OBEDIENE TO GOD THE WAY TO FAITH IN CIIRIST.
HE answer of the scribe, whieh our blessed Lord here commends, was occasioned by Christ's setting" before hin the two gïcat commandmcnts of thc Law. When He had declared the love of God and of man to comprehend our whole duty, the scribe said, "Master, Thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He: and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and wifl all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more tlmn all whole burntoffcring.s and sacrifices." Upon this acknowledgment of the duty of general religious obedience, Christ replied, in the words of the text, "' Thou art hot far ri'oto the kingdom of God," i. e. Thou art not far fi'om being a Christian. In these words, then, we are taught, first, that the
Christian's fidth and obedience are not the salue religion as that of ha.rural conscience, as being, some way beyond if; seeondly, that this way is "hOt far," not thr in the case of those who try fo act up fo their conscience; in other words, that obedienee fo conscience leads fo obedience fo the Gospel, which, instead of being something different altoffet.her, is but the complet.lori and perfection of that relig'ion whieh natural conscience teaches. Indeed, it xvould have been strange if the God of nature had said one thinz, and the God of grace another; if the truths which our conscience taught us without the information of Scripture, were contradicted by that information when obtained. But it is hot so; there are not two wavs of pleasing God; what conscience suggests, Christ has sanctioned and explained; fo love God and our neiffhbour are the geat duties of the Gosl)el as well as of the Law; he who endeavours fo fulfil them by the lig'ht of nature is in the way towards, is, as our Lord said, "hot far from Christ's kingdom;'" t'or fo him that hath more shall be given. If is hOt in one or two places merely that this saine doctrine is declared to us; indeed, all revelation is,grounded.on those simple truths vhich our own consciences teaeh us in a measure, thoug'h a poor measure, even without it. It is Oue God, and none other but He, who speaks first in out consciences, then in His Holy Vord; and, lest we should be in anv difficulty about the matter, He has most mercifully told us so in
Scripture, vherein He refers again and again (as in the passage connected with the text) to the great Moral Law, as the foundation of the truth, vhich His Apostles and Prophets, and last of ail His Son, have taught us: " Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man '." Yet though this is so plain, both fi-om our own moral sense, and the declarations of Scripture, still for m:my reasons it is necessary to iusist upon it; chiefly, because, if being" ve T hard fo keep God's commandments, men would willing'ly persuade themselves, if they could, that strict obedience is hot necessary under thc Gospel, and that something else will bc taken, for Christ's sake, in thc stead of it. Instead of labouring, uuder God's race, to change their wills, to pnrify their hearts, and so prepare themselves for the kiugdom of Goal, they imagine that in that kingdom they nlay be saved by something short of this, by their baptism, or by their ceremonial observances (the burnt offerings and sacrifices whieh the scribe disparages), or by their correct knowledge of the truth, or by their knowledge of their own sinfulness, or by some past aet of faith whieh is to last them during their lires, or by some strong habitual persuasion that they are sale; or, again, by the performance of some one part of their du ", thoug'h they neglect the res, as if Goal said a thing fo us in nature, and Christ uusaid it; and, when men wish a thing, it is hot hard to final ' Eccles. xii. 13.
texts in Scripture which may be ingeniously perverted to suit their purpose. The error then being so common iu practice, of believing that Christ came to gain for us easier terres of admittance into heaven than we had before (whereas, in fitct, instead of making obcdience less strict, He bas enabled us to obey God more strictly; and instead of gining easier terres of ad»ittawe, IIe bas ga.ined us altoget]er our admittance iuto heaven. whieh belote was elosed a.gainst us) this error, I say, being so eommou, if may be right fo insist on the opposite truth, however obvious, that obedienee fo God is the way fo lnow and believe in Christ. 1. Now, first, let us eonsider how plainly we are taught in Seripture that perfeet obedienee is the standard of Gospel holiness. By St. Paul: "Be hot eonformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that gvod, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God .'" "Cireumeision is nothing, aud uneireumeision is nothing, but the keeping- of the eommandments of God-"." "Whatsoever things are true.. honest., just. pure.. lovely.. of good report; if there be anv virtue, a.nd if there be any praise, think on these things." By St. James: "Vhosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend lu one point, he is guilty of all*." By St. Peter: " Giving all diligence, add fo your faith virtue know]cdge temperance. patience., godliness.. brotherly kindness.. charity 1,.. Bv St. John: "IIercby do we know that we know Itim, if we kecp IIis commandments." Lastly, by out Lord Himself: "tic tha.t hath My commandments, and keepelh them, he if is tha.t loveth Me: and he that loveth Me, shall bc loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Mvsclf to him ." And, above all, the folh»wing, clcar decl:ration in the Sermon on the Motmt: "V'hosoever.. shall break one of these least commaudments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of" heavcn: but whosocver shall do and ¢each them, ¢he same slmll be calle(l 'reat in the kin'dom of hea.ven ." Thcse texts, and a mtfltitudc of olhcrs, show that the Gospel leaves us jst where if round us, as regards the necessity of our obedience fo God; that Christ has not obeyed instead of us, bt that obedience is (luire as imper:tive as if Christ had never corne; nay, is pressed upon us with additional sanctions; the difference being, hot th,'tt IIc relaxes the strict rule of keeping I[is commandments, but that He gives us Sl)iritual aids, which we have hot except through Him, to enable s fo keep them. Accordingly Christ's service is represented in Scripture, hot as different fi'om that religious obedience which conscience ieaches us naturally, but as the perfeclion of if, as I have a]ready said. 'e are told again 2 Pet. i. 5—7. - John xiv. 21. a Matt. v. 19.
and again, that obedience to God leads on to faith in Christ; that it is the only recognized wa.y to Christ; and that, therefore, to believe in Him, ordinarily implies that we are living in obedience to God. For instance: "Evcry man... that hath heard and hath learned of the Fathcr, cometh unto Me ;" " He tllat doeth truth, eometh to the light, '' i.e. to Christ; "No man eau eome fo Me, exeept the Father whieh hath sent Me, draw hiln;" " If any man will do the will of God, he shall lnow of the doctrine3. '' On the other hand: " tic tlmt hateth Me, hateth My Father also*;" " If ye had lnown Me, ye should bave known My Father also; '' " Vhosoever denieth the Son, the saine hafl not the Father; '' "Vhosoever transgresseth, and abideth hot in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son z.,, In these and other passages of Seripture we learn, tlmt though Christ came to be the light of the world, yet He is hot and eannot be a. light to all, but to those only who seek Him in tire way of His eommandments; and fo all others He is hid, the god of this world " blindin the minds of tllem whieh believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them s.,, the IV'ay to Faith ilz Christ. o 7 o. And if we look fo the history of the first propag'ation of the Go. pel, ve find this view eonfirmed. As far as we ean trace the history, we find the early Christian Chureh was prineipally eomposed of those who had long. been in the habit of obeying" their consciences earefully, and so preparing" themselves for Christ's relig'ion, that king'doln of God fi'om whieh the text says they were hot far. Zaeharias and Eisabeth, fo whom the approach of Christ's king'dom was first revealed, are deseribed as "both righteous belote God, walking in all the eommandments and ordinanees of the Lord, blamelessl. '' Joseph, St. Mavy's husband, is eal|ed "a just man";" Sinleon is spoken of as " just and devout '' man; Nathanie|, as " an Israelite in whom was no g'ui|e ,-'' Joseph of Arimathea v«as "a g'ood anan and a just-';" Corne|ius, the eenturion, was a "re|igious man, and one tha.t feared God with all lais house, who gave mueh alms fo the people, and prayed fo God alway " And in the book of Aets g, enerally, we shall find (as far as we are told auy thing,) that those ehiefly were addressed and eonverted by St. Paul, who had previously trained themselves in a religious life:—At Perga, St. Paul addressed the Israelites and those who feared God, hot the mere thoughtless hethen; and many of these followcd hiln . At Thessalonica a great multitude of John i. 47. - Luke xxiii. 50. Acts x. 2. I Acts xiii.
religious Greeks believed; and at Athens the Apostle still disputtd with the Jews, and with the professedly religious persons, though he also addressed the educated heathens who lived there. I[cre then is much evidence that Christ and His Apostles chiefly sought and round their first followcrs, hOt among open sinncrs, but among those who were endeavouring', however imperfectly, fo obe)r God. But it may be asked, Did Christ hold out no hope for those who had livcd in sin? Doubtless He did, if they determincd to forsake their sin. ]le came to save all, wlmtever thcir former lire, who gave themselvcs up fo Ilim as their Lord and Saviour; and in Ilis Church Ile gathercd together of eve D" kiud, those who had departed from God, as well as those who had ever served I[im wcll. Open sinners must have a beginning of repentance, il" they are fo repent; and on this first beginnin F Christ invites thcm fo Him af once, without delay, for pardon and for aid. But this is not the question; of course ail who corne fo Ilim will be received; none will be cast out. '. But. the question is, hot this, but whether they are likely to corne, to hear lits voice, and fo tbllov Hin; again, whether they will, ffenerally speaking-, prove as consistent and deeplytaug'ht Christians as those who, compared ('ith them, have never departed from God at ail; and here all the advantage, doubtless, is on the side of those who (in the Aets xvii. John iv. 3. 7.
[e IVa.y [o Fai[ i, C;'i«t. o 9 words of Scripture) have walked in the ordinances of" the Lord 1)lamcless. Whcn sinncrs truly rcpcut, thon, indeed, they arc altogether brothers in Christ's l;ingd)m with those who havc not in the saine sense "nced o' repentancc;" but that they should repent at all is (alas!) so far from being likely, that when the unex- 1)ected event takes place if causes such joy in hcavcn (from the marve}lousness of it) as is hot eveu excited by the nincty and ninc just persons who need no such change of miud-. Ot such changes somc instances arc.'iven us in the Gosl)els tl)r the cncour;,gemeut of all penitents, such as that of the woman, mentioned by St. Luke, who " loved much." Christ most graciously went among sinners, if so be He might save thcm; aud ve know that even those open sinners, whcn they kncw that they were sinners, were nearer salvation, and in a hetter state, than the covetous and irreligious Pharisees, who addcd to their other gross sins, hypocrisy, blindness, a contempt of othcrs, and a haught.y:md superstitious rcliance on the availing virtue of their religious privileges. And, moreover, of these penitents of whom I speak and whom, when they become penitents, we canuot love. too dcarly (after out Saviour's l)attern), nay, or reverence too highly, and whom the Apostles, aftcr Christ's departure, brought into the Church in such vast multitudes—none, as far as we 1;now, had any sudden change Luke i. 6. Luke xv. 7. [VIII] I)
of mind from bad to good wrought in t,hem; nor do we hear of any of them honoured with any important station in the Church. Great as St.. Paul's sin vas in persecuting Christ's followers, before his conversion, that sin was of a different kind; he was not transgressing, but obeying his conscience (however blinded it was); he was doing what he thought his duty, when he was arrested by the heavenly vision, which, when presented to him, he at once "obeyed;" he was hot sinning against ligkt, but la darkuess. We know nothing of the preeise st.are of lais mind immediately belote his conversion; but we do know thus nmeh, tiret years elapsed ail.er his conversion belote he was employed as an Apostle in the Chureh of God. I bave eonfined myself fo the rime of Christ's coming; but. hot only then, but af all rimes and under all eireumstanees, as all parts of the Bible inform us, obedienee to the light we possess is the way to gain more light. In the words of Wisdom, in the book of Proverbs, "I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall final 5Ie.... I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgmentl." Or, in the still more authoritative words of Christ Himself, "' Ilc that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much ;" and, " He that bath, to him shall be given ." Prov. viii. 17. 20. - Luke xvi. 10. ]lark iv. 25.
Now let us see some of the consequences which follow ff'oto tbis grcat Scripture trutb. 1. First of all, we see the hopelessness of waiting for any sudden change of heart, if we are at present living in sin. Far more persons deceive themselves by some such vain expectation than at first sigbt may appear. That there are even many irreligious men, who, from hearing the fiflse doctrines now so common, and receiving general impressions from thcm, look tbrward for a possible day when God will change thcir hearts by His own mere power, in spire of themselves, and who tlms get rid of the troublcsome thought tha.t now they are in a state of fearful peril; who say they can do nothing till tIis rime cornes, while still they aeknowledge themselves tobe far from I[im; even this I believe tobe a faet, strange and gross as the selfdeeeption may appetr to be. And others, too, many more, doubtless, are there who, not thinking" tbemselves [hr ff'oto Him, but, on tbe eontrary, high in Ilis tavour, still, by a dreadful deeeit of Satan, are led tobe indolent and languid in their obedienee to tlis eommandments, from a pretenee that they ean do nothing of themselves, and must wait for the successive motions of God's g'raee fo excite them fo action. The utmost flmse persons do is fo talk of religion, when they ought fo be up and active, and waiting for the Blessed Spirit of Christ by obeying God's will. "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise fl-om the dead, and Christ shall give thee light'." This is the exhortation. And doubtless fo all those who lire a self-indulgent lire, however they veil their self-indulgence from themselves by a notion of their superior religious knowledge, and by t.heir faeulty of speaking" fluent.ly in Scripture language, to all such the word of lire says, " Be hot deceived; Goal is not mocked;" He tries the hear, and disdains the mere worship of the lips. He acknowledges no man as believer in Ilis Son, who does no anxiously strngffle to obey llis colnmandments to the utmost; to noue of those who seek without striving, and who consider themlves sale, fo none of these does IIe give "power fo beeome sons of Goal ." Be no deceived; sueh have thllen from that state in whieh their baptism plaeed them and are "far from the kingdom of God." '" Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. '' And if any one says tha St. Paul was converted suddenly, and without his exerting himself, it is sufficient to reply, that, guilty as St. Paul was, his uilt was hot tha of indolence, and self-indulgence, and indifferenee. I1is sin was that of.elee(i» he.s.[u«l.q off S«rip[ure; and thus, missing the great truth that 3esua was the Christ, he perseeued the Christiaus; but thoug his conscience was ill-informed, and tha by his own faul, ye he obeyed i sueh as i was. He did what he did ignorantly. If then the case really be tlmt St. Paul suddcnly converted, hence, it is truc, some kind of Eph. v. 14. John i. 12. Gal. vi. 7.
vague hope ma)- be said to be held out fo flrious, intolerant big'ots, and bloodthirsty pcrsecutors, if thcy are actin in consequence of their own notions of duty; none fo the slothfld and negligent and lukewarm; nonc b«t fo those who ean say, with St. Paul, that they bave "lived in all good conscience belote God until this day; '' and that hot under an easy profession, but in a straitest religious seet, giviu thelnselves up fo their duty, and fi)llowin the law of God, though in ignorance, yet with all their heart and soul. 2. But, after ail, there are very mauv more than I have as yet mentioned, xvho wait fi»r a rime of repentance to colne while at present they lire lit sin. For instance, the young, who eonsider it will be time enouh to think of God when they grow old; that religion will then corne as a matter of course, and that they will then like it naturally, just as they now like their follies and sins. Or those who are much eng'aged in worldlybusiness, who confess they do hot give that attention to religion whieh they ought to g'ive; who neglect the ordinanees of the Chureh; who desecrate the Lol-d's day; who give little or no rime to the study of God's word; who allow themselves in various small transgressions of their conscience, and resolutely harden themselves against the relnorse which such transgressions are calculated to cause them; and all this they do under the idea tiret at length eonvenient season will corne when they may give themselves to religious dut.ies. OEhey determine on retirin at lenffth ri'oto the world, and of makin, up for lost rime by g'reater diligence then. Ail sueh persons, and how many they are! think tlmt they will be able to seek Christ when they please, though t.hey bave lived all their lires with no truc love either of God or man; i.e. thev do hot, iii their hearts, believe our Lord's doctrine eontained in the text, that fo obey God is fo be near Christ, and that to disobey is tobe far ri-oto Ilim. llow will this truth be plain fo us iii that. day when the secrets of all hea.rts shall be revealed[ Vow we do hot believe that strict obedience is as necessary as it is. I say we do hot believe if, thouffh we say we do. No one, of course, believes if in ifs fulness, but most of us are deceived by xvords, and say we accept and believe, when we hardly do more than profess if.. We say, indeed, that obedience is absolutely necessary, and are surprised to have out real belief in what we sa)- qnestioned; but we do hot g'ix-e the truth that place iii the scheme of out religion which this profession requires, and thus we cheat out consciences. We put something before if, in out doctrinal system, as ore necessa T than it; one man puts fifit.h, another outward devotion, a third attention to his temporal ealling, another zeal for the Church; that is, we put a part for the whole of our dut.y, and so run the risk of losing out souls. These are the burnt-offerings and sacrifices which even the scribe put aside before the weightier matters of the Lax T. Or ag'ain, we faney that the means of gaining" heaven are something stran,er aml rater tha the mere obvious duty of obedienee fo God; we are loth fo seel¢ Christ. in the x'aters of Jordan rather than in Pharpar and Abana, ri,¢ers of Danmseus; x-e prefer fo seel¢ IIim in the heio, ht above, or fo deseed ito the dëep, rather than fo believe that the word is ni'h us, eve in our mouth and in out hëart . Ilence, in fi,lse religions some me have even tortured themselves and been cruel fo their tlesh, tbereby fo become as gods, and fo momt alolVt and in out own, with a hot less melancholy, though less self-denying, error, men faney that certain strange etTeets on their minds—strong emotion, restlessness, and an unmafly exeitement and extravagance of thoup,'ht and fêeling—are the tokens of that inscrutable Spirit, xvho is g'iven us, hot fo nmlce us something ot]er men, but fo nmke us, x'hat without His graeious aid never slm]l be, uprig'ht, self-mastering" men, humble and obedient ehildren of out Lord and Saviour. In that day of trial all these deeeits xvill be laid aside we shall stand in our oxx-n real form, vhether it be of heaven or of earth, the x-edding garment, or the old raiment of sine; and then, h(w many (do x'e thinl) will be revealed as the heirs of light, xvho bave followed Christ in His narrow x'ay, and humbled themse]ves after ttis manner (though hOt in His perfection, and with IRom. x. 8. Zech. iii. 4.
nothing of His merit) to the daily duties of soberness, mercy, gentlencss, self-denial, and the fear of God? These, be they many or few, will then receive their prize from IIim who died for them, who has ruade them what thcy are, and completes in heaven what first conscience, then by His Spirit, lIe beg'au hcre. Surelr they were dcspised on the earth by the world; both bv the open simcrs, who thought their scrupulousness to be foolishness, and by such pretendcrs to God's fivour as thoug'ht if ignorance. But, in reality, they had received from their Lord the treasures both of wisdom and of knowledge, thoug'h men knew if not; and they then vill be acknowleded by Him before all creatures, as heirs of the glory prepared for them before the beginning" of the world.