Page images
PDF
EPUB

died in vain." The true way of salvation is this: go to Christ as a sinner: and seek salvation altogether through his atoning sacrifice, and his obedience unto death. But, when you have believed in him, be careful to "maintain good works," yea, and to "excel in" good works. Then will Christ be honoured in every way: your faith will honour him as the alone Saviour of mankind; and your works will honour him as your Lord and Master. But remember to keep each in its place. In building an edifice, you do not build the superstructure first, (if I may so speak,) and then lay the foundation afterwards; nor do you mingle the foundation and superstructure in one indiscriminate mass: but you keep each in its place; and then it answers the end for which it was raised. So you must lay Christ as your foundation first; and afterwards raise on him the superstructure of good works: then shall you be found "workmen that need not be ashamed;" and both in your faith and in your works be justified before God.]

2. Of encouragement

[Let not any apparent difficulties in this subject embarrass you. They will all vanish in an instant, if only you get a broken and contrite heart. It is surprising what light such a state of mind will reflect on the subject before us. It may not indeed enable you to solve all the verbal difficulties that may be raised: but, as far as relates to the main subject, it will scatter all doubts, as mist is scattered by the noon-day sun. It will convince you that no righteousness but that of Christ can ever avail for your acceptance before God: and, at the same time, that holiness is no less necessary for your final enjoyment of his favour. It will convince you too, that both faith and holiness, being the gifts of God, you have no reason to despair of attaining all that is necessary to your complete salvation; since God is pledged "not to despise the contrite heart," or to withhold from his upright people the blessings either of grace or glory".]

e Gal. v. 2, 4. f Tit. iii. 8. προΐστασθαι. 8 Ps. lxxxiv. 11.

MMCCCLXVI.

THE BEST OF MEN BUT WEAK AND FRAIL.

Jam. iii. 2. In many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

THAT persons instructed in divine truth should be anxious to instruct others is well: but to rush

uncalled into the ostensible office of the ministry, is by no means expedient. By his life, as well as by his doctrine, must a minister instruct his people: and if, on the one hand, his reward will be glorious if he discharge his duties aright; his punishment will, on the other hand, be proportionably severe, if by word or deed he" cast a stumbling-block before others," and "cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of." Before a man therefore engage in this arduous calling, he should see his way clear: lest, by entering rashly upon it, he involve himself in the heavier condemnation. This is the hint given by St. James, in the verse before my text: and, to enforce it, he reminds us of our extreme frailty; since" in many things we all offend," and have therefore abundant reason for caution in contracting, without necessity, such an augmented responsibility.

Let me, then, shew you,

I. What even good men have to mourn over, in their daily walk before God

"There is no man that liveth, and sinneth not." By reason of our extreme weakness, and the numberless obstacles which lie in our way, there is not any man who does not occasionally "make a trip,” and "offend,"

1. By a slip of his feet

[No good man will, knowingly and deliberately, do that which is evil. "A man truly born of God cannot so commit sin." He has a principle within him which will not suffer it. But, sometimes through ignorance and inadvertence, and sometimes through weakness and corruption, the very best of men may err: as it is said, "The righteous falleth seven times." When James and John proposed to call fire from heaven, to consume a Samaritan village, it was doubtless from a mistaken idea, that the example of Elijah, who so vindicated the honour of Jehovah, was applicable to the occasion which then presented itself to them; and that such was a proper way of expressing their indignation against those who had refused to their Master the rights of hospitality. It was also from a mistaken love to his Divine Master that Peter dissuaded Jesus from subjecting himself to the sufferings which he had just predicted. But the principle, in both these instances, was

really evil, though the Apostles themselves thought it to be good and therefore they brought on themselves a just rebuke. In Peter's requiring the Gentiles to submit to the Jewish law, there was downright "dissimulation;" such as betrayed Barnabas also into the very same fault. Here was weakness; here was the sad effect of human corruption: and, accordingly, it was reproved with a severity proportioned to the offence. In Paul and Barnabas too, there was a blameworthy contention, issuing in their final separation. The error of Peter and Barnabas proceeded from an undue compliance; and that of Paul and Barnabas from an undue pertinacity, both in sentiment and determination. But, as such things have been in the Church, even amongst the Apostles themselves; so must they be expected to arise, whilst human nature is so weak, and so many difficulties beset our way

2. By a slip of his tongue—

[ocr errors]

["If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." The fact is, that every corruption of the heart finds its first and readiest gratification through the tongue. If pride or vanity inflate the mind, it will discover itself, not only in the look and gesture, but through some appropriate language of the lips. If levity have put a man off his guard, it will betray itself by some unadvised expressions, some "jestings" (facetious terms of double import), which may excite a smile at the moment, but are quite offensive to God. Need I say how anger will vent itself, or how uncharitableness will indulge its malignant propensities? But so it is with every unhallowed feeling of the soul: and he is the most perfect man who puts the most complete restraint upon his tongue, and suffers it not to utter any thing which God will not approve.]

Whilst good men have so much occasion to mourn, let us consider,

II. What they have more especially to attend to, in order to counteract the evil of their heartsAmongst the many things which might be mentioned, I will recommend,

1. Humiliation

[Who has not found, by sad experience, the truth of the Apostle's assertion, that "in many things we all offend?" Who then has not reason to lie low both before God and man? If Paul complained of "the law in his members warring against the law of his mind," much more may we; and with him cry out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?"

Methinks, if Job abhorred himself, and the Prophet Isaiah complained, "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips," a leper in the midst of a leprous population; no humiliation can be too deep for us. Let us walk softly then, every one of us, in the remembrance of our manifold infirmities; and abase ourselves before God, as "less than the least of all saints," yea, "as the very chief of sinners."]

2. Watchfulness

[Never can we tell what an hour may bring forth; or what temptations may arise, to cause us to offend either in word or deed. We should therefore "make a covenant with our eyes," as holy Job did; and "set a watch before the door of our lips," as did the man after God's own heart. We should mark the first risings of inclination, that they may not operate with undue force, and betray us into actual sin. We should mark with jealous care the motives and principles by which we are actuated; remembering, that by them will the quality of our actions be determined, and that by them we shall be judged in the last day. In a word, we must "keep our hearts with all diligence, knowing that out of them are the issues of life."]

3. Dependence upon God

[Here is our only security. If we trust in our own hearts, our folly will very soon appear. Satan can "assume the form of an angel of light," and deceive us by specious appearances : and, if we would be preserved from his wiles, our prayer should continually be to God; "Hold thou up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not:" "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Then, notwithstanding our weakness and frailty, we may hope to be "preserved blameless till the day of Christ."

"Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, for ever and ever! Amen.'

MMCCCLXVII.

THE EVILS OF THE TONGUE.

Jam. iii. 6. The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

AMONGST the most important of all subjects must be reckoned the government of the tongue. The consideration of it is well calculated to convince the profane, to pluck off the mask from hypocrites, to humble the sincere, and to edify every description of persons. St. James, who intended his epistle as a corrective to the abuses that prevailed in the Christian Church, insisted strongly upon this subject: and, in the words before us, has given us such a description of the tongue, as, if it had proceeded from any other than an inspired writer, would have been deemed a libel upon human nature. In order that the text may be fully understood, we shall shew,

I. The true character of the human tongue

The Apostle tells us "it is a fire"

[Fire, in its original formation, was intended for the good of man; and, when subordinated to his wishes, is highly beneficial: but its tendency is to consume and to destroy. Thus the tongue was at first made for the Creator's praise; but through the introduction of sin, that member, which was, and, if well used, yet is, the glory of man, is become "an instrument of unrighteousness" and all iniquity.

Fire also, even the smallest spark, is capable of producing incalculable mischief; such mischief as it may not be in the power of man to repair. Thus also will one single motion of the tongue. It may so irritate and inflame a man, as to change him instantly into a savage beast, or an incarnate devil: and, if the whole world should labour to remedy the evil, it would mock their endeavours.]

He further adds that it is "a world of iniquity".

[There is not any sin whatever, which does not stand in the nearest connexion with the tongue, and employ it in its service. Search the long catalogue of sins against God; then inspect those against our neighbour; and, lastly, those against ourselves; and there will not be found one, no, not one, that has not the tongue as its principal ally--- All iniquities whatsoever centre in it, and are fulfilled by it: so justly is it called, "A world of iniquity."]

Its character will yet further appear by considering,

a Ps. lvii. 8.

b ver. 3, 4.

c See Rom. iii. 13, 14.

« PreviousContinue »