True Christianity Part 26

26. Fourthly, G.o.d is represented to be _of great kindness_; so great indeed, that no sin, how great soever, can surpa.s.s it. For as G.o.d 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." Jer. 32:41. His mercy is as great as himself, that is, infinite. It extends to all mankind. "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens." Ps. 36:5. "As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." Ps. 103:11. And we read in the Lamentations: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compa.s.sions fail not: they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lam. 3:22. See, therefore, O man! that a goodness so inexpressible be no longer abused, but that it animate thee to sincere repentance.

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 G.o.d, 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."

1 Cor. 11:32. He then doth "his strange work" (of punishment), that he may bring to pa.s.s his own work (of mercy). Isa. 28:21. Thus he repented of the evil he had designed against Nineveh. Jonah 3:10. And, therefore, "it is good, that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. For the Lord will not cast off for ever: but though he cause grief, yet will he have compa.s.sion according to the mult.i.tude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lam. 3:26, 31-33. Therefore, repent of thy sins.

28. For as soon as thou repentest of sin, and supplicatest the Lord in true faith, G.o.d 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?" Jonah 4:9-11. This boundless mercy is still the same even at this day, and will continue so forever to penitent and returning sinners. Go, therefore, O man, and let this overflowing mercy of G.o.d lead thee to repentance!

Chapter X.

The Four Properties Of True Repentance.

_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 gra.s.s. 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 G.o.d_. 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."

Luke 9:23. And, "If any man come to me, and hate not his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26. Herein is expressed a threefold reference which a true Christian ought to have to his own unworthiness.

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 G.o.d on other men; or judging himself not "worthy of the least of all the mercies" of G.o.d (Gen. 32:10); and reputing himself the most inconsiderable, not only of all men, but even of all other creatures; after the words of the Psalm: "I am a worm, and no man." Ps. 22:6. In this manner, for a man to despise himself, is truly to _deny himself_.

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 l.u.s.ts, 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" (Heb. 12:2), thereby teaching us, that in "quietness and confidence shall be our strength." Isa. 30:15. And all that is comprehended in the imitation of, or following after, Christ.

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." John 19:30.

This was the reason also, that the true penitents under the old law judged themselves entirely unworthy of any good thing. They put sackcloth on their bodies, and sat in ashes. They satisfied their hunger with bread taken from the ashes, and quenched their thirst with water mingled with tears; as a testimony that they did not deserve any cleaner or better food, but merited rather to eat and to drink with their food, the very tears that trickled upon it.

6. Now the _cause_ of this great self-abas.e.m.e.nt, 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 G.o.d. An ill.u.s.tration 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?" 2 Sam.

9:8. This is a pattern, indeed, of a soul truly contrite in spirit and penitent in heart, and, therefore, sensible of both its own unworthiness, and of all the mercies bestowed on it by the Lord. And truly we may, with far greater reason, make use of the same humble speech, whenever the Lord our G.o.d vouchsafes to us, as it were, the food of his own table, and in the Holy Supper gives us his body and blood to eat and drink.

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." Luke 15:19. The woman of Canaan was even content to be called a dog, if she were but permitted to "eat of the crumbs falling from the master's table." Matt.

15:27. Peter says to the Lord: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!"

(Luke 5:8); that is, I am not worthy that thou shouldest have any further converse with me. And the centurion of Capernaum was of the same mind: "Lord," says he, "I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof."

Matt. 8:8. So also St. Paul professes himself to be "not meet to be called an apostle" (1 Cor. 15:9): and declares, that he "counted not his life dear unto him, so that he might finish his course with joy." Acts 20:24.

This inward sense of self-abas.e.m.e.nt David expresses when he speaks of "eating ashes like bread, and mingling his drink with weeping." If the heart of a Christian be brought to a sense of this vileness, then it is truly contrite and humble, and fit to be made a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Ps. 51:19.

8. A _second_ property of true repentance, is, _to grieve at nothing so much as at the offences offered to G.o.d 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 G.o.d.

9. Since G.o.d 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 G.o.d. Thus by injustice, the justice of G.o.d is offended, he being justice itself. By lying, the truth of G.o.d is offended, he being truth itself. By hatred the love of G.o.d is offended, he being love itself. In a word, since G.o.d 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, to the supreme, the righteous, the holy G.o.d, whom angels adore and fear, and whom seraphim worship with the acclamations of "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Isa. 6:3. And thou, who art but dust and ashes, art not afraid to offend him! If a penitent man earnestly calls to mind this monstrous sin, it is impossible but he must be affected with the keenest sorrow of heart, and feel the smart of his wounded conscience to equal and even exceed that of a wounded body. And there is all the reason in the world why it should be so. For hence must necessarily arise a dread and terror, _inwardly_ threatening the conscience with wrath and judgment, and _outwardly_ setting before it the approach of temporal calamities: whence a man, even as Job complains (ch.

6:1, etc.), finds no rest, takes no delight in anything, loathing even his meat and drink. These terrible pangs of conscience are described by David: "Thine arrows," says he, "stick fast in me: and thy hand presseth me sore." Ps. 38:2. For as a wound grievously smarts and grows worse whilst the arrow remains fixed in it; so also it is with the conscience, whilst the sting of sin and judgment is not taken away. And these lashes and clamors proceed from nothing but the sentence of divine justice proclaimed in the conscience, and the terrors of h.e.l.l and death attending it.

Therefore, David exclaims, "Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down:"

like one thrown down from a lofty rock into a low valley, who is so bruised and maimed, that not one sound limb remains.

10. But how terrible soever the fear of the judgments of G.o.d 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 G.o.d himself. And it is G.o.d, 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 (Ps. 146:8); He bringeth down to the grave, and He bringeth up again. 1 Sam. 2:6.

11. Whosoever, therefore, accounts and feels nothing to be more bitter and grievous, than to have offended _G.o.d_, the infinite Good, and Love itself; he only has experimentally learned the doctrine of contrition, and laid a firm foundation for sound and genuine G.o.dliness. This was one of David's acts of repentance: "Against THEE," says he, "Thee only, have I sinned."

Ps. 51:4. As if he had said, "This is my anguish and sorrow, that I have offended THEE." And Daniel thus expresses himself: "Lord, righteousness belongeth unto THEE, but unto us, confusion of face," because we have offended so righteous a G.o.d. Dan. 9:7.

12. The _third_ property of repentance is contained in these words: "My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like gra.s.s." 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 dest.i.tute of life and power, as the very shadow; and as empty of spirit and moisture, as the gra.s.s 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." Ps. 39:5.

13. O! how n.o.ble 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, 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 compa.s.s. 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 pa.s.s 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 dest.i.tute of life and motion; and it is G.o.d 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 G.o.d (Acts 17:28), of whom he is a shadow and reflected image.

The hour of death will at length fully declare, that man's "days on the earth are as a shadow" (1 Chron. 29:15; Job 8:9), as a vain shew or image (Ps. 39:5); nay, as gra.s.s which grows up, but soon withereth when it is mown down: so fades our life away immediately, when it is cut down by the fatal scythe of death. Ps. 102:3, 11; Ps. 103:15. Lo! thus are our days consumed like smoke, and we are "gone like the shadow when it declineth."

Ps. 109:23.

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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d_, 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 gra.s.s (Ps.

102:11), yet I am no less certain, that in _thee_ I shall abide for ever; for thou thyself art eternal." As by sin a man is divorced from G.o.d, so by true conversion, he is again united to him. Even as the Person of Christ is indivisible, and as the eternal Deity united the human nature in Christ Jesus with itself in so firm a bond, as is not to be dissolved by death itself (the humanity of Christ remaining in perpetual union with the Divinity, and with the glory therein residing): so, in the work of true conversion to G.o.d, penitent and believing souls are so closely and intimately united to G.o.d, that neither life nor death can separate them from him (Rom. 8:38): for "he that is joined to the Lord, is one spirit"

(1 Cor. 6:17), G.o.d betrothing us unto himself forever. Hosea 2:19. In a word, Christ himself is our only Witness; and he is the Book of Life wherein we are plainly taught, that as his human nature abides eternally united with the divine, so all believers shall be eternally united with their Lord and Head, being _one spirit_ with him. Now, as G.o.d is eternal, and Christ eternal; so the promises of G.o.d in Christ are also eternal and inviolable, he having made with us a covenant of everlasting grace. Ps.

111:5. Therefore, though a true Christian be forsaken of the world; be vexed and tormented by sin, death, h.e.l.l, and the devil himself; nay, though even his own flesh and heart fail at last, and be wholly consumed, yet is G.o.d "the strength of his heart, and his portion for ever." Ps.

73:26.

Chapter XI.

Showing That The Fruit Of Conversion Is The New Creature; Also, That The Christian Is, By Faith, A Lord Over All, And, By Love, A Servant Of All; And, That The Life Of Christ Is A Mirror For Us.

_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 G.o.d, are righteous before G.o.d, have forgiveness of sin, and the Holy Ghost; they are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), are heirs of everlasting life, and are liberated in their consciences from the law, the curse, death, the devil, h.e.l.l, and d.a.m.nation. All, whatever appertains to their salvation, is in them begotten of Christ by grace, and is conceived by them through faith; hence, neither time nor place, neither law, nor commandment, nor ceremonies, nor anything whatsoever, can be any hindrance to them. They are made perfect in Christ, who is now become a vital principle in them, and they have in him the accomplishment of the law through faith. Rom. 10:4.

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 world, with all that it contains. But, on the other hand, the name of a Christian is also the lowest name of all the names in the world, without exception. Thus, in the same degree, faith exalts a Christian _above all_; love brings down a Christian _under all_. This thou wilt then best understand, when thou seriously considerest the holy life of Christ; which is the brightest mirror both of love, and of all other virtues. See Phil. 2:5-8.

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 compa.s.sionate 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! Luke 23:34. How did he bear our sickness, sorrows, reproaches, stripes, wounds, and punishments! And indeed, what else is the life of Christ, but a most accomplished pattern of love, humility, patience, and all other virtues whatsoever! This we ought to look into, and to reflect upon it in our hearts; but especially when we are alone.

This is better than all the high boasts of knowledge, and all the art and wisdom of the world. This life of Christ is like a seal (Cant. 8:6) to be stamped upon our hearts, and leave there the impression of his image, life, love, humility, patience, cross, reproach, and death. This would prove a true celestial light to our hearts, and a powerful means both to renew us in the inner man, and to transform us more and more into the divine image. Now as Christ was _under all_ men, yea, under all creatures, in his state of _humiliation_ in this world; but is now in his state of _exaltation_, a Lord _over all_: so a Christian is, with reference to his _faith_, a lord _over all_, nothing being excepted but G.o.d; but with regard to his _life_ and conduct, a servant of servants, being _under all_ persons and things.

Chapter XII.

Showing That Christ Is The Only Way And End Of True G.o.dliness; And That Man Goes Astray, When G.o.d Does Not Guide And Direct Him.

Teach me thy way, O Lord: I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.-PS. 86:11.