SELF-DENIAL THE TEST OF RELIGIOUS EARNESTNESS.
" Now if is hijh rime to awake out of sleep."
Y "sleep," in this passage, St.:Paul lneans a state of insensibility fo things as they really are in God's sight. When we are asleep, we are absent ri'oto this world's action, as if we were no longer concerned in it. If goes on withoat us, or, if our rest be broken, and we have some slight notion of people and occurrences about us, if we hear a voice or a senCence, and see a face, yet we are unable ¢o catch these external objects justly and truly; we make ¢lem part of out dreams, and pervert theln till they have scarcely a resemblance to what they really are; and such is the state of men as regards religious h'uth. God is ever Almighty and All-knowing. He is on His ¢larone in heaven, trying the reins and the hearts; and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, is on His right hand; and ten thousand Angels and Saints are ministering to Him, rapt in the contemplation of Him, or by their errands of mercy connecting this lower world with His coin'fs above; they go to and ri'o, as though upon the ladder which Ja.cob saw. And the diselosure of this glorious invisible world is ruade to us principally by means of the Bible, 1;artly by the course,)f nature, partly by the floating opinions of mankind, partly by the suggestions of the he.rt and conscience;- and all these means of information coneerning it are eolleeted and colnbined by the l[oly Church, whieh heralds the uews forth to the whole earth, and applies it with power to individual minds, partly by direct instruction, partly by her very form and fashlon, whieh wit.nesses to them; so tlmt the truths of religion cireulate through the world ahnost as the light of day, every corner and recess having some portion of its blessed rays. Such is the state of a Christian country, iXleanwhile, how is it with those who dwell in it? rflle words of the text remind us of their condition. 'rhey are a,lee2o. Vhile the Iilfisters of Christ are using the annour of light, and all things speak of Him, they "walk" hot "' becomlngly, as in the day." iXIany live altogether as though the day shone hot on them, but he shadows still eudured; and far the g'reater part of them are but very faintly sensible of the great truths preaehed around flmm. They sec and hear as people in a dream; they mix up the Holy Word of God with their own idle imaginings; if startled for a moment, still they soon relapse into slumber; they refuse fo be awakened, and think their happiness eonslsts in eontivuing as they are. Now I do hot for an inst.ant suspect, my brethren, that you are in the sound slnmber of sin. This is a miserable state, whieh I should hope was, on the whole, tire condition of few men, at least in a place like this.
But, allowinoo thls, yet there is great reason for fearing" that very mauy of you are hot wide awake: that thoug.h your dreams are disturbed, yet dreams they are; and that the view of religion which you think to be a true one, is hot that vision of the Truth which you would see were your eyes open, but such vague, defective, extravag'ant picture of if as a man sees when he is asleep. At all events, however this may be, it will be useful (please God) if you ask youselvcs, one by one, the question, "How do I kuow I ara in the rlght way?!Iow do I know that I ha.ve real fifith, and am hot in a dream?" The cîrcumstances of these rimes render if very difficult to answer this question. When the world was agalnst Christianity if was comparafively easy. But (in one scuse) the world is now.for il. I do hot mcan there are not turbulent lawless men, who would bring" all things into confision, if they could; who hate religion, and would overturn every established institution which proceeds from, or is connected with it. Doubtless there are very many such, but ri'oto such men religion has nothin 8" to fear. The truth has ever flourished and strengthened under persecution. But what we have fo fear is the opposite fact, that all the rank, and the station, and the intelligence, and the opulence of the country is professedly wlth religion. We have cause fo fear ri'oto the very circumstance that the institutions of the country are based upon the acknowledgment of religion as true. Worthy of all honour are they who so based them! hliserable is the guilt which lies upon those who have attemlted, and partly sueeeeded, in shakin., that holy foundation! Bnt if often happens t.hat out most biffer are hot our most dangerous enemies; on the other hand, g'reatest blessing"s are tbe most serious tcmptations t( the unwary. And our danger, af present, is flfis, that a man's having a g.eneral eharaeter for religion, revereneing" the Gospel and professiug i, and to a certain poin obeylng it, so fiflly promotes his temporal interests, tha i is dilicul for him to mal¢e out for himself whether he real]y aets on faith, or ri-oto desire ofthis world's advantages. I is diflîcult to find tests which may bring home the truth to his mind, and probe his heart after the manner of Him who, ff'oto His throne above, tries if with an Almighty Wisdom. If tan searcelv be denied that attention to their religious duties is becoming a fashion among large portions of the eommunity,so large, that, to many individuals, these portions are in fact t]e world. We are, every nov and then, surprised to find persons fo be in the observance of falnily prayer, of reading" Seripturc, or of Holy Communion, of whom we should hot have expected beforehand sueh a profession of faith; or we hear them avowiug the hig'h evang'elical truths of the New Testament, and countenancin those who maintain them. All this brings it about., that if is out iuteres6 in this world to profess tobe Christ's diseiples. And further than t.hls, if is neeessary fo remark, that) in spire of this general profession of zeal for the Gospel anaong" all respectable persons at this day, nevertheless there is ason for fearing', that it is hot altogether the rcal Gospel that they are zealous for. Doubtless we have cause fo be thankful whenever ve see persons earnest in thc varions ways I have mcntioned. Yet, somehow, after all, there is rcason for bcing dissatisfied with the character of the religion of the day; dissatisfied, first» because oftentimes these saine persons arc,¢ery inconsistent;—often, for instance, talk irreverently and profanely, ridicule or slight things sacred, speak against the Holy Church, or against the blessed Saints of early rimes, or even against the fitvoured servants of God, set before us in Scripture; or act with the world and the worse sort of men, even when they do hot speak like them; attend to them more than fo the [inisters of God, or are very lukewarm, lax, and unscrupulous in matters of conduct, so much so, that they seem hardly to go by principle, but by wha.t is merely expedient and convenient. And then again, putting aside out judgment of these men as individuals, and thinkilg- of them as well as we can (which of course it is our duty to do), yet, after ail, taking merely the multitude of them as a symptom of, state of things, I own I ara suspicious of any religion that is a people's religion, or an age's religion. Our Saviour says, "Narrow is the way." This, of course, must not be interpreted without great caution yet surely the whole tenor of the Inspired Volume leads us to believe that His Truth will hot be heartily received by the many, that if is against the current of human tbeling and opinion, a.nd the course of the world, and so far forth as if is received by man, will be opposed by himself, i.e. by his old nature which remains about him, next by all others, so far forth as they bave hot received it. " The light shining in darkness" is the token of
6 z Self-dental lhe Test of truc rcliglon; and, though doubtless there are seasons when a sudden enthusiasm m-ises in fhvom" of the Tnlth (as in the history of St. John the Baptist, in whose "light'" the Jews " were willing" for a season fo rejoice ï" so as even "to be baptized of him, confessing"?cheir sins "), ye?c such a popularity of the Truth is bel sudden, cornes a?c once and goes a?C once, bas no regular g'rowth, no abidîng stay. I?C is error alone whieh grows and is received heartily on a large scale. St. Paul bas set up hls warning ag'alns out supposing Truth will ever be heartily aecepted, whatever shoxv here may be of a general profession of it, in his las Epistle, where he tells OEimothy, among o?cher sad prophecies, that '" evil men and seducers shall wx worse and worse*. '' Truth, indeed, has that pover in it, tiret i forces men fo profess iç in words; bu?c when they o on fo net, ins?cead of obeying il, thêy substitute some idol in the place of it. On these accounts, when there is much talk of religion in a country, and much congratulation?chat there is a general concern for it, a cautious mind will feel anxious lest some counterfeit be, in fact, honoured instead of it: les?c it be the dream of man rather than the verities of God's woM, which has become popular, and les?c the recelved form have no more of truth in if than is just necessary to recommend it fo the reon and conscience: —lest, in shooE, if be Satan transformed înto an ang'el of light, rather than the Light itself, which is attracting followers. If, thcn, this be a time (which I suppose it is) when general profession of religion is though?c respectable John v. 35. Matt. iii. 6. 2 Tire. iii. 18.
elçious Ecrzestness. 63 and rih in the vlruous nud orderly e|asses of the eommunity, hls eireumsanee should no diminish your anxiety bou your own state before God, bu rather may say) inerease i; for two reasons, first, beeause you are in dnng'er of doin righ from motives oi nex, beeause you may, perehanee, be eheaed of the Truth, by some iuenuiLy whieh the world purs, like eounteri%i coin, in the place oi L|e Truth. 8orne, indeed, of those who now hear nie, are in siLuations where they are almos shielded from wofld's influence, whatever it is. There are persons so happily p|need as to bave religdous superiors, who diree them to what is good only, aud who nre kind to them, ns well as pious towards God. This is their happiness, nd flmy mus thnnk God or the is their temptation oo. At least they are under one oï the wo temptat.ions ust mentioned; good behaviour is, in Lheir case, no only a mnLter of duty, bu oi interest. If they obey God, they g-aih prise from men as well as from Him; so that i is very diffieult for them to know whether they do l'igh for conscience' sale, or for the world's se. Thus, whether in private familles, or in the world, in all the ranks of middle life, men lie under a considerable danger at this day, a more than ordinary dang, er, of self-deception, of bein asleep while they think themselves awake. How then shall we try ourselves? Can any tests be named which will bring, certainty to our minds on the subject?:No indisputable tests can be g'iven. We cannot know for certain. We must beware of an impatience about knowing, what out real state is. St. Paul
64 Sdf-clenial the Test of himself did hot know till the las days of his lire (as far as we know), that he was one of God's elee who shall never perish. He said, "I know nothing" by myself, yet am I hot hereby justified ;" i.e. though I ara no eonseious to myself of neg'leet of duty,)'et ara I hot therefore confident of my aeceptnce? Judge nothing before the rime. Accordingly he says in anothcr place,,' I keep under my body, a.nd bring if into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway"." And yet though this absolute certainty of out election unto g'lory be unattainable, and the dcsire fo obtain it an impatience which ill befits sinners, nevertheless comiortable hope, a sober a.nd subdued belief that God has pa.rdoned and justified us for Christ's sake (blessed be His name!), is attainable, according" fo St. ohn's words, "If our heart condemn us hot, t.hen bave we confidence towa.rd God a.,, And the question is, how are we to attain fo this, under the circumstances in which we are placed? In what does it consist? Were we in heathen land (as I said just now) it were easy to answer. The very profession of the Gospel would almost bring evidence of true faith, as far as we could bave evidence for such profession among 1)agans is ahnost sure fo involve persecution. Hence if is that the:Epistles are so full of expressions of joy in the Lord Jesus, and in the exlflting hope of salvation. XVell might they be confident who had suffered for Christ. "Tribulation vorketh patience, and patience experience,
Re@ ious Ea riestiess. 6 5 and experienee hopê ." "Heneeforth let n.o man trouble me, for I bear in my body he marks of the Lord Jesus ." "Always bearing aboug in ghe ho@ gle dying of the Lord Jesus; thg ghe lire also of Jesus mighg be mme mauifesg in out body ." " Out hope of you is stedfist, knowing ha as ye are partakers of the suffering, so shall ye be also of ghe eonsolagion'." These and sueh like texgs belong o ghose only who have witnessed for he truh like fle early Chrisfians. OEhey are heyond This is eerain 3-e sinee he nature of Christian obedienee is he same in every age, i still brings with if, as i did ghen, an evldenee of God's Nvour. We eannog indeed make ourselves as sure of out bein in the number of God's rue servants as the early Christians were, yet we may possess out degree of eertainy, and by ghe saine kind of evidenee, file evidenee of e-dozial. This was the great evidence which the first disciples gave, and whieh we ean g'ive still. Refleet upon out Saviour's plain deelarations, '" Whosoever will eome after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Ie .', " If any man eome to Me, and hate hot his father and mother, and wife, and ehildren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own lire also, he eannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth hot bear his cross and eomë after Me, he eannot be Iy disciple ." "If thy hand offend thee, eut ig off.., if thy foot offend thee, eut if off... if thine eye offend thee, pluek it out:... if is better tbr
66 çe[f-dcsda[ the 2"« af thee fo enter.into life maimed... hal... wikh one eye tlmn o be east into hell .» ow withou atfempfing fo explain perfeetly sueh passages as these, whieh donbfless eanno be understood withon fulness of graee whieh is possessed by very /bw men, yet at least we learn thus mueh from fhem, that a rigorous self-denial is a chier luty, nay, that it may be considered the test whether wc are Christ's disciples, whefler we are living in a more dream, which we mistake for Christian faith and obedicnce, or are really and tru]y awake, alive, living in the day, on out road heavenwards. The eafly Christians went through selfdenials in their vcry profession of the Gospel; wat are,,er se-deials, now that the profession of thc Gospel is uot self-dcnial? In what sense do we fulfil the vords of Christ? have we any distinct notion what is meant by the words " taking' up our cross?" in what way are we actin, in which we should hot act, supposing the Bible and the Church were unknown to this country, and religion, as existing among us, was erely a fashion of this world? Vhat m'e we doing, which we bave reason fo trust is done for Chrisffs sake who bought us? You know well enough that works are said to be the fruits and evidence of faith. That faith is said to be dead Which has them uot. Now what works bave we to show of such a kind as to give us " confidence," so that we ma.y "' no be ashamed before Him at His coming ?" In answering this question I observe, first of all, that, a«cording to Scripture, the self-denial which is the test lcligious Earnestncss. 6 7 of out faith must be daily. " If any man will eome Me, le him deny himself, and take up his cross dalle, and follow Me ." I is thus St. Luke records out viour's words. Aeeordingly, i seems tha Christinn obedienee does hot eonsis merely in few oeeasional efforts, a few aeeidental ood deeds, or certain seasons of repentanee, prayer, and aetivity; a mistake, whieh minds of a certain elass are wry ap o fall into. This is the ind of obMienee whieh eonstiutes wha the world ealls a great man, i. e. a man who has some noble points, and every now and then acts heroically, so as to astonish and subdue the minds of beholders, but who in private lire bas no abiding personal religion, who does hot regulate his thoughts, words, and deeds, according to the law of God. Again, the word dai?y implies, that the selfdenial which is pleasing fo Christ consists little thins. This is plain, for opportunity for great selfdenials does hot corne evcry day. Thus fo take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all, it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us. If, then, a person asks how he is to know whether he is dreaming.on in the world's slumbeb or is really awake and alive to God, let him first fix his mind upon some one or other of his besetting infirmities. Every one who is at all in the habit of examining himself, must be conscious of such within him. Many men bave more than one, all of us bave some one or other; a.nd in resisting and overcoming such, self-denial bas its first employment. Oae man is indolent and fond of amusement, » Luke ix. 28.
another man is passionate or ill-tempered, another is vain, another bas little control over his tongue; thers are weak, and cannot resist the ridicule of thoughtless companions; others are tormented with bad passions, of which they are ashamed, yet arc overeome. Now let every one consider what his weak point is; in that is his trial. Ilis trial is hot in those things which are easy to him, but in that one thing, in those several things, whatcver they are, in which to do his duty is,against his nature. Never think yourself sale because you do your duty in ninety-nine points; it is the hundredth which is to be the ground of your selfdenial, which must evidence, or rather instance and realize your f.'tith. If is in reference to this you must watch and pray; pray continually for God's grace to help you, and watch with fear and trembliug lest you [hll. Other men may hot know what these weak po;rats of your character are, they nmy mistake them. But you may know them; you may know them by tkeir guesses and hints, and your own observation, and the light of the Spirit of God. And oh, that you may have strength fo wrestle with them and overcome them! Oh, that Sou may have the wisdom to care little for the world's religion, or the praise you get fi'om the world, and your agreement with what clever men, or powerful men, or many men, make the standard of religion, compared with the secret consciousness that you are obeying God in little things as well as great, in tbe hundredth duty,as well as in the ninety-nine! Oh, that you may (as it were) sweep the bouse diligently to discover what you lack of thefull measure of obedience! for be quite sure,
.clidious Earncslncss. 6 9 that this apparently small defeet will influence your whole spirit mad judg'ment in ail thing's. Be quite sure that your judgment of persons, and of events, and of actions, and of doetrines, and your spirit towards God and man, your faith in the hig'h truths of the Gospel, and yotrr knowledg'e of your duty, ail depend in a strang'e way on this slriet endeavour to observe the who]e law, on this selt-denial in those little things in which obedienee i, a self-denial. Be hOt content with a warmth of faith earrying you over many obstaeles even in your obedienee, foreing" you past the fear of men, and the usages of soeiety, and the persuasions of interest; exult hot in your experienee of God's past mereies, and your assurance ofwhat He bas already donc for your soul, ifyou are eonseious you have neg'leeted the one thing needful, t.he « one thing '' whieh "thou laekest,"daily self-denial. But, besides this, there are other modes of self-denial to try your faith and sincerity, whieh it ma.y be right just fo mention. If may so happen that the sin you are most liable fo, is hot called fortll every day. For instance: anger and passion are irresistible perhaps when they corne upon you, but it is only af rimes that you are provoked, and then you are off your guard; so that the occasion is over, and you bave tailed, before you were well aware of ifs coming. It is right then almost fo 27nd ott for yourself daily self-denials; and this because our Lord bids you take up your cross daily, and because if proves your earnestness, and because by doing so you strengthen your general power of self-mastery, and eome to bave such an habitual eonmmnd of yourself, as will be a. defence ready prepared when the season of tempta-
70 Sclf-d,:zial lhe Tcsl of tion cornes. Rise up then in the morning" with the purpose tlmt (please God) the da.y shall self-denial, with self-denial in innoeenL pleasures and tasLes, if none oeeurs mmoEify sin. Le your very risin ri'oto your bed be a selLdenial; let your meals be self-denials. Determine o yield o others iff things indifferenL, to go ouL of your way in small matters, to ineonvenienee yourself (so tha no direeL duty suffcrs by i), rather than you should no mee vith your daily discipline. This was tire Psalmis's method, who was, as i were, "punished all dy long, and ehastened every morning." It was St. Paul's method, who "kept under," or bruised "his body, and brought it into subjection." This is one great end of fasting. A man says o h[mself, " How am I fo know I ara in earnest?" I would suggest fo him, Make some sacrifice, do some distasteful thing, which you are hot actually obliged o do, (so fhat it be laçl,) to bring home to your mind that in fact you do love your Saviour, that you do haie sin, that you do hate your sinful nature, that you have put aside the present wofld. Thus you will bave an evidence (to a certain point) that you are hot using mere words. It is easy o makc professions, easy to say fine things in speech or in writing, easy to astonish men with truths whieh flmy do hot know, and sentiments which fise above human nature. "But thou, O servant of God, flee these thinzs, and follow afler righteousness, godliness, faith, love, l»atience, meekness." Let hot your words run on; force every one of them into action as it goes, and thus, eleansin yourself from all pollution of Psahn lxxiii. 14. 1 Cor. ix. 27.
]cliious ta rncstucss. 7 the flesh and sl»irit,, perfee holiness in the fear of God. In dreams we sometimes move our arms to ste if we are "wake or hot, and so we are a.wakencd. This is the way to keep your hear awakc also. Try yourself daily in littlc deeds, to prove thu your faith is more than a deceit.:I ara aware ail this is a hard doctrine; hard fo those even who asscnt to if, and can describe it mos accurately. There are such imperfections, such inconsistencies in the hcart and lifc of evcn the botter sort of mon, that continual repentance must evcr go hand in ha.nd with our endeavours to obey. Vuch we need the 'race of Christ's blood to wash us from thc guilt we daily incur; much need we he aid of His promised Spiri! And surely He will grant all the riches of IIis mercy to IIis true servants; but as surely IIe will vouchsafe to none of us the power to belicve in Him, and the blessedness of being one with Him, who arc hot as carnes in obeying" tIim as if salvation del)cnded on themselves.