True Christianity
A Treatise
On Sincere Repentance, True Faith, The Holy Walk of the True Christian, Etc.
By the Venerable
Johann Arndt
General Superintendant of Ecclesiastical Affairs in the Principality of Lüneberg
Originally Translated Into English By Rev. A. W. Boehm, German Chaplain at the Court of St. James, and Published in London, A.D. 1712.
A New American Edition,
Revised, Corrected, and Furnished with Additional Matter From The Original German,
Together With A
General Introduction,
By Charles F. Schaeffer, D.D.,
Professor of Theology in the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, at Philadelphia
Philadelphia
The Lutheran Book Store,
No. 807 Vine Street.
Smith, English & Co., No. 23 N. Sixth Street.
1868
Both the general purpose of the venerable Johann Arndt in writing his “True Christianity,” and also his own character and spirit, will be best exhibited by submitting to the reader a statement referring to his personal history. He was born, December 27th, 1555, in Ballenstädt, a town in the Duchy of Anhalt, where his father, Rev. Jacob Arndt, long labored as the chaplain of Duke Wolfgang, and the pastor of one of the Evangelical Lutheran congregations of the place. The latter was a devout and faithful minister of the Gospel, and a wise and affectionate father. He had, from the earliest period, devoted much attention to the religious education of his son, in the performance of which holy duty he was faithfully sustained by his excellent wife. Their efforts were abundantly blessed. The son, even in his early years, took great pleasure in reading the writings of Luther, and also acquired a fondness for those of Thomas á Kempis, of Tauler, and of others who breathed the same spirit of devotion. That this feature of his religious character did not undergo any essential change in his riper years, appears from the circumstance that he was one of the first who collected, arranged, and republished the religious tracts of Stephen Prætorius, a Lutheran divine of an eminently devout spirit. These were subsequently re-edited by Martin Statius, who prefixed the title: Spiritual Treasury (Geistliche Schatzkammer), to the collection. This book of devotion was highly prized by Spener, has often been reprinted, is found in many German households, and well deserves to be translated, and thus made accessible to the English religious public.
§ 2. In his tenth year Arndt lost his father, but the orphan soon found
friends who, in the good providence of God, enabled him to continue the
studies which he had commenced with distinguished success under the
guidance of his father. After completing his preparatory education in
the schools of Halberstadt and Magdeburg, he proceeded, in the year
1576, to the university of Helmstedt, which had recently been established.
§ 3. Arndt continued his theological studies in Strasburg, under the direction of Prof. Pappus, who was also distinguished for his devotion to the genuine Lutheran faith. In the year 1579 he proceeded to Basel, where, under the gentle sway of Sulcer, the Lutheran faith had acquired influence and authority. In this city he was temporarily engaged as the tutor of a young Polish nobleman; the latter, on one of their excursions, when Arndt had accidentally fallen into the Rhine, succeeded in seizing his sinking preceptor by the hair of his head, and thus became the means, in the hands of God, of saving a life of incalculable value, designed to prove an ever-flowing source of blessings to the Church.
§ 4. During this whole period Arndt occupied himself with the study of medicine, in connection with his strictly theological studies; it is possible that he would have ultimately chosen the practice of medicine as the business of his life, if a severe illness had not intervened. After his recovery, he believed it to be his duty to renounce his personal tastes, and he thenceforth consecrated himself entirely to the service of the Church. His medical and chemical occupations, although not abandoned, were afterwards regarded by him only as a recreation.
§ 5. He returned, in 1581 or 1582, to his native place, and labored for
some time as a teacher, until he was called by his prince, Joachim Ernest,
to be the pastor of the congregation in Badeborn, a village in the Duchy
of Anhalt; he was, accordingly, ordained in the month of October of
the same year. It was here, too, that he was married, October 31, 1583,
to Anna Wagner, the daughter of an eminent jurist, with whom he passed
§ 6. In this first pastoral charge of Arndt, the unhappy state of affairs subjected him, particularly during the latter part of the seven years which he spent in it, to a “Lutheran martyrdom,” as Tholuck expresses himself (Herzog. Encyk. I., 536). The duke, John George, who now reigned (a relative of the palsgrave, or count palatine, Casimir, a zealous Calvinist), after various inward struggles, abandoned the Lutheran faith, and, in the year 1596, publicly adopted the Reformed faith, a few years after the transactions to which we now refer. Even Protestant rulers, who had not yet learned the theory that a union of church and state can operate only perniciously, perpetually interfered in the internal affairs of the church.—At this period it was the custom of Lutheran pastors, when they administered the rite of Baptism, to follow the liturgical form which prescribed “exorcism.” This feature of the whole baptismal form, which was introduced as early as the third century, or even earlier (before the days of Tertullian and Origen), consisted simply in a sentence adjuring the evil spirit to depart from the subject of Baptism. The early practice had, like others, been gradually associated, after the rise and development of popery, with superstitious ideas, such as was also the case with the Lord's Supper, until it assumed an absurd and even revolting form. At the period of the Reformation, Zwingli and Calvin (Inst. IV., c. 15, 19; c. 19, 24) rejected the whole form of exorcism. Luther and Melanchthon, on the other hand, after discarding the popish excrescences, believed that the scriptural doctrine which the early form involved or suggested, authorized the retention of the practice, when restricted to a very plain and simple formula, expressive of a scriptural truth.—Now, at that period, as it is well known, unfriendly feelings, engendered by various causes, existed to a certain extent, between the heads respectively of the Reformed and the Lutheran churches, in consequence of which even harmless customs which none would, under ordinary circumstances, either advocate or condemn with partisan feeling, assumed a confessional character. Such was the case with the purified and simple Lutheran baptismal sentence containing the “exorcism.”
§ 7. Arndt's course in this matter has often been misunderstood; as it,
however, demonstrates him to have been alike a very firm and conscientious
man, and also an uncompromising supporter of the distinctive doctrines
and usages of the Lutheran Church, the following details may be
appropriately furnished.—The language which Luther retained in his form
§ 8. Now the duke, John George, after his virtual adoption of the Reformed
faith and practice, issued a peremptory order that the formula of
Exorcism should no longer be employed in his dominions at the baptism
§ 9. But the Divine Head of the Church did not depose this faithful minister. At the very time when Arndt seemed to be homeless and friendless, two important posts were offered to him—one in Mansfeld, the other in Quedlinburg, an important city, which, after belonging to various rulers, has at last been incorporated with the monarchy of Prussia. The city adopted the Lutheran faith in 1539. Arndt decided to make this place his home, and he labored here with eminent success, during a period of seven years, as the pastor of the church of St. Nicholas. However, he also endured much affliction in this new charge, and his holy zeal and devout spirit, while fully appreciated by intelligent and enlightened believers, were misunderstood and even hated by others, so that he longed to be transferred to another field of labor.
§ 10. He was at length permitted to depart, and removed to the city of
Brunswick, situated in the territory of the duke of Brunswick; it aspired
at that time to become a “free city,” subject directly to the German
emperor. The warfare between the duke and the city, during Arndt's
A very accurate and interesting “Life of John Arndt,” was published
in English by Rev. Dr. J. G. Morris, of Baltimore, in 1853, which presents
the principal events that belong to Arndt's history, and furnishes a faithful
portraiture of his personal character. Wildenhahn's work, admirably translated
by Rev. G. A. Wenzel, now of Pittsburg, Pa., was published as a serial in
the “Lutheran and Missionary,” about three years ago. This work, in a permanent
form, would be a rich addition to our English religious literature.
§ 11. During the earlier years of Arndt's residence in Brunswick, as a co-pastor of the church of St. Martin, his life was comparatively peaceful and happy. The purity of his character, the soundness and power of his doctrine, and the diligence and fidelity manifested in his pastoral labors, could not fail to command the respect, and attract the love of all candid persons. But he was at length subjected to trials of a new and painful character, and became the victim of the hostile and persecuting spirit of men from whom a very different course of conduct might have reasonably been expected. The origin of these new difficulties has not always been clearly understood; while some have regarded Arndt as worthy of the censures of those who assailed him, others are disposed to condemn those assailants in unqualified terms. It is strange that, even at this comparatively remote period, such judgments are sometimes expressed in language which betrays personal feeling rather than it announces the calm judgment of a later and disinterested generation.
§ 12. It is here necessary to cast a glance at the history of the times
which preceded and followed the eventful year 1555, in which Arndt was
born, a year ever memorable as the one in which the signing of the articles
of the Peace of Augsburg secured a temporary external repose for
the Lutheran Church. This “Peace” terminated at least the horrors which had followed
the introduction, in 1548, of the Augsburg Interim, by
which the newly-established Protestant doctrine was seriously endangered.
The provisions of this Interim were enforced with such merciless
tyranny by popish authorities, that in South Germany alone about four hundred
§ 13. That faith now encountered new enemies, who did not resort to
fire and the sword, but who adopted more insidious means for corrupting
divine truth; and again, assaults like theirs, only increased the jealousy
with which the genuine Lutherans guarded the purity of their doctrinal
system. It was the only gift of heaven, which sin and Satan could not
touch, and which retained all its unsullied holiness. The soul of man had
become corrupt; the body was subject to disease and death; the world,
fair as it was, and rich in the gifts of God, had nevertheless been made
by sin to bring forth thorns and thistles. But the Gospel truth, which
conducted men to Christ and heaven, remained in all its purity and power.
These men were willing to suffer and die, but while they did live, they
could not relax the grasp with which they held fast to evangelical truth.
Now, amid the political and religious commotions of that stormy age,
could we expect that devout men should say, “Peace, peace;” when there
was no peace? (
§ 14. Let us illustrate this subject. Schwenkfeldt, for instance (born in
1490; died, 1561), an opponent of both the Lutherans and the Reformed,
as well as of the Papists, and, accordingly, constantly engaged in controversies
with all parties, declared that Luther's uncompromising determination
to maintain the authority of the written word of revelation, the
Bible, was equivalent to a worship of the letter. He assigned, in his
fanaticism and morbid mysticism, a rank to an inner and direct word of
the Divine Spirit, which he asserted that he received, far above that of the
written word of God. He refused to make any distinction between the
divine act of the justification of the believer, on the one hand, and the
progressive sanctification of the believer, on the other. He taught that
the two natures of Christ, the divine and the human, were so fused
together, or, rather, that the flesh of Christ was so absolutely deified or
converted into God himself, that no distinction between them remained,—that
the regenerate could live without sin, etc. He succeeded, in spite of
the crudeness, one-sidedness, and unsoundness of his doctrines, in attracting
many disciples. His death, which occurred in 1561, a few years after
Arndt's birth, did not terminate the widespread confusion which he had
created in the Protestant Church; the dread of that sickly form of mysticism
which he attempted to establish, long remained. The fear was naturally
entertained that it might lead many astray, who, while they did not
otherwise fraternize with Schwenkfeldt in his wild and absurd course,
§ 15. The disastrous influences of the demagogue Thomas Münzer
(born in 1490), and of his fanatical party, the Zwickau prophets, on sound
doctrine and sound morals, as well as the blood which they had shed,
were still vividly remembered.—Servetus, the Unitarian, had perished,
but he left a seed behind; the doctrine of Christ's deity still remained a
point of attack. And besides these false teachers, several others, who
were originally connected in various modes with the Lutheran Church,
promulgated at various times opinions which seemed to be subversive of
all Scripture doctrine.—Agricola, who had originally been an active
adherent of Luther, gradually departed from the faith. He unquestionably
betrayed the interests of Protestantism by sanctioning the Augsburg
Interim of 1548. He engaged in a controversy, at first with Melanchthon,
and then with Luther himself, on the subject of the proper “Use of the
law”—the Antinomistic controversy—maintaining that the law was no
longer of importance to the believer, and that the Gospel alone should be
preached. He died in 1566, when Arndt was about eleven years old.
The confusion in the church, which he created by his dangerous sentiments
on several points, was long painfully felt.—The Osiandrian controversy,
respecting Justification, and its relation to Sanctification, began in
1549, and closed only when Arndt was already a student.—The Majoristic
controversy originated in the public declaration made by G. Major, that
“good works are necessary to salvation.” The fears which such a
doctrine, that savored of popery, produced among orthodox and devout Lutherans,
were excessive. Those who opposed Major, were alarmed by his unguarded
expressions, and apprehended that the Gospel doctrine of Justification
by faith in Christ alone, without human works or merit, would be endangered,
unless they silenced him. The controversy, in its most energetic
form, terminated about seven years after Arndt's birth, but the indirect
effects of the misconceptions connected with the great topic of this controversy,
were deeply felt by him.—The Synergistic controversy, relating
to the question whether man could co-operate with the Holy Spirit in the
work of his conversion, began in the year in which Arndt was born, and
was maintained with great energy during several years.—The so-called
Cryptocalvinistic controversy, referring mainly to the doctrine of the
Lord's Supper, and involving certain important questions respecting the
Person of Christ, commenced about three years before Arndt's birth, and
agitated the church during many years.—These, and other subjects on
which also controversies had arisen, were, in the good providence of God,
at length calmly considered by learned and devout Lutheran theologians,
conscientiously examined in the light of the divine Word, impartially decided,
and set forth, in the year 1580, in the Formula of Concord, the
last of the special Lutheran creeds, all the doctrines of which Arndt cordially
§ 16. The catalogue of the difficulties which awaited him, is not yet exhausted. We have to add, as a part of the history of the times, when an extraordinary number of political and ecclesiastical contentions prevailed, the excitement of feeling which certain differences of doctrine between the Lutherans and the Reformed engendered, and which would never have risen to the fearful height in which history now exhibits it to us, if political power, controlled alternately by the two religious parties in some of the German principalities, had not been invoked by them. The awful death by fire, which terminated the career of Servetus (Oct. 27, 1553, two years before the birth of Arndt, and more than six years after the death of Luther), was decreed by the civil authorities of Geneva, but was sanctioned by Calvin and even the gentle Melanchthon—a sad example of the clouded views of men at that time respecting religious liberty and the right of civil rulers to punish men for their errors in the faith.
§ 17. In the Palatinate (the ancient Pfalz, the territories of which are now distributed among Bavaria, Prussia, etc.) the Lutheran Church had been established, and popery ceased to exist. But in 1560, a few years after Arndt's birth, the Elector, Frederick III., withdrew from the church, and adopted the Reformed faith and usages. His successor, Lewis VI., endeavored to restore the ascendency of Lutheranism; but after his brief reign, the authorities which succeeded, established “Calvinism” (the term employed in Church History) on a permanent basis. A similar ecclesiastico-civil revolution occurred in Bremen in 1562; fourteen Lutheran pastors and the Lutheran members of the City Council were expelled, and the city became Reformed. Such changes occurred elsewhere. Both parties were undoubtedly more or less honest in adhering to their doctrinal views; and both claimed the right to depose and exile those of an opposite faith, whenever the civil and political power was, in either case, directed by them.
§ 18. Let it now be remembered that these contending Protestants, Lutheran
and Reformed or Calvinistic, were led by men respectively, who
were confessedly intelligent, learned, and endowed with great abilities,
many of whom were not only honest in expressing their convictions, but
also conscientious in their conduct, whether they were governed by an
§ 19. At the same time, all these men were fallible creatures, subject to all the errors of judgment, and to all the passions and infirmities incident to fallen man. They often supposed that their intentions were pure, when selfish motives governed them, and their jealous guardianship of God's truth was combined with a jealous love for their personal opinions. It was under these circumstances, when each party watched with extreme jealousy over the purity of the faith, as adopted by it, and when, besides, many private interests—personal, political, and pecuniary—exercised vast influence, that Arndt entered on his labors.—We have introduced the above details, in order to explain his declarations in the preface to Book I. § 8, that he rejects the Synergistic, Majoristic, etc., errors, and entertains no other views except those which are set forth in the Lutheran Symbolical Books.
§ 20. When he commenced his labors in Brunswick, he was the
youngest member of the “ministerium” of the city, that is, of the college
composed of the pastors of the several city churches, all of which at that
time strictly adhered to the Lutheran creed. He had long lamented that,
in consequence of the infelicity of the times, which caused endless doctrinal
controversies, the parties of which were many, Papists, Mystics,
Unitarians, Reformed, Lutherans, etc., the attention of many persons was
diverted from the practical duties of a Christian life, and directed exclusively
to controversies on points of doctrine; the result was, that the
understanding was actively exercised, but the heart was not properly
affected. Such considerations induced him to write Book I. of his “True
Christianity.” It was his object to show that God demands a holy life,
proceeding from faith in Christ, and that no jealousy concerning the
§ 21. It consisted principally of the matter which he had introduced in a course of practical sermons previously delivered by him on week-days. It attracted great attention, and was rapidly circulated throughout Germany. The modest and retiring author, without expecting such a result, at once became a celebrity. Nevertheless, new trials now commenced. An envious feeling seems to have been engendered in the hearts of several of his colleagues in the “ministerium” of the city, when they noticed the honor which the author had undesignedly gained. Perhaps, too, the controversial spirit of the times, and the jealousy of good men respecting the faith, which was assailed on all sides—by Papists, Calvinists, Unitarians, fanatics, etc.,—may have led them to scrutinize the book with too suspicious eyes. All held firmly to the Gospel doctrine of Justification by faith alone, without works. Now, when they found that Arndt insisted with such earnestness on the evidences of faith, as furnished by a holy life, they were morbidly affected, and apprehended that the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which their bitter enemies, the Papists, denounced, had not been guarded with sufficient care by Arndt. Other expressions, again, which they did not interpret impartially, led them to fear that he was introducing mysticism and other morbid religious systems into the Church. The reproaches which he was compelled to hear, deterred him for some time from fulfilling his promise of adding three other “Books” to Book I. The complete work may be regarded as consisting of Four Books, as published in 1609. At a considerably later period a fifth, and then a sixth book, were added. The former was designed as an explanation and recapitulation of the Four Books, and the latter, consisting in part of letters addressed to various eminent theologians, besides having the same object in view, was intended also to defend the doctrinal and ethical positions assumed in the Four Books. As they partake of the nature of an appendix, and refer, to some extent, to misunderstandings belonging to an earlier age, the Latin versions omit them, and this example was followed by the English translator.
§ 22. Arndt was freed from the unpleasant relations in which he stood
to his colleagues in Brunswick, in which city he had spent about ten years,
§ 23. Two dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg followed him to the grave
(May 15th), as a testimony of their sense of the great worth of their revered
spiritual guide. The text of the funeral sermon, delivered by Rev. Mr.
Storch, consisted of the words, “I have fought a good fight,” etc.
Qui Jesum vidit, qui mundum et daemona vicit, Arndius in scriptis vivit ovatque suis.
(That is: Arndt, who saw Jesus, and conquered the world and the devil, lives and triumphs in his writings.)
§ 24. Nothing could be more unjust than any charge affecting the purity
of the faith of Arndt as a Lutheran Christian. His general orthodoxy
was always readily admitted; a few unreasonable and prejudiced men,
however, who suspected that mysticism and other errors were concealed
in the “True Christianity,” although the existence of such matter could
not be established, nevertheless alleged, with a certain morbid feeling,
that Arndt did not adopt the entire creed of the Lutheran Church, as set
forth in “all her symbolical books.” This circumstance accounts for the
frequency and earnestness with which he declares his unconditional acceptance
of, and hearty belief in, all the details of the Lutheran faith. Thus
the reader will find, at the close of the Preface to Book I., an emphatic
declaration of his recognition of the doctrines of all the Symbolical Books,
the names of which he enumerates in full. See, also, the conclusion of
Book II., and the conclusion of the Preface to Book IV., where similar
declarations occur. He repeats them in his Preface to Book VI., where
he employs the following language: “My dear reader, inasmuch as our
holy Christian faith, the pure evangelical doctrine, has, for about one
hundred years, been elucidated, purified, and sufficiently explained, in
accordance with the rule of the holy Word of God, and also been cleansed
from many errors through the means of two glorious and praiseworthy
confessions of faith, namely, the Augsburg Confession, and the Formula
of Concord, which have hitherto been, and still continue to be, my own
confession of faith; and, inasmuch as some have, at the same time, uttered
complaints respecting the ungodly manner of life of the present world,
with which the Christian faith cannot coexist; therefore, I wrote, some
years ago, Four Books on True Christianity, in which I have
depicted the internal, and, also, the external Christian life. For although the pure
doctrine is the foremost point of true Christianity, I have, nevertheless,
not wished to treat of it in a special manner, as this has been copiously and
superabundantly done by others, and is still daily done; and I have taken
only the Christian life as my subject.” This Book VI. appeared somewhat
less than a year before his death, and gives special prominence to the last
of the Lutheran confessions of faith—the Formula of
Concord—in which the doctrines concerning the Person of Christ, the Lord's
Supper, etc., are set forth in all their details; he thus repeats anew his cordial
acceptance of the doctrines contained therein. In a letter of thanks addressed to
Dr. Mentzer, of Giessen (Book VI., Part II., Letter 7), he expressly rejects
the serious doctrinal errors of Schwenkfeldt respecting the Scriptures, the
Person of Christ, the two Sacraments, etc., and adds: “These errors have
been publicly condemned and rejected, partly in the Augsburg Confession,
and partly in the Formula of Concord, after the pure doctrine was firmly
established.” He concurs, of course, in the condemnation of such errors.—In
Letter 8, of the same Book, addressed to Dr. Piscator, of Jena, he says:
“I call on the great God, the Searcher of hearts, as my witness, that it was
§ 25. On his death-bed he repeated anew, as we have seen, that he continued,
as heretofore, to adhere faithfully to the pure evangelical doctrine.
In the two copies of his last will and testament, of the years 1610 and
1616, he solemnly declares that he had always held with full consciousness
and understanding the doctrines of the Augsburg Confession and the
Formula of Concord, and never departed from their contents either in his
public teaching or his private views, that he never would adopt any other
faith, and that he prayed that the grace of God might sustain him in this
frame of mind until his last hour should come. The singularly emphatic
manner in which, on every appropriate occasion—and many of such
occurred—he declared his sincere belief in the peculiar and distinctive
doctrines of the Lutheran Church, in all their details, as set forth in her
Symbolical Books, by no means proceeded from a narrow-minded
sectarian feeling. “Christ is all, and in all” (
§ 26. Religion assumed an unusually attractive and beautiful form in
Arndt, and is strikingly shadowed forth in his “True Christianity;” this
work is an admirable portraiture of his inner man. He was naturally of
a grave, but not by any means of an unsocial or gloomy disposition; he
would not otherwise have been styled “the Fenelon of Protestantism.”
Dr. Wildenhahn, whose charming work (entitled Johannes Arndt)
embodies strictly accurate historical notices, and derives only subordinate matter,
such as incidents in domestic life, conversations, etc., from analogy and a
fruitful imagination, exhibits him in the true light, as an affectionate husband,
a cheerful companion, a generous and self-sacrificing friend of the
sick and the poor—in short, as a model in all the relations of life. There
§ 27. The essential features of vital godliness are always the same; yet
“there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
§ 28. It would be an error to suppose that the whole world had risen up
in arms against Arndt, after he had assumed his position as an humble
and devout Christian. Vast numbers received his First Book on True
Christianity with gratitude and joy. It enlightened their minds; it controlled
the conscience; it diffused the warmth of life through their souls;
and they thanked God that such a book, so full of love, had been given to
the world. A comparatively small number of men rose up against him.
Certain individuals, such as his colleague, Denecke, a co-pastor of the same
congregation in Brunswick, were, no doubt, influenced by envy and personal
dislike. But others who opposed him, were by no means governed
solely by unworthy personal considerations. Some of them were so
much concerned about “questions and strifes of words” (
§ 29. Another ground of the charge of mysticism which his opponents
advanced, was found in his repeated references in the “True Christianity”
to Tauler. Here, too, Arndt made a brilliant defence, by quoting
the great Luther as his authority. The latter had obtained possession
of a manuscript without a title or an author's name, which deeply interested
him. It dwelt entirely on the communion of the soul with God,
and on kindred topics. Luther, whose godliness was healthy and sound,
was so much charmed with the work, that he published a part of it at
Wittenberg in 1516, and prefixed the title: “A spiritual, noble little
work, explaining the distinction between the old and the new man;
showing, also, who are the children of Adam and the children of God,
and how Adam must die in us, and Christ live in us.” During the course
of the next year he published the whole work, with an extended Preface
of his own, and adopted the title: “A German Theology”; this general
title it has since retained. It was received with unbounded favor, and
circulated rapidly throughout Europe, for instance, in three English, seven
Latin, four French, etc., translations, besides numerous editions of the
original German. It was supposed to have been written by Tauler, a
very devout man, who was born in the year 1290. His religious tendencies
led him, like Luther, to enter a monastery. The sermons and other
writings which he left behind, while their general character assign to him
a place among those who are denominated “Mystics,” nevertheless
abound in holy and devout aspirations, and were dictated by a spirit that
sought and found peace in the grace of God alone.—Arndt entertained the
opinion that the “German Theology” was a production of his pen, and
so represents the case in his “True Christianity.” It is now, however,
§ 30. It will, perhaps, gratify the reader to observe the skill with which
Wildenhahn, to whom we have already referred, illustrates the childlike
simplicity of Arndt's character, by combining fiction with truth. During
his Brunswick pastorate, the City Council of Halberstadt sent him an
urgent call to become the successor of the deceased Rev. D. Sachse, as
pastor of the church of St. Martin in that city. After he had consulted
with his intelligent wife, who, like himself, was anxious to withdraw to
any spot where peace could be found, he resolved to accept the call; and,
in accordance with custom and law, applied to the Brunswick City Council
for letters of honorable dismission. When the question was to be
decided, Arndt appeared in the presence of the burgomaster, Kale, the
syndic, Dr. Roerhand, and other members of the Council, and renewed
his request. These details are historically true. Wildenhahn now subjoins
the following: “Tell me honestly,” said the syndic to him, “have
you really, as you allege, taken no steps whatever, in order to obtain this
call from Halberstadt?” “Not a single step,” said Arndt, in a solemn
manner, with his right hand on his heart, “the whole is altogether and
exclusively a work of God.” But at the moment when he pronounced
this solemn declaration, it became evident to those who were present, that
a sudden thought had startled him; he changed color; he began to
tremble; he suddenly covered his eyes with his left hand. Then, with a
voice betraying deep emotion, he added: “Gentlemen, I have borne false
witness! I really did do something to obtain this call.” “Ah!” said
Kale quickly, delighted, as it seemed, to find an opportunity for displaying
his official dignity, “You did? Pray, tell us what it was.” “I prayed
§ 31. The great work of Arndt—the “True Christianity,” has probably
never had its equal as a popular book of devotion. Tholuck relates the
following anecdote as an illustration of the manner in which even Papists
could appreciate the merits of the work. When Prof. Anton, of Halle,
visited Madrid in 1687, he examined the library of the Jesuits, and incidentally
inquired of the librarian respecting the ascetic writer whom they
esteemed more than other authors of devotional works. The latter exhibited
a Latin book, the title-page and last leaves of which were wanting,
and declared that it was the most edifying work which they possessed.
When Anton examined it, he discovered that it was a translation of
Arndt's “True Christianity”! It is only common justice to
allow the author to state the objects which he had in view, in preparing the work.
The following passage occurs in a letter which he addressed in the last
year of his life to Duke Augustus the Younger, of Brunswick: “In the
first place, I wished to withdraw the minds of students and preachers
from an inordinate controversial and polemic theology, which has well-nigh
assumed the form of an earlier scholastic theology. Secondly, I purposed
to conduct Christian believers from lifeless thoughts to such as
might bring forth fruit. Thirdly, I wished to guide them onward from
mere science and theory, to the actual practice of faith and godliness;
and, fourthly, to show them wherein a truly Christian life consists, which
accords with the true faith, as well as to explain the apostle's meaning
when he says: ‘I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,’ etc.” (
§ 32. The Rev. Dr. Seiss, the author of “Ecclesia Lutherana, etc.,” to
whose endeavors the religious public is mainly indebted for the appearance
of the present edition, remarks in a recent notice of the work:
“This is one of the very greatest and most useful practical books produced
by Protestantism. Though written more than two hundred and
fifty years ago, it is still unsurpassed in its department. It stands out
with marked and superior distinction in the modern ages. Next to the
Bible and Luther's Small Catechism, it has been more frequently printed,
more widely read, and more influential for good, than any other book,
§ 33. And truly God did not design this great work solely for the comfort
and aid of the German nation during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648),
but for all nations and all times. It has been translated into the
Latin, Danish, Swedish, Bohemian, Polish, Low Dutch, English, French,
Turkish, Russian, Malabar, Tamul, etc., languages. At least two editions
of the work in a Latin translation were published in England; the
last appeared in 1708, with the following title: “Joannis Arndtii, Theologici,
etc.: De vero Christianismo. Libri IV. Cura et studio A. W. Boemi.
Lond. 1708.” 2 vols. 8vo.—Another Latin edition was published in Germany
in 1624. The Tamul translation had the following Latin title: “De
vero Christianismo, in Tamulicum convertit Benjamin Schulzius, Missionarius
Evangelicus.”
The first Latin translation, published at Leipsic in
1704, was prepared by the joint labors of Dr. J. G. Dorscheus and Dr. J. G.
Pritius. (The latter published about the same time his Introductio in
lectionem N. T., etc., which was highly valued, and passed through
several editions; our own copy is dated 1737.) An extended Preface was
furnished by Pritius. The whole is presented in a single and very clumsy
volume.—The Latin translation published by Mr. Boehm in London, 1708,
and dedicated to his patron, Prince George, appeared in two neat and
convenient volumes, and is far superior to the continental edition. Copies
of these editions, which are now rarely to be found, were obtained by us from
the very rich collection of such works, belonging to Rev. Dr. C. P. Krauth,
of West Philadelphia.
§ 34. The work had made so deep an impression on learned British
Christians, who read it in Latin, that the wish was repeatedly and earnestly
expressed that it might be made accessible to English readers. At
this period, that is, during the reign of Queen Anne of England (who
died in 1714), large numbers of German emigrants from the Palatinate
passed through England on their way to the provinces of New York and
§ 35. It would be unjust to the memory of this excellent man, if we
should fail to refer to his literary labors. His high office at the royal
court of England, is an evidence of his personal merit. He was not only
a devout and faithful preacher of the Gospel, but also an author who
acquired distinction. In 1734 he published a very valuable work in the
German language, entitled: “Eight Books, on the Reformation of the
Church in England, extending from the year 1526, under Henry VIII., to
the reign of Charles II.” In a very beautiful eulogy, in manuscript,
found in the volume before us, the writer refers to the successful efforts
of Mr. Boehm to provide for the education of the children of the poor in
his vicinity. He died May 27, 1722, in his fiftieth year, after having faithfully
labored in the service of Christ. He sustained, with eminent success,
the Danish Lutheran missionaries in Tranquebar, by sending pecuniary
aid obtained in London, as well as religious publications. Besides his
great German historical work, which is the complement of Burnet's “History
of the Reformation of the Church of England,” he also published
several English compositions, such as a “Sermon on the doctrine of Original
Sin,
§ 36. About the beginning of the present century, the Rev. Calvin
Chaddock, who resided in Hanover, Massachusetts, obtained a copy of
Mr. Boehm's translation, “accidentally,” as he says, and found it to be so
valuable, that he resolved to issue an American edition, which accordingly
appeared in 1809, Boston. In his short Preface he remarks, with great
truth, that the language of the translation “appears to be somewhat ancient,
and the sentiments in some few instances obscure.” He adds, in
reference to his own agency: “The only alterations which have been made,
are such as respect redundant and obsolete words, orthography, the addition
§ 37. In the year 1815, a new edition of Mr. Boehm's English translation was issued in London (evidently without any reference to Mr. Chaddock's American edition), by William Jacques, A.M., who had already distinguished himself by his translation, from the Latin, of A. H. Francke's “Guide to the Reading and Study of the Holy Scriptures,” of which a reprint, in a very unattractive form, and with omissions, appeared in Philadelphia, in 1823. He took Mr. Boehm's translation as the “ground-work,” which, as he states in his Preface, he did not “edit either hastily or negligently. There is not a single page, nor a single paragraph,” he continues, “which has not been subjected to scrutiny,” etc. Nevertheless, Mr. Jacques, who does not appear to have compared the translation with the original German, made only verbal changes, which, as it is evident, materially improve the style. But he allowed all the additions of Mr. Boehm, which are generally quite tautological, and various inaccuracies in thought and expression to remain. So many antiquated expressions were retained, that it would have been inexpedient to reprint the work precisely as Mr. Jacques allowed the text to remain. Besides, he curtailed the full titles of the several chapters, and, with very few exceptions, omitted the important and appropriate texts which Arndt had prefixed respectively to the latter. These circumstances, in connection with others, such as numerous typographical errors, especially in the Scripture references, plainly indicated that a revision of the whole was necessary, before the present edition could be presented to the public.
§ 38. The editor of the present American edition took that of Mr.
Jacques as the basis of the translation, but compared every sentence with
the original German. He found some cases in which valuable matter had
been omitted, and was occasionally required to supply sentences that had
§ 39. But even after having made numerous changes on every page of the old translation before him, the American editor is conscious that a critical eye will discover many imperfections in the style. It is often antiquated and heavy, and sometimes even quaint. Nevertheless, in all these instances he allowed the English text to remain as he found it, contenting himself with the correction of orthographical and syntactical inaccuracies, the rectification of Scripture references, the errors in which he found to be unusually numerous, the correction of quotations in accordance with the authorized English version of the Bible, in the many cases in which Mr. Boehm, or one of his assistants, translated from Luther's German version, or quoted the English version from memory, etc., etc.
§ 40. It is eminently proper that a new edition of Arndt's “True Christianity”
should appear during the present Jubilee year of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church, and that it should be undertaken and conducted to a
successful issue by members of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Pennsylvania.
§ 41. The doctrinal system which Arndt so sincerely revered, was
brought to this country by the Lutheran pastors who visited our shores
at a very early period. Dr. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, an eminently
enlightened and holy man, was enabled, by his well-disciplined mind and
great administrative powers, to create order among the scattered Lutherans
whom he found in this country. He was exceedingly zealous in maintaining
the purity of the Lutheran faith, to which he owed all his peace
and his hopes. He gave unusual prominence to the Symbolical Books—to
all of them, mentioned by name—in the various constitutions of
congregations organized or influenced by him, and very properly claimed that none
who rejected them could honestly bear the name of Lutherans.
We will give only one illustration, of many which might be adduced, to
show the fidelity with which he held to the Lutheran Symbolical Books, as
enumerated by Arndt in the last paragraph of his Preface to Book I., in
this volume. Dr. Muhlenberg states in an official Report for the year
1747, which he transmitted to Halle (Hall.
Nachr., pp. 234, 235), that he
had visited a congregation in Maryland, in which great dissensions prevailed
at the time, occasioned by efforts made by certain individuals to
alienate the Lutherans from their faith and church. He says, “Before we
commenced public worship, I asked for the Church Record, and wrote
certain propositions and articles in it in the English language, and among
other statements, made the following: That our German Lutherans held
The term “Symbol”—a word derived from the Greek—was applied, at a very
early period of the Christian Church, by Greek-speaking Christians, to the
“Apostles' Creed,” in the sense of a “token or mark of recognition.” He who
knew and adopted that Creed, viewed thus as a symbol, was recognized
as a Christian; he who knew it not, or who rejected it, was not a Christian,
but a Jew or heathen. After diverse creeds had been formed and adopted in
the course of time, the word Symbol was
retained, as applicable to a particular creed or confession of
faith. Hence the term “Symbols,” or its equivalent, “Symbolical Books,”
was gradually applied to the several Lutheran Creeds which Arndt mentions
with such reverence and love, as we have seen above.
§ 42. An unhappy change occurred after Dr. Muhlenberg's day. The Symbolical Books, which he and his contemporaries received, believed, and sustained in their whole extent, with religious veneration, existed at that time only in Latin and German. They gradually receded from the view of many pastors of the church; individuals were received into the ranks of the ministry, who had never studied them; doctrines and usages, hitherto unknown to the church, were introduced into many Lutheran congregations. At one period several of the most intelligent pastors yielded, to a certain extent, to rationalistic influences; then, the opposite extreme, of fanaticism, gained adherents; both rationalism and fanaticism were alike hostile to “the unaltered Augsburg Confession and the other Symbolical Books,” and a strange combination of elements, derived partly from rationalism, and partly from fanaticism, temporarily held sway. Dependence was now placed on human measures and inventions, designed for the conversion of sinners and the edification of believers, rather than on the divinely appointed means of grace, which men like Arndt and Muhlenberg recognized as the only channels through which the Divine Spirit exercises his influence. If they had lived among us during the second, third, and fourth decades of this century, when their doctrines, and their mode of preaching, were regarded by many as antiquated, or unsuited to a supposed higher grade of religious development, they would have readily predicted the results—fanaticism, latitudinarianism in doctrine, an evanescent emotional religion, and, by consequence, the rejection, in whole or in part, of the Augsburg Confession and the other Symbolical Books.
§ 43. God, in his mercy, has interposed. The doctrines which Arndt,
Muhlenberg, and men of the old faith, regarded as the life-blood of a
healthy, scriptural religion, are regaining their authority. Many still
§ 44. The divine blessing has so remarkably attended the use of Arndt's “True Christianity,” in the original language, and in its various translations, that the present editor humbly entertains the hope that the time and labor expended by him in preparing this new edition, may also be of avail. And he prays that the “True Christianity” may continue the work which it has already performed, and instruct, guide, and comfort anew the souls of its readers, to the praise and glory of God.
C. F. S.
Philadelphia, August, 1868.
Christian Reader! That the holy Gospel is subjected, in our age, to a great and shameful abuse, is fully proved by the ungodly and impenitent life of those who loudly boast of Christ and of his word, while their unchristian life resembles that of persons who dwell in a land of heathens and not of Christians. Such an ungodly course of conduct furnished me with an occasion for writing this Treatise; it was my object to show to plain readers wherein true Christianity consists, namely, in the exhibition of a true, living, and active faith, which manifests itself in genuine godliness and the fruits of righteousness. I desired to show that we bear the name of Christians, not only because we ought to believe in Christ, but also because the name implies that we live in Christ, and that He lives in us. I further desired to show that true repentance proceeds from the inmost centre of the heart; that the heart, mind, and affections must be changed; that we must be conformed to Christ and His holy Gospel; and that we must be renewed by the word of God, and become new creatures. For even as every seed produces fruit of a like nature, so the word of God must daily produce in us new spiritual fruits. If we become new creatures by faith, we must live in accordance with our new birth. In a word, Adam must die, and Christ must live, in us. It is not sufficient to acquire a knowledge of the word of God; it is also our duty to obey it practically, with life and power.
2. There are many who suppose that Theology is merely a science, or an art of words, whereas it is a living experience and practical exercise.—Every one now aims at acquiring eminence and distinction in the world; but no one is willing to learn how to be devout. Every one now seeks out men of great learning, who can teach arts, languages, and wisdom; but no one is willing to learn from our only Teacher, Jesus Christ, how to become meek and sincerely humble; and yet His holy and living example is the true rule for our life and conduct, and, indeed, constitutes the highest wisdom and knowledge; so that we can with truth declare, “The pure life of Christ opens all knowledge to us.”
3. Every one is very willing to be a
servant of Christ; but no one will consent to be His follower. And yet He
says: “If any man serve me, let him follow me.”
4. Not only, however, is ungodliness, in all its forms, at variance with
Christ and true Christianity, but it is also the cause of the daily accumulation
of the displeasure of God, and of
the penalties which he inflicts; insomuch that he fits all creatures to be
avengers, and that heaven and earth, fire and water, are made to contend
against us; so that all nature is thereby sorely distressed, and well-nigh
overwhelmed. Hence, a season of affliction must be expected; war, famine,
and pestilence; yea, the last
plagues are coming in with such violence, that we are exposed to the assaults
of nearly every creature. For even as the terrible plagues of the
Egyptians overtook them before the redemption and departure of the children
of Israel from Egypt, so, too, before the redemption of the children
of God occurs, dreadful and unheard-of plagues will overtake the ungodly
and impenitent. It is therefore high time to repent, to begin another course
of life, to turn from the world to Christ, to believe truly in him, and to lead a
Christian life in him, so that we may securely “dwell in the secret place of
the Most High, and abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
5. Now, to this end, my Christian reader, this book may, to a certain extent, serve thee as a guide, showing thee not only how thou mayest, through faith in Christ, obtain the remission of thy sins, but also how thou mayest avail thyself of the grace of God, in order to lead a holy life; and how thou mayest demonstrate and adorn thy faith by a Christian walk and conversation. For true Christianity consists, not in words, nor in any external show, but in a living faith, from which proceed fruits meet for repentance, and all manner of Christian virtues, as from Christ himself. For as faith is hidden from human view, and is invisible, it must be manifested by its fruits; inasmuch as faith derives from Christ all that is good, righteous, and blessed.
6. Now, when faith waits for the blessings which are promised to it,
the offspring of this faith is hope. For what else is hope but a constant and
persevering expectation, in faith, of the blessings which are promised?
But when faith communicates to a
neighbor the blessings which it has itself
received, love is the offspring of such a faith, imparting to the neighbor
that which it has itself received from God; and when faith endures
the trial of the cross, and submits to
the will of God, it brings forth patience. But when it sighs under the
burden of the cross, or offers thanks
to God for mercies which it has received,
it gives birth to prayer. When it compares the power of God, on the
one hand, with the misery of man, on the other, and submits unresistingly
to the will of God, humility is the fruit. And when this faith diligently labors
that it may not lose the grace of God, or, as St. Paul says: “worketh out
salvation with fear and trembling”
(
7. Thus thou seest that all the Christian virtues are the offspring of
faith, proceed from faith, and cannot be separated from faith, their common
source, if they are indeed genuine,
living, and Christian virtues, proceeding ultimately from God, from Christ,
and from the Holy Spirit. Hence no work can be acceptable to God without
faith in Christ. For how can true
hope, sincere love, persevering patience, earnest prayer, Christian humility,
and a childlike fear of God, exist without faith? All must be
drawn from Christ, the well of salvation (
8. Now this Book which I have written, specially treats of such sincere and earnest repentance of the heart, of the exhibition of faith in the life and conduct, and of the spirit of love which should animate all the acts of the Christian; for that which proceeds from Christian love, is, at the same time, the fruit of faith. It is true that I have referred to some earlier writers, such as Tauler, Thomas á Kempis, and others, who may seem to ascribe more than is due to human ability and works; but my whole Book is designed to counteract such an error. I would, therefore, kindly request the Christian reader to remember the great object for which I wrote this Book. He will find that its main purpose is this: To teach the reader how to perceive the hidden and connate abomination of Original Sin; to set forth distinctly our misery and helplessness; to teach us to put no trust in ourselves or our ability; to take away everything from ourselves, and to ascribe all to Christ, so that He alone may dwell in us, work all things in us, alone live in us, and create all things in us, because he is the beginning, middle, and end, of our conversion and salvation. All this has been plainly and abundantly explained in many passages of this Book; and, at the same time, the doctrines of the Papists, Synergists, and Majorists, have been expressly refuted and rejected. The doctrine, moreover, of justification by faith, has been set forth in this Book, and especially in Book II., in the most pointed and explicit manner. In order, however, to obviate all misapprehensions, I have subjected the present edition to a very careful revision, and I beg the reader to receive the editions which have appeared in Frankfort and other places, in the sense in which the present Magdeburg edition is to be received. I also affirm, that this Book, as well in all other articles and points, as also in the articles of Free Will, and of the Justification of a poor sinner before God, is not to be understood in any other manner than in accordance with the Symbolical Books of the churches of the Augsburg Confession, namely, the first Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology, the Smalcald Articles, the Two Catechisms of Luther, and the Formula of Concord.
May God enlighten us all by his Holy Spirit, so that we may be sincere and without offence, both in our faith and in our life, till the day of Christ (which is near at hand), being filled with the fruits of righteousness, unto the glory and praise of God! Amen.
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and ... put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.—Eph. 4:23, 24.
The image of God in man, is the conformity of the soul of man, of his spirit and mind, of his understanding and will, and of all his faculties and powers, both bodily and mental, to God and the Holy Trinity. For the decree of the Holy Trinity was thus expressed: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” etc. Gen., 1:26.
2. It is evident, therefore, that, when man was created, the image of
the Trinity was impressed on him, in order that the holiness, righteousness,
and goodness of God, might shine forth in his soul; diffuse abundant
light through his understanding, will, and affections; and visibly appear
even in his life and conversation: that, consequently, all his actions,
both inward and outward, might breathe nothing but divine love, purity,
and power, and, in short, that
the life of man upon earth might resemble that of the angels in heaven,
who are always engaged in doing the will of their Heavenly Father. In
thus impressing his image on man, God designed to delight and rejoice in
him, just as a father rejoices in a child
born after his own image: for as a parent,
beholding himself, or another self, in his offspring, cannot but feel the
greatest complacency and delight; so, when God beheld the express character
of his own Person reflected in an image of himself, his “delights were
with the sons of men.”
3. It undoubtedly is the essential property of every image, that it be a just representation of the object which it is intended to express; and as the reflection in a mirror is vivid in a degree proportioned to the clearness of the mirror itself, so the image of God becomes more or less visible, according to the purity of the soul in which it is beheld.
4. Hence God originally created man perfectly pure and undefiled; that so the divine image might be beheld in him, not as an empty, lifeless shadow in a glass, but as a true and living image of the invisible God, and as the likeness of his inward, hidden, and unutterable beauty. There was an image of the wisdom of God, in the understanding of man; of his goodness, gentleness, and patience, in the spirit of man; of his divine love and mercy, in the affections of man's heart. There was an image of the righteousness and holiness, the justice and purity of God, in the will of man; of his kindness, clemency, and truth, in all the words and actions of man; of his almighty power, in man's dominion over the earth, and inferior creatures; and lastly, there was an image of God's eternity, in the immortality of the human soul.
5. From the divine image thus implanted in him, man should have acquired
the knowledge both of God
and of himself. Hence he might have learned, that God, his Creator, is all
in all, the Being of beings, and the chief and only BEING, from whom
all created beings derive their existence, and in whom, and by whom, all
things that are, subsist. Hence, also, he might have known, that God, as
the Original of man's nature, is all
that essentially, of which he himself was but the image and representation.
For since man was to bear the image of the divine goodness, it follows that
God is the sovereign and universal
goodness essentially (
6. From this image of the Divine Being, man should further have acquired
the knowledge of himself. He should have considered what a vast
difference there was between God and himself. Man is not God, but God's
image; and the image of God ought to represent nothing but God. He is a
portraiture of the Divine Being; a character, an image, in which God
alone should be seen and glorified. Nothing therefore ought to live in
man, besides God. Nothing but the Divinity should stir, will, love, think,
speak, act, or rejoice in him. For if anything besides God live or work in
man, he ceases to be the image of God; and becomes the image of that which
thus lives and acts within him. If therefore a man would become, and
continue to be, the image of God, he must wholly surrender himself to the
Divine Being, and submit entirely to his will; he must suffer God to work
in him whatsoever he pleases; so that, by denying his own will, he may do
the will of his Heavenly Father without reserve, being entirely resigned to
God, and willing to become a holy instrument
7. Of this entire devotedness to the Divine will, our Lord Jesus Christ,
while he sojourned in our world, was
a perfect example. He sacrificed his own will to God his Father, in blameless
obedience, humility, and meekness; readily depriving himself of all
honor and esteem, of all self-interest and self-love, of all pleasure and joy;
and leaving God alone, to think, speak, and act, in him, and by him. In short,
he invariably made the will and pleasure of God his own, as the Father
himself testified by a voice from Heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.”
8. It was in such a holy innocence as this, that the image of God was, in the beginning, conferred on Adam, which he should have preserved in true humility and obedience. Sufficient it surely was for him, that he was made capable of all the benefits of the divine image; of sincere and unmixed love and delight; of undisturbed and solid tranquillity of mind; of power, fortitude, peace, light, and life. But not duly reflecting that he himself was not the chief good, but merely a mirror of the Godhead, formed purposely to receive the reflection of the divine nature, he erected himself into a God; and thus choosing to be the highest good to himself, he was precipitated into the greatest of all evils, being deprived of this inestimable image, and alienated from that communion with God, which, by virtue of it, he before enjoyed.
9. Had self-will, self-love, and self-honor, been excluded, the image of
God could not have departed from man; but the Divine Being would
have continued to be his sole glory,
10. Finally, man ought to have learned from the image of God, that by means of it he is united to God; and that in this union, his true and everlasting tranquillity, his rest, peace, joy, life, and happiness alone consist. He should have learned that all restlessness of mind and vexation of spirit, arise from nothing but a breach of this union, by which he ceases to be the image of God; for man no sooner turns to the creature, than he is deprived of that eternal good which is to be derived from God alone.
As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.—Rom. 5:19.
The fall of Adam was disobedience to God, by which man turned away from the Divine Being to himself, and robbed God of the honor due to him alone, in that he himself thought to be as God. But while he thus labored to advance himself, he was stripped of that divine image, which the Creator had so freely conferred on him; divested of hereditary righteousness; and bereaved of that holiness with which he was originally adorned; becoming, as it regards his understanding, dark and blind; as to his will, stubborn and perverse; and as to all the powers and faculties of the soul, entirely alienated from God. This evil has infected the whole mass of mankind, by means of a fleshly generation; and has been inherited by all men. The obvious consequence arising from this is, that man is become spiritually dead and the child of wrath and damnation, until redeemed from this miserable state by Jesus Christ. Let not then any who are called Christians deceive themselves with regard to Adam's fall. Let them be cautious, how they attempt to extenuate or lessen the transgression of Adam, as though it were a small sin, a thing of little consequence, and, at the worst, but the eating of an apple. Let them rather be assured, that the guilt of Adam was that of Lucifer, namely, he would be as God: and that it was the same most grievous, heinous, and hateful sin in both.
2. This apostasy (for it was nothing less), was, at first, generated in the
heart, and then made manifest by the eating of the forbidden fruit. Though
man was numbered with the sons of God; though he came forth from the
hands of the Almighty spotless both in body and in soul, and was the most
glorious object in the creation; though, to crown all, he was not only a son,
but the delight of God; yet not knowing how to rest satisfied with these
3. Hence it was, that man became inwardly like Satan himself, bearing
his likeness in the heart; since both had now committed the same sin, both
having rebelled against the majesty of Heaven. Man no more exhibits an
image of God, but rather that of the Devil; he no longer is an instrument
in the hands of God, but is become an organ of Satan, and is thereby rendered
capable of every species of diabolical wickedness: so that, having
lost that image which was heavenly, spiritual, and divine, he is altogether
earthly, sensual, and brutish. For the devil, designing to imprint his own
image upon man, fascinated him so
entirely by a train of enticing and deceitful words, that man permitted him
to sow that hateful seed in his soul, which is hence termed the seed of the
serpent; and by which is chiefly
meant, self-love, self-will, and the ambition of being as God. On this account
it is, that the Scriptures term
those who are intoxicated with self-love, “a generation of vipers.”
4. From this seed of the serpent nothing but deadly and horrible fruit
can possibly proceed; namely, Satan's
image, the children of Belial, the children of the devil.
5. If we observe a little child with attention, we shall see how this natural
corruption displays itself from its very birth; and how self-will and
disobedience especially discover themselves, and break forth into actions
that effectually witness to the hidden root from which they spring. Let us
consider the child further, as it grows up to maturer years. Observe the natural
selfishness of the youth, his inbred ambition, his thirst after worldly
glory, his love of applause, his pursuit of revenge, and his proneness to deceit
and falsehood. And now these evils multiply. Soon may be discovered in
him vanity, arrogance, pride, blasphemy, vain oaths, awful curses, frauds,
skepticism, infidelity, contempt of God and his holy Word, and disobedience
to parents and magistrates: wrath and
contentiousness; hatred and envy; revenge and murder, and all kinds of
cruelty; especially if outward occasions offer themselves, and call forth
6. Who could ever have supposed that such a depth of wickedness and
depravity could be found in such a
weak and helpless child; that so venomous a principle, so corrupt a heart,
lay hid in a babe apparently so harmless? Who could possibly have believed
this, had not man himself, by his sinful and abominable life, by the
imaginations of his thoughts (being “only evil continually,” and desperately
bent on what is bad), of his own will brought it to light, and expressed,
from his childhood, what was before concealed as in a seed?
7. Oh! most vile and most accursed root! from which springs the poisonous tree that is so fruitful in the production of every kind of plague. Oh, seed of the serpent, most hateful, most dreadful! from which an image at once so deformed and foul is generated; and which continually enlarges itself, as it is excited by outward temptations and by the scandals of the world. Full well might the blessed Jesus so solemnly and strictly forbid, that any, by bad example, should offend little children; knowing that the seed of the serpent lurks in them, as the deadly poison in the venomous worm, ready to break forth into open acts of sin, whenever an occasion presents itself.
8. Learn, then, O man! to know the fall of Adam, and the true nature of
Original Sin. Learn, if thou art wise, to discern it in thyself. Examine it,
not slightly and carelessly, but deeply, and as the importance of the matter
deserves; for this infection is greater, this depravation deeper and more
deadly, than can possibly be expressed by words, or even be conceived in idea.
“Know thyself!” and deeply consider what thou art, O man! since the fall
of thy first father; how thou, who wast in the image of God, art become
the image of Satan, an epitome of all his wicked tendencies, and art conformed
to Satan in all malice and ungodliness.
9. Lo! he is become as one of the beasts of the field. For what, O fallen
man! is thy wrathfulness? and to whom does it more properly belong,
to the lion, or to man? And do not thine envy and thy greediness betray
in thee the nature of the dog and of the wolf? And with regard to thy
uncleanness and gluttony, are not these evidences of a swinish nature?
Didst thou, indeed, but rightly examine thine own breast, thou wouldst
there discover a world of unclean and noxious beasts. Even in the tongue,
that “little member,” there may be found, according to St. James, a lake
of pestilential and creeping things, a hold of every foul spirit, the cage of
every filthy and hateful bird (
10. Whosoever, therefore, fails to correct this corruption of nature, by
being truly converted and renewed in Christ Jesus, but dies in the state
which has been described, must retain, forever, this bestial and Satanical
nature. He must be arrogant, haughty, proud, and devilish, throughout
eternity. And when he shall have neglected the time of his purification
here, he shall bear about with him the image of Satan in the blackness
of darkness forever; as a testimony, that while he was in the world, he did
not live in Christ, nor was renewed after the image of God. “For without
are dogs and sorcerers, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creature.—
The New Birth is a work of the Holy Ghost, by which man, of a
sinner, is made righteous; and from being a child of damnation and wrath,
is made a child of grace and salvation. This change is effected through faith,
the word of God and the Sacraments; and by it, the heart, and all the powers
and faculties of the soul (more particularly the understanding, will, and
2. The birth of every real Christian is twofold. The first is “after the flesh,” the second, “after the spirit;” the first is from beneath, the second from above; the first is earthly, but the second heavenly. The one is carnal, sinful, and accursed, as descending from the first Adam by the seed of the serpent, after the similitude and image of the Devil; and by this, the earthly and carnal nature is propagated. The other, on the contrary, is spiritual, holy, and blessed, as derived from the second Adam; after the likeness of the Son of God: and by this is propagated the heavenly and spiritual man, the seed and image of God.
3. There is therefore in the Christian a twofold line of descent; and, consequently, two men, as it were, exist in one and the same person. The fleshly lineage is derived from Adam, and the spiritual lineage from Christ, through faith: for as the old birth of Adam is in man by nature, even so must the new birth of Christ be in him by grace. This is the old and new man, the old and new birth, the old and new Adam, the earthly and heavenly image, the flesh and the Spirit, Adam and Christ in us, and also, the outward and inward man.
4. Let us now proceed to notice how we are regenerated by Christ. As the
old birth is propagated carnally from Adam, so the new birth is spiritually
propagated from Christ, through the word of God. This word is the seed
of the new creature: for we are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”
5. In Adam, man has inherited the
chief evils; as sin, divine wrath, death, Satan, hell, and damnation; but in
Christ, he is restored to the possession
of the chief blessings, as righteousness, grace, blessing, power, a heavenly
life, and eternal salvation. From Adam, man inherits a carnal spirit,
and is subjected to the rule and tyranny of the evil spirit; but from
Christ, he obtains the Holy Spirit,
with his gifts, together with his comforting guidance. From Adam, man
has derived an arrogant, proud, and haughty spirit; but if he would be
born again and renewed in his mind, he must receive from Christ, by faith,
an humble, meek, and upright spirit. From Adam, man inherits an unbelieving,
blasphemous, and most ungrateful spirit; and it is his duty to
6. Hence, it behooved Christ to take upon himself our nature, and to be
conceived and anointed by the Holy
Ghost, in order that we might all receive of his fulness. It was requisite
that “the Spirit of the Lord should rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord” (
7. It is in this heavenly change that the new life and the new creation
within us consist. For as, in Adam
we are all spiritually dead, and incapable of performing any works, except
those of death and darkness; so, in Christ, we must be made alive (
8. With reference to this great work of regeneration, Christ is called
“the everlasting Father” (
9. Henceforth we must live in the new birth, and the new birth in us;
we must be in Christ, and Christ in
10. And now, O man! contemplate the perfectly amiable, lowly, obedient,
and patient Jesus, and learn of him; live as he lived, yea, live in him, and
tread in his steps. For what was the cause of his living upon earth? It
was that he might become thy example, thy mirror, and the rule of thy
life. He, he only, is the rule of life, and the pattern which every Christian
should strive to imitate. It is not the
rule of any man whatsoever. There is but one example,—Christ; and him
the Apostles have, with one consent, set before us for our imitation. And
in the same manner are we called to
view his passion, death, and resurrection: even that thou, O man! shouldest
with him, die unto sin; and in him, with him, and by him, spiritually
rise again, and walk in newness of life, “even as he also walked.”
11. Thus may we see, how our regeneration arises from the passion,
death, and resurrection, of our gracious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Hence, St. Peter saith, “God hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
12. It is evident, therefore, that from the passion and death of Christ,
proceed both the satisfaction made for our sins, and the renewing of our nature
by faith; and that they both are necessary to the restoration of fallen
man. The latter, as well as the former,
is the blessed effect of Christ's passion,
They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.—Gal. 5:24.
Repentance, or true conversion, is the work of the Holy
Spirit, under the influence of which,
man, through the law, acknowledges his sin, and the wrath of God provoked
against it; and earnestly mourns over his offences; and then, understanding,
through the Gospel, the grace of God, by faith in Christ Jesus, he obtains
the remission of his sins. By this repentance, the mortification or crucifying
of the flesh, and of all carnal lusts and pleasures, is carried on; together
with the quickening of the spirit, or the resurrection of the new man in
Christ. Under the exercise of repentance, therefore, the old Adam, with
his corruptions, dies within us; and
Christ lives in us, by faith (
2. Let us, however, inquire why the flesh is thus to be mortified; and why
the whole body of sin is at last to be destroyed. It has been remarked
(Chap. II) that, by the fall of Adam,
man became earthly, carnal, and devilish; without God, and without love:
for being without God, he was also without love. Man was now turned
from the love of God to the love of the world, and especially of himself;
so that in every situation, and under
all circumstances, he now studies, favors, flatters, counsels, and applauds
himself; and provides only for his own interest, honor, and glory. All
this is the consequence of Adam's fall; who, while meditating how he might
erect himself, as it were, into a God, was involved, together with all his
posterity, in the same awful sin and perdition. This depravation of human
nature must of necessity be entirely removed; and this can be effected only
by serious repentance; by godly sorrow; by a faith that apprehends the
remission of sin; by the mortification
of sensual pleasure; and by the crucifixion of pride and self-love. For true
repentance consists not in putting away gross and open sins only; but
3. Hence it follows, that a man must deny himself (
4. This is the true cross and yoke of Christ; that of which the Saviour
spoke when he said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart.”
5. They, therefore, who are acquainted with no other cross than the tribulations and afflictions of this life, greatly err; being ignorant of that true cross, which we ought to bear after our Lord daily; namely, inward repentance, and the mortification of the flesh; submitting to our enemies with great patience; and overcoming the malice of slanderers by humility and mildness, after the pattern which the Lamb of God has left us. For it becomes us to follow the example of Christ, who renounced all worldly splendor and glory, and everything that is commonly esteemed great and noble.
6. This yoke of Christ is the real cross, which when a man bears he
truly dies to the world. It is not to retire into monasteries and cloisters,
nor to adopt a set of rules and orders
for the regulation of life; for while the heart remains disordered, and the love
corrupt; while the man is puffed up with spiritual pride, and a pharisaical
contempt of others; while he is devoted to lust, envy, hypocrisy, secret
hatred and malice; he does not die to the world, but altogether lives to it.
This is not the Christian yoke nor is
7. To this unfeigned repentance, this true and inward conversion from the world unto God, hath our blessed Lord called us. The imputation of his righteousness and obedience, together with the remission of all our sins, apprehended by faith, is promised to it alone. If we are destitute of repentance, Christ profiteth us nothing; that is, we cannot then become partakers of his grace and favor, nor of the efficacy of his merits; because these can be applied only by a contrite, penitent, lowly, and believing heart. And truly this is the fruit of the passion of Christ in us, that we die to sin by a sincere repentance; as the fruit of his resurrection is, that Christ may live in us, and we in him.
8. All this is necessary to render
man that new creature in Christ Jesus, without which nothing availeth in the
sight of God.
9. Hence, therefore, let us be instructed in the nature of true repentance;
lest we be led away into that
common error, that the mere relinquishment of some gross enormity, as
theft, fornication, profaneness, blasphemy, is the genuine and only repentance.
It is certain, that this is a
kind of external repentance; but it is
no less so, that all the Scriptures alike
inculcate the necessity of an inward
repentance, which takes possession of
the whole soul. A man under the influence of this repentance, not only
supports a fair conversation in the world, but he also denies and hates
himself. Renouncing the world and all he calls his own, and crucifying
the flesh, he commits himself by faith to God alone; and offers up to him a
broken and contrite heart, as the sacrifice most acceptable in his sight.
This character of inward repentance is eminently set forth in the Psalms
of David, and particularly in those termed Penitential. [These are Psalms, 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143.]
10. This is, therefore, the only true repentance, when the heart of the sinner is inwardly torn with grief, and weighed down by heaviness; and when, on the other hand, it is healed by faith and the remission of sin, quickened by the infusion of divine joy, provoked to good works, and thoroughly transformed and changed. Such a frame of mind cannot fail to be attended also with an external reformation of life and manners.
11. But, on the other hand, though a man be very serious in the performance
of bodily penances, and, from a dread of punishment, abstain from the
commission of notorious sins; yet if he continue unreformed and unregenerate
in his heart, and enter not upon that new and inward life which it has
been our object to describe, he will
prove but a castaway (
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.—1 John 5:1.
Faith is a sincere confidence, and a firm persuasion of the grace of God
promised to us in Christ Jesus, for the remission of sin and eternal life; and
it is enkindled in the heart, by the word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Through this faith we obtain the forgiveness of our sins, without any
merits of our own, of mere grace (
2. By this cordial and unshaken faith, man wholly dedicates his heart
to the Almighty, in whom alone he seeks his rest. To him only is he
now united, and with him alone he enters into delightful fellowship. He
partakes of all things that are of God and of Christ, and is made one spirit
with the Lord. From him he receives divine power and strength; together
with a new life, attended with new joys, new pleasures, new consolations,
in which are found peace, inward ease, and durable satisfaction, together with
righteousness and holiness. And thus man is born anew of God by faith.
For wherever there is true faith, there
Christ is verily present with all his righteousness, holiness, and remission
of sin; with all his merits, justification, grace, adoption, and inheritance
of eternal life. This is the new birth and the new creature, springing from
faith in Christ. Hence, the apostle
calls faith a substance (
3. That for which a man will dare to die, must be rooted in the soul, and,
by the operation of the Spirit of God, afford an inward assurance. It must
be a cordial, powerful, and eternal
comfort, infusing heavenly and supernatural strength into the soul, by
which the fear of death and the love of the world may both be subdued.
Now all this begets so solid a trust in Christ, and so close a union with him,
as neither death nor life is able to dissolve.
4. To be born of God is in truth no vain figure, no empty name; it must
necessarily be a lively and powerful change, worthy of the majesty of an
omnipotent God. To believe that the living God could beget a dead offspring,
that lifeless members and useless organs could proceed from him,
were very wickedness. It is sure and
undoubted that God, being a living
God, cannot but beget a living man, even the new man in Christ Jesus.
And our faith is the victory which overcomes the world.
5. As a scion, when grafted on a good tree, grows, flourishes, and bears
fruit, but, without it, withers away; so man, when out of Christ, is as an
accursed vine, whose grapes are bitterness and gall; and all his works
are sin.
6. It is most evident, from what has been advanced, that works cannot possibly justify a sinner; because, before we can perform any good work, we must be engrafted into Christ by faith: and it is equally clear, that justification is entirely the gift of God, freely conferred on man and preceding all human merit. How shall a dead man see, hear, stand, walk, or do any good thing, unless he be first raised from the dead, and endued with a new principle of life? So neither canst thou, O man, who art dead in sins, do any work that is good or acceptable, unless thou be first raised unto life by Jesus Christ. Thus righteousness proceeds only from faith in Christ. Faith is like a new-born babe, weak and naked, poor and destitute, and laid before the eyes of the Saviour; from whom, as from its author, it receives righteousness and sanctification, godliness, grace and the Holy Ghost.
7. The naked child is thus clothed with the mercy of God. He lifts up his hands, receives all from God, and is made a partaker of grace and health, truth and holiness. It is, therefore, this receiving of Christ in the heart, that makes a man holy and happy.
8. Righteousness proceeds therefore solely from faith, and not from works. Indeed, faith receives the whole Christ, and accepts him, together with all that he has. Then sin and death, the devil and hell, must flee, and are unable any longer to preserve their ground. Nay, so effectually and so powerfully do the merits of Christ justify the sinner, that if the sins of the whole world were charged on one man, they would not avail to condemn him, if he believed in Christ.
9. Inasmuch, therefore, as Christ lives and dwells in thy heart by faith
(
Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.—John 17:21.
Inasmuch as man's whole welfare depends on his regeneration and
renewal, it was the will of God that all those changes which ought to take
place in man spiritually and by faith,
should be also outwardly set forth in the words of Holy Scripture. Since
the Word is the seed of God (
2. When God revealed his will in his Word, he never designed that the
latter should be a dead letter, but that it should grow up in us to a new and
inward man; otherwise the Word is of no benefit to us. These truths may
be explained more clearly by a reference to some example, as that of Cain
and Abel. The nature, manners, and actions of these two persons, as they
are recorded in Scripture, clearly explain the motions and workings of the
old and the new man in the breast of the believer. Cain perpetually endeavors
to oppress and destroy Abel. What else is this but the daily strife
of the flesh and spirit, and the enmity subsisting between the serpent and
the seed of the woman? With Abraham, the Christian is required to quit
his own country, leaving all that he
possesses, even life itself, in order that he may walk before God with a perfect
heart, obtain the victory, and enter into the land of promise and kingdom
of heaven. Such is the meaning of the Lord's words: “If any man come
to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple;”
that is, he must renounce all these rather than renounce Christ.
3. And if we advert to the New Testament itself, what is this but an outward expression of those truths, which are to be inwardly fulfilled by faith, in the experience of the believer? If I become a new creature in Christ, it is incumbent on me to live and walk in him; in him and with him, to flee into exile, and to be a stranger upon the earth. The virtues that resided in him I ought to practise; humility, contempt of the world, meekness, and patience; and I am bound to be fervent in acts of benignity, charity, and loving kindness. In and with Christ I should exercise mercy, and pardon and love my enemies, and, with him, do the Father's will. I must be tempted by Satan with him; and, with him, I must obtain the victory. I am to be derided, despised and vilified for the sake of the truth that is in me; and, if called to it, I ought to die for and with him, after the example of the saints, and in testimony that he, by faith, hath lived in me, and I in him.
4. This is to be conformed to the image of Christ; this is to be born with and in Christ; to put on Christ; to grow up and be strong in Christ; to live with Christ in banishment; to be baptized with his baptism; to be scoffed and crucified with him; to die with him; to be buried with him; to rise with him from the dead; and to reign with him to all eternity.
5. If ever thou desirest to live in a constant union and conformity with
thy Head and Saviour, thou art in this manner to die daily with him, and to
crucify the flesh.
6. All this, O man! doth faith in Christ effect within the heart; and
thus the Word of God becomes a living Word, and, as it were, a living witness
in us of all those things which
are externally declared in the Scriptures. Hence, faith is termed by the
apostle a substance and an evidence,
7. It is therefore evident, that all the sermons, discourses, and epistles, contained in the Word of God, whether proceeding from Christ, or the prophets, or the apostles; and, in a word, that all the Scriptures, in general, as it regards their complete fulfilment, belong to man, and to every man individually. Not only do the plain doctrines appertain to us; but all the parables and miracles with which the history of Christ abounds, have their final reference to man.
8. The purpose for which they were written was, that they might be spiritually fulfilled in our own experience. When, therefore, I read that Christ healed others, I promise myself the same relief; for we live in unity one with another, Christ with me, and I with Christ. When I read further, how he cured the blind, I am encouraged to believe that he will restore me to the enjoyment of spiritual sight, who am blind by nature: and so, with regard to all his other miracles. Only own thyself to be blind, lame, deaf, or leprous; to be dead in trespasses and sins; and then, he will surely heal thy maladies, and quicken that which is dead, that so thou mayest have part in the first resurrection.
9. The substance of all that has been advanced is this: the Holy Scripture bears outward testimony to those things, which are to be inwardly fulfilled in man, by faith. It points out that image externally, which, by faith, is to be formed within him. It describes the kingdom of God in the letter, which is to be established in the heart, by faith, after the spirit. It exhibits Christ outwardly, who is, by faith, to live within me; and it testifies of the new birth and of the new creature, which I must experience in myself. All this I am to be made by faith, or the Scripture will profit me nothing.
When the Gentiles ... do the things contained in the law ... they shew the work of the law written in their hearts.—Rom. 2:14, 15.
When God created man in his own image, in righteousness
and holiness, and endowed him with exalted virtues and gifts, he impressed
three qualities on the human conscience so deeply, that they can never
be effaced: First, the natural testimony that there is a God. Secondly,
a testimony that a day of Judgment will come.
2. For no nation has ever been discovered so wild and barbarous, as to
deny that a God exists, inasmuch as nature furnishes internal and external
evidence of this fact. Indeed, men
have not only acknowledged the being
of a God, of which they were assured by their consciences; but they have
also been affected with a sense of his
justice, as an avenger of evil, and a rewarder of good; and this persuasion
arose from the consciousness, that, on some occasions, they were harassed
with fearful apprehensions; while, on others, they felt a certain measure of
peace and joy. By this knowledge,
they even proceeded farther, and discovered the doctrine of the immortality
of the soul, as appears from Plato, who most amply discussed this
subject. And, lastly, they gathered from this inward law, that God was
the author and source of all that was
good in nature, and therefore ought to be worshipped by an assiduous attention
to virtue, and with a pure heart. Hence, they defined virtue to be man's
chief good; and schools of moral virtue were accordingly instituted by
Socrates, and by other heathen philosophers. This may be sufficient to
convince us, that God, even since the fall, has allowed a spark of natural
light to remain in men, in order that they might be admonished of their
heavenly origin, and be assured, that
3. The Gentiles, however, stifling the testimony of conscience, contemned
the light of nature, and “the work of the law written in their hearts” (
4. Therefore, every false Christian
shall, in the day of judgment, be condemned by two mighty witnesses: by
his own conscience or the law of nature, and likewise by the revealed Word of
God, which will then judge him. In that day, “it shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom,” than for such
false pretenders to religion.
5. Their anguish and torment shall be without end; since God has made
the soul immortal and planted the conscience in it, to be both a witness and
a judge. The conscience can never throw off the recollection of God, and
yet cannot of itself approach him; which must be attended with unutterable
pain to the soul, and expose it to the worm that dieth not, and to the
fire that cannot be quenched. And the more the wicked have, through
impenitence of heart, treasured up to themselves “wrath against the day of
wrath” (
6. This is the true reason why vices of so detestable a nature universally
abound among Christians; many of which were not so much as known
among the Pagan nations. What satanical pride, what insatiable covetousness,
what unheard-of intemperance, what bestial lust; in a word,
what inhuman wickedness, is not practised by those who call themselves
Christians! And whence does all this
arise, but from that blindness and hardness of heart, which they have contracted
by confirmed habits of iniquity. When those who are called Christians
disdain to imitate the meek and lowly
Jesus in their manners and their conversation; when they are scandalized
at him, and consider it disgraceful to look to him whom God has appointed
to be the light of the world, and our great example (
7. Finally, if God gave up the heathen to so terrible a blindness and so
reprobate a mind; and this because
they proved disobedient to the glimmering light of nature; or, as St. Paul
expresses it, “because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,”
in order to be preserved by him (
8. And here, let us also attend to that which the Apostle says, concerning
those who offend wilfully. “If,” says he, “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 the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law,”
continues the Apostle, “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? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance
belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
No unclean person was permitted to eat of the passover.—Exod. 12:48.
It was the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ, “They that be whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick. I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
2. Now repentance consists in dying unto sin through true sorrow for our
sins, and in obtaining the remission of sins through faith and living unto
righteousness in Christ. There is no real repentance unless a genuine godly
sorrow is first experienced, by which
the heart is broken and the flesh crucified. Hence it is termed “repentance
from dead works” (
3. If we be not the subjects of this repentance, the merit of Christ profits us nothing; nor can we lay the smallest claim to the benefits which thence accrue; for Christ proffers his aid, as the physician of souls, and his blood, as the only effectual medicine for our spiritual maladies.
4. But as not even the most precious remedy can effect a cure of a disorder
unless the patient refrain from things that are hurtful in their tendency, and
that resist the operation of the medicine, so the blood and death of Christ
will be of no avail to him who does not
fully resolve to forsake his sins, and to
live up to the requirements of the gospel; for St. Paul says: “They who do
such things (the works of the flesh), shall not inherit the kingdom of God,”
and, of course, have not any part in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Again, if Christ, by his most
precious blood, is to become our medicine, it cannot be doubted that we
must be in a diseased state, and that
we must, for ourselves, feel that we are so. The whole need not a physician,
but the sick only (
6. Remember, therefore, O man!
that Christ is come to call sinners to
repentance; and that it is only such as
7. Happy is he who feels in his heart, and still more happy he who
proves obedient to this holy calling, that is, the “godly sorrow for sin,
which worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of,” and which
is the work of the Holy Spirit himself.
It arises, first, from the law, and
from serious meditation on the passion
of Christ, which abounds with loud invitations to unfeigned repentance.
It exhibits, as in a mirror, both the wrath of God against sin, and also his
infinite grace in saving the sinner. To make an atonement for our sins,
Jesus shed his blood; and love induced him to die for us while we were yet
sinners.
8. How is it possible that a man who believes in Christ, should continue in sins which the Lord expiated at no less a price than his own most precious blood? When, therefore, O man! thou art tempted to pride and ambition, reflect upon the contempt and humiliation to which Jesus submitted in order to atone for thy pride and thy ambition. When thou art covetous after this world, think of the poverty which he underwent that he might make satisfaction for thy cupidity; and, surely, this will extinguish in thee the love of money and of worldly estates. What anguish and agony did Christ suffer on account of thy lusts and sinful pleasures; and art thou yet in pursuit of these pleasures that will leave behind them a mortal sting? Alas! how great must be the corruption of our nature when we can delight in things for which our Redeemer and Lord was sorrowful even unto death! Christ died to expiate thy wrath, hatred, and enmity; to atone for thy bitterness and rancor, for thy love of revenge, and the implacableness of thy spirit. This he effected by his extreme mildness and patience, mercy and long-suffering. And wilt thou be angry on every trifling occasion, and esteem revenge to be sweet, when, to atone for it, thy Redeemer drank to the very dregs the cup of bitterness and affliction?
9. Truly as many as assume to themselves the name of Christians, and yet
do not forsake the pleasures of sin,
“crucify Christ to themselves afresh,
and put him to an open shame” (
10. With this divine wrath and vengeance, even their own consciences
11. It was for this reason that, soon after the death of Christ, repentance
was preached over all the world; namely, both because he died “for
the sins of the whole world” (
12. Remission of sins immediately follows true repentance; but how shall a man have his sins remitted when he does not repent of them, nay, when he still rejoices in them? Nothing surely could be more preposterous than to expect that sins should be pardoned which a man has no design to renounce; and nothing can be more absurd than to seek consolation in the sufferings of Christ, and yet continue in the mire of sin which caused Christ's death.
13. But certain and obvious as these truths are in themselves, there are many that call themselves Christians who never repented, and who yet will presume to lay claim to a share in the merits of Christ, and in the remission of sins which he has purchased. They have not ceased to indulge their accustomed wrath, covetousness, pride, malice, envy, hypocrisy, and unrighteousness, but have rather become more and more enslaved by them; and yet, alas! they expect forgiveness of sin, and presumptuously apply to themselves the merits of Christ as a defence against the impending judgment of Almighty God. And though this is one of the grossest and most palpable of errors, yet they do not hesitate to bestow upon it the specious name of faith, by which they hope for salvation. These are they that flatter themselves to their own destruction; fondly supposing that they are true Christians because they have a speculative knowledge of the Gospel, and because they believe that Jesus died for their sins. This, alas! is not faith, but fancy; and thou art an unhappy, and most awfully infatuated false Christian, if thou canst suffer thyself to be deluded in this manner! Never did the Word of God teach such a doctrine; but the unvarying language of the inspired writers is: “If thou earnestly desirest the pardon of thy sins, repent of them, and firmly resolve to give up the practice of them; and thus, grieving from thy heart that thou hast so greatly offended God, and determining to lead a new life, believe on Jesus Christ, the great propitiation for the sins of the whole world.”
14. But how should that man feel
sorrow for his sins, who will not be induced to quit them? and how should
he quit them, while he remains unconcerned about committing them?
Christ, and all his apostles and prophets, unite in teaching thee, O man!
that thou must die to the world and
to thy sins; die to thy pride, thy covetousness, thy lust, and thy wrath;
and that thou must return to the Lord with all thy heart, and implore his
gracious pardon. And this being sincerely done, thou art absolved, and
thy sins are forgiven. Then, the heavenly physician looks upon thee graciously;
for he is come to revive those
15. Even if thou shouldst listen to ten sermons in one day, shouldst confess
thy sins every month, and receive the Lord's Supper, thou wouldst derive
no benefit from such exercises, nor obtain the remission of sins; the
reason is, that thou hast not a penitent, contrite, and believing heart,
which can be reached by the healing influences of the medicine. The Word
of God and the Sacraments are, indeed, salutary remedies; but they are such
to those alone who unfeignedly repent and believe. What would it profit, to
anoint a stone with costly ointment? What harvest shalt thou reap, if thou
sowest among briers and thorns? First pull up the thorns and thistles that
choke the good seed, and, then, thou mayest reasonably expect the precious
fruit.
16. But when, on the contrary, a
man, like the Prodigal Son, truly returns to his offended father, deploring,
hating, and forsaking his sins; when he earnestly seeks forgiveness,
and, with the eye of faith, beholds Christ and his bleeding wounds, as
the Israelites beheld the serpent of brass, and lived (
17. Such is the efficacy of the redemption which the blood of Christ
has effected, and of so extensive a nature is his merit, that it is fully imputed,
through faith, to every penitent soul. Thus is brought to pass the
scripture, “He giveth repentance and forgiveness of sins” (
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.—2. Tim. 3:5.
Every one calls himself by the Christian name, even though he
do not perform the least part of what he thereby professes; and, by this
means, the Saviour is denied, contemned, blasphemed, scourged, crucified,
and, as it were, cast out of the sight of men, as dead. The Apostle
expressly declares, that some persons “crucify the Son of God afresh.”
2. Would to God that Christ were
not, even in our days, crucified again
and again among those who call themselves after his name, and honor him
with their lips; and yet, by their anti-christian lives and actions, utterly reject
and deny him. His most holy, humble, and exemplary life is, at this
day, to be found among but few; and
wherever there is not the life of Christ,
there Christ is not himself, however loudly the faith and the doctrine may
be commended. For the Christian faith without a Christian life is a tree
without fruit. True faith works by love (
3. But when these are not expressed in the lives of those who profess his doctrine, there Christ himself is rooted up and denied; for it is only where true faith exists that Christ dwells.
4. Now Christ hath said, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father and the angels.”
5. This is a forcible representation of those Christians who make religion
to consist in empty profession without obedience. They will cry “Yea, yea,”
and “Lord, Lord!” (
He that is not with me is against me.—Matt. 12:30.
If the conduct of the generality of men in the present age be examined by the standard of life and doctrine left us by Christ, we must soon come to the conclusion that it is wholly unchristian, and totally repugnant to his example. The lives of men in our day are, in too many cases, made up of insatiable avarice, sordid and self-seeking manners, worldly-mindedness, worldly cares, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; disobedience, wrath, strife, hatred, malice, contentions, and a violent thirst after human applause, pomps, and dignities. Add to these the jealousies, the revenge, the secret feuds and envyings, the unforgiving spirit, the injustice and hypocrisy, the frauds and calumnies, the lies and perjuries, together with all the impurity and unrighteousness with which the world so exceedingly abounds. In short, the whole life of the children of this generation consists of the love of the world, self-love, self-honor, and self-seeking.
2. To all this the life of Christ is entirely opposed; it can have no sort of communion with it. His life is nothing else but pure and sincere love to God and men. It is composed of humanity and kindness, of meekness and patience, of humility and obedience even unto death, of mercy and righteousness, of truth and simplicity, of purity and holiness, of contempt of the world, its honors, wealth, and pleasures; of self-denial; of the cross, tribulations, and afflictions; of fervent desires after the kingdom of God, and after the fulfilment of the divine will. This is the life of Christ, to which the false Christianity of the present age is so greatly opposed.
3. If, then, it be the truth that he
who is not with Christ is accounted as
one that is against him; and he that
standeth not in the will of God, as he
that withstandeth it (and we know that this is the meaning of the language of
our Lord himself), it is most evident that the generality of those who make
a public profession of the Christian
4. Where, alas! shall we now find true Christians, in the midst of so
many unchristian disorders that universally abound? How justly may they be
termed “a little flock!” (
5. God alone knows where and who these are: but be they where and who
they may, assuredly Christ is with them, yea, in them, “alway, even
unto the end of the world.”
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.—1 Pet. 2:21.
God has appointed our Lord Jesus Christ to be our prophet or
teacher; and, by a voice from heaven, has commanded us to hear him; saying,
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye
him.”
2. It was for this cause, that the Son of God became man, and conversed
with men upon earth, that he might give us a visible example of an
innocent, perfect, and divine life; and that we might follow him as a light
that shineth in darkness, to lead us in the way in which we should go.
Hence he calls himself “the light of the world;” and promises that “he
who followeth him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life.”
3. Hence it clearly appears, that they who refuse to follow Christ in his
life, and to tread by faith in his steps, remain in darkness, and are not in the
way to obtain “the light of life.” But
what is this darkness? It is an impenitent and depraved life, called by the
apostle “works of darkness,” which are to be cast off, that so we may put
on “the armor of light” (
4. It has been abundantly proved above, that godly sorrow and true
faith thoroughly change a man; that they crucify the flesh, effect an entire
transformation in the soul, and beget, through the Holy Ghost, a new life.
Lest, however, this should be a mere theoretical knowledge, devoid of life
and practice, God has been pleased to set before us his own Son, not only as
a ransom and a Mediator, but also as
a mirror of perfect godliness, and as a most finished pattern of the new man,
who is regenerated after the image of God. In him, the fleshly Adam,
the corrupt nature, never reigned; but the blessed God alone. Him it hath
pleased God to set forth before our
5. Sad experience teaches us continually, that our whole nature, body and soul, is polluted with every kind of sin, vice, and corruption. These are the works of the devil appearing in the carnal man; and it is principally in the depraved and perverted will, that these diabolical operations are most visibly discerned. For the depraved will is the root of all sin: if that were removed, there would be sin no more. With regard to the power and natural bias of this will, it consists chiefly in turning man away from God and from His will. Now, whatever departs from that Being who is the sovereign and supreme Good, cannot but be in itself evil; for it partakes of the nature of the supreme evil, and is a violation of the original constitution of our nature, as derived from God himself. It was this turning away from God that produced the fall both of Satan and of man; whence sin entered into the world, and has, by fleshly generation, passed upon all men.
6. The nature of man is then inoculated with the nature of the devil himself,
and his will tainted with satanical wickedness, as with deadly poison.
Hence Christ called the Pharisees “children of the devil” (
7. Hence it may, with all propriety, be affirmed, that they who lead a life
void of repentance, a life of pride, avarice, lust, and envy, live in the
devil, and partake of his nature. Such persons may assume the garb of honesty;
they may veil their real characters under a fair show of morality and
correct deportment; yet, inwardly, according to the saying of Christ to the
Jews, they are, nevertheless, devils.
8. Our nature, as fallen creatures, being thus miserably depraved, thus desperately perverted, and vitiated in all its springs; there is an absolute necessity that it should be purified and renewed. There must be a total renovation of the soul, in all its powers and all its faculties. But how shall this be effected? We answer: As the chief evil has made a breach upon our nature, and has infused poison into its very springs; so must the chief Good revisit and renew our nature, that it may be assimilated to itself. That which the supreme evil has so radically corrupted, can be corrected only by a thorough and vital penetration of the supreme Good, even of God himself; and, therefore, it was necessary that the Word should be made flesh.
9. The Son of God truly became man, not for his own sake, but for our
sakes; that, by reconciling us to God by himself, he might make us partakers
of the sovereign good, having cleansed and sanctified us, to that
end; for whatever is to be sanctified, must be sanctified by God and with
God. And as God is in Christ, so ought we to be united to him by faith,
that we may live in God, and God in us; we in Christ, and Christ in us
(
10. Oh! how blessed is the man in whom Christ does all and is all; whose
will, thoughts, mind, and words, are the will, thoughts, mind, and words of
Christ! It was thus the apostle said, “We have the mind of Christ.”
11. Although we cannot attain to a state of perfection, while encompassed
with so many infirmities that obstruct our progress in the divine life, we
ought not, therefore, to be discouraged, but rather to be inspired with more
fervor in seeking after a consummation so much to be desired. We ought
ardently to wish and pray, to endeavor and study, that the kingdom of Christ
be established within us, and the kingdom of Satan destroyed.
12. This spiritual life is enmity to the flesh, because the latter is hereby
restrained, subdued, and brought under
the yoke, and crucified with its “affections and lusts.” In this, however,
consist the power, efficacy, and fruit
13. It is necessary, therefore, that every one who is resolved to take upon
himself the yoke of Christ, and to imitate His holy example, should, in the
first place, shake off the yoke of Satan,
and repress the carnal, selfish, and unruly propensities of his fallen nature,
in order that the flesh may vex the spirit no more. All must be subjugated
to the obedience of Christ, to the wise and righteous discipline of
his law; that is, the will, understanding, reason, and appetites, together
with the sensual desires of the old Adam, that before reigned in the mortal
body, must henceforth yield a free obedience to the government of the
Lord.
14. True it is that the flesh is highly gratified when honored, courted, and
praised, and when abounding in the riches and pleasures of this life; but
the yoke of Christ, by which the flesh is mortified and subdued, requires us
to prefer ignominy, contempt, and poverty, to affluence and honor; to account
ourselves unworthy of these things, and freely to give up all that
is great in the estimation of the world. It is here that the humility and life of
Christ are most striking and apparent.
This is the “yoke” and this the “burden,” which are easy and light to the
spirit; this is the law of love, the commandments of which are not grievous
but delightful.
15. It is the tendency of the natural man to desire to excel others, and to
be thought of importance; but the spiritual man loves the humility of
the Redeemer, and desires to be reputed as nothing in this world. The
carnal man, that follows the propensities of corrupt nature, and has never
learned of Christ's humility, meekness, and love, deems it folly to live as
Jesus lived, and thinks those only are wise who indulge their appetites in
security, and satiate themselves with every object which they desire; and
when such a one most lives in the devil, he is so blinded by ignorance
and darkness as to esteem his own life the happiest that can be desired,
and to applaud himself in his own
folly. And hence it is that these deluded wretches, following the false
light of carnal wisdom, are not only deceived themselves, but are the means
of involving others in the same ruin. They, on the contrary, whose minds
have been enlightened by the true and eternal light, are struck with
16. As there is nothing more excellent than the life of Christ, nothing
more delightful, more peaceful, or more satisfying to the soul, it ought
to have no rival in our affections, but to be endeared to us above all things
else. He who is destitute of Christ and of his knowledge, can form no
conception of the rest and quiet of eternal life; or of the sovereign good;
or of the everlasting truth; or of the imperishable word; or of the joy of
the soul; or of the true light of love; for all these centre in Christ, and he
who has him has them; because Christ
is all these to the man who truly believes in his holy name. “Every one
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth
not God; for God is love.”
17. It is, therefore, most evident that the fruits and effect of the new
birth do not consist in words, however
sound, or in a form of godliness, however
specious, but in an abiding substance,
even in that love which is God himself. A son bears the image of
him who begat him; and whoever is
born of God should evidence it by love, for God is love; and hence it is clear
that “he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
18. The knowledge of God, in like manner, does not consist in words,
nor in merely speculative and superficial knowledge, but in a vital, consolatory,
Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.—2 Cor. 5:15.
“Christ,” says the apostle, “died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for
them, and rose again.” Besides that this sentence is replete with divine
consolation, declaring that Jesus died for all, it inculcates a lesson of the
most salutary nature, namely, that we should live not unto ourselves, but
unto him who died for us. To live to him, however, before we are dead to
ourselves, is impossible. If, therefore, thy resolution be to live to Christ,
thou must certainly die to the world
and to thyself; but if thou rather inclinest to live to the world and to
thyself, it follows that thou must renounce thy communion with the Saviour.
For what communion hath light with darkness, Christ with the
world, or the Spirit with the flesh?
2. There are three kinds of death: the one spiritual, the second natural, and the third eternal. The first occurs when a man dies daily to himself; that is, to his own carnal desires, to his avarice, pride, lust, and wrath, and such other sins and passions as have their rise in a corrupt nature.
3. It is of the second kind of death that the apostle speaks, where he
says, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
4. If, however, any think that the
apostle's language is also to be understood
of the spiritual death of sin, they will not commit an error. For thrice
happy is the soul to whom, in this
5. Awake, therefore, O man! and consider who it is that liveth in thee. If thou canst truly affirm, “to me, to live is Christ,” happy art thou, as it respects both this world and the world to come. Here, even on earth, let Christ be thy life, that he may be thy life to all eternity: and in order to this, account it the greatest of gain, when thou art enabled to die to the world and to thy own corruptions. Then, in both senses, for thee, to live is Christ, and to die, gain. What, indeed, can be more profitable or advantageous, than to die, in this respect, to all thy sinful desires and affections? Go on, then, in the Lord, and never faint, allowing Christ to live in thee now, that thou mayest also live with him hereafter.
6. No man is capable of settled peace and tranquillity, who is distracted and disturbed with earthly desires and designs; therefore, before thou canst live unto Christ, thou must die to the flesh and to the world. This dying to self and living to Christ, may be illustrated by a reference to several types and histories in the Old Testament.
7. Thus, as the promise relative to
Christ, and the seal of it by circumcision, were not given to Abraham,
until he had quitted his father's house and relinquished his earthly inheritance
(
8. Jesus can never live in thy soul, until thou art dead to the affections
of carnal nature. St. Paul was thus dead; and hence he could say, “I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (
9. A man may be considered as dead to sin, when sin dies in him, and
he ceases from the commission of it. The same apostle says, “If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
10. Multitudes, however, may be compared to Saul, who, instead of
slaying Agag (
11. Some professed friends of religion resemble trees, the leaves of which fall off when winter approaches, but their foliage appears again when the season becomes more favorable and mild; for in the winter of adversity, they conceal their lusts, and restrain their sinful propensities; but when prosperity smiles upon them, they break out again, as at the first, and return to their evil ways. This is an evidence of hypocrisy; whereas a true Christian is in all circumstances, and under every vicissitude, whether public or private, always the same, and remains unalterably fixed in his God. He is the same both in prosperity and adversity, in poverty and in affluence, steadily cleaving to God, and meeting with resignation every affliction that Providence lays upon him.
12. The history of Ahab (
13. Neither prayer nor a devout spirit can ever be perfected in man,
without the mortification of the flesh. Thus God appointed that every beast
which approached the holy mount of Sinai should be destroyed.
14. Jacob (Gen. ch. 29) served for his beloved Rachel twice seven years; and
love so alleviated his toil, that the years seemed but as so many days:
thus, for the salvation of our souls, did Christ Jesus undergo thirty and
three years' service, and what Jacob
said of himself is, in an eminent degree, applicable to Him: “In the day,
the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed
from mine eyes” (
Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.—2 Cor. 8:9.
Thou art required, O man! to die to thyself, thy sin, and the world; and to lead a holy, harmless life, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This thou art to do, not with a view to merit anything at the hands of God, but from a principle of love to him, who performed and merited all for thee, and died to save thee.
2. Be not deceived: Jesus must be loved by thee, not in word and in
tongue; but in deed and in truth. “If,” says he (
3. In order to confirm thy faith, consider the example of Moses, who,
“by faith, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
in Egypt.”
4. Consider Daniel, who refused the luxuries of a court, and desired to be
fed with pulse and water, resolving “that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank.”
5. Consider, further, the example of
St. Paul, who says, “The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”
(
6. How happy is the man who is dead to earthly vanities, and alive to God; separated from the world, and drawn into Christ! How blessed is he into whose heart divine grace is so infused, as wholly to wean it from inferior objects, and exalt it to the fruition of the light and glory of heaven. Such a state is the effect of daily prayer and supplication, without which a true Christian cannot possibly exist.
7. Agur prayed to the Lord thus: “Two things, have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed
me with food convenient for me.”
8. Though to die thus to self and to the world, is, to flesh and blood, a
grievous cross, yet will the spirit and the love of Christ eventually triumph
over every difficulty. So powerful indeed are these aids, that they enable
the true Christian to bear all things for the sake of the Beloved, as
a pleasant yoke and easy burden. And although he who lives a life thus
mortified, will be hated by the world, yet shall he be loved of God; for the
enmity of the world is friendship with him (
9. Those who are dead to the world for the testimony of Jesus, it casts out; but it honors and applauds them who, living in the enjoyment of its pomp and splendor, are its genuine offspring; because they live in the world, and the world liveth in them.
10. In short, that man is not received and commended by the world,
but is, on the contrary, cast out of it, in whose heart, pride, covetousness,
lust, wrath, revenge, and the other
corrupt passions of nature, are mortified and restrained. Unto him the
world is dead; and he again is dead to the world: he begins to live in
Christ, and Christ lives in him: and he will be confessed by the Saviour,
as one of his peculiar people, in whom the great design of redemption has
been effected. To others, on the contrary, it will be said, “I know you
not, as ye, in like manner, knew me not.” You have not confessed me before
men, but have been ashamed of my life, my meekness, humility, and
patience; and I will not confess you:
11. Therefore, O Man! strictly scrutinize thy life, and see whether thou bearest a greater conformity to the life of Christ, or to the life of the devil: for thou must inevitably be united to one or other of these throughout all eternity.
12. If thou art dead to thyself and to thy depraved desires within thee,
thou wilt find it no hard task to die to the world and its vain allurements
which are without thee: and whoever is thus dead to the world, will not
love it or the things which it contains; for, “if any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.”
13. The love of the world appertains not to the new creature, but to the old: for the world has nothing to bestow but honor and vainglory, riches, pleasures, and carnal desires; in these the “old man” delights. The new man, on the other hand, has no peace except in Christ, who is his honor and glory, his riches and his heaven.
14. And as nothing can be conceived of that is greater or more exalted than the image of God renewed in Christ Jesus, so it should be our only concern and care, to render ourselves partakers of this exalted honor; remembering the words of Tauler, “What man, who is possessed of reason, can doubt for a moment, that God can infinitely more rejoice and delight the heart, than the corrupt and indigent creature is capable of doing?”
15. In addition to this, the Scriptures assure us that man was not created
for the world's sake, but the world for man's. It was not to pamper
his appetite, to heap up riches, or to extend his empire without limits,
that man was formed; it was not that he might acquire large estates and
possessions, erect palaces, or be gorgeously attired, that he was endued
with a soul intelligent and immortal:
man was made to be lord of the earth,
and not its slave; to subdue, and not to be subdued. He was not to seek
his pleasure and enjoyment on earth, however fair and fascinating it might
be to a depraved taste: he was not destined to be an heir of this inferior
world, nor the possessor of terrestrial, treasures, nor to be actuated by any
worldly motive whatsoever. Man is to depart hence, as one that dwells on
earth as a tenant at will. He was not made for it, and cannot remain in it;
he entered it naked, and naked he must quit it again. Many, indeed, are
16. Man, then, is but a guest and a pilgrim below; and most obvious it is, that he was not created for this temporal life, and that this world was never designed to be the end of his being. That end is God, and the image of God in Christ Jesus, unto which we are renewed by the Spirit; and we are created for the kingdom of God and for eternal life. These our blessed Redeemer purchased for us, when they had been forfeited by us; and it is his Spirit that regenerates men who had been without God in the world.
17. How unreasonable, therefore, is it in man to fix his affections on temporal objects, when we are assured that the soul is infinitely more noble and more precious than the whole world! How preposterous is it, that he should lavish his time in the pursuit of earthly things, when he is conscious that he was created to bear the image of God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit! Therefore, let us now solemnly repeat what has been before affirmed, namely, that man was not made for the world, but the world for man. The excellency of the image of God in Christ Jesus, is inconceivably great and glorious: so that were all mankind to unite their labor and might, their wealth, their honors, and their all, they could not succeed in restoring even one soul to the possession of this image. It became requisite that Christ himself should die, in order that this divine image which had been utterly defaced by sin, might, through His Spirit, be revived; and that man might again become the temple and house of God through all eternity.
18. This being duly considered, as certainly it ought to be, how is it that
man so thoroughly debases his soul as to seek after the things of this world,
its honors, its pleasures, lusts, and wealth? He should surely reason with
himself, and say: “Shall I, for the
sake of a little gold, or for this fading
world, or for all the honors and pleasures it can afford me,—shall I, for
the sake of these, sacrifice my immortal
soul, which Christ has redeemed at so
infinite a price? God forbid.” “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?”
If any man come to me, and hate not ... his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.—Luke 14:26. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.—John 12:25.
In order that a man may hate himself, he must, in the first place, cease to love himself; secondly, he must daily die to sin; and, thirdly, maintain a continual warfare with his corrupt nature, or the flesh.
2. There is nothing that more obstructs the everlasting salvation of mankind than self-love. This is not to be understood of that natural love which excites to a due regard to self-preservation, but of that carnal and inordinate affection which influences man to be wholly concerned about himself, without any reference to the Supreme Being, the great Author of life. In this sense the term is used in the present Book. Man was created to love God alone; and since God only is to be loved, it follows that he who loves himself is an idolater, and makes of himself a god. The heart of man rejoices and rests in the object of his affection; and, whatever this be, he is brought by it into bondage, and is devoted to it. Man, in this state, is become a servant, and is deprived of that genuine liberty in the enjoyment of which he was originally created; and in this lapsed and divided state he must serve as many masters as there are objects upon which his affections are placed. But if thy love, O man! be sincerely and simply fixed on God, then thou art subject to no lord but Him; and thou preservest thy liberty with all the privileges appertaining to it. It becometh thee, therefore, to be very circumspect in thy life and conduct, lest thou shouldst in any degree obstruct the progress of divine love in thy soul. If ever thou desirest to possess God alone, thou must make a surrender of thyself solely to him. If thou lovest and pleasest thyself, instead of loving and pleasing God, then sorrow and fear, sadness and anxiety, will inevitably attend thee; whereas, if thou wholly yieldest thyself unto God, cleaving to him and delighting thyself in him alone, then he will never leave thee nor forsake thee, but remove by his gracious presence all fear and anxiety from thy mind. He, on the other hand, who seeks himself in all situations and in every circumstance, and who incessantly pursues after profit, praise, and lust, can never attain to serenity and peace of mind; for some circumstance there always will be to cross his desires and to disturb his rest. Never, therefore, yield to the belief that an accession of fame, wealth, or honor in this world, is always good and profitable for thee; when, on the contrary, a righteous contempt of all such transient objects, nay, an utter extirpation of our love of them, would be attended with an infinite blessing and advantage.
3. As then, on the one hand, the things of this life, such as praise,
4. Inordinate self-love is begotten of the world, and not of God; it is
earthly, and the chief enemy to “the wisdom which is from above.”
5. It is impossible to love God, until thou abhorrest thyself; that is, until thou art heartily displeased with thyself and with thy sins; until thy own carnal nature is crucified, together with the evil propensities of thy self-will. For the more a man strives to love God, the more he labors to subdue the lusts of the flesh and his sensual appetites; and the more he departs from self and from self-love, by the power of the Spirit of God, the more nearly he approaches, by faith, unto God, and to his divine love. For as inward peace depends on a freedom from desires after the things of this world; so when this peace is once settled in the soul, and the heart has disengaged itself from the ties which bound it to the creature, it returns freely into God, and rests in him alone.
6. Now he who is sincerely disposed to deny himself, must follow, not his
own will, but the will of Christ, who has declared, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life.”
7. What, indeed, is the safe way, the infallible truth, and the endless life? What, the way, truth, and life, that are more excellent than every other? Surely there is no way, but the holy and precious merits of Christ; no truth, but his eternal word; no life, but a blissful immortality in heaven. If, therefore, O Christian! thou desirest to be raised up into heaven with Christ Jesus, believe in him here, and tread in the footsteps of his humility; this is the safe Way to everlasting glory. If thou wouldst escape the snares of the world, take hold of his Word by faith, and follow the example which he has left for thy imitation; because this is the infallible Truth. And if it be thy wish to live with Christ, then die thou with him and in him unto sin, and become a new creature; for this is Life. Thus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; and he is so, both by his example and by his merit.
8. “Be ye followers of God as dear children.”
9. It is true that, in our day, every
one desires to be considered a Christian; but how few are they who imitate
the life and deportment of Christ! Had it been the character of a follower
of Christ, to aim at the acquisition of honors and possessions, our
Lord would never have taught that these are not worthy to be compared
with heavenly treasures. Contemplate the life and doctrine of the blessed
Jesus, and thou shalt own that nothing can be more opposed than he
and the world. Behold that manger and that stable! do they not forcibly
evidence a contempt of worldly things? And will the example of
Christ lead thee to err from the right way? No! he is the way, and he is
the truth; and his life, compared with
his doctrine, is the only means to preserve thee from mistake, and to guard
thee from the delusions and errors of the world. Since then the Lord hath
chosen to enter into his glory by the way of suffering and reproach, why
shouldst thou labor to make thy way to hell, through the pomps and vanities
of the world? Return, then, O deluded soul! escape from the broad
way that leadeth unto death, and in which thy only enjoyment is “the
pleasures of sin for a season” (
10. As Abraham quitted his father's house, to go into a land which the
Lord was to show him (
11. The kingdom of heaven is compared in Scripture to “a pearl of great
price;” in order to obtain which, a
man sold all that he had.
12. It doubtless is the part of a faithful spouse, to please her husband alone: and art thou desirous of pleasing the world, when thou mayest be espoused unto Christ, the great lover of souls? Forsake therefore and sincerely despise all that is in the world, in order that thou mayest become worthy of the eminent dignity of this spiritual marriage: for if thy love cleave not solely to Christ, it is a corrupt and adulterous love, and not that which a Christian should bear to the Redeemer. For the Christian's love to the Redeemer must possess virgin purity.
13. The law of Moses required that the priest should marry a virgin
(
14. In order to understand what is meant by hating ourselves, we are to
remember that we carry about with us “the old man,” and are indeed the
old man himself; whose nature is to hasten from one sin to another, to
love himself, to pursue his own profit and honor, and to indulge his own
will and carnal appetite. For the flesh is at all times the same; always
considering itself, easily grieved, envious, bitter, covetous, and revengeful.
This, O Man! is what thou doest: these sinful motions proceed from thy
heart; this is thy very life, even the
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.—Luke 9:23.
It is the charge of the apostle Paul,
“Put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of
your mind; and put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness.”
2. We have already noticed what is meant by the old man; namely, pride, covetousness, lasciviousness, unrighteousness, wrath, enmity, hatred, etc.; all of which must die in the Christian, if ever the new man arise in him again, and is day by day renewed.
3. In proportion as the old man dies, the new man is quickened. As
pride loses its influence, humility, by
the grace of God the Holy Spirit, succeeds; as wrath yields, meekness advances;
as covetousness is done away, trust in God is increased; and as the
love of the world is removed, the love of God takes its place in the soul, and
becomes more and more vigorous and ardent. In this consists the renovation
of the new man. This is the fruit of the Spirit; this is practical
and living faith (
4. This is the reason why a man ought now to deny himself; to renounce
his own honor and will, his own love and pleasure, and all his
profit and interest in the world; and why he ought freely to give up his
own right and life, and consider himself unworthy of everything that Providence
bestows upon him. A real Christian, who is endued with the humility
of Christ, readily owns that no man
5. Let a true Christian who denies himself, and a false Christian who is filled with inordinate self-love, be compared together. If an affront be offered to the latter, you may soon behold his anger rising, and visible marks of passion and discontent; and these are, not unfrequently, followed up by reproachful language and actions, by a spirit of revenge, and sometimes by imprecations and curses. All this proceeds from the old man, whose proper character it is to be angry and bitter, and to exhibit rancor and asperity. On the contrary, he that is a Christian indeed, and has sincerely begun to practice self-denial, is gentle, patient, and ready to forgive; free from a revengeful spirit; full of compassion and tenderness; and esteems himself worthy of all the sufferings which Providence may be pleased to allot to him. These qualities are all included in self-denial.
6. In the exercise of this patience, meekness, and lowliness of mind, our
Lord Jesus Christ has set us an example by willingly denying himself.
“The Son of man,” he says, “came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (
7. This was true when they acknowledged themselves unworthy of any favor, but worthy of all the evils that could befall them.
8. Now, this self-denial is the cross of Christ, which he has encouraged us
to bear, saying: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
9. But whatever opposition the old
man may raise for a time, he has received the sentence of death, and if
thy soul be ever saved, he must surely die. For never canst thou be clothed
with the humility of Christ unless thy natural pride be first subdued; nor
canst thou feel a love of his poverty unless thy avarice and thy love of
the world be first overcome. Thou wilt not be able to follow Christ in
the contempt of vainglory, nor to endure
10. These are the spiritual exercises which the Scriptures mean when they speak of denying ourselves, of bearing the cross of Christ, and of following him,—exercises that are submitted to, not with any expectation of profit, merit, reward, interest, or praise, but from pure love to the Saviour, and because Christ hath passed through all this before us, and “hath left us an example that we should follow his steps.” Since the image of God is the greatest dignity of man, we ought the more earnestly to practise the duty of self-denial, by which that image, effaced by sin, is revived within us. And as this is the highest honor of which our nature is susceptible, so is it the strongest inducement that can possibly be suggested to endear to us the practice of self-denial.
11. Why, then, should man so eagerly desire the fading honors of this world, which, however they may raise him in the estimation of his fellow-mortals, render him in no degree more acceptable in the sight of God. The great and the wise have bodies composed of flesh and blood as the meanest and the most despised; so that, in this respect, no man has the slightest superiority over another. One is born even as the other, and dies even as the other; for the beginning and end of all men, as to this world, is alike. What folly then is it to covet worldly honors and the praise of men! Such desires spring from the root of self-love, that bane of the soul, that seed of all spiritual diseases, by which the heart of man is turned from God to the world, and from Christ to self. How incapable and how backward is the lover of himself to obey the words of the blessed Redeemer, and to lose his life for His sake that he may save it. This is a paradox hostile to the inclinations of the “old nature,” and therefore but little considered by the bulk of mankind.
12. Alas! how small is the number of those who have a thorough knowledge of the depraved life of the old Adam, or who heartily strive against it! And yet, if ever we would rescue our souls from perdition, we must die to it and to all its restless workings. Whatever corruptions have been entailed on us by Adam, must be removed in Christ. In his humility, our pride and ambition must expire; in beholding his poverty, our thirst after earthly things must die away. The contemplation of his bitter sufferings should subdue our sensual lusts; the reproaches which he endured, and the entire resignation with which he submitted to the contempt of the world, should restrain us from the pursuit of worldly honors, and from the indulgence of anger and passion.
13. He who is thus dead to himself, will also readily die to the world, its
pomps, and wealth, and honors, and pleasures, solacing himself with those
higher riches, dignities, and enjoyments, to which he is admitted by
faith in Christ. He becomes, indeed, “a stranger upon the earth” (
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind.—Rom. 7:23.
The two opposite principles in the heart of the real Christian, are
spoken of by the apostle under different
names, viz.: the inward and outward
man (
2. When the Spirit conquers the flesh, then man lives in the new nature
and is in God and in Christ: but when the flesh vanquishes the Spirit,
and thus gains the ascendency, then man lives in the devil and in the old
nature; he is under the dominion of the world, and without the kingdom
of God, and, consequently, is called
carnal. And “to be carnally minded is death.”
3. It is according to the predominance of either of these principles (the flesh and the Spirit), that a man obtains his name in Scripture, and is called carnal or spiritual. When the flesh and its sensual lusts are subdued, it is an indication of the strength of the spirit, and of a man's proficiency in the inward life; but if a man be vanquished by the flesh, it betrays the weakness both of his faith and spirit.
4. Solomon says, “He that ruleth his spirit (his mind), is better than he
that taketh a city.”
5. If thou yieldest too far to the flesh, thou destroyest thy soul. It is surely better that the soul overcome, and that the body also be preserved, than that, the body overcoming, both body and soul should be destroyed together.
6. This contest, though attended
with various trials and difficulties, will, however, issue in a glorious victory
and a heavenly crown: “Be thou faithful unto death,” saith the Captain of
our salvation, “and I will give thee a crown of life.”
7. Some may, perhaps, be here ready
to inquire, “What, if sin sometimes closely beset me, and bear me away
against my will; must I be excluded
8. As long, therefore, as this conflict is felt in man, sin cannot be said to rule in him; for he who is continually fighting against sin, resists its struggles for dominion; and sin cannot destroy the man who opposes the attempts which it makes upon the soul.
9. It is the experience of all the
saints, that they alike have sin, according to the word of St. John: “If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves.”
10. All this is illustrated in
11. This daily strife with the old man, is an encouraging evidence of
the existence of the new man; for it plainly indicates that there are two
contending principles in him who is the subject of it. The strength of the
spirit and the victory succeeding it, demonstrate the true Israelite; and
the warfare of the spirit indicates the real Christian. The land of Canaan
We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.—1 Tim. 6:7, 8.
The design of the blessed God in creating temporal things, was that they might supply man's bodily wants; and it is right that they should be used for such a purpose, and be received at the hands of God with gratitude, attended with fear and trembling. In regard to those things which are not absolutely necessary, whether gold and silver, food and raiment, etc., they are left to man in order to prove him; so that from the manner in which he employs these objects, it may be discovered how he stands affected towards God, while possessed of the goods of this world: whether, on the one hand, he will still cleave to God, and in the midst of earthly possessions, keep his eye constantly fixed on those which are to come; or whether, withdrawing his love from God, he will attach himself to this fleeting world, and prefer a fading earthly paradise, to that which is permanent and heavenly.
2. Man is therefore left to his own
3. The things of this world are then designed, not to fill us with earthly delight and pleasures, but to be tests and trials of our fidelity. In these trials the fall is very easy, when once we begin to withdraw from God. The pleasures of this world are the fruits of a forbidden tree; of which we are warned by God not to eat, lest our minds going out after them should eventually take delight in them, after the manner of those who know no other pleasures, but such as are derived from earthly objects. These persons, by indulging the flesh, convert meat, drink, and apparel into snares by which they are turned away from God.
4. It certainly is the duty of every true Christian, to esteem himself a stranger and pilgrim in this world; and as bound to use earthly blessings, not as means of satiating lust or gratifying wantonness, but of supplying his absolute wants and necessities. We ought not to set our affections on these inferior objects, but on Him alone who is able to satisfy them. To do otherwise, is to expose ourselves to dangerous temptations, and with Eve, to eat daily of the forbidden tree. The real Christian is not intent upon worldly concerns, or delicious fare; for his interior eye is directed to that bread which endureth unto eternal life. Nor is he solicitous about fine and fashionable apparel; aspiring rather after robes of divine light, and the raiment of glorified bodies. In short, all things that please the natural man in this world, are, to a true Christian, only so many crosses and temptations, allurements of sin and snares of death, that continually exercise his virtue. Whatever man uses without the fear of God, whatever he applies to the mere gratifying of his flesh, cannot fail to operate as a poison to the soul, however pleasant and salutary it may appear to be to the body. Yet, so far from laboring to know the forbidden tree of worldly pleasures and its various fruits, man gives himself up to a careless and thoughtless state of life, and yields to the lust of the flesh, not considering that this lust is really the forbidden tree.
5. The Christian, on the other hand, uses all things in the fear of God, and
as a stranger and pilgrim on the earth; avoiding every kind of excess in meat,
drink, apparel, houses, and the other
things of this life, lest, by an improper use of them, he should offend both
his Father in heaven, and his fellow-Christians upon earth. He will not so
much as gaze on the forbidden tree, in order that he may not be ensnared;
but with the eye of faith, he steadfastly beholds the future felicity of
the soul, and for the sake of this
felicity, refuses to yield to the cravings of corrupt nature. What does
it profit the body that in this world it swims in lusts and pleasures, when,
after a short period, it must be devoured by worms, and stripped of all
its enjoyments! “Naked,” says Job, “came I out of my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return thither.”
6. Whatever we enjoy from the time of our birth to the period of our dissolution, is all the bread of mercy and affliction, and designed to supply the bare wants of this mortal life. At the approach of death all is taken from us again, and we depart out of the world poorer than when we entered it. When man enters the world, he brings with him life and a body, and finds the necessary shelter, meat, and drink provided for him; but, after existing a short time, he is, in a moment, bereft of all, and leaves behind him even his body and his life. Consider then, O man! whether there can be anything more wretched and poor, more naked and miserable, than man when he dies, if he be not clothed with Christ's righteousness, and enriched in his God.
7. As, therefore, we are confessedly strangers and pilgrims here, and at
the hour of dissolution must leave behind us every earthly enjoyment, let
us, at least, cease to encumber our souls with things which we cannot
carry out of this world, and the use
of which is restricted to this life only. Is it not a species of madness to heap
up riches for a frail body, for a body which we must leave behind us, and
which cannot possibly enjoy wealth hereafter?
8. If, then, we are strangers and sojourners, it follows that our country and our home must be elsewhere. This will be most evident to us, if we compare time with eternity, the visible with the invisible world, the earthly tabernacle with the heavenly, and things that are frail and perishing, with those that are lasting and eternal. Such a comparison will afford us a due insight into time and eternity, and lead us to behold with the eye of faith, such things as remain altogether unknown to the unthinking multitude. It is from the want of this consideration, that so many become lax and disorderly in their manners, wallow in the mire of earthly pleasures, and drown themselves in avarice and worldly cares. It is from the want of this reflection, that the major part of mankind, however keen and shrewd in the pursuits of this world, are blind and insensible to the concerns of the immortal soul. They addict themselves so much to this life, as to esteem it to be the most delightful, the best and noblest of all; while the true Christian, on the contrary, accounts it an exile, a vale of tears, a place of misery, a deep and dark prison.
9. Hence it is that those who love this world, and seek their happiness
in it, do not excel even the brute creation in wisdom or understanding;
and as they live, so they die like beasts.
10. In order to our better acquaintance with the nature of our pilgrimage
here, we should unceasingly consider the example left us by the
Redeemer, and earnestly follow him both in his life and doctrine. He hath
set us an unerring pattern of universal holiness. He is our captain and our
guide; and to his life and manners, our lives and our manners should be
conformed. Go thou, therefore, and look unto him; unto him who, when
the greatest of all men, voluntarily chose that life in which nothing of
greatness appeared; a life of meanness, poverty, and contempt of honor,
wealth, and pleasure, the threefold deity of this world. All these things,
to which the world offers sacrifice, the Lord contemned; for he himself said,
“He had not where to lay his head.”
11. Such, likewise, was the character of David; who, before his exaltation
to the throne, was poor and despised; and who, when created
king, accounted all his regal splendor as nothing compared with eternal life,
and the kingdom of God, to which he was called. “How amiable,” says he,
“are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for
the courts of the Lord; my heart and
my flesh crieth out for the living God.”—“A day in thy courts is better than a
thousand.”
12. Neither Peter, nor Paul, nor any of the apostles, sought the riches of
this life, but directed their attention to those which were laid up in another
and better world. Hence they freely espoused the despised life of Christ,
walking in his charity, lowliness, and patience; contemning the earth, and
triumphing over the world, its snares, and its allurements. They prayed for
those who cursed them; they thanked those who reproached them; they
blessed those who reviled them.
13. To a lover of the world, this excellent way of life is unknown; for
with regard to those who do not live
in Christ, nor know that the truth is in him, these are still dead in their
sins; dead in wrath and hatred, in envy and avarice, in pride and revenge;
and as long as they so continue, they are in a state of impenitence,
and have not been quickened by faith in Jesus, be their boasting
14. If, then, from a review of all these considerations, it evidently appear, as it surely does, that in this world we are strangers and have no abiding place, it follows that we were not created for the sake of earthly things as the ultimate end of our being; but that there remain for us another country and other dwellings, to gain which we ought not to hesitate to sacrifice a hundred worlds, or even life itself. These are subjects upon which the true Christian continually meditates with pleasure; and it is his joy that here he has no continuing city, but is created for life eternal. But how sad is the state of those who, occupied wholly in pursuing the things of this life, lade their souls with a crushing weight of worldly vanities, and thereby expose them to endless perdition.
And the anger of the Lord was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them, etc.—Numb. 11:1.
Many there are, in our day, who, under cover of religion, seek
after earthly and carnal things; who use more diligence to become great
and affluent by the gospel, than to be good and happy. They love “the
praise of men, more than the praise of God.”
2. The sum of Christianity is to follow
Christ. Hence, it should be our chief care to imitate the example
3. Never should we cease to consider that endless felicity to which we are called; but cheerfully await the dissolution of our earthly bodies, and a translation to that inheritance which is reserved in heaven for us.
4. By these means, which habituate the soul more and more to the presence
of God, there is begotten in man a holy thirst after eternal things;
while a desire after earthly objects, which is insatiable in its nature, is at
the same time powerfully restrained. This is taught by St. Paul in that
precious saying: “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
5. The name of God, in which all things are to be done, is the honor,
praise, and glory of God.
6. In a word, Almighty God, our chief and sovereign Good should be
the principle and end of all our designs,
if we would not fail of eternal salvation. Hence St. Paul says, “But thou,
O man of God, flee these things” (
7. When a man refuses to be guided by these salutary maxims, he falls of
necessity into every kind of enormous and presumptuous sin, and will at last
be punished with eternal fire. See, for an illustration,
8. Inundations and war, famine, pestilence, and conflagrations, are, it should be remembered, punishments inflicted by God, on account of our preferring things temporal to things eternal; and because we are more careful of a weak and perishing body, than we are of an imperishable, immortal soul. All this betrays the highest ingratitude, and an open contempt of the blessed God, deserving to be visited with punishments, both here and hereafter. For, does not man by such conduct set aside an almighty, eternal Being, from whom he derives both his body and his soul; and convert an impotent creature into an idol, to which he surrenders his love and affection? He who loves the creature more than the Creator, and things transitory more than those which are eternal, offers surely the highest possible affront to his Maker, and opposes the great design of the Christian religion.
9. It is no doubt true, that all the creatures of God are good in themselves; but when men begin to set their affections on them, and by their irregular love to convert them, as it were, into idols, they then become an abomination in the sight of God, and are justly ranked among the most odious images of gold and silver.
10. What else can result from a
11. The love and joy, the wealth and honors of the true Christian, are
circumscribed only by eternity itself;
for, “where his treasure is, there will his
heart be also.”
12. But this will more fully appear from the following reflections:
I. Love is the very heart of a man, and the noblest of all his affections; hence, it is due to God only, as the supreme object, and sovereign Good.
II. It is absolute folly to love temporal things, which cannot love us; whereas the infinitely blessed God deserves to be loved alone, since from a pure principle of love, he created us unto eternal life, and hath, to the same purpose, redeemed and sanctified us.
III. Like things are naturally loved by their like. Hence, God made us after his own image, in order that we might love Him; and that, next to himself, we might love our neighbor, created after the same image.
IV. The human soul resembles a mirror, representing every object indifferently that is placed before it, whether it be of heaven or of earth. Therefore turn thy soul wholly and only to God, that this image may be fully expressed in it.
V. The patriarch Jacob, when dwelling in Mesopotamia, far removed from his native soil, never abandoned his purpose to return, and, at length, after twenty years' service, demanded his wives and wages; and, cheered by the recollection of the place of his nativity, returned thither. So should thy soul, amidst the various engagements of this life, and the hurry of outward employments, long without ceasing after thy heavenly fatherland.
VI. Man is made either better or worse by that which he loves. He that loves God, partakes freely of the divine virtue and goodness that reside in Him; but he that loves the world, is defiled with all those sins and evils which attend it.
VII. When King Nebuchadnezzar (
VIII. Lastly, that which a man has loved here, and carried about in his heart, shall be manifested in him hereafter; and with this he shall associate himself forever, whether it be God or the world. If the world have been the object of his love in this life, it will never leave him hereafter, but will prove his death and his tormentor to all eternity.
To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.—Isaiah 66:2.
These comfortable words, our gracious and merciful God hath spoken by the prophet, in order to cheer our hearts, when they are most oppressed with misery and sorrow. Be not thou therefore ashamed to be bruised in spirit, and abased in thine own eyes. Humble thyself in the dust, and deem thyself unworthy of all grace and favor; so shalt thou be raised out of thine own vileness, and obtain, in Christ, acceptance with Almighty God.
2. He who is still something in his own estimation, is not duly humbled
and depressed in his heart; nor can he expect to be regarded by that Being
who looks upon the poor and contrite ones only. “If,” says the apostle,
“a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (
3. If ever thou designest, then, to give all the glory and honor to God,
that He may be all, alone, thou must
surely thyself become nothing in thine own eyes; and entertain a very low
opinion of thyself, and of thy profiting
in spiritual things. For how is it possible
that God should be all in all, whilst thou thyself continuest to be
something? By this self-exaltation thou invadest the sovereignty of God, and
appropriatest that to thyself, which is
his proper due and prerogative. “It
was before the Lord,” said David to Michal, who had reproached him, “and
I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight.”
4. A man that will be something, is the matter out of which God is wont
to make nothing; but he, on the contrary, who loves to be reputed as nothing,
and who, in his own judgment, is
so, is the matter out of which the Almighty
maketh something. He that will be wise in his own opinion, is the
matter out of which God maketh a fool; and he who is truly sensible of
his own folly and nothingness, is that of which God forms a wise and great
man. He who, before the Lord, sincerely confesses himself to be the
greatest and most miserable of sinners, is, in the sight of God, the first
and greatest of all men. He who believes
himself to be the chief of sinners, shall be honored by the Lord as the
chief of saints.
5. This is that humility which God exalts; that misery which he regards;
that nothing from which he createth
something. And as, at the creation, the glorious frame of heaven and earth was
6. Reflect upon the example of David, whose misery God beheld, and
to whom he granted the richest gifts
of his grace. Consider, again, the example of Jacob, who confessed, “I am
not worthy of the least of all thy mercies.”
7. But above all, lay to heart the example of Christ, the grand and blameless
pattern of a Christian. He was abased below the meanest of men; was
made a worm and a curse for our sake (
8. But who is that blessed and lowly one who is nothing in his own eyes? It is he who inwardly and in his heart esteems himself worthy of no divine benefit, whether bodily or spiritual. For he that arrogates anything to himself, esteems himself to be something; and is, therefore, the farthest removed from divine grace and from this new creation. So destructive is the spirit of self, that it renders even grace of no effect, and shuts out that which contains all things in it. For if a man judge himself worthy of anything, he then does not take all things as a free gift from the hands of God. Whatever we are, however, is of grace and not merit; nor can we call anything our own, except our sins, our helplessness, and our misery. All else belongs to God.
9. A man considered in himself, that is, independently of God, by whom he
subsists, is no more than a shadow. And as the shadow of a tree constantly
conforms to the tree on which it depends, so should man conform
to the will of God from whom he has his very life and being; as the
apostle says: “In him we live, and move, and have our being.”
10. Now, man is by nature a dry tree; but God is his strength, whereby
life is renewed in him, and he himself is made fat and green in the house of
God. God is the “strength of our life” (
11. When a man is thus wretched and poor in his own eyes, and has
nothing in the world in which to
trust but the pure grace of God, manifested in Christ Jesus, then God graciously
“looks upon him.” This divine regard must be understood in a
divine sense. The look or countenance of God, is not as the countenance
of men, destitute of life and virtue: but it is accompanied with a
living power and influence that supports and revives the faint and penitent
sinner. And as none but the humble and contrite are capable of
12. Whoever thus acquaints himself in faith with his own misery, is truly
one of those poor and contrite men, to whom the Lord graciously looks.
Without this previous brokenness of heart, man cannot expect to enjoy
this blessed aspect of God, nor indeed that grace and kindness which is
promised to the poor in spirit only. In this weakness and poverty the
apostle glories, when he says: “If I must needs glory, I will glory of the
things which concern mine infirmities” (
13. The more vile and miserable therefore a Christian is in his own opinion, the more freely God looks upon him, to the greater manifestation of the riches of his glory. And in bestowing this heavenly consolation, he does not look at all on man's merit, but barely on his want and poverty. And this comfort can in no degree be compared with any human comfort, all which it infinitely exceeds. In such a sense, then, God looks to the contrite man and comforts his spirit.
14. By “the poor and contrite man,” is not to be understood, a man
that is poor in the outward sense of the word, or who is altogether destitute
of human help and relief; but he
is the poor man, who labors under the load of his sins, and is grieved for
them. If sin were not in the world, there could be no misery: but now so
much misery cannot befall a man, but that he is still worthy of much more.
15. And what has man now left to boast of, or what language shall he
employ when he opens his mouth? The best course he can take will be to
say simply, “Lord, I have sinned; have thou mercy upon me!” And,
truly, God himself requires no more from a man than that he humbly deplore
his sin, and in the unfeigned language of repentance pray for pardon.
Whoever neglects this, may be
16. And thus, O Christian! is seen how by the sense of thy own misery, and by faith in Christ attending it, thou mayest attain the grace and favor of God. To conclude, the more wretched and miserable any one is in his own judgment, the more dearly he is beloved of God, and the more gracious is the regard which the Lord will bestow upon him.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.—2 Cor. 7:10.
True Christianity consists solely in pure faith, love, and a holy life.
This holiness of life springs from true repentance, sorrow, and self-knowledge;
so that a man not only more
and more feels his failings and imperfections, but amends them also, and,
in this order, partakes of the righteousness and holiness of Christ by
faith.
2. But in order to regulate the grand work of salvation with the better
order and care, thou oughtest now to walk in a submissive and filial fear
of God, guarding against all that would
gratify the flesh. “All things are lawful,” says the apostle, “but all things
are not expedient” (
3. Most men live without any fear of God, freely indulging themselves in worldly pleasures and satisfaction. They will not consider that it is far better to have a constant fear of God fixed in the heart, than a constant joy of the world. For as the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and begets a serious frame of mind; so the joy of this world extinguishes all good impressions, and banishes true wisdom out of the heart, together with all godly fear and devotion.
4. By daily repentance and mortification of the flesh, man is daily renewed
in God's image; for “though our outward man perish, yet the inward
man is renewed day by day” (
5. There are two things which prevent those who seriously consider
them from being influenced either by worldly pleasures or outward calamities.
6. It is the prerogative of a true Christian to be, on the one hand, but sparingly, if at all, moved with earthly things, or temporal advantages; and, on the other, to be the more deeply impressed with the joys of God, and of life eternal. Neither is he immoderately dejected in the present adversities that may befall him; but the loss of the soul grieves him to his very heart, and he counts it worthy of long lamentation. As for the perishing comfort of this life, he knows it cannot be called a loss, since he shall receive a thousand-fold for it in the world to come. But when a soul is once cast away, it can never be restored.
7. Blessed is the man who is affected with godly sorrow, and tastes that celestial consolation which succeeds it. But, alas! how much of our time do we spend in worldly joy and merriment, when we have greater reason to bewail our own misery and that of others! There is no true liberty, no solid delight, no substantial satisfaction, but in the fear of God, and in a quiet, serene conscience. But this blessing can never exist without faith, and without a holy life and conversation. This faith, attended with godly sorrow, daily proceeds more and more to correct our faults and imperfections. Whoever neglects this daily reform of his life and manners, wastes the most precious part of his time, which he should employ to secure the interest of his immortal soul. He is an adversary to the new life; he hinders the kingdom of God in himself; and he can never be cured of the blindness and hardness of his heart, so long as he remains in that state.
8. It follows, therefore, that he only deserves the name of a prudent and wise man, who carefully avoids whatever he understands to be an obstacle to the reforming of his life, and to the improving of himself in heavenly gifts and graces. Happy is he who not only avoids such things as are detrimental to his body and estate, but also detests those which hinder the soul in her spiritual progress.
9. Be therefore courageous, O Man, and endure hardness as a good soldier
of Christ!
10. Go on, therefore, O Christian,
and learn the lesson of daily repentance, sorrow, and contrition of heart.
If the world despise thee upon that account, and decry this wholesome
11. It is impossible that divine and worldly joy should, at one and the same time, reside in the heart of man; so very contrary are they to each other, and so inconsistent in their natures, causes, and effects. The joy of the world is begotten in prosperity; but that which is from heaven, springs up in the midst of crosses and adversities.
12. It is true that it is against the bent of nature to rejoice in the time
of adversity, as the apostle himself seems to intimate: “As sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing,
and yet possessing all things.”
13. A Christian is become by the grace of God, a new creature, and
hence the tribulations of this life are made easy to him. The apostle declared,
that he even “gloried in tribulations.”
14. A truly humble man thinks himself worthy of all manner of sufferings, and unworthy of any divine comfort: but the more unworthy he thinks himself in true brokenness of spirit, the more is he visited with the goodness of God. And the more he weeps over his sin, the more is he weaned from worldly enjoyments; for the whole world gradually becomes to him a burden and a bitter affliction.
15. A man that seriously views himself and his inward condition, finds
more reason to mourn than to rejoice. And when he takes a survey of the
lives of others, he will undoubtedly meet with abundance of objects worthy
of pity, or of compassion, rather than of hatred and envy. Why did
Christ weep over Jerusalem, even over that Jerusalem which persecuted
and slew him?
16. Did a man as often revolve in his mind, that he must certainly die, and appear before the judgment-seat of God, as he thinks on the concerns of this life, and how to provide for them, surely he would be abundantly more serious in his conversation, more diligent in the reformation of his life, and more fervent in all the duties of repentance. Did he moreover call to mind the unspeakable and eternal torments of hell, succeeding, as they do, a short enjoyment of sin; this consideration would embitter to him the sweets of this world, and in comparison, render all the afflictions of this life, pleasant and easy to him. But alas! the enticements of the flesh are so strong and prevalent, and our compliances in their favor, so forward, that we seldom yield to such serious reflections as these.
17. Upon the whole, this should be a Christian's daily consideration: if
his body be pampered in lust and luxury; if the flesh be humored and
gratified in its inordinate cravings; then the life of the spirit loses its
vigor, and if not seasonably supported,
will pine away into death and destruction. Whereas, if the flesh be
crucified with its lusts and desires, the spirit lives and gathers strength.
One is the death of the other. If,
therefore, the spirit shall live in thee, then thy body must be certainly made
a spiritual sacrifice (
18. This has been the constant practice of all the saints, from the beginning
of the world until now. They have with thanksgiving eaten and
drunk the bread and cup of tears, according to that declaration of David:
“Thou feedest us with the bread of tears, and thou givest us tears to
drink in great measure.”
19. This has been the “daily bread”
of all the saints to this day; yet it has, however, been sweetened to them,
faith being mixed with it. This is that godly “sorrow which worketh
repentance to salvation, not to be repented of.”
20. But as this godly sorrow is attended with life and happiness, so the
“sorrow of the world worketh death” itself.
21. Be not, therefore, cast down by the loss of temporal goods, which, by
the very laws of nature, we can enjoy but a little while: but lay the more to
heart those incorruptible riches, that are laid up in the world to come; and
do whatever thou canst to prevent the
loss of them. Death will strip thee at last of all worldly possessions. Here
shall be an end of pomp and greatness. This law of death is equally
given to all, and the penalty of it attaches
22. Let these and the like considerations, induce thee patiently to bear
the loss of earthly things; remembering that the whole world does not
come up to the price of one soul, for which Christ vouchsafed to die. The
more thou withdrawest thy heart from temporal goods and estates, the
less will it affect thee, when thou shalt be obliged one way or other to leave
them. Thy grief will undoubtedly be the greater, the more thy love has
been wrapped up with them. Thus does the “labor of the foolish weary
every one of them” (
23. This is the unhappy state into which the children of this world plunge themselves. They hoard and amass their goods with assiduous pain and labor; they possess them with fear and anxiety of mind; and quit them at last with grief and groans, when they can no longer enjoy them. This is the “sorrow of this world,” which begets no less an evil than death itself.
24. We read, that such as adored the beast “had no rest” (
25. Therefore, O man! learn to relinquish this world, before it relinquishes
thee. If thou break not with the world, the world will break with
thee, and leave horror and anguish behind it. He who withdraws his
soul from the world, before he quits the world with his body, can joyfully
die: since he is loosed from the ties
which bound him to these inferior objects. As the Israelites, when they
were about to leave the land of Egypt,
were daily afflicted with greater burdens by Pharaoh, who designed to destroy
them, and, if possible, utterly to extirpate their progeny (
26. It is certain that we cannot
27. Go therefore, O man, and seriously ponder in thy mind what the
apostle declares: “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not
to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
The sons of Aaron offered strange fire before the Lord, and there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them.—Lev. 10:1, 2.
This fire is called strange, because it was different from that which continually burned upon the altar, and with which, according to the command of God, the burnt-offerings were consumed. It is, therefore, a type of false worship; and the sons of Aaron were destroyed with avenging flames, because they violated the divine precept.
2. This marked displeasure of the jealous and righteous God, is in like
manner provoked by those who, from the motion of their own unregenerate
mind, and from a singular presumption
of devotion or religious sanctity, introduce a new and peculiar worship
of God; which, not being enjoined by himself, provokes his indignation,
anger, and vengeance; because “God is a consuming fire.”
3. In order that we may not incur the wrath of the divine majesty, let us consider wherein the true worship of God consists; for the punishment of temporal fire, inflicted on false worship under the Old Testament, is to us a proof, that the Lord will also, under the New dispensation, take the severest vengeance on all strange worship, not only with everlasting, but also with temporal fire, wars, desolations, and effusion of blood.
4. Now, we can learn wherein the true worship of God consists, when we compare
the Old Testament with the New.
The ceremonies which the former prescribed, referred typically to the Messiah.
Devout Jews saw, as it were, the Messiah from afar, believed on
him, and, according to the promise, obtained deliverance from sin and
death through him. But our worship,
according to the New Testament, does
5. To true, spiritual, internal Christian worship, three things belong. 1. The true knowledge of God. 2. The knowledge of sin, accompanied with unfeigned repentance. And 3. The knowledge of grace, attended with remission of sin.
6. The knowledge of God consists in faith, which apprehends Christ, and in him, and through him, knows God, his omnipotence, love, mercy, righteousness, truth, wisdom; all which are God himself. For what is God? Surely no other than pure omnipotence, pure love and mercy, pure justice, truth, and wisdom. And the same is to be said of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.
7. But whatever God is, he is not
to himself only, but also to me, by his gracious will, made manifest in Christ
Jesus. Thus to me is God omnipotent;
to me he is merciful; to me eternal
righteousness, through faith and remission
of sins. To me, also, he is everlasting truth and wisdom. Thus
it is, also, with Christ. He is made to
me eternal omnipotence, the almighty Head, and Prince of my life, my most
merciful Saviour, everlasting love, unchangeable righteousness, truth, and
wisdom; according to the words of the apostle: “Christ is of God made unto
us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
8. This is the true knowledge of God, which consists in faith. It is
not some empty and speculative science, as people imagine; but a cheerful,
lively, and effectual reliance on
God, in which I feel the rays and influences of the divine Omnipotence
really descending upon me, so that I perceive how I am upheld and preserved
by him; how “in him I live, and move, and have my being.”
9. This, therefore, is the true and substantial faith, which consists in a
living and effectual reliance on God, and not in empty words. In this
knowledge of God, or faith, we must, as becomes the children of God, make
daily advances, and abound more and more.
10. When, therefore, this true knowledge of God is attained, by which God
offers himself, as it were, to be touched and tasted by the soul, according to
that Psalm, “O taste and see that the
Lord is good” (
11. From the true knowledge of God, arise the knowledge of sin, and consequent repentance. This repentance brings renovation of mind, and renovation of mind is accompanied with amendment of life. And this knowledge, together with those things that attend it, makes up the other part of the inward worship of God; and it is that sacred fire which, by the appointment of God, is to be used with the sacrifices, lest his wrath should be kindled against us, and we be consumed by the fire of his vengeance.
12. The injunction of God to the priests, not to drink wine or strong
drink when they were about to enter
the tabernacle (
13. This gracious absolution from sin, which is apprehended in faith by
a penitent heart, supplies all those defects under which we labor: but it is
entirely the effect of the death and blood of Christ. All our offences are
as completely annulled by his abundant satisfaction, as if they had never
been committed. The merit of Christ
14. Hence also it is, that God is
said to mention the sin no more when the sinner returns to his duty.
15. When a man is thoroughly affected with this sense of sin, he hastens
in spirit to those cities of refuge, of which three, Bezer, Ramoth, and
Golan, were set apart on this side Jordan, by Moses, being appointed by him,
in order that he who had inadvertently killed his neighbor, might flee
unto them and be preserved.
16. And, alas! O Lord, how often have we inadvertently slain our neighbor
with thoughts, words, hatred,
envy, anger, revenge, and unmercifulness! Let us, therefore, fly upon the
wings of faith and repentance, to the sanctuary of the grace of God, and to
the merit and cross of Christ. No sooner do we arrive there, but we are
safe; nor will the avenger measure to us again with that measure with which
we served our neighbor. For by those
cities of refuge, Christ Jesus is signified and represented. He is the true
Bezer, that is, a fenced tower, according to that saying of Solomon: “The
name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe.”
17. And this is the third part of inward, spiritual, and true worship, arising
from the knowledge of God. This
18. Thus is the letter of the law of Moses changed into spirit, or into an
inward, holy, and new life; and its sacrifices are converted into unfeigned
repentance. Hereby we offer up unto God our body and soul, together with
the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Hereby we ascribe unto him
alone, our knowledge, conversion, justification and remission of sin, that
God alone may be all in all, and his grace be worthily acknowledged, and
celebrated with thankful hearts and tongues unto all eternity. This, then,
as hath been already mentioned, is the true worship of God, of which the
prophet says: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with thy God?”
19. From these considerations it abundantly appears, that the true worship of God is seated in the heart, and consists in the knowledge of God, and in true repentance, which mortifies the flesh; and, through grace, renews man after the divine image. In this order, man is made the holy temple of the Lord, where, through the good Spirit of God, internal worship is performed, in the exercise of faith, charity, hope, humility, patience, prayer, thanksgiving, and the praise of God.
20. But though this worship has regard to God himself, and is offered to him alone; yet far be it from us to believe, that God has any need of our adoration or service, or that he receives any advantage from it, or any addition to his perfection. Let us rather think, that such is the mercy of God to miserable men, that he is willing to impart himself wholly to us with all his benefits, to live, to operate, and to dwell in us, provided we be but ready, by true knowledge, by faith and repentance, to entertain him in the heart, that as in the school of the Spirit, he may teach us true wisdom, and carry on the work which he has so happily begun.
21. For there is no work approved and accepted of God, but that of which he himself is the author. Therefore has he commanded us to repent and to believe, to pray and to fast; not that the benefit in any way might return to him, but belong to us alone. For to God no man can give, and from him no man can take away; him none can profit, and none can injure. If we be found devout and sincere in his sight, we shall reap the advantage of it ourselves; but if we be found false and corrupt, the evil will return upon our own heads. But what harm, O man, canst thou do to God, if even thou shouldst wilfully persist in impiety and a dissolute course of life?
22. God, therefore, commands that he should be served on thy account,
not on his own. He being Love itself,
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.—Ps. 92:12-15.
Not a Christian name, but a Christian life, evidences a true Christian:
let this therefore be the care of the Christian, that in him Christ may
be seen: and visibly appear unto others, in love, humility, and kindness! for he
in whom Christ does not live, cannot be a Christian. And this holy life,
having its roots within, in the spirit and heart of a man, must of necessity
proceed from this inward principle—just as the fruit proceeds from the
inherent virtue of the tree. For it is
necessary that our life should be influenced by the Spirit of Christ, and
fashioned after his example; according to that saying of the apostle:
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
2. Hence it follows, that a man must
be first internally renewed in the spirit of his mind after the image of God;
and that his inward desires and affections must first be conformed to Christ
(which the Apostle terms “the new man created after the image of God”)
(
3. Though, in our inward part, we attain not unto the purity of angels,
it is but just that we should fervently sigh after it. And, indeed, God approves
the desires of our spirit when it thirsts after a further purification:
“The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, and maketh intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
4. This undeserved righteousness, freely applied to us, must renew our body, soul, and spirit, and produce a true holiness of life and manners. And this life, though it is at first like a tender palm tree, must daily become more and more vigorous in us, and gather strength in Christ Jesus. And our growth in Christ will be in proportion as we advance in faith, in virtue, and the practice of a Christian life and holiness. This is to “flourish like a palm tree.”
5. As the palm tree, when depressed, mounts the higher, so ought a Christian
to be renewed continually in his spiritual desires and exercises.
6. Whenever, therefore, we feel this heavenly call or impulse upon our minds, we should immediately set our hand to work, and take care that a moment so invaluable do not slip away in a light and careless manner. This is an hour free from such obstacles as at other times closely beset us. If this be slothfully neglected, other days and times may possibly succeed, in which we cannot think, hear, speak, or do any good. This being foreseen by eternal Wisdom, she everywhere lifts up her voice, and calls upon us, lest we should neglect the opportunity which is so freely offered.
7. As a tree planted in the open air readily admits the light of the sun, and
the benign influences of heaven; so the
grace of God, with other celestial influences, shines upon thee, O man, and
would revive and nourish thee by its presence, if the affairs of this world
8. Call to mind the shortness of the time appointed for life! Seriously consider how many opportunities of doing good, and of reducing the Christian virtues into practice, thou hast already neglected. One half of thy life has possibly been consumed in sleeping, and the other in eating and drinking, and in other natural actions; so that when thou now comest to the grave, thou hast but just begun to enter upon a better life.
9. If thou art afraid to die in wickedness, O lead a holy life whilst thou art in good health! If thou desirest to leave the world as a Christian, endeavor to be a good Christian whilst thou art in it. Now, he only lives as a Christian, who demeans himself as if he were every day to die; well knowing that a good servant will at all times be ready at the call of his master. And God, by death, as by his messenger, summons us all before his tribunal.
10. “Blessed,” therefore, “is that servant, whom the Lord, when he cometh,
shall find watching. Of a truth, I say unto thee, that he will make
him ruler over all that he hath.”
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!—My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.—Ps. 84:1, 2.
Thou actest wisely, if thou avoidest too frequent an intercourse with worldly men. For as it is never better for our bodies than when they are at home; so it is ever best with the soul, when it is at rest in its own habitation, which is God himself; from whom it derives life and being. To him, therefore, the soul must return again, if ever she is to enjoy rest, and find safety.
2. It is observed of all creatures, that they nowhere thrive so well, as
where they drew their first life and origin. Thus the sea to the fishes,
the air to the birds, the earth to the plants, and God to the soul, is the
place of rest, according to the Psalmist, “The sparrow hath found a house,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.”
3. “Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
courts of our God.”
4. Nor are we to imitate those
who admire subtle disputes and inventions, who take pleasure in reading
fine, pleasant, and witty productions; which, if rightly considered,
deprave, rather than improve the mind of the reader. Whatever does
not promote the repose of the heart, and the continual renovation of the
mind, should neither be heard, spoken, read, nor even be entertained in
thought, by a disciple of Jesus. True Christians are like the trees of God,
which should daily grow stronger,
and take deeper root in Christ. St. Paul testifies of himself, that besides
“Christ and him crucified,” he desired to know nothing.
5. Nothing is more common, than that some word or other is dropped in the conversation of men, which being idle and vain, grievously wounds and pollutes the soul. No man, therefore, has more security and peace, than he who keeps at home, in the house of his heart, and restrains his thoughts, his words, and his senses, from straying beyond their bounds.
6. He that will speak well, must first learn to be silent; for to talk
much is not eloquence, but prating. He who desires to command well,
must first learn to obey; since it is impossible that he should be a good
ruler over others, who knows not how to be subject and obedient to God.
He that desires peace and serenity of mind, must set a watch over his
tongue, and maintain a good conscience; for an evil conscience is like
the troubled sea; yet shall it find rest
if it return unto Christ in true repentance. The dove which Noah sent
out of the ark, not finding any place of rest, returned to it.
7. While thou conversest with men, and art engaged in the affairs of this world, be careful to manage everything with fear and humility. Avoid all self-confidence and rashness in acting. Remember that thou art as a tender shoot tied to a prop, in order that it may grow up with the more safety: so do thou constantly lean on the staff of humility, and the fear of God, lest a sudden tempest should arise, and lay thee level with the ground. Alas! how many a man is deceived when he, too unadvisedly, rushes into worldly affairs. Persuade thyself, therefore, that it is as unsafe to trust to the world, as to the sea. The external joy of the world, though for a time it soothe a man in his carnal security, and promise prosperous things, yet may soon be disturbed by an unexpected tempest, leaving nothing behind but the sting of an evil conscience.
8. If a man would, on the one hand, seek no pleasure in what is frail or perishing; and if, on the other, with a mind freed from secular joys and affairs, he would give himself up to those more heavenly concerns that become a true Christian, he would often be visited with a fervent devotion, a profound peace, a sweet tranquillity, a serene conscience, and other divine comforts. But, alas! we will not be persuaded of these things; and hence it follows, that our conversion, amendment, and devotion are, by our too free conversation with men, rather hindered than improved. We may find within us, what we easily lose in an inconsiderate pursuit of things without us. And as a tree nowhere prospers better than in its natural soil; so the inward man grows nowhere more happily, than in the inward ground of the soul, where Christ resides.
9. The conscience of man is possessed either with joy or sorrow. If
the conscience be conversant with things internal and heavenly, it will
refresh us with inward delight and comfort; but if it be polluted with an
excessive cleaving to worldly concerns, it will be of necessity attended
with inward sorrow and perplexity.
10. As often as the soul is affected with hearty remorse for sin, she bewails
herself, and sends up secret groans to the throne of mercy. This
penitential exercise is a wholesome fountain of tears, in which the soul,
night after night, cleanses and washes herself by the Spirit and by faith,
through the name of Jesus (
11. And because the Lord is “a God that hideth himself” (
Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.—1 Tim. 1:5.
In this verse, the apostle sets before us love, the highest and noblest
virtue; and acquaints us at the same time, with four particulars concerning
it. First, that Love is the summary of all the commandments: for “love,”
says the apostle, “is the fulfilling of the law” (
2. What he says in the second place, namely, that Charity must arise from
a pure heart, relates to the love of
God, which requires a heart void of worldly love and affection, according
to that saying of St. John: “Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 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 abideth forever.”
3. The apostle, in the third place, teaches us, that love must be “out of
a good conscience.” This properly
concerns the love of our neighbor, who
4. The fourth requisite of Love is, a “faith unfeigned;” so that nothing be done that is contrary to the rule of faith, and to our Christian profession, and that God be not denied publicly or privately, in prosperity or adversity. This is the substance of what is contained in that sentence of the apostle. We shall now speak more particularly, with respect to each of the several parts.
5. In the first place, then, Love, according to the apostle, “is the end of
the commandment;” for that love which arises from a pure faith, is the
noblest among the fruits and effects of faith; than which a man can do
nothing better or more acceptable to God. For God does not require at
our hands great and difficult enterprises, no high performances that exceed
our capacities; but he has changed the yoke of the Old Testament
service, and its many commandments and ordinances into faith and
love, and has given us for this end the Holy Ghost, who, “shedding abroad
in our hearts the love of God” (
6. Love, therefore, is not a hard work, a labor attended with toil and
difficulty; on the contrary, it makes everything easy to a good man. “His
commandments are not grievous” (
7. As for human learning and great abilities, they are common to heathens
as well as to Christians; and great
actions are performed as well by infidels
as by believers. It is love only which proves the sure test of a sound
Christian, distinguishing between the false and the true. For wherever
Charity is wanting, there can be no good thing, however it may claim the
admiration of men by its specious appearances. The reason is, because God
is not there; for “God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God,
and God in him.”
8. Love is also pleasant, not only to God who gives it, but also to man, who
exercises it: whereas, all arts and sciences, all the knowledge and wisdom
which man grasps, are not attained but with great labor and study, with
much care and application, and even at the expense of bodily health. But
this heaven-born love cheers both the body and the mind. It invigorates
the spirits, confers new strength, and
9. Again, when the other faculties of the body and mind are faint and
wearied, love faints not. Love is never weary, never ceases. Prophecy
may pass away, tongues may cease, and sciences may be destroyed; arts
may be lost, the knowledge of mysteries may vanish; yea, faith itself at
last may fail also: but yet “love never faileth,” nor can fail: for when
all that is imperfect is happily removed, then love alone abides forever,
and attains its full perfection.
10. To render anything pleasing to Almighty God, it is necessary that it
proceed from him; since he approves of nothing but what he himself works
in us. Now, God is love; it therefore follows, that all that we do, ought to
proceed from a divine faith, in order that it may be pleasing to God; and
from pure love, that it may prove profitable to men. This love must be
pure, without any regard to self-honor, self-interest, and those mean designs
which sometimes intrude into a Christian's actions. In like manner our
prayers should spring from a principle of love, that they may have the more
ready admittance to the God of love. Consider, therefore, how that man's
prayer can be acceptable to God, who is full of wrath and rancor, hatred
and malice? Were such a one to repeat the whole Psalter every day, it
would be but an abomination before the Lord. True worship consists in
spirit (
11. Upon the whole, then, nothing is more agreeable to human nature, nothing better and more profitable, than this divine love, which, therefore, should be stirred up in the heart of man, and when once raised into a flame, should be carefully preserved from being ever quenched.
12. Faith should work all things in a Christian through love; and love should be the agent of faith, as the body is the agent of the soul. The soul sees and hears, speaks and acts, through the body, to which she is united; so, O man! should the love of God, springing from faith, do all things in and through thee. Whether thou eat or drink, hear or speak, commend or reprove, let all be done in love, after the example of Christ, in whom resided nothing but pure love. If thou beholdest thy neighbor, behold him with the eyes of a compassionate friend; if thou hearest him, hear him with love and tenderness; and if thou speakest with him, let thy speech be seasoned with love and Christian affection.
13. Carefully preserve the root of Christian love by faith, in order that
nothing but that which is good may grow up in thy heart, and issue thence,
as from its genuine centre.
14. We consider now, in the second
place, that our love to God ought to proceed “out of a pure heart.” The
heart of a man who is desirous to love God, ought first to be cleansed from
all worldly love and attachment to the creature. It is then that God becomes
the chief and sovereign Good to the soul. She can then say, “The Lord
is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.”
15. God, therefore, should be the most beloved object of our souls, and our hearts should rest in him alone, because he is the highest good. He is nothing else than mercy and goodness, love and kindness, clemency and patience, truth, comfort, peace, joy, life, and happiness. All this he has laid up in Jesus Christ. Whoever, therefore, has Christ, is thereby put into the possession of all these heavenly virtues. And whoever loves God, must also of necessity love God's truth and mercy, his goodness and kindness, and the whole train of divine virtues.
16. For, a true lover of God has a love to all that God loves, and an aversion
to all that God hates. If any man loves God, he must love truth, mercy,
and righteousness, because God is all this himself. He must also delight in
humility and meekness, since thereby he is rendered conformable to that
meekness and lowly-mindedness which resided in Jesus. On the other hand,
a true lover of God cannot but abhor all ungodliness, with all the works of
iniquity; because all manner of impiety is enmity against God, and is the
work of the devil himself. A lover of God hates a lie, because the devil
is the father of lies, and was a liar from the beginning. And this is the
reason that every one who loves lies, injustice, and other vicious workings
of nature, must needs, in that sense, be the offspring of the devil (see
17. This love, proceeding out of a “pure heart,” must be obtained from
God by prayer and supplication. And truly, God is willing to enkindle in us
this heavenly flame through the love
18. Let us now consider, in the third
place, Love, as arising from a “good conscience,” and as it respects our
neighbor. The love of God and the love of our neighbor are so closely
united, that they can never be separated. The true touchstone of our
love to God, is the love which we bear to our neighbor. “If a man say,
I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God, love
his brother also.”
19. As faith unites to God, so love unites to our neighbor; and as a man
is made up of body and soul, so faith and love (that is, the love both of God
and of our neighbor) make up a true Christian. Thus he that “dwelleth
in love, dwelleth in God.”
20. It is the property of this love to bewail and compassionate the infirmities
of others.
21. Such especially as sin, not from, malice or determined wickedness, but
who are surprised into a fault by weakness and inadvertency; and who, coming
soon to themselves again, repent of that which they have done, and
firmly resolve to watch the more against the snares of Satan for the
future; such souls as these are surely
22. Without this love, whatever is in man, is diabolical and altogether
evil. Nor is there, indeed, any other cause why the devil can do no good,
but because he is utterly destitute of love both towards God and man.
Hence, all which he does is radically
evil, and deprived of all intrinsic goodness. In all that he sets about, he
designs nothing but God's dishonor, and man's destruction. He cunningly
contrives ways to vent his enmity both upon God and man; and, therefore, he
seeks for such hearts as he can fill with spite and envy, and then discharges
through them his malice and wrath. “And hereby it is manifest
who are the children of God, and the children of the devil.”
23. Lastly, Love must be “out of faith unfeigned,” that is, we must love
God equally in prosperity and adversity. Whoever loves God sincerely,
accepts with joy all the dispensations of his Providence, after the example
of Christ; who, with a cheerful and ready mind, took up the cross, which
he knew that the will of his Father imposed on him. “I have,” says he,
“a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened (and in pain) till
it be accomplished!”
24. To those that unfeignedly love God, the cross, which Christ enjoins
us to bear, does not prove grievous or burdensome; and this for no other
reason, than because it is the yoke of
Christ.
Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.—2 Peter 2:19.
There is no bondage more hard and grievous, than to be under
the yoke of the passions: but of all
these, none is so cruel as hatred, which so weakens and depresses all the powers
both of body and mind, as not to leave to the man one free thought. On
the contrary, he who lives in love is
free. He is no slave to anger, envy, covetousness, pride, lying, or calumny;
and being delivered from these by love, he suffers not himself to be subdued
by evil desires, but continues Christ's freeman (
2. Since, therefore, God has no need of our service, he has substituted our neighbor in his place, to receive our charity, and has commanded us to pay it as to himself. He has made this love of our neighbor the very touch-stone by which we are to examine the sincerity of our love to God.
3. And it is for this reason that he has enjoined the love of our neighbor
with so great earnestness, requiring us to show constantly the same love
to him which God shows to us. For unless a man be fully reconciled to,
and be in perfect charity with his neighbor, he cannot have the favor or
grace of God. And although all the sins of the world are atoned for by
the death of Christ, and a full pardon obtained, yet all mankind may in some
sense be said to be in the same circumstances with the servant in the
parable, who had not wherewithal to pay; the king freely remitted him all
his debts: but when he afterwards behaved himself cruelly towards his
fellow-servant, the king revoked his pardon, and condemned the servant,
on account of the hard usage with which he treated his neighbor.
4. Hence, it plainly appears, that man was not created for himself alone, but for his neighbor's sake also. So strict is the commandment of loving our neighbor, that when it is broken, the very end of our creation is destroyed, and the love of God is immediately withdrawn from the soul. Nothing is left but the severest justice, judging and condemning all that are void of this charity.
5. If we duly considered these things, we should never be angry
with one another; neither would “the sun ever go down upon our wrath.”
6. Hence it appears how important the love of our neighbor must be in the sight of God, binding us even to such a degree, that God refuses to be loved by us, unless we love our neighbor also; so that if we fail in our benevolence toward the latter, we fall at the same time from grace and divine charity. And for this reason, we were created all equal and of the same nature, that we might not despise one other; but, like children of one common parent, live in peace and love, and endeavor to maintain a good and serene conscience.
7. Now, whoever hates and despises his brother, hates and despises God also, who has forbidden all such animosities in the severest terms. If thou contemnest thy brother, God also contemns thee; which hastens thy judgment and condemnation, and deprives thee of all interest in the merit and redemption of Christ, by which sin is forgiven.
8. For it cannot be possible that a heart filled with wrath and bitterness,
should in any degree reap a saving fruit from the blood of Christ, which
was shed from a motive of pure love. Yea, the above parable (
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.—Rom. 13:8.
“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord? Shall I
come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the
Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers
of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my
body for the sin of my soul?—He hath shewed thee, O man, what is
good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
2. By this question, and the answer to it, the prophet teaches us, wherein
the true worship of God properly consists; not in ceremonies and sacrifices,
since we are not able to give anything to God, because all is his own already;
not in offering up human sacrifices, which he does not require at our
hands, but detests and abhors, because they are injurious to Jesus Christ, the
great propitiatory oblation which God appointed to take away the sins of the
world (
3. To this divine worship, founded within the heart, and proceeding from
faith, love, and humility, St. Paul powerfully exhorts us in
4. The apostle calls love a summary of all virtues, and the “fulfilling of
the law.”
5. From this righteousness of Christ, apprehended by faith, springs love to
our neighbor, together with the whole train of Christian virtues, called by
the apostle “fruits of righteousness, which are to the glory and praise of
God.”
6. The first and strongest of all motives, is that which St. John uses:
“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in
him” (
7. The second motive is found in what our Lord himself says: “By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.”
8. Hence, St. Paul does not hesitate
to affirm, that “all gifts without charity are nothing” (
9. Add to these, as a fourth motive, that passage of St. John: “If a man
say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God, love his
brother also.”
10. A fifth motive is, that love is the great law of nature, and attended with
many things beneficial to mankind, without which we would not be able
to live. When any good thing happens to man, it certainly proceeds
from divine love. Hence, St. Paul calls love, the “bond of perfectness”
(
11. A sixth motive is, that love is a beautiful image and a foretaste of eternal life; when the saints shall love each other sincerely; when they shall delight in one another, and converse together with wonderful and ineffable concord, in an inexpressible sweetness, in unfeigned affection, cheerfulness, and joy. Whoever, therefore, would conceive to himself an image of that marvellous love and harmony, and obtain some foretaste of the exquisite pleasures of the eternal beatitude, let him study this love, in which he will find a singular pleasure, with much peace and tranquillity of mind.
12. The more pure and fervent our
13. Hence it follows (which is the eighth motive), that we ought also to
love our enemies, according to the Lord's precept: “Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven. For if ye love them which
love you, what reward have ye? do not the publicans the same?”
14. The ninth motive is, that whoever does not practise Christian love
and charity, separates himself from the spiritual body of Christ, that is,
the Church; and forfeits all the privileges of this body, and even the merits
of Christ; there being but “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
15. Lastly, we ought to love one another, because on the wings of this
love the prayer of a Christian ascends to heaven. By prayer, all good gifts
are to be obtained; and without prayer, all helps and consolations are
expected in vain. But then our prayer
must spring from the evangelical principle of love; since God gives ear to
no prayers, but to those that are grounded on faith and Christian charity:
“If two of you agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall
ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
16. Come then, O man! let this
sweet agreement and harmony be established among us upon earth. Let
us live in the spirit of love, that peace and union may dwell among us; for
where peace is, there is the God of peace (
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.—Matt. 5:44, 45.
The first cause why enemies ought to be loved, is the express commandment
of God by his Son; for which he gives this reason, “that we
may be the children of our Father in heaven,” that is, “of him that loved
us when we were yet his enemies.”
2. The Scripture says, “He that loveth not his brother, abideth in
death.”
3. Whoever, therefore, suffers his
4. It is, on the other hand, the property of a noble and divine mind,
to pardon injuries. Behold how long-suffering God is, and how easily he is
reconciled.
5. True love teaches us to be angry with none but ourselves. True peace consists not in having much wealth, but in bearing patiently whatever goes against our nature. Should a madman rail at the sun, and curse it for being nothing but darkness, the sun would never be darkened by his reproachful language, but continue his course, and enlighten the world as before. So do thou also, and remember that there is no sweeter or better revenge than to forgive. Such wise and excellent rules were practised by many of the heathens themselves. Pericles, the Grecian orator, having patiently heard a man revile him for the space of a whole day, when night came on, kindly invited him to his house, and entertained him in a friendly manner, saying, “It is easier to speak evil of virtue than to possess it.” Thus Phocion, general of the Athenians, when he had deserved well of his country, but through envy was adjudged to death, and was now about to undergo the sentence, being asked if he had any commands for his son, generously made answer: “None, except that he never take measures to revenge this injury, which I suffer of my country.” The Emperor Titus being told that two brothers had conspired to cause his death, scrupled not to invite them both to sup with him; and in the morning went with them to the theatre, and placed himself betwixt them, to behold the play. Thus with marvellous clemency he overcame, at last, their baseness. And when Cato had committed suicide, Julius Cæsar said: “I have lost a glorious victory; for I had intended to forgive Cato all the evil that he has done to me.”
6. But after all, as to the man who cannot be influenced by the unspeakable
patience and meekness of the Son of God himself, to forgive and to love
his enemies, him neither the example
of the saints, nor of heathens, will ever
be able to melt into love and forbearance. For what greater injustice and
barbarity can be conceived, than that the Son of God should be so shamefully
treated by the children of men, be scourged with stripes, crowned with
thorns, spit upon, and loaded with all
7. And, truly, it was to this very end that our blessed Redeemer set his
example before our eyes, that it might be an all-healing medicine for such
spiritual diseases as have seized upon us; particularly, that it might abase
all pride and loftiness, strengthen what is weak, supply what is defective, and
correct what is evil and out of order.
Can the distemper of pride be so violent, as not to be healed by the profound
humility and lowliness of Christ?
8. Who would not heartily wish to be made like God the Father, his Son, and the Holy Ghost, and to carry within him the excellent image of the sacred Trinity, which chiefly consists in love and forgiveness? For it is the highest of all the divine properties, to show compassion and mercy, to spare and to pardon, to be kind and gracious: and that must be undoubtedly one of the sublimest virtues, which makes us bear the nearest resemblance to the Most High God, and to all such persons as are the most conspicuous for goodness and virtue.
9. Lastly, the highest degree of virtue is, when a man, overcoming
himself, is ready at any time to forget injuries, to pardon offences, and to
show acts of favor and clemency.
“He that is slow to anger,” says Solomon, “is better than the mighty: and
he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.”
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.—1 John 2:15.
The heart of man is so constituted, that it cannot exist without love;
it must love God, or the world, or self. If, therefore, man be under so strong
a compulsion to love, let him direct his love to God, the supreme Good,
and give up that affection to Him, who originally planted it in man, and
2. Wherever the love of God resides, it disposes the soul freely to love all men, and not only to wish them well, but to do them all proper acts of love and beneficence; this being the property of that love which is grounded in God, and derived from him. Such a lover of God and of his neighbor, will never hurt or defraud any man in word or deed.
3. But the generality of the people are engrossed so much with the love of the world, that they never even admit the love of God into their hearts. This is plain from that false love with which they treat their neighbor, and which, under a show of friendship, seeks nothing but temporal advantage. Nothing in the world should be loved to such a degree, as to injure the love of God, or to come in competition with it; especially since there is so great a vanity and vileness in the world, and so great a worth and majesty in God, as that no comparison can ever be made betwixt them. As God infinitely excels all his creatures, so the love of God infinitely excels in holiness and dignity all the love we can bear to the creature, and is in no wise to be compared with it. No love to the creature ought to have sufficient weight with us, to make us offend the love of God, or to act in opposition to the same.
4. St. Paul says: “Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit
thereof?”
5. The fire of lust, attended with everlasting flames and torments, is
worse than that of Sodom. But the love and fear of God are a sovereign
remedy against this profane love, and against any motion contrary to its
pure and heavenly nature. It was
this divine fear and love which preserved Joseph from the enticements
of Potiphar's wife, and it still guards
6. No man can love the world, but he who has never tasted the love of God; nor can any man hate, defraud, or circumvent his neighbor in anything, but he that does not love God from his heart. Whence arise all the anxious cares of this life, that grief and vexation of spirit with which poor mortals are disturbed? Surely, from nothing but from a want of the love of God. For the sweetness of divine love is so strong and effectual, that it mitigates the sense of all the miseries that are incident to this life. This love renders a man happy even in death itself.
7. Again, such is the nature of love,
that it influences a man to lay aside all thoughts about anything else, and to
fix his attention entirely on the beloved object, in order to possess and
enjoy that alone. Why then are the children of men so much besotted with
the things of this world? Why do they not entirely forget all wealth and
honor, lust and riches, that they may enjoy him alone, whom they profess
to love? This was in former times the constant practice of the holy men of
God; whom the exquisite sweetness
of this divine love had so much overpowered, as to make them forget the
whole world, and even themselves also. Hence they were accounted fools in
the world, when at the same time they were the wisest of all men; and their
despisers most deserved the name of fools and madmen, as preferring a
handful of frail and transient things,
to everlasting and never-fading prosperity. Those are the greatest fools,
who call the godly by that name, who, setting their love on things above, are
deeply concerned to obtain and eternally enjoy them.
8. A true lover of God, loves God as if there were nothing in the whole
universe to love but God alone. And for this reason, he finds all that in
God, which he sought before in the world. For God hath in himself all
things essentially, whatever we can desire. He is true honor and joy; he is
peace and pleasure; he is wealth and magnificence. With him are light and
life, glory and majesty, and all those
delights that the heart of man can desire. All is found in a more substantial
and transcendent manner in God, than it is in the world. If, therefore,
thou lovest any creature, for the sake
of beauty, transfer thy love to God, who is the fountain of all beauty. If
thou wouldst love that which is good,
fix thy love upon God, who is the eternal
source of all goodness, nay, the essential
Good itself, and without whom
there is no goodness at all.
9. To conclude—is it not far better to set thy love and affections on God alone, the unexhausted fountain and well-spring of all perfection and goodness? The less a thing has of earthly gravity in it, the lighter it is, and the more easily is it carried upwards. So it is with the soul; the more it cleaves to earthly things, and is pressed down by them to the ground, the less ability has it to raise itself to God, and rejoice in its Maker. In a word, the less a man loves this world, the more will the love of God and of his neighbor prevail in the soul.
10. Hence it follows that he that
First be reconciled to thy brother.—Matt. 5:24.
Every one who desires to be reconciled to God, must of necessity endeavor to reconcile himself to his neighbor; because God takes the injury which is offered to man, as offered to himself, and the evil done to man, as done to himself.
2. When, therefore, any one offends both God and man, he cannot be restored
to the favor of God before he is reconciled to man his neighbor; for
having offended them both, he must also be reconciled to both, which is
expressly attested by Christ himself:
“If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother
hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
3. It will be needful, therefore, to say something further of the love of God and of our neighbor, and to show how impossible it is to separate the one from the other: and again, that this reconciliation, so joined together, proves the true source of brotherly love and affection.
4. This the beloved disciple has expressed as follows: “If a man say, I
love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, that he that loveth God love his
brother also.”
5. This consideration gives us a true insight into the love of our neighbor,
and that brotherly reconciliation which ought to attend it. There is a twofold
object given by God to man, to which
all the actions of his life are constantly to tend; namely, the love of God, and
of our neighbor. Into this, all our endeavors ought finally to be resolved,
and we ought to make a daily progress in this holy exercise; since we are to
this very end, created, redeemed, and sanctified. In a word, Christ himself
is the one and only scope in which all our actions ought to centre. Now, the
more we approach to love, the more
6. For this end God was made man, or, the Word was made flesh, that he might set before our eyes a most lovely and living image of his infinite love and kindness, and that from hence it might appear, that God was Love itself; love in His own immense, incomprehensible, and unsearchable essence; and that man, by viewing so amiable an object of love as is displayed in Christ Jesus, might be transformed into the same image day by day.
7. Furthermore, as, in Christ, God and man are united together by an indissoluble tie, so the love of God is so closely connected with the love of our neighbor, that the former cannot exist without the latter. Nay, the love of God and of our neighbor can be no more disjoined or put asunder, than the divine and human natures in Christ. And as he who injures the humanity of Christ cannot but affront his divinity also; so he who offends man, is in like manner guilty of offending the infinite God himself. We cannot be angry with our neighbor, without being, at the same time, angry with God!
8. We will illustrate what has been said, by the following comparison. When a circle is made, and from its centre a number of lines are drawn to the circumference, all these lines, though ever so distant in the circumference, meet together in the point, which is in the middle. Here they are all united in one, and all flow into one, be they ever so wide asunder, yea, even directly opposite one to the other. Not one of all the lines, let their number be ever so great, can be broken from the rest, without losing its communication with the centre itself, wherein they all meet. So God is a point, or a centre, whose circumference is everywhere, extending in a manner, to all men upon earth. Whoever presumes to break off the lines of his love from his neighbor, must, in like manner, disjoin and break them off from God at the same time. And as all these lines cohere and concur in the centre, and therein mutually affect one another, so is there a sort of central sympathy, and a fellow-feeling, as it were, of the sufferings of our neighbor, provided we be but all united in God, the great centre of all good Christians.
9. The truth of what has been said,
is forcibly illustrated in the history of Job. When the tidings were brought
him, that his temporal goods were destroyed, it appears that he quietly
bore the loss of them, without giving any great sign of discontent at the
appointments of Providence. He still continued to bless the Lord, and freely
to own, that he who had given him his property, had also a right to take it
away whenever he pleased. But when he was told, that he had also lost his
children, then indeed it went to his heart: then he “arose, and rent his
mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground.”
10. In order that this might be the more deeply impressed on the heart,
God was pleased to create but one man in the beginning, together with Eve,
who was soon afterwards made.
11. The love which God commands us to pursue, is of that agreeable nature, and of that incomparable sweetness, that it does not in the least burden either a man's soul or body. Nay, it renders the mind easy under every event, is most agreeable to our very nature, and in every respect attended with a quiet and blessed life. But if the same God who has enjoined thee to love thy neighbor, had commanded thee to hate him, thou wouldest then have had cause to complain of hard usage, and of a far heavier burden than that which love can possibly impose upon thee. For the spirit of hatred and revenge is a tormentor of the soul, and a daily grief and vexation to those that are enslaved by it. On the contrary, love refreshes the whole man; and is so far from weakening or destroying body or soul (which is the common effect of hatred and envy), that it is a great preserver of both, and exhilarates them by the healing influence which it carries with it. In a word, to those that love God, it is a pleasure to love their neighbor also; but those who do not love God think it a hard and difficult task to embrace their neighbor with brotherly love.
12. But if thy depraved nature should still find it a hard task to love thy
neighbor, then consider how much harder it will be to be banished forever
from the presence of God, and to
endure the pangs of hell to all eternity. Wretched is the man, who makes so
sad a choice as to prefer hell-torments to a friendly reconciliation. Our own
experience would soon convince us, if we made the trial, that as by faith we
enjoy solid peace with God (as the apostle assures us,
13. The sum of all this is: Every virtue rewards its followers with peace of conscience; and every vice punishes those that commit it with the recompense which they deserve. Every virtue exalts those that practise it; and every vice covers its slaves with shame.
14. With regard to the order and method by which we are to proceed
in working out a sound reconciliation
with our offended neighbor, the Scripture is explicit. The terms of reconciliation
are these: 1. The offender is to confess his sin to his neighbor whom
he has offended. 2. He is faithfully to restore that of which he has defrauded
his neighbor; that is, he ought to return
not only the principal, but also
the fifth part over and above it. 3. If there be none to receive it, he is then
to offer it unto the Lord himself.
15. This restitution of things unlawfully taken away, is commanded
16. And truly it is the property of unfeigned repentance to contemn all
earthly things, and count them as loss
(
17. Since a sinner is thus bound in a twofold respect to God and to his
neighbor, in order that his repentance
may be full and efficacious, it is required that both be satisfied. God
does not accept any man's repentance, unless he be first reconciled to his
neighbor. Therefore, it is to no purpose if thou shouldest say unto God:
“Merciful God, I confess that I have offended and injured my neighbor; I
have damaged him by wicked usury and fraud; and have dealt so with
him, as I would not that another should deal with me: which iniquity
I humbly entreat thee, O Lord, to pardon
for thy dear Son's sake.” Be not deceived; God will not be mocked! He
repels thy prayer, and saith: “Restore first that which with fraud and usury
thou hast taken from thy neighbor, and then thy pardon shall be ready.” Not
as if a man merited the pardon of God by this restitution; this is a debt due
to his neighbor, and how can he pretend to merit any thing by that restitution
which he is so engaged to make, and which the law of God expressly
enjoins? For thus hath the Lord commanded: “All things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
18. The same truth is confirmed by the following Scriptures: “Leave thy
gift (oblation or sacrifice) before the
altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come
and offer thy gift.”
19. All these Scriptures, with one consent, proclaim this great truth,—that God will not accept the repentance of any man, or hear his prayer, or regard his alms and oblations, unless he be first reconciled to his neighbor, and make him all the restitution that is in his power.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.—1 Cor. 13:4-7.
Even as the tree of life stood in the midst of Paradise (
2. The first of these fruits is long-suffering. “Charity suffereth long.”
3. The second fruit is kindness. “Charity is kind.” This virtue was
also most eminently seen in Christ Jesus, and in that example which he
hath set us. David says: “Grace is poured into thy lips.”
4. The third fruit is, not to be envious and revengeful, but to be ready to
remit any offence whatsoever. “Charity envieth not.” Nothing is more
agreeable to the nature of God, than to forgive. “The Lord is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide,
neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our
sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”
5. The fourth fruit is candor. “Charity vaunteth not itself.” A kind and
charitable man does not misjudge his neighbor, vaunt it over him, rashly
censure him, or disingenuously deride him before others. True love is
altogether averse to these unfair proceedings. Whoever sincerely loves
his neighbor, shows his heart in his
countenance, and does all things ingenuously, and without guile. A visible
example hereof Christ himself hath left us, whose deportment was equal
both to friends and enemies, and who from the bottom of his heart endeavored
most earnestly to promote the salvation of mankind. Let this be an
example to thee, O man, and follow in thy Master's footsteps, that so the
candor which was in Christ, may also
6. The fifth fruit is, not to be “puffed up.” Charity is not of a haughty and
supercilious temper. It is not swelled with high conceit on account of its
own deeds and performances. Behold again thy Lord Jesus! When a woman,
in a great concourse of people, lifted up her voice and said: “Blessed
is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked,” “Yea,”
replied he, “rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep
it” (
7. The sixth effect of charity is, “not to behave itself unseemly.” A man endued with love, is not easily soured with discontent, or with any morose humor. His conversation is easy, obliging, and so concordant with all the offices of love and humanity, that the kindness residing within may even be read in his countenance. Of this sweetness of temper, the Lord Jesus hath left us a most bright and holy pattern. He did all with a spirit of mildness; and when he conversed with sinners, then pity and compassion visibly appeared in his very mien and aspect. This sweet temper of Christ ought also to be transfused into our souls, so that our life may prove a transcript of this most blessed original.
8. The seventh fruit of true love is, “not to seek her own.” A true Christian
has by love obtained such enlargement
and liberty of soul, as to serve his fellow-creatures freely, without any view
to self-interest. Nothing is more pleasing to him than to do good to all without
the least expectation of gain. This pure and disinterested love originally
dwells in God Almighty. He gives all things freely, without receiving any
profit at all. He commands us to fear and worship him, for no other reason
than to make us proper objects of his divine love and benignity. And, lo!
what a glorious pattern of disinterested love Christ has set before us!
9. The eighth fruit of true love is, “not to be easily provoked.” A man
that has tasted of true love, is not apt to entertain any bitterness, much less
to vent it by cursing and railing words. Contemplate again the life of Jesus,
who did not so much as open his mouth against his enemies, nor pour forth
any bitter and vehement speeches, but gave blessing and life to those that
hated him.
10. The ninth fruit of charity is, “to
think no evil.” This is also the property of God Almighty, as he himself
testifies: “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all
your heart.”
11. The tenth fruit is, “Love rejoiceth not in iniquity,” nor has it pleasure
in the injury or oppression of good men, as Shimei had when David fled
before Absalom.
12. The eleventh property of charity
is, that it “rejoiceth in the truth,” and is exceedingly pleased with a Christian
order of things. Of this we have an example in Christ Jesus, who, at
the return of the seventy disciples, rejoiced in spirit and praised his Father
for the success which had attended their function.
13. The twelfth fruit of charity is, to “bear all things,” in order to preserve
the bond of peace and of mutual friendship. Love patiently bears the infirmities
of others, after the example of St. Paul, who was made weak with the
weak, that he might profit the weak: nay, he was made all things, if by any
means he might be an instrument to save some.
14. The thirteenth fruit of love is, “not to faint or be weary,” in doing
good. Herein it is like God, whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting
upon those that fear him.
15. In a word, Love is the greatest,
the best, and the noblest of all virtues. First, because God himself is love.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, etc.—1 Cor. 13:1, etc.
Lest any should wonder why St. Paul sets forth the virtue of charity with so many high and eminent praises; we are to consider that God is love; and that, consequently, the same praise belongs to both: nor can there be a greater virtue in God or man, than love.
2. But our love is twofold: the one true, living, sincere, and undefiled; the other false, polluted, hypocritical, and selfish. The former of these St. Paul has most amply described, and exhibited all the fruits and properties that attend it, of which we have already spoken. The latter kind, which is false and polluted, may sometimes seem, indeed, to promote the glory of God, and the profit of mankind; yet inwardly, and in the heart, it seeks nothing either in word or deed, but private honor and interest only. Now whatever flows from this fountain of false love, proceeds not from God, but from the devil; for it is a poison infecting the very best of works, and the most excellent gifts conferred on man.
3. As a flower, that in sight, taste,
and smell, is sweet and beautiful, is rejected with disgust, if it contain secret
venom, because it is hurtful to man; so, though a man be adorned with the
most exquisite parts, and the very gifts of angels themselves, if he be void of
charity, and full of avarice, pride, self-love, and self-honor, then all those gifts
not only prove of no value, but become pernicious to him that possesses
them. For whatever is really good, always proceeds from God himself, so
as to begin and end in him. Whatever
deviates from this beginning and end, can never be really good, nor acceptable
to the Lord. That which this good God works in thy heart, is truly good,
and only good: but it is quite otherwise
if self-love, self-honor, and self-interest, bear the sway in thy soul,
and influence the actions of thy life. All that springs from so depraved a
principle, must be of the same nature with the principle whence it flows,
corrupt and defiled, since it does not proceed from God as from its original
cause and moving principle; God alone is good.
4. It is said that it was the wish of a certain saint of old, that he might
be of no other use to God, than his
own right hand was to himself; an instrument, ready to give and to receive
what was fit, and this in the manner directed by the soul; arrogating neither
honor nor profit to itself. And, indeed, it is right that we all should
be of the same temper. For as all things come freely from God to us, so
we should return all things freely to our neighbor, from a principle of pure
love, and in true singleness of heart,
without any desire of glory or self-interest. For as God alone is the author
of all that is good; so it is but just that all honor and glory should be
given to him alone. Man is but an instrument,
5. Now if a man be without this
sincere and pure love, he is, notwithstanding all his gifts and endowments,
a mere nothing, and of no account in the sight of God. Though he speak
with the tongues of angels; though he prophesy, and know all mysteries, and
have such faith as even to remove mountains; and though he should
moreover bestow all that he has among the poor, and give his body
to be burned; all this will avail him nothing at last, and stand him in no
stead when he is to have his trial.
6. The reason is plain. Self-love,
self-honor, and self-interest, are of the devil, who thereby procured his own
downfall from heaven. For after God had created Lucifer a most glorious
angel, and adorned him with the most excellent gifts of wisdom, light, and
glory, he began to pride himself in his gifts, and to love, honor, and exalt
himself. This self-complacency proved the very first step to his ruin. He
turned his love from God to himself, and was deservedly driven from his
principality, together with all such as adhered to him, and whom he had infected
with the same pride and self-love. Not contented with his estate
or principality, he aspired too high,
and lost all which the Creator had conferred upon him, according to St.
Jude: “The angels kept not their first estate.”
7. By the same sin which had effected his own ruin, Satan attempted the ruin of man, namely, by diverting him from the love of God to the love of himself. Hereby self-love and self-honor began to act in man, and influenced him to seek equality with God himself. Hence he was cast out of Paradise, as Lucifer had been before cast out of heaven, leaving to us all the heritage of pride and self-love. And this is the fall of Adam, which all men in themselves repeat; and which is transmitted through flesh and blood, from one generation to another.
8. The remedy by which a thorough cure may be wrought in fallen man, is
wholly to be sought in the precious
merit of Christ apprehended by faith. By this we are renewed in Christ, and
the flesh is crucified, with its sinful desires. Then we love ourselves no
more, but on the contrary, even hate
ourselves.
9. Since it was utterly impossible that man, by his own natural strength,
should restore himself (for of himself, he can do nothing but love himself,
boast of himself, and seek his own ends and interest; or, to sum up all in a
word, commit sin); God, in his infinite mercy, was moved to commiserate
man's fallen condition, and to make the very beginning of the work of
man's restoration. In order to this, the Son of God took the form of a man
upon him, thereby to renew our nature,
that, being regenerated by him, in him,
and from him, we might become new creatures. For as in Adam we are
dead both bodily and spiritually, so we ought to rise again in Christ, and
10. Hence it follows, that all the works of a Christian, together with his
gifts and talents, ought to proceed purely from the new birth, if ever they
be acceptable to God; and that they ought to spring from faith, from Christ,
and from the Holy Ghost. Wherever this principle is wanting, there the
most excellent parts, and even miracles themselves, are of no account at all
before God. So with respect to our neighbor, all things ought to be done
in Christian charity (
11. Let us, therefore, most fervently beseech the Lord, to give us true faith
and sincere love; a love not defiled with any desire of vain honor, profit,
and glory. Whenever this divine temper is obtained and established in the
heart, it is followed with this happy effect, that thereby not only great and
illustrious endowments and works are made acceptable to God, but also the
least and meanest of all, even the gift of a cup of cold water.
The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.—1 Cor. 4:20.
St. Paul, intending to describe a Christian in a few words, says:
“The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a
good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
2. We should not, therefore, regard how many languages a man speaks, or
how eloquent he is in his delivery; but how he shows forth his faith by
love, and by the mortification of the flesh. “For they that are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (
3. Therefore, no man is in favor with God, or is saved, because he is endued
with brighter gifts than others; but because he is found in Christ Jesus by
faith, and lives in him as a new creature.
4. It is certain that gifts and parts are not bestowed upon us in order to
make us great here, and happy hereafter; but they are wholly dispensed
for the edification of the Church. When the seventy disciples, at their
return, said with joy, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through
thy name” (
5. The apostles themselves did not enter into the kingdom of heaven because of the miracles which they performed, nor on account of the gift of tongues conferred upon them, but because they believed in Christ, the Saviour of the world. Those of the first rank, and those of the meanest condition, must tread in the same way of faith and humility, of repentance and mortification, and become new creatures in Christ through faith and love; in whom Christ also may live again by this faith. Whoever neglects this order, cannot expect to be accounted one of the family of Christ.
6. Christian love is that new vital principle by which a man is actuated
to do good. This is attended with the
life of Christ, and the powerful indwelling of the divine Spirit. To this
purpose the apostle desires, that we may be filled with all the fulness of
God (
7. To sum up all in a few words, God the Father is love, God the Son
is love, God the Holy Ghost is love. The whole spiritual body of Christ,
which is the Church, is also knit together by the bond of love; so that
there is but one God, one Christ, one Spirit, one baptism, one faith (
8. Whoever, therefore, does not live in love, is certainly a dead member of the body of Christ. As a dead member is not supported by that natural heat which nourishes the body and every living member thereof, nor is sustained with proper food for its daily growth and increase; so a man who does not live in Christian love is destitute of spiritual life, and is dead to God and to Christ. He is without faith, a withered, lifeless branch; he has no part in God, in Christ, and the Holy Ghost, in the holy Christian Church, and in life eternal; and will be excluded from the presence of that God, who has declared himself to be Love.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; but the Lord pondereth the hearts.—Prov. 21:2.
When the prophet Samuel, by the commandment of God, went to
anoint David king, he entered the house of Jesse, and offered to anoint
his first-born: but the Lord said to him: “Look not on his countenance,
or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him. For the Lord
seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart.”
2. By this example God declares, on the one hand, that he has no regard
to any man's person, be he ever so great and eminent, when his heart is
destitute of piety, love, faith, and humility; and on the other, that he esteems
persons and works according to the inward spirit and intention of the
mind, and thence allows or disallows them, according to
3. Consider the example of Lucifer, the fairest and most glorious angel which heaven contained. No sooner did he stain the gifts of God with self-love and self-honor (not considering that he was bound to advance thereby the glory of God, who had conferred them upon him), than he was transformed into a devil, and, being cast down from heaven, was shut out from the glorious presence of God.
4. If ever, therefore, our works shall be acceptable to God, they ought to
proceed from pure faith towards God, and sincere love to our neighbor, being
cleared from the spots of self-love, self-honor, and self-interest, as much as
possibly can be in this state of infirmity. To this end St. Paul says,
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal” (
5. Both David and Saul attended the
service of God, but with a different effect.
6. All this proceeds from no other cause than the heart, and that moving principle by which it is swayed, and which God chiefly regards. He accepts those works only which flow from unfeigned faith, sincere love, and true humility; for whatever our gifts or works may be, if pride, self-love, and the contagion of filthy lucre, infect them, they are at once rejected by the Lord.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.—1 Cor. 1:30.
In this impressive sentence, St. Paul teaches us that all things necessary for our salvation are merited by Christ Jesus our Lord. When we were ignorant of the way of life, he was made wisdom unto us; when we were sinners, he was made our righteousness; when we were an abomination before God, he was made our sanctification; and when we were in a state of damnation, he became our redemption.
2. It is therefore most certain, that
3. We did not contribute anything towards our creation, neither do we perform anything towards our redemption, regeneration, and sanctification, which are far greater transactions than the creation itself.
4. Hence it was necessary, that the Son of God should take human nature upon him, to recover all that was lost in Adam, and to revive those that were dead in sins and trespasses.
5. That this may be the better understood, we ought to represent to
ourselves the traveller in the Gospel, who, falling among thieves, was cruelly
wounded and bruised by them, and at
last utterly disabled from helping himself again.
6. No sooner does a sinner repent than he begins his happy return towards
the Lord, grieving for his former transgressions, and suffering that his
wounds be washed with the sharp
wine of the law, and the oil of consolation. Whoever complies with these
terms, in him, Christ, by his grace, works an unfeigned faith, attended
with all the fruits it produces,—righteousness, life, peace, joy, comfort, and
salvation, and thus “worketh in him both to will and to do, of his good
pleasure.”
7. But it is not in the power of man by nature to forsake sin. The Scripture
calls the natural man a “servant of sin” (
8. When a man yields to the suggestions and exhortations of divine grace,
and, proving obedient to the Word, begins to withdraw from his vicious life,
then the grace of God endows him with all those virtues which the Gospel
requires. It is then that faith springs up in the soul, the original
principle of all other virtues. This is followed by love, and all Christian
graces, which grow as so many fruits on the tree of faith. It is then, also,
that light begins to shine in the midst of darkness. But as it is impossible
that darkness should be able to enlighten itself; so it is also impossible
for fallen man to raise himself from darkness to light. Hence the Psalmist
says, “For thou wilt light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten
my darkness.”
9. Now, as a physician, addressing his patient, says: “Beware of this, lest you die; you hinder the workings of the medicine by an irregular life, so that you cannot be made whole;” so Jesus Christ, the true physician of souls, says: “My beloved, I beseech thee, incline thy mind to true repentance; utterly forsake all thy sins; shake off thy pride, thy covetousness, thy carnal propensities, thy wrath, and thirst of revenge, with other sins. If this change be not wrought in thee, thou must surely die; and the precious medicine of my blood and merit can profit thee nothing, whilst thy disorderly life hinders their healing effect.”
10. It was for this cause that Christ
gave it in charge to his apostles, before all things, to preach repentance
(
11. Whoever hears that either sin
must be forsaken, or eternal condemnation be endured, must, of necessity,
be brought to some serious consideration about the state of his soul. He
is struck with a double conviction; the truth of the Word of God, and the
power of his own conscience, leaving so strong an impression upon him, as
to set him beyond all doubts about the truth of this matter. It is true,
God hath freely promised remission
of sin to all men; but it is on this condition,
that they repent, and turn themselves unfeignedly to the Lord. Thus
the prophet says, “If the wicked shall turn from his wickedness, he shall live
thereby. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned
12. Christ, the Son of God, in no other sense promises life eternal to those that believe in his name. The nature of faith must, however, be more fully inquired into. This faith is a very active principle in the soul. It daily strives against the old man; it tames the flesh, and subjects it to the Spirit; it converts the whole man; it subdues and vanquishes sin; it purifies the heart. He is a true believer who turns from the world, from sin and the devil, to God, and seeks rest and comfort wholly and entirely in the blood, death, and merit of Christ, without the works of himself, or of any other man whatsoever; the blood of Christ being a perfect ransom for all the debts which the soul has contracted. Whoever, therefore, imagines that his sins may be pardoned, although he desist not from them, is most miserably deluded. He deceives himself with a false faith, which he has assumed to himself, and the dreadful effects of which he must hereafter feel. He can never be saved without true repentance.
13. Consider the case of Zaccheus
the publican, who, having a sound apprehension of the doctrine of faith
and conversion, freely acknowledged
that to be true faith by which a man is turned from sin to God, and in this
order hopes to obtain a gracious pardon from Christ, and an interest in his
merit, so as to rely upon it with a filial trust and an unshaken firmness
of mind. In this manner did he understand the word of our Lord, “Repent
ye, and believe the Gospel” (
14. This is true repentance and conversion, carried on by a faith
which is the work of God within us. God himself will begin, advance, and
finish at last, the great work of our salvation, if we only yield to his
Spirit, and do not resist him wilfully, as did the refractory Jews of old; to
whom the apostle says: “It was necessary that the word of God should
first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
15. No sooner does man, by the assistance of the Holy Ghost, withdraw
from sin, than the grace of God begins to operate in him, and to endue
him with new gifts. Without this, he is not sufficient to think any good
thought of himself, much less to do any good work. Whenever such a
person discovers any good motions arising in his mind, he attributes
every good desire to divine grace, even as St. Paul says, “By the grace of
God I am what I am.”
16. God, when he works in us and through us, crowns and commends
those things as our own, of which he himself is the chief author. “Without
me,” saith Christ, “ye can do nothing” (
17. Happy is the man that refrains from sin, and gives up his will to the Lord. Christ uses all his endeavors to gain our love and affections, and to wean us more and more from the profane love of the world. He applies the most endearing expressions, in his word, and in his addresses, to our hearts. He seeks and allures us; and even before we remember him, he bestows upon us tokens of his love and kindness; and this for no other end, than that we might at last forsake our beloved sin, and partake of the blessed effect of his blood and merits.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.—Matth. 7:21.
Since in Love are contained all the duties of a Christian, and since the
whole life of Christ was nothing but
the purest and most cordial love, therefore St. Paul, under the name of charity
or love, has comprehended the whole life of a Christian.
2. It is the property of true love, to
respect God alone in everything, and
not self. It refers all to God; it does not love or honor self; it is not intent
upon personal glory or interest; but it undertakes everything with a free
and disinterested regard to God and man. He who is endued with Christian
love, loves God and his neighbor
3. Whoever, therefore, is destitute of this love, must of necessity prove a hypocrite amidst all his pretences and boasts. In whatever he undertakes, he seeks himself, and not purely God, as he ought to do. For this reason, his love is false, be his boasts what they may. If such a man had all the Scriptures committed to memory, and could speak of them with the tongue of angels, yet would he still prove as sounding brass, without life and motion. For as no natural food can nourish the body, unless it be converted into the juices and the blood; so also the Word and the Sacraments are unavailing, if they be not converted into a man's life; and if a new, spiritual, and holy man, be not begotten thereby.
4. Hence St. Paul says, “Though I
have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing.”
5. This is intimated by that saying of our Lord: “Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy
name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye
that work iniquity” (
6. This is again attested by St. Paul: “Though I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
7. He that is justified, shall live by
his faith (
8. Such martyrs as these the devil has had even amongst the heathens themselves; many of whom were so far blinded in their understandings, as contentedly to die for the defence of their idols, and false, heathenish religion. And is not the same done at this day amongst those who call themselves Christians? Even as the heathens, to gain an immortal name, persuaded themselves that they did well in what they endured, so self-love and vainglory have so far besotted some monks, and other persons even in our age, as that they have murdered kings and princes, to support the better their church, or the Catholic cause, as they call it, which they supposed to be in danger. If such men are made to suffer again, it is manifest that they do not suffer for the sake of Christ, nor are they to be accounted his martyrs. They are martyrs to the pope of Rome, to their own conceit, and to a thirst after vainglory, with which they are carried away. Thus much concerning false love, to which man is seduced by a false and deceitful light.
9. It remains, therefore, that without a sincere love to God and our
neighbor, and a holy and Christian
life attending it, all arts and sciences, gifts and attainments, profit nothing.
Wisdom, how great soever it may be, yea, though it be as great, or greater
than that of Solomon, is nothing; and the knowledge of the whole Scripture,
if it be without love, must necessarily
degenerate into a poor, empty speculation. All works whatsoever, and
martyrdom itself (if so it be called), are to no purpose without this essential
character of love. For to know the will of God and his word, and not
to live up to them as a rule, only increases our condemnation, as the Lord
plainly affirms: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not
had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin.”
To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.—Rev. 2:17.
By this Scripture we are taught, that no man can taste the inward sweetness of heavenly joy and comfort hidden in the Word, who does not first vanquish his own flesh and the world, with all the pomps and lusts thereof, and the devil himself. But those that crucify their flesh daily, with all its desires and lusts, by serious contrition and repentance, who die daily to themselves and to the world, and to whom this life is a cross and affliction; these are divinely fed with the heavenly manna, and drink the wine of the joy of paradise. Those, on the other hand, that love the pleasures of this world rather than those of heaven, render themselves altogether unfit to taste the hidden manna, preserved for him alone that overcometh. The reason is, because like things (according to the proverb) rejoice in their like; and things of a contrary nature do not unite one with another. Since, therefore, the word of God is spiritual, it is no wonder that worldly minds take no pleasure in it. For as the body receives no strength from the food which the stomach does not digest; so the soul receives no strength from the divine word, unless it be entirely converted into itself, that is, into its own life and nature.
2. Yea, as a man that is sick of a fever acquires a distempered appetite, and deems the coarsest trash more pleasant than wholesome food; so those that are sick of a spiritual fever, that is, of the love of the world, of pride and covetousness, loathe the good word of God as bitter and insipid food. Those, on the other hand, that have the Spirit of God, find in it a hidden manna, and a secret sweetness, which transcends all other delights; but then it is not to be tasted by such as are carried away with the pleasures of a profane world.
3. Many hear the glad tidings of the Gospel repeatedly, and yet are but
little affected with what they hear. They do not feel any fervency of spirit,
any sense of spiritual joy. The cause is plain; they are not led by the good
Spirit of God, but by the corrupt spirit of the world; nor have they heavenly,
but earthly minds, which cannot receive the things of God. Whoever,
therefore, wishes to obtain a sound understanding in spiritual matters, to
feel the power of the word of God, and to eat of the hidden manna, ought by
all means to conform his life to the word which he reads, and to the life
of Christ which is set before him. It is then that the Lord feeds the humble
with grace (
4. “The words that I speak unto you,” saith the Lord, “they are spirit
and they are life.”
5. For this reason, the Lord says: “I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.”
6. This is the testimony of the hidden Spirit, who witnesses to the divine
Word: and in like manner, the Spirit of the Word gives testimony to
our spirit (
7. Blessed is the man to whom God thus gives himself to be tasted! Thus were the prophets of old fed with this heavenly bread, and sustained by the eternal Word proceeding from God, and communicating itself unto them. This made their tongues so free and so ready in the delivery of the divine oracles. And from this inward sense, with which they were so powerfully affected, the Holy Scripture has been derived, and handed down to us for our edification.
8. Even at this day, God does not cease still to speak unto all men, and inwardly to feed them with his Word: but alas! most men have shut their ears against his voice, and will rather hear the world than God, and follow their own lusts, than the motions of the good Spirit of God. They cannot eat of the hidden manna, because they greedily adhere to their carnal propensities, and contemn the tree of life, with the fruit thereof.
9. But surely such men are awfully blinded, since they will not understand
that God can afford infinitely greater pleasures than this world is capable
of imparting. He that has once tasted the goodness of God, will esteem the
whole world, together with its most exquisite pleasures, to be nothing but
gall and bitterness. Our first parents were beguiled by the world; and by
eating of the forbidden tree, they brought no less an evil upon themselves
than death itself: and yet we are so much besotted with the pleasures
10. Christ says: “If any shall eat of me,” the true tree, and the true
bread of life, “he shall live for ever.”
11. In all classes men seek and love the world more than they regard God. Many a scholar studies day and night to attain preferment and honor, who will hardly take time to say the Lord's Prayer for the good of his soul. The men who avoid no labor to get the bread that perishes, will undergo none to procure that which is incorruptible. There are many who fear no difficulty, flee from no danger, and, in an earthly warfare, stare even death in the face; influenced by no other motive than to gain a little fleeting fame, or at best, to be ranked among nobles and heroes: whereas there is hardly one to be found that will enter into a combat with the corrupt propensities of his flesh, although this is the way to obtain a kingdom in heaven. We see the victors of many nations, and the subduers of vast kingdoms, who little care to overcome themselves. There are large numbers who do not regard the loss of their immortal souls, if they can but gain the perishing goods of this world. All these, certainly, have not tasted the hidden manna of the divine Word; for they do not overcome the world, but are themselves overcome by it. Whosoever will taste the sweetness of this heavenly manna, must, for the sake of the love of God, despise the world, and overcome it. When he complies with these terms, he is refreshed again with that comfort of the Holy Ghost, which no man knows save he that receives it.
12. This, therefore, must be done. The tree of life must first be planted in us, before we can eat of its fruit: and the heart that wishes to be quickened with heavenly comforts, ought first to be truly converted from the world to God. But we, being intoxicated with worldly pleasures, do not see that the joys of heaven are far more excellent than all that this world affords. That which God gives, is infinitely more true and more substantial than all which the creature can bestow. And that teaching which comes from above, through the inspiration of the divine Spirit, is far more noble and solid than that which is conveyed to us by man's understanding, and imprinted on the mind with much toil and labor. The flowers and fruits which are the productions of nature are nobler and better than those which are fashioned of the finest gold by the hand of art; even so, one drop of divine consolation is more satisfactory, and incomparably better, than a whole ocean of worldly lust and pleasure.
13. Whenever, therefore, thou desirest to taste any heavenly comfort,
withdraw thy heart from the joys of
14. Many at this day are held in
great admiration on a very light account. Oh! a learned man! (they say),
a rich man! a great man! a wise man! But scarcely any regard how meek,
how humble, how patient, or how devout any man is. Of this perverse
judgment, there is no other cause, than
that the people of this world only admire
the exterior of a man, and pass
by what is within the mind, which alone is worthy to be esteemed and
valued. Let him that praises a man because he is a great traveller, and has
seen many cities and countries, consider whether it be not far better to
have seen God. Let him that admires another, because he has served several
monarchs, and attended on emperors, kings, and princes, tell us whether it
be not far more excellent to be the servant of God, to wait on the King
of Heaven, to hear Him speak in the heart, and to serve Him faithfully?
Many who enjoy nothing but the things of this world, will say, “We
have abundance of learned men and great scholars in this age; arts and
sciences are greatly advanced among us.” But such men as these, do not
know the art of arts, the science of
sciences, which is divine Love; a benefit preferable to all other knowledge
and learning, but which seems to be almost wholly extinct in this degenerate
age, together with faith itself, that produces it. The number of those
that are in truth divinely “taught of God,” is apparently but small (
15. Others will praise a man, because he keeps a rich and plentiful
table, and fares sumptuously every day; but they do not consider that
the very crumbs dropping from God's table, are transcendently better than
the choicest dishes of the wealthy and greedy; and that the hidden manna,
and the incorruptible bread, descending from heaven, and prepared by
the Lord himself, afford the most savory and most delicious food for nourishing
the soul.
16. Whoever enjoys God and his Word, is disgusted at nothing, and
nothing can displease him; for he enjoys God in all. But what can delight
him, who does not taste the sweetness of God, and the goodness of his Word?
God alone is the joy of the soul. He infinitely surpasses all earthly joy and
transient mirth. He is the eternal Light, which incomparably exceeds all
created lights. May he be pleased to
17. But as we are not yet prepared for so transcendent a joy, so we cannot partake of it, while we are confined to this state of imperfection. Let us, therefore, be content with the crumbs of comfort which fall from the Lord's table, and patiently wait for that time, wherein we shall be refreshed with his joy for evermore!
18. Hear the words of our blessed Saviour: “Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
19. When the Lord says, “Hear
my voice, and open the door,” he compares, as it were, the heart of a man
to a house full of noise and clamor, where music, though ever so sweet
and melodious, cannot be heard. So the voice of the divine Visitor cannot
enter a profane heart, whilst it is hurried about with the cares and desires
of this world. Such a heart closes
the door against this Visitor, and consequently cannot taste the sweetness
of the celestial manna. But when this noise and tumult cease, it is then that
these secret whispers are best perceived in men. And O! that thou,
with Samuel, couldest answer: “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.”
20. The truth of this internal, spiritual, and heavenly supper is also attested
elsewhere. The apostle speaks
of some, that “have been once enlightened, and tasted of the heavenly
gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.”
21. The efficacy of this living Word was also tasted by the royal prophet,
through the Holy Ghost, when he burst forth into these words: “In thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
22. From all these, and many other places besides, it may abundantly be
known who those are that are inwardly fed with the good Word of
God, and with the hidden manna of the world to come; even those that
are poor in spirit, who entirely rely on divine comfort. These only are worthy
to taste of this heavenly manna, and of the divine gift, of which David
speaks at large: “How amiable,” says he, “are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”
23. This is so sacred a hunger and thirst, that none but God alone can satisfy it, and he only, by his love. This is that spiritual fulness with which the saints are satiated, according to the words: “Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” Song of Sol. 5:1. These spiritual enjoyments the Lord bestows on his friends, in order to unite them the more closely to himself, and to make them the sooner forget the perishing things of this world. A few crumbs of this bread, a few drops pressed from this heavenly vine, ought to excite our desires after that plentiful and abounding fountain, which shall flow for us hereafter.
24. In order that the Lord might
excite in us so sacred a thirst, and that he might make us long the more earnestly
after such heavenly objects as these, it was expedient that he should
first himself thirst upon the cross for our sakes.
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all: if we say 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 fellowship one with another.—1 John 1:5-7.
That we may the better understand the nature of light and darkness, it is necessary first to give heed to the description of the light, as it is originally.
2. “God is light,” saith St. John. But what is God? God is a spiritual,
eternal, and infinite Being; God is almighty, merciful, gracious, righteous,
holy, true, and the only wise God. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
is unspeakable love and faithfulness; He is one in three Persons; He is the
Sovereign Good, and good essentially. And this is the true and everlasting
light. Whence every one that departs from God, from his love, his mercy,
his righteousness, and his truth, departs also from light itself, and must
consequently fall into darkness; for
without God there is nothing but everlasting darkness. O how dark, therefore,
is that soul in which God doth not dwell! Now if God be light, then
the devil must certainly be darkness; and if God be love, then the devil must
be nothing but hatred and wrath, enmity and envy, malice and uncharitableness,
sin and wickedness. Whoever, therefore, turns himself to sin,
turns himself to darkness and to the devil. Neither can he be delivered,
till he turn back again, from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness,
from vice to virtue, from the devil to God.
3. Hence it follows that man, without being converted from sin to God,
can never be truly enlightened. “For
what communion hath light with darkness?”
4. The greatest blindness, or thickest darkness that covers the minds of men, is the sin of unbelief, with the fruits resulting from it; such as pride, avarice, wrath, and the whole train of sensual lusts and pleasures. Wherever these take possession of a man, it is impossible that he should know Christ, the true Light of the world; much less can he savingly believe in him, trust in him, and obtain by him everlasting life.
5. For how should that man know the humility of the heart of Christ,
whose own heart abounds with pride and high-mindedness? How should he
be acquainted with the meekness of
the heart of Christ, who is full of bitter wrath and envy? How should he
understand his marvellous patience, who delights in revenge, and is hurried
about with a multitude of unruly passions? But he who does not understand
the humility, meekness, and patience of Christ, does not know
Christ himself, nor believe in his holy name. For truly, if ever thou desirest
to attain a sound knowledge of Christ, thou must obtain, by faith, the
same heart which is in Christ; thou must experimentally perceive in thy
heart, his meekness, his patience, and his humility. It is then that thy
knowledge becomes solid and substantial. As a fruit is known by the taste,
so Christ, the tree of life, is known by tasting. Whenever thou tastest by
faith the humility of Christ, his meekness and his patience, thou then eatest
of his fruit, and shalt find rest for thy soul. Thou enjoyest in Christ the
favor and consolation of God. This
is the only way to true rest and tranquillity of mind. For the grace and
comfort of God cannot enter into a
heart that is void of faith, and destitute of the meekness and humility of
Christ. It is to the humble that God gives grace.
6. But how is it possible that Christ should profit a man who does not desire
to have the least fellowship with him? For, in truth, all those that
live in the darkness of sin, have no
fellowship with Christ, be their pretences what they will. For thus says
St. John: “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 fellowship one with another.”
7. As long, then, as a man continues in that dark and terrible cloud of sin,
it is impossible that he should be enlightened by Christ, the true Light of
the world, and be thereby brought to a saving knowledge of God. Whoever
will attain to a true knowledge of God and Christ, must firmly believe
that God is nothing but grace and love. Now, no man can know
what love is, but he that has, and practises it, the knowledge of a thing
being the result of a man's experience,
8. In a word, the holy life of Christ is nothing but love and charity. No
sooner do we, by faith, learn from him true love and humility, meekness and
patience, as he himself has engaged us to do, than we are transformed into
his image, and enlightened with that true and eternal light, which he himself
is; according to that exhortation of St. Paul: “Awake thou that sleepest
(namely, in sins and the lust of the flesh), and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light.”
9. From all this it follows, that in the case of as many as do not awake from their spiritual lethargy, that is, from the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and other pleasures that attend them, their souls cannot be enlightened by Christ, since they love darkness rather than light, and thereby unfit themselves for a reception of the divine light.
10. It also hence appears that those, on the other hand, who truly embrace
the life of Christ, and follow him in
faith, are by him graciously enlightened, according to his promise: “I am
the light of the world: he that followeth me (in faith and love, hope and
patience, meekness and humility, fear of God, and in prayer, etc.) shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
11. That there might be a perfect
12. It was not without cause, therefore, that St. Paul preferred the love
of Christ to all other knowledge or science: and with him we ought to
pray that we may experimentally “know this love of Christ which passeth
knowledge” (
13. Hence St. Peter, speaking to the Jews, exhorts them to repent (or to be
renewed in their minds): “and ye shall,” says he, “receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost.”
14. Whoever, therefore, desires to be delivered from the blindness of his heart, and from eternal darkness, yea, from the devil himself, let him faithfully follow Christ in true faith, in unfeigned conversion, and in a thorough newness of life. The nearer we are to Christ, the nearer we are to the eternal light; the more closely we adhere to unbelief, the more we adhere to darkness and to the devil himself. For even as Christ, faith, and all the virtues, are nearly allied and belong together, so in like manner, are the devil, unbelief, and all the vices, and works of darkness, so nearly combined, as to render it impossible to conceive of one without the other.
15. Consider the apostles of the Lord. They followed their Master in
faith, in contempt of the world, denying themselves, in renouncing their
possessions, and in living together in unity of the Spirit. By this means
they were enlightened from above, and filled with the Holy Ghost.
16. All the sermons of Tauler refer to this subject. He makes it appear, that without the sincere exercise of faith, without a serious course of mortification, without self-denial, without a narrow search into one's own heart, and without the inward, calm sabbath of the soul, no man can obtain or enjoy the divine light.
17. In short, in proportion as the works of darkness are destroyed in a man by the Spirit of God, in that proportion is he illuminated; and again, in the same degree as the corrupt nature, the flesh, and the world, pride, and the lust of the eyes, domineer in a man, in that degree darkness is left in him, and the less of grace, of light, of the Spirit of God and of Christ, is he possessed of. Therefore it remains, that without unfeigned repentance, and a daily repentance, no man can be truly enlightened from above.
18. Whoever yields too much to one sin, undoubtedly opens a door to many
others. Sin never comes alone, but, like a noxious weed, spreads itself on
every side, and gains more ground every day. And as the darkness becomes
greater accordingly as the sun
retires, so as the holy life of Christ departs from us, the darkness and sin increase,
till at length the man is swallowed up in eternal darkness. On the
contrary, if a man devote himself to the practice of one virtue, he gains
thereby an opportunity of practising all the rest in time, and cannot but
daily proceed from one to another. This admirable connection is represented
by St. Peter as a chain, in which all the rings are linked together,
and none is suffered to separate from another. “Add,” he says, “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 brotherly kindness, charity;” superadding one
virtue continually to another, and crowning all at last with this promise:
“If these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither
19. It is the apostle's command, that we should grow up “unto a perfect
man.”
20. By this we are given to understand the necessity of repentance, and
a thorough change of life: for although Christ died for our sins, and
abolished them with the price of his blood, yet can we never partake of
that merit, unless we repent. Without repentance this precious blood profits
nothing. And though every man has a promise of pardon for his sin through
the merit of Christ, yet that promise belongs not to the unbeliever, nor to
the impenitent, but to those only who truly repent and reform their lives.
Those sins shall not be remitted, which a man will not leave; but those
only which he is willing to quit, and for which he heartily grieves. And
here the word of the Lord is verified, “The poor have the Gospel preached
to them;” that is, remission of sin, and life everlasting consequent upon
it.
21. Wherever this unfeigned conversion to, and faith in, God, are
wrought in the soul, there pardon and divine grace are freely bestowed. And
where these are, there is Christ also; without whom no grace can be obtained.
Where Christ is, there are likewise his precious merit, and the
full ransom which he has paid for our sins, and which is appropriated to the
penitent soul. Again, where these are,
there is righteousness; and with righteousness, is peace; and with peace,
sweet serenity of conscience. It is then, that righteousness and peace kiss
each other in the soul.
22. This is that light of eternal life, that eternally triumphant joy, with which those only are crowned that live in Christ, and exercise daily repentance. This is the beginning of a spiritual life, as the death of Christ is the basis and foundation on which it is raised. On the contrary, where there is no repentance, there is no pardon of sin; where there is no inward remorse or spiritual sorrow, there grace cannot have a place. Where these are wanting, there Christ himself is wanting, together with the whole extent of his merits and satisfaction, be the pretences of the false Christian ever so fair and specious. Where this satisfaction is not thoroughly applied to the soul, there is no righteousness, and consequently no peace, no good conscience, no comfort. Where there is no comfort of heart, there is no Holy Ghost, no joy, no calmness of mind, and no life eternal; but death, hell, condemnation, and everlasting darkness.
23. Behold, O man! how true it is, that none of those who refuse to follow Christ in their lives, by an unfeigned repentance, can ever get rid of the blindness of their hearts, and of everlasting darkness.
Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.—John 12:35.
Since Christ, and faith in him are denied, and almost wholly extirpated
by an ungodly life, what shall
his doctrine profit us? For his doctrine, with the Word and Sacraments,
is delivered to us for no other end, than that it be inwardly digested, and
converted, as it were, into our very life and spirit. As from a good seed
springs up good fruit, so from the Word and Sacraments should spring
up within us the noble life of regeneration, or the new birth; the new,
holy, and spiritual man; or, to speak
all in one word, a true and real Christian. For he that is a Christian, must
needs be born again of the Spirit, the Word, and the Sacraments, and believe
and live in Christ, as in the primary principle of the life of grace. As
certainly as a child is begotten by his father, so truly must the Christian be
begotten of God and of Christ, through faith.
2. When, therefore, we do not resolve to strive against the depraved
bent of our flesh, and to digest the doctrine of Christ into our life and
nature; nay, when we contradict the
Christian doctrine by an anti-Christian
life, by irreligion and profaneness; is it not plain that we are not begotten
of God, nor born of Christ? What will
Christ's doctrine profit us, when we are
sure that our life does not correspond with it at all? Will our vain boasts of
the light of the Gospel do any good, when we evidently walk in darkness?
It is on this account that the light deservedly retires from us, and the world
begins to be overspread with darkness and false doctrines, with errors and
with seducing spirits. And that we might beware of these, our blessed
Saviour hath left us this warning: “While ye have the light, walk in the
light, lest darkness come upon you” (
3. This hardness of heart, is that
4. In like manner were the Jews of old struck with blindness and hardness
of heart, when they refused to hearken to the voice of the Lord,
having been warned by Moses long before, that this would certainly come
to pass. “The Lord,” says he, “shall smite thee with madness, and blindness,
and astonishment of heart.”
5. And, indeed, the man from whom God takes away his offered grace, is surely most wretched and miserable; neither can he of himself at any time return into the right way. As a proof of this, we have the examples of Pharaoh and Julian. He from whom the Lord removes his light, must of necessity live in darkness. God removes it, however, from those only who refuse to walk in it; neither does he take his grace from any, but from those that boldly reject it.
6. It is in this sense that the words
of St. Paul are to be taken: “ ‘I will have mercy (saith he) on whom I
will have mercy.’ Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy;
and whom he will he hardeneth.”
7. The ordination to life eternal, or the election of grace (
8. And here let us not deceive ourselves, by vainly supposing that they
only reject the word of God, who do not outwardly embrace the faith and
doctrine of Christ (such as Mahometans and Jews); and that those who
profess the Christian faith, and adhere to the doctrine of the Gospel, cannot
possibly be deemed wilful despisers of the offer of mercy. Certain it is, that
all who will not follow the footsteps of Christ, nor take his life upon them,
nor walk in the light, fall under this heavy charge. And for this cause
God is moved to take from them the light of his word, and of pure doctrine.
“I,” saith Christ, “am the light of the world: he that followeth me,
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
9. Hence we learn that whoever follows the example of Christ, and lives his life, shall be in no danger of being misled by any delusion and error. He shall also escape that blindness and hardness of heart, which an empty confessor of the Christian faith draws upon himself. Consider here, on the one hand, the many proud, noble, learned, ingenious, and mighty men of this world; and, on the other, the errors, blindness, and delusions, into which they are plunged. Truly, those delusions arise from no other source, than because men do not live in Christ, but are averse to the imitation of his holy life; and therefore cannot have the light of life.
10. From the same source also proceed those “workings of Satan,” and
those “strong delusions,” together with all the “lying wonders” mentioned
by St. Paul (
11. If, therefore, we would preserve pure doctrine, we must be wholly
changed in our minds, and have no
part with the world, and with unchristian actions. We must “awake”
(
12. On the contrary, if we but lived in Christ, if we walked in his love and humility, and directed all our endeavors and studies purely to this one object, that the flesh be mortified, and the life of Christ raised within us; that through him we might overcome ourselves, and triumph over the flesh, the world, and the devil; if this were but once effected, there would then remain very little contention and strife about the doctrine, and heresies would of themselves fall to the ground.
13. We have an example of most
strange delusion in Ahab, who, on account of his wicked and tyrannical
life, was seduced by four hundred false prophets.
14. In this is verified the word of St. Paul: “The god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ should shine unto them.”
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.—2 Tim. 1:13, 14.
It is very necessary, that the purity of doctrine, and the truth of the
holy Christian faith, should be maintained and defended against all false
teachers. For this we have the example of the holy prophets, who, with
great zeal, preached against false and idolatrous prophets under the old law;
2. Thus, too, St. Paul vigorously defended the doctrine of justification by
faith (
3. It remains, therefore, that preaching, writing, and disputation against
heretics, must be continued, to the preserving of the purity of doctrine,
and of true religion. For this reason, the apostle will also have “a bishop
to be able both to exhort and convince the gainsayers.”
4. For consider the examples of the holy Prophets and Apostles, as also
of the Son of God himself. They did
not barely dispute against false prophets and apostles, and the superstitions
maintained by them; but also with great zeal and vigor exhorted to true
repentance, and a holy life. Their sermons were accompanied with power
and energy; and they made it appear, that by wickedness and impenitence,
true religion and worship were destroyed, the Church laid waste, and
kingdoms and countries visited with the plague, war, and famine. And all
this exactly came to pass even as they
said. Of this complexion is that declaration of the Prophet, where he denounces
to the Jews, “that because the vineyard of the Lord did not bring
forth grapes, but wild grapes, the Lord had decreed to lay it waste.”
5. The true knowledge of Christ, and profession of his doctrine, consist
not in words only, but in deeds and a holy life, as St. Paul says: “They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable,
and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
6. Though we do not in the slightest degree affirm, that by our own efforts
and piety, eternal life is obtained (for “we are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation,”
7. Not without cause, then, doth the Lord say, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life.”
8. We are told in the parable, that the devil, when men are asleep, cometh
and soweth tares among the wheat, and goeth his way.
9. Again, when the Lord says: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (
10. In order to understand this the better, we ought to inquire into the
nature of a sound and saving faith, and the peculiar properties that attend
it. And in the first place, a true, saving faith, works by love.
Exercise thyself unto godliness. For godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.—1 Tim. 4:7, 8.
In this apostolical sentence is contained a brief description of a
Christian's life, and of the main study about which he is employed, namely,
the study of godliness, or of Christian piety, which comprehends in it the
whole train of Christian virtues. The apostle makes use of two motives to
recommend this heavenly study, and
the constant practice of it. First, says he, “Godliness is profitable unto all
things.” Godliness is of most admirable service, as soon as our words and
actions are influenced by it. It renders the whole life acceptable to God,
and useful to our neighbor. The second
motive is, because godliness is accompanied with a gracious reward
both in this life, as appears from the examples of Joseph, of Daniel, and of
others, as well as in that which is to come; where we shall reap without
ceasing, provided we do not faint while we dwell here.
I. If thou even canst not live up to that degree of holiness which the word of God requires, and which thou thyself desirest, yet thou must never cease ardently to wish for it; for such holy breathings are always acceptable to God. God does not so much regard the outward action of a man, as the heart whence the action proceeds. But after all, never neglect to crucify thy flesh, and never permit it to rule over thee.
II. In all that thou thinkest and doest, be careful to preserve the purity of thy heart. Set a watch over it, lest thou be defiled with proud thoughts, words, or actions; with wrath, or other such works of the flesh, and of the devil. Sin opens the door to the devil, and shuts the heart against God.
III. Study continually to maintain the Christian liberty of thy soul, and
IV. Beware of the care and sorrow
of this world, because it worketh death.
V. If thou canst not bear thy cross with joy and cheerfulness, yet take it
at least with patience and humility, and acquiesce calmly in the divine will and
providence. For, truly, the will of God is always good; nor does it intend
anything but thy benefit and salvation. Whatsoever, therefore, God shall
be pleased to appoint thee in his wisdom, do thou gratefully accept it, and
be either joyful or sorrowful, poor or rich, high or low, vile or excellent, as
He orders thy lot. Let this saying always be in thy mind: “Thus it
seemeth good unto God, and so it must needs be expedient and useful for me
also. His will, not mine, be done.” Let not that, therefore, which pleases
God, displease thee; but rather rejoice that all things are ordered according
to His pleasure and thy salvation. Remember that “the Lord is righteous
in all his ways, and holy in all his works.”
VI. Whenever the Lord visits thy soul with heavenly joy, accept the
same with gratitude and humility. But when he is pleased to withdraw the
comfortable light of his presence, then consider that the mortification of the
flesh must needs be of greater profit to thee than exalted joy in the spirit.
Through overmuch spiritual joy, many fall into spiritual pride. But whatever
causes mortification and sorrow,
is far more useful in subduing the flesh,
than that which is delightful and pleasing to nature. The Lord best knows
whom to lead in a pleasant and agreeable path, and who are to be brought
through an unpleasant, stony, and difficult way. Always esteem it best
to arrive at thy journey's end by that way which divine Wisdom has chosen
for thee, however different it may be from thine own choice, or from the
devices of thine own heart. Remember, that “sorrow is better than
laughter;” and that “by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made
better.” And if thou wilt be wise, trust to the experience of the wise
man, who tells thee furthermore, that “the heart of the wise is in the house
of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
VII. Make an offering to God of all
that thou hast, and undertakest. If thou canst not bring offerings of a high and
exalted devotion, of prayer, of thanksgiving, and of other similar acts of
religion, offer at least what thou hast, with a good will, and a fervent desire.
Wish, at least, that it may prove acceptable unto the Lord; for to have
such a desire, or to be willing to have it, is no contemptible offering, but is
very agreeable to the kindness of God.
In what measure thou desirest to offer up thy devotion, thy prayer, and
praise; in that measure God accepts the same. He requires no more at
thy hands than he himself works in thee by his grace: nor canst thou return
him more than he has first conferred on thee. In the meantime,
entreat the Lord Jesus, that he would graciously please to supply what is
defective in thee, by his own more perfect oblation and sacrifice: because
he, and he only, is the perfection of our imperfect worship and service.
Say, therefore, in faith: “O my God, and my Father, I beseech thee, let my
devotion, my prayer, and thanksgiving, together with all the acts of
my faith and worship, be graciously accepted by thee in thy beloved Son,
Jesus Christ. Esteem them, not according to what they are in themselves,
but according to what they are made by the merit of the all-sufficient
sacrifice offered up by thy Son. O look upon that, and upon all that
he has wrought for me in the flesh; and as his most perfect works must
needs be pleasing to thee, so let mine also be acceptable to thee for his sake.
He, O my God, shall abundantly make up whatsoever is defective in me.” By
this means, our devotion, our prayer, and thanksgiving, how imperfect,
weak, and obscure soever they may be in themselves, acquire a certain lustre,
worth, and dignity derived from the merit of Christ, whereby our works
are rendered acceptable to the Lord. As a naked and unclean infant is
offensive to every one that sees it, but becomes sweet and lovely when it is
thoroughly cleansed, and covered with fine linen: in like manner, all the
works which thou doest in thy natural state, are polluted with sin, and of no
account before God; but no sooner art thou covered with the perfection
of Christ (
VIII. If thy sins and manifold frailties (as they should do), make thee
sad, yet let them not lead thee to despair. If they be many in number, remember
that there is yet more mercy with Christ, and “plenteous redemption
with him.”
IX. Let not injuries, reproaches, and revilings, provoke thee at any time to
wrath, indignation, or revenge; but
rather take them as so many trials of
thy heart, and of the inward state of thy soul. Hereby God designs to
prove thee, that it may appear what is hidden within thee, and whether meekness
and humility, or wrath and pride, sway thy mind. For that which lies
concealed in a man, is stirred up and
made manifest by reproaches and provocations. If, therefore, thy heart be
endued with meekness and lowliness,
thou wilt easily bear contempt and injuries; nay, thou wilt accept them as
so many paternal chastisements designed for the good of thy soul. Moreover,
thou must consider, that contempt and reproaches are part of the
chastisements which the Almighty sends, and thou shouldst patiently
bear whatever the Lord shall be pleased to allot to thee. “Let us go
forth,” says the apostle, “unto him, bearing his reproach.”
X. Study to overcome and to pacify thine enemies, by bestowing upon
them tokens of love and kindness. No man will ever be reconciled by wrath,
or revenge, or returning evil for evil, for victory consists in virtue, not in
vice. And as one devil does not drive out another, so it cannot be expected
that one evil should be subdued by another; or that enmity against thee
should be extinguished by affronts and provocations offered by thee. A man
that is full of sores and bruises, is not likely to be healed by the addition of
more blows; and if he be so mad as to beat and to cut himself, he is to be
pitied, and to be treated with the greater kindness and lenity. In like
manner, if a man be full of spiritual
XI. When thou observest that God has adorned thy neighbor with gifts
above thee, take heed not to envy him
on that account; but rather rejoice and give thanks to God for the same.
Consider, that since all true believers
make up together but one body, it must needs follow, that the beauty of
every member is communicated to the whole body, and to every member
thereof. On the other hand, when thou perceivest the misery of thy
neighbor, lament over it as if it were
thine own; considering that the condition of all men is equally subject to
evil, and that misery and affliction are the lot of mankind. Christ hath also
set thee here an example. And, truly, whoever does not commiserate and
sympathize with the misery of his neighbor, let him pretend to be what
he may, he is no living member of the body of Christ. For did not Christ
look upon our misery as his own, and by compassionating our deplorable
state, deliver us from all our miseries? This mutual love and sympathy, are
inculcated by St. Paul: “Bear ye one another's burdens,” says he, “and so
fulfil the law of Christ.”
XII. As for love and hatred in relation to thy neighbor, make the following
distinction. It is but fit that thou shouldest hate his vices and crimes as
the very works of the devil; but then,
beware of hating the person whilst
thou abhorrest his sin. On the contrary, it is thy duty to bewail the case
of thy neighbor, who, being carried away by so many irregular passions,
enjoys no solid rest in his soul. Offer up his cause to God, and pray for him,
as Christ did for his enemies, when he was nailed to the cross.
XIII. Consider all men as being frail and imperfect, but none as more
frail and imperfect than thyself; for before God, all men stand equally
guilty, and there is no difference. We have all sinned, and have thereby
been deprived of the image of God, and of all the glory which attended
it.
XIV. True illumination is always accompanied with a contempt of the
things of the world. As the children of the world have their inheritance
here upon earth; so the children of God have theirs laid up above in
heaven. The treasures which the children of this world have chiefly at
heart, are temporal honors, perishing riches, earthly splendor and glory.
But the treasures of the children of
God are poverty and contempt, persecution and reproach, the cross and
death, trouble and sorrow. Thus did Moses prefer “the reproach of Christ
before the treasures in Egypt;” and the affliction of the people of God,
before the pleasures of sin.
XV. Remember, that by the name
of a Christian written in heaven, is intimated
that solid, practical knowledge
of Christ which is grounded in faith, and by which we are transplanted into
Christ. From this knowledge flow all the living virtues which the Lord
will praise in the great day of retribution.
But we all, with open face 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 Cor. 3:18.
In the true knowledge of Christ, wherein is comprehended that of
his Person, offices, benefits, and heavenly
and eternal gifts, consists life
everlasting.
2. For the whole life of a Christian upon earth, is properly nothing else
than a continual renewing of the image of God in his soul: so that he may
constantly live in the new birth, and daily mortify that which is old and
corrupt, till the body of sin be eventually destroyed.
3. The soul of man is an immortal spirit, endowed of God with excellent faculties; as the understanding, will, memory, and other powers and affections.
4. See that thou turn all these towards thy God, in order to behold him therein as in a mirror; and, by beholding him, to have his image gradually formed in thy soul. In this sense the apostle speaks of “the glory of the Lord,” which we behold “with an open face,” without vail and shadows. 2. Cor. 3:18.
5. As God is a truly good and holy Being; so also were the substance of
the soul, and its true nature and essence, originally good and holy. And
as in God there is nothing of evil; even so was the soul of man, in the
beginning, free from all manner of evil. As in God there is nothing but
what is right; so in the soul there was nothing at first but what was right
also. For He is the rock, whose “work is perfect;” even “a God of truth, and
without iniquity, just and right is he.”
6. And as it was with the understanding, so it was with the will: for
as the one was the image and reflection of the divine understanding, so
was the other of the divine will, in everything. It was holy as the pattern
was holy, and conformed to the will of God. Hence, as God himself
7. But as the image of God shone
forth in the soul, so the image of the soul again shone forth in and from the
body. This, therefore, was holy, chaste, and pure throughout, not subject to
any unclean motion or lust. It was undefiled and without blemish. It
was in every respect, beautiful, well proportioned, and graceful; of vigorous
health, and possessed of a constitution even out of the very danger of
sickness. It was such as death itself had no power over, and it was perfectly
free from pain, listlessness, passion, grief, and old age, now the common
attendants and warnings of man's mortality. In a word, the whole
man, both in soul and body, was pure,
holy, righteous, and every way acceptable to God. For, in order that
man might be the image of God, it was necessary that his body should be
holy, and conformable to God, as well as his soul. Accordingly, St. Paul
both exhorts and prays, that the body,
together with the spirit and soul, be
sanctified wholly; and be preserved holy and blameless unto the coming
of our Lord.
8. Moreover, there was a perfect joy
in God, which accompanied this perfection of holiness, righteousness, and
divine love, in man. By this, all the faculties and springs, both of soul and
body, were most powerfully affected: for wherever divine holiness resides,
there also divine joy must be present. These two are knit together with an
everlasting bond, and make up the very image of God. Yet, as in this
life, the divine righteousness and holiness are but imperfect in us, so we but
taste, while here, only the first fruits
of that joy which shall be fully revealed hereafter. However, as the
righteousness of Christ is verily begun
in sincere believers, so it follows that
they also enjoy a real beginning and foretaste of divine joy and comfort;
as those Christians can abundantly attest, that have learned religion by
experience.
9. That which has now been stated concerning the image of God, is plain,
true, and beyond all doubt. It cannot be denied, that God created man, to
be a bright mirror of himself: so that if man had been desirous to know the
10. This image was the life and blessedness of man; but the devil,
looking with envious eyes upon this image of God in man, exerted all his
art and cunning to efface it, by raising in man a spirit of disobedience and
enmity against God.
11. This aspiring thought, by which man threw off all his dependence on
God, being thus begotten in the mind; and this haughty arrogance having
once seized the imagination, there followed immediately apostasy from God,
disobedience, and transgression of the commandment concerning the forbidden
tree. Hereupon the image of God
was extinguished, the Holy Spirit departed from man, and the image of
Satan was imprinted instead of that which was effaced. Hence now there
are so many men, so many slaves of the devil. The devil having thus
gained his object in subjecting man to his dominion, most cruelly tyrannized
over him; just as a giant may be supposed to do over a little infant. Hence
the understanding in man is darkened and blinded; the will is, by a complete
disobedience, turned from God; and all the springs and powers of the heart
are stirred up against God in utter malice. In a word, the whole image
of God lieth now slain in man, and the whole race of mankind, being
swayed by the satanical nature, have a seed sown in them full of the deepest
malignity. Hence men became the
offspring of Satan, and his living likeness, being poisoned with all manner
of sin and enmity against God. Thus
died man! Thus died he the death everlasting! For as the image of God is
the life and salvation of man, so the departure of this image is the death
of man, even death eternal, and his damnation, which is also called a death
“in trespasses and sins.”
12. They best understand this death,
who, having been cast into deep spiritual temptations, sensibly feel the devil's
rage and tyranny over them. By this he torments the soul beyond what
it is in the ordinary power of sin to effect. Now, unless the Holy Ghost
shine in upon the soul under this terrible affliction, and by darting in some
ray of his light comfort it; the devil slays the man with this death, and
racks the soul with the very anguish of hell itself. Hence all the natural
force of the body sinks, the strength fails, the heart withers and pants, and
13. Learn, therefore, O man, duly to look into, and rightly to consider the abominable filthiness of Original Sin, as the sink of all abomination. For by this the hereditary righteousness of God was lost, and the hereditary unrighteousness of the devil transplanted into men. Hence the sinner was cast away from God, and doomed to an eternal death: and this he must certainly undergo, except he obtain forgiveness of sin for Christ's sake through faith.
14. But to set the state of fallen man, both as to soul and body, in as clear a light as possibly I can, I think it well to give a fuller description thereof in this place; most earnestly entreating every one, for the sake of God and of his own eternal salvation, to ponder again and again, and seriously to revolve in his mind that original depravity which has corrupted our nature. The consequence of this will be, that as a man beholds his bodily face in a glass, and knows it, so he may also behold in himself his own wretchedness, and original sin. This will daily influence him to lament his own distressed condition, and to sigh after Him, who alone is able to heal us.
15. For the whole Christian life is indeed nothing else, than a constant wrestling with original sin, and a continual purging away of the same by the aid of the Holy Ghost, and by true repentance. For, in proportion as any one mortifies his natural propensity to evil, in that degree is he renewed after the image of God, even day by day; and they who are not inwardly mortified by the Holy Ghost, are at best no more than hypocrites, let them make ever so great a show with an external profession of the Christian faith. Neither can they expect to enter into the kingdom of God, since they are not renewed into his image: for whatsoever is not dead to itself, nor renewed into the image of God by his Spirit, is altogether unfit for that glorious state.
16. From all this, there may evidently be inferred the absolute necessity
of the new birth, and of the daily renovation of our mind into the image
of God. This necessity will yet more fully appear, when we consider the
image of the devil according as the law describes it. For as the devil not
only does not love God, but rather
hates him with his whole heart; so he has infected man's soul with the same
contagion, and transfused into it malice against God; so that now man by
nature neither loves, honors, believes, calls upon, nor trusts in God; but as
he is filled with enmity against him, so he flees from him, and shuns him.
As the devil is hurried on with a blind fury, and lives without God and his
will; so in like manner, the soul of man being corrupted by him, leads a
godless life, unmindful of God and of his will. This inward darkness of the
17. But notwithstanding so dreadful a night of apostasy, there still remains
a spark of natural light in man's understanding, by which he might come
to know that there is a God (
18. From this it plainly appears, that the spiritual life, consisting in holy love and truth, is in the carnal or natural man utterly abolished. And thus the wiser sort of heathens, however they might sometimes by the light of nature maintain both the being of a God, and his providence over human affairs, were soon carried away with the darkness of their own hearts, and again called in question that providence which they had before asserted: so that very little is to be made of what they say on this head. This their books sufficiently declare. From this hereditary blindness of heart, and this natural inbred darkness, spring unbelief and doubts. And because all men are by nature in this degenerate state, they are an abomination in the sight of God; since there is no faith in them, nor any filial reliance upon the paternal goodness of God. To this spiritual life, and to the various operations that proceed from it, the natural man is an utter stranger; consequently he does not call upon God, but trusts to his own wisdom, power, and strength. This is the greatest blindness and darkness of mind possible.
19. From this blindness of heart, further arise both a contempt of God,
and a state of carnal security. As the devil does not humble himself before
God, but is hardened in pride; so has he infected the soul of man with the
same vice, and poisoned it with contempt of God, security, and presumption.
Hence he, like his father the devil (
20. We have daily before our eyes the extreme wickedness of men, their
horrid pride, savage hatred, barbarous
enviousness, and other impious qualities, with which they tear one another,
after the manner of wild beasts. Many are transported to such a degree of
malice, as to be unconcerned about their own lives, provided they can but
hurt or destroy another. Their neighbor must submit to their pleasure, or
expect to have a snare laid for his ruin. Thus, as the devil himself is a
“murderer from the beginning” (
21. God had implanted in man a conjugal affection, that was pure and
honorable; that thence children might be begotten after the divine image.
Nor could there have been a love more holy and heavenly, than that by which
man, in his blessed estate, would have thus propagated the image of God
and mankind at the same time. All would have been for the glory of his
Creator, and the salvation of man. Nay, if man in the state of innocency
could have begotten a vast multitude of children, and have thus propagated
the honor and image of God; nothing, certainly, could have been more grateful
to him than this; nothing more delightful, more full of holy joy and
satisfaction. For these acts would then have proceeded from pure love
to God and to men, as so many images of the Supreme Good. As God found
in the creation of man, a holy pleasure, and delighted in him, as in his
image; so also man would, in like
22. As God is just, the devil is unjust. The devil is therefore a thief, a
plunderer; and being so in himself, has
instilled into man's soul the same unjust disposition, the same ravenous
nature. The devil is a false accuser (
23. And this is that image of the devil, which now, instead of the image
of God, is so deeply engraven on the soul. Hereby man is made to delight
in sinning, and in slandering another, even as the devil's name imports.
24. Behold, O man! the foul, the
25. Were not human life, and the management of civil and social affairs
under some check, the whole race of
26. The natural man not having so much as one spark left of this spiritual light, it cannot but be that all men must abide in their natural blindness, unless they be enlightened by God himself. This is that hereditary spiritual blindness, which utterly incapacitates us for the knowledge of such concerns as relate to the kingdom of God. But if it happen, as too often it does, that a man besides this, indulge in evil practices, then that spiritual blindness is followed still by another, even natural blindness, which produces mournful effects in the fallen soul. For by so prevailing a wickedness, that weak glimmering light which yet sparkles in man, and would reason him into outward honesty of life, is at last totally extinguished; and the soul is struck with utter blindness and darkness of heart, and must forever continue so, unless Christ enlightens it.
27. What art thou, then, O man, unless Christ by his Spirit regenerate
thee, make thee a new creature, and transform thee into the image of God?
This new creation, necessary as it is,
is, however, only begun in this life, and must struggle under the weight
of many infirmities. If thou dost but look into thyself, even after thou art
become a new creature through the Holy Ghost, it will plainly appear
that the image of God is but slightly
28. From all this, thou canst easily understand, O man! that thou art never to rely on thine own strength; but entirely to cleave to the grace of God, which alone is able to work all this in thy soul. All things are to be sought and obtained from and by Christ through faith. From Him thou art to receive divine knowledge and wisdom, against thy own blindness; his righteousness, against all thy unrighteousness; his holiness against all thy impurity; a full redemption, power, and victory, against death, hell, and the devil. From Christ thou must obtain remission of all thy sins, against the kingdom of sin and Satan, and against all the combined powers thereof; and, lastly, everlasting happiness, against all spiritual and bodily adversities and troubles. In this order, life eternal is to be derived from Christ. But of this, more shall be said in the Second Book of this volume.
What hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?—1 Cor. 4:7.
I regard it as necessary, before I conclude this Book, to call the reader's attention to several points.
2. In this Book, repentance and its
fruits, have, for various reasons, been explained at large, and in different
ways. Most of the Chapters in this Book, accordingly, treat upon the
fruits of true repentance; such as our
renovation in Christ, the daily mortification
3. But this is very preposterous, and altogether against the tenor of
Scripture, and the method of salvation therein explained. Our Lord says,
“The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
4. The next thing which I would mention at the close of this Book, and which thou art carefully to avoid, is the sin of spiritual pride, after God has begun to implant in thee, by his grace, spiritual gifts, new virtues, new habits of mind, and new knowledge. See that thou ascribe these attainments not to thy own power, wisdom, or industry, but to the grace of God. Carefully avoid taking up thy rest in those virtues and good dispositions that are formed within thee; and never confide in them as means of thy justification before God. For as they are yet marked by various defects and imperfections, so they can never pass for the perfect righteousness of God. Never seek thy own honor and glory by the gifts which God has been pleased to bestow upon thee. On the contrary, use them with humility and fear, divesting thyself of all selfish designs, and returning all thou hast unto Him, who is the true Disposer and Author thereof. Do not say in thy heart: “I have now a strong faith, fervent charity, much knowledge, many gifts;” for these suggestions are the tares, which the enemy of thy soul sows among the wheat while thou sleepest.
For, (a) none of these gifts are thine, but God's only, without whose illumination and all-quickening power, thou art but a lifeless lump of clay. These gifts are no more thine, than the light and heat of the sun are the earth's, which is warmed and penetrated by them. Thou art, at the best, but the casket to hold the jewels; and the glory of these no more belongs to thee, than the lustre of a precious stone belongs to the box in which it is kept. Is it not, therefore, great folly to boast of the goods of another, which are laid up in thee?
(b) Thou art to consider, that, as the lord of a treasure may lodge his
treasure wherever he pleases, and remove it as he thinks fit; so God, in
like manner, may deposit his heavenly treasure in thee, and take it away
again, as he sees proper. Him, therefore, thou oughtest to fear with holy
reverence, and at the same time carefully beware of spiritual pride and
presumption: for this would issue in the inevitable loss of the celestial
jewel committed to thy trust. “Be not high-minded, but fear.”
(c) Thou art, further, to consider, that the righteous God will call thee to an exact account of all he has intrusted to thy care. The more thou hast received, the more will he require at thy hands.
(d) In the midst of all thy gifts, do not think that thou hast received all that the Lord has in store for his children. Ah! beloved Christian! be thy attainments ever so high and excellent, they are hardly the beginning; there is yet much which thou lackest.
(e) Seriously consider, that no good
and perfect gifts are obtained or preserved
except by prayer: for every good and perfect gift descendeth from
God.
These are the two parts into which any useful prayer-book or method of prayer may be fitly digested; an order which is clearly exhibited in the prayer of our Lord, so far as it respects those heavenly and eternal benefits and gifts which we are directed to seek. Nay, in the Lord's Prayer, all the treasures both for soul and body, and all the things which we need both for this life and that which is to come, are summed up. And there is no question, but that the Father in heaven, according to his paternal compassion, will readily grant, what the Son of his love has so strongly commanded us to ask.
As in nature, my dear Christian reader, the destruction of one thing is the production of another; even so is it in a true Christian life. The old, carnal man must be destroyed and pass away, that so the new spiritual man may be produced in his place. And as our carnal life is directly contrary to the holy life of Christ (which in the preceding Book is sufficiently declared); it is absolutely needful that we renounce this carnal life, before we can attain the spiritual life of Christ, or follow him in those steps which he has been pleased to leave us. Thus, for instance, thou must put an end to thy pride, before thou canst be truly humble; thou must cease from wrath, before thou canst possess the virtue of meekness. And this is the reason why the spiritual Christian's life ought to proceed from true repentance. This is also the design and substance of the preceding Book, as plainly appears both from the order in which the chapters are arranged, and from the Conclusion appended to the whole Book.
2. Since, however, there will be occasion to treat of the doctrine of repentance
in some chapters of this Second Book, I shall now give some account
of the whole method into which this Book is digested. As the main
design of the First Book was to lay open the nature of Original Sin, and
the deadly influence which it has upon all our actions; so it is but fit that
the Second Book should begin with
Jesus Christ, that everlasting wellspring of man's salvation, in whom
alone we find help and a remedy
against the destructive poison of Original
Sin, and against that flood of calamities and miseries which thence
proceeds. All this on man's side, is
effected by faith, apprehending that salvation which is merited by Christ.
This matter is explained in the first
three chapters of this Book. As, however,
that faith which leads the soul to this fountain, and draws thence effects
so excellent and good, also brings
forth living and sound fruits; the next three chapters (IV-VI), are spent in
describing the same more at large. But, even as the fruits of righteousness
and of the Spirit are to grow up in us and wax strong, so must the
fruits of the flesh, in proportion, decay and decrease. And this is the daily,
effectual, and unfeigned repentance, wherein a Christian ought constantly
to be employed, if ever the flesh be mortified, and the Spirit be restored
to dominion. It was, therefore, judged
expedient, to give here a clear description of the difference betwixt the
flesh and the Spirit, and of the properties of a daily repentance. Here consult
Chapters VII-X. But inasmuch as from this habitual repentance, and
the mortification of the old man (the life of a true Christian being nothing
else but a constant crucifixion of the
flesh), the new man is daily to come forth, it is impossible to find a more
perfect pattern, than that which our
3. Thus are the humility and lowliness of Christ a true ladder of ascension for a penitent soul; by means of which we ascend into the heart of God, as of a loving Father, and calmly repose in his paternal affection. It is the human nature of Christ with which we begin our spiritual life, and rising up higher and higher, arrive at last at his divine nature. It is then that we contemplate in Christ the heart of our Father in heaven. It is then that we behold him as the sublime, the everlasting, essential, and infinite Good; we behold him as the immeasurable omnipotence, as the unfathomable mercy, the unsearchable wisdom, the purest holiness, the unspotted and endless righteousness, the most perfect goodness, the noblest beauty, the most perfect graciousness, and, at last, as the most joyful salvation. These points, as they chiefly make up Christian contemplation, so they are explained in Chapters XXVI-XXXIII. But because no one can ever arrive at this state without prayer, hence the ensuing ten Chapters (XXXIV-XLIII), treat upon the nature of prayer, and the exercise of divine praise. And since this life, grounded on maxims of sound and unfeigned religion, will soon be attended with crosses and tribulations, there follow fifteen Chapters (XLIV-LVIII), wherein are considered the cross of Christians, and the virtue of patience, the practice of which is thereby exceedingly promoted. To all this, something is added of the nature and conquest of those deep spiritual temptations, with which Satan harasses those that adhere to the Lord, and who endeavor to be faithful to the end.
God grant that we may all be true followers of Christ, not ashamed of his holy life; but follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, and be led at last to the living fountains of waters, where the Lord will wipe away all tears from our eyes! Amen.
john arndt, General Superintendent in the Principality of Lüneburg.
With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.—Isa. 12:3.
As our distemper is exceedingly great, mortal, damnable, and out
of the power of any creature to remove; therefore it is needful that we
should have a remedy proportioned to
the disease; a high, a divine, an everlasting, remedy and help, entirely derived
from the pure mercy of God. As our original disease was caused by
the wrath, hatred, and envy of the devil (
2. But so disabled, so weak, and undone, is fallen man, that he cannot so
much as apply this precious medicine
even when it is freely offered: so little health, so much weakness is there in
him. Nay, we even, by nature, strive against our cure, and reject the remedy
which should help us.—Wherefore, O Lord, unless thou shouldst draw
me after thee (
3. O blessed Lord! shall not thy mercy be strong enough to raise a
4. Thy mercy, O Lord, has made thee all our own, and put a title to all
thy merits into our hands. When thou becamest a tender infant, it was
wholly for our sakes, unto whom thou art “born a child.”
(a) Behold! beloved Christian, the wisdom of God! God has by means
of this everlasting good made himself our own property, that he might
thereby in return make us his own. For having purchased us “with a
price,” we are no longer our own, but his who hath bought us.
(b) Christ is become the true medicine of thy soul, to restore thee—thy meat and thy drink, to refresh thee—thy fountain of life, to quench thy thirst—thy light, in darkness—thy joy, in sadness—thine advocate, against thy accusers—wisdom, against thy folly—righteousness, against thy sin—sanctification, against thy unworthiness—redemption, against thy bondage—the mercy-seat, against the judgment-seat—the throne of grace, against thy condemnation—thy absolution, against thy fearful sentence—thy peace and rest, against an evil conscience—thy victory, against all thine enemies—thy champion, against all thy persecutors—the bridegroom of thy soul, against all rivals—thy mediator, against the wrath of God—thy propitiation, against all thy trespasses—thy strength, against thy weakness—thy way, against thy wandering—thy truth, against lying and vanity—thy life, against death. He is thy counsel, when thou hast none to advise thee—thy power, in the midst of thine infirmities—thy Everlasting Father, when thou art forsaken and fatherless—thy Prince of Peace, against the adversary—thy ransom, against thy debt—thy crown of glory, against thy reproach—thy teacher, against thy ignorance—thy Judge, against thy oppressor—thy King, to destroy the kingdom of Satan—thine everlasting High Priest, to intercede for thee.
5. (a) Consider now, O Christian,
what an excellent gift the Lord Jesus
Christ is. Let it be thy daily prayer and supplication to make a true saving
use of all those heavenly benefits,
and to improve all the offices of Christ to the end for which they are designed.
If he be thy Medicine (
(b) How canst thou have a more excellent, a more valuable present? It
is a present of greater worth than thou thyself, than all mankind, and all the
world besides. It is a present that
infinitely surpasses all the sins, miseries, and calamities of the whole world.
Christ hereby is all our own, both as to his divine and his human nature.
It was by sin we had forfeited the richest of all treasures, the Sovereign
Good, even God himself: and it is by Christ, that all is made up again, and
God himself given to us as our property. And for this reason, Christ is
called Immanuel (
6. (a) Consider now, O Christian! what an immense, what an infinite good
thou hast in Christ thy Redeemer, and
to what spiritual benefits thou art entitled by him. If people were but
better acquainted with the sources of this heavenly comfort, then no cross,
no affliction, would seem any longer insupportable to them; because Christ
would be all in all, and by his presence alleviate the miseries of this life.
Christ himself is ours not only as a
crucified Christ, but also as he is glorified, together with all the majesty
(b) Alas! poor, miserable, accursed, and condemned sinners, that we by nature all are! How came we to be favored and honored with so high and inestimable a gift? For thou, O Lord Jesus, art to us—Jehovah our Righteousness—a Mediator between God and man—our everlasting Priest—the Christ of God—a Lamb without spot—our propitiatory oblation—the fulfilment of the law—the Desire of the patriarchs—the Inspirer of the prophets—the Master of the apostles—the teacher of the evangelists—the light of the confessors—the crown of the martyrs—the Praise of all the saints—the resurrection of the dead—the first-born from the dead—the glory of the blessed—the consolation of the mourners—the righteousness of sinners—the hope of the afflicted—the refuge of the miserable—the entertainer of strangers—the fellow-traveller of pilgrims—the way of them that were mistaken—the help to them who were forsaken—the strength of the weak—the health of the sick—the protector of the simple—the reward of the just—the flaming fire of charity—the Author of faith—the anchor of hope—the flower of humility—the rose of meekness—the root of all the virtues—the exemplar of patience—the enkindler of devotion—the incense of prayer—the tree of health—the fountain of blessedness—the bread of life—the Head of the church—the bridegroom of the soul—the precious pearl—the rock of salvation—the living stone—the heir of all things—the redemption of the world—the triumphant Conqueror of Hell—the Prince of Peace—the mighty lion of Judah—the father of the world to come—the guide to our heavenly country—the sun of righteousness—the morning star—the inextinguishable light of the celestial Jerusalem—the brightness of the everlasting glory—the unspotted mirror—the splendor of the divine majesty—the image of the paternal goodness—the treasure of wisdom—the abyss of eternity—the beginning without beginning—the word upholding all things—the life quickening all things—the light enlightening all things—the truth judging all things—the counsel moderating all things—the rule directing all things—the love sustaining all things—the whole comprehension of all that is good.
(c) This is the great and infinite gift, which God has so freely bestowed upon mortal men.
The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.—Luke 19:10.
The first or chief foundation on which the Christian depends,
when he derives consolation from the doctrines of the remission of sin, and
of the merit of Christ, consists in the
universal extent of the divine promises; of which that mentioned above is not
the least considerable. For if Christ came to save those that are lost, who
can possibly doubt, that he will also
seek and save thee, since thou art of the number of the lost. It is also
said, that God, “commandeth all men everywhere to repent; because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.”
2. The second foundation is the divine
oath. In order that no room might be left to doubts and scruples in
this grand article, God has confirmed the universal promise of grace with
an oath. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live: none of the sins
that he hath committed, shall be mentioned unto him.”
3. In order to show that the Lord will not retain the remembrance of
sin, he hath no less than three times engaged his word. First, by the
prophet Isaiah, “I, even I,” says he,
“am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will
not remember thy sins.”
4. Now the cause or reason why God promises that he will not remember sin any more, is no other than the all-sufficient satisfaction and reconciliation wrought by Christ. For whatever is entirely paid, yea, over and above paid, should be altogether buried in an everlasting oblivion. Now, God being once perfectly reconciled and satisfied by the most holy and most complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ, he can no longer be angry, nor perpetuate the remembrance of our transgressions.
5. The same oath is repeated in the prophet Isaiah, “Look unto me,” says
the Lord, “and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: I have sworn by
myself; the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not
return.”
6. The third foundation is the eternal covenant of grace, which consists
in the pardon of sin: “This shall be
the covenant: I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no more.”
7. The fourth foundation is the death of Christ, by which the covenant or
testament of God was ratified. But if any ask, For whom did he die? St.
Paul answers, that “he died for all.”
8. The fifth foundation is the universal call, grounded upon the universal
merit of Christ. The latter was exhibited for the sins of the whole
world, and it was proper that it should be preached to all creatures.
9. The sixth foundation is the inward testimony of the divine Spirit in
us, who seeks after righteousness, and seals us unto the day of redemption.
10. The seventh foundation consists of the examples of sinners, whom
God, upon their conversion, hath received into favor. Surely “there is
none righteous,” of himself, “no, not one.”
11. The eighth foundation is, that
the merit of Christ is not only sufficient, but even more than sufficient
for the sins of all men, how numerous, great and heinous soever they may be.
Why then shouldst thou exclude thyself, and refuse to share in the benefits
of the ransom which Christ paid? Is it not infinitely greater than the sins
of the whole world? For as thou art of the race of men, so thou canst apply
to thyself that word of the Lord, “The Son of man is not come to destroy
men's lives, but to save them” (
12. A ninth foundation is this, that
the merit of Christ is an infinite satisfaction, beyond all number, measure,
and end; and it is so on account of the exalted Person that suffered, who
is both God and man. Why shouldst thou then limit the extent, number,
measure, and bounds of merit so ample, and exclude thyself from it?
So great, so high, and so extensive are the power and efficacy of that
merit, that it would still prove a sufficient ransom if every man were guilty
of the sins of the whole world. Nay, if there were as many worlds drowned
in sin, as there are men that live on this earth, yet would the merit of
Christ and his righteousness be large enough to cover all their sins. Cast
not therefore away a mercy so universal, so full and every way abounding.
This surely is that “depth of the sea, into which God hath cast all our
sins.”
13. The tenth foundation is this, that
the obedience of Christ is perfect: because he fulfilled the will and law of
his Father in all things, thereby to
give satisfaction for all the disobedience which all the men in the world
had committed against God's law. For if the sin and transgression of
any one man were not expiated by him, then surely, his obedience would
not prove perfect, and the disobedience of Adam would be more effectual
to condemnation, than the obedience of Christ to justification. This cannot
be, since the apostle in plain terms affirms the contrary, in
14. The eleventh foundation is, that since the royal victory and triumph
of Christ surpass all the multitude, weight, and heinousness of sin, together
with all the power of death, hell, and Satan, what cause canst thou
assign, O sinner, why the same victorious Christ should not triumph over
thy sin as well as over all the rest?
What! canst thou believe that thy
transgressions alone are more powerful than Christ, the omnipotent king?
When he shall make all his enemies his footstool (
15. The twelfth foundation is the everlasting priesthood of Christ.
As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.—Rom. 5:19.
As a skilful builder, when he is about to raise a lofty structure,
takes care to lay first a deep and solid
foundation, so the merciful and compassionate God, when he was to erect
the high and everlasting palace of our salvation and righteousness, thought
fit to lay the foundation thereof, in the depth of his mercy, upon the Person
and office of his dear Son Christ Jesus, as on the true rock of salvation. This
is the promise recorded by the prophet: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation,
a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that
believeth shall not make haste.”
2. This was the rock and corner-stone, which was preached by the apostles
Peter and Paul.
3. In the first place, that God by this means might cleanse and justify a man from within, and in the inmost centre of his soul: for as man is inwardly corrupted by Satan, and infected in all the interior powers of his soul, so it is but fit that his cure should be wrought from within, and that all the faculties of his soul should be restored to their former integrity and soundness.
4. Secondly, that our righteousness
proceeds from faith only. This faith is wrought by God himself, and it
stands entirely in his power (
5. Thirdly, that our heart, soul, and spirit, renouncing human power and strength (upon which, through the temptation of the Devil, and the snares of self-love, ambition, and pride, they too much rely), might wholly depend upon Christ alone, and upon his precious merit and satisfaction. For from him alone flow the gracious remission of all our sins, and the whole train of graces consequent on it; Jesus Christ having abundantly satisfied for the sins of the whole world, and reconciled the Father to mankind.
6. Fourthly, that the righteousness
of Christ, by faith, might be made our
own. In order to the same end he also by his Word and Spirit begets
this faith in our hearts, that thereby we may become actually possessed of
this inestimable treasure. For this is
the highest, the unspeakable, and inconceivably great consolation, that
our righteousness is not the righteousness of a man, nor even of a saint or
angel, but of Christ, and of God himself; “It is God that justifieth.”
7. Fifthly, an angel (who never died for us) cannot be the foundation of
our righteousness, much less any man. The righteousness of man is but weak
and inconstant; and if he should fall, “all his righteousness that he hath
done shall not be mentioned” (
8. The sixth cause why God will have our righteousness to be apprehended
by faith, is found in his truth and promise, on which our faith entirely
rests, and by which God declared and promised righteousness to
Abraham, and to all his faithful seed. Whence St. Paul argues, that “our
righteousness must be of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end that
the promise might be sure.”
9. Seventhly, God has made his grace, and the merit of Christ, the foundation
of our righteousness, that Christ alone may have the honor of it.
10. In short, our salvation and righteousness are founded entirely upon the eternal grace of God, and the eternal Person and office of Christ; and in Christ alone we are made righteous, holy, alive, blessed, sons and heirs of God. The righteousness of Christ is ours, his goodness ours, his holiness ours; his life ours, his happiness ours, and lastly, the sonship and inheritance of Christ are ours; and so the whole Christ, both according to his divine and his human nature, is ours; (for God gives us the whole Christ for a Saviour, that he with his Person, office, grace, glory, and blessedness, may be wholly appropriated to us). That all this is our own, is our highest consolation, glory, praise, honor, love, joy, and peace before God and all the angels and elect; it is our sublimest wisdom, strength, might, victory, and triumph over sin and death, the devil and hell, the world and all our enemies. For which God be praised to all eternity! Amen.
And this I pray, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.—Phil. 1:9-11.
The true Christian is not only justified by faith in Christ, but is
also made a temple and habitation of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. To
this end the good Spirit of God purifies his heart by faith: and it is fit
that Christ should live in his temple, together with his love, humility and
meekness.
2. Here again, we do not assert that perfection can be found in this present
world, but only require that a Christian should walk in newness of life,
and approve himself by such works as are cleared from guile and hypocrisy.
For it is by no means possible that the fruits of the Spirit enumerated
by St. Paul, in
3. Whosoever therefore is willing to try his own faith and inward condition,
should set before his eyes the Ten Commandments (as by Christ himself interpreted)
(
4. Of this Christ himself gives us an example from the commandment
“Thou shalt not kill,” saying, “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and
there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there
thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way; first be reconciled to thy brother.”
(a) The first is, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him;” that is, whilst thou art on this side of eternity: for our life indeed is nothing else but a perpetual motion towards death and the grave. If in this life thou art not freed from the bonds of wrath, thou shalt remain a captive to them, yea, to the devil himself, throughout all eternity.
(b) The second argument is, “lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge.” It is an awful thing to be summoned to the tribunal of God, and before so tremendous a judgment-seat, to plead our cause against an accusing adversary. Whereas, whatever is pardoned, settled, and forgiven in this life, the same will also be forgiven and eternally pardoned in the next. Whence we may gather how much God regards the love of our neighbor, since he will have it by no means separated from the love of himself; and therefore refuses to admit of our love to him, unless it be linked to that of our neighbor. And why? Because God is Love itself, and loveth man as his own soul.
(c) The third argument is, “lest thou be cast into prison, whence thou canst
not come out till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” It is agreeable
to the divine justice, so to deal with us
there, as we have dealt with our neighbor here; and “with that measure we
have meted withal, to measure to us again.”
5. Thus the Son of God, has by this example, taught us that we must judge
of the worth of our outward works, nay, of all our religion, by the inward
disposition or principle that sways the heart. But perhaps thou still continuest
to flatter thyself, and to say, “I am baptized into Christ; I have
the pure word of God; I hear it; I receive the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper; I also believe and confess all the articles of the Christian faith:
wherefore it cannot be, but that my life and actions must be pleasing to
God; I am a Christian in truth, and in the right way to be saved.” This,
alas! is the general, but false reasoning of many in these days, who regard
their outward performances as constituting true righteousness. It might
do well enough, if the heart did but agree with their profession: for without
this, all is mere trifling, and a dead, hypocritical show. Look therefore
into this, and learn to judge of thyself by the inward frame of thy soul. Thou
boastest indeed, that thou art a Christian; and an excellent name it is; but
dost thou consider, whether thy heart and thy actions agree with a name so
sacred? Hast thou received the unction from above, and art thou possessed
of the fruits of the Spirit, that demonstrate a Christian?
6. Therefore, dear Christian! let not your religion be confined to bare externals, but see that it proceed from the more inward recesses of a heart endued with a true, living, and active faith, and with an unfeigned, inward, and daily repentance. If you put away from you this inward life, this faith, and this repentance, you strip your religion of all essential goodness, and, instead of a living principle, which ought to be established in the mind, you carry about an empty, insignificant name, which will avail you nothing in that day, wherein God will judge all things according to the inward frame of the heart. But if you are truly affected with a sense of your inward wants and impurities, then flee without delay to the healing fountain of grace! Draw and drink, pray and knock, seek and cry, “Lord, have mercy upon me!” Then your heart shall be cured, your sin covered, and your transgression cancelled.
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.—Rom. 1:16.
The way by which we are to arrive at true and substantial wisdom,
and become friends of God, is to submit ourselves to the discipline of
repentance, and to lead a life conformable to the Word of God. Such
a life as this cannot fail to be attended with true illumination of the mind,
2. These words set forth the difficulties which he encounters who seeks
to be a true Christian, and to keep the word of God in holiness of life. For
flesh and blood naturally strive against the word of God, and that holiness of
life which it requires: and are, besides, inconstant and weak, and prone to
yield to the enticements of the world. The devil on all occasions hinders our
progress, and opposes our endeavors on every side. This is followed by a
multitude of evil examples, and the persecutions which wicked men raise
in opposition to those souls that enter upon another course of life. Against
obstinate evils, such as these, all the strength of the soul is to be opposed.
This we learn from the example of
David, who cried unto the Lord with
his whole heart, in order that he might better digest the Word, and by leading
such a life as that Word requires, continue in the favor of God. This
ought also to be our main concern;
the favor of God being infinitely preferable to all that the world affords.
Whoever pleases God, and is His friend, most effectually secures himself thereby
from the malice of all his enemies.
Hence serious and fervent prayer is, as I
said before, the first step to a holy life. The second means to obtain a holy life,
is expressed in the following words of the same Psalm: “I prevented the
dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. Mine eyes prevent
the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”
3. This is that exercise of the cross, or school of affliction, in which all
saints are most effectually trained for a happy eternity. Whoever is not inured
to this sort of trials, can know but little of God and of his word. In
this exercise, all the natural powers of soul and life consume away, that
God alone may become our strength and support. By such inward trials
as these, the carnal life is likewise more and more weakened, and the
quickening power of God and of his word, perceived with the greater effect
and experience. And truly, all
4. This doctrine, therefore, I would have firmly rooted in thy mind, namely,
that not the reading or hearing, but the doing and practising of the
word, demonstrates the true Christian.
5. Behold here the deplorable image of the natural man! Behold the
abomination that is common to us all! And now tell me how a man can
see the kingdom of God, unless he be born again from above, or, as St. Paul
expresses it, “unless he be renewed in the spirit of his mind: putting on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness?”
6. It is for this reason that David so heartily wishes to lead a holy life,
conformably to the word of God: “I cried,” says he, “with my whole heart;
hear me, O Lord; I will keep thy statutes” (
7. Let us therefore shake off all sloth and negligence, and let us acquit
ourselves diligently, in a matter of so great importance. David himself
further adds, “I prevented (that
is, I came before) the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy
word. Mine eyes prevent (or, anticipate) the night watches, that I might
meditate in thy word.”
8. In these and the like sentences of Scripture, we may view the fatherly
care, and condescending love of our merciful God; since his delight is
to be conversant with the sons of men, to speak with them and to instruct
them. Hence he appointed his Son to be our heavenly Teacher and Master;
of which the Lord Jesus himself gave a visible image when he was found in
the temple in the midst of the doctors, and astonished the hearers with “his
understanding and answers.”
Without me ye can do nothing.—John 15:5.
As man by his apostasy from God, through ambition and self-love,
was separated from him, and fell from the perfection in which he was created,
so he must of necessity return
to his original tranquillity and happiness,
by a union with God; in which the whole of human perfection consists.
It was therefore necessary, that the Son of God should become
man, in order that human nature, being again united to God, might thereby
be restored to its primitive integrity and perfection. As the divine
and human natures are united in the one Person of Christ, so must we all,
through grace, be united to him by faith, as to our eternal and sovereign
Good. In this manner it pleased God to rectify the exceeding corruption of
our nature by the abounding goodness of his grace. This union is declared
by the Son of God himself: “I will betroth thee,” says he, “unto me for
ever, in loving kindness and in mercies.”
2. Now as the union of the divine and the human natures in Christ is eternal, and is never to be dissolved, insomuch that even death itself could not break asunder so sacred a bond: so Christ our Head is to be so firmly united with his faithful members, that neither life nor death may ever be able to separate them from him. This is also declared by the prophet Hosea, in the Person of Christ: “I will,” says he, “betroth thee unto me for ever.”
3. This union by faith, is of the
highest necessity, because “our iniquities have separated between us and our
God.”
4. O man! consider therefore, what thou art, and what thou canst do. What hast thou been able to contribute to thy restoration and the renovation of thy depraved nature? Surely nothing. As thou couldst not afford any help toward thy bodily birth, nor create thyself; so neither canst thou bring any assistance towards thy new birth or regeneration. Thou canst indeed lose, corrupt, and destroy thyself; but to renew, to restore, to heal, to justify, and to quicken thyself, is a work entirely beyond thy strength. Couldest thou contribute anything that God might become man? No. There is nothing therefore that thou canst arrogate to thyself, or ascribe to thy own ability. Indeed, the more a man attributes to his own will, strength, and ability, the more effectually does he obstruct divine grace, and the renewal of his corrupted nature. Let us therefore wholly renounce our own strength, our own wisdom, our own will, and self-love, that, being thus resigned to God alone, we may suffer his power freely to work in us, so that nothing may, in the least, oppose the will and operations of the Lord.
5. Until thou art brought to this, O Christian, that thy mind becomes merely passive, and that thou purely sufferest the operation and will of God, it is evident, that God is impeded by thee, so that he cannot unite himself with thy soul; or by true renovation of thy corrupt nature establish his image there. For our own will, self-love, ambition, the opinion of our own wisdom, and whatever we arrogantly claim to ourselves, are so many impediments, why God cannot freely operate in us, and effect his good will. For as a man's own will more and more corrupts and depraves him; so the will of God more and more perfects and restores him.
6. Hence, it was said by Bonaventura, that “the highest perfection of religion, consists in renouncing our own will.” And by Augustine, “If to love God is the greatest good to man, to love himself must needs be his greatest evil. And, if such is the nature of good, that it diffuses and communicates itself; of necessity self-love must be a great evil, since it engrosses to itself both its own and the goods of others, and will not part with any of them.” Of this even the pagan Seneca himself was not ignorant when he said: “That only is an accession to virtue, which is a denial of thy own will.” And again: “Unless thou departest from thyself, thou canst not approach God, who is above thee.”
7. Our own will is nothing else but a defection or apostasy from God.
Defection verily is easy, smooth, and pleasant; but the recovery from it is
bitter, troublesome, and difficult; yea,
even beyond all the power of the creature. For man, by his own strength,
can neither return, nor in any wise help himself, whether in will or deed.
Man's will is captive, and his works are dead. Christ alone is able to help,
in the beginning, the progress, and the end. He lays before us two means,
the law and the gospel; or repentance
and remission of sin. Through the
law, in the first place, thou must die with Christ, and by true sorrow and
brokenness of heart sacrifice thy own will. Thou must become as nothing
8. But even this self-hatred, denial, and mortification, are not the effect
of our own will and ability. “It is
not,” says St. Paul, “of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of
God that sheweth mercy.”
We know this, that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.—Rom. 6:6.
In every Christian there is found a twofold man, opposed, like their fruits, to one another. This will more fully appear from the following statement:
Adam, | Christ. |
Old man, | New man. |
Outward man, | Inward man. |
Old birth, | New birth. |
Flesh, | Spirit. |
Nature, | Grace. |
Reason, | Faith. |
Darkness, | Light. |
Tree of death, | Tree of life. |
Evil fruit, | Good fruit. |
Sin, | Righteousness. |
Damnation, | Salvation. |
Death, | Life. |
Old Jerusalem, | New Jerusalem. |
Kingdom of the devil, | Kingdom of God. |
Seed of the serpent, | Seed of God. |
Natural man, | Spiritual man. |
Image of the earthly, | Image of the heavenly. |
The truth of this statement, the
Scriptures, as well as experience, abundantly confirm. The former speak
largely of the old man and the new, of the inward and outward man. See
2. Therefore it is necessary for a man to watch, to fast, to pray, fight,
and strive; and, as St. Paul expresses it, to examine himself if Christ be in
him.
3. But since the world, which thou
art to strive against, is not without
thee, but within thee, it follows, that it is also to be conquered not without,
but within thee. For what is the world, but “the lust of the flesh, and
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?”
4. But if thou livest in Adam, and Adam reigns in thee, then thou art
not a child of God, nor born again of him. For since thou art overcome by
the world, and since the prince thereof rules in thee by pride, ambition,
and self-love, thou art on this very account to be numbered amongst the
children of the devil.
5. Behold, O man, a lively representation here given of thy depraved,
brutish, and beastly heart! If thou wilt but enter into this temple of thy
heart, thou shalt surely find therein
vast numbers of foul, detestable creatures, images, and idols, fashioned and
represented by all manner of corrupt and impure thoughts in the carnal
mind, imagination, and memory. Moreover (and this is the greatest evil of
all), though these idols and horrid abominations should be utterly banished
from the heart, and this detestable evil, by which man is made the
habitation of unclean and pestilential
reptiles, should, by all means, be destroyed by repentance, by mortification
of the flesh, and by penitential tears and humiliation; yet, instead of
doing that, thou lovest these serpents, adorest these vile monsters, and servest
and caressest them. Alas! thou but little regardest that Christ is cast
out of thy soul by these abominations, and is utterly banished from thy
heart; and that by this means thou deprivest thyself of the supreme and
eternal Good, losing the Holy Spirit with all his excellent gifts and graces.
O miserable man! thou exceedingly grievest when any outward trouble
befalls thee, or when thou losest anything in the world that is dear to
thee; why then is it, that thou art not at all concerned at the loss even of
Christ himself, and at the deplorable state of thy soul and body, which are
6. If these things be seriously pondered and laid to heart, we shall soon
understand what Adam and Christ are; and how they live and act in
men. To this head we may also refer the following observations. First, In
Adam we are all naturally equal, nor is one better than another; since we
are all, both as to body and soul, equally polluted and corrupted, so that
it is affirmed by St. Paul, not only of Jews and Gentiles, but even of all
men in general, that “there is no difference.”
7. This truth is a remedy against spiritual pride, namely, that none should account himself better before God than others, though perhaps adorned with greater gifts, and endowments. For even these are no less bestowed on him of pure grace, than are righteousness and salvation themselves. Upon this principle of pure grace, be careful to keep thy mind constantly fixed. If thou dost so, then this grace shall protect thee against the dangerous snares of pride and arrogance; and as, on the one hand, it will convince thee of thy own misery and poverty in spirit, so, on the other, it will give thee a most lively insight into Christ, and into the exceeding riches of grace, offered through him to all mankind.
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.—Luke 15:10.
God, who is of infinite mercy, in order that he might the better
soften our hard and stony hearts, and turn them from the world, ourselves,
and the devil, unto himself (
2. Among other ways of impressing it on our minds, the two parables of the Lost Sheep and of the Prodigal Son (Luke, chap. 15), are exceedingly affecting, and are so abundant in divine consolation, that it is scarcely possible seriously to think upon them without tears. Therein our Saviour describes three different hearts. Of these the first is, the impenitent heart of a sinner; the second, the contrite heart of a penitent; the third, the heart of God, full of mercy and paternal affection.
3. The first he describes under the
similitude of a degenerate son, wastefully spending his substance and inheritance,
and at last reduced to such necessity, as to wish to fill his belly
with the husks which the swine did eat. By this figure all mankind in
their natural state are shadowed forth; who, as so many degenerate sons,
have squandered away the heavenly inheritance by continual riot and
wickedness. That is, they have lost their original righteousness, holiness,
innocency, and the beautiful image of God, in which they were at first created
(
4. The second heart, which is that of a repenting sinner, is set forth in
these words: “How many hired servants of my Father have bread enough,
and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise, and go to my Father,
and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee; and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” In this account we
have a very moving description of true repentance. By the Prodigal's
coming to himself, is signified sorrow for sin; that is, when a man, on
the one hand, reflects upon his own misery, and considers how, from being
a child of God, he is become, as it were, a brute beast (2 Pet. 2:12), an unclean
swine, a man void of reason, earthly and sensual; and, on the other, mindful
of his divine origin, turns his thoughts entirely upon his Father,
repents, acknowledges his offences, and says, “Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before thee;” and have offended both God and man.
5. And now I come, thirdly, to draw the character of the paternal heart of God, set forth in the parable.
I. When the son was yet a great way
off, his father saw him. Behold the prevenient mercy of our Heavenly Father,
who graciously looks for his prodigal children.
II. And was moved with compassion. Hereby is represented his mercy waiting to be gracious to us.
III. And ran and fell on his neck. Here is mercy receiving into favor.
IV. And kissed him. This exhibits mercy ready to administer consolation
to the returning sinner.
V. Bring forth, says he, the best robe,
and put it on him (
VI. And put a ring on his hand.
Hereby is signified the Holy Spirit, the pledge of sonship (
VII. And shoes on his feet. This denotes a new and holy walk in Christ,
resulting from the Divine power, and the grace of the Holy Spirit; which
are the peculiar effects of preserving mercy.
VIII. Bring hither the fatted calf. By
this feast is represented the joy of angels,
or rejoicing and crowning mercy, described by the holy Psalmist, and
the prophet Isaiah.
6. What strong and endearing arguments are here offered by the goodness of God inviting us to sincere repentance! Let us, then, seriously consider some of the main inducements to true repentance, of which seven shall be proposed at present.
I. The boundless mercy of God.
II. The kindness of Christ, and his inestimable merit.
III. The awful threatenings and punishments that are laid before us.
IV. Death.
V. The last judgment.
VI. Hell. And
VII. Everlasting joy.
I. THE MERCY OF GOD.
7. “If thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek
him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation,
and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if
thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (for
the Lord thy God is a merciful God);
he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of
thy fathers, which he sware unto them.”
II. THE KINDNESS OF CHRIST.
8. How kindly and affectionately
Christ Jesus receives sinners, he himself abundantly declares in the Gospel:
“They that be whole,” says he, “need not a physician, but they that are sick.
I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
(1.) That he laid down his life, not for heaven or earth, but for thy soul. And wilt thou, by sin and impenitence, wantonly cast away so great and valuable a treasure?
(2.) Remember, that thou couldest not have been redeemed by any other
or less price than the precious blood of Christ (
(3.) Call to mind, that Christ has
(4.) Be assured, that without unfeigned repentance, the merit of Christ
will avail thee nothing; yea, that thou tramplest under foot his blood, and
dost “despite unto the Spirit of grace.”
(5.) Lastly, consider how sharp and cruel were the sufferings which thy
Saviour underwent on thy account! How he wept and sorrowed, trembled
and feared!
III. THREATS OF TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT.
9. “God judgeth the righteous,” saith the Psalmist, “and God is angry
with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword: he
hath bent his bow, and made it ready:
he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death: he ordaineth his
arrows against the persecutors.”
10. This wrath and revenge, no man will ever be able to escape, as the
prophet Amos affirms: “He that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
Though they climb up to heaven, thence I will bring them down: and
though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I
command the serpent, and he shall bite them. Behold, the eyes of the Lord
God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of
the earth.”
IV. DEATH.
11. God has concealed the time of our death from us, that thereby we
may be kept in the daily and uninterrupted practice of true repentance, as
not knowing which hour may be our last. “The whole life of a man is
given him for repentance,” saith St. Bernard. And this repentance is a
Christian's daily cross and tribulation. Thus it is said in the Psalms:
“I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.”
V. THE LAST JUDGMENT.
12. For after death, there is neither place nor time for repentance. It is
in this world that eternal life is either lost or obtained. Those that repent
betimes, shall not be condemned in judgment; but the impenitent will
hear the awful sentence: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire.”
VI. ETERNAL PAINS OF HELL.
13. With this present life, the season of the mercy of God closes. It
will then be said: “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst
thy good things.”
VII. THE JOY OF ETERNAL LIFE.
14. Is it not a very high degree of
folly, to prefer a short perishing pleasure to an eternal joy; and a worthless
trifle, to the glorious presence of God? Now none shall enter into this, but he
who has thoroughly washed himself, and “made white his robes in the
blood of the Lamb.”
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.—Joel 2:12, 13.
The Lord, whose mercy is infinite, by no means seeks our destruction, but rather our life and happiness. He best knows the wretched and deplorable condition into which we are fallen by sin; and he is also desirous to reclaim us from that dangerous state, and to preserve us from everlasting ruin. It is for this reason, that he so earnestly invites the soul to repentance, and engages us to the same by many strong and powerful motives.
2. Sometimes God is pleased to stir
us up by terrible threatenings. “Behold,” says he, “I will bring evil upon
this people; because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my
law, but rejected it.”
3. But if the proclamation of wrath and judgment cannot prevail upon us,
yet ought God's abounding goodness, attended as it is with so many endearing
marks of love, to melt our hearts, and to soften them into true and
earnest repentance. For thus hath the Lord spoken by the prophet:
“Return, thou backsliding Israel, and
4. The passages that have been quoted, are a convincing proof that God, by his grace, mercy, patience, and clemency, strongly invites us to true repentance. There are chiefly three things in those scriptures, which deserve a more particular observation: namely, the nature of repentance, or what it is to repent; that is, to turn unto the Lord:—the manner in which repentance is to be wrought out; that is, by fasting, weeping, and mourning:—the motive to engage us in so holy an exercise, which is the paternal goodness of God; “for I am merciful.”
As to the first, we know that to
repent, is nothing else but to be led,
through the law of God, to acknowledge the natural blindness of our
hearts, and that detestable impurity which lurks within. Next, we ought
to regard this as the very source whence all other sins proceed, and
whereby we depart from God, the supreme and eternal Good, deserving
not only various punishments here, but also his everlasting wrath in hell
hereafter. All this ought to awaken in us sorrow and distress, not so much
by reason of the threatened punishment, as rather on account of the
heinousness of the many provocations offered to a merciful Father, who in
his very nature is love and kindness. This being done, we may then raise
again our souls by virtue of the Gospel, and with a well-grounded faith,
rely on the favor of God, and on the sure remission of sin promised in
Christ Jesus. This must necessarily be attended with a serious amendment
of life, with a constant purification of the heart by faith, with a mortification
of all evil desires, and with a sincere abnegation of our own will, so opposite
to that of God. In a word, it will
be accompanied with a new life acceptable unto God in Christ, and with fruit
worthy of repentance; suitably to what God enjoins by the prophet: “Wash
ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine
eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.”
5. But alas! here is the difficulty! These things are much more easily said, than reduced to practice. The reason is, because hardly any will earnestly engage in so weighty a work, or search into the true original cause of the many dreadful disorders that appear in our lives and conduct. Man flatters himself with a confident opinion of his own goodness, and cherishes the affection of the old man. There are few who care to see their hearts in their inward and native depravity; or to be made sensible of that vein of evil nature which runs through all their actions, even the best and most shining. And thus Christ himself, and the grace of God, manifested by him, are wantonly disregarded.
6. And yet Joel (2:12) requires us to “turn unto God with all our heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Hereby he intimates that
we are turned away from God; have forsaken the fountain of living waters
(
7. But since, by nature, we are so
blind as to be utterly unable of ourselves sufficiently to discover our own
wretchedness; God has been pleased to afford means, with a view to bringing
us to a sound knowledge of ourselves. This is done by his holy Word
and the Sacraments, which are always accompanied with his grace and Spirit.
By these the Father draws, allures, and calls us to himself, as so many
lost and wandering sheep.
8. When, therefore, the Lord graciously awakens us by these means,
and invites us to repentance, it is our part, not to withstand his grace and
Spirit; (as it is said, “To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts”) (
9. Upon this account the work of conversion, though it is entirely a
work of God's grace, is yet in one respect ascribed to us; namely, as we
give up ourselves to the Lord, and to his operations, and do not wantonly
resist his Spirit, despise his grace, and
cast it from us; or, as the apostle expresses it, do not put his Word from
us, nor stop our ears against it, as did the Jews of old.
10. An image of this we have in a straying sheep. If it but hear at a
distance the voice of the shepherd, it starts back immediately, and returns
to him. And how willingly would the lost sinner follow the voice of his
Shepherd, if sin had not so perverted him, as to reduce him lower than the
very beasts in stupidity and dulness! Of this indeed the prophet complains:
“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth
not know, my people doth not consider.”
11. We ought, therefore, most fervently to implore the Lord, not to
withdraw from us his gracious assistance, without which we must certainly
go astray. For since sin and the old Adam constantly abide in our corrupt
flesh and blood, we have need of daily,
yea, hourly supplies of grace, for repressing the tyranny of sin, and for
nourishing the life of God within us. The grace of God is the life of our
soul, as the soul is the life of the body. And as the life of the body, without
the free enjoyment of the air, must soon be extinct; so the vital flame of
the inward life will speedily languish,
without a daily supply of grace to support it. For this reason Solomon
prayed: “The Lord our God be with us; let him not leave us, nor forsake
us; that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways.”
12. This is a lesson which ought not to be learned in a light and general
manner, but by a close and practical application be brought home to every
one in particular. Let, therefore, every one look into his own heart and seek
its renewal, that so all may be reformed in time. Let us remember
that comfortable exhortation, and the promise annexed thereto: “Seek ye
the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near.”
13. But in order to true repentance, it is not enough to refrain only from
gross sins, and foul visible transgressions; but the heart, whence all those
evils proceed, is to be changed and purified; that so inward pride, covetousness,
and lust, with all sinful affections, may be mortified at last. For whilst
the heart is unchanged, unreformed, and unrenewed; that is, whilst our
own corrupt temper, our inward malice, wrath, hatred, enmity, revenge,
lying, and deceit, are quietly suffered
within us; all our boasts of, and pretences to, and formalities in, religion,
are but mere show and hypocrisy. God requires no less than a new heart,
and “a new creature in Christ Jesus.”
14. Let us now consider, in the
second place, the manner of our returning to God: “with all the heart,”
says the prophet, “with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
Wretched mortals can weep floods of tears for empty and perishing goods,
whilst they stand unmoved at the miserable state of their souls, and at
the loss of an eternal and incorruptible inheritance! In this they are
altogether unlike David, who, by his example, sets a most shining pattern
of sincere and unfeigned repentance before us. See
15. What the prophet says of fasting, is to be understood of a general
fast enjoined by the prophet to all the people. In such a fast the whole body
of a nation were wont to be concerned.
16. Such solemn penitential fasts were also in use in the primitive Church, when the Christians met together, and in any great public calamity humbled themselves before the Lord. Not, surely, to obtain remission of sin by such performances, as so many meritorious acts of devotion; but by a contrite, sober, and humble heart, to deprecate the judgments that were ready to break in upon them. And such fasts might with propriety still be observed.
17. Fasts such as these, accompanied with true repentance, would prove an
impregnable wall and fortification against all our enemies; a sovereign
medicine in all pestilential diseases; and a safeguard about all our estates
and possessions. An example of this we have in Job, who, whenever his
children had spent any day in mirth and feasting, “offered up unto God
prayers and sacrifices for them” (
18. In great public calamities the Lord looks out for such men as may,
like a bulwark, oppose his wrath when ready to make a breach. “I sought
for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the
gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found
none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, I have
consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed
upon their heads, saith the Lord God.”
19. Thus the prophet Daniel was a wall of defence when he made confession
to God of the sins of all the people.
20. Such public fasts ought to be celebrated by the whole multitude,
without hypocrisy, with ardent zeal
21. These words explain the nature of a true fast; which is then only kept,
when, on the one hand, we abstain from sin, subdue the wanton lusts of
the flesh, and keep the old man, with
all his members, under constant restraint and subjection: and, on the
other, when we are fervent in works of charity, in the practice of patience
and mercy, and of the other virtues springing up from a contrite, sincere,
and penitent heart. And it is with regard to these inward acts of humiliation,
that the prophet bids us rend our
hearts. For as the wounds of the heart must necessarily be very painful;
so the grief occasioned by our sins should affect us, as if our very
hearts were bruised and crushed. And this “broken spirit,” this “contrite
heart,” is that sacrifice which is so highly acceptable to God.
22. As for the motives to repentance, which make up the third head, they
are thus expressed by the prophet:
“Turn unto the Lord, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and
of great kindness, and repenteth him
of the evil.”
23. First, then, the prophet calls
God gracious (
24. Secondly, the prophet declares
that God is merciful. To be merciful, is to be easily moved by the miseries
of another, and from the very heart to compassionate his case. This is to
be seen in parents, who, not only with
unfeigned tenderness love their children, but are at the same time so
deeply touched with their misery and weakness, as to be willing even to die
for them, if that were possible. Thus David, when he lamented the death
of his son Absalom, mournfully exclaimed: “O my son Absalom, my
son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son,
my son!”
25. The third appellation given to God by the prophet is, that he is
patient, or slow to anger. He is not easily moved to wrath; he suffers
many provocations offered him, and
gives time for repentance and conversion. All which he has abundantly
evidenced by many real demonstrations, powerful enough to convince us,
that even in God himself, “Love beareth all things, endureth all things”
(
26. Fourthly, God is represented to
be of great kindness; so great indeed, that no sin, how great soever, can
surpass it. For as God is essentially and wholly good, so is he desirous to
communicate himself wholly to men, provided they be willing to receive
and admit him. Yea, by his nature he can be and do nothing but good.
He takes a pleasure therein, and “rejoiceth over us to do us good.”
27. And lastly, the prophet says of
the Lord, “It repenteth him of the evil.”
This is as if he would say: “It is the
nature of God, to punish with reluctance; and when he is even constrained
thereto, it is not for our destruction, but salvation, that we be
not condemned with the world.”
28. For as soon as thou repentest of sin, and supplicatest the Lord in true
faith, God will also repent of the punishment he intended to inflict. The
words of the Lord to Jonah are very memorable: “Doest thou well to be
angry for the gourd? Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou
hast not labored, neither madest it grow, which came up in a night, and
perished in a night: and should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein
are more than six score thousand persons?”
I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever, and thy remembrance unto all generations.—Ps. 102:9, etc.
In these words four properties of true repentance are enjoined on a sinner.
The first is, to account himself unworthy
of all the mercies of God. This is contained in these words: “I have
eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping:” that is,
There is nothing I can take any more
delight in, and I account myself unworthy of any good or delicious fare.
This, however pleasing it may be to the palate of others, is not more
savory to me than mere ashes.—The same regard to our own unworthiness
is thus inculcated by the Lord: “If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
2. (a) First then, he is commanded
to deny himself: that is, to die to self-will, to self-love, and self-honor, esteeming
himself utterly unworthy of any of the benefits conferred by God
on other men; or judging himself not “worthy of the least of all the
mercies” of God (
3. (b) He is commanded, secondly, to hate himself; that is, to condemn in himself whatever is pleasing and acceptable to the flesh; as honor, luxury, revenge, anger, avarice, and whatever else savors of the flesh. He is to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts, and to abhor in himself its whole offspring, as the work of the devil himself, tending only to increase and nourish the perverse seed of original depravity. And such self-abhorrence in a sinner, will then of necessity be followed by pleading guilty, and by looking upon himself as one worthy of eternal death.
4. (c) The third lesson enjoined in
these words, consists in taking up the
cross, and in following the Lord: that
is, that we, not with a morose and discontented, but with a ready mind,
bear all manner of sufferings, and deem ourselves worthy, not only of
these, but even of far more grievous afflictions. Thus Christ himself, whose
example is set before us, “endured the cross, and despised the shame” (
5. Upon the whole, these things make it appear, that a soul truly humble
and penitent, thinks itself unworthy of all divine benefits, and even of
daily food and refreshment. And this accords with the example of Christ
himself, who, parched with thirst on the cross, and having vinegar given
him mixed with gall, said no more, than, “It is finished.”
6. Now the cause of this great self-abasement, was that profound sense
with which they were affected, that, on account of their sin, they deserved
an eternal curse and condemnation. This consideration lays the returning
sinner very low. He deems himself utterly unworthy even of the least of
the benefits of God. An illustration of this we have in Mephibosheth, the
son of Jonathan. When David was raised to the royal dignity, he called
to mind the kindness of his friend Jonathan, who formerly had delivered
him out of the hand of his father Saul; and commanding search to be
made, whether there remained any of Jonathan's family, to whom he might
make a suitable return of thanks; he at last found Mephibosheth, a lame
and poor man, who, being ordered by David to eat bread at the king's table,
bowed himself, and exclaimed: “What is thy servant, that thou shouldest
look upon such a dead dog as I am?”
7. In like manner does the Prodigal Son, after his repentance, express his
sorrowful mind to his Father: “Father,” says he, “I am no more worthy
to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.”
8. A second property of true repentance, is, to grieve at nothing so much as at the offences offered to God himself. This is intimated in these words: “Because of thine indignation and thy wrath, for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.” That is, Of all my other miseries and griefs, the greatest and most insupportable, is the sense I have of my having so heinously offended the infinitely good, holy, and righteous God.
9. Since God is nothing but love, grace, righteousness, goodness, and
mercy, yea, the original source of all virtue, He must of necessity be offended
with every sin committed by men; since the nature of sin is directly
opposite to the nature of God. Thus
by injustice, the justice of God is offended, he being justice itself. By lying,
the truth of God is offended, he being truth itself. By hatred the love
of God is offended, he being love itself. In a word, since God is the perfection
of all virtue, goodness, and love, it can be no other than diabolical malice to
offend such infinite goodness, such immense
love, nay, Love itself. Had he at any time injured us, it might be no
such great wonder, if we hated him, and offended him in our turn: but
now, that he gives us nothing but what is good—soul, body, and life itself;
that he feeds and clothes us; that he heals our body when it is sick; yea,
pardons our sins when we pour out to him our souls; is ready to receive us
into favor, as often as we return; now that he has given us his only Son with
the Holy Spirit, yea, and Himself too, and adopted us into the number of his
children: and having done all this for men, to be yet offended, opposed, and
hated by them, is a madness, a malice altogether unaccountable and monstrous.
Would it not be most wicked and impious to kill him who gave thee
life; to beat and wound him, who kindly embraced and cherished thee
in his bosom; to insult and affront him, who heaped honors and dignities
upon thee; and to disown and reject him, who had chosen thee for his son?
But all these, and far greater indignities, thou offerest to thy heavenly Father,
10. But how terrible soever the fear of the judgments of God may prove to
an awakened conscience, yet is there some ground of comfort; since the
prophet tells us, that these arrows, these threats, these terrors, are the
arrows and terrors of God himself. And it is God, who having thereby
wounded and broken the heart, heals
and restores it again. It is he that killeth, and it is He that maketh
alive; He boweth down, and He raiseth again (
11. Whosoever, therefore, accounts and feels nothing to be more bitter
and grievous, than to have offended
God, the infinite Good, and Love itself; he only has experimentally learned
the doctrine of contrition, and laid a firm foundation for sound and genuine
godliness. This was one of David's
acts of repentance: “Against
thee,” says he, “Thee only, have I sinned.”
12. The third property of repentance is contained in these words:
“My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like
grass.” That is, a heart truly penitent, is deeply sensible of its own
weakness. It entirely despairs of its own strength and ability, knowing
itself to be as destitute of life and power, as the very shadow; and as
empty of spirit and moisture, as the grass that fadeth away. The same
is affirmed in another Psalm: “Behold, thou hast made my days as a
handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily, every man at
his best state is altogether vanity.”
13. O! how noble a step would it be toward the attainment of substantial
wisdom, were man but sensible of
his own nothingness! Man is nothing, as a shadow is nothing. As a
shadow is without life, and without substance of itself, and vanishes at
the departure of the sun; so is the condition of man, whenever the Lord
withdraws the light of life from him! And it is worthy of observation, that,
the nearer the sun is, the less are the shadows observed to be; and on the
contrary, the farther the sun removes from us, the larger the shadows appear.
The same happens to man: the more of God and his gifts is present with a
good man, the less he esteems himself, the less he boasts of himself, and of
what he calls his. On the contrary, the farther a man is removed from
God, the greater he is in his own eyes; the more he is puffed up with his parts
and abilities, the more he extends the bounds of his pride, and the less he
knows how to keep within proper compass. Again, as shadows at the
setting of the sun are greatest, though then just ready to disappear and vanish
away; their greatness being but a forerunner of their approaching end;
so it is with the shadows of this world, and the whole train of vain pomps and
pleasures. They pass away suddenly when we are most lifted up by them.
As the shadows vanish upon the withdrawing of the sun; so when an empty
man becomes great in his own eyes,
the divine sun sets upon him unexpectedly,
and he returns to be nothing,
even when he thought to be something. Moreover, as the shadow has no life
of itself, but entirely moves with the
motion of the sun, upon which it depends: so man of his own nature, is
nothing but a body destitute of life and motion; and it is God alone who
is able to put life and motion in it. The shadow of a tall and goodly tree
moves not, except as the tree itself is moved; so man only liveth and moveth
in God (
14. Now when a man by true humility is thoroughly persuaded of all this, and is convinced that he is nothing in the sight of God but a lifeless shadow, then, verily, his repentance is unfeigned, and his heart right before the Lord. And as it is appointed unto all men once to undergo a natural death, so ought all daily to die unto sin, that they may live unto God, and depart happily out of this mortal life, when all the shadows disappear. This daily dying to the world, as it is the best exercise, so it is also the best preparation for the hour of death; and if we earnestly practise the former, we shall then be fitted for undergoing the latter. That which we most frequently practise, becomes most perfect to us.
15. The fourth property of true repentance,
is union with God, implied in
these words: But thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever, and thy remembrance unto
all generations. As if the prophet had
said: “Though I am persuaded, that I am a perishing shadow, and wither
like grass (
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.—2 Cor. 5:17.
All that are in Christ by faith, are “new creatures;” that is,
they are the children of God, are righteous before God, have forgiveness
of sin, and the Holy Ghost; they are partakers of the divine nature (
2. Thence the name of a Christian
is a higher and more excellent name than all the names in the world. It
is a greater name than is to be found in palaces and courts, a name above
all posts of greatness, above the whole
3. Behold how Christ made himself the servant of all! how humble was
he in heart! how meek in spirit! how
kind and gracious in words! how benevolent in his behavior! how merciful
towards the poor! how compassionate towards the distressed! how
patient towards his slanderers! how calm in his answers! how merciful
towards sinners! Whom did he ever despise? whom did he ever revile, being
reviled? How condescending was he to the very meanest! how ready
to show acts of grace to all, without distinction! how heartily did he seek
the salvation of all men, praying for his very enemies and murderers!
Teach me thy way, O Lord: I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.—Ps. 86:11.
This way is Christ. He says, “I am the way.”
2. Faith apprehends the Person of Christ, and his office; Love follows Christ in his life and conversation; Hope seizes on the glory that is hereafter to be revealed in Christ. Faith must have no other Christ, no other Redeemer, no other Saviour, no other Mediator and Way to life, but Jesus Christ only. Love sets before itself the one only life of Christ, as the most perfect and shining pattern to which to conform itself. Hope looks up steadfastly to Christ, as the glorious Captain of our salvation, keeping its eye fixed upon his everlasting kingdom above. This, this is the right way; this is the unerring truth, wherein we are to walk; and this is what is meant by having the heart united, to fear the Lord's name.
3. These three chief virtues are allied again to three other virtues.
The alliance of faith, is with humility; of love, with patience; and of hope,
with prayer. For he that believeth, humbleth himself; he that loveth, is
patient; and he that hopeth, learns to pray, and boldly to approach the
throne of grace. O how goodly and beautiful is this way! This is the
way of God, the way of salvation, the path to glory, even our great Master's
way! And may He himself teach us this way of truth, and inspire us with
courage to walk in it! Where this frame of mind is, there the soul is
firmly united to the fear of the Lord;
and this is that one thing which David
desired.
Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.—2 Cor. 8:9.
All who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are written “in
the book of life” (
2. The whole of his life, from his tender infancy to his death, was made up of nothing but a continual series of crosses and afflictions; insomuch that he took hardly any step without the inseparable attendance either of a pressing poverty, or of great contempt, or of most exquisite pains and sufferings: and into these three heads the entire extent of the life of Christ may be fitly resolved.
3. The poverty which the Lord endured, may be considered again under
a threefold aspect. In the first place, he was poor in relation to outward
things. This he himself declared: “The foxes,” says he, “have holes, and
the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to
lay his head.”
4. This indigence in worldly goods was attended by another, which was
a poverty of friends. Nothing was more visible in his birth than meanness
and poverty. He was born at Bethlehem, the least among the cities
of Judah, and of a mother that was destitute of all wealth and worldly
greatness.
5. The third degree of the Lord's
poverty, was the state of his humiliation,
whereby, laying aside the form of God, he humbled himself, and made
himself of no reputation.
6. In a word, for our sakes, he made himself subject to all creatures. He
took upon him the form of a servant, that by his lowliness, he might repair
our losses, and reinstate us in that
sovereign dominion over all the creatures, which we had lost. He rose
from the dead again, and gained a perfect conquest at last, thereby to purchase
for us an everlasting victory. He suffered himself to be tempted by
the devil (
7. Thus the Strongest became weak; the Almighty infirm; the most Glorious, became most despicable; the most Beautiful, most abhorred and hated; the most Exalted, most exposed himself to temptations of all kinds, to sufferings and difficulties, to pains and hardships. Hereby he designed to check and put to shame our sinful tenderness and effeminacy. We are, alas! so tender and delicate that the smallest cross is now complained of as an insufferable burden, and a little trouble and toil undergone for the sake of God and our neighbor, seems a sufficient plea why men should start back into the smooth way, and forsake the Lord; whereas he sends such trials upon men for the purpose of promoting thereby the recovery of their own souls, and the glory of his name.
8. Thus the Lord laid aside for a while the form of God. But this was
not all. He did no less lay aside the use of the divine wisdom which resided
in him. His conversation with others was plain and easy; and he
behaved himself like a man who had
not learned letters, as the Jews expressed it.
9. This simplicity of our Lord was manifested herein also, that he made
no display of his glory and majesty. So great was his condescension, that
he freely conversed with sinners. He did eat and drink with them; and this
for no other reason, but to complete thereby the great work for which he
was sent, which was, to “seek and to save that which was lost.”
10. Now he might have gained a greater repute than John himself,
who, according to the Lord's own testimony, was a “burning and a shining
light.”
11. In short, the Lord forsook all that is lofty and grand in the world.
He was a king, and yet would be subject to kings and magistrates, nay, to
Joseph and his mother, though they were so mean and indigent. “He
went down with them to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.”
12. Alas! how great is our folly! Our Head despised worldly honor,
13. Consider, therefore, O man, whether the way wherein thou walkest agrees with that excellent way wherein thy Lord and Master walked himself. If thou despisest the narrow way of Jesus, and followest the way of the world, then know certainly that thy way, though smooth and pleasing for a while, will end in utter destruction at last! And thus the first part of Christ's life of sorrow and poverty has been described.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.—Isa. 53:3.
The second head of the life of poverty of Christ, is the contempt
which he endured from the world. After thou hast read over
and seriously considered the lesson of
poverty exhibited by the Lord, take also a view of the deep and unaffected
humility, which was so eminently seen in his whole life and conduct. Never
did he catch at the applause of men; never was he actuated by ambition,
or any thirst after temporal honor and greatness: on the contrary, whenever
men offered to bestow honors and praises upon him, he refused
them, both by word and by deed: never did he accept of any honor
from men; nay, not even when “they would take him by force to make him
a king.”
2. In the course of our Lord's life, there is not only displayed to us the
abounding treasure of redemption gained by Christ; but it is also most
clearly demonstrated, that in this scene of suffering, he is our great
teacher and master, our prophet and shepherd, our instructor, light, and
constant monitor; that also we, by looking unto him, may learn to despise
earthly pomp and greatness; and by closely adhering to him, like true
members to their head, “grow up into him in all things” (
3. But when our lives are contrary to the life of him who is designed to
be our Head; when in our actions, words, and endeavors, we do not entirely
aim at God's glory, but our own; it is more than evident, that Christ
does not live in us, but rather the prince of this world. It is then plain,
that we have not yet learned to love Christ, and that we are not yet loose
from the various ties of this world;
for “whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world” (
Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.—Heb. 12:3.
It is a most moving complaint uttered by the Messiah: “I became
a reproach unto them; when they looked upon me, they shaked their
heads. Help me, O Lord my God; O save me according to thy mercy; that
they may know that this is thy hand; that thou Lord hast done it. Let them
curse, but bless thou; when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy
servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame; and let them
cover themselves with their own confusion as with a mantle. I will greatly
praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from
those that condemn his soul.”
2. This pathetic complaint of the Lord our Redeemer, every Christian
ought to represent to himself as a mirror, in which to behold the life of
Christ under the cross, together with that of all the saints in general. This
way of the cross has been copiously set forth in the Book of Psalms, in
order to render it the more familiar to us, and to teach us betimes, that “we
must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
3. Now, as the 109th Psalm above-mentioned, contains a prayer of Christ poured out in the midst of his sufferings; so it mentions, in the latter part, three kinds of trouble more particularly, with which the Lord found himself oppressed.
4. In the first place, the Lord complaineth of a vehement anxiety of
heart, declared in this manner: “I am poor and needy, and my heart is
wounded within me.” Ver. 22. Behold, what complaints this holy, this
eminent Person is reduced to! And what is the reason of them? Surely,
to acquaint us in the most affectionate terms, with all that he hath suffered
for our sake. He says, “I am poor;” and lo! thou toilest to get estates, to
hoard up riches; and yet when thou
hast them, thou art still poor and discontented in the possession of them.
He says, “I am needy;” and thou, O man, art entirely bent upon thy ease,
prosperity, and fulness of bread! He
5. The Lord continues his complaint thus: “I am gone like the shadow
when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees are
weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.”
6. Thirdly, the Lord complains of the great contempt he underwent in this world, in order to stop us in our pursuit after vain honor, pride, and self-esteem. “I became,” says he, “a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.” What indignity is there like unto this! But the Anointed of the Lord endured it all for no other end, than to rescue mankind from eternal scorn and infamy; for man having become a scorner and hater of God, Christ was designed to make atonement for so heinous a sin, by the extreme contempt which he willingly endured. However, as the Lord by his humble submission to the contempt of the world, has laid a mighty obligation on all Christians to be his followers therein; so the considerations here annexed, may be of use for supporting a man under sufferings of that nature.
7. First consider, that in bearing the contempt of the world, thou bearest
no less than the very image of Christ, and followest him who is thy Head
and Master.
8. (2) To be contemned and disrespectfully used by the world, is of
great efficacy for improving thyself in true humility; a virtue which finds
favor with God. “For God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the
humble.”
9. (3) Thy suffering of reproaches for the sake of truth, is an evidence
that thou art ranked with that cloud of witnesses, who in all ages have
been made “as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things,” and
so continue to be esteemed “unto this day.”
10. (4) Remember that those that are come out “of great tribulation,
shall be before the throne of God” at
last (
11. (5) Of what consequence is it how contemptuously the world uses
thee, since thou art not to rise in the last day (as many shall), “to shame
and everlasting contempt” (
12. (6) Remember that God does not withhold his grace from thee in
this world. When the world frowns, God favors. When men withdraw
their kindness, then God confers his mercy. For this purpose the Psalmist
prays: “Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy;
that they may know that this is thy hand, and that thou, Lord, hast done
it.”
13. (7) It was God himself who suffered his beloved Son to be thus contemned,
reproached, and reviled, according to the words of the Psalm:
“Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my
face.”
14. (8) Be sure that the Lord will change all the undeserved reproaches
thrown upon thee, into so many blessings,
15. (9) The Lord goes on in the aforesaid Psalm: “I will greatly praise
the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.”
16. (10) The Psalm concludes, “For he shall stand at the right hand of the
poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.”
Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise, etc.—Ps. 109:1, etc
This is a prayer of the eternal Son of God. The purport or substance of this prayer, may be more fully expressed in this manner:
“My Heavenly Father! thou knowest that in this world I have not
sought my own glory, but the glory of thy holy name, and the salvation
of all men: and therefore am I so bitterly persecuted, blasphemed, contemned,
and vilified. Nevertheless, this is my comfort, that thou art my
Father, and that I am thy only begotten Son: lo! this is my glory, in
heaven with thee. And this my glory wilt thou in due time manifest and
bring to light; that by thy glorifying of me, the world may see who it is
whom they have blasphemed and persecuted.”
2. Hence we are to learn, that such have the greatest glory and praise in heaven, who in this world are the most persecuted for righteousness' sake. This we may gather from the example of our Lord himself. From him, the true Book of Life, we may learn true wisdom. But that we may the better understand that his example and holy life are our Book of Life, let us carefully observe the following considerations: (1) Christ never sought upon earth his own glory in anything, but accounted it sufficient for him, that God alone was his glory. So let us, in like manner, reject the empty glory and praises of this world, in whatever we do; endeavoring only that God be glorified in us, saying, “Ah, Lord God! give us also such a heart, even the heart of Christ thy Son, that we may have our glory in Thee alone, and not in ourselves; that we may have our glory in heaven, and not upon earth.”
3. (2) It was the highest glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he was the
only begotten Son of God. And for this reason did the world persecute,
vilify, and blaspheme him. Here let
4. (3) It is the glory of the Lord Jesus, that he wrought so many divine works, that he went about continually doing the most wondrous acts of grace and beneficence to mankind: and that he did this from pure love only, and from the highest compassion for the miseries of fallen nature; although he received nothing but hatred and most heinous ingratitude in return. “Grant us, blessed God, grateful and faithful hearts, so that we may be always ready to do good to as many as we possibly can; and that we may never be deterred from acts of charity, by the unthankfulness of the world, ascribing not to ourselves, but to thy name only, the glory of all that we do.”
5. (4) It is the highest glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, that out of pure love, he laid down his life for us; that he purchased us with his own blood; that he was obedient to the Father, even unto death; that with the greatest meekness he endured the vilest reproach; and with the utmost patience, bore the pains of the cross. “O God, our glory, help us, that we may also overcome our enemy with love; that we may subdue our flesh with godly obedience; bear the reproach of the world with the meekness and long suffering of Christ; obtain the victory through patience; and being thus made strong in the Lord, be more than conquerors through him that loved us!”
6. (5) The highest glory of the blessed Jesus, is his exaltation to the
right hand of God, and the name given him, which is “above every name;
that, at the name of Jesus, every knee, both in heaven and in earth, should
bow, and all tongues confess him to be their Lord.”
7. (6) The glory of Christ the Lord is, that he is the only Head of his Church in general, and of every member thereof in particular; a glorious King of his people; and an everlasting High priest, making intercession for us. “Help us with thy grace, O God most gracious, that we may evermore account it our greatest glory, that we are members of thy Son, and subjects of his kingdom, and that we may enjoy all the privileges and benefits purchased by his high-priestly intercession, sacrifice, and benediction.”
8. (7) Another branch of the glory
of Christ is, that God has most wonderfully displayed and magnified his
name throughout the whole world:
and has (in opposition to all his enemies, blasphemers, and persecutors,
who would not own him to be the Son of God), in the most public and solemn
manner attested his cause, declared him to be his Son by mighty signs
and wonders, and established faith in
9. The conclusion of the whole is
this: It is God alone who is to be our
glory; it is not the world, nor wealth, nor honor, nor greatness, nor the arm
of flesh, that I may call my glory; but God, and only God, is my glory!
Wherefore, “let not the wise man glory in his wisdom” (as it is written),
“neither let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory
in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord.”
Mine enemies reproach me all the day, and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.—Ps. 102:8.
Among the many crosses and troubles of a Christian, a false and slanderous tongue is none of the least, as we may evidently see, from the example of Christ himself, whom the Pharisees, with their envenomed tongues, both in his life and at his death, did most maliciously sting.
2. Herein the Lord left a pattern of patience to every Christian, who
must not think to escape, since the great Master himself was wounded by
malicious tongues. The more conformable any one is to Christ, and
the more zealously he follows Christ's steps, the more is he also insulted
by false and deceitful tongues. This plainly appears from the example of
holy David, who was tormented by slanderers, as he himself complains in
the following Psalms: 3, 4, 10, 12, 15,
31, 50, 52, 55, 58, 64, 69, 102, 120, and 140. Indeed, there is no one of the
prophets of old who did not have these deadly arrows shot against him
by murderous tongues; for “their tongue is an arrow shot out: he
speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his
wait.”
3. Now, since a Christian is forbidden to retort evil for evil (
4. (1) Let thy first comfort be the example of Christ and of all the
saints. It fares no worse with us in this respect, than with Christ our
Head, and with all that have ever been most dear to him. Nothing of
this kind has befallen us, which has not been before in all ages undergone
by his followers. And since the examples of others have generally a
strong influence on our lives, and
readily suggest themselves to our remembrance in time of trouble; we
ought, therefore, to improve all those instances into an encouragement to
bear our treatment with patience, for the sake of the joy that usually
springs up from the reproach of the cross. Look then upon the Prince of
thy salvation, look upon the lives of all the saints of old, those who have
been the greatest lights in their generation. Consider the example of
Moses, who esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
in Egypt (
5. (2) It is not enough, however, slightly and superficially to reflect on
the example of the saints; but we
must learn also to be followers of them, when we are tried as they
were, and in every tribulation copy after their meekness and patience.
How shall meekness appear, or how shall patience be exercised, if thou be
not contradicted; or if there be none
6. (3) From the examples of the saints, we are, in the next place, to
learn a sovereign remedy, which they made use of against the venom of
evil tongues. This is prayer. They prayed, and so they were healed and
comforted. When they were bitterly cursed by their adversaries, they sent
up only their cry to God, saying: “Let them curse; but bless thou.”
7. (4) Another remedy against the
poison of a wicked tongue, is the frequent
reading and meditating upon the
Word of God. This is an excellent means of consolation and refreshment,
whenever a soul is insulted and pursued by enemies. An upright heart
hunted by men of falsehood and malice, is like a hart, whose thirst increases
by being hunted; and as this pants after the water brooks (
8. (5) Thou art further to learn, that such calumny is a hellish storm, which
soon rises, and soon blows over. As a traveller is not disheartened at any
tempestuous weather he is liable to meet with upon the road, but provides
himself the more against it: so let the spiritual pilgrim never be cast down
by storms and tempests; but let him go on in hope, and continue faithful
to the end of his journey. This has been uniformly the state of the true
church. “O thou afflicted,” says the prophet, “tossed with tempest, and
not comforted!”
9. (6) Besides this, there are some other particular reasons, why the Lord
permits his children to be persecuted by virulent tongues. When David in
his sore troubles was cursed by Shimei, he said no more than, “Let him curse;
for the Lord hath bidden him.”
10. (7) Therefore as the Lord is
faithful on his side, so he seeks to convert the venom of impious tongues
thrown upon his children, into a precious medicine, by which to heal that
self-love which is fostered within, and which engenders abundance of other
spiritual diseases in the mind. When the world meditates evil against them,
then God brings good out of the evil. As out of a certain poisonous serpent
an antidote is prepared against poison itself, so God overrules the worst of
counsels, and makes them turn to the greatest good to his children. Thus
“all things work together for good to them that love God.”
11. (8) Another comfort in trials of this nature, may be drawn from
the control which the Lord exercises over the hearts of all men. It is he
that “looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth, from the place of his
habitation.” He “fashioneth their hearts; he considereth all their
works” (
12. (9) Lastly, it is the nature of a
malignant tongue, to swell high suddenly, and by rage and fury to gain
universal applause and admiration; but its downfall is as sudden as its
rise. Calumny is like a fire, the flame of which mounts up to the very sky;
but the want of fuel will soon make
it go down again. The reason is, because God, who is the everlasting
Truth, hates a spirit of lies, and cannot endure it. And this is also the
reason, why those that have raised their greatness on no other foundation
than lying and self-conceit, may indeed dazzle the eyes of others for a
season; but when they flatter themselves as fixed in an unshaken condition,
then generally their ruin is ready
at hand, and the Lord's judgment destroys all. Then “the lying lips are
put to silence, which spoke grievous things proudly and contemptuously
against the righteous” (
Sundry consolatory passages, selected from the Psalms, for those who are assailed by the reproaches of enemies.
13. Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of
mine head. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all
mine enemies upon the cheek-bone;
thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
14. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor
the bloody and deceitful man.—There is no faithfulness in their mouth; their
15. Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and
be ashamed suddenly.
16. O Lord, my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them
that persecute me, and deliver me:
lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to
deliver.—Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief,
and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into
the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head,
and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
17. Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of thy
wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who
compass me about.
18. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be
saved from mine enemies.—In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried
unto my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before
him, even unto his ears.
19. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the
Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the
wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my
flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my
heart shall not fear: though war should
rise against me, in this will I be confident.—For in the time of trouble he
shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide
me; he shall set me up upon a rock.—Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead
me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.—For false witnesses are risen
up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I
had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord.
20. But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times
are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them
that persecute me.—Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous
things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.—Oh how great
is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou
hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou
shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou
shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21. Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord
chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the
Lord persecute them.
22. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against
the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and
wither as the green herb.—The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth
upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that
his day is coming. The wicked have
23. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth
not his mouth. Then I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth
are no reproofs.—For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually
before me.
24. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my
sorrow was stirred.—I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou
didst it.—For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers
were.
25. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall
never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them
down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not
live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
26. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth
in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until
these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God
that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me
from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth
his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among
them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears
and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above
the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a
net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before
me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. My heart is fixed,
O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory;
awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee,
O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy
mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou
exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.
27. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy; who whet their tongue
like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words;
that they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at
him, and fear not.—But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly
shall they be wounded. So shall they make their own tongue to
fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
28. Mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take
counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him; persecute and take him;
for there is none to deliver him.—I will go in the strength of the Lord
God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. O
God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared
thy wondrous works. Now also when
29. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not
suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold,
he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord
is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall
not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve
thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve
thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
30. Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent
man; which imagine mischiefs in
their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. They have
sharpened their tongues like a serpent: adders' poison is under their
lips. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me
from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings. The
proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the
way side; they have set nets for me. I said unto the Lord, Thou art my
God: hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. O God, the Lord, the
strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device;
lest they exalt themselves. As for the head of those that compass me about,
let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon
them; let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up
again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall
hunt the violent man to overthrow him. I know that the Lord will
maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely
the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in
thy presence.
31. I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did
I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before
him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou
knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare
for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that
would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto
thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of
the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me
from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out
of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about:
for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.—Matt. 26:38.
The third branch of the cross of Christ consists in the unspeakable
sorrow and sufferings which began at his very birth. For as his most holy
human soul was filled with the light of divine knowledge and wisdom, by
virtue of the personal union of his two
natures, he saw all that he should experience in the future, as if it were
already present; and thus his soul was, from the beginning, filled with
the deepest sorrow, and suffered inward
pain. He foresaw his future inconceivable and inexpressible agony
of soul, and his unspeakable bodily pains. For the more delicate, pure,
and innocent, the human nature in Christ was, the greater were the pain
and anguish that affected him. Of
this those sorrows and spiritual torments, that are wont to work upon
the inmost soul, are a sufficient proof. For inasmuch as the constitution of
the soul, by reason of its immortality, exceeds that of the body in worth and
delicacy; so also her pains exceed those of the body in depth and acuteness.
For this reason the Lord never rejoiced upon his own account, and with reference
only to himself; but it was when he saw that his Heavenly Father was
known and worshipped, and his divine works manifested unto the world.
Hence “he rejoiced in spirit” at the return of the seventy disciples.
2. Since all those things, which he was to suffer, from his own people and
countrymen, were known to him, he could not but be highly afflicted and
in constant sorrow; and this was also still more the case, the more nearly he
approached the time appointed for his
passion. This he himself testifies, saying, “I have a baptism to be baptized
with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!”
3. The second reason of this exquisite grief was, because he bore the sins
of the world: not merely those sins which from the beginning of the
world had been committed, but those also which men should become guilty
of through all ages, down to the very end of the world. And, therefore,
such as are the number and malignity
of all sins, of all men, through all generations; such also were the pain and
sorrow endured by the Lord. For
4. Thirdly, the sufferings of Christ were heightened by that perfect love which he bore to his heavenly Father. The greater our love is, the greater is also the grief occasioned by what interferes with it: as on the contrary, the less it is, the less are we troubled by that which thwarts it. Since, therefore, Christ loved his heavenly Father with most exalted and consummate love, his affliction must needs have been the more grievous, on account of the heinousness of sin, with which fallen men so shamefully insulted so beloved a Father. Hence the sins of the whole world, with the pains he endured for them, did not so much affect him, as the sorrow he felt on account of the indignity offered to a God, who, in his very nature, is love itself. And it was upon account of this love of the Father (which deserved all the returns of love the creature was able to make), that Christ sustained most exquisite pains, and a most ignominious death; in order that by a satisfaction proportionable to the offence, he might regain for wretched mortals that love and favor of God which they had forfeited by their offences.
5. In the fourth place, the suffering of Christ was endured on account of
his perfect love to mankind. For as
he died for all, and bore the sins of all, so also was he exceedingly desirous to
see the object of his death accomplished, which is the salvation of all
men. Hence the unbelief and impenitence of men, which hindered this love
from taking effect upon sinners, caused him most grievous and bitter torments:
but especially was he pained that they threw away their souls when he desired
to save them. Not to mention the cruel hatred and envy, wrath and
blasphemy, by which some were hurried on, even to trample on that blood
which was designed to redeem them. He himself says, “Reproach hath broken
my heart” (
6. Fifthly: another circumstance which pierced the very heart of our
Lord, was his being forsaken of God, notwithstanding he was the Son of
God himself. For though it is true that God could not forsake him, who
himself was God, and did not cease to be God even when he hung on the
cross, when he expired, and when he was buried; yet does he complain of
being forsaken by him.
7. The sixth aggravation of the anguish of Christ, was on account of his Person, for he was very God. Whence it is plain, that all the reproaches and blasphemies uttered against him were an infinite evil, as being directed against the entire Person of Christ, who was true God and man; and so he endured, both as God and man, the revilings of his enemies in his whole Person. All this left a most exquisite impression of sorrow upon his soul.
8. And, in the seventh place, who is able sufficiently to explain what pains
the Lord suffered in his most innocent, most holy, most tender, and delicate
body? Or who can doubt that a body
9. Since, then, affliction is to be the companion of a Christian in his way
to heaven, or, to use the apostle's phrase, since he must, “through much
tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God” (
10. In fine, as the Lord did not spare himself, but devoted himself entirely to the service of others, undergoing all from no other impulse than fervent love and charity; so this love, of our Redeemer should awaken love in our souls, and never should we grow faint and weary under any affliction whatever.
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back side.—Rev. 5:1.
Christ crucified is set before our eyes as a Book of Life, whence
we may learn the sacred wisdom of
God, which is in him eminently displayed. For the whole Scripture, the
Law and all the prophets, are completely fulfilled in him by his most
perfect obedience, wherein he was
2. In the first place, the Crucified Jesus presents us with a deplorable sight of our sins, both as to their number and heinousness. By the lamentable complaint into which he burst forth, he manifested that inward anguish of soul, which he suffered for the hidden and secret sins of our hearts. In his wounded and mangled body, bleeding on the cross, he leads us to behold and read, as in a book, the malignity of those sins which we have committed by all our members, in having yielded them up to the government of lust.
3. Besides this, the devout soul may behold in Christ Crucified, the justice
of God in judging sinners. There was no other means by which to remove
both our sin and the punishment attending it, than this high atonement
made by the Lord himself. And hence we may learn that God is so
far from letting any sin go unpunished, that he will rather deliver up his most
beloved Son unto death than connive at the transgression of a sinner.
4. Hence the soul may, further, contemplate the infinite love and condescending mercy of the Heavenly Father, most wonderfully displayed in our Crucified Saviour. Rather than that we should forever perish in our wretched state, and be subject to eternal death and damnation, he would have his own Son make satisfaction for us; which we ourselves, yea, and all the other creatures besides, had never been able to perform.
5. The contemplation of Christ Crucified will, in the next place, lead us to a sight of the most gracious will, providence and fatherly care of God, as it respects the recovery of lost mankind. No opposition was so great, no difficulty so stubborn and obstinate, which he did not conquer by his beloved Son, the author of our salvation. That we might inherit everlasting joy, he left nothing untried, nor did he spare even his own Son.
6. In the same Book of Life (the
Crucified Jesus), appears also the infinite wisdom of God, namely, in finding
out a means of salvation, such as could never have entered into the thoughts
of any creature whatever, and which,
at the same time, revealed both the justice and the mercy of God. For the
work of our salvation was so wisely ordered, that by manifesting the infinite
mercy of God, his justice was not at all infringed; as, on the other hand, Christ
by his death has so atoned for sin, that in satisfying the claims of strict
justice, his infinite mercy is rendered more bright and conspicuous. And as
by eating of the forbidden tree, the first Adam (
7. In Christ Crucified farther appears the brightest and fairest pattern of patience and meekness that was ever seen. So far was he from revenging the injuries done him, that he made intercession to his Father for his revilers, yea, even laid down his life for the sins of those who put him to death.
8. The believer discovers, moreover, in Christ the most astonishing humility, wherein he was so eminent, that he readily underwent the most ignominious death of the cross. Thus are the death and passion of Christ become to a faithful soul, redemption from hell, an avenue into paradise, a complete reconciliation with God, a victory over the devil, that great enemy of souls; a full satisfaction for sins, and in one word, an entire recovery of that original righteousness which had been lost.
9. By all this, it sufficiently appears to a Christian soul, that Christ Crucified is indeed a Book of Life, teaching nothing but the eternal and infallible truths of God. Let us then silently sit down at the feet of our Crucified Lord, who, as the great Teacher of souls, and Book of Life, will not neglect to instil into an humble heart, the lesson of a living faith, and of a holy life consequent on it; provided we desire to be not dead, but living members of his body, and to be so controlled and influenced both by his life and his death, as to produce abundant living fruits.
I will seek him whom my soul loveth.—Song of Sol. 3:2.
Since the living knowledge of God and of Christ crucified, is not to be
attained, unless we keep our eye constantly fixed upon the innocent and
holy life of Jesus Christ our Lord; and since we cannot arrive at this elevation
of mind, but by devout, humble, believing and earnest prayer; it is,
therefore, highly necessary to make some further inquiry into the nature
of prayer. It consists not so much in
an utterance of words, as in a meditation or intercourse of the believing
heart with God, and in a lifting up of the soul, and of all her faculties and
powers, to our Heavenly Father.
2. And as it falls under a threefold
denomination, it being either oral, internal,
or supernatural (according to St. Paul: “I will pray with the spirit,
and I will pray with the understanding also;”
3. Oral prayer is an humble address to God, and an external exercise,
which conducts the soul to the internal duty of prayer, and leads man into
the interior recesses of his own heart;
4. Internal prayer is offered up without intermission, in faith, spirit, and
mind, according to the words of our Saviour: “The true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in
truth” (
5. This is the school in which the soul learns to know God aright, and,
as it were, to taste him.
6. This the soul now and then perceives in a glance, which lasts but for
a moment, and then vanishes again;
7. Thus none is permitted to attain unto mental prayer, but he who begins with that which is oral; and none can have an access to the supernatural prayer, or to a union with the highest and most delightful Good, but by mental prayer. But this highest can only be known by an experimental perception, not expressible by words.
8. And this is the cause why God
so strictly, so frequently, and so earnestly enjoins prayer (
9. If, therefore, thou desirest that thy prayer be acceptable to God, see that thou perform it not with a divided, but with a whole and entire heart. But this is not to be attained, except by frequent exercise and continual and unwearied application. Without this, thou canst not reap the fruits of prayer. On the contrary, as often as thou givest attendance to any external work, take care that thou set not thy heart wholly upon it. If thou eatest and drinkest, or attendest to any other outward affair incident to this life, see that thou bestow not thyself, that is, thy whole heart, upon it. For thy heart is to rest entirely in God alone, and closely to adhere to him by internal prayer. The more thou offerest up thyself to God by this prayer, the more will the divine light display itself in thy mind. And again, the more the knowledge of God is enlarged, the more delightful will be thy sense and perception of the highest good; the more ardent also and affectionate will be thy love to the Lord; and in fine, the more capable wilt thou be of enjoying him. The soul thus disposed will in a supernatural manner taste of a happiness so high and transcendent as infinitely to exceed all the language and expressions of men.
10. Of this threefold prayer, Jesus Christ himself has furnished us with
a bright and perfect pattern, whence we may learn the nature and method
of it, if we but attentively consider his manner of praying. We find that
he often continued whole days and nights in prayer to God.
11. Lest, however, we should allege that so noble an effect as that which
results from a due performance of prayer was not attainable by us, the
Lord did not think it enough to say: “Ask,” but he has encouraged us also
with a promise annexed: “And ye shall receive, that your joy may be
full.”
12. Set, therefore, this mirror of prayer before thine eyes, and study
to persevere therein. Whenever thou feelest thyself faint and weak in
prayer, then seriously advert to thy Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed not for
himself, or upon his own account, but for thee and upon thy account, and thus
sanctified thy prayer and blessed it, and added life and efficacy to it. Him,
therefore, behold, who, though he was true God, and consequently in actual
possession of all things, yet as man, obtained for thee of his Heavenly
Father, all things by prayer. And hence as his whole life was a continual
and uninterrupted prayer, and a perpetual longing to do the will of God:
so he finished it with praying upon the cross.
13. If then thy Lord and Saviour prayed so fervently upon thy account, and was heard; surely he will not suffer thy prayers to be poured forth in vain. Did he procure all things for thee by prayer? And thinkest thou that thou canst obtain the least blessing without it? Thou knowest that without divine grace, light, and knowledge, and, in fine, without faith, not one can be saved; but it is no less plain that these and all other graces can be obtained by prayer alone. It is the Lord whom thou must entreat by fervent prayer, so as to obtain from him faith, love, hope, humility, patience, the Holy Spirit, together with the whole train of Christian virtues, which he is both able and willing to give, as well as to strengthen in thy soul. It is He alone that createth them in the heart. But as he that hath them not, cannot give them, so the Lord, whose gift they are, will not give them without being asked.
14. If then thou art truly desirous of pouring out thy soul before the Lord in fervency of spirit, there is not a more ready and effectual means of doing this than with the eyes of thy mind to behold the mirror of the most meek and humble life of Christ: to keep thy eyes attentively fixed upon the poverty, the reproach and contempt, the griefs and sorrows, and the most ignominious death of thy blessed Redeemer. Into this Book of Prayer, if thou diligently look, thy heart and mind will become inflamed with most affectionate and ardent desires. And though the devil and the flesh will not cease to assault thee with temptations on all hands, yet, by means of prayer, they shall be subdued at last.
15. Nor is the duty of prayer only
stirred up and revived by the contemplation of Christ crucified, but the
heart is also cleansed thereby. Without this purification of the heart by
faith (
16. With reference to the temptations that are wont to attend the duty
of prayer, thou must behave thyself under them as the Lord himself did.
In the midst of the agony which he suffered on the mount of Olives, “he
prayed the more earnestly.”
17. The most considerable temptation and obstruction in prayer seems
to be when God withdraws the grace of a fervent and lively devotion. And
yet it is in this case that we ought the more to stir ourselves up to prayer and
supplication. It is true, a prayer poured forth in a spirit of power and
fervency must needs be acceptable to God; yet that which climbs up to the
throne of grace in affliction, temptation, spiritual dryness, and brokenness
of soul, is still more pleasing in his sight. For as the heart of a father is
sooner softened into paternal tenderness, by the trembling words of a sick
and languishing child, than by the strong voice of one in perfect health;
so is the secret affliction, and feeble effort of a soul affected with a sense
of her weakness in faith, of her poverty in spirit, and of her want of spiritual
life and comfort, far more acceptable to our infinitely good God than
the more vigorous petition of a soul elevated by a sense of faith and divine
consolation. Only hold out patiently
in these spiritual straits, and be assured that the Lord, in his own time,
will certainly “restore unto thee the joy of his salvation.”
Be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.—1 Pet. 5:5, 6.
Without true humility all prayer is in vain. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Book from which this noble virtue is best learned; as he is, indeed, a perfect mirror to us of all the virtues and graces. Look on his life, and thou wilt find it made up of nothing but love and humility. Look on his doctrine, and thou wilt discern it to be absolute wisdom and truth; a doctrine consisting not in words, but in a living power; and in very deed itself.
2. Now, in order that we might
3. The humble Jesus chose to exemplify this as his concluding work: after
his last supper, he took a towel and girded himself, and then “washed his
disciples' feet;” that so he might by such example implant this virtue in
all that should be ever called by his name, and might most sensibly imprint
it on the heart of every one to whom this Gospel should come. Wherefore
he also saith: “Know ye what I have done to you?”
4. And now let us show that without humility all prayer to God is utterly
vain. Humility is a bright light in the heart, in which there is at once
discovered to us our own nothingness, and the high majesty and overflowing
goodness of God. Hence the more any man knows himself, the more he
must needs come to the knowledge of his own nothingness. For when
a man sees his own emptiness, and learns that he is destitute in himself
of everything that is good, he begins to pray the more earnestly for the
grace and mercy of God. He pants after, and betakes himself to God, as
to the origin and fountain of all good things; desiring to know him aright,
to praise him, and to honor him as he should. This desire being thus begotten
in him, he pours out his heart by himself, and says, “When shall I
come and appear before God?” In this humility he looks at God's majesty
and greatness, as also at his superabundant love and grace. And hereupon
the streams of grace flow down into such a faithful, humble soul, by
prayer. And divine grace being thus communicated to the thirsty soul,
there is hereby begotten in it a spirit of prayer, which ceases not to ascend
5. Hence it follows, that if any good
befall our neighbor, charity will rejoice; but if any evil happen to him,
it will sorrow. And the humble and the charitable person, behaving himself
courteously and lovingly towards his neighbor on all occasions, does not
rashly judge him, if he behold his misery; much less does he behave
himself haughtily and superciliously towards him, or treat him with contempt.
6. Humble charity judges itself in the first place, examines itself before all, and influences us to condemn ourselves rather than others: and a neighbor's calamity will cause the soul to descend into herself, and deplore herself before God. In another's fall, the lowly and loving soul reads her own defaults, her own sins and transgressions, her own calamity and misery.
7. Moreover, by humility a man is confirmed in the knowledge of God, and established in hope. Having a consciousness of his own ignorance, blindness, and folly, in divine matters, he gives thanks to God for the revelation of his word, and imprints it more diligently on his heart. But considering also, that as he has no knowledge of God and divine things in himself, so likewise all his own abilities are nothing before God: he is hence established in a godly hope, placing his confidence in nothing but God only.
8. Another fruit of humility is, that it renders a man acceptable to others,
even in the very outward course of his life. For it avoids contentions and
quarrels, and composes the whole man to gentleness and benignity. Yea, a
man is conformed by means of it even to Christ himself, who says in one of
9. Besides, humility brings with it true inward peace of the mind; so
that he who is the possessor of it can by no miseries and calamities whatever
be unduly distressed or disquieted, but may with St. Paul say: “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
10. True humility also begets silence. He who is endued therewith, as he is sensible of his own ignorance and foolishness, will beware of speaking a great deal, or of being over-forward to teach others.
11. In short, it is impossible to enumerate how many spiritual benefits and fruits, how many heavenly treasures of virtues and graces, are comprehended in, and flow from, this most noble virtue; so that it may deservedly be regarded as a spiritual treasury. It is, therefore, not without reason, that the Son of God, our light, life, salvation, and treasure, would have us to learn it even of himself. O that this holy wish of our Lord might be fulfilled by all Christians; and that they would with all diligence learn from Him this most excellent virtue!
12. If it be asked, What is the means for acquiring this virtue, and by what way may one arrive at so great a treasure, which abounds so richly in the gifts of celestial grace? I answer, that there are two: first, ardent and devout prayer; and secondly, constant meditation on Christ crucified. Let us look earnestly to the passion and death of Christ, and let us meditate on it, as on a holy Book of life, till this root of the Christian virtues, with all which accompany it, grow up day by day in our hearts, as in a fruitful and well-cultivated soul.
That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.—Luke 16:15.
All works that are a well-pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to God,
can proceed from true faith alone; this will not fail to beget Christian
humility in the heart. The effect of this will be meekly to acknowledge
that with regard to any good that may be found in us, it is wholly and
solely to be ascribed to the grace of God: “Not I, but the grace of God
which was with me.”
2. If, therefore, any man applaud himself, either for knowing or doing anything, verily that man takes to himself the glory which is due to God only, and is thereby an idolater of himself. For this reason, ambition is abominable idolatry: and self-love, and self-esteem, are no less than having another God before him whose name is Jehovah. For this very reason also, the devil seeks to be honored and worshipped in the world.
3. Such a vainglorious devil, covetous of honor and worship from the world, every proud and arrogant person, by thinking highly of himself, cherishes in his heart. If thou be wise, see that thou break down and destroy this idol, which is set up in thy heart. Many persons are so holy that they will not even look upon any outward images, lest they should happen to be defiled by them; not observing, at the same time, that great idol which they carry about with them in their hearts, and by which they are to such a degree defiled as to become an abomination before God. For all that is most highly esteemed by men (through self-love and ambition) is an abomination before God. Whence all who seek only their own honor, or power, or ascribe aught to themselves as their own, are idolaters. Thus the whole world lieth in idolatry; and every house has its living idols.
4. That idolatry which defiles thee, proceeds from within, even from the
heart. To whatsoever thy heart inclines, in whatsoever it acquiesces and
rests, and unto whatsoever it cleaves by love and inclination, whether it be
good fortune, wealth, honor, power, or long life; that very thing immediately
becomes an idol, and has seduced thee into the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is
not any outward pollution; but that
which is internal, spiritual, and springing up within. It is so that God considers
it; He judges all things according to the heart; and it is so only that
he looks, trying the hearts and reins (
5. It hence appears that there are really in the world no other idols but
such as the heart of man makes for him. The devil himself is called “the
god of this world” (
6. Idols of wood are easily avoided, but take heed of the idols of gold.
See that thou be not ensnared by these. It is no hard matter to keep
from dead idols; but take heed that
thou worship not living ones, and especially thyself. As soon as thou ascribest
honor, skill, or power to thyself, thou settest up thyself in the
place of God. This idolatry is properly struck at by God, when he says
that he “will not give his glory to another.”
7. If any one should here ask of me, What then is a Christian to do, if it
please God so to honor him as to give him grace and glory before the world
(
8. As soon, therefore, as any honor is given thee, see that, being mindful
of thy low estate, thou transfer it all to God, and keep nothing thereof to
thyself. If thou neglectest to do this, and shouldest be induced to attribute
anything to thyself, it is certain that thou must thereby lose divine grace,
while, with a sacrilegious impiety,
thou invadest that which of right belongs to God. So if thou excel others
in spiritual or natural gifts, in wisdom or skill, wealth or dignity, be watchful
not to take this honor to thyself; yea, let it be thy joy and delight to offer
all up to God again, from a most deep and intimate devotion of thy heart.
This thou wilt not fail to do, and to give that glory to Him which is due,
when thou shalt glory in nothing but in Him only, according to the words
of the Prophet: “Let not the wise
Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.—Ps. 39:5.
To the end that man may acknowledge his own vanity, he is compared
by the Psalmist (
2. Whosoever, therefore, so forgets himself as not to depend on God, who
alone is all in all, “thinking himself to be something when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself.”
3. This is not only the greatest of sins, but of punishments also. For
the more man turns from God to himself, the more he approaches extreme
misery and calamity. And man by this means, even by turning himself
away from God, towards his own faculties and powers, in truth punishes
thereby the very sin which he commits. He is then accounted to turn
himself away from God, and to forsake “the rock of his salvation”
(
4. Wherefore, as soon as a man ascribes all or any of these to himself,
he becomes guilty of apostasy from God. Nor indeed was the devil's apostasy
aught else, but the not abiding
within the bounds, duties, and properties of a creature, which has all its
life, substance, and ability in God, and ought to hold the same from him, as
the shadow does with respect to the
5. When man does otherwise, he commits the greatest of all sins, and,
aiming at divinity, stains himself thereby with a most nefarious sacrilege,
being turned from God to himself. And as many as are in this condition,
seek help, counsel, and comfort, not from God only, as they ought, but
from creatures, and sometimes even from the devil himself. But what
greater madness, or what worse blindness is there, than to expect good
from evil, life from death, blessedness from the damned, help from the helpless,
blessedness from the accursed, and light from darkness? Whereas,
on the other hand, it is the highest wisdom to look for good from the
source of all good, to seek life from
the fountain of life, to expect blessedness from the spring of salvation, and
to go for help to him who can do all things, and “with whom nothing is
impossible.”
He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.—1 John 4:8.
Love, says St. Paul, is the greatest of all virtues, and without it all
gifts are unprofitable (
2. Love is, however, so singular a virtue, that a man may mistake therein as easily as in anything else. Therefore nothing ought to be looked upon with a more suspicious eye than love; for there is nothing which can so powerfully incline, force, or restrain, and so thoroughly penetrate the mind, as love. Therefore, if love be not ruled by the true light, the Holy Ghost, it precipitates the soul into a thousand calamities.
3. And this I do not say with respect to the love of evil; for this, as a diabolical thing, is by all Christians to be avoided; but I speak of that love which is betwixt God, and man, and his neighbor. Love, when not regulated by divine wisdom, can easily be deceived, misled, and thrust out of its due order, so as not to reach the true end. Many think they have the love of God in their souls, and yet have the love of the world, or their own love, nay, it may be the love of Satan.
4. Take an instance of this fact: any one that loves the Lord God only for the sake of temporal things, that he may be preserved by him from temporal misfortunes, loves himself more than God, and prefers his own welfare before God. This is called inordinate love. He ought to love God more than himself, nay, love him above all things; and all things, both good and evil days, he ought to love for the sake of God.
5. But when man prefers himself to the love of God, he surely makes himself God, by loving himself more than God; and whilst he loves not God as God, for his sake, but merely for his own private interest, he has a false and deceitful love. He that has such a love, loves all things for his own sake, for the profit and honor which he reaps from them. He loves also holy men, nay, the very word of God, for this reason only, that it may afford him a show and name of holiness, but not for the sake of that excellent Good which lies hid therein.
6. And because such a love is impure, it brings forth impure fruits, which are self-interest, self-honor, self-lust; all which are carnal and earthly, not heavenly and spiritual fruits. Thus many love great skill and learning, that they may be preferred to others, and may rule over them; not from a principle of love to God and their neighbor, but from a love to themselves, thinking thereby to gain great honors and preferments.
7. There are others also who love God that he may spare them, and not punish them for their sins in dreadful severity; nay, that he may be bountiful to them in this present time; but this, alas! is a very weak love. For these love God for their own profit, and not for his own sake, or not by reason of his being the most excellent and highest Good.
8. Others love God that he may bestow upon them many gifts in understanding and wisdom, whereby they might gain a great reputation.
9. Some also love virtue, not for the sake of virtue itself, but that they may obtain a great name, and be looked upon as brave, virtuous men, and men famous for their honesty and piety. All this is not true love, for it tends not to the right end.
10. There is often also love betwixt some persons uniting themselves by a
love of their own, which increases in them so much that they are pleased
with everything done by him whom they love. For love always follows
its beloved, and cleaves wholly unto him. And thereby one is often involved
11. Therefore it is highly necessary that our love should be guided and ruled by the Holy Spirit, and by our meditations on the whole life of Christ and his holy sufferings, out of which nothing but pure love shines forth. He loved God purely, above all things, and not himself. He loved man with a pure, undefiled love, and not himself. He did and spake nothing for his own sake, but all for ours. Whatsoever he did and spoke was for our benefit; he was not profited by it, but we were. All his pains and labors, nay; his greatest torments and afflictions, were not too hard or heavy for him, that we might be benefited and saved thereby; nay, his very cross was joy unto him, that he might fulfil the will of God his Father.
12. That is a pure, undefiled love for which nothing is too difficult, which complains of nothing, nay, which spares not itself, but gives itself for the beloved's sake, even unto death. Whatsoever crosses and sufferings God sends, this love regards as good. It sees that it is the holy will of God, and therefore it would rather suffer much more for the same, and is very well contented with everything that God willeth; for it knows that God orders all things right and well.
13. And as love unites itself to the beloved, it learns also his manners,
follows him for his love's sake, and does that which is well-pleasing unto
him: so he that loves Christ rightly learns of him his manner of life and
his virtues, for he knows it is well-pleasing unto him. He conforms himself
to his image, and remains all his life under the yoke and cross of Christ,
even as Christ, during his whole life, bore the cross of poverty, contempt,
and pains. And although no man in this frail state can attain unto perfect
love, yet every Christian is to labor, that his love be not false, but as pure
as possible, according to what St. Paul says, “Love out of a pure heart, and
of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
14. This pure love, derived from Christ and the Holy Ghost, works in
man every good thing, and is never idle. It is its joy to do good, for it
can do nothing else; even as the Lord God says, “I will rejoice over them to
do them good.”
15. Hence it is plain why God Almighty is never weary of doing good; and why he is that infinite Good which never ceases to be. He is everlasting love, which cannot desist from doing good, or else he would cease to be love. Therefore, even when he punishes and chastises, he draws all good out of evil, directing it to a good end, even to our salvation.
16. This pure love of God causes us to pray aright. For as a friend has
his friend at his disposal in all things, so also such a lover of God is a friend
of God, and obtains from him that for which he prays. Therefore, because
Lazarus's sister knew the Lord Jesus to be not only a friend, but also the
Son of God, she said, “I know that
17. But in order that thou mayest have a characteristic mark of this love, observe these four properties of true love. 1. Love submits itself to the will of the beloved. 2. True love abandons all friendship which is contrary to its beloved. 3. One friend reveals his heart unto the other. 4. A true lover endeavors to be made conformable to his beloved, in his manners, and in all his life. Is the beloved poor, the lover will be poor with him. Is the beloved despised, the lover also bears his contempt. Is he sick, the lover is sick too. Thus love makes an equality between them, so that they have the same prosperity and adversity. For there must be such a communion between the lover and the beloved, as that each of them shall be made partaker of the other's good as well as ill. This, then, is not only a communion, but a union or uniting of two minds like each other, and of two hearts which are alike.
18. After such a manner our Lord Jesus Christ is become our Friend.
For, 1. His love submitted itself to the will of man, and was obedient unto
the cross: nay, for the sake of man he submitted his will to every one,
even to his enemies. 2. He neglected all other friendship that he could have
had in the world; nay, he even forgot himself, and spared not his own body
and life for our sakes. 3. He revealed
in his Gospel, his heart unto us; therefore he says, “Henceforth I call you
not servants; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have
heard of my Father, I have made known unto you.”
19. If now we will be his true lovers, we must also do all these things.
And seeing he was made like unto us in all things, and in all our misery,
why would not we strive to be made like unto Him? If we thus love him,
we shall obtain from him all things by prayer, according to his saying, “Unto
him that loveth me, I will manifest myself.”
20. We are, therefore, naturally led to the conclusion, that genuine prayer cannot be offered without love.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.—1 John 2:15.
The first mark that the love of Christ is in us, is the avoiding of the love of the world. When thou considerest Christ in his holy poverty, how he was so entirely empty of love to temporal things, his love will also actuate thee to learn that thou art to put off the love of the world and to despise it; so that thou wilt desire nothing here but thy Lord Jesus Christ, and wilt not put thy confidence in any creature, or earthly assistance.
2. Secondly, thou wilt willingly bear reproach and contempt from the
world, for the sake of Christ's holy reproach; nay, with St. Paul, thou wilt
account it thy glory, and rejoice in it.
3. Thirdly, seeing that Christ in his holy body and soul has suffered pain and sorrow unto death, thou also, for his love's sake, wilt not only with patience, but even with joy, suffer sorrow, persecution, distress, and affliction, nay, torment and pain unto death.
4. And, fourthly, as Christ had comfort and joy in no man nor in any
creature, but only in God, according to what is said in
5. Fifthly, thou shalt esteem the cross of Christ as the highest good,
beyond all the treasures of the world. If it were not so, Christ would not
have taught thee so, and put it before thine eyes with his own life
and example. Thou mayest easily believe that the Son of God would
not mislead thee by his example, but conduct thee to the highest wisdom,
and to the highest heavenly joys, although the way is strait and narrow.
But thou seest that he himself walked in this narrow path. And because
there are few that follow him, he
6. The sixth mark of the love of Christ is, never to have the beloved Jesus out of our thoughts; but to set him always before us by faith, and to consider the works of his love.
7. As for instance: I. His incarnation, in which, as in a Book of Life,
we see chiefly a twofold benefit: 1. That he thereby fills us with his love.
And, 2. That he makes us sure of our eternal salvation and happiness. O
what inexpressible love is this, that God was made man and like man,
that he might make men like unto God! O the greatness of love! He
took upon him the form of a servant (
8. II. His holy doctrine, wherein are found eternal wisdom, truth, light, life and salvation; and his holy life, whereby he has shown us the manner, and the way, how to live a truly Christian and godly life. For the pattern of his holy life is the most wonderful light, which will not let us walk in darkness.
9. III. The mystery of the innocent
death of Christ, in which there are seven particulars to be considered. 1.
The fulfilling of the justice of God, and
of the divine sentence. 2. The satisfaction for all our sins. 3. Our reconciliation
with God; for we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.
10. IV. His resurrection, which gives us a firm assurance of the resurrection
of our bodies, and also of that spiritual resurrection, wherein, through the
grace of God, and the power of the
life of Christ, we, having been spiritually dead, become spiritually alive in
Christ.
11. V. His ascension, which is a consummation of our eternal redemption, righteousness, and salvation.
12. These five works of the love of Christ are the true Christian school wherein we are to study, never letting them depart from our thoughts.
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.—Ps. 87:2.
There are chiefly five arguments of the love of God. 1. Christ's incarnation. 2. His suffering. 3. God's indwelling in us. 4. God's love shining forth out of the creatures. 5. His amiableness in his own Being, therein surpassing all created things.
2. I. Where love is, there is union;
for it is the nature of love that it unites itself with the beloved. Now, as God
loved man so mightily, it could not be otherwise but that he must unite himself
again unto man after his fall, and out of pure love and mercy become a
man. Ah! “What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of
man that thou visitest him!”
3. II. Although his holy incarnation is a very great argument of his love
to us, yet his holy suffering and dying
for our sins are a still greater one. For “greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
4. III. Further, God shows his love to us, by his dwelling among us, and
in us. O what a great comfort is this, that God has sanctified our heart, and
dedicated it to be his dwelling-place. Formerly, in the Old Testament, when
the tabernacle and sanctuary were finished, Moses was commanded to
consecrate, to sanctify, and to sprinkle it with the blood of the sacrifice; for
“almost all things were by the law purged with blood.”
5. Whom we love, with him we delight to be. God loves mankind tenderly;
therefore he delights to be with them, and to have his habitation
among them. “I the Lord dwell in the high and holy place; with him
also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones.”
6. And this is the reason why God makes many people sorrowful; namely,
that he may dwell in their hearts; for he delights to dwell nowhere more
than in a poor and contrite spirit.
7. IV. The love of God shines forth also out of the creatures. When St.
Paul would desire for his Ephesians the best, the highest, and the most
glorious thing, he wishes that they might know the love of God, and be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height of the same.
12. In a word, heaven and earth are full of the love of God: for all that
God hath created, be it visible or invisible, he hath created for this end,
that his inexpressible goodness and
8. The sun speaks to us by its light and warmth, as if it said: “Look
upon me, the greatest and the brightest creature among all visible things:
He must be great that made me.”
9. Indeed, if we consider the matter aright, we are encompassed by the
love of God, even as we are all inclosed under heaven, seeing that “in
God we live, and move, and have our being.”
10. V. We know also the love of God, from the amiableness of his own
11. Behold now, ye children of men, how deceived ye are by the love of the
world. What is it which any man can obtain by the love of temporal things,
but sorrow, trouble, loss of time, unprofitable words (of which an account
must be given), wranglings, fightings, and a burdened conscience? Surely
all the children of men shall one day sorely repent that they have so much
loved the world, and the things therein: according to the warning given us
by St. John, saying, “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
To him that loveth me, I will manifest myself.—John 14:21.
If thou duly considerest Christ crucified thou wilt see nothing in him
but pure, perfect, and unutterable love, and he will show thee his heart, and
say, “Behold, in this heart there is no deceit and no lie (
2. When thou shalt have tasted this love, thou wilt forget and despise, for its sake, all the world, and be desirous of nothing else but of this love. Thou wilt say to thy Lord, “O Lord, give me nothing more than the sweetness of thy love; nay, if thou wouldst give me the whole world, I would desire nothing else but thee and thy love.”
3. O happy is the soul which feels this love! for in that soul Christ is truly known, and manifested to be nothing else but pure love, and to be the love of the souls of men. These words state a most happy experience; for that Christ is the love of our soul he clearly shows by his spiritual coming and delightful refreshing of the soul; and when the soul tastes but a drop thereof it is filled with joys. For infinite love is so great that our hearts cannot comprehend it. This the holy martyr Ignatius owned, who always used to call the Lord Jesus, his Love, and said: My Love is crucified.
4. In this love of Christ all our works ought to be done (
5. Although this love of Christ is the highest good in heaven and upon
earth (for all good things are contained therein), yet is God so willing and
ready to bestow it upon us, that he hath sent, even his dear Son, into this
misery, to make us partakers in him of this inexpressible treasure, through
6. This love, “shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (
7. And when this precious good withdraws from the soul, there is then
greater sorrow than if all the world had been lost. Then the soul calls
and cries, “O thou delightful love, I have scarcely tasted of thee; why dost
thou forsake me? My soul is as a child that is weaned of his mother
This holy love causes also, that without it the whole life is imbittered to a
believing and loving soul, and is accounted as death and misery. Yea,
for the sake of this love, man desires
to die, to put off the earthly tabernacle, and to be at home, and present
with the Lord, according to the words of St. Paul.
O taste and see that the Lord is good.—Ps. 34:8.
God is an eternal, perfect, infinite, substantial, communicative Good, full of love and joy; and therefore he desires to be known in living faith, in spirit, and in truth. This cannot however be, except a man really taste and feel in his heart the goodness, sweetness, loving-kindness, and comfort of God.
2. If this were to be performed there must needs be in man something conformable to God, and capable of knowing him, that so we might be made partakers of the highest good. Now this is the soul of man: into the soul God was willing to pour forth his goodness, yea, to dwell there, and to manifest and make known himself more and more.
3. But since man has lost this sovereign good by sin, and the devil has
obtained a habitation in, and possession
4. But they who will rightly know and taste the Lord's goodness, must be
joined unto him, and be one spirit with him.
5. If then a man would really know that God is good, even the highest
Good, he must taste his goodness in
his heart. The Scripture testifies thereof outwardly, but the heart must feel
it inwardly, and must taste the living word. It must “taste the good word
of God and the powers of the world to come.”
6. When this is known and tasted in the soul, according to the words of
7. For this reason David says, “Whom have I in heaven but thee,
O Lord? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”
8. Now, if we have the eternal, perfect good, wherein there is all good, and which alone is all, why should we love that which is imperfect? For where the true, perfect good is known, there it is also beloved above all imperfect things, that is, above all creatures whatsoever.
9. Thus the living knowledge of God expels the love of the world; and thus
man begins to despise the world, with all the vanities thereof, saying, with
King Solomon, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity;” nay, all under the sun
“is vexation of spirit.”
In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.—1 John 4:9, 10.
All that God does with reference to man, be it benefits or punishments, he does to this end, that man, who is turned away from him, may be turned to him again.
2. But man is foolish and brutish, like the beasts (
3. Let us consider, first, bodily and temporal benefits, and then those that are spiritual and eternal.
4. I. God has created nothing, either visible or invisible, which may not be
serviceable to man. The invisible creatures which minister to us, are the
holy angels (
5. Look upon the firmament, and consider how God has appointed it for
thy service. Behold the wondrous course of the sun and moon. Why do
they run so incessantly, day and night, and rest not so much as for one moment?
6. Behold the air and the winds, how clear they make the firmament,
dispelling the clouds; or they gather them together and cause them to
pour forth afterwards upon the earth. It is very wonderful that God “bindeth
up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them.”
7. Behold the various winds which govern navigation; so that where a wind blows, there the ship is driven, and sails on her way as a bird flies through the air. Thus all places of the world can be found out, and all the secrets thereof discovered, that nothing may be kept hid of what God hath created for the benefit of man.
8. Behold the various kinds of fish in the sea.
9. Behold the earth, that great storehouse of food and treasury of God. It
furnishes forth meat and drink, medicine and clothing, houses and abodes,
and all the various metals. Each month produces its flowers, which
present themselves to our notice, as if they would say, Here we are; we
bring our gifts, and present them to
10. II. Let us, upon this ladder of the creatures, ascend unto God our
Creator, and consider his spiritual benefits. Has not the Holy Trinity,
each Person in particular, bestowed upon man great grace and beneficence?
The Father has given us his own Son, and “how shall he not with
him also freely give us all things?”
11. In a word, God's mercy pours forth itself entirely upon us, and omits nothing whereby men could be moved to love God. The benefits God bestows upon us, are so many messengers which he sends for inviting us to come and to enjoy his love. If thou shouldest ask the Scriptures, the angels, all the prophets and all the saints of God, nay, all creatures besides, “From whence come you?” they would answer, “We are the messengers of the mercy of God; we carry fire and flames, that the heart of man, which is cold and incrusted, as it were, with ice, might be warmed again by the love of God.” Yet all these numbers of flaming messengers of God are not able to warm the dead, cold, and frozen heart. This, therefore, is the greatest wonder the devil can effect, that he makes a human heart so cold, that warmth cannot be raised therein, by so many flames of the love of God.
12. Therefore, hearken, thou human heart, and consider where thy Creator
has placed thee: namely, in the middle of so many fiery benefits, where the
glorious angels surround thee with their flaming love, and where there
are so many creatures and messengers of God, all proclaiming his love unto
thee. Wherein now has God Almighty transgressed against thee? Whereby
13. And since God has implanted love in all human hearts, tell me, if
thy love could be bought of thee, to whom wouldest thou sell it rather
than to the Lord thy God? But thinkest thou, that God has not bought
of thee thy love dear enough, and has not paid for it a price sufficient? Hath
He not given thee his dear Son for it, and Heaven and Earth besides? All
that thou expectest to gain for thy love from the world, is as nothing, in
comparison with what God has given thee, and what He further has prepared
for them that love him.
14. And lastly, it is but just and reasonable, that we should love him
“who first loved us.”
15. Now we know that brutes love those by whom they are loved;
wouldest thou be worse than a brute, hating thy Benefactor, in whose love
thou livest and movest, standest and walkest, sleepest and wakest? But
as a thing that is to be kindled, must be held to the fire till it take the
flame: so also art thou to expose thy heart to the fire of the love of God,
till it be kindled and inflamed therein,
which is effected by continual contemplations of the benefits of God. As
formerly the priests were commanded to kindle the sacrifices by the holy
fire (
O Lord my God, thou art very great: thou art clothed with honor and majesty; who coverest thyself with light as with a garment.—Ps. 104:1, 2.
As nothing is more lovely to a loving soul than Christ, and no good higher or more precious than God himself; so there is also nothing more beautiful in the sight of such a one than God. That soul looks upon God as the highest beauty, with which nothing in heaven and earth is to be compared; so that all the holy angels cannot sufficiently praise to all eternity this beauty of God. If all the holy angels in their lustre, and all the elect in their glory, were put together, it would nevertheless appear, that all their beauty and splendor proceed from God, who is the eternal glory and beauty; and that they are derived from the everlasting, infinite light and brightness. For as God is all good, and the highest good, so He is also all beauty, ornament, and glory.
2. And when a man beholds in spirit the glory of God, he forgets all the creatures, nay, the beauty of all the angels also; and mourns over nothing so much, as that he has offended this great Good with his wickedness, and this infinite eternal beauty and brightness with his impurity.
3. But because the Son of God, the brightness of his glory (
4. The wise heathen Plato, considering the beauty of the creatures, of
the luminaries, of the firmament, of the flowers in the fields, of the metals
and animals, has by his reason drawn
the conclusion, that God must of necessity be an eternal Being, beautiful
above all things, because the beauty
of all the creatures must be comprehended or concentrated in Him. But
we say from the word of God, and the holy Evangelist St. John: “It doth
not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, that when He shall appear,
we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (
5. Therefore angels and men shall admire the brightness and beauty of
Christ, especially the chosen children of God, “whose vile bodies shall be
fashioned like unto his glorious body.”
O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?—Ps. 89:8.
The love of God wills, that a loving soul should do good to all men, and be profitable both to foes and friends; not for the sake of its own profit and honor, but only for the sake of the love of God, which, as it were, moves his omnipotence to draw nigh unto us; which also, from its infinite treasure, gives us all we have, to the end that we should give again from love what the love of God has given us out of the treasury of his omnipotence.
2. Therefore, O man, be careful that thou appropriate nothing to thyself, but restore all to the omnipotence of God, who himself is all that thou hast and art. No creature can either give to, or take away from, thee; it is only the omnipotence of God which can do it. Nor can any creature comfort thee; the love of God alone can do it.
3. In this love, the loving soul sees the fulness of God's incomprehensible
omnipotence, which comprehends in itself heaven and earth, the sea and
the dry land, but cannot be comprehended by any thing. For the whole
world is to the omnipotence of God “as a drop of a bucket, and as the
small dust of the balance.”
4. And out of this fulness of God's omnipotence, all the powers of angels,
men, and all other creatures, proceed. It sustains the firmament of Heaven.
The motions of the sea and the powers of the earth proceed from it; so
that heaven and earth are full of God, full of the divine power and operation,
full of the Spirit of the Lord. The power of God, which is the might of
his love, comprehends, incloses, and
replenishes all things, but is comprehended by none.
5. As high as God is over all things, so deeply also is he in all things, and
all things are in him, according to St. Paul, who says, “Of him, and through
him, and to him, are all things” (
6. Since God is so great and over all things, nothing surely can be equal
to him; and he that will be so, makes himself a god, commits the greatest
sin, and falls into the pit of perdition.
And since God is all, all that is without him must be as nothing. Therefore
from God's omnipotence, man learns to know his own nothingness,
and to fear God, who delights in them only that “humble themselves under
his mighty hand.”
7. Now as great and high as God is in his omnipotence, even so low is he made by his love. Behold our Lord Jesus Christ, the living Son, the powerful arm of God, by whom were all things created, and by whom all things consist (1 Col. 1:16, 17); how deeply has he descended by his love, and how lowly and humble has he made himself among all creatures!
8. Therefore, even as we cannot fathom, much less express in words,
the omnipotence of God; so neither can we fathom with our thoughts
the humility and lowliness of Christ. Nevertheless, as deep as is his descent,
so high is also his ascent far above all heavens.
O God! O Jesus! O blessed Spirit! Thou unchangeable mind! Thou inextinguishable light! Thou Peace which cannot be disturbed! Thou indivisible unity! Thou infallible truth! Thou ineffable bounty! Thou immeasurable might! Thou infinite wisdom! Thou incomprehensible Goodness! Thou omnipresent eternity! Thou Life of all the living! Do Thou enlighten me, do Thou sanctify me, do Thou quicken me!
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep.—Ps. 36:6.
All who love God acknowledge him to be the highest and most holy righteousness, which pervades all, and is over all. This in God is his most holy will; in angels holy obedience; in man, the testimony of his conscience; in all creatures, it is the order of nature, whereby God has ordered all things in number, weight, and measure. All that is done against this order, is contrary to God and nature.
2. All sins, therefore, in the world,
are committed against God's righteousness, and the sinner thereby offends
all creatures, even all the angels in heaven, and his own conscience,
and sets them in hostility against himself. For when God is offended
and provoked to anger, all creatures are also offended and made angry; so,
too, when God is reconciled, all creatures are reconciled also, and rejoice
over such a man. Hence St. Paul says,
3. But if God be not reconciled to man, all creatures, angels, and nature
itself, execute vengeance upon him. Hence come the dreadful judgments
of God: and it is impossible to avert such vengeance and judgments. “Thou
art to be feared, O God; and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art
angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth
feared, and was still.”
4. From the most holy righteousness of God, when offended, proceeds
also the curse; as Moses, the man of God, witnesses, when he speaks of the
transgression of the divine law.
5. It is a curse when the justice of God executes such vengeance, that the
cursed cannot enjoy any good, either from God or the creature, but is made
an “abhorring unto all flesh.”
6. From the most holy righteousness of God proceed also those wonderful,
unsearchable, secret, dreadful judgments, whereof David says, “Thy
judgments are a great deep” (
7. When, therefore, we consider them, we see therein the righteousness of God,
of which the man of God, Moses, says,
“To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense,” saith the Lord. “If I whet
my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render
vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. Rejoice,
O ye nations, with his people! for he will avenge the blood of his servants,
and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto
his land and to his people.”
8. In these words, Moses declares the vengeance of God upon all the
wicked, who resist the righteousness of God. Against them God will whet
his glittering sword; that is, his dreadful sentence and judgment, at which
the earth feareth, and is still.
9. He, therefore, sets before us in his word, not only instances of his
grace and mercy, but also of his justice and vengeance; such as those of
the deluge, Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharaoh in Egypt, and in the Red
Sea; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram;
10. Such judgments of God are executed daily, but are rightly understood
only by believing and holy souls, according to the words of the Psalm:
“With thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.”
11. So, then, we are here to have a twofold respect, namely, to God and to
men. If we look upon the destruction of men, we are justly to be sorrowful;
but if we look upon God, we are to praise his justice, for he doeth wrong
unto none.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.—Acts 15:18.
God ordains, governs, moves, and regulates all things according to
his unsearchable wisdom, as it is written
(
2. This is a powerful testimony concerning the eternal wisdom, and the
wondrous, incomprehensible government of Almighty God, which may
be first observed in this, that he has called every one of us by his name,
and has surnamed us, though we did not know him, and were not yet in
being. This our name by which God calleth us, is our faith, our outward
calling, and our whole course of life. There we are inclosed in, or surrounded
with, God's eternal wisdom and providence, as it respects our whole
life, its beginning, middle, and end (
3. In a word, he ordains all things wisely. He sees and hears all things
before, according to the words of the Psalmist: “Understand, ye brutish
among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the
ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He
that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man
knowledge, shall not he know?”
4. Here king David teaches us that God has laid a mirror of his omniscience and eternal wisdom into man, into the hearing ear, and seeing eye, those two wonderful powers of the human body.
5. It is extremely offensive to a man, to hear and see anything unjust or unreasonable; how much more to God, who has an all-seeing eye and an all-hearing ear, must men's ingratitude be offensive; he having ordained all things by his wisdom, in order to be serviceable unto men. He has made the sun by his wisdom to give light, not unto itself, but to us; the water affords drink, not to itself, but unto us; the earth brings forth fruits, not for itself but for us; the fire warms, not for itself, but for us; the air gives breath, not to itself, but to us; the bread feeds, not itself, but us; the herbs do not heal themselves, but us.
6. The eternal wisdom of God has planted so many powers in the creatures,
and has so wisely distributed them, that they are, as it were, so
many hands through which the wisdom and goodness of God divide these
treasures among us, according to the words of Job: “Who knoweth not in
all these, that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is
the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
7. Since then the Lord our God ordaineth all things by his wisdom, he
ordaineth all our crosses; and therefore we are not to murmur, but to
praise his wisdom, and to learn patience; for things cannot proceed otherwise
than as they are ordained by God. But not only the things that
befall us in particular, are the most wise order of God; but also all great
national plagues, famine, pestilence, wars, and revolutions of states. And
although we may think that these are nothing but confusion, perdition, and
destruction, yet there reigns the wisest order of God. This we may gather
from the histories of Holy Writ, where famine, wars, pestilence, desolations
of the kingdoms of the world, the destruction of the Jewish kingdom, and
of empires, the Babylonian Captivity, and many similar events, are described.
“I know,” saith Solomon (
8. And again, “Consider the work of God; for who can make that
straight, which he hath made crooked?”
9. If we consider it aright, we must own that God could not have ordered things more wisely. So we may say also, with reference to the persecutions of the saints, both in the Old and New Testament; to our Lord Jesus Christ; the holy Gospel; the holy martyrs; and all other things. In our sight, these all seem to be absurd, and foolish, and yet they are the highest wisdom of God.
10. As then we are to give unto God the praise of righteousness, in all his wonderful judgments; so we are also to give unto him the praise of wisdom, in all the wonderful changes of the world, and in all our crosses and sufferings; knowing that he can direct all evils to a good end, and out of evil derive good: so that in all things, how confused soever they may appear unto us, there shineth forth his wisdom, even as his righteousness doth in all his judgments.
11. But the loving soul sees the wisdom of God especially in the restoration
and redemption of the human race, and in the renovation of the soul and
the faculties thereof. For so it pleased the wisdom of God, that the corrupt
image of God in man, should be renewed by the divine substantial image
of God, that is, by Christ. After man had lost by sin that blessed wisdom,
that glorious light of his intellect, by which he knew God aright, and so
had fallen into the utmost blindness, nay, into eternal darkness, wherein
he must have dwelt forever; the Son of God, who is the eternal wisdom of
the Father, became man, and a light of life unto men (
12. Secondly: after the will of man was entirely turned away from God,
perverted, and wholly changed into disobedience, striving against God in
all things; the Son of God was made man, that he might be unto us a pattern
of perfect obedience; that he might heal our evil will; implant his
13. Thirdly: because the affections
of our hearts, and all our faculties, were in contrariety to God, and
“every imagination of the thoughts
of our hearts, was only evil continually” (
14. And this is the highest wisdom of God, that by his dear Son, He thus reneweth man. For as God has created man by his wisdom, after his perfect image; so He hath also, by his dear Son, who is eternal wisdom, and who was made man, created man anew, and regenerated him to a new image of God, wherein his wisdom, glory, and righteousness should shine forth forever. It is in this chiefly that the image of God consists.
15. Thus the corrupt image of God in man, is renewed by the substantial image of God, which is Christ.
In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.—Col. 2:3.
In the beginning God formed man out of the dust of the earth, and
breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living and immortal
soul, adorned with perfect wisdom,
righteousness, holiness, and blessedness, after the image of his Creator.
For where there is divine wisdom, there is blessedness; and where there
is blessedness there is divine wisdom. Man, therefore, wanted nothing in
Paradise to make him completely happy. But when, being seduced by
the temptation of the serpent, he turned away from God, and fell into
sin, then was this divine image in man effaced, and he became subject
to the devil, to death, and to misery. For as soon as this divine image was
defaced in him by sin, he could discover
2. But in order that Adam, that is, all men in Adam, might not utterly
perish, God himself was made man; that is, he was pleased to send his
Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a virgin. The Son of
God has, by his holy life and doctrine, as by a pattern, shown us again the
way of wisdom and salvation in which we are to walk. For he has not only
delivered us from our sins by his most bitter death, but has moreover given
us a commandment, that “we should walk, even as he also walked.”
3. We are, therefore, begotten again by him, through faith, to be the sons
of God; nay, we are made sons of God in and with his own Son. For
“as he is, so are we also in this world.”
4. In this Son “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.”
For whatsoever was lost in Adam, is perfectly to be found in Christ.
5. If we would, in this life, have a foretaste of these great and glorious
treasures, it must be obtained by
prayer, diligent searching, and continual knocking. For no man can
have admission into the kingdom of God, unless he walk in the new birth,
and seek it earnestly of God. No man can be delivered from the power of
sin and the devil, unless he repent, and offer up his prayers in the name
of Christ. For though Christ has purchased for us all good things, yet
without faith no man can be partaker of them; in and by faith he must also
pray, seek, and knock. In a word, it is by prayer only that we can obtain
those “good and perfect gifts which come down from above, from the
Father of lights.”
A PRAYER.
O Eternal God and Father, teach me, I beseech thee, by thy Holy Spirit, that even as I have lost all by dying in Adam, so I may recover all by being made alive again in Christ. Grant that I may daily die to myself, by continual mortification and repentance, and devote and give myself up entirely to thee; that so all the good things which I have lost may be restored to me, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ye have not, because ye ask not.—James 4:2.
1. The neglect of prayer is a violation
of the commandments of Christ, who commands us to “pray without
ceasing” (
2. He that neglects the duty of
prayer is a despiser of the promises
annexed to the performance of that duty. “Call upon me, and I will deliver
thee” (
3. By the neglect of prayer, our faith, which is the great treasure and
foundation of the inward man, by degrees
4. The Lord Jesus departs from them that despise prayer; so that they are blinded and walk in darkness, knowing neither themselves nor God, but are strangers to his will. They shut the kingdom of heaven against themselves; and, being destitute of light to know the will of God, they fall into many dangers and temptations, and sometimes into despair: whereas, on the contrary, where there are the Holy Spirit and faith, there the world is overcome.
5. He that neglects prayer enters into a state of carnal security, and every kind of iniquity. Such a man is not sensible how deeply he is engaged in sin; but rushes into all the avenues of destruction which lie open to receive him. The good things of this world which God has given him, such as health and riches, he regards as things that come by chance, or are secured by his own labor; and upon that account he has no gratitude to his Creator and Benefactor.
6. As man, since his fall, is exposed to continual dangers, both of body and soul, so is he particularly in danger from the devil, evil spirits, and wicked men, who, like the devil, are continually plotting the destruction of the righteous. Whosoever, therefore, neglects prayer, will be, in the midst of these temptations, like a ship tost in a storm, without help or hopes of escape.
7. Such a one also leads a most unhappy life; he is in continual difficulties
and fears, being perplexed, doubtful, and uneasy about the success
of his affairs. His head and hands are full of business; yet he
sees but little fruit of his labors, and
even that little is in the end unblessed. Therefore, though the Scripture says
that “the wicked may be seen in great power,” yet it adds, “they pass
away, and are not.”
A PRAYER.
Most merciful and compassionate Father, thou knowest that man renders himself miserable by his own negligence and sloth, whilst he transgresses thy commands, and neglects the duty of prayer, contemning and slighting thy most certain and faithful promises. But because thou lovest thy creatures, and art not willing that any should perish, therefore it is that thou dost so earnestly invite us to the exercise of prayer. Give me grace to lay this continually to heart, that I may be able to offer up my prayers aright, through thy Son Jesus Christ, and be delivered from the punishments and miseries due to the despisers of that holy duty. Amen.
Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.—John 16:24.
1. Man, since his fall, is become slothful and inactive in everything that is
2. He that prays does not despise the promises of God, but testifies by his prayers that he sets a just value upon them, acknowledging that God is true, and that he neither can nor will lie.
3. Prayer is the life of faith, causing it to flourish and prosper like a tree
by the river side, and faith is the root of all that is good in us. Faith is our
power, our spiritual consolation, our strength against all our enemies and
temptations, yea, faith is our “victory that overcometh the world” (
4. By prayer, we receive the Holy Spirit.
5. By prayer, we shake off carnal
security, resist sin, and, by vanquishing flesh and blood, “fight the good
fight, and hold faith and a good conscience.”
6. By prayer, we oppose temptations, dangers, afflictions, the devil,
and wicked men. For prayer is a strong tower of defence against our
enemies, and the holy fortress to which we must have recourse (
7. Lastly, he that continually watches
unto prayer may always thankfully rejoice in the Holy Ghost; according to
the doctrine of St. Paul, “Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks.”
A PRAYER.
Help me, O Lord my God, that I may continually call to mind, that it
is for my own sake that thou invitest and urgest me to the exercise of prayer.
We glory in tribulations.—Rom. 5:3.
1. The Scripture teaches us that when Adam was placed in Paradise,
God showed him the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and forbade him
to eat of it (
2. Here we plainly see two paths set before us: the one is the way of
the world, in which many walk, because they continue in Adam, and refuse
Christ; the other is the way of God, in which few walk, because they
prefer the broad way in Adam. Many are the difficulties which attend both
these paths. If you conform yourself to the world, you will meet with many
troubles and vexations; and, not being established in the truth of God, your
lot finally is eternal damnation. But if you enter into the way of God through
Christ, and persevere in prayer, you must expect to suffer with Christ, from
the opposition of this evil world: but, at the same time, your heart shall be
constantly filled with the refreshing consolations of the Spirit of truth, and
in the end, you shall obtain everlasting life.
3. He that prays, fights against the devil and his own corrupt nature;
overcomes himself, the devil, and all the enemies of his salvation; and shall
at last with Christ, the Captain of his
salvation (
4. But he that lives in the neglect of prayer, makes no progress in the conquest of his spiritual enemies; but is a miserable slave of the world, and shall at last, with the prince of darkness, be condemned to everlasting misery.
5. It is better to fight now, and to enter triumphantly into everlasting glory, than not to fight, and yet endure many afflictions, and at last be doomed to everlasting destruction.
A PRAYER.
Oh that men would but consider these things! They would then loathe and despise this present world; would hate and deny themselves, and would follow Christ alone, in the narrow way of the cross. That we may, therefore, seriously lay these things to heart; that we may renounce the old Adam within us, and put on the new man, Christ Jesus: and at last, through the narrow way, enter into everlasting life, may God of his infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?—Jer. 23:23.
1. It is of great use to us, to have before us certain heads which may serve as encouragements to the exercise of earnest prayer, which is that worship in spirit and in truth, which God requires of all his servants.
2. I. First, then, we must consider that “God knows what things we
have need of, before we ask him.”
3. II. That God draws, invites, and encourages us to the exercise of prayer,
and assuredly promises that he will hear our prayers.
4. III. That God is no respecter of persons, but has an equal regard for
all mankind.
5. IV. That he is as sinful who presumes to pray upon the opinion of his
own righteousness, merit, and holiness, as he that is afraid to pray out of a
sense of his own sins and unworthiness.
6. V. That God is not confined to any certain place, where only we
ought to worship him; but that he is everywhere to be found, and is always
“nigh to them that call upon him.”
7. VI. That God is, in his own eternity, unchangeable, and not confined
to any certain time; but is always attentive to the prayers of his
servants.
8. VII. That God anticipates our prayers, and gives us both natural and supernatural blessings, which yet, without prayer, nobody can truly enjoy.
9. These considerations will renew and awaken every soul that shall duly
attend to them (
10. I. That God commands and encourages us to pray, not for His own sake, as if He were ignorant of our wants, but for our sakes, that being quickened by prayer we might know and acknowledge them ourselves.
11. II. That God does not stand in need of any minute declarations of
our necessities, but knows, even before we ask him, what things we have
need of.
12. III. That God, who never slumbereth nor sleepeth, needs not to be
awakened by our cries, fastings, and watchings; but that these exercises
are profitable for man, to awaken and rouse him from the sleep of sin.
13. IV. That God is a thousand times more ready to give, than man is
to receive.
14. V. That the goodness and mercy of God towards mankind are infinite
(
15. VI. That God is impartial and just in all his works, and is by no
means the cause of our blindness, infirmities, ignorance, or miseries; but
that wretched man himself is in fault, by neglecting to pray or to seek.
16. VII. That the true worshipper
may at all times and in all places, offer up his prayers in spirit and in
truth to God the Father, through
Christ, provided he do not hinder himself.
17. VIII. That whosoever neglects prayer, deprives himself of the blessed
opportunities of speaking to God.
18. IX. That the diligent worshipper doeth good to himself; not of himself but by the prevenient grace of God, which is freely given to all men without exception.
19. Let him that is unacquainted with the preceding heads of meditation,
know that he is still far from Christ, and has tasted but little of the
truth. He who knows them, and believes them not, is guilty of a very
great sin; and, lastly, he that believes them and yet is inactive, and does not
stir up himself to the practice of them, but, on the other hand, lives on
from day to day, in a state of doubt and indifference, is a great sinner, and
shall be beaten with many more stripes than he who knew not his Lord's will,
and therefore did it not.
A PRAYER.
O Lord, and merciful Father, awaken me by thy Holy Spirit, that I may not only know those things, but may practise them by a lively faith, and become a true worshipper in spirit and in truth. Amen.
Thou understandest my thought afar off.—Ps. 139:2.
1. The truth of these words is confirmed by our blessed Saviour: “Your
Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (
2. A man that walks abroad in an open spacious field, and in a clear day,
finds himself encompassed with light;
which light, if it were spiritual, instead of being natural, would even
penetrate the spirit itself. Just so are all creatures, visible and invisible, in
the sight of God. He discerns and comprehends all things, and nothing
can be hidden from him. “The darkness hideth not from him; but the
night shineth as the day.”
3. This consideration is of great use to the inexperienced, in order to purge
their hearts from the thick clouds of darkness and error, and to quicken
them in prayer; by which, when truly
A PRAYER.
Almighty and everlasting God and Father, the Searcher of hearts, and the Judge of all our secret thoughts, who seest, knowest, and hearest all our designs and purposes before they are brought to pass! Behold, I appear before thee, to confess my necessities, not with any design to awaken thee by my cries, as if thou wert ignorant of me, or of my concerns; but to stir up myself to know and consider, that thou knowest all my necessities, and that the very hairs of my head are numbered by thee. Assist me, Holy Father, that I may truly know and consider these things, that my soul may joyfully submit to thy good pleasure, and that I may wait upon thee in true resignation and obedience. Amen.
Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.—Joel 2:32.
1. These words ought to be carefully considered; for it is not sufficient to
believe that God knows all things; we must also remember that God commands
us to pray, and promises to hear us. Thus, “Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”
2. On the other hand, faith gives quietness to the soul, and makes it
capable of divine grace. God requires nothing from man but that he should
be quiet, and rest from all his works, and especially from himself. The
spirit and mind of man are like waters,
upon which the Spirit of God is perpetually moving.
A PRAYER.
O Eternal, faithful, and righteous God, who canst not lie; I know that thou dost graciously invite, encourage, and impel all men, for their own infinite advantage, to pray unto thee; and dost offer thy grace and mercy equally to them all, without distinction or partiality. Grant, I beseech thee, Holy Father, that I may seriously lay these things to heart, and attain a true, firm, and upright faith, and not be deaf to the invitations of thy infinite mercy; but may constantly and cheerfully submit myself to thee, and expect with patience thy light within my soul. Amen.
The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.—Ps. 145:9.
1. I am now indeed convinced (some one may say), that God knows my
necessities better than I can discover them to him; that he has commanded
prayer, and promised to hear it: but I am not yet fully satisfied, whether I
in particular am not excluded from the benefit of these promises?—Come,
then, and let us now show that God is no respecter of persons, in opposition
to those blind guides, who, by their false interpretations of some places of
Holy Scripture, particularly
“Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every
nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with
him.”
“The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a
mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.
He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the
stranger, in giving him food and raiment.”
“God accepteth no man's person.”
“There is no respect of persons with God.”
“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.—As for the
wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth
from his wickedness.—None of his sins
that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him.”
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit,
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
show forth all long-suffering, for a
“God will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.”
“God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9.
These and such testimonies of Scripture ought to be deeply imprinted on
our minds, that every one may know, that all men are equally dear to God;
that all men were created by him according to his image, and redeemed
by Jesus Christ. Moreover, God has sworn by himself, that he desires not
the death of a sinner. Hence God assists us all by his prevenient grace,
not waiting till we are worthy to receive it. He comes to us, before we
come to him; he knew us, before we knew him; he loveth us, before we
love him; he loved us while we were yet his enemies.
2. But when it is said that God loved Jacob, and hated Esau (
3. This is the true interpretation of those places, which some perverse minds have interpreted, as if God had decreed to damn a great part of mankind (as the poets feigned of Saturn, who hated and devoured his own children). This is a doctrine that tends directly to subvert our faith, and to precipitate men into despair, or into a rude, lawless and Epicurean mode of life, as appears by woful experience. From all which snares, and deceits of the devil, may the Lord deliver us! Amen.
A PRAYER.
O Eternal and most righteous God, who acceptest not the persons of men;
but art so just in thy dispensations towards us all, as to anticipate us with
thy grace and favor, not waiting till we are already worthy, but bestowing
thy prevenient grace to make us so; teach me, by thy Holy Spirit, gratefully
to acknowledge thy boundless mercy towards us. Let thy light arise
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.—Luke 15:21.
1. He that prays upon the presumption of his own holiness and piety,
walketh not in the direct and plain path of the children of God; but turns
to the right hand, outruns his Saviour,
and, like a sacrilegious robber, deprives him of the honor due unto him (since
He alone is our righteousness, our holiness, and our sanctification,
2. He, on the other hand, that neglects to pray from a sense of his
manifold transgressions, judging himself upon that account unworthy to
speak to God, turns to the left hand,
and sinks in his own misery and unworthiness, affronting the Son of God,
and (without repentance) running into
despair; whilst he thinks that the passion and death of Christ are not sufficient
to atone for the sins of the whole world. Against this temptation, let
us call to mind, that “where sin abounded, there grace did much more
abound.”
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
“There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”
“As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in
the day that he turneth from his wickedness.”
“For this (the remission of sins) shall every one that is godly pray.”
“Be not righteous overmuch, neither make thyself over wise.”
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“Righteousness shall look down from heaven.”
3. If I resolve not to pray till I
A PRAYER.
O Merciful and compassionate Father! who teachest me in thy holy word how I ought, in thy Son Jesus Christ, to walk in the narrow way, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left; that I may neither fall through a vain presumption of my own piety, nor be cast into despair by the gloomy prospect of my guilt, and so die in my sins; grant that I may seriously consider that neither my good works can merit, nor my sins hinder, the grace of Christ, my Redeemer; that so I may continue firm and steadfast amidst all my temptations; that I may neither be misled by the evil spirit of presumption and spiritual pride that walketh at noonday, nor be afraid of the destroying angel of despair that walketh in darkness; but that, having conquered the weakness of my nature, I may continue steadfast in the faith, filled with spiritual joy and consolation. Let thy grace, blessed Lord Jesus, begin, carry on, and perfect this good work in me. Amen.
The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.—John 4:21, 23.
1. Where shall we find God?
2. Hence, then, we may gather the genuine sense of those passages of
Scripture, which say that “the kingdom of God is within us,” and not without
us (
A PRAYER.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who art the only way, light, and gate of heaven, I praise thee from the bottom of my heart, that by this meditation, thou teachest me how I am in thee, and thou in me, in whatsoever place I am; how thou, my true and only High Priest, art with me, and deliverest me from my sins, whensoever I lift up my heart to thee. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Teach me, O Lord, always to acknowledge this, and not after the manner of this ungrateful world, to undervalue or despise this hidden treasure; but that I may in true faith seek, find, taste, and enjoy it. Amen.
In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee.—Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.—Isa. 49:8; 55:6. Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.—2 Cor. 6:2.
1. From what has been already said
concerning the place, and what we are now observing further upon that head,
2. What we have observed of place,
may be also applied to time, to which the eternal and unchangeable God is
by no means confined, so as not to be always at liberty to hear our prayers.
Great men and princes of this world are not always to be spoken with, and
frequently refuse admittance to their petitioners; being engaged either by
the necessities or diversions of life. But our God cannot be thus separated
from his creatures; at one view, He sees, and hears, and considers all
things that are done upon the earth, and “understandeth our thoughts afar
off.”
3. But alas! the concerns of this lower world have so great an influence
upon our minds, distracting our thoughts, and withholding us from devout
retirement, that we must endeavor to purify our minds from all thoughts
of the creature, according to a devout writer, who advises us, “to lay aside
all thoughts of this or that thing, time or place, and bring all the powers
of our souls into profound repose.” And in this sabbath or rest of the
soul, in this quiet cessation from the cares and labors of corrupt nature,
when we pray, God descends with his
living word, and the soul of man perceives and tastes the truth and love
of God; of which, before this patient preparation, it was wholly ignorant
and insensible. So that the soul cannot forbear crying out in the words: “The
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth!” (
A PRAYER.
Almighty, eternal, and most merciful God and Father! Thy goodness and truth are higher than the heavens, deeper than the sea, wider than the earth; all places are to Thee the same, and in thy sight all times are alike. Thou art above all places and all times, and yet dost penetrate and fill all things. Thou art nearer to me than I am to myself; thou anticipatest me with thy grace, and embracest me with thy mercy, which, through my blindness and misery, I could neither know nor hope for. Grant, that by thy Holy Spirit, I may seriously lay these things to heart, and for the future, look up to thee as my merciful Father, who knowest all things, and art present at all times, and in all places, that I may no more presume to judge of Thee by any natural blindness, and no more persuade myself that Thou art to be awakened, or prevailed upon by my crying; that thou needest any long discourses of mine, or requirest any certain time for prayer. But give me grace to consider, that the true worshipper may have access to Thee at all times, and in all places, and that thy goodness is always and everywhere present with us; but that no man can enjoy it, or taste of thy sweetness, unless he be first awakened and encouraged by Thee to engage in devout prayer. That I may worthily and effectually perform this, give me thy Holy Spirit, who may work in me to will and to do according to thy good pleasure. Amen.
It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.—Isa. 65:24.
1. The first lesson which we learn is, that God has not commanded us to pray for his own sake, for he knoweth all things; but that we, being excited by these means, may be led to understand that he does know all things. God has so tender a concern for us, that he seems not to know anything, till we reflect within ourselves, that he does indeed know it. Hence it comes to pass, that when men do not diligently pray, they seem to think that God does not know. And, on the contrary, when we exercise ourselves in prayer, we soon learn that God knoweth all our necessities, and hath numbered the very hairs of our heads before we were born. These are thoughts that cannot enter into the hearts of those who despise the duty of prayer.
2. Secondly. We need not apply to God, as we do to one another, with a long account of our wants: all that we have to do is, daily to exercise ourselves in prayer, so that the inner man may enter into the kingdom of God.
3. Thirdly. God is (as Dr. Tauler says) a thousand times more ready to give, than we are to receive, through prayer and hope.
4. Fourthly. God stands in no need of any external ceremonies of ours,
our watchings, fastings, or cryings, to awaken him, who “neither slumbereth
nor sleepeth.”
5. Fifthly. Hence we discover the goodness, truth, and loving-kindness of God towards all men; and, on the other hand, the blindness and unbelief, the stupidity and unspeakable dulness of mankind towards God, who have so great a contempt of the mercies of God, and are so backward in their prayers and endeavors to obtain his grace.
6. Sixthly. God is righteous in all his works; and so far from his being the author of our miseries, blindness, and ignorance, we are indeed the cause of it ourselves; whilst, in contempt of his commands, we neglect to implore his mercies, and beg the blessings which he has promised to bestow on all that ask him. This is sufficient to vindicate the justice and impartiality of God in all his dealings towards us, and to lay the blame of all our sins and punishments upon ourselves, who are indeed the authors of both.
7. Seventhly. God is not confined to any certain time and place, but desires to be worshipped at all times, and in all places, in spirit and in truth.
8. These observations will rectify many mistakes, and open a man's eyes to discover things, of which he would otherwise have been ignorant. But though it is a shameful thing for a Christian to be ignorant of these matters, yet it is much more so to know, and not to reduce them to practice.
A PRAYER.
Awaken us, O God, that we may watch; draw us to Thee, and we will run in the true way, which conducts to the kingdom of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.—Ps. 86:1.
These words give us an admirable account of the grounds and reasons of prayer; that it is quickened by affliction and a sense of misery, and is a mark of a true Christian.
2. I. For, first, every Christian is anointed and baptized with the Holy
Spirit (
3. II. The soul of man is also called the temple or habitation of the Holy
Ghost; and what is more likely to be heard there, than the prayers of its
divine Inhabitant, who is emphatically called, “The Spirit of grace and
of supplication”?
4. III. This is confirmed by the office of the Holy Spirit, which is, “to
teach and to comfort” (
5. IV. Hence then we may learn the advantage of afflictions, and the
benefit of the cross. Our blessed Lord has told us, “They that be whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
6. Moreover, the misery of which the Psalmist complains, is the effect
of poverty. He that is poor, may easily be conceived to be miserable.
He certainly is so, who is forsaken by all, has none to help him, wanders
about, having neither house nor home, nor a place where to lay his head.
And now, what state can we conceive to be more wretched, than that of a
man by nature? He has no place where to rest himself, and knows not
whither to fly for refuge! “If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable.”
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.—Heb. 4:16.
“Hear my voice according to thy lovingkindness, O Lord”
(
2. I. First, the benefit of our prayers is well expressed by holy David in
the latter part of the above-mentioned verse (
3. Whence we may learn: 1. That an afflicted soul cannot be refreshed
4. II. Therefore, holy David adds, “They draw nigh that follow after
mischief; they are far from thy law.”
5. But it ought to be carefully noticed that David says, his enemies are far from the law of God. These are all they that persecute others, forsaking the word of God, and being far from his fear; whence it follows, that as they are far from God, so God is far from them, and nothing but destruction hangs over their heads. On the other hand, the faithful, pious, and devout soul approaches God through prayer.
6. When, therefore, we are daily lifting up our hearts to God, and learn
to converse with him, we approach continually nearer and nearer to him,
and by degrees, forgetting this lower world, from earthly we become heavenly
and spiritual; like Moses, whose face, when he had conversed forty days
and forty nights with God, shone like the sun.
7. III. David proceeds: “Thou art near, O Lord: and all thy commandments
are truth.”
8. How great soever our calamities may be, there is no one consideration
that gives us so much ease and comfort, as that of the presence of God
with us: according to that Scripture: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee:
be not dismayed, for I am thy God.”
9. We read of the patriarch Isaac (
10. IV. So, too, the veracity of God is a strong obligation upon us to pray,
because we know, 1. That he has commanded it; “Call upon me.”
11. Many other examples are to be found in the Holy Scriptures. And
that thou mayest not think that, because thou art not such a one as
Moses, David, Elias, or Joshua, therefore thou shalt not be heard as easily
as they were, thou art to consider that they all were men “subject to
like passions as we are.”
12. Who was Cornelius? Acts, ch. 10. He was a heathen. Who was
Manasseh?
13. V. But as the Psalmist adds: “Concerning thy testimonies, I have
known of old, that thou hast founded them for ever” (
14. And what greater consolation can we wish? Or who can refrain
from rejoicing, when he considers that our faith and prayer are founded upon
that which is eternal? Hence it is said, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make
haste” (
15. Against this foundation even the gates of hell shall not prevail.
16. For prayer is a conversation with God—a key of heaven—a free access to God—a familiarity with God—an opener of his mysteries—a spiritual banquet—a heavenly enjoyment—a nurse of virtues—a conqueror of vices—a medicine of the soul—a remedy against infirmities—an antidote against sin—a pillar of the world—a seed of blessing—an increase of faith—a support of hope—a parent of charity—a path of righteousness—a preserver of constancy—an ornament of holiness—a fire of devotion—a light of knowledge—a repository of wisdom—the strength of the soul—a remedy against faint-heartedness—a foundation of peace—the joy of the heart—a jubilee of the soul—a faithful companion in this earthly pilgrimage—the shield of a Christian soldier—a rule of humility—a forerunner of honor—a nurse of patience—a guardian of obedience—a fountain of quietness—the conquest of devils—a comfort of the sorrowful—a triumph of the just—the joy of the saints—a helper of the oppressed—the ease of the afflicted—the rest of the weary—an ornament of the conscience—an advancement of graces—an acceptable sacrifice—an encourager of mutual goodwill—the refreshment of this miserable life—the sweetening of death—a foretaste of the heavenly life—the earnest desire of everlasting salvation.
Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee; for thou wilt answer me.—Ps. 86:5-7.
Thus saith the prophet Jeremiah, “It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every
morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my
soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
2. In these words the Holy Spirit
gives us strong consolation in our afflictions, drawn from the goodness
and lovingkindness of God; without which we should immediately be consumed.
As in the natural world light and darkness, by the appointment of
God, alternately succeed each other,
so do light and darkness, joy and sorrow, in the spiritual world. Hence
there is a necessity that the light should spring up after darkness, and
joy after sorrow, in the souls of the righteous.
3. Now though all creatures derive
their life from God, yet man has received it from his Maker in a more
eminent degree; for as he is endowed with a rational soul, it follows that he
enjoys a more noble life than the rest of the creatures. The life of angels
again is more noble and glorious than
4. And as God is the fountain and principle of life, so he is also of all
good. For he is the supreme and eternal GOOD, and whatsoever bears
the marks and characters of good, is derived from this original. Thus,
every creature has received a small portion of the divine goodness, by
which it bears witness of its Maker, and in some manner calls upon man to
do the same. Thus the vine speaks to us, “Consider, O man, that the sweetness
of my juice, with which I cheer thy heart (
5. That which, in nature, we call the goodness of God, is, by the Scriptures, called the grace of God; this bearing relation to the soul, and that to the body. And as God has, by a thousand ways, discovered his goodness in the great Book of nature, so he has, in innumerable instances, discovered his grace and mercy in the Book of his word, all which are completed in Christ, who is the great centre of all the treasures of divine goodness and love that are distributed in heaven and earth.
6. Now, as it is the nature of every good being to be communicative, and otherwise it ceases to be good (for who can tell what is good, unless it thus discover itself?); so no man could know whether God were good and gracious unless he had communicated his grace and goodness to others. Who could have known the inestimable benefits of Christ as a Saviour, if he had not so abundantly manifested his love towards us?
7. But why was God pleased to manifest his goodness, grace, and
mercy to mankind? It was for this reason: that we might believe in him,
love him above all things, and call upon him in all our troubles; and he
was pleased to make this manifestation of himself, that it might be, as it
were, the first incentive to kindle the flames of devotion in our hearts. For
how should we call on him of whom we have not heard?
8. But you will say, How has God manifested himself to me? If he
would show himself to me, as he did to Moses, why should I not praise him
as he did? To which I answer: This is done in Christ Jesus, in whom he
manifested all his goodness after a
10. And thus we see in what sense the type, which may be discerned in this narrative of Moses, was fulfilled by the incarnation of Christ. For God, descending from heaven in him, was pleased to make his glory pass before us.
11. When Paul and Barnabas wrought great miracles at Athens, the
heathens cried out, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of
men.”
12. Let us now produce some reasons which may convince us, that God hears our prayers.
13. And first, such is the power of prayer and entreaty, that they often
pacify and prevail upon, not only the compassionate and kind, but even
morose and harsh tempers; of which we have an instance in the case of the
widow, who by her continual prayers, prevailed even upon that unjust judge,
who neither feared God, nor regarded man.
14. Tauler says: “God is moved with so vehement a love towards us, as if his divinity itself depended on us, and his only aim and design were, to discover to us the abyss of his divinity, and the fulness of his essence and nature; so that all may belong to us, even as it belongs to him.” And again, “We were created, and are called and invited to things immeasurably great, and eternal; wherefore God is exceedingly displeased with us, when we prefer the empty and trifling vanities of the world before him, who is ready, not only to bestow all things else, but even Himself upon us.” Again, “So great is the love of God towards us, that he will deny us nothing: yea, he anticipates our prayers, meets us (as it were) half-way, and courts our friendship, being a thousand times more ready to give, than we are to receive.”
15. The second argument is found in
the truth and promise of God. “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will
deliver thee.”
16. A third argument for our prayer, is God's paternal tenderness, which is
thus illustrated. “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father,
will he give him a stone?—If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
17. A fourth argument is, the intercession of Christ. With what ardent prayer did he, in the time of his humiliation upon earth, recommend his Church to his Father, and intercede for all believers!
18. Thus, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom
thou hast given me; that they may be one, as we are. Sanctify them
through thy truth; thy word is truth. I pray not that thou shouldest take
them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be with me where I am; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me,
19. A fifth argument is, the testimony
of the Holy Spirit, who “beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God” (
20. Sixthly, because God and Christ
are with us, and dwell in us by faith, how can we suppose that God will not
hear our sighs and groans? “Thou understandest my thought afar off.
There is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”
21. Seventhly, because the Holy Spirit, who is truly God, is also the
Spirit of prayer, and himself maketh intercession in us with sighs and
groanings unutterable.
22. Eighthly, God is not forgetful like men, as “a book of remembrance
is written before him, for them that fear the Lord, and that think upon his
name” (
23. And now, perhaps, thou wilt say, If these things are so, how comes
24. Thus much, indeed, must be granted, that many a man prays a great while for that which he does not obtain; and thence we judge that his prayers are not heard. What then becomes of these our reasons for believing that prayer will assuredly be heard? This is a very great trial, and has given much disturbance to many sincere and well-disposed souls.
25. But here we must observe, that the certainty of God's hearing our prayers, is incontestably proved by the arguments already produced, which are built upon an immovable foundation; whence it appears, that God does as certainly hear our prayers, as He is (1.) merciful, and a lover of mankind. (2.) As he is true in all his promises, yea, eternal truth itself. (3.) As he has a fatherly tenderness for us. (4.) As Jesus Christ is our mediator. (5.) As God and Christ dwell in us; which are all truths so certain and evident, that no believing heart ought to question them.
26. But we complain that God does not presently give us what we ask for,
and, therefore, that our prayers are not heard. For this two reasons may
be given: 1. That God hears our prayers, regarding more our happiness
than our desires. 2. That he reserves to himself the liberty of bestowing
the blessings which we ask, either upon our bodies or our souls, as
he shall think most proper. Thus, perhaps, we ask of God some temporal
blessings, who seeing them to be unfit for us, gives us spiritual ones; by
which means we not only receive what we prayed for, but so much the
more, as the good of the soul is to be preferred to that of the body. For as
the soul is much more noble than the body, and spiritual blessings are more
excellent than earthly; so much better is it for us, that God should give
us his eternal and spiritual blessings rather than those transitory and
fading enjoyments in which we are generally most delighted. He hears
our prayers, not always with respect to our bodies, but to our souls; which
is of far greater importance. If it should please God to visit you with
some bodily disease, and you pray for health, doubt not; your prayers will
be heard, and you shall certainly enjoy, if not the health of your body,
yet the health of your soul, which is much to be preferred. Every man in
his sound senses must think so. What advantage would it be to have the
body in health, but a sinful, distempered soul, liable to eternal death?
When it is well with the soul, a man may say with David, “Whom have I
in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and
my portion forever.”
27. But, perhaps, you will say that you pray for both; the health of your
soul as well as of your body; and for
spiritual blessings, as well as temporal. To this the Lord himself
answers thee, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (
28. Besides, God has reserved to himself the liberty of accomplishing
our desires either in this world, or the next, as he shall deem most proper.
Wherefore if thou dost not receive the
blessings for which thou prayest, consider that it is not good for thee to enjoy
them here, but that the answer to thy prayers is reserved for the other
life, which is more noble and durable, and more capable of pure enjoyments
than this. There the Lord will bestow on thee a thousandfold, for all that He
seemed to deny thee here. As He cannot forget our prayers, so He cannot
fail to answer them graciously; if not
in this life, yet certainly in that which is to come. As many prayers as thou
offerest up here, so many blessings shalt thou receive hereafter; for then
“we shall reap if we faint not.”
29. That man would be a very foolish husbandman, who would expect to
reap as soon as he had sown; and who, when he had done this, would cry out
with tears, that he had sown much seed, but could see no sign of harvest.
Thou fool! wait till the season of harvest arrives, and then thou shalt receive
the fruits of thy labor with a
blessed increase. These are the complaints which many people make: “I
have prayed,” says one, “so often; I have so often sighed from the bottom
of my soul; but I see no prospect of being heard, so that all my prayers,
and sighs, and tears, are in vain.” Ah, impatient soul! Thou hast scarcely
sowed, and dost thou already talk of harvest? Wait for the precious harvest
of eternal life, and thou shalt reap
an abundant crop of glory! “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap.”
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.—Rom. 8:26, 27.
Since our prayers are, alas! very weak and imperfect, let us see what assistance God has given us in his holy word, in order to help us in that duty.
2. The first help is our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ, the
Son of God.
3. The second help is God the Holy Ghost. “I will pour upon the house
of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of
supplication.”
4. The third help to strengthen us in
prayer, is found in the promises of God. “Call upon me in the day of trouble,
and I will deliver thee.”
5. The fourth help in prayer, is the
remembrance of the saints, whose prayers God has heard. Look at the examples
of the ancients, and be strengthened. And, indeed, we must needs be so,
when we seasonably call to mind instances of God's providence and divine
assistance. Upon this foundation all the prophets of old built their prayers.
Thus, when God was angry with Israel for the sin of the golden calf, and
said to Moses: “Let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and
that I may consume them” (
6. David had recourse to the same remedy in almost all his Psalms; putting
God in mind, as it were, of his
former mercies, goodness, and faithfulness. So
7. How admirably does the prophet Isaiah use the same form of supplication
(chap. 63:10-16), putting God in mind of his former mercies, and opening,
as it were, by this key, the immense treasures of his compassion.
“Where is he that brought them up out of the sea, with the shepherd of
his flock? where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? That led
them by the right hand of Moses, with his glorious arm, dividing the
water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them
through the deep, as a horse in the
wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the
valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy
people, to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, and
behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory; where is thy
zeal, and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies
towards me? Are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our Father, though
Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel
8. This prayer of the prophet is founded upon these arguments: (1.)
Because the love of God is eternal, therefore it will not be withheld from
me. (2.) I acknowledge myself to be
a sinner but, at the same time, I remember that thy grace has been extended
to sinners who repented. “Remember not the sins of my youth.”
9. The fifth comfort in prayer is, the
tender love of God to mankind, and his promises to help the afflicted. “Look
upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.”
10. The sixth help is, the consideration
of God's unspeakable compassion. He puts a better construction upon
our prayers than we intended, and
understands our necessities more perfectly than we can express them. He
makes merciful allowance for our infirmities in prayer; according to the
words of Abraham, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak.”
11. The seventh help in prayer, is
the remembrance of the covenant of
grace, which God has made with us. “This shall be the covenant,” etc.
12. What we have said upon this head, is most happily exemplified in
the prayer of Daniel. “O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the
covenant and mercy to them that love
him, and to them that keep his commandments.—And now, O Lord our
God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a
mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day.” (Here is the
putting God in mind of his former mercies.) “Hear, O our God, the
prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine
upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.” (This is pleading
the name and merits of Jesus the Messiah.) “O Lord, hear; O Lord,
forgive; O Lord, hearken and do.” (These are the groans of the Holy
Spirit.) “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and
behold our desolations” (in regard of his promise); “because for our sins,
and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a
reproach to all that are about us.”
(Here is a confession of sin, and an acknowledgment of misery.) “For we
do not present our supplications before thee, for our righteousnesses, but
for thy great mercies” (this is an acknowledgment of man's unworthiness,
and of God's mercy, which is followed with a remembrance of the covenant);
“For thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”
Wilt thou be angry with us forever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.—Ps. 85:5-7.
These words contain the familiar discourse of the devout and faithful
soul with God. Who would venture to talk so freely to an offended
prince? But so indulgent is God to a believing soul, that he gives liberty to
come freely and without restraint into his presence. As soon as the believer
enters, God asks, “What is thy desire? come near, and be not afraid.”
This is represented to us in the case of Bathsheba (
2. It is held to be an act of singular grace and favor, if a king vouchsafe to
talk familiarly with his subjects. It was upon this account that the Roman
emperor Titus was called The delight
of mankind, for his gracious treatment of all who were near him, filled them
with joy. But how much greater favor and happiness is it, that God, the
Lord of lords, and King of kings (whom the Psalmist calls, “The most
high and terrible Lord, a great King over all the earth”), (
3. It is therefore a most certain and undoubted truth, that whensoever
the faithful soul calls upon God by prayer, he never fails to answer by
the divine consolations of his Spirit. An instance of this we have, where
the Psalmist calls upon God in these words: “Lord, thou hast been favorable
unto thy land. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou
hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Wilt thou not revive
us again? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. I
will hear what God the Lord will speak.”
4. In a word, the Holy Scripture is nothing else but a conversation of the devout soul with God. Whenever the soul raises itself to God, and spreads its misery and complaints before him, then God answers it by some internal comfort, or by the words and promises of the Holy Scriptures.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.—Ps. 85:10.
The goodness of God comes forth to meet us, and gives merciful
answers to the prayers of faith; “for mercy shall compass us about.”
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I commune with mine own heart.—Ps. 77:2.
This passage is an excellent rule of life, teaching every man how to
conduct himself under the cross. As the word of God is the rule of our life
in prosperity, according to the Psalmist: “I will instruct thee and teach
thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (
2. Hence may every Christian learn, when he is in affliction, not to fix his
thoughts too much upon the immediate causes or instruments of his sufferings;
but to lift up his heart to God; to apply to himself the divine
promises; to pray and sing praises to his God: and these are the true and
certain consolations of an afflicted soul. David says, “In the day of my
trouble I sought the Lord.” As a mind oppressed with grief eases itself
by communicating its troubles to a faithful friend, so is our afflicted
spirit refreshed and comforted when we offer prayer and thanksgiving to
God. Thus David “called to remembrance his song in the night, and communed
with his own heart” (
3. Amongst other things that may be learned from this beautiful passage of the Psalmist, this is one, that the singing of holy hymns and praises to God, proceeding from a truly devout soul, are attended with great advantages and spiritual blessings.
4. The truth of this appears, 1. From nature itself. 2. From the efficacy
of prayer. 3. From the examples found in the Old Testament.
4. From the examples in the New. 5. From the examples of holy men in
both, who were by this means filled with the Holy Ghost. 6. From the
nature and properties of the
5. As to the first, namely, the book
of the world, or nature, it is clear that the praise of God is the great end of
the whole creation. That this is the grand employment of the angelical
choirs, appears from many passages in the Revelation of St. John, as also
from
6. The second argument was the efficacy of the prayer of faith. This
is attested by the word of God, the
examples of holy men, and daily experience. For we are assured by all
the promises of God, that not one devout prayer, not one sigh or tear,
comes from us in vain. “Put thou my tears into thy bottle.”
7. Thirdly, this is confirmed by
many examples found in the Old Testament.
8. Fourthly, this is confirmed by the
examples of the New Testament; especially those two divine hymns of
Mary and Zacharias (
9. Fifthly, by the praises offered to God by the holy men of the Old Testament
and the New, who were filled with the Holy Ghost. Of this we
have two instances. First, when Samuel had anointed Saul to be
king, he gave him a sign, saying, “Thou shalt meet a company of
prophets with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before
them; and they shall prophesy. And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon
thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another
man.”
10. In the Old Testament there were several kinds of divine music;
some of trumpets, some of psalteries and harps, some of cymbals, and other
kinds of musical instruments. From
this some imagine that the Songs of
Degrees, as some of the Psalms are called, took their names. For they
did not sing all the Psalms to the same instrument, but adapted their
instruments to their subject, whether it were cheerful or sorrowful. All
these various kinds of music with which, under the Old Testament, they
sang praises unto God, being a part of the external ceremonial service, have
now ceased; and our spirit, soul, mind, and mouth are become the trumpet,
psaltery, harp, and cymbal of God. To which St. Paul alludes, when he
says, “Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
11. Sixthly, the nature and properties of the Psalms prove the same thing. Some of them are supplicatory, others consolatory; some penitential, others doctrinal; and, lastly, others prophetical: from which variety of style and intention the devout soul may reap a correspondent variety of comforts and benefits.
12. Seventhly, we are instructed by the examples of Moses and David
that songs of praise were used upon
different occasions. As (1) Against enemies. These may be called prayers
for protection. Such is
13. Thus much concerning the efficacy and admirable benefits of divine
hymns and thanksgivings. Whence it
appears that it is the duty of a Christian to praise God as well as to pray
to him every day. For (1), it being the constant employment of the holy
angels to bless and praise God, when the Church on earth does the same,
there arises thence a divine and heavenly communion betwixt the Church
on earth and the Church in heaven;
fulfilling, in some measure, that petition of the Lord's prayer, “Thy will
be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.— Ps. 106:1; 107:1; 118:1.
Thus saith the devout David, “Seven times a day do I praise
thee, because of thy righteous judgments” (
2. But as we are by nature dull and inactive in the discharge of this duty, therefore God has given us, in his Word, certain helps to quicken us.
3. The first of these is his own command. He made us, his servants and
creatures, for his own glory, as we ourselves appoint servants to manage
business for us. He, therefore, who does not daily praise God, was created
by him in vain, and cannot be his servant. Hence we are commanded,
over and over again, in Holy Scripture, above all things, to praise
God. Thus, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise him, O ye servants of the
Lord.”
4. Secondly, the advantages that a
man derives from this exercise, is another argument. For since God has
no need of our praises, and is neither
the better nor the worse for our obedience or neglect; and since the most
acceptable praise which we can offer
him is, at best, but the fruit of “unclean lips” (
5. Thirdly, we are encouraged to the daily practice of thanksgiving, from the consideration of the compassion, the lovingkindness, and everlasting goodness of God. This is an argument continually inculcated in the Book of Psalms, to teach us that the chief and fundamental reason why we ought continually to bless and praise God, is, because he is good and gracious, and “his mercy endureth for ever.” No heart of man can conceive, nor tongue express, the height and depth of that love which disposes the great and mighty God to show himself thus loving and merciful to wretched mankind, who are dust and ashes, laden with iniquities, and ungrateful to God; and that he not only continues his wonted mercies to them, notwithstanding their repeated provocations; but is also perpetually dispensing fresh showers of blessings upon the whole rebellious race. And this is what every man must needs experience in himself. Look into thine own soul, whosoever thou art; what canst thou find there but misery and sin? Yet God continues merciful and long-suffering, is slow to anger, and not willing to punish thee as thy sins have deserved. This is a degree of mercy which, as thy own heart must confess, no man living does or can exercise towards his brethren. We cannot so long forbear to punish those that have offended us; and when we punish, mercy seldom pleads for the criminal, till we are satiated with vengeance; whereas the rod of God is often lifted up, but his mercy averts the impending stroke, and rescues the sinner from punishment. So that every man must confess that the punishments of heaven are not only less than we deserve, but are always qualified with a double portion of mercy. Whence it follows, that God is essentially and truly love, which every man daily experiences in himself.
6. Read the Holy Scriptures and see how tenderly, yea, how affectionately
God vouchsafes to deal with mankind, so that no father or mother upon
earth can be more indulgent to their darling child. Thus, “Is Ephraim
my dear son? is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do
earnestly remember him still; therefore, my bowels are troubled for him;
I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.”
7. God not only bestows his favors
plentifully both on our souls and bodies, but also does it with so much tenderness
and good will, that, as he himself says, “He rejoices over us to do
us good” (
8. The same goodness of God discovers itself in all his creatures; in
which, as in a glass, we may contemplate the wonderful riches of divine
mercy: “The earth is full of the riches of God.”
9. Dull, ungrateful creatures that we are, how apt are we to forget our
benefactor, and despise the hand that blesses us! God is thus led in mere
mercy to use the rod of discipline, and to take away our worldly comforts
from us, in order thereby to reduce us to a sober sense of ourselves, and of
our dependence on him, to whom all our thanks are due. Thus God speaks
by the prophet Hosea, “She did not know that I gave her corn, and wine,
and oil, and multiplied her silver and her gold: therefore will I return, and
take them from her.”
10. Indeed the excellency of the divine love discovers itself chiefly in
this, that he bestows his favors even upon rebels and enemies. “For he
maketh his sun to rise, and sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust.”
11. The goodness and mercy of God herein appear still more illustrious,
that though we continue ungrateful, and our hearts “cast forth wickedness
as a fountain casteth forth her waters”
(
12. Now if God pours his blessings
upon us so plentifully in this life, that we taste and enjoy them by all our
senses; how much more fully shall we be convinced, in the other world, by
most blessed experience, that his mercy endureth forever? If we receive so
many mercies from him now in this vale of sin and misery, as that “in him
we live, and move, and have our being” (
13. Fourthly, the praises of God have been the special employment of
all holy men. Most of the prophets of the Old Testament composed holy
hymns, to the praise and honor of God. Thus did Moses (
14. Fifthly, all creatures invite us to praise God. Thus David speaks
to them all, “Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.”
15. Sixthly, we must know, that when we have done all that we can to
set forth the greatness and majesty of God, the best and most devout of men
must fall short of the dignity of a subject, which no tongue, either of men
or angels, can worthily express. For “Who can utter the mighty acts of
the Lord? who can show forth all his praise?”
16. And now, what is there in heaven or in earth that may be compared
unto our God, with whom is such abundant salvation; who, by
his power, sustains the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein (
17. If any man, then, desires to answer the end of his creation, and
not to be thought the only ingrate among all the works of God; if he
desires to walk worthy of his Christian calling, and after death to be
partaker with the saints of light and everlasting glory, let his soul praise
the Lord, and let him beseech God that He would never suffer his soul to
be unmindful or negligent of this duty. And those things which we
cannot sufficiently praise in this world shall be worthily celebrated in the
next, when “that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see
through a glass darkly, but then face to face.”
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord—upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. —Ps. 92:1-6.
There are six Psalms which have been distinguished by the name
of Golden Songs, namely, 16, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, to show us that the praise
of God and prayer are the spiritual and heavenly treasure of a believing
2. The giving praise to God is a great honor and treasure of man, because
(2) thereby we become like the angels in heaven. Therefore our blessed
Saviour, pointing out the future glory of men, says, “They shall be as
the angels of God.”
3. That singing praises to God is the greatest glory and highest honor that
a man can receive, appears (3) hence; that by this a man becomes, as it
were, the harp or instrument on which the Holy Spirit is perpetually sounding
forth the praises of God. Of this we have a very beautiful representation,
where the Evangelist saw a great
multitude clothed in white, and following the Lamb of God; and “he
heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.”
4. That the praising of God is a man's greatest privilege, and most
valuable treasure, appears (4) hence: because in that exercise is contained
the greatest spiritual joy. Hence it is said, “Thou, Lord, hast made me glad
through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”
5. The greatness and excellency of this duty appears (5) hence: that by
it we are led to the contemplation of all the wonderful works of God, whence
such rays of divine light and wisdom
dart upon the soul, as scatter and dissipate the clouds of error and darkness
in which men are naturally involved. Thus saith the Psalmist, “O Lord,
how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish
man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this.”
6. We may conclude that praising God is the highest honor, the most
exalted privilege, and greatest benefit to man; because (6) by this man gains
the victory over all his enemies, both Satan and men. See
Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.—Heb. 10:36.
True Christian patience is that virtue by which, in all afflictions that cannot, by ordinary means, be avoided, we resign ourselves to the divine will, and submit entirely to it; choosing rather to suffer the greatest evils, than murmur against God, or let go our dependence on him.
2. The first reason or ground of this
virtue is, the counsel and gracious will
of God, by which we are appointed to sufferings and afflictions; according to
3. The second reason why we ought
to be patient is the approaching consummation
of all things; at which time, as our blessed Lord has told us,
“iniquity shall abound, and love shall wax cold.”
4. Thirdly, the hope of the restitution
of all things, and the expectation
of everlasting happiness, is another argument to support our patience. For
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” (
5. Fourthly, another support of patience
is the coming of Jesus Christ; when all our sorrows shall be done
away, yea, be turned into joy (
6. The fifth support of patience is
the truth and faithfulness of God; by the consideration of which “we ought
to stablish our hearts,” as St. James says, so that they may not waver.
7. Sixthly, how glorious shall the
recompense of past afflictions be to the faithful in the other world, which they
would not exchange for all the pleasures and glories of this!
8. Seventhly, we must set before our
eyes the examples of holy men, as Abel, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, David, Job, and especially the man of God, Moses; who, as the Holy
Scripture witnesses, was “very meek, above all the men which were upon
the face of the earth.”
9. Eighthly, we shall bear our afflictions patiently, when we consider that Christ Jesus has sanctified and blessed our crosses by his own, and has taken away the sting of affliction, and made it to us the instrument of blessing, life, and glory. For as the sufferings of Christ ended in glory, so will the sufferings of every Christian be turned into everlasting joy.
10. Ninthly, behold the glorious reward
of those that bore their cross
with patience. Though many of the holy martyrs were most barbarously
treated, most inhumanly punished, and cruelly put to death, some thrown
to wild beasts, some boiled in oil, others in melted lead; yet there is no
man so impious or foolish, as to say,
that he had not rather be in their condition now, than that of their murderers.
Who would not now prefer the condition of the poor Lazarus, to
that of the rich man?
11. Tenthly, let the deep compassion
of God be a support to our patience, who can no more forget us,
than a mother can forget her sucking child.
12. All that has been said on this head, is admirably explained in the
Epistle to the Hebrews (
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.—James 1:12.
Even as God has provided healing remedies for the body in external
nature; so has he also for the soul in his holy Word. And as in this valley
of misery and tears, no man can
be perfectly free from crosses, afflictions, and troubles; so nothing can be
more seasonable than to collect certain
2. The first comfort is the consideration of the divine providence, which
lays the burden upon us. “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth
down to the grave, and bringeth up.”
3. The second head of comfort is to consider the end and design of our
cross, namely, that God sends it, not out of wrath, but from pure love to
our souls. How dangerous it is to a man's soul to be always prosperous
and at ease, we may learn not only from the case of “the rich man”
(
4. The third argument is sin itself, by considering whether thou hast
not deserved thy punishments. If thou hast (which thou canst not
deny), then it is agreeable to the divine justice that thou shouldest suffer.
Now, a temporal suffering, attended with the divine mercy and
comfort, is certainly more desirable than an eternal one, without hopes of
comfort or expectation of redemption. Call to mind the rich man, in
vain crying out: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me” (
5. Fourthly, when thou art afflicted, consider how much Christ suffered for
thy sake! Think upon his poverty, “who had not where to lay his head!”
6. Fifthly, we must call to mind the consolatory promise of our blessed
Saviour, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament,
but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow
shall be turned into joy.”
7. The sixth ground of comfort is found in the examples of the saints,
none of whom were without their cross. Ask them one by one, and they
will answer you, “Through much tribulation we entered into the kingdom
of God.”
8. The seventh source of comfort is, the presence of God with us under the
cross. God has nowhere declared that he dwells with the merry, but rather
with the afflicted and sorrowful. “I dwell in the high and holy place, with
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of
the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
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.—James 5:7.
Patience is that virtue by which we behave ourselves quietly before God under any cross or tribulation, committing ourselves and all our concerns, whether temporal or eternal, without any reserve, to be governed and disposed of by the all-wise providence of God, entirely resigning all to his will: to the practice of which the following arguments strongly persuade us.
2. First, because every cross and calamity of life, as sword, famine,
pestilence, and other punishments, proceed from God. Nothing happens
in this world at random or by chance, though, by the permission of Providence,
many evils are inflicted on us by the devil and his instruments. For
thus saith the Lord: “I form the light, and create darkness; I make
peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things.”
3. Secondly, we must remember that our punishments are less than we deserve. Our sins are always greater than our punishments, and our sufferings less than our offences. Thou canst not but own that the mercies thou hast enjoyed, from thy youth up unto this day, are more and greater than the punishments thou hast suffered. Why then shouldest thou not, with profound submission, receive cheerfully the corrections which he inflicts for thy benefit, to save thee from destruction?
4. Thirdly, if we have in many ways provoked God, and deserved punishment,
we must acknowledge with the prophet Daniel, that he is righteous
in all that is brought upon us.
5. Fourthly, doth it not discover a stubborn and untractable temper, to
fly in the face of God, who has so long borne with, and still continues to bear
with thee patiently, as St. Paul says, speaking of the goodness, patience, and
long-suffering of God, by which he endeavors to draw us to repentance? See
6. Fifthly, set before thine eyes the patience of thy Saviour. He who was
spotless innocence and purity itself, though he could have destroyed his
enemies in a moment, yet bore their utmost cruelties with patience, and
prayed for his enemies. How much more reason then have we to be patient,
who have deserved the greatest punishment, even eternal punishment.
As Jacob served seven years for Rachel (
7. Sixthly, the remembrance of God's
great mercies should move us to patience. For, first of all, thou art assured,
that by Christ thou art reconciled unto God, and that therefore no
man can rob thee of this transcendent mercy, though the whole world should
league together against thee: “for the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him.”
8. The seventh support of patience is found in the truth and promise of
God. “Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you;
and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for the
Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
9. Eighthly, we ought to submit to anything for the sake of the glory of
God. Thus the three men in the fiery furnace (
10. Ninthly, for the sake of our own advantage. For, first, we learn many
great and useful lessons under the discipline
of the cross. “Patience worketh
11. Tenth, great is the reward of patience. So Job, having been despoiled
of all his goods, was rewarded with a double portion.
12. Eleventh, patience is a virtue of unspeakable advantage to all orders
of men. In the Church it is a virtue
which enables men to bear the opposition, contempt, and persecution to
which they may be exposed by the conscientious discharge of their duty.
In the State it is a useful virtue, enabling men to bear with patience the
odium and reproach that generally attends public stations. For history informs
us, that impatience, and a desire of revenge, have been the ruin of many
flourishing states and kingdoms. As to the concerns of private families,
how necessary patience is there, may be learned from everyone's experience,
particularly from those that have entered into the marriage-state; in which
respect, these words of Solomon are applicable, “He that is slow to anger,
is better than the mighty.”
13. Twelfth, consider that Christ has taken out the sting of our afflictions,
so that they cannot hurt us with regard to our eternal happiness; for by
his cross and passion he has made an atonement for our sins, and has taken
away those punishments that were due to them. If then our cross be sanctified
by the cross of Christ, and is to us a remedy against all our spiritual
diseases, it follows that the cross itself is a help to salvation; which made the
Apostle say, “All things work together for good to them that love God.”
14. Lastly, consider how light thy afflictions are when compared with
“the glory that shall be revealed in us.”
THE BENEFITS OF THE CROSS.
15. The cross is the strait and narrow way leading to life,—a rod of divine
correction, to awaken us from the sleep of sin and death,—the morning
star that ushers in the sun of consolation,—a token of divine favor,
like the rainbow. It brings us to a conformity with Christ,—strips us of
the armor of darkness, and clothes us with the armor of light. It is a plant
of life,—a cup of salvation,—a trial of
faith,—the edification of our neighbor,—the parent of love,—a companion of
We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.—Acts 14:22.
As the life of a Christian consists of crosses and afflictions, through which he must enter into the kingdom of God; so he must arm himself with patience, and beg it earnestly of God. We must not think that we are born for pastime and diversion, but for many afflictions and trials of patience. And here we will consider three several arguments. The first shall contain some select sentences and testimonies of Scripture. The second, examples. And the third, encouragements.
I. Some Sentences And Testimonies Of Scripture.
2. Patience submits itself with meekness, quietness, and humility, to the cross; receiving all kinds of afflictions, calamities, and persecutions, whether bodily or spiritual, as the cross and yoke of Christ. By this we follow our blessed Saviour, not murmuring against God, but acknowledging in faith, that God is reconciled to us through Christ, and comforting ourselves under the severest trials, with the hopes of deliverance. This is also called meekness towards them that injure and persecute us, leaving the avenging of our quarrel to God; not upon a principle of reason or worldly policy, but arising from the grace of God, as the fruit and effect of true faith.
3. The parts of this description are—1. Obedience. 2. Imitation. 3. Not to murmur. 4. To consider God as reconciled to us through Christ. 5. To lessen our afflictions by hope. 6. To behave ourselves with meekness towards our persecutors. 7. Not to exercise revenge. And so it contains in it faith, hope, charity, humility, meekness, and obedience.
4. These virtues are to be practised and exercised by all the disciples of
Christ, who are purchased for heaven and eternal life: for against such the
devil, that great dragon and old serpent (
5. “Ye shall be hated of all men, for my name's sake.”
6. Concerning religious persecutions, our blessed Saviour prophesies, “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.—In your patience possess ye your souls.”
7. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you.”
8. “They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh that
whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service.”
9. When St. Paul had been stoned
at Lystra, but encouraged by the discourses of the disciples, “he confirmed
the souls of the disciples,—exhorting them to continue in the faith: and that
we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.”
10. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair; persecuted, but
not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the
body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body.”
11. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
If a man strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”
12. “Ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise.”
13. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God. For,
consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
14. “Now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations; that the trial of your faith might be found much more precious
than of gold that perisheth.”
15. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep
thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
II. Examples Of Patience.
16. Abraham suffered many things from the Chaldeans, Canaanites, and
Egyptians. “Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in
Charran. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to
set his foot on. And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn
in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat
them evil four hundred years.”
III. Consolations.
17. “Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.”
The holy Apostle St. Paul, when meditating upon the tender mercies
and compassions of our Heavenly
Father to all afflicted and contrite sinners, breaks out into these words, full
of the praise of God: “Blessed be God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ—knowing
that as ye are partakers of the sufferings,
so shall ye be also of the consolation.”
2. In these words, so full of grace, the holy Apostle gives thanks to God for heavenly consolation; which is indeed the only remedy against all the troubles and adversities that oppress us in this life; teaching, at the same time, that no adversity befalls us, how great soever, but God supports us under it by his divine comfort, which is more abundant than our sufferings. This he confirms by seven weighty arguments, which he repeats in regular order.
3. The first is, because God is the
Father of mercies, which is the most
cheering appellation that can be conceived: for he shows himself a Father,
not only in name, but in sincerity and truth to all afflicted souls. Consider
what are the properties of a father; for they all belong to God our Heavenly
Father. It is the part of a father, 1. To love his children. 2. To take
care of them. 3. To feed them. 4. To defend them. 5. To correct and
instruct them. 6. To pity their infirmities. 7. To be tender of them. 8. To
give them an inheritance. If a man will but thoroughly consider these
particulars, he must acknowledge that
the very name of a father carries in it
such a treasure of comfort, as abundantly outweighs all the miseries of
human life. And to illustrate this
4. The second argument is contained in this expression, the God of all comfort; that is, he overflows with eternal and infinite comforts. For as God is the eternal, infinite, and chief Good; and on the other hand, our crosses are finite and temporal; what can proceed from that eternal and chief Good, but perpetual comfort, not only equal, but superior to our greatest affliction? For as our miseries are finite, and the consolations of God are infinite, it clearly follows that the latter must be superior to the former.
5. The third argument is, the example of St. Paul, and all the saints.
“God,” saith he, “comforteth us in all our tribulation.” If we but read the
histories of holy men of former times, and compare their trials and afflictions
with the divine consolations wherewith they were supported under them,
we shall easily perceive that our afflictions are but light in comparison with
their torments; and that no cross can befall us so great, as to exceed those
divine comforts and supports which the holy martyrs enjoyed. Who will
presume to compare his crosses with those of Job? Who can say he has
been afflicted like Jeremiah (
6. The fourth is expressed in these words, “That we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God.” Now, how did God comfort the apostles?
And how do they comfort us again? Certainly, by the gracious promises
in his holy Word. Hence it is said, “Whatsoever things were written
aforetime, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.”
7. The fifth ground of comfort is that the apostle calls the cross of the
faithful, “the sufferings of Christ.” And that 1. Because all the faithful
are the spiritual members of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as the head
feels all the pains of every member of the body, by a certain sympathy
arising from its union with them; so Christ, who is our Head, feels all the
crosses and sufferings of every member. 2. Because Christ dwells in his
faithful servants, and is vitally united to them; therefore, also, he suffers in
his members, sharing in all their sufferings, banishments, and persecutions,
as he witnessed by a voice from heaven, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me?”
8. The sixth ground of consolation, the Apostle deduces from Jesus Christ,
the spring and foundation of all comfort, in these words: “Our consolation
aboundeth by Christ.” As sin is the fountain of all misery; so is Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, the spring and fountain of all joy and comfort. Now
as the power of Christ is greater than the power of sin; so is the comfort that
proceedeth from him greater and more powerful than any misery that can
arise from sin; according to the words of St. Paul, “Where sin abounded
grace did much more abound.”
9. The seventh comfort which the Apostle mentions, is the glory of
Christ: hence he says, “As ye are partakers of his sufferings, so shall ye
be also of the consolation.” This glory we know to be so great, that he is
glorious, not only with respect to his own Person, in a manner incommunicable
to his body, which is the Church; but also that he, as the Head of the
Church, was exalted to glory for that very end, that all the members of his
body might be partakers with him. Hence St. Paul calls him, “The head
of the church which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
10. It now remains that we speak of the five means, by which we may be partakers of these comforts.
11. The first is, true repentance and
knowledge of sin. Without this, the soul is not capable of comfort; according
to that saying of Christ, “They that be whole need not a physician, but
they that are sick.”
12. The second means, is faith, which hangs upon Jesus Christ, as the infant
upon the mother's bosom. It rests entirely in the paternal affection of
the God of all consolation. It holds fast by Jesus Christ, as Jacob did by
the angel, saying, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”
13. The third means, is prayer, which is a conversation with God. As it is
a relief and a refreshment to an afflicted soul, to communicate its sorrows
and troubles to a faithful friend: so are our hearts refreshed and comforted,
by conversing with God in prayer. “When I cried, thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.”
14. The fourth means of obtaining
15. The last sure and certain means of receiving divine consolation, is a
diligent reading, hearing, and meditating on the Word of God. “For whatsoever
things were written, were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
16. From the Word of God as the true fountain of consolation, are to be drawn all the above-mentioned arguments and grounds of comfort; namely, joy and quiet of mind under all kinds of crosses and afflictions. Hence also we must learn how these comforts are to be obtained, namely, by true repentance, a living faith, ardent prayer, and continually praising God.
I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God?—Micah 7:7-10.
We read in the prophet Jeremiah (chap. 9:4, etc.), that
before the Babylonish captivity and the destruction of the temple, besides
the idolatry that brought that desolation upon them, treachery, lying, falsehood,
hatred, and envy prevailed to a high degree; and that charity was
quite cold and dead amongst them. For wheresoever these abominations
prevail, there, it is plain, God is not; and that he has forsaken not only the
city or the kingdom, but also the hearts of those that dwell there; and
when God forsakes us, destruction quickly finds us. So says the prophet
(
2. Here we may see the wretched state of Jerusalem, and what flagrant iniquities they were which hastened its ruin. Treachery and iniquity did so abound, that there was neither truth nor honesty left among the people. Their only aim was to cheat and defraud one another; and their hearts being thus set upon iniquity, they brought on themselves ruin and destruction.
3. Something similar to this, is the complaint of the prophet Micah:
“Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as
the grape gleanings of the vintage;
there is no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first ripe fruit. The good
man is perished out of the earth; and there is none upright among men:
they all lie in wait for blood. They do evil with both hands earnestly.
Trust ye not in a friend.”
4. But in order that upright and good men may not be too much discouraged
in this sad and dangerous state of things, we must consider by
what means the holy men of old supported themselves in such a state of
universal corruption. The prophet Micah (
5. First, he says, “I will look unto the Lord: I will wait for the God of
my salvation.” In these words is contained the doctrine of faith and hope,
which are, as it were, the two watchful, never-sleeping eyes of the soul, by
which it constantly looks towards God in the greatest dangers and necessities;
the greater the calamity, the stronger ought to be our faith, the
more vigorous our hope. Then it is that we should call to mind the words
which we repeat at the beginning of the Apostles' Creed: “I believe in God
the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;” that is, I believe that
there is no misery or calamity so great, but God can and will deliver me out
of it. Let us learn, therefore, to turn away our eyes from temporal suffering,
not regarding it, but God “who worketh salvation in the midst of the
earth” (
6. Moreover, as it is the way of God to help us, not at the time appointed
by us, but in his own due time; so it is not enough for us to say, “I will
look unto the Lord;” but we must add, “and wait for the God of my salvation.”
For faith, hope, and patience, have an entire relation to, and mutual
dependence upon each other; as we may see in
7. The second consolation is, that God will certainly hear our prayers: “The
Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication;
the Lord will receive my prayer.”
8. The third consolation is contained in these words: “Rejoice not against
me, O mine enemy! when I fall, I
shall arise.” Though the world, according to the perverse spirit that
governs it, rejoice at the sufferings of good men (
9. The fourth consolation is contained in these words: “When I sit in
darkness, the Lord shall be a light
unto me.” By darkness, he means a state of affliction; which is darkness,
indeed, wherein a man can neither see nor be seen by his friends with the
least glimpse of worldly comfort. The
sufferer sits in the very region of shame and sorrow, the valley of the shadow
of death, exposed to the violence and assaults of evil spirits and wicked men.
But dark and dismal as it is, the Lord himself will enlighten it; the light of
whose countenance shines most of all
in the dismal darkness of worldly affliction. There he appears to comfort
the disconsolate, and cheer, with the brightness of his presence, the desolate
and desponding soul. Thus it is said, “Light is sown for the righteous,
and gladness for the upright in heart.”
10. The fifth consolation is this: “I will bear the indignation of the Lord,
because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute
judgment for me.” Let the afflicted person think on this, and remember
that though from those that afflict him he may have deserved better
usage; yet from the hand of God, he
has deserved a great deal worse. Whatever befalls us, is by the permission of
God. Upon this account, the evils that we suffer from wicked men, are called
in this verse, “the indignation of the Lord.” Blessed is he that beareth
this affliction with patience, and receiveth it no otherwise than as coming
from God himself. “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord,
and teachest him out of thy law; that thou mayest give him rest from the
days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.”
11. The sixth consolation is, “He will bring me forth to the light, and I
shall behold his righteousness.” This is a figure of speech taken from the
condition of a man that has long lain in darkness, and been as a dead man
out of mind; or of one taken out of a dark and deep prison into the light
and open air. For as these, having been long confined to darkness and
misery, are exceedingly refreshed with the cheerful light of the sun and
the splendor of the heavens; so after the patient bearing of the cross, the
light of God's countenance breaks
forth, and the beams of divine consolation strike powerfully upon the soul,
filling it with glory and joy unspeakable.
12. The seventh consolation is, “Then she that is mine enemy shall
see it, and shame shall cover her.” This is the proper punishment of
wicked men who rejoice at the affliction of others, that they shall be covered
with confusion. The time will certainly come, when the mockers
shall be struck with unavoidable shame, and shall be convinced by
Thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.—Isa. 49:23.
As faith is nothing else but a fixed and steady assurance by which
the devout Christian depends perfectly and entirely on the favor and mercy
of God promised in Christ Jesus (
2. Of this hope St. Paul says, that it “maketh not ashamed” (
3. And as hope is built upon an immovable foundation, and the things of
this world are fleeting and uncertain;
therefore its rest, its joy, its entire dependence, are in God alone, despising
the riches, pleasures, honors, and glories of the world. “They that trust
in the Lord, shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth
forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round
about his people.”
4. On the other hand, they whose hopes are founded on the transitory
riches, honors, and pleasures of this world, are perpetually exposed to all
the fears, cares, and calamities of life;
5. This can never be learned but under the discipline of the cross. For such is the nature of affliction, that it searches and discovers the inmost recesses of the soul; and shows us whether the hope that is in us be true or false. By this touchstone, we often find that our hopes have not been so much fixed upon God himself, as upon the favors and blessings he bestows; that we have built upon the sand, and idolized the creature, instead of worshipping the Creator. For so great is the blindness of our nature, that we often rest in the creatures, instead of raising our minds from them to the Creator, as he designed. For with this intent God bestows on man so many and great blessings, that by the gifts he may be drawn to the Giver; and learn to know, love, fear, reverence, and hope in God alone. But so great is the corruption of our nature, that we are not disposed to serve God for nought; and we worship him not for his own sake, but for the sake of what he bestows.
6. Upon this account, it is necessary that God should sometimes visit us with crosses and afflictions, and deprive us of his good things which we have abused; that so we may learn to praise, and glorify, and depend on him alone. Nay, we sometimes proceed so far, as to trust in ourselves, and entirely depend on our own power and abilities; then it is that God in mere mercy interposes; and, that we may not grow too proud, breaks us in pieces, humbles, and confounds us, and so empties us of ourselves, that we may be filled with all the fulness of God. This we cannot be, without being first emptied of all that arrogance, pride, and self-conceit, which stand in perfect opposition to the grace of God.
7. Hence hope is a militant virtue, fighting against all that confidence in ourselves, all that self-exaltation upon the score of our own gifts, merit, righteousness, prosperity, honors, and riches, in which the natural man places all his confidence. The business of hope is to oppose and conquer all these delusions of the devil, and to seek rest and peace in God alone.
8. Hence it follows, that hope, like faith and charity, has God only for its
object. Whosoever aims at any other mark, or places his hope on any other
being, is destitute of any well-founded hope. As all created beings when out
of God are nothing; it follows that
the hope reposed in them is also nothing. So then, these three virtues,
faith, hope, and charity, are in the highest sense spiritual, admitting of
no earthly mixture, but are fixed entirely on God, who is their eternal
and invisible basis. To this refers that passage of St. Paul, “Hope that is seen,
is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”
9. Consider this, O man, and by carefully comparing time with eternity,
persuade thyself to entertain a true and saving hope, and to be led
into a state of firm and lasting peace. Eternity is unchangeable, ever constant,
always the same; but time is nothing but change and revolution.
10. Moreover, the Christian's hope must be tried, not only by the loss of
temporal things, but also by the withholding of the communications of divine
grace and favor (as commonly happens in great temptations); that
seeing ourselves deprived even of those most excellent and spiritual blessings,
on which we depend, our hope may arrive at the highest pitch of purity
and sincerity, and rest on God alone. In such a case “we must hope, even
against hope” (
11. For, whereas, in other afflictions, our patience, humility, devotion, and
charity, are principally exercised; in
these spiritual trials of the conscience, our hope is eminently proved and tried,
whether it be sincere or not. In this probation, though a man be perfectly
despoiled of all his grace, yet shall he at last triumph in that “hope which
maketh not ashamed.” And though
the soul that is thus tried, be sometimes ready to fall into impatience,
murmuring, blasphemy, or the like; yet there remains, as it were, some
gentle breath of hope, arising from the ground of the heart, by the power
of the divine Spirit, which contradicts and opposes those unholy suggestions.
When this combat is over, all his transgressions are forgiven, and his sins
are covered and he himself is like “a brand plucked out of the fire” (
12. They that undergo these trials, are the greatest saints, and are nearer
to God than those who repose all their hope and confidence in themselves.
The pride of such men, in vainly arrogating any perfections to themselves,
makes them in the highest degree blasphemers against God; whereas the
disciples of the cross are his dearest children, as we may see in the examples
of Job and David: for by being thus stripped of themselves, they are
purified as gold in the refiner's fire; and being thus cleansed from all their
dross of pride and vainglory, they shine in the glory of the divine image,
13. By such trials as these, a man is taught to put his trust in nothing
but in God alone. For when affliction has taken everything else from us,
God alone cannot be taken from us.
Yea, affliction is so far from separating us from God, that it rather brings
us to God, restoring us to God, and God to us. It is hope, therefore, that
preserves us in calamities, so that we are not consumed, and, therefore, it
“maketh us not ashamed.”
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench.—Isaiah 42:3.
In this verse the holy prophet comforts those that are weak in faith
by two beautiful similitudes, excellently adapted to the purpose. For as a
bruised reed (to which he first alludes) must be handled very gently, lest it be
entirely broken to pieces; and as the smoking flax, when once it has taken
fire, must be continually encouraged by a gentle breath, for fear of blowing
it out; so our blessed Redeemer, who knows our infirmities, treats us with
great gentleness, reviving from time to time the spark of faith within us,
with the soft and gentle breath of his Spirit, that we may not be discouraged
by our manifold infirmities, but be enlivened and strengthened under
them.
2. (1) We must carefully remember, that faith is not of ourselves, but
is the gift and work of God; “This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent.” “No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me, draw him.” John
3. (2) Whilst we are in this life, we must not expect to arrive at the highest
pitch of perfection. This God permits, with a design to cure that natural
pride and vanity of spirit to which the best of us are subject, by the daily
sense of our great and manifold infirmities. To this we may refer the
words addressed by St. Paul to the
Philippians, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that, for which
also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
4. (3) God does not despise or reject
our weak faith, but cherishes, strengthens, and improves it, and at last crowns
it with a blessed conclusion. In this sense we are to understand and apply
those golden passages that follow: “A bruised reed shall he not break,
and the smoking flax shall he not quench.”
5. (4) God has, indeed, the greatest
concern for those that are weak in faith. Our Lord himself tells us, “They that
be (strong and) whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (and
weak).”
6. (5) But if thou say in thy heart that thou perceivest scarcely a grain
of faith in thyself, then I would ask, Dost thou sincerely desire to have
faith? If thou dost, all is well; fear not. For since it is God that worketh
in us “to will,” it follows, that whosoever finds in himself that good will
and desire, finds in himself the work of God. Hence let him be encouraged
and assured that he who has
given us the will, will also give us the
power to do.
7. (6) God is so compassionate to devout prayers and desires, that he
never disappoints the hopes of those that trust in him. “Lord, thou hast
heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt
cause thine ear to hear.”
8. (7) It is therefore better to glory in the weakness, than in the strength
of our faith. For it is the will of God concerning us, that we fall not into
spiritual pride. “My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.”
9. (8) Faith, though it be ever so weak, is still faith. For our salvation
10. (9) Such is the nature of faith, that it is sometimes stronger and
sometimes weaker; and sometimes the light thereof seems to be darkness.
This has been attested by the
examples of almost all the saints, particularly David, and Abraham, who is
called “the father of the faithful” (
11. (10) He that complains of the weakness of his faith, shows plainly,
that faith is striving and struggling
within him, and a striving faith is a true faith; for there is a continual
struggle in every man between faith
and unbelief. He is perpetually assaulted by temptations to unbelief, so
that his life is one continued combat; and he is obliged to be as watchful, as
though he were in the midst of drawn swords, and expected every moment
to be cut in pieces. Here is the trial of the Christian's faith; here is the
exercise of his patience, to unite his earthly heart with Christ; to make the
barren soil of his soul fit to receive the heavenly seed; to make the darkness
of corrupt nature capable of the divine light. The flesh is continually
inclining to the broad way of the world, and endeavoring to tyrannize
over the spirit; the darkness is no sooner scattered, than it endeavors to
recover its ground, and spread itself again over the face of the soul. This
is what all the saints have confessed and lamented, and it is a most certain
token of the presence of true faith. On the other hand, where there is no
faith at all, there is no cause found for
12. (11) Let us be assured, that whensoever, in our greatest infirmities,
we can but think upon Jesus Christ, he will be with us, and dwell
in us by faith. Thus it is said, “In all places where I record my name, I
will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.”
13. (12) When we are weak in faith, let us look up unto Christ Jesus our
Redeemer, and merciful High Priest, who offered up himself for us on the
cross, and is praying that our faith may be strengthened; as he did for
St. Peter, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not” (
14. (13) Our next support is, the divine mercy, which is inexpressibly great, as infinite as God himself. Of this let no man despair. This mercy of his anticipates us, waits for us, supports us, and endures forever. And this he never denies to any one. Come then, ye that complain of the weakness of your faith, cast yourselves into the protecting arms of divine love, which will never leave you nor forsake you.
15. (14) God, who has wrought the beginning of faith in us, has graciously
promised, that he will “perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”
(
16. (15) To this end he has given us various means whereby our faith
may be strengthened and preserved, namely, the Word, the Sacraments,
and prayer. “Lord, increase our faith” (
17. (16) Lastly. Our faith is founded on God's eternal love to us, “Whom
he did predestinate, them he also justified.”
I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.—Isa. 48:10.
It is an undoubted truth that all spiritual sorrow proceeds from
God. For “the Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to
the grave, and bringeth up.”
2. In this grave or shadow of death, we find our Lord Jesus Christ, when
“his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death; and in his agony
his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood.”
3. We suffer nothing but what our blessed Master suffered before us; and certainly nothing is more reasonable than that the members should suffer with the Head.
4. This, therefore, is a kind of trial whether thou art truly a member of
Christ, and a partaker of his sufferings.
5. Now, though it may happen that a man in the bitterness of his soul
grows impatient, and is tempted to fret against God, yet let him remember
that God is merciful. He knows whereof we are made; he sees the
struggle of our souls under the fiery trial, when he sets his hand to cleanse
us from our impurities. In a word, the most holy and best beloved children
of God, are they that have
passed through this furnace of affliction; as we may see by the examples
of Job (
6. (2) Let us call to mind that noble saying of Jeremiah, “The Lord will
not cast off forever; but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion
according to the multitude of his
mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.”
7. Having thus discovered the origin
8. First, then, it is certain that the true inward taste of the Word of God,
is accompanied with unspeakable joy, peace, and comfort, vastly surpassing
any enjoyments of this life. This is the true joy of our souls, a foretaste
of eternal life, arising from the true and living knowledge of Christ Jesus;
by which we discover the heart of God full of the most tender compassions,
and an ardent and eternal love towards lost mankind. Now, so corrupt
and perverse is human nature, that it is too apt to be exalted above measure,
by the abundance of these divine manifestations, and to make them occasions
of spiritual pride; and the man who is thus visited and comforted from above,
will be apt to think highly of himself, to overvalue his sanctity, and to think
meanly of the rest of the world, who are strangers to these consolations;
and thus, forsaking the fountain of living waters, whence all the streams
of blessing flow, and to which, with all humility, they ought to be ascribed;
the man grows vain and arrogant, and sets himself up in the place of
God. This perverseness of soul, as it is directly contrary to true penitence,
and to the appointed way of salvation,
so it is very hateful to God. This causes him to withdraw his consolations from
us, and to hide himself in thick darkness; so that though we call and
cry, and search ever so diligently, we shall not be able to find Him. This is
a deplorable state, when we are hanging, as it were, between heaven and
hell, oppressed and afflicted on every side, not knowing whither to fly for
relief or comfort; having no certain evidence whether we believe or not,
whether we hope or not, whether God be angry with us or not, whether we
are in a state of life or of death. This is that darkness and desolation which
we find described in
9. Now, although nothing is more bitter to us than to be so long deprived of the comforts of the divine presence; yet even this deprivation itself is more profitable to the soul, than all the enjoyments and glories of the world. By this, as by a fiery trial, we are taught humility, repentance, contempt of the world, and the true value of all its favors and enjoyments; that these are dangerous, transitory, and perishing, and can give no solid comfort to the distressed soul. And though the soul in this state is encompassed with perplexities and fears, so that it can hardly lift up itself to God, yet there is left a kind of deep and secret sorrow, venting itself in holy sighs, and devout aspirations towards God, and a longing for his favor. Hence we may learn how great a good God is to the soul, and that no true, solid, or constant peace can be found except in Him. This cannot be learned any where but in this school of temptation; in which alone the truest knowledge is to be acquired. And whosoever is unacquainted with this, knows not God and Christ as they ought to be known.
10. And would to God, that for his
glory, and our own unspeakable advantage, we would readily submit to
this visitation, which is designed for the trial of our faith, even as gold in
the furnace is tried! Then we should quickly reap the amazing benefits of
11. Secondly, whensoever it shall please God to cast any of us, his creatures, into this trying furnace, it will be much more consistent and profitable for us to pray for patience under it, than for deliverance from it. For when once the fire of temptation has purged away the dross of our iniquities, our pride, luxury, covetousness, and envy, it will be much easier for us to endure afterwards other fiery trials, by having our own will swallowed up in the will and good pleasure of God. But when from an excessive indulgence of the infirmities of our corrupt nature, we endeavor to avoid this fiery trial, it often happens that before we can receive any benefit from it, we are contriving to make our escape. So that if God did not often keep us under the trial against our will, we should fly from it, without considering whether we were sufficiently purified, according to the will of God and the necessities of our corrupt nature: like children, who, if their parents or physicians did not prevent, would throw away that bitter cup which alone can cure their disorders. But God knows our case, and what is proper for us, better than we ourselves; and therefore he has appointed certain measures of affliction, to which he confines the soul, till he sees it proper to release her. So that we ought not so much to pray for deliverance from temptations, as for patience under them.
12. Thirdly, our deliverance is so certain, that we have not the least reason
to doubt of it; for “though the Lord
cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his
mercies.”
13. Against these wiles of the devil
there is no better remedy than to endeavor to strengthen thyself after the
examples of Job, David, and other holy men. (1) By bearing thy affliction
as long as it shall please God; and waiting patiently till the clouds
of darkness be driven away.
14. (2) We must, in this case, stop our ears against the opinions of the
world, and, with Job, disregard the accusations of our friends, the terrors
of the devil, who is the enemy of all peace and comfort, the reflections of
our own hearts, the stings of our own consciences, and all the objections of
flesh and blood. For, “if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our
heart” (
15. (3) Consider also the examples of holy men. Did not they suffer as
thou dost, and were they not at last delivered? Does not David complain,
“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever?”
16. Thou also, after this example of thy Saviour, must be content to drink
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.—Isa. 41:17.
In these words, the Holy Spirit comforts all those that are broken in
heart, miserable, tempted, and thirsting after God; by whom they look upon
themselves as forsaken and rejected, so that they cry out, “My soul is full of
troubles; and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.”
2. (1) We are to remember, that no
kinds of spiritual temptations, melancholy thoughts, terrors of soul, and
stings of conscience, can happen to us without the particular permission and
gracious will of God our heavenly Father, notwithstanding all the malice
and fury of the Evil Spirit. For God has expressly told us in his Word, that
the devil has not the least power over any creature; nor can he hurt even a
hair of our heads.
3. Now, if he has no power of himself over a hair of our heads, or the
least part of our bodies; much less can
he of himself afflict, disquiet, or torment our souls. Hence David says,
“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them.”
4. But you will say, Is it not strange, that God should suffer his believing
children, who have been baptized into
Christ, who through him obtained remission of their sins, being justified
through faith, and redeemed to eternal life—to be thus miserably tempted and
afflicted by the devil, oppressed with dreadful thoughts, and to undergo this
spiritual martyrdom? In answer to this, we must consider, that it is not
our business to inquire into the secret reasons of God's ways, but to rest
satisfied with what he has told us,
namely, that all these kinds of affliction proceed from him. Now we may
rest assured, that whatsoever comes
from him, promotes our spiritual welfare, according to what we are told,
that “all things work together for good, to them that love God.”
5. The first may be to bring us to a true sense of the strength of sin, which
is the sting of death (
6. Secondly, That we may have worthy conceptions of the value and
greatness of our blessed Saviour's passion, and of all the merits of our redemption;
and hence learn that by
the agony of his own soul, he has delivered us from the punishments of
hell.
7. Thirdly, That we may be conformed to the image of Christ.
8. Fourthly, That we may learn to taste the efficacy of God's Holy Word,
and the comforts that flow from it. Thus we are told, “by vexation (or
temptation) only we shall understand the report” (or word).
9. Fifthly, That we may learn to exercise faith, hope, charity, humility,
and patience, that so “the trial of our faith may be found much more precious
than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire.”
10. Sixthly, That we may afterwards have a more lively perception
of the divine comforts, even as St. Paul says, “As the sufferings of Christ
abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”
11. Seventhly, That we may obtain
12. Though we even did not know that God intended these particular
advantages by our sufferings; yet we ought to be satisfied with this one
consideration, that our sufferings are ordered by the will of God. For if
“the very hairs of our head are all numbered” (
13. (2) These trials are not to be
looked upon as tokens of God's anger,
but rather of his infinite mercy, since he is hereby fitting us to be partakers
with them who have through many temptations entered into glory. Such
was David, who complains, “The sorrows of death compassed me.”
14. From these examples we may learn that we are not the only persons
who have been so severely tempted; but that saints and servants of God
before us have been visited in the same manner. And as God forsook
not them in their extreme agony, so we may assure ourselves that he will
in his own time deliver us, as well as them. This is an argument full of
consolation. As bodily diseases and persecutions are marks of the divine
favor, since by them God endeavors to make us conformable to his Son
(and on that account we ought to bear them with patience), so it is a
much greater token of the divine favor, and of the glory that shall follow
it, when he sends affliction on our souls,
as well as on our bodies, and by a variety of crosses brings us to an entire
conformity, both in body and soul, to Christ our Head. For as the body of
the blessed Jesus, at the time of his passion, was overwhelmed with all
kinds of pains, and sufferings, and his soul was full of anguish, distress, and
sorrow: so must his spiritual body, in all its true and living members, be
made partaker of the same sufferings, whether internal or external, so that
the whole spiritual body, as well as the Head, may contribute, each member
in its proportion, to fill up the measure of sufferings. This is what
St. Paul means, “I fill up that which
15. (3) We must support ourselves under this internal conflict, with the
comforting promises of Jesus Christ, that in due time we shall conquer if
we hold out and faint not.
16. (4) As the nature of this spirit of blasphemy is such, that a Christian
is forced to undergo it sorely against his will, and does all that in him lies
to resist and oppose it; hence let him comfort himself, when he is tempted
with the thought, that God will never lay it to his charge; since it is not he
that acts, but the devil; for the soul
is passive, and may, therefore, be assured that such thoughts shall never
be imputed for sin. As people in a besieged town, cannot hinder the enemy
from throwing fire into the town, though they may do what they can to
quench it, and prevent its spreading; and as Hezekiah (
17. (5) We ought to be comforted,
if we find but one single aspiration of
our hearts towards God, or any devout affection springing up in our souls by
the reading of any text of Holy Scripture. For this is that spark of faith
and divine grace, which, like the smoking of flax, God will not quench,
but preserve it in its weakest state, when it seems to be almost dead.
18. (6) Be the temptations and afflictions of the heart ever so great,
yet the Scripture assures us that it is the habitation of God, and not of the
devil. That Satan has no possession of it, appears from the furious assaults
he makes upon the afflicted soul, by which he endeavors to subdue it; but
“greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world.”
19. (7) There is not so much as one instance to be produced, of any man
forsaken of God under this spiritual conflict; but, on the contrary, He has
always restored his servants, “whom he has thus chosen in the furnace of
affliction” (
20. (8) Tauler reckons these spiritual afflictions and trials among the
singular gifts and favors of God, speaking thus of them: “In these
great temptations, God deprives a man of all that he has given him, forcing
him to descend into himself and see his own poverty and weakness; and
also trying him, to discover how he will behave himself in this desolate
state. And this is done when a man is forsaken; so that he knows nothing
of God, his grace, his comforts, or the gifts which he once bestowed upon
him; but which are now taken away, and concealed from his eyes, so that
he knows not whither to fly or which way to turn. When a man is once
brought into this state, there is nothing better for him than cheerfully and
willingly to submit himself to the order and decree of God. It was, indeed,
a great thing in the holy martyrs to lay down their lives for God;
but they were so abundantly strengthened by the comforts of his Holy
Spirit, that the most exquisite torments were to them but trifling and
contemptible, and death itself had lost its terrors. But to have God hide his
face, and deprive us of his grace and comfort, is a martyrdom much greater
than theirs. This occurs when all the
sins, all the infirmities and temptations, which a man has long ago conquered,
assault him afresh, with greater violence than when he was the servant
of sin. In this case, the best way is to suffer with patience, and to be
entirely resigned to the all-wise providence of God.” Such sufferers as
these, Tauler calls “spiritual martyrs,” from the bitter trials they undergo
whilst deprived of the light of God's countenance, and the comfortable
influences of his Spirit, which are so severe that they know not
which way to turn for relief; and when they see and consider the gifts
and graces bestowed upon others,
they fall into bitter dejection of spirit, reckoning that it is their own fault
that they are thus barren and destitute of spiritual joy. And though
they take ever so much pains, they still seem to labor in vain; for they
find their dryness and hardness of heart still increasing upon them; so
that at last, being quite void of comfort, and having lost all patience, they
fall into a secret distrust of God's mercy, and believe that he is offended
with everything they do. At length they submit in patience, until God
may make a change; for they themselves are utterly helpless. This is
that which brings them to a conformity, not only with the saints, but with
Christ, whose whole life was nothing but affliction. These spiritual martyrs,
though in the sight of the world they are of all men most miserable,
and seem to be forsaken and cast off by God; yet are, in truth, the richest
21. No wiser counsel can be given to these than that, with humble patience and resignation they bear the troubles which they cannot help, and which are but aggravated by impatience. After this dark night of unspeakable affliction, the Sun of righteousness shall arise, refreshing and filling their hearts with inexpressible light and glory.
Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.—Luke 22:31, 32.
How great and implacable the enmity of the devil is to all mankind,
we are abundantly informed, not only by Scripture (as
2. Among the various temptations with which the devil afflicts the soul,
this is one, namely, the tormenting a man with blasphemous, profane, impure,
and troublesome thoughts, so as
3. The second ground of comfort is contained in these words: “Satan
hath desired you.” From these words we may learn, that though the devil
is always desirous and ready to cast his fiery darts at us, yet has he no
power without the particular leave and permission of God; who never
gives him more than a limited permission, beyond which he cannot go.
To this belongs that place of St. Paul, “God is faithful, who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able.”
4. The third consolation arises from these words of our Lord: “I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” In what manner, and with what
affection the blessed Jesus prayed for us to his Heavenly Father, we are told
in John (chapter 17), namely, that He would be pleased to keep his faithful
servants from the evil of the world; that he would dwell in them, and they
in him; and that of those whom he had received of his Father, he might
lose none. This prayer, were it but heartily applied to the distressed soul,
would support it with a divine courage so as to abide in Christ by faith, not
doubting but that Christ in her, by the
5. The fourth comfort may be drawn from
6. The fifth ground of comfort, is contained in our Saviour's promise:
“I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” O divine comfort! as if our
Lord had said: “Your infirmities shall never be so great, but that there shall
be some sparks of faith left. Yea,
though you feel in yourselves no comfort, and, on that account, are apt to
think your faith quite extinct, yet will I never suffer the smoking flax to be
entirely quenched.”
7. Being once assured of this, we may likewise certainly depend upon
victory; and this opens to us a sixth
fountain of comfort. To this, therefore, refers that comfortable saying of
our Saviour: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
me.”
8. Seventhly, we ought to be comforted by the examples of the saints,
who have also been cruelly tempted. Of these our blessed Saviour speaks,
saying, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” By these
words, our Saviour plainly sends us to be instructed by the examples of
our brethren, who have been tempted and persecuted by the devil in like
manner with us. Hence St. Peter says: “Knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
9. Lastly, we ought to be comforted by the example of Jesus Christ himself.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.—Hab. 2:3, 4.
In these words the Holy Spirit comforts us, under the delays of Divine assistance: for so we are apt to call (1) those very methods by which God hastens to help and save us. He has, in his unsearchable wisdom, appointed to every man his cross in weight and measure. He delivers it out to him in meet proportions, sending one affliction after another, till the measure of his sufferings be accomplished; that so, by a gradual conquest, he may at last obtain a complete victory. This dealing of God with us, we are apt to call his delaying to help us; not considering that this is the quickest method of accomplishing the measure of our sufferings, and completing our victory. That which to us seems to be delay, is in the sight of God, making haste to help us.
2. Now he that is refractory and impatient under the cross, has no
peace in his soul. For as patience
renders the soul easy and quiet, so impatience makes it restless and uneasy.
Thus our Lord tells us, “Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
3. (2) Solomon tells us: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under heaven.”
4. (3) As God has determined the number of our crosses; so He has been
pleased to conceal from us the time of our deliverance, satisfying us with that
declaration of our blessed Lord, “It is not for you to know the times or the
seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
5. (4) And as God has appointed the
period, time, and place, of the sufferings of his servants; so has He also
of the persecutions and oppressions of the wicked. When these have for a
season been breathing out oppressions and slaughter, then that God to whom
vengeance belongeth, awaketh and riseth to judgment; according to
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?—Luke 24:26.
The eternal Son of God, by his most holy incarnation, took upon him
all the miseries and calamities of mankind: and this not of compulsion and
necessity, but of pure love, that by his example he might teach us patience,
and enable us to bear the cross, and overcome the calamities of this
mortal life. As he was to become man, so he willingly subjected himself
to all those miseries to which man is exposed; and as he came down from
heaven for the sake of all, so he took upon him the infirmities of all; so that
from the moment of his birth, to the
hour of his death, he was, as the prophet truly expresses it, “despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”
2. Thus the blessed Jesus, by his example, has shown us the true and only
path to heaven.
3. All the sufferings of true Christians in this life, are not worthy to be
compared with the eternal glories reserved for them in the world to come;
for their temporal afflictions are but for a moment, but their glorious reward
shall endure forever.
4. Lift up, therefore, the eyes of thy mind to heaven, and view, with St.
John, that vast company clothed in white garments, and following the
Lamb, concerning whom this account is given to the inquiring Evangelist:
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are
they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.”
5. Hence we learn that the saints in all ages have esteemed the reproach
of the cross of Christ as their greatest treasure. And we may depend upon
it, that no man can be admitted to the joys of the next world, who has not
fought manfully under the banner of the cross in this world. How can we
imagine that those blessed spirits will own us to be of their company in
heaven, if we did not bring with us the sign of the cross? They would not
know us, and we would be strangers among them. “He that overcometh,”
saith the Lord, “the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will
not blot out his name out of the book of life.”
Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.—2 Tim. 1:10.
This sentence is full of divine comfort against the fears of temporal death. For if “Christ hath abolished death,” why should we fear it? And if “life and immortality be brought to light,” why should we not rejoice to pass through the gates of death, to take possession of them? But since there is no man so holy, but that at some time or other he is afraid of death, I shall here subjoin the chief heads of consolation, which I shall divide into two parts. The first contains those consolations which arise from Christ's sufferings and death, and the fruits of them. The second, those that arise from the consideration of the vanity of the world. Each of these parts shall comprehend seven arguments of comfort.
2. I. The first and most powerful remedy against the fear of death, is
the most holy and innocent death of Jesus Christ, by which he destroyed
the power of death. The power of death consists in the continual dread,
anxiety, terror, and trembling that arise from the thought of the severe
judgment that is to follow. With
this the soul is oftentimes so afflicted,
that it is, as it were, continually dying, yet cannot die. This is the power of
death, yea, is even the second and eternal death: and this terrible state
the devil makes yet more dreadful by his suggestions. Upon this account
he is said “to have the power of death” (
3. The second ground of comfort is, the resurrection of our bodies. For Christ has so far destroyed the power of death, that it not only cannot torment our souls, but cannot even keep our bodies perpetually. As the power of Christ's death in us protects us from tasting the bitterness of it; so, by the power of his resurrection, our mortal bodies shall also be raised again to a glorious immortality.
4. For (1), the foundation of our
resurrection is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as he himself says, “Because
I live, ye shall live also.”
5. (2) This is also founded upon God's veracity. “Thy dead men shall
live.”
6. (3) It is also founded upon the
7. (4) The divine justice is also engaged for the confirmation of this
truth. As it has received fulfilment in that sentence, “Thou shalt surely
die” (
8. (5) This is also further confirmed to us by the examples of those who have
been already raised from death unto life. Such was the case of the widow's
son (
9. (6) Christ hath redeemed both soul and body to everlasting life.
10. (7) The beautiful parables derived from nature, as the grain of
wheat, in
11. A third comfort against the fears
of death is, the fruit of Christ's resurrection; that is, that eternal, incorruptible,
and immortal state purchased for us by Jesus Christ. For as by the
transgression of the first Adam, all his posterity were made subject to death;
so by the obedience of the second, all are restored to life and immortality.
Upon which account it is said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
12. The fourth consolation against the fear of death, is prayer. So we
13. The fifth consolation is, the glorification of our bodies. “Our conversation
is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able to
subdue all things unto himself.”
14. The sixth is, the presence of the holy angels, who carry our departing
souls into Abraham's bosom. Our soul
enters into the regions of eternal glory,
and joins the society of blessed spirits. This is what is meant by “Abraham's
bosom.”
15. The seventh comfort is, the eternal duration of our future glory.
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun
light on them, or any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters;
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
16. In short, the joy of eternal life
17. II. Thus much for those consolations that arise from the nature, offices, and promises of the blessed Jesus. I come now to consider those that may be drawn from the consideration of the vanity of the world. Of these there are also seven.
18. First, this life, how great and glorious soever it may appear to some,
is made up of misery and sorrow.
19. Secondly, we are exposed to many and very grievous sins, from
which nothing can deliver us but a happy death. Thus St. Paul complains,
“I see another law in my members, warring against the law of
my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?”
20. Thirdly, all must die without distinction. “Death hath passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned.”
21. Fourthly, no man dies by chance; but God is the Lord of life, and he has
appointed the bounds of its duration. “His days are determined, the number
of his months are with thee.”
22. Fifthly, “To die is gain.”
23. Sixthly, Man would be the most miserable creature in the world, if he
were obliged to abide in it forever. “If in this life only,” saith St. Paul,
“we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
24. Seventhly, since we cannot with these bodily and sinful eyes behold
the glory of God, nor enter with these mortal bodies into the “new heavens
and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (
At the close of this Book, I desire to submit one or two points to the consideration of the Christian reader.
In writing these Books I have had no other object in view than that, in connection with our pure religion and confession of faith, as set forth in the Church of the Augsburg Confession, and repeated in the Formula of Concord (which I publicly and sincerely adopt, and in accordance with which I desire these writings of mine to be understood), purity and holiness of the life might be promoted. For purity of doctrine is of no benefit, when it is not adorned by a holy life. We ought to guard the purity of doctrine with watchful eyes, but sustain holiness of life with even greater earnestness. Of what advantage are great skill and learning without godliness? It is much better, in the eyes of God, to train up a devout man, than to make a learned man of him. There are many who teach the doctrine of Christ with great zeal, but there are few who in their practice conform to his life. As to this point the Christian reader is referred to the Preface of the First Book, and to the Conclusion of the Fourth Book.
2. If any one should allege that I have treated too diffusely of the doctrine of Christian faith, I beg to give the following answer: Our evil life is also very extensive—the evils under which we labor are very serious—our redemption is a great work—and our crosses are manifold. But let any one who desires greater brevity, read the several chapters in the First, Second, and Third Books, which treat of Repentance, Faith, Love, Humility, Meekness, Patience, and the Cross, and he will find the whole Christian life described without prolixity. Nevertheless, if thou wilt read the whole work, thou wilt be abundantly rewarded for the time and labor which thou hast thus expended.
As there are different degrees of age and maturity in the natural
life; so are there also in the spiritual.
This life has its first foundation in sincere repentance, by which a man sets
himself heartily to amend his life. This is succeeded by an increase of
light, when by contemplation, prayer, and bearing the cross, a man is daily
improving in grace, and growing up to perfection. The last and most perfect
state is that which consists in firm union, which is founded in, and
cemented by, pure love. This is the state which St. Paul calls the “perfect
man,” and “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
2. To explain these three different states, is the design of these three books; so that I think that (with my Book of Prayer), the whole body of Christianity is contained and explained in them, as far as is essentially necessary; though, perhaps, not so perfectly as might be wished. As for the Fourth Book, I thought fit to add it to the rest, to show how harmoniously the Holy Scriptures, Jesus Christ, human nature, and the whole creation agree together; and how all things centre in the one Eternal, which is God!
3. That the reader may not mistake the design of this Third Book, I would
remark that it proposes to instruct him how to seek and find the kingdom
of heaven within himself (
4. And now, how glorious, how noble, and happy a thing is it, that our
chief and most valuable treasure, that is, the kingdom of God, is not to be
sought without, but to be found within
us, that we continually carry it about with us, hidden from the world, and
that neither the world nor the devil can rob us of it; and that this is not
to be obtained by profound learning, skill in languages, or variety of books,
but by a devout and humble spirit. Here then let us exercise our greatest
care and diligence, and turn our
thoughts inward to that hidden, celestial, and eternal good, that divine,
that incomparable treasure. Why do we spend our time and pains in the
pursuit of external comforts, whilst so great a treasure as the kingdom of
God, with all its blessings, lies within us? For in our heart and soul is the
true school of the Holy Spirit, the true habitation of the Holy Trinity,
the very temple of God (
5. In order to this, however, the soul must be at rest, which it never
can be till disengaged from the world. This even some heathens were sensible
of, and accordingly one of them tells
us, “that the soul is incapable of wisdom till it is composed and at rest.”
There is a fine passage in St. Cyprian
to this purpose. “This,” says he, “is the true rest and security of the soul,
when the man, being delivered from the storms and tempests of the world,
raises his heart and eyes unto God, and endeavors to be like him. By this
he comes to understand, that all which the world calls beautiful and valuable,
is truly hidden in his own soul, so that he neither expects nor desires anything
from without. O celestial treasure, to be delivered from the chains
and fetters of this world! O chief and boundless good, not to be obtained by
any labor of ours, nor by our interest with the great men of this world; in
short, not to be gained by our industry and study; but solely and entirely, by
the grace and favor of God. For as
6. These words of St. Cyprian express a great truth, and are a sort of
epitome of this Book. In a word, this turning inwards of the soul, very often
gives us a view of the inward treasure of our souls, though but for a moment.
And one such moment is better than heaven and earth, and all the creatures.
Hence St. Bernard truly observed, “that he who has once learned
to descend into himself, to seek the face of God, and taste the sweetness
of his presence in the inmost recesses
of the heart, will think it more tolerable to suffer even the pains of hell for
a season, than, after having tasted the sweetness of this divine exercise, to
return again to the pleasures, or rather,
to the lusts and wearisome gratifications of the world and the flesh, arising
from the insatiable cravings of the inferior appetites.” In short, such a
soul not only feels the highest happiness, by finding in itself the presence
of God; but also the deepest misery, in being deprived of it. By this the
true Christian is fully instructed, that by dying to the world, he lives in God,
as the fountain of life; and, on the other hand, that the more he lives to
the world, the more he dies unto God: that the soul which is dead to the
world, truly lives unto God, and is his
joy, or, as the Song of Solomon expresses it, is better than the taste of
wine, or the smell of all spices (
7. Herein consists the true perfection of the Christian life. For perfection
is not, as some suppose, a sublime, spiritual kind of relish for heavenly
enjoyments; but it is the denying our own will, the contempt of the pleasures
and profits of this life, the acknowledging our own vileness, constant
resignation to the will of God,
and unwearied love and unfeigned compassion for our neighbor. In a word,
it is that degree of love, which, allowing for human infirmities, thinks of
nothing, seeks nothing, desires nothing but God. This is that true Christian
virtue, true liberty, and true peace, which consists in overcoming
the flesh and fleshly desires, as will appear in this Third Book, and as thou
wilt learn from thine own experience,
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God? 1 Cor. 6:19.
That the hearts of believers are the habitation of the Holy Trinity,
is largely attested in Scripture, as
2. But as this high treasure cannot be worthily perceived or understood,
except in the still and quiet sabbath of the soul, in which the Holy Spirit
teaches us inwardly by meditation on the Word, in which he enlightens us,
and “searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (
3. But that thou mayest more fully
and distinctly apprehend in the commencement of this Third Book, which
relates entirely to the inward man, how the children of God are to be
drawn from the exterior to the interior man, or the ground of the heart; that
they may search, know, purify, and change it, and keep their spiritual eyes
fixed upon God, and his kingdom in the inmost recesses of the soul; that
the reader, I say, may more fully understand this, I shall first of all more
generally in this chapter, and then
more particularly, touch upon and explain the several heads of this doctrine,
referring occasionally to the Theology of Dr. John Tauler, and quoting him
as often as possible in his own words. And here I may remark, that as the
Holy Scripture, great and sacred as it is, regards the heart of man; so likewise,
the whole divinity of Tauler aims at the inward man, the ground of the
heart, and deepest recesses of the soul. Hence it is, that he again and again
inculcates, “that God and the kingdom of God, are purely to be enjoyed,
sought for, and found in the ground of the heart:” that is, whatsoever the
Holy Scripture and its true interpretation, discover outwardly, all that
ought to be really, spiritually, and truly felt and experienced in the
ground of the soul. This cannot be without a frequent entering into the
centre of the heart; so that the more deeply a man retires from the world,
so much the more closely he is united to God; and the oftener the devout
Christian practises this exercise, the more clearly will the kingdom of God,
and this hidden treasure, be manifested in his soul. He that does not perceive
in himself these fruits of the Spirit, or the new man, will never be one jot
more acceptable in the sight of God for all his great knowledge and science;
but shall be reckoned among those of whom Christ says, that they shall say
in the last day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?”
4. But as a general account of this will not be sufficient for the simple
and unlearned, to bring them to this fundamental knowledge of themselves,
I shall therefore descend to a more particular explication, asking them,
at the same time, to attend to the “Five Parts” of their Catechism, and
to understand how these are not to
remain without them, but must be
within them. First, therefore, thou believest that God delivered his law
upon Mount Sinai, written upon two tables of stone; and that this law is
the will of God, which thou art obliged to obey. You do well to believe this.
But this faith profiteth not, unless
Bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.—Isa. 46:8
The true way of attaining this divine inward treasure is, by a true
and living faith. Though we have already in Books I and II treated
largely of faith, with all its powers and properties, how it cleaves unto
Christ, rests and depends upon him; yet we must here return to it, and
show of what use and advantage it is, in the matter before us. The property
of a true and living faith is, to cleave unto God with our whole heart; to
put our whole trust in him; to depend upon him; to dedicate and resign
ourselves entirely to his mercy and goodness; to be united to God; and
to enjoy him in the internal rest of the soul. True faith prefers nothing
to God; it makes him the true object
of all its desires, by unfeigned abstraction from all earthly comforts. In a
word, it places its chief, eternal, infinite, and perfect good in Him alone,
who is the true fountain of all good, whether in heaven or earth, in time
or eternity, and all through Jesus Christ, who is “the author and finisher
of our faith.”
2. In this one article is contained the whole sum of the Christian religion;
it is the fountain of charity and of all virtues. For faith produceth
love; love produceth hope; hope, patience; patience worketh meekness;
3. Faith, then, is the means of attaining to this inward treasure, whilst
it keeps a sabbath of rest unto God in
every soul that is collected into itself. For as the motion of the heavens is
therefore the most perfect, because it terminates in itself, and returns to its
beginning; so the life of man may then be accounted most excellent and perfect
when it returns to its original, which is God. And this a man does,
when he enters deeply into himself, having collected all the powers of his
understanding, will, and memory, and emptied them of the world, and all the
lusts of the flesh; offering up his soul, with all its affections, to God, by the
Holy Ghost, and celebrating an eternal sabbath in his presence. Then God
begins to operate in him. He waits for such a frame of spirit, and rejoices
to finish his work within us. For so great is the love of God towards us,
so ardent is his affection, that it is as if his divinity itself could not consist
without us; as if he should himself cease to be, unless he could discover
the abyss of his divinity in us, and transfuse the overflowing fulness of
his essence into us. So that the most acceptable service a man can do unto
God, is to keep his heart so quiet and still that God may rest and manifest
himself in it. All that God requires, in order to accomplish this work in
us, is an humble and quiet spirit. Whenever he finds such a habitation,
he dwells there with a high manifestation of his wisdom and power. The
eternal wisdom of God cannot unite with the wisdom of man; but when
the human soul is entirely submitted to God, then God entirely rests in her.
But if thou wilt engage thy will, thy
4. Nature cannot admit a vacuum. So if a man will empty himself of the
love of the world and himself, with all his passions and affections for worldly
things, God will infallibly fill his soul with divine grace, love, wisdom, and
knowledge. But if thou art full of worldly things, thou canst not at the
same time be full of heavenly things. When Abraham, at the command of
God, went from his own country and kindred, then was he enlightened from
above.
God grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, etc.—Eph. 3:16, 17.
A Christian ought to employ his greatest care and diligence,
in learning the true nature and practice of faith. It is faith that unites us
to Christ, and admits us into all the blessedness of the kingdom of God.
Upon this account it is called, “a substance;—the substance of things
hoped for.”
2. The first of these is, spiritual freedom or a release from sin and
death, from the devil, from hell, the curse of the law, the Mosaic typical
ceremonies, and from all the commands and traditions of men. For as
nothing can cause greater agony to the soul, than to be compelled to bear
the fiery darts of Satan, and the tyranny of Antichrist, by which the conscience
is fettered and entangled with traditional precepts of men, as with
cords and chains: so nothing can give it greater quiet, peace, and comfort,
than to be delivered from this servitude of sin, Satan, and human traditions,
into a true freedom and liberty of conscience; which liberty is nothing
but a true and saving faith. For by
3. Secondly, by faith the soul is united
to Christ, as a bride with her bridegroom—“I will betroth thee unto me
forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness.”
4. Hence, thirdly, it follows, that by
faith our souls are assured of everlasting happiness. “I am persuaded,”
saith St. Paul, “that no creature shall be able to separate us from the love
of God.”
5. Hence, fourthly, arises the victory of faith over sin, death, hell, and
the world. “Whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world:—who is
he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of
God?”
6. Hence also arises, fifthly, the glory of faith, which is twofold: the one
spiritual and hidden; the other, future, visible, and glorious in the world to
come. Now faith makes us partakers of both kinds of Christ's glory. So
then, as the majesty of Christ consists in his kingdom and high-priesthood;
so also he makes us kings and priests unto God; an honor which, when St.
Peter speaks of, he can hardly find words to express. “But ye,” says he,
“are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar
people.”
7. The sixth property of faith is, that it renews the whole man. It kindles
in him the fire of divine love, and furnishes him with all Christian graces
and works of mercy; not as if he merited thereby anything from God, but
only as it renders the soul grateful to Him. “Offer unto God thanksgiving,
and pay thy vows unto the Most High.”
8. Seventhly, though true and saving faith triumphs over the world and
the devil; yet is it of such a nature,
that, in pure love, it makes itself servant unto all. He who has it, considers
seriously with himself, that Jesus Christ and all the heavenly graces are
freely given him by God, so that he stands in need of no worldly thing in
the concern of salvation: and withal, that “nothing can separate him from
the love of God” (
9. The eighth property of faith is, that it conquers and triumphs over every cross, yea, glories in the cross. For we find more comforts in Christ by faith, than we leave in forsaking the world for his sake; more honor, than the united malice of the world can take from us. In him we meet with so much love, that we shall not regard the hatred and enmities of men; such blessings, that all the curses in the world cannot impair them; so much joy, that all the world cannot make us sad. If it were possible for us to be slain and murdered ten thousand times over, yet Christ remains, and will forever continue to be our Lord, and our everlasting Life, infinitely to be preferred before this short and fleeting life.
I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.—John 17:26.
There are two ways of seeking after God, the one external, and
the other internal. The first is the active way, when man seeks after
God; the second is the passive, when God seeks after man. In the outward
way, we seek God by various exercises of a Christian life; as fasting,
prayer, retirement, meekness, accordingly as we are moved by God, or led
by devout people. In the inward, we enter into the ground of our hearts,
attending upon the revelation of the kingdom of God which is within us.
2. And now, if a man could with his bodily eyes take a view of such a soul
as this, he would see the most beautiful creature in the world, shining forth
in all the transcendent beauties of holiness; for such a soul is united to God,
and by consequence is a partaker of
His glory, not by nature, but by grace. It desires nothing either in time or
eternity but God alone, seeking nothing for its own sake, either spiritually
or naturally. On the other hand, could we but see with our bodily eyes a soul
sunk in the love of itself and the creatures, wholly polluted with the lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; and all its corrupt
thoughts and imaginations externally
figured by visible characters and impressions; neither earth nor hell could
furnish a more dreadful monster than this. But in the last great day, when
the hearts and consciences of all men shall be laid open (
He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.—Luke 18:14.
Many are the means which men make use of to come to a union
with God; such as reading, and other external exercises of religion. But in
truth, next to that true, living faith which purifies the soul from the love
of the creatures (as has already been shown, and will be further explained
below, chap. ix), there is no better or
easier method than that of true humility. This, however, does not consist
in words, or in any external behavior; but is seated in the bottom of the soul,
so that the man upon all accounts, both natural and spiritual, reckons and
esteems himself as nothing; and being thus truly poor in spirit (
2. There are six steps or degrees of humility, by which we may arrive at
the perfection of spiritual joy and peace. The first step is, that a man
reckon himself as inferior to all men, and have no desire for the honor and
esteem of men. The second is, to despise and judge no man, but have a
constant eye upon himself. The third is, to refuse and avoid honors that are
offered; and if they cannot be avoided, to receive them with regret. The
fourth, to bear reproaches with joy. The fifth, to converse willingly with
men of inferior condition, and be so far from thinking ourselves better
than they, as rather to think ourselves the most miserable of all men, and the
chief of sinners. The sixth is, to submit readily and cheerfully, not only to
our superiors, but even to the least and meanest. By these steps we
ascend to the last and highest of all, where is the throne of peace. “The
way is humble,” says Augustine, “but the country to which it leadeth is on
high.” King Solomon's throne had six steps conducting to it (
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women?—Cant. 6:1.
Though our “beloved” is always with us, yet he never discovers
himself but when the heart is quiet and composed, and all the senses are
collected in God. When nothing earthly appears in the understanding, but
all its animal and worldly wisdom is swallowed up in faith; then the divine
light arises, darting light and glory through the benighted soul. This is
2. From this fountain spring all the unutterable groanings of holy souls.
This was the sweetness that St. Paul tasted, when he uttered these words,
“I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of
God” (
3. This nobility of the soul is but little known to the men of this world,
even those that are accounted wise and learned: and they that have written
volumes about the soul and its faculties, have never come to the fundamental
point. For Christ is the true strength of the soul, its understanding,
will, and memory; that is, light in its understanding; pleasure in its will;
and joy in its memory. So Christ is
the true sanctification, glory, and ornament of the soul; so that a man, for
the love of Christ, which he experiences in himself, does not desire to sin.
Thus we are told, “Whoso abideth in him, sinneth not. Whosoever is born
of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot
sin.”
My house is the house of prayer.—Luke 19:46; Matt. 21:13; Isa. 56:7.
The dignity of the soul consists in this, that it is the habitation and
temple of God, in which he takes more delight than in the whole compass of
heaven and earth. So the believing soul has more of the divine presence
than heaven, than all the temples made with hands, yea, than all the
creatures in the world. For God communicates his whole treasures of
love to such a soul; he rejoices and
delights in it; yea, through all creatures he seeks to make the soul of
man happy and glorious. Wherefore, as God shows so much love, and takes
so much pleasure in the soul of man, he may more properly be said to dwell
in it than in any material buildings, yea, than in heaven itself. Here he
displays all the wonders of his providence and love; yea, for this very end
has he created it with nobler faculties than he has given to the rest of his
creatures, that it might be capable of these exalted communications of the
divine grace. And if God should bestow upon the soul anything less than
himself, she would reject it as being too little. Now St. Paul tells us,
“God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
2. Now as God has discovered this
transcendent love to the soul, it follows that the soul ought to rest in
God alone, and not to waste its love on any creature, at which it knows
that God will be offended. So great is the loveliness, so great the beauty
that is in God, that if the soul could take ever so remote, ever so obscure
a view of it, she would not be separated from him to gain the whole
world. The soul, then, which is so beloved of God, should be ashamed to
fix its love upon any creature which is offensive to God. She ought to be
heartily ashamed and afflicted if she
has not preferred God before all creatures, proposed his glory in all things,
and loved him above all things; this is the true contrition which is acceptable
to God. The whole creation naturally loves God more than itself, and spends
itself in the execution of his commands; but the miserable sinner loves himself
better than his God. If thy sorrow, therefore, proceed merely from a sense
of thy own loss, and not of thy sins and offences against God, thy contrition
is not true, thy sorrow is not acceptable before God. Though there
were no heaven to reward thee, nor hell to punish thee, yet thou oughtest
to be grieved that thou hast offended and provoked thy God. For the love
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.—Ps. 50:4. He hath called us with a holy calling.—2 Tim. 1:9.
God, our heavenly Father, by all the methods and arguments of love, is continually calling and drawing us to himself. So great is his love towards us, that it is as if his own essence and blessedness were affected by our wandering from him. Hence, all his works of creation, both in heaven and earth, all the wonders of his providence, tend to this one great end, namely, to recall and bring back fallen man to himself. All his words and all his actions, call to the soul to return to the love of God from which it fell, by hearkening to the tempting insinuations of Satan.
2. God invites us to believe in his Son, and to follow the steps of his
meekness and patience, and by this means, to be reunited to himself, our
chief Good. For as when God called to Elijah, and the fire passed by, and
the strong wind that rent the mountains; yet God was not in them, but
came at last in the still small voice (
3. There is also another, namely, an
inward calling of God: when he kindles in the devout soul the fire of his
love. By this means he conveys himself to the soul, for he himself is love.
For it is as impossible to possess God without a true perception of his love,
as for a man to live without a soul. For that Christ doth “dwell in our
hearts by faith” (
God purifies their hearts by faith.—Acts 15:9.
The property of true faith, is to purify the heart from the world,
and all earthly, vain, and perishing desires; in a word, from all things in
which corrupt nature delights itself, whether riches, honors, or pleasures.
Faith fixes its eye upon those things only, that are invisible and eternal;
and when all impediments are removed, a union quickly follows; and
there can be no union of things, except they be alike. God is pure action, and
wheresoever he finds a soul empty of the world, there he delights to operate,
and manifest himself, as the spring
of life and comfort to the afflicted longing soul. Therefore the usual language
of Christ in the Gospel to the sick, whom he healed, was, “Thy faith
hath made thee whole.”
2. And as true faith purifies the heart from worldly love; so it does
also from inordinate affections, as anger and impatience; planting meekness
and patience in respect to our neighbor in their stead. For God
works nothing in the souls of believers, but that which is agreeable to his own
nature. Now what is He, but mere
love, patience, and gentleness itself, as he has manifested himself in our blessed
Lord Jesus Christ? As then the love of God overflows towards all men,
having mercy upon all; so it produces the same love in every Christian soul,
a love free and universal; making no difference either of friend or foe, but
being equally united to God, and to the whole race of mankind. Moreover,
this love rejoices in all the good things that God bestows upon man, and is
pleased with that variety of gifts which are bestowed upon the several members
of Christ's body; to each of which it pays a proper and proportionable
respect. For as there is a mutual agreement between the several members
of the natural body, in which the more ignoble parts, as the hands and
feet, serve the more noble, as the head, the eyes, and the heart; so ought there
to be the same agreement between the members of the spiritual body of
Christ. Wherefore, if we meet with any member of Christ, who is more
worthy than ourselves, we ought proportionably to love and esteem him
more than ourselves. And the greater the portion of divine grace and favor
which he has received from Jesus Christ, our supreme Head, is, the
greater respect and love we ought to pay him. For this good is common to
all, as being derived from our universal Head, Christ Jesus. But we cannot
enjoy it without charity, which makes all our neighbor's blessing our
own; and whatsoever we love in God,
and for his sake, considered as a universal good, is properly ours. And as
by charity, all our neighbor's blessings are made our own, therefore, how
many, or how great favors soever God bestows upon a good man, they are no
less mine than his, if I love them as the gifts of God, and for His sake.
Yea, if any man receive the blessings of God with fear and humility, not being
exalted with pride and arrogance; and if I can behold them in him, and
love them for God's sake, and as proceeding from Him, they are as properly
mine as his. This is the way by which we become spiritually rich in
God, and are made partakers of all the blessings of heaven and earth; yea,
and of all the happiness that is laid up in store for the children of God, by
the mediation of our spiritual Head, Christ Jesus. So deep, so close is this
union, that I am actually and properly possessed of all the blessings which
our head Christ Jesus has diffused through all his members, whether
men, or angels, in heaven and earth. And the effect of this inward love is
patience, by which a man readily and
willingly takes up his cross, as a preparation for very exalted gifts of God.
For no cross comes without its special grace. This made one of the holy men
of old exclaim: “Hail, bitter cross, full
3. And they, who from love to the cross of Christ, willingly bear their
own, are thereby made partakers of an eminent pleasure and of peace of
mind. He, then, that labors under any cross, external or internal, and
yet, although his heart may bleed, without complaining bears it patiently,
for the sake of his suffering Redeemer, may rest assured, that his sufferings
shall end in glory, and his sorrow shall
be turned into joy. The divine consolations are ever at hand to the resigned
and patient soul; which peace is that
inestimable pearl, the riches of the inward man, which no man can explain
or comprehend but he that has it. In a word, this is that “peace which
passeth all understanding,” of which St. Paul speaks in
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts.—2 Cor. 4:6.
Whosoever would have a just notion of the light of nature, and the light of grace, must nicely distinguish between the faculties of the soul; that is to say, the reason, the will, and the senses, and the pure essence of the soul. (See below, Chap. XXI.) The light of nature resides in the reason, will, and senses. These faculties, as long as they keep the soul in subjection to them, hinder the divine light of grace from displaying itself in the pure essence of the soul; so that before this can rise, the other must set. For the light of grace is above all sense and reason; yea, is hindered by them. Thou seest, then, how little the natural man can do in divine things—even nothing at all.
2. Let us now consider how the light of grace generally arises in the
soul. God has the word of grace, which he has commanded to be preached, and
by which he operates; and this word is spirit and life.
3. By this light the soul truly recovers its spiritual strength; that is,
understanding, wisdom, and knowledge
4. But as this light cannot shine in a wicked soul (for “what communion
hath light with darkness?”
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.—1 John 1:5.
God is the supreme, most pure, and beauteous light; flaming
with an ardent desire of enlightening the souls of men, and uniting himself
to them, if not hindered by the darkness which men “love rather than
light.”
2. This inward light breaks forth
into external actions, so that whatsoever a man says, or does, or suffers,
is no longer an act of his own, but of God, to whom he has surrendered and
3. For of all our actions those only may be called “light,” which proceed
from God and diffuse themselves through the darkness and miseries of
our neighbors, in patience, in meekness, in humility, in consolation, in
compassion, in gentle reproofs, and charitable censures. Whereas from
an arrogant love of censuring others
arise self-esteem, a high mind, contempt, and insolence toward our
neighbors. This is the root of innumerable sins. But as the light of
the Holy Spirit cannot enter into such souls, so where he inhabits, these
vices have no place. The man of God
judges not his neighbor, unless compelled by necessity; and even then he
does it with great gentleness, and in the proper time and place; lest while
he attempt to cure one wound, he should make ten, by an unseasonable
and improper application. One thing
ought carefully to be observed in reproving our neighbor, namely, that
we should not publish such uncharitable reflections upon him, as may in any
way injure his reputation, either in his spiritual or temporal concerns; but
on the contrary, every one should keep himself within the bounds of
meekness and charity, lest he endanger his own humility and poverty
of spirit. They that delight in uncharitable censures and railing accusations,
are like the old serpent; their very breath is infected with his poison,
whilst, like him, they delight in being accusers of the brethren. Whilst they
know not themselves, they will dare to censure and judge their neighbors.
Consider, O man, thy perverse heart, and judge thyself, but no one else.
4. But the true and divine light always discovers itself in modesty and
humility. It hunts not after the empty applause of men, but seeks
after God, from whom it proceeded, and into whom it longs and labors to
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.—Ps. 116:7.
The soul of man, flowing out into worldly things, and cleaving entirely to the creatures, is like a wandering sheep. Now, the great Shepherd of souls tries, by all the methods of his mercy and wisdom, to bring him back to the fold, by emptying him of the creatures, and filling him with all the fulness of God. Thus the royal Psalmist concludes the 119th Psalm: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant.” This expression, how oddly soever it may sound to carnal ears, discovers, nevertheless, to the spiritual man, the whole work of illumination and divine wisdom. For as the soul of man is placed between time and eternity, so soon as ever it turns to time, it forgets eternity, and withdraws every day further and further from divine things. But if it returns to eternity, then it forgets the creatures, recovers its liberty, draws nearer to God, and is thoroughly drawn unto him. For there is nothing dearer to God, than a soul abstracted from the creatures, and resigned to him. Then, and not till then, the soul enjoys true peace, tastes the food of life, and feels in herself the true fruits of that divine anointing, which denominates us truly Christians (the name “Christ” signifying: “The Anointed One.”)
2. And if these things are so, who can doubt that it is the duty of every
true Christian, if not oftener, yet once
a day at least, to taste this divine food of the soul, which is God himself, that
3. From what has been said, it appears plainly, how necessary and profitable
an exercise it is for every Christian, once a day at least, to retire into
his own heart, into God, and into Christ, to draw thence true peace of
soul, and to learn there the true use of temporal blessings. For God does not
forbid us the use of these, provided we walk in humility, and in his fear,
and continue faithful in our attendance upon him. Our misery requires
this of us, which in such a soul God will not suffer to last long; and so
does, lastly, our daily cross, which Christ by this means makes light and
easy to us. Not to say, that thou, O Christian, art continually admonished
by the Spirit of God within thee, to sigh and pray for the love of God, and
of God alone, and to grieve within thyself, when any worldly impediments
draw and separate thee from it. This is the true and inward calling of
the Holy Ghost, this is the well-beloved's knocking at the door of thy heart
(
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.—1 John 2:15.
He that desires to become the habitation of God, must first divest
himself of the love of the world, and then exercise himself in the love of
God. No man can receive the one, without quitting the other; or be
2. Now this divine love is so great, that, like the sun, it shines upon all; yea, it shines more universally than the sun itself, displaying itself equally upon all men. So that it is not the fault of God, who is pure light, and pure love, but of men, if they do not perceive or enjoy it. For when God approaches men with the highest love, and most ardent affection, he generally finds their hearts full of the love of the world, and all uncleanness, that is, of covetousness, pride, lust, hatred, envy, and evil thoughts, which force him to retire and to withdraw his graces from them. Whence it appears, that since God is ready, like the sun in the firmament, to communicate the rays of his light freely to every purified soul, it is not His fault, but theirs, if they are not enlightened by it. As, therefore, we know these things, let us keep ourselves from the love of the world, and turn to the living God, watching diligently unto prayer; let us labor earnestly for the love of God in Christ, by which we are united to him. Let us knock at the door of his holy wounds, and from thence expect salvation. If we do this, God will open to us, and give us admission into that high state of uniting love, in which we shall be refreshed with all the treasures of God. And who can doubt that the God of mercy, the fountain of happiness, will fill the heart of man with greater and more substantial joys, than any which this perishing world can afford?
3. Whosoever, therefore, loves God, shall be loved by all the saints and holy angels. If I love God, then I share in the love of all the inhabitants of the city of God, a love that far surpasses the highest degree of worldly affection. And as all the heavenly host have the highest love of God, and rejoice in his honor, so is their joy proportionably great at every step of our conversion, and their happiness is enhanced by every advance which we make in the love of God.
4. Now one evidence of divine love is this, that we use the creatures with
fear and humility. He that is endued with a habit of divine love, whether
he eat or drink, or whatever he doth, doth everything like a dutiful son,
with reverence and fear, having his eye constantly fixed upon the glory
of his Heavenly Father.
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.—Isa. 53:7.
Whosoever would rightly prepare his soul for union with
Jesus Christ, must, like him, be clothed with the meekness and patience of
the lamb. Yea, he must have the very same mind that was in Christ,
and become a lamb even as he was. Let this be thy rule and thy guide in
all thy actions. He tells us himself, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep
in the midst of wolves.”
2. Endeavor to acquire more and more the meekness of the Lamb, and,
above all things, preserve the love of God, which cannot abide in a wrathful
soul. And here consider well with thyself what that love is. Do not
Examine yourselves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you?—2 Cor. 13:5.
As the faithful soul is often obliged to bear the temptations
and suggestions of the Evil Spirit; so,
on the other hand, it receives the divine consolations from the mouth of
the eternal Word speaking in it. Of this Tauler speaks: “We know,” says
he, “that the eternal Word is so very near the ground of the human soul,
that its own nature and being are not more essential and familiar to it, than
that Word is. This eternal Word is continually speaking in man, though
his perverse heart, deluded by the devil, neither hearkens nor attends to
it. For the great adversary makes him deaf by his wicked insinuations,
the love of the world, and carnal inclinations.” For the devil to this day
tempts all men, as he did Eve (
2. “The most certain token of love to God,” saith St. Gregory, “is this,
that we receive all the adversities which God shall think fit to lay upon
us, without any impatience in thought, word, or actions. If we do this, without
doubt we truly love God; if not, it is certain that we do not love him
sincerely, but prefer ourselves and our own things to him; though nothing
can be properly said to be a man's own but sin; everything else is God's.”
Take heed, therefore, that thou prefer
not even the gifts of God before Himself; whom if thou love purely and
above all things, then thou shalt continually hear him speaking peace to
thy soul, according to that saying of our blessed Lord, “He that loveth me,
to him will I manifest myself.”
3. But as the devil is wont to stop
the inward ears of men by his suggestions; so he also blinds their eyes by
self-love, by the love of the world and the creatures, and by inward and outward
pride. For as by true and genuine love, we hear Christ; so by faith
and profound humility, we must see him; for that only can purify our
hearts from vain pride. For it is not without reason that our blessed Lord
tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.”
4. And this humility thou must practise, if ever thou expect to see
Christ. For the hidden mysteries and wisdom of God are revealed to
the meek and humble, but are hidden from the wise men of this world.
5. In a word, this humble and resigned state of soul, is that in which God particularly delights to operate. And he that has this, carries in his soul the comfortable presence, and in his body the suffering marks of the Lord Jesus; and considering himself as unworthy of the least of God's mercies, he uses them all with reverence and fear, having his eye, like a good servant, fixed on his Master; and therefore he is honored with His more immediate conversation, and grace.
I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.—Isa. 44:3.
If after a drought and dearth of three years and a half (such as happened
in the time of Elijah,
2. But if this ever happen, it is not God's fault, for he is ready “to pour
out his Spirit upon all flesh” (
3. But in order to the more perfect operation of the Holy Ghost in thee,
there are two rules proper to be observed: first, that thou turn away
The Comforter will reprove the world.—John 16:8.
When the Holy Spirit enters into our soul; that is to say, manifests
his presence by his operations,
in the first place, he forthwith reproves in us everything that is not
divine, such as the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life (
2. Hence, in the second place, arise spiritual sadness, grief, and inward
terrors of mind. Of this the children of this world have little experience,
though it is one of the surest signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the
soul. But they that are utter strangers to this godly sorrow, who run on
with delight and satisfaction in the way of the world, upon whom all
things smile, and who find here their enjoyment, and never meet with any
cross; these men, I say, are in a very dangerous state, and, being destitute
of God's Spirit, are without God in the world. On the contrary, they
that are afflicted of God, and are reproved in their consciences by the
3. The third sign is, that the Divine Spirit takes away from us all the
glory of our own merit and righteousness, so that before the righteousness
of God it falls as a flower of the field, and withers as grass, when the spirit
of the Lord bloweth upon it.
4. The fourth token of the presence of God's Spirit, is when a man looks upon his neighbor's faults with compassion, not rudely censuring or condemning him. For a haughty desire to judge others is diabolical, proceeding from nothing but pride, contempt of our neighbor, and admiration of ourselves. And where these reign the Holy Spirit cannot abide; but wheresoever He is, there a man is careful—1. Not to reprove his neighbor but upon urgent necessity. 2. To do it in the proper time and place, after the example of our blessed Lord. 3. Not to do it in severe terms, but with meekness and humanity. 4. Not to despise his neighbor, nor expose him to the scorn and contempt of others, but to do all from a pure principle of charity. Let these things sink deeply into thy heart, that thou mayest abide in humility, and in the grace of the Holy Spirit, and that he may dwell in thee.
Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.—1 Peter 2:11.
The children of this world earnestly follow the joys and pleasures
of it, which the children of God avoid with all diligence, as so many
snares and temptations of the devil, designed to draw them from God,
their sovereign Good. If thou, O Christian, resolve to preserve this
most valuable treasure, be careful to avoid all occasions of losing it. Of
this sort are all so-called sports, pastimes, and recreations, or those actions
which do not in some way tend to the glory of God, and the good of
our neighbor. And though thou art sometimes forced to be present at
them, yet be then careful to turn thy thoughts inward, by an elevation of
thy heart to God; and so thou shalt never lose the comfort and peace of
the divine presence wheresoever thou art. And whilst thou art faithful in
2. Therefore it is necessary that every man should die to the world,
that would live to God; whence it appears that the major part of mankind
are at enmity with God. Alas! how many mortifications of the flesh must
we undergo before our corrupt nature, both externally and internally,
is perfectly slain in us, and the life of God succeed in its place. Now crosses
and trials are as so many remedies applied to our corruption, in order to
drive out of us the poison of sin, and restore us to the life of God. Whence
it appears, that the benefit of afflictions is very great, and that we ought
to meet them with contentment and joy, as the means of purifying our
corrupt nature, and bringing us to a participation of the divine nature.
This it is which brings us to the noblest exercise of Christian duty,
namely, dying to the world, in prosperity and adversity, in silence and
hope, secretly and inwardly, without the least murmur or complaint. They
who fret, repine, or complain, discover plainly that they are unwilling to die
to the world, and that they have but
little of the divine light in their souls. God cannot live in the soul which is
not dead to the world; for the more
we live after the lusts of corrupt nature, the less we live unto God and
his holy will. On the other hand, the less we live to the flesh, so much the
more we live unto God. Let this, then, be our certain rule, that he that
would live to the Spirit, must die to the flesh.
Ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.—Rom. 8:15.
As God operates eminently in humble souls; so the Holy Spirit particularly
works in them the gift of filial prayer. Without the Spirit of
God there is no true prayer; for he it is that cries and groans in the soul,
being, as it were, its life.
2. The whole life of a Christian ought to be spent in the exercise of love, and
in the imitation of his crucified Lord. He properly is a Christian, who does
all things from a principle of divine charity, and is transformed by it into
the nature of Christ. And can God deny anything to so dutiful, loving,
and obedient a child when he prays? No, surely. But that we might know
how and for what we ought to ask,
Christ has taught us the Lord's Prayer, a prayer full of petitions for the most
exalted blessings. Can there be a greater good than the kingdom of
God? For he himself is his own kingdom, extending to all rational creatures.
So that when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we pray that God
would please to bestow Himself upon us, with all the riches and blessings of
his presence. In this kingdom, therefore, God is our Father, manifesting
his paternal love and faithfulness to his children, by erecting his kingdom
in us, that therein he may perfect his
3. In this kingdom, which is within us, he works his own will, without
any impediment. And so his “will is done in earth,” namely, in us, “as it
is in heaven,” that is, in God himself. Hence we understand, that what God
desires to bestow, and has commanded us to pray for, is nothing less than
Himself. This was the promise that he made to Abraham, “I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
Be clothed with humility.—1 Peter 5:5.
If thou wouldst build for eternity, let thy foundation be humility; for no man can of himself do anything. Wherefore, in all thine undertakings, humble thyself before God, the overflowing fountain of grace and mercy, and pray devoutly for his direction and assistance, that all thy labors may be entirely directed to the praise, and honor, and glory of God; and remember this, that whatsoever thou doest without the grace of God, can tend to nothing but sin and destruction. He that carefully attends to this, submitting himself entirely to the divine will, silently and humbly deploring his own weakness and vileness, and by ardent love devoting himself to God, shall experience in all the powers of his soul the wonderful works of God; while, on the contrary, pride is that vice which makes all our works vile and abominable in the sight of God.
2. And alas! why are dust and ashes proud? If we look into our original, we were created out of nothing; of ourselves we are nothing, more fleeting than a vain shadow; so corrupt that nothing but the grace of God restrains us from falling into the grossest sins, and sinking into the lowest pit of destruction. We are perpetually exposed to the assaults of the devil, against whom we have no security but in humility. For this evil spirit, puffed up with pride, has all imaginable advantages over the proud man; but flies from the meek and humble. Pride has its root in Satan; but so long as thou canst preserve thy humility, turning thyself to God from all thine iniquities, so long he can have no power over thee. How lamentable a thing is it then, to see a Christian, furnished with the Word and Spirit of God, so tamely give himself up to the devil. Such a one is like a cowardly soldier, who, though armed from head to foot, should suffer himself to be stung to death by a wasp. So powerful is the grace of God in humble souls, that if they will be true to themselves the devil can have no power over them. And if thou suffer thyself to be thus shamefully foiled, notwithstanding all the assistance offered to thee, what canst thou expect at the last day but the insults of those very evil spirits to whom thou hast given so cheap a victory. Consider well, therefore, what a grace and blessing humility is.
3. There is, moreover, in humble souls, a perpetual hungering and
thirsting after the grace of God, which God never fails to reward by
the fulness of his blessings, that is, of Himself: for he alone can satisfy the
cravings of a thirsty soul. And on
this humility is founded true repentance; for when a man sees the vast
impurity, the secret malice, the deep
corruption of his sinful heart, and bewails all this with sincere sorrow, he
gladly lays hold of the free grace of
4. Another property of humility is, that it cheerfully receives every cross sent from God as a preparation for greater gifts; it regards not the immediate agents by which the man is afflicted, but looks up to God from whom afflictions come. The humble man rejoices in the cross, saying: “Hail, blessed cross, unexpected indeed, but not unwelcome. I know that it is the will of God by thee to sanctify and consecrate me to Himself.” And, lastly, humility keeps a man in peace of mind, as well in adversity as in prosperity, as well under the want, as in the abundance of the gifts and blessings of God. So that the truly humble man is always easy, whether it please God to give or take away, and nothing can happen to him, to exalt or deject him above measure. In him the wonders of divine grace manifest themselves. And whereas he before lived and acted by his own strength, he is now supported by God, and in and through Him produces fruit abundantly.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous.—Ps. 32:11.
The genuine love of God proposes God alone for its end. It delights
not in the creatures, but in that supreme, eternal, and uncreated Good,
whence they proceeded; and this not only outwardly, but even in the very
bottom of the soul. For the soul, besides its natural powers, by which it
gives life and motion to the body, has a deep and central essence, having no
relation to the creature. This is the seat and city of God, abstracted from
all external and earthly things; here the Holy Spirit pours out his gifts
through all the faculties of the soul,
in the different manifestations of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
But when corrupt nature begins to delight itself inordinately with these
visitations, loving the gifts more than the Giver, it immediately pollutes them
by corrupt mixtures of self-love. All the love and joy which result thence,
are blind, vicious, and deceitful. For as the gifts of God are not God himself,
so we must not place the same love upon both. Most men rest in the
gifts of God, and upon the least perception of divine light in the understanding,
or warmth in the affections, imagine themselves at the summit of
perfection; not considering that they are yet far short of it. Man was made
for greater things, even to receive God into the soul; and God is displeased if
we stop short of this. There is nothing
2. But so corrupt is human nature, and so addicted to self-love, that it
catches greedily at everything that may gratify its passions, placing its
happiness in those delights, which, like Jonah's gourd, perish in the enjoyment.
This satisfaction, though in the gifts of God, defiles them, and hinders
His operations in us. So great, and
so deep, is the corruption of our nature, introduced by Original Sin, that
scarce one in a thousand can know his secret faults.
Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.—Ps. 37:4.
As man in his natural state is obnoxious to the wrath of God
(
2. Whence it appears, that all manner of gifts whatsoever, as St. Paul
assures us, are to be ascribed to the grace of God, not to ourselves (
3. But still take heed to thyself, and remember that thou rest not even in
thy spiritual privileges, which, as a child of God, are bestowed upon thee,
but in God alone, the author and giver of them. Hence we are commanded,
“to delight in the Lord” (
4. If, then, thou wouldest have thy
works to be sincere and acceptable before God, observe carefully these four
general rules: 1. Think humbly of all thine actions, not respecting thyself,
but God alone. 2. Let this humility be deeply rooted in thy soul, humbling
thyself not only under the hand of God, but under every man, whether
small or great, from a hearty sense of thine own unworthiness. 3. Look
upon all that thou doest as unprofitable and worthless. 4. Have a profound
dread of the secret judgment of God, not, indeed, as proceeding
from any doubts about the mercies of God; but, regarding him as thy best
friend, be careful to avoid everything that may disoblige or offend him. He
that despises these four rules, renders even his best actions impure in the
sight of God. But he that carefully attends to them as the rules of action,
shall be like a green olive tree in the house of his God, bearing good fruit
abundantly.
5. And we must observe that even the most inconsiderable thing thou
doest, if it promote the good of thy neighbor, is acceptable to God; whilst
he that employs not his talent to that end, shall have a serious account to
give at the last day. This is the only use and end of God's gifts, that we
should readily and industriously employ them for the benefit of others.
Every action, art, employment, and profession, were given by God for this
only end. And these are the works which, as our Lord tells us, “are
wrought in God” (
6. Remember also, that no actions, how great and glorious soever in appearance, which proceed only from ostentation and vainglory, can be well pleasing to God. For as is the principle of our actions, such are also the actions proceeding from it. Whence it follows, that such as regard themselves only, are no better than impostors and hypocrites. Their best works are no better than painted sepulchres, which appear beautiful without, but within are full of nothing but corruption. There is in them no pure love of God, no desire to promote his glory; but only a certain carnal self-love and an insatiable thirst of vainglory.
7. The sum of all is this, that all our works, how specious soever they may appear, if they be directed to any other end but God, are nothing but vanity and idolatry. For he is truly an idolater, who proposes to himself any other end or aim but God. Wherefore, if thou hast any gifts, use them, but take heed that thy heart rest not in them; if it so rest, thou art guilty of idolatry.
He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.—Matt. 10:38.
Let all that desire to be the true disciples and followers of Jesus
Christ, bear their cross in this world, be it what it may; for if thou flee
from one, another will meet thee; and do what thou wilt, thou must bear it.
But under every cross the hand of God is with us, to lighten it and make
it easy, and by his assistance we may bear it with pleasure. But when God
withdraws his hand, then, indeed, it is a heavy burden. Now the Son of
God bore a very heavy burden, and in the most afflicting circumstances;
of which, in their proportion, all his true friends and followers have been
partakers. Words cannot express the many and great advantages that are
in the cross; forasmuch as God lays it upon us in mere love, that he may
thereby draw us to himself, and make us “conformable to the image of his
Son” (
2. Did we thoroughly consider the benefits and honor of the cross, we
should think ourselves unworthy of so great a blessing; for great is the honor
of being made like unto the Son of God! He was never acceptable to the
world, but was its scorn and derision. But now, scarcely one Christian in a
thousand is come to that perfection, as not to desire to please the world. He
that pleaseth the world, cannot, however, please God: and he that is full
of the world, is empty of God. But so far as a man dies to himself and the
world, so far is Christ, the true life, advanced in him. No man can please
God better than by fully submitting to his will. If my prince should like to
see me in one suit of clothes rather than in any other, I should certainly
esteem it better than the most gaudy dress. And since my God is better
pleased to see me under the cross, I ought certainly to prefer it to all the
affluence and glories of the world. But perhaps thou art in doubt with
thyself, whether the cross which thou bearest, has come from God; if so, let
this be the test: Whatsoever thou sufferest for thine own sake, will be
grievous and tedious, but if thou suffer for God's sake, thy cross will be easy,
for God himself will lighten it. What matters it then, whether thy load be of
the weight of a hundred or of a thousand pounds, if He but lend a helping
hand, and make thy yoke easy and thy burden light.
3. When God sees a man too weak for a temptation, he refreshes him a
little with his consolations, that he may not entirely sink under it: but he
should know, that these intermissions are only allowed him in order to recover
his strength, that he may the better bear up against a fresh assault.
So it pleases the divine love to exercise
men, that by various trials and temptations, they may be brought to despise
all worldly enjoyments, and, like the panting hart (
4. Whosoever will follow the blessed
Jesus, must “deny himself, and take
5. The last comfort under the cross is, that thou canst not be hurt by it, unless it be by thine own fault, by being fretful and impatient under it. Thou art very much in the wrong, if thou thinkest thyself injured by this or that man; they cannot hurt thee if thou keep thy mind steady and even under its burden. Be assured, that so long as thou art master of thyself and thy passions, the whole world can do thee no harm. If thou wouldst be safe, then, against the assaults of thine enemy, answer not again; be silent, even as a dead man, in his grave. Every calumny and reproach which the world shall cast upon thee, shall be as rays of light, encircling thy head with a crown of glory. How glorious are the three degrees of patience, in which true victory consists! The first is, to suffer without murmuring. The second is, not only to suffer patiently, but even to wish for suffering for Christ's sake, from a pure love of him. The third is, to rejoice in suffering; and this is the most powerful and the greatest victory of all.
By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.—Col. 1:16, 17.
The eminent prophet Moses exhibits to us two powerful witnesses of God, in the book of Creation. The first is the universe; the second is the inferior world, that is, Man. Both of them, the universe and the heart of man, furnish glorious testimony in the Scriptures, by which the Creator and Preserver of all things is revealed, and also formed in our hearts.
2. We shall, therefore, introduce in this Book the testimony of both, that is, first, of the universe, and secondly, of the inferior world. Thus we shall learn that all creatures are, as it were, the guides and messengers of God, whereby we are to be brought to Christian knowledge, and also to God in Christ.
3. It is therefore unnecessary to attempt to prove that this Book also belongs
to True Christianity, although there are some who might entertain a
different opinion. If they desire additional evidence, they may find it in the
passage quoted above (
4. Thus much may suffice in defence of my method and design; to which I beg leave to subjoin only this admonition, as the great argument of the whole, namely, that it is the duty of a true Christian to use God's creatures to his honor and glory, so that God in all things may be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
5. Observe the method by which the creatures lead us unto God. An
6. But so perverse is man, that his heart is set upon his gold and silver, his houses, estates, honors, and pleasures, which, however good in their kind, are yet in the sight of God of no value; they are only given us by God, to draw us to himself. For this reason it was, that God made man so needy and helpless a creature, that by the variety of his blessings and multitude of his benefits, he might draw him to himself, and teach him by these various instances of his love and goodness, that all the comfort and sweetness which he tastes in the creature, really proceeds from the Creator; and that he alone is able to comfort, relieve, and support us, when these perishing worldly comforts forsake and leave us.
7. But the greatest of all God's messengers, the most excellent of all
his gifts, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, in whom
are all the fulness and perfection of divine love and goodness. His mercy
is over all his works, and “by him all things were made.”
8. Having said thus much by way of preface, I begin the First Part of this Book, treating in general of the six days of creation, to promote the knowledge, glory, and praise of God.
9. Of man, we shall speak more particularly in the Second Part; and I intreat my readers to read the Conclusion to my Second Book, before they begin to judge me. For I again protest and declare that I desire my writings to be understood in accordance with the Symbolical Books of the Church of the Augsburg Confession, and in no other sense.
God said, Let there be light; and there was light.—He covereth himself with light as with a garment.—God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.—Gen. 1:3; Ps. 104:2; 1 John 1:5.
In those words in
2. First, then, we say that light is a noble, subtle, and pure principle,
separated from the darkness in the morning of the creation, when God
“commanded the light to shine out of darkness.”
3. But as it is the duty of a Christian to contemplate the works of God with spiritual eyes, so as therein to see the Creator, and by the work be led to praise the Maker; let us take a nearer view of this subject, and see how the light and the sun bear witness of God and Christ.
4. And the first conclusion that naturally presents itself is this: If God
created so beautiful, refreshing, enlivening, clear, and shining a light;
how much more lovely, comfortable,
and refreshing a light must He be
himself? Therefore, the commentator upon St. Dionysius, to the question,
“Why God first of all created light?” answers—Because from his own essential
light, the visible light almost naturally proceeds, as that which bears
the nearest resemblance to his own nature; and therefore he calls light, a
5. And, whereas God made the light, in order that the true external form and beauty of the creatures might be distinctly seen and apprehended, it follows that there is also another secret or concealed light, by which the internal form of the creatures may be likewise known, and from which nothing can be hidden. And this light is the eternal wisdom of God, which, being compared with the natural and created light, has been fitly called the brightness of the everlasting light.
6. Of this St. Dionysius writes in these words. “As the visible light directs, governs, and fills the visible world; so the incomprehensible and heavenly light, fills and enlightens all heavenly spirits. It also purifies the soul from darkness and error, and brings it into communion with the light of God. It is at first no more than a twilight, or faint glimmering of light; but when it is tasted, loved, and desired, then, in proportion to our love, it increases more and more unto the perfect day. Wherefore this transcendent light exceeds all lights, being, as it were, the centre and fountain of them all. From its fulness it enlightens all spirits; and, being the original of all light, it comprehends under it all the degrees of spiritual, angelical, rational, and natural light. And as ignorance separates deluded souls from the light; so the presence of this divine light, collects, unites, perfects, and delivers from ignorance and error, all that are enlightened by it: it converts them to the truth, reducing their various imaginations to the standard of pure and simple truth, and fills their souls with pure and uniform light.” Thus far St. Dionysius.
7. In the light of the sun, also, shines forth the pure, deep, and ardent love of God. For whom did he create the sun? Certainly not for himself, for he needeth not the sun, nor any other created light, being himself a light infinite and eternal. It was for our sakes, therefore, that he created it; so that every ray of light proceeding from the sun, is indeed a ray of divine love towards mankind.
8. And as the eternal wisdom of God is likewise a bright sun, clearly discovering his mercy and beneficence; therefore, according to the nature and properties of the visible sun and light, it may also be called, an image of the divine goodness.
9. The created light determines the order, figures, and distinctions of all created things; for without it, the whole world would be nothing but darkness and confusion. So that upon this account also, the light is an image of the divine wisdom.
10. The created light, by its brightness and splendor, causes everything to turn to it; so the goodness of God draws all things to itself, as the centre and principle of all things.
11. The light of the sun is pure and spotless; so is the love of God towards mankind. Hence also the divine wisdom, being a spotless light, is, agreeably to this property of the sun, the spotless mirror of the divine majesty.
12. As the light flows plentifully and freely from the sun; so the love
of God descends plentifully upon us.
As the sun shines freely upon all, without respect of persons; so the divine
love overflows upon all mankind. As the light proceeds from the nature and
essence of the sun; so does the love
13. Moreover, as God created the external light for the world and visible
bodies; so it is worth inquiring, whether he did not at the same time
provide an inward and spiritual light for the soul. For God took not less
care of the soul, than he did of the body. Now this light of the soul is
God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Ghost, the ever blessed and undivided Trinity, by whom our understandings
are enlightened through faith. “Arise, shine; for thy light is
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
14. Now as the sun enlightens the world, so does Christ enlighten the
soul. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world” (
15. This light is the chief beauty and glory of the creatures. God is said
to be clothed “with light as with a garment.”
16. The more light any creature has, the more noble it is. This appears
from the angels, the sun, moon, stars, and precious stones. So virtue itself
is a most glorious light, and all the redeemed in the next world, shall be
full of light and glory, and accordingly shall be distinguished, as “one star
differeth from another star in glory.”
17. Light is refreshing: and who can doubt but, when the day of eternal light arrives, the blessed saints shall be refreshed with joy unspeakable? Without question, the light of the everlasting Sun of righteousness shall give us infinitely more delight and joy, than this created sun, which only gives light to a world of misery and sorrow.
18. The light awakens those that sleep; so Christ, our light, rouses us
from the sleep of sin. “Awake, thou
that sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light.”
19. The light directs the traveller in his way: so saith Christ—“I am
the light of the world; he that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.”
20. Moreover, as light has a vital power in it; so in Christ, our light,
“was life; and the life was the light of men.”
21. As the light cannot be seen but by itself; so God cannot be known
but by Himself: “In thy light shall we see light.”
22. As the external light chases
23. When the daylight is gone, the moon, regent of the night, arises with a pale lustre: so, without the light of Christ, man is nothing but darkness; and the boasted light of reason is but dim obscurity.
24. And as he would be called foolish, who preferred being enlightened by the moon, rather than by the sun; so are they much more foolish, who prefer the wisdom of this world, to the eternal wisdom of God in Christ Jesus. And as none but a madman would make use of the light of a candle in sunshine; so no man in his senses would think himself more enlightened by worldly wisdom, than by the divine wisdom. Strange madness! that a man should expect more light from the creature, than from the Creator, the Father of lights, God blessed for ever! Whosoever duly apprehends my meaning, has in him the beginning of the divine, eternal, and heavenly wisdom, which is the subject of the whole 119th Psalm.
25. As the sun is the ornament of heaven, so Christ is the ornament of
his church, and of the new heaven, and new earth in their future glory,
where it will be manifested to all the elect, that he is “the brightness of his
Father's glory, and the express image of his person.”
26. As dwellings are pleasant, in proportion as they receive the light,
so “God dwelleth in light.”
27. Ah the light makes all things clear and plain; so there is nothing in
heaven or in earth, no spirit, no being, nor the very thoughts of the heart,
that can be hidden from the light of divine wisdom.
28. As the light communicates itself to all creatures, and diffuses itself over the world; so God communicates himself to all creatures, particularly to men, delighting most of all in doing them good.
29. Lastly, the light and sun are a
witness of the glorification of our souls and bodies at the resurrection. The
glorification of our souls is, indeed, in some degree accomplished in this life
by the Holy Spirit, according to the words of St. Paul, “We all, with open
face 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.”
30. Of this we find an image in the transfiguration of our Lord, when “his
face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”
31.
See Gen. 1:6-8; Ps. 104:6; Ps. 19:1.
Who can doubt that the admirable and pure structure of heaven,
with all its wonderful properties, is a strong evidence and witness of God?
“What are heaven and all the beauty of nature” (says one of the ancients),
“but an illustrious mirror, in which we view the wonders of their Maker.”
For if God created all so pure, so glorious,
and so firm, that our weak understandings cannot comprehend or
explain it; how pure, how glorious, eternal, spiritual, unutterable a Being
must that God be who created all? And if He has made so glorious a heaven
over men, during their short abode here; how much more illustrious a
mansion has he not reserved for us
hereafter in the region of life and immortality? Hence St. Paul tells us,
“We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we
have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our
house which is from heaven.”
2. As to the stupendous height and compass of heaven, to which the earth
is in comparison no more than a single point; how does it suggest to us the
immense and unsearchable power and wisdom of God? “For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts, than your thoughts, saith the Lord.”
3. And as, in a circle, no part can be called upper and lower; so God fills
all things equally. Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of his glory;
“He is not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and
have our being.”
4. Does not also the firmament of heaven remind us of the constant,
eternal, and immutable truth of God and his Word? For who is it that
supports the heaven? Where are the pillars that sustain it? Or how does
it hang, but upon the word of God? “The pillars of heaven tremble,” saith
Job, “and are astonished at his reproof. He holdeth back the face of
his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.”
5. But, from this created heaven, learn to raise thy thoughts to the
spiritual heaven (
6. Moreover, by meditation upon this external, transient heaven, thou
mayest learn to descend into thyself, into thine own heart and soul; for
there also is heaven, and the habitation of God. “For thus saith the
high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, I dwell with him that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of the contrite ones.”
7. Let this external heaven lead thee to the new heaven, of which St.
Peter speaks: “We, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And God called the dry land, earth.—Gen. 1:9, 10. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.—Ps. 33:5; 104:24.
The earth is a heavy and gross substance, separated from the waters, and fixed by the power of God to be the receptacle of all the heavenly influences. This globe hangs in the air by the power of the Almighty, and is replenished with the vital seeds of all trees, plants, and vegetables.
2. The stupendous structure and foundation of the earth is a most wonderful witness of the power of God. For by what pillars is the earth supported? Or where are its foundations?
3. Some have disputed whether the dry land be founded in the waters; or whether, as being the heavier substance, it sink to the lowest place so as to be the foundation of the waters.
4. The patrons of the first opinion build upon these testimonies: “He
hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.”
5. Others assert the contrary, 1. Because the earth is heaviest, and
therefore sinks to the lowest place, where it naturally remains fixed and
immovable; for if the earth should move out of its place, it must move
upwards, which is contrary to nature. And for this they quote, “Who laid
the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.”
6. But on what does this vast terraqueous
7. The stability of the earth in the waters, and in the centre of the vast
expanse of air, is a very clear argument of the divine omnipotence;
“Where wast thou (saith the Lord to Job), when I laid the foundations of
the earth? Who hath laid the measures thereof? Who laid the corner-stone
thereof?”
8. And this is the earth of which the Psalmist says, “God hath given
it to the children of men.”
9. So, then, from the earth proceed
all the varieties of plants and vegetables, having exchanged their old attire
for a new and delicate dress. The tattered garments of the preceding
year being decayed and dead, they come forth with exquisite beauty,
odor, and color, and, as it were, preach to mankind in words such as these:
“Look upon us, ye unbelieving sons of men; we were dead, and are now
alive again. We have laid aside our old garments and bodies, and are now
renewed. Do ye also imitate us; 'put off the old man, and put on the
new' (
10. Among the vegetables, also, a man may discern many thousands of witnesses of the goodness and omnipotence of God. Here we have a perfect collection of drugs and simples, an admirable and complete herbal; yea, a living one, not furnished with faint draughts and dead pictures; but graved with living characters and impressions, to be read by every curious spectator, but not to be fully understood by any, except by Him that made them. And till we come fully to understand their divine signatures, we cannot so perfectly know the wonders of Providence contained under them.
11. Every herb and plant has its proper signature, which is nothing less than the inscription and handwriting of God, whereby he has most wonderfully and beautifully distinguished them all according to their virtues and qualities; and in many of them, the outward form is a token of their inward virtues. The turf we tread upon is furnished both with food and medicine. Yea, in the smallest grain or seed is manifested the unsearchable wisdom of God. He has created nothing in vain, and the minutest part of the creation is not to be overlooked or despised, since we know not the thousandth part of its virtues.
12. But if from their external forms we descend to their internal, and extract their spirit by chemical processes, separating that pure essence, which being full of high medicinal virtue, is lodged by God in the outward body, as a diamond in a casket, then, indeed, we shall truly taste the goodness of God in the virtues of his creatures, and bless him with a grateful heart, for the many comfortable medicines which he has provided for miserable man.
13. Consider, moreover, how the bountiful Creator has provided not
only for man, but also furnished “food for all flesh.”
14. A very wonderful effect of this
divine goodness is, that bread sustains the whole body, so that in one single
morsel is contained the nourishment of all the members of the body. And
because of this nutritive quality that is in bread, therefore, the eternal Son
of God calls himself the “bread of life” (
15. It is no less wonderful, that the greatest tree, with its root, trunk, boughs, leaves, seed, flowers, and fruit, should be contained in a very small seed; and that every year the same plants and trees, with their respective fruits and seeds, should appear in their proper order and season. All this must be resolved into the principle of the seed, containing in it all those powers, which successively display themselves in so great a variety of size, thickness, height, and breadth.
16. Notice also, how the grass, upon which the cattle feed, becomes food
for man; being converted into the milk and flesh of the creatures that
17. I shall not in this place speak
particularly of trees and plants: otherwise, perhaps, I should have taken notice
of the fig-tree which was accursed by our blessed Saviour (
18. Of the fruitfulness of the earth, David speaks thus: “Thou visitest the
earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God
which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided
for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; thou settlest the furrows
thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing
thereof: thou crownest the year with
thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness.”
19. This natural fertility of the earth has been very much restrained
by the curse of the Almighty; hence the tares which choke the good corn.
“Cursed is the ground,” saith God, “thorns and thistles shall it bring
forth to thee.”
20. Let our meditations on the fruitfulness of the earth, carry our thoughts
to that new earth which we expect,
“wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Pet. 3:13. There the curse, to which
the present earth is in bondage, shall have no place; it shall be the region
of perfect blessedness and life eternal.
This is the new paradise, full of celestial sweetness, joy, and pleasure: then
shall we truly sing this song, “the
flowers appear on the earth.”
21. I come next to the mountains, which by their height and beauty are no small ornament to the earth. The mountains are, in a more particular sense, the treasury of God, in which all kinds of metals are prepared. They are, as it were, so many chemical furnaces, in which the matter of all metals and minerals is separated and matured. It has been observed, that the best simples grow upon high mountains; and whensoever they are transplanted into gardens, they degenerate and lose their virtue. Hence it was said of Hippocrates that the herbs which he used in the practice of medicine, were generally gathered from hills and mountainous places.
22. The mountains ought to remind us both of the protection of God (and
so the expression is used in Scripture—“I will lift up mine eyes unto the
hills, from whence cometh my help;”
23. Under this head, also, we may consider the springs and rivers of
waters that run through the valleys, adorning, enriching, and beautifying
the earth. For though, in strict propriety, the fountains belong to the
work of the fifth day; yet the royal Prophet couples the mountains and
springs together, because the rivers arise from the hills.
24. Solomon tells us, “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not
full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.”
25. If God take so much care of the beasts of the earth, shall he not much
more take care of us? If “the beasts of the field cry unto him, when the
rivers of waters are dried up” (
26. Natural fountains, of which some are well known as possessing healing
virtues, should remind us of the fountain of grace and salvation, the water
of life, even Jesus Christ. “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation.”
27. The 104th Psalm, which gives us a beautiful account of the work of the third day, takes particular notice of seven illustrious creatures of God, all proceeding from the earth, and all capable of a spiritual sense. First, he speaks of the earth in general; that God laid its foundations, divided it from the waters, adorned it with mountains, and watered it with springs. Thence descending to particulars, he takes notice of its remarkable productions. 1. The dew, wherewith He waters the mountains. 2. The grass. 3. Bread. 4. Wine. 5. Oil, or balsam. 6. The fruits of trees. 7. Birds and beasts: all which are plainly expressed in the 104th Psalm.
28. Thus he speaks: “He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth
is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.”
29. It is the property of dew to make the ground rich and fruitful, and to refresh the flowers scorched with excessive heat; whence, at last, the bees by wonderful art draw their honey. Sometimes we see a sort of honey-dew lying upon the leaves, as did the manna heretofore. Just so the Gospel is like a spiritual honey, the dew of the Holy Spirit.
30. It is not without reason that peace is compared to dew.
31. And whereas, in the last place, it is said that “the earth is satisfied with the fruit of God's works,” it suggests that the Word of God the Creator, is still as powerful and efficacious as formerly it was, when he spake the word, saying, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit.” So that all things, from the beginning of the world to this day, spring from the Word of God, as from an eternal root of divine blessing.
32. Secondly, the Psalmist says, “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle.” Verse 14. Nor is that the least of God's blessings; for how could so many wild as well as tame beasts, that minister to the necessities of man, subsist, were the grass to fail? And it is wonderful that when, in very dry weather, one would not think there could be grass enough to support the beasts that are to eat it, yet they still live upon it. Thus it seems to grow as much by night as it is eaten by day.
33. Hence, we learn how merciful God is to mankind, and how liberally he provides for our necessities; and, though the grass may seem to be the least and meanest of all the blessings of God, yet we cannot be sufficiently thankful for it. So true is it that the least of God's blessings exceeds our highest gratitude.
34. The grass may also furnish us with proofs of the Divine Providence.
1. He that considers that God takes care of the grass of the ground, cannot
question, but that he takes much
more care of him and his affairs, according to
35. Thirdly, “Herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food
out of the earth: and bread, which
36. (2) Let us admire and reverence the wise dispensation of Providence,
which assigns to every man his convenient portion of bread, so that
no man has reason to complain that he is forgotten before God.
37. (3) From bread we may learn the wisdom of God. In
38. The specific property of bread is indicated in these words; “Bread,
which strengtheneth man's heart.”
39. Lastly, the strengthening faculty of bread, puts us in mind of “the bread
of life,” which is Christ. So we read in
40. The fourth thing mentioned is “wine, that maketh glad the heart of
man.”
41. Wine again was given by God to strengthen the sick. For wine has
a spirit in it adapted to quicken the vital motions of the heart. This is
another instance of the wonderful love of God; yet it serves to put us in mind
of a greater; namely, of that most generous wine which was pressed from
the bloody wounds of the true vine, the Lord Jesus Christ, and which is
the only sovereign remedy for the diseased soul. “He washed his garments
in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”
42. Lastly, it was also given that the aged, whose lamp of life is almost
spent, might invigorate the languid flame, and make it burn the brighter.
This may put us in mind of the spiritual old age of the Church. For as
the sight, hearing, and all the other powers of nature, are broken by age;
so now faith is extinguished, charity is cold, hope languishes, and the whole
spiritual body of Christ decays every day more and more. “When the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
43. The fifth thing is, “Oil to make his face to shine.” Verse 15. By this
we are to understand, the precious ointment used among the Jews, and
other Eastern nations, when they were more than commonly joyful, or intended
to treat their guests after the best fashion; and which diffused a
wonderful vigor through their whole
bodies. In this sense we are to understand
44. So great was the virtue of these Eastern unguents, that they used them
in embalming the dead; and by that means preserved them many hundred
years from corruption; as appeared in the body of Alexander the Great, which
was found in the time of Augustus, as fresh as if it had been interred but
yesterday, though it had lain above three hundred years. And this balsam
is a proper representation of that oil, with which the Son of God, according
to his human nature, was anointed without measure. Hence the Psalmist
says, “Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
above thy fellows” (
45. The sixth thing mentioned is this, “The trees of the Lord are full of
sap: the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted.”
46. And whereas it is said that “the Lord hath planted them,” we must
understand it of his creating word (
47. Seventhly, the birds are a very great ornament of the earth. They
build upon the trees and help to furnish our tables. “There the birds make
their nests; as for the stork, the fir-trees are her house.”
48. From all this we may learn that God made not the earth to be desolate,
but has allotted its deserts and wildernesses to be inhabited by birds and
wild beasts, that his bounty to man, and his magnificence might be made
known by the multitude of his creatures; his omnipotence, by his works;
and his wisdom, by that infinite variety
of distinct properties which he has bestowed upon the creatures. “Every
beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know
all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the
fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?”
See Gen. 1:14; Ps. 104:19.
The stars are bright heavenly bodies, fixed in the firmament of
heaven by the word of the Most High. They enlighten the earth, distinguish
the night from the day, and adorn the heavens; and they are signs and tokens
of nature, of judgment, of mercy, of seasons, days, and years.
2. “Lift up your eyes on high,” saith God, “and behold who hath created
these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all
by names.”
3. With regard to the magnitude of the sun and moon, St. Basil thus speaks in his sixth Homily upon the works of the six days: “I conceive that the sun and moon are styled by Moses great lights, not only because they exceed the lesser stars in magnitude; but because they are so exceedingly large that they can fill not only the whole heaven, but even the earth and seas with their light. And as they always appear equally large, both in their rising and setting, it follows that they must be incredibly large; because notwithstanding the whole breadth of the earth, they always appear of equal size.”
4. If a man were to see a globe of fire as large as a vast mountain, or a large city in flames, moving to and fro in the air, he would look upon it with astonishment and terror. Now it is demonstrable that the globe of the sun is many times greater than the earth; whence we may conjecture how great and inconceivable a space in the heavens the sun must take up. Yea, the least of the stars in the firmament of heaven are very vast in compass, and are greater than the earth; and yet in the firmament there are many thousands of these stars, which by reason of their vast distance cannot be discerned by us with the naked eye.
5. Here human reason is at a stand; for no created mind can conceive of
the dimensions of heaven. Hence it is that the Holy Scripture, speaking
of God's infinite compassion, compares it to the greatness of heaven. “For
as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them
that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us.”
6. Moreover, the incomprehensible
greatness of the divine power is manifested, not only in the bulk of the
heavenly bodies, but also in their constant and regular revolutions; for who
can observe without wonder and admiration, such prodigious bodies, not
only pendent in the air, but moving
up and down in it with constant regularity? And how great and incomprehensible
a space must they have to perform their courses in, and at the
same time so determined and settled, that they never exceed their appointed
limits, nor interfere with each other in their revolutions? David truly
pronounces, that God “by wisdom made the heavens.”
7. It is wonderful also, that these vast shining bodies should have, as it were, a motion in themselves, so that they cannot for one moment, stand still in their courses; for the whole heavenly order would then be disturbed, and the stars themselves, together with their motion, would lose their vital power, even as men die, when the motion of their lungs fails. The least star never stands still, but is perpetually in quick and inconceivable motion.
8. If the motion of one planet only be so stupendous, what shall we say of that innumerable multitude of stars, each of which has its particular course and revolution? And if any man could but for an hour take a view of all their distinct motions, he would be able to unfold to us very surprising things.
9. The consideration of the motions and multitude of these stars may remind
us of those bright and invisible stars, the angels of God. This seems
to be hinted in the Revelation of St. John, where the Son of God appears
with seven stars in his hand (
10. The revolution of the heavens is, by the all-wise Creator, appointed
as the measure of time; in which appear the stupendous providence, economy,
and wisdom of God. To this head we are to refer the ages of the
world, and their distinct epochs, the ending of monarchies, the seventy
years of the Babylonish captivity, Daniel's seventy weeks, the periods of
kingdoms, and the times of Antichrist, both in the book of Daniel and the
Revelation, with other things of the same nature, which wonderfully confirm
and illustrate the providence and wisdom of God. And whereas our
Saviour tells us, that “it is not for us to know the times or the seasons which
the Father hath put in his own power” (
11. And as for the times and seasons of our worldly affairs, even these
are under the disposal and direction of God, whensoever we devoutly submit
our concerns to him, begging his direction and assistance; as plainly
appears in the case of Abraham's servant, who prayed to God, that he
would “send him good speed that day.”
12. Our blessed Saviour argues with
the Jews from those signs in the heavens, which the common experience of
the times had remarked (
13. The words in St. Luke run thus: “When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?” So that our Lord concludes thus: As by the natural signs of heaven, ye judge rightly of the weather, because ye see the effect follow; so by the signs and miracles which ye see, ye ought to be convinced, that the Messiah is really come. But, hypocrites as ye are, ye retain the one, and neglect the other, though of the highest importance to you.
14. As to the operations of heaven, we must first observe, that they have
nothing in their own nature hurtful to mankind, as some pretenders would
persuade us; but that our sins and wickedness are the true cause why
God arms the creatures unto vengeance, and makes use of them to punish
a rebellious world. Thus he punished the sins of the old world by a
rain of forty days, which caused the flood.
15. In the same manner we are punished even at this day; sometimes by
excessive heats; at other times by violent cold, rains, or drought; at other
times by thunder, hail, fire, insects, or infected air, which like the fire that
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, fall from heaven. But as the Egyptian
plagues had no power over the children of Israel (
16. And as God makes use of the
heavens and heavenly bodies, as instruments of vengeance against the
wicked, so he employs them sometimes as means of protection and
blessing to the righteous. Thus we read, “They fought from heaven; the
stars in their courses fought against Sisera” (
17. The productions of heaven God in his due time dispenses out of his
treasures, for the benefit and advantage of this lower world; God so disposing
and ordering things, that the
inferior creatures receive of the superior, and all nature hangs together,
as it were, in one chain. And this connection of nature and providence is
finely described by the prophet Hosea, “It shall come to pass in that
day, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;
and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall
hear Jezreel.”
18. And whereas the prophet adds, “The heavens shall hear the earth,” that has relation to the secondary causes. For as the earth depends on the heavens, it follows, that when the operations of the heavens are, as it were, hindered, the earth can produce nothing that is good. And when the earth is broken or chapped by excessive heat, it, as it were, opens its mouth and entreats for rain. “And the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and oil;” that is, forasmuch as the vegetables depend upon the earth for their moisture; therefore, whensoever the earth is dry and cannot supply them with nourishment, the vegetables solicit moisture of it, as a thirsty infant would appeal to its mother.
19. I proceed, next, to the benefits which God bestows upon us by the
light of the sun and moon. And these we must consider in the fear of
God, and show how we may enjoy and use them, both in a natural and
spiritual sense. “Tell me (saith God to Job), where is the way where light
dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof? Canst thou bind
the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst
thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season, or canst thou guide Arcturus
with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? Canst thou set
the dominion thereof in the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the
clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?”
20. How wonderful is the increase and decrease of the moon; sometimes it seems to be shut up in darkness, and again, in its season, to emerge by degrees into a fulness of light. And these varieties God hath appointed for a regular distinction of the times and seasons of the year, and of the affairs and business of mankind. Without this distinction of the months and other divisions of time, there could be no order in the church of God, or in civil governments, or in the economy of private families; but all would be disorder and confusion.
21. And how abundantly is the wisdom of God displayed, even in this
certain course of the moon, and distinction of seasons! In all states and
conditions, the chief part of prudence
is to preserve good order, and to observe the proper opportunities of acting;
these are the distinguishing accomplishments of a wise ruler, and
of a prudent head of a family. This,
indeed, is the principal thing to be regarded in every action; he that acts
unseasonably, acts to little or no purpose. God himself hath ordered all
things in measure, and number, and weight; and every season has its
proper opportunities and blessings attending it. “To every thing there is
a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
22. By the words, “The sun knoweth his going down” (
23. And who can consider these amazing acts of divine power and
wisdom, without admiration and praise
to the Author of nature? This astonishing order of nature appeared so
glorious to the ancient heathens, that they worshipped even the sun for
their God, as being the greatest and most splendid of all objects, and as
enlightening all the world. This was a conclusion for blind, corrupt reason
to draw, though every part of the creation, to pure and right reason,
fully manifests and discovers the being and excellencies of the Creator. A
certain Indian king having heard of
Jesus Christ, and the necessity of believing in him, because he died for us,
gave this answer: “For my part, I had rather believe in the sun that
never dies, than in a mortal God.” This was the effect of human blindness,
against the corrupt influences and prejudices of which, God has taken
particular care to warn us: “Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven,
and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host
of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the
Lord thy God hath divided unto all
24. As to the magnitude of the sun, moon, and stars, it is an error to imagine that they are really no larger than they appear to us. For though the moon and some of the planets are less than the earth, yet the sun may be plainly and infallibly demonstrated to be many times larger; and that it appears so small to us, is owing to the immensity of its distance. Ocular demonstration convinces every man of this, that the more remote any object is, the less it appears. A nice disquisition of these matters the unlearned must leave to astronomers, and be content religiously to admire what they do not understand.
25. And, here, how ought we to magnify and adore the omnipotence and wisdom of God, who appointed the sun to be the light and ornament of the day, and the moon of the night. For light is the highest beauty of all things. If we highly admire a well-built house with a fair prospect, furnished with good statues and pictures, and painted with great variety of colors, how much more ought we to look up with gratitude and astonishment to heaven, adorned with lights so many, and so stupendous.
26. How profound is the wisdom of God, who “telleth the number of the
stars, and calleth them all by their names” (
27. The certain and regular course of the sun and moon, reminds us of
the truth of God, and the certainty of his promises: such are those of sending
the Messiah, of the revolutions of certain states and kingdoms, and other
deliverances of mankind; all which appeared in their time. Thus saith the
Lord by the prophet Jeremiah, “If my covenant be not with day and
night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; and
if ye can break my covenant, that there should not be day and night in
their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant.”
28. At our blessed Saviour's passion, the darkness that overspread the world
did, as it were, represent the terrors of his death, and all those barbarous
impieties that were acted against him (
29. The sun, moon, and stars, are witnesses of the divine goodness, and
of that eternal light which enlightens, comforts, and refreshes every man that
cometh into the world. For as God is
in himself invisible and incomprehensible, we should, by the direction of the
natural light, aspire to the knowledge of Him that made it; and by the
beauty of the created, be drawn to the love of the uncreated light. And
as we naturally take pleasure in the outward light, as the most beautiful
object in the creation; so ought we, with our whole hearts, to love Him
who is light eternal, and to walk and rejoice in his light, by withdrawing
ourselves from the darkness of sin. “For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
and what concord hath Christ with Belial?”
30. Lastly, the visible sun should put us in mind of Jesus Christ, the
spiritual and eternal “Sun of righteousness.”
See Gen. 1:20-22; Ps. 104:25.
That is unquestionably the best philosophy which gives the best account of the works of God. And this knowledge every true lover of God ought to seek, that he may thereby know how many glorious creatures God has created for our use and benefit. Let the pretenders to philosophy look to it, that they spend not their time in inquiries, which, instead of teaching them true knowledge, lead them into ignorance and forgetfulness of God and his creatures.
2. The first thing to be observed and admired, is the mutual relation subsisting between the different parts of created nature. Thus the heavens generate rains, dews, winds, and cooling breezes in the air; and then send them down to us. So the earth produces its fruits in the air; and they bud, blossom, and ripen, and are nourished by the air, without which they would quickly languish and die.
3. Among the productions of the watery element, are the rivers. In one place springs up the Rhine, in another the Danube; here is the Elbe, there the Nile. As from one bough of a great and fruitful tree, spring many little branches, and much fruit; so one great branch of the world of waters, as the Rhine or the Danube, is connected with rivulets, lakes, and fountains, which all flow into it.
4. As for the living creatures that
5. And here it is observable, that the sea and all its productions, have their proper order, time, and motion, appointed to them by God. So in the heavens, the stars have their stated times, regular order, motion, rising, and setting. The earth at certain seasons produces different fruits and vegetables; and, in that sense, is in perpetual motion, and never rests until it has brought forth all its fruits. So likewise the sea has its laws of motion, flux and reflux, and produces all its fruits at such appointed seasons as may best serve the use and benefit of man.
6. Let us now take a survey of the wonderful power and wisdom of God
in the sea, and inquire what spiritual inferences may be drawn from it.
“Who hath shut up the sea with doors,” saith God to Job, “when it
brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud
the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it, and brake
up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt
thou come, and no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the
search of the depth?”
7. God tells Job, that he has “made the clouds to be the garment thereof,
and thick darkness a swaddling band
for it” (
8. To this work of the fifth day, belongs also that passage of the Psalmist:
“So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both
small and great beasts. There go the ships; there is that leviathan whom
thou hast made to play therein.”
9. As for the greatness of the sea, who can but admire the power of God,
which, notwithstanding that so much water flows into the sea every day,
and has, from the beginning, yet suffers not its waters to exceed their appointed
quantity? And though its waves sometimes rage and swell, and
lift themselves like mountains; yet are
10. Here too we may not improperly speak of the islands. Who can behold,
without wonder, several large and populous countries, and entire kingdoms,
lying in the midst of the sea, as if they had been planted there? Who
can tell on what foundations they are built, and what it is that keeps them
immovable in the midst of violent storms and tempests? Some of them,
encompassed with vast rocks growing out of the sea, seem to be built and
founded on them. Upon the whole,
their fruitfulness, tillage, and the occasion and manner of their being peopled,
are what we may rather admire than understand. So that the sea is
as populous as the earth. For as the earth is much less than the sea, it is
probable that God would not suffer the
greatest part of the globe to be uninhabited, and therefore he planted it
with islands: so that none of the miracles and blessings which he works
in the sea, might escape the observation of mankind. Therefore, to these
islanders also did he send the Gospel of truth, by his holy Apostles, “shaking
both the sea and the dry land, after the Desire of all nations was come.”
11. No less wonderful is the vast multitude of creatures that inhabit the sea; for some affirm that there is as great abundance and variety of them in the sea, as on the land. Who can behold without astonishment, prodigious shoals of fish rising from the depths of the sea, like a flock of sheep, and offering themselves to the use and necessities of mankind? So that the sea is a great storehouse of God, out of which he feeds the greatest part of mankind, and out of which, too, he produces many other excellent works, such as pearls, amber, and coral.
12. I might here mention the many bold voyages that have been performed within the memory of us and our fathers, to the most distant parts of the East and West; and all this chiefly by the assistance of the magnet, which seems to have nothing in it either of beauty or use, and yet the greatest things are performed by it. By this the pilot steers his ship, and keeps his way in the pathless waters; and by constantly pointing to the pole, it guides the mariner to his intended port. Of these voyages, and of the islands, countries, people, and other useful discoveries, there are many volumes extant, to which I refer the reader.
13. The huge whales, mentioned by David (
14. Thus much for the greatness of the sea; which is a very striking
illustration of the power of God.
15. Let us consider how this doctrine of the sea may bring to our
remembrance that twofold sea mentioned in Scripture: the sea of affliction
and misery, and the sea of grace and comfort; the depths of misery,
and the abyss of divine mercy. For what is this life and world of ours but
a troublesome and tempestuous sea?
As the sea is never at rest, but is perpetually ruffled with winds and waves,
so is the life of man. Sometimes we fancy ourselves safe and out of danger,
when suddenly a stormy wind arises,
and the floods swell, to the great danger both of body and soul. As the
sea has its ebb and flow, so has the life of man. Hence we read that the
Lord dries the sea, the waters of the great deep.
16. As the sea has many rocks and quicksands, on which vessels split and
are lost, so in human life, many there
are who split upon the rocks of covetousness, and run foul of the quicksands
of worldly pleasures, and are lost to all eternity. As the sea, after
some days, throws up the carcasses that have been cast into it, so the
world vomits us out, after it has entertained us a little while; so that it
is our highest wisdom to look out betimes for a haven of salvation in the
land of the living. As the mariner sails at random without his compass,
and has no certain guide but his needle, which is continually pointing
to the pole, so Jesus Christ is our loadstone, continually drawing our
hearts towards him and heaven, that we may not float up and down at
random, or be lost in the sea of this world. As the depth of the sea is
unsearchable, according to Job, “Hast thou entered into the springs of the
sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?” (
17. To this abyss of misery and sin we must oppose the abyss of grace
and consolation. And the first comfort is the boundless mercy of God,
which is higher than the heavens, and deeper than the sea. Of this the
prophet Micah speaks, “He will have compassion on us, and cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.”
18. A second comfort is, the consideration of the many wonders that
God has wrought in the water; and
that the blessed Jesus assisted his disciples when they were in danger by
sea.
19. A third consolation is contained in these words of the prophet Zechariah:
“It shall be in that day, that
living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former
sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea.”
20. A fourth consolation against the stormy sea of this world, is contained
in
And out of the ground the Lord formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam, to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.—Gen. 1:24; 2:19, 20.
Here Adam gave an illustrious proof of the divine wisdom implanted
in him by God, to the honor and praise of Him that gave it. He
beheld His wisdom and goodness in
the variety of his creatures; he considered
the distinct forms, figures, proportions, and colors of them all; he
distinctly viewed, and understood the nature of the living animals by the
2. So, even at this day, God shows to us the natures and properties of all
creatures in his holy Word, that we may thereby be led to praise and magnify
the wisdom and goodness of Him that made them. Thus Job says (12:7,
8), “Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the
air, and they shall tell thee; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;
and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.” See also Chap. 39. He
leads us, as it were, into every part of the brute creation, putting us in mind
of the many wonders of divine power and mercy manifested in every one of
them. So Jeremiah sends us “to the stork and the crane, the turtle, and
the swallow, who know the appointed time of their coming.”
3. So also in the New Testament,
the blessed Jesus speaks of the sparrows, not one of which falleth to the
ground without the knowledge of our heavenly Father.
4. Here it may be considered why the blessed Jesus himself is compared
to a lamb (
5. Here also we may consider the wonderful providence of God, whereby
he protects, sustains, and nourishes all his creatures. Thus in
6. To this also may be referred that passage of the Psalmist, “All wait
upon thee, that thou mayest give
them their meat in due season.”
7. And since there are more creatures in the earth, air, and sea, than
there are men in the whole world; and the providence of God is extended to
the meanest and smallest of his creatures, how is it possible that man
should be forgotten,—man, that lives, moves, and has his being in him; “for
in him we live, and move, and have our being,” saith St. Paul (Acts
8. The Psalmist goes on: “That thou givest them, they gather: thou
openest thy hand, they are filled with good.”
9. Now if God takes so much care for the comfortable subsistence of all
his creatures, we cannot think that he made man for perpetual anguish and
sorrow, but must conclude that he is pleased to see us innocently cheerful
in the fear of God. So, in
10. And then the Psalmist adds,
“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath,
they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.”
11. Thus when God withdraws this word of life, or vital power, from the
creatures, they immediately sink into their primitive nothingness. The whole
world is full of God, “of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all
12. This wonderful and universal Providence of God, consists chiefly in
three things. First, in his knowledge. “Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world.”
13. The second head of divine Providence,
is the fatherly goodness of God (
14. The third head of God's universal providence over all his creatures
is, his omnipotence. By this he is always present to his creatures, governing
and preserving them; by this he governs the hearts of all men, and
turneth them which way he pleases.
15. Moreover, as we are assured that God is everywhere present, and
preserves and governs everything, it follows that he is so careful of his own
servants, that not a hair of their heads can fall to the ground (
16. And then, the consideration of God's providence raises in us faith,
hope, and patience, of which we have examples in Job, David, and Christ
himself. The blessed Jesus, knowing that he was appointed by God to die,
preserved his meekness and patience all the days of his life, yea, even in
the very agonies of death.
17. But before we conclude this subject, we must say something particularly
of man, the crown and masterpiece of the creation, of his excellence
and prerogatives, which must be very great, forasmuch as God himself has
declared, that “his delights are with the sons of men.”
18. And as for the soul, we may judge of its excellency and beauty by
the form and comeliness of the body which God has prepared for its reception
and residence. He provided a comely mansion for so excellent a
guest. So, if we should see the spotless beauty of the original human
body, we should easily judge of the beauty of its divine inhabitant. Even
now, in this corrupt and depraved state of nature, we see what attractive
charms there are in beauty. Moreover, we may judge yet farther of the
beauty of human nature, by the glories
19. Another great argument of the dignity of human nature is, that the
angels themselves are appointed to minister unto us (
20. For though the sun, moon, and stars, and all the lower world, were made with wonderful wisdom and power; yet that deliberation does not seem to have been used there as in the creation of man; forasmuch as in him, the glory and majesty of God were more particularly and gloriously to be manifested. All the other creatures bear upon them certain marks and signatures of divine goodness and power, but man is the very image and likeness of God. For it is not said, Let us make man in the image of the sun, or of the moon, or of the angels; but “in our likeness,” that our own image may be clearly represented in him.
21. Consider, therefore, the beauty and dignity of thy soul, which is created in the image and likeness of God, so that the glories of the divine majesty are, in a certain proportion, transferred to thee. How much reason have we then to avoid all impurity and uncleanness, that we defile not the beauty of the divine image. For if we are thereby exalted to the highest glory and honor that our nature is capable of, how unworthy and ungrateful would it be, to pollute it by any uncleanness, and so forfeit that glory which God has bestowed on us.
22. How highly is a picture or statue prized, that is well executed by an
eminent hand! Could such a picture or statue be endued with understanding,
how would it esteem its maker, and take all opportunities of showing
its own gratitude, and its maker's
glory! How senseless then, how ungrateful is man, to forget the hand that
formed him! to despise that excellent beauty with which his Maker endued
him! to pollute it with all kinds of impurity! Plato, himself, a pagan,
has told us, that “the beauty of the soul consists in virtue and piety.”
But did we only consider the union of our souls with God and Christ, the
righteousness of Christ wherewith our souls are clothed, as with a garment
of glory and immortality (
23. To this belongs that passage of
24. Lastly, as it is beyond all controversy, that the most high God particularly
delights to dwell in the soul of man; that he has sanctified it to be
the temple of the Holy Ghost, the
habitation of the Father, and the bride-chamber of the most beautiful spouse,
the Lord Jesus Christ, we may therefore conclude that the soul is the most
beautiful of all creatures. And as Ezekiel tells us that “our soul is perfected
by the comeliness of God” (
Ah, Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.—The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name; great in counsel, and mighty in work.—Jer. 32:17-19.
God is the origin of the life and being of all creatures: whence it follows, that he was before all creatures, both an eternal Being, and eternal Life itself; otherwise he could not have given life and being to his creatures. But the infinity of God yet more plainly appears from the mind and thoughts of man. For as the mind of man can in a moment run through the whole circle of heaven, and comprehend in imagination all the creatures of the universe; it follows, that God who made him, comprehends all these things in a more perfect manner, and by consequence must be infinite.
2. All the attributes of God are essential to him. As therefore he is infinite, so are his essence and life also infinite. For essence and life are inseparable from him. Moreover, as he has endued the soul of man with wisdom and understanding, it follows that the understanding and wisdom of God must be infinite. For whatsoever is in God, is essentially and eternally in him. And as the unity of the divine nature is so perfect that his wisdom cannot be separated from his essence and life, it follows that both are alike infinite and eternal.
3. But if the wisdom of God be
eternal and infinite, it will follow that He knoweth all things from eternity.
Moreover, as his essence is unchangeable, equally filling all places; so his
understanding does not proceed by
way of rational connection, or discursive operation from one idea to another.
He knoweth and understandeth all things in an instant, and to
him there is nothing past or to come, but the whole circle of eternity is
present to him. For as God stands in need of no creature to add anything
to the perfection of his being, so neither does he need any creature with respect
to his understanding. And as he is God, independently of all creatures;
so he penetrates and comprehends all things in himself. So that the sands
of the sea, and the drops of the rain, and eternity, are alike known to him.
4. Moreover, as his essence, life, and wisdom, so also his power is infinite, and all are equally incapable of any addition or diminution. Lastly, forasmuch as no creature can oppose or set bounds to his power, therefore, he is Almighty. All which must necessarily be, forasmuch as his essence, life, wisdom, and power, are inseparable.
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.—Rom. 11:36.
As He must be the chief and only good, in whom all good things are contained; it follows that glory and praise belong to God alone, because from him, and by him, and for him, are all things.
2. All the goodness that is found scattered up and down among the creatures, is in a most perfect and excellent manner and degree contained in him. So that whosoever turns himself to the creatures, and cleaves unto them, will always find himself poor, needy, and distressed: whilst he that turneth unto God with his whole heart, pursues the chief and most perfect good, and shall be blessed in the enjoyment of it: ever rich, ever at ease, ever blessed in the fruition of his God. By this it appears that perfect happiness is not to be found in the enjoyment of the creatures, and that they who fix their hearts and desires on the world, can expect nothing but anguish, disquiet, and disappointments, both in life and in death; for they have not that chief good, which alone can satisfy and make happy the soul of man.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.—Ps. 100:3.
All the creatures, in their several kinds and orders, were created by God for the use and benefit of man. Thus we see corn and pasture produced, these feeding the living creatures, and all serving for food to mankind. One assists another, the higher wheel setting the lower in motion, and all in a wonderful harmony concurring to one great end, which is the use and benefit of man.
2. Now, if all this be for his sake, he is certainly more noble than they all; and hence he should learn what dependence he has upon God, and what duty and service he owes to Him who has appointed all the creatures, in their order, to minister to his necessities.
3. And, as all the creatures seem to aim at no other end than the use and service of man, and seem to rest and be satisfied in obtaining that end; so ought man likewise to show the same diligence and faithfulness in the service of God, that the creatures show to him. All his works and labors ought to be directed to this one end, namely, to accomplish the will of God, and do nothing but that which is well-pleasing in his sight. For as all things are incessantly employed in serving man, the noblest of all creatures, so there is all the reason in the world that he should be as constant and assiduous in the service of God, who is perfection itself, and to whom alone he is indebted for that superiority which he has over the rest of the creatures.
My delights were with the sons of men.—Prov. 8:31.—The Lord shall rejoice in his works.—Ps. 104:31.
Every artist has a love for the works of his own hands, and
that induces him to take so much pains about them. “God saw every
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
2. For the more anything resembles ourselves, the more tenderly do we
3. Moreover, as God takes pleasure in a creature made to resemble himself, therefore, it was necessary, that after the other creatures were formed, he should create man in his own image, in whom he might rest and delight himself. And as similitude is the foundation of friendship and society, and everything naturally associates with its like, it follows that God, in making man after his own image, intended to delight and rejoice Himself in him; so that man ought likewise to cleave unto his God, and to delight and take pleasure in conversing with Him.
4. Further, as God is the most perfect love, he could not but desire to communicate himself, and all his blessings, to some other being. That could not be done, however, without making some being like himself; and as there was no such being then in nature, capable or worthy of such divine communications, therefore he created man in his own image, which consists chiefly in perfect love.
5. And, lastly, as there is naturally a reciprocal love betwixt the giver and the receiver of any benefit; hence it follows, that it is the duty of man to worship with the highest affection and most ardent love, his heavenly Benefactor, who so affectionately desires to communicate himself, and all the riches of his goodness, to his unworthy creatures.
God is love.—1 John 4:16.
As man devotes himself entirely unto God by love, so God bestows himself entirely upon man also by love. And as that love of his is in the highest degree of perfection, he cannot but give us Himself: for the highest instance of love is to bestow one's self upon the person we love. And as a consequence of this perfect love, He bestowed himself upon us in his only begotten Son.
2. This is the true spring of the incarnation, passion, and death of the
Son of God. Thus our blessed Saviour pronounces these words of comfort,
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (
We love him, because he first loved us.—1 John 4:19.
In every benefit or gift there are three things to be considered: the giver, the receiver, and the gift itself. As, then, there is a natural obligation upon the receiver to the giver, it is manifest, that since man has received all that he has from God, so he owes all to him, and is under the strictest obligations of love and obedience to his great benefactor.
2. And as man consists of body and soul, so God has abundantly provided for the comfort and happiness of both.
3. As for his body, it is sustained and refreshed by the various productions of nature, so that the whole creation seems to call upon him, and put him in mind of his Creator: “Consider,” it saith, “O man, the benefits which thy Maker has bestowed upon thee, and what returns of gratitude and service thou owest him for the same. I (saith the heaven), give thee daylight to work in, and send darkness in which thou mayest sleep and take thy rest. I give thee the pleasant spring, the warm summer, the fruitful autumn, and the cold winter, in their proper seasons. I (saith the air), supply thee with breath, and every kind of birds. By me (saith the water), art thou washed, and thy thirst is quenched; by me thou art supplied with all kinds of fish. I bear thee and sustain thee (saith the earth), and satisfy thee with bread, wine, and flesh; by all which thou mayest know how much thou art beloved by Him who made thee, and me for thy use; all of whose favors are as so many bonds and obligations upon thee.”
Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.—Job 12:7, 8.
Let us now see what provision God has made for the comfort and instruction of the soul of man. Here we shall find every creature in one way or another, subservient to this end. And, first, I shall speak of the pleasure which man receives from the creatures.
2. Man alone has the privilege of really enjoying what he possesses.
Other creatures, being void of understanding, have no relish of those blessings
3. Moreover, the creatures were made, not only for the delight of man, but also to be his monitors and instructors. For from them we may learn, that our chief good consists not in worldly and outward enjoyments; such as eating, drinking, and the gratifying the other bodily appetites, all which are common to the beasts as well as to us; and this is a convincing argument, that man, being of a more noble frame and nature than they, ought to look for other meat and drink, and other pleasures suitable to the higher nobility of his nature, which the inferior creatures cannot share with him. I need not here mention, that the greatest part of human wisdom arises from the contemplation of the creatures. Thus our music came from the sound of metals; our skill in medicine, from other creatures; and our astronomy, from the stars; which still farther illustrates my first observation, that the whole world was created for the sake of man, for which he owes never-ending thanks to his munificent Creator.
O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.—Ps. 92:5, 6.
The obligations which man lies under to God, are as many and
as great, as are the favors which he
has received from him, or the excellencies which he has bestowed upon
all the creatures. For as every creature
And the fear of you shall be upon every beast of the earth.—Gen. 9:2.
As man knows himself to be the most excellent of all creatures, so ought he to be more thankful to God for the perfections of his own being and nature, than for those of all the rest of the world. For as all things else were made for his sake, he must of necessity be more perfect and excellent than they. The sun, the moon, and all the host of heaven, those glorious bodies, all wait upon man, and do him service. This they do, not on account of his body, which, considered in this corrupt state, is less excellent than theirs; but on account of his soul, as to which he is in every respect superior to them. For the very notion of servitude implies a superiority in the person to whom the service is paid: so that it would be unnatural for those glorious bodies to do that service to man, if he had not an immortal soul, and by consequence, a more excellent nature than they.
2. And on account of the immortality of the soul, it is an unworthy thing for a man to fix it upon anything that is mortal and perishing; because it is incapable of uniting with anything but what is immortal, and particularly with God himself. The body, indeed, is connected with corporeal objects, and is capable of terrestrial enjoyments; but the soul should be united solely with God; so that, as a king, he might be enthroned and bear rule in her; and in this consists the excellency of man above all other creatures, that his soul is the throne, the image, and habitation of God. Greater honor than this no creature is capable of receiving; therefore man is the most excellent of all, and is infinitely indebted to the Author and Giver of such inestimable benefits.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.—Ps. 104:24.
There are three orders in the natural body. The first is to the body the same that the husbandmen and laborers are to the state; being employed in raising the appetite, digesting and concocting the food, separating the juices, and in all the other inferior offices of the animal economy. This lower faculty works night and day, for the security and preservation of the others. For such is the constitution of human bodies, that if the lower faculties be out of order, or cease to operate, the superior, which depend upon them, cannot subsist.
2. The next faculty is the sensitive, diversified by the five perceptions of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling, which are all more or less noble, the one than the other. The sight is more noble than the hearing, because objects are seen at a much greater distance than they are heard. The hearing is more noble than the taste, as being capable of exerting itself at a greater distance. And for the same reason, the taste and smelling are more noble than the feeling, which is the weakest and lowest of all.
3. The third order, which is the highest and most noble of all, answers to the government in the state, and is divided into the reason, the will, and the memory. These govern and command the faculties, having each a function distinct from the rest. These are not corporeal, as the others, but strictly mental faculties; and are, therefore, more noble and excellent. Besides which, they are also endued with that perfect liberty, that they cannot be compelled to anything. For who can force the will to desire that for which it has no mind; or to hate that which it loves? The will is altogether free, and cannot be forced. These are clothed with virtues proper to each of them; as the will with righteousness; the understanding with wisdom; the memory with eloquence, etc. This is the economy settled by God in human nature.
What hast thou that thou didst not receive?—1 Cor. 4:7.
There are two very general and comprehensive favors, for which man is exceedingly obliged to God; the one visible and corporeal, which is this world; the other spiritual and invisible, which is the love of God.
2. And though this latter is indeed the first, as being the foundation of
3. Since, then, the gifts and blessings of God are, as it were, certain steps by which to mount up to God himself, it follows, that his love is as great as his gifts are; and as he made the whole world for the sake of man, and formed all creatures for his use, and regards them only as they serve and minister to his beloved creature, man; as he has exalted and loved him above all creatures, and as this love of God is the most sincere, pure, safe, and in a word, the highest good, which prompted him to form and love man, not for any advantage which He was to reap from him, but out of the overflowings of his free grace and boundless love; from all these considerations, I say, it is plain that man is more indebted to God for this love, than for all the particular gifts and favors that God can bestow, and man receive.
4. There are two things to be considered in every favor: the love that precedes and influences the giver, and the gift itself, which is the consequence of that love. The former is not only more noble and valuable than the latter, but is in all respects equal to the person that shows it. Hence, it follows, that the love of God is as infinitely good and great as God himself. This confirms the position first laid down, that man is more obliged to God for his love, than for any or all of his particular graces and favors. And as man cannot subsist a moment without the favor and mercy of God (for on Him his breath and life entirely depend), it is plain that his obligations to God are greater than those of all the creatures besides.
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.—Ps. 18:1.
As God has freely and graciously bestowed all his gifts and blessings on man, he thereby obliges him to make some satisfaction and return for all these mercies. Now man can offer and dedicate nothing unto God, but what is entirely in his own power; so that all his outward goods and riches, are not a proper offering for God.
2. But as God has bestowed on him
his greatest blessing, which is his love, so he expects to be requited with love
again. And as the love of God to
3. Moreover, such is the nature of love, so sweet, so pure, so free, and so acceptable is it, that neither fear, nor honor, nor any other thing, is good or desirable, but as it is sweetened with love. No man ever was so great, as to despise the love of his inferiors; but the greater a man is, the more does he court the love and esteem of those below him. Yea, so true is this, that God himself, the most mighty and excellent of all beings, is so far from despising the love of mankind, that he earnestly courts and desires it. This then being certain, that love is the greatest treasure any man has, he is obliged to offer it to God, who has bestowed the fulness of his love upon man.
4. By what I have here advanced I would not be understood to mean that this perfect love, since the fall, is wholly in our own power, or that by it we can make a perfect return to God for all his benefits. My only design is to show that we are convinced in our own consciences, not only from the Word of God, but also from the light of nature, that we ought to love God as he has loved us.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.—Ps. 103:10.
As love is the root and principle of all the divine acts and operations, it follows that even afflictions, which are the work of God, proceed from love, and ought to be received by man as instances of God's favor. For love is the root of all the operations of God.
2. Hence no man ought to murmur against God when He corrects him, or repine at His chastisements, or quarrel with His judgments. Our sufferings are not chargeable upon God, but upon ourselves. It would become us much better to bear his corrections without remitting our love towards him; even as he punishes us, and yet tenderly loves us still. This would be a true instance and proof of the sincerity of our love to God.
3. And though there is no proportion between the love of God towards man, and the love which the most perfect Christian bears to God, the one being infinite and the other finite; yet is it our duty continually to aim at the highest degrees attainable by us. We should endeavor that our love may be holy, pure, sincere, and persevering, even in the midst of sufferings and afflictions; as the love of God towards us is ardent, pure, unchangeable, and everlasting, even whilst he punishes and afflicts us for our sins. If we do not this, we are the most ungrateful of all his creatures; every one of which, in its order and capacity, answers the transcendent love of God with a pure love and obedience.
If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.—Cant. 8:7.
Hitherto we have distinctly considered the obligations that man lies under to God; which is a doctrine founded upon that natural relation that is between the giver and the receiver; and this is, as it were, a perpetual light of nature, to direct us to the several branches of our duty to God. For as God has bestowed freely upon man everything that he possesses (whence the obligation arises), it plainly follows that man is obliged to offer up and restore unto God all that he has received from him. On the other hand, if God had given nothing, and man received nothing, there would have then been no obligation, nor any rule or measure of duty.
2. But as the love of God is the first and chief benefit which he has bestowed on man; so it is but just and reasonable that he who has so loved us should be loved by us again. Man, then, has nothing from himself, nor from others originally, but all things from God; and by consequence, is obliged solely to God. And this obligation cannot otherwise be discharged than by loving him entirely with all our hearts and with all our strength.
3. Lastly, as man continually depends upon God for his life and being; as he continually enjoys His favors and blessings, and, by His command and order, the service and assistance of the creatures; nothing less can be expected from so dependent a being, than love to Him who has so generously and bountifully blessed him.
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?—Prov. 8:1.
As God has loved man above all the creatures, or, to speak more properly, has loved him only, having created them all for his sake; so this perpetual love of God calls upon us, and exhorts us to love him with all our hearts; yea, all the creatures of the universe, whilst by God's command they serve us, and minister to our necessities, do, as it were, with united voices call aloud, and put us in mind of the natural obligations we are under to magnify and adore, to serve and love so gracious a Benefactor, and that freely and willingly; even as they, by God's command, freely and cheerfully assist and minister to us.
2. And as their love and service to us are not false and hypocritical, but sincere and faithful; so ought ours to be to our Creator. As they employ their whole strength night and day to serve us; so ought we night and day to be diligent and earnest in the service of God. As all the creatures, in their order, serve and minister to man alone; so ought all the powers of our souls and bodies to be employed solely in the service of God. And as the greatest natural pleasure which man has in this world, arises from the use and enjoyment of the creatures; so nothing is more acceptable to God than the sincere services of a devout soul; nothing delights him more than love, arising from a lively faith in Christ, operating in a free and willing spirit. From what has been said, it is plain that the creatures exhort and instruct mankind to love God: 1. With all their strength; 2. Freely and willingly; 3. Heartily and sincerely; 4. Solely and entirely.
Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.—Cant. 4:16.
As the creatures are appointed by God to obey man; so man is obliged
to love God, and in this the creatures are our monitors. Thus the
trees furnish us with ripe, sweet, perfect, and pleasant fruits; which, if
they were unripe, sour, or rotten, nobody would taste or care for. So it is
not sufficient for man to offer his service, his love, fear, and honor unto
God, unless they be genuine and perfect in their kind, being made acceptable
2. Moreover, as the trees serve us, and naturally provide for our pleasure
and benefit; so is it our duty to serve God “out of a pure heart, and of a
good conscience, and of faith unfeigned” (
This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.—1 John 5:3.
As God has implanted in every man a faculty of willing or desiring, which we call the will, which is also the seat of love, both which mutually depend on each other; and as man knows that the chief Good is to be loved by him, and that God is that chief Good; hence it follows, that he alone has a natural knowledge both that he ought to love God, and also of the reasons that oblige him to it.
2. For as brute creatures are fond of their benefactors; so man is under the
highest obligations to love God, from whom he has received all that he has;
and if he do not, he is more stupid and ungrateful than the beasts that perish.
3. By this I do not mean, that man, since the fall, can by his own strength and power, perfectly love God as he ought; but to show that every man is convinced in his own conscience, that he ought to love him as well as he can; that he who does not, is worse than the beasts; and that both nature and religion oblige us thereto.
By thy commandments is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.—Ps. 19:11.
Having sufficiently proved, in the first and second Chapters, that God is an absolute, infinite, and superabundant Good, having all perfection in and of himself, and receiving no benefit from the service and worship of the creature; it follows, that all our religious services, as they cannot be enjoined without a purpose, so they must tend directly to our benefit and advantage. All the time and pains, therefore, which we spend in the service of God, are really and truly laid out in the service of ourselves.
2. For so great are the kindness and love of God towards men, that He has pointed out to them the path of love, that they might walk in it, and drink plentifully of the waters of life. O the boundless love of God, who has made even our duty to be our happiness!
3. But here we must not think that we can merit anything by the services which we pay to Him; for, in truth, all the blessings that we receive either in this life or the next, are solely owing to the free grace and favor of God. The sense and meaning of this Chapter then is this: that the virtues or vices of men are neither profitable nor hurtful unto God, but only unto themselves.
My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul.—Prov. 3:21, 22.
As we have already shown that there are two sorts of services;
one which the creatures render to man, and the other which men render
to God, both tending to the sole happiness of man; it remains now that
2. This then is the intention of God: to instruct us, by the cheerful services which the creatures pay to us, how cheerfully we ought to love, to serve, and obey him. For as man cannot live without the help of the creatures, such as the air and universal nature; so he spiritually dies unto God whenever he ceases to obey him and to live in Christ. Moreover, as the life of man is nothing worth, if it be not godly and devout; so the service of the creatures profits him nothing, if he also be not active and cheerful in the service of God. And as the natural life is nothing, when compared with a life of godliness and devotion; so the service we pay to God, profits us much more than all the service the creatures pay to us.
3. Nay, he that serveth not God, is not worthy of the service of the creatures; for as they were made for the service of man, so man was made for the service of God; and all the duty they pay to us, is only to encourage us in our duty to our Maker. When this end is not answered, we may not only be said to use the creatures in vain, but to abuse them. The end of all that has been said, is this: that as God has commanded the creatures to contribute to the support of our natural life, he thereby instructs us to devote and dedicate that life entirely to His honor and service.
The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.—Ezra 8:22.
As man, the noblest of the creatures, cannot subsist one moment without the help of those that are much inferior to himself; it follows, that their being, and the qualities by which they help and assist us, are entirely owing to God. Whosoever denies this, must believe that they who want not our help, must be more worthy than we, who cannot subsist without theirs.
2. But the more natural conclusion would be, that if man cannot subsist
without their help, they who are so
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O king of nations?—Jerem. 10:6, 7.—If then I be a father, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear?—Mal. 1:6.
Let us now consider and admire the wonderful union of all the creatures with God, by that double service of which we have spoken. For as all the creatures were made for the use of man, thence arises a certain relation or union between man and them; as there is by our duty and service to God, between us and him. For as God intended to draw man to himself by the cords of love, so he commanded all the creatures to do service unto man, as being created for his use alone; and this is a strong obligation upon us to love, serve, and honor him.
2. Hence we may learn, that all the duty they pay to us, or we to God, tends solely to the good and benefit of man. As for the other creatures, they reap no benefit or advantage from their several labors and services, but only that every one is looked upon to be more or less excellent, in proportion to the service they respectively do to man. So likewise God receives no advantage from our services to him; but the greater love any man has for God, the more noble he is, and the greater benefit he receives. Whence it appears, how wonderfully this twofold service unites the creatures to man, and man to God,
3. And would to God that the bond of union which is between God and man, were as strong as that which is between man and the creatures! They are incessantly employed in the service of man, and never act in a manner contrary to this design of their creation; but man, on the other hand, bursts the yoke, and breaks the bonds of duty which God has laid upon him, debasing himself below the beasts, though so much more noble than they. Now if the laws of nature and reason require the creatures to be obedient to man, as their lord, how much more just and reasonable is it, that man should be obedient unto God? For as the soul is much more noble than the body, so is the inward and spiritual service of God much more excellent than that external and bodily service of the creatures. And thus by the duty and service of man to his Maker, are all the creatures united unto God, and perfected in charity, that they may not be created in vain.
This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.—1 John 4:21.
As we have already shown above, that our love is entirely due to God, and that this is the first and chief obligation upon us; hence it follows, that it would be highly unjust to alienate that love from him, and fix it upon any other object. As God has appropriated all his love to us, so ought we entirely to consecrate ours to him. For though the creatures indeed do us good, yet they are only agents, and, in truth, God does us good by their means, forasmuch as he supports, enables, and commands them to minister to our necessities. Whence it follows, that man also, being a creature of God, appointed to minister to his neighbor, if he does him any service, ought not to claim any honor or love for himself, which are due to God alone.
2. But as man is obliged to love God above all things, so he is thereby bound to unite his will and love with the will and love of God, and to love all mankind as created in the image of God, as freely and sincerely as God himself loves them. And he that saith he loves God, and loves not his brother, created in the image of God, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; for every one that truly loveth God, will love his brother also.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.—Gen. 1:26.
All the creatures, in their different orders and degrees of subordination, may be said to imitate their Maker. Those beings that are endued with life and sense come nearer to him than the vegetable; the rational, than the irrational. As, then, all the creatures in their order seem respectively to approach nearer and nearer unto God, and man is the end and perfection of them all, it follows, that he must be in the highest degree of conformity and likeness unto God.
2. For as the wax represents the perfect impression of the seal, so God
has fixed a stamp or impression of himself upon all creatures; but to
man, before his fall, he gave his own image and the brightness of that
glory, which the rest of the creatures partake of in lower degrees. Thus it
appears from the orders of created
He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.—1 John 4:8.
As we were all originally created in the image of God, and he is endeavoring to restore in us this lost image by the Holy Spirit, and to save us in Jesus Christ, it follows, that we ought to love our neighbors, and look upon them not as aliens and strangers, but as our kindred and brethren, having all received from the same God and Father, our life, and breath, and all things. We ought to regard them with the same affection that we do ourselves, that so the image of God, renewed in us by Christ, may not suffer by our fault. Since, then, there is but one image of God in us all, and we have but one Redeemer and one Holy Spirit, how strong ought the bond of love and unity to be betwixt those who represent but one great body, and where all are members one of another? For as our Maker justly claims the first place in our love, so the second is certainly due to them that are created in his image. And because this image resides more particularly in the soul, we are thereby obliged to wish as well to the souls of our neighbors as to our own; so then every man is bound to love his neighbor as to love his God, and that is a necessary consequence of this. For as God has loved man from all eternity, and still continues to love us, by providing plentifully for all the wants of soul and body; he designs thereby, as with the cords of love, to draw us to himself, and to teach us that as he loves us, so ought we also to love one another.
2. Moreover, as religion or the worship of God regards chiefly the good and benefit of the worshipper, it follows, that the love of our neighbor, which arises from our love of God, necessarily tends to the same end. Or shall we say that the image of God in man is profitable to the giver, and not to the receiver? Lastly, as the love of God and of our neighbor is the first and chief duty of man, it must of necessity be also his chief and greatest good; yea, the root and fountain of all the blessings which he can possibly enjoy; so that nothing can strictly be called good to him, that proceeds from any other principle. The more, therefore, we increase and improve in the love of God and of our neighbor, the more do we improve in blessedness and happiness.
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?—Mal. 2:10.
As all the creatures, the fire, air, earth, water, sun, moon, and stars, equally and without any respect of persons, serve and minister to mankind, doing the same service to the poor as to the rich; to the peasants as to the citizens; to him that labors for his bread, as to him that sitteth on the throne; by this God teaches us to look upon our neighbor as part of ourselves, and all of us together as making up but one man. And as he has commanded all the creatures to pay honor and obedience to man, he designs thereby to instruct us that we are the image of God, and ought to live in a constant imitation of him.
2. If we do not this, and accept not the service of the creatures with thanksgiving, we are unworthy of the least service from them. Now as the creatures pay equal service to all men, solely on account of the image of God which they bear, how much more incumbent is it upon us to love and honor our neighbor, as bearing that divine image. So that the creatures themselves instruct us by their example in the duties which we owe to one another; for as they regard all mankind but as one man, so ought we to do likewise.
3. Lastly, forasmuch as all of us enjoy the love and favor of the same God; are all equally created in the same image; as the love of God is universal to us all, and his blessings equally bestowed on all; as we all labor under the same necessities, and stand in need of the same mercies, and are obliged to pay him the same duty and service; as we are all partakers of the same nature, and bear the same name (for the poorest and meanest is as truly a man as the greatest); as we all receive an equal tribute of service from the creatures; and, as it is appointed for us all once to die; upon all these accounts we are, each one, obliged to love our neighbors as ourselves, and promote peace, unity, and charity among ourselves.
4. From all that has been said, it appears, that there is a twofold brotherhood
among men: First, as we are all the creatures of God, and owe to him
our being, and all the comforts and supports of it, as well as the other
creatures; and secondly, as we are
distinguished from the rest of the creatures, and have a closer and more
heavenly relation one to another, being all created in the image and likeness
of God. But there is yet a much more noble brotherhood discovered to
us in the Gospel, by which we are all brethren of, and in, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and members of his spiritual body under Him, our Head, of whose
fulness we all receive our different measures and proportions of grace.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.—Eph. 4:3.
As the greatest strength arises from concord, and the greatest weakness from discord; it follows, that the closer this concord is, the greater will the strength be. But in order to be united among ourselves, it is necessary that we begin first with being united unto God. The closer our union is with God, the stronger will it be with our neighbors. For it is impossible that he who is sincerely and heartily united to God by love, should hate his neighbor, whom God so sincerely loves. Yea, the more ardently any man loves God, the more tenderly will he love his neighbor; and the more he loves him, the closer will he be united to him.
2. Upon the diminution or increase of our charity, therefore, depends the decay or increase of our union; and when both are perfect, the strength arising from them is invincible. Whence it plainly appears, that when men love God, they must of necessity love one another, and are thereby united in a perfect bond of union and peace. But when once they come to forget God, and to care for nobody but themselves, then faction and discord arise, which end in ruin and confusion. Here we see the advantages of concord, and the many public and private blessings that flow thence; and how all the miseries that attend confusion and discord, rob us of those blessings, which every single person may enjoy in the safety and peace of the public. In a word, so great are the benefits of this universal love of God and man, that so long as it is preserved, no power can destroy or hurt us.
3. Hitherto we have been ascending by gradual steps, from the lowest creatures to God, our chief Good, being taught and convinced by the creatures, of the obligations under which we are to love and worship God. Hence we descend again from the Creator to the creature; that is, from the love of our Creator, to the love of the creatures.
Take heed that the light which is in thee be not darkness.—Luke 11:35.
That nothing is properly our own but our love, is too plain to need
any proof. Hence, if our love be good, and rightly applied, our hearts and
the treasures that are in them, are good likewise; but if otherwise, then
2. And, since we can call nothing our own but our love, it follows, that on whatsoever being we place our love, to that we dedicate ourselves and all that we have. Whensoever we abuse or misapply our love, we throw away and lose all that we have. So then, if all our goodness consist in the rectitude of our love, and all our evil in the misapplying of it; it follows, that virtue itself is nothing else but our love, truly and properly placed; and vice nothing else but a perverse and irregular love. Whosoever considers these properties of love, cannot be ignorant wherein the greatest good, and the greatest evil of man, consist.
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.—1 John 4:16.
Love unites itself to the beloved object, because it is the nature of love to communicate itself willingly and freely to every person or being that is disposed to receive it. For love is a free gift, and cannot be obtained by force. And as it is the nature of a gift, to be entirely in the power of him to whom the last owner gave it; so our love is entirely appropriated to him on whom we have bestowed it, so that we truly give up ourselves to that thing on which we fix our love. Thus the beloved is united with the lover, and they two become one, not by constraint or force, but freely, willingly, and joyfully: and so he who loves is made one with the thing beloved, and love takes its denomination from its object. Hence we read of carnal love, earthly love, and divine love, each taking its name and character from the objects on which it is fixed. Thus then every man has it in his power to be changed with freedom and ease into a being more noble than himself.
2. Moreover, as the will, without controversy, undergoes a change in love, and every change ought to be from an ignoble to a more noble state of being (as we see the elements are changed into plants and herbs, and these into the flesh of living creatures, and they again into the substance of human bodies), it would, therefore, be unnatural to fix our love upon, and, consequently, to be united and changed into, anything that is meaner than ourselves, but rather upon God, the best and supreme Being; to whom, according to the order of nature, our love and will ought to be united. Thus we hear, as it were, the whole creation calling to us, and putting us in mind of the supreme excellency of God; upon which account He, and He alone, is worthy of our love.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.—1 John 2:15.
As our love is the most noble present we can make, and has a power of changing our will into the nature of the thing beloved, so that we are under the control of that which we heartily love; it follows, that we act meanly and unworthily, when we give to anything that is vile and earthly, the power of enslaving our will, which is a spiritual faculty, and, consequently, more noble than anything corporeal: and that he is very unhappy and foolish, who places his love on his body, and the gratifications of sense, for instance, on his furniture, equipage, houses, and estates; all which debase the soul, and can yield it no satisfaction in trouble, no comfort in the hour of death, or in the day of judgment. Nothing can do this but God, who is the highest and chief Good, and alone is worthy of our love.
2. We must not, therefore, waste our love on anything that is not sensible of the honor we pay it, nor able to make us a worthy return for it, much less on things that corrupt and debase it, making it earthly, sensual, and unprofitable. On the other hand, as God loves us above all creatures, he deserves a suitable love from us; and that not only as he raises and ennobles our love, but as he requites us with his own, which is infinite, uncreated and eternal.
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.—Deut. 32:4.
Not only the universal voice of nature, but our own consciences
also bear witness that our chief and highest love is due to God. 1. Because
he is our chief and eternal Good. 2. Because not only man, but
all other creatures derive their being from him. 3. Because the love and
goodness of God are conveyed unto man by all the creatures. Whence it
follows, that God, who is the fountain of goodness and love, deserves to be
loved by us more than any creature,
yea, than all the creatures put together;
2. On the other hand, when self-love predominates, and a man makes all his love centre upon himself, that love is unnatural, preposterous, unjust, and irregular, a direct opposition to God, and the root and seed of all sin and iniquity. For what can be more unjust and ungrateful than to withdraw our love from God, who alone has a right to it, and to fix it upon ourselves or upon any creature? This, in short, is the highest injustice, and the highest violation of the laws of nature, as well as of God.
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces.—Dan. 9:7.—Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.—Ps. 115:1.
As God is the beginning and end of all things, so the first and chief love of man is due to him. And whosoever transfers it to any other object, really and truly makes that his god; which is the greatest affront that can be offered to his divine Majesty. For as it is the nature of love to unite the lover with the thing beloved, so the fixing of our love upon any creature separates and alienates us from the Creator. Whosoever principally loves himself, certainly loves everything else solely for his own sake; which he ought to love purely for the sake of God; and so all his love is founded in and upon himself, which ought to be fixed entirely upon God.
2. Hence he is employed in doing his own will instead of God's; he usurps God's right; attempts to invade his kingdom; sets up an authority in opposition to God's kingdom; and actually rebels against his Maker and his God.
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.—Hos. 13:9.
Love is the efficient cause of all things; and as there are two
sorts of love, the love of God and the
love of ourselves, and as these are directly opposite to each other, it follows,
that the one must be extremely good, and the other extremely evil.
But forasmuch as it is plain that the preference is to be given to divine
love, it follows, that this alone is good. For the love of God is a divine seed
in us, from which no evil, but all good things proceed. This love unites itself
to its object, which is God, its chief, its only Good, in whom it rests,
triumphs, and rejoices, even as God does in it. For joy and pleasure arise
from love, as we learn in
2. But as from divine love proceeds nothing but good, so from self-love proceeds nothing but evil. This is the root of all the iniquity, sin, blindness, ignorance, and misery, of which human nature is capable. By this a man makes his own will his god; and, as the true God is the fountain of all good, so this false god, this vain idol, our self-will, is the fountain of all evil. Moreover, as the creatures which we are so fond of, are made out of nothing, and are so weak and uncertain that they are always tending to their original state, and, in the meantime, are nothing but poverty, misery, and sorrow; it follows, that as man is changed into the nature of the thing which he loves, he must likewise partake of their inconstancy, their poverty, and misery, and can have no rest in the enjoyment of them. If the creature is vanity and sorrow, the heart that cleaves to the creature enters into its vanity, and must be partaker of its sorrow.
3. Thus self-love, when it rules and is uppermost in men, makes them enemies to God, fills them with all iniquity, and brings them into subjection to the creatures. As the love of God dilates and enlarges the soul, so the love of ourselves contracts and straitens it, making it unjust, corrupt, proud, and covetous. As the love of God makes us quiet, easy, peaceable, and benevolent; so the love of ourselves makes us unquiet, turbulent, and ill-natured. As the love of God reinstates us in the liberty of the sons of God; so self-love makes us slaves to the creatures. The one gives us firmness and constancy of mind and will; the other makes us inconstant and changeable. The one makes a man courteous, courageous, generous, and obliging; the other makes him sour, timorous, mean, and an enemy to everybody but himself.
The carnal mind is enmity against God.—Rom. 8:7.
As it is plain that by the love of God, or the love of self, all the motions and operations of our will are governed and directed, and that all other desires and inclinations have their birth and bias from them; it follows, that upon them depends all our knowledge, either of good or evil. For as the love of God is the principle by which we know and judge of all the good that is in man; so self-love discovers to us all the evil. And whosoever understands not what self-love is, knows not what evils there are in man; just as he that understands not the love of God, cannot know the good that is in Him. For no man can judge of either good or evil who knows not the springs and fountains from which they flow. The love of God is a shining light, discovering to us not only itself, but its enemy, which is self-love; on the contrary, self-love is a thick darkness, blinding the eyes of men, that they cannot see the good or evil that is in them. These, then, are the two roots of good and evil, which, whosoever is ignorant of, cannot rightly judge of either.
2. For as man consists of two parts, namely, soul and body; so in respect of one, he sets his heart upon honors, dignities, and preferments; whilst the other tempts and draws him to fleshly and sensual pleasures. So that whosoever thus loves himself, must be a slave either to honor or pleasure, which he looks upon as his greatest happiness, as gratifying that inclination to himself, which is uppermost in his heart. And from these two kinds of self-love spring many others, as various as are the means and instruments of obtaining the honors, or fulfilling the lusts, which have taken possession of our hearts. And these are chiefly three: 1. Pride, or an inclination to be eminent and popular in the world. 2. Pleasure and luxury, by which we indulge and gratify the flesh. 3. Covetousness, or an inordinate love of worldly things. Whosoever eagerly seeks honor, cannot but hate everything and every person that stands in his way and hinders his designs; whence proceed anger, revenge and envy of all those who are possessed of any advantages which we want, or which seem to eclipse or lessen the figure which we desire to make in the world. Hence also proceed indolence and sloth, and a mean fear of laboring or sufferings, both of which are ungrateful to flesh and blood. In a word, all sins and iniquities proceed from this fruitful fountain of self-love.
Above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.—Col. 3:14.
If all men had an equal love for God, the supreme Good, they would then all be of one heart and of one mind, and the sincerity and unanimity which they would manifest in the love of God, would cordially unite them to each other.
2. But instead of this, every man loves himself, and pursues the inclinations of his own heart, so that hardly two can agree together. For as he whose heart is set upon honor, cannot but hate and envy every one that is preferred before him; so from these different interests and inclinations, nothing can proceed but emulation, strife, and discord. Moreover, as he that pursues his own will, and courts the esteem of men, makes himself his own god, there must by consequence be as many of these idols and false gods as there are proud, ambitious men in the world. Hence arise envy, hatred, wars, and fightings, whilst every one is bent upon increasing and defending his own grandeur, in opposition to that of his neighbors. Hence it plainly appears that as the love of God is the bond of peace and union; so self-love is the root and cause of all the discord and contention that is in the world.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.—1 Tim. 1:5.
There is no better way of convincing a man than by appealing to his own conscience. There, as in a glass, we may read our duty much more plainly than ten thousand teachers can instruct us. We have already shown that it is a point of natural equity to love God above all things, and that he who does otherwise, sets himself up as his own idol. And now, if any man desire to know to what his duty to God obliges him, let him look into himself, and examine his own heart, and conclude that whatsoever he would have done for himself, that he is obliged to do for God. Therefore, as self-love is natural to us all, we must reverse that, and offer to God that which we unjustly arrogate to ourselves, by loving him as we have hitherto loved ourselves.
2. Wherefore, as thou now lovest thine own will, and endeavorest to
gratify it in all things, so thou must,
3. Whilst thy heart is full of self-love, thou art greedy of praise, and wouldest have everybody think and speak well of thee; do thou the same for God; labor and pray that God may be glorified by all men, and that every creature may praise and magnify His name. As thou art very industrious to be thought a man of truth and honesty, and wouldest be very uneasy to be counted a liar; so oughtest thou also cheerfully and industriously to propagate and vindicate the truth and veracity of God. From all which it appears that every man may read in the book of his own conscience the obligation he is under to love and honor God rather than himself.
Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice.—Ps. 5:11.
The end and perfection of everything is the fruit it bears, or the effects it produces, which are as various as the seeds from whence they spring. Therefore, as there are two different seeds or roots in man, namely, the love of God and the love of ourselves, which are diametrically opposite to each other; so likewise are the fruits which they produce. Now the end and fruit of all human actions is either joy or sorrow. Joy, as it is a good fruit, must necessarily proceed from a good root; and sorrow, being evil, must proceed from an evil root; that is, in short, all true joy must proceed from the love of God, and all sorrow and anguish of mind from the love of ourselves.
2. For as all joy arises from love, and depends upon it, such as is the
love, such also must be the joy. If the love be divine, the joy will be divine;
if earthly, the joy also will be earthly. Now so long as our hearts are united
to God by true love, they cannot but rejoice and be happy in him. This is
a foretaste of eternal life, in which both our love and our joy shall be
completed and perfected together.
Therefore, as we shall there live eternally unto God, so our love also shall
be eternal; and as our love shall be perfected, so it shall be united with a
perfect, absolute, infinite, and eternal
good, being itself also perfect, unchangeable, constant, and eternal.
And from a love so pure, immaculate, and heavenly, shall flow a river
of joy, divine, pure, precious, full of
3. For eternal life itself is nothing but this eternal joy, with some drops
of which, faithful souls, even in this life, have been often refreshed and
comforted. This is the meaning of that passage in
4. And as this divine love is not a thing without us, but within us, it follows that this does not depend upon our external goods or possessions, such as riches, honors, learning, meat, or drink, or any other outward blessing; but that all these things are contained in it. And as this love shall attain its full perfection in the other life, so the peace and joy that flow from it, shall be perfect and everlasting. This treasure a man shall have in himself, and no one shall take it from him; he shall have a river of living pleasure rising up in himself, independent of all external blessings and comforts. And as no man knoweth this treasure, but he that has it; so he that has it, is in perfect ease; he envies nobody, covets nothing, thirsts after nothing but the fulness and perfection of divine love.
5. The first fruits of this treasure may be possessed by faithful souls
even in this life, without lessening the reversion in the next life; yea, it
rather increases and spreads itself to infinite degrees, so that though all
mankind should unite together in this divine love, they would be no hinderance
to each other, but would rather increase and improve their united
stock of love and joy. For the more earnestly any man loves God, the
greater is his joy. And if it be so in this world, how great shall our joy be
in the next, when God shall pour out the fulness of his joy and love upon his
elect, and He himself shall be “all in all.”
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: and let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.—James 4:9.
As true and divine joy proceeds from true and divine love, so
nothing can proceed from false love but false joy. For as self-love aims at
nothing, delights in nothing but honors, riches, and sensual and worldly
pleasures, all which are fading, perishing, and subject to a thousand casualties;
therefore the man whose heart is set upon them, cannot but be always
2. Now we have already shown, that self-love is corrupt, impure, unjust, abominable, and unnatural, the seed and root of all evil, the parent of weakness, blindness, error, and death. And the fruit or joy arising from it is of the same sort, unjust, impure, opposed to God, to our neighbor, and to all righteousness; it rejoices in iniquity, and contempt of God. And if it be a sin only to love anything which God hateth, how much more grievous a sin must it be to delight and rejoice in it? Such a joy as this, which is opposite to the nature of every creature, and contrary to the nature and express will of God, cannot but end in everlasting sorrow, death, and darkness.
3. For as divine joy brings us nearer and nearer to God; so carnal joy carries us farther and farther from him. Divine joy makes us the friends of God; but worldly joy makes us his enemies. The former confirms and strengthens the will in the love of God, makes the conscience easy, cheerful, and happy; the latter disquiets and torments the soul, making it turbulent, restless, and uneasy. That may be obtained without labor or charge; this requires both, and all too little to support and secure it. The one produces, improves, and preserves love, peace, and friendship among men; the other creates discord, contentions and quarrels, wars, violence, and bloodshed. From the one all good, from the other all evil things proceed. The one is a lively, salutary, and sober joy, full of virtue, full of pleasure, and acceptable to God; the other is fleshly, vicious, dishonest, base, and hated of God. The one increases our devout longings after God and goodness; the other inflames our corrupt desires. That enlightens the understanding, filling it with divine light and wisdom; this darkens and blinds it, and fills it with ignorance and error. That is true and substantial; this treacherous, deceitful, and false.
If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.—Rom. 8:13.
As we have already shown everlasting joy to be the genuine
fruit of divine love; it follows, that
without that love, we cannot be partakers of the joy, but must sit down
at the last in eternal anguish and distress. For when the condemned sinner
comes to reflect and consider, that by his own fault, he has irrecoverably
lost all the blessings of a happy eternity, how great must his sorrow, how
bitter must his grief be! Annihilation itself would be to him a blessing;
but alas! he wishes for it in vain, he
2. This must raise in him an eternal hatred and abhorrence of himself, and all his adherent impurities and sin; which, whether he will or not, will forever stare him in the face, revenging, as it were, upon him the past sacrilege of his self-love.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.—Ps. 95:6.
As we are assured that God is our Creator, Preserver, and loving Father, to whom can we more reasonably pay our honor, duty, and service, than to him? Whom shall we rather implore and pray to, whom shall we rather praise and glorify, than him that made us? Whom shall we rather trust? In whom shall we rather hope? Whom shall we rather love? In whom shall we rather rejoice and be happy? Shall we not love him, who hath created us in his own image? Shall we not honor him, who has exalted us above all creatures? Shall we not devote ourselves entirely to him, who has given himself entirely unto us? Who created us for the end that we might live, abide, and rejoice with him forever? Shall we not love and honor him, who has adopted us for his children?
2. Think, therefore, and consider with thyself, O man! that as God has given thee a rational soul, so thou oughtest to consecrate all the powers and faculties of it to his honor and service. He has given thee the faculty of loving: therefore love him; he has given thee understanding: endeavor to know him; he has given thee fear: therefore fear him; the power of honoring: therefore honor him; the gift of prayer: therefore pray to him; of praise and thanksgiving: therefore praise his name. He has given thee the power of believing, hoping, and trusting: therefore depend, and trust, and hope in him; of rejoicing: therefore rejoice and be glad in him. Lastly, as all things are in him, and he has an infinite power of doing all things, consider this with thyself, that if thou rest and rejoice in him alone, thou shalt in him possess all things.
3. And hence arises the true and genuine worship of God. He that loves him, honors him; he that loves him not, affronts him. So likewise he that fears him, honors him; he that fears not, despises him. And all the other vices and virtues are of the same nature. By obedience, God is honored, and he is dishonored by disobedience; the same may be said of faith, hope, charity, and gratitude.
4. From all this it appears, that there is nothing better, more honorable, or more profitable for man, than to honor God; and nothing more base and abominable than to dishonor him.
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.—Ps. 115:1.
He that in all things seeks not the glory of God, and endeavors to promote it, does not act like a creature of God, but directly opposes his Maker, and all his designs, seeing he made all things for his own glory. And he does even worse, who measures all things no otherwise than as they contribute to the raising of his own glory and honor. Such a one usurps the honor due to God alone, and, like the rebel Lucifer, sets himself in God's throne.
2. And this he does not only in his own soul, but endeavors to lead others into the same guilt, by filling their hearts, which ought to be thrones and temples of God, with the same notions of love and honor to himself, as he has entertained in his own mind; endeavoring as much as in him lies, to dispossess his Maker and settle himself in his room. But what greater sin can there be than this? Now as the consequence of this irregular loving and honoring a man's self is, that it makes him the enemy of God, and casts him out of his presence into the pit of destruction, it follows, that he who would be the friend of God, must hate and deny himself.
3. Return, therefore, and repent, O man! believe in Christ and live in him
as a new creature, and he will receive thee and comfort thee. But to others,
who persist in their rebellion and continue in their corruptions, he shall
say at the last day: “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity!”
1. The title “True Christianity” is prefixed to these Four Books for the
reason that true faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the righteousness
which proceeds from faith, constitute the fountain from which the whole
Christian life must flow. I have, accordingly, written, not for heathens,
but for Christians; who have, it is true, adopted the Christian faith, but
whose life does not accord with it, and who deny, or will not understand,
the power of faith.
2. Hence, too, Part II. of this Fourth Book is not to be so understood,
as if we could love God from our own carnal will; for love is a fruit
of the Holy Spirit. This Part II. is, on the contrary, only intended to show
that, besides the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, even our own heart
and conscience may teach us, from the book of nature, and the light of nature,
that we are bound to love God on account of his great love bestowed
upon us, and manifested through the means of all his creatures. Such an
argument, derived from nature, ought to convince every man, whether he be
a heathen or a Christian, a believer or an unbeliever; and no one can refute
it. For, granting that God has bestowed so many mercies on us, who
can deny that we are in gratitude obliged to so gracious a benefactor?
And as he calls and invites us to love
him, by all the creatures which are bestowed in common upon all mankind,
who can deny that the love of God is discovered to us in the book of nature,
and that the heathens themselves may be convinced by arguments drawn
thence? “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that
have pleasure therein.”
The Roman Numerals indicate, respectively, the Four Books; the first Arabic numeral which follows, designates, in every case, the Chapter; the second, with any that may follow, refers to one or more Sections of a chapter. The references to the Introduction, the Prefaces, the two Parts of Book IV., etc., will be readily understood.
A.
Abraham—an example of patience,
II. 47. 16.
—— the time when the promise was given to him,
I. 12. 7.
Absolution from sin, I. 21. 13.
Agricola, Introd. § 15.
Adam—his fall, I. Chap. 2; II. 17. 9; II. 34. Sect. 4. 1.
Adam and Christ, contrasted, II. 7. 1-6.
Affliction—its uses,
II. 5. 3; II. 35. 5.
—— none for which God has not provided consolation, II. Chap. 48.
Ahab—his delusion, I. 38. 13.
Anger of God—what is meant by the expression, II. 42. 11.
Antinomistic Controversy, Introd. § 15.
Apology of Augsburg Confession, Introd. § 25.
Apostasy—when man is guilty of it, II. 23. 4.
Arndt—account of his life, Introd. § 1, etc.
—— his motives in writing the “True Christianity,”
Pref. to Book I. 1; Introd. §§ 20, 21, 24, 31.
—— his orthodoxy, Introd. §§ 22, 24, 25, 40.
—— his religious character, Introd. § 26.
—— popularity of his “True Christianity,” Introd. § 31.
—— translations of it, Introd. § 33, and Note.
—— his death, Introd. § 22.
Ascension of Christ (see Christ, etc.), II. XXV. 11.
Aspirations of the believer, I. 11. 11.
Augsburg, Confession of—Conclusion of Book II., p. 374.
——, Introd. §§ 24, 25.
——, Pref. to Book I. 8.
Augsburg Interim, Introd. §§ 12, 15.
Augsburg, Peace of, Introd. § 12.
Augustine—quoted, III. 6. 2.
B.
Babylas, II. 45. 8.
Baptism—a means to attain the new birth, I. 3. 12.
—— a renewal of the covenant with God, II. 2. 6.
—— what is received therein, III. 1. 4.
Believing Soul, a—its beauty, III. 4. 2.
Birth (see New Birth; Regeneration)—twofold, I. 3. 2, etc.
Blessedness of the true believer, I. 8. 7; I. 11. 10; I. 12. 5; I. 13. 6; I. 22. 10; I. 34. 17; I. 36. 7.
Boehm, Introd. §§ 32, 34, 35.
Bonaventura—a saying of his, II. 6. 6.
Book of life, I. 11. 1.
Bread, IV. Part I., Chap. 3. 14. 35-39.
C.
Cæsar, Julius, I. 27. 5.
Calling of God—inward, III. 8. 3.
—— outward, III. 8. 1.
Calumny—consolations, II. 17. 4, etc.
—— consolatory Scripture passages, II. 17. 13, etc.
—— how to be overcome, II. Ch. 17.
—— why the Lord permits it, II. 17. 9.
Catechism, Five Parts of Luther's, III. 1. 4.
Catechisms, Luther's Two, Introd. § 25.
Chaddock, Rev. C., Introd. § 36.
Charity (see Love, etc.)—the foundation of strength, IV. Part 2, Ch. 26.
Christ (see Ascension;
Death; Incarnation;
Merit; Resurrection,
etc.)—all recovered in him, that was lost in Adam, II. 34., Sect. I.
—— denied and crucified again, I. 9. 1, etc.
—— encouragements derived from his sufferings, II. 18. 9;
II. 45. 5.
—— furnishes a pattern of prayer, II. 20. 10.
—— his complaint, continued, II. 15. 1-6.
—— his humiliation, II. 13. 5, etc.; Ch. 14.
—— his humility, and its lessons, II. 12. 3.
—— his kindness, II. 8. 8; II. Ch. 26.
—— his life, a mirror for us, II. 11. 3;
II. 14. 3.
—— his patience, the consideration of which alleviates the burden of the cross, II. Ch. 56.
—— his perfect obedience, II. 19. 1.
—— his Person is indivisible, II. 10. 15.
—— his poverty, II. 13. 2, etc.;
II. 14. 1, etc.
—— his righteousness, III. 1. 4.
—— his sufferings, foreknown to him, II. 18. 2.
—— his three kinds of trouble, II. 15. 3.
—— how he humbled himself, II. 13. 8, etc.
—— how he perfects his work in the hearts of the faithful, III. Ch. 15.
—— how he manifests himself to the soul, II. Ch. 27.
—— our example, I. 1. 7;
I. 3. 10; I. 11. 2;
I. 15. 6; I. 37. 11;
I. 39. 7; II. 13. 1;
II. 44. 8.
—— our help in prayer, II. 38. 2.
—— teaches us how to bear the cross, II. 15. 1, etc.
—— the image of God, I. 1. 7.
—— the only Head of the Church, II. 16. 7.
—— the only Saviour, I. 12. 2.
—— the true Book of Life, II. Ch. 13;
II. 19, 1-9.
—— the two Natures of, in one Person, II. 6. 1;
II. 52. 2.
—— the union of the two Natures of, indissoluble and eternal, II. 6. 2.
—— washing the feet of his disciples, II. 21. 3.
Christ, what an excellent gift he is, II. 1. 5. (a)—(b).
—— what he is to the soul, II. 1. 4, (b);
III. 6. 3.
—— wherein his highest glory consisted, II. 16. 3, etc.
—— why he took upon himself our nature, I. 3. 6;
I. 11. 9.
—— why his sufferings were so severe, II. 18. 2-8.
Christ Crucified—benefits of the contemplation of, II. 20. 15.
—— what he teaches us, II. 19. 2, etc.
Christian, The—a stranger and pilgrim, I. 17. 4,
7.
—— demonstrated by practising the word of God, II. 5. 4,
5.
—— his manner of using temporal things, I. 17. 5.
—— is anointed and baptized with the Holy Spirit, II. 35. 2.
—— the false, condemned, I. 7. 4.
—— value of the name, II. 11. 2.
Christianity—wherein it consists, Pref. to Book I. 5; I. 39. 7.
Cities of Refuge, I. 21. 15, 16.
Comfort, Heavenly—how to taste it, I. 36. 13.
—— why God sometimes delays to afford it, II. Ch. 55.
Commandments, Ten—a test, II. 4. 3.
Conclusion of Book II. page 374.
—— of Book IV. page 488.
Conscience—pangs of, II. 10. 9.
—— three qualities impressed on it, I. 7. 1.
—— see also I. 23. 9;
IV. Part 2. 35. 1.
Consolation—in affliction, II. Ch. 48.
—— means of obtaining it, II. 48. 10, etc.
Contempt of the world—how to bear it, II. 15. 7-16.
Conversation of a believing soul with God, II. Ch. 39; II. 48. 13.
Conversation between faith and the mercy of God, II. Ch. 40.
Conversion (see Repentance,
etc.)—pardon bestowed after it, I. 37. 21.
—— a work of divine grace, II. 9. 9.
Corruption of human nature (see Original Sin)—early
and later manifestations, I. 2. 5, 6.
—— its ultimate result, I. 2. 10.
—— its greatness, I. 8. 8;
I. 11. 5, etc.
—— the knowledge of the, I. 42. 3.
Covenant of grace—a source of consolation, II. 2. 6.
—— the remembrance of the, a help in prayer, II. 38. 11.
Covetousness—its folly, I. 17. 7.
Creation—work of the First Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 1.
—— work of the Second Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 2.
—— work of the Third Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 3.
—— work of the Fourth Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 4.
—— work of the Fifth Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 5.
—— work of the Sixth Day of, IV. Part I. Ch. 6.
Creatures of God—how they furnish evidence of divine love,
II. 26. 7, etc.; II. 29. 5, etc.
—— how they invite us to praise God, II. 42. 14.
—— when converted into idols, I. 18. 9.
Creatures, The living—all remind us of the love which we owe to God,
IV. Part II. Ch. 15.
—— the work of the Sixth Day, IV. Part I. Ch. 6.
Cross, The—how to bear it, I. 40. V.
—— taking it up, II, 10. 4.
—— the benefits of it, II. 46, 15.
—— the mystery of it, III. Ch. 23.
Cross of Christ—I. 4. 4-6; I. 15. 8.
—— a branch of it, II. 18. 1.
Cryptocalvinistic Controversy, Introd. § 15.
Cyprian—quoted, Pref. to Book III. 5.
D.
Darkness, Spiritual, I. 11. 3.
David, King, I. 17. 11.
—— his example, II. 5. 2.
—— reason of his desire to lead a holy life, II. 5. 6.
Death, II. 8. 11;
II. 57. 20, etc.
—— consolations, and remedies against the fear of, II. Ch. 57.
—— persons raised from, II. 57. 8.
—— Spiritual, I. 41. 11, 12.
—— three kinds of, I. 12. 2.
—— why the time of it is concealed from us, II. 8. 11.
Death of Christ (see Christ), II. 2. 7; II. 25. 9; II. 26. 3; II. 57. 2.
Devil; see Satan.
Dependence on self—a grievous sin, II. 23. 2, etc.
Depravity, Human; see Corruption; Original Sin.
Despair, I. 40. VIII.
Devotions, Private, III. Ch. 12.
Dionysius, St.—quoted, IV. Part I. 1. 6.
Doctrine of Christ, II. 25. 8.
Doctrine, Purity of—declared by Arndt to be “the foremost point of true Christianity,” Introd. § 24.
—— how preserved, I. 38. 11; I. 39. 1, etc.
—— its necessity, I. 39. 3.
—— maintained by Paul and others, I. 39. 2.
—— the example of Christ, of the prophets, and of the apostles in this respect, I. 39. 4.
Duty to our neighbor (see Love), I. 31. 4.
Dying—daily, to the world, II. 10. 14.
—— to the flesh and sin, I. 12. 8, etc.
—— unto self, I. 13. 1, etc.
E.
Eating of Christ, The—what it is, I. 36, 10.
Eisleben, Introd. § 22.
Election of grace, I. 38. 6, 7.
Enemies—how to be treated, I. 40. X.
Enlightened, To be, I. 37. 3.
—— when impossible, I. 37. 7-9.
Envy, I. 40. XI.
Eternity of future punishments, I. 7. 5; II. 8. 13.
Example of Christ (see Christ; Saints)—advantage of following it, I. 38. 9.
Examples—of Moses and David, in praising God, II. 41. 12.
—— of pardoned sinners, II. 2. 10.
—— of persons raised from death, II. 57. 8.
Existence of God—taught by the conscience, I. 7. 2.
Exorcism, Introd. §§ 6-8.
Exposition of the consolation given in
F.
Faith—as distinguished from hope, II. 50. 1.
—— a weak faith, I. 5. 9.
—— a weak faith is, nevertheless, faith, II. 51. 9, etc.
—— by it, the soul is united to Christ, III. 3. 3.
Faith, comfort for those who are weak in, II. Ch. 51.
—— examples confirming it, I. 13. 3-5.
—— gives quietness to the soul, II. 34. Sect. 7. 2.
—— it renews the whole man, III. 3. 7.
—— its glory, III. 3. 6.
—— its influence, I. 5. 2; I. 5. 9; I. 6. 6; I. 11. 4; I. 39. 10; I. 5. 9; II. 4. 1.
—— its purifying influence, III. Ch. 9.
—— its strength varies, II. 51. 10.
—— its victory, III. 3. 5, 9.
—— means for strengthening it, II. 51. 16.
—— the source of all the Christian virtues, Pref. to Book I. 6. 7.
—— the true source of religion, II. 4. 6.
—— the true way of obtaining the believer's inward treasure, III. 2. 1, etc.
—— the work of God, I. 34. 14; II. 51. 2, 15.
—— what it is, I. 5. 1; I. 21. 9; I. 34. 12.
—— working by love, I. 24. 12; I. 32. 1.
Fall of Adam—how it was occasioned, I. 2. 2.
—— its consequences, I. 2. 1, 3, 4.
Fasting, II. 9. 15, etc.
Fedderson, Introd. § 36.
Flesh—its conflict with the Spirit, I. 16. 2, etc.
Flourishing like a palm tree—explained, I. 22. 4.
Following Christ—I. 37. 14.
—— the sum of Christianity, I. 18. 2.
Formula of Concord, Introd. §§ 15, 24, 25; Pref. to Book I. 8; Conclusion of Book II. p. 374.
Fruits—the marks of true and false Christians, I. 39. 9.
Future punishments, Eternity of, I. 7. 5.
G.
Glorification of our bodies, II. 57. 13.
Glory, Eternal—the consideration of it alleviates the burden of the cross, II. 56. 3, etc.
God (see Love to)—all things preserved by his hand, IV. Part II. Ch. 20.
—— as infinite Omnipotence, II. Ch. 31; IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 14.
—— described by the prophet Joel, II. 9. 22-27.
—— his calling is earnest and decisive, III. Ch. 8.
—— his goodness or grace, II. 37. 5; IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 13.
God, his incomparable glory, II. 42. 16.
—— his infinity and eternity, IV. Part. II. Ch. 1.
—— his knowledge, IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 13.
—— his love a help in prayer, II. 38. 9.
—— his love appears in all his works, IV. Part II. Ch. 13.
—— his mercy, II. 8. 7.
—— his omnipresence, IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 15.
—— his omniscience, II. 34. Sect. 6; IV. Part II. 1. 3.
—— his seat in the soul, III. Ch. 6.
—— his veracity, II. 57. 5.
—— his wisdom, shown in the formation of man, IV. Part II. Ch. 10.
—— how illustrious, II. 42. 11.
—— how manifested, II. 37. 8.
—— invites all men to pray, II. 34. Sect. 8.
—— is love, II. Ch. 26.
—— manifestations of his wisdom, II. Ch. 33.
—— manifested as the Supreme Beauty, II. Ch. 30.
—— must be distinguished from his creatures and his gifts, III. Ch. 21; III. 22. 3.
—— not to be sought in any particular place, for he is everywhere, II. 34. Sect. 8.
—— operations of his righteousness, II. 32. 3, etc.
—— reasons, convincing us that he hears our prayers, II. 37. 12, etc.
—— the amiableness of his Being, II. 26. 10.
—— the eternal Wisdom, II. Ch. 33.
—— the folly of rejecting him, I. 36. 18.
—— the fountain of life and all good, II. 37. 4.
—— the highest righteousness and holiness, II. Ch. 32.
—— the light of the soul, III. Ch. 11.
—— the Omniscient, knows what we need before we ask him, II. 34. Sect. 6.
—— the only source of true happiness, I. 36. 9.
—— the Supreme Good, II. Ch. 28; IV. Part II. Ch. 2.
—— the temporal and spiritual benefits which he has bestowed, considered, II. Ch. 29.
—— what he is, I. 1. 6; I. 37. 2.
Godliness—two motives recommending the study of it, I. 40. 1.
Godly Sorrow (see Sorrow for Sin), I. 8. 7; I. 11. 4; I. 20. 20.
Grace—indispensable, I. 41. 28; II. 9. 11.
—— its influence and blessed results, I. 34. 7, etc.
Gregory, St.—quoted, III. 15. 2.
Growing in grace, I. 23. 4; I. 37. 19.
H.
Hardness of heart, I. 38. 3, etc.
Hatred—of self, I. 14. 1; I. 14. 14.
—— of vices, but not of men, I. 40. XII.
Heart, Paternal, of God, II. 8. 5.
Heart, Purity of—watching over it, I. 40. II.
Heart, Blindness of—its results, I. 41. 19.
Heart—its state, II. 4. 3; II. 7. 5.
—— must be changed, II. 9. 13.
—— regarded by God, II. 4. 4.
Hell, Eternal pains of, I. 7. 5; II. 8. 13.
Heaven, the work of the Second Day, IV. Part I. Ch. 2.
Holy Spirit—how he is driven away by worldly pleasures, III. Ch. 18.
—— how he operates in our souls, III. Ch. 16.
—— office of the, II. 35. 4.
—— our help in prayer, II. 38. 3.
—— signs of his presence in us, III. Ch. 17.
—— truly God, II. 37. 21.
Hope—Christ its object, II. 12. 2; II. 50. 8.
—— how tested in seasons of affliction, II. Ch. 50.
—— what it is, II. 50. 1.
Honor, Worldly—how to be received, II. 22. 7, 8.
Human nature—one argument of its dignity, IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 19.
Humility (see Pride)—a means of union with God, III. 5. 1.
—— exemplified by Jesus, II. 21. 3.
—— explained; its happy influence, etc., I. 19. 1-16.
—— how we are taught to practise it, II. 21. 2.
—— it must be laid as a foundation in the heart, III. Ch. 20.
—— its necessity, III. 15. 4, 5.
—— its power, II. Ch. 21.
—— six steps or degrees of it, III. 5. 2.
—— what constitutes it, III. 8. 2.
—— without it, all prayer is in vain, II. 21. 4.
Hypocrisy, I. 12. 11.
I.
Idolatry, II. 22. 3-6.
Ignatius, II. 45. 8.
Image of God in man—how man lost it, I. 1. 8; I. 41. 11.
Image of God,—originally shone forth in man's soul, I. 41. 7.
—— the different modes in which it appears in man, I. 1. 4.
—— what it is, I. 1. 1; I. 41. 10.
—— what it was intended to teach, I. 1. 5, 9.
—— why it was impressed on man, I. 1. 2.
Image of Satan, I. 41. 23.
Imputation (see Merit)—of the merit of Christ, I. 8. 17.
—— of the righteousness of Christ, I. 4. 7.
Inability of man, I. 34. 2, 7; II. 6. 4, 8.
Incarnation of Christ (see Christ, etc.), I. 11. 9; I. 31. 9; I. 34. 4; I. 37. 11; II. 25. 7; II. 26. 2; II. 34. 2; IV. Part II. Ch. 5. 2.
Indwelling of Christ in man, I. 5. 9.
Inheritance from Adam, I. 3. 5.
Injuries—viewed as trials of the heart, I. 40. IX.
Interim, Augsburg, Introd. §§ 12, 15.
J.
Jacques, Introd. §§ 32, 37, 38.
Joy—divine and worldly, incompatible with one another, I. 20. 11.
—— Divine, the fruit of divine love, IV. Part II. Ch. 36.
—— Heavenly, how to be accepted, I. 40. VI.
—— in God, originally perfect, I. 41. 8.
—— of eternal life, II. 8. 14.
Judgment, Last, II. 8. 12.
Julian the Apostate, I. 38. 2.
Justification, I. 5. 1.
—— derived from God alone, II. 6. 8.
K.
Knowledge of Christ, etc.—its excellence, I. 40. XV.
—— what is comprehended in it, I. 41. 1.
—— wherein it consists, I. 39. 5.
Knowledge of God—his knowledge, IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 12.
—— wherein it consists, I. 11. 18; I. 21. 6, etc.
Knowledge—of grace, I. 21. 5, 16, 17.
—— of sin, I. 21. 11.
—— of the Scriptures—vain, without a holy life, I. 35. 1, etc.
L.
Laurentius Valla—a saying of his, II. 5. 4.
Law, Inward—its lessons, I. 7. 1-3.
Lazarus, the friend of Christ, II. 13. 4.
Learning, Human—is distinct from godliness, I. 36. 14.
Leyser, P., Introd. § 2.
Life, Holy—proceeds from a renewed heart, I. 22. 2.
—— rules for leading it, I. 40. 1, etc.
Life of Christ (see Example), I. 10. 2; I. 11. 16; I. 14. 8, etc.; I. 37. 8.
Life of the Christian—a continual renewing of the image of God, I. 41. 2.
Life, Spiritual, I. 11. 12.
—— abolished in the carnal man, I. 41. 18.
—— different degrees of, Pref. to Book I. 1.
Life, Unholy, I. 10. 1, 3.
—— its effects, I. 38. 1, etc.; I. 39. 6.
Light—Natural, in the understanding, I. 41. 17, 26; III. Ch. 10.
——of grace, III. Ch. 10.
—— of nature, I. 7. 3.
—— of the sun and moon; its benefits, IV. Part I. Ch. 4. 19.
—— the work of the First Day, IV. Part I. Ch. 1.
Living in Christ, I. 6. 2-5; I. 36. 1, etc.
Lord's Prayer—its true use, III. Ch. 19.
Lord's Supper—therein Christ's true body and blood are received, III. 1. 4.
Love (see Self-Love)—a bond of union, IV. Part II. Ch. 28.
—— evils proceeding from the want of it, I. 31. 5; I. 35. 3.
—— four particulars concerning it, I. 24. 1.
—— four properties of it, II. 24. 17.
—— how it is to be guided, II. 24. 11.
—— in it are contained all the duties of a Christian, I. 35. 1.
—— its distinguishing feature, I. 35. 2.
—— its fruits, I. 30. 1-14; I. 32. 6; II. 24. 12.
—— its nature, properties, and fruits, IV. Part II. Ch. 27.
—— its necessity, I. 30. 1; I. 32. 7; I. 35. 7-9.
—— its noble character, II. Ch. 24.
—— its pleasantness, I. 24. 8; I. 29. 11, 12.
—— misguided, II. 24. 10.
—— mistakes made in reference to it, II. 24. 2, etc.
—— never faints, I. 24. 9.
—— the sure test of a Christian, I. 24. 7.
Love, Our—is not a hard work, I. 24. 6.
—— is the end of the Commandment, I. 24. 5; I. 26. 4.
—— reasons why it is due to God alone, I. 18. 12; II. Ch. 24; II. 29. 13; IV. Part II. Ch. 30.
Love,—what alone is worthy of it, IV. Part II. Ch. 29.
Love of Christ—the blessedness which it confers, II. Ch. 27.
Love to Christ, I. 14. 12.
—— signs of its existence, II. Ch. 25.
Love to God, I. 24. 2; I. 29. 3.
—— a remedy against profane love, I. 28. 5; III. 13. 4.
—— how it enters into the soul, III. Ch. 13.
—— is due to him, I. 28. 1, 4.
—— its influence, I. 24. 16; I. 28. 2; I. 28. 7; II. 24. 12, etc.
—— its nature, I. 28. 8; IV. Part II. Ch. 35.
—— no excuse for the want of it, IV. Part II. Ch. 17.
—— obtained by prayer, I. 24. 17.
—— out of a pure heart, I. 24. 14.
—— Pure, teaches how to pray, II. 24. 16.
—— the source of all that is good, IV. Part II. Ch. 32.
—— unchanged, I. 24. 23.
Love of God to man, I. 25. 1-6.
—— how manifested. II. Ch. 26.
Love, False, I. 28. 3; I. 35. 6; II. 24. 4, etc.
Love to our enemies—why they should be loved, I. 27. 1-9.
Love to our neighbor, I. 24. 3; I. 24. 18-21; I. 29. 3-10.
—— a duty, I. 25. 2; IV. Part II. Ch. 24.
—— its source, I. 26. 5; I. 28. 10.
—— motives to practise it, I. 26. 6-16.
—— proceeds from the love which we owe to God, IV. Part II. Ch. 22.
Lovers of the world—how they are deceived, II. 26. 11.
—— their conduct, I. 36. 11.
—— their punishment, I. 18. 10, 11.
—— their spiritual state, I. 17. 9; I. 36. 2.
Lusts of the flesh—how to be subdued, II. Ch. 18.
Luther—his successful opposition to the papacy and other sects, I. 39. 2.
M.
Majoristic Controversy, Introd. §§ 15, 19.
Man—general rule on the subject, IV. Part II. Ch. 16.
—— his liberty of choice, I. 17. 2.
—— his natural state, II. 5. 4.
—— how much he owes to God, IV. Part II. Ch. 6; Ch. 8; Ch. 9; Ch. 11; Ch. 12.
—— like a shadow, is nothing, II. 10. 13, 14.
—— only a pilgrim on earth, I. 13. 16.
—— the image of God, I. 1. 6; IV. Part II. Ch. 23.
—— what, and why made, IV. Part II. Ch. 3.
—— why he should love God, IV. Part II. Ch. 14.
—— why made in the image of God, IV. Part II. Ch. 4.
Man, The Inward—Outward, I. 16. 1.
Man, The Natural, II. 5. 5.
Man, The Old—New, I. 15. 1, etc.; I. 16. 11; II. 7. 1.
Marks of love to Christ, II. Ch. 25.
Martyrs—false, I. 35. 7.
—— spiritual, II. 53. 20.
—— their fidelity, II. 45. 7.
Meekness, II. 47. 2.
Mephibosheth, II. 10. 6.
Merit of Christ (see Imputation), I. 14. 7; I. 31. 8; I. 34. 1; II. 2. 8.
—— an infinite satisfaction, II. 2. 11, 12.
Micah, the prophet—pointing out the fountain of consolation, II. 49. 4.
Muhlenberg, Introd. §§ 34. 41.
Music—its origin, IV. Part II. Ch. 7. 3.
Music, Divine—several kinds, in the Old Testament, II. 41. 10.
Muenzer, Thomas, Introd. § 15.
N.
Name of God—doing all things in it, I. 18. 5.
Narrow way in Christ—chosen by the Christian, II. 34. Sect. 4.
Neighbors (see Love)—judging them, III. Ch. 11.
New Birth (see Birth; Regeneration)—how effected, I. 3. 1.
—— it alone renders our works acceptable to God, I. 31. 10.
—— its fruits, I. 11. 17.
—— its necessity, I. 3. 8; I. 41. 16.
—— what it is, I. 5. 2, 4.
O.
Oath, Divine—a source of consolation, II. 2. 2-5.
Obedience of Christ, II. 2. 13.
Offerings brought to God, I. 40. VII.
Oil, IV. Part I. Ch. 3. 43, 44.
Old Man, The (see Man)—encouragement derived from the strife with, I. 16. 11.
Omnipresence, Omnipotence, etc.; see God.
Original Sin (see Corruption), I. 2. 8; I. 41. 13, etc.; I. 42. 2.
—— its nature set forth in Book I.; Pref. to Book II. 2.
Osiandrian Controversy, Introd. § 15.
P.
Palatinate, The, Introd. § 17.
Paracelsus, Introd. § 28.
Patience, Christian—consolations, II. 47, 17.
—— examples of, II. 47. 16.
—— motives to, II. Ch. 46.
—— produced by divine consolations, II. Ch. 45.
—— reasons for exercising it, II. Ch. 44.
—— Scriptural sentences respecting it, II. 47. 4-15.
—— sustained by the truth and promises of God, II. Ch. 49.
—— what it is, II. 44. 1; II. 45. 1; II. 47. 2, 3; III. Ch. 14.
Perfection, Absolute—not attainable, I. 11. 11; II. 51. 3.
—— not found in this world, II. 4. 2.
Perfection of the Christian life—wherein it consists, Pref. to Book III. 7.
Pericles, I. 27. 5.
Peter and Paul—their religious character, I. 17. 12.
Phocion, I. 27. 5.
Pilgrimage, Our—its nature, I. 17. 10.
Plato, II. 30. 4.
Poor and contrite, The—acceptable to God, I. 19. 11-16.
Poverty of spirit, III. 5. 1.
Prætorius, Introd. § 1.
Praise to God—benefits and efficacy of, II. Ch. 41.
—— offered by holy men, II. 42. 13.
—— reasons for offering it daily, II. Ch. 42.
—— to offer it, man's greatest privilege, II. 43. 4.
—— to offer it, the most honorable employment of men, II. Ch. 43.
—— when offered, a source of consolation, II. 48. 14.
Pray, To—sinful, whether in dependence on our own merit, or to forbear on account of our unworthiness, II. 34. Sect. 9.
Prayer—a consolation against the fear of death, II. 57. 12.
—— all men invited to it, by God, II. 34. Sect. 7.
Prayer—a means of obtaining consolation in affliction, II. 48. 13.
—— a protection against calumny, II. 17. 6.
—— benefits of continual, II. 34. Sect. 3.
—— certainty that it will be heard, II. 49. 7.
—— conversation of a believing soul with God, in, II. Ch. 39.
—— efficacy of the prayer of faith, II. 41. 6.
—— encouragements to, II. 20. 11, etc.
—— encouragements to, and lessons on, II. 34. Sect. 12.
—— evils which follow the neglect of, II. 34. Sect. 2.
—— in
—— its necessity, I. 42. 4 (e); II. 5. 4; II. Ch. 20.
—— internal, II. 20. 4; III. Ch. 19.
—— its benefits, power, and ground, II. Ch. 36.
—— its numerous qualities, offices, etc., II. 36. 16.
—— mental, II. 20. 7.
—— oral, II. 20. 3.
—— pattern of, furnished by Christ, II. 20. 10.
—— reasons why God certainly hears it, II. Ch. 37.
—— seven helps for our infirmities in, II. Ch. 38.
—— strengthens faith, II. 51. 16.
—— secret, II. 36. 9.
—— supernatural, II. 20. 4.
—— taught by love to God, II. 24. 16.
—— temptations, when we pray, II. 20. 16, 17.
—— the sign of a true Christian, II. Ch. 35.
—— the worshipper not restricted to any certain times of, II. 34. Sect. 11.
—— vain, without humility, II. 21. 4.
—— when acceptable to God, II. 20. 9.
—— when not heard, II. 37. 23, etc.
—— wherein it consists, II. 20. 1.
—— why it is enjoined, II. 20. 8.
—— why we should commune with God in prayer, II. 34. Sect. 5.
Preface (Author's) to Book I. p. xxxix.
—— Book II. p. 157.
—— Book III. p. 375.
—— Book IV. p. 423.
Pride (see Humility), I. 31. 1, etc.; I. 39. 8; III. 20. 2.
—— influence of, II. 22. 2, etc.
—— its properties, III. 20. 1-4.
Pride—remedy against spiritual, II. 7. 7.
—— spiritual, I. 42. 4.
Priesthood of Christ, II. 2. 15.
Prodigal Son, Parable of, II. 8. 2, etc.; II. 10. 7.
Promises, Divine—the chief source of the Christian's consolation, II. 2. 1; II. 45. 6.
Providence—a source of comfort, II. 45. 2; IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 16.
—— of God; three things wherein it consists, IV. Part I. Ch. 6. 12. etc.
Psalms—six, called Golden Songs, II. 43. 1.
—— suited to various circumstances, II. 41. 12.
—— the Penitential, I. 4. 9, note.
Punishments, Future—eternity of, I. 7. 5.
Punishments, Temporal, II. 8. 9; II. 8. 13.
R.
Rationalists, Introd. § 40.
Reconciliation to our neighbor, I. 29. 1, 2.
—— enforced by three arguments, II. 4. 4. a. b. c.
—— the terms of, I. 29. 14.
Refuge, Cities of, I. 21. 15, 16.
Regeneration (see New Birth)—by divine goodness, II. 9. 3.
—— how effected, I. 3. 4.
—— in what it consists, I. 3. 7; II. 9. 1, etc.
—— its necessity, I. 41. 27.
—— men invited to, II. 9. 4.
—— produced by divine threatenings, II. 9. 2.
—— whence it proceeds, I. 3. 11, 12.
Remission of Sins—follows repentance, I. 8. 12, 16.
—— is not granted without repentance, I. 34. 12.
Renewal in Christ, I. 3. 5.
—— continued, I. 22. 4, etc.
Repentance (see Conversion)—a quality of it, I. 29. 16.
—— daily, I. 20. 10.
—— founded on humility, III. 20. 3.
—— four properties of, II. 10. 1, etc.
—— illustrations of, I. 21. 12; II. 8. 1, etc.
—— its fruits, I. 42. 2; II. 9. 28.
—— its necessity, I. 8. 1-15; I. 37. 10; I. 37. 22, 23.
—— manner of, II. 9. 14.
—— motives to, II. 9. 22, etc.
—— the source of the Christian's life, Pref. to Book I. 1.
Repentance—what it is, I. 4. 1-11; I. 8. 2; I. 21. 10; II. 3. 1, etc.
—— when it is unfeigned, II. 10. 14.
—— without reconciliation and restitution, not acceptable to God, I. 29. 19.
Resurrection of Christ (see Christ), II. 25. 10; II. 57. 4.
—— its fruit, II. 57. 11.
Resurrection of our bodies—a ground of comfort, II. 57. 3.
Revelation—punishment of those who reject it, I. 7. 7, 8.
Righteousness—by faith, II. 3. 8.
—— whence it proceeds, I. 5. 8; II. 3. 4.
Righteousness of Christ—made our own, II. 3. 6.
Righteousness, Our—its foundation, I. 3. 9.
—— whence it proceeds, II. 3. 1, etc.
S.
Saints—example given by them, II. 17. 4, 5; II. 17. 10; II. 44. 8; II. 52. 15; II. 54. 8.
—— their constant practice, I. 20. 18.
—— their example, a help in prayer, II. 38. 5-8.
—— their example, a source of comfort, II. 45. 8.
—— their temptations, II. 52. 2, etc.
Satan—his character, I. 41. 22.
—— his fall, I. 31. 7; II. 17. 9.
—— his fiery darts, II. 52. 6.
—— his image in man, I. 2. 3.
—— his want of power, II. 53. 2, 3.
Schwenkfeldt, Introd. §§ 14, 24.
Scriptures (see Word)—their purpose, I. 6. 8, 9.
Sea, The—lessons taught by it, Ch. 5. 15.
Seeking after God—two ways, III. 4. 1.
Self-denial, I. 4. 3; I. 14. 6; I. 15. 4, etc.; II. 7. 2; II. 10. 2; III. 23. 4.
Self-love, I. 31. 1, etc.; IV. Part II. Ch. 33.
—— its actual result, IV. Part II. Ch. 31.
—— its dangers, I. 14. 2, etc.; I. 31. 3; I. 31. 7; I. 14. 10.
—— its evil fruits, IV. Part II. Ch. 37; Ch. 38; Ch. 40.
—— its remedy, I. 31. 8.
—— its source, I. 31. 6.
—— the source of all evil, IV. Part II. 32. 2, 3.
Self—worship of, II. 23.
Servetus, Introd. §§ 15, 16.
Sin (see Original Sin; Remission)—never comes alone, I. 37. 18.
Slander, see Calumny.
Sloth—to be shaken off, II. 5. 7.
Smalcald Articles, Introd. § 25.
Solomon's throne, III. 5. 2.
Sorrow for Sin (see Godly sorrow)—its happy influence, I. 20. 7.
Sorrow—worldly, and, godly, I. 40.
Soul—its dignity, III. 7. 1; IV. Part I. 6. 18-24.
—— its image shining forth originally in the body, I. 41. 7.
—— its original holy nature, I. 41. 5.
—— the habitation of the Holy Ghost, II. 35. 3.
—— the things that instruct and comfort it, IV. Part II. Ch. 7.
Spirit and flesh (see Holy Spirit)—conflict between them, I. 16. 2, etc.
Stars, The, IV. Part I. Ch. 4.
Strasburg, Introd. § 2.
Substance of the Christian religion—is faith and love, I. 30. 1.
Supper, The Lord's—wherein Christ gives us his body and blood, II. 10. 6; III. 1. 4.
Symbol, what—Introd. § 41, Note.
Symbolical Books, Introd. §§ 22, 24, 25, 40, 41, 42; Pref. to Book I. 8; Conclusion of Book II.
Synergistic Controversy, Introd. §§ 15, 19.
T.
Talents—not they, but faith and love required, I. 32. 1, etc.
—— why bestowed, I. 32. 4.
Tauler,—Pref. to Book I. 8; Introd. § 29.
—— quotations from, II. 53. 20; III. 1. 3.
—— subject of his Sermons, I. 37. 16.
Temporal things—design of their creation, I. 17. 1.
—— loss of, I. 20, 21, 22.
—— preference of, offensive to God, I. 18. 1, etc.
Temptations, Spiritual—comforting instructions for those who labor under them, II. Ch. 52; II. Ch. 53; II. Ch. 54.
—— God refreshes the weak in, III. 23. 3.
—— not tokens of God's anger, II. 53. 13.
—— origin of, II. 52. 4-7.
—— reasons why they are sent, II. 52. 7, etc.; II. 53. 4, etc.
Testimony of the Spirit, II. 2. 9.
Theology—what it is, Pref. to Book I. 2.
Thirst—ours, and Christ's, I. 36. 24.
Thirty Years' War, Introd. § 22.
Thomas á Kempis, Pref. to Book I. 8; Introd. § 29.
Titus, the Roman emperor, I. 27. 5.
Trinity, Holy—benefits conferred by, II. 29. 10.
—— dwelling in the hearts of believers, III. 1. 1.
Treasure, Internal—means of attaining it, III. Ch. 1.
—— of the believer, III. Ch. 1.
—— what it is, and on what it depends, III. Ch. 3.
U.
Unbelief—its fruits, I. 37. 4.
Union with Christ—of the highest necessity, II. 6. 3.
Union with God, II. 6. 1.
—— a property of true repentance, II. 10. 15.
—— its necessity, II. 28. 4.
V.
Vanity and emptiness of man, II. 23. 1.
Vengeance of God—set forth by Moses, II. 32. 7, 8.
Vice—abounding among Christians, I. 7. 6.
Vincent, St., II. 45. 8.
Virtue—false love of, II. 24. 9.
W.
Warfare, Spiritual—an encouraging evidence, I. 16. 11.
—— even in the godly, I. 16. 7.
Waters—separated from the land, the work of the Third Day, IV. Part I. Ch. 3.
—— they, and their productions, IV. Part I. Ch. 5.
Weigel, Introd. § 28.
Wildenhahn, Introd. §§ 10, 26, 30.
Will of man—originally conformed to the will of God, I. 41. 6.
—— what it now is, II. 6. 7.
Wine, IV. Part I. Ch. 3. 40-42.
Wisdom—how to be acquired, II. 5. 1.
Woman of Canaan, The, III, 5. 1.
Word of God (see Scriptures)—its graciousness and efficacy, I. 36. 20, 21.
—— not a dead letter, I. 6. 2.
—— reading, etc., it, a protection against calumny, II. 17. 7.
—— who reject it, I. 38. 8.
Word and Sacraments—means of grace, II. 9. 7.
—— strengthen faith, II. 51. 16.
—— their design, I. 38. 1.
Works—how judged, I. 33. 1; II. 5. 6.
—— how they may be rendered acceptable to God, III. Ch. 22.
—— their source must be faith, I. 33. 4; II. 22. 1.
—— they cannot justify, I. 5. 6.
—— worth, their, how to be judged, II. 4. 5.
Works, Good—God alone the Author, I. 21. 21.
World—its vanity, II. 57. 17, etc.
—— necessity of withdrawing from it, I. 23. 2.
—— relinquishing it, I. 20. 25.
Worldly pleasures—drive away the Holy Spirit, III. Ch. 18.
Worldly society, I. 23. 5, etc.
Worship, True—of God, I. 21. 3, etc.
—— required, on our own account, I. 21. 21, 22.
—— seated in the heart, I. 21. 19; I. 26. 3.
—— three things belonging to it, I. 21. 5.
—— wherein it consists, I. 26. 2.
Y.
Yoke of Christ, I. 4. 6; I. 11. 13.
xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii xviii xix xx xxi xxii xxiii xxiv xxv xxvi xxvii xxviii xxix xxx xxxi xxxii xxxiii xxxiv xxxv xxxvi xxxvii xxxviii xxxix xl xli xlii 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500