us, " he was
among them in weakness and fear and much trembling 6 ." By
thus combining meekness with fidelity, and fear with zeal, he
may hope that he shall be the means of silencing opposers, and
of winning many who would never have attended to the written
or preached word f .]
I would yet further enforce the exhortation in our
text, with such ADVICE as naturally arises out
of it
Let it be the daily labour of your lives to be such
as our text requires :
1. Be intelligent Christians
[You ought to be able to " give to every inquirer a reason
of the hope that is in you." It is a disgrace to a Christian not
to possess such a measure of divine knowledge, as shall qualify
him for this. It is not necessary that every Christian should
be a disputant, and be able to enter into theological contro
versies: but every man should be able to answer this question,
" Why are you a Christian ?" Alas ! the generality of Chris
tians, so called, can assign no better reason for being Chris
tians, than a Turk can for being a Mahometan. But to all such
I must say, You have yet to learn what a scriptural hope is ;
and have only " the hope of an hypocrite, which will be
swept away like a spider s web." I beseech you all then to
study the Scriptures with all diligence; and to pray unto
God, that you may by them be made wise unto everlasting
salvation.]
2. Be steadfast Christians
* 2 Tim. ii, 25, 26. e 1 Cor. ii. 3. f 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2.
234 1 PETER, III. 15. [2402.
[You must expect that your faith and patience will be
tried : but you must not give way to fear, or be diverted from
your duty by any consideration whatever. There should be
in you such a hope, as, like an anchor of the soul, shall keep
you steadfast amidst all the storms and tempests with which
you may be assailed g . By means of this divine principle you
should be realizing all the glories of the eternal world ; in the
view of which, all earthly glories will sink into insignificance,
and all earthly trials appear " light and momentary 11 ." Survey
then the inheritance to which you are begotten : take Pisgah
views of the promised land : and then you shall be enabled to
say respecting every thing that may occur, " None of these
things move me ; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so
that I may but finish my course with joy."]
3. Be humble Christians
[Humility is the root and summit of Christian perfection.
If men see you offended and irritated by the unkind usage
which you experience, they will say, " Wherein are their
principles superior to ours ; or their conduct better than ours ?
They pretend to possess a hope that lifts up their souls in an
extraordinary degree : but wherein does it shew itself? and
what do they more than others? It is no uncommon thing
for persons professing godliness to feel towards their revilers
and persecutors the very same contempt and hatred which
their persecutors manifest towards them. But this is a proof,
that, whatever they may profess of love to Christ, they have
never attained " the mind that was in Christ." If you would
be Christians indeed, you must resemble Him " who was led
like a lamb to the slaughter, and was dumb before his perse
cutors, even as a sheep before its shearers is dumb," and who
in the very agonies of crucifixion prayed for his murderers.
So must you : you must " shew all meekness towards all men,"
and be more fearful of dishonouring God, or of casting a
stumbling-block before your enemies, by any thing hasty or
ill-advised, than of suffering all that the most bitter per
secutors can inflict upon you. Thus " letting patience have
its perfect work, you will be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing 1 ."]
g Heb. vi. 19. h 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. * Jam. i. 4.
2403.] NATURE AND ENDS OF CHRISl s DEATH. 235
MMCCCCIII.
THE NATURE AND ENDS OF CHRIST S DEATH.
1 Pet. iii. 1 8. Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.
"SUFFERINGS, of whatever kind, are not in
themselves joyous, but grievous :" nevertheless they
may on some occasions become a source of joy and
triumph. If, for instance, they be inflicted for
righteousness sake, and we have the testimony of
our conscience that we suffer for well-doing, we may
then unfeignedly rejoice in them, as on other ac
counts, so especially because they render us conform
able to our Lord and Saviour. This thought was
suggested by St. Peter as a rich source of consolation
to the persecuted Christians of his day : nor can we
have any stronger incentive to patience and diligence
in every part of our duty, than the consideration of
what Christ has done and suffered for our sake.
The words before us lead us to contemplate,
I. The nature of Christ s sufferings
We speak not of their quality) as corporeal, or spiri
tual, but of their nature as described in the text.
They were,
1. Penal-
[Some affirm that the sufferings of Christ were only to
confirm his doctrine, and to set us an example : but these ends
might have been equally answered by the sufferings of his
Apostles a . But th.ey were the punishment of sin : and the
wrath of God due to sin, was the bitterest ingredient in them.
We had merited the curse and condemnation of the law : and
he, to deliver us from it, "became a curse for us b ." "He
a If there was nothing penal in our Lord s sufferings, his example
was not near so bright as that of many of his disciples ; since he
neither met his sufferings with so much fortitude, nor endured them
with such triumphant exultation, as many of his followers have since
done. But if they were the penalty due to sin, his apparent inferio
rity is fully accounted for.
b Gal. iii. 10, 13.
236 1 PETER, III. 18. [2403.
suffered for sins /" and though his punishment was not pre
cisely the same either in quality or duration, as ours would have
been, yet was it equivalent to our demerit, and satisfactory to
the justice of an offended God.]
2. Vicarious
[It was not for any sin of his own that Jesus was cut off c
he was " a Lamb without spot or blemish 4 ," as even his ene
mies, after the strictest scrutiny, were forced to confess 6 . He
died, "the just for, and in the room of, the unjust f :" the
iniquities of all the human race were laid upon him g : he was
wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities,
and the chastisement he endured was to effect our peace h . He,
who was innocent, became a sin-offering for us, that we, who
are guilty, might be made righteous in him 1 .]
3. Propitiatory
[The death of Christ, like all the sacrifices under the
Jewish law, was an atonement for sin. It is continually com
pared with the Jewish sacrifices in this view k . We say not,
that the Father hated us, and needed to have his wrath ap
peased by the interposition of his Son (for the very gift of
Christ was the fruit of the Father s love } ) ; but we say, in con
currence with all the inspired writers, that when it was neces
sary for the honour of the Divine government that sin should
be punished, either in the offender himself or in his surety,
Christ became our surety, and by his own death made a true
and proper atonement for our sins, and thus effected our recon
ciliation with God m . On any other supposition than this, the
whole Mosaic ritual was absurd, and the writings of the New
Testament are altogether calculated to deceive us.]
From considering the nature of our Lord s suffer
ings, let us proceed to notice,
II. The end of them-
His one great design was to bring us to God :
1. To a state of acceptance with him
[We were " enemies to God in our minds by wicked
works ;" nor could we by any means reconcile ourselves to
God : we could not by obedience ; because the law required
perfect obedience : which, having once transgressed the law,
we could never afterwards pay : nor could we by suffering,
because the penalty denounced against sin was eternal, and
c Dan. ix. 26. d 1 Pet. i. 19. e John xviii. 38. and xix. 6.
f IVep, this imports substitution. See Rom. v. 7. in the Greek,
g Isai. liii. 6. h Isai. liii. 4. i 2 Cor. v. 21.
k Heb. passim. ] John iii. 16.
m Eph. v. 2. and 1 John ii. 2.
2403.] NATURE AND ENDS OF CHRIST S DEATH. 237
consequently, if once endured by us, could never be remitted.
But, when it was impossible for us to restore ourselves to
God s favour, we were reconciled to him by Christ s obedience
unto death"; and to effect this reconciliation was the very end
for which he laid down his life .]
2. To the enjoyment of his presence in this
world
[The holy of holies was inaccessible to all except the
high-priest ; nor could even he enter into it except on the
great day of annual expiation?. But at the very instant of
our Lord s death, while the Jews were worshipping in the
temple, the vail was rent in twain from the top to the bottom,
and the most holy place was opened to the view of all 3. This
was intended to declare, that from henceforth all might have
the freest and most intimate access to God r . All are now
made priests unto God s ; and, in this new and living way,
may come to his mercy-seat to behold his glory, and to enjoy
his love*.]
3. To the possession of his glory in the world to
come
[It was not only to save us from condemnation, but to
exalt us to everlasting happiness, that Jesus died. The salva
tion which he procured for us, is a " salvation with eternal
glory u ." The robes in which the celestial spirits are arrayed,
were washed in his blood x ; and all the ransomed hosts unite
in ascribing to him the felicity they enjoy y. Nothing short
of this could answer the purposes of his love z ; and the accom
plishment of this was the ultimate end of all he suffered a .]
Before we conclude this subject, let us CONTEMPLATE
1. How great is the love of Christ to our fallen
race b !
2. How cheerfully should we endure sufferings for
his sake c !
3. How inexcusable will they be who continue
still at a distance from their God d !
Col. i. 21, 22. Rom. v. 10. Eph. ii. 16.
P Heb. ix. 7, 8. 4 Matt, xxvii. 50, 51. r Eph. ii. 13, 18.
s Rev. i. 6. t Heb. x. 1922. and xii. 1824.
u 2 Tim. ii. 10. x Rev. vii. 14. y Rev. v. 9, 10, 12.
z John xvii. 24. a Heb. ii. 9, 10.
b Who would do any thing like this for a fellow-creature ? Rom.
v. 7, 8. Neither Moses, Exod. xxxii. 32 ; nor St. Paul, Rom. ix. 3.
thought of any thing like this. See the Discourse on Rom. ix. 1 5.
c Compare ver. 14. with the text, and Heb. xiii. 12, 13. ana
Acts v. 41. d John xv. 22. a fortiori, and Heb. ii. 3.
238 1 PETER, III. 21. [2404,
MMCCCCIV.
NOAH S ARK A TYPE OF CHRIST.
1 Pet. iii. 21. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth
also now save us.
GOD has marked the necessity of holiness no less
by the dispensations of his providence than by the
declarations of his grace. His destroying of the
whole world for their iniquity, evinced as strongly as
any thing could, that sin should never go unpunished,
and that the righteous only should be saved. In
this view St. Peter introduces the mention of that
well-attested fact, and declares, that the salvation
experienced by Noah in the ark, was typical of that
which we experience by Christ, and into which we
are brought by our baptism. The text is by no
means free from difficulties : to render it as intelligi
ble as we can, we shall consider,
I. The typical salvation here referred to
God had determined to overwhelm the world with
a deluge
[Though there had been so few generations upon earth,
that Noah s own father (Lamech) had been contemporary with
Adam for sixty years, and lived till within five years of the
flood, so that Noah, and the people of that generation, had, for
no less than six hundred years together, received instruction
only at second hand from Adam himself, yet had " all flesh
corrupted their way," insomuch that " God repented that he
had made man," and resolved to destroy him from off the face
of the earth.]
But for the preservation of the righteous he in
structed Noah to make an ark
[This vessel was not constructed according to man s device,
but by the special direction of God himself. To the eyes of
man it doubtless seemed an absurd attempt : but " the foolish
ness of God is wiser than man ;" and the event justified the
hopes and expectations of Noah.]
In the mean time he called the people to repent
ance by the ministry of Noah
2404 J NOAIl s ARK A TYPE OF CHRIST. 239
[God exercised forbearance towards them one hundred
and twenty years. But they " received his grace in vain."
And the means used for their salvation only ripened them for
destruction.]
When the appointed time was come, he ordered
Noah and his family to go into the ark
[The symptoms of the flood did not yet appear ; but these
favourites of heaven were to condemn the world, not in word
only, but in deed. By manifesting their faith, their fear, and
their obedience, they were practically to condemn the world s
unbelief, security, and disobedience a . And, upon their en
trance into the ark, " God shut them in" with his own hand,
that the door might be secure against the violence of the wind
and waves.]
Then the waters, that destroyed all the world
besides, bore up them in perfect safety
[Every other refuge now proved vain. The unbelievers
found to their cost the truth of God s threatenings. Their
numbers did not screen them from his judgments. Nor was
the fewness of the elect any bar to their acceptance and sal
vation. They rose, while others sank in the mighty waters.
Nor, if any cleaved to the ark, did that avail them. The very
builders of the ark perished. They, and they only, who were
in the ark, were made the monuments of saving mercy.]
This history being altogether typical, we shall con
sider,
II. The correspondent salvation which we enjoy
Baptism is spoken of in the text as the antitype*,
of which Noah s flood was the type. But we appre
hend the Apostle s meaning to be, that Noah s salva
tion in the ark was typical of our salvation under the
Christian dispensation . This subject will be best
understood, not by drawing the parallel between the
flood and baptism, or between the ark and Christ,
but by exhibiting the fact of our salvation as corre
sponding with that of Noah.
a Heb. xi. 7- b Avrirvirov.
c The relative J cannot agree with Kifiurov, which is feminine, but
must agree with vcaroc, or rather perhaps with the whole sentence ;
this last construction renders the sense of the passage incomparably
more clear ; on which account it is here preferred.
240 1 PETER, III. 21. [2404.
God has determined to punish the world with an
everlasting destruction
[His word bears frequent and most undeniable testimony
to this solemn truth d ]
But he has prepared a Saviour for those who repent
and turn unto him
[Human sagacity never could have devised a way of saving
sinners consistently with the honour of God s perfections. But
God has sent and qualified his only-begotten Son, that, through
him, all who believe might be justified from all things. And
though salvation through the death of Christ be " to the Jews
a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness," yet to them
that are called to partake of it, it has invariably proved the
power of God and the wisdom of God 6 .]
Ever since the method of salvation has been an
nounced to the world, God has been inviting sinners
to embrace it
[The first plank of this ark was laid, if we may so speak,
when God promised to Adam a " Seed, who should bruise the
serpent s head." From that day, it has been erecting visibly
in the world, in order that, while men were warned of their
danger, they might see their remedy : and now, for nearly six
thousand years, has God exercised forbearance towards an
impenitent and unbelieving world.]
By " baptism" we embark, as it were, on board
this divinely-constructed vessel
[When we are baptized into the faith of Christ, we profess
our persuasion that " there is salvation in no other," and our
desire " to be found in him," not having our own righteousness,
but that which is of God by faith in him f . Thus we come to
be in him, as a branch in the vine, as a man-slayer in a city of
refuge, as Noah in the ark. Not that this benefit is annexed
to the mere outward form of baptism, but to that baptism
which is accompanied with " the answer of a good conscience
towards GodC ]
Being then in Christ, we are saved " by his resur
rection 11 "
[It should seem, that Noah s enclosure in the ark for so
long a period was a kind of sepulture ; and his elevation on the
d Matt. xxiv. 3739. 2 Pet. ii. 5, 9. Ps. xi. 6. and ix. 17.
e 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. Acts iv. 12. Phil. iii. 9
g See the words following the text. h ver. 21.
2404.] NOAH S ARK A TYPE OF CHRIST.
waters, till he afterwards came forth from the ark, was a kind
of resurrection, when he took possession of a new world. Thus,
according to St. Paul, " we are buried with Christ by baptism
into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life : for if we have been planted in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection 1 ." This
appears to be intended by St. Peter in the text, and to be, on
the whole, the most natural, as well as most beautiful, con
struction of it : as Noah entered into the ark, and was saved
by its elevation above the water-floods, so we, by baptism,
enter into Christ, and are, by his resurrection, saved from sin
and Satan, death and hell ; yea, like Noah too, we are brought
safely to the possession of a new and heavenly vvoiid k .]
INFER
1. How deeply should we reverence the ordinances
of God !
[What is said of baptism is true, in a measure, of every
other ordinance : yet how shamefully is both that, and every
other ordinance, profaned amongst us ! Let us remember, that
all the institutions of God are intended to help forward our
salvation : but, if trifled with, they will fearfully aggravate our
condemnation.]
2. How careful should we be to obtain " the answer
of a good conscience !"
[In the Apostles days, as well as in ours, they, who applied
for baptism, were interrogated with respect to their faith and
practice; nor could the mere ablution of the body profit them,
if they had not a correspondent purity of soul. Thus it is with
us : we shall in vain receive the rite of baptism, or partake
of the Lord s supper, if we cannot declare, as in the presence
of God, that it is our desire and endeavour to be holy as God
is holy. Let us then not lay an undue stress upon outward
observances of any kind ; but rather seek a conformity to the
Divine image ; for it will surely be found true at the last, that
" the pure in heart shall see God," but that " without holiness
no man shall see the Lord"~\
1 Bom. vi. 4, 5.
k If the opposition between dieffwdrjffav Si vcaroQ and o-wet ci
araarcHreuc be marked, the sense of this difficult passage will be more
apparent.
VOL. xx.
1 PETER, IV. 3. [2405.
MMCCCCV.
A WORLDLY LIFE TO BE RELINQUISHED.
1 Pet. iv. 3. The time past of our life may suffice us to have
wrought the ivill of the Gentiles.
THE end of all God s dispensations towards his
people is to promote their advancement in righteous
ness and true holiness. The Lord Jesus Christ him
self " was made perfect through sufferings ;" and the
afflictions which his people suffer, from whatsoever
quarter they arise, are intended " for their profit, to
make them partakers of God s holiness." The Lord s
people are " ordained to suffer," in conformity to their
Divine Master: and their great concern should be,
not so much to get rid of their trials, as to make a
due improvement of them, by " ceasing from sin,"
and living more entirely to God, and for God. To
this purpose the Apostle speaks in the verses before
my text ; and then adds, that the time past might
well suffice to have lived after the manner of the
Gentile world, whose ways it became them hence
forth determinately to renounce,
From the words before us I shall take occasion to
shew,
I. In what respects we also have wrought the will of
the Gentiles
The unconverted man, whether Jew or Gentile, is
cast into the same mould, and, in the main, walks in
the same paths. The nominal Christian also has the
same views, the same desires, the same pursuits. In
some external matters he may differ from the hea
then : but in the most essential parts of his conduct
he accords with them. He resembles them,
1. In an utter disregard of God
[The heathen, of course, cannot regard God, because they
know him not, nor are at all acquainted with his will. The
nominal Christian has in some little degree the knowledge
of his will ; but he regards it no more than if he were utterly
2405.] A WORLDLY LIFE TO BE RELINQUISHED. 243
unacquainted with it. " He professes to know God ; but in
works he denies him."
On this subject let me appeal to yourselves. It is, I confess,
a heavy charge, to say that you have hitherto " lived like
heathens." But I would put it to your own consciences, and
ask, What regard have you shewn for God s authority ? and,
What desire have you manifested to obtain his favour ? You
have had in your very hands the means of knowing his will :
you profess to believe that the Scriptures have been given you
by him, on purpose to instruct you in the knowledge of him.
Have you been thankful for this revelation of his will ? Have
you studied it with care, for the express purpose of learning
how you might please and serve him acceptably ? Have you
turned away from every thing which his word forbids ? Have
you followed after every thing which his word enjoins ? Have
you embraced the whole of it as an infallible record, believing
all that it reveals, and expecting with hope and fear the ac
complishment of all his promises and all his threats ? Have
you, in short, " trembled at his word," as it became you to do ?
I must further ask, Have you humbled yourselves before him
for all your past transgressions ? Have you fled for refuge to
the hope set before you ? Have you washed your souls daily
in the blood of the Lamb, even in that fountain which was
opened for sin and for uncleanness ? Have you cried mightily
to God for the gift of his Holy Spirit to sanctify you, and to
transform you into the Divine image ? Have you surrendered
up your souls to God as living sacrifices, and accounted an
entire dedication of yourselves to him your reasonable service ?
If you have not done this, wherein have you differed from the
heathen ; except indeed, that you have sinned against greater
light and knowledge than they, and therefore involved your
selves in deeper guilt and heavier condemnation ?]
2. In a determined prosecution of your own will
[The character given of the Gentiles is, that " they lived
to the lusts of men, and not to the will of God a ." And what
have you done ? By what standard have you regulated your
conduct? and whose will have you consulted? A decent
heathen regulates himself according to the standard which
the society in which he lives has established. Whatever they
approve, he follows : and whatever would degrade him in their
estimation, he avoids. And has it not been thus with you also ?
In whatever line of life you move, have you not conformed to
the habits of your associates, accounting every thing innocent
which they deemed innocent ; and satisfied with yourselves, if
you only satisfied them ? Amongst the particular habits of the
a ver. 2.
R 2
244 1 PETER, IV. 3. [2405.
Gentiles, the Apostle enumerates " lasciviousness, lusts, excess
of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries :"
and do not these characterize the Christian world also ? If we
are free from open idolatry, we are guilty of it in our hearts as
much as the heathen themselves : for whilst some " make a god
of their belly," and others are addicted to " covetousness, which
is idolatry," we all, in one way or other, " love and serve the
creature more than the Creator, who is over all, blessed for
ever." As to all the other evils, it will be well if we have not
been guilty even in the outward act : for " lasciviousness and
excess of wine" are not such uncommon evils amongst us;
but, granting that we have been free as it respects the act,
have we abhorred the very thought of such evils, as we ought?
Have we not, on the contrary, found pleasure in " revellings
and banquetings," and " SUCH LIKE," without ever thinking
that " they who do such things cannot inherit the kingdom of
God b ?" Is it not a notorious fact, that this season of the
year, which ought to be in a more especial manner consecrated
to holy duties, is devoted to "revelling and banqueting;"
precisely as if the Lord Jesus Christ had come unto the world,
not to deliver us from sin, but to give us a licence to sin e ?
But, whether we have indulged in these things or not, still
the same charge must be reiterated against us ; namely, that
we have lived to ourselves, and not to God ; and have made
our own inclinations the rule of our conduct, instead of ad
hering to his commands. This is " the course of this world ;"
this is the line of conduct which characterizes without excep
tion " the children of disobedience," and the vassals of the
wicked one d .
Say now, brethren, whether ye have not " wrought the will
of the Gentiles;" or, in other words, whether ye have not
lived like " atheists" and heathens 6 ?]
Let me then proceed to shew you,
II. That the time past may well suffice for such a
course as that
Let me put it to yourselves :
1. What benefit have you derived from this course
hitherto ?
[Have you found that the gratifications you have enjoyed
have afforded you any solid satisfaction ? You " have sown
b Compare the words following the text with Gal. v. 19 21.
c It would be well if those who speak of a merry Christmas, would
inquire what is meant by "revellings, and such like."
d Eph. ii. 2, 3. e cifleoi tv Koa^a, Eph. ii. 12.
2405.] A WORLDLY LIFE TO BE RELINQUISHED. 245
vanity; and what but vanity has been your recompence f ? "
St. Paul puts the question to us; " What fruit had ye then
in those things whereof ye are now ashamed g ?" Has not the
creature proved, what God forewarned you it would prove,
"a broken cistern, that could hold no water?" You are
come, I will suppose, to a season of great trouble, or perhaps
of sickness and approaching dissolution. Now what consola
tion have you from all that ever you enjoyed ? Can the
remembrance of it comfort you ? Can it assuage your pains,
or administer support under them ? Can it pacify a guilty
conscience, or take away the sting of death ? Can it gild
your last scenes, and brighten your prospects in the eternal
world ? Alas ! alas ! have you not " spent your money for
that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satis-
fieth not h ?" I will even suppose that you have possessed all
that Solomon himself possessed, and revelled like him in every
species of indulgence : what do you now find it all to be, but
" vanity and vexation of spirit?" Is it not " high time, then,
that you awake" from your delusions 1 ? After having so long
" fed upon ashes, and been turned aside by a deceived heart,"
is it not high time that you at last see, that " you have had
nothing but a lie in your right hand k ?"]
2. What benefit do you expect to derive from it
hereafter ?
[If you follow your sinful course ever so long, do you
expect that it will be productive of any more happiness than it
has already been ? Will the creature change ? or the condi
tion of man change ? Or will God so change the whole course
of nature, that you shall find in earthly things what is to be
found in him alone? But, if such changes are not to be
expected, what will be the issue of such a course at the tri
bunal of your God? Had you been Gentiles, it might be ex
pected, if I may so speak, that you had lived like Gentiles ;
or at all events, you would then " be judged by such a law as
you yourselves had lived under 1 ." But you were Christians ;
and had the law of God in your hands; yea, and the Gospel of
Christ too : and therefore you shall be judged by the law, and
by the Gospel, which you have so neglected and despised. I
would that Christians would place themselves as at the bar of
judgment ; and bethink themselves, what will be their view of
their present courses then? Will a life of carnal ease and
indulgence, together with a neglect of God and of our eternal
interests, be found so venial then? To have professed our
selves Christians, and have lived like heathens, will this
{ Job xv. 31. s Rom. vi. 21. h Isai. Iv. 2.
1 Rom. xiii. 11. k Isai. xliv. 20. Rom. ii. 11.
246 1 PETER, IV. 3. [2405.
appear so light a matter, as it is judged now to be? No
verily : things will then be seen in their true colours ; and the
care of the soul will then appear to be, what it really is, " the
one thing needful"]
APPLICATION
[If now you are not convinced that the time past is suf
ficient for such a course, I beg leave to ask, what time you
will think sufficient? I presume you will not say, that the
whole life is to be spent in such a way : I conceive that no
one is so blind, but that he will acknowledge that God ought
to be served at some time or other ; and that, at some time or
other, the concerns of the soul ought to occupy the mind.
Even those who die by the hands of the public executioner
confess, that some preparation is desirable for them, before
they enter into the presence of their God. What time then
will you agree to be sufficient to work the will of the Gentiles ;
and when will you account it reasonable to begin to fulfil the
will of God ? Will you say, twenty years hence ; or, forty
years hence ? Such a period as that may surely be acknow
ledged latitude enough, even for the youngest amongst us.
But, if you will go to those who have served the world and
their own lusts for twenty or forty years, you will not find
them at all more ready to turn to God, than they were the first
moment that they entered on that course. On the contrary,
the longer they have lived in sin, the more rooted are their
lusts, and the more inveterate their habits : their consciences,
too, are the more seared and hardened ; and the more averse
are they to be instructed in the way of righteousness. Besides,
are we sure that so many years shall be added to our lives ; or
that, if they be, we shall be at all more disposed to serve God
then, than we are at present? Are we sure that the Spirit of
God, to whom we " do despite," will not at last depart from
us, and give us up to final impenitence ?
Beloved brethren, be persuaded, whatever be your age,
be persuaded, I say, that the time past is abundantly suf
ficient for the course which you have followed. And now,
without any further delay, begin to " work the works of God."
Do you ask, " What is the work of God ? " I answer, as our
blessed Lord did, " This is the work of God, that ye believe
on Him whom he hath sent" 1 ." This is indeed the one great
concern to which we should all attend. We are sinners,
obnoxious to God s wrath and eternal condemnation. But
Jesus Christ is a Saviour : he is sent into the world on pur
pose to seek and to save that which was lost. Do ye then go
to him ; believe in him ; implore mercy through him ; cast
John vi. 28, 29.
2406.] DEATH A MOTIVE TO WATCHFULNESS. 247
yourselves upon him ; and " cleave to him with full purpose of
heart." Let the time which you have spent in the neglect of
him be redeemed; and your efforts be the more urgent, in
proportion to the time which you have lost. As for the
baptized heathens with whom you have associated, " come out
from among them 11 ," and " no longer conform yourselves to
their evil ways ." They will, as the Apostle tells you, " think
it strange that you continue not to run with them to the same
excess of riot as you formerly did ; and will speak evil of you
on account of it p :" but be it so : if this be an occasion of grief
to you, it should not be on your own account, but on theirs ;
for " they shall surely give an account to Him that is ready to
judge both the quick arid dead q ;" and " their hard ungodly
speeches, which they have spoken against you" for his sake,
will be visited upon them to their everlasting confusion 1 .
Mind you yourselves : seek the salvation of your own souls,
whether others will attend to their souls or not. Do not ye
perish in Sodom, because your relatives mock at your fear of
God s judgments 8 : neither linger in the plain, lest the storms
of God s vengeance overtake you : but be in earnest : and
" whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with all your
might*."]
n 1 Cor. vi. 17. Rom. xii. 2. P ver. 4.
<J ver. 5. r Jude, ver. 14, 15. s Gen. xix. 14.
4 Eccl. ix. 10.
MMCCCCVI.
NEARNESS TO DEATH A MOTIVE TO WATCHFULNESS.
1 Pet. iv. 7. The end of all things is at hand : be ye therefore
sober, and watch unto prayer.
THE office of the Gospel is, not to fill the mind
with notions, but to renew the heart, and sanctify
the life. It is true indeed, that the smallest con
formity to its precepts will cause us to be loaded
with obloquy and derision by an ungodly world a :
but it furnishes us with very sufficient motives to
disregard the censures of men, and to devote our
selves unreservedly to God b . The nearness of death
and judgment is of itself an irresistible argument for
a ver. 4.
b This seems to be the meaning of the verse before the text.
248 1 PETER, IV. 7. [2406.
maintaining an indifference to earthly things, and for
exerting ourselves to the uttermost to secure a happy
eternity. Such is the scope of the Apostle s words ;
in commenting on which we shall notice,
I. The declaration
[It is possible that St. Peter, in speaking of " the end of
all things," might have some reference to the destruction of
Jerusalem, which was fast approaching, and to the consequent
annihilation of the Jewish polity. But it is more probable
that he referred to the end of the world, which was generally
represented as so near, that St. Paul was obliged to rectify the
mistake which had arisen in the minds of the Thessalonians
with respect to it c . We may however justly consider it as
relating to the hour of death, which is to every man " the end
of all things" here below. Death terminates our joys and
honours, how elevated soever they may be It puts a
period also to our hopes and prospects, be they ever so bright
and well-founded It incapacitates us also for carrying
into effect all our purposes and endeavours. We may have seen
the vanity of earthly things, and have formed a resolution to
withdraw our affections from them, and to prosecute with care
the things belonging to our everlasting peace : we may have
actually begun to execute our purposes : we may have begun
to pay more attention to divine ordinances, than we have done
in past times, and to read some religious books, and to culti
vate an acquaintance with some pious characters, in hopes of
getting instruction from them, and of furthering thereby our
eternal interests : but death will cut short all these good be
ginnings, and leave us cause to bewail to all eternity that we
had deferred the concerns of our souls so long. The very
instant death comes, there is no more room for repentance ; no
more shall the tidings of salvation through a crucified Redeemer
sound in our ears ; no more will the Holy Spirit strive with us
to bring us to God ; the time for repentance is past ; the oifers
of salvation are closed ; the day of grace is come to an end ;
and nothing remains for the soul but to weep and bewail its
folly in hell for ever and ever
This period is nigh " at hand" to every one of us. If our
life were prolonged to the age of Methuselah, the space would
be only as the twinkling of an eye in comparison of eternity d :
but it is contracted to a very narrow span ; nor can we be
sure that it shall continue even to the expiration of the present
day : so justly may it be said in reference to all of us, " The
end of all things is at hand."]
c l> Tbess. ii. 2, 3. d 2 Pet. iii. 8.
2406.] DEATH A MOTIVE TO WATCHFULNESS. 249
The consideration of this solemn truth may well
prepare us for,
II. The exhortation grounded upon it
1. Be sober
[Sobriety does not merely import temperance with rela
tion to meat and drink, but moderation with regard to our
desire of earthly things, or our enjoyment of them. Our
minds are apt to be very strongly fixed on the things of time
and sense ; we are fascinated with the prospect of some plea
sure, some honour, some emolument, for the attainment of
which we labour day and night, and in the possession of which
we are ready to say, " Soul, take thine ease." But should
we do thus, if we considered how transient our enjoyment of
them will be? Should we not rather sit loose to the things of
this world, seeking them as though we sought them not, and
using them as though we used them not 6 ? Let us then culti
vate this spirit f . We need not on this account relax our
diligence in our earthly vocations ; for diligence is our bounden
duty g , and will consist very well with the devoutest frame, and
most ardent exertions in the Lord s service 11 : but " the affec
tions must be set on things above, and not on things below 1 ."]
2. Watch unto prayer
[Prayer is indispensably necessary for the salvation of the
soul. Without prayer, we can obtain nothing from God, no
pardon of sin, no strength for obedience, no preparation for
eternity. If we live without prayer, we shall die without
hope. But it is no easy matter to persevere in prayer. We
can complain to a fellow-creature with ease and fluency : but
the moment we attempt to express our wants in prayer to
God, our minds wander to the very ends of the earth, and our
mouths are shut before him. Any trifling occurrence is suffi
cient to divert us from prayer : and we postpone this duty from
time to time, under the idea of having some more favourable
opportunity for the performance of it. But would it be thus
with us, if we were duly impressed with the shortness and
uncertainty of time? Even the most abandoned malefactors
will weep and pray when their execution is drawing nigh : and
should not we, if we felt that " the end of all things is at
hand?" Let us then watch against every thing that may
either divert us from prayer, or distract us in it : yea, let us
watch that our prayers be such as our necessities require, and
such as God will accept. Let them be offered up with con
stancy, with fervour, and with faith. And the nearer we
e 1 Cor. vii. 2931. f Phil. iv. 5. e Eccl. ix. 10.
h Rom. xii. 11. * Col. iii. 2.
250 1 PETER, IV. 8. [2407
approach to our latter end, the more " abundant let us be in
supplication and thanksgivings."]
APPLICATION
[To the elder part of this assembly one would think it
should be needless to add any thing on this subject : for they
who have already lived out half their days, must feel (one
would imagine) that their " time is short." But, alas ! even
the aged need to be reminded of this obvious truth, and to be
stirred up to improve their few remaining hours. Yes, even
they often become more worldly with their advancing years,
and manifest as great a backwardness to spiritual duties as
they did in the earlier part of their existence. If one of this
character be present, may God impress upon his mind a sense
of his guilt and folly, and awaken him from his slumbers, ere
it be too late !
To the younger part, who dream of months and years to
come, it is more obviously necessary to repeat the warning in
the text. You are apt to think and say, " It is time enough
yet for me to seek after God." But " have you made a cove
nant with death?" have you been assured that neither disease
nor accident shall cut you off in the bloom of life ? Look
around you, and see how many of your own age are gone
within your remembrance k . And what if death had seized
on you, instead of them ; where had you been at this moment?
I entreat you, if you have any regard for your own souls, con
sider this. Put the question to your conscience, and answer
it faithfully in the sight of God : and then look at the direction
given you by God himself: " Be sober," and moderate in your
attachment to the things of time ; and " watch unto prayer,"
that you " may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
with eternal glory."
k Here any recent deaths may be adverted to, and the circum
stances of them, if peculiar, be specified.
MMCCCCVII.
THE DUTY AND OFFICE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE.
1 Pet. iv. 8. Above all things have fervent charily among
yourselves : for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
THE divine authority of our religion is fully esta
blished. Its external evidences demonstrate God to
be its author; nor are its internal evidences less
convincing. The tendency of Christianity is to
2407.] DUTY AND OFFICE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 251
assimilate us to God. All other religions have coun
tenanced a vindictive spirit ; but the religion of Jesus
inculcates universal love. The New Testament lays
the greatest stress upon this duty.
The injunction in the text proposes to our view,
I. The duty inculcated
The term " charity" is to be understood of Chris
tian love
[Many confine the sense of this term to almsgiving ;
but almsgiving is a very small part of what is implied in it.
Charity includes the whole of our duty towards our neigh
bours a .]
This charity or love is our indispensable duty
[Though an old commandment, it is enjoined as a new
one b . Obedience to it is a sure test of our conversion : it is a
good evidence of conversion to ourselves d ; it is a satisfactory
proof to others also 6 . A want of love manifests us to be in
an unregenerate state f .]
It ought to be cordial and " fervent"-
[Worldly courtesy is but a faint image of Christian love.
Love, if pure, and subordinate to God, cannot be too fervent.
Our love of ourselves is the rule of love to others : our Lord s
love to us is the pattern also of this duty g .]
We should " above all things" cultivate this dis
position
[Love is the greatest of all Christian graces h . If we attain
to it, we fulfil the law of Christ 1 . But if we be destitute of it,
nothing else will profit us k .]
The children of God should maintain it " among
themselves "
[Benevolence is due even to our enemies. But there is
an especial obligation in the saints to love each other 1 ; their
union with Christ, and with each other, demands it m .]
To promote a more uniform attention to this duty,
we will consider,
II. The argument with which it is enforced
a Rom. xiii. 9. b 1 John ii. 7, 8. c 1 John iv. 7, 8.
d 1 John iii. 14. former part. e John xiii. 35.
f 1 John iii. 14. latter part. s I John iii. 16.
h 1 Cor. xiii. 14. i Rom. xiii. 8, 10. k 1 Cor. xiii. 13.
1 Gal. vi. 10. m 1 Cor. xii. 25.
252 1 PETER, IV. 8. [2407.
The Apostle s words may be considered as relating
to,
1. The sins of others
[" To cover the sins " of others (extenuating what we can
not approve ; concealing what we cannot but condemn ; and
throwing a veil over, not errors only, but " sins," yea, even
"a multitude" of sins,) is the proper office of love 11 . From
this office we should not depart, unless (as in the exercise of
the ministerial or magisterial office) the honour of God, and the
good of society, require it. A just regard to the great duty of
love is of incalculable importance : first, to ourselves ; for how
can we expect to have forbearance exercised towards us, if we
refuse it to others? Next, to the cliurch; for how can the
church be edified, if its members do not walk together in love ?
And lastly, to the enemies of the church, who will not fail to
harden themselves in their iniquities, if evil reports in the
church, and consequent dissensions and animosities, afford
them any occasion. But mutual forbearance will never be
exercised as it ought, without a deeply-rooted principle of
love . Therefore we should cultivate this principle in order
to maintain a becoming conduct 1 *.]
2. Our own sins
[We must not, for one moment, think that our love, how
ever fervent, can merit the pardon of our sins. Yet our pardon
may be, and certainly is, suspended on the exercise of this
divine principle. To this the whole Scriptures bear witness q ;
n 1 Cor. xiii. 7. The duty of love does not, however, preclude
ministers from censuring, or magistrates from punishing, the sins of
men : they perform those acts officially ; and in performing them,
they obey, instead of violating, the law of love. But to men in their
individual capacity, the text prescribes an invariable rule of duty.
See Matt, xviii. 22.
When we hate a person, we are ready on all occasions to speak
of his faults ; but this is not the way in which we treat those whom
we tenderly love.
P Prov. x. 1 2. in our translation seems to countenance, and almost
to establish, this sense of the text ; because it appears to have been
cited by St. Peter. But the Apostles generally cited rather the Sep-
tuagint translation of the Scriptures : and in that the two passages do
not at all correspond. The LXX. translate it thus : M7<roe iytlpti
vtiKog TtavraQ IE TOVQ prj fyiXoveiKovvraQ KctXtyet 0tAm. So that the
apparent parallelism will not enable us to determine, with certainty,
the sense of the text.
<i Matt. v. 7. and vi. 14, 15. and Prov. xvi. 6. See also Gal. vi.
7, 8. and 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. contrasted with Jam. ii. 13. Daniel even
goes so far as to counsel Nebuchadnezzar Aurpw<rcu rag apapria^ iv
2407.] DUTY AND OFFICE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 253
and the words in the original most naturally bear this sense r .
This sense of them also exactly accords with our Lord s descrip
tion of the day of judgment 8 . Moreover, in this view the
Apostle s argument is far stronger than on the other construc
tion of his words. Let it then operate as a strong incentive to
mutual love ; for " with what measure we mete, it shall be
measured to us again*.]
INFER
1. How justly reprehensible are the generality of
Christians !
[There is a proneness in all to receive and propagate
reports; but none are willing to have their own reputation
blasted. Yet there are few who do not scatter defamation.
Let us all be ashamed of and resist this sinful propensity ; let
us watch against every temptation or desire to indulge it; let
us regulate our conduct by the law of love ; let us study the
Apostle s description of charity u ; and let us attend to the
exhortation of St. John x .]
2. How worthy of acceptation is the Gospel of
Christ!
[A sense of Christ s love to us produces love to him.
When we love Christ aright, we shall love all his members y .
This is the invariable effect wherever the Gospel prevails. The
knowledge of our own sins will make us tender towards others.
The forgiveness we have received will incline us to forgive
others. The extent of Christ s love to us will be the ground
of our love to our fellow-sinners 2 . Let the Gospel then bring
forth this fruit in our hearts and lives ; we shall then experi
ence the truth of that Divine assertion a . In the exercise of
love is the foretaste of heaven itself.]
means to cover sins from the sight of God, so
that they shall not be noticed in the final judgment. See Ps. xxxii.
1, 2. and Neh. iv. 5. In Jam. v. 20, they will also bear that sense :
and if we could divest ourselves of prejudice, we should more readily
put that construction upon them in that passage ; since it is not the
converting of souls merely, but the love exercised in seeking to con
vert them, that entails this blessing on us. If we put a different
construction upon them, we make them a mere tautology : but in the
sense here affixed to them, they afford a strong additional motive for
exertion.
s Matt. xxv. 3440. " Come, &c. FOR, &c. " " Depart, &c.
FOR, &c."
t Matt. vii. 2. u 1 Cor. xiii. 47. x 1 John hi. 18.
y 1 John. v. 1. z John xiii. 34. a Ps. cxxxiii. 1.
1 PETER, IV. 1216. [2408.
MMCCCCVIII.
PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST S SAKE.
1 Pet. iv. 12 16. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened unto you : but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are par
takers of Christ s sufferings / that, when his glory shall be
revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the
spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you : on their part
he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But
let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an
evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other mens matters. Yet, if
any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed ; but
let him glorify God on this behalf.
THE quiet and repose which Christians enjoy at
this day, may seem to render a discourse on the
subject of persecution quite uninteresting. But the
whole New Testament abounds with warnings to
expect it, encouragements to endure it, and direc
tions how to conduct ourselves under it: nor is there
any intimation given that this state of things was to
be confined to the first ages, when Christianity was
new in the world ; or that " the offence of the cross
should ever cease." On the contrary, we are taught
to expect, that " they who are born after the flesh
only, will hate those who are born after the Spirit ;"
and that " all who will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution." The circumstance of Chris
tianity having become the national religion, may
justly be supposed to have abated somewhat of the
fury of persecutors ; whilst the protection afforded
by the laws of the land keeps within bounds their
hostility against those whom they hate for righteous
ness sake. But I am not sure that much of our re
pose may not be ascribed to the low state of religion
amongst us : and I cannot but think, that, if God
were to pour out his Spirit upon us as he did on the
primitive Church, and our light were to burn as
bright as theirs, there would yet be found much the
2408.] PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST S SAKE.
same rancour in the hearts of men against vital god
liness now, as there was in former days : for there
are not wanting at this hour many proofs of what
men would do to suppress real piety, if the toleration
accorded to us by the laws did not restrain them.
At all events, we know not what trials we ourselves
personally may be called to endure, even though the
Church at large should still continue to enjoy tran
quillity : and for these we ought to be prepared.
The words before us are admirably calculated to for
tify our minds against all that at any time may come
upon us ; since, whilst they teach us to expect per
secution for righteousness sake, they shew us,
I. In what light we should view it
" We should not think it strange, as though some
strange thing happened unto us"
[God has seen fit to ordain that his people should be
subjected to " fiery trials," not only for the discovery of their
graces, but also for the improvement of them. To them he
has given a new nature, altogether different from that which
they brought into the world with them, a nature, which for
its excellence may be compared to gold: but there still re
mains in them much dross, which must be purged away : and,
as gold is both ascertained and purified by the action of fire,
so must these be tried and purified in the furnace of affliction.
Of course, their persecutors have no such object in view: they
seek only to suppress the piety that offends them : but God
has other, and very opposite, ends to accomplish : He seeks
their advancement in the divine life, and will suffer no heavier
trial to assault them than what he has strengthened them to
bear, and will overrule for their eternal welfare. True it is
that, notwithstanding he has taught us to expect these things,
we are ready to account them strange : we think it strange
that such trials should come upon us, and from such quarters,
and on us who have done so little to deserve them. But we
should remember, that " the same trials are accomplished also
in our brethren who are in the world a ;" and that " none have
come upon us but what are common to man, nor any which
God will not enable us to sustain b :" and under this conviction
we should receive them as our appointed lot, and submit to
them as dispensations ordained by God for our eternal good.]
a 1 Pet. v. 9. b 1 Cor. x. 1,3.
256 1 PETER, IV. 1216. [2408.
We should rather regard it as a ground of joy
[On this subject there is but one testimony throughout
all the Holy Scriptures. Our blessed Lord says, " If ye be
persecuted for righteousness sake, rejoice ye, and leap for
joy." St. Paul tells us, that the true Christian will " glory in
tribulations :" and that he himself actually "took pleasure in
them" from the consideration that Christ s strength would
thereby be displayed and glorified d . St. James bids us " count
it all joy when we fall into divers temptations :" and gives it
as his deliberate judgment, " We count them happy that
endure 6 ." St. Peter, as this whole epistle informs us, had the
same view of the subject : and therefore we feel warranted in
saying to all of you, " If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye."]
In confirmation of this sentiment, I proceed to
shew,
II. What reason we have for viewing it in that
light-
Certainly it appears strange and paradoxical that
the most cruel persecution for Christ s sake should
be considered as a ground of joy. But this view of
it is just : for, when we suffer for Christ s sake,
1. We are made " partakers of Christ s suffer
ings"
[We all know, that if any part of the human body suffer,
whether the head or members, the whole participates in the
pain. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of his mystical
body, and we are the members : and when he suffered on the
cross, we suffered with him ; as it is written, " We are crucified
with Christ ;" " we died with him ;" " we were buried with
him f ." So when we suffer, he suffers, as it were, with us: as
he said, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me g ?" " In all
our afflictions he is afflicted 11 :" and "he who toucheth us,
toucheth the apple of his eye 1 ." As far as respects an atone
ment made for sin, he suffered alone : but, that we may be
conformed to his image in all things, he has ordained that his
Church should complete and " fill up the measure of his
sufferings :" so that, though in his own person he is beyond
the reach of man s cruelty, he is still enduring much from it
in the persons of his people. In truth, it is not on their own
c Rom. v. 3. d 2 Cor. xii. 10. e Jam. i. 2. and v. 11.
f Gal. ii. 20. Rom. vi. 4, 8. & Acts ix. 4.
h Isai. Ixiii. 9. * Zech. ii. 8.
2408.] PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST S SAKE. 257
account that his people suffer any thing. If we would but
renounce our allegiance to him, the world would find no more
occasion against us. It is for His sake that they hate us.
They hate not us, but Christ in us : nor do they persecute us,
but Christ in us. Therefore our sufferings are his; and, in
enduring them, " we are truly partakers of his sufferings."
Now then I would ask, If when he drank the bitter cup
even to the dregs, and left, as it were, but a drop for us to
taste, shall we account it a hard matter to put it to our lips
for his sake ? No : we should rather rejoice that an oppor
tunity is afforded us of so testifying our love to him.]
2. The Spirit of God descends into our bosom, to
support and comfort us
[The Spirit is here called " The Spirit of glory and of
God ;" as being one with the Father, who is " the God of
glory k ;" and one with the Son, who is " the Lord of glory 1 ."
His office it is to descend and dwell with the saints, as their
Comforter m . And when we really suffer for Christ s sake, it
is both an evidence that he does rest upon us, and a pledge that
he will be with us in a more abundant measure. If the Holy
Spirit had not already wrought faith in our hearts, and put
somewhat of the image of Christ upon our souls, the world
would have suffered us to rest in peace : for " if we were of
the world, the world would love its own ; but because we are
not of the world, but Christ has chosen us out of the world,
therefore the world hateth us n ." But the enmity of the world
on account of what we have received from this divine Agent,
only serves to call down upon us yet richer communications,
even such as shall be sufficient to bear us up under our trials,
and to make us conquerors over all our enemies.
And shall not this reconcile us to sufferings ? Or, should
any trials be deprecated, which are productive of so great a
benefit ? If the loss of Christ s bodily presence was a proper
ground of joy to the Disciples, because of the presence of THE
COMFORTER, who would come to them in his stead , much
more may any loss or any trials be welcomed by us, if they
may but lead to a more abundant effusion of this divine Spirit
upon our souls.]
3. God is particularly glorified in us
[Doubtless, on the part of the persecutors, God is dis
honoured and blasphemed ; but on the part of the sufferers he
is glorified. Behold a man enduring sufferings for righteous
ness sake : what does he say to all who behold him ? In respect
k Acts vii. 2. J 1 Cor. ii. 8. m John xiv. 16.
n John xv. 19. John xvi. 6, 7.
VOL. xx. s
258 1 PETER, IV. 1216. [2408.
of words, he may be silent, as a lamb before its shearers : but
by his actions, he proclaims in accents that cannot be mis
understood, My Lord is worthy of all this : never can I shew
my love to him sufficiently: if I had a thousand lives, they
would be well disposed of in his service : I am ready to bear
any thing for him ; and am so far from regretting that my love
is thus put to the test, that I am thankful for it, inasmuch as it
gives me an opportunity of evincing my sense of his excellency,
and the ardour of my love towards him.
In another view, too, his sufferings advance the glory of
God ; because they shew how powerful that grace must be,
which enables a poor feeble worm to bear them, yea, and to
rejoice and glory in them. Many persecutors have been per
fectly amazed at the patience of the saints under the most cruel
torments that could be inflicted on them : and have been led
by the very conduct of the sufferers, not only to embrace the
principles which were so mighty in operation, but even to
subject themselves to the same torments which they themselves
had inflicted upon them.
How does divine grace triumph on such occasions as these !
And who would not be willing to suffer, if only Christ might be
so magnified, and the efficacy of his grace be so displayed? ?]
4. Our eternal happiness is augmented
[Soon will that Saviour who once died upon the cross
come again in his glory to judge the world. Then will he
gather together his elect from every quarter of the world ;
and bestow on them that recompence of reward, to which,
whilst suffering for his sake, they had looked forward. He
had told them beforehand, that " if they suffered with him,
they should also be glorified together." He had told them,
that their light and momentary afflictions should work for them
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Even whilst
they were in this life, he had given them an hundred-fold for
all that they had lost or endured for his sake : but then will be
the time for their " FULL reward."
Tell me then, I pray you, Will Moses in that day regret
that he had " esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches
than all the treasures of Egypt?" Or will those feel any
regret, who, " when tortured, would not accept deliverance,
that they might obtain a better resurrection ? " Will any of
the Apostles regret that they sealed the truth with their blood?
Or will any of you regret that you were " faithful unto death,
when God shall put upon your heads the crown of life ?" No:
one moment of that joy will far overbalance whole years of pain.
What then will not be our triumph through all eternity ?]
P Phil. i. 20. 2 Cor. iv. 10, 11.
2408. J PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST S SAKE. 259
But, as this subject may be misapplied, let me
shew you,
III. What we should especially guard against, in
relation to it
We must not bring trials on ourselves by any mis
conduct of our own
[It is possible enough, that a wild enthusiast may fancy
himself at liberty to disregard all human laws, and, whilst
suffering for the violation of them, may conceive himself to be
bearing the cross of Christ. Even war itself has been waged,
under the idea of its being a service acceptable to God :
and within our own memory has a spirit of insubordination
and rebellion been too lightly cherished under the cloak of
religion. But when persons reap the just reward of such
conduct, so far are they from honouring God, that they greatly
dishonour him, and expose religion itself to hatred and con
tempt. The being " a busy-body in other men s matters," is
no uncommon character amongst those who profess religion ;
and who indulge an assuming, prying, officious spirit, under the
idea of rendering a service to God and man. We may also yet
more commonly see amongst professors a neglect of their own
proper calling ; an intrusion into the callings of others ; a sub
stitution of services which do not belong to them, in the place of
others which are proper to their situation ; an impatience of
reproof; an unbecoming pertness towards their superiors ; and
a self-will, that knows no bounds. Ah, brethren ! if ye suffer
for such conduct as this, think not that ye are to expect any
recompence at the hands of God : the cross which you are
called to bear is not Christ s, but your own : and what is
inflicted on you by man is only a prelude of a yet sorer punish
ment that shall be inflicted on you by God, even by that God
whom you profess to serve, but whose name you dishonour,
and whose displeasure you incur.]
But, if we suffer really as Christians, we may re
joice in all that we endure
[Our enemies may think that they load us with disgrace :
but shame in such a cause is no shame : it is honour : and we
may take it up, and bind it on us as a diadem. The Apostles,
when imprisoned and scourged for the truth s sake, " went
out from their persecutors, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ." And thus
may we do, turning the very indignities that are cast upon us
into an occasion of praise to God. Thus " out of the eater we
shall bring forth meat, and out of the strong we shall bring
forth sweetness."]
260 1 PETER, IV. 17. [2409.
Two HINTS, as rising from this subject, I would beg
leave to suggest :
1. In embracing religion, be deliberate
[Religion, sooner or later, will subject you to trials : for
our Lord has plainly warned us, that, " if we will be his dis
ciples, we must deny ourselves, and take up our cross, and
follow him." He tells us farther, that, " if we hate not father
and mother, and even life itself, for his sake, we cannot be his
disciples." Then, before we profess ourselves his people, we
should " count the cost:" we should consider, whether we are
willing to " part with all for the pearl of great price." To
what trials we may be subjected, we know not; but we must
be prepared for the worst. For I have no hesitation in saying,
that it were better never to follow Christ at all, than to follow
him for a season, and then turn back from him : " It were
better never to have known the way of righteousness, than,
after having known it, to turn away from it : for the last end
of such a man is worse than his beginning."]
2. In maintaining it, be firm
[If persecution arise for righteousness sake, you must
not be thinking how you may escape it, so much as how you
may glorify God under it. I mean not to say, that, " if per
secuted in one city, you may not flee to another;" for that
liberty was conceded by our Lord himself to his Disciples :
but this I mean; that you should not for a moment think of
conciliating your enemies by any sinful concession. Your
duty to God must be paramount to every other consideration.
Your great concern must be, to approve yourselves faithful to
him. The Hebrew Youths with the fiery furnace in their view,
and Daniel in expectation of the den of lions, thought of
nothing but their duty to their God. So you must fear God,
and God only. And, if it please God that you should be
called to martyrdom itself, be content to " go through much
tribulation in your way to the kingdom ;" and to ascend to
heaven in a chariot of fire.]
MMCCCCIX.
THE END OF UNBELIEVERS.
1 Pet. iv. 17. What shall the end be of them that obey not the
Gospel of God ?
MANY are the troubles of the righteous : and
though their afflictions are not always penal, vet
2409.] THE END OF UNBELIEVERS. 261
they are for the most part to be considered as pater
nal chastisements, and as the judgments which God
inflicts on his own household with a view to their
advancement in faith and holiness. On the other
hand, the enemies of God often triumph, and revel in
a fulness of all earthly enjoyments. But the intel
ligent Christian will see in these dispensations the
certainty of a future retribution, when the wicked
shall receive the just reward of their wickedness, and
he himself be exalted to an inconceivable state of
bliss. He will argue thus : If God so afflict his chil
dren in the day of his mercy, how will he punish his
enemies in the day of his wrath. And, if he so
prosper his enemies and load them with benefits in
this vale of tears, what prosperity and happiness
must he have reserved for his friends in the regions
of glory ! If crowns and kingdoms be the portion of
many who disregard and despise him, what shall be
the inheritance of those who honour and obey him !
Such is the Apostle s mode of arguing in our text ;
where, speaking of the trials sustained by Christians,
he says, If God s paternal chastisements be so severe,
what must his vindictive judgments be ? If judg
ment first begin at the house of God, what must the
end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God ?
To impress this solemn consideration upon our
minds, we shall shew,
I. Who they are that obey not the Gospel
To ascertain this, it will be proper to state briefly
what the Gospel requires
[The Gospel supposes men to be in a state of guilt and
misery, obnoxious to the wrath of God, and incapable of
delivering themselves from it. It proposes to them a remedy
of God s appointment: it sets forth Jesus as an all-sufficient
Saviour ; and declares that sinners of every description may
be washed in his blood, and renewed by his Spirit. But, if
we will not apply to him by faith, and thankfully accept his
proffered benefits, it dooms us to destruction under the aggra
vated guilt of despising, and trampling under foot the Son of
God. The commission which our Lord gave to his disciples a ,
a Mark xvi. 15, 16.
262 I PETER, IV. 17. [2409.
and the answer given by Paul to the awakened jailer b , abun
dantly confirm this view of the Gospel, and shew that a cordial
acceptance of Christ as our only Lord and Saviour is the sum
and substance of a Christian s duty.]
According to this statement, very many will be
found disobedient to the Gospel :
1. They who neglect Christ altogether
[This is so obvious a truth that the mention of it seems
needless and absurd : but experience proves that the most
abandoned sinners, and most avowed infidels, are often insen
sible of the guilt which they contract. Be it known however,
that their excuses or objections will avail them nothing in the
day of judgment : their whole lives were one continued act
of disobedience to the Gospel ; and they will most assuredly be
numbered amongst the enemies of their incarnate God. Their
rejection of him, whether in principle or practice, will be a
decisive evidence of their guilt.]
2. They who unite something else with him as a
foundation for their hope
[The Gospel requires us to renounce all dependence on
our own works. However good our works be, they must never
for one moment be considered as justifying us before God,
either in whole or in part. In Christ alone must be all our
hope ; and if we attempt to unite any thing of ours with his
perfect righteousness, we shall not only not add to our security,
but shall altogether invalidate all which Christ himself has
done for us. St. Paul asserts this in the plainest terms ; and
from the fullest conviction of its truth desired to be found in
Christ, clad with his righteousness, and his only d .]
3. They who, while they profess to follow Christ,
dishonour him by their conduct
[Many there are who with apparent zeal cry, Lord, Lord,
who yet are far from doing the things which he commands.
Many, alas ! " profess to know him, but in their works deny
him :" they are observant of outward duties, but inattentive
to their spirit and temper : instead of being meek and lowly,
patient and forgiving, and solicitous only to honour God, they
are proud and passionate, covetous and worldly, and studious
rather to be thought Christians than really to deserve the
name. Let such know that they " amidst all their appearances
of religion deceive themselves, and their religion is vain 6 ." By
neglecting to walk as Christ walked, they disobey the Gospel,
as much as if they rejected him altogether.]
b Acts xvi. 30, 31. c Gal. v. 2, 4. d Phil. iii. 9. e Jam. i. 26.
2409.] THE END OF UNBELIEVERS.
To awaken such from their slumbers, we proceed
to shew,
II. What their end shall be-
The peculiar manner in which the Apostle speaks
of their " end," intimates that it will be dreadful,
1. Beyond expression
[In the text St. Peter infers from the trials, which God
suffers to come upon believers here, the far greater miseries
that shall be endured by unbelievers hereafter. But his very
mode of suggesting this inference shews, that the two states
could scarcely admit of any comparison : for what are any
transient pains of body inflicted by the most ingenious cruelty
of man, when compared with the eternal torments both of
soul and body, which will be inflicted on the wicked by the
hand of an incensed God? St. Paul institutes a similar com
parison, and like St. Peter, leaves our imagination to supply
what no language could possibly express f . There are indeed
terms used in Scripture to represent to us the misery of the
damned. They are represented as " cast into a lake of fire
and brimstone," " where the worm of an accusing conscience
dieth not, and the fire of God s wrath is not quenched ;" they
" weep and wail and gnash their teeth ;" and the " smoke of
their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." But, awful as
these expressions are, they convey no adequate idea of the
misery sustained by those who have perished in unbelief: we
must say of that, as St. Paul says of the things he heard and
saw in the third heavens, that it is unutterable g .]
2. Beyond a doubt
[The Apostle appeals to our own consciences for the
truth of the inference which he suggests. He says, in effect,
What must the state of unbelievers be ? Can it be the same
with that of obedient believers ? Will God put no difference
between those who serve him, and those who serve him not ?
Has not the Scripture plainly declared the end of those who
disobey the Gospel ? And are we not constrained to acknow
ledge the equity of that sentence, which the contemners of
Christ are taught to expect? Shall an angel from heaven be
accursed, if he presume to preach any other Gospel h , and shall
we escape with impunity, if we reject this ? Our wishes are
doubtless in opposition to the declarations of God ; but in our
judgment we must approve of them ; and we shall surely be
silent in the day that they shall be enforced, even though we
ourselves be the unhappy monuments of God s displeasure.]
f Heb. x. 29. % 2 Cor. xii. 4. h Gal. i, 8.
264 1 PETER, IV. 18. [2410.
We may LEARN from hence,
1. How to judge of our state before God
[Mere morality is by no means a sufficient criterion
whereby to judge of our state: we may be free from gross
violations of God s law, and yet be far from yielding obedience
to the Gospel. Let us then inquire whether we be obeying the
Gospel by a simple dependence upon Christ, and by a spirit
and temper suited to our profession ? This is the test to which
we must bring ourselves, since we shall be tried by it at the
last day. Tn vain will be our morality, if Christ be not our
only foundation ; and in vain will be our professed adherence
to Christ, if we do not adorn the Gospel by a holy conversation.
Let us then examine ourselves, that we may know beforehand
what our end shall be.]
2. The importance of considering our latter end
[We are ready enough to contemplate the circumstances
to which we look forward in the present life ; but O, how
backward are we to reflect upon our latter end! Yet the
events of this life are not worthy of a thought in comparison
of eternity. I pray you, brethren, consider how fast your end
is approaching, and what it is likely to be, an eternity of bliss
in heaven, or an eternity of misery in hell ? O, lose not an
hour in preparing for your great account ! and be careful so to
pass through things temporal, that you finally lose not the
things eternal ]
MMCCCCX.
THE DIFFICULTY OF SALVATION.
1 Pet. iv. 18. If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall
the ungodly and the sinner appear ?
EARNESTNESS in the concerns of religion is
often thought unnecessary; but the attainment of
salvation is by no means easy. This appears from
the representations which the Scriptures give of re
ligion ; a race, a warfare, &c.
The difficulties implied in these metaphors may
well alarm the careless. With this view St. Peter
suggests the awful query in the text.
I. His assumption
2410.] THE DIFFICULTY OF SALVATION. 265
The Apostle did not mean to express a doubt, but
rather to assume a position which he deemed incon
trovertible. The point he assumes is, that the right
eous are saved with difficulty.
The truth of this position will appear, if it be con
sidered that the righteous are not saved without,
Deep afflictions
[God s people are for the most part poor and afflicted*.
They have much to endure on account of their religion b ; and
trials are for the most part necessary to their growth in grace .
If they were without affliction of some kind, they would have
reason to doubt whether they were God s children indeed d .
Trials are to them, as the furnace to the gold, to purge them
from their dross, and to fit them for the service of their God 6 .]
Severe conflicts
[None have made such high attainments, but they still
have conflicts to maintain with Satan f , and their indwelling
corruptions : it is by these that God keeps them humble h .
The images by which vital religion is set forth (as running,
wrestling, fighting,) sufficiently attest the truth of my position.
As long as two principles remain within us, our conflicts must
remain *.]
Powerful assistances
[Who can get to heaven without them, or even do any
thing that is good without them? The aid we need, is such
as nothing but Omnipotence can supply k : if ever we be kept
at all, it must be by the power of God himself 1 .]
A very slight view of the fact assumed will suffice
to shew us the reasonableness of,
II. The appeal he founds upon it
The appeal is stronger than any mere assertion,
inasmuch as it makes every man a judge in his own
cause. It clearly intimates, that the perdition of the
ungodly is,
1. Most certain
[The ungodly, no less than the godly, will be summoned
to the judgment-seat of Christ ; but the two will be separated
a Zeph. iii. 12. * 2 Tim. iii. 12. 1 Pet. i. 7.
d Heb. xii. 8. e Heb. xii. 10. f Eph. vi. 12.
g Rom. vii. 15, 23. h 2 Cor. xii. 7. * Gal. v. 17.
k Eph. i. 19, 20. i 1 Pet. i. 5.
266 1 PETER, IV. 18. [2410.
as sheep from the goats, and widely different portions will be
assigned unto them m . How can it be supposed to be other
wise, when the difference of their characters is considered?
If hell be not an abode fit for the righteous, much less
is heaven a proper residence for the ungodly ]
2. Most reasonable
[We confidently appeal even to the ungodly themselves.
If such troubles as are often inflicted on the righteous be per
mitted by God as the salutary purgations of his friends, what
shall be inflicted by God as the vindictive chastisements of his
enemies ? If such things come on his friends in this state of
probation, what shall come on his enemies at the time appointed
for final retribution ? If such be the visitations experienced by
his friends in the day of his mercy, what must his enemies
expect in the day of his wrath ? Verily I shall wonder if the
conscience of any man be either so blind or so obdurate, as not
to feel the force of this appeal. If there be such a hardened
sinner, let him consult, and provide an answer to, other similar
appeals to Holy Writ" To "die without mercy" is
bad enough ; but there is a " much sorer punishment" awaiting
his unhappy soul .]
SEE
1. How desirable it is to ascertain your true
character
[Surely it is no difficult matter to ascertain to which of
the two forementioned classes you belong. Surely you may
soon learn whether you are living in the daily habit of peni
tence, and faith, and unreserved obedience to your God. If
God be true, your eternal state shall correspond with your
character, whatever it may be? ]
2. What is that line of conduct which common
prudence demands
[If there were no future state, you might go on in your
own ways without much concern ; but if repentance, faith, and
obedience are essential constituents of the character of the
righteous, say, whether it be wise to disregard, or even to
defer them ? The world may deride a life of piety as folly ;
but it is true wisdom: yea, " the fear of the Lord is the
very beginning of wisdom." Let every one then seek that
righteousness, without which no man shall see the Lord.]
m Ps. i. 5. n Heb. ii. 3.
Heb. x. 28, 29. P Isai. iii. 10, 11.
2411.] ADVICE TO THE PERSECUTED OR TEMPTED. #67
MMCCCCXI.
ADVICE TO THE PERSECUTED OR TEMPTED.
1 Pet. iv. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the
will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well
doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
GOD has mercifully engaged to save his people at
the last. They may however meet with many severe
conflicts in their way. Nor are they to expect to be
saved but with great difficulty. Nevertheless they
may safely commit themselves to God, in hope of a
happy issue out of all their trials. Hence the Apostle
suggests, in a way of inference, the advice in the
text.
We propose to shew,
I. What Christians must expect to suffer
Though all are not called to bear the cross in the
same degree, yet all should be prepared to suffer,
1. In their reputation
[That " fear of God" which the Scriptures represent to
be " the beginning of wisdom," the world considers as the
summit of folly. However wise, learned, or discreet any
man may be, he cannot escape the imputation of weakness or
enthusiasm, if he will " follow the Lord fully." If our Lord
and Master was called Beelzebub, his servants can expect no
better name.]
2. In their property
[In former times the saints have frequently " suffered the
loss of all things :" nor is it uncommon now for friends, and
even parents, to withdraw their kindness from godly persons
on account of their religion. Who does not know that eminent
piety is a bar, rather than a help, to promotion ? " They
then who would be Christ s disciples, must forsake all, and
follow him."]
3. In their liberty and life
[Through the tender mercy of our God we are protected
by the laws of the land : but none can tell what changes may
yet arise : multitudes even in this kingdom have suffered death
for Christ s sake ; and, whether called to this trial or not, we
should be prepared for it.]
268 1 PETER, IV. 19. [2411.
To reconcile us to these dispositions, we proceed
to shew,
II. Why it is the will of God that we should suffer
God is pleased to permit it,
1. For the trial of our faith
[God can discern our graces, though we should have no
opportunity to exercise them ; but, if they be not called forth
into act, neither have we the comfort of them, nor he the
glory : hence God permits " the fiery trial to try us," that he
may discover both to ourselves and others " what great things
he has done for us."]
2. For the advancement of our graces
[Our graces almost invariably languish when our outward
circumstances are easy ; but in seasons of difficulty they put
forth themselves with strength : though Jesus needed no such
stimulus, yet even he was " made perfect through sufferings ;"
and it is for the accomplishment of the same end, that God
has made our road to lie " through much tribulation."]
3. For the manifestation of his own glory
[The patience of the saints is a ground of astonishment
to the unbelieving world ; and the supports which God admi
nisters to them fills their hearts with gratitude towards him.
But what bursts of praise will resound from the myriads of his
redeemed, when all the wonders of his love shall be universally
and completely known !]
Satisfied with these appointments of the Deity, let
us inquire,
III. What our conduct should be when called to
suffer
The best of men may be brought, as it were, " to
their wit s end"
But the ADVICE in the text is the most proper that
can be given
1. Let us " commit our souls to God s care and
keeping "
[We must not attempt to stand in our own strength:
nothing less than God s wisdom and power can defeat the
conspiracy that is formed against us: we should make him
therefore the manager of our cause, and " the keeper" of our
souls.]
2412.] HUMILITY INCULCATED. 269
2. Let us at the same time persist " in well
doing "
[We must neither be irritated to do evil, nor deterred
from doing good. The more we are persecuted for the sake
of Christ, the more studious we should be " to put our enemies
to silence by well-doing:" the very efforts of the enemy to
extinguish our light should cause it to shine the brighter.]
3. Let us, above all, confide in God ft as a faithful
Creator"
[God has promised to " keep the feet of his saints ;" and
he will perform it : we should suffer nothing to rob us of this
confidence : if we " trust firmly in him, we shall be like Mount
Zion, which cannot be moved."]
MMCCCCXII.
HUMILITY INCULCATED.
1 Pet. v. 5. Be clothed with humility : for God resist eth the
proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
AS words are nothing more than sounds whereby
to convey ideas, it may seem of little importance
what words are used, provided that the ideas an
nexed to them are sufficiently distinct. But I con
ceive, that the adopting of a word which was in use
among the unenlightened heathen, and continuing to
use it as they did, when from the superior light of
Christianity, we know that all the sentiments and
feelings originally annexed to it were bad, has a
direct tendency to counteract the Gospel, and to
perpetuate the darkness of heathenism in the land.
I refer here to the word pride ; which is frequently
used in common conversation, and at the bar, and in
the senate, yea and even in the pulpit too, in a good
sense; as " a just pride," and "an honest pride."
But I know no passage of Scripture that sanctions
the feelings which are associated with that term : or,
if the term be so explained as to convey nothing but
what is consistent with Christianity, still I conceive
that such an use of it is highly inexpedient, because
it tends to foster in the mind an approbation of
270 1 PETER, V. 5. [2412.
sentiments which are in direct opposition to the mo
rality of the Gospel. Humility is the grace which
alone becomes the Christian moralist ; and the che
rishing of any feeling contrary to humility, will, as
the Apostle informs us in my text, expose us to
God s heaviest displeasure.
In confirmation of this, I will endeavour to unfold,
I. The duty here enjoined
Humility is not a mere insulated grace, if I may
so speak, like patience, or meekness, or any other
virtue, but a feeling which pervades the whole man,
and is called forth into exercise with every grace.
Humility is that to the Christian which holiness is to
the Deity. Holiness is not a distinct attribute of the
Deity, like justice, or mercy, or power, but a perfec
tion that is blended with all the other attributes, and
is the crown and glory of them all. So humility
is the warp in the Christian s loom : and all other
graces, whether of a lively or sombre hue, are the
woof, by which the piece is diversified : but from
beginning to end, humility pervades it all. On this
account, I must speak of humility in a large and
extended view, and notice it in all its actings, whe
ther towards God or man.
But there is another reason why this grace must
be thus extensively considered ; namely, that the
Apostle himself here speaks of it in this compre
hensive view. If we look at the words which precede
my text, we shall find that humility is spoken of as
exercised towards men : but in the words imme
diately following my text, it is connected with our
duty to God : " All of you be subject one to another,
and be clothed with humility : for God resisteth the
proud, and giveth grace unto the humble. Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time."
Let us then notice this grace,
1. As exercised towards God
[Here it must begin. We cannot have one spark of real
humility till we are abased before God, as guilty, helpless, and
2412.] HUMILITY INCULCATED. 271
undone creatures, who have no hope but in the tender mercy
of God in Christ Jesus. We must, as far as respects all hope
in ourselves, feel ourselves in the very condition of the fallen
angels, whose sin we have followed, and whose punishment, we
are doomed to share. Indeed, indeed, this is our very state,
whether we know it or not : and it becomes us to seek the
knowledge of it, and to live under a sense of it every day, and
all the day long. We should never appear either before God
or man in any other dress than this. It was the clothing of
holy Job when in his most perfect state a : and so far ought we
to be from putting it off because God is reconciled towards us,
that a sense of our acceptance with him through Christ should
operate as an additional motive for making it the one continual
habit of our minds b . Incessantly should we lie low before
him in dust and ashes, and rely altogether upon " his mercy to
pardon us, and his grace to help us in every time of need."]
2. As exercised towards men
[I forbear to mention any other exercises of this grace
towards God, in order that I may keep the subject as simple
and intelligible as I can. But in viewing its exercises towards
man, I must of necessity diversify it somewhat more. Its
chief actings will be found to consist in the following things :
we must regard ourselves as the lowest of all ; and be willing to
be treated by others as the lowest of all ; and gladly execute the
meanest offices, as the lowest of all.
We must regard ourselves as the lowest of all ; " esteeming
others better than ourselves 6 , and " preferring them in honour
before ourselves d ," and being ready in all places, and on all
occasions, to "take the lowest place 6 ." It is not indeed neces
sary that we should accuse ourselves of sins which we have not
committed, or deny the superiority of virtue to vice : but we
should have such a sense of the peculiar advantages we have
enjoyed, and the infinite obligations we lie under, and the
consequent aggravations that have attended the many evils
which we have committed, that we should account ourselves
" less than the least of all saints f ," yea, the very " chief of
sinners g ."
Nor must we be offended if we be treated by others as
deserving of this character. It is only from pride and a con
ceit of something good in us, that we are induced to lay to
heart the contempt and ignominy that are cast upon us. If
we are sincere in abhorring ourselves, it will be a small matter
to us that we are abhorred by others. David deserved not the
a Job xlii. 5, 6. b Ezek. xvi. 63. c Phil. ii. 3.
d Rom. xii. 10. e Luke xiv. 10. f Eph. iii. 8.
s 1 Tim. i. 15.
272 1 PETER, V. 5. [2412.
reproaches of his wife Michal : but, when he heard them,
instead of being moved with indignation against her, he meekly
replied, " I will be yet more vile than thus, and will be base
in my own sightV It was but a small matter to the holy
Apostles, that they were considered " as the filth of the world,
and the off-scouring of all things 1 :" they knew that they de
served nothing but wrath and indignation at the hands of God ;
and, having obtained mercy of the Lord, they cared not what
treatment they met with at the hands of men. To be rendered
conformable to our Divine Master in the bitterest reproaches,
or the most ignominious death, will, if we be truly humble, be
a matter rather of joy and gratitude than of mourning and
complaint.
At the same time we must be willing to take on ourselves the
lowest offices. To become " the servant of all k " must be our
highest ambition. Even the Lord of Glory himself, in the
days of his flesh, came not to be ministered unto, but to mi
nister : and this he did, even to the " washing of his disciples
feet 1 :" yea, though he was in the form of God, and thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he took upon him the
form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross." " This is the mind that should be in us m :"
and this is the example which, as far as circumstances will
admit of it, we should follow.
Here is the perfection of humility : and this is the grace
which every one of us should be putting on from day to day.]
Nothing can more strongly mark the importance
of this duty, than,
II. The considerations with which it is enforced
The declaration, that " God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace to the humble," is cited from the
book of Proverbs : and, that it deserves especial at
tention, is evident from this ; that St. James, as well
as St. Peter, adduces it for the warning and instruc
tion of the Catholic Church".
1. " God resisteth the proud"
[He does so : he abhors the very persons of the proud :
" they are an abomination to him :" he perfectly scorns them? :
h 2 Sam. vi. 22. * 1 Cor. iv. 13. k Mark x. 44.
1 Johnxi. 13, 14. m Phil. ii. 58. n See Jam. iv. 6.
Prov. vi. 16, 17.
P Prov. iii. 34. This is the passage that is cited both by St. Peter
and St. James.
2412.] HUMILITY INCULCATED. 273
and " knows them afar off," as objects whom he disdains to
look upon q .
He will not hear any prayer that they may offer up. See
the Pharisee and the Publican. You would imagine that a
man who could make such appeals to God, respecting his
manifold and self-denying services, should surely find accept
ance at the throne of grace ; whilst a man so conscious of his
vileness as the Publican was, and with so little to say in his
own behalf, should, comparatively at least, be disregarded. But
the very reverse was the case ; for " the publican went down
to his house justified rather than the other:" and this is de
clared to be the universal rule of God s procedure ; for that
" every one who exalteth himself shall be abased ; but he, and
he only, that humbleth himself, shall be exalted r ."
Nor will God communicate to such persons any spiritual
blessing. Instead of drawing them to himself, " he will scatter
the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He will fill the
hungry with good things, but the rich he will send empty
away 8 ." Their " esteeming themselves to be rich and increased
in goods, and to have need of nothing, when they are wretched
and miserable and poor and blind and naked," renders them
perfectly disgusting in his sight : and the higher they are in
their own estimation, the more he nauseates and abhors
them \
But this is not all ; for he will surely fight against them, to
bring them down. Nebuchadnezzar from his own experience
attested, that " those who walk in pride, God is able to abase ;"
and he might with truth have added also, is determined to
abase. For the Prophet Isaiah has plainly warned us, that
" the lofty looks of men shall be humbled, and the haughtiness
of men shall be bowed down ; and the Lord alone shall be
exalted : for the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every
one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted
up ; and he shall be brought low u ."
Now, I pray you, let this consideration be duly weighed,
in order that you may with zeal and earnestness address your
selves to the duty that is here inculcated. If you bring not a
broken and contrite spirit before God, and if you exercise not
a spirit of meekness and lowliness before men, think not that
God will ever look with complacency upon you, or acknow
ledge himself as your friend: for assuredly he is, and will be,
your enemy, and will sooner or later resent the dishonour
which you do unto him. He may not inflict on you such
judgments as he did on Nebuchadnezzar or on Herod: if he
only leave you to yourselves, you will soon find what an evil
3 Ps. cxxxviii. 6. r Luke xviii. 14. s Luke i. 51, 53.
* Rev. iii, 16, 17. u Isai. ii. 11, 12.
VOL. XX. T
274 1 PETER, V. 5. [2412.
and bitter thing it is to cherish such a disposition in your hearts :
for, as " pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a fall x ," you may expect the effects of a spiritual dere
liction ; you may expect, that, " being lifted up with pride,
you will fall into the condemnation of the devilV]
2. He " giveth grace unto the humble "-
[What will he not do for those who are of an humble and
contrite spirit? If there were but one such object in the
whole universe, God would look through all the shining ranks
of angels that surround his throne, and fix his eyes on him 2 :
he would even come down to him, and dwell with him ; yea,
and dwell with him for the express purpose of comforting and
reviving his drooping soul a . If he offered up a prayer, God
would hear and answer it b : if, on any sudden emergency, he
only poured forth a cry, God would attend to it, and not
forget it c : and if there were only a desire in his heart, even
that should be noted, in order to satisfy and fulfil it d . See
this exemplified in King Josiah. God had determined to
destroy Jerusalem : but because Josiah was of an humble
spirit, he would first take him to himself, and not surfer him
to witness the calamities which were coming upon his nation :
" Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thy
self before God, when thou heardest his words against this
place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself
before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I
have even heard thee also, saith the Lord 6 ." See it yet more
strongly illustrated in the case of the most wicked man that
perhaps ever existed upon the face of the earth, the man that
made the very streets of Jerusalem to run down with the blood
of innocents, and set up his idols in the very House of God:
see it, I say, in the case of King Manasseh ; of whom it is said,
" When he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God,
and humbled him greatly before the God of his fathers, and
prayed unto him:" behold! of this man it is said, " God was
entreated of him, and heard his supplication f ."
Say now, whether here be not encouragement enough to
seek humility ? Find an humble person to whom God ever
refused any thing. You cannot. A humble person may be
"cast down for a time; but he shall soon be lifted up: for
God will save the humble person%"~\
What shall I then ADD to these considerations ?
[You need no other inducement to work either upon your
x Prov. xvi. 18. y 1 Tim. iii. 6. z Isai. Ixvi. 2.
a Isai. Ivii. 15. b Job xxxiii. 27, 28. c Ps. ix 12.
d Ps. x. 17. e 2 Chron. xxxiv. 27.
f 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12, 13. s Job xxii. 29.
2413.] THE DUTY OF CASTING OUR CARE ON GOD. 275
hopes or fears. To have God your enemy, determined to
" resist you," would be the greatest evil that could befall you :
but to have him your friend, pledged to supply you with all
the blessings of grace and glory, would be the summit of human
bliss. Commending then this alternative to your devoutest
meditations, I would say to all of you, in the animated language
of the prophet, " Awake, awake, put on thy beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city h ." There is nothing so " becoming
to one of God s elect, as humbleness of mind 1 ," nor any orna
ment he can wear so pleasing to his God k . Come then, be
loved, and clothe yourselves with humility ; and wear it so at
all times, that you may be known by it, as a man is by his
accustomed dress : so shall " God be glorified in you," and all
who behold you be compelled to " acknowledge, that God is
with you of a truth."]
h Isai. lii. 1. * Col. iii. 12. * 1 Pet. iii. 4.
MMCCCCXIII.
THE DUTY OF CASTING OUR CARE ON GOD.
1 Pet. v. 7. Casting all your care upon him ; for he careth
for you.
INEXPERIENCED Christians are generally par
tial in their views of religion. They often exalt one
duty, to the neglect, if not the exclusion of another :
but a proficiency in the divine life will discover itself
by the united exercise of the various, and apparently
opposite, graces. Faith will not exclude fear, nor
meekness fortitude. Every grace will be limited and
tempered by some other. The soul must be humbled
before God in dust and ashes : yet should it rely on
him with most implicit confidence a .
I. The duty of Christians
Christians have learned " not to seek great things
for themselves." Hence they are free from the cor
roding cares of avarice and ambition
But they still have many grounds of care
[They cannot but feel some concern respecting their bodily
wants : the casualties of life may also occasion some uneasiness;
but they have other cares far more weighty and important :
* ver. 6, 7.
T 2
216 1 PETER, V. 7. [2413.
they see many dishonouring their holy profession : they feel
within themselves also "an evil heart of unbelief;" nor are
they ignorant of Satan s devices to overthrow them. More
over, they frequently anticipate future evils ; and tremble,
lest in the day of adversity they should faint. Thus do they
torment themselves with anxious and desponding fears.]
It is their duty, however, to " cast their care on
God"
[To cast their care upon any creature would be fruitless,
and it would involve them in the deepest guilt b . God alone
is able to sustain their burthen : on him they are commanded
to cast it c : they must do so in the exercise of faith and prayer d ;
nor are any cares whatever to be excepted, " Cast all your
care," &c. : none are so small but they shall be regarded, none
so great but they shall be alleviated.]
There is a backwardness in many, to comply with
this duty.
II. Their encouragement to perform it-
God extends his care to the whole creation ; but
in a more especial manner careth for his people
[He conducted the Jews through the wilderness : he in
terposed for them in all their dangers : he supplied their every
want 6 . Thus, though less visibly, he still regards those who
trust in him. He watches over them for good f : he limits and
restrains all their adversaries g : he sympathizes with them in
all their afflictions 11 : he imparts to them all temporal and
spiritual blessings 1 : he hears and answers all their supplica
tions k : he accounts them his most inestimable treasure 1 : he
communes with them as his sons and daughters" 1 : he takes
upon him the management of all their concerns 11 .]
What encouragement does this afford us to trust
in him !
Our Guardian and Protector is infinitely wise
[He knows what trials we stand in need of: he can suit
all the circumstances of them to our necessities : he can over
rule them for our eternal benefit.]
*> Jer. xvii. 5. c Ps. Iv. 22. d Phil. iv. 6, 7.
e Ps. cv. 39 41. f 2 Chron. xvi. 9. 8 Ps. Ixxvi. 10.
h Isai. Ixiii. 9. Heb. iv. 15. * Ps. Ixxxiv. 11.
k John xv. 7. l Mai. iii. 17. m 2 Cor. vi. 18.
n Isai. xlvi. 4. Isai. xxviii. 29.
2413.] THE DUTY OF CASTING OUR CARE ON GOD. 277
He is possessed of almighty power p
[There is no difficulty from which he cannot extricate %
nor duty which he cannot enable us to discharge. Should we,
for whom such wisdom and power are exercised, be anxious 1 ?]
Moreover he is good and gracious
[What innumerable blessings has he already bestowed
upon us! He has even given his own Son to die for us. What
then can we have to fear, if we trust in him s ?]
Above all, he is & faithful God
[He has promised seasonable protection and strength *.
And is not his word a sure ground of confidence 11 ? Surely
then we should be filled with consolation rather than with
care x .]
INFER
1. How needful is it that all should acquaint them
selves with God !
[Gaiety and dissipation may bear up the spirit in pro
sperity ; but God alone can comfort us in adversity 7 . At the
hour of death we shall all need Divine support. Let the care
less then begin to reflect upon their state : let them provide a
refuge against the day of trouble : let them follow that salutary
advice 2 .]
2. How happy would Christians be if they rightly
enjoyed their privileges !
[It is their privilege to be " without carefulness 3 ." If they
trusted in God as they ought, nothing could disturb them b .
Hence that exhortation to joy in God c . Let the afflicted
saints then commit themselves to him d : let them know that
duty is theirs, but events are his : let them, in the face of all
difficulties, adopt the words of Joshua 6 : let them, with
Hezekiah, repose themselves on God f .]
P Job xl. 2. q Isai. 1. 2. and xliii. 13.
r Isai. xl. 27, 28. 8 Rom. viii. 32.
1 Isai. liv. 10. Deut. xxxiii. 25. 1 Cor. x. 13.
u 2 Sam. xxii. 31. Heb. x. 23. x Heb. vi. 18.
y Job xxxv. 10. z Job xxii. 21. a 1 Cor. vii. 32.
b Isai. xxvi. 3. c Ps. v. 11, 12. d Mic. v. 4.
e Numb. xiv. 9. f 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, 8.
278 1 PETER, V. 8, 9. [2414.
MMCCCCXIV.
THE MEANS OF DEFEATING SATAN S MALICE.
1 Pet. v. 8, 9. Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour : whom resist steadfast in the faith.
THERE are many who deny the influences of the
Holy Spirit. No wonder therefore if the agency of
Satan be called in question. But there is abundant
proof in the Scriptures that Satan exercises a power
over the minds of men. St. Peter had learned this
truth by bitter experience.
In this view the caution he gives us is worthy of
particular attention :
I. The malice of Satan
Satan is the great adversary of mankind. It was
he who caused the fall of our first parents a . He has
exerted a similar influence over all their descendants.
He still maintains his enmity against the seed of the
woman b . He is justly compared to " a roaring lion."
He is subtle
[The lion prowls with subtilty in search of prey : this is
noticed in David s description of wicked men c . Satan also
uses many devices to destroy souls d . He suits his temptations
to us with astonishing craft : he draws us into his snare before
we are aware of his designs 6 . To be acquainted with his
devices is a most eminent and useful part of Christian know
ledge f .]
He is active
[The lion ranges far and wide in search of his prey ; and
Satan " walks to and fro throughout the earths :" he ceases not
from his exertions day or night h . He is the more diligent as
knowing that his time is limited ! . He has legions of emissaries
acting in concert with him k . If at any time he suspend his
a Gen. iii. 1 5. b Gen. iii. 15. c Ps. x. 9, 10.
a Eph. vi. 11. e 2 Cor. ii. 11. f 2 Cor. ii. 11.
s Job i. 7. and the text. h Rev. xii. 10.
1 Rev. xii. 12. k Mark v. 9.
2414.] THE MEANS OF DEFEATING SATAN S MALICE. 279
attacks, it is but for a season, that he may return afterwards
with greater advantage 1 .]
He is cruel
[The lion little regards the agonies which he occasions ;
nor has Satan any compassion for the souls which he destroys.
The savage animal kills to satisfy the calls of nature ; but our
adversary reaps no benefit from the destruction of men. His
exertions serve only to increase his own guilt and misery ; yet
is he insatiable in his thirst for our condemnation 111 .]
He is powerful
[Feeble is the resistance of a lamb against the voracious
lion : still more impotent are men before " the god of this
world." Satan has a limited power over the elements them
selves 11 . The ungodly are altogether subjected to his will ;
nor would the saints have the smallest power to resist him, if
God should deliver them into his hands p .]
If we believe this representation of Satan s malice,
we cannot but desire to know,
II. The means of defeating it
Our adversary, though great, is not invincible.
There is one stronger than he, that can overcome
him q ; and God has prescribed means whereby we
also may vanquish him :
Moderation
[An undue attachment to the things of time and sense
gives him a great advantage over us. He will not fail to
assault us on our weak side 1 ; but a deadness to the world will
in some measure disarm him. He prevailed not against our
Lord, because he found no irregular affection in him s ; nor
could he so easily overcome us if we disregarded earthly thing s.
A contempt of life has been a principal mean whereby the
saints and martyrs in all ages have triumphed over him*.]
1 Compare Luke iv. 13. with Luke xxii. 53.
m This is strongly intimated in the word KaTcnriri, " he would
swallow us up."
n Job i. 12, 19. He is called " the prince of the power of the air."
o Eph. ii. 2. 2 Tim. ii. 26.
P Many who have appeared lights in the Church have been swept
away by the tail of this great dragon, Rev. xii. 3, 4.
Q Luke xi. 21, 22.
r It was he who instigated Judas to treachery, and Ananias to
falsehood ; but he wrought by means of their covetousness, John
xiii. 2. Acts v. 3.
8 John xiv. 30. l Rev. xii. 1 1 .
280 1 PETER, V. 8, 9. [2414.
Vigilance
[Unwatchfulness, even in a victorious army, exposes it to
defeat: much more must it subject us to the power of our
subtle enemy. St. Peter had experienced its baneful effects.
He had been warned of Satan s intention to assault him u . He
had been commanded to pray lest he should fall by the temp
tation x ; but he slept when he should have been pray ing y .
He stands in this respect, like Lot s wife 2 , a monument to
future generations ; but vigilance on our part will counteract
the designs of Satan. The armed Christian, watching unto
prayer, must be victorious a .]
Fortitude
[The timid Christian falls into a thousand snares b . The
only way to obtain a victory is, to fight manfully; and this is
the duty of every follower of Christ . We must never give
way to Satan d . We are called to wrestle and contend with
him e ; nor shall our resistance be in vain f .]
Faith-
[Unbelief is- a powerful instrument in the hands of Satan.
He excites it in us that he may turn us from the faith : we
must therefore hold fast the doctrines of faith. We should
not suffer ourselves to be moved from the hope of the Gospel :
this is our anchor whereby we must outride the storm g . We
must also steadfastly exercise the grace of faith. This is the
weapon whereby we overcome the world h ; and by this shall
we triumph over Satan himself 1 .]
APPLICATION
[Let not the ungodly despise this adversary; but let them
seek deliverance from him through the Gospel k ; and let the
godly be continually on their guard against him 1 , so shall they
experience that promised blessing" 1 ]
u Luke xxii. 31. x Luke xxii. 40. y Lukexxii. 45,46.
z Luke xvii. 32. a Eph. vi. 18. b Prov. xxix. 25.
c Eph. vi. 10, 13. d Eph. iv. 27. e Eph. vi. 12.
f Jam. iv. 7. Satan is not only checked but terrified, and van
quished, by the resistance of the weakest Christian.
e Heb. vi. 19. h 1 John v. 4. J Eph. vi. 16.
k Acts xxvi. 18. l 2 Cor. xi. 3. m Rom, xvi. 20.
2415.] GOD S GOODNESS ENCOURAGES TO PRAYER. 281
MMCCCCXV.
GOD S GOODNESS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRAYER.
1 Pet. v. 10, 11. But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
AMONGST the various testimonies of affection
which faithful ministers will give to their people,
that of praying for them is the most unequivocal,
and most important. And in this the Apostles
eminently distinguish themselves in all their epistles.
In the petitions before us, we behold the glowing
zeal of Peter, studious to exalt the honour of his
God, and to promote to the utmost the welfare of the
saints.
His words scarcely admit of any profitable distri
bution : we shall therefore make some observations
on them, in the order in which they lie.
The first thing that calls for our attention is, the
honourable appellation he gives to God
[God is the only fountain of all grace. There is none in
the creature, which has not been derived from him 3 . But in
him is " all grace ;" converting, comforting, sanctifying, esta
blishing grace. He is " the God of" all grace : all kinds of it,
and all degrees, are in him. Whatever be the grace that we
severally want, we shall find an inexhaustible fulness of it
treasured up in him. And, if we ask of him in terms of the
most extensive import, and then stretch our imaginations far
beyond what it is in the power of language to express, it still
will be true, that " he giveth more grace b ;" and giveth it
freely too, according to his own sovereign will c , even to the
very chief of sinners.]
Next we have an account of what God has done
for his believing people
[God has " called them," not merely by the outward
ministry of his Gospel, (for that he has vouchsafed to thou
sands who reject him,) but by the inward operation of his
grace. Nor is it to any common mercy that he has called
a John i, 16, b Jam. iv. 6. c Matt, xx. 15. 1 Cor. xii. 11.
282 1 PETER, V. 10, 11. [2415.
them, but to " his glory," yea, to the " eternal" enjoyment of
it. What a stupendous act of grace ! Yet this is greatly
heightened by the means which he has used for the communi
cation of this blessing. He has sent it by the ministry, (by
the ministry, do I say? hear, O ye heavens, and be astonished,
O earth !) He imparts it through the mediation of " Christ
Jesus," his only dear Son.
O that this glorious description of the Deity might always
be remembered by us in our addresses at the throne of Grace!]
The petitions which the Apostle offered on behalf
of the saints, were exactly such as their state re
quired
[They were now enduring " a great fight of afflictions :"
and, in order that they might persevere unto the end, it was
necessary that they should be " established " in the faith,
" strengthened" in the profession, and "settled" in the enjoy
ment of the Gospel. For these things therefore the Apostle
prayed ; knowing, by bitter experience, that they must come
from God, the only Author of such inestimable blessings d .
For these things also should our prayers be offered : and the
consideration of what God is in himself, and has done for us,
may well encourage us to offer the most enlarged petitions. If
we " open our mouth ever so wide, we need not doubt but
that he will fill it 6 ."]
His prayers, however, were qualified with a very
necessary concession
[God has not given us any reason to expect an exemption
from suffering : on the contrary, he has told us plainly, that
our road to heaven lies through much tribulation f . Even
" Christ himself was made perfect through sufferings;" and
every child of man must be conformed to him in this respect.
Sufferings are sent to try, to illustrate, and to confirm our
grace ; and finally, to work out for us a proportionable weight
of glory. The Apostle therefore did not presume to interfere
with the established order of things ; but only to pray, that
their trials might be as light and transient, as would consist
with the accomplishment of their proper ends g . In this respect
he sets us a good example; and teaches us to desire rather
a sanctified use of our afflictions, than a premature removal
of them.]
To these he added a doxology well suited to the
occasion
d avroQ, though not noticed in the translation, seems to have con
siderable force.
e Ps. Ixxxi. 10. f Acts xiv. 22. s oXiyov
2415.] GOD S GOODNESS ENCOURAGES TO PRAYER. 283
[Who can reflect on what God is in himself, or on what
he has done for us, or on what he is ready to do for us, and
not desire that his name may be glorified, and that every
thought may be subjected to his holy will? When the
Apostle says, " To him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever;" who is not ready to exclaim with ardent affection,
" Amen, and amen?"
O brethren, let such views occupy our attention, and such
Erayers and praises be ever ascending from the altar of our
earts !]
This subject may be of USE,
1. For reproof
[How far are the generality of professing Christians from
such exalted views of God, or such deep concern for the
welfare of men s souls ! If they think of God in the quality
of a Governor and Judge, they are not conscious of any defect,
though they scarce ever raise their minds to him as their
adorable Benefactor: and, if they occasionally promote the
comfort of men s bodies, they seem to themselves excused for
not attending to their souls. But, beloved, let us not be con
tented to live in so low a region, or to exercise so little grace :
but let our love to God and man bear some affinity and pro
portion to the love that God has shewn to us.]
2. For encouragement
[What is there that we may not expect at the hands of
such a God ? We may go to him for ourselves ; we may go
to him for others : we may ask of him all manner of grace :
the weakest may obtain strength ; and the most wavering
may obtain establishment in the divine life. Let us know
the privilege of prayer. Let us, especially under our afflictions,
betake ourselves to a throne of grace : and if, while we are
praying to him, our trials increase h , let us not be discouraged :
only let us tarry his leisure ; and our sorrows shall ere long be
turned to joy, and our prayers to praise 1 .]
h This was the case with the Israelites, Exod. v. 5 19. with
xii. 33.
1 Eph. iii. 20.
2 PETER.
MMCCCCXVI.
PETER S SALUTATION TO THE SAINTS.
2 Pet. i. 1 , 2. Simon Peter t a servant and an Apostle of Jesus
Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us
thmigh the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ : grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
IN reading the epistles of the different Apostles,
whether written to particular Churches, or to the
whole catholic Church throughout the world, we
cannot but be struck with the benevolence which
they breathe in every part, and especially in the
salutations with which they begin, and the benedic
tions with which they close. In the words which we
have now read, which, as in the former epistle, are
addressed to the whole Church scattered through the
Roman empire, we may notice two things, an in
scription and a salutation : to both of which we will
now turn your attention.
I. The inscription
Here the Apostle describes,
1. The writer
[His own proper name was Simon, or Simeon, as he is
called in the original and by the Apostle James a . The name
Peter was given to him by his Lord on two different occasions;
partly, to mark his characteristic boldness; and partly to
a Acts xv. 14.
2416.] PETER S SALUTATION TO THE SAINTS. 285
intimate, that on his testimony both to Jews and Gentiles the
Christian Church should be established b . The office he held
as a servant and an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was the
highest that could be assigned to mortal man : and the peculiar
care which he took in thus designating his own name and
character satisfies our minds that this epistle, no less than the
former which bears his name, was written by him : for no bad
man would have written it ; and no good man could have been
guilty of such a forgery as that of assuming the name and
office of this inspired Apostle.]
2. The persons addressed
[These were believers throughout the world. They " had
faith" in our Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Saviour of fallen
man. They had " obtained" this faith, not by any efforts of
their own, but, as it were, by lot, just as all the tribes of Israel
obtained their portion in the promised land. To each the
precise measure was assigned by God himself: nor was there
one throughout the whole land who was not constrained to
acknowledge that he owed his portion solely to the free and
sovereign grace of God c This faith was precisely " the
same " whether in Apostles or private Christians, and " alike
precious" to them all : for though the faith of different persons
might differ widely in its degrees and consequent operations, it
was " alike precious " to all, inasmuch as it was the one means
of uniting them to Christ, and of saving their souls alive
" Through the righteousness of God our Saviour" too was
this faith obtained : for by that righteousness it was purchased
for them ; and through the prevalence of that righteousness, as
pleaded with God in their behalf, was the gift of faith imparted
to them
In this respect, then, every saint under heaven answers to
the character drawn by the Apostle, and may consider the
epistle as addressed personally to his own self in particular, as
much as ever it was to the saints in the Apostle s days.]
From the inscription we pass on to,
II. The salutation
" Grace and peace" comprehended all the bless
ings of the Gospel
[Sometimes, in the salutations of the Apostles, " mercy"
is added ; " Grace, mercy, and peace :" but generally it is, as
here, " Grace and peace." By " Grace" I understand all
that is necessary for the transformation of the soul into the
Divine image ; and by " peace," all that is necessary for the
b John i. 42. Matt. xvi. 18. c \axovo-i.
286 2 PETER, I. 3. [2417.
comfort and encouragement of the soul in its progress heaven
ward ]
^ These the Apostle desired to be "multiplied" unto
the saints
[There should be no measure of these in which we should
rest ; seeing that there is no measure which may not be greatly
and abundantly increased. We should therefore, even if our
attainments were equal to those of the Apostle Paul, " forget
what is behind, and reach forth to that which is before" ]
They are to be multiplied solely "through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord "
[It is by that knowledge alone that grace and peace are at
first obtained : when we look to God as reconciled to us in
Christ Jesus, then grace and peace flow down into our souls d .
In like manner, it is only through an increasing acquaintance
with this mystery that we grow up into Christ, and are trans
formed into his image e . Contemplate then more and more the
wonders of redeeming love : and be assured, that in proportion
as you are enabled to comprehend them, you shall " be filled
with all the fulness of GodV]
ADDRESS
[Receive this as a faithful expression of my regards for
you : and pray for me, that what I desire in your behalf, I
may richly experience in my own soul.]
d Johnxvii. 3. 2 Cor. iv. 6. e 2 Cor. iii. 18.
f Eph. iii. 18, 19.
MMCCCCXVII.
EVERY THING NEEDFUL PROVIDED FOR US.
2 Pet. i. 3. His divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness.
THE Lord Jesus Christ, as Mediator, procures for
us all blessings from God : but, as God, he authori
tatively imparts them. It is of him that the Apostle
speaks, when he says, "His divine power hath given
us all things that pertain unto life and godliness."
But the words which follow my text are of more
doubtful interpretation. Some understand them
as importing, that these things are given for the
acknowledgment of God, who has called us by the
2417r] EVERY THING NEEDFUL PROVIDED FOR US. 287
mighty working of his power. This rendering of the
words is so extremely different from that which our
translators have given us, and at the same time lj
maintained by so many persons of eminence, that I
have chosen rather to wave the consideration of them
altogether, than to determine which of the two is the
more correct : though I cannot but say, that I prefer
the sense that is given us in our authorized trans
lation. The words before us convey a most important
truth, which I shall endeavour to illustrate. The
Lord Jesus has indeed given us all things that per
tain unto life and godliness,
I. In a way of general provision
In his blessed word, he has given to us, and to the
whole world,
1. Instructions
[There is nothing needful for us to know, but it may be
found in the Scriptures of truth. There we are informed how
a sinner may be reconciled to his offended God There
we see how we may obtain a new nature, and be renewed after
the image of our God in righteousness and true holiness
There we are told how we may walk so as to please and
honour God Nothing is omitted there, which can
conduce, either to our obtaining of life, or to our possessing
of vital godliness. And whatever has been added by man,
has a tendency rather to counteract than forward our eternal
interests ]
2. Promises
[These are " exceeding great and precious," and compre
hend every thing which our necessities require. Place us in
any situation that can possibly be imagined, and there will be
found a promise directly applicable to our state. Nor is any
thing required of us, in order to obtain an interest in these
promises : if only we have a desire after the things promised,
and a willingness to receive them as the free gift of God for
Christ s sake, they become ours, and shall be fulfilled to us :
and by them we shall be made partakers of that very godliness
which might be supposed to be a necessary pre-requisite for an
interest in them. We are not first to cleanse ourselves from
sin, and then lay hold on the promises ; but first to take the
promises, and then, by their influence, to " cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness, both of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holi
ness in the fear of God."]
288 2 PETER, I. 3. [2417.
3. Examples
[The force of example is pre-eminently great, as affording
us both direction and encouragement. And there is no grace
which we can be called to exercise, but we have it exhibited
and embodied in some bright pattern that is set before us. As
for faith, the first leading grace from which almost all others
flow, the examples of it are innumerable; and the powers
which it possesses to elevate the soul are displayed in the
strongest colours. Would we wish to know the precise opera
tions of patience and meekness? the lives of Job and of Moses
afford us most distinguished patterns. Would we behold
fidelity, devotion, and the constraining influence of love ? Elijah,
David, Paul, say to us, * Be followers of us, and ye shall attain
these graces in perfection. Such examples as these, not to
mention any others of a different kind, which are " set forth
for our admonition," serve to explain the precepts, and to shew
us what measure of godliness we should aspire after, and may
hope to attain. So that nothing is wanting to us, that can by
any means help us forward in the divine life.]
But the Lord Jesus Christ has, to his obedient
followers, given all things also,
II. In a way of special communication
The instructions, promises, examples, which are
contained in the Holy Scriptures, are common to all ;
but to his peculiar people the Lord Jesus Christ has
given graces, which, by his divine power, he has
wrought in their souls. On them he has bestowed,
1. The gift of faith-
[This grace is essential to the welfare of every child of
man ; for it is through it alone that either life or godliness can
be brought into the soul. But he enables his people to come
to him, and lay hold on him, and to embrace his promises ; and
to draw forth out of his fulness all needful supplies, both of
grace and peace. In their minds he works a conviction, that
they have nothing in themselves to recommend them to God.
and can do nothing whereby to obtain an interest in his favour.
To them he makes himself known, as " the way, the truth,
and the life ;" and he brings them to " live altogether by faith
in Him, who has loved them, and given himself for them."]
2. The assistances of his grace
[" Without him they can do nothing :" but " through
strength communicated by him, they are enabled to do all
things." Have they to conflict with Satan, and withstand his
assaults? They go forth in the strength of Christ, and are
2417.] EVERY THING NEEDFUL PROVIDED FOR US. 289
made " more than conquerors : " not all the powers of darkness
can stand before them. Have they to sustain the heaviest
afflictions ? Through Christ they are enabled to " glory in
tribulations;" and to " take pleasure in every species of distress
for his sake," under a full assurance that " his strength shall be
made perfect through their weakness ;" and that " he shall be
magnified in their body, whether by life or death." Whatever
they have either to do or suffer, " his grace his sufficient for
them ;" and his divine power " makes them perfect in every
good work to do his will, working in them that which is well-
pleasing in his sight."]
3. The consolations of his Spirit
[These are of prime necessity in the divine life; for " the
joy of the Lord is our strength." Without the light of God s
countenance lifted up upon us, our " hands will hang down, our
knees be feeble, and our hearts faint." But he will send to
his people the Comforter, according to his word, to be in them
"a Spirit of adoption," "a witness of their relation to him,"
and " an earnest of their eternal inheritance." This will sup
port them under all their trials, and animate them in all their
conflicts, and bear them up above all the concerns of time and
sense. With " his love shed abroad in their hearts," nothing
will move them : " nor will they count their lives dear unto
them, if only they may but fulfil his will, and finish their course
with joy."]
APPLICATION
1. Let us inquire whether these blessings have
indeed been conferred on us
[As possessing the Book of Revelation, we have free
access to all the benefits contained in it. But have we availed
ourselves of this liberty, so as to have become partakers of the
blessings themselves ? How many are there who name the
name of Christ, and yet have never received any thing from
him but the name! Look ye well to this matter, rny dear
brethren ; for, if ye be not brought to live by him, and/or him,
and to him, it were better that ye had never heard the Gospel
at all ; yea, and better that Christ himself had never come into
the world.]
2. Endeavour to make a just improvement of
them-
[If we are responsible to God for the offers of salvation,
which are given to the whole world, much more are we for
those special communications which are made only to God s
peculiar people. Have you light in your understandings ?
follow it with holy assiduity, and with a tender conscience ;
VOL. xx. u
290 2 PETER, I. 4. [2418.
never " hiding it under a bushel," or " shutting it up in un
righteousness." Have you good desires in your hearts ? Labour
to carry them into effect ; and rest not till you have attained
the object for which they were given. Let every grace " have
its perfect work in you, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing."]
3. Impart liberally to others what the Lord Jesus
has so liberally conferred on you
[It is not for yourselves only that Christ has bestowed on
you such blessings ; but that you may be instruments in his
hands to impart them to others. Have you the Holy Scrip
tures? Put them, if possible, into the hands of every child of
man. Are you instructed in the knowledge of them ? Send
out missionaries into the world, to instruct the heathen, and to
bring your Jewish brethren to the knowledge of that Saviour
whom their fathers crucified. Endeavour, too, that the rising
generation be imbued with the principles of our holy religion,
and be made partakers of all the benefits which you yourselves
enjoy a " Freely we have received ; freely give :" and
let every blessing that ye possess be regarded as a talent to be
improved for the Lord, and to be accounted for to him at his
judgment-seat.]
a If this subject be treated with a view to the advancement of a
Bible Society, Mission Society, Jews Society, or Charity or Sunday
Schools, the appropriate idea here touched upon must be amplified
and enforced.
MMCCCCXVIII.
THE PRECIOUSNESS OF THE PROMISES.
2 Pet. i. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises : that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
ivorld through lust.
COMMENTATORS are not agreed with respect
to the connexion of these words. Some connect
" whereby" with "glory and virtue/ in the preceding
verse ; and understand it thus : "Ry which glorious
energy of the Gospel are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises." Others, understanding
the third verse parenthetically, connect my text with
" God and Christ," in the second verse, and translate
the passage thus : " By whom are given unto us," and
so on. But, for the use which I am about to make
2418.1 PRECIOUSNESS OF THE PROMISES. 291
of the passage, it is of no importance to determine
precisely what the connexion is. It is to the great
ness and preciousness of the promises that I propose
to direct your attention : and, therefore, waving any
further notice of the context, I will open to you the
promises of God, and shew you,
I. Their intrinsic worth
But how shall I attempt this ? Shall I bring them
all in order before your eyes ? Many hours would
not be sufficient for this arduous undertaking : let it
suffice, then, to say,
They extend to all the necessities of sinful man
[Even the things of this life are frequently and fully
comprehended in them : for St. Paul says, " Godliness is pro
fitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now
is, and of that which is to come a ." And our blessed Lord has
assured us, that, if we " seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, all needful things shall be added unto us b ."
But " the things which pertain x unto life and godliness " are
those which are more immediately referred to in my text : and
there is no want which an immortal soul can feel, in reference
either to time or to eternity, which is not richly provided for
in the promises of our God. Pardon, and peace, and holiness,
and glory, are all secured to us, in terms the most explicit that
language can afford. Nor, if men had been permitted to
dictate unto God what things should be made over to them,
or how freely they should be bestowed, could they ever have
ventured to express what God has expressed, or to ask them
on such easy terms : for all the promises are to be apprehended
simply by faith, and to be possessed by all who will truly and
unfeignedly rest upon them d .]
But fully to declare their worth is impossible
[Who shall appreciate a deliverance from the torments
which are endured by those who are now cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone ? or, who shall form a correct estimate of
the glory and felicity of heaven? None but those who have
experienced t.Ke one or the other can form any just conception
of either : nor could any one fully and adequately comprehend
what salvation imports, unless he have both endured the evil
from which a condemned soul is rescued, and partaken of the
a 1 Tim. iv. 8. b Matt. vi. 33. <> ver. 3.
d Such a passage as Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, may be adduced as a brief
specimen.
TT O
U rw
2 PETER, I. 4. [2418.
blessedness to which a glorified soul is exalted before the
throne of God. Eternity will be too short to count the in
estimable worth of the exceeding great and precious promises
which are contained in the Gospel of Christ.]
Let us pass on to consider,
II. Their sanctifying efficacy
We must not imagine that any sinner can so " par
take of the Divine nature" as really to be united to
the Divine essence. That is impossible. But to par
take of all the communicable perfections of the Deity,
is the privilege of all who believe in Christ
We are exalted to bear a strict resemblance to the
Deity-
fin mind, in will, in our whole character, we may resemble
God : for, in conversion, we " are renewed in knowledge after
the image of Him that created us 6 ;" so that we view every
thing no longer according to the apprehensions of our corrupt
nature, but as taught of God, and enlightened by his Holy
Spirit. With a renovated understanding we receive also a
new heart ; so that, instead of finding our will opposed to the
will of God, " we delight in the law of God after our inward
man f ," and desire to do his will even as it is done in heaven.
I say not too much, if I add, that the very character of God is
imparted to his saints, even as the impression of a seal to the
melted wax ; so that, through the operation of his grace upon
them, they become " holy, even as he is holy," and " perfect,
even as their Father which is in heaven is perfect." As for
" the corruptions that are in the world through lust and
inordinate desire, the true believer escapes from them :" he re
nounces the world and all its vanities : he " becomes crucified
to it by the cross of Christ ^:" he rises above it, " keeps him
self unspotted from it h ," and has his " conversation altogether
in heaven 1 ."]
And by what is all this effected, but by the
promises of God ?
[" By these we become partakers of the Divine nature,
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust."
St. Paul is particularly careful in marking this important, truth.
He traces not any of these benefits to mere human efforts, but
simply to faith in the Lord Jesus, which alone can " overcome
the world k ," and " purify the heart 1 ." Hear his words ; and
e Col. iii. 10. f Rom. vii. 22. e Gal. vi. 14.
h Jam. i. 27. Rev. iii. 4. * Phil. iii. 20.
k 1 John v. 4. ! Acts xv. 9.
2418.] PRECIOUSNESS OF THE PROMISES.
mark especially the order which he prescribes for the attain
ment of these blessings: " Having these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God m ."
Here, at the same time that he specifies the extent to which
the promises will effect this change, he shews us, that we are
not to attain the change first, and then lay hold on the pro
mises; but first to lay hold on the promises, and by them to
attain the change. Now, this is a point of extreme importance ;
and it was marked with singular precision in the Jewish law.
In the ordinance for the cleansing of the leper, it was appointed
that the blood of his sacrifice should be put upon the tip of
his right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the
great toe of his right foot"; which was to shew, that, in all his
faculties, whereby he either received or executed the will of
God, even from head to foot, he needed an application of the
blood of atonement, to cleanse him from his guilt : and then
oil was not only to be applied by the priest to the same
places, but to be " put upon the very place of the blood of the
trespass-offering? And what was this intended to shew ? I
hesitate not to say, it was intended to declare the very same
thing which is intimated in my text ; namely, that our justifi
cation by the blood of atonement must be first sought, and
then our sanctification by the Holy Spirit ; that the blood of
atonement must be the foundation of our sanctification ; and
that, though the two are never to be separated, they must be
sought in their due order, and be put each in its appointed
and appropriate place. In a word, we must first go to God
as sinners, to obtain mercy through the blood of Christ ; and
then shall we be made saints, by the operation of the Spirit of
Christ upon our souls.]
INFER
1. How desirable is an interest in Christ Jesus!
[It is in Christ that all the promises are treasured up for
us ; and in Him alone are they ratified and confirmed to us p .
Unless as found in him, and united unto him by faith, we have
no part in any one of them : but " all are ours, when we are
Christ s* 1 ." How earnest, then, should we be, in fleeing to
him, that we may receive out of his fulness all the blessings
both of grace and glory ! I pray you, brethren, neglect him
not ; but seek him with your whole hearts, and cleave unto
him with your whole souls.]
2. How truly blessed are they who are united to
him by faith !
m 2 Cor. vii. 1, " Lev. xiv. 14, 28. 2 Tim. i. 1.
P 2 Cor. i. 20. q 1 Cor. iii. 2123.
294 2 PETER, I. 59. [2419.
[To them God has secured every thing, not by promise
only, but by oath also ! And this he has done in order that
they might be assured of " the immutability of his counsel,
and enjoy the richer consolation in their own souls r ." Take
the word of God, my dear brethren : cull out of it every
promise it contains, and carry it to the throne of grace, and
plead it before God ; and verily you shall, in your dying hour,
be able to say with Solomon, " Blessed be the Lord, who
hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he
promised : there hath not failed one word of all his good
promise which he promised by the hand of Moses," or by all
his prophets from the foundation of the world 8 .]
r Heb. vi. 18. s 1 Kings viii. 26.
MMCCCCXIX.
THE CHRISTIAN S GRACES.
2 Pet. i. 5 9. Beside this, giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue ; and to virtue knowledge ; and to knowledge
temperance ; and to temperance patience ; and to patience
godliness ; and to godliness brotherly kindness ; and to bro
therly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and
abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off,
and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
GREAT and unspeakable are the blessings vouch
safed to us by the Gospel : for in it " God hath given
to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness ;"
and "through the exceeding great and precious pro
mises contained in it, we are made partakers of a
divine nature, and are enabled to escape the corrup
tions which are in the world through lust a . Yet we
are not to suppose that these blessings will flow
down upon us without any effort on our part to ob
tain them. We must, if I may so speak, he " workers
together with God :" or as my text expresses it, must
" give all diligence to add" one grace to another, in
order to our growing up into a perfect man.
Were we to enter minutely into every part of this
exhortation, we should only distract your minds by
a ver. 3, 4.
2419.1 THE CHRISTIAN S GRACES. 295
too great a diversity of matter. It will be more in
structive and edifying to compress the subject, so as
to preserve its unity, and to bring before you in one
point of view what we conceive to be the mind of the
Holy Ghost in this important passage. For this end
we will commend to your attention,
I. The import of the exhortation
Two things we see in it ;
1. What are the graces which we are called to
exercise
[It is here taken for granted that we have " faith ;" for,
in truth, we have no pretensions to call ourselves Christians
till we have believed in Christ, and are united to him as branches
of the living vine.
Assuming then that we are true believers, we must " add
to our faith virtue." By virtue we are not to understand that
general assemblage of graces which in modern language is as
sociated with that term ; but courage, which is absolutely ne
cessary to the Christian s welfare. A man who will be faithful
to his God, and walk worthy of his profession, will have much
to contend with, both from without and from within : and, if
he be not endued with fortitude, he will be in danger of yield
ing to discouragement, and turning back from his profession.
Even the sneers of an ungodly world are not easy to bear :
and thousands, through the fear of them, have made shipwreck
of their faith. We must therefore be bold, if we would be
" good soldiers of Jesus Christ."
" To our virtue we must add knowledge." By " knowledge"
I understand, not general information, but wisdom and pru
dence, without which our courage may lead us astray, and
prove injurious to the cause which we profess to serve. We
must seek " a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind b ." Among the children of Issachar, we are told, " there
were men that had understanding of the times, to know what
Israel ought to do c ." Such should we be. The same conduct,
if pursued at all times, and under all circumstances, would be
very absurd : and perhaps scarcely in any thing does the adult
Christian differ from the child more than in the exercise of
" sound wisdom and discretion," by which he is enabled to
avoid the errors of the inexperienced d , and to "walk wisely
before God in a perfect way 6 ."
To this must " temperance be added." In this term also
there is more implied than we generally annex to it. In this
b 2 Tim. i. 7. c 1 Chron. xii. 32.
d Prov. iii. 2123. e Ps. ci. 2.
296 2 PETER, I. 59. [2419.
catalogue of graces it would appear a small thing to say, that
we should abstain " from surfeiting and drunkenness;" (though
that doubtless is necessary for Christians too f .) We are, as has
been before noted, in a state which calls for bold and judicious
exertions : and as those who contended in the Grecian games
were " temperate in all things," in order that their bodily
strength and agility might qualify them for their contests g , so
are we to be temperate, in order to ensure success in our spi
ritual conflicts. We should sit loose to all the things of time
and sense, as well to those which are lawful as those which
are unlawful ! " using every thing so as not to abuse it h ," and
" keeping under all our bodily appetites, and bringing them
into subjection, lest, after all our profession, we become repro
bates 1 ."
" Patience" is another grace which must be added to all the
former. And this too, like all the former, must be understood
in somewhat of a larger sense, not merely as a meek submission
to trials, but as a persevering effort to fulfil all the will of God.
We are told, that " we have need of patience, that, after we
have done the will of God, we may obtain the promise k :" and
it is only " by a patient continuance in well-doing, that we ever
can obtain glory, and honour, and immortality 1 ." This grace
then must be added to all the rest. We must never be weary,
either in doing, or in suffering, the will of God : but, as the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter
rain ; so must we " be patient, and establish our hearts, till
the Lord himself shall come," to crown, and to reward our
labours" 1 .
We must not however rest here. " To patience we must
add godliness :" for without a pious regard to God, all our
efforts will be in vain. We may conceive of all the foregoing
graces as exercised by a heathen: but we must have that
sublime piety which no heathen can possess. We must see the
hand of God in every thing ; and receive every thing as from
him ; and do every thing as for him ; making his will the rule,
and his glory the end, of all our actions. At the same time,
we must walk with him, and delight ourselves in him, and
maintain sweet fellowship with him as our Father and our
Friend, and must look for his approbation as our great reward.
To this there is yet another grace which we must add, and
that is " brotherly-kindness," We are all one family, and
must regard every member of that family with a truly fraternal
affection. It is " by this love one to another that all men are
f Luke xxi. 34. & 1 Cor. ix. 25. h 1 Cor. vii. 2931.
1 1 Cor. ix. 27. k Heb. x. 36. * Rom. ii. 7.
111 Jam. v. 7, 8.
2419.] THE CHRISTIAN S GRACES. 297
to know us for Christ s disciples 11 ;" and by it we ourselves also
are to judge of our having " passed from death unto life ."
That which closes the train, and which must of necessity be
added to all the rest, is " charity." For though there is an
especial regard due to " the household of faith p ," our love
must not be confined to them : it must be extended to all,
even to enemies ; and must so pervade our whole spirit and
temper, and so regulate all our words and actions, as to evince
that we are indeed children of Him, whose name and nature
is "LoveV ]
2. The importance of them to the Christian
character
[No words can declare the importance of these graces to
the Christian more forcibly than those in which the Apostle
has declared it in my text : for he asserts, that the constant
exercise of them will prove us to be intelligent and consistent
Christians, whilst the want of them will prove us ignorant and
inconsistent.
Attend to these assertions. " If these things be in you,
and abound, they make you (that is, they render, or constitute*
you) neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ." How shall it be known that any man
possesses a truly scriptural and saving knowledge of Christ ?
It cannot be determined by his professions, but by the whole
of his spirit and deportment. As a tree is known by its fruits,
so is the faithful follower of Christ. If indeed these graces
could flow from any other source than an union with the Lord
Jesus, they would determine nothing respecting the reality of
our faith in him : but they cannot. A man may have valour,
and knowledge, and temperance, and patience, without any
acquaintance with the Lord Jesus : but the whole assemblage
of graces that are here mentioned he cannot have : they can be
wrought in the soul only by the Spirit of God : and the Spirit
can be supplied by none but the Lord Jesus Christ, " in whom
is the residue of the Spirit 8 ," and " in whom dwells all the ful
ness of the Godhead bodily * :" and to none will Jesus so impart
the Holy Spirit but to those who believe in him. Hence the
existence and operation of these graces in the soul is a decisive
evidence, that our faith in Christ is lively, our knowledge of
him spiritual, and our walk before him consistent.
On the contrary, " he that lacketh these things is blind, and
cannot see afar off; and hath forgotten that he was purged
from his old sins." A speculative knowledge may be possessed
11 John xiii. 35. 1 John iii. 14. P Gal. vi. 10.
1 1 John iv. 8, 16. r kaBiffrrjcnv. s Mai. ii. 15.
t Col. i. 19. andii. 9.
298 2 PETER, I. 59. [2419.
to a great extent, without any practical effect: but the circum
stance of its being inoperative, clearly shews, that the person
possessing it has no spiritual discernment. He is blind, or at
best very dim-sighted, as to the excellency of the principles
which he maintains : he sees not their proper tendency : he is
unconscious of the worthlessness of mere notions, however just
they may be, if separated from their practical effects : he be
trays an utter ignorance of the nature of true religion : and he
shews, that he has forgotten all the professions which he made,
and the vows that he took upon him, when first he was bap
tized into the name of Christ. When by baptism he entered
into covenant with God, he professed, that, as he expected the
remission of sins through the blood of Christ, so he expected
the mortification of sin by the Spirit of Christ. He engaged, that
from that hour he would seek a conformity to Christ, " dying
unto sin, as Christ died for sin, and rising again unto righteous
ness, even as Christ rose again to a new and heavenly life u ."
But by his want of all these graces, or his allowed deficiency
in the exercise of them, he shews that he has forgotten all his
former engagements, and is an ignorant and inconsistent pro
fessor, who disgraces that holy name by which he is called.
Now, I say, attend to these assertions of the Apostle, and
judge whether the graces before-mentioned be not indispensably
necessary to the Christian character, and whether we ought
not to "give all diligence" to have the whole train of them
exhibited in our lives.]
In further considering the Apostle s exhortation,
let us notice,
II. The insight which it gives us into pure and unde-
filed religion
We should not be satisfied with viewing truth in
abstract and detached parts : we should endeavour
to acquire enlarged views of religion ; to see it in
all its bearings, and to get our minds duly impressed
with its excellency and grandeur. In this we shall
be greatly assisted by the Apostle s exhortation ;
which, whilst with prismatic accuracy it brings before
us the separate rays of which religion is composed,
presents in their united power the full radiance of the
Christian system.
See then in this passage the excellency of true
religion :
1. How comprehensive it is in its nature !
u Rom. vi. 3 G.
2419.] THE CHRISTIAN S GRACES. 299
[There is not any situation in which we can be placed,
wherein religion does not prescribe the path that shall be pur
sued ; nor any variety of circumstances that can occur, in which
it does not meet with a corresponding variety of limitations
and exceptions. There is not an operation of the human mind
which it does not undertake to regulate, and require to be
under its exclusive controul. Perhaps we may fitly compare
it with the office of the soul in our animal frame. Without
the soul the body is dead. By its presence the human frame
is animated throughout. The soul pervades, and operates
in, every part. Not the smallest motion of the body is inde
pendent of it. Whatever faculties be called into exercise,
they derive all their power and energy from it. It is altoge
ther through its agency, that the eye sees, the ear hears, the
hand moves. And these different powers are exercised with
ease, because of the entire presence of the soul s energies in
every part. Were there a single member, even the smallest
in the human frame, that did not experience its power, it
would be paralyzed, and the body, as a whole, would be de
formed. Now thus it is that religion takes possession of the
soul. Till that occupies the soul, the soul is dead : but when
that descends into the soul, all our powers, whether of mind
or body, are subjected to its controul. The influence of it being
universal, its actings are easy, and without effort. If indeed
there be an occasion that requires more than ordinary exer
tion, a suitable energy is put forth, just as in the human frame,
when necessity requires.
Now what a view is this of religion ! How grand, how glo
rious does it appear ! Yet is this the view of it as set before
us in the text, where every habit and disposition of the human
mind is regulated by its requirements, and called forth into
exercise by its vital energies. Such was St. Paul s view of it
when he said, " May the God of peace sanctify you wholly !
And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body may
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ*."]
2. How connected in its parts !
[Which of the graces which the Apostle has enumerated
in my text, can you dispense with ? The whole forms a chain ;
of which, if one link be broken, the entire use is destroyed.
Some indeed of these appear of less importance than others :
but not only is every one of them necessary in its place, but
every one must partake of the others that are connected with
it, and can only operate with effect, when its exercise is so
tempered. For instance ; what would valour be without
x 1 Thess. v. 23.
300 2 PETER, I. 59. [2419.
prudence? or prudence without temperance? or temperance
without patience ? or patience without godliness ? or godliness
without brotherly-kindness ? or brotherly-kindness without
charity ? Take any one away, and the beauty and excellence
of the whole will vanish altogether. St. Paul well illustrates
this idea in his description of the Christian s armour. The
sword, the shield, the helmet, the greaves, the breast-plate,
and the girdle, are all necessary in their place y : the loss of
any one would be severely felt by the Christian combatant,
and occasion his ultimate failure in his warfare. "We must
have " the whole armour," or none. So the want of any one
of the graces specified in our text would suffice to ruin the
soul for ever. Our Lord has told us this in the most express
terms. He supposes that we may fall short only in some one
particular point : and that for that failure we may have an
excuse, which might appear sufficient to satisfy any candid
mind. The particular evil which we know not how to part
with may be dear to us as a right eye, or necessary to us as a
right hand. Yet, if we submit not to pluck out the one, or
amputate the other, our whole body shall be cast into hell,
" where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched 2 ."
In this the beauty of religion, as the beauty of the human
frame, consists : only with this difference ; that the body,
though defective in its parts, may live ; but the soul, if any
one grace be wanting, is dead.
I pray you, brethren, consider this ; and let the truth of it
receive a daily illustration from your conduct. Never place
religion in any one duty, or in any one set of duties; but let
all the graces of the Spirit have their appropriate place, their
seasonable attention, and their harmonious exercise.]
3. How lovely in its influence
[Only conceive of any person living in the constant exer
cise of all these graces : how amiable, how godlike, I had
almost said, would be his deportment ! Then conceive of a
whole family penetrated with this spirit, and what a picture of
heaven would you behold! But conceive of religion filling, as
assuredly it will one day fill, the whole earth, and every indi
vidual of mankind living in the unvaried exercise of these
heavenly dispositions : well may such a state as this be called,
as it is frequently in Scripture called, " The reign of Christ
on earth." Blessed, blessed state ! O that God would hasten
it in his time ! But if we be not privileged to behold that day,
let us at least seek the commencement of that period in our
own souls Let us seek to resemble Christ as much as pos
sible, and to " have the beauty of the Lord our God " beaming
y Eph, vi. 1317. z Mark ix. 4248.
2420.] MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE. 301
from our own face 3 . This Moses had, by communing with
God upon the holy mount ; and this we also may have, if we
will " give all diligence " to attain it. Rise then to the occa
sion : let your efforts be without intermission : cry mightily
unto God for grace and strength : plead with him the promises
which he has made to you in his Gospel; and " which in
Christ Jesus are all yea, and amen." So shall you be enabled
to " cleanse yourselves from all filthiness both of flesh and
spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God b ."]
a Ps. xc. 17. b 2 Cor. vii. 1.
MMCCCCXX.
MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE.
2 Pet. i. 10, 11. Brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure : for if ye do these things, ye shall never
fall : for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abun
dantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
IN the system of religion which the inspired pen
men have transmitted to us, duty and privilege go
hand in hand. It is " the Divine power alone which
gives us all things which pertain unto life and godli
ness :" but we must exert ourselves in dependence on
that power, to " escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust." This plain and scriptural idea
gives the true solution to many difficulties that occur
in the sacred volume, and particularly so to those
which arise from the words before us.
In the text are set before us,
I. Our duty
Though all are agreed that our duty is here de
clared, the opinions of men differ widely respecting
the precise nature of that duty. Our first point
therefore is to fix the true meaning of the text
[By our " calling and election," is meant that effectual
call which men receive when they are truly converted unto
God a , and which both evinces, and results from, God s eternal
purpose to save their souls b .
a This is manifest from 1 Cor. i, 26. b 1 Thess. i. 4, 5.
302 2 PETER, I. 10, 11. [2420.
Now those who deny the doctrine of election, argue thus.
We are commanded to " make our election sure ;" and, if we
neglect to do so, we may (C fall" and perish for ever: therefore
there is no such thing as is generally understood by " election;"
and that which is so called in Scripture, is nothing more than
a designation of God to the enjoyment of outward privileges,
or an acceptance of us upon certain conditions.
To avoid these consequences, many who hold the doctrine
of election affirm, that the exhortation in the text means only
that we should exert ourselves to get an assured sense of our
election.
But there is no such ambiguity in the original, as there is
in our translation. Whatever the text may prove or disprove,
it can have but one meaning ; namely, that we are to make
our election firm, and, by diligence in good works, to secure
the benefits to which God has elected us.
This however does not disprove the doctrine of election.
The truth is, that God elects us to holiness as the means, as
well as to glory as the end c : He elects us to the end by the
means d ; so that the end can never be secured but by the
means prescribed. Though therefore God does elect us unto
salvation, we can never partake of that salvation, if we be not
found in a diligent discharge of all our duties, and the constant
exercise of all moral virtues 6 . Hence St. Paul, notwithstand
ing he was assured of his final enjoyment of heaven f , was
careful to " keep his body under and bring it into subjection,
lest, after having preached to others, he himself should be a
cast-away g ;" and hence we also are commanded to "look to
ourselves, lest we lose the things we have already wrought,
and so come short of our full reward h ." The truth lies, not
in a simple affirming or denying of the doctrine of election,
but in connecting the means with the end, as the joint objects
which God, in his eternal purpose, has determined to ac
complish^
The meaning of the text being ascertained,, the
duty contained in it is clear
[There is a connexion between all the graces of the Spirit:
they are so many links in a chain, no one of which can be dis
pensed with. If we have faith, we must add to it " valour"
that shall encounter difficulties; " knowledge," that shall re
gulate the whole of our deportment ; " temperance," that shall
make us indifferent to the pleasures of sense ; " patience," that
shall carry us through all hardships ; " godliness," that shall
c Eph. i. 4. d 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14. e Rom. ii. 7.
* 2 Cor. v. 1. si Cor. ix. 27.
h 2 John, ver. 8. and Heb. iv. 1.
2420.] MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE. 303
fill us with a delight in heavenly things ; " brotherly-kindness,"
that shall knit us to every member of Christ s mystical body ;
and " charity," that shall engage us in all offices of love even
to our very enemies. All of these graces we should cultivate ;
and, having attained any measure of them, we should seek to
grow in them daily; resting in no attainment " till we come to
the measure of the full stature of Christ 1 ."
In labouring after these things, we shall " make our calling
and election sure :" we shall not only prove that we have been
elected of God, and called by his grace, but shall " strengthen
the things that remain," and " make firm" the work that has
been begun in our souls. Indeed the very pursuit of virtue
must in itself tend (in proportion as we are diligent) to keep
us from declension k : and it is certain, that God will prosper
those who conscientiously labour to approve themselves to
him 1 .]
Here then is our duty, viz. to secure by unwearied
diligence in good works the final enjoyment of those
blessings to which God has elected, us by his grace, and
called us by Ids good Spirit. And, to aid us in the
discharge of this duty, the Apostle sets promises
before us for,
II. Our encouragement
" Godliness is profitable unto all things, having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is
to come." But more particularly God engages to
give his diligent and devoted people,
1. A steadfast life : "If ye do these things, ye shall
never fall"
[It too often happens that professors of religion are left to
dishonour their holy calling by open and scandalous offences :
nor have any of us any security against such falls, except as
we are upheld in God s everlasting arms. But this security
shall be afforded to the zealous and faithful follower of Christ.
My text says, " If ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
The diligent Christian doubtless will, even to his dying hour,
have reason to acknowledge, that he is a poor imperfect
creature : but he shall be kept from flagrant transgressions ;
and shall, in respect of them, " be preserved blameless unto
God s heavenly kingdom." Numberless are the promises of
God to this effect 111 And O, what encouragement do
1 ver. 57. k Prov. iii. 2123.
1 2 Chron. xv. 2. 1 Sam, ii. 9. Ps. xxxvii. 23, 24.
304 2 PETER, I. 10, 11. [2420.
they afford to those who know their weakness and their frailty !
Surely the hope of being enabled to " do all things through
the strength of Christ," and of being made " more than con
querors through him that loved us, and of having " our
strength in all respects proportioned to our day of trial," may
well stimulate us to exertion, and make us diligent in per
forming every thing which God requireth at our hands".]
2. A triumphant death
[A variety of things may occur to affect the mind of a
dying saint, and to prevent him from displaying the full efficacy
of his principles in his last hours : but, in the general, the
peacefulness of his departure will be proportioned to the
integrity and diligence of his life. Indeed, it may be expected
by those who " abound in every good word and work," that
God will be peculiarly present with them in the time of their
greatest need : they may hope to be favoured with Pisgah-
views of the heavenly Canaan, and, like Stephen, to behold
their Saviour standing ready to receive them. Such was Paul s
departure, after a life of unremitting exertion in his Master s
cause p : and such "an abundant entrance into the kingdom
of our Lord shall be ministered to us " also, if we follow the
steps of that distinguished Apostle.
Who that has ever seen the insensibility of some, or the
terrors of others, would not wish to have this promise fulfilled
to him in a dying hour? Let us then live the life of
the righteous, if we would die his death. Let us look to it,
that we be daily ripening for glory : then shall we in due time
be carried to it, " like a shock of corn " to the garner.]
APPLICATION
You will naturally ask me, what directions I
would give you for the attainment of this great ob
ject ? I answer,
1. Let there be in you no allowed sin
[The wisdom that is from above, is " without partiality
and without hypocrisy q ." One leak will sink a ship ; and one
allowed sin will destroy the soul r . If ever you would be
saved at last, you must be " Israelites indeed, and without
guile s ." Faith in Christ must be laid as the foundation ; but
every Christian grace must compose the edifice that is built
upon it.]
2. Cry mightily to God to perfect and complete
his work within you
n 1 Cor. xv. 58. Ps. Ixxiii. 26. P 2 Tim. iv. 6 8.
a Jam. iii. 17. r Matt, xviii. 8, 9. s John i. 47.
2421.] A PASTORAL ADMONITION. 305
[He who has been " the Author of your faith must also
be the Finisher V " Be strong only in the Lord, and in the
power of his might u ." Commit your soul into the Saviour s
hands, and entreat him to " keep you from falling x :" so shall
you " stand perfect and complete in all the will of God y ," and
" be kept by the power of God through faith unto everlasting
salvation Z "J
* Heb. xii. 2. u Eph. vi. 10. x Jude, ver. 24.
y Col. iv. 12. z i p et . i. 5.
MMCCCCXXI.
A PASTORAL ADMONITION.
2 Pet. i. 12 15. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you
always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them,
and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet,
as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting
you in remembrance ; knowing that shortly I must put off
this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed
me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after
my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
IN every period of the world, the servants of God,
at the close of life, have laboured with more than
ordinary assiduity to impress on the minds of their
people the truths, which, from the commencement of
their ministry, they have inculcated. When Moses
had brought the Israelites to the very borders of
Canaan, he was ordered to " write a song, and to
teach it to the children of Israel, that to the latest
period of time it might be a witness against them
for the Lord," in the event of their turning from him
to serve other gods a . Joshua, in like manner, at the
close of his life, called for all Israel, and charged
them to " fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity
and truth ;" and, on their engaging so to do, he said,
" Ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye have
chosen you the Lord to serve him b ." St. Paul also,
how affectionately did he warn the elders of Ephesus,
who had come to take their leave of him at Miletus !
a Deut. xxxi, 19, 29, 30. and xxxii. 1 43.
b Josh, xxiii. 2. and xxiv. 14,21, 22. c Acts xx. 17, 28.
VOL. XX. X
306 2 PETER, I. 1215. [2421.
Thus does the Apostle Peter, in this his second
epistle to the Jewish converts dispersed throughout
the world, endeavour to " stir them up," by calling
to their remembrance the truths he had inculcated,
that so they might, after his removal from them,
retain their steadfastness even to the end d .
In conformity with these examples, I would, after
ministering to you for half a century, point out 6 ,
First, what, in conformity with St. Peter s example,
I have, from the beginning, laboured to instil into
your minds.
I might here, in the review of my whole ministerial
life, adopt the words which St. Paul used at the close
of his career : " Having obtained help of God, I
continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and
great, saying none other things than those which
the prophets and Moses did say should come ; that
Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first
that should rise from the dead, and should shew
light unto the people (the Jewish people) and to
the Gentiles f ." Yes, I can appeal to all who have
ever known me, that to proclaim a suffering and
triumphant Messiah, as revealed to us by Moses and
the prophets, has been the one object of my life,
without any variation as arising from the persons
addressed, " whether small or great," and without
ever turning aside after novelties, or fond conceits,
or matters of doubtful disputation. From the be
ginning, " I determined," like that blessed Apostle,
" to know nothing amongst you, save Jesus Christ,
and him crucified."
But I will draw your attention rather to St. Peter s
conduct, and to his expressions as contained in the
foregoing context. He says, " I will endeavour that
you may be able, after my decease, to have these
things always in remembrance."
What " these things" were which he here refers to,
I will endeavour to explain. He addresses himself
d 2 Pet. iii. 17. with the text.
e This was a Jubilee Sermon, preached on that special occasion.
f Acts xxvi. 22, 23.
2421.] A PASTORAL ADMONITION. 307
to those who had obtained like precious faith with
him, through the righteousness of God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ :" and he calls upon them to
" add to their faith, virtue," and a whole series of
other graces suited to the Christian character^
These were the things which their profession of
Christianity indispensably required, and which alone
could justify any pretensions to the knowledge of
Christ, or give them a hope of acceptance in the
eternal world h .
Now, my brethren, these are the things which I
also, according to the grace given to me, have incul
cated, from the first moment that I came amongst
you. And these are the things which I am anxious
that " you should bear always in remembrance after
my decease." I am aware that you, my stated
hearers, both " know these things, and are, for the
most part, established in the truths that have been
set before you." But I know also what danger there
is of your forgetting them, when he, who has so long
declared them unto you, is removed to a better
world. You cannot but recollect, that the whole
people of Israel, within the short space of forty days
after that Moses had absented himself from them,
turned away from Jehovah to worship the golden
calf 1 : and that " King Joash did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord, no longer than whilst he was
under the eye, and the instruction, of Jehoiada the
priest k ." What then can I expect, but that many
of you will " let slip the things which you have
heard 1 , 5 and "turn aside from the holy command
ments delivered to you m ?" Excuse me, therefore, if
I lay hold on this present opportunity to bring to
your remembrance what you have so often heard
delivered to you with all plainness and fidelity.
If it be asked why Peter adopted this course to
wards his Jewish converts, and why I endeavour to
follow his example, I will proceed to shew you,
s ver. 1, 5. h ver. 8, 9. * Deut. ix. 11, 12,
fc 2 Chron. xxiv. 2. * Heb. li. 1. m 2 Pet. ii. 21.
308 2 PETER, I. 1215. [2421.
Secondly, Why he was, as I myself also am, anxious
that you should " have these things always in re
membrance."
Amongst the numberless reasons that might be
assigned, I shall content myself with stating the
three following :
First, I would impress these things on your minds,
because on your remembrance of them depends the
everlasting welfare of your souls.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation
of all your hopes. You all know that you are sinners,
and that, as sinners, you are under a sentence of
condemnation. And how shall that sentence be
reversed ? Need you be told, that you can never,
by any works of your own, purchase the remission
of your sins ? You know you cannot. You know,
that even your best actions are very imperfect, and
incapable of claiming for you any recompence, if
tried by the test of God s holy law : so that for them,
no less than for any fouler transgressions^ you need
forgiveness at the hands of God. Hence, I trust,
you are ready to say with St. Paul, " I desire to be
found in Christ, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith n ."
At the same time, you know the necessity of uni
versal holiness in order to prove and attest the
sincerity of your faith. I bless God, there is not
amongst you all, so far as I know, even one single
individual, that leans to Antinomian licentiousness,
or that has any conceit that his faith can avail for
his salvation, unless it " work by love ," and " purify
the heart p ."
Yes, I am happy to say, that " ye know these
things, and are, for the most part, established in
them." But is there no danger of your declining
from them, when the tongue that now inculcates
them shall be silent in the grave ? Even in the
n Phil. iii. 9. Gal. v. 6. P Acts xv. 9.
242 l.J A PASTORAL ADMONITION. 309
midst of all endeavours to keep you in the " good
old way/ have you never seen any " turned from
the simplicity that is in Christ q ?" Alas! alas! even
in the apostolic Churches such declensions were
common : we must not wonder, therefore, if, amongst
ourselves, some be drawn aside by Satan r , to "make
shipwreck of their faith, and of a good conscience 8 ."
But what must be the result of such instability ?
The Apostle tells us, that " if any man draw back,
my soul," says God, " shall have no pleasure in him."
Yes, beyond a possibility of doubt, every such per
son, whoever he be, and whatever he may imagine,
"draws back unto perdition ;" and his last end is
worse than his beginning 11 ."
And shall it be thus with any of you, my brethren ?
God forbid. I tremble at the thought of it. and will
endeavour, as far as in me lies, to prevent so awful
an issue to my present ministrations. Let me tell
you again and again, (for " to speak the same things
to you, to me is not grievous, but for you it is safe x ;")
let me tell you, I say, that " there is no other founda
tion for any sinner in the universe to build upon,
but that which God himself has laid in Zion, which
is Jesus Christ y ." And let me further declare, that
" it is not a dead faith that shall save you, but one
which is productive of good works z ; " and that
" without holiness, real, universal holiness, no man
shall see the LordV
Next, the Apostle laboured to impress these things
on their minds, because he knew that his opportunities
for reminding them of them were coming to an end.
The Lord Jesus Christ had told him many years
before, that, when he should be old, he should be
bound, and crucified by his enemies b . And the time
for this catastrophe was now near at hand : yet with
such sweet composure did the Apostle contemplate
this tremendous death, that he spake of it only as
Q 2 Cor. xi. 3. r 1 Tim. v. 15. s 1 Tim. i. 19.
* Heb. x. 38, 39. u 2 Pet. ii. 20. x Phil. iii. 1 .
y 1 Cor. iii, 11. z Jam. ii. 14, 20, 20. a Heb. xii. 14.
b John xxi. 18, 19.
310 2 PETER, I. 1215. [2421.
the taking down of a tent or tabernacle, to rear it
again in a better place : but, as it would put a ter
mination to his earthly career, he was anxious to
improve his few remaining hours in fixing these
things upon their minds, in order " that they might
have them in remembrance after his decease." And
though I have no reason to expect such an end, yet
it cannot now be long before I must be called to
" put off this my tabernacle," and to cease from the
work in which I have been engaged these fifty years.
I do indeed bless God, that I have one to succeed
me in part who shall carry on the work to far greater
advantage than I have ever been able to do : but
yet, who shall occupy the more ostensible post of
your stated minister, God alone knows ; and whether
he shall maintain amongst you the same doctrine of
justification by faith, and hold up before you the
same high standard of practical piety, none but God
can tell : but this I know, that no doctrine but that
of a crucified Saviour, can ever avail for your salva
tion ; and that no measure of holiness, less than that
of an entire devotedness of heart and life to God,
can ever justify a hope of an interest in Christ. And,
whether all this be inculcated on you or not, who
can tell whether you shall retain the experience of
it in your souls ? I look at the Seven Churches of
Asia, and see how they were fallen, even whilst the
Apostle John yet remained to instruct and warn
them. And in what state are they now ? Or see,
if you will, places in our own land, where once a
faithful ministry was established, and to what a state
are they now reduced ! A Sibbs c , and a Preston d ,
once ministered in this place ; but how little of their
mind and spirit was transmitted to later generations,
the records of this parish even in my own time,, most
fully testify. Whilst then God is pleased to continue
me amongst you, " I will not be negligent to put
you always in remembrance of these things, though
ye know them, and be established in the present
c The Master of Catharine Hall, in 1626.
d The Master of Emmanuel, in 1622.
2421.] A PASTORAL ADMONITION. 311
truth." As long as I am able to bear any testimony
amongst you, I will still declare, that Jesus, our
adorable Lord, is the only Saviour of sinners ; and
that as his atoning blood alone can ever cleanse you
from the guilt of sin, so his blessed Spirit alone can
ever renovate you after the Divine image, or make
you " meet for the inheritance of the saints in light."
Receive ye this, my brethren, as by anticipation, my
dying testimony. Treasure it up in your minds,
that, " after my decease, you may have it always in
remembrance." It is a comfort to me to think, that
" long after I am dead," I shall, by my printed works,
" yet speak to you ;" and, though I cannot hope that
they should occupy the attention of persons situated
as you are, they will exist as records of the doctrines
delivered to you, and amongst them, this, as my
dying address, will find a place, as a memorial of
my love to you, and of my desire for your eternal
welfare.
One more reason for St. Peter s so insisting upon
these things was, that he could not otherwise discharge
his duty towards those whom he had been commissioned
to instruct. He says, " I think it meet, as long as I am
in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in re
membrance." His expression here is remarkable: The
word " meet," would be properly translated "just:"
" He thought it just 6 to do this : he considered, that,
to be remiss in the discharge of this duty, would be
an act of injustice ; an injustice to them; an injustice
to God ; an injustice to himself. In this light I also
consider it, my beloved brethren. If I should not
press upon your minds the knowledge of Christ, and
the necessity of universal holiness, it would be an act
of injustice to you. You have been committed to me
by Almighty God, as sheep to a shepherd, that I
might watch over you, and lead you into the pastures
which God has provided for you ; and rather lay
down my life for you, than suffer you to fall a prey
to that " roaring lion that seeketh to devour you."
It would also be an act of injustice towards God,
312 2 PETER, I. 1215. [242 L
who is the great Proprietor of the fold, and who
will " require at my hands the blood of every one
amongst you that has perished through my neglect f ."
Alas ! What account shall I give to him when he
shall summon me to his tribunal, and inquire into
my discharge of my pastoral office ? Did I not
send you to watch over them ? Did I not appoint
you a " steward of those great mysteries g " which I
had revealed in my word, the mysteries of redeeming
love ? Did you not undertake to make known to
them all that my dear Son had done and suffered for
them ? Did you not engage to declare all that my
Holy Spirit was empowered to work within them,
by transforming them into my perfect image ? Why
then did you accept the office of an ambassador
from me, if you did not intend to discharge it with
fidelity ? Why did you suffer so much as one single
" soul for whom Christ died, to perish" through your
neglect 11 ? Was it for this that I intrusted you with
so high a commission, and put my interests into your
hands, that you should be so remiss in the discharge
of the one, and so careless in the advancement of the
other? I may add also, it would be an act of in
justice to myself. I know that " your blood will be
required at my hands :" and I engaged at my ordina
tion to " watch over you as one that must give
account" to the Judge of quick and dead 1 . How
then shall I appear at the judgment-seat of Christ,
if I neglect to " declare unto you the whole counsel
of God ?" What shall I say when that question
shall be put to me, " Where are those sheep which
I committed to thee in the wilderness?" My dear
brethren, if I have no concern but about my own
soul, I must fulfil the ministry committed to me,
and labour, whilst yet any remnant of power is con
tinued to me, to stir up in your minds a love to that
Saviour who has died for you, and to bring you to
that conformity to his image, which can alone fit you
for the enjoyment of his presence and glory.
f Ezek. xxxiii. 7, 8. & 1 Cor. iv. 1.
h 1 Ccr. viii. 11. * Heb. xiii. 17.
2421.] A PASTORAL ADMONITION. 313
But now, in the third place, what shall I say in
order to effect my purpose ? What considerations
shall I urge upon you in order the more effectually
to impress your minds with the truths which I have
before stated ? I will adopt the line of argument
suggested by the Apostle himself in the preceding
context.
An adherence to these things is what you engaged
for in your baptismal covenant. Then Christ was
received by you as your Lord and Saviour : and you
professed to look for remission of sins altogether in
his name, and through faith in his blood and right
eousness. At the same time you gave up yourselves
to him to be sanctified in body, soul, and spirit by
his grace, and to live altogether to his glory. But,
if you recede in any respect from these engagements,
you abandon all the hopes which were then held out
to you by that covenant of being " purged from your
sins k ," and you forfeit that remission, which, if you
received your baptism aright, or subsequently realized
the engagements then entered into, was then con
ceded to you. And are you willing to cast off thus
your Christian profession, and to sacrifice your in
terest in those " great and precious promises" which
were then tendered to you in the Saviour s name, and
" by which you might have been made partakers of
the Divine nature 1 ," and heirs of the Divine glory?
Think, I pray you, of the loss you will sustain, and
the tremendous responsibility that will attach to you :
and beg of God, that he will never leave you thus,
nor suffer you to " receive all this grace in vain m ."
Further let me say, These are the things on which
your perseverance in the divine life entirely depends".
A simple life of faith on the Lord Jesus Christ is to
you what the union of a branch is to its parent
stock. If from adopting any notions whatever your
communion with him is interrupted, nothing but
decay and death can ensue. So likewise, if there
be any one grace which you do not cultivate, the
neglect of that will open the door to numberless
k ver. 9. * ver. 4. m 2 Cor. vi. 1. n ver. 10.
314 2 PETER, I. 1215. [2421.
other evils, and you will be " left to fall" and perish.
It matters not what that virtue is which you neglect :
if " intemperance/ or " impatience," or " uncha-
ritableness," or "ungodliness" of any kind be suf
fered to retain an ascendant over you, it will, as
water in a leaky ship, in a little time fully occupy
your soul, and finally sink you to perdition. " A
right hand or a right eye," however necessary it may
appear to your present happiness, will, if retained,
" destroy both body and soul in hell p ." The union
of faith and holiness must be complete and abiding,
even as the root of the tree with the fruit : both, in
their place, are necessary to " make your calling and
election sure :" and, if either fail, you will inevitably
and eternally perish.
Once more It is by bearing these things in re
membrance that you mil ensure to yourselves a happy
dismission from the body at the hour of death, and an
abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ q ." As to any thing of exalted
joy in the hour of death, I do not see much of that
in the death of the Scripture-saints, nor do I think
that, as a general occurrence, we are authorized to
expect it. But peace in a dying hour we may expect:
" Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ;
for the end of that man is peace*." But how is this
to be secured ? It is by cleaving to the Lord Jesus
Christ with full purpose of heart, and by endeavour
ing to glorify him by a holy life and conversation.
An entire reliance on him is necessary. Nothing
but a view of his all-atoning sacrifice can satisfy the
mind in a dying hour. We may now run after
notions that are mooted and propagated in the
Christian world : but they will afford us little com
fort when we are about to enter into the presence of
our Judge, and to receive at his hands our eternal
doom. Nothing, I say, but a view of Christ as the
appointed Saviour of the world, will give us boldness
at that day. But, if now we " live entirely by faith
ver. 6, 7. P Mark ix. 4348.
1 ver. 11. r Ps. xxx vii. 37.
2422.] TRUTH AND CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL. 315
on him, as having loved us and given himself for
us 8 / we shall be able then to commit our souls into
his hands with an assured hope of acceptance, and a
blessed prospect of dwelling with him for ever. At
the same time, however, we must have the testimony
of our conscience, that, amidst all our infirmities, we
did not retain any allowed iniquity, but did endea
vour to walk " as he walked," and to " purify our
selves even as he was pure." If in relation to this
matter " our heart condemn us not, then shall we
have confidence toward God*."
Now consider, my dear brethren, how desirable
this blessing is. To have misgiving fears in the hour
of death will be very terrible : but to possess a sweet
assured confidence that we are accepted of our God,
and to have " an abundant entrance into the king
dom of our Lord and Saviour," like that of a ship,
with wind and tide in its favour, into its destined
port, what felicity will that be ! And how greatly
is it to be desired ! Would you then possess this
blessing, keep in remembrance the things which I
have preached to you ; and get your minds so fully
and continually occupied with them, that, after my
decease, as well as during my few remaining hours,
they may have their full influence upon you ; and
that, when we shall meet around the throne of God,
I may have you as " my joy and crown of rejoicing
to all eternity"."
8 Gal. ii. 20. l 1 John iii. 21. u 1 Thess. ii. 19.
MMCCCCXXII.
THE TRUTH AND CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL.
2 Pet. i. 16. We have not followed cunningly-devised fables,
when ive made known unto you the power and coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
AMONGST the various proofs which we have of
the truth and certainty of our holy religion, one of
great importance is, that amongst all the authors and
founders of it no diversity of sentiment obtained
upon any essential point of doctrine; whether the
316 2 PETER, I. 16. [2422.
teachers of it were learned (like the Evangelist Luke
and the Apostle Paul), or unlearned (like the rest of
the Apostles), they were all of one mind : nor during
the whole apostolic age was there so much as one
controversy among them, if we except the doubt that
was raised about imposing the yoke of the Mosaic
law upon the Gentiles : nor was this question moved
by the teachers themselves, but only referred to them
by some who were less instructed amongst their con
verts. This shews, that they were all taught by one
and the same Spirit : for it is not to be conceived,
that amongst so great a variety of persons, so diffe
rently situated, and so differently gifted, there should
not have been a considerable diversity of sentiment,
sufficient to distract the minds of their hearers, and
to cause divisions in the Church. Moreover, we never
find one of the inspired Apostles speaking with doubt
upon any fundamental point : they knew infallibly,
and declared without hesitation, that we are all guilty
and helpless in ourselves, all redeemed by the blood
of Christ, all renewed by the influences of the Holy
Spirit, and all to be summoned to the judgment-seat
of Christ, to receive according to what we have done
in the body, whether it be good or evil. We cannot
but be struck with the confidence with which the
Apostle Peter speaks in the words before us, and
with the simplicity with which that confidence is
expressed.
That I may place his words in a just point of
view, I will endeavour to shew,
I. What he had declared respecting Christ
The generality of commentators confine " the
power and coming" of the Lord Jesus Christ to his
future advent to judge the world. But I see no rea
son for so limiting them : I see nothing in the con
text that should lead us to such a contracted view of
them. I conceive that they include what Christ has
done, as well as what he will do ; and that the Apostle
refers to,
1. The power with which Christ has come
2422.] TRUTH AND CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL. 317
Both the epistles of Peter are catholic, addressed to the
whole Church. In the former especially he speaks very fully,
and forcibly, of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the different ends
and purposes of his advent. He declares him to have been
" fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but mani
fest in these last times for his people a ." He specifies the end
of his manifestation, which was, to " redeem his people by his
blood," and to bear their sins in his own body on the tree b .
He declares him to have been " raised up from the dead by
the Father; that our faith and hope might be in God c :" and
he states, that by his " resurrection from the dead he hath
begotten us again to a lively hope of an incorruptible, and
undefiled, and never-fading inheritance d ." He represents him
further as " the foundation-stone upon which all his Church
and people are built," and which will infallibly support them
all for ever and ever 6 . And, lastly, he speaks of him as gone
into heaven as our forerunner, and as " reigning there above
all the principalities and powers" of heaven, earth, and hell f .
In the epistle that is before us too, he had spoken fully to
the same effect, declaring that " grace and peace were to be
multiplied unto us through the knowledge of this Saviour g ,"
who is the one source and fountain of all good, and has " by
his divine power given us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness 11 ."
Now these things Peter had declared : and they are no
other than what every minister of Christ must declare. His
ordination to his office from all eternity, his execution of it in
time for the salvation of a ruined world, his exaltation to glory,
from whence he communicates all blessings to his people, and
overrules every thing for their eternal good, this must be
made known by every minister of Christ, and must be received
by every child of man.]
2. The power with which he will come
[At a future period, that same Jesus, who was crucified,
shall appear again " in power and great glory 1 / an d will come
to " judge both the quick and deadV Then shall " his glory
be fully revealed 1 ;" and his kingdom be established for ever
in the heaven of heavens" 1 .
These things also the Apostle affirmed. And what less
could be declared by any one that has undertaken to preach
the Gospel?
a 1 Pet. i. 20. i> 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. and ii. 24.
c 1 Pet. i. 21. d 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. e 1 Pet. ii. 5, G.
f 1 Pet. iii. 22. & ver. 2. h ver. 3.
j 1 Pet. i. 7. k 1 Pet. iv. 5. l 1 Pet. iv. 13.
m ver. 11.
318 2 PETER, I. 16. [2422.
If they appear to any to be a cunningly-devised fable, I ask,
Why do they appear so ? The only answer that can be given
is this ; That these things are too great to be comprehended
by us, and too good to be expected or believed. They are
great, no doubt ; and they are good also, beyond all that any
finite intelligence could have conceived. But they are not on
that account to be questioned. The creation of the world out
of nothing, as far exceeds our conceptions as the redemption
of it. Both the one and the other are the offspring of infinite
wisdom, and power, and goodness : and, if we were not com
pelled by the evidence of our senses to acknowledge the
wonders of creation, we should be as ready to deny the possi
bility of them, as we are to question the wonders of redemp
tion. But the Apostle declares, that even these latter had,
as far as they could be, been made objects of sense ; and
every* evidence of them that could be submitted to the senses
had been given to him.]
In confirmation of this the Apostle proceeds to
state,
II. On what assured grounds he was enabled to bear
his testimony respecting him
The Apostle had all the evidence respecting the
Messiahship of Jesus that was possessed by the
Church at large. He had beheld all the miracles
that Jesus wrought, and heard all his discourses,
and seen his bright example, and witnessed his re
surrection and ascension, and had received from him
the Holy Ghost according to his promise on the day
of Pentecost; and had beheld also the triumphs of the
Gospel over all the power and policy of earth and
hell. (Of the prophecies which he had seen fulfilled
in him, we shall have occasion to speak hereafter.)
But in addition to all these, he himself possessed an
evidence which had made the deepest impression on
his own mind, an evidence, which no other human
being, except James and John, was ever permitted
to behold, and which he could not forbear to adduce
on this occasion in confirmation of all that he had
stated 11 .
He had received the evidence of his senses respect
ing the power and coming of the Lord Jesus
n ver. 17, 18.
2422.] TRUTH AND CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL. 319
[He with James and John had been taken up to Mount
Tabor by his Divine Master, who had there been transfigured
before them . On that occasion the bright effulgence of the
Deity had been made to shine forth in the person of the Lord
Jesus, whose "face was as bright as the meridian sun, and
whose raiment was as white as the light," whiter far than any
fuller on earth could make them P." This bright effulgence
Peter had seen with his bodily eyes.
On that occasion too Moses had been raised from the dead,
and Elijah brought down from heaven, to bear their testimony
to him. These two persons represented the law and the pro
phets, both of which had their full accomplishment in him : and
they now, as it were, surrendered up their respective offices to
him, who was henceforth to be the great Prophet, Priest, and
King of his Church and people. Of this also Peter had been
" an eye witness."
But, in addition to this, God the Father had borne witness
to his Son by an audible voice from heaven, saying, " This is
that my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased : Hear ye
him* 1 ." In these words there was a direct reference to what
God had before said to Moses, " A prophet shall the Lord
your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto thee :
him shall ye hear: and whosoever will not hear that prophet, I
will require it of him r ." This voice declared, that that very
Jesus was the prophet so referred to, and the prophet whom
all must obey at the peril of their souls. And this voice Peter
distinctly heard.]
This evidence fully confirmed all that he had
asserted respecting Christ
[He had declared that Jesus Christ was the only-begotten
Son of God, " the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person 8 ," and of this, as far as it was possible, he
had been an eye, and ear witness. He had declared the suf
ficiency of his death for the redemption of the whole world :
and how could he doubt this when God had audibly proclaimed
his acquiescence in it in that view ? He had declared, that the
salvation or condemnation of every living man would depend
on his acceptance or rejection of this Saviour, who was the one
Prophet, whom all must hear ; the one Priest, in whom all
must trust : and the one King, whom all must obey : and so
strongly were these truths assured to him by all that he had
seen and heard, that he could not doubt of them one moment,
or hesitate to appeal to them, in proof that " he had not
Matt. xvii. 1 5. P Mark ix. 3.
1 This is the force of the article in Matt. xvii. 5.
r Deut. xviii. 18, 19. s Heb. i. 3.
320 2 PETER, I. 16. [2422.
followed any cunningly-devised fable," as ignorant Gentiles, or
superstitious Jews, were wont to do. And to these things do
we also make our appeal : for in these things the three Apostles
could not be deceived : and their whole life and death shewed
clearly enough, that they had no design or wish to deceive.]
APPLICATION
1. Let not any of you then be moved by the im
pious and blasphemous attempts which are made to
undermine the Gospel
[You may see in my text the construction which infidels
and blasphemers are wont to put upon the truths of revelation :
they pour contempt upon them as " cunningly-devised fables,"
invented and propagated by designing priests for the advance
ment of their own interests. But who could ever disprove the
truth and authority either of the Old or New Testament ? It
is easy enough to sneer and cavil at any thing : and impious
scoffers ever have treated in this way the truths of revelation,
even from the days of Jannes and Jambres, who withstood
Moses*, to the present hour u ." " Men of corrupt minds, and
reprobate concerning the truth," ever have, and ever will,
" sport in this manner with their own deceivings x ." But,
beloved, search the Scriptures for yourselves : examine the
evidences which have been adduced in proof of their divine
authority : see the suitableness of the provision which has been
made for you by Almighty God in the person and work of his
only-begotten Son : and you will soon see, that the great mys
tery of redemption carries its own evidence along with it, and
that what is spoken in Scripture respecting it, is " a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation " ]
2. Let all of you get an experimental acquaintance
with the Gospel in your own souls
[Peter believed the evidences which he had in common
with others : but he felt peculiar conviction from those which
he derived from his own personal experience. So the people
of Samaria, who had believed on Jesus on account of the
woman s testimony, told her afterwards, " Now we believe, not
because of thy saying ; for we have heard him ourselves, and
know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world y ."
Thus do you seek, if not the evidences of your senses, yet the
* 2 Tim. iii. 8.
u February, 1820, just after the trial and condemnation of Carlile,
for re-publishing a blasphemous and seditious libel Paine s " Age
of Reason."
x Compare 2 Tim, iii. 8. with 2 Pet. ii. 10 13. and iii. 3, 1 4.
y John iv. 42.
2423.] THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY. 321
evidence of your own experience; for it is certain, that "he
who truly belie veth in Christ, hath the witness in himself 2 :"
he knows the power and grace of Christ in a way that he never
could know it from mere argument : and in speaking of Christ
he can say, " What my eyes have seen, my ears have heard,
my hands have handled of the word of life, that declare I unto
you a ." There are " spiritual senses which may be exercised ;"
and though their testimony is not satisfactory to others, it is
peculiarly convincing to those who possess it. For the good of
others then I say, Seek an acquaintance with the established
evidences of the Gospel : but for your own good I say, Go up
to Jesus upon the holy mount, and there hear and see what
God will reveal for the conviction and consolation of your
souls. So shall you have an evidence which nothing can shake,
and feel yourselves standing on a rock, which defies the assaults
both of earth and hell.]
55 1 John v. 10. a 1 John i. 1.
MMCCCCXXIII.
THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY.
2 Pet. i. 19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy ;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star
arise in your hearts.
THAT persons ignorant of the grounds on which
Christianity is established should doubt the truth of
it, ought not to occasion us any surprise : for it must
be confessed, that on a superficial view of the leading
points contained in it, it does appear to surpass the
bounds of credibility. That the God of heaven and
earth should assume our nature, and be made in the
likeness of sinful flesh ; that he should thus humble
himself, in order that he might in his own person bear,
and expiate, the sins of his rebellious creatures ; that,
having wrought out in our nature a perfect righteous
ness, he should offer that righteousness to all who
will believe in him, and accept it in their behalf for
the justification of their souls before him ; there is in
all this something so wonderful, so glorious, so de
lightful, that it does indeed appear like " a cunningly-
devised fable ;" and one is tempted to say concerning
VOL. XX. Y
2 PETER, I. 19. [2423.
it, as Job did under a similar impression of the
manifold grace of God, " If I had called to God, and
he had answered me (and told me by an audible voice
from heaven that Christianity was true), yet would I
not believe that he hearkened to my voice a ." As
Peter, when actually liberated from prison, " wist not
that it was true, but thought he saw a vision/ so,
when we have the actual experience of the Gospel
salvation in our own souls, it actually seems at times
to be " a dream V But it is no dream, no cunningly-
devised fable ; but a glorious reality. Of this the
Apostle was well assured. He had received the most
positive evidence of it from his own senses. He had
seen his Lord transfigured upon the holy mount :
and had heard the testimony which the Father had
borne to him by an audible voice from heaven ;
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-
pleased ." But, however satisfactory this evidence
was to him, it could not be so convincing to others,
because it depended solely on the testimony of him
self and the other two Apostles who were admitted
to that sight, and because the inferences which he
drew from what he had seen and heard would not
commend themselves with the same force to others
as they did to him. But there were other grounds
on which all might feel the same assurance as he
himself did. There was " a more sure word of pro
phecy," which every one might examine for himself,
and of which every one who did examine it was com
petent to judge. This no man could weigh without
being convinced by it : he might as well doubt his
own existence, as doubt the truth of Christianity,
if only he examined the prophecies with a candid
mind.
It is my intention to shew you,
I. The evidence of our religion as founded on pro
phecy
Verily it is " a sure word," that may well be
a Job ix. 16. b Ps. cxxvi. 1. c ver. 16 18.
2423.] THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY. 323
depended on. Consider the vast collective body of
prophecies : consider,
1. Their fulness
[There is not any one point relating to Christianity that
has not been the subject of prophecy. Every thing relating
to Christ, his person, his work, his offices ; his life, his death,
his resurrection and ascension ; his investiture with all power
at the right hand of God ; the nature, extent, and duration of
his kingdom ; and his second coming to judge the world ; all
has been fully and distinctly declared by holy men of God,
who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Now I
ask, Would any one have ventured to predict so many things
respecting an impostor? Supposing that the dangerous ground
of prophecy had been taken by any who conspired to deceive
the world, would they not for their own sake have been satisfied
with a few general predictions, that were capable of different
interpretations, and that were likely in the common course of
events to happen ? Would any persons have undertaken to
give beforehand so full, so large, so complicated a disclosure
of all that should come to pass ? But add to this,]
2. Their minuteness-
fit is surprising that prophecy should condescend to such
minute occurrences as were actually foretold concerning Christ.
Not only were the time and place of his nativity foretold, but
his expulsion from thence to Egypt, and his subsequent abode
at Nazareth. So again, not only was the manner of his death
declared, but such minute circumstances as could not be con
ceived ; such as the very words which his enemies should
taunt him with, whilst yet he should hang upon the cross ;
and their offering him vinegar to drink ; and even the manner
in which they should dispose of his raiment, casting lots for
one part, whilst they divided the rest. Now I ask, Could any
but the omniscient God predict such things as these ? things,
which could not be fulfilled by any except by the very enemies
who put him to death as an impostor ?
But the evidence, as arising from the fulness and minuteness
of the prophecies, will derive great strength from marking,]
3. Their consistency
[Certainly, when we consider that the prophecies were
delivered by different persons wholly unconnected with each
other, at distant times and places, during the space of three
thousand six hundred years, and that the things which they
predicted were in appearance so opposite to each other; it is
inconceivable, that no inconsistency should be found in any of
them, if they were not inspired by the omniscient and un
changeable God.
324 2 PETER, I. 19. [2423.
Let us enter a little into this point. The person of the
Messiah. He must be " Jehovah s fellow," " the mighty God,"
and yet " a man," yea " a worm, and no man, the very scorn
of men and the outcast of the people." He must be " the
Root and yet the Offspring of David," " David s Son, and yet
David s Lord. He must be " a Lion," and yet " a Lamb."
He must be a King, a Priest, and a Prophet, all in one. He
must die, yet live. Though a Jew, he must die a Roman
death, and yet not experience the same treatment as was
shewn to those who were crucified with him, in having his
bones broken : yea, he shall " be pierced in his hands and
feet," where the bones are so numerous, and by the soldier s
spear also, and yet " not have a bone broken." He shall
die as a malefactor, and yet " have his grave with the rich."
He shall suffer thus under the hand of his enemies, and yet
triumph ; yea, and triumph by dying, and pass through the
grave to his throne of glory ; and, after standing at the tri
bunal of his rebellious creatures, summon the universe to his
tribunal, and fix the everlasting doom of men and angels.
Say, whether such apparent inconsistencies would ever have
been predicted respecting an impostor, or, if predicted, would
have been ever realized and fulfilled ? There are, it is true,
many prophecies which are not yet fulfilled. The restoration
of the Jews, the conversion of the Gentiles, the universal
establishment of Christ s kingdom upon earth; these things
have not yet taken place : nor have the prophecies taught us
to expect that they should yet be accomplished. But the ful
filment of such diversified predictions which we have already
seen, leaves us no doubt respecting the accomplishment of the
remainder in due season : and this is one reason why the evi
dence from prophecy is so convincing ; that it is ever growing
stronger and stronger by the augmented and ever-increasing
force which it receives, from the events which are yet daily
taking place in the Church and in the world.]
This then may suffice for the first point which we
were to consider, namely, the evidence of our reli
gion as founded on prophecy. We now proceed to
shew,
II. The use which we should make of that evi
dence
" We should take heed to it," and consider it
well ;
1. To satisfy our minds respecting the Messiah-
ship of Jesus
2423.] THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY.
[In the world at large we have nothing to guide us in
relation to this point : and even from Judaism we gain but
little light. The whole Mosaic dispensation was dark and
shadowy : and the very predictions which were handed down
to us by successive prophets were so dark, that they were
not understood by the very persons who uttered them d . But
these prophecies serve us for a light, which, duly improved,
will infallibly lead us to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We may illustrate this by the star which appeared to the
Magi in the East, which first of all directed them to Judaea,
then to Jerusalem, the capital of Judaea. There they made
inquiries respecting " the person who was born King of the
Jews." There, they learned that Bethlehem was to be the
place of the Messiah s nativity : and Herod was the person
who directed them to go to Bethlehem. But, when they were
going thither, the star which they had before seen in the East
went before them, and stood over the very house in which the
infant was. So will prophecy guide us. At first we are
informed, that " the seed of the woman shall bruise the ser
pent s head :" but where or when to find him we know not.
Next we find, that he shall be of the seed of Abraham ; and
in the particular line of Isaac, and of Jacob. Proceeding
further, we are directed to the family of David ; and are told
that he shall come whilst the second temple is yet standing,
and be born at Bethlehem. Then we come to all the minute
particulars respecting him. He must have such a forerunner
as Elijah : he must have the Holy Ghost descend upon him :
he must work unnumbered miracles in confirmation of his
word : he must be scourged, and yet crucified ; (though his
scourging was inflicted by Pilate in order to prevent his cruci
fixion). A thousand minute circumstances must attend his
death : and on the third day he must rise again ; and ascend to
heaven, and send down the Holy Ghost upon his Disciples,
and enable them to speak all manner of languages, and work
all manner of miracles : and, by their instrumentality, he must
so establish his kingdom in the world, that the gates of hell
shall never prevail against it. Now, where shall I find the
person in whom all these, and ten thousand other predictions,
meet? I go to one and to another; but I am stopped in a
moment : I do not find in them any two requisites. I then
come to Jesus ; and I find he answers the description in some
particulars. I then follow him to see if other things concur to
point him out : and the more minutely I examine, the more
evidence I gain, without one single disappointment. As the
lot for the discovery of Achan fell first on the tribe, then on
the family, then on the household, and then on the individual ;
d 1 Pet. i. 1012.
326 2 PETER, I. 19. [2423.
so does every prophecy lead me nearer and nearer unto Jesus,
till they fix infallibly on him as the object of my pursuit,
Thus, I say, I take prophecy for my light; and I follow it, till
it stands over the very person of my adorable Lord, and leaves
me no possibility of doubt respecting his being the true Mes
siah, the Saviour of the world.]
2. To lead us to an experimental sense of his
excellency and glory
[We must not be satisfied with knowing that Jesus is the
Messiah, but must seek to experience all the blessings of his
salvation in our souls. Suppose a condemned criminal to
receive a pardon from his prince, and at the same time a grant
of large estates, and a title to all the highest honours of his
kingdom ; and the man were to satisfy himself with examining
and ascertaining that the writing which conveyed to him these
benefits, was not a forgery : what should we say of that man ?
Should we think him sane? Should we not expect that, as a
rational being, he would leave his prison, and go forth to
possess his estates and honours ? Yet this is the very folly
which we are guilty of. We are contented with ascertaining
to our satisfaction the Messiahship of Jesus, and go not forth
to him to obtain the blessings he has purchased for us. But
let us remember, that a lamp is only to guide us through a
dark place : when the day has dawned and the sun is risen,
we are then to walk in the light of that sun, which will super
sede the use of the glimmering taper we have just employed.
Now thus it is that the Lord Jesus Christ, " the true Morning-
star 6 ," " the Sun of Righteousness f ," will arise in our hearts,
and " will manifest himself to us, as he does not unto the
world g ." And, as light is its own evidence, so will he bring
his own evidence along with him, and prove himself to be
the Messiah by the blessings he imparts. Only let that
" God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, shine
into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ 11 ," and we shall have the
same evidence of his Messiahship as a man has of the sun s
existence when he is basking in the beams of its meridian
splendour. This then is what we must seek. We must seek
to have " the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our hearts:"
and then we shall be able to say to prophecy, as the Sama
ritans did to the woman who had guided them to Jesus, " Now
we believe, not because of thy saying ; for we have heard him
ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour
of the world 1 ." It is said of heaven, that " the glory of God
e Rev. xxii, 16. f Mai. iv. 2. & John xiv. 22.
h 2 Cor. iv. G. John iv. 42.
2423.] THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY. &27
doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof k :" and thus
may it be said of us when Christ has once revealed himself
within us ; so bright, so cheering, so glorious will be his pre
sence in the soul !]
We may LEARN then from hence,
1. The propriety of considering the evidences of
our religion
[Were we habituated from our early youth to consider
these things, how vain and impotent would be the efforts of
infidels to shake our faith ! If we regarded nothing but intel
lectual amusement, we can scarcely conceive a richer feast
to the mind than the study of prophecy. But, when we
reflect that on the truth of Christianity our eternal welfare
depends, it is surprising that we are not more interested about
this all-important subject. We should not be satisfied with
believing Christianity, because our fathers have believed it:
we should examine for ourselves. We should search the Old
Testament Scriptures, which testify of Christ; and compare
them with the New Testament, in which the fulfilment of the
prophecies is recorded. Thus should we examine the founda
tion upon which we propose to build, and assure ourselves
that it will bear the edifice which we design to construct
upon it.]
2. The folly of resting in them
[A man who lays a foundation proceeds to build upon it.
And so must we do. We have ascertained beyond a doubt
that Jesus is the Christ. But what does the assurance of that
fact avail us, if we go not to him for the salvation which he
has purchased for us? The Israelites, when they found the
manna that was round about their tents, inquired, " What is
it?" But when they had ascertained that it was a species of
bread given them from heaven, were they satisfied with having
learned that fact ? No : they proceeded to gather it, each one
for himself, and then to feed upon it from day to day. Do ye
then so in reference to Christ, who is " the true bread from
heaven." Do not imagine, that because you know he has been
given, and are acquainted also with the ends and purposes for
which he has been given, you will receive any benefit from
that. You must lay hold upon him, and feed upon him from
day to day. If he be indeed, as he has declared, the light of
the world, you must walk in his light. Then shall your path
to heaven be clear, and your way delightful: and then shall
you be prepared to dwell with him in that place, where " the
k Rev. xxi. 23.
328 2 PETER, II. 49. [2424.
sun shall be no more your light by day, neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto you, but where the Lord
shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God vour
glory V]
1 Isai. Ix. 19.
MMCCCCXXIV.
GOD THE PUNISHER OF SIN.
2 Pet. ii. 4 9. If God spared not the angels that sinned, but
cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of
darkness, to be reserved unto judgment ; and spared not the
old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the
ungodly ; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an
ensample unto those that after should live ungodly ; and
delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the
wicked : (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day
with their unlawful deeds ;) the Lord knoweth how to deliver
the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto
the day of judgment to be punished.
THERE were in the Apostles days a set of reli
gious professors, such as, I would fondly hope,
scarcely exist at this time. If we take the chapter
before us, and the Epistle of St. Jude, and mark the
characters which are there portrayed, we shall not
know where to look for persons of a similar descrip
tion : or, if we find a few, they are so few and so
insignificant, that they have no influence whatever
in the Church. If they were at all numerous, we
should not wonder that " the way of truth should be
evil spoken of a ." But what has been, may be : and,
if we be not alive to the dangers of an Antinomian
spirit, we may yet see "false teachers amongst us,
privily bringing in their damnable heresies, and
denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing
both on themselves and their followers a swift de
struction V One of the most fearful and disgusting
a ver. 2. b ver. 1.
2424.] GOD THE PUNISHER OF SIN. 329
traits of such characters is, the boldness and con
fidence with which they propagate their errors ; pro
fessing to expect for themselves, and promising to
others, impunity in " their pernicious ways." But,
whatever they may dream of in relation to their
security, "their judgment now of a long time lin-
gereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not ."
In confirmation of this truth, the Apostle adduces
many striking examples, which attest, that God will
put a difference between the righteous and the
wicked, between those who serve him, and those who
serve him not.
The truths deduced from these records will form
the ground-work of our present discourse :
I. God knows how to punish impenitent trans
gressors
He has inflicted terrible judgments on account of
sin
[Angels in heaven have experienced his wrath. Respecting
the fall of the angels we know but little. But this we know :
there were a countless multitude of angels, once as holy and as
happy as any that are now around the throne of God ; but, on
some temptation, they fell, and " left their first estate" of holy
obedience, and for their wickedness were cast down from
heaven, into a place of inconceivable horror and misery created
on purpose for their reception, where they are " reserved in
chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Their
sin will in that day be made known before the whole assembly
of men and angels, and the justice of God in their punishment
be universally acknowledged. Their misery is not yet com
plete. God has seen fit to give them somewhat of a respite,
as it were, till the counsels of God respecting the redemption
of the world shall be completely fulfilled : but then, together
with the ungodly from amongst our fallen race, they shall
receive their final doom. They are indeed yet continually
adding to their former impiety, by labouring with all their
might to frustrate the counsels of heaven in the salvation of
mankind: and thus are they treasuring up continually an
augmented weight of wrath, which at the appointed season
shall come upon them to the uttermost.
On men too, even on the whole world, has God inflicted
c ver. 3.
2 PETER, II. 49. [2424.
vengeance on account of sin. Scarcely had the world existed
fifteen hundred years, before wickedness abounded in it to such
a degree, that " God repented that he had made man." On
this account, he determined to destroy the world : and for that
purpose he sent a deluge, which soon covered the face of the
whole world, and overwhelmed every living thing, with the
exception of those which, with Noah and his family, were
assembled in the ark.
Another instance of God s displeasure against sin has been
manifested in the destruction of Sodom and the cities of the plain.
Grievous beyond measure, and beyond sufferance, was the
iniquity of those cities. Yet, if only ten righteous persons
had been found in them, God would have spared the whole
for their sake. But their being one only, he rained down
fire and brimstone upon them from heaven, and reduced them
all to ashes, making them a terrible example to the whole
world, of the vengeance that should overtake all who should
thereafter live ungodly.]
From these instances it is undeniably clear, that
he both can, and will, inflict judgments on sin and
sinners
[Here are facts; facts, which cannot be denied; facts,
which bear upon them the stamp and character of divine
agency ; facts, which speak so loudly, that we cannot shut our
ears against them.
There are doubts on the minds of men : * Can God, or will he,
execute his threatenings, when, if he should proceed according
to his word, so many will be destroyed? Shall the great and
noble be of no more account in his eyes than the meanest of
mankind ? or, if some notice shall be taken of sin, shall it be
so severe as we are taught to expect? Look, brethren, into
the divine records, and all these doubts shall vanish in an
instant. Angels confessedly are a far more exalted race of
beings than men : yet not even angels were spared, when once
they had sinned against their God; but were cast headlong
from heaven into the bottomless abyss of hell. But will God
proceed against so many ? Look to the old world, where not a
human being, except Noah and his family, was saved. But
shall it indeed be so terrible ? Look at the cities of the plain,
and see what terrible destruction was brought on them : arid
bear in mind, that these very judgments were intended " for
an example unto them that should thereafter live ungodly."
Look, I say, at these things; and then doubt whether that
judgment which is threatened shall be executed ; " God will
rain down upon the wicked snares, fire and brimstone, storm
and tempest; this shall be their portion to drink d ." If, after
d Ps. xi. 6.
2424.] GOD THE PUNISHER OF SIN. 331
seeing such proofs of the Divine veracity, we will not believe,
we shall be constrained to believe when our own bitter expe
rience shall leave no room for a possibility of doubt. The
judgments may be delayed, even as the deluge was : but at
the appointed season the vengeance shall come, and shall not
tarry.]
But from the forementioned dispensations we are
taught, that,
II. He knows also how to deliver and to save his
tempted people
Wonderfully did God interpose in behalf of Noah
and of Lot
[Noah was a righteous man, and " a preacher of right
eousness" to others. For the space of one hundred and
twenty years he ceased not to warn and to exhort the world
around him : but in all that time we read not of one whom he
was the means of converting unto God. He however main
tained his steadfastness amidst all the aboundings of iniquity :
and God instructed him how to build an ark, for the saving
of himself and his household. Of his family there were seven
given to him ; and he was " the eighth ;" not the eighth lineal
descendant from Adam; (for he was the tenth;) but one of
eight, or the eighth of those who were saved in the ark. Be
sides him and those embarked in the same vessel with him, not
a creature upon earth was saved : but he was brought forth to
the new world in perfect safety.
Nor was the deliverance of Lot less wonderful. He also
was " a righteous man :" and his piety was made evident, by
the deep interest which he took in the welfare of his fellow-
citizens, and by the grief with which the iniquities of all
around him oppressed his soul. And, till this righteous man
was placed beyond the reach of harm, God himself could not
proceed to execute his threatened vengeance. Two angels
were sent from heaven to bring him forth, and by a holy vio
lence, as it were, to urge him forward, that he might not be
overwhelmed by the impending storm.]
And is he less concerned about his people now ?
[Your temptations and trials may be such as no human
wisdom could foresee or avoid. But such were the calamities
from which Lot and Noah were delivered. You may be a
poor despised creature, derided as an enthusiast by all around
you, and accounted either conceited or mad, on account of
your hope and confidence in God: but such was the light in
which those holy men were viewed by their contemporaries ;
332 2 PETER, II. 49. [2424.
yet they were dear to God, and were saved by him with a
great and glorious salvation : and so shall you be saved also
from your trials, whether they regard your temporal or your
eternal welfare : nor shall so much as one thing occur, which
shall not be ultimately over-ruled for your good.]
Express ye then your faith in God as they did
[Fear to offend him. No doubt those holy men were sorely
tempted at times to yield to the solicitations, and to comply
with the practices of those around them. But they maintained
their integrity, and walked before God in all good conscience
in the midst of all the abominations that surrounded them. So
then do ye : let your one concern be to serve and please him.
Never forget that God is a holy God, and that he will punish
iniquity : and " though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not
be unpunished." Walk uprightly before him ; and none can
hurt you : but give way to sin ; and none can deliver you.
Learn also to trust him. Neither Noah nor Lot had any
human help. They trusted in God : and he was all-sufficient
for them. Confide ye then in God, as they did. Bear in
mind, that he is Almighty to effect whatever will conduce to
your welfare ; and that he is faithful to all his promises ; not
one jot or tittle of which shall ever fail.
Finally, dare to serve him. " Fear ye not the reproach of
man, neither be afraid of his revilings : for the moth shall eat
him up." What if, through the aboundings of iniquity you be
as singular as Noah was in the old world, or Lot in Sodom ?
it is not your fault, but the fault of those who will not serve
God. Let the world deride y OUT fears : they will ere long see
who was right ; they who mocked at the impending judgments,
or you who sought to escape them. Let them deride your
hopes : the time is quickly coming, when they will wish that
they also had entered into the ark, or fled to the mountain
appointed for their abode. Be content to be derided now; in
certain expectation, that God will ere long " appear to their
shame, but to your unspeakable and everlasting joy." Whilst
they are laughing at you, or sleeping in their sins, " their
judgment lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
And, whilst you are faithfully adhering to the service of your
God, " the mansions in heaven are preparing for you ; and
your Lord will quickly come to take you to the possession of
them."]
2425.] APOSTATES IN A WORSE STATE THAN EVER. 333
MMCCCCXXV.
APOSTATES IN A WORSE STATE THAN EVER.
2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. If after they have escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome,
the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it
had been better for them not to have known the way of right
eousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them.
THAT persons inspired with the love of God
should endeavour to bring their fellow-creatures to
the knowledge of him, and to a participation of the
blessings which they themselves enjoy, seems easy
to be accounted for ; because nothing but good can
result from their labours : but that men should be
active in proselyting to impiety those who are walk
ing uprightly before God, appears almost incredible ;
because no good whatever can issue from their exer
tions. Were we to see a bond-slave labouring with
anxiety to reduce to the same situation with himself
those who were enjoying the sweets of liberty ; we
should account it strange. Yet is the zeal of many
exercised for this very end, whilst they strive to
reduce to the bondage of corruption their brethren,
who through grace have been delivered from it. In
the Apostles days, some professed to have been
favoured with sublimer views of the Christian system
than others ; and to have juster notions respecting
the nature and extent of Christian liberty : and by
" speaking great swelling words of vanity, they al
lured, through the lusts of the flesh, through much
wantonness, many who had clean escaped from those
who lived in error :" thus, under the semblance of
ministers of righteousness, promoting most effectually
the interests of Satan s kingdom. And such " false
Apostles" will be found in every age, "deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles
of Christ 3 , and ruining the souls whose welfare they
a 2 Cor. xi. 1315.
334 2 PETER, II. 20, 21. [2425.
profess to seek. That this is the sad effect of their
labours, the Apostle does not scruple to affirm : he
even declares, that the persons so deceived by them
are brought into a worse condition than they were in
previous to their first acquaintance with the Gospel
salvation.
In this statement of the Apostle we have,
I. A case supposed
The case which he supposes is simply this ; That
a man may have attained the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, so as to see that salvation
is by him alone, even by his blood which he shed
for our fallen race, and his righteousness which he
wrought out for their acceptance with God. Fur
ther, he supposes that a man may have experienced
a considerable efficacy from this knowledge, so as
to have been sanctified, in some degree, by means of
it, and delivered from the pollutions of a sinful world.
Thus he may practically and experimentally " have
known the way of righteousness, and yet be again so
entangled with the world as to be overcome by it ;"
and be so overcome by it as " to turn away finally
and for ever from the holy commandment delivered
unto him."
Now this case may well be supposed
[Consider how extremely weak our nature is; how incapable
we are of doing any thing that is good, or of resisting any thing
that is evil, any farther than as we are strengthened by the grace
of God. As it is of God alone in the first instance that we are
enabled " either to will or to do" what is right b ; so is it by
the continued operation of his grace alone that we can hold
on in the right way: " without Christ" continually assisting
us, " we can do nothing ."
Consider also to what innumerable temptations we are ex
posed. There is not any thing, however innocent in itself,
which may not prove to us an occasion of sin. Our food, our
raiment, our connexions in life, may all be inordinately loved,
or in some way be employed to ensnare our souls. Wherever
we go, and whatever we do, we are exposed to temptations of
different kinds ; nor can any man living tell what a single hour
b Phil. ii. 13. c John xv. 5.
2425.] APOSTATES IN A WORSE STATE THAN EVER. 335
may bring forth, or what a change may, through the influence
of some unforeseen temptation, be speedily wrought in his
moral or religious character.
Consider farther, what both Scripture and experience teach
us on this very subject. Do not the Scriptures tell us, that
many had already " made shipwreck both of faith and a good
conscience d ," and that in the latter times such defections would
be very numerous 6 ? St. Paul s expostulation with some of
the Galatian Church deserves particular notice in this point
of view : " Now, after that ye have known God, or rather are
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage ? I am
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed on you labour in vain f ."
Why are we so often and so urgently cautioned against " being
moved away from the hope of the Gospel," and " falling from
our own steadfastness," if no such instance could occur ? Is
the case of Demas no warning to us ? And have we not our
selves either known, or heard of, many, who, like him, " after
running well for a season, have been hindered," and, like Lot s
wife, become monuments and warnings to all around them ?
Are the stony-ground hearers, and the thorny-ground so rare
in the Church, that there is no foundation for the supposition
in our text ?]
To attempt to invalidate the supposition by an
appeal to human systems, is highly inexpedient
[We never can sufficiently deplore the use which is made
of human systems. Men will attach themselves to some fallible
creature like themselves, and so adopt his sentiments, as to
reject even the Scripture itself, when its declarations militate
against their favourite opinions. There are in the Church of
God not a few, who would shut their ears against a faithful
exposition of our text, as much as they would against blas
phemy itself; because they cannot reconcile the leading senti
ment contained in it with the dogmas of their party. But
who are we that we are to sit in judgment upon the sacred
records, and to wrest from its obvious meaning every sentence
which does not accord with our views ? That there is no real
contradiction between the supposition in our text, and many
declarations in Scripture which have an opposite aspect, we
could easily shew, if it would not draw us too far from our
subject : but suffice it to say, that many assertions, which are
erroneously thought opposite to each other, have in reality a
subserviency the one to the other, and, like wheels moving in
an opposite direction, concur to the production of one common
end. I therefore entreat you, brethren, not to attempt to
d 1 Tim. i. 19. 1 Tim. iv. 1. f Gal. iv. 9, 11.
336 2 PETER, II. 20, 21. [2425.
weaken the force of the supposition in my text, by an appeal
to human systems ; but to admit it as a salutary caution to
yourselves, and to improve it with all diligence, that you
yourselves may not become examples of the case that is
supposed.]
Admitting then the possibility of the case supposed,
let me draw your attention to,
II. The evil of it declared
Wherever such a case occurs, the man is indeed
in a most pitiable condition : " His last end is worse
than his beginning." Yes verily, he is in a worse
state than ever,
1. In respect of guilt
[The more light a man has in his mind, the more he sins if
he resist that light. Now in the case under our consideration,
the person is supposed to have obtained " a knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and such a measure of it as has
been attended with the happiest effects ; and yet, after know
ing the way of righteousness, to depart from it." Here then
he must sin against light and knowledge : he must violate the
dictates of his own conscience : for, though it is true enough,
that a man may persuade himself that he is acting right, whilst
yet he is violating the plainest commands of God, he cannot
experience a transition from the service of God to the service
of Satan without many rebukes from conscience, and strong
misgivings in his mind. And every step he takes in such a
state exceedingly augments and aggravates his guilt: insomuch
that the sins which he committed in his days of ignorance,
have no guilt in comparison of that which he now contracts.
What our blessed Lord said to the Jews of old is strictly ap
plicable to him : " If I had not come and spoken unto them,
they had not had sin : but now they have no cloak for their
sin g ." If to this be added, that in departing from the ways
of righteousness he in a tenfold degree dishonours God, and
brings disgrace upon his Gospel, and weakens the hands of
the godly, and hardens the hearts of the ungodly, the sin of
an apostate is great indeed.]
2. In respect of bondage
[The Spirit of God strives more or less with every living
man h : but with those who have experienced the sanctifying
effects of the knowledge of Christ, he must of necessity have
wrought in a more abundant measure. Consequently, by the
increased resistance necessary to overcome his sacred motions,
g John xv. 22. h Gen. vi. 3.
2425.] APOSTATES IN A WORSE STATE THAN EVER. 337
he must have been the more deeply "grieved 1 ." And when
once " the Spirit is quenched k ," and caused " to depart 1 , and
is so " vexed" as to become an " enemy" to the backslidden
soul, What can be expected but that Satan should re-occupy
the post from which he had been driven, and bind in stronger
chains than ever his unhappy captive ? This our blessed Lord
has taught us to expect. He says, that Satan, under such cir
cumstances, " will bring with him seven other spirits more
wicked, if possible, than himself; and they will enter into the
backslider s heart, and dwell there : and that the last state of
that man will be worse than the first n ." The heart of the
apostate must of necessity become more hardened in proportion
as he has " rebelled against the light," and provoked God to
give him up to his own heart s lusts. Hence the apostle
speaks of it as " impossible to renew such an one to repent
ance ." By this I understand not that it is absolutely im
possible, but so difficult as to be beyond all reasonable
expectation.]
3. In respect of condemnation
[If guilt be increased, an increase of punishment must fol
low of course. " The servant that knows his lord s will and
does it not, will be beaten with many stripes ;" whilst he who
sins through ignorance will be beaten with comparatively " few
stripes p ." Hence our Lord declared to the cities of Bethsaida
and Capernaum, that it should be " more tolerable for Sodom
and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for them^:" for
though their wickedness was not of the precise nature with
that which so abounded in Sodom, yet it was committed in the
midst of advantages which Sodom and Gomorrha never en
joyed. The same may be said of the apostate: " If we sin
wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour us." And this judgment will be proportioned to the
guilt which we have contracted by our abuse of our pre-eminent
advantages : for (it is added), " He that despised Moses law
died without mercy, under two or three witnesses. Of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought
worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of Grace r ?"
From all these considerations it is clear, that the last state
Eph. iv. 30. k 1 Thess. v. 19. Hos. ix. 12.
m Isai. Ixiii. 10. n Matt. xii. 43 45. Heb. vi. 4 6.
P Luke xii. 47, 48. 9 Matt. x. 15, r f^b. x. 2629.
VOL. XX. Z
338 2 PETER, II. 20, 21. [2425.
of the apostate is worse than his beginning : and that it would
have " been better for him never to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after he has known it, to turn from the
holy commandment delivered unto him."]
APPLICATION
There are, it is to be feared, many here present,
who have never yet been delivered from the pollu
tions of the world
[In truth, of this description are the great mass of nominal
Christians throughout the world. If you take men s victory
over the world as a criterion whereby to judge of their piety,
you will find amongst the professors of Christianity quite as
little as amongst Jews, or Mahometans, or Pagans. The lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, that is,
pleasure, and riches, and honour, are the great objects of am
bition in every place : and, if a man be dead to them, he is " a
sign and a wonder" to all around him. Look, beloved brethren,
and see how your hearts stand affected to these things. Can
you truly say, as before God, that " you have overcome the
world," and that it is, as it were, under your feet? Have you
ever had such views of " the cross of Christ, as have rendered
the world and all its vanities like a crucified object in your
eyes ; and that you also are become like one crucified unto
it s ?" I entreat you to attend to what the Apostle speaks in
my text : " If after they have escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ." He here takes for granted, that this effect will follow,
universally, and invariably, follow ; all who know our adorable
Saviour will escape the pollutions of the world. I pray you to
mark this : the Apostle takes it for granted : and he was right ;
for there never was, nor ever will be, one exception to this truth:
all who know Christ aright, will become dead to the world, and
escape from its pollutions. Bring yourselves then to this test :
try yourselves, ye whose friends and companions are worldly,
whose desires and pursuits are worldly, whose joys and sorrows
are worldly. If you were Christians indeed, you would " not
be of the world, even as Christ was not of the world 1 ." You
cannot be of the world, and of God too; for they stand in
direct opposition to each other u . "You cannot serve God
and Mammon x ." Know then, that whilst you love and " mind
earthly things y ," you have never yet " known the way of right
eousness 2 :" and that though your state may be " worse" it is
exceeding bad : for, if " the last end of the apostate is ivorse
than his beginning," his beginning must of necessity be bad :
s Gal. vi. 14. * John xvii. 16. u 1 John iv. 5, 6.
x Matt. vi. 24. y Phil. iii. 18, 19. z 2 Pet, ii. 21.
2425. J APOSTATES IN A WORSE STATE THAN EVER. 339
and such is the state of all who have not yet devoted themselves
to the service of their God.]
But some there are, we may hope, who have, through
the knowledge of Christ, been delivered from the
world-
fit is well you have thus far answered one end for which
our blessed Saviour died : for " he gave himself for our sins,
that he might deliver us from this present evil world a ." But
you will do well to bear in mind the caution in our text. A
change of situation often brings with it a change of conduct.
Perhaps you may be somewhat advanced in rank or station,
or may form some new connexion, or be brought into some
new circumstances : and you may easily persuade yourself that
this change not only sanctions, but requires, a change in your
habits and deportment. But " beware lest, as Satan beguiled
Eve through his subtilty, so you also should be turned from
the simplicity that is in Christ." Whatever your situation or
circumstances may be, God s command to you is, " Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him^." Even
" the friendship of the world, if unduly sought or delighted in,
is enmity with God c ." Beware then how in heart and affection
you return to the world. " Remember Lot s wife." "After
once putting your hand to the plough, you must never look
back again d ." Methinks, if you would duly consider the
image by which such apostasy is represented in the words
following my text, you never could return to the world. One
scarcely knows how even to quote the Scripture itself; so ex
ceedingly does one nauseate the ideas suggested in it, and so
utterly do one s feelings revolt from it. But it does paint
the world, and all who love it, in very humiliating colours. O
that all the votaries of gaiety, and fashion, and pleasure could
but hear what the Apostle compares them to ; even to " swine
wallowing in the mire ! " and that all who are tempted to con
form to them, could be brought to reflect on " a dog returning
to his own vomit again ! " Yes, brethren, this is the feast to
which your earthly friends invite you. Ah ! learn to view the
world as God views it : learn to regard it as a country infected
with the plague : and let your great concern be to get through
it in safety. Go not unnecessarily where the infection rages
most : but " come out from among them, and be separate ;
and touch not the unclean thing e ." And, as it was the know
ledge of Christ which first brought you forth from the world
and its pollutions, seek to " grow in the knowledge of your
a Gal. i. 4. b 1 John ii. 15. c Jam. iv. 4.
d Luke ix. 62. e 2 Cor. vi. 17.
z 2
340 2 PETER, III. 7. [2426.
adorable Lord and Saviour f ," that, through the abundance of
his grace communicated to you, you may live more than ever
unto God; and that, " shining already as lights in the world g ,"
your " path may shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day V]
f 2 Pet. iii. 18. s Phil. ii. 15. h Prov. iv. 18.
MMCCCCXXVI.
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
2 Pet. iii. 7. The day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men.
A FUTURE state of rewards and punishments is,
in theory, universally acknowledged ; but, in practice,
it is grievously forgotten, and, by not a few, is held
in derision. Because God delays to execute his
threatenings against ungodly men, they imagine that
he never will execute them. Just as in the days of
Noah, because the menaced deluge was suspended
for one hundred and twenty years, it was to multi
tudes an object of scorn ; so now the idea of an
universal conflagration, when " the heavens and the
earth shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burnt up," is
deemed a fable ; and the destruction which will then
come upon the whole ungodly world is disregarded,
as the dream of a fanatical or superstitious mind.
The day of judgment, it is hoped, will prove alike
favourable to all ; and no great difference be put
between the righteous and the wicked. But the name
given to that day deserves particular attention : and
I beg you to attend to it, with the humility that
becomes you, whilst I open to you,
I. The terms by which the day of judgment is here
designated
It is called " The day of the perdition of ungodly
men." Let us consider,
1. Why it is so called
2426.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 341
[As, at that period, rewards and punishments will be alike
distributed, one would suppose that that day might with equal
propriety be called " the day of the salvation of godly men."
But this designation would by no means be so proper as that
which is given to it in my text. For, though the salvation of
the godly will be then completed, it will not then be begun : it
is begun in this world : the saints, as soon as they believe in
Christ, " receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of
their souls a :" nor is there any one blessing which they shall
ever enjoy in heaven, but is now conferred upon them through
the medium of faith ; insomuch, that they are represented by
St. Paul as already " sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus V
Their bodies will indeed be then partakers with their souls in
the felicity of heaven ; but, as far as their souls are concerned,
they have already, even whilst here upon earth, an earnest and
foretaste of their heavenly inheritance. The ungodly, on the
other hand, have to wait for their award till the day of judg
ment. I say not, indeed, but that God does sometimes make
them to feel a foretaste of his wrath even here ; but, generally
speaking, they are left to pass their time here under a fearful
delusion, by which they pacify their consciences, and lull
themselves asleep in their sins. They are under condemnation
now, as much as ever they will be : as it is said, " He that
believeth not, is condemned already, because he believeth not
in the name of the only-begotten Son of God c :" but the day
of execution is that which is specified in my text: and so
St. Jude expressly calls it; " Enoch, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied, saying, The Lord cometh with ten thousand of his
saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that
are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have un-
godlily committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly
sinners have spoken against him d ." And the great use of the
judgment will be, to display before the whole assembled uni
verse the justice of God in inflicting on the wicked this
punishment, whilst so different a portion is given to the
righteous: as St. Paul has said; " It is the day of tvrath, and
of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God e ." Hence
there is a peculiar propriety in that name, by which the day
of judgment is designated, in my text, " The day of the per
dition of ungodly men."]
2. That it will so prove
[Doubtless, at the time of our death, a suitable award is
made to every man : but at the day of judgment there will
be a public assignment of this doom to every individual of
a 1 Pet. i. 8, 9. b Eph. ii. 6. c John iii. 18.
d Jude, ver. 14, 15. e Rom. ii. 5.
34$ 2 PETER, III. 7. [2426.
mankind, attended with solemnities which will greatly augment
the keenness of their perceptions ; and the bodies of all will be
made partakers of the sentence that shall be accorded to their
souls. In that day every child of man, from the very beginning
to the end of time, will be called forth, and summoned to
appear before their God. " The sea will give up the dead
which were in it ; and death and hell will deliver up the dead
which were in them : and all will be judged according to their
works : and whosoever is not found written in the book of life,
will be cast into the lake of fire f ." Then will be a separation
between the righteous and the wicked, even as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats ; and then shall the wicked
go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into
life eternal 8 ." Yes, verily, this separation shall take place;
for " the wicked," whatever they may now imagine, " shall
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous 11 ."]
And now let me endeavour to place before you,
II. The considerations which such a view of the
judgment should suggest to our minds
And surely it should lead us,
1. To inquire into our own real character
[At that day, the Judge will not determine according to
our partial views, but according to his own most righteous law :
and, whatever may have been the line chosen by ourselves, he
will bring our conduct to that infallible test, and determine
our doom in perfect accordance with is.
Now, in that day, the ungodly, of every class, will be sen
tenced to perdition. St. Paul appeals to us respecting this :
" Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God?" And then he guards us against that self-
deception to which we are so prone; " Be not deceived:" and
then, enumerating a sad catalogue of persons addicted to
wickedness, as fornicators, adulterers, drunkards, revilers, and
extortioners, he declares that no one of them " shall ever
inherit the kingdom of God 1 ." To these may be added " the
impenitent" and " unbelieving, as sure to take their part in
the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone k ." Nor must
we omit the unregenerate, even though their lives may have
been as exemplary as that of Nicodemus himself: for, " except
a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God 1 ." Care, too, must be taken not to deceive ourselves in
f Rev. xx. 1315. s Matt. xxv. 46. h Ps. i. 5.
1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. k Luke xiii. 3, 5. Rev. xxi. 8.
1 Juliu iii. 3, 5,
2426.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 343
relation to our own experience : for there is much hypocrisy
in the human heart; and " a hypocrite, even though his excel
lency mount up to the heavens, and reach unto the clouds,
will be detected by God, and will perish for ever, like his own
dung ;" so that his former admirers, with a mixture of surprise
and grief, will say, "Where is he m ?" The apostate too,
however eminent his profession may have been, will share the
same fate. The man who turns back, " turns back to inevitable
and everlasting perdition 11 ;" and plunges himself into deeper
misery than he would ever have experienced if he had never
known the way of righteousness at all . Seeing, then, that so
many must perish, is it not of vast importance that we ascer
tain our true character, in order that we may know what doom
we are to expect? Yes, beloved, to all of you I would most
affectionately say, " Judge yourselves, that ye be not judged of
the Lord."]
2. To realize in our minds the terrors of that
day
[St. Paul, "knowing the terrors of the Lord, persuaded
men p ." And we, too, should meditate upon them, in order to
stimulate our souls to a holy activity in the ways of God.
Consider how many millions of our fellow-creatures will in
that day " call upon the rocks to fall upon them, and the hills
to cover them from the wrath of that Lamb," whom here they
neglected and despised q ! What " fearfulness, too, will sur
prise the hypocrites," who indulged the vain conceit that their
specious conduct would find a happier issue ! and with what
bitter cries will they exclaim, " Who amongst us can dwell
with the devouring fire? Who can dwell with everlasting
burnings r ?" In vain will they knock at the gate of heaven,
crying, " Lord, Lord, open to us;" since they were content
with the lamp of outward profession, without the oil of true
grace in their hearts 5 . Some will venture even to expostulate
with God, as though they had been hardly treated : " Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name
cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works ?"
But they will be repelled with that indignant reproof, " I
never knew you : depart from me, ye who wrought iniquity*."
O, the millions, the countless millions, that will perish in that
day; all of them "drinking of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his in
dignation, and be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb ;
Job xx. 4 7. n Heb. x. 39. 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21.
P 2 Cor. v. 11. i Rev. vL 15 17- r Isai. xxxiii. 14.
s Matt. xxv. 3, 11, 12. i Matt. vii. 22,23,
344 2 PETER, III. 8, 9. [2427.
and the smoke of their torment will ascend up for ever and
ever: and they will have no rest day nor night u !" Who can
reflect on this, and not determine, through grace, to shun so
awful a doom, arid to make " the long-suffering of God the
means and prelude of everlasting salvation*?"]
3. To improve to the uttermost the advantages
we now enjoy
[This is the day of grace ; " this is the day of salvation,"
to every soul that desires to be saved y . Yes, truly, " God is
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance, and live 2 ." Do but consider this, my brethren :
you will never have to cast the blame of your condemnation
upon God. If the day of judgment prove the day of perdition
to your souls, the fault will be utterly your own. There is no
want of sufficiency in Christ to save any who shall come unto
God by him. Nor is there in him any want of willingness to
save even the chief of sinners. Of those who rejected him in
the days of old, and provoked him to abandon them to utter
destruction, he complained, " How often would I have gathered
you, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not !" The same may he say of you in the day
of judgment. Be diligent, then, in the use of all the appointed
means of salvation. Repent of all your sins : believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world. Flee to him
for refuge : lay hold upon him : hide yourselves under the
shadow of his wings : and then, in that awful day, when all
who offend and do wickedly shall be cast out, you shall stand
before him with great boldness, and " be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless*."]
u Rev. xiv. 10, 11. x ver. 15. y 2 Cor. vi. 2.
z ver. 9. a ver. 14.
MMCCCCXXVII.
GOD S FORBEARANCE.
2 Pet. iii. 8, 9. Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness ; but is long-suffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
THE compassion of Almighty God has in all ages
been abused by ungodly men, and made an occasion
of impenitence and persevering wickedness. In the
2427.] GOD S FORBEARANCE. 345
minds of many it has been made a source of triumph
against God, as though he were not able or willing to
vindicate the honour of his law. Just as our blessed
Lord s condescension in noticing an abandoned, but
penitent, woman was made by his enemies a reason
for doubting whether he was a prophet since, if he
had been really inspired of God, he must have known
how unworthy she was of such an honour ; so the
forbearance of God with an ungodly world has given
occasion to " scoffers to say, Where is the promise
of his coming ? for since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation." But such persons forget, that, how
ever long God may have borne with the wickedness
of men, he has given at the deluge a very awful
testimony of his determination to punish it. And,
though he now bears with sinners, he reserves the
earth for a similar display of his vengeance by fire ;
and will surely, in due season, execute his threaten-
ings against sin and sinners. In the mean time, how
ever, he waits to be gracious to returning penitents,
and will gladly lay aside his anger the very instant
that they come to him in his appointed way.
The words which I have now read will naturally
lead me to shew,
I. In what light God s delay of his final judgment
should be viewed
God forbears to punish sinners, because he desires
to save them
[Scoffers, indeed, impute it to weakness or indifference ;
and take occasion from it to cast reflections on God himself,
as either riot seeing, or not regarding, the wickedness of men :
since, if he did see it, and did regard it as he professes to do,
it would not be possible for him to pass it over from year to
year in the way he does. But such persons forget, that time,
which to us appears long, has, in fact, no existence before
God. All things past, present, and future, are alike present
with him, and form in his mind but a single point : " One day
is with him as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day." Men are afraid to suspend the exercise of their dis
pleasure for a number of years, lest they should be considered
as aciing from policy, or a sense of weakness and fear. But
346 2 PETER, III. 8, 9. [2427.
with God there is no scope for any such views or feelings. He
is able to punish whensoever he will : nor is it possible for any
to escape from his hands. He, however, is averse to proceed
to extremities, till he has used every possible method to re
claim sinners, and to open a way for the exercise of his mercy
towards them. " He is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness." He is kept back, not by any
conscious weakness, or by indifference, or by fear, or by any
other motive which may be supposed to influence us : he is
restrained by long-suffering alone, and by a desire to spare
those who have deserved punishment.]
He desires to save every child of man
[" He is not willing that any should perish :" no ; he
would not that so much as one should ever become a monu
ment of his indignation. This he affirms in the strongest
manner ; yea, and confirms his assertion with an oath : " As
I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of
a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness
and live a ." It is surprising, that any, after such a declaration
as this, should maintain the doctrine of absolute reprobation.
Were that, or any other doctrine, clearly revealed in the Holy
Scriptures, I should feel it my duty to receive it with the sim
plicity of a little child : but to receive it merely as a deduction
of human reason, an inference drawn by weak and fallible man
from the doctrine of election, when the whole Scriptures uni
formly declare the very reverse, is, to say the least, very dan
gerous, arid exceeding sinful. I know it is said of ungodly
men, by St. Jude, that " they were of old ordained to this
condemnation 15 ." I know, also, that St. Peter says of many,
that they " stumbled at the word, being disobedient, whereunto
also they were appointed c ." But it is not of individuals that
these Apostles speak, but of characters. God has ordained,
that they who will not receive the truth with humility shall
stumble at it ; and that they who will resist the faith which he
has delivered to his saints, shall be left to turn the grace of God
into lasciviousness, and to deny the only Lord God, and our
Lord Jesus Christ. And this is a wise and righteous appoint
ment. But it is a far different thing from creating any with a
fixed determination to consign them over to perdition, purely
of his own arbitrary will, without any fault of theirs. Such an
idea as this is directly contradicted by the assertion in my text :
and by the oath which I have before mentioned ; and by num
berless other portions of Scripture, which can admit of no
doubt. Our blessed Lord said to his hearers, "Ye will not
come to me, that ye may have life d :" and to the Jews, even
a Ezek. xxxiii. 11. * Jude, ver. 4.
c 1 Pet. ii. 8. John v. 40.
2427.] GOD S FORBEARANCE. 347
after they were given up to the judgments they had merited,
he said, " O that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this
thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace ! but now they
are hid from thine eyes 6 ." And again: "How often would I
have gathered you, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, but ye would not f ." The whole Scripture attests,
that " God would rather that all should come to repentance
and live." He " commands all men everywhere to repent g ."
He exhorts them to it also ; saying, " Turn ye, turn ye from
your evil ways ; for why will ye die, O house of Israel 11 ?" and
he declares to all, without exception, " Him that cometh unto
me, I will in no wise cast out 1 ." Now shall we, in deference
to human systems, set aside all these passages of holy writ ?
God forbid: we dare not do so: and if we cannot mark out
the precise boundaries where truths of an opposite aspect
meet, we are contented to say, " What I know not now, I shall
know hereafter." If we choose to speculate on divine truths,
we may soon get out of our depth : but if we will practically
apply them to our own souls, we shall find them as clear as
we can wish. Where is the man who has not experienced
more or less the strivings of God s Spirit in his soul k ? Who
amongst us has not a consciousness that he has resisted those
strivings 1 ; and that, if he had made a due improvement of
them, " God would have given him more grace 1 "?" The truth,
then, is plain : if God forbear to execute upon the world the
judgments we deserve, it is not because he is indifferent about
our proceedings, but because he is long-suffering towards us,
and desirous, if we would improve the opportunity, to save
us all. This is the true reason why " he endures, with such
astonishing forbearance, the vessels of wrath who are fitted for
destruction n ."]
Having seen the long-suffering of God towards this
sinful world, let us consider,
II. What improvement we should make of it
From a sense of it, we should be led,
1. To acknowledge our obligations to him
[Who amongst us has not reason to acknowledge the long-
suffering of God towards him ? Who is not a sinner before
God ? Who has not merited his wrathful indignation ? Who
might not, on ten thousand occasions, have justly been cut
off, and made a monument of God s righteous displeasure?
e Luke xix. 42. f Matt, xxiii. 37. Acts xvii. 30.
h Ezek. xxxiii. 11. > John vi. 37. k Gen. vi. 3.
1 Acts vii. 51. m Jam. iv. G. " Rom. ix. 22.
34$ 2 PETER, III. 8, 9. [2427.
Let us not, then, impute his forbearance to any in
difference in him respecting us, but to its true source, his
tender compassion, and unbounded mercy ]
2. To humble ourselves before him
[" Because judgment against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the hearts of too many are fully set in them
to do evil ." But let it not be so with us. St. Paul tells us,
that the true intent of " God s patience and long-suffering is,
to lead us to repentance P." Let it operate upon us in this
manner ; and let us humble ourselves before him in dust and
ashes.]
3. To justify him in his judgments
[Whatever men may urge against the denunciations of
God s wrath, we are sure he will be justified in every sentence
which he shall pass, and be just in every judgment which he
shall inflict q . The man who had not on the wedding-garment
was speechless, when called to an account for his neglect. He
might have said, " Lord, I was called suddenly, and compelled
to come in," and had not time to procure the requisite apparel.
But there was no room for any such excuse. The Master of
the feast would have provided him with the garment ; but he
would not deign to ask for it. Therefore, when cast into outer
darkness, he had not a word to say in vindication of himself,
or to criminate his Lord. And so, when sentence shall be
past on those who despise the forbearance of their God, the
whole host of heaven will cry, " Righteous and true are thy
ways, thou King of saints."]
4. To improve the time that may be yet allotted
to us
[God is now " giving us space to repent." But how soon
his patience may come to an end, we know not. We see
persons taken away at every period of life r -Let not
another day pass unimproved ; but " to-day, whilst it is called
to-day, turn unto the Lord, and seek him with your whole
hearts."]
Eccl. viii. 11. P Rom. ii. 4. q Ps. li. 4.
r If this be a Funeral Sermon, any particulars may be mentioned
here.
2428.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 349
MMCCCCXXVIIL
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
2 Pet. iii. 10 14. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night ; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth
also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day
of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ? Nevertheless
we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may
be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless a .
*******
BUT have we never contemplated our own situa
tion ? Have we never considered that the solemnities
of the judgment day are now in actual preparation ;
and that, not our own individual dwelling, or friends
only, will be affected by them, but the whole uni
verse ? Our minds are at this time justly, and almost
exclusively, engrossed with the consideration of this
tremendous plot, which God, in mercy to this whole
nation, has defeated. And I hope rather to strengthen,
than efface, those impressions, by leading you to
contemplate,
I. The events predicted in our text
These are widely different indeed from each other;
but they are inseparably connected, and infallibly
simultaneous. Let us consider,
1. The dissolution of this present world
[Once the world and every thing in it, with the exception
of that small portion contained in the ark, was destroyed by
water : and there is a time coming when the whole of it with
out exception will be destroyed by fire. Of the latter there
a This was preached on occasion of the horrible conspiracy (called
" The Cato- Street Conspiracy," in February, 1820,) against his
Majesty s Ministers; the meditated destruction of whom, by the
explosion of a grenade of 14lbs. weight, afforded very abundant and
appropriate matter as introductory to this Discourse.
350 2 PETER, III. 1014. [2428.
will be no more expectation at the time, than there was of the
former. In the days of Noah they were eating and drinking,
and marrying and giving in marriage, as securely as at any
former period of the world : and would not believe that they
were in any danger, till, on the entrance of Noah into the ark,
the flood came and destroyed them all. So, at the last day,
the inhabitants of this globe will be as little occupied with the
thoughts of judgment, as we are at this moment. Our Lord
tells us, that " he will come as a thief in the night ;" that, with
out any previous warning, the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and
the earth, with every thing in it, shall be burnt up."
Conceive now the feelings of men at the very first moment
that this tremendous and irresistible combustion shall burst
forth. Some faint idea may be entertained, if only you sup
pose that the plot, which God in his mercy has defeated, had
been accomplished. Conceive the company that was assembled,
either as partaking of the friendly repast, or as deliberating on
the affairs of state, and consulting with each other for the wel
fare of the nation : conceive of them as beholding the desolating
instrument cast in among them, and ready in a few moments
to execute its destined office : with what terror would they be
filled ! and, if a moment were allowed for an ejaculatory
petition, with what ardour would they implore mercy for
their souls ! Thus will it be in every quarter of the globe.
All, except the remnant, who, in the habit of their minds, have
been dying daily, will be ready to " call upon the rocks and
mountains to fall upon them, and to cover them from the wrath
of the Lamb," whose judgment they dread.
But to that happy remnant another scene will open : for to
them shall be revealed,]
2. The establishment of a new and better state
[They, " according to God s promise, are even now look
ing for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth right
eousness:" and then shall that new state open to their view. In
the bold and figurative language of prophecy, the Millennial
state is sometimes described under these terms b and
well it may be ; since, when compared with the present state of
things, wherein iniquity so awfully abounds, it will be indeed
" a new creation." But the period here spoken of is contem
poraneous with the final judgment; and, consequently, must
refer to heaven itself, where neither sin nor sorrow can ever
dwell. That is the period of which St. John speaks, when he
says, " I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away and there
shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth c ."
b Isai. Ixv. 17. and Ixvi. 22. c Rev. xxi. 1, 27.
2428.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 351
Contemplate the feelings of the godly at the moment that
this glory bursts upon them. In vain shall we look for any
thing wherewith to compare it upon earth. Alas ! the visions
of the godly are not so bright ; nor do their sublimest rap
tures make so deep an impression as do the terrors which are
inspired by sudden and appalling danger. But, as contrasted
with the feelings of the ungodly, we may conceive in some little
measure their bliss. Let us picture to ourselves the Rich Man
and Lazarus, entering at the same moment into the eternal
world, the one beholding the abyss of hell ready to swallow him
up, and the other fixing his eyes upon his God and Saviour,
whose glory and felicity he is about to share. But]
We shall contemplate these things to more advan
tage, if we view them in connexion with,
II. The effect which the prospect of those events
should produce upon us
This the Apostle sets forth,
1. In a way of candid appeal
[We all look for these events ; nor do any of us doubt but
that they will come in due season. Let me then ask of all
who are here present, " What manner of persons ought ye to
be?" Should you not be waiting for that period " in all holy
conversation and godliness ?" Should you not be " looking
for it, and hasting unto it" with a holy eagerness, to meet
" your God at his coming?" As for the things of this life, they
should be as nothing in our eyes. Being so soon to part with
them all, we should sit loose to them ; as the Apostle says ;
" They who have wives should be as though they had none ;
and they that weep, as though they wept not ; and they that
rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as
though they possessed not ; and they that use this world, as not
abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away A " I
well know, that, when such a state of mind is recommended by
us, we appear to require more than is necessary. But I will
venture to appeal to every considerate man, whether this be
not the conversation that becomes us, when our God is coming
to judgment; and when he has told us that " he will come as
a thief in the night ?" Would it not be madness to be dream
ing of " peace and safety, till sudden and everlasting destruc
tion come upon us e ?" The wise virgins were not wise in this
respect, that, like the foolish virgins, they slumbered and slept.
Happily for them, they had oil in their vessels with their
lamps ; or else, with the foolish virgins, they also would have
been excluded from the nuptial feast. The true frame for all
d 1 Cor. vii 2931. e 1 Thess. v. 2, 3.
2 PETER, III. 1014. [2428.
of us to be in, is that of ardent and affectionate expectation ;
" our loins being girt, and our lamps trimmed," and our whole
souls as " those who wait for the coming of their Lord."
Maintaining this frame, you may rest assured, that " the Lord
Jesus Christ will confirm you to the end f ," and present you
faultless before the presence of his Father s glory with exceed
ing jy g -"]
2. In a way of affectionate entreaty
[" Beloved" brethren, " seeing that ye look for such
things, I beseech you be diligent that ye may be found of
God in peace, without spot and blameless." Think, if that
day should come upon you unprepared ; and, instead of going
forth to meet a loving Saviour, you should behold only an
angry and avenging Judge ; how terrible will this be ! Lose
not an hour then ; but be diligent in seeking peace with God
through the Son of his love. It is the blood of Christ, and
that only, which can effect your reconciliation with God : and
therefore lose not a moment in sprinkling it upon your souls ;
yea, let your holiest actions, as well as your more acknow
ledged sins, be purged with it from their defilement. En
deavour, too, to preserve a " spotless and blameless" conduct
throughout your whole lives, being " sincere and without
offence until the day of Christ." Let no allowed sin be found
in you : but so " cleanse yourselves from all filthiness both of
flesh and spirit, that you may perfect holiness in the fear of
God," and be acknowledged by him as " Israelites indeed,
in whom there was no guile." This will doubtless require
" diligence :" but surely the occasion justly deserves all the
care and labour you can bestow upon it. Can you doubt
whether those, whose lives have been lately in such imminent
peril, have taken precautions against any future surprise ?
Would they not be justly blamed, if they were to be as heed
less of danger, as they were before they knew of the con
spiracy that was formed against them ? Be ye then on your
guard. They> whatever attempts were made against them,
might escape : but no possibility of escape remains for you.
" Your God will come, even as a thief in the night ;" and
therefore I entreat you all to be diligent, that, " whether he
come in the evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing, or in
the morning h ," " you may be found of him in peace, without
spot and blameless"
I only add, " Account the long-suffering of God to be
* 1 Cor. i. 7, 8. & Jude, ver. 24.
h Mark xiii. 32 37. The particular instructions in this passage,
" Take ye heed, watch, and pray," may here be dwelt upon to ad
vantage.
2429.] GROWTH IN GRACE. 35$
salvation 1 ." You have long been spared; and God is still
forbearing to call you to your great account. " Beloved
brethren," " despise not this goodness, and forbearance, and
long-suffering of your God ; but let them lead you to repent
ance k ." Though the general judgment should be long de
ferred, your own particular doom will be fixed the very
instant that you shall be summoned into the eternal world.
Do not then delay till it be too late; but " to-day, while it is
called to-day, harden not your hearts," lest God cut you off
in your sins, and " swear in his wrath that you shall never
enter into his rest."]
1 ver. 15. k Rom. ii. 4.
MMCCCCXXIX.
GROWTH IN GRACE.
2 Pet. iii. 17, 18. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the
error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
HOWEVER averse men are to receive warnings
and exhortations from each other, there is, in reality,
no greater proof of affection, than the administering
of faithful cautions, and salutary advice, to those
whom we love. It is evident how much St. Peter s
mind was warmed with affection towards his bre
thren, since he, no less than four times in this short
chapter, addresses them by that endearing term,
" Beloved." And how did he testify his love, but
by guarding them against the dangers to which they
were exposed, and by prescribing to them the most
effectual means of deliverance and safety ?
Let his word then be thankfully received by us,
while we consider,
I. His caution against apostasy
[The wicked will take occasion from God s forbearance to
question his remunerative justice a and even the godly
need to be on their guard against the influence of this delusion b
Certain it is, that they are liable to fall from their
a ver. 3, 4. with Eccl. viii. 11. b Eph. iv. H. 2 Pet. ii. 18.
VOL. XX. A A
354 2 PETER, III. 17, 18. [2429.
own steadfastness; and that, without the greatest vigilance,
they will do so c But they "know" the certainty and
awfulness of the day of judgment, and should therefore be
afraid of meeting it unprepared. It will then be too late to
rectify their " errors," or repent of their instability d ; and this
consideration should make them doubly cautious against every
occasion of falling 6 .]
II. His direction for preventing it
The Christian should seek to " grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ "-
[None, who have received grace, will be satisfied with the
measure they have received ; but they will be seeking to attain
more and more f . Nor will any, who know Christ, think they
" know any thing yet as they ought to know :" they will per
ceive that there are in him " treasures of knowledge," which
they have never explored g , and which to all eternity will be
progressively opening to their view.
Hence the Christian s duty is to be continually advancing
in every part of the divine life ; and to " make his profiting
appear unto all men."]
This will be his best, his only, preservative against
apostasy
[Painting or statuary admit of intermissions in labour :
such work, left for a season, may be resumed without any
increased difficulty: but, in religion, every intermission is a
positive injury: if the work proceed not, it declines: it always
either waxes or wanes. Now every declension weakens the
vital principle within us restores to activity our dormant
corruptions exposes us to the assaults of our great adver
sary and provokes God to withdraw his accustomed aid h :
consequently, our downfall begun, will, if not prevented by
sovereign grace, be speedy, gradual, irretrievable. On the
other hand, a progress in grace confirms every good habit
fastens round us the whole armour of God keeps our enemy
at a distance and secures to us the continued protection of
c 1 Tim. i. 19. 2 Tim. ii. 18. Matt. xxiv. 12. 1 Cor. ix. 27.
Whether God will restore his elect, is a distinct question, that, if in
troduced in this place, might uphold a system, but would weaken the
force of the Apostle s caution.
d Matt. xxv. 11 13.
e This argument is thrice urged ; ver. 11, 14, 17.
f Phil. iii. 1214.
s Col. ii. 3. St. Paul, after preaching Christ for above twenty
years, yet sought above all things to " know him." Phil. iii. 8, 10.
h Mark these particulars very distinctly, pausing at the end of each.
And do the same in that which follows.
2429.] GROWTH IN GRACE. 355
heaven. Go on adding to your grace, says God, " and you
shall never fall 1 ."]
ADVICE
1. Reflect much and often on the day of judg
ment
[Through a forgetfulness of that day we become the sport
of every temptation : but if we would frequently endeavour to
realize the strictness of the scrutiny, and the severity of the
judgment which will then take place, we should be more
fortified against error in principle, or evil in practice. We
must expect our Lord s coming, if we would be found ready
on his arrival k .]
2. Be diligent in the use of all the means of grace
[It is in vain to hope that we shall grow in grace or know
ledge, if we do not use the means which God has appointed.
But, if we watch unto prayer, and conscientiously devote our
selves to him, he will " bless us with all spiritual blessings :"
" our faith and love shall grow exceedingly ;" our " hope shall
abound through the power of the Holy Ghost," and, from
being " babes," we shall become " children, young men, and
fathers in Christ 1 :" and, having attained at last " the measure
of the full stature of Christ," we shall "enter into his joy,"
and be partakers of his glory for evermore.]
1 2 Pet. i. 5, 10, 11. k Matt. xxiv. 4241.
1 1 Cor. iii. 1. and 1 John ii. 12 14. m Eph. iv. 13.
1 J O H N
MMCCCCXXX.
THE BENEFITS ARISING FROM FAITH IN CHRIST.
1 John i. 1 3. That ivhich was from, the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life ; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and
bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was
with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) that which ive
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us : and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
IT is impossible to read these words, and not be
struck with the extreme earnestness of the Apostle
in his mode of giving the testimony before us. It
seems evident, that the truths which he affirms had
been much controverted ; and that the evidence on
which they rested had been called in question. And
the fact was, that many heresies had arisen even
whilst he was yet alive. Some even went so far as
to deny that Jesus had ever died and risen again :
they asserted, that all those transactions, which were
recorded of him by the Evangelists, had taken place
in appearance only, and not in reality. Against such
absurd and impious conceits, St. John, now at a very
advanced age, bore his testimony with a zeal suited
to the occasion. He was the only surviving witness
of the events referred to ; and hence he repeats, even
to tautology, the evidence which he had had again
and again, from all his senses, respecting the truth
2430 J BENEFITS FROM FAITH IN CHRIST. 357
of all that he affirmed : and he urges upon the whole
Christian Church the reception of his testimony, by
representing the incalculable benefits which all who
believed it would receive.
That we may enter fully into the declarations
before us, let us consider,
I. His testimony
This may be understood as relating to the Gospel
generally
[The Gospel is certainly called " the word of life a :" and
it was from eternity hid " with the Father b ," and at last, " at
the beginning" of the Gospel dispensation , was manifested to
the Apostles d , who had every possible means of examining and
ascertaining the truth of it e ; and who, in consequence of the
fullest conviction in their own minds, " bare witness" to it as
the means by which alone eternal life could be obtained f .
This sense, I say, the words before us may very properly bear :
and, inasmuch as the Gospel is elsewhere denominated " the
word of life," (which Christ is not ;) and the words " from the
beginning g ," generally, though not always in the Epistles
of St. John, import, " from the beginning of the Gospel dis
pensation," it is by no means improbable that this may be the
true sense of the passage.
On the other hand, his mode of expression is far less proper,
if applied to the Gospel, than if applied personally to the Lord
Jesus Christ; to whom the generality of commentators suppose
the Apostle to refer. We therefore observe, that]
It may be understood also as relating personally to
the Lord Jesus Christ
[He, though not called " the word of life," is constantly
known as " The Word h :" He also is called " The Life 1 " and
what seems more particularly to determine the point is, that he
is in this very epistle called, " Eternal Life :" " This is the
true God, and Eternal Life k ." He too was from eternity " with
the Father 1 ," and in due time " was manifest in the flesh m ."
a Phil. ii. 16. * Eph. iii. 9.
c air apx^e must of necessity be so understood in other parts of
this epistle ; ii. 7, 24. and iii. 11.
d Rom. xvi. 25, 26.
e " Seeing and hearing" of the truth are applied to Christ, as well
as to the Apostles. John iii. 11. with John viii. 26, 38.
f Mark xvi. 16. s I John ii. 13, 14. h Rev. xix. 13.
i John xi. 25. k 1 John v. 20. J John i. 18.
m 1 Tim. iii. 16.
358 1 JOHN, L 13. [2430.
And it was his existence that was so determinately denied by
the heretics whom the Apostle wished to silence. He, too, not
only had lived in closest intimacy with his disciples before his
crucifixion, but, after his death and resurrection, had appeared
to them for forty days ; and, when they doubted whether it
were he, or whether it were not a spirit whom they saw, he said
to them, " Handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and
bones, as ye see me have 11 ." Now, if we consider the Apostle
as speaking personally of him, we can account for the vast
variety of expressions tending to confirm the testimony which
he bore respecting him : whereas, if we apply the expressions
to the Gospel, the terms are multiplied far beyond what the
occasion called for, and the metaphors are stronger than he
could with propriety use. Besides, if we understand him as
speaking of Christ personally, there is a remarkable coincidence
between the beginning of this epistle of St. John, and the
beginning of his Gospel. " In the beginning was the Word :
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God." " In him was life ; and
the life was the light of men." And " the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt amongst us; and we behold his glory, the
glory as of the only-begotten of the Father ."
But, whether we understand the expressions as relating to
the Gospel of Christ, or to his person,]
It must of necessity be understood as declaring,
that in Christ Jesus there is life, even eternal life
[The Apostle testified of Christ, as he says in a subsequent
chapter of this epistle: " We have seen and do testify, that the
Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world p ." If we
inquire more particularly what the substance of his testimony
was, he informs us: " This is the witness of God which he
hath testified of his Son." " And this is the record, that God
hath given to us eternal life ; and this life is in his Son : he that
hath the Son hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life 1."
Thus we see, in fact, that, whether we understand the pas
sage as speaking of the Gospel, or of Christ himself, it comes
to the same point. If the Gospel be spoken of, it is as reveal
ing Christ : if Christ be spoken of, it is as revealed in the
Gospel ; or, in other words, as being " the way, the truth, and
the life*."
Bear in mind then, that all that is spoken of Christ in the
holy Gospels is true : the Apostles were ear-witnesses, and
eye-witnesses, of it, even of all that they relate. " They did
n Luke xxiv. 39. John i. 1 4, 14. P 1 John iv. 14.
q 1 John v. 9, 11, 12. r John xiv. 6.
2430.] BENEFITS FROM FAITH IN CHRIST. 359
not follow cunningly-devised fables, when they made known
the power and coming of the Lord Jesus, but were eye-wit
nesses of his majesty : for they were with him in the holy
mount, when he received from God the Father honour and
glory, and when there came to him a voice from the excellent
glory, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased 8 ." Whether therefore they speak of his sufferings or
his glory, their testimony may be relied on : and we may be
sure that in Him is salvation, and in Him alone.]
The extreme urgency of the Apostle in commend
ing to us his testimony, leads us to contemplate,
II. The benefit of receiving it
The Apostles themselves were brought into a most
exalted state through faith in this Divine Saviour
[" Hear what the Apostle speaks respecting it :" " Truly,"
says he, " our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ." By the Lord Jesus Christ they were brought
into a state of reconciliation with God; and were enabled to
regard him in the endearing character of a Father. " Through
Him too, and by the Holy Spirit, they had access to God 1 " at
all times, pouring out their hearts before him, making known
to him their every want, and committing to him their every
care. Through the same divine channel, God descended into
their bosoms, revealing to them his will, communicating to
them his grace, and shedding abroad in their hearts a sense
of his love. Nay more, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost had come down and taken up their residence within
them, dwelling in them as in a temple, and manifesting to
them, as far as they were capable of beholding it, all the glory
of the Godhead u . From hence arose within them inconceivable
peace and joy, which were to them an earnest and foretaste of
their heavenly inheritance; for they "knew that Christ was
in the Father, and in them also; and that they too were in
him x ." Such had been their happy state from the first
moment that they had believed in Christ ; more sparingly
indeed in the first instance, but progressively advancing as
their knowledge of Christ became more intimate, and their
affiance in him more entire.]
And we also, by the same faith, are brought to a
participation of all the same privileges
[" These things," says the Apostle, " we declare unto
you, that ye may have fellowship with us." And in what does
* 2 Pet. i. 1618. t Eph. ii. 18.
u John xiv. 1618,21, 23. x John xiv. 20.
360 I JOHN, I. 13. [2430.
that fellowship consist, but in a participation of all the same
privileges and blessings which they enjoyed ? And this is
indeed the portion of all who receive their testimony aright.
All believers are brought into one family, of which Christ is
the Head y . The moment we believe, " we come to Mount
Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and Church of the first-born which are written in heaven, and
to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than
that of Abel 2 ." Now here we see the whole family: here is
God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ the mediator ;
here also are the angels who never sinned, and all the hosts of
the redeemed in heaven, and all the saints that are still on
earth : all are brought together into one family, and all have
fellowship with each other as the head and the members of the
same body: so that every individual believer now has the same
fellowship with the Apostles, as they had with each other and
with the prophets who had gone before them; and the same
" fellowship too with the Father and with his Son Jesus
Christ." Does this appear too strong? It is not so strong
as what our blessed Saviour himself has spoken upon the
subject. For he not only declares to us, that " both He and
his Father will come to us, and make their abode with us a ;"
but he declared to his Father also, " I. have given them the
glory which thou gavest me, that they may be one, even as we
are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect in oneV Here, I say, the union of the different mem
bers of his body is compared with the union which subsists
between the different persons of the Godhead, than which
nothing can be conceived so entire, so mysterious, so un
changeable.
Know ye, then, that this is the state into which you will be
brought, if only you receive the testimony of God respecting
his dear Son. Believe truly, that " in him is life," and that
through faith in him your souls shall live ; and then all the
fulness of these blessings shall be yours: nor shall even the
beloved Apostle himself possess a blessing, of which you shall
not, according to your capacity, partake with him.
And here let me say, that, if all the tautology which the
Apostle makes use of in my text had been multiplied an
hundred-fold, it would not have been too much for the occa
sion ; since nothing can exceed the misery of those who reject
this testimony, or the happiness of those who truly receive it.]
y Eph. i. 10. and iii. 15. z Heb. xii. 2224.
a John xiv. 23. b John xvii. 2123.
2431.] CONFORMITY TO GOD s IMAGE. 361
CONTEMPLATE now, I pray you, the object which
the Apostle had in view in all these earnest
solicitations
[" These things," says he, " 1 write unto you, that your
joy may be full c ." It was for this end that our blessed Lord
himself had so strongly and so continually inculcated them :
" These things speak I in the world, that they may have my
joy fulfilled in themselves 3 ." And this is the object which I
also would endeavour to attain. Beloved brethren, consider
how unspeakable must be the joy of being brought into fellow
ship with the Apostles in all that they ever did, or ever shall,
possess ! All that access to God, all that intercourse with God,
all that sense of Christ s incomprehensible love, all that enjoy
ment of his presence, and all that fruition of his glory ! it is all
yours by promise and by oath, if only you truly believe in
Christ! O, put it not from you : defer not to seek it, yea, to
seek it with your whole hearts ! Then shall you know what
it is to have a heaven upon earth : for, though now ye see not
the Lord Jesus with your bodily eyes, yet shall you, by be
lieving, be brought into such communion with him, that " your
joy in him shall be unspeakable and glorified 6 ."]
c ver. 4. d John xvii. 13. e 1 Pet. i. 8.
MMCCCCXXXI.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONFORMED TO GOD s IMAGE.
1 John i. 5 7. This then is the message which we have heard
of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him
is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fel
lowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
IN fulfilling the ministerial office, it is not suffi
cient that we set before our people the evidences of
Christianity, or inculcate the performance of some
moral duties : we are messengers from God to men ;
and we must " declare to them the message which
we have received from him." We must not alter or
conceal any part of that which we have been com
manded to deliver ; but must make known the whole
counsel of God ; and, having declared it with all
362 1 JOHN, I. 57. [2431.
plainness and fidelity, must urge the acceptance of it
with all the energy we possess.
We have a message then from God to you : we
are commanded to open to you the Divine character,
and to call you by the most impressive arguments
to become conformed to his image. In discharging
this duty we proceed to set before you,
I. The character of God
The term " light," in Scripture, has various ac
ceptations ; but there are two things which we shall
notice as more particularly comprehended in it in the
words before us. It is the property of light to dis
cover all things ; and it is perfectly pure and inca
pable of pollution : when therefore it is said, that
" God is light," we must understand it as designating,
1. His infinite knowledge
[God is " a God of knowledge a ." " There is no creature
which is not manifest in his sight." The transactions of dark
ness are not hid from him : he sees the adulterer, that avails
himself of the darkness -of the night to visit his guilty para
mour. His eye is upon the thief, that lays his hand upon his
neighbour s property. He notices the fraudulent dealer, who
sells by false weights and measures, or takes advantage of the
purchaser s ignorance to get rid of a bad commodity, and to
exact of him a higher price than it is worth. Nor is it the
actions only that God inspects ; his eyes are not only on our
ways, but on our very hearts. We are apt to think that " the
thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he cannot see b ;"
but " the darkness and light to him are both alike c :" " Pie
searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins d :" "He knows the
things that come into our minds, every one of them 6 :" " He
weigheth our spirits f ," and discerns the precise quantity of
good or evil that there is in all our thoughts and desires : yea,
" He knows the imaginations that we go about, even now,
years before" the thoughts are distinctly formed in our hearts %.
Our inmost souls are as much open to his view, as the sacrifices
were to the priest, when he had flayed them for the purpose of
examining the flesh, and cut them open to inspect their inward
parts h . In short, "with him is no darkness at all:" " hell
a 1 Sam. ii. 3. b Job xxii. 13, 14. c Ps. cxxxix. 11, 12.
d Jer. xvii. 10. e Ezek. xi. 5. f Prov. xvi. 2.
s Deut. xxxi. 21. h This is the idea suggested, Heh. iv. 13.
2431.] CONFORMITY TO GOD*S IMAGE. 363
and destruction are before him ; much more the hearts of the
children of men 1 ."]
2. His unspotted holiness
[" Light" is perhaps the only thing which is incapable of
being polluted ; and therefore is peculiarly fit to represent the
immaculate purity of God.
God is a holy Being ; yea, " glorious in holiness," as well as
in every other perfection. " He hateth all the workers of
iniquity :" " He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity k ,"
without the utmost abhorrence of it. In this respect also, as
well as in the former, " there is no darkness at all in him :"
there is none in his nature; there is none in his dispensations.
Consider his nature: Which of his attributes has the smallest
mixture of unholiness? His sovereignty is not a weak par
tiality, but a holy exertion of his will, according to his own
determinate and eternal counsels. His justice is not a rigorous
severity, but a holy regard to the honour of his broken law.
His mercy is not a weak exercise of pity at the expense of
justice and truth, but a holy display of his unbounded com
passion, in a way that at the same time illustrates and magnifies
all his other perfections.
Consider his dispensations : these, it is true, are oftentimes
inscrutable to us ; yet is he " righteous in all his ways, and
holy in all his works 1 ." We are sometimes indeed ready,
through unbelief, to question his wisdom and his goodness m .
When we see the wicked triumphing, and the righteous suf
fering under the accumulated trials of persecution from man
and desertion from God, we are apt to be offended, and to ask,
whether there be a God that ruleth in the earth? But in both
these respects is his holiness expressly vindicated in the sacred
writings : the martyrs that are now in glory, at the same time
that they expostulate, as it were, with God on the subject of
his forbearance towards their persecutors, address him as
" holy and true 11 :" and David, when complaining bitterly of
the dereliction that he suffered, takes especial care to acknow
ledge that, in the midst of all, his holiness is unimpeached ;
" O God, I cry in the day-time, but thou nearest not ; and in
the night-season I am not silent; but thou art holy ." When
therefore we are not able to comprehend the reason of God s
dispensations, we must still confess, that though " clouds and
darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are
the basis of his throne p ."]
The next part of the message points out to us,
1 Prov. xv. 11. k Hab. i. 13. ! Ps. cxlv. 17.
m Ps. Ixxiii. 1214. n Rev. vi. 10. Ps. xxii. 13.
P Ps. xcvii. 2.
364 1 JOHN, I. 57. [2431.
II. The necessity and benefit of a conformity to
him
The saints are said to be renewed after the Divine
image : and it is worthy of particular observation,
that the only two points in which this renovation is
said to consist, are knowledge 11 , and holiness 1 . We
see then from hence wherein that conformity, which
we are to attain, consists : it consists in knowledge
and in holiness, or, as my text expresses it, in
" walking in the light as he is in the light :" our
minds must be enlightened with the knowledge of God s
truth ; and our hearts must be purified in the perform-
ance of his will.
Let us notice then,
1. The necessity of this conformity
[Many will pretend to have communion with God, while
they are ignorant of the salvation revealed in the Gospel, and
living in the habitual indulgence of sin. But, while they thus
" walk in darkness," what " fellowship can they have with
God?" What access can they have to him, when they do not
so much as know the way of " access to him through the rent
vail of the Redeemer s flesh 8 ?" and what regard can they feel
in their hearts towards him, while they are under the allowed
dominion of worldly and carnal lusts ? Their profession is a
system of falsehood and hypocrisy : " they lie, and do not the
truth :" they may work up themselves to ecstacies if they will ;
but they neither have, nor can have, any fellowship with God ;
for how " shall the throne of iniquity (or one in whom sin
reigns) have fellowship with him*?" " What fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
liqht with darkness u ?"l
*7 J
2. The benefit of this conformity
[If a person be walking unfeignedly and progressively in
the study of God s will, and in obedience to it, he possesses
two great and unspeakable benefits ; namely, communion with
God, and acceptance before him.
He has communion with God*. God loves the humble,
diligent, obedient servant : " He will come to him," and " lift
i Col. iii. 10. T Eph. iv. 24. Heb. x. 19, 20.
1 Ps. xciv. 20. u 2 Cor. vi, 14.
x The opposition between the 6th and 7th verses shews that ver. 7
does not relate to the communion of the saints with each other, but
to their fellowship with God.
2431.] CONFORMITY TO GOD*S IMAGE. 365
up the light of his countenance upon him," and " manifest
himself to him as he does not unto the world." He will
" shed abroad his love in his heart," and " give him a spirit of
adoption, whereby he shall cry, Abba, Father." The person
himself may not be very conversant with raptures : but, whether
he be more or less sensible of God s favour to him, it is mani
fest that he has fellowship with God : his knowledge of the
Gospel proves that God has taught him ; and his experience
of its sanctifying power proves that God has strengthened and
supported him.
He has also acceptance before God: he is not like an un-
pardoned sinner: Jesus Christ has washed away his sins in
the fountain of his blood ; yea, every day, every hour, every
moment, is he cleansing him from the pollution that adheres
to his best services. This cleansing is a continued act of
Christ y : and through it the soul maintains its peace with
God, and is regarded by God " without spot or blemish 2 ."
Cleansed by Jesus from " the iniquity of his holy things," he
is presented " faultless before the presence of God s glory with
exceeding joy a ."
Such are the benefits of cleaving to Christ, and " walking as
he walked :" and a life devoted to God is not so properly the
means of obtaining these benefits, as it is the evidence that we
already possess themJ]
From this most instructive subject we may LEARN,
1. The connexion between faith and works
[One man hopes to be saved by his works, while he dis
regards faith in Christ : another hopes that his faith will save
him, though it never produce good works. But both of these
deceive their own souls : for no man can do such works as the
Gospel requires, unless he embrace the truths which it reveals :
and, if he could do them, they would be utterly insufficient to
justify him before God. On the other hand, " the faith that
is without works, is dead :" and as it differs not from the faith
of devils, so will it bring us no better portion than theirs.
Knowledge is necessary to produce holiness ; and holiness is
necessary to evince that our knowledge is truly spiritual and
saving. It is not by separating them from each other, but by
uniting them together, that we are to " walk in the light as
God is in the light."]
2. The connexion between duty and happiness
[The greater part of the world expect happiness in the
ways of sin : but God has warned us that there is " no peace
to the wicked." There is no real happiness but in fellowship
y " Cleanse^." z Eph. v. 26, 27. a Jude, ver. 24.
366 . 1 JOHN, I. 8, 9. [2432.
with God : and there is no fellowship with him, without a
conformity to him. If then we would be happy in this world,
we should be religious : we should study to know and do the
will of God. Then we should be happy in sickness as well as
in health, and in the prospect of death no less than in the
midst of earthly enjoyments.]
3. The connexion between grace and glory
[The saints in glory are called "saints in light;" and in
order to partake of their inheritance, we must be " made meet
for it b ." An unregenerate sinner would not be happy, even if
he were in heaven. There is a total difference of character
between them that are saved and them that perish : those who
are saved, love God, and delight in him, and make it the
labour of their souls to glorify him : whereas they who perish,
would, if they were able, pluck him from his throne : it would
be glad tidings to them if they were informed that he exists
no longer. Such precisely is the difference between saints
and sinners in this world ; the one find all their happiness in
serving God ; the other say in their hearts, " We wish there
were no God." Neither the one nor the other indeed attain
the same degree of holiness or wickedness in this world that
they will in the next : but in all other respects their characters
will continue the same that they are in this life. If ever then
we would have fellowship with God in heaven, we must begin
it here : and, if ever we would dwell with him in the regions
of everlasting light, we must now be " brought out of darkness
into the marvellous light of his Gospel ," and " walk hence
forth as children of the light and of the day d ."]
b Col, i. 12. c 1 Pet. ii. 9. d Eph. v. 8.
MMCCCCXXXII.
CONFESSION NECESSARY TO FORGIVENESS.
1 John i. 8, 9. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our
selves, and the truth is not in us : if we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
THESE words are rendered familiar to our ears
by being read almost continually as introductory to
the service of our Church. On this account they
may appear perhaps the less interesting ; though in
reality they are, from that very circumstance, com
mended to us as deserving a more than ordinary
2432.] CONFESSION NECESSARY TO FORGIVENESS. 867
attention. The truths indeed which are contained in
them are extremely plain and simple : but they are
of infinite importance to every child of man, inas
much as they declare the pitiable condition of a self-
applauding moralist, and the happy condition of a
self-condemning penitent. We shall consider the sub
stance of them under these two heads :
Let us consider,
I. The pitiable condition of a self-applauding mo
ralist
Persons of a high moral character are too often
classed with the Pharisees of old, whose leading fea
ture was hypocrisy. But,
Moral characters are proper objects of our love
[No one can doubt but that morality is highly estimable,
even though it do not flow from those divine principles which
give it its chief value in the sight of God. So at least St. Paul
thought, when before the whole Jewish council he said, " Men
arid brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God
until this day a ." In this assertion he spoke of his life pre
vious to his conversion. In another place, speaking of the
same period, he informs us, that he was, " as touching the
righteousness of the law, blameless;" and, that he had justly
considered this as "gain to him b ." And such may morality
well be considered, wherever it exists : it is a gain to the per
son himself, in that he is kept from many actual offences : it is
a gain to all his neighbours, who cannot but feel a beneficial
influence from such a life : and it is a gain to the whole
world, as far as the light of such an example can extend. True
it is, that when St. Paul fully understood the Gospel, he
counted all his morality " but loss for Christ." Yet this does
not at all derogate from the intrinsic excellence of morality : and
to speak of morality in the contemptuous and degrading terms
which many religious persons, and not a few incautious minis
ters too, use in reference to it, is extremely erroneous and
blameworthy, inasmuch as it tends to lessen men s regard for
moral virtue, and to render the Gospel itself odious as hostile
to good works. I would that every disciple of Christ would
consider the example of his Divine Master in reference to this
very point ; and not consider it only, but follow it. When the
Rich Youth came to him, and was directed by him to keep the
different commandments of the decalogue, he answered, " Mas
ter, all these have I observed from my youth." Now I would
a Acts xxiii. 1. b Phil. iii. 6, 7.
368 1 JOHN, I. 8, 9. [2432.
ask, What is the treatment which that young man would have
experienced from the great mass of religious professors? 1
greatly fear that the general feeling towards him would have
been that of contempt, rather than of love. But how did
our blessed Lord and Saviour regard him? We are told,
"Then Jesus beholding him, loved him ." And this is the
spirit we should manifest towards all who are observant of the
Divine laws, though they may not possess that faith in Christ
which would stamp a new character upon the whole of their
conduct. In proportion as any man excels in the different
branches of moral virtue, he ought to be held as an object of
respect, esteem, and love.]
But when they trust in their morality, they deserve
our pity
[I do not suppose that any persons would affirm, that they
never had sinned at all. I rather conceive, that the Apostle
speaks of persons affirming, that they never had sinned to such
a degree as to deserve God s wrathful displeasure. This, alas !
is too often the effect of morality ; that it causes men to over
look their manifold defects, and to be filled with self-compla
cency, when, if they had juster views of themselves, they
would be bowed down rather with a sense of their own unwor-
thiness.
Now such persons, how excellent soever they may be in
other respects, are in a truly pitiable condition : for " they
deceive themselves."
" They deceive themselves " in relation to the extent of their
attainments. They do, in fact, say with the Rich Youth, " What
lack I yet?" whilst " they lack one thing," even that very
thing which is indispensable to their acceptance with God.
Our Lord brought the young man to the test ; and, by a com
mand which he gave, tried him, whether God or the world
were the higher in his esteem ? It was a grief to the young
man to renounce all hope of an interest in the Saviour ; but
he knew not how to part with his possessions ; and therefore
abandoned the Lord Jesus rather than them. So, if moralists
were brought to the test, they would shew, and indeed they do
continually shew, that the love of Christ is not dominant in
their hearts, and that they have never seen him as that " pearl
of great price, for which they are ready to part with all."
They deceive themselves also in relation to their state before
God. They imagine that they do not deserve, and conse
quently are not in danger of, his wrath and indignation. Thus
it was with the Apostle Paul before his conversion. Hear his
own acknowledgment respecting it : " I was alive without the
* Mark x. 1921.
2432.] CONFESSION NECESSARY TO FORGIVENESS. 369
law once ; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and
I died d :" that is, before I understood the spirituality of the
law, I thought my obedience to it so perfect that I was in no
danger of condemnation for my offences against it : but when
my eyes were opened to see the extent of its demands and the
defects of my obedience, I saw at once that I was deservedly
under a sentence of death and condemnation.
Thus it is with multitudes who are exemplary in their moral
conduct : in the midst of all their confidence they deceive them
selves; a.nd whilst they take credit to themselves for being
right in the sight of God, they shew, that they have never yet
received " the truth as it is in Jesus," and that, consequently,
" the truth is not in them."]
Let us now turn our attention to,
II. The happy condition of the self-condemning
penitent
The " confession " which characterizes a true pe
nitent, of course is not to be understood of a mere
acknowledgment, but an acknowledgment accom
panied with suitable contrition, and with a humble
faith in the Lord Jesus. It imports such a confession
as was made by the high-priest on the great day of
annual expiation, when he laid his hands on the
scape-goat, and confessed over him all the sins of all
the children of Israel, whilst all of those whose sins
he so transferred were " afflicting their souls before
God e ." I may add, that this confession implies also
a forsaking of the sins so confessed ; as it is said,
" He that covereth his sins shall not prosper ; but
whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy f ."
Now respecting all such penitents, I do not
hesitate to say, that,
1. Whatsoever they need shall certainly be vouch
safed unto them
[Two things the penitent panteth after ; namely, the for
giveness of his sins, and the renovation of his soul after the
Divine image. And, behold, these are the very things pro
mised to him in our text : " If we confess our sins, God will
forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
How reviving to the contrite soul is such a declaration as this !
Here is no limitation as to the number or heinousness of the
d Rom. vii. 9. e Lev. xvi. 21, 29, 30. f Prov. xxviii. 13.
VOL. xx. B B
370 1 JOHN, I. 8, 9. [2432.
sins that may have been previously committed ; nor any ex
ception as to the measure of depravity which may have defiled
the soul, or the degree of obduracy to which it may have
attained. " Though our sins may have been as scarlet, or of
a crimson dye, they shall all be washed away in the blood of
Christ, and the soul become white as the driven snow g ."
" Clean water also shall be sprinkled on us, even the Holy
Ghost in his sanctifying operations, to cleanse us from all our
filthiness and from all our uncleanness. A new heart shall be
given us, and a new spirit be put within us : and God, by the
mighty working of his own power, will cause us "to walk in
his judgments and to keep his statutes 11 ." Here is all that the
penitent can desire. The promises are perfectly commen
surate with his necessities : and, " laying hold on these pro
mises, he shall be able to cleanse himself from all filthiness
both of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear
of God 1 ."]
2. For this, those very perfections of the Deity
which are most adverse to them, are pledged
[If the penitent desire mercy, Justice frowns upon him,
and demands judgment against him : and Truth requires, that
all the threatenings which have been denounced against sin
and sinners should be executed upon him. But, through the
mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, these perfections of the
Deity are not only satisfied, but are converted into friends,
yea, and made the strongest advocates for the penitent s sal
vation. What a wonderful declaration is this, that, " if we
confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!" That mercy
should be displayed in forgiveness, we can easily imagine :
but how can justice ? and how can truth ? when, as has been
before observed, both these attributes demand the sinner s
condemnation ? The Gospel solves this difficulty : it declares
to us, that the Lord Jesus Christ has undertaken for us, and
become our Surety, and by his own obedience unto death has
satisfied all the demands of law and justice, and obtained for
us the promise of eternal life : so that, if only we believe in
him, and come to God through him, we may plead, even upon
the very ground of justice and of truth, that God will fulfil to
us all that he has promised to the Lord Jesus in our behalf,
and impart to us all the blessings which his only dear Son has
purchased for us. Through this mysterious dispensation, the
very righteousness of God is magnified in the exercise of mercy;
and " God is just, whilst justifying the sinner that believes in
JesusV
s Isai. i. 18. h Ezek. xxxvi. 25 27.
1 2 Cor. vii. 1. k Rom. iii. 26.
2432.] CONFESSION NECESSARY TO FORGIVENESS. 371
How blessed is the condition of the penitent when viewed
in this light ! Every thing is secured to him that his necessities
require! and every thing confirmed to him by the very justice
and faithfulness of Jehovah ! Wipe away thy tears, thou
weeping penitent ; and " put off thy sackcloth, and gird thee
with gladness :" for God has here " given thee the oil of
joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness."]
Attend however to a few words of parting ADVICE
1. Let your humiliation be deep and abiding-
fit can never be too deep : there is no measure of self-
lothing or self-abhorrence that can exceed what the occasion
calls for. Thou mayest heretofore have thought thyself so
pure, that " thou hadst no sin" which could subject thee to
the wrath of God. Now thou knowest, that " the bed was too
short for thee to stretch thyself upon, and the covering too
narrow for thee to wrap thyself in 1 ." " The pillows are plucked
from thy arms ;" and " the untempered mortar with which
thou daubedst thy wall, adheres no longer 111 ." You have now
learned to estimate your character by another standard. You
see now your defects. You compare your obedience, not with
the mere letter, but with the spirit of the law : and from this
view of your past life you know your just desert, and are
convinced that the very best action, word, or thought of your
whole life, if tried by the standard of God s holy law, would
plunge you into merited and everlasting perdition. And so it
is at this very moment, notwithstanding your change of cha
racter. You could no more bear the scrutiny of that perfect
law, than you could in your days of unregeneracy. Let this
thought never be forgotten : let it abide with you day and
night. Job, before that God had appeared unto him, said, " If
I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me n :" and
after he had beheld God in his majesty and glory, his humi
liation, so far from being removed, was deepened : and he
exclaimed, " Behold, I am vile : I repent therefore, arid abhor
myself in dust and ashes ." So let your increase both in grace
and peace be marked by a proportionable increase in humilia
tion and contrition.]
2. Let your affiance in God be simple and uniform
[Never for a moment entertain a thought of any worthiness
in yourself, or suffer any thing to be blended with your faith
in Christ. Rely on him as entirely as if your whole life had
been a scene of the most enormous wickedness. Renounce
1 Isai. xxviii. 20. m Ezek. xiii. 10 20.
n Job ix. 20. Job xl. 4. and xlii. 6.
B B 2
312 I JOHN, II. 1, 2. [2433.
entirely every thing of your own in point of dependence ; and
seek to " be found in Christ, not having your own righteous
ness, but the righteousness which is of God through faith in
him." And let this abide with you to your latest hour. Let
neither a relapse into sin deter you from coming thus to Christ ;
nor the most spotless continuance in holiness render such a
mode of coming to him unnecessary in your eyes. This is the
way in which you may come, however aggravated may have
been your guilt ; and this is the way in which you must come,
however eminent your attainments. It is not possible for you
to be too much on your guard against either doubting the
sufficiency of Christ to save you, or attempting to unite any
thing with him as a joint ground of your hope. To err in
either of these respects will be fatal : it will arm both justice
and truth against you, and will make void all that the Lord
Jesus has done and suffered for you. But rely simply and
altogether upon him, and " you shall not be ashamed or con
founded world without end."]
MMCCCCXXXIII.
THE ADVOCACY AND ATONEMENT OF CHRIST.
1 John ii. 1, 2. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and he is the propi
tiation for our sins : and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world.
THERE are two extremes to which men are apt
to incline, namely, presumption and despair; and
against both of these the Gospel is designed to guard
us. The ungodly world at large imagine that God
will never execute his threatened judgments r and
some will take occasion even from the Gospel itself
to expect impunity in the ways of sin. But the rich
promises of the Gospel were never given for this
end : it was never God s design that his " grace
should be turned into licentiousness ;" and therefore
the Apostle affectionately warns us against such an
abuse of it ; " My little children, these things I write
unto you, that ye sin not." On the other hand, there
are some persons, who, from a sense of their mani
fold backslidings, are ready to despond. To these
the Apostle proceeds to speak : he sets before them
the offices which Christ sustains on the behalf of
2433.] CHRIST S ADVOCACY AND ATONEMENT. 373
sinners ; and encourages them under every fresh con
tracted guilt to look unto him as a willing, suitable,
and all-sufficient Saviour.
To further this good work in your hearts, we will
shew,
I. The offices of Christ-
It will be proper to notice first that which is last
mentioned in the text
He is a " Propitiation for sin "
[To understand what is meant by this, we should consider
the state of man. We were fallen creatures, and, in conse
quence of our fall, obnoxious to the wrath of God. To restore
ourselves to the Divine favour was impossible, because we
could not offer any atonement for the sins we had committed.
God, though ready to forgive, could not exercise mercy
towards us in any way which did not accord with his justice,
holiness, and truth. Christ therefore undertook to make
satisfaction to the Divine justice, so that " mercy and truth
might meet together, and righteousness and peace might kiss
each other." This he did by substituting himself in our place.
" He bore our sins in his own body on the tree a ," and " suf
fered, the just for the unjust V Our apprehension of this
matter will be greatly assisted, if we consider how it was
represented under the Mosaic economy. Bullocks, goats, and
lambs were offered in sacrifice to God. The offender, when
he brought his sacrifice, laid his hands upon its head, and
transferred to it his guilt ; and then it was put to death in his
stead. This sacrifice God accepted on behalf of the offerer,
and, out of respect to it, forgave his iniquities . This indeed
was only a type : but it shadowed forth what was really done
by Christ, who " came to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself d ." The whole language of Scripture accords with
this explanation, and confirms the truth of this stupendous
mystery 6 .]
He is also our " Advocate with the Father "
a 1 Pet. ii. 24. b 1 Pet. iii. 18.
Lev. i. 2, 4. * Heb. ix. 26.
e Eph. v. 2. Rom. iii. 25. In this latter passage, as also in the
text, the word which we translate " propitiation," is the same as is
elsewhere translated, "mercy-seat." Compare Heb. ix. 5. But the
illustration above given, is that which the scope of the passage evi
dently requires ; and to explain the word in reference to the mercy-
seat, would, in this place, only embarrass and obscure the sense.
374 1 JOHN, II. 1, 2. [2433.
[The office of an advocate is to appear for his client in a
court of justice, and to plead his cause. Now this office also
the Lord Jesus Christ executes in behalf of his people : He is
gone up to the court of heaven, where " he appears in the
presence of God for us f ." The Holy Spirit also is our advo
cate : but there is a very wide difference between the advocacy
of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit : the Spirit intercedes in us
at the throne of grace ; Christ intercedes for us at the throne
of glory : the Spirit assists us to pray according to the will of
God; Christ presents those prayers unto the Father, and
renders them acceptable in his sight.
Now it was this advocacy of Christ which the Apostle had
primarily in his view : and what he added respecting him as a
propitiation for sin, was a subordinate subject, introduced to
shew the ground of his intercession, and the reason of its
efficacy. It will be proper therefore to notice more particu
larly the connexion between these offices, and the dependence
of the one upon the other.
If we could conceive that Jesus had undertaken to be our
advocate, and yet had made no atonement for sin, his advocacy
would have been altogether in vain : for, what plea could he
have found? he could not have denied, or extenuated, our
guilt : nor could he have promised that we should ever make
compensation for what we had done amiss. His mouth there
fore must have been shut as well as ours. But, having offered
himself a sacrifice for our sins, he has an adequate and effec
tual plea for all who trust in him. Are they accused by
their great adversary ? yea, does God himself testify against
them ? " True, he will say, they are sinners, that deserve
thy wrathful indignation : but behold the wounds in my hands,
my feet, my side ; these I endured for them ; by these I ex
piated their guilt ; yea, I gave my own life a ransom for them ;
and therefore deliver them from going down into the pit: I
have satisfied the demands both of law and justice on their
behalf, and on this account I look, not to thy mercy only, but
to thy justice and thy faithfulness to forgive them g : out of
respect to me, " thou mayest be just, and yet the justifier of
all them that believe 11 ."]
This view of his offices will naturally lead us to
consider,
II. The comfort to be derived from them under every
fresh-contracted guilt
That we may speak more perspicuously on this
subject, we shall notice
* Job xxxiii. 24. e 1 John i. 9. h Rom. iii. 26.
2433. j CHRIST S ADVOCACY AND ATONEMENT. 37.5
1. The sensations which a view of those offices
will produce
Hope, joy, and peace, arise in succession to crown the
exercise of faith. Till we are enabled to behold the crucified
and exalted Saviour, we droop, and question the possibility
of our acceptance with God; but when we are enabled to
believe in him, our fears are dissipated ; our sorrows are
turned into joy and exultation ; and, after a season, the live
lier motion of our affections, which was occasioned by the
greatness and suddenness of the change, subsides into a solid
and abiding peace. This is the order marked out both by
Prophets 1 and Apostles k , and experienced by all who live by
faith on the Son of God.]
2. The suitableness of those offices to produce
them
[The intercessions of sinful men have often availed for the
benefit of those for whom they were offered : but Christ is a
" righteous" advocate, who, having no sins of his own to ob
struct his access to God, may come with boldness into his
presence, and with a certainty of acceptance. Besides, he is
ever " with the Father," ready to offer his intercessions the
very moment that he sees any danger of a breach between
him and us. Moreover he is the " Christ," whom the Father
anointed to this very office. It was the duty of the high-priest,
not only to offer sacrifice, but to carry the blood of the sacrifice
within the vail, and to burn incense before the mercy-seat :
thus the office of intercession belongs to Jesus no less than that of
offering an oblation : and consequently we have in his appoint
ment to this office a pledge that he shall not intercede in vain.
The consolations arising from this office are heightened
and confirmed by the consideration of his atonement : for in
his one offering of himself there is a sufficiency of merit to
justify all that shall believe in him. His death was a propi
tiation, not for the sins of a few only, " but for the sins of the
whole world ;" so that if all the sins that ever were committed
from the foundation of the world, or ever shall be committed
as long as the world shall stand, had been committed by any
single individual, he would have no reason to despair ; since if
only he believed in Jesus, they should all be blotted out even
as a morning cloud.
What marvellous truths are these ! What a foundation for
hope, and joy, and peace ! O that our meditations on them
might be sweet, and that our souls might ever experience their
refreshing influence !]
1 Isai. Iv. 12. k Horn. xv. 13.
376 1 JOHN, II. 1, 2. [2433.
ADDRESS
1. The self-righteous
[What ground is here afforded for looking to our own
repentances or reformations, as though they could restore us
to the Divine favour ? We deny not the necessity or import
ance of these things ; but we utterly deny their efficacy to save
the soul. There is no Saviour but Christ : if any man sin,
however exemplary he may have been on the whole, he must
trust in the atonement and intercession of Christ: there is no
distinction between one sinner and another : all must equally
depend on Christ : all must enter at that door 1 : all must build
on that foundation" 1 : all must be saved by the name of Christ,
and by that only 11 .]
2. The contrite
[Let not the greatness of your guilt dismay you. Re
member Abraham s intercession for the cities of the plain ,
and that of Moses for the Israelites, when God forbad him, as
it were, to pray for them P. Yet neither Abraham nor Moses
had redeemed their souls. But Jesus is our propitiation, as
well as our advocate ; and shall not HE prevail ? See how he
prevailed for Peter, who, if the Saviour had not interceded
for him, would most probably have hanged himself in despair,
as Judas did : but Christ said, " I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not :" and in answer to this prayer, he was re
stored both to his apostleship and to the favour of his God.
Thus effectual shall the Saviour s intercession be for you. Con
sider in what manner he intercedes for you : when he prayed
for himself in his extremity, he said, " Father, not as I will, but
as thou wilt :" but in his intercession for you he says, " Father,
/ will that they whom thou hast given me, may be with me
where I am, that they may behold my glory." Doubt not
then, but that he " will pray the Father for you ;" and that
the Father, who has for so many thousands of years had
respect to the bow in the clouds, and has forborne to deluge
the earth again, will much more have respect to the Son of his
love, and fulfil to your soul the promises of his grace.]
1 John x. 9. m 1 Cor. iii. 11. n Acts iv. 12.
Gen. xviii. 23 32. P Exod. xxxii. 9 14.
2434.] TRUE TEST OF LOVE TO GOD. 377
MMCCCCXXXIV.
THE TRUE TEST OF LOVE TO GOD.
1 John ii. 3 5. Hereby we do know that we know him, if we
keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the
love of God perfected : hereby know we that we are in him.
THERE are many who imagine, that to enforce
an observance of God s commandments, and to insist
on obedience as an evidence of our faith, is legal.
But the whole tenour of the Gospel shews, that our
interest in it must be productive of holiness, since
" faith without works is dead." In fact, there is no
certain test whereby to try our faith in Christ, but
our obedience to his commands. Of this the Apostle
testifies plainly in my text : from whence I shall take
occasion to shew,
I. That it is the Christian s privilege to be fully
assured of his acceptance with God
The generality of persons conceive this to be im
possible ; and account the very idea to be presump
tuous in the extreme. I will readily grant, that there
are many who deceive themselves in relation to this
matter : but still I cannot admit, that the unfounded
confidence of hypocrites is any just ground for con
cluding that the upright may not know their state
before God. Those who deceive themselves do not
judge by a right test ; and therefore it is that they
are deceived : only let any one apply to himself the
test which is prescribed in my text, and he need not
fear but that the trial shall issue in a clear discovery
of his state.
The whole Scriptures attest, that men may "know"
their acceptance with God
[In the Old Testament, David confidently asserts, " O
God/thou art my God a ." And the Bride, in the book of
Canticles, with equal assurance, exclaims, " My beloved is
a Ps. Ixiii. 1.
378 1 JOHN, II. 35. [2434.
mine; and I am his V Under the New-Testament dispensa
tion this privilege is yet more extensively enjoyed. St. John,
writing to the whole Christian Church, says, in the third
chapter of this epistle, " We know that we have passed from
death unto life :" " We know that we are of the truth, and
may assure our hearts before him :" " We know that he
abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us c ." In the
fourth chapter he renews the same subject ; saying, " We know
that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of
his Spirit d ." And in the last chapter he asserts the same, in
a direct contrast with all the world besides : " We know that
we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. We
know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an under
standing, that we may know Him that is true : and we are in
Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ 6 ." Nor is
there a real Christian in the universe who is not entitled to
say with St. Paul, " I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for w?e f ."]
The enjoyment of this privilege is at the root of all
the believer s comfort-
[It is in order to the Christian s enjoyment of this assur
ance, that the Holy Spirit is given to him as " a Spirit of
adoption, that he may cry to God, Abba, Father ;" and as " a
witness to assure his conscience that he is a child of God g ."
And it is altogether owing to this internal persuasion of his
acceptance with God, that the believer can look forward with
confidence to his future state in glory : " We knoiv, that when
our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, we have
an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. There
fore in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with
our house which is from heaven ; since, being clothed, we shall
not be found naked h ." It is under the same conviction, also,
that the Christian, even now in the midst of all his conflicts, is
enabled to triumph over all his enemies ; assured that none of
them, nor all together, " shall ever separate him from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord 1 ."]
Of course, you will all be anxious to know,
II. How this assurance is to be obtained
It is not the fruit of any enthusiastic impression
or conceit.
b Cant. ii. 16. 1 John iii. 14, 19, 24.
d 1 John iv. 13. e 1 John v. 19, 20. f Gal. ii. 20.
s Rom. viii. 15, 16. h 2 Cor. v. 13. * Rom. viii.34 39.
2434.] TRUE TEST OF LOVE TO GOD. 379
I do not deny, but that many " profess that they
know God, whilst in works they deny him k ;" and
that it is possible for men so to deceive themselves, as
to possess all the confidence of the most established
believer : yea, there are not wanting multitudes who
carry this delusion with them even to the bar of judg
ment ; and, even in the presence of their Judge, will
claim his favour ; saying, " Have we not prophesied
in thy name, and in thy name done many wonderful
works ?" whilst they will only draw upon themselves
that damnatory sentence, " Depart from me ; I never
knew you, ye workers of iniquity 1 ." If any would
attain a scriptural assurance, they must try them
selves by the test proposed to them by St. John the
test of their obedience to God s commands.
This is a suitable way of attaining it
[How do we judge of a tree, but by its fruits? We should
not be satisfied with beholding its foliage, however luxuriant it
might be : we should desire to behold, and to taste, the fruit :
and by that we should form our estimate of its real worth. In
like manner, if a child or servant professed pre-eminent regard
for us, we should naturally expect that regard to manifest
itself by an observance of our commands. This, then, is the
way by which God will judge of us, and by which we also
must judge ourselves. Our Lord has plainly told us, " He
that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me m :" and again; "He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit n ." Well, therefore,
may our Lord accuse us of inconsistency, when we profess our
selves his, without obeying his commandments : " Why call
ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say ?" We
may set this down as an unquestionable truth, that if " Christ
be made unto us righteousness, he will be to us sanctification
also P." And if we say, "There is no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus," we must never forget the description
there given of those persons ; namely, that " they walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit V]
It is also a certain way of attaining it
[From whence is it that any person is enabled to keep
God s commandments? Our blessed Lord has told us that
k Tit. i. 16. ! Matt. vii. 22, 23. m John xiv. 21.
n John xv. 5. Luke vi. 40. P 1 Cor. i. 30.
i Rom. viii. 1.
380 1 JOHN, II. 35. [2434.
" without him we can do nothing." It is by its union with the
vine, that a branch bears its fruit : and it is only by union with
the Lord Jesus that we also can have a sufficiency for any
thing that is good r . Have we then a clear evidence that we are
bringing forth fruit to God ? it is manifest that we are united
to Christ : or, as my text expresses it, " Hereby know we that
we are in him." From hence, also, we know that we are in
favour with God : for, to what end has God loved us, and
shed abroad his love in our hearts, but that we might " by that
love be constrained to live unto Him who died for us s ." It is
by our obedience that God s love is perfected in us ;" for by
that obedience its end is answered, its power is evinced, its
operation is augmented : so that, as " by works our faith is
made perfect 1 ," so, by works, God s love to us, and ours to
him, are also perfected. I add yet further, that by obedience
our right to heaven is ascertained : for it is written, " Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have right
to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the
city u . Of course, it is not on the ground of merit that they
acquire this right, but solely on the ground of God s gracious
promises to those who believe in Christ. Nevertheless, this
evidence is indispensably necessary to the believer ; and on
the production of that shall his title to heaven be acknow
ledged^ for " Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all
them that o5eyhim y ."]
Who does not SEE, in this subject,
1. The importance of self-examination?
[It is evidently taken for granted, in my text, that some
self-deceivers will be found, who will " say, that they know
Christ, whilst yet they keep not his commandments." And
what shall I say to them ? What can I say more, than what
God himself speaks to them in my text, " That they are liars ;
and that the truth is not in them?" I grant that this sounds
harsh ; but it is the declaration of our God : and I dare not
to soften or conceal what he hath spoken. In many other
passages does this loving Apostle use the same language 2 ;
and I entreat you, brethren, to lay it to heart. Be assured,
that, whilst you continue under this delusion, " the truth is
not in you :" the Gospel has not yet wrought effectually on
your hearts, nor are you possessed of real integrity in your
souls. No, indeed, you are "liars" and hypocrites, and must
take your portion with such characters in the eternal world.
Tell me, then, whether it do not become you to " examine
r John xv. 4. 8 2 Cor. v. 14. * Jam. ii. 22.
u Rev. xxii. 14. x Matt. vii. 21. y Heb. v. 9.
* I John i. 6. iv. 20. and v. 10.
2434.] TRUE TEST OF LOVE TO GOD. 381
yourselves," and to try your faith a by this standard? Do not
imagine that the knowledge here spoken of is a speculative
acquaintance with divine truth : no ; it is such a knowledge
as both justifies b and sanctifies the soul; it is that knowledge
in comparison of which St. Paul " accounted all things as
dung and dross d ." This is the knowledge which you must
possess : and if you will think you have it, whilst your life
and conversation give the lie to your profession, your doom is
fixed : for thus saith God, by the Prophet Hosea : " Israel
saith, my God, we know thee : Israel hath cast off the thing
that is good : the enemy shall pursue him 6 :" yea, " every such
person shall be punished with everlasting destruction from
the glory of his power, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God,
and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ*" I say,
then, to every one of you, " Examine whether ye be in the
faith, and prove your own selves g ."]
2. The blessedness of practical Christianity ?
[To what a glorious state does true religion raise us
Men in all ages have accounted the Virgin Mother of our
Lord blessed, because she was God s chosen vessel, to bring
into the world the Lord of Glory. But I speak not too
strongly, if I say, that the practical Christian is yet more
highly honoured, and more truly blessed, than she, so far as
her external relation to him was concerned : for our Lord, in
answer to one who had congratulated her on her distinguished
honours, saying, " Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the
paps which thou hast sucked," replied, " Yea, rather, blessed
are they that hear the word of God, and keep it h ." True,
indeed, such persons may not always possess a full assurance
of their interest in Christ: God may, for wise reasons, permit
their minds to be agitated with doubts and fears ; and Satan
may, for a season, greatly harass and distress them. But,
whilst they walk in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto
them ; yea, he has authorized his servants to address them in
these encouraging words : " Who is among you that feareth
the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh
in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of
the Lord, and stay upon his God 1 . Yes, brethren, if only you
are conscientiously endeavouring to approve yourselves to God
in a holy and unreserved obedience, you need not fear. This
very disposition emanates from God : it is itself a fruit and
a Job xx. 4 7. b Isai. Hii. 11. c John xvii. 17.
d Phil. iii. 8. e Hos. viii. 2, 3. f 2 Thess. i. 79.
s 2 Cor. xiii. 5. h Luke viii. 20, 21. and xi. 27, 28.
Isai. 1. 10.
1 JOHN, II. 6. [2435.
evidence of his love ; and it shall assuredly issue in everlasting-
felicity : for, as sure as God is true, " light is sown for the
righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart V]
k Ps. xcvii. 11.
MMCCCCXXXV.
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO HIS FOLLOWERS.
1 John ii. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also
so to walk, even as he walked.
AMONG the various excellencies which distin
guish Christianity from all other religions, one of
very considerable importance is, that the Author
of it condescended to exemplify in his own person
every thing which it required of its most faithful
adherents. Different philosophers established rules
for their followers : but no one ever professed himself
a pattern, and much less a perfect pattern, of all that
under any circumstances could be required of him.
But the Lord Jesus Christ has perfectly fulfilled his
own law, as for other ends, so also that he might
" set us an example to follow his steps." True it is
indeed that He is the sole Author of our salvation
from first to last : but he does not on that account
dispense with our obedience to his law : on the con
trary, he says, that " all who abide in him, must walk
as he walked."
There are some who deny that the law is to the
believer a rule of life. But supposing this error
could not be refuted by direct testimony, which it
easily and abundantly may, what would the advocates
of it gain, if once they admitted, what I suppose no
man would deny, that Christ is an example for us to
follow ? Did not he " fulfil all righteousness," even
to the utmost extent of the moral law ? And if he
did, and is an example to us, must not we obey the
law in the same manner, and to the same extent ?
We are not indeed to fulfil it for the same ends ; be
cause he alone, as the Mediator between God and
man, can save men by his obedience unto death : but
2435.] CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO HIS FOLLOWERS. 383
in all that he did as a man, we are to follow his steps :
and if we neglect to do so, we shew, that we have no
part or lot in his salvation.
The words I have read will lead me to set before
you the principles, and the practice, of every true
Christian.
I. His principles
The Christian is united unto Christ by faith, as a
branch to the vine ; and his one great concern is to
"abide in Christ."
For this he labours as the one ground of his
hope
[He knows that he has nothing, and can have nothing, in
himself. He needs no one to tell him this : he has learned it,
as from the inspired volume, so also from his own experience.
He has found on numberless occasions how weak and sinful a
creature he is : and is well assured, that, if he had not " Je
hovah himself for his righteousness and strength," it would be
impossible for him ever to be saved. Hence he views with
complacency the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Head of the
Church. " It has pleased the Father, that in Christ should
all fulness dwell a :" and in this respect he is altogether like-
minded with the Father : for it pleases him in his inmost soul
to have such a Head of vital influence, and such a Depository
of all spiritual blessings. He is sensible that the branch de
rives all its life and fertility from its union with the vine : and
that, if once separated from the stem, it would wither and die b .
This idea he endeavours to realize: and " the life which he lives
in the flesh, he lives altogether by faith in the Son of God c ,"
" receiving out of his fulness d " a constant supply of grace and
peace. If, as a blind and ignorant creature, he need wisdom ;
or as a guilty creature, he need righteousness ; or as a polluted
creature, he need sanctification ; or as an enslaved creature,
he need redemption : he looks for it all in Christ, whom he
regards as furnished with all for the use of his Church, and as
empowered to communicate it all to every one that trusts in
him 6 .]
In this he glories as his most exalted privilege
[Humiliating as this life of dependence at first sight ap
pears, he considers it as his highest honour, and as raising him
even above Adam in Paradise. Adam, when in Paradise, was
Col. i. 19. b John xv. 15. c Gal. ii. 21.
<* John i. 16. e 1 Cor. i. 30.
384 1 JOHN, II. 6. [2435.
indeed perfect : but to him was committed the task of working
out a righteousness for himself, and of maintaining by his own
inherent powers his steadfastness in the divine life. And
hence he fell, and died, and involved both himself and all his
posterity in ruin. But the believer has a righteousness
wrought out for him by his incarnate God ; and " his life,"
instead of being committed to his own keeping, " is hid with
Christ in God," where Satan cannot reach it ; and therefore,
since Christ has engaged that none shall ever pluck out of his
hands those whom the Father hath committed to him, he shall
endure unto the end : and, " when Christ, who is his life, shall
appear, shall assuredly appear with him in glory f ." Thus, in
respect both of honour and security, is the believer elevated
even above Adam himself; since he has not a creature-right
eousness wherein to stand before God, or a created power to
uphold him; but a righteousness that is divine, and an arm
that is omnipotent. To form a right judgment of his state,
we must attend to what our blessed Lord himself has spoken
on this subject. Indeed his words are so strong, that no man
would dare to utter them if not warranted by his authority.
What would you say, if I were to affirm, that the life of faith
resembles the very life which the Lord Jesus Christ lived when
on earth; and that the believer has the same dependence on
the Lord Jesus Christ, as Christ himself, during his incarnate
state, had on the Father ; and the same security in him too ;
would you not be almost ready to shut your ears, and to
accuse the preacher of blasphemy ? Yet is this what we are
authorized by Christ himself to declare. Hear his own words :
" He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in
me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and /
live by the Father, even so he that eateth me, even he shall live
by me%." Say, beloved, is not here a ground of glorying? and,
if the believer did not glory in this privilege, would not the
very stones cry out against him ?]
Whilst with confidence we affirm these to be the
Christian s principles, we with no less confidence
proceed to declare,
II. His practice
It is thought by many that a life of faith is un
friendly to morality ; since if all our righteousness is
in Him, what need have we of any of our own ? and,
if he be engaged to keep us, what need have we of
any care or watchfulness to keep ourselves ? But
Col. iii. 3, 4. s John vi. 56, 57
2435. J CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO HIS FOLLOWERS. 385
this reasoning is altogether fallacious : since every
one who by faith abides in Christ, acknowledges it his
bounden duty to " walk as he walked."
He acknowledges it, I say, as his bounden duty
[He does not conceive of Christ as liberating him from
the obligations of morality : for though he is free from the law
as a covenant, he is not free from it, nor would wish to be
freed from it, as a rule of life. He considers himself as " not
without law, but under the law to Christ." Were he per
mitted to violate the commands of God, he would account it a
curse rather than a privilege. Such a liberty would appear to
him only like a permission to drink poison, which, however
sweet to the taste, would prove " the gall of asps within him."
So far from imagining himself freed from the restraints of the
law, he considers all that Christ has done for him as laying him
under ten-fold obligations to holiness both of heart and life.
His motives to obedience are changed indeed : but his obliga
tions to it are not a whit diminished, yea, rather, are greatly
heightened ; because he well knows, that the very end for
which his Saviour died was, to redeem us from all iniquity,
and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good
works."]
He makes it his constant and determined aim
[The true believer is not a mere follower of Christ, but
an imitator also h : and it is his delight to set the Saviour before
him as his great Exemplar. When he sees how entirely the
soul of Jesus was wrapped up in his work, and that it was
" his meat and drink to do his Father s will," he pants, and
sighs, and with shame and sorrow of heart exclaims, O that
there were "in me the mind that was in Christ Jesus!"
When he beholds the ardour of Christ s love to man, his
unwearied labours, his patient sufferings, his exertions in
every possible way, he girds up his loins, and follows the foot
steps of his Lord; and though he knows that he can never
attain to his perfection, yet he proposes to himself no object
short of that, and strives to be " holy as he was holy," and
" perfect as he was perfect:" nor does the glory of heaven
itself appear more desirable in his eyes, than does a conformity
to the Saviour s image in righteousness and true holiness. In
a peculiar manner, he notices the tempers of his Divine Master ;
his meekness, his patience, his forbearance, his love to enemies,
his compassion even to his very murderers : he sees what a
fallen creature he himself is, and he cries mightily to God for
grace and strength, that he may be enabled to mortify every
h 1 Cor. xi. 1. the Greek.
VOL. XX. C C
386 I JOHN, II. 6. [2435.
feeling that is opposite to love, and to " purify himself even as
his Lord and Master was pure 1 ."]
Now as this subject gives us a deep insight into
the whole of the Gospel system, I will embrace this
opportunity,
1. Of establishing the principles of those who are
in doubt
[The Christian world has been much divided on the sub
ject of faith and works : and we may easily conceive that some,
who are well affected towards the Gospel, may feel a doubt,
whether in our statements of the truth we do not elevate faith
too high, and sink morality below its proper level. But the
text, I conceive, will settle this point at once. I grant, that
they who require good works in whole or in part to justify us
before God, do in appearance shew a high sense of their
value : and that they who decry them in this point of view, and
declare that such a dependence on them will invalidate the
whole Gospel, and sink us into perdition, do in appearance
betray an indifference towards them. But I would ask, Does
any advocate for the merit of good works ever propose to
himself so high a standard as that in my text? and, if any
one inculcate the necessity of walking to the very uttermost
as Christ walked, do they not account him " righteous over
much ? " Yes assuredly, they always have a lower standard
than that which is proposed to them in the Gospel. On the
other hand, they who exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, and live by
faith on him, will admit of no rule of conduct which does not
embrace the whole law, and lead to a perfect conformity to
the Lord Jesus Christ. And hence it is, that the followers of
Christ are as much condemned for their unnecessary zeal and
strictness, as for the supposed licentiousness of their principles.
Here then the point is brought to the very test, which the
advocates of human merit profess to approve. Let the two
opposite systems be tried by this touchstone ; * Which requires
of its votaries the sublimer and more enlarged morality? and
we consent, that this issue, fairly tried, shall determine the
point for ever. They who live in any measure of self-righteous
ness and self-sufficiency, will walk as the world walketh ; but
they who abide in Christ as their only hope, will with all their
might endeavour to walk as Christ walked.]
2. Of directing the energies of those who have
embraced the Gospel
[Be not faint or weary in well-doing : but set the Lord
ever before you, and endeavour to resemble him in the whole
> 1 John iii, 3.
2436.] THE TRUE LIGHT. 387
" spirit of his mind" and the whole course of his conduct. Of
course, what he spake as the Great Prophet of the Church, or
did as the Redeemer of the world, was peculiar to himself, and
can be no pattern for us : but in all that he either spake or
did as man, we are to follow him without reserve. If we
propose to ourselves any lower standard, or except any one of
God s commandments from our rule of duty, we are not Christ s
disciples. See what is said in our text, " He that saith he
abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he
walked :" and again in the following chapter : " Whosoever
abideth in him, sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth, hath not
seen him, neither known him k ." Here then you see what all
your profession of faith will amount to, if it do not approve
itself by its fruits: it will be a self-delusion, and a lie altogether.
Come then, beloved, and address yourselves to your high and
heavenly work. Ye see your calling : O strive to " walk worthy
of it!" yea, " worthy of the Lord," whose you are, and whom
you profess to serve. Thus will you vindicate the Gospel from
the charges which ignorant and ungodly men bring against it ;
and will prove to all around you that it is indeed " the wisdom
of God, and the power of God unto salvation."]
k 1 John iii. 6. See also 1 John ii. 4.
MMCCCCXXXVI.
THE TRUE LIGHT.
1 John ii. 8. The darkness is past, and the true light now
shineth.
OUR blessed Lord is supposed by many to have
enlarged the demands of the moral law. That he
speaks of giving a new commandment is certain :
" A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love
one another : as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another 3 ." St. John also speaks to the same
effect in the words before my text ; though, in the
words immediately preceding, he had declared, that
it was not a new commandment. The reconciling of
this difficulty will suggest the true explanation of our
text. The command given us to love our neighbour
as ourselves, was not a new commandment. It was
a part of the moral law b ; and of the law originally
a John xiii. 34. b Lev. xix. 18.
-c c2
388 1 JOHN, II. 8. [2436.
written on the heart of man in Paradise. Yet in
some respects it was a new law : both as it respected
the Lord Jesus who enacted it, and as it respected
us on whom it was enjoined. Let us hear what the
Apostle himself says : " Brethren, I write no new
commandment unto you, but an old commandment
which ye had from the beginning. The old com
mandment is the word which ye have heard from the
beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto
you : which thing is true in him, and in you" It was
new as it respected the Lord Jesus Christ, who had
proposed his own conduct as the model (which, of
course, it could not be, till he himself had completed
his work on earth), and had enforced it with his own
authority as Mediator, which also must be subse
quent to his entrance on the mediatorial office. And
it was new also as it respected us, because it was never
before conceived to extend to the " laying down of
our lives for the brethren ," and because it was en
joined with new motives, such as could never have
existed before, even the testifying of our love to
Christ, " who has loved us, and given himself for
us." Previous to the coming of our Lord, a veil of
obscurity hanged over these things : but now they
were made clear, " because the darkness was past,
and the true light now shined."
In considering the change which is here spoken of,
I shall notice it,
I. As verified at that day
The darkness of the Mosaic dispensation was then
dispelled
[That was a dark and shadowy dispensation altogether.
God himself was not made known by it as the common Father
of all, but as the friend only of one peculiar people, whom he
favoured above all others. The way of acceptance with him
was very indistinctly seen in the sacrifices which were offered ;
there being but little spoken to direct the attention of the
offerers to that great Sacrifice, from whence alone they derived
all their efficacy. Nor were the requirements of the moral law
c I John iii. 16.
THE TRUE LIGHT.
389
2436.]
by any means clearly revealed ; the very commandments them
selves consisting only of prohibitions, and those prohibitions
extending, for the most part, only to overt acts. Hence Taul
himself, educated as he was by the first master of his day, and
pre-eminently conversant as he was with the Mosaic writings,
did not, till his eyes were opened by the Spirit of God, under
stand the spiritual import of the law, or the extent ot the
command, "Thou shalt not covet d ." Besides, there were
many enactments for the direction of magistrates in the admi
nistration of justice, which, when erroneously construed as
rules of duty in private life, seemed to authorize revenge ; as,
" an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
But our blessed Lord threw the true light on the xvhole ot
that economy. He declared plainly, that he was " come to
fulfil the law," and " to give his life a ransom for many. h
directed the people to look to him as " the way, by which alone
any one could come to the Father ; as the truth" in whom all
the types and shadows of the law were realized ; and " as the
life," by whom alone any sinner in the universe could live .
He explained also the moral law, and freed it from all the
glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees, by which it had beei
obscured; declaring, that it extended to the thoughts and
desires of the heart, no less than to the overt act. In particular
he made known the great duty of love, as comprehending
the whole law in all its branches, and in its utmost extent.
Thus in relation both to doctrine and morals it might be
truly said, that " the darkness was past, and the true light
then shined."]
The darkness was also dispelled from their minds-
[All by nature are in darkness; and, even though the
light shines around them, they are not able to apprehend U;
" the eyes of their understanding being altogether darkened.
Of all whilst in a state of unbelief it is expressly said, that
" the God of this world hath blinded their eyes . But by the
Gospel, accompanied with power from on high, they had been
" turned from darkness unto light, and from the power ot
Satan unto God*." They now acknowledged Jesus as their
Saviour ; and had obtained " reconciliation with God through
the blood of his cross." They had now an insight into that
stupendous mystery, which all " the angels in heaven are
desiring to look into," the redemption of the world by the
sacrifice of our incarnate God; and, together with that, had
acquired iust views of the state in which a redeemed sinner
ought to live. In a word, they had been "brought out c
a Rom. vii. 7, 9. e John xiv. 6.
f 2 Cor. iv. 4. g Acts xxvi. 18.
390 1 JOHN, II. 8. [2436.
darkness into marvellous light 11 ." So that they were able to
appreciate the necessity and the excellency of the command
ment which was now enjoined.]
But let us contemplate this glorious change,
II. As fulfilled also amongst ourselves
Certainly, the true light does shine among you
[The Lord Jesus " Christ is fully preached among you."
His person, his work, his offices are set before you. You have
seen from time to time the types, as completed in their great
Antitype ; and the prophecies, as fulfilled in him to whom they
had respect, even "Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph."
The covenant of grace, which was made with him in our behalf,
has been opened to you, and all the great and precious pro
mises that are contained in it unfolded to your view. Salvation,
in all its freeness, and in all its fulness, has been offered to
you ; and all the perfections of God, as pledged for your en
couragement, have been brought in review before you. Nor
has the nature of evangelical obedience been either partially
or sparingly declared. The distinction between the letter and
the spirit of the law has been copiously displayed ; and all the
high requirements of the Gospel been made known ; and not
declared only, but enforced also by every species of argument
that could address itself to your understanding, your con
science, or your will. I say not, that these things have been
so fully manifested as they ought to have been, or might have
been : because, if my own views had been more enlarged, and
my own soul been more deeply impressed with these things,
my ministrations would no doubt have been more luminous
and beneficial : but this I can say, that I have " not knowingly
withheld any thing that could be profitable unto you;" nor,
according to the measure of light arid grace given unto me,
" have I shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of
God V In this respect therefore I may say, that, if at any time
there have been darkness here, that darkness is past : and the
true light shines among you, in such a degree, at least, as is
sufficient to " guide all your feet into the way of peace."]
But can it be said that the darkness is passed
away from the souls of all ?
[Would to God that my text were true in this extent
also. Beloved brethren, are not many of you still in the
darkness, if not of Judaism itself, yet of the Judaizing teachers,
who insisted on combining some obedience of their own with
the merits of Christ? Are not the beauty, and glory, and
h 1 Pet. ii. 9. * Acts xx. 20, 27.
2436.] THE TRUE LIGHT. 31)1
excellency of our holy religion so indistinctly seen by many
amongst you, that it produces scarcely any effect upon your
hearts and lives ? If we look at morals, are not your views
of them also very imperfect? Read our Lord s Sermon on
the Mount, and see whether your heart go along with it in all
that it inculcates respecting patience, forbearance, meekness,
forgiveness? Read St. Paul s description of love in the 13th
chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, and see whe
ther that be the standard at which you aim, and by which you
estimate your attainments? Have you any idea of your duty
to your brethren requiring, that, if it may subserve their
spiritual and eternal interests, you should lay down your life
for them ? I will not ask what speculative notions you may
have of these things ; for in that respect your views may be
correct enough : but what is your practice ? it is by that that
your character must be tried : and, when tried by that, say
whether you are not found altogether wanting. That there is
great danger of self-deceit in reference to this matter, is clear
from what the Apostle says in the very words following my
text : " He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother,
is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother,
abideth in the light ; and there is none occasion of stumbling
in him ; but he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and
walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, be
cause that darkness hath blinded his eyes k ." You perceive
that a man may be very confident that he is in the light ; and
yet be so defective in respect of love, as to be in utter dark
ness, and going he knows not whither. I pray you, guard
against so fatal a delusion as this ; and never conceive your
selves to be " children of light," till your whole spirit and
temper, candidly examined, attest that you are " walking as
children of the light 1 ."]
It may be that you would wish to have two QUESTIONS
solved :
With answering them, I will conclude the sub
ject
1. How shall I obtain the change spoken of in the
text?
[Many directions I might give you ; and all proper in
their place : but there is one, which, if it do not supersede all
others, will at least prove amply sufficient for this occasion.
Our blessed Lord says. " I am the light of the world : he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
* ver. 1113. i Eph. v. 8.
1 JOHN, II. 8. [2436.
of life." Here the direction is from such authority as cannot
be withstood, and at the same time so complete, that, if fol
lowed, it cannot but succeed. In truth, all other directions,
in comparison of this, are like advising persons to light a taper
of their own, when they might come forth at once to the noon
day sun. By the Lord Jesus Christ the whole darkness, whe
ther from without or from within, shall be dispersed at once.
The nature and perfections of God, the spirituality and extent
of the law, the use of the whole of the Mosaic ritual, together
with the whole work of redemption, will all be made visible as
the light itself, to one who obtains just views of Christ. The
whole system of morals too will be rendered clear and luminous;
and all the sublime motives and encouragements to obedience
be reflected with irresistible efficacy upon the soul. This then
I say; Go to the Lord Jesus Christ: follow him : contemplate
him ; believe in him as having in himself all fulness for the
supply of those who trust in him : and you shall soon " be
guided into all truth," and experience in the richest abundance
the glory and blessedness of his salvation.]
2. How shall I improve that change, supposing it
to have been wrought within me ?
[This is a question which every child of light should ask :
and, as our blessed Lord answered the former, so shall the
Apostle Paul answer this. Speaking to persons who were
truly enlightened, he says, " Ye are all the children of the
light and of the day : we are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others ; but let us watch and
be sober : for they that sleep, sleep in the night ; and they that
be drunken, are drunken in the night : but let us who are of
the day be sober, putting on the breast-plate of faith and love,
and for an helmet the hope of salvation 11 ." You can easily
perceive that a change of views should be followed by a cor
responding change of conduct ; and, consequently, that hence
forth you should " have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them ." The mercy
vouchsafed to you, has not been given for yourselves alone,
but for others also; before whom you ought to "shine as
lights in a dark place p ," yea so to shine, that all who " be
hold your light may be constrained to glorify your Father that
is in heaven."]
m John viii. 12. n 1 Thess. v. 5 8.
Eph. v. 11. P Phil. ii. 15, 16.
2437.] PRIVILEGES OF GOD s CHILDREN. 393
MMCCCCXXXVII.
THE DIFFERENT GROWTH AND PRIVILEGES OF GOD s
CHILDREN.
1 John ii. 12 14. / write unto you, little children, because
your sins are forgiven you for his name s sake. I write unto
you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the
beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have
overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children,
because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you,
fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong,
and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome
the wicked one.
THE word of God is intended for every individual
of mankind, that all, being acquainted with their own
state, may know what God says respecting them.
On this account it is the duty of ministers to mark
with accuracy the discriminating features of every
character, and, by " rightly dividing the word of
truth," to " give to every one his portion in due
season." St. John affords us a good example with
respect to this : for, not content with "separating the
precious from the vile," he arranges the saints them
selves into distinct classes, according to their several
attainments, and declares to each those peculiar
marks wherein they differ from each other.
There is indeed a tautology in this place, such
as does not occur in any other part of the inspired
volume. Whether this was intended, or whether a
considerable part of the thirteenth verse was inserted
by the mistake of an early transcriber, we cannot
say : but the whole of that verse, except the last
clause, might be omitted without any loss, because
every word in it is repeated afterwards.
Our intention is simply to address the several
classes of Christians here specified ; first drawing
their respective characters, and then setting before
them their distinctive privileges and attainments.
I. We speak to " you, little children"-
394 1 JOHN, II. 1214. [2437.
[In order to come under this title, it is necessary that you
should have been " begotten with the incorruptible seed, the
Word of God," and been brought into God s family by the
renewing influences of his Spirit. It is not supposed that
you have grown to any stature in the family of Christ, but, on
the contrary, that you have either recently " come out of
darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel," or, at least,
made very little advance in the divine life. You are, however,
born again. You have seen your guilt and helplessness ; you
have fled to Christ for refuge : you have sought for mercy
through the blood and righteousness of your incarnate God.
You have obtained a new nature : and, though you are yet
weak in all your faculties and all your powers, there is no part
in you that is wholly unrenewed. Your understanding, though
dark, is enlightened with some rays from the Sun of Righteous
ness. Your affections, though far from pure, are yet, on the
whole, turned to God, arid heavenly things. The Divine image,
though far from perfect, is, in a measure, formed upon your
souls ; so that it already appears whose you are, by the re
semblance which you bear to your heavenly Father.
Hear then the privileges which belong to you. In the
first place, we declare from God himself, that " your sins
are forgiven you." Whatever they may have been, however
numerous, however heinous, (God makes no distinction, nor
can we presume to make any,) they are all " blotted out of
the book of God s remembrance," nor shall so much as one of
them ever appear in judgment against you. From the first
moment that you believed in Christ, and became truly re
generate, this was your happy portion : you were not to wait
for it till a life of holiness should confirm your title to it :
a free and full pardon was yours, the very instant you became
a child of God. But remember for whose sake this pardon
has been bestowed upon you. It has not been for your own
sake ; for you deserved nothing but wrath ; yea, if God at this
moment were to enter into judgment with you according to
your present deserts, you must inevitably perish. God has
had respect to his dear Son: and " for HIS sake" has forgiven
you. The pardon you enjoy, was bought with the precious
blood of Christ. It is altogether on account of what Christ
has done and suffered for you, that you have found acceptance.
" There is no other name given under heaven whereby you,
or any other sinner, can be saved, but the name of Jesus
Christ."
Further, it is said of you, that " ye have known the Father."
Your views of the Gospel are at present very partial, and con
fused. You merely see that you were sinners before God: and
that God, in infinite mercy, sent his only-begotten Son to
die for you ; and that through the death of Christ you are to
2437.] PRIVILEGES OF GOD S CHILDREN. 395
obtain mercy. Hence you are emboldened to look unto God
as reconciled to you in Christ Jesus; and with a spirit of
adoption to cry, Abba, Father. Thus, though you see as yet
but little of the work and offices of Christ, you know the Father
as a just, yet merciful, and gracious God.]
II. We would next address " you, young men"
[As in the natural world children grow up to manhood, so
in the spiritual world there is a similar progress to maturity.
We might proceed to draw the necessary distinctions between
your infantile and adult state : but the privileges annexed to
your state in the words of our text, will serve at the same time
to mark the progress which you have made in the divine life ;
and therefore we shall confine ourselves to them.
You then are declared to be " strong :" and in this you differ
widely from your former state : for whereas you formerly were
liable to be " tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine," and
to be overcome by every temptation, you now have obtained a
stability both in knowledge and in grace. Not that you are
stronger in yourselves than you were formerly : but you have
learned how weak you are ; and have been led to rely wholly
on the Lord Jesus Christ ; and " through him have been
enabled to do" what, in your self-confident state, you were
unable to perform. Hence " ye are strong ; but it is in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus, and in the power of his might."
Your conscious weakness is the means of your strength.
You can say with the Apostle, " when I am weak, then am
I strong."
It is characteristic of your state also, that " the word of God
abideth in you." When you were children, you knew but
little of the word of God ; but you have studied it : you have
" desired it, and delighted in it, as unadulterated milk ; and
by means of it have grown up" to maturity. You have found
that there is no weapon so powerful as that. You have
learned, not only from the Saviour s example, but from your
own experience, that one single arrow taken out of that quiver
is sufficient to vanquish all the hosts of hell. Hence you have
been led to treasure up the promises in your memory ; and to
have recourse to the inspired volume for direction and support
in every emergency.
Further, it is said, that " you have overcome the wicked one."
In your earlier days Satan beguiled and vanquished you in ten
thousand instances ; but now you have attained the knowledge
of his devices. He himself, if we may so speak, has at last
taught you how to repel his assaults, and to resist him with
success. You are become expert in the spiritual warfare.
You know how to wield " the sword of the Spirit." You
know when and where to expect your enemy. You know
396 1 JOHN, II. 1214. [2437.
the way in which he manages his assaults. And you have
learned to combat him upon your knees. This, though a
disadvantageous posture in earthly conflicts, you have found
to be the best that can possibly be resorted to in the spiritual
warfare. Hence you have had the comfort of seeing that
wicked fiend, who assaulted you with the subtilty of a serpent,
and the fury of a roaring lion, flee from your face intimidated
and confounded 3 ."
O remember these your high privileges, and labour con
tinually to walk worthy of them ! ]
III. Lastly, we would speak to you also who are
"fathers" in Christ
[As age and experience elevate a man to a higher rank
in the community than he possessed while in the vigour of his
youth, so it is in the Church of God. Not that age, or even
long continuance in the Church of Christ, can entitle a man to
the appellation of " father :" for some are not born to God till
they are far advanced in life ; and others, through carnality or
sloth, have made so little progress in religion, that they have
need to be treated as babes, when, for the time that they have
professed godliness, they ought to have attained the age and
stature of fathers b . Those only are deserving of this honour
able name, who have maintained a long and successful conflict
with the powers of darkness.
Respecting you then it is said, that " ye have known him
that is from the beginning." Whom he intended to designate
under this expression, the Apostle himself tells us : it is Christ,
who " was in the beginning with God, and was God c ." Now
the distinction between you and young men principally consists
in this; that by your numerous conflicts you have been com
pelled to make use of Christ in all his offices, and have thereby
attained a more extensive knowledge of his love and mercy,
his power and grace, his truth and faithfulness. From your
own experience therefore you can trust in him yourselves, and
can exhort others also to trust in him with the most unlimited
confidence, and to glory in him as their " all in all."
See then, fathers, that ye improve your knowledge for this
end : and soon ye shall " see him as ye are seen, and know
him as ye are known " ]
APPLICATION
1. To those who are included under any of the
foregoing titles
a Jam. iv. 7. b 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. Heb. v. 12.
c Compare John i. 1. with 1 John i. 1.
2438.] LOVE OF THE WORLD FORBIDDEN. 397
[Let the least and meanest in God s family rejoice in the
unspeakable blessings vouchsafed unto them. But let not the
most advanced imagine, that they are not yet to proceed to
higher attainments. All must " war a good warfare ;" all must
seek to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus :" all must " be faithful unto death, if ever they would
obtain a crown of life."]
2. To those who have never yet been brought
into the family of God
[Dearly beloved, the forgiveness of sins is the exclusive
privilege of God s children. This is manifestly implied in the
address to little children. O then seek to be made new crea
tures in Christ Jesus! Our Lord tells you repeatedly that
" you MUST be born again :" and that, " if you be not, you
never can enter into the kingdom of heaven." Pray then that
you may " be born of the Spirit;" and that you may be in
terested in the Redeemer s death. So shall you be numbered
with the children of God, and be made partakers of their
inheritance for evermore.]
MMCCCCXXXVIII.
LOVE OF THE WORLD FORBIDDEN.
1 John ii. 15 17. Love not the world, neither the things that
are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust
of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof : but he that doeth the will of God
abide th for ever*.
WHATEVER our attainments may be in the
divine life, we still need the voice of warning and
exhortation, to keep us from the evils to which we
a This text might be treated somewhat differently : Thus,
Consider,
I. The persons addressed.
II. The exhortation given them.
III. The force of the exhortation as so addressed.
The two first heads might easily be taken from this and the fore, -
qoing Discourse ; and the third head be treated in distinct Addresses
to the three different classes. Thus,
" Little Children ; " Think into how many sins the world ha c
398 1 JOHN, II. 1517. [2438.
are exposed. As believers, we have been brought
out of " a world which lieth in wickedness :" but still
we are encompassed with temptations, and bear about
with us a corrupt nature which is ever liable to be
ensnared by them. In persons most advanced in the
divine life " the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, as well
as the Spirit against the flesh ; so that they cannot
do all that they would ;" and may be easily seduced
to do things, which, according to their better judg
ment, they would not.
The Apostle has been addressing the whole Chris
tian Church according to their age and stature in the
divine life, under the names of Little Children, Young
Men, and Fathers ; and now, to the one as well as to
the other of these classes, he gives the injunction in
our text. Let all classes therefore amongst you also
receive the word as addressed personally to your
selves, whilst we consider,
I. The injunction here given
There are few subjects, if any, in the whole course
of our ministrations, that require a more careful
and temperate discussion than that before us. The
solemnity with which it is introduced, and the extra
ordinary emphasis with which it is impressed on our
minds, evince beyond a doubt the great importance
of it : whilst, as if it were of no importance whatever,
or there were no danger of erring in relation to it,
enticed you ; and will you love the world now that those " sins are
forgiven you ? "
" Young Men; The world is Satan s ground : withdraw from it,
and you vanquish him ; but go back to it, and he will " overcome
you."
" Fathers." You who have attained such a knowledge of God, can
not but see how irreconcileable the love of the world is with the love
of God. Light and darkness are not more opposed to each other than
are these opposing tastes. Compare Rom. viii. 5, 6. and Jam. iv. 4.
with the text.
A more impressive subject than this would be, can scarcely be con
ceived ; especially if the two parts were first treated separately, as in
this book, and then a third Sermon were written on them conjointly,
and the connexion between them formed the sole and entire subject of the
sermon.
2438. J LOVE OF THE WORLD FORBIDDEN. 399
every one puts the construction upon it which suits
his own habits and inclinations, and takes for granted
that his views of it are correct. But the truth is,
that there is in this subject a need for the nicest
discrimination, lest, on the one hand, we make the
prohibition more strict than Jehovah himself intended
it to be ; or, on the other hand, give to it a latitude
which is contrary to his mind, and ruinous to all who
practically adopt it. A man who lives in monastic
seclusion will be ready to say, that this passage forbids
all intercourse with the world : whilst a person living
in an unrestrained commerce with the world, will see
in it nothing that condemns the most unrestrained
compliance with the maxims and habits of the world,
provided they be not palpably and grossly immoral.
In like manner they will differ as widely respecting
the extent of the prohibition as the object of it ; the
one supposing that every degree of inclination towards
the world is forbidden ; the other, thinking himself
at liberty to " wallow in earthly indulgences as a sow
in the mireV It is obvious therefore that we should
enter on this subject with extreme caution ; deter
mining with the greatest care,
1. The import of the terms
[What are we to understand by " the world?" In
answer to this question, I should say, it comprehends all the
things of time and sense, as standing in opposition to the things
which relate to a better world. The Apostle Paul suggests to
us this very distinction, when he says that we are to " look,
not at the things which are seen and are temporal, but at the
things which are not seen and eternal ." This will appear
more clear, whilst we consider what is meant by " loving" the
world. We are not to understand by it every degree of attach
ment to it, but only such a degree as is inordinate, and such a
degree as puts its object in competition with the things which are
invisible and eternal. Amongst the things of time and sense
must be reckoned a man s intercourse with his own family.
Shall we then say, that a man ought to have no pleasure in the
society of his own wife and children ? Such an absurdity
carries its own refutation along with it. Hence then I take
the term, not in a positive, but comparative, sense ; and regard
t> 1 Pet. ii. 22. c 2 Cor. iv. 18.
400 1 JOHN, II. 1517. [2438.
it as importing, that we are not to give to any object of time
and sense that kind or measure of affection which is due only
to things of eternal moment.
The Apostle s own explanation of his meaning will throw
further light on this matter. " The lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eye, and the pride of life," are very generally under
stood as importing all those things which administer to sensual
gratification ; and those things which, when beheld, are apt to
fascinate us with their attractions ; and those things which men
chiefly affect, as elevating them in the estimation of mankind ;
or, in other words, pleasure, and riches, and honour. And if
to these we apply what was before specified as implied in the
term " love," we shall be prepared to determine with very
considerable accuracy,]
2. The extent of the prohibition
[The word "love" comprehends three things; esteem,
desire, and delight : and, if we apply it in this extent to the
various things above-mentioned, we shall, I think, understand
with clearness the Apostle s meaning in our text. Some mea
sure of love, I again say, the things of this world are entitled
to : they may be esteemed, as gifts from a gracious God ; they
may be desired, as means of honouring him, and benefiting our
fellow-creatures ; and they may be delighted in, as conducive
to our comfort, when rightly improved : for " God has given us
all things richly to enjoy d ." But,
They are not to be esteemed, as though they possessed any
intrinsic good. They are all in themselves empty, vain, perish
ing, and utterly incapable of administering any real comfort to
the soul, or even of benefiting us at all, any farther than God
shall be pleased to make use of them for that end.
They are not to be desired so as in the least degree to interfere
with our pursuit of higher and better things. "Our affec
tions are to be set on things above, and not on things on the
earth 6 ." The two cannot, and must not, be put in compe
tition with each other. The one, how dear soever in itself,
must be despised and hated in comparison of the other :
father, mother, wife, children, yea and our own life also, must
be of no account with us, if they at all stand in our way of
serving and honouring our God f . His claims are paramount
to every other ; and there is nothing either in heaven or on
earth to be desired in comparison of him g .
They are not to be delighted in, as things in which, to what
ever extent they were multiplied, we could be satisfied with
taking up our rest. Job seems to have had singularly clear
d 1 Tim. vi. 17. e Col. iii. 2.
f Luke xiv. 26. s p s . Ixxiii. 25.
2438.] LOVE OF THE WORLD FORBIDDEN. 401
and just views of this subject: " If," says he, " I have made
gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my
confidence; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and
became mine hand had gotten much ; this were an iniquity to
be punished by the judge, for then I should have denied the
God that is above 11 ." Whoever he be that, on account of
his earthly comfort, says, " Soul, take thine ease," is justly
branded as " a fool," and to all eternity will find occasion to
bewail his folly.]
With the help of these distinctions I think we may
fix, with some precision, the true import of the in
junction before us, and may proceed in a satisfactory
manner to consider further,
II. The reasons with which it is enforced
In confirmation of what he says respecting the
world, the Apostle declares,
1. That it is not worthy of our love
[If we look at its nature, how base is it! " it is not of the
Father, but of the world." What is there in the whole circle
of the world that can boast of an heavenly origin ? Nothing,
not an atom of it either comes from God, or leads to God, any
farther than it is sanctified unto us by the covenant of grace.
It is enjoyed by heathens, as well as by Christians : and what
does it do for them ? Yea, what does it advance the real wel
fare of the great mass of the Christian world ? It altogether
arose out of the fall of man. In Paradise, the world was
nothing ; and God was all. It was not till sin had entered
into the world, that the world and its lusts were put in com
petition with God, or that a love to present things had attained
an undue ascendant over the soul. And were man still in his
primeval innocence, all pleasures, riches, and honours would
be of no account, any farther than God was enjoyed in them,
and they were made subservient to his glory
Again ; if we look at its duration, it is altogether transient :
"the fashion of this world passeth away, and the lust thereof;
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." What
has the lover of this world of all that he has ever enjoyed ?
and how long will the savour of his present enjoyments abide
with him ? How long can he secure the continuance of them ?
and what will remain of them the moment l^e has departed
hence ? On the other hand, if he love God, and do his will,
he has a continual feast : his gratifications never cloy : his bliss
will bear reflection, and be renewed by the retrospect: the
consciousness that he has a taste for such enjoyments will itself
h Job xxxi. 24, 25, 28.
VOL. xx. D r>
402 1 JOHN, II. 1517. [2438.
be a source of very sublime happiness ; of a happiness which
he will possess under the most afflictive circumstances, and
which will sooth even the pangs of death itself: and this
source of enjoyment, instead of being confined to this present
life, will be infinitely enlarged, and afford inexhaustible sup
plies of bliss to all eternity.
Say then, brethren, whether this world is worthy of a Chris
tian s affections ? I do not hesitate to say, it is not : for it
affords nothing that is capable of satisfying an immortal soul ;
and the poor gratifications it does afford, are all perishing even
whilst they are in our hands *.]
2. That a love to it is absolutely incompatible with
love to God
[How solemn is the declaration, " If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him ? " This, if deli
vered on mans authority, might be deemed uncharitable ; but
it is declared on the authority of God himself: and a very little
reflection will convince us of the truth of it. Can any man
conceive that an angel, if sent down from heaven to sojourn
here for a time, would set his affections on things below ? no ;
we are well assured, that he would have far juster views of
earthly vanities, than to set his heart upon them : his taste
would be too refined for such gross aliment. He would fulfil
the duties that were assigned him, whatever they might be :
but his heart would be with God ; with God supremely, and
with God alone. Thus then it should be with us : and thus
it must be, if we be Christians indeed : for " we cannot serve
God and Mammon k :" "the very friendship of the world is
enmity with God." As the will or desire to serve the king s
enemies, if it were clearly proved, would constitute us traitors
to our king and country, even though we had not succeeded
in our efforts, so the very will and desire to be the friends of
the world is itself sufficient to prove and " constitute us enemies
of God 1 ." As the love of God grows in the soul, the love of
the world abates : and, as the love of the world revives, the
love of God decays : the two are as opposite to each other as
light and darkness : and neither can prevail but by the expul
sion of the other.
Again then I ask, is not here abundant reason for the
injunction in my text? If the love of God and of the world
could exist together, there were some reason for harbouring
both : but as they are in direct and unalterable opposition to
each other, we cannot but unite with the Apostle in this
salutary admonition, " Love not the world."]
Col. ii. 22. k Matt. vi. 24.
1 Jam. iv. 4. See the remarkable force of the words in the
Greek.
2438.] LOVE OF THE WORLD FORBIDDEN. 403
Whilst, however, I cordially unite in this senti
ment, I would add,
\. Be careful in passing judgment upon others
[There is scarcely any subject on which men are so prone
to exercise a censorious disposition as this. They are ready
to make their own habits, or at all events their own views, a
standard for others : and the more strict any persons are in
relation to themselves, the more apt they are to pass an un
charitable judgment upon others. But we are not capable of
judging rightly for others, unless we can put ourselves exactly
into their situation. A person in lower life has little conception
of what may be proper for a person of opulence and distinction.
Besides, there are a thousand circumstances which may pro
duce somewhat of a diversity of conduct in persons of equal
rank and station. Persons in an inferior station are ready to
think that the possession of things that are valuable or splendid,
is wrong : but the text does not say, that we must not possess
the world ; for we may possess crowns and kingdoms : nor does
it say that we may not use the world, or even find pleasure in
it: for we may use it, and find pleasure in it too; since, as has
been before observed, God has " given us all things to enjoy.
and richly to enjoy." The prohibition relates to the heart and
the affections, which are not to be set on the world, or on any
thing in it, in comparison of God. And who can judge the
heart? The man who lives in a palace may have far less love
of the world, than his censorious neighbour that is living in a
cottage. Let us judge ourselves as severely as we please : but
let us leave our neighbour to be judged by him who knows the
heart. " To his own master he standeth or falleth :" the rule
for us to walk by is plain enough : " Judge not, that ye be not
judged."]
2. Be firm and determined in your own course
[What you are to love, is here plainly declared : " The
love of the Father " is put in opposition to the love of the
world : and " the doing of God s will," in opposition to the
seeking of any transient enjoyment. Let this then be your
care, " even to love and serve, not the creature but the Creator
alone m ." Here you need fear no excess. On the contrary, as
the prohibition extends to the world and to all that is in it, so
the command of loving God extends to him, and to all that is
in him ; his whole mind, his whole will, all his perfections, all
his purposes, all his dispensations. In this respect you may
learn of worldly men. See how faithful they are in their
adherence to the world ; how active in its cause, how laborious
m Rom. i. 25.
D D 2
404 1 JOHN, II, 19. [2439.
in its pursuits, how immersed in its enjoyments, how insatiable
in their desires after its richest communications. And, if you
tell them that they are seeking after a mere phantom, they
account you either splenetic or mad. Be ye then firm against
those who would deride your pursuit of heavenly objects ; and
serve your God, as they serve theirs, wholly, uninterruptedly,
and in defiance of all that can be said to turn you from your
ways. In a word, " Be steadfast, immoveable, always abound
ing in the work of the Lord ;" and know, that when they shall
reap only vanity for their recompence, you shall find that
"your labour has not been in vain in the Lord."]
MMCCCCXXXIX.
THE TRUE GROUNDS OF A CHRISTIAN S STABILITY.
1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us ;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued
with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us.
THERE have been many apostasies from the
Church of God, in every age. Of those who for a
time were Christ s disciples, " many went back, and
walked no more with him a ." Of such apostates the
Apostle Paul also complained b : and of such St. John
speaks, in the words before us. There had, many
years before, been teachers who " went forth from
the Apostles in Judaea, subverting the souls of men
by inculcating the necessity of circumcision :" so
now, there were some who separated themselves from
St. John, and the Church under his care ; and, either
by their false doctrines or unholy lives, brought dis
grace upon the Gospel, and obliged the Apostle to
guard the whole Christian Church against them. He
calls them antichrists ; because, in fact, whatever
they might pretend, they were the greatest enemies
to Christ. Not that they had ever been truly upright
before God : for, if they had been really one in heart
and spirit with God s Church and people, they would
never have gone out from them ; but God suffered
them thus to depart, that the Church might no longer
be injured by them, or be involved in their disgrace.
a John vi. 66. b I Tim. v. 12, 15. c Acts xv. 1, 24.
2439.] TRUE GROUNDS OF A CHRISTIAN S STABILITY. 405
But St. John had a further reason for exposing
these apostates. It had been foretold by our blessed
Lord, that, previous to the destruction of Jerusalem,
"there should arise false Christs, and false prophets,
who, if it were possible, should deceive the very
elect ;" and that the prevalence of those persons
should be " a sign that the destruction of the Jewish
Church and polity was near at hand d ." St. John
refers to it in that view : " Little children, it is the
last time : and as ye have heard that antichrist shall
come, even so now are there many antichrists ;
whereby we know it is the last time." Then he
adds, " They went out from us ; but they were not
of us : for if they had been of us, they would no
doubt have continued with us : but they went out,
that they might be made manifest that they were
not all of us."
To elucidate these remarkable words, I will shew,
I. Why the insincere are suffered to become apo
states
All who are insincere do not become apostates :
for we are told, that the tares will grow together
with the wheat, even to the harvest 6 . But God is
pleased to leave some of those who join his Church
to apostatize from it ;
1. That they may be exposed to merited disgrace
[Those who are insincere in their profession of religion
greatly dishonour God, and do incalculable injury to his Church
and people. It is but just, therefore, that they should be left to
expose themselves, and to " make it manifest that they never
truly belonged to the Church of Christ." They were as
branches of the living vine, it is true ; but they were only dead
branches, whose end was to be broken off, and burned f . True,
they were not distinguished from others by their brethren;
who could see no further than the outward act, and were led
from Christian chanty to put the most favourable construction
on all which they did. Not even Judas, who was a thief from
the beginning, was suspected by his fellow Apostles : in fact,
Jiey all questioned their own sincerity, rather than his g .
d Matt. xxiv. 35, 24, 25. * Matt. xiii. 29, 30, 39, 40.
f John xv. 2. s Matt. xxvi. 22.
406 1 JOHN, II. 19. [2439.
Much less was Demas discoverable from others: indeed, so
eminent was his profession, that he was twice joined with
St. Luke, by the Apostle Paul, in his salutations to the
Churches 11 : but we can have no doubt but that the world was
really uppermost in his heart during the whole time of his pro
fession, though, perhaps, unperceived even by himself: and at
last he betrayed to all his lurking preference, and " forsook
the Apostle Paul, having loved this present world 1 ." But, as
" amongst the heathen, who did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave up many to a reprobate mind k ;" so he
gave up these also to the evils of their own hearts, that on them
might come the shame and condemnation which they so richly
merited : " They received not the love of the truth, that they
might be saved ; and God gave them up to their own delusions,
that they might apostatize and perish 1 ."]
2. That they may be a warning to others
[Lot s wife is particularly presented to us in this view.
She came out of Sodom with her husband ; but her heart was
there ; and she looked back, and was made a pillar of salt ;
that is, an everlasting monument of God s righteous indigna
tion, and a warning to all future generations. Hence our
Lord says, " Remember Lot s wife m ." In like manner, the
abandonment of the Israelites in the wilderness to their own
lusts, and to the punishment consequent upon them, was or
dained of God to be a warning " to us, upon whom the ends
of the world are come, to the intent that we should not lust
after evil things, as they did 11 ." In truth, every instance of
apostasy speaks loudly to us, " not to look back, after we have
once put our hand to the plough ;" since, if we do " turn back,
it will be unto perdition p ," and " our last end will be worse
than our beginning* 1 ."
But the remarkable assertion of the Apostle,
relative to the stability of the upright, leads me of
necessity to shew,
II. What security the upright have, that they shall
never be left so to dishonour their holy profes
sion
It is of great importance that this subject be
understood aright. The doctrine of the perseverance
h Col. iv. 14. Philem. ver. 24. i 2 Tim. iv. 10.
k Rom. i. 28.. 1 John xiii. 26, 27- with 2 Thess. ii. 1012.
m Luke xvii. 32. with Gen. xix. 26.
n 1 Cor. x. 6, 11. with 2 Pet. ii. \ 9. Luke ix. 62.
P Heb. x. 38, 39. a 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21.
2439.] TRUE GROUNDS OF A CHRISTIAN S STABILITY. 407
of the saints, as it is called, is by many accounted
extremely dangerous and delusive ; but if it be duly
explained, and placed on its proper grounds, it will
commend itself as perfectly unexceptionable, and as
indisputably true.
It is affirmed by some, that there is in true believers
an indefectible principle of grace, which renders it
impossible for them to fall
[I confess, I think this a very erroneous view of the sub
ject ; and I think that the passages of Scripture adduced in
proof of this doctrine do not warrant the conclusions drawn
from them. Our Lord, we are told, asserts, that " the Holy
Spirit shall be, in his people, a well of water springing up unto
eternal life r ." But this only marks its constant tendency, with
out determining its absolute and certain issue. St. Peter also
says of Christians, that " they are born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible :" but he tells us, in the very next
words, what that seed is ; it is not an inward indefectible prin
ciple of grace, but " the word of God, which liveth and abideth
for ever 8 ." And this throws the true light upon another pas
sage which is cited in confirmation of this point, even on that
assertion of St. John, " Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him : and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God*." A man really born of God doth
not, and will not, commit sin, as once he did : for the tendency
and operation of divine grace will be, to keep him from it.
But the absolute indefectibility of the grace received by him is
not here asserted: nor is it asserted in our text, when it is
said, that, if those apostates had been really and vitally united
to the Church, " they would have remained with the Church."
The doctrine itself is true ; but the ground, on which some en
deavour to establish it, is, in my apprehension, unsound and
erroneous : for I do not conceive that there is, or ever was,
upon the face of the whole earth, a man who could say, " I have
within me an indefectible principle of grace, so that I cannot
fall, or cannot perisli" Even Adam in Paradise could not say
that : and sure I am that St. Paul did not entertain that senti
ment, when he said, " I keep my body under, and bring it
into subjection, lest that, by any means, after having preached
to others, I myself should be a cast-away u ."~\
The stability, of which my text speaks, stands on
other grounds : it arises from,
r John iv. 14. s 1 Pet. i. 23.
t 1 John in. 9. 1 Cor. ix. 27.
408 1 JOHN, II. 19. [2439.
1. The immutability of God s purpose
[" God s counsel shall stand ; and he will do all his plea
sure x ." And this counsel he has exercised in reference to the
salvation of men ; some of whom he has " chosen before the
foundation of the world y ," yea, and " chosen unto salvation,"
through faith in his dear Son 2 : and " those, whom from
eternity he has predestinated to the adoption of children, he
calls and justifies in time, and glorifies in the eternal world a ."
And, as in his nature " he changeth not b ," so, in reference
to these things, " there is with him no variableness, neither
shadow of turning :" and on this our hope, and the hope of
all his people, is founded : for, seeing that, " in order to shew
to us the immutability of his counsel, he has confirmed his
promise with an oath, we, who have fled to Christ for refuge,
have from that very circumstance the more abundant con
solation d ." On this ground, all his people may be confident
that " he will perfect that which concerneth them 6 ;" and that
" He who hath begun the good work in them, will perform it
unto the day of Jesus Christ f ." On this ground, the very least
and weakest of his saints may hope that they shall * endure
unto the end g ;" since they are assured that God " will never,
never leave them, or forsake themV]
2. The sufficiency of his grace
[Were man expected to keep himself, there is no one who
must not sit down in despair. But we expect that God will
exert in our behalf that very power which raised up his dear
Son from the dead 1 ; and that " his strength shall be made
perfect in our weakness k ." We know that " his grace is suf
ficient for us 1 ," how great or numerous soever may be the
difficulties with which we have to contend. We are assured,
that " none can ever pluck us out of his hands" 1 ;" and that,
as " he will not depart from us," so his fear put into our hearts
will be sufficient to keep us from ever departing from him n ;
and, consequently, we may even now exult and triumph over
our enemies, almost as we shall do in heaven itself; saying,
" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Yea, we
may be persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord ."]
x Isai. xlvi. 10. y Eph. i. 4. * 2 Thess. ii. 13.
a Bom. viii. 29, 30. b Mai. iii. 6. c Jam. i. 17.
d Heb. vi. 17, 18. e Ps. cxxxviii. 8. f Phil. i. 6.
2 Thess. iii. 3. h Heb. xiii. 5, 6. * Eph. i. 19.
k 2 Cor. xii. 9. l 2 Cor. xii. 9. ra John x. 29, 30.
11 Jer. xxxii. 40. Rom. viii. 35, 39.
2439.] TRUE GROUNDS OF A CHRISTIAN S STABILITY. 409
It may be asked, Wherein does the difference
between the two views appear ?
[Things often commend themselves more by an easy and
familiar illustration, than by a long train of argument. We
will therefore, with permission, use the simplest illustration
that can well be imagined. Only let it be first remembered
what it is that we are undertaking to illustrate. It is this.
Man, by conversion, is brought into a state which the natural
man, by his own powers, can never attain. When he is
brought into that state, some think that an indefectible prin
ciple is infused into him ; and that, in consequence of that
abiding and indefectible principle, he is, and must of necessity
be, preserved from falling. I admit that he shall be kept
from falling ; but I deny that it will be through the necessary
influence of grace already received. I assert, on the contrary,
that he is in himself as liable to fall as ever, and that it is from
an extrinsic source he derives all his stability: and that, con
sequently, whilst he has the strongest possible hope in God,
he ought to keep in abiding and undiminished exercise a
holy fear : yea more, I must say, that, if once he lose that fear,
and become self-confident, he is already on the very verge of
destruction.
Now, then, take the illustration which is familiar to the
mind even of a child. A kite soaring on high is in a situation
quite foreign to its nature ; as much so as the soul of man is,
when raised above this lower world to high and heavenly
pursuits. A person at a distance sees not how it is kept in
its exalted station : he sees not the wind that blows it, nor
the hand that holds it, nor the string by whose instrumentality
it is held. But all of these powers are necessary to its pre
servation in that preternatural state. If the wind were to
sink, it would fall : if the hand should cease to hold it, or the
string should break, it would fall. It has nothing whatever in
itself to uphold itself: it has the same tendency to gravitate to
the earth as ever it had ; and, if left for a moment to itself, it
would fall. Thus it is with the soul of every true believer. It
has been raised, by the Spirit of God, to a new, a preter
natural, a heavenly state ; and in that state it is upheld by an
invisible and Almighty hand, through the medium of faith.
And upheld it shall be ; but not by any power inherent in itself.
If left for a moment, it would fall as much as ever. Its whole
strength is in God alone ; and its whole security is in the un-
changeableness of his nature, and in the efficacy of his grace.
In a word, " it is kept by the power of God, through faith, unto
salvation 1 *."
P 1 Pet. i. 5. Peter and Judas fell equally. But they were not
equally recovered. And why ? Because the Lord Jesus Christ had
410 1 JOHN, II. 19. [2439.
There is, indeed, one particular, in which the illustration
fails ; namely, that the kite is upheld without any concurrence
of its own ; whereas the soul, notwithstanding its entire de
pendence on God, does yet, in fact, " work out its own sal
vation." I grant this : I grant, that what God effects for the
soul, he effects through the instrumentality of its own volition
and action. But it must be remembered, that " it is He, and
He alone, who works in the soul either to will or to do q ;" and,
consequently, that the work is as much his, as if the believer
himself were purely passive : only, indeed, inasmuch as the
believer s concurrence is necessary, he has the greater cause to
implore of God that aid, " without which he can do nothing 1 "."
If it be said, that here is a distinction without a difference ;
and that, since the certainty of the saint s salvation is admitted,
it signifies not what the means are by which he is saved ; I
reply, that, on the supposition of the grace which has been
once received being absolutely indefectible, a man will feel no
occasion for fear : but, if he depend solely and entirely on
God, he must exercise fear as well as faith. In the one case,
confidence alone is encouraged ; but, in the other, humility :
in the one case, faith alone is called for; in the other, it must
be blended and tempered with holy fear. And this very dis
tinction is marked by the Apostle Paul ; " Thou standest by
faith : be not high-minded, but fear 8 ."]
Let me, then, in CONCLUSION say, Behold,
1. What need we have to cry mightily to God for
grace
[Perish we must, if God uphold us not. And it is in the
continued exercise of prayer alone that we can hope for those
supplies of his grace which are necessary for us " Pray,
then, without ceasing* ;" and beg of him to " hold up your
goings in his paths, that your footsteps slip not u " ]
2. What need we have to guard against the means
and occasions of sin
[We are in the midst of a defiling and ensnaring world ;
and have need of continual care and watchfulness, to " keep
our garments clean x ." If we become careless, Satan will not
fail to take advantage of us, and to draw us into sin y . David
and Peter shew us very abundantly how frail we are, and how
prone to fall, if once we enter into temptation. Hence we are
prayed for Peter, that his faith (the connecting medium between him and
his God) might not fail.
4 Phil. ii. 12, 13. r John xv. 5. s Rom. xi. 20.
* 1 Thess. v. 17. u Ps. xvii. 5. * Rev. xvi. 15.
y Luke xxii. 31.
2440.] THE UNCTION OF THE HOLY ONE. 411
told to " come out from the ungodly world, and not to touch
the unclean thing," if we would have the presence and the bless
ing of our God z . Our eyes, our ears, " our hearts, we must
keep with all diligence 8 ;" for it is by resisting Satan that we
must overcome him b : and then only, when we, on our part,
contend manfully with him, are we authorized to hope that
" God will bruise him under our feet c ."]
z 2 Cor. vi. 17. a Job xxxi. 1. Prov. iv. 23.
b Jam. iv. 7. c Eph. vi. 11, 13. Rom. xvi. 20.
MMCCCCXL.
THE UNCTION OF THE HOLY ONE.
1 John ii. 20. Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye
know all things.
IT is a melancholy fact, that, in every age of the
Church, persons have arisen from the bosom of the
Church herself, not only to " speak perverse things,
and draw away disciples after them 3 ," but even to
introduce " damnable heresies, and to deny the Lord
that bought themV Such antichrists had been
foretold by our Lord himself; and, even in the
apostolic age they existed in great numbers . These
persons, for a length of time, could not be distin
guished from the truly pious : for though the more
eminent Christians, who had "the gift of discerning
spirits," might see something materially wrong in the
spirit and temper of their minds, yet, inasmuch as
their defects were not generally visible, nor of so
determined a character as to call for public censure,
they were suffered to grow up as tares among the
wheat, till, by their own wilful apostasy, they mani
fested their character before all. From their conta
gion, however, the truly upright were preserved.
And that which was made instrumental to their pre
servation was, " an unction from the Holy One,"
whereby they were enabled to " discern all things,"
and consequently, by " proving all things, to hold
fast that which was good."
a Acts xx. 30. b 2 Pet. ii. 1. c ver. 18.
412 1 JOHN, II. 20. [2440.
From hence we see,
I. The distinguishing privilege of true Christians
They "have an unction from the Holy One"
[The Lord Jesus Christ is undoubtedly that " Holy One "
from whom the unction proceeds. By this name he is fre
quently designated, both in the Old Testament d and the New 6 :
and, in order to the execution of his mediatorial office, he
himself was " anointed with the Holy Ghost f ," and fitted for
the discharge of all that he had undertaken g . It was foretold
that he should be so anointed 11 ; and the prediction was visibly
fulfilled at the time of his public consecration to his high
office 1 . Of this Spirit he received " without measure k :" and
the holy oil, poured out upon his sacred head, " descends to
the skirts of his garments 1 ." But at his ascension to heaven
this divine unction was committed to him in a more particular
manner, in order that he might pour it out upon his people,
who were to be anointed to some of the same offices which he
himself sustained. This was foretold by David : and the ac
complishment of it is declared by the Apostle Paul : but there
is a difference between the passage as uttered by the prophet,
and as cited by the Apostle ; a difference worthy of particular
observation. David says, " Thou hast ascended on high; thou
hast led captivity captive ; thou hast received gifts for men m :"
but St. Paul, in quoting it, says, " When he ascended up on
high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men n ." The
truth is, that Jesus received this gift, on purpose that he might
give it : and he does give it, according to the promise which
he made to his people , and according to the promise which
the Father himself made to them in Abraham two thousand
years before p .]
This is their distinctive privilege
[" Sensual or natural men have not the Spirit :" and it
is in consequence of their not having it, that " they separate
themselves," precisely as those did who are spoken of in the
text q . But every true believer has this divine unction abiding
in him r : and it is from the very circumstance of his having
received this unction, that the believer is emboldened to claim,
as it were, a relation to his God s . Without this, he would
not be able to perform any part of his duty aright : he could
d Ps. xvi. 10. Dan. ix. 24. e Acts iii. 14. Rev. iii. 7.
f Acts x. 38. s Isai. Ixi. 1, with Luke iv. 18.
h Isai. xi. 1 3. * Matt. iii. 16, 17. k John iii. 34.
1 Ps. cxxxiii. 2. m Ps. Ixviii. 18. n Eph. iv. 8.
John xvi. 7. P Gal. iii. 13, 14. <i Jude, ver. 19.
r Johnxiv. 16, 17. s 1 John iii. 24. and iv. 13.
2440.] THE UNCTION OF THE HOLY ONE. 413
not "walk" acceptably to God, but by the Spirit*: he could
" not even pray as he ought u :" he could "not so much as call
the Lord Jesus Christ his Lord, but by the Holy Ghost*." To
this divine unction he is indebted for the very existence of life
in his soul : and the man who has it not, is even dead before
God y . And hence he may affirm, without the remotest danger
of mistake, that, " if any man be led by the Spirit of God, he
is a Son of God z ;" and, on the contrary, that " if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his a ."]
To estimate aright this high privilege, we must
further consider,
II. The benefit they derive from it
When it is said, that " they know all things," we
must of course not so interpret the words as to
include the knowledge of arts and sciences, or even a
scientific knowledge of religion itself. The Apostle
means only, that by this divine unction the Christian
attains an acquaintance with all things that are
necessary,
1. For his preservation from error
[Human wisdom is not sufficient for this : and the more
it is relied upon, the more likely it will be to deceive and ruin
us. To be " wise in our own conceit," and to " lean to our
own understanding," are marks of extreme weakness and folly ;
and those who habitually indulge these evils, are sure, at last,
to fall : for God, who has promised to guide and instruct the
humble b , has declared, that " he will take the wise in their own
craftiness ." That we may see what a preservative this divine
unction is, let us bear in mind, that he who has it, " has in
himself the witness" of all the most important truths of Chris
tianity d ; so that, when a deceiver endeavours to subvert his
faith, he has in his own bosom a conviction which nothing can
shake. He may not be able to answer the arguments that are
brought against him, any more than he could maintain a dis
putation with one who should assert, as some have done, that
there is no heat in fire : but he can no more be turned from his
persuasion, than he could be made to believe that there is no
sun in the firmament, or that he could subsist without food.
An adversary might dilate upon the dignity of human nature
till his voice failed him : but he could never persuade a Chris
tian that the heart is any other than what God has declared it
4 Gal. v. 16. u Rom. viii. 26. x 1 Cor. xii. 3.
y Eph. ii. 1. z Rom. viii. 14. a Rom. viii. 9.
b Ps. xxv. 9. c 1 Cor. iii. 9. a 1 John v. 10.
41* 1 JOHN, II. 20. [2440.
to be " deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked 6 ."
He might expatiate upon the sufficiency of man s righteousness
to justify him before God : but he could never induce a true
penitent to rely on any thing but the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ, " the righteousness which is of God by
faith f ." He might assert, as confidently as he would, the
ability of man to fulfil the will of God : but the man that has
this divine unction knows " that without Christ he can do
nothings." Thus he has, if I may so speak, a compass whereby
to steer even in the dark, and can traverse the seas in safety ;
whilst those who have only the dictates of human wisdom
for their guide, are left to run on rocks and shoals, to their
eternal ruin 11 .]
2. For his final salvation
[This divine unction, duly improved, shall be sufficient
for every thing to which the Christian is called. By it, he
shall mortify the whole body of sin 1 . By it, he shall be able
to sustain every affliction that can come upon him k . By it, he
shall be changed into the perfect image of his God 1 .
We must not, however, misunderstand the Apostle, as
though this unction of the Holy One superseded an attention
to the word of God, or the necessity of continual diligence on
our part. The word of God is, after all, our only directory :
and to imagine, as some do, that the light within renders the
written word unnecessary, is a very dangerous error. The
light within is necessary, just as the light of the sun is for the
discovery of time upon the dial : but as the dial is of no use
without the sun, so neither will the sun suffice without the
dial. And, whatever office the Holy Spirit executes, he
executes it by and through the written word. Nor let it be
supposed that we can acquire divine knowledge without much
studious application to the word of God : for Solomon tells
us, that it is not by either prayer or study, separately, that we
can attain knowledge : it must be by both combined : " If we
cry after knowledge, and search for it as for hid treasures,
then shall we understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God m ."
It is proper I should yet further guard against an idea, that
this divine unction supersedes the necessity of diffidence on
our part : for though it is true, that, on the great leading and
fundamental doctrines of the fall, and of the recovery by Jesus
Christ, the inward witness of these truths may suffice to pre
serve us, there are ten thousand errors, into which we may
e Jer. xvii. 9. f Phil. iii. 9. s John xv. 5.
h Prov. xxviii. 5. * Rom. viii. 13. k 2 Cor. xii. 9.
1 2 Cor. iii. 1.8. m Prov. ii. 35.
2440.] TIIE UNCTION OF THE HOLY ONE. 415
fall, even whilst we think that we are taught by the Holy
Ghost. From damning error and apostasy he will keep his
people ; but not from all error : for then there would be no
room left for diversity of opinion in the Church of God. But
we shall never " see eye to eye" in this life. There will still
be room left for difference of sentiment, in matters of minor
importance : and mutual forbearance in relation to them will
be necessary, even to the end. In things essential, there should
be unity ; in things non-essential, liberty ; and in every thing
there should be charity.]
ADDRESS
1 . Those who doubt the doctrine of our text
[To speak of a divine unction, as given to us to secure us
from error, and to bring us to salvation, appears, to many, to
be a wild and enthusiastic conceit. They believe that the Holy
Ghost was given formerly to the Church for the working of
miracles ; but they will not believe that he is continued to
the Church, for the purpose of guiding, and comforting, and
sanctifying the soul. But to any one who doubts his need of
the Holy Spirit, I would say, What did our blessed Lord
mean, when, in counselling the Laodicean Church, he said,
"Anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see n ?"
I do not conceive it possible to explain away that passage ; or
for any one, who believes the Scripture, to doubt but that
there is an unction of the Holy One, which we all need, in
order to the attainment of a spiritual discernment. It is the
office of the Holy Spirit to " glorify Christ, by taking of the
things that are Christ s, and shewing them unto us ." Let
not prejudice, then, keep any from seeking this inestimable
benefit ; but let all entreat of God to send down upon them
" a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
Christ?;" and so to " guide them into all truth q ," that they
may " be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation."]
2. To those who profess to be living in the expe
rience of it
[Have any of you been thus anointed, and thus pre
served? Then give God the glory of it; and say with the
Apostle, " He who hath established us in Christ, and hath
anointed us, (you observe the union of the two, as in the
text,) is God r ." But remember, that the world can only
judge of your professions by your practice. You profess,
that " by the unction of the Holy One you know all things :"
let it be seen, then, that by the unction of the Holy One you
n Rev. iii. 18. John xvi. 14. P Eph. i. 17, 18.
Q John xiv. 26. and xvi. 13. r 2 Cor i. 21. with 1 John ii. 27.
416 1 JOHN, III. 1. [2441.
do all things. It is by your fruits that you must be judged,
both by God and man. See to it, then, that you guard
against that conceit which so prevails in heretics and apostates.
To your latest hour you must retain a childlike spirit, and
particularly in the simplicity and docility of your minds.
You must guard, too, against every corrupt bias. " If your
eye be single, your whole body will be full of light: but if
your eye be evil, your whole body will be full of darkness."
In particular, be careful not to make the truths of God an
occasion of needless contention. For the fundamentals of
religion you must indeed contend, and that earnestly, if need
be; but even in reference to them, it would be better to
recommend to your adversaries, and to cultivate for your
selves, the study of the Holy Scriptures with prayer. In this
way, you will " grow both in knowledge and in grace ;" and
" your light will shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day."]
MMCCCCXLI.
BELIEVERS ARE SONS OF GOD.
1 John iii. 1 . Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.
RELIGION is altogether a mystery : every part
of it is deeply mysterious. The restoration of a
fallen soul to God! The means of effecting that
restoration the death of God s only dear Son, as a
sacrifice for sin; and the operation of his Spirit in the
sinner s heart ! The effect produced the translation
of a soul from the family of Satan to the family of
Almighty God ! This is the point which the Apostle
is contemplating in my text : and it fills him, as we
might well expect, with the profoundest wonder and
admiration: " Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God!"
That we may enter into the Apostle s views, and
attain somewhat of his spirit, I will endeavour to
shew,
I. What is comprehended in the relation of sons
No one need to be informed on this subject, as far
as it relates to men. But in the relation as borne to
2441.] BELIEVERS ARE SONS OF GOD. 417
God, there is much which needs to be elucidated.
In it are comprehended,
1. An adoption into his family
[By nature, we belong to a far different family: for
" we are of our father the devil :" and, being " children of
disobedience," we are also " children of wrath." But God
takes to himself a people out of that wretched mass, and
adopts them as his own ; giving to them the name of sons, the
privileges of sons, the endearments of sons, and acting towards
them in all respects as a loving Father It is in and
through the Lord Jesus Christ that he effects this. In " sending
his Son to redeem them that were under the law," he did it,
" that we might receive the adoption of sons a "]
2. A participation of his nature
[When man adopts any person, he may deal with the
adopted person as his son ; but he can never really make him
a son. But when God sets apart any for this high relation,
he creates them anew, and makes them entirely " new crea
tures." He imparts to them his Holy Spirit, and makes them
"partakers of the divine nature 15 ;" so that they become, in
reality, his sons ; being " begotten of him," and " bom unto
him c ." Hence, with the new relation, there spring up in
their souls new views, new dispositions, new desires, new
habits altogether* 1 : and in God also there arises, not a mere
arbitrary good-will, but a paternal interest, a special regard,
such as exists in every part of the creation between the parent
and the progeny. All this, then, is comprehended, (this
change of nature on their part, and this peculiar regard on
his,) when we speak of any as made " sons of God."]
3. A title to his inheritance
[This does not necessarily exist among men ; but with
God it does. Every one that is born of him, is begotten to
an inheritance, even an inheritance that " fadeth not away 6 ."
" If we are sons, we are also heirs, heirs of God, and joint-
heirs with Christ f ." There is this peculiarity also attaching
to the children of God : they are all his " first-born *." They
are the brethren of Christ ; and partakers with him in all that
he himself inherits his throne, his kingdom, his glory h .]
And now let us contemplate
II. The wonderful love of God, in bringing us into
that relation to himself
a Gal. iv. 4, 5. b 2 Pet. i. 4. c 1 John v. 1, 18.
d Gal. iv. 6. and Rom. viii. 15, 1C. e 1 Pet. i. 1, 3, 4.
f Rom. viii. 17. e Exod. iv. 22. Heb. xii. 23.
h Rev. ii. 21. John xvii. 22.
VOL. XX. E E
418 1 JOHN, III. 1. [2441.
When it is said, " We are called the sons of God/
it means that we are really made so. And this change
is altogether the effect of God s unbounded love.
Behold, then, what manner of love this is :
1. How sovereign !
[It is wholly unmerited on our part. There never was,
there never could be, any thing in us to attract the Divine
regards, since " every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts
was only evil continually." In the selection of his objects,
God was as free as in the choice of Abraham from amidst an
idolatrous world, or of Isaac and Jacob in preference to their
elder brethren. In conferring this high honour, God has
respect only to his own will, and to the glory of his own name.
This is marked with peculiar strength and force by the Apostle
Paul, when, speaking on this very subject, he says, " God has
predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise
of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in
the beloved 1 ." In truth, " He loved us because he would love
us k :" and because " he loved us with an everlasting love, there
fore with loving-kindness hath he drawn us 1 ."]
2. How beyond all human expectation !
[If man adopt any one, it is because, having no progeny
of his own, he feels a want of some one to succeed to his
estates : and in conferring this favour, he has respect to some
qualities in the person selected by him. But God has no
need of us. We can never add either to his happiness or
glory. Or, if he needed any creatures to be objects of his
favour, he could create any number, either of angels or men,
as it should please him, and make them the happy objects of
his choice. But it is not thus that he has acted. He has
chosen from amongst men, corrupt and sinful men, multitudes,
who shall in time, be born to him, and in eternity enjoy him.
Nor is it of the best of men that he has made his selection, but
often of the vilest. Even a murderous Manasseh has been
made a vessel of honour, and a monument of grace ; whilst
millions of persons, less guilty, have been passed by. If we
ask the reason of this, our Lord assigns the only reason that
can be given : " Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight." The potter has power over the clay, to do with it as
seemeth him good : and " shall the thing formed say to him that
formed it, Why hast thou made me thus m ?" True it is, that,
in reference to this matter, we must say, as David did in
i Eph. i. 5, 6. k Deut. vii. 7, 8.
1 Jer. xxxi. 3. m Rom. ix. 20, 21.
2441.] BELIEVERS ARE SONS OF GOD. 419
reference to the favours conferred on him, " Is this the manner
of men, O Lord God 11 ?" No; it is not the manner of men ; nor
ought it to be : because man has a claim on his fellow-man ;
but we have no claim whatever on God. He might have left
us to perish, precisely as he did the fallen angels, and never have
saved so much as one : and, if he have saved one, that person
has reason to exclaim with wonder, ( Why have I been taken,
whilst so many others have been left ? God, in all this mat
ter, does as it pleaseth him; and " he giveth not account to
us of any of his matters :" " His ways are not as our ways, nor
his thoughts as our thoughts: but as the heavens are high
above the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and his
thoughts than our thoughts ."]
3. How utterly incomprehensible !
[So the Apostle declares the love of Christ to be : it has
" a breadth, and length, and depth, and height, that passeth
knowledge p ," and defies the search of the brightest intelligence
of heaven. To all eternity will the wonders of this grace be
unfolding ; and to all eternity will it remain as far from being
fully comprehended, as it was at the very first moment it was
revealed. Indeed, we must comprehend the infinite distance
between the glorious Creator and his rebellious creatures ; and
then go on yet further, to comprehend all the wonders of
redemption, before we can comprehend the smallest portion of
this mystery. We must close our meditations, after all, with
that with which we have commenced them : " What manner of
love is this which the Father hath bestowed upon us !"]
" BEHOLD" then, brethren, "behold" it: " Behold"
it, I say,
1. With due solicitude to ascertain the fact
[God has bestowed this favour upon millions : but hath he
bestowed it upon us ? In this inquiry we are deeply interested :
nor should anyone of us leave it as a matter of doubt for one single
hour. But you will ask, Can this point be ascertained ? By
the world around us, I readily acknowledge, it cannot be
ascertained : and, if we profess to have been brought into this
relation to God, we must not wonder that the world ascribe
our pretensions to the workings of pride and presumption.
For they know nothing of God, or of his operations upon the
souls of men: how, therefore, should they be able to judge of
our claims in this matter ? The Apostle, in the words follow
ing my text, justly adds, " Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not." But we may ascertain the
point ourselves ; for we have a standard by which to try
n 2 Sam. vii. 19. Isai. Iv. 8,9. P Eph. iii. 18, 19.
E E 2
420 1 JOHN, III. 1. [2441.
ourselves ; and we may examine ourselves by it without any
difficulty. St. John elsewhere says, " To as many as re
ceived him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name ; who were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God q ." Here are the very relations of which we are speak
ing, and the means by which we are brought into it, and the
test whereby we are to try ourselves. Inquire, then, whether
you have ever " received the Lord Jesus Christ " into your
hearts by faith, and whether you are "living altogether by
faith on him ?" If you have never come to Christ as
lost sinners, and cast yourselves wholly upon him, you know
infallibly that you are not yet brought into this relation of
" sons of God." But if Christ be " all your salvation and all
your desire," then you possess this high privilege ; for " we
are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus r :" and, if
you look up to God for the gift of his Holy Spirit, he will
shine upon his own work, and " give you his Spirit, to witness
with your spirits, that you are indeed the children of God s ."
Again then I say, Leave not this matter in suspense ; but
" examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, and try your
own selves : and never rest, till you can adopt the words of our
text with a special reference to your own souls.]
2. With a becoming zeal to walk worthy of this
high calling
[Certainly, this relation brings with it corresponding du
ties. If you are made sons of God, it is that you may serve
and honour him as dear children. How this is to be done,
St. Paul informs us : "Be blameless, and harmless, as sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, amongst whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding
forth the word of life V Well, indeed, may the world cry out
against your vain conceit, if you are not walking worthy of
your high calling. God has called you, that you should be
holy : and " if you have in you the hope of which we have
been speaking, then will you purify yourselves, even as Christ
is pure u ." Look to it, then, that you walk as becometh saints,
in all holiness and righteousness before God and man. By
this test will you be tried at the last day ; and all your pro
fessions of faith in Christ will be found a delusion, if you shew
not your faith by your works. But, if God have, indeed, be
stowed this honour upon you, then will his love have a con
straining influence upon your souls ; and you will strive to be
" holy, as he is holy," and " perfect, even as your Father which
is in heaven is perfect."]
Q John i. 12, 13. r Gal. iii. 20 s Rom. viii. 16.
1 Phil. ii. 15, 10. u ver. 3.
2442.1 INESTIMABLE PRIVILEGES OF BELIEVERS. 4^1
MMCCCCXLII.
THE INESTIMABLE PRIVILEGES OF BELIEVERS.
1 John iii. 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
dot/i 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.
OUR Lord was hated, reviled, and persecuted unto
death : but we see how glorious was his person, and
how exalted his character. In the same manner his
followers are treated with contempt : but God
declares their state to be the most honourable upon
earth. To this effect St. John represents them as
slighted by man and honoured by God.
I. The present state of believers
The Scripture speaks of believers in the most
exalted terms. They are not merely servants, but
" sons of God a ."
This they are by adoption
[Every believer was once a child of wrath h . But God
takes whom he will into his own family : he adopts them as
his sons, and makes them heirs of his glory d .]
They are brought into this relation also by regene
ration
[Once they had only a carnal mind that was enmity
against God e ; but they have been born again of the Holy
Spirit f ; they are renewed after the image of their heavenly
Father*.]
They enjoy this state "now"
[Rich and poor, learned and unlearned, partake alike of
this honour ; nor does God withhold it from any on account
of their remaining infirmities ; even now, while the world
despises them, does God own his relation to them.]
What an unspeakably blessed state is this !
[How different is it from the state they were once in!
How great the privileges which they enjoy by means of this
relation ! How sweet the sense of this relation often is to
* 2 Cor. vi. 18. b Eph. ii. 3. c Eph. ii. 19.
d Rom. viii, 15, 17. e Rom. viii. 7. f Johni. 13.
g Col. iii. 10.
1 JOHN, III. 2. [2442.
their souls ! To what a glorious state does it lead them in a
better world ! Well might the Apostle break forth in wonder
and admiration 11 .]
Yet, blessed as it is,, it falls infinitely short of what
it will be in,
II. Their future state
Very little is known respecting this
[We can form no idea of spiritual and glorified bodies.
We cannot imagine how extensive will be the capacities of the
soul. We have very faint conceptions of perfect holiness and
perfect happiness. Even one who had seen Christ transfigured,
says, " It doth not appear," &c.]
Yet there are some things revealed to us
[We shall see Christ, not merely by faith, but with our
bodily eyes 1 ; not veiled as formerly, but in all his glory. We
shall resemble him too in all his imitable perfections. This
resemblance will result from our sight of him. Even " our
bodies shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body." This
shall be fully accomplished at the great day of his appearing.]
These things we may be said to " know"
[We have already experienced the earnest of them in our
hearts. When we believe in him, we have views of him which
we had not before; these transform the soul into his image k .
Our Lord has given us the fullest assurance of these things 1 .
St. Paul also leaves us no room to doubt" 1 .]
INFER
1. How wonderfully different the lot of believers
and unbelievers !
[Believers are the children of God. Unbelievers are the
children of the wicked one 11 . Believers can form no adequate
conception of the happiness that awaits them. Unbelievers
have no idea of the misery to which they are hastening. How
different will be the appearance of each in that day ! How
different their feelings on seeing Christ upon his judgment-
seat ! For what different ends will their capacities of soul and
body be enlarged ! What a different state will they experience
to all eternity ! Let none defer calling upon God for mercy.
Let all seek his regenerating grace, and an admission into his
family. If we will believe in Christ these blessings shall be
ours .]
* I John iii. 1. J Job xix. 2527. k 2 Cor. iii. 18.
1 John xvii. 24. 1 Cor. xv. 49. Col. iii. 4.
n John viii. 38, 44. John i. 12.
2443.] THE FRUITS AND EFFECTS OF HOPE. 4<2J
2. How bright the prospects of the true Christian !
[The Christian s warfare will soon be over : then will come
a blessedness which he cannot now conceive ; another day may
bring him to the full possession of it. Let these prospects
animate every pious soul. Let none suffer their minds to be
drawn away by the things of time. Let every one stand ready
to take his flight?. Let the beloved Apostle be our example q .]
P 2 Pet. iii. 12. <i Rev. xxii. 20.
MMCCCCXLIII.
THE FRUITS AND EFFECTS OF HOPE.
1 John iii. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth
himself, even as he is pure.
THE people of God are but little known to an
ungodly world : instead of being considered accord
ing to their true character, they are regarded as
hypocrites, enthusiasts, and disturbers of their bre
thren s peace. But this is easily accounted for : the
world know not God ; and therefore it is no wonder
that they know not his people. But the saints them
selves have a very inadequate conception of the
honour that is put on them, or of the glory that is
reserved for them. They know indeed that they are
sons of God ; but they have very little idea of what
is comprehended in that relation : and as to their
eternal state, they can form no precise judgment re
specting it ; they only know, in the general, that they
shall be like God, and be with him for ever. Yet
though so little known to the world, and to them
selves, they have marks whereby they may be clearly
distinguished ; they may be known by their uniform
endeavours after holiness. To this effect the Apostle
speaks in the words before us ; from which we shall
take occasion to consider,
I, The Christian s hope-
Christ is the fountain and foundation of a sinner s
hope : without Christ, all must have perished : nor
has the most eminent saint any more hope than a
fallen angel, except as he is interested in the merits of
424 1 JOHN, III. 3. [2443.
Christ. But through him* the believer has a glorious
hope ;
1. That he is a child of God-
[Christ, having purchased us with his own blood, has
reconciled us to God, and made us his children. He teaches
his followers to consider themselves as standing in this relation
to God, not merely like the angels who are his sons by creation,
but in a more exalted manner by regeneration and adoption :
and he teaches them to expect from him throughout their whole
lives the blessing suited to that high dignity b
Now the true Christian hopes that he is brought into this
happy state, and that he shall receive from God all those
endearing tokens of affection which the relation of sonship
emboldens him to expect. This hope of his is founded partly
on the merits of his Saviour, and partly on the internal evidence
which he has, that he is interested in the Saviour. The mere
circumstance of Christ having laid down his life for him, would
not be a sufficient ground for him to number himself among
the family of God : but when he has the testimony of his own
conscience that he has sought acceptance with God through
the death of Christ, then he is enabled to indulge a hope that
the privileges annexed to such a state belong to him.]
2. That he shall be with God, and like him, for
ever
[The blessings which the saints enjoy are not confined to
this life : " Being sons of God, they are also heirs ; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ ." " Though they know not
yet what they shall be, they know that, when they shall see
him, they shall be like him ; for they shall see him as he is d ."
The time is coming, when they shall all be introduced into
his immediate presence, and be with him and like him for
ever. This also is an object of the Christian s hope
He believes that this is the heritage of the saints; and that
" what God hath promised, he is able, and willing, to fulfil."]
That this is no barren hope, will appear from,
II. The effect it produces in him
Every Christian will endeavour to purify himself
to the uttermost
[The Christian cannot wilfully live in any known sin : he
will search out his corruptions, in order to subdue them ; and
a The text does not say, ev lavrw, in himself, but ETT avry, in him,
that is, in Christ.
b ver. 1. John i. 12, 13. Matt. vi. 6, 8, 9, 3133.
c Rom. viii. 15 17. d ver. 2.
2443.] THE FRUITS AND EFFECTS OF HOPE. 425
his duties, in order to fulfil them He will propose to
himself the Lord Jesus Christ as his pattern : and though he
can never hope to attain absolute perfection in this life, he will
not rest satisfied with any thing short of that. He would gladly
be " holy as God is holy, and perfect, even as his Father in
heaven is perfect." He considers how the Lord Jesus acted
in reference to God: how in reference to man; and what
tempers he manifested in the whole of his deportment ;
- then he labours to follow his example, and to " walk
in all things as he walked."]
To these endeavours he will be stimulated by his
hope in Christ :
[He cannot endure to think himself a child of God, and
yet act like a child of the devil : he cannot please himself with
a prospect of enjoying and resembling God in a future life,
without seeking communion with him and a resemblance to
him in the present world. He will feel himself impelled to
holiness by a sense of duty*-, by a sense of gratitude* \ yea,
moreover, by a love of holiness itself >s
We must not however imagine that it is by any power of
his own that he thus " purifies himself;" the duty and the
exertion are his h : but the power, both to will and to do,
proceeds from God alone 1 .]
We shall improve this subject,
1. For conviction
[All profess to have a hope in Christ : but before we
conclude that to be well-founded, we must examine what fruits
it produces : Are we seeking after universal holiness ? Are
we contented with no measure of holiness short of perfection
itself? Are we setting the Lord Jesus before us, and taking
him for our pattern in all our tempers, and in our conduct to
wards God and man? This is the criterion by which St. John
himself teaches us to judge of our hope k : and St. James con
firms it by declaring, that, if in any one point (the not bridling
of our tongue, for instance) we allowedly deviate from this path,
" our religion is vain 1 ." O consider this, lest your hope be only
as the spider s web, that will be swept away with the besom of
destruction !]
2. For encouragement
e He knows he cannot be saved in any other way. Ps. xxiv. 3, 4.
Matt. v. 8. Heb. xii. 14. Rev. xxi. 27.
f 1 Thess. ii. 12. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. e Ps. cxix. 128.
h Jam. iv. 8. * Phil. ii. 13. k ver. 610.
i Jain. i. 26.
426 1 JOHN, III. 5. [2444.
[Though we must not think our hope well founded, unless
it produce in us the fruits of righteousness, yet we must not
imagine that our righteousness is to be the ground of our hope,
or even our warrant to hope in Christ. The only ground of
our hope must be found in Christ, and in the promises which
God has made to those who believe in him. We must go to
Christ as sinners ; and then he will enable us to live as saints.
This distinction is clearly marked in the text: our hope in
Christ is to precede, not to follow, the purification of our
hearts : and our holiness is to be the fruit, not the root, of our
hope. The same distinction is made by St. Paul also, who,
having spoken of our sonship with God, says, " Having there
fore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God m ." We must not wait till we are cleansed, and then
embrace the promises : but first embrace the promises ; and
then make use of them for the cleansing of our souls.
What encouragement does this afford to those who feel the
corruption of their hearts, and who, if their own purity were
to be the foundation of their hope, would be in utter despair !
Go then, how polluted soever ye are, and seek pardon and
sane tin" cation at the hands of Jesus ; and you shall find him
" faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you
from all unrighteousness"."]
m 2 Cor. vii. 1. See the same also by St. Peter, 2 Pet. i. 4.
11 1 John i. 9.
MMCCCCXLIV.
CHRIST MANIFESTED TO TAKE AWAY SIN.
1 John iii. 5. Ye know that he was manifested to take aivay
our sins ; and in him is no sin.
AMONGST the numberless advantages which the
light of revelation has conferred upon us, one of par
ticular importance is, the strength of the motives
which it suggests to us for the mortification of sin.
A heathen could devise no argument beyond what
related to our own welfare, and that of society at
large. But Christianity discovers to us wonders, of
which unassisted reason could form no conception :
it declares to us, that Almighty God himself assumed
our nature for the express purpose of counteracting
the effects of sin, and of destroying its power. To
2444.] CHRIST MANIFESTED TO TAKE AWAY SIN. 427
those therefore who have embraced Christianity, here
is an argument that is wholly irresistible, if once it
be admitted into the mind, and suffered to have its
due operation upon the soul. St. John avails himself
of it in the passage before us. He is shewing to the
Christian world that they must aspire after universal
holiness, and purify themselves " even as their incar
nate God was pure :" and the more effectually to
enforce his exhortations, he makes this unanswerable
appeal to all of them without exception : " Ye know
that he was manifested to take away our sins ; and
in him was no sin."
The destruction of sin being the great scope and
end of our ministry also, we will,
I. Open to you his appeal
The great end of our Saviour s incarnation was to
take away sin
[Sin has separated man from God, and God from man a :
nor was it possible that they should be re-united in mutual
love and amity, unless this evil were removed. But removed
it could not be, either as to its guilt or power, by any efforts
of man : nor could all the angels in heaven render to him any
effectual aid. God therefore of his own love and mercy " laid
help for us upon one that was mighty b ," even upon his co
equal, co-eternal Son, whom he sent into the world on this
benevolent errand, to " put away our sins by the sacrifice of
himself ," and to " subdue our iniquities" by the efficacy of
his grace d .
For this the Lord Jesus Christ was well fitted, by reason of
his own spotless character. This I conceive to be particularly
intimated in our text. The connexion between the two clauses
of the text does not at first sight appear ; but we apprehend,
that the mention of the spotless character of Jesus is intended
to convey this idea, namely, that, being himself without sin, he
was fitted for the work assigned him ; and could present to
God such an offering as our necessities required. Under the
law it was especially appointed, that the sacrifices should be
without spot or blemish. The Paschal lamb was set apart
four days before it was offered, on purpose that it might be
scrutinized to the uttermost, and thus be proved fit for its des
tined use 6 . The Lord Jesus too went up to Jerusalem four
a Isai. lix. 2. b Ps. Ixxxix. 19. c Heb. ix. 26.
d Mic. vii. 19. e Exod. xii. 3, G.
428 1 JOHN, III. 5. [2444.
days before his crucifixion, and underwent the strictest exa
mination at different tribunals, and was declared innocent, by
Pilate his judge, by his fellow-sufferer on the cross, by the
Centurion who presided at his execution : all his enemies thus
unwittingly attesting, that he was indeed " a Lamb without
blemish cind without spot f ," and that, being "just himself," he
was every way fit to " suffer in the place of us the unjust g ."
In another view too his spotless character subserves this
great end of his mission : for, " being without guile himself, he
has set us a perfect example :" and the best possible way of
avoiding sin is, to imitate his example, and to " tread in his
steps 11 ."]
This was known and acknowledged through the
whole Christian world
[No one who believed in Christ was ignorant of the end
for which he had come into the world. Hence the Apostle
could appeal to all without exception, and could say, " Ye know
that he was manifested to take away our sins." The whole
Scriptures bore testimony to this. All the types of the Mosaic
law shadowed it forth. All the prophecies from the beginning
of the world attested it. It was in this way that " the Seed of
the woman was to bruise the serpent s head." " To finish
transgression, to make an end of sin," and to establish uni
versal righteousness, this was to be the work which should
distinguish his reign : " A sceptre of righteousness was to be
the sceptre of his kingdom." The very name that was given
to him imported this : " he was called Jesus, because he was to
save his people from their sins."]
This truth being acknowledged by all at this time,
no less than in the apostolic age, we shall make
the same APPEAL to you ; and,
II. Found upon it a particular address
As Christians you all "know" that Christ came to
deliver you from sin : but do you all consider it, as
you ought?
1. Ye who live in wilful and habitual sin
[Do you consider what has been done to rescue you from
your bondage ? Do you consider that the Son of the living
God, " Jehovah s fellow," the Creator of the universe, has
come down from heaven, and assumed your nature, and died
upon the cross for your redemption? Ask yourselves then,
whether he would have done this, if sin had been so small an
f 1 Pet. i. 19. s 1 Pet. iii. 18. h 1 Pet. ii. 21, 22.
2444.] CHRIST MANIFESTED TO TAKE AWAY SIN. 429
evil as you judge it to be ? Can you conceive that such means
would have been used for your recovery, if the state into which
sin had brought you was not beyond measure terrible ? Had
no misery awaited you, or a misery only that was light and
transient, do you suppose that God would have had recourse to
such a method of delivering you from it ; or that, after he has
used such means to take away your sin, you incur no danger
by holding it fast? You may " make a mock of sin," if you
please ; but you will not think so lightly of it when you corne
to stand in the presence of your Judge. When the Lord
Jesus Christ shall remind you of what he endured to deliver
you from it, what will ye say to him ? Will ye then make the
foolish excuses that ye now do ? No, verily : your mouths
will then be shut : you will be amazed and confounded at your
present folly and impiety : and it will be no consolation to you
then that there are so many in the same condemnation with
yourself. The antediluvian scoffers, when warned of the
approaching deluge, thought it impossible that such a judg
ment should ever be inflicted ; or consoled themselves, perhaps,
that they should be in no worse plight than others. But when
the deluge actually came, did they find their own terrors less
appalling, or their sufferings less acute, because they were
endured by others also? Nor will ye in that day find the
wrath of God a whit more tolerable because of the multitudes
that shall bear it with you. Had the Saviour never come,
you would have had to endure the wrath of God; but since he
has come, and been despised and rejected by you, you shall
have to bear " the wrath of the Lamb 1 " even of that Lamb
whom you " crucified afresh k :" and hell itself will be seven
fold more terrible, in consequence of the means which have
been used to deliver you from it. Yes, the punishment of
Sodom and Gomorrha will be light in comparison of yours 1 .
O that you were wise, and would consider this, ere it be
too late !]
2. Ye who found your hopes of mercy on your
own self-righteous endeavours
[What can ye think of yourselves, when ye recollect the
principles which you yourselves acknowledge ? You know that
Christ was manifested to take away your sins : how then do
you presume to imagine, that you can remove them by any
efforts of your own ? Is there any such virtue in your own
tears or almsdeeds, that you will rely on them, rather than on
the atoning blood of Christ ? Or is there any such strength
in your own resolutions, that you will trust to them for the
subduing of sin, rather than to the grace of our Lord Jesus
Rev. vi. 10. k Heb. vi. 6. [ Matt. x. 15.
430 1 JOHN, III. 5. [2444.
Christ ? Does it never strike you, that whilst you are enter
taining such proud thoughts as these, you are thrusting the
Lord Jesus Christ from his office, and virtually declaring, that,
whatever he may be to others, he shall be no Saviour to you ?
Why will ye thus presume to set aside the very ends for which
He came into the world? Why, when he has actually girded
himself with the towel, and presented himself before you, will
you say with Peter, " Thou shalt never wash my feet ! " Know
you not, that " unless he wash you, you have no part with
him m !" Be assured, he never came to make you your own
saviours, but to offer you a free and full salvation. And
if you will conceit yourselves to be " rich and increased
in goods, and in need of nothing, when you are wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," nothing re-
remains for you but to reap the bitter fruits of your pride and
folly n ]
3. Ye who, whilst ye profess to believe in Christ,,
are walking unworthy of your holy profession
[I call on you also to consider this subject. You profess
that the Lord Jesus Christ has borne your sins, and that you
therefore expect that no condemnation shall come upon you.
But do you think that he will be satisfied with performing
half his office ? Do you suppose that he will take away your
sins as far as relates to their guilt, and leave them unmortified
as it respects their power ? This he never will do : and he
declares to you that he never will. Only hear how strongly
St. John speaks on this subject in the words following my text:
" Whosoever abideth in Christ, (as you profess to do,) sinneth
not : whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known
him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth
righteousness, (as you profess to do,) is righteous, even as he
is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil ." What
now will ye say, who are still under the dominion of pride,
envy, malice, wrath, and whose conduct in your families,
instead of exhibiting the image of the Lord Jesus, and con
straining all to admire the excellence of vital godliness, causes
religion to stink in their nostrils ? What will ye say who have
lewd hearts and licentious tongues? or ye who are covetous
and worldly-minded, and who are in such bad repute for truth
and honesty, that men would rather deal with a worldly cha
racter than with you? Ye may boast as ye will about the
freeness and fulness of the Gospel salvation ; but ye shall
never taste of it, unless ye " put off the old man with his
m John xiii. 4, 8.
n Rev. iii. 16, 17. See also Rom. ix. 31, 32. and x. 3.
vcr. 68.
2445.] THE END OF CHRIST S INCARNATION. 431
deeds, and put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness p ."]
4. Ye who are bowed down with desponding
fears
[I must not overlook you ; for the text speaks powerfully
to you also. In the habit of your minds you are saying, " My
sins are too great to be forgiven ; or, my lusts are too strong
to be subdued." But is Christ unable to effect the work he
has undertaken? Was he manifested to take away your sins,
and has he proved incompetent to the task ? Are we not told
that " the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse from all sin?"
And that " his grace is sufficient" for all who trust in him?
What then is there in your case that renders you an exception ?
Oh, do not so dishonour your adorable Saviour, as to doubt
his sufficiency for the work that has been assigned him. Know
that his blood is a sufficient " propitiation, not for your sins
only, but also for the sins of the whole world ;" and the weakest
creature in the universe is authorized to say, " I can do all
things through Christ who strengthened! me." Put away then
your unbelieving fears ; and look to him to " accomplish in
you all the good pleasure of his goodness." So shall you find
that " he is able to save you to the uttermost ;" and soon you
shall join in that blessed song, " To Him that loved us and
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us
kings and priests unto God and our Father, to him be glory
an 
