A Sermon
(No. 22)
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, May 13, 1855, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
At Exeter Hall, Strand.
"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." –1 Cor.
10:12
IT is a singular fact, but nevertheless most certain, that the vices
are the counterfeits of virtues. Whenever God sends from the mint of
heaven a precious coin of genuine metal, Satan will imitate the
impress, and utter a vile production of no value. God gives love; it is
his nature and his essence. Satan also fashioneth a thing which he
calls love, but it is lust. God bestows courage; and it is a good thing
to be able to look one's fellow in the face, fearless of all men in
doing our duty. Satan inspires fool-hardiness, styles it courage, and
bids the man rush to the cannon's mouth for "bubble reputation." God
creates in man holy fear. Satan gives him unbelief, and we often
mistake the one for the other. So with the best of virtues, the saving
grace of faith, when it comes to its perfection it ripens into
confidence, and there is nothing so comfortable and so desirable to the
Christian, as the full assurance of faith. Hence, we find Satan, when
he sees this good coin, at once takes the metal of the bottomless pit,
imitates the heavenly image and superscription of assurance, and palms
upon us the vice of presumption.
We are astonished, perhaps, as Calvinistic Christians, to find Paul
saying, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall;" but
we need not be astonished, for though we have a great right to believe
that we stand, if we think we stand through the power of God–though we
cannot be too confident of the might of the Most High, there is a thing
so near akin to true confidence, that unless you use the greatest
discernment you cannot tell the difference. Unholy presumption–it is
against that which I am to speak this morning. Let me not be
misunderstood. I shall not utter one word against the strongest faith.
I wish all Little-Faiths were Strong-Faiths, that all Fearings were
made Valiants-for-Truth, and the Ready-to-Halts Asahel's
Nimble-of-Foot, that they might all run in their Master's work. I speak
not against strong faith or full assurance; God giveth it to us; it is
the holiest, happiest thing that a Christian can have, and there is no
state so desirable as that of being able to say, "I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him." It is not against that I speak, but I warn you
against that evil thing, a false confidence and presumption which
creepeth over a Christian, like the cold death-sleep on the
mountain-top, from which, if he is not awakened, as God will see that
he shall be, death will be the inevitable consequence. "Let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
I shall this morning attempt first, to find out the character;
secondly, to show the danger; and thirdly, to give the counsel. The
character is, the man who thinks he stands; the danger is, that he may
fall; and the counsel is, "let him take heed.
1. My first business shall be to FIND OUT THE CHARACTER intended by the
presumptuous man, the man who thinks he stands. I could find a
multitude of such if I might search the wide world o'er. I could find
men in business filled with an arrogant hardihood, who, because they
have in one speculation been successful will wade far out into the
stormy sea of this contending life, risk their all–and lose it too. I
might mention others who, presuming upon their health, are spending
their years in sin and their lives in iniquity, because they think
their bones iron and their nerves steel, and "all men mortal but
themselves." I might speak of men who will venture into the midst of
temptation, confident in their boasted power, exclaiming with
self-complacency, "Do you think I am so weak as to sin? Oh! no; I shall
stand. Give me the glass; I shall never be a drunkard. Give me the
song; you will not find me a midnight reveller. I can drink a little
and then I can stop." Such are presumptuous men. But I am not about to
find them there; my business this morning is with God's church. The
fanning must begin with the floor; the winnowing must try the wheat. So
we are to winnow the church this morning to discover the presumptuous.
We need not go far to find them. There are in every Christian church
men who think they stand, men who vaunt themselves in fancied might and
power, children of nature finely dressed, but not the living children
of the living God; they have not been humbled or broken in spirit, or
if they have, they have fostered carnal security until it has grown to
a giant and trampled the sweet flower of humility under its foot. They
think they stand. I speak now of real Christians, who, notwithstanding,
have grown presumptuous, and indulge in a fleshly security. May my
Master arouse such, while in preaching I endeavour to go to the core
and root of the matter. For a little while I will expatiate upon the
frequent causes of presumption in a Christian.
1. And first, a very common cause, is continued worldly prosperity.
Moab is settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to
vessel. Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich
freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his
vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield
abundantly; let the weather be propitious to his crops, and the skies
smile pleasantly upon his enterprise; let the bands of Orion be loosed
for him; let the sweet influence of the Pleiades descend upon him; let
uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a
successful merchant, as a princely Dives, as a man who is heaping up
riches to a large extent, who is always prospering: or, if not wealth,
let him enjoy continued health; let him know no sickness; allow him
with braced nerve and brilliant eye, to march through the world, and
live happily; give him the buoyant spirit; let him have the song
perpetually on his lips, and his eye be ever sparkling with joy:–the
happy, happy man who laughs at care, and cries, "Begone, dull care, I
prithee begone from me." I say the consequence of such a state to a
man, let him be the best Christian who ever breathed, will be
presumption; and he will say, "I stand." "In my prosperity," says
David, "I said, I shall never be moved." And we are not much better
than David, nor half as good. If God should always rock us in the
cradle of prosperity–if we were always dandled on the knees of
fortune–if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar, if there
were not a few clouds in the sky, some specks in our sunshine–if we
had not some bitter drops in the wine of this life, we should become
intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream "we stand;" and stand we
should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; stand we might, but hike the
man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy. We
bless God, then, for our afflictions; we thank him for our depressions
of spirit; we extol his name for the losses of our property; for we
feel that had it not so happened to us, had he not chastened us every
morning, and vexed us every evening, we might have become too secure.
Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial. If it be so with any of
you, apply this proverb to your own state, "As the fining pot for
silver, and the furnace for gold: so is a man to his praise."
2. Again, light thoughts of sin will engender presumption. When we are
first converted, our conscience is so very tender, that we are afraid
of the slightest sin. I have known young converts almost afraid to
proceed a step, lest they should put their feet in the wrong direction.
They will ask advice of their minister, and difficult cases of moral
casuistry will they bring before us, such as we hardly know how to
answer. They have a holy timidity, a godly fear, lest they should
offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first
ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world.
The sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life,
too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a
Christian will grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once
startled him and made his blood run cold, does not alarm him in the
least. I can speak from my own experience. When first I heard an oath,
I stood aghast, and knew not where to hide myself; yet now I can hear
an imprecation or blasphemy against God, and though a shudder still
runs through my veins, there is not that solemn feeling, that intense
anguish, which I felt when first I heard such evil utterances. By
degrees we get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been
booming will not notice slight sounds. The men who work in those huge
vessels, the hammering of which causes immense noise, cannot at first
sleep, for the continual din in their ears; but by-and-by, they, when
they are used to it, think nothing of it. So with sin. First, a little
sin doth startle us. Soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" like Lot
did of Zoar. Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until
by degrees we begin to regard it as but a little ill; and then you
know, there comes an unholy presumption, and we think we stand. "We
have not fallen," say we, "we only did such a little thing; we have not
gone astray. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the
main. We might have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our
conversation, it was consistent." So we palliate sin; we throw a gloss
over it, we try to hide it. Christian, beware! when thou thinkest
lightly of sin, then thou hast become presumptuous. Take heed, lest
thou shouldst fall. Sin– a little thing! Is it not a poison! Who knows
its deadliness? Sin– a little thing! Do not the little foxes spoil the
vines? Sin–a little thing! Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock
that wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not
continual droppings wear away stones? Sin–a little thing! It girded
his head with thorns that now is crowned with glory. Sin–a little
thing! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe, till he endured
"All that incarnate God could bear, with strength enough, and none to
spare."
It is not a little thing, sirs. Could you weigh it in the scales of
eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least
appearance of evil. But alas! loose thoughts of sin often beget a
presumptuous spirit, and we think we stand.
3. A third reason often is, low thoughts of the value of religion. We
none of us value religion enough. Religious furor, as it is called, is
laughed at everywhere; but I do not believe there is such a thing as
religious furor at all. If a man could be so enthusiastic as to give
his body to be burned at the stake, could he pour out his drops of
blood and turn each drop into a life, and then let that life be
slaughtered in perpetual martyrdom, he would not love his God too much.
Oh, no! when we think that this world is but a narrow space; that time
will soon be gone, and we shall be in the for-ever of eternity; when we
consider we must be either in hell or in heaven throughout a never-
ending state of immortality, how sirs, can we love too much? how can we
set too high a value on the immortal soul? Can we ask too great a price
for heaven? Can we think we do too much to serve that God who gave
himself for our sins? Ah! no; and yet my friends, most of us do not
sufficiently regard the value of religion. We cannot any of us estimate
the soul rightly; we have nothing with which to compare it. Gold is
sordid dust; diamonds are but small lumps of congealed air that can be
made to melt away. We have nought with which to compare the soul;
therefore we cannot tell its value. It is because we do not know this,
that we presume. Doth the miser who loves his gold let it be scattered
on the floor that his servant may steal it? Doth he not hide it in some
secret place where no eye shall behold it? Day after day, night after
night, he counteth out his treasure because he loves it. Doth the
mother trust her babe by the river-side? Doth she not in her sleep
think of it? and when it is sick, will she leave it to the care of some
poor nurse, who may suffer it to die? Oh! no; what we love, we will not
wantonly throw away; what we esteem most precious, we will guard with
the most anxious care. So, if Christians knew the value of their souls,
if they estimated religion at its proper rate, they never would
presume; but low thoughts of Christ, low thoughts of God, mean thoughts
of our souls' eternal state–these things tend to make us carelessly
secure. Take heed, therefore, of low ideas of the gospel, lest ye be
overtaken by the evil one.
4. But again, this presumption often springs from ignorance of what we
are, and where we stand. Many Christians have not yet learned what they
are. It is true, the first teaching of God is to shew us our own state,
but we do not know that thoroughly till many year s after we have known
Jesus Christ. The fountains of the great deep within our hearts are not
broken up all at once; the corruption of our soul is not developed in
an hour. "Son of man," said the angel of Ezekiel, "I will show thee the
abominations of Israel." He then took him in at one door, where he saw
abominable things, and stood aghast. "Son of man, I will show thee
greater abominations than these;" then he takes him into another
chamber, and Ezekiel says, "Surely I have now seen the worst." "No,"
says the angel, "I will show thee greater things than these." So, all
our life long the Holy Spirit reveals to us the horrid abomination of
our hearts. I know there are some here who do not think anything about
it; they think they are good-hearted creatures. Good hearts, have you?
Good hearts! Jeremiah had a better heart than you, yet he said, "The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can
know it?" No; the black lesson cannot be learned in a night. God alone
knows the evil of the heart; and Young says, "God spares all eyes but
his own that awful sight–the vision of a human heart." If we could but
see it, we should stand aghast. Well, it is ignorance of this that
makes us presume. We say, "I have a good nature, I have a noble
disposition; I have none of those hot and angry passions that some
have; I can stand secure; I have not that dry, tindery heart that is on
fire in a moment; my passions are weakened; my powers for evil are
somewhat taken down, and I may stand safely." Ah! ye little know that
it is when ye talk like this, that ye presume. O worm of the dust, thou
art not yet free from an evil nature, for sin and corruption remain in
the heart even of the regenerate; and it is strangely true, though it
appears a paradox, as Ralph Erskine said, that a Christian sometimes
thinks himself
"To good and evil equal bent
And both a devil and a saint."
There is such corruption in a Christian, that while he is a saint in
his life, and justified through Christ, he seems a devil sometimes in
imagination, and a demon in the wishes and corruptions of his soul.
Take heed, Christian, thou hast need to be upon the watch tower; thou
hast a heart of unbelief; therefore watch thou both night and day.
5. But to finish this delineation of a presumptuous man–Pride is the
most pregnant cause of presumption. In all its various shapes it is the
fountain of carnal security. Sometimes it is pride of talent. God has
endowed a man with gifts; he is able to stand before the multitude, or
to write for the many; he has a discerning mind, he has a judgment, and
such like things. Then says he, " As for the ignorant, those who have
no talent, they may fall; my brother ought to take care: but look at
me. How am I wrapped in grandeur!" And thus in his self-complacency he
thinks he stands. Ah! those are the men that fall. How many that flamed
like comets in the sky of the religious world have rushed into space
and been quenched in darkness! How many a man who has stood like a
prophet before his fellows, and who would exclaim as he wrapped himself
in his conceit, "I, only I am alive, I am the only prophet of God;" and
yet that only prophet fell; his lamp was quenched, and his light put
out in darkness. How many have boasted of their might and dignity, and
have said, "I have built this mighty Babylon," but then they thought
they stood, and they fell at once. "Let him that thinketh he standeth,"
with the proudest talents, "take heed lest he fall."
Others have the pride of grace. That is a curious fact; but there is
such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, "I have great faith,
I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall." " I have
fervent love," says another man, "I can stand, there is no danger of my
going astray; as for my brother over there, he is so cold and slow, he
will fall, I dare say." Says another, "I have a most burning hope of
heaven, and that hope will triumph; it will purge my soul from sense
and sin, as Christ the Lord is pure. I am safe." He who boasts of
grace, has little grace to boast of. But there are some who do that,
who think their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must
flow constantly from the fountain head, else the bed of the brook shall
soon be dry, and ye shall see the pebbles at the bottom. If a
continuous stream of oil come not to the lamp, though it burn brightly
to-day, it shall smoke to-morrow, and noxous will be the scent thereof.
Take heed that thou neither gloriest in thy talents nor in thy graces.
Many are worse still; they think they shall not fall because of their
privileges. "I take the sacrament, I have been baptized in an orthodox
manner, as written in God's word; I attend such and such a ministry; I
am well fed; I am fat and flourishing in the courts of my God. If I
were one of those starved creatures who hear a false gospel, possibly I
might sin; but oh! our minister is the model of perfection; we are
constantly fed and made fat; surely we shall stand." Thus in the
complacency of their priviledges they run down others, exclaiming, "My
mountain standeth firm, I shall never be moved." Take heed,
presumption, take heed. Pride cometh before a fall; and a haughty
spirit is the usher of destruction. Take heed; watch thy footsteps; for
where pride creepeth in, it is the worm at the root of the gourd,
causing it to wither and die. "Let him that thinketh he standeth,"
because of pride of talent, or grace, or privilege, "take heed lest he
fall."
I hope I have touched some here; I trust the lancet has been sharp; I
have taken the scalpel, and I hope I have discovered something. O ye
presumptuous ones, I speak to you; and I shall do so while next I warn
you of your danger.
II. I shall be more brief on the second point–THE DANGER. He who
thinks he stands is in danger of a fall. The true Christian cannot
possibly suffer a final fall, but he is very much disposed to a foul
fall. Though the Christian shall not stumble so as to destroy his life,
he may break his limb. Though God has given his angels charge over him,
to keep him in all his ways, yet there is no commission to keep him
when he goes astray; and when he is astray he may thrust himself
through with many sorrows.
1. I must now try and give you the reason why a man who thinks he
stands is more exposed to the danger of falling than any other. First,
because such a man in the midst of temptation will be sure to be more
or less careless. Make a man believe he is very strong, and what will
he do? The fight is thickening around him; yet he has his sword in his
scabbard. "Oh," saith he, " my arm is nimble and strong; I can draw it
out and strike home." So perhaps he lies down in the field, or
sloth-fully sleeps in his tent; "for," saith he, "when I hear enemies
approaching, such is my prowess and such my might, that I can mow them
down by thousands. Ye sentinels watch the weak; go to the
Ready-to-halts and the Fearings, and arouse them. But I am a giant; and
let me once get this old Toledo blade in my hand, it will cut through
body and soul. Whenever I meet my enemies I shall be more than
conqueror." The man is careless in battle. He lifteth up his helmet, as
it is said Goliath did, and then a stone pierceth his forehead; he
throws away his shield, and then an arrow penetrateth his flesh; he
will put his sword into his scabbard, then the enemy smiteth him, and
he is ill prepared to resist. The man who thinks he is strong, is off
his guard; he is not ready to parry the stroke of the evil one, and
then the poignard entereth his soul.
2. Again, the man who thinks he stands will not be careful to keep out
of the way of temptation, but rather will run into it. I remember
seeing a man who was going to a place of worldly amusement–he was a
professor of religion–and I called to him, "What doest thou there,
Elijah?" "Why do you ask me such a question as that?" said he. I said,
"What doest thou here, Elijah? Thou art going there." "Yes," he
replied, with some sort of blush, "but I can do that with impunity." "I
could not," said I; "if I were there I know I should commit sin. I
should not care what people said about it; I always do as I like, so
far as I believe it to be right; I leave the saying to anybody who
likes to talk about me. But it is a place of danger, and I could not go
there with impunity." "Ah!" said he, "I could; I have been before, and
I have had some sweet thoughts there. I find it enlarges the intellect.
You are narrow-minded; you do not get these good things. It is a rich
treat I assure you. I would go if I were you." "No," I said, "it would
be dangerous for me: from what I hear, the name of Jesus is profaned
there; and there is much said that is altogether contrary to the
religion we believe. The persons who attend there are none of the best,
and it will surely be said that birds of a feather flock together."
"Ah, well," he replied, "perhaps you young men had better keep away; I
am a strong man, I can go;" and off he went to the place of amusement.
That man, sirs, was an apple of Sodom. He was a professor of religion.
I guessed there was something rotten at the core from that very fact;
and I found it so by experience, for the man was a downright sensualist
even then. He wore a mask, he was a hypocrite, and had none of the
grace of God in his heart. Presumptuous men will say they can go into
sin, they are so full of moral strength; but when a man tells you he is
so good, always read his words backwards, and understand him to mean
that he is as bad as he can be. The self- confident man is in danger of
falling because he will even run into temptation in the confidence that
he is strong, and able to make his escape.
3. Another reason is, that these strong men sometimes will not use the
means of grace, and therefore they fall. There are some persons here,
who never attend a place of worship very likely; they do not profess to
be religious; but I am sure they would be astonished if I were to tell
them, that I know some professedly religious people who are accepted in
some churches as being true children of God, who yet make it a habit of
stopping away from the house of God, because they conceive they are so
advanced that they do not want it. You smile at such a thing as that.
They boast such deep experience within; they have a volume of sweet
sermons at home, and they will stop and read them; they need not go to
the house of God, for they are fat and flourishing. They conceit
themselves that they have received food enough seven years ago to last
them the next ten years. They imagine that old food will feed their
souls now. These are your presumptuous men. They are not to be found at
the Lord's table, eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ, in
the holy emblems of bread and wine. You do not see them in their
closets; you do not find them searching the Scriptures with holy
curiosity. They think they stand–they shall never be moved; they fancy
that means are intended for weaker Christians; and leaving those means,
they fall. They will not have the shoe to put upon the foot, and
therefore the flint cutteth them; they will not put on the armour, and
therefore the enemy wounds them–sometimes well- nigh unto death. In
this deep quagmire of neglect of the means, many a haughty professor
has been smothered.
4. Once more, the man who is self- confident runs a fearful hazard,
because God's Spirit always leaves the proud. The gracious Spirit
delights to dwell in the low places. The holy dove came to Jordan; we
read not that it ever rested on Bashan. The man upon the white horse
rode among the myrtle trees, not among the cedars. The myrtle trees
grew at the foot of the mountains; the cedars on the summit thereof.
God loves humility. He who walks with fear and trembling, fearing lest
he should go astray, that man the Spirit loves; but when once pride
creeps in, and the man declares, "Now I am in no danger," away goes the
dove; it flies to heaven and will have nought to do with him. Proud
souls, ye quench the Spirit. Ye arrogant men, ye grieve the Holy Ghost.
He leaves every heart where pride dwelleth; that evil spirit of Lucifer
he abhors; he will not rest with it; he will not tarry in its company.
Here is your greatest danger, ye proud ones– that the Spirit leaves
those who deny their entire dependence on him.
III. The third point is THE COUNSEL. I have been expounding the text;
now I want to enforce it. I would, if my Lord would allow me, speak
home to your souls, and so picture the danger of a presumptuous man,
that I would make you all cry out to heaven that sooner might you die
than presume; that sooner might you be found amongst those who lie
prostrate at the foot of Christ, trembling all their lives, than
amongst those who think they stand, and therefore fall. Christian men,
the counsel of Scripture is–" Take heed."
1. First, take heed, because so many have fallen. My brother, could I
take thee into the wards of that hospital where lie sick and wounded
Christians, I could make you tremble. I would show you one, who, by a
sin that occupied him not a single moment, is so sore broken, that his
life is one continued scene of misery. I could show you another one, a
brilliant genius, who served his God with energy, who is now–not a
priest of the devil it is true, but almost that–sitting down in
despair, because of his sin. I could point you to another person, who
once stood in the church, pious and consistent, but who now comes up to
the same house of prayer as if he were ashamed of himself, sits in some
remote corner, and is no longer treated with the kindness he formerly
received, the brethren themselves being suspicious, because he so
greatly deceived them, and brought such dishonor upon the cause of
Christ. Oh! did ye know the sad pain which those endure who fall. Could
ye tell how many have fallen, (and have not perished, it is true,) but
still have dragged themselves along, in misery, throughout their entire
existence, I am sure ye would take heed. Come with me to the foot of
the mountain of presumption. See there the maimed and writhing forms of
many who once soared with Icarian wings in the airy regions of
self-confidence; yet there they lie with their bones broken, and their
peace destroyed. There lies one who had immortal life within him; see
how full of pain he appears, and he looks a mass of helpless matter. He
is alive, it is true, but just alive. Ye know not how some of those
enter heaven who are saved, "so as by fire." One man walks to heaven;
he keeps consistent; God is with him, and he is happy all his journey
through. Another says, "I am strong, I shall not fall." He runs aside
to pluck a flower; he sees something which the devil has laid in his
way; he is caught first in this gin, and then in that trap; and when he
comes near the river, instead of finding before him that stream of
nectar of which the dying Christian drinks, he sees fire through which
he has to pass, blazing upon the surface of the water. The river is on
fire, and as he enters it he is scorched and burned. The hand of God is
lifted up saying, "Come on, come on;" but as he dips his foot in the
stream, he finds the fire kindling around him, and though the hand
clutches him by the hair of the head, and drags him through, he stands
upon the shore of heaven, and cries, " I am a monument of divine mercy,
for I have been saved so as by fire." Oh ! do you want to be saved by
fire, Christians? Would ye no rather enter heaven, singing songs of
praises? Would ye not glorify him on earth, and then give your last
testimony with, "Victory, victory, victory, unto him that loved us;"
then shut your eyes on earth, and open them in heaven? If you would do
so, presume not. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he
fall."
2. Once more, my brother, take heed, because a fall will so much damage
the cause of Christ. Nothing has hurt religion one-half, or one
thousandth part, so much as the fall of God's people. Ah ! when a true
believer sins, how will the world point at him. "That man was a deacon,
but he knows how to charge exorbitantly. That man was a professor, but
he can cheat as well as his neighbours. That man is a minister, and he
lives in sin." Oh ! when the mighty fall–it is rejoice fir tree, for
the cedar has fallen–how does the world exult ! They chuckle over our
sin; they rejoice over our faults; they fly around us, and if they can
see one point where we are vulnerable, how will they say, "See these
holy people are no better than they should be." Because there is one
hypocrite, men set down all the rest the same. I heard one man say, a
little while ago, that he did not believe there was a true Christian
living, because he had found out so many hypocrites. I reminded him
that there could be no hypocrites if there were no genuine ones. No one
would try to forge bank notes if there were no genuine ones. No one
would think of passing a bad sovereign if there were no sterling coin.
So the fact of their being some hypocrites proves that there are some
genuine characters. But let those who are so, take heed; let them
always, in their conduct, have the ring of true gold. Let your
conversation be such as to become the gospel of Christ, lest by any
means the enemy get the advantage over us, and slander the name of
Jesus.
And especially is this incumbent upon the members of our own
denomination, for it is often said that the doctrines we believe have a
tendency to lead us to sin. I have heard it asserted most positively,
that those high doctrines which we love and which we find in the
Scriptures, are licentious ones. I do not know who has the hardihood to
make that assertion, when they consider that the holiest of men have
been believers in them. I ask the man who dares to say that Calvinism
is a licentious religion, what he thinks of the character of Augustine,
or Calvin, or Whitfield, who in successive ages were the great
exponents of the system of grace; or what will he say of those
Puritans, whose works are full of them? Had a man been an Arminian in
those days, he would have been accounted the vilest heretic breathing;
but now we are looked upon as the heretics, and they the orthodox. We
have gone back to the old school; we can trace our descent from the
Apostles. It is that vein of free grace running through the sermonising
of Baptists, which has saved us as a denomination. Were it not for
that, we should not stand where we are. We can run a golden link from
hence up to Jesus Christ himself, through a holy succession of mighty
fathers, who all held these glorious truths; and we can say of them,
where will you find holier and better men in the world? We are not
ashamed to say of ourselves, that however much we may be maligned and
slandered, ye will not find a people who will live closer to God than
those who believe that they are saved not by their works, but by free
grace alone. But, oh ! ye believers in free grace, be careful. Our
enemies hate the doctrine; and if one falls, "Ah there," say they, "see
the tendency of your principles." Nay, we might reply, see what is the
tendency of your doctrine. The exception in our case proves the rule is
true, that after all, our gospel does lead us to holiness. Of all men,
those have the most disinterested piety, the sublimest reverence, the
most ardent devotion, who believe that they are saved by grace, without
works, through faith, and that not of themselves, it is the gift of
God. Christian take heed, lest by any means Christ should be crucified
afresh, and should be put unto an open shame.
And now what more can I say ? Oh ye, my beloved, ye my brethren, think
not that ye stand, lest ye should fall. Oh ye fellow heirs of
everlasting life and glory, we are marching along through this weary
pilgrimage; and I, whom God hath called to preach to you, would turn
affectionately to you little ones, and say, take heed lest ye fall. My
brother, stumble not. There lieth the gin, there the snare. I am come
to gather the stones out of the road, and take away the stumbling
blocks. But what can I do unless, with due care and caution, ye
yourselves walk guardedly. Oh, my brethren; be much more in prayer than
ever. Spend more time in pious adoration. Read the Scriptures more
earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer
to God. Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation
be redolent of heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for
men's souls. So live that men may take knowledge of you that you have
been with Jesus, and have learned of him; and when that happy day shall
come when he whom you love shall say, "Come up higher," let it be your
happiness to hear him say, "Come my beloved, thou hast fought a good
fight, thou hast finished thy course, and henceforth there is laid up
for thee a crown of righteousness that fadeth not away". On, Christian,
with care and caution ! On, with holy fear and trembling ! On yet, with
faith and confidence, for thou shalt not fall. Read the next verse of
this very chapter: "He will not suffer you to be tempted above that
which ye are able to bear, but will, with the temptation, also make a
way to escape."
But I have some here, perhaps, who may never hear my voice again; and I
will not let my congregation go, God helping me, without telling them
the way of salvation. Sirs, there are some of you who know ye have not
believed in Christ. If ye were to die where ye now sit ye have no hope
that ye would rise amongst the glorified in bliss. How many are there
here who if their hearts could speak, must testify that they are
without God, without Christ, and strangers from the common-wealth of
Israel. Oh, let me tell you then, what ye must do to be saved. Does
your heart beat high? Do ye grieve over your sins? Do ye repent of your
iniquities? Will ye turn unto the living God? If so, this is the way of
salvation; "Whosoever believeth and is baptised shall be saved." I
cannot reverse my Master's order–he says, "believeth," and then
"baptised;" and he tells me that "he that believeth not shall be
damned." Oh, my hearers, your works cannot save you. Though I have
spoken to Christians, and exhorted them to live in good works, I talk
not so to you. I ask ye not to get the flower before ye have the seed.
I will not bid you get the roof of your house before ye lay the
foundation. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall
be saved. Whosoever here will now cast himself as a guilty worm flat on
Jesus–whoever will throw himself into the arms of everlasting love,
that man shall be accepted; he shall go from that door justified and
forgiven, with his soul as safe as if he were in heaven, without the
danger of its ever being lost. All this is through belief in Christ.
Surely ye need no argument. If I thought ye did I would use it. I would
stand and weep till ye came to Christ. If I thought I was strong enough
to fetch a soul to Jesus, if I thought that moral suasion could win
you, I would go round to each of your seats and beg of you in God's
name to repent. But since I cannot do that, I have done my duty when I
have prophesied to the dry bones. Remember we shall meet again. I boast
of neither eloquence nor talent, and I cannot understand why ye come
here; I only speak right on, and tell you what I feel; but mark me,
when we meet before God's bar, however ill I may have spoken, I shall
be able to say, that I said to you, "Believe on the name of Jesus, and
ye shall be saved." Why will ye die, O house of Israel? Is hell so
sweet, is everlasting torment so much to be desired, that therefore ye
can let go the glories of heaven, the bliss of eternity? Men, are ye to
live for ever? or, are ye to die like brutes? "Live !" say you, Well,
then, are you not desirous to live in a state of bliss? Oh, may God
grant you grace to turn to him with full purpose of heart! Come, guilty
sinner, come! God help you to come, and I shall be well repaid, if but
one soul be added to the visible fold of Jesus, through aught I may
have said.