DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 15, 1880,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"Faith which works by love." Galatians 5:6.
ALL ways of justification by human works and outward forms are set
aside by the Apostle. In one sentence he closes up every road which is
cast up by man and opens up the way of the Lord, even the way of
salvation by Grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Some hope to be saved
by ritualism–their hopes are struck hip and thigh by these words,
"Neither circumcision avails anything." On the other hand, many are
relying upon their freedom from all ceremonies and place their reliance
upon a sort of anti-ritualism–they are struck by the words, "nor
uncircumcision." As Jews relied upon circumcision, so do many depend
upon Baptism and sacraments–to these the Apostle gives no quarter.
Others glory in uncircumcision–they have practiced no rites nor
ceremonies–their mode of worship is plain even to unsightliness, free
almost to disorder and of this they are apt to make a righteousness.
It is quite as easy to make a self-righteousness out of the plainness
of the Quaker as out of the gaudiness of the Romanist and the one
confidence will be as fatal as the other. You and I, as Baptists, may
glory in the simplicity of our worship and the Scripturalness of our
Baptism, but if we think that outward things will save us because they
are Scripturally simple, we shall err as much as they do who multiply
gorgeous services and pompous processions. Let the whole sentence be
quoted! Paul says, "Neither circumcision avails anything," but he does
not stop there, for he adds, "nor uncircumcision." The outward, whether
decorated or unadorned; whether fixed or free, touches not the saving
point–the only thing which can save us is faith in Jesus Christ, whom
God has set forth as a Propitiation for sin.
Faith brings us into contact with the healing fountain and so our
natural disease is removed. It appropriates, on our behalf, the result
of the Redeemer's service and sacrifice and so we become accepted in
Him. But anything short of this must fail–it is the tearing of the
garment while the heart is unbroken–the washing of the outside of the
cup and platter while the inner part is very filthiness. The Apostle,
however, does more than merely condemn other foundations than those of
faith–he distinguishes here between faith, itself, and its many
imitations. It is not every sort of faith that will save the soul.
True faith, undoubtedly, will save a man though it is but as a grain of
mustard seed. But it must be true faith–the genuine silver and not a
mere plated article. "Money answers all things," says the wise man, but
then it must be current coin of the realm, for counterfeit money will
answer for nothing except to condemn the man who has it in his
possession! Real faith will save us, but forgeries of it will increase
our peril. Assurance is of God, but presumption is of the devil. The
test of true faith is that it works–"Faith which works," says the
text. To that end it must, first of all, live, for it is clear that a
dead faith cannot work. There must be heart in our faith and the Spirit
of God breathing in it, or it will not be the living faith of a living
child of God.
Being alive, true faith must not sleep, but must awaken itself as a
child of the day, for a slumbering faith is matter for heart-searching,
since sleep is a cousin to Death. A wakeful faith becomes active and in
its activity lies much of its proof. "By their fruits you shall know
them" is one of Christ's own rules for testing men and things–and we
are to know faith by that which comes of it–by what it does for us and
in us and through us. Faith is not worth having if it is fruitless. It
has a name to live and is dead. If it works not at all, it lives not at
all and cannot justify its possession. A dead god may be served by a
dead faith, but only a living, waking, working faith can please the
ever-living, ever-working Jehovah. God save us from a dreaming faith
and a talking faith and give us "faith which works."–
"Not words alone it cost the Lord To purchase pardon for His own. Nor
will a soul by Grace restored
Return the Savior words alone.'
A further distinction is also set forth, namely, that true faith "works
by love." There are some who do many works as the result of a kind of
faith who, nevertheless, are not justified. As for instance, Herod, who
believed in John and did many things and yet murdered his minister. His
faith worked, but it worked by dread and not by love–he feared the
stern language of the second Elijah and the judgments which would come
upon him if he rejected the Baptist's warnings and so his faith worked
through fear. The great test of the working of saving faith is this–it
"works by love." If you are led by your faith in Jesus Christ to love
Him and so to serve Him, then you have the faith of God's elect. You
are, then, undoubtedly, a saved man and you may go your way and rejoice
in the liberty with which Christ has made you free.
It shall be joy to you to serve the Lord, since love is the mainspring
of your service. That is the point we are going to speak upon this
morning–the connection which exists between faith and love–"Faith
which works by love." We may be helped to test both our faith and love
while we are speaking of the intermingling and intertwisting of the
roots and branches of these two Divine Graces and it will do us good to
perform a thorough self-examination. It never does any man harm to
overhaul himself and to see in what a state he is–whether he is really
right or not–whether he is prospering in soul or not.
I am afraid of our taking our good estate for granted, but I am not
afraid of the most searching self-enquiry. May God the Holy Spirit
bless our ministry to this end this morning!
I. Our first observation will be this–FAITH ALWAYS PRODUCES
LOVE–"Faith which works by love." When faith has anything to do, she
walks to the field with Love at her side. The two Divine Graces are
inseparable. Like Mary and Martha, they are sisters and abide in one
house. Faith, like Mary, sits at Jesus' feet and hears His Words and
then Love diligently goes about the house and rejoices to honor the
Divine Lord. Faith is light, while Love is heat and in every beam of
Grace from the Sun of Righteousness you will find a measure of each.
True faith in God cannot exist without love to Him, nor sincere love
without faith. They are united, like Siamese twins, and where you meet
the one the other is sure to be present.
This happens by a necessity of faith's own nature. The moment a man
believes in Jesus Christ, he loves Him as a matter of course. It is
possible to trust in another person and not love him, but from the
peculiar circumstances of the case, our Lord, having loved us and given
Himself for us out of the infinite charity of His heart, we are
compelled to love Him the moment we repose upon Him. To trust the
bleeding Lamb and not love Him is a thing not to be imagined! Faith is
a gold ring which, in every case, the heavenly Jeweler sets with the
beryl of love. Water faith with a drop of God's own dew and it blossoms
into love!
The first steps of the prodigal, when he comes to himself, are all
towards his father's house and heart. When he gets home he may make
many steps here and there about his father's estate, but at the first,
at any rate, his face is distinctly towards his father. Did he not say,
"I will arise and go unto my father"? The first steps of the soul, when
it begins to believe in God, are desires after Him in which there is a
measure of love. The affections are awakened and drawn towards God as
soon as there is the slightest degree of faith in the soul. Every
Believer here knows that. Look back to the day when you first saw the
Lord, if you can remember it–the hour you looked to Him and were
lightened–did you not love Him immediately?
Love Him? Yes! We sometimes fear we loved Him better then, than now,
though I hope that it is not the case. If anyone had asked me, in the
first flush of my joy when first I beheld my bleeding Lord, "Do you
love Him?" I should not have hesitated, but replied, "I love Him as my
very soul, for He has redeemed me from going down into the Pit." Faith
creates love as summer breeds flowers! Our first love came with our
first faith by a necessity of nature which can never change. Love grows
out of faith yet farther by the discoveries of beauty in Christ which
faith is sure to make. Faith is the soul's eye and its telescope by
which it sees that which is so far off as to otherwise be invisible.
Holy faith gazes upon the Character of the Lord Jesus Christ, realizes
His Person and discerns His matchless work and so creates knowledge out
of which comes love.
Faith stands like the cherubim upon the golden Mercy Seat, looking
downward always upon the blood-sprinkled Propitiatory, admiring and
wondering, spying out something fresh every hour and thus filling
itself with ever-increased delight with those things which the angels
desire to look into. Out of this gracious discernment comes admiring
love. Faith delights to unveil the superlative beauties of the
Well-Beloved before the gaze of Love and then Faith and Love
unite in crying out, "Yes, He is altogether lovely!" Those who believe
can say, "We see Jesus," and those whose hearts are won by Him can add,
"We loved Him because He first loved us." O that we knew our Lord
better! O that we believed in Him more! Then should we be knit to Him
as the heart of Jonathan was knit to David.
Faith creates love, next, by its appropriation of that which it
discerns, for while faith is the soul's eye, it is also the mind's
hands by which it grasps the blessing. Faith sees the love of Christ
and then says, "He loved me and gave Himself for me." Faith sees the
wounds of Jesus and perceives His Deity through those windows of ruby
and immediately appropriates Him and cries, "My Lord and my God." Love
is sure to arise out of a sense of possession. Does not a mother love
her child very much because it is her own?
When we have an interest in a person so as to call him, "my brother,"
"my husband," "my son," then a sense of property increases our sense of
affection. This made the Psalmist sing, "O God, You are my God, early
will I seek You." Why, even in dead things, such as gold and silver and
goods and lands, when they are a man's own they are apt to be loved,
for the affections cling to that which is possessed–"Where your
treasure is there will your heart be also." And therefore, the danger
which attends worldly things, lest our heart be bird-limed with them
and so be held captive, instead of mounting upward towards God. This
tendency is clearly seen in reference to higher possessions and
especially with regard to Christ. If Christ is yours and Faith can say,
"Jesus is mine," Love alters the sentence and cries, "This is my
Beloved and this is my Friend."
When the faith of Thomas saw Jesus as Lord and God, his love gave a
musical ring to his exclamation by joying in personal possession and
calling Him, "my Lord and my God." Love rejoices in Jesus as her own
possession, triumphs in Him and right sweetly sings of love to Him
because He is her own Husband and Lord. Thus you see faith creates love
from a necessity of its nature, from the discoveries which it makes and
from its appropriation of the good things that are in Christ. Dear
Hearer, do you know anything about these matters? Faith further excites
love by another step, namely, by its enjoying the mercy and then
leading the heart to a grateful acknowledgment of the source of the
mercy. There are two links in the chain in this case–faith wins the
mercy by prayer–the mercy is enjoyed and then out of the enjoyment of
the gift springs love to Him who gave it.
Brothers and Sisters, what innumerable favors faith has already brought
to us! Some of you, I trust, do not look upon the Covenant as a
locked-up storeroom from which nothing is to be taken until you come to
die. But the key of David has been put into your hands by faith and you
have enjoyment, even now, of the fat things full of marrow and the
wines on the lees well-refined which the Lord has prepared for them
that love Him. At this moment you know that you are justified; you know
that you are adopted into the family of God–do you not, therefore,
love the Lord? I know you do! You feel, at this moment, that you are
enjoying the privileges of heirship with Christ–does not this bind you
fast to your elder Brother?
Every day you are receiving Providential mercies. I hope you keep your
eyes open to see them–every day you are receiving preserving mercies,
restoring mercies, instructive mercies, sealing mercies–do you not
love God for all these priceless gifts? Spiritual blessings are coming
to you from the God of All Grace and you are filled with joys, like
your Savior's grief–immense, unknown–surely this cements your soul to
your Redeemer! Unless your heart is altogether out of order, you love
God better and better because He is manifesting His love to you more
and more. Is it not so? Faith told you that the Lord was good and then
she cried, "I will prove it to you," and she handed out of the Covenant
storehouse mercies rich and rare and laid them at your feet! And since
you have possessed them and lived upon them as your own, you have
blessed the Giver and loved Him more than you ever did before.
Thus Faith receives promises and feeds Love on the fruit of them. It
does this even more sweetly by the familiarity with God which it breeds
in the heart, for Faith is in the habit of going to God with all her
burdens and coming away with her load removed. Faith has the daily
practice of pleading promises with God, speaking to Him face to face as
a man speaks with his friend and receiving favors from the right hand
of the Most High which make even her expectant soul to wonder! Faith
commences with God in the morning, as Abraham did, and walks with Him
in the field at evening, as Isaac did. Faith houses herself with God as
the swallow built her nest under the eaves of the temple. Faith's life
is in God, even as the life of a fish is in the sea.
The bosom of Jesus Christ is the pillow of faith and the heart of God
is the pavilion of faith. Because faith thus keeps us near to God, it
causes us to love Him. Oh, poor blind Soul, if you could see Jesus, you
would love Him! You who are
most opposed to Him would become His friends if you knew Him! It is not
possible for a Believer to be in Christ's company an hour without
feeling his heart warmed. The pilgrims to Emmaus said, "Did not our
hearts burn within us while He spoke with us by the way?" Those who
have known and believed His love towards them must feel His spell upon
their affections holding them captive. There is none like He among the
sons of men–His beauties ravish the heart! If Jesus does but lift the
veil and let us have a glimpse of one of His eyes for a moment, our
hearts are melted within us–
"Where can such sweetness be
As I have tasted in Your love,
As I have found in Thee?"
Because faith thus makes us familiar with our Divine Lord, it must
inevitably produce love in the soul. And here again, are two links
instead of one–our familiarity with Christ soon begets congeniality of
disposition and spirit, for that we are much with Christ–we become
much like Christ. He who lies on a bed of spices will naturally find
his garments smell of the same. A mirror upon which the sun is shining
is, itself, bright and flashes its reflected rays afar. He that walks
with wise men will be wise, but he that dwells with the Infinite Wisdom
shall be taught of God! Doubtless, happy couples who live together in
mutual affection and confidence become very much like each other–the
one becomes the other's self–they have the same aims and objectives,
they are often surprised to find that they have thought the same
thoughts and are about to say the same words at the same moment.
So do the saint and the Savior grow like each other after years of
acquaintance, only the growth is all on one side– we grow up unto Him
in all things who is the Head. Oh that our likeness to Christ were as
clear and complete as our likeness to our dear companions below! You
see how love is thus nurtured in the soul by a growing likeness of
disposition. Wherever there is congeniality of taste, mind, view,
disposition and spirit, love becomes strong and well established. And
thus faith, by begetting in us likeness to Christ, causes love to
Christ to become a mighty power in the soul! Surely all these points
sufficiently show that faith creates love in the soul wherever it
really dwells.
Do not, I pray you, begin to say, "I am afraid I do not love the Lord
as I ought," and so on. Take it for granted that you do not love Him to
the fullest of His infinite deserts. Instead of raising questions about
the degree of your love, ask yourself whether you believe in Him. Are
you trusting in the Lord Jesus? Are you confiding in Him? Because if
the root is there, the flower will appear before long. If you believe
that Jesus is the Christ, you are born of God and all who are born of
the God of Love must, themselves, love God. Do not talk of trying to
love God. You cannot force yourself to love anybody–who in his senses
would ever dream of such a thing? Such attempts would be utter folly.
Love must be free-born, it cannot be bought or forced. We cannot tell
what love is though we feel it. It is a mysterious something not to be
described by the cold maker of definitions, but it is always a product
of something else which goes before it. If you believe, you will love.
If you do not believe you will never love till you believe. Go to the
root of the matter. Do not try to grow the hyacinth of love without the
bulb of faith. Do you trust Jesus with all your heart and are you
confiding your soul's eternal interests with Him? Then I know that you
love Him, though you may, for a while, be occupied with other pursuits.
Love slumbers in you like fire in a flint, or rather, it smolders like
fire in smoldering turf. But before long it will burn vehemently like
coals of juniper! Look well to your faith and your love will not fail.
Remember the lines of a sweet poet and pray that you may sing them out
of your own soul–
"Hallelujah! I believe!
Now, OLove! I know your power,
You have no false or fragile fetters,
Nor the rose-wreaths of an hour.
Christian bonds of holy union
Death itself does not destroy;
Yes, to live and love forever,
Is our heritage of joy."
II. Let me now enlarge upon a second remark–LOVE IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT
UPON FAITH. "Faith which works by love." Love, then, does not work of
itself, except in the strength of faith. Love is so entirely dependent
upon faith that, as I have already said, it cannot exist without it! No
man loves a Savior in whom he reposes no confidence. There may be an
admiration of the Character of Christ, but the emotion which the
Scripture treats as, "love," only comes
into the heart when we trust in Jesus. "We love Him because He first
loved us." When we have a belief in His love and a sense of it, then we
begin to love Jesus–but love to Jesus cannot exist without faith in
Him.
Certainly love cannot flourish except as faith flourishes. If you doubt
your Lord, you will think harsh thoughts of Him and cease to love Him
as you should. If you fall into trouble and you doubt His wisdom, or
His goodness in sending it, the next thing will be that your heart will
be cold towards Him–you will begin to think your Lord to be tyrannical
and harsh to you and you will quarrel with Him. The two Graces must
diminish or increase together! If you attain to a simple, childlike
confidence which rests in Christ as a babe on its mother's bosom
reposes entirely in her care, then shall your love be made perfect! But
if you need to trust yourself a little and you begin judging your God
and do not repose entirely in Him, then it is that you have to ask
yourself whether you love Him or not. May God the Holy Spirit work in
us a mighty strength of faith that we may have a vehement love, strong
as death, immortal as Divinity!
Love, again, as it cannot flourish without faith, so it cannot work
without it. Love is a great designer and planner, but how to perform,
it finds not unless faith shows the way. Love sits down and says, "I
wish the world were converted to Christ!" But Faith goes out and
preaches the Gospel. Love cries, "I would to God that the children knew
of Jesus and that their hearts were renewed even while they are yet
little!" But Faith opens the Sunday school and teaches the young and
trusts in God that He will bless the Word to their salvation. Love must
have faith to give it muscle, sinew and strength–therefore take right
good care of your faith.
Longfellow says, "Therefore love and believe, and works will follow
spontaneously, even as the day the sun." Love is as Solomon's lily,
dropping sweet-smelling myrrh. How fair to look upon! Stand and admire
its charms. Know, O gazer, that yon lovely flower could not be thus
arrayed were it not joined by its stalk to a living root which is
hidden underground! Faith is the necessary bulb out of which comes love
as the perfection of beauty. You look over the fair city of Mansoul and
you see a gilded dome glittering in the sun–that dome is love and it
rests upon foundations of faith which are laid deep upon the
rock–otherwise the dome would fall in ruins. Love to God, if it is
worthy of the name, must be soundly based on confidence in Jesus. It
cannot abide without it, but is carried away by wind and flood, like
the house on the sand.
Therefore we are disposed to judge with prudence the outbursts of
emotion which we see in certain excitable persons. We hear them sing,
"Oh, yes, I love Jesus," but we are not so sure of it when we watch
their lives. We are pleased with such emotions if they arise out of the
knowledge of Christ and genuine faith in Him, but we have too often
seen the semblance of ardent affection without knowledge and without
humility–without penitence and without childlike faith– and therefore
we rejoice with trembling. We fear lest the building which rises up in
a night should vanish like "the baseless fabric of a vision" and
disappear like the soap bubble of a child, which, though it is adorned
with all the colors of the rainbow, dissolves in an instant.
See, then, to your faith, since love is entirely dependent upon it. See
that you are rooted and grounded and settled, lest the high tower of
professed love should soon lie in ruins and only indifference remain.
III. Thirdly, I advance to another observation which comes more closely
home to the text though our previous thoughts have been necessary to
bring us up to it–FAITH DISPLAYS ITS POWER BY LOVE. "Faith which works
by love." For a moment you must permit me to compare faith to a
craftsman in metals who is about to prepare some magnificent work which
cunning smiths were known to produce in the days of worked iron, when
skill and hand labor were thought much of and articles were produced
which are almost worth their weight in silver.
Faith, as a smith, strong and vigorous, has love to be her arms. Faith
lifts not a finger without love–it is her arm every morning. Faith
believes and resolves and then it proceeds to action, but the power
with which it can work lies in love. Faith without love would be a
cripple without arms. More than this–it is not only Faith's arms but
her tools. "Faith works by love." This is Faith's hammer and file and
anvil–her every implement. You have seen a screw hammer which can be
made to fit every nut and bolt, however large or small–love is just
such a tool–for love will teach a little child or evangelize a nation!
Love can stand and burn at the stake, or it can drop two mites that
make a farthing into the offering box. Love hopes all things, endures
all things–nothing comes amiss to it. A wonderfully handy tool is this
sacred Grace which Faith has adopted to work with! It can strike and it
can cut, it is good for uniting and good for breaking, it will avail
for anything which Faith wishes to perform. Only let Faith wield love
as its instrument and it can fashion whatever Divine
Wisdom tells it to form. More than that, love is Faith's furnace. All
the tools in the world will not suffice the smith unless he can blow
the coals and create a fervent heat.
What is there, Brethren, that can kindle the heat of enthusiasm like
earnest love to God? Faith believes God and rejoices in God and then
comes in love and the heart grows hot as Nebuchadnezzar's furnace! The
melting fire burns right gloriously and sparks ofjoy leap upward from
it. What is there that cannot be performed if we have enough love? This
is the great fire which burns in human hearts when God the Holy Spirit
sheds abroad the love of Jesus–by its heat all things are fused. This
fire will yet consume all sin and melt all hardness. None can quench
it, everything must yield before it! That consecrated craftsman called
Faith, blows the coals of Love and, plunged into its glowing flame,
tasks difficult as iron is hard become easily workable! Thus, "Faith
works by love."
Love is more than this, for, when all is melted and ready to flow, love
is faith's mold–it pours out all it does into the mold of God's
Love–fashioning its works according to the Divine pattern of Love in
Christ Jesus. As Jesus loved us, even so should we love one another.
And as He loved the Father and for love of the Father, that He might
glorify Him, fulfilled the Law and made Himself a Sacrifice, even so
are we willing to lay down our lives for the Brethren and for the
Father's honor. Thus Love becomes Faith's mold into which she carefully
seeks to pour out her whole being. What is more, she is Faith's metal,
for into the mold of love, Faith pours love itself. Love thus "answers
all things."
Love is the substance of every good work. Melt it down in the refining
pot and holiness is love. If there is any virtue, zeal, consecration or
holy daring, its substance is love. All the grand deeds which the
heroes of the Cross have performed are composed of the solid metal of
love to Jesus Christ. Be it great or be it little, he who has served
God aright has always brought into the sanctuary an offering of pure
love comparable to the gold of Ophir. Love, also, is Faith's burnisher
and file and with it she finishes all her work right carefully. Have
you never lovingly gone over all your work to give it the finishing
touches? Have you not wished to perfect all that you have attempted? I
know well what it means.
My rough castings–how very coarse they are–and when I fix them I look
at them and say, "That will not do, for I see self there. That will not
do, unbelief is there. This will not do, too much of self-will is
there." And then I have with tearful love, filed down and polished my
poor efforts and found love to be an excellent burnisher, ready to my
hand. When Augustine went over all his works to write his
Retractations, it was Love removing roughness from her work. If we
loved more, we might have more of retractation work to do. Thus Faith
works by love–love is Faith's arm, Faith's tools, Faith's furnace,
Faith's metal, Faith's mold and Faith's burnisher.
My Hearer, if you are working for God in any other way than this, you
will make a mess of it! The Law can never help you to such work as God
will accept. It is fitted to produce bars for a prison but not pillars
for a temple. You must work for God because you love Him–no other
labor except the labor of love can be acceptable with Him. Some people
serve God because they are in religious society and they must not be
thought lacking–therefore that blessed guinea, squeezed out by all the
ten-pound subscriptions on the list at the top of it–respectable
people must put down something, you know.
That occasional going out to week-night services is often done because
it is expected of you and not because it is a delight. Even Sabbath
assemblies grow to be a weariness and worship is regarded as a task.
This is not gold, but gilded dross–take it away! This is forced
service, devoid of the life-blood of obedience! This is fruit without
flavor or scent. That which is done because a man loves God, because he
loves to yield his heart to his God, however humble the service may be,
is accepted of God. True affection to Him who redeemed you from going
down to the Pit never fails to present an acceptable tribute before the
living God! May you abound in this to your own comfort and to the Glory
of Christ.
IV. I close with the fourth remark, which is this–LOVE REACTS UPON
FAITH AND PERFECTS IT. While Love owes everything to Faith, Faith,
by-and- by, becomes a debtor to Love. Love leads the soul into
admiration and so increases Faith. Having loved Christ, having become
enamored of Him, Love, which has dove's eyes which can see everything
that is fair, spies out, daily, more and more of Christ's perfections
and thus she aids the eye of Faith. Love sees among the rest of the
Lord's perfections His power, His faithfulness, His immutability–and
Faith at once concludes, "Then I can trust Him more than ever."
Knowing more of His power, more of His faithfulness, more of His
unchangeableness, I can depend upon Him without wavering. So if Faith's
eyes first look to Jesus, Love's eyes see yet more and discover further
excellences. Faith is that other disciple which outran Peter, but Love
is the disciple which enters in and spies out details. Love, moreover,
forbids
unbelief and so helps Faith, for Love says, "How can we grieve Him by
doubts?" Does not true love in every heart, when exercised towards a
man or a woman, forbid distrust? Fear in the form of distrust has
torment and, therefore, love casts it out.
The lack of mutual confidence in married life is the death of love, but
love is instinctively tender of showing anything like suspicion towards
a dear and faithful lover. Even when it supposes that there is an
error, love puts it down as by no means a willful fault, but concludes
that there may be a sense in which it is right, for love believes all
things, endures all things and will not tolerate mistrust which it
knows to be a worm at the very core of the heart. So you see, where
there is great love of Christ, it forbids doubt and thus kills the
foxes of distrust which spoil the tender vines of Faith. Love to Jesus
feels that it were better to distrust all men and angels than doubt the
dear Redeemer who poured out His blood to prove His love! Distrust the
heavens, for they shall pass away. Distrust the earth, for it shall be
utterly burned up. Distrust man, for he is as a broken reed! But never
distrust the faithful God! Lean on Him with your whole weight! Repose
in Him with your undivided confidence. So Love teaches and Faith learns
her lesson.
Moreover, perfect Love casts out fear because fear has torment and when
perfect Love has cast out fear, then Faith has room to display its
strength. Love has not learned to be afraid, nor will she permit the
work of Faith to become the labor of a shrinking, crouching slave.
Dread? Where can that find a lodging in the heart that loves? You hear
very proper people sometimes cry out against certain of us because they
say we speak as if we were on the best of terms with God and were
familiar with the Lord Jesus. Sarcastically they speak what is soberly
true–in their blindness they have hit the truth–it is even so. To
them God is a stranger and I doubt not that the language which we use
may well seem to them strange and almost profane.
It would be profane if they were to use it, being what they are. I do
not accuse them of open sin, but I do say and will say that he who is
not a child of God cannot fitly use expressions which are most becoming
from the lips of those who are the sons of God. A child may say to his
father what no one else may dare say and yet he has more reverence for
him than anyone else. Your child shall rightly behave towards you in a
manner which you could not tolerate in a stranger. Look at the judge on
the bench–with that big wig and those solemn robes–the prisoner at
the bar and the court and the jury must all be very respectful and
distant. But I guarantee you when his lordship reaches home, his
grandchild has no dread of grandpapa or his robes!
Love gives boldness and is yet most reverent–reverently familiar.
Chilliness and coldness are not for the children of God–they are
called to close communion with their heavenly Father and the Meeting
Place is not at Sinai, but at Calvary! Faith and Love are home-living
children and not out-of-door pensioners. They dwell in the house of the
Lord forever. Oh Beloved, this is the joy of love, that it brings us
into such close personal communion with God in Jesus Christ! That
trembling, slavish fear is gone and, loving God, we are familiar with
Him and trust Him implicitly. Oh, dear Friends, trust your God with
everything! Trust Him in little things! Trust Him in great things!
Trust Him in your joys to keep you sober! Trust Him in your sorrows to
keep you from despair! Oh, that you may possess much of this love, for
it is an eminent Grace. "Faith is child-like," says Dr. Eadie. "Hope is
saint-like, but love is God-like." May we reach this God-like virtue
through faith in God Himself!
My final word is this–let us, dear Friends, as a Church and people, be
working people. Faith works. Let us work because we have faith. I wish
that every member of this Church were at work for Jesus. I have very
few complaints, however, because I believe that the majority of the
dear Brothers and Sisters associated here are hard at it–but if there
are any of you who are not serving the Lord–I pray you, bestir
yourselves! You must work or your faith will be questioned and your
love will be suspect! We are a hive of bees, but what will happen if,
instead of making honey, the workers all turn to drones? Why, they will
next turn to wasps!
If such a change cannot take place in Nature, it certainly occurs in
morals and spirituals, for we have seen companies of good, hard-working
Christians suddenly break out into factions and quarrel furiously! When
bees turn to wasps there is nothing but fighting. May our good Lord
save us from such a calamity! I do not mind being like the queen bee in
the hive, king of the bees. But a leader of wasps I cannot be! Dear
Friends, get to work for the Master–you, I mean, who stand idle all
the day. Go work, today, in the Savior's vineyard. Oh, my beloved
Brothers and Sisters, I beseech you, do not relax your energies!
Continue to be a lively, energetic Church.
Now that so many Sunday schools need teachers, I charge our friends not
to let that blessed part of the service lag behind. There are dozens of
schools crying out for teachers! The children come and there are none
to instruct them. Should it be so? If you are to be a working Church,
you must be a loving Church because faith works by love. You must love
one another much and love Christ more and love the souls of perishing
sinners! Yes, love them so that you will not let them perish if you can
do anything towards their salvation. Personal doing of good to men is
needed if love is to be real. The love of Jesus made Him seek and save
the lost and if ours is worth the name, we shall be engaged in the same
holy endeavor.
But if you are to be a working Church and a loving Church you must be a
believing Church, for that is the bottom of it all. Faith works by
love. Get home, then, to prayer and renew your faith in Jesus. May the
Holy Spirit lead you anew to the dying love of Jesus. I often go
straight away back to the Cross from which I started when I set out for
Heaven. The devil says to me, "You are no Christian." I do not think he
knows much about it, but I have, before now, tried to show him some
evidences that I am a Christian and he has only puffed at them. I find
the better way is to go right away to the Cross and say, "I rest on
Jesus only."
Satan cannot deny but what you are a Christian when you stand there! Go
and do your first works and believe in Jesus just as you did at the
first and abide in Him forevermore. As sinners, cling to Jesus and let
Him be everything to you. Constant faith will create fervent love and
fervent love will do persevering work–so shall we be a people zealous
for good works! The Lord bless every one of you, for Christ's sake.
Amen.
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Redemption By Price