A Gracious Dismissal

A Gracious Dismissal

(No. 2183)

A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, JANUARY 11, 1891,

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"And He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke
7:50.

THE main part of my subject will be–that gracious dismissal, "Go in
peace." To her who had been so lately blessed, the word, "Go," sounded
mournfully, for she would gladly have remained through life with her
pardoning Lord, but the added words, "in peace," turned the wormwood
into honey–there was now peace for her who had been so long hunted and
harried by her sins! Rising from the feet she had washed with tears,
she went forth to keep her future footsteps such as those of a
believing and, therefore, saved woman ought to be.

We like a motto to begin the year with and it has been useful to some
spirits to choose a motto with which to enter on a new course of life.
We climb the hill of enterprise, or dare the wave of trial with an
inspiring word upon our lips. To certain young men, a word has come in
life's early morning, wet with the dew of Heaven–and that word of
their dawn of day has stayed with them. The echoes of that life-evoking
word have followed them long after it was spoken. Amid strange scenes
it has come to them like a voice from the unseen. It has whispered to
them within the curtains of their dying bed–it has murmured
consolation amid Jordan's swelling waves. That first word of joy and
peace from Jesus with which they began the new life came to them,
again, just as they were melting away into the invisible land. And so
they began the service of the Redeemer–and so He declared that their
work was finished. Perhaps that love-note will be their welcome at the
very gates of Heaven!

Our Lord, in the instance before us, sent a penitent away from the
chill atmosphere of self-righteous quibbling and thus relieved her of a
controversy for which she was not fitted. But I see more than that in
this benediction. It looks to me as if our Divine Master, when He found
this poor sinner so full of love to Him that she washed His feet with
tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, having by a parable
explained to the Pharisee the reason for the greatness of her love,
then said to her, "Go in peace,"–meaning that word not only to be
cheering for the necessary purpose of the moment, but to go with her
and to attend her all the rest of her life, until, when she came into
the dark valley, she should fear no evil, for she would still hear that
sweet voice saying, "Go in peace." What music to have heard! What music
still to hear!

Now, I would to God that the word which I shall speak at this time
might be honored of the Lord to serve that sacred purpose to some here
present. May it be a life-word to certain of you! May it be to others
of us who have long known the Savior a revival of our rest–and may we
get such a draught of peace from Jesus that we may never thirst again!
The lips of our Divine Lord are a wellspring of delight! Each word is a
chalice brimmed with sweetness. Imbibing this, we shall go our way,
even to our journey's end, after the manner of the hymn which we sang
just now–

"Calm in the hour of buoyant health,

Calm in my hour of pain;

Calm in my poverty or wealth,

Calm in my loss or gain.

Calm me, my God, and keep me calm,

Softly resting on Your breast,

Soothe me with holy hymn and Psalm,

And bid my spirit rest."

Oh, that our life may be as a sea of glass! May the sacred circle of
our fellowship be within the golden line of the peace of God! You who
did bid us come to You and rest, now bid us, "go in peace."

I am going to say a little in my opening upon a delightful assurance
which constituted the reason why the woman went in peace–"Your faith
has saved you;" or, as in the 48th verse, "Your sins are forgiven you."
Upon the strength of the assurance that she was saved, she might safely
go in peace! When we have talked a little upon that subject, we will
then come to a considerate precept–the Savior directed her, in the
moment of trial, to, "go in peace." There was an assurance for her
comfort and a precept for her guidance.

I. First, then, consider A DELIGHTFUL ASSURANCE. The ground upon which
the penitent woman might go in peace was that she had been saved. The
Savior assured her–"Your faith has saved you."

She was not saved by any other way than we are saved, but she received
the common salvation by like precious faith. The way of salvation to
her was faith in Christ–that is the same way for us, but she had what
some of you, no doubt, would greatly like to have–she had an assurance
that she was saved from the Lord's own mouth! I think I hear some
saying, "I should go in peace, I am sure, if the Lord Jesus would but
appear to me and speak, and say with His own lips, "Your faith has
saved you." It is natural that you should think so. It must have been
rapture to receive a benediction from the mouth of our King, our
Savior! Yet, dear Friends, we must not hang our confidence upon a mere
circumstance. For a mere circumstance it is, whether Christ shall
literally stand before you in the flesh and say, "Your faith has saved
you," or whether He shall say it to you by the Infallible record of His
own Word.

It does not make much difference as to my faith in what my father says
to me, whether I meet the venerable man in the morning in my garden and
there hear his voice, or whether I get a letter by post in his
handwriting, and he says to me upon that paper just what he would have
said if I had met him face to face. I do not require him to always come
up the hill to my house to tell me everything that he has to say–I
should think myself an idiot if I did! If I were to say, "My dear
Father, you have assured me of your love by letter, but somehow, I
cannot credit it unless you come and look me in the face and take my
hand and assure me of your good will." Surely, he would say to me, "My
dear Son, what ails you? You must be out of your mind. I never knew you
to be so childish before! My handwriting has always been enough. I can
hardly think you mean it when you say that you cannot credit me unless
I stand manifest before your eyes–and with your ears you hear me
speak."

Now, what I would not do to my earthly father, I certainly would not do
to my heavenly Savior! I am perfectly satisfied to believe what He
writes to me and if it is so written in His Book, it seems to me to be
quite as true and sure as if He had actually come from Heaven and had
talked with me, or had appeared to me in the visions of the night. Is
not this the reasoning of commonsense? Do you not at once agree with
me?

"Well," you say, "we go with you there, dear Sir, but, then, He spoke
that word to her personally. We would never have any more doubts, but
would go in peace if He said that word of assurance to us. You see, it
is not merely that Jesus, Himself, spoke and said, 'Your faith has made
you whole,' but He looked that way! He turned towards her and she knew
that He referred to her. There was no mistaking to whom the assurance
was given! There were other people in the room, but He did not say it
to Simon. He did not say it to Peter. He did not say it to James and
John. She knew by the look of Him that He meant it for her and for her,
alone, for she was the only person to go and, consequently, the only
one to 'go in peace.' Our Lord put it in the singular number and said,
'Your faith has saved you.' I want it to come home just so to

me."

Yes, but I think that this is a little unreasonable, is it not? Because
if my father (to carry on my figure) were to speak to me, and to my
brothers, and to my sisters, and were to say, "Dear children, I have
loving thoughts concerning you, and I have laid up in store for your
needs," I do not think that I should say to him, by-and-by, "Now,
Father, do you know that I did not believe you, or derive any pleasure
from what you said because you spoke to others beside myself? I did not
think your statement of love could be true because you included my
brothers and my sisters. You did not use the singular, but you put it
in the plural–and you spoke to all my brothers and sisters, as well as
to myself–and, therefore, I felt that I could not take any comfort out
of your tender assurances." I should be a most unreasonable kind of
person if I were to talk in that way–and my father would begin to
think that his son was qualifying for a lunatic asylum! If he did not
attribute it to unkindness of heart, he certainly would ascribe it to
stupidity of head! Why, surely, surely, if my father says the same to
each one of his children as he says to me, his words are all the more
likely to be true, instead of being less worthy of belief and,
therefore, I derive comfort from his promises of love being put in the
plural rather than in the sin-

gular. Surely it should not be less easy to believe that God would deal
graciously with me in company with thousands of others than that He
should pursue a solitary plan with me as the lone object of His love.
Is it not so?

"Ah, yes!" says one, "but you have not hit on it yet. I want to know
that I am one that is in that plural! And I want to know that I really
am one of those to whom Jesus speaks in His Word." My anxious Friend,
you may know it–and you may know it most certainly. It is written, "He
that believes on Him has everlasting life." It need never be a question
whether you believe in Him or not. If you trust Him, that is the gist
of the matter. You can readily ascertain whether you do really trust
Him, or do not trust Him. If you do trust Him, you are His, and every
promise of His Covenant is made to you! You have faith, and when the
Lord lays it down as a general statement that faith saves–the
statement is applicable to all the world, in every place and in all
time–until the present age shall end–and men shall have passed into
the fixed state of retribution where no Gospel of faith is preached.
"Your faith has saved you." If you have faith at all–if you believe
that Jesus is the Christ–you are born of God! If you can say to the
Lord Jesus–

"Allmy trust on You is stayed All my help from You I bring," that is
faith and Jesus testifies, "Your faith has saved you."

Now, because the Infallible Witness says this of all who have faith, I
do not think you ought to doubt it. It is true you do not hear His
voice because He says it rather by the written Word than by word of
mouth, but surely this does not affect your faith. We believe a true
man whether he writes or speaks–indeed, if there is any choice, we
prefer that which he has deliberately put on paper, for this remains
when the sound of the voice is clean gone. It is most profitable for us
that we should read our Lord's declaration over and over again–and put
it in all sorts of shapes–and see how it always remains faithful and
true. It is more assuring to you to find it in the volume of the Book
than it would be if the Savior met you tonight, and said to you, "Your
sins are forgiven you. Your faith has saved you." The record excels the
voice.

"No," you say, "I cannot see that." Well now, Peter was with Christ on
the Mount of Transfiguration and nothing could shake Peter's conviction
that he had been there in the midst of that heavenly Glory–and yet,
for all that, Peter says, concerning the Inspired Word, "We have a more
sure Word of testimony"! He felt that even the memory of that vision,
which he had assuredly seen, did not always yield to him so much
assurance as did the abidingly Inspired Word of God! You ought to feel
the same. If I were conscious tonight that, at some period of my life,
I had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken to me, the very spot of
ground on which it occurred would be exceedingly dear and sacred to my
spirit. But I am certain that when I grew depressed–when darkness
rushed over my soul, as it sometimes does, I would be sure to say to
myself–"You never saw anything of the kind! It was a delusion, a
figment of your imagination, a delirium and nothing more."

But, Beloved, when I get to this Book and see before me the sacred
lines, I know that I am not deluded! There it stands, "God so loved the
world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." I am sure about that and
I am sure that I believe and, therefore, I am sure that I am saved! I
like to put my finger right down on the passage and then say, "Lord, I
know You cannot lie. I have never had a question about this being Your
Book. Whatever other doubts have plagued me, this has not. You have so
spoken it home to my soul that I am as assured that this is Your Book
as I am assured of my own existence. And, therefore, You have done
better for the removal of my doubts and for the assurance of my soul's
eternal salvation, by putting Your promise in your Book than if You
had, Yourself, personally appeared to me and spoken with Your own
voice."

my Hearer, the written Word is most sure! If you believe, you are
saved, as surely as you are alive. If you believe, Heaven and earth may
pass away, but the Word of the Lord shall stand fast for you. "He that
believes in Him has everlasting life." He has eternal life in present
possession! Our Lord has put it thus–"He that believes and is baptized
shall be saved." "He that with his heart believes and with his mouth
makes confession of Him shall be saved." There are no, "ifs," or,
"buts," about these Words of promise. Salvation is put as a present
thing and as an abiding thing, but in every case as a certain thing!
And why should we be worried and worn about the matter? It is so and
let us take the comfort of the fact. We must either throw away this
Book by beginning to talk about "degrees of inspiration" and all that
foul rubbish, or else we are logically bound to be sure of our hope and
to rejoice in it!

1 guarantee you, O my Hearer, that as long as you stand fast by the
belief that this is a sure Word of testimony, you will know that you
are saved! If this Book is true, every Believer in Jesus is as safe as
Jesus, Himself. To say, "I believe, but

I am afraid I am not saved," is to say, but in a roundabout way, that
you do not believe at all! For, if you believe, then you believe that
God speaks the Truth–and this is the testimony–"God has given us
eternal life, and that life is in His Son." This is the testimony of
the great Father and the testimony of the eternal Spirit! And we must
not dare to doubt it. You may doubt whether you believe or not, but
given that you do really and unfeignedly put your trust in the Lord
Jesus, then, as effect follows cause, it is certain that the cause of
faith will be followed by its sure effect–salvation! "Your faith has
saved you; go in peace." Do not worry any longer–go in peace! Have
done with questioning! End all debate– go in peace. Go about your
business, for the work of salvation is done! You are a saved soul–go
and rejoice in finished salvation and ask no more questions. "Why do
you cry you unto Me?" said God to Moses, "Speak unto the children of
Israel, that they go forward." Why do you question and doubt any
longer? Go forward to enjoy what God has prepared for you! And as you
are saved and justified in Christ, now seek sanctification and all the
other blessings of the Covenant of Grace which lie before you in Christ
Jesus your Lord! The promise is sure–be sure that it is so–and in
perfect rest of soul enjoy the good which God provides you!

I think I have thus brought out as clearly as I can that delightful
assurance which is the ground of the command, "Go in peace."

II. We come, secondly, to listen to A CONSIDERATE PRECEPT. Our Lord,
with wise tenderness, dismissed the beloved object of His pardoning
love and bade her, "Go in peace." May the Holy Spirit bless this to us!
This precept divides itself into two parts. There is, first, "Go." And
then there is, "Go in peace." There is "go." Now, in, "go," there are
two things–to go from and to go to. Where was she to go from? First,
she was to go from these quibblers. Simon and the Pharisees are as full
of objections as a swarm of bees is full of stings. They say in their
hearts, one to another, "Who is this that also forgives sins?" They
have even dared to question the Character of the Perfect One and have
hinted a suspicion of His purity for allowing such a woman to come so
near Him and to wash His feet with her tears. Therefore the Savior says
to her, "Go." This was not a happy place for a childlike love to linger
in. Her soul would have been among lions. Jesus seems to say, "Do not
stay to be tormented by these quibblers. Your faith has saved you–go.
You have gained a great blessing–go home with it. Let these people
argue with each other. You have a rich prize–take it out of the reach
of these pirates."

Oftentimes I believe that the child of God would find it to be his
greatest wisdom, whenever he is in company that begins to assail his
Lord, or to denounce his faith, just to go about his business and let
the scoffers have their scoffing to themselves. Some of us have thought
it our miserable duty to read certain books that have been brought out
against the Truth of God, that we might be able to answer them–but it
is a perilous calling. The Lord have mercy upon us when we have to go
down into these sewers–for the process is not healthy!

"Oh," says a man, "but you must prove all things!" Yes, so I will. But
if one should set a joint of meat on his table and it smelt rather
high, I would cut a slice, but if I put one bit of it in my mouth and
found it far gone, I would not feel it necessary to eat the whole round
of beef to test its sweetness! Some people seem to think that they must
read a bad book through–and they must go and hear a bad preacher often
before they can be sure of his quality. Why, you can judge many
teachings in five minutes! You say to yourself, "No, Sir, no, no, no!
This is good meat–for dogs! Let them have it, but it is not good meat
for me and I do not intend to poison myself with it." The Savior does
not tell the woman, "Stop, now, and hear what Simon has got to say.
Dear good woman, you have been washing My feet with tears and here is a
highly intelligent gentleman, a Pharisee, who has a very learned speech
to deliver–give him a fair hearing. You have to prove all
things–therefore stay and hear him. And here are more gentlemen who
object to My pardoning your sins. And their objections are fetched from
deep veins of thought. Listen to them and then I will answer their
questions and quiet your mind."

No, the Savior says, "Go in peace. You have peace–do not stay till you
lose it. You have your comfort and joy– refuse to be robbed of them."
Why, if you were in a room and you saw a certain number of gentlemen of
a suspicious character–and you had your watch with you–you would not
feel it necessary to stay and see whether they were able to extract
your watch from you, but you would say to yourself, "No, I am best out
of this company." We are safest out of the society of those whose great
objective it is to rob us of our faith. "Your faith has saved you. Go
home. Leave them. Go in peace."

I think that He meant, besides going away from the men, "Go away from
the publicity into which you have unwillingly stepped." If our Savior
had been like some excellent people of the present day, He would have
said, "Stand before all these men and tell your experience. I shall
require you to be at half-a-dozen meetings this week and you must speak
at every one of them." A splendid woman, was she not, who washed the
Savior's feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head? She
might have exhibited her eyes and her hair–and told their gracious
story. Who can tell but several would have been impressed by the
narrative? The Savior said to the woman–so excitable, for she was all
that, as well as grate-ful–"Your faith has saved you; go in peace." As
much as to say, "There are certain of your own sex that you can speak
to. You will find some poor fallen woman to whom you can quietly tell
of My pardoning Grace. But yours is a case in which the very beauty of
your character will lie in the quietude of your future life. 'Your
faith has saved you.' That is enough for you. You have come upon the
stage of action by that splendid act of your love, but do not acquire
the habit of winning publicity. Do not aspire to display yourself in a
bold and heroic attitude, but go in peace." He almost seems to say,
"Subside now into your family. Take your place with the rest of your
sisters. Adorn, by your future purity, My doctrine, and let all men see
what a change has been worked in you, for, perhaps that very weakness
of yours which made you what you were as a sinner, may put you in
danger, even as a saint. Therefore I do not ask you to tarry here and
join My disciples, or follow Me publicly through the streets. But your
faith has saved you; go in peace."

I think that the Master taught a great deal of wisdom here, which some
of those who are leaders in the Church of God would do well to copy.
Yes, I think that I shall go a little further and say that I think the
Savior, then and there, dismissed her from that high ministry which,
for once in her life, she had carried out. She washed His feet with
tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. It was the action of a
love which had risen to a passion. It was an action such as shall be
told for a memory of her everywhere–and we may well imitate her
penitence and her heroic courage, as well as her love to Christ. But,
at the same time, we cannot always be doing heroic actions. Life is
mainly made up of common deeds. It would not be possible to be always
washing feet with tears, nor to be always unbraiding tresses to use
them as a towel.

The difficulty with some people is that they are always wanting to
practice the sublime. Alas, they often fail by just one step and become
ridiculous! They are always straining after effect and, hearing of what
has been done once, by one choice person, they must do it themselves
and they must keep on doing it! O my Sister, there may come a time when
you will have to speak for Christ and speak openly before many, but
tomorrow you had better go home and see to the children and make home
happy for your husband. You will glorify Christ by darning stockings
and mending the socks of the little ones, quite as surely as by washing
His feet with tears. You make a great mistake if you have not a piety
which will take you into domestic life–which will help you to make the
common drudgery of life a Divine service. We need men who can serve God
with the axe and plane, or behind a counter, or by driving a quill.
These are the men we need–but there are many that crave to vault at
once into a conspicuous place and perform an astounding deed! Having
done it once, they become unsettled all the rest of their lives and do
not seem as if they ever could take to plainly keeping the Ten
Commandments and walking in the steps of Jesus. I wish that those who
must flash and blaze would hear the Lord Jesus say to them, "Go in
peace." I mean any of you who really did distinguish yourselves on one
occasion and deserved much praise from your Christian friends. I fear
lest you should pine for unusual and even undesirable forms of service
and become useless in the ordinary course of life. Now, do not be
spoiled for life by having been allowed in one unusual deed, but hear
the Master say, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace. Serve Me in the
daily avocations of life and bring glory to My name at home. Go from
the strain of publicity to the gentler pressures of family duty."

Do you not think that He even meant that she was now to cease from that
singular fellowship with Him that she had enjoyed? She had been very
close to Him, but she was, perhaps, never to be quite so near to Him
again. In spirit she should be, but certainly not physically. It
happens that those who take to the contemplative life–and there is no
life higher than that–are apt to think that they must forget the
practical life. But it must not be so. We must do that which the Master
bids us do as well as sit at His feet! I am tempted to tell a story
which most of you must know concerning the famous man of God, who, in
his cell, thought he saw the Lord Jesus and, under that persuasion, he
worshipped with rapt delight. But just then the bell at the convent
gate rang and it was his turn to stand at the door and deal out bread
to the hungry. There was a little battle in his mind as to which he
should do–tarry with his Lord, or go to hand out bread to the poor
mendicants. At last, he felt that he must do his duty even at the cost
of the highest spiritual bliss. He went and distributed the bread and
when he came back, to his great delight, the vision was still there and
a voice said to him, "If

you had stayed, I would have gone; but as you have gone, I have
therefore stayed to commune with you." The path of duty must be
followed and no spiritual enjoyment can excuse us from it! Never offer
one duty to God stained with the blood of another! Balance your duties
and let not one press out another. "Your faith has saved you; go in
peace." Do not think that you need to be all day long at your Bible, or
all the evening at your prayers. There is a time for everything. Let
every holy work have its place, that your life may be a fair mosaic of
brilliant colors, all set according to the Divine pattern, to make up a
perfect character. "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace and do the
next thing, and the next, without weariness."

That leads me to speak of what she was to go to. It seems to me that
the Savior said, "Now go home. You have been a fallen woman–home is
the place for you. Go home to your mother and father, or other
relatives. Seek a home. Be domesticated. Attend to your own work.
Whatever your place is, go to it. Leaving daily duty was the source of
your temptation–return to walks of usefulness and habits of order–and
this will be your safety. You will be less likely to be led away if you
have work to occupy head, heart and hands."

Did He not mean, "Go now to your ordinary life-trial"? Do you think
yourself a very peculiar person–a sort of saint that has to float in
the air, or live upon roses? Do not fancy such a thing! I have heard of
the Chinese, that they sell shoes with which you can walk on the
clouds. And I believe that some people must have bought a pair of those
remarkable articles, for their lives are spent in cloudland, walking as
in a dream, upon high stilts of fond imaginations! Do not think great
things of yourself. You are but a common man or woman. Do such duty as
your fellow Christians do and do not think yourself a superior person.
The worst people in the world to work with are superior people. Those
are of no importance who think they are of great importance. Poor
creature! It is not the Grace of God which turns your brain, but your
own silly conceit.

Go forth to your further service– "Go in peace. There are some to whom
you can tell of My love. Oh, how you will tell it! You that have washed
My feet with your tears, go and shower those tears over fallen ones
like yourself. Go, use those eyes, that you may look My love right into
their hearts as you are speaking to them. Go all your life in peace and
do for Me all that I shall put in your way to do for Me." That is what
I think our Lord meant. Brothers and Sisters, do not think of sitting
here to enjoy yourselves, but go off and glorify your Redeemer's name.
Go!

But then here is the point of it–He said, "Go in peace." O my Brothers
and Sisters, I desire that all of us who love the Lord may go all the
rest of our life journey in peace. May pardoning love put us at peace
concerning all our sins! O pardoned one, you love much, for you have
had much forgiven–let your thoughts all run to love–and none to fear.
Fret not about the past–the dark, dishonorable past. The hand that was
pierced has blotted it all out! The great Lord has frankly forgiven you
all your debt. Let not that disturb you any longer. Go in peace! What a
rest it is to be rid of the burden of sin and to know of a certainty,
from the teaching of God's Word, that your sins are forgiven you! This
is peace which passes all understanding.

Our Lord meant, next, "Go in peace" in reference to all the criticisms
of all these people who have looked at you. Do not mind them. Do not
trouble about them. What have they to do with you? It is enough for a
servant if his master accepts him–he need not mind what others have to
say about his service. Your faith has saved you. Forget all the unkind
things they have said and do not trouble your heart about the cruel
speeches they may yet make. Go in peace and be under no alarm as to
upbraiding tongues.

And then I think He meant, "Go in peace about what you have done." I
know the mood of a word like that. I have preached the Gospel. I have
thrown my whole soul into it and after it is all over I have felt bound
to chide myself that I did not do much better as to style, or spirit,
or length, or some other matter. Oh, but if the Master accepts it, one
may go in peace about it! This woman had done a very extraordinary
thing in washing Christ's feet with tears, and wiping them with the
hairs of her head. And when she got away, she might have said to
herself, "I wonder why I was so bold? Was I not immodestly conspicuous?
How could I have done it? How must I have looked when I was bathing His
feet? For me, too–such a sinner as I am–for me to have done it to the
Blessed and Holy One! I fear He must have felt vexed at my rudeness!"

Have you not sometimes done a brave thing for Christ and then,
afterwards, felt just like that. "I was a bold minx," you say, "after
all, to push myself so forward." The good young man, who has just
preached for the first time, says, "Well, I got through it this time,
but I will never attempt it again, for I am sure that I am not fit for
such holy work." So

the Master says to this woman, "Go in peace. I have accepted you and
your loving service. Do not be troubled about what you have done. It is
all sweet to Me and has a rich perfume of your great love. Never fret
about what you have done. You have done the right thing. Your faith has
saved you. Go in peace." I want us to have just that kind of
peace–peace about what we have done for our Lord, even as we have
peace about forgiven sin and peace about human criticisms.

"Go in peace." Oh, to possess, from this time forth, a holy quiet! We
are so apt to grow fretful. I know some good Brothers and Sisters who
have a swollen vein of suspicion about them that bleeds every now and
then, and pains them greatly, and alarms other people. I know some
Sisters–they are very good, but unreasonably fearful. They say that
they are "nervous." Perhaps that is the fact and so I will say no more.
But, oh, that we could get them cured of this disease of the nerves! I
would they could be quieted! I admire the members of the Society of
Friends for this virtue beyond almost any other which they
exhibit–they seem to be so steady, self-contained and equable. They
are a little slow, perhaps, but then they are very sure, firm,
steadfast and calm. We are, some of us, too much in a hurry to go fast.
If we were a little slower, we would be quicker. If we left our affairs
more entirely with God, our peace might be like a river.

Yes, I would to God, dear Friends, that we might feel a constant joy.
Why not? Nothing ought to trouble us, for we know that all things work
together for good. If we live by faith, nothing can trouble us, for
between here and Heaven we shall keep company with You, You Blessed
One! And if the way You take is rough, the fact of Your being with us
shall make it smooth for us. We will travel merrily with this as our
march music–"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Still, to come back to where I began, I dare say that the good woman
thought that she would like to speak a word for the Lord. When they
said that He could not forgive sin, would not she have liked to say,
"But He did forgive my sin and He changed my nature! How dare you speak
thus"? But the Savior said, "Go." She was not called to contend. Thank
God every child of God is not called to fight with the adversary–those
of us who are men of war from our youth up take no pleasure in strife!
We wish that, like this holy woman, we could be exempt from this
warfare. She might well rejoice in her escape from the sacred
conscription. Many a cuff and blow she thus avoided and, as her Captain
sent her off the field, she might go home right happily.

She might have lost the blessed frame of mind in which she then
was–and this would have been a real injury to her. She was sweetly
wrapped up in love and there her Lord would have her abide. He seems to
say, "You are too precious to be battered and bruised in battle. Go–go
in peace. Dear Soul, you are so full of love to Me that I do not want
you to be worried with fighting, contending and arguing. Go in peace."
She would have done no good, I dare say, if she had ventured into a
fray for which she was so unfitted. If she had spoken, she would have
said something which the cruel Pharisees would have turned into a jest.
So He said to her, "Go in peace." Why should her feebleness give them
an occasion for unholy triumph? All true hearts are not fit for fight.
Besides, she had her Lord to be her Advocate, and there was no need for
her to speak. Therefore He said, "I can manage them without your
presence. Go in peace." When we may believingly leave a difficulty with
our Lord, it is faith's duty to go home quietly. No doubt, by going in
peace, she would be doing greater service than she would by using her
tongue upon these ungodly men. A quiet, happy life is often the noblest
witness that we can bear for Christ. Therefore I say to everyone who
loves the Lord, there are times when He will say to us, "Do not enter
into any of this conflict, turmoil and muddle. Your faith has saved
you. Go in peace."

The last word I have to say is this. There are many poor souls who talk
about coming to Christ who are not yet saved. They are always hearing
about faith and thinking of it–and yet they never do, in very truth,
believe. Now, do not hear nor debate any more about faith, but believe.
Trust Jesus Christ and think no more about your own trusting. Think
about it as a thing done–not as a thing to be done! God help you now
to believe in Jesus–and so pass over the bridge of belief to the
golden shore of Jesus, Himself!

Well, but I notice some say that they believe, but it is not believing,
because if it were believing, they would "go in peace." A person comes
to the bank with a check. He believes it to be honestly his and the
signature to be correct. He puts it down on the counter and the clerk
puts out the money. But look! The man does not take it. He stands and
loafs about. The clerk looks at him, and wonders what he is doing. At
last, when the person has been there long enough to wear the good man's
patience out, the clerk says, "Did you bring that check to have the
money?" "Yes, I handed it in." "Well, then, why do you not take the
money and go about your business?" If he is a sensible man, he delays
no longer–no, he would not have delayed so long. He takes the money
and departs in peace.

Now, dear Soul, if you have a promise from God–"He that believes is
not condemned," or, "He that believes has everlasting life"–do you
believe? Then take the blessing and go about your business! Do not keep
on saying, "Perhaps it is so," and, "Perhaps it is not so." Do you
believe that God speaks the Truth? If so, then take the promised
blessing and enjoy it, for you are a saved man! "But I have been going
to a place of worship for years and I have been believing in a sort of
a way, but I have never dared to say that I was saved." Then you are
acting the part of an unbeliever! If you do not know that you are
saved, how dare you go to sleep tonight? How can a man dare to eat his
meals and go about his business, and yet say, "I do not know whether I
am saved or not"? You may know it and you ought to know it. If you
believe, you are saved! If you doubt that fact, you are rather an
unbeliever than a Believer. Take up your money and go home. "O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?" Trust Jesus! Your faith has saved
you. Go in peace.

The Lord help you truly to believe, for Jesus' sake! Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Romans 8:15-39.