"Thus Saith The Lord:" Or, The Book of Common Prayer Weighed in the Balances of
the Sanctuary
A Sermon
(No. 591)
Delivered on Sunday Morning, Spetember 25th, 1864, by the
Rev. C. H. SPURGEON,
At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
"Thus saith the Lord."–Ezekiel 11:15.
THE WISE MAN saith, "Where the word of a king is, there is power." What
power must there be where there is the word of the King of kings, who
ruleth over all! We are not left to conjecture as to the power of the
divine word, for we know that "By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Out of
nothingness the glorious creation leaped at the bidding of the Most
High, and when the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was
upon the face of the deep, there was nothing wanted but that solemn
voice, "Light be," and straightway light was. God's word was sufficient
in itself to build the temple of the universe and to finish it from its
foundations to its pinnacles. That same word upholdeth by its power,
and ruleth all things by its might. The pillars of heaven stand because
the divine word hath fixed them upon their bases, nor shall they be
shaken until that same almighty word shall bid them remove; then as a
moment's foam dissolves into the wave which bears it and is gone
forever, so shall the whole creation melt away. His word, which
created, shall also destroy; but until that word be spoken every atom
of this world is imperishable. Consider, my brethren, what power is
concentrated in him who is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and
whose name is "THE WORD OF GOD." With what glorious power our Lord
Jesus Christ uplifted the burden of our sins, carried the load up to
the tree, and cast it forever into the Red Sea of his own atoning
blood! Ye know how he burst the bars of death, tore away the gates of
the grave, overthrew all the hosts of hell, and dragged the mightiest
principalities of darkness as captives at his chariot wheels. At this
day the government is upon his shoulders, and his name is the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father. Heaven and earth salute him as the
Omnipotent Word. He sustains the spiritual life of all his people by
feeding them upon himself; and he shall in due time perfect his saints,
and present them without spot before his Father's throne. We ought,
therefore, to bow with reverence to that which is truly the word of
God, since it contains within itself the highest degree of power, and
is ever the way in which divine omnipotence manifests itself.
It is in the word that we must find wisdom and power, "because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is
stronger than men." The faintest whisper of Jehovah's voice should fill
us with a solemn awe, and command the deepest obedience of our souls.
Brethren, how careful should we be that we do not set up in God's
temple anything in opposition to his word, that we do not permit the
teachings of a creature to usurp the honor due to the Lord alone! "Thus
saith antiquity," "thus saith authority," "thus saith learning," "thus
saith experience,"–these be but idol-gods, which defile the temple of
God; be it yours and mine, as bold iconoclasts, to dash them in pieces
without mercy, seeing that they usurp the place of the word of God.
"Thus saith the Lord "–this is the motto of our standard, the war-cry
of our spiritual conflict,–the sword with which we hope yet to smite
through the loins of the mighty who rise up against God's truth.
Nothing shall stand before this weapon in the day when God cometh out
of his hiding-place; for even at this hour, when "Thus saith the Lord"
sounds from the trumpet of the Lord's ministers, the hosts of Midian
begin to tremble; for well they know the might of that terrible
watchword in days of yore.
This morning, I shall first endeavor to show, briefly, the value of a
"Thus saith the Lord;" and then, secondly, I shall, with as much
calmness of spirit as I can command, request a "Thus faith the Lord"
for certain things which are received and practiced in the State
Establishment of our land, and close with a word of personal
application, beseeching you to seek a "Thus saith the Lord" for any
hopes which you may entertain of being partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light.
I. LET US CONSIDER THE VALUE OF A "THUS SAITH THE LORD."
1. Our first observation is that it is the minister's message. If he be
God's minister, he does not found his teaching upon his own authority,
for then his message would be only that of himself, and not to be
esteemed; but he shows the authority of his Master, and none can
gainsay him. He claims men's attention on the ground that he utters a
"Thus saith the Lord." No matter how aged he may be, he does not
proclaim the truth as merely the result of his long investigations or
his extraordinary experience, but he grounds it upon "Thus saith the
Lord." So spake the hoary-headed Joshua when for many a year he had
known the faithfulness of God, and was about to die. He was singing his
swan-song, preaching his last sermon; but he did not commence it, "Thus
saith my age," "Thus say I upon mine own authority," but "Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel." A God-sent minister is the ambassador of the
Most High, but he has no right to go beyond his commission; and when he
does so, his office cannot yield him support. The prophets of God did
not say, "Thus I speak as a prophet," but, "Thus saith the Lord." When
the prophet came in Gideon's days and spoke to erring Israel, he opened
his mouth with, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel." Turn to the pages
of Isaiah, and mark how frequent he quotes the divine authority; study
the plaintive words of Jeremiah, and observe how solemnly his prophetic
woes are prefaced with, "Thus saith the Lord;" and the soaring Ezekiel,
to whom was given, as it were, six wings, that he might take more lofty
flights than the eagle knoweth–even he relied not upon the sublimity
of his language or the glory of his imagery, but found the sinews of
his strength in "Thus saith the Lord God." This is the trowel and this
the hammer of God's builders,–this the trumpet of his watchmen and the
sword of his warriors. Woe to the man who comes in any other name! If
we, or an angel from heaven, shall preach unto you anything but a "Thus
saith the Lord," no matter what our character or standing, give no heed
to us, but cleave unto the truth as it is in Jesus. To the law and to
the testimony, if we speak not according to this word, it is because
there is no light in us. That test which we demand to be exercised upon
others we cheerfully consent to be exercised upon ourselves, praying
that we may have grace to forsake our errors as we would have other men
forsake theirs.
2. "Thus saith the Lord" is the only authority in God church. When the
tabernacle was pitched in the wilderness, what was the authority for
its length and breadth? Why was the altar of incense to be placed here,
and the brazen laver there? Why so many lambs or bullocks to be offered
on a certain day? Why must the Passover be roasted whole and not
sodden? Simply and only because God had shown all these things to Moses
in the holy mount; and thus had Jehovah spoken, "Look that thou make
them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount." It is
even so in the church at the present day; true servants of God demand
to see for all church ordinances and doctrines the express authority of
the church's only Teacher and Lord. They remember that the Lord Jesus
bade the apostles to teach believers to observe all things whatsoever
he had commanded them; but he neither gave to them nor to any man power
to alter his own commands. The Holy Ghost revealed much of precious
truth and holy precept by the apostles, and to his teaching we would
give earnest heed; but when men cite the authority of fathers and
councils and bishops, we give place for subjection? no, not for an
hour. They may quote Irenaeus or Cyprian, Augustine or Chrysostom; they
may remind us of the dogmas of Luther or Calvin; they may find
authority in Simeon, Wesley, or Gill–we will listen to the opinions of
those great men with the respect which they deserve as men; but having
so done, we deny that we have anything to do with these men as
authorities in the church of God: for there nothing has any authority
but "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts." Yea, if you shall bring us the
concurrent consent of all tradition–if you shall quote precedents
venerable with fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen centuries of
antiquity–we burn the whole as so much worthless lumber, unless you
put your finger upon the passage of Holy Writ which warrants the matter
to be of God. You may further plead, in addition to all this venerable
authority, the beauty of the ceremony, and its usefulness to those who
partake therein, but this is all foreign to the point; for to the true
church of God the only question is this: Is there a "Thus saith the
Lord" for it? And if divine authority be not forthcoming, faithful men
thrust forth the intruder as the cunning craftiness of men.
3. "Thus saith the Lord" is the most fitting word of rebuke for erring
saints. God's people when they err, if they be rebuked, even though it
should be in the gentlest manner, are too apt to resent the rebuff; but
when we can come to them with "Thus saith the Lord," if there be a
spark of spiritual life left, it is sure to catch at this flame. When
the man of God came to Eli, how Eli's heart trembled when he began,
"Thus saith the Lord," and described to him the doom of his house,
because his sons had made themselves vile, and he had not restrained
them. David the king might have been moved to anger against Nathan for
that personal parable and pungent application; but his anger was
stayed, nay, better still, his heart was broken, because the prophet
could say, "Thus saith the Lord." My dear brethren in Christ, you and I
have often risen in anger at the intrusive proofs of ignorant men; but
I hope we have far more often felt the melting power of a "Thus saith
the Lord." When the heart is right, the word of God sweetly melts us,
as the breath of the south wind melts the frozen rivers.
4. "Thus saith the Lord" is the only solid ground of comfort to God's
people. Where can a child of God find true solace apart from that which
cometh out of the mouth of the Most High! Truly, "Man doth not live by
bread alone; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God
doth man live;" "Thy words were found, and I did eat them;" "How sweet
are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" When
Nathan came to tell David of the covenant which the Lord would make
with him and his house, David would scarcely have believed so great a
mercy to be really his if the prophet had not began with "Thus saith
the Lord." It was not "Thus saith Nathan," or "Thus do the ancients
say," but "Thus saith the Lord;" and David's heart was full of holy joy
when he saw the covenant to be ordered in all things and sure. When
Hezekiah lay sick unto death, he turned his face to the wall and
prayed; but there was no comfort to the royal suppliant until the
prophet came with "Thus saith the Lord;" and when Sennacherib was about
to besiege Jerusalem, and Lachish had fallen, Hezekiah prayed, and the
people with him; but oh! they could not think it possible that there
should be a hook put into the jaw of the mighty Assyrian, and that he
should be turned back by the way in which he came, till the prophet
reassured their hearts with a "Thus saith the Lord." Zion's sons and
daughters feast upon the sure word of their faithful God. Brethren, I
need not enlarge here, for I hope most of you know the preciousness of
a divine promise. There is nothing wanted to stay your soul in your
worst troubles but the Word of God applied with power. God may not seed
you a friend; he may not raise up a deliverer; but if he shall only
give you to believe his Word, that shall be enough for you. Martin
Luther said: "I have covenanted with my Lord that he should not send me
visions, or dreams, or even angels. I am content with this one gift of
the Scriptures, which abundantly teaches and supplies all that is
necessary, both for this life and that which is to come." O Lord, only
feed me on thy Word, and I will not envy kings their delicacies, nor
even the angels around thy throne the bread of heaven on which they
live.
5. Yet again: "Thus saith the Lord" is that with which we must confront
the Lords enemies. When Moses went in before Pharaoh, the words which
he used were not, "The elders of Israel have consulted, and thus have
they bidden me say," not "Our Father Abraham once said, and his words
have been handed to us by long tradition "–such talk would have been
readily resisted; but he confronted the haughty monarch with "Thus
saith the Lord, Let my people go;" and it was the power of this divine
word which rained plagues upon the fields of Zoan, and brought forth
the captives, with silver and gold. Pharaoh might boast, "Who is the
Lord, that I should obey his voice?" but ere long he knew that
Jehovah's word was mightier than all the horsemen and chariots of
Mizraim, and was not to be resisted without terrible defeat. To this
day, if we would break sinners' hearts, our hammer must be "Thus saith
the Lord;" and if we would woo them to obedience to King Jesus, our
reasons must come from his own Word. I have often noticed in
conversion, that, though sometimes a particular passage of the sermon
may be quoted by the converted person as the means of enlightenment,
yet in the majority of cases it is the text, or some passage of
Scripture, quoted during the sermon, which is blessed to do the work.
McCheyne says, "Depend upon it, it is God's Word, not our comment upon
God's Word, that saves souls;" and so it is. Let us use much of
Scripture, much of the pure silver of sacred revelation, and no human
alloy. "What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?"
6. To close this point. Such an authority has a "Thus saith the Lord,"
that it is not to be despised without entailing upon the offender the
severest penalty. Samuel came to Saul with "Thus saith the Lord," and
bade him destroy the Amalekites. He was utterly to cut them off, and
not to spare so much as one of them. But Saul saved the best of the
cattle and the sheep, and brought home Agag; and what was the result?
His kingdom was taken from him and given to a neighbor of his that was
better than he; and because he exalted himself beyond measure to do
otherwise than according to the letter of God's command, he was put
away forever from having dominion over Israel. And mark this word: if
any church in Christendom shall continue, after light is given and
after plain rebuke is uttered, to walk contrary to the word of God, and
to teach that which is inconsistent with Holy Scripture, as Saul was
put away from the kingdom, so shall that church be put away from before
the Lord of Hosts; and if any man, be he who he may, after receiving
light from on high, continues willfully to shut his eyes, he shall not,
if an heir of heaven, be rejected from eternal salvation, but he shall
be cast off from much of the usefulness and comfort which he might
otherwise have enjoyed. He knew his Master's will, and did it not: he
shall be beaten with many stripes. He has been as the horse or the mule
which have no understanding, and his mouth shall be held in with bit
and bridle. Many sorrows shall be to those who dare to dash themselves
against the thick bosses of Jehovah's buckler by opposing his "Thus
saith the Lord." Upon whomsoever this stone shall fall, it shall grind
him to powder; and whosoever shall fall upon it shall be broken, to his
own lasting damage. O my brethren! I would that we trembled and stood
more in awe of God's word. I fear me that many treat the things of God
as though they were merely matters of opinion, but remember that
opinion cannot govern in God's house. God's word, not man's opinion,
claims your allegiance. Remember that although our ignorant conscience
may not accuse us of error, yet if we walk contrary to God's word, our
conscientiousness does not screen us from sin; for conscience is not
the sovereign arbiter of right and wrong, but the plain word of God is
the rule of equity. I do not sin so foully as if I sinned against my
conscience, but I still sin, if, having an unenlightened conscience, I
ignorantly transgress. But if I wilfully keep my conscience in
darkness, and continue in errors which I might easily know to be such
by a little thought and searching of God's word, then my conscience can
offer me no excuse, for I am guilty of blindfolding the guide which I
have chosen, and then, knowing him to be blindfolded, I am guilty of
the folly of letting him lead me into rebellion against God. O church
of God! hear thou the voice of thy great Founder and Lord: "Whosoever,
therefore shall one of these least commandments, and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." "He that
hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he
that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest myself to him." Oh for a stern integrity, that will hold
the word, and will never depart from it, come what may. This much
concerning the value of a "Thus saith the Lord."
II. Dear friends, the second part of our subject may be very
displeasing to some who have strayed in here, but that I cannot help. I
do not remember ever asking any one to come and hear me, and therefore,
as you come of your own wills, when I have any truth to speak, I shall
not conceal it because you choose to be present. At the present crisis,
I feel that it is woe unto me if I do not lift up my voice like a
trumpet, and urge with all my might the necessity of reformation in our
State Church. I have, moreover, an excellent excuse for the inquiry I
am about to make; for as I am publicly charged with ignorance, it is at
once my duty and my privilege to seek instruction of those who claim
authority to teach. When one is known to be profoundly ignorant, and
there are certain fathers in the faith who have the power to instruct,
the least thing that can be allowed us is to ask questions, and the
smallest boon we can expect is to have them answered by men expressly
ordained to instruct the ignorant.
The Rev. W. Goode, the Dean of Ripon, appears to be much better
acquainted with the extent of my reading and mental acquirements than I
am myself. He speaks with all the positiveness of a personal
acquaintance concerning my reputed ignorance, and for my own part I am
not at all anxious to question so very reverend an authority. He
writes: "As to that young minister who is now raving against the
Evangelical clergy on this point, it is to be regretted that so much
notice has been taken of his railings. He is to be pitied, because his
entire want of acquaintance with theological literature leaves him
utterly unfit for the determination of such a question; which is a
question, not of more doctrine, but of what may be called historical
theology; and his charges are just a parallel to those which the
Romanists would bring against himself as well as others for the
interpretation of the words, This is my body.' But were he a wiser man
than he is, he would know better what his qualifications are for
passing Judgment on such a point, and be willing to learn from such
facts, among others, as the Gorham Judgment and the cases of Mr.
Maskell and Mr. Mozley, what ground there is for his charges against
the Evangelical clergy. Let him hold and enforce his own view of
doctrine as he pleases; but when he undertakes to determine what is the
exclusive meaning of the Book of Common Prayer, and brings a charge of
dishonesty against those who take a different view of that meaning from
what he does, he only shows the presumptuous self-confidence with which
he is prepared to pronounce judgment upon matters of which he is
profoundly ignorant. To hold a controversy with him upon the subject
would be to as little purpose as to attempt to hold a
logically-constructed argument with a child unacquainted with logical
terms."
When this paragraph caught my eye, my heart leaped with joy, for I knew
that the sinners in Zion were afraid; and I thought I heard a voice
crying from the Word, "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base
things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: that
no flesh should glory in his presence." My mind flew back to the valley
of Elah, and I remembered the words of the old record: "And when the
Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was
but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine
said unto David, Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves? And the
Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David,
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to
the beasts of the field." My spirit kindled at these words of the
boastful champion of yore, and at their modern reproduction by the
vainglorious divine of Ripon, and the answer of David was in my heart
as it is even now upon my tongue: "Thou comest to me with a sword and
with a spear and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the
Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand that all the earth
may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall
know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is
the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands." Admitting the witness
of the venerable dean to be correct, and that "the young minister" is
inexpert in logic, I am not therefore ashamed; far otherwise, I will
the rather glory in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may rest
upon me; "for when I am weak, then am I strong." Take, O ye great ones
of the earth, every profit that can be made out of your belief in my
utter total ignorance, and your own profound and extensive learning,
and then go your ways, and learn what this meaneth: "Thy wisdom and thy
knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I
am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee: thou
shalt not know from whence it riseth.. And now at this hour, having
been condemned as intolerably ignorant, I feel I have the liberty to
ask just a few explanations of those reverend divines who do know or
ought to know the grounds of their faith and practice.
1. I open this little book,–the Prayer-Book, of whose occasional
services the more I know the less I approve,–and I find in the
Baptismal Service, that when little children are brought to be
sprinkled, certain godfathers and godmothers promise for them that they
shall renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of
the world, with all covetous desires of the same, etc., and that they
shall obediently keep all God's holy will and commandments, and walk in
the same all the days of their life. To me it seems that they might as
well promise that the infants should grow up with Roman noses, auburn
hair, and blue eyes; for they are just as able to make them do the one
as the other. I shall not however intrude my opinion further, but
simply ask whether there is a "Thus saith the Lord" for any man's
standing proxy for a babe, and making such promises in its name?–in
other words, I ask for apostolical, prophetic, or any other form of
scriptural precept, or precedent, for the use of proxies in baptism.
True religion is a personal matter–is its first manifestation in
regeneration to be connected with the impossible promises of others?
Plain proof-texts are requested for godfathers and godmothers; and such
important persons deserve to be defended by the clergy, if texts of
Scripture can be discovered. As I cannot imagine where the texts will
be found, I must pause till the learned shall produce them. Further, I
find that these children enter into a covenant by proxy, of which we
are assured that the promise our Lord Jesus will for his part most
surely keep and perform; but the children are bound to do their
part–that part being something more than the gigantic task of keeping
all the commandments of God. Now I ask for a "Thus saith the Lord" for
such a covenant as this. I find two covenants in the Word of God: one
is the covenant of works, "This do, and thou shalt live;" I find
another, the covenant of grace, which runs only in this wise, "I will
be their God, and they shall be my people." I find it expressly
declared that there cannot be a mixture of works and grace; for, says
Paul, "If by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace; but if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise
work is no more work;" and I ask a "Thus saith the Lord" for this
baptismal covenant, which is nominally of grace, but really of works,
or at best an unnatural conglomerate of grace and works. I ask those
who have searched Scripture through, to find me the form or the command
for any baptismal covenant whatever. It is idle to say that such a
covenant was allowed among the early Christians; their witness is not
earlier enough for us: we want a "Thus saith the Lord," and nothing but
this will justify this pretended covenant.
We then find that after this covenant has been made, and the water has
been applied in a manner which we think needs also a "Thus saith the
Lord" to justify it, it is publicly declared that the babe is
regenerated,–"Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren that this child is
regenerated and grafted into the body of Christ's church, let us give
thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make
our prayers unto him, that this child may lead the rest of his life
according to this beginning." And, again, "We yield thee hearty thanks,
most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this
infant with thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for thine own child by
adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy church," etc. We are
told we do not understand the meaning of "regeneration" as it is used
in the services of the Anglican Church. The meaning of this passage is
historical, hypothetical, ecclesiastical, and we know not what. The
words "to be born again" did not formerly seem to us to be so very
difficult to understand, nor do they appear so now as they stand in
Scripture; for we find in them the one regeneration which has renewed
us in the spirit of our mind, and we cannot consent to use those words
in any other sense. Well, whether regeneration be or be not a very
equivocal word, we simply ask, Is there a "Thus saith the Lord" for the
assertion that a sprinkled infant is therefore regenerate in any sense
in the world? Will any person find us a text of Scripture?–he shall
have large rewards from clergymen with uneasy consciences! We put our
inquiry again in plain terms, Will some one oblige us with a plain
"Thus saith the Lord" proving that water baptism in any one instance
makes an unconscious babe a member of Christ and a child of God, in any
sense which any sane person chooses to attach to those words? Where is
the passage–where? Echo answers "where?" But this subject you have
been considering for some time, and are well convinced that the process
of regenerating babies by occult influences conveyed by water is a
pure–no, an impure–invention of priest-craft. There is therefore no
necessity that I enlarge upon a point so well understood.
2. I have a second question to ask. There is prescribed in the Book of
Common Prayer a peculiar ceremony called confirmation. I do not
remember to have read of that in Scripture. I would like to have a
"Thus saith the Lord" for that rite. As I am ready to yield as far as
possible, suppose we take it for granted that this ceremony is
defensible from Holy Writ, I would like to know whether there is any
"Thus saith the Lord" allowing a person called a bishop to give to the
assembled youths an assurance of divine favor by laying his hands on
their heads? The bishop having laid his hands on every head presented
to him, whether it be gracious or graceless, talks thus in the Collect,
"Almighty and everliving God, who makest us both to will and to do
those things that be good and acceptable unto thy divine majesty, we
make our humble supplications unto thee for these thy servants upon
whom (after the example of thy holy apostles) we have now laid our
hands, to certify them (by this sign) of thy favor and gracious
goodness towards them." Does this mean that the bishop's hand certifies
the person touched thereby of special divine favor? So it seems to
teach, as far as I can see. We want, then, a "Thus saith the Lord,"
authorizing this individual in lawn to exercise the office of an
apostle! We then desire scriptural warrant permitting him to certify
these kneeling youths of the enjoyment or possession of any particular
divine favor by putting his hands on their heads. If this means the
common goodness of God, the bishop's hands are not needed to certify
them of that; but as he has already declared in prayer that they were
regenerated by water and the Spirit, and had been forgiven all their
sins, it is clear that special favor is intended; we inquire,
therefore, for his authority for giving these young people a further
certificate of special divine favor by the imposition of his hands. Why
his hands? Who is he that he can certify these persons of God's favor
more than any other man? Where is his scriptural warrant to confer by
his hands a certificate of grace upon young people who in innumerable
cases are thoughtless and unconverted, if not profane? We want a "Thus
saith the Lord" for the whole thing, and then for each item in detail.
Endless is the task thus proposed to the honest Churchman.
3. Another matter needs a little clearing up; and, as this Book was set
forth by learned divines and bishops, I would like a lucid explanation.
The priest visits a sick man, sits down by his bed-side, reads certain
prayers, bids the patient remember his baptism, questions him as to his
creed, gives him good advice about forgiving his enemies and making his
will, moves him to make a special confession of his sin if he feels his
conscience troubled with any weighty matter, after which confession the
Rubric says "the priest shall absolve him" (if he humbly and heartily
desire it), after this sort. Here is the absolution, and I humbly and
heartily desire a "Thus saith the Lord" for it: "Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath left power to his church to absolve all sinners who truly
repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine
offences; and by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all
thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." Sir Priest, I want you to give me a plain warrant from God's
Word for your absolving my dying neighbor at this rate. Who are you
that you should use such words? The season is solemn: it is the hour of
death, and the matter is weighty, for it concerns the eternal interests
of the dying man, and may–nay, will, if you be found to be acting
presumptuously in this matter–involve your own soul in eternal ruin.
Whence did you derive your right to forgive that sick man? Might he not
raise his withered hands and return the compliment by absolving you?
Are you quite sure as to the committal of divine authority to you? Then
show me the deed of gift, and let it be clearly of divine origin. The
apostles were empowered to do many things; but who are you? Do you
claim to be their successors? Then work miracles similar to theirs;
take up serpents, and drink deadly things without being harmed thereby;
prove to us that you have seen the Lord, or even that cloven tongues of
fire have sat upon each of you. You evangelical clergy, dare you claim
to be successors of the apostles, and to have power to forgive sins?
Your Puseyite brethren go the whole length of superstitious pretension;
but you have too much light to be so superstitious; and yet you do what
is quite as wicked,–you solemnly subscribe that this absolution is not
contrary to the Word of God when you know it is? Gorham case, say you.
I care nothing for your Gorham case: I want a "Thus saith the Lord"
warranting you to swear to what you know to be false and dangerous. Mr.
Mozley and Mr. Maskell may give you all the comfort which they can
afford; but one word of Peter or of Paul would be of more weight in
this matter than a thousand words from either of them.
You are aware, perhaps, that it is not every man who is permitted by
the Established religion to pronounce this absolution. A person called
a "deacon" is, I am informed, allowed to preach and do a great many
things, but when he reads the Book of Common Prayer in the daily
service he must not grant absolution; there is a supernatural something
which the man has not yet received, for he has only once felt the
episcopal imposition of hands. We shall see, by-and-by, where absolving
power comes from. The deacon has attained to one grade of priestcraft,
but the full vigor of mystic influence rests not upon him. Another
touch, another subscription, and the keys of St. Peter will swing at
his girdle; but his time is not yet. I ask him, whether he calls
himself a deacon or a priest, where he gets a "Thus saith the Lord" for
this absolution? which, if it be not of God, is a piece of
impertinence, superstition, blasphemy, and falsehood.
4. I turn on and find that when the sick dies he is buried in
consecrated ground; and though he may have cut his throat while under
delirium tremens, if the jury do not return a verdict of suicide, the
priest shall say, as he casts earth upon the body, "Forasmuch as it
hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the
soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to
the ground,–earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,–in sure and
certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life." And again, "We give
thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our
brother out of the miseries of this sinful world." And yet again, "We
meekly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from he death of sin unto
the life of righteousness; that when we shall depart this life, we may
rest in him, as our hope is this our brother doth." We beg a "Thus
saith the Lord" for burying every baptized thief, harlot, rogue,
drunkard, and liar who may die in the parish–"in sure and certain hope
of the blessed resurrection." "Oh! it is commanded by authority." What
authority? We challenge it, and permit none to pass muster but a "Thus
saith the Lord." Until clergymen will bring us scriptural warrant for
uttering falsehoods over a grave, we dare not cease our testimony
against them. How long will the many godly laymen in that Church remain
quiet? Why do they not bestir themselves, and demand revision or
disruption?
5. Turning a little further on, into a part of the Prayer-Book not much
frequented by ordinary readers, we come to the "Ordering of Priests,"
or the way in which priests are made. Why priests? Is one believer more
a priest than another, when all are styled a royal priesthood? Let that
pass. Of course, brethren, the priests are made by the bishops, as the
bishops are made by Lord Palmerston, or Lord Derby, or any other
political leader who may be in office. The Prime Minister of England is
the true fountain from whom all bishops flow, and the priests are minor
emanations branching off from the mitre rather than the crown. Here is
the way of ordering priests. Let heaven and earth hear this and be
astonished: "When this prayer is done, the bishop with the priests
present shall lay their hands severally upon the head of every one that
receiveth the order of priesthood; the receivers humbly kneeling upon
their knees, and the bishop saying, Receive the Holy Ghost.'" Listen to
it, now! Think you behold the scene: a man of God, a bishop whom you
have been in the habit of considering a most gracious, godly man, and
such no doubt he may be, in a sort,–think you see him putting his
hands upon the head of some evangelical man whom you will go and hear,
or, if you like, upon some young rake fresh from Oxford,–and think you
hear him say, "Receive the Holy Ghost for the office and work of a
priest in the church of God, now committed unto thee by the imposition
of our hands. Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven, and
whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained." We want a "Thus saith
the Lord" for that; for that is putting it rather strongly in the
popish line, one would think. Is the way of ordering priests in the
Church of Rome much worse than this? That the apostles did confer the
Holy Ghost, we never thought of denying; but that Oxford, Exeter, or
any other occupants of the bench can give the Holy Spirit, needs some
proof other than their silk aprons or lawn sleeves can afford us. We
ask, moreover, for one instance in which an apostle conferred upon any
minister the power to forgive sins, and where it can be found in
Scripture that any man other than an apostle ever received authority to
absolve sinners. Sirs, let us say the truth; however much yonder priest
may pretend at his parishioner's bedside to forgive sin, the man's sins
are not forgiven; and the troubled conscience of the sinner often bears
witness to the fact, as the day of judgment and the fearful hell of
sinners must also bear witness. And what think you, sirs, must be the
curse that fills the mouth of damned souls, when in another world they
meet the priest who absolved them with this sham absolution! With what
reproaches will such deceived ones meet the priest who sent them down
to perdition with a lie in their right hands! Will they not say to him,
"Thou didst forgive me all my sins by an authority committed unto thee,
and yet here am I cast into the pit of hell?" Oh! if I do not clear my
Soul upon this infamous business, and if the whole Christian church
does not cleanse herself of it, what guilt will lay upon us! This is
become a crying evil, and a sin that is not to be spoken of behind the
door, nor to be handled in gentle language. I have been severe, it is
said, and spoken harshly. I do not believe it possible to be too severe
in this matter; but, sirs, if I have been so, let that be set down as
my sin if you will; but is there any comparison between my fault and
that of men who know this to be contrary to the Word of God, and yet
give it their unfeigned assent and consent? or the sin of those who can
lie unto the Holy Ghost, by pretending to confer Him who bloweth where
he listeth upon men who as likely as not are as graceless as the very
heathen? Fresh from the dissipations of college-life, the sinner bows
before the man in lawn, and rises a full-blown priest, fully able to
remit or retain sins. After this, how can the priests of the Church of
England denounce the Roman Catholics? It is so very easy to fume and
bluster against Puseyites and Papists; but the moment our charity
begins at home, and we give our Evangelical brethren the same benefit
which they confer upon the open Romanists, they are incensed beyond
measure. Yet will we tell them to their faces, that they, despite their
fair speeches, are as guilty as those whom they denounce; for there is
as much Popery in this priest-making as in any passage in the
mass-book. Protestant England! wilt thou long tolerate this blasphemy?
Land of Wiclif, birthplace of the martyrs of Smithfield, is this long
to be borne with? I am clear of this matter before the Most High, or
hope to be, ere I sleep in the grave; and having once sounded the
trumpet, it hall ring till my lips are dumb. Do you tell me it is no
business of mine? Is it not the National Church?–does not its sin
rest, therefore, upon every man and woman in the nation, Dissenter and
Churchman, who does not shake himself from it by open disavowal? I am
not meddling with anybody else's church; but the church that claims me
as a parishioner would compel me, if it could, to pay its church rates,
and that does take from me my share of tithe every year. I ask the
sturdy Protestants of England, and especially the laity of the Church
of England, whether they intend forever to foster such abominations?
Arise, Britannia! nation of the free, and shake thy garments from the
dust of this hoary superstition; and as for thee, O Church of England!
may God bless thee with ministers who will sooner come forth to poverty
and shame than pervert or assist in perverting the Word of God.
6. I have not quite done: I have another question to ask. Look at the
thanksgiving which is offered on the twentieth day of June, on account
of Her Majesty's accession: in this thanksgiving we very heartily join,
although we decline to pray by book on the twentieth of June or any
other day; look at the close that thanksgiving, and you see the name of
Lord John Russell as a sort of official authority for the prayer! Is
Earl Russell also among the prophets? And on the other side of the
page, in order that the Tories may edify the church as well as the
Whigs, I see the hand of S. H. Walpole. Is he also a governor in
Christ's church? Hath the Lord given these men power to legislate for
his church, or sign mandates for her to obey? But what is it all about?
"Victoria Regina, our will and pleasure is that these four forms of
prayer," etc. Do you see? here is royal supremacy! Further on, in the
next page: "Now, therefore, our will and pleasure is," etc. See the
Preface to the Articles, "Being by God's Ordinance, according to our
just Title, Defender of the Faith, and Supreme Governor of the Church,
within these our Dominions;" and again, "We are Supreme Governor of the
Church of England." This is the way in which your Church bows herself
before the kingdoms of this world. I demand, earnestly demand, a "Thus
saith the Lord" for this royal supremacy. If any king, or queen, or
emperor shall say, in any Christian church, "Our will and pleasure is,"
we reply, "We have another King,–one Jesus." As to the Queen, honored
and beloved as she is, she is by her sex incapacitated for ruling in
the church. Paul decides that point by his plain precept, "I suffer not
a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in
silence;" and if a king were in the case, we should say, "We render
unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things
which are God's." In civil matters, we cheerfully obey princes and
magistrates; but if any king, queen, emperor, or what not, usurps power
in the church of God, we reply, "One is our Master, even Christ, and
all we are brethren. The crown-rights belong to King Jesus: he alone is
King in Zion." But I am met at once with the reply, "Well, but Christ
is the Head of the Established Church, as well as the Queen." I
remember reading about a three-headed dog which kept the gates of hell,
but I never dreamed of a two-headed church till I heard of the Anglican
Establishment. A two-headed church is a monster! The Queen the Head of
the Church, and King Jesus the Head of the Church, too! Never. Where is
a "Thus saith the Lord" for this? No man living who calls himself an
Englishman has a word to say of Her Majesty except that which is full
of honor and esteem and loyal affection; but the moment we come to talk
about the church of Christ, whoever shall say, or think, or believe,
that there is any headship to the church of Christ except the person of
Christ himself, he knoweth not what he saith nor whereof he affirmeth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Head over all things to his church, which
is his body: the fulness of him filleth all in all. Here stand the two
letters "V. R." at the top of certain mandates, and they mean just
this: "Our royal authority commands that you shall not believe this,
and you shall believe that; you shall not pray this, and you shall pray
that; and you shall pray on such a day," and so on. The church which
thus bows to authority commits fornication with the kings of the earth,
and virtually renounces her allegiance to Christ to gain the filthy
lucre of state endowments. He is the freeman whom the truth makes free,
and who wears no gilded collar, with a chain hanging therefrom held in
a royal hand. Remember how the Chancellor laughed to scorn the whole
bench of bishops, and rightly so; for he who voluntarily makes himself
a bondman deserves to feel the lash. May the little finger of our state
grow heavier than the loins of James or Elizabeth, until all good men
flee from the house of bondage. Servants of God, will ye be servants of
man? Ye who profess to follow King Jesus and see him crowned with the
crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, do
you take off his diadem to put it upon the head of another? No, it
shall never be. Scotland has repelled the royal intrusion right bravely
by her sons of the Free Church, who have left all to follow King Jesus.
Her bush burned in the olden times, but was not consumed; the covenant
was stained with blood, but it was never slain. Let us revive that
covenant, and, if need be, seal it with our blood. Let the Church of
England have what king she pleases, or what prince she pleases for her
head; but this I know, that there is no "Thus saith the Lord"
concerning the ecclesiastical supremacy of Victoria Regina, nor the
authority of Lord John Russell, or S. H. Walpole, or any of that
company, honorable though they be.
7. Now once more: one other question. I am profoundly ignorant, and
have not the power to judge of these things (so am I informed), and
therefore I would like to ask for a "Thus saith the Lord" for a few of
the canons;–no, perhaps I had better not read them; they are too
bad,–they are full of all malice and uncharitableness, and everything
that cometh of the foul fiend. I will ask whether there can be found
any "Thus saith the Lord" for this: Canon 10. "Maintainers of
Schismatics in the Church of England to be censured. Whoever shall
hereafter affirm that such ministers as refuse to subscribe to the form
and manner of God's worship in the Church of England, prescribed in the
Communion-Book, and their adherents, may truly take unto them the name
of another church not established by law, and dare presume to publish
it, that this their pretended church hath of long time groaned under
the burden of certain grievances imposed upon it, and upon the members
thereof before mentioned, by the Church of England, and the orders and
constitutions therein by law established, let them be excommunicated,
and not restored until they repent and publicly revoke such their
wicked errors." What Scripture warrants one church to excommunicate
another merely for being a church, and complaining of undoubted
grievances?
Canon 11. "Maintainers of Conventicles censured. Whosoever shall
hereafter affirm or maintain that there are within this realm other
meetings, assemblies, or congregations of the king's born subjects,
than such as by the laws of this land are held and allowed, which may
rightly challenge to themselves the name of true and lawful churches,
let him be excommunicated, and not restored but by the Archbishop,
after his repentance and public revocation of such his wicked errors."
Where doth Holy Scripture authorize the excommunication of every good
man who is charitable enough to believe that there are other churches
beside his own? Search ye out of to book of the Lord, and read!
For very much in this Book of Canons I beg to be informed of a "Thus
saith the Lord." For matters which do not concern religion and have
only to do with the mere arrangement of service, we neither ask nor
expect a divine precept; but upon vital points of doctrine, ceremony,
or precept, we cannot do without it. Scarcely can any document be more
inconsistent with Scripture than the Book of Canons, and hence it is
ever kept in the back ground, because those who know anything about it
must be ashamed of it. And yet these are Canons of the Church of
England,–canons which are inconsistent, many of them, with even the
common rules of our own present enlightened law, let alone the Word of
God. We ask a "Thus saith the Lord" for them, and we wait until a "Thus
saith the Lord" shall be found to defend them.
Now some will say, why do I thus take this matter up and look into it?
I have already told you the reason, dear friends. There is an
opportunity for pushing another Reformation given to us just now, of
which if we do not avail ourselves we shall be very guilty. Some have
said, "Why not go on preaching the gospel to sinners?" I do preach the
gospel to sinners, as earnestly as ever I did in my life; and there are
as many conversions to God as at any former period. This is God's work:
and beware lest any of you lift a finger against it. The hand of the
Lord is in this thing, and he that lives shall see it. Let us have our
prayers, that good may come of this controversy, even though you may
deplore it. As for anything else that you can do, it shall not turn us
a hair's-breadth from this testimony to which we feel God has called
us, though it bringeth upon us every evil that flesh would shrink from.
The words of Dr. Guthrie are well worth quoting here: "The servant is
no better than his master; and I do believe, were we more true to God,
more faithful and honest in opposing the world for its good, we should
get less smoothly along the path of life, and have less reason to read
with apprehension these words of Jesus: Woe unto you when all men shall
speak well of you.' Not less true than shrewd was the remark of a
Scotch woman respecting one who, just settled in the ministry, had been
borne to his pulpit amid the plaudits of all the people: If he is a
faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, he will have all the
blackguards in the parish on his head before a month is gone.'"
III. Now, to close, let me say to you, my hearers, have any of you a
hope of heaven which will not stand the test of "Thus saith the Lord?"
What are you resting upon? Are you resting upon something which you
felt when excited at a prayer-meeting or under a sermon? Remember you
will not have that excitement to bear you up in death, and the religion
of excitement will not suffice in the day of judgment. Are you building
upon your own works? Are you depending upon your own feelings? Do you
rely upon sacraments? Are you placing your trust upon the word of man?
If so, remember that when God shakes all things he will shake these
false foundations; but oh! build upon the Word of my Lord and Master;
trust your soul with Jesus. Hating sin, and clinging to the great
sinbearer, you shall find in him a rock of refuge which can never,
never fail you; but I do conjure you, as the Lord liveth, search and
try yourselves by the Word of God. No doubt there are many among us who
are not built upon the Rock of Ages, and we may any of us be deceived
by a mere name to live. Do, then, since the test-day must come,–since
you must be weighed in the balances,–weigh yourselves now, my hearers;
and let none of us go down to the chambers of destruction believing
ourselves to be heirs of heaven, being all the while enemies to the
Most High God. May the Lord exalt his own Word, and give us a sure
inheritance in the blessings which it brings. Amen.
BAPTISMAL REGENERATION
The following sermons contain Mr. Spurgeon's views upon the Question
now under controversy:–
No. 573.–"Baptismal Regeneration."–170th Thousand.
No. 577.–"Let Us Go Forth."–30th Thousand.
No. 581.–"Children Brought to Christ, Not to the Font."–60th
Thousand.
No. 591.–"Thus Saith The Lord:" Or, The Book of Common Prayer Weighed
in the Balances of the Sanctuary.–60th Thousand.
TWO LETTERS from C. H. SPURGEON–one to the Evangelical Alliance,
signifying his withdrawal from that Association; and another to The
Christian Public, proving that his accusations against the Evangelical
Clergy are neither novel nor singular.–25th Thousand.
One Penny each. The five post free for six stamps.