39. Deserters

Deserters "Will ye also go away? "—John 6:67.

"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."—2 Timothy 4:10. The "Daily News" of June 22nd, in an article upon the character of the men in the British army,says:—-"One great cause of misconduct is that few men enlist deliberately, but rather take the shilling as a means of escaping temporary trouble of some sort. Either a man is temporarily out of work, or he has a quarrel with his sweetheart, or he wishes for a while to keep out of the way of the police. Comparatively rarely does he become a soldier from a conviction that it is an honourable mode of earning a living, and that there are some extremely good prizes to be won. Hence speedy repentance, and if he is unable to purchase his discharge he will frequently in desperation steal, so openly that he must be discovered, some, to him, useless article, such as a broom or one boot."

It seems then that very much depends upon the manner of the enlistment of soldiers, and we are quite sure that with young converts everything depends upon the reason for their enrolment in the army of Christ. If they merely come to Christ because they are under some temporary alarm of soul, and not because they are heartily convinced of the error of their ways, they will probably desert from the standard of the cross as soon as the temporary pressure of natural conviction is removed. The awakening sermon is forgotten, the alarming providence is over, the eloquent revivalist has gone to another town, and the superficial converts regret that they ever made a profession of religion, and under one pretext or another they slide away. How well it is that our young friends should count the cost and understand what they are doing, and then should deliberately and heartily cast in their lot with the people of God. They must be convinced that to be a Christian is right, and honourable, and for their own eternal good, they must also be assured that the cause is one of truth and righteousness, and that in it lies all their hope of eternal salvation: they must in a word be renewed in the spirit of their minds, or they will soon be the prey of temptation, and the church will be filled with alarm at the large number of deserters. Our Lord was always anxious that men should be saved, but he was never in a hurry to gather nominal disciples. When the scribe said to him "Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest," he did not reply, as many of us would have done, with a pressing invitation, and an enthusiastic welcome, but he was far more wise in his procedure, for he replied," The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but I, the Son of man, have not where to lay my head." He put before him the poverty of the Captain and the hard fare of the soldier. When the multitude thronged around him, he did not commence taking their names, enrolling them as his converts, and counting heads in order to publish astounding statistics, but on the contrary he sifted them with words like these:" Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." The recruiting sergeants of her majesty's army are so anxious to get hold of the men that they are not scrupulous as to the arguments they use; drink is freely given, the soldier's condition is set forth in rosy colours, and the young man is cajoled and seduced into a way of life which he would not have thoughtfully chosen: but it must not be so among us. We may not repel any man who wishes to join our ranks, but we may not persuade men and women to make a hasty profession, and take the name of Christian upon them to please their friends. The door must not be closed with lock and key, but there must be a porter to open it in order that the sheep, and not the goats, may go in and out and find pasture. Since the porter himself may be readily deceived, it is every man's personal responsibility to see that he enters with his heart and soul into the church of God, if he does enter at all; and it is at his own peril that he dares to intrude unworthily or insincerely into the fold of Christ. A profession carelessly made will soon be dishonourably abandoned. We know Who it was that said:" They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." He who wrote these words was of a loving nature, and never formed a harsh judgment, and therefore from his verdict we conclude that the backslidings and apostasies which weaken the visible church of Christ are caused by a want of reality at the commencement of the religious life. There was no root, and therefore the plant withered when the sun was risen with burning heat. There was no call to the soldier's life, or the reputed warrior of the cross would not have so shamefully deserted the colours. Hence the stern necessity of our being careful in examining all candidates, and honest in warning them of their responsibilities.

"Have ye counted the cost? Have ye counted the cost, Ye warriors of the Cross? Are ye fixed in heart, for your Master's sake, To suffer all earthly loss? Can ye bear the scoff of the worldly-wise, As ye pass by pleasure's bower, To watch with your Lord on the mountain-top, Through the weary midnight hour? Do ye answer, 'We can,' Do ye answer, 'We can,'

Thro' his love's constraining power? But do ye remember, the flesh is weak, And shrinks in the trial-hour?

Yet yield to his hand, who around you now, The cords of a man would cast! The bands of his love, who was smitten for you, To the altar binding you fast. In the power of his might! In the power of his might! Who was made through weakness strong, Ye shall overcome in the fearful fight! And sing his victory song! But count ye the cost; yea, count ye the cost— The forsaking all ye have!

Then take up your cross and follow your Lord, Not thinking your life to save!"