DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"Come you with us, and we will do you good." Numbers 10:29.
THESE ancient words, so simple, yet so sweet, fascinate us with a
potent hallowed charm. They ring out their melody like a familiar air.
The language of a heart full of kindness, inspired with faith, and
inspirited with the enthusiasm of a hope so much Divine that the lapse
of ages impairs not their force, or diminishes anything from their
natural spontaneous freshness. This story of Hobab one can hardly read
without remembering the Apostolic declaration that the Law was a
"shadow of good things to come." A truly instructive shadow it was. In
this instance the shadow is so like the image, the type so like the
antitype, that we can almost see the Christian Church, and the convert
as he is invited to unite with it. And we may behold in metaphor the
blessings of which he may expect to be a partaker in so doing.
"Come you with us, and we will do you good," seems to be quite as
suitable an address from the lips of a Christian pastor as from those
of the Prophet of Horeb, who was king in Jeshurun. We do not feel in
the least degree hesitant as if we were wrenching the words from their
natural association, or even exercising the slightest ingenuity in
accommodating them to our own circumstances, so suitable do they seem
for our use. The people of Israel in the wilderness were a type of the
Church of Christ. The invitation here given was such as may be given to
those who are proper subjects for communion with the Christian Church.
We shall proceed accordingly, this evening, to talk to you upon four
things. First, the nature of a true Church as it is depicted by Israel
in the wilderness. Secondly, the obligation of such a Church to invite
suitable persons to join it. Thirdly, the argument that the Church may
use, and the inducements it will always have to offer in setting forth
the benefits to be conferred on those who heartily respond. And
fourthly, the scrupulous fidelity it behooves us, as members of the
Church, to observe in keeping our pledge ever afterwards to seek the
welfare of such as unite with our fellowship.
I. First, then, WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRUE CHURCH AS IT IS
PICTURED BY ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS? We might prolong the answer to
this question with many minute features, but it will be unnecessary, at
present, to do more than give you a simple broad outline. The people in
the wilderness were a redeemed people. They had been redeemed by blood
and redeemed by power. The sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb
over their lintels and their doorposts had secured their safety when
the first-born of Egypt was slain.
Thus they were redeemed by blood, while wonderful miracles were worked
throughout the whole land. And at the last, when threatened and pursued
by their oppressors, the whole of the pride and pomp of Egypt was
destroyed in the Red Sea. They were, indeed, redeemed by power. So, all
the true members of God's Church understand what the blood of
sprinkling means. They have enjoyed a Passover through it. God has
passed over them–passed over them in mercy. Justice has executed its
warrant upon the Person of the Lamb, and they have escaped–they have
been redeemed by blood.
And the Holy Spirit has entered into their hearts and made them hate
their former sins. He has delivered them from the dominant power of
their inward corruptions, has set them free and brought them out of the
bondage of sin. Thus they have also been redeemed by power, and no one
has any right to think himself a member of Christ's Church unless by
faith he has seen himself redeemed by blood–and in his experience has
also been redeemed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But, according to our text and the context, the Israelites were a
people who were passing through a land where they found no rest,
neither did they desire any, for they were journeying to another
country, the promised land, the Canaan. Now, here is another
description of the true Church of God. They are not of the world, even
as Christ is not of the world. This is not their rest. Here they have
no continuing city. Objects which may suit men who have no outlook
beyond death would not be suitable to them. That which rejoices the
heart of the mere worldling gives them but very slender solace.
Their hope and their consolation lie beyond the river. They look for a
city that has foundations whose Builder and Maker is God.
Judge then, my dear Hearer, whether you are a member of God's Church,
of the Church of Jesus Christ. If you are, you are a stranger and a
foreigner this night here below, however pleasant the tent of your
pilgrimage may be. Your Father's house on High is your destination. You
are an exile from your home, albeit to your faith's foreseeing eye its
golden gates may never so clearly appear. You have not yet come to your
rest, but there remains to you a rest, a rest to which you shall come
in due time, though you have not yet reached it. May I entreat you to
put these questions to your own hearts as they arise, and judge
yourselves.
Israel in the wilderness, according to the text, again, was a people
walking by faith as to the future. Remember, the words are, "They were
going to the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you." They
had never seen it–no one had come from it to tell them of it. True, in
after days some spies had returned–but they brought up an ill report
of the land, so that the people required even more faith, then, than
they did before. If anyone had said to them, "But, if there is a land
that flows with milk and honey, how will you gain it? The inhabitants
thereof are strong and mighty–how are you sure that you will ever
obtain this goodly land?" the only reply would have been, "The Lord has
spoken to us concerning it."
Every true Israelite had been instructed as to the Covenant God had
made with Abraham when He said, "To you and to your seed will I give
this land to possess it," and every true Israelite was expecting that
His people should find a lodgment and a portion in that land evermore
because of the Covenant which God had made with his fathers. They were
walking, then, in that respect, by faith–looking for a country which
they had not seen–traversing a desert in search of a land which as yet
they had not known. And with only God's Word for their title deed and
nothing more.
And such are God's people now. As for joys to come, they have not
tasted them–but they are looking for them because God has promised
them. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.
But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit," and the Spirit
reveals them only to our faith. If you ask me, "How do you know that
there is a Heaven?" I must answer you, I believe it on God's testimony.
I have no other warrant for it. No man has returned from that fair land
to testify that he has heard the everlasting song, or seen the blessed
citizens as they stand in their bright array before the Everlasting
Throne.
Nor want I that any such should return. God's Word is enough. Let that
stand instead of the testimony of ten thousand angels, or of myriads of
the white-robed host of spirits who might have returned to tell the
tale. We walk by faith as Israel did of old. Are you walking by such a
faith? Do you believe in the unseen future, and does the hope of an
unseen reward make you despise the present rewards of sin? Are you
willing to bear the reproach of Christ because you count it greater
treasure than all the riches of Egypt? Are you willing, now, to take up
with Christ's Cross because you believe in Christ's crown? Though you
have not seen it, do you believe in it, and rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory?
These people, also, as to their present circumstances were walking by
faith. It was not merely faith which sang to them of Canaan, but it was
faith that told them of the manna which fell day by day, and the water
which flowed from the rock–which stream followed them in their
journey. Why, they could not live in any other way in the wilderness
but by faith in God, for from that arid strand there sprang nothing for
their nourishment! Here and there a palm tree–now and then a cooling
well. But for the most part, had it not been for the goodness of God,
their way had been over a desert, cheerless, waste, and terrible. But
He gladdened it for them, and made the place of His feet, and of their
feet, too, right glorious, for His mercy and His loving kindness endure
forever!
Now, in this world the Christian man has to live by faith upon God as
to present things. As to temporal necessities he must cast all his care
on Him who cares for us, but especially as to all spiritual supplies
the Christian has no stock of Grace. He has no inner spring within
himself in his old nature. He has to look for everything that can
sustain his new life from God, even the Father, who has promised not to
forsake him. Now surely, my dear Hearer, you know whether you are
living by present faith or not. If all your comfort is derived from
that which you can handle, and hear, and see. And if your joys of life
are only the outward things of the present–then you are no member of
the Church of God.
Whether you may have been baptized, or confirmed–whatever profession
you may have made, or whatever sign you may have received–you do not
belong to Christ's people–nor can you belong to them. But if you live
by faith, I care not of what Church you are a member. If you are
exhibiting day by day a living faith upon a living but unseen God. If
your trust is in His Providence. If you daily resort to Christ for help
and succor. If you have that faith which is the mark of God's elect,
you may depend upon it that you are one of His.
One other mark let us give among many more which might be mentioned.
These people found, wherever they went, that they were surrounded by
foes. In the wilderness the Amalekites were against them. When they
crossed into the promised land all the inhabitants of Canaan were up in
arms against them. So I think you will find it if you are a child of
God. All places are full of snares. Events, prosperous or adverse,
expose you to temptations. All things that happen to you, though God
makes them work for good, in themselves would work for evil. Here on
this earth the world is no friend to Divine Grace to help you on to
God.
The bias of the current is not towards Heaven. Alas, it is the other
way! "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." "The
whole world lies in the Wicked One, and you are of God, little
children." Darkness prevails. It cannot minister to your safety or to
your happiness. Neither can the sinful world minister light to the
understanding, peace to the conscience, joy to the heart, or holiness
to the life of the Believer. You will have to fight continually. The
last step you take will be a conflict, and you will never be able to
sheathe your sword until you are in the bosom of Christ. Thus must you
maintain the godly warfare–
"'Till with yonder blood-bought crowd You shall sing on Canaan's shore
Songs oft triumph, sweet and loud War with Amalek no more."
Here, then, are some of the marks of the Church of Christ. I hope that
a part of that Church worships in this House of Prayer. A part of that
Church will be found to worship in every House of Prayer where the
disciples of our common Lord assemble, and the mystery of God and of
the Father and of Christ is acknowledged.
II. Let us pass on to the second word, which is this, that IT IS THE
DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TO INVITE SUITABLE PERSONS TO JOIN WITH
IT. As you read–"Come you with us, and we will do you good"–are not
these the terms in which any Church should invite a suitable pastor to
unite with it? I have always felt that they have a better application
to a pastor than they have to the people. For it is said of Hobab, "You
know how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and you shall be unto us
instead of eyes."
It was inviting a really efficient helper, who would be of great
service to the Israelites, to come and cast in his lot with them. So
should a Church expect to find in its pastor one who may guide them,
because he knows how they are to encamp in the wilderness. One who may
be to them, in some respects, instead of eyes. Their invitation should
come in this way, not only, "Come you with us, that we may get good out
of you"–that is one design–but it should also be, "Come you with us,
that we may do you good. That we may hold up your hands, that we may
sustain you by our prayers, that we may back you up by our efforts.
That being led onward by you from one work of Christian activity to
another, we may never fail you, never betray you, but may stand with
you even to the last."
I believe you will seldom get much good unless you are willing also to
confer good. Those who are the nearest to the heart of the preacher, in
all Christian service, will in all probability be most spiritually
enriched under his ministry. I speak not of myself nor for myself, but
I specially address myself now to those of you, my Hearers, who are
members of other Churches. Do, I exhort you, love your ministers! Stand
up for their character in all companies! Rally at their side in all
their efforts–never let them have to regret your absence at the
weeknight service, or at any other time, if you can help it.
Let them see that you appreciate the men whom you have chosen to be
over you in the Lord, and that you have said in inviting them to come
among you, "Come you with us, and we will do you good." Not to linger
on that view, however pertinent and seasonable, let us take the words
as significant of the manner in which Churches should invite suitable
persons to come among them as private members. Are there not those who
go in and out merely as visitors worshipping with you, who have never
joined hands with you in Covenant?
They meet with you as mere hearers, under the same ministry, but they
have not identified themselves with the brotherhood to sit down and
feast with you at the Table of the Lord. To such as these the proposal
may be made, and the welcome proffered. The conditions, of course, need
to be thoroughly understood on our part as well as on theirs. We dare
not invite anyone to join the visible Church who has not first joined
the invisible Church. We do not believe that a man has any right to be
baptized in water unless he has first been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Nor that anyone has a right to
eat of the Lord's Supper, the outward signs of bread and wine, until he
has eaten of the flesh and drank of the blood of the Son of Man, in a
spiritual sense.
He must have the essence of the symbol before we dare give the symbol.
So a man must be vitally united to the living Church of Christ before
he has any right to be professionally united there. Therefore it would
be a sin on the part of any child of God to say to anyone whom he knew
to be an unconverted person, "Come and unite yourself with the Church."
No, that cannot be. First, dear Hearer, you must be one with Christ,
reconciled to God, a Believer in the precious blood–and then
afterwards you may come to the Church of God. But until then you have
no part nor lot in this matter, for you are still in the gall of
bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.
Moses did not thus invite any strangers or neighbors indiscriminately,
saying, "Come you with us," but he invited Hobab as one whom he well
knew, and of whose fitness he could no doubt feel. Was not Raguel his
father, the priest of Midian, a servant of the Most High God? And was
not Hobab also a worshipper of Jehovah, the God of Israel? "Come you
with us," says he, "you are our kith and kin. Birds of a feather flock
together. Come you with us and we will do you good. You are one of our
Brethren, come and welcome, nothing shall stand in the way. Come you
with us, and we will do you good."
Now, I have heard persons speak on this wise, "I believe that my child
has been converted, but you must not think that I have pressed him, for
I never spoke to my child about religion." I am heartily ashamed of a
father who can say that! And I hope that he will be equally ashamed of
himself. I quite agree, however, that no parent and no friend should
press another to make a public profession of faith until he is as
assured as he possibly can be that the fruits of the Spirit are put
forth in that child, or that friend. But, once assured of that, there
can be no credit in holding your tongue about a Christian duty. It is
the duty of every child of God to be associated with the Christian
Church, and surely it is part of our duty to instruct others to do what
the Lord would approve of! Do not, therefore, hesitate to say to such
as serve and fear the Lord, "How is it that you remain outside the pale
of the visible Church? Come you with us, and we will do you good." So
Moses did to Hobab.
As it is a very kind and tender word, "Come you with us," let it be
spoken persuasively. Use such reasoning as you can to prove that it is
at once their duty and their privilege. Observe, Moses does not
command, but he persuades. Nor does he merely make a suggestion or give
a formal invitation, but he uses an argument. He puts it attractively,
"And we will do you good." So, look the matter up–study it–get your
arguments ready. Seek out inducements from your own experience. Draw a
reason, and there and then try to persuade your Christian friends.
Do it heartily. Observe how Moses puts it as from a very warm heart.
"Come you with us. Give me your hand, my Brother. Come you with us, and
we will do you good." There are no "ifs," "ands," or "buts." It is not,
"Well, you may perhaps be welcome," but "Come you with us." Give a
hearty, loving, warm invitation to those whom you believe to be your
Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
Do it repeatedly if once will not suffice. Observe in this case, Hobab
said he thought he would depart to his own land and his kindred. But
Moses returned to the charge, and says, "Leave us not, I pray you." How
earnestly he puts it! He will have no put off. If at first it was a
request, now it is a beseeching almost to entreaty–"Leave us not, I
pray you." And how he repeats the old argument, but puts it in a better
light–"If you go with us, yes, it shall be, that what goodness the
Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto you."
I would, therefore, earnestly say to Christian Brothers and Sisters
here, look for some among our congregation, such as you believe to be
godly people, and put to them this matter. I am sure they are losing
much benefit, and quite certain that they are standing in an irregular
position. If it is right for any one Christian not to be a member of a
Church it is right for all Christians not to be members of
Churches–consequently it would be right for there to be no visible
Church, and ordinances might be dispensed with–for all these things
must either exist through the maintenance of sacred order or else
collapse with the breach of godly discipline.
What is not the duty of one is not the duty of any–and what is the
duty of one is the duty of all–for we all stand alike before God. If I
may be innocent in abstaining from union with the people of God, so may
all of you. Or if you may, so may I. There is no more obligation upon
me to preach the Gospel than there is upon any one of you to make a
profession of his faith. If you are a Christian, the same rule of love
that prompts me to speak for my Lord should prompt you in
your way to speak for your Lord. And if I should not be excusable if I
remained silent, and refused to bear my testimony, neither will you be
excusable, being a Christian, if you refuse to unite yourself with the
people of God.
Remember our Master's word, "Whoever therefore, shall confess Me before
men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven. But
whoever shall deny Me before men," (which has the force there of not
confessing), "him will I also deny before My Father which is in
Heaven."
Before I leave this point let me call your attention to a certain sense
in which Christian men may address this invitation to all that they
meet with. "Come you with us, and we will do you good." Not, "come and
join our Church," not, "come and be members," not, "come and put on a
profession of faith." You cannot say that to any but to those in whom
you see the fruits of the Spirit. But you may say, and you ought to
say, to ALL persons of all classes on all sides, "Come away from the
seed of evildoers. Cast in your lot with the people of God. Leave the
world, come on pilgrimage to the better country. Forsake the pursuit of
vanities–lay hold on eternal life. Waste not all your thoughts upon
the bootless cares of time–think about the momentous matters of
eternity.
"Why will you be companions of those who are upon the wrong side, and
whose cause is the cause of evil? Why will you remain an enemy to God?
Why will you be in an unreconciled state? We, by God's Grace, have cast
in our lot with Christ and with His cause. We desire to live to His
glory. Our ambition is to serve Him. If we could, we would live without
sin, for we hate it and loathe it. If we could, we would be as the
angels are, without a single fault. Come and cast in your lot with
us–that is, believe. That is, trust a Savior slain. That is, put your
soul into the custody of Christ the Intercessor. That is, press forward
through a life of holiness on earth to a home of happiness in Heaven."
"Come you with us, and we will do you good."
So, then, the exhortation of our text which, strictly speaking, seems
most applicable to the minister, becomes next suitable to the child of
God who has not up to now cast in his lot with the company of our
Lord's disciples. And after that, in a certain sense, it may be
appropriately addressed to all who come under the sound of the Gospel.
"Come you with us, and we will do you good."
III. But now, our third observation is that THE MAIN ARGUMENT–THE MOST
POWERFUL INCENTIVE WE CAN EVER USE IS THAT ASSOCIATION WITH THE CHURCH
OF CHRIST WILL DO THOSE WHO ENTER
INTO IT GOOD.
I am sure it will, for I speak from experience. And if I were to call
upon many scores, and even hundreds, in this House of Prayer, they
would all bear the same testimony–that union with the people of God
has done them good. The Church of God may say this, first, because she
can offer to those who join with her good company. In the Church of God
are those who are called "the excellent of the earth," in Whom David
said was all his delight. In the Church of God are the humble, meek,
and lowly.
And, though in that Church there will come a traitorous Judas, yet
there are not wanting the warm-spirited and loving John, the bold and
daring Peter, the practical James, the well-instructed Paul in labors
more abundant, and many of the precious sons of Zion and daughters of
Jerusalem in like manner. Of whom, I might affirm, as the Apostle did
of Priscilla and Aquila, they are my helpers in Christ Jesus, unto whom
I not only give thanks, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles.
Truly we can sing with heart-felt sincerity, Dr. Watts' paraphrase of
David's Psalm —
"Here my best friends, my kindred dwell, Here God my Savior reigns."
Good company is ever a good thing, and the children of God may say to
their Brethren who have not yet joined with them, "Come you with us,
and we will do you good," for we will introduce you to the goodly
fellowship of the saints. Come join a section of the general assembly
and Church of the First-Born whose names are written in Heaven, and
whose work of faith, patience of hope, and labors of love are spread
abroad throughout the world.
"Come with us," the Church of God may say, "and you shall have good
instruction," for it is in the true Church of God that the doctrines of
Grace are preached, that the Covenant of Grace is unfolded, that the
Person of Christ is extolled, that the work of the Spirit is magnified.
All the precious things, indeed, which make up the spiritual meat of
God's servants are brought forth and put upon the table every Sunday.
There the good stewards bring forth things both new and old. In the
midst of the Church the Good Shepherd makes us to lie down in the green
pastures, and leads us be-
side the still waters. Come you with us, and the teaching of the Church
shall do you good–you shall hear those glorious doctrines which shall
build you up in your most holy faith.
"Come you with us, and we will do you good," in the best sense, for you
shall feel in our midst the good Presence of God. Where two or three
are gathered together in Christ's name, there is He in the midst of
them. And in the greater assemblies of His people, when the solemn hymn
swells up to Heaven and the fervent prayer rises like a cloud of sweet
perfume, and the ministry of the Gospel is diffused like a sweet
smelling savor of Christ unto God–there is God. There the Father is,
receiving returning prodigals, accepting His dear children who feel the
spirit of adoption.
There the Son is, manifesting Himself unto them as He does not unto the
world. There the Spirit is, working in them to will and to do of His
own good pleasure, and helping their infirmities as a Comforter and an
Advocate. Have you not often felt the Presence of God, my dear Brothers
and Sisters, in your assemblies as the people of God? Can you not,
therefore, say with the recollections in your glowing hearts of the
consolations you have received in association with each other, "Come
you with us, and we will do you good"?
"Come with us again, for you shall participate in all the good offices
of the Church." That is to say, my Christian Brothers and Sisters, if
you will cast in your lot with us, if there is prayer, you shall have
your share in it. We will pray for you in your trouble, and trial, and
anguish. If a Brother's voice can intercede for you when your tongue is
dumb with grief, you shall certainly have such help as they that can
minister to you. Come you with us, for in the true Church of God there
is sympathy. Genuine Believers are taught to "weep with those that
weep," and to "rejoice with those that rejoice." They feel that they
are members, one of another, and partakers of the same life with Jesus
Christ.
If there is anything to be found in ordinances you shall have a share
of that good thing. If the Lord reveals Himself in the breaking of
bread, you shall not be shut out from the Table. Come you with us, and
when we behold Him you shall see Him, too. Come you with us, and if our
fellowship is with Christ, you shall have a share in it. And if our
conversation of the things of God is sweet and pleasant, you, too,
shall have your say and your good word, and we will rejoice to hear
you. We invite you to a pure brotherly fellowship, not to one of name
only, but in deed and in heart. "Come you with us, and we will do you
good."
But the good that Hobab was to get was not only on the road. He must
have got a deal of good on the road, for he saw in the sacrifice what
he had never seen before. While he walked among those tents of Judah he
must have felt that God was remarkably present there as he had never
felt it among the tents of Midian. He saw there every morning the
pillar of cloud, and every night the pillar of fire. He heard the sound
of the silver trumpets. He saw the uplifting of the sacred banners, and
the marching of the chosen host of God, and he must have felt, "This is
a place more marvelous than any I have ever trod before in that falling
manna, in that miraculous stream. I see everywhere the marks of
Omnipotence, love, and wisdom as I never have seen them in all my
solitary musings or my long wanderings aforetime."
So, in the Church of God there are the footprints of Deity, there are
marks of the sublime Presence of the Christ of God who abides in the
furnace with His afflicted people. Signs of God's Presence such as all
the world besides cannot exhibit. You shall get good on the road. But
still, the main good that Hobab got was this–he went into the promised
land with God's people. We read of his people, the Kenites dwelling in
the land in aftertime. He seems to have become a partaker of the same
Covenant with Israel, to have become part and parcel with them. So, the
main blessing that you get from being united with the invisible Church
of Christ through being part and parcel of the Body of Christ is
reserved for the hereafter–
"When God makes up His last account
Of natives in the Holy Mount;
'Twill be an honor to appear
As one new born and nourished there." Woe unto those who shall have no
part with Israel in the day when the lots shall be divided and the
portions shall be given! Woe unto such as shall be found among the
Amalekites or Canaanites–strangers to the chosen seed! But happy shall
all they be who have God to be their God, for their portion shall be
bliss forever. Come you, therefore, with us, for whatever good the Lord
shall do unto us you shall be a partaker in it.
IV. And now, lastly. All this being seriously pondered and clearly
understood, the last point is a matter of very serious importance. Lest
we should be found mere pretenders, LET ALL OF US WHO BELONG TO
CHRIST'S CHURCH
TAKE CARE TO MAKE THIS ARGUMENT TRUE.
I speak to many Brothers and Sisters here who have long been joined to
the visible Church of God, and I put these questions to them–How have
you carried out this silent compact which has been made with the
friends of Christ? You have promised to do them good–have you
fulfilled your pledges? I am afraid few of us have done good to our
fellow Christians up to the measure that we might have done, or that we
ought to have done. Some professors, I fear, have forgotten the compact
altogether. They joined the Church, but the idea of doing good to the
rest of the community has scarcely entered into their mind.
"Come you with us, and we will do you good." You say this, then, to the
poor members of the Church. Has God prospered you? Do them good. Say
not to them, "Be you warmed and be you filled," but as far as ever your
ability can reach, minister to them that Christ may not have to say to
you, "I was an hungered and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty and you
gave me no drink." Let your charity be wide as the world, for God makes
it to rain on the just and the unjust–but remember–He has a peculiar
people, and He would have us to be a peculiar people unto Himself. Let
us do good unto all men, but specially to those who are of the
household of faith. If you know a Brother in Christ whose need is
pressing, own him as a Brother–open your hands wide unto him–do him
good in this respect.
You that are old members of the Church, well established and
instructed, you have virtually promised to do good to the young
members–will you not try to do so? Some of them, perhaps, are not all
you would like them to be. Mind you, you are not to condemn, but to
reform them. Can you not gently prune the luxuriance of their branches
that are a little too wild? Would it not be possible for you, in a
loving and an affectionate manner, to assist them in the points in
which they are weak? To lead them in the matters in which they err? Do
them good–do not clamor against them with reproach, censure, sneer,
and jibe. Nor wish to bind them down to conformity with your rules,
judging them by the som-berness of your own disposition.
What if they are lively and cheerful–try to make them merry and wise.
Let them be happy and rejoice–seek that their happiness may be in
Christ, and their rejoicing in the Lord. Do them good. There are some
of your fellow Christians who are faint-hearted–not pleasant people to
talk to. They will never cheer you much. They always look on the black
side. They have always some trouble. They are terribly dull company–do
not shun them, do them good. Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the
feeble knees. Say to them that are of feeble heart, "Be strong. Fear
not." Do not forsake them, but you that are spiritual bear their
burdens, and help to make them rejoice.
Some among your number will be backsliders–alas, that it should be so.
Let not your coldness ever accelerate the pace at which they step
aside–rather let your persevering care watch over them, that their
first wandering may be soon checked. Little, alas, can be done to
remedy backsliding when it goes far, but much may be done by nipping it
in the bud. In the Church of God, prevention is infinitely better than
cure. Watch over them, then. "If any man be overtaken in a fault, you
that are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness,
remembering yourself lest you also be tempted."
Some in the Church may be ignorant. There always were such. No standard
of height is set up in the Word of God for all the recruits to be up to
that level. No bylaw prescribes that none be received unless they are
of a certain stature. If, therefore, some you meet with are very
ignorant, do them good. Do not set about a report of any absurd remark
that they may make, or any misapprehension they may have upon a point
of Divinity. You were not always so wise as you are now–probably you
are not so wise now as you think you are. But anyhow, I shall argue
from the wisdom you possess your duty to impart. You have said, "Come
you with us, and we will do you good." It is not doing any man good to
smile at him, to find fault with him for not knowing. But it is doing
him good to hide his shortcomings and help his progress.
Once again–there may be some in your midst who are in a good deal of
trouble. Have they no friends to sympathize and console them? Alas,
friends in this world are often too much like swallows that are gone as
soon as the first frost appears. Let it not be so with you–if you
never owned him your friend before–be his friend now. Come to his aid
if you possibly can. Let him have your countenance. Do not pass him
because his black coat has a rusty hue. Do not get out of his way
because you are afraid that he is short of cash. As far as ever you
can, let him see, now he is in his trouble, that you did not value him
for what he had, but for himself, for his character, for his attachment
to Christ.
If anybody has spoken ill of him, do not be ready to jot down as true
the slander that every fool or villain may please to hold forth against
a Christian man. Search for yourselves, and if you are obliged to
believe it, yet say little about it. Carry it before God, as though it
were your own sin, and sorrow over it. Talk to your Brother, if it is
your lot to know
him well, and get him to leave the evil into which he has fallen, and
lead him back again. But do not forsake him. Or if he is the victim of
slander and scandal, be you among the first to defend him. I do hope
that there will always be among us a spirit of true Christian
brotherhood so that those who love Christ and have thrown in their lot
with us may find that we really desire to do them good.
I have thus spoken more particularly because I know that the number of
Christians among us who are not making a profession is unusually large
just now. I had far rather it should be so than that it should be the
reverse–than that many should be making a profession without knowing
or feeling the private virtue and public faith it demands. Better that
you were outside the visible Church all your lives, and be in Christ,
than make a profession and yet have no part nor lot with Him. All these
outward things are nothing compared with the inward. "You must be born
again." There must be a living faith in Christ, a real change of
heart–an indwelling of the Spirit of God to attest the verity of your
godliness. Where these are, the rest ought not to be neglected.
These things ought you to have done, and not to have left the other
undone, but still, even if they are left undone, it shall not amount to
a total shipwreck. But if there is no faith, you may build the vessel
as you will, and you may think that you have loaded her with precious
treasures–but sink she must–because that alone which would have kept
her afloat has been neglected.
God grant us to be one with Christ, and to be one with His people in
time and in eternity. There now–there now– there is Christ's Church.
And if I saw that she were in the stocks, and all were hooting her–if
she stood in the pillory, and all were pelting her–yet it would be my
desire to throw in my lot with her! Whatever she endured I would
endure, because the day comes when those who were not on the side of
Christ and His Church would give their eyes if they had been!
Yes, would wish themselves that they had never been born to think that
they did not take up with the reproached people, and did not side with
the reproached Savior. O be with Christ in His sorrows, that you may be
with Him in His joy! Be with Him in His reproach, that you may be with
Him in His glory! Amen.
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Precious, Honorable, Beloved