A Sermon
(No. 21)
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 29, 1855, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
At Exeter Hall, Strand.
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."–Acts 4:13.
BEHOLD! what a change divine grace will work in a man, and in how short
a time. That same Peter, who so lately followed his master afar off,
and with oaths and curses denied that he knew his name, is now to be
found side by side with the loving John, boldly declaring that there is
salvation in none other name save that of Jesus Christ, and preaching
the resurrection of the dead, through the sacrifice of his dying Lord.
The Scribes and Pharisees soon discover the reason of his boldness.
Rightly did they guess that it rested not in his learning or his
talents, for neither Peter nor John had been educated; they had been
trained as fishermen; their education was a knowledge of the sea–of
the fisherman's craft; none other had they; their boldness could not
therefore spring from the self-sufficiency of knowledge, but from the
Spirit of the living God. Nor did they acquire their courage from their
station; for rank will confer a sort of dignity upon a man, and make
him speak with a feigned authority, even when he has no talent or
genius; but these men were, as it says in the original text, idiotai,
private men, who stood in no official capacity; men without rank or
station. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
that they were unlearned and private individuals, they marveled, and
they came to a right conclusion as to the source of their power–they
had been dwelling with Jesus. Their conversation with the Prince of
light and glory, backed up, as they might also have known, by the
influence of the Holy Spirit, without which even that eminently holy
example would have been in vain, had made them bold for their Master's
cause. Oh! my brethren, it were well if this condemnation, so forced
from the lips of enemies, could also be compelled by our own example.
If we could live like Peter and John; if our lives were "living
epistles of God, known and read of all men;" if, whenever we were seen,
men would take knowledge of us, that we had been with Jesus, it would
be a happy thing for this world, and a blessed thing for us. It is
concerning that I am to speak to you this morning; and as God gives me
grace, I will endeavor to stir up your minds by way of remembrance, and
urge you so to imitate Jesus Christ, our heavenly pattern, that men may
perceive that you are disciples of the Holy Son of God.
First, then, this morning, I will tell you what a Christian should be;
secondly, I will tell you when he should be so; thirdly, why he should
be so; and then fourthly how he can be so.
I. As God may help us then, first of all, we will speak of WHAT A
BELIEVER SHOULD BE. A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus
Christ. You have read lives of Christ, beautifully and eloquently
written, and you have admired the talent of the persons who could write
so well; but the best life of Christ is his living biography, written
out in the words and actions of his people. If we, my brethren, were
what we profess to be; if the Spirit of the Lord were in the heart of
all his children, as we could desire; and if, instead of having
abundance of formal professors, we were all possessors of that vital
grace, I will tell you not only what we ought to be, but what we should
be: we should be pictures of Christ, yea, such striking likenesses of
him that the world would not have to hold us up by the hour together,
and say, "Well, it seems somewhat of a likeness;" but they would, when
they once beheld us, exclaim, "He has been with Jesus; he has been
taught of him; he is like him; he has caught the very idea of the holy
Man of Nazareth, and he expands it out into his very life and every day
actions."
In enlarging upon this point, it will be necessary to premise, that
when we here affirm that men should be such and such a thing, we refer
to the people of God. We do not wish to speak to them in any legal way.
We are not under the law, but under grace. Christian men hold
themselves bound to keep all God's precepts; but the reason why they do
so is not because the law is binding upon them, but because the gospel
constrains them; they believe, that having been redeemed by blood
divine; having been purchased by Jesus Christ, they are more bound to
keep his commands, than they would have been if they were under the
law; they hold themselves to be ten thousand fold more debtors to God,
than they could have been under the Mosaic dispensation. Not of force;
not of compulsion; not through fear of the whip; not through legal
bondage; but through pure, disinterested love and gratitude to God,
they lay themselves out for his service, seeking to be Israelites
indeed, in whom there is no guile. This much I have declared lest any
man should think that I am preaching works as the way to salvation; I
will yield to none in this, that I will ever maintain–that by grace we
are saved, and not by ourselves; but equally must I testify, that where
the grace of God is, it will produce fitting deeds. To these I am ever
bound to exhort you, while ye are ever expected to have good works for
necessary purposes. Again, I do not, when I say that a believer should
be a striking likeness of Jesus, suppose that any one Christian will
perfectly exhibit all the features of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ; yet, my brethren, the fact that perfection is beyond our reach,
should not diminish the ardore of our desire after it. The artist, when
he paints, knows right well that he shall not be able to excel Apelles;
but that does not discourage him; he uses his brush with all the
greater pains, that he may, at least in some humble measure, resemble
the great master. So the sculptor, though persuaded that he will not
rival Praxiteles, will hew out the marble still, and seek to be as near
the model as possible. Thus so the Christian man; though he feels he
never can mount to the heights of complete excellence, and perceives
that he never can on earth become the exact image of Christ, still
holds it up before him, and measures his own deficiencies by the
distance between himself and Jesus. This will he do; forgetting all he
has attained, he will press forward, crying, Excelsior! going upwards
still, desiring to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ
Jesus.
First, then, a Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. This is
a virtue now-a-days called impudence, but the grace is equally valuable
by whatever name it may be called. I suppose if the Scribes had given a
definition of Peter and John, they would have called them impudent
fellows.
Jesus Christ and his disciples were noted for their courage. "When they
saw the boldness of Peter and John, they took knowledge of them, that
they had been with Jesus." Jesus Christ never fawned upon the rich; he
stooped not to the great and noble; he stood erect, a man before
men–the prophet of the people; speaking out boldly and freely what he
thought. Have you never admired that mighty deed of his, when going to
the city where he had lived and been brought up? Knowing that a prophet
had no honor in his own country, the book was put into his hands (he
had but then commenced his ministry), yet without tremor he unrolled
the sacred volume, and what did he take for his text? Most men, coming
to their own neighborhood, would have chosen a subject adapted to the
taste, in order to earn fame. But what doctrine did Jesus preach that
morning? One which in our age is scorned and hated–the doctrine of
election. He opened the Scriptures, and began to read thus: "Many
widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up
three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the
land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city
of Sodom, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel
in the time of Eliseus, the prophet; and none of them were cleansed,
saving Naaman, the Syrian." Then he began to tell, how God saveth whom
he pleases, and rescues whom he chooses. Ah! how they gnashed their
teeth upon him, dragged him out, and would have cast him from the brow
of the hill. Do you not admire his intrepidity? He saw their teeth
gnashing; he knew their hearts were hot with enmity, while their mouths
foamed withe revenge and malice; still he stood like the angel who shut
the lions' mouths; he feared them not; faithfully he proclaimed what he
knew to be the truth of God, and still read on, despite them all. So,
in his discourses. If he saw a Scribe or a Pharisee in the
congregation, he did not keep back part of the price, but pointing his
finger, he said, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites;" and
when a lawyer came, saying, "Master, in speaking thus, thou condemnest
us also;" he turned round and said "Woe unto you, lawyers, for ye bind
heavy burdens upon men, while ye yourselves will not touch them with so
much as one of your fingers." He dealt out honest truth; he never knew
the fear of man; he trembled at none; he stood out God's chosen, whom
he had anointed above his fellows, careless of man's esteem. My
friends, be like Christ in this. Have none of the time-serving religion
of the present day, which is merely exhibited in evangelical
drawing-rooms,–a religion which only flourishes in a hot-bed
atmosphere, a religion which is only to be perceived in good company.
No; if ye are the servants of God, be like Jesus Christ, bold for your
master; never blush to own your religion; your profession will never
disgrace you; take care you never disgrace that. Your love to Christ
will never dishonor you; it may bring some temporary slight from your
friends, or slanders from your enemies; but live on, and you shall live
down their calumnies; live on, and ye shall stand amongst the
glorified, honored even by those who hissed you, when he shall come to
be glorified by his angels, and admired by them that love him. Be like
Jesus, very valiant for your God, so that when they shall see your
boldness, they may say, "He has been with Jesus."
But no one feature will give a portrait of a man; so the one virtue of
boldness will never make you like Christ. There have been some who have
been noble men, but have carried their courage to excess; they have
thus been caricatures of Christ, and not portraits of him. We must
amalgamate with our boldness the loveliness of Jesus' disposition. Let
courage be the brass, let love be the gold. Let us mix the two
together; so shall we produce a rich Corinthian metal, fit to be
manufactured into the beautiful gate of the temple. Let your love and
courage be mingled together. The man who is bold may indeed accomplish
wonders. John Knox did much, but he might perhaps have done more if he
had had a little love. Luther was a conqueror–peace to his ashes, and
honor to his name!–still, we who look upon him at a distance, think
that if he had sometimes mixed a little mildness with it–if, while he
had the fortitier in re, he had been also suaviter in modo, and spoken
somewhat more gently, he might have done even more good than he did. So
brethren, while we too are bold, let us ever imitate the loving Jesus.
The child comes to him; he takes it on his knee, saying, "Suffer little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not." A widow has just lost
her only son; he weeps at the bier, and with a word, restores life to
the dead man. He sees a paralytic, a leper, or a man long confined to
his bed; he speaks, they rise, and are healed. He lived for others, not
for himself. His constant labors were without any motive, except the
good of those who lived in the world. And to crown all, ye know the
mighty sacrifice he made, when he condescended to lay down his life for
man–when on the tree, quivering with agony, and hanging in the utmost
extremity of suffering, he submitted to die for our sakes, that we
might be saved. Behold in Christ love consolidated! He was one mighty
pillar of benevolence. As God is love, so Christ is love. Oh, ye
Christians, be ye loving also. Let you love and your beneficence beam
out on all men. Say not, "Be ye warmed, and be ye filled," but "give a
portion to seven, and also to eight." If ye cannot imitate Howard, and
unlock the prison doors–if ye cannot visit the sad house of misery,
yet each in your proper sphere, speak kind words, do kind actions; live
out Christ again in the kindness of your life. If there is one virtue
which most commends Christians, it is that of kindness; it is to love
the people of God, to love the church, to love the world, to love all.
But how many have we in our churches of Crab-tree Christians, who have
mixed such a vast amount of vinegar, and such a tremendous quantity of
gall in their constitutions, that they can scarcely speak one good word
to you: they imagine it impossible to defend religion except by
passionate ebullitions; they cannot speak for their dishonored Master
without being angry with their opponent; and if anything is awry,
whether it be in the house, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive
it to be their duty to set their faces like flint, and to defy
everybody. They are like isolated icebergs, no one cares to go near
them. They float about on the sea of forgetfulness, until at last they
are melted and gone; and though, good souls, we shall be happy enough
to meet them in heaven, we are precious glad to get rid of them from
the earth. They were always so unamiable in disposition, that we would
rather live an eternity with them in heaven than five minutes on earth.
Be ye not thus, my brethren. Imitate Christ in you loving spirits;
speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, "He
has been with Jesus."
Another great feature in the life of Christ was his deep and sincere
humility; in which let us imitate him. While we will not cringe or
bow3(far from it; we are the freemen whom the truth makes free; we walk
through this world equal to all, inferior to none)3yet we would
endeavor to be like Christ, continually humble. Oh, thou proud
Christian (for though it be a paradox, there must be some, I think; I
would not be so uncharitable as to say that there are not some such
persons), if thou art a Christian, I bid thee look at thy Master,
talking to the children, bending from the majesty of his divinity to
speak to mankind on earth, tabernacling with the peasants of Galilee,
and then–aye, depth of condescension unparalleled–washing his
disciples' feet, and wiping them with the towel after supper. This is
your Master, whom ye profess to worship; this is your Lord, whom ye
adore. And ye, some of you who count yourselves Christians, cannot
speak to a person who is not dressed in the same kind of clothing as
yourselves, who have not exactly as much money per year as you have. In
England, it is true that a sovereign will not speak to a shilling, and
a shilling will not notice a sixpence, and a sixpence will sneer at a
penny. But it should not be so with Christians. We ought to forget
caste, degree, and rank, when we come into Christ's church. Recollect,
Christian, who your Master was–a man of the poor. He lived with them;
he ate with them. And will ye walk with lofty heads and stiff necks,
looking with insufferable contempt upon you meaner fellow-worms? What
are ye? The meanest of all, because your trickeries and adornments make
you proud. Pitiful, despicable souls ye are! How small ye look in God's
sight! Christ was humble; he stooped to do anything which might serve
others. He had no pride; he was an humble man, a friend of publicans
and sinners, living and walking with them. So, Christian, be thou like
thy Master–one who can stoop; yea, be thou one who thinks it no
stooping, but rather esteems others better than himself, counts it his
honor to sit with the poorest of Christ's people, and says, "If my name
may be but written in the obscurest part of the book of life, it is
enough for me, so unworthy am I of his notice!" Be like Christ in his
humility.
So might I continue, dear brethren, speaking of the various
characteristics of Christ Jesus; but as you can think of them as well
as I can, I shall not do so. It is easy for you to sit down and paint
Jesus Christ, for you have him drawn out here in his word. I find that
time would fail me if I were to give you an entire likeness of Jesus;
but let me say, imitate him in his holiness. Was zealous for his
master? So be you. Ever go about doing good. Let not time be wasted. It
is too precious. Was he self-denying, never looking to his own
interest? So be you. Was he devout? So be you fervent in your prayers.
Had he deference to his Father's will? So submit yourselves to him. Was
he patient? So learn to endure. And best of all, as the highest
portraiture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies as he did; and let
those sublime words of you Master, "Father, forgive them, for they know
not what they do," always ring in your ears. When you are prompted to
revenge; when hot anger starts, bridle the steed at once, and let it
not dash forward with you headlong. Remember, anger is temporary
insanity. Forgive as you hope to be forgiven. Heap coals of fire on the
head of your foe by your kindness to him. Good for evil, recollect, is
god-like. Be god-like, then; and in all ways, and by all means, so live
that your enemies may say, "He has been with Jesus."
II. Now, WHEN SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE THUS? For there is an idea in the
world that persons ought to be very religious on a Sunday, but it does
not matter what they are on a Monday. How many pious preachers are
there on a Sabbath-day, who are very impious preachers during the rest
of the week! How many are there who come up to the house of God with a
solemn countenance, who join the song and profess to pray, yet have
neither part nor lot in the matter, but are "in the gall of bitterness
and in the bonds of iniquity!" This is true of some of you who are
present here. When should a Christian, then, be like Jesus Christ? Is
there a time when he may strip off his regimentals–when the warrior
may unbuckle his armor, and become like other men? Oh! no; at all times
and in every place let the Christian be what he professes to be. I
remember talking some time ago with a person who said, "I do not like
visitors who come to my house and introduce religion; I think we ought
to have religion on the Sabbath-day, when we go to the house of God,
but not in the drawing-room." I suggested to the individual that there
would be a great deal of work for the upholsterers, if there should be
no religion except in the house of God. "How is that?" was the
question. "Why," I replied, "we should need to have beds fitted up in
all our places of worship, for surely we need religion to die with, and
consequently, every one would want to die there." Aye, we all need the
consolations of God at last; but how can we expect to enjoy them unless
we obey the precepts of religion during life? My brethren, let me say,
be ye like Christ at all times. Imitate him in public. Most of us live
in some sort of publicity; many of us are called to work before our
fellow-men every day. We are watched; our words are caught; our lives
are examined–taken to pieces. The eagle-eyed, argus-eyed world
observes everything we do, and sharp critics are upon us. Let us live
the life of Christ in public. Let us take care that we exhibit our
Master, and not ourselves–so that we can say, "It is no longer I that
live, but Christ that liveth in me." Take heed that you carry this into
the church too, you who are church-members. Be like Christ in the
church. How many there are of you like Diotrephes, seeking
pre-eminence? How many are trying to have some dignity and power over
their fellow Christians, instead of remembering that it is the
fundamental rule of all our churches, that there all men are
equal–alike brethren, alike to be received as such. Carry out the
spirit of Christ, then, in your churches, wherever ye are; let your
fellow members say of you, "He has been with Jesus."
But, most of all, take care to have religion in your houses. A
religious house is the best proof of true piety. It is not my chapel,
it is my house–it is not my minister, it is my home-companion–who can
best judge me; it is the servant, the child, the wife, the friend, that
can discern most of my real character. A good man will improve his
household. Rowland Hill once said, he would not believe a man to be a
true Christian if his wife, his children, the servants, and even the
dog and cat, were not the better for it. That is being religious. If
your household is not the better for your Christianity–if men cannot
say, "This is a better house than others," then be not deceived–ye
have nothing of the grace of God. Let not your servant, on leaving your
employ, say, "Well, this is a queer sort of a religious family; there
was no prayer in the morning, I began the day with my drudgery; there
was no prayer at night, I was kept at home all the Sabbath-day. Once a
fortnight, perhaps, I was allowed to go out in the afternoon, when
there was nowhere to go where I could hear a gospel sermon. My master
and mistress went to a place where of course they heard the blessed
gospel of God–that was all for them; as for me, I might have the dregs
and leavings of some overworked curate in the afternoon." Surely,
Christian men will not act in that way. No! Carry out your godliness in
your family. Let everyone say that you have practical religion. Let it
be known and read in the house, as well as in the world. Take care of
your character there; for what we are there, we really are. Our life
abroad is often but a borrowed part, the actor's part of a great scene,
but at home the wizard is removed, and men are what they seem. Take
care of you home duties.
Yet again, my brethren, before I leave this point, imitate Jesus in
secret. When no eye seeth you except the eye of God, when darkness
covers you, when you are shut up from the observation of mortals, even
then be ye like Jesus Christ. Remember his ardent piety, his secret
devotion–how, after laboriously preaching the whole day, he stole away
in the midnight shades to cry for help from his God. Recollect how his
entire life was constantly sustained by fresh inspirations of the Holy
Spirit, derived by prayer. Take care of your secret life; let it be
such that you will not be ashamed to read at the last great day. Your
inner life is written in the book of God, and it shall one day be open
before you. If the entire life of some of you were known, it would be
no life at all; it would be a death. Yea, even of some true Christians
we may say it is scarce a life. It is a dragging on of an
existence–one hasty prayer a day–one breathing, just enough to save
their souls alive, but no more. O, my brethren, strive to be more like
Jesus Christ. These are times when we want more secret prayer. I have
had much fear all this week. I know not whether it is true; but when I
feel such a thing I like to tell it to those of you who belong to my
own church and congregation. I have trembled lest, by being away from
our own place, you have ceased to pray as earnestly as you once did. I
remember your earnest groans and petitions–how you would assemble
together in the house of prayer in multitudes, and cry out to God to
help his servant. We cannot meet in such style at present; but do you
still pray in private? Have you forgotten me? Have you ceased to cry
out to God? Oh! my friends, with all the entreaties that a man can use,
let me appeal to you. Recollect who I am, and what I am–a child,
having little education, little learning, ability or talent; and here
am I called upon week after week, to preach to this crowd of people.
Will ye not, my beloved, still plead for me? Has not God been pleased
to hear your prayers ten thousand times? And will ye now cease, when a
mighty revival is taking place in many churches? Will ye now stop your
petitions? Oh! no; go to your houses, fall upon your knees, cry aloud
to God to enable you still to hold up your hands like Moses on the
hill, that Joshua below may fight and overcome the Amalekites. Now is
the time for victory; shall we lose it? This is the high tide that will
float us over the bar; now let us put out the oars; let us pull by
earnest prayer, crying for God the Spirit to fill the sails! Ye who
love God, of every place and every denomination, wrestle for your
ministers; pray for them; for why should not God even now put out his
Spirit? What is the reason why we are to be denied Pentecostal seasons?
Why not this hour, as one mighty band, fall down before him and entreat
him, for his Son's sake, to revive his drooping church? Then would all
men discern that we are verily the disciples of Christ.
III. But now, thirdly, WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS IMITATE CHRIST? The answer
comes very naturally and easily, Christians should be like Christ,
first, for their own sakes. For their honesty's sake, and for their
credit's sake, let them not be found liars before God and men. For
their own healthful state, if they wish to be kept from sin and
preserved from going astray, let them imitate Jesus. For their own
happiness' sake, if they would drink wine on the lees well refined; if
they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be
lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them imitate
Jesus Christ. Oh! my brethren, there is nothing that can so advantage
you, nothing can so prosper you, so assist you, so make you walk
towards heaven rapidly, so keep you head upwards towards the sky, and
your eyes radiant with glory, like the imitation of Jesus Christ. It is
when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with
Jesus in his very footsteps, and tread in his ways, you are most happy
and you are most known to be the sons of God. For your own sake, my
brethren, I say, be like Christ.
Next, for religion's sake, strive to imitate Jesus. Ah! poor religion,
thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel foes, but thou hast not been
wounded one-half so much by them as by thy friends. None have hurt
thee, O, Christianity, so much as those who profess to be thy
followers. Who have made these wounds in this fair hand of godliness? I
say, the professor has done this, who has not lived up to his
profession; the man who with pretences enters the fold, being naught
but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Such men, sirs, injure the gospel more
than others; more than the laughing infidel, more than the sneering
critic, doth the man hurt our cause who professes to love it, but in
his actions doth belie his love. Christian, lovest thou that cause? Is
the name of the dear Redeemer precious to thee? Wouldst thou see the
kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ?
Dost thou wish to see the proud man humbled and the mighty abased? Dost
thou long for the souls of perishing sinners, and art thou desirous to
win them, and save their souls from the everlasting burning? Wouldst
thou prevent their fall into the regions of the damned? Is it thy
desire that Christ should see the travail of his soul, and be
abundantly satisfied? Doth thy heart yearn over thy fellow-immortals?
Dost thou long to see them forgiven? Then be consistent with thy
religion. Walk before God in the land of the living. Behave as an elect
man should do. Recollect what manner of people we ought to be in all
holy conversation and godliness. This is the best way to convert the
world; yea, such conduct would do more than even the efforts of
missionary societies, excellent as they are. Let but men see that our
conduct is superior to others, then they will believe there is
something in our religion; but , if they see us quite the contrary to
what we avow, what will they say? "These religious people are no better
than others! Why should we go amongst them?" And they say quite
rightly. It is but common-sense judgment. Ah! my friends, if ye love
religion for her own sake, be consistent, and walk in the love of God.
Follow Christ Jesus.
Then, to put it in the strongest form I can, let me say, for Christ's
sake, endeavor to be like him. Oh! could I fetch the dying Jesus here,
and let him speak to you! My own tongue is tied this morning, but I
would make his blood, his scars, and his wounds speak. Poor dumb
mouths, I bid each of them plead in his behalf. How would Jesus,
standing here, show you his hands this morning! "My friends," he would
say, "hehold me! these hands were pierced for you; and look ye here at
this my side. It was opened as the fountain of your salvation. See my
feet; there entered the cruel nails. Each of these bones were
dislocated for your sake. These eyes gushed with torrents of tears.
This head was crowned with thorns. These cheeks were smitten; this hair
was plucked; my body became the centre and focus of agony. I hung
quivering in the burning sun; and all for you, my people. And will ye
not love me now? I bid you be like me. Is there any fault in me? Oh!
no. Ye believe that I am fairer than ten thousand fairs, and lovelier
than ten thousand loves. Have I injured you? Have I not rather done all
for your salvation? And do I not sit at my Father's throne, and e'en
now intercede on your behalf? If ye love me,"-Christian, hear that
word; let the sweet syllables ring forever in your ears, like the
prolonged sounding of silver-toned bells;–"if ye love me, if ye love
me, keep my commandments." Oh, Christian, let that "if" be put to thee
this morning. "If ye love me." Glorious Redeemer! is it an "if" at all?
Thou precious, bleeding Lamb, can there be an "if?" What, when I see
thy blood gushing from thee; is it an "if?" Yes, I weep to say it is an
"if." Oft my thoughts make it "if," and oft my words make it "if." But
yet methinks my soul feels it is not "if," either.
"Not to mine eyes is light so dear,
Nor friendship half so sweet."
"Yes, I love thee, I know that I love thee. Lord, thou knowest all
things, thou knowest that I love thee," can the Christian say. "Well,
then," says Jesus, looking down with a glance of affectionate
approbation, "since thou lovest me, keep my commandments." O beloved,
what mightier reason can I give than this? It is the argument of love
and affection . Be like Christ, since gratitude demands obedience; so
shall the world know that ye have been with Jesus.
IV. Ah! then ye wept; and I perceive ye felt the force of pity, and
some of you are inquiring, "HOW CAN I IMITATE HIM?" It is my business,
then, before you depart, to tell you how you can become transformed
into the image of Christ.
In the first place, then, my beloved friends, in answer to your
inquiry, let me say, you must know Christ as your Redeemer before you
can follow him as your Exemplar. Much is said about the example of
Jesus, and we scarcely find a man now who does not believe that our
Lord was an excellent and holy man, much to be admired. But excellent
as was his example, it would be impossible to imitate it, had he not
also been our sacrifice. Do ye this morning know that his blood was
shed for you? Can ye join with me in this verse,–
"O the sweet wonders of that cross,
Where God the Saviour lov'd and died;
Her noblest life my spirit draws
From his dear wounds and bleeding side."
If so, you are in a fair way to imitate Christ. But do not seek to copy
him until you are bathed in the fountain filled with blood drawn from
his veins. It is not possible for you to do so; your passions will be
too strong and corrupt, and you will be building without a foundation,
a structure, which will be about as stable as a dream. You cannot mould
your life to his pattern until you have had his spirit, till you have
been clothed in his righteousness. "Well," say some, "we have proceeded
so far, what next shall we do? We know we have an interest in him, but
we are still sensible of manifold deficiencies." Next, then, let me
entreat you to study Christ's character. This poor Bible is become an
almost obsolete book, even with some Christians. There are so many
magazines, periodicals, and such like ephemeral productions, that we
are in danger of neglecting to search the Scriptures. Christian,
wouldst thou know thy master? Look at him. There is a wondrous power
about the character of Christ, for the more you regard it the more you
will be conformed to it. I view myself in the glass, I go away, and
forget what I was. I behold Christ, and I become like Christ. Look at
him, then; study him in the evangelists, studiously examine his
character. "But," say you, "we have done that, and we have proceeded
but little farther." Then, in the next place, correct your poor copy
every day. At night, try and recount all the actions of the twenty-four
hours, scrupulously putting them under review. When I have proof-sheets
sent to me of any of my writings, I have to make the corrections in the
margin. I might read them over fifty times, and the printers would
still put in the errors if I did not mark them. So must you do; if you
find anything faulty at night, make a mark in the margin, that you may
know where the fault is, and to-morrow may amend it. Do this day after
day, continually noting your faults one by one, so that you may better
avoid them. It was a maxim of the old philosophers, that, three times
in the day, we should go over our actions. So let us do; let us not be
forgetful; let us rather examine ourselves each night, and see wherin
we have done amiss, that we may reform our lives.
Lastly, as the best advice I can give, seek more of the Spirit of God;
for this is the way to become Christ-like. Vain are all your attempts
to be like him till you have sought his spirit. Take the cold iron, and
attempt to weld it if you can into a certain shape. How fruitless the
effort! Lay it on the anvil, seize the blacksmith's hammer with all you
might, let blow after blow fall upon it, and you shall have done
nothing. Twist it, turn it, use all your implements, but you shall not
be able to fashion it as you would. But put it in the fire, let it be
softened and made malleable, then lay it on the anvil, and each stroke
shall have a mighty effect, so that you may fashion it into any form
you may desire. So take your heart, not cold as it is, not stony as it
is by nature, but put it into the furnace; there let it be molten, and
after that it can be turned like wax to the seal, and fashioned into
the image of Jesus Christ.
Oh, my brethren, what can I say now to enforce my text, but that, if ye
are like Christ on earth, ye shall be like him in heaven? If by the
power of the Spirit ye become followers of Jesus, ye shall enter glory.
For at heaven's gate there sits an angel, who admits no one who has not
the same features as our adorable Lord. There comes a man with a crown
upon his head, "Yes," he says, "thou hast a crown, it is true, but
crowns are not the medium of access here." Another approaches, dressed
in robes of state and the gown of learning. "Yes," says the angel, "it
may be good, but gowns and learning are not the marks that shall admit
you here." Another advances, fair, beautiful, and comely. "Yes," saith
the angel, "that might please on earth, but beauty is not wanted here."
There cometh up another, who is heralded by fame, and prefaced by the
blast of the clamor of mankind; but the angel saith, "It is well with
man, but thou hast no right to enter here." Then there appears another;
poor he may have been; illiterate he may have been; but the angel, as
he looks at him, smiles and says, "It is Christ again; a second edition
of Jesus Christ is there. Come in, come in. Eternal glory thou shalt
win. Thou art like Christ; in heaven thou shalt sit, because thou art
like him." Oh! to be like Christ is to enter heaven; but to be unlike
Christ is to descend to hell. Likes shall be gathered together at last,
tares with tares, wheat with wheat. If ye have sinned with Adam and
have died, ye shall lie with the spiritually dead forever, unless ye
rise in Christ to newness of life; then shall we live with him
throughout eternity. Wheat with wheat, tares with tares. "Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap." Go away with this one thought, then my brethren, that you
can test yourselves by Christ. If you are like Christ, you are of
Christ, and shall be with Christ. If you are unlike him, you have no
portion in the great inheritance. May my poor discourse help to fan the
floor and reveal the chaff; yea, may it lead many of you to seek to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to the praise of
his grace. To him be all honor given! Amen.