07.04. Volume 4 cont'd
"What will it benefit a man, if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
Consider what the loss of the soul includes. It is the loss of everything dear to man as an immortal creature. It is the loss of Heaven, with all its honors, felicities, and glories. It is the loss of everything that can contribute to our eternal happiness.
The loss of the soul includes in it all that is contained in that dreadful word, Hell. Hell is the eternal endurance of the wrath of God. It is the coming down of the curse of the Almighty upon the soul; or rather, it is the falling of the soul into that curse, as into a lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
All the tears that ever have been or ever will be shed on the face of the earth; all the groans that ever have been or ever will be uttered; all the anguish that ever has been or ever will be endured by all the inhabitants of the world, through all the ages of time—do not make up an equal amount of misery to that which is included in the loss of one human soul!
Consider that the eternal loss of the soul is not a rare, but a very common occurrence. The loss of the soul is so tremendous a catastrophe, that if it happened only once in a year, or once in a century, so as to render it barely possible that it should happen to you—it would be reckless carelessness not to feel some solicitude about the matter! How much more, then, when, alas! it is an every-day calamity! So far from its being a rare thing for men to go to hell—it is a much rarer thing for them to go to heaven! Our Lord tells us, that the ’road to destruction’ is thronged, while the ’way to life’ is traveled by few. Hell opens its mouth wide and swallows up multitudes in perdition! How alarming is the idea, and how probable the fact—that you may be among this number! Some who read these pages will very likely spend their eternity in hell.
Concern, then, deep concern about the salvation of your soul, is the most reasonable thing in the world! Can that man have a soul, or know that he has one, who is careless about its eternal happiness? Is he a man—or
Look into the bottomless pit—can you be too anxious to escape its torments? Look into heaven—can you be too anxious to obtain its glories? Look into eternity—can you be too anxious to secure immortal life?
"The unsearchable riches of Christ!" Ephesians 3:8
How poor and trifling are all those objects which so much engross the time and attention of the great bulk of mankind!
What a bauble is wealth, compared with the unsearchable riches of Christ!
How insignificant is the honor which comes from man, compared with the honor which comes from God!
And how contemptible the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season—those short-lived enjoyments for which men barter their souls and eternal salvation!
"The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever." (1 John 2:17)
What deep pity has been felt, and properly felt, for the population of those towns in which the ravages of the pestilence, or natural disaster, have been unusually extensive!
But oh, Christians! think of the more awful ravages of the plague of sin—which is sweeping crowds of immortal souls from your own neighborhood into everlasting misery! There are thousands of immortal creatures perishing in sin at your very doors! Souls are continually going down to the bottomless pit, from the houses on your right hand and your left! Men and women and their families are
"As He saw the crowds, His heart was filled with pity for them." (Matthew 9:36)
"And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it." (Luke 19:41)
"Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." (Romans 10:1) "I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22)
If we would be revived in piety, we must resist by faith the encroaching influence of the WORLD, and the engrossing power of seen and temporal things. The address to the church of Laodicea would lead one to suppose that it was
a place of trade—and that trade had produced riches—and riches had produced . . . pride, worldly-mindedness, love of ease, indifference to divine things, and spiritual poverty.
Most people in our country appear inordinately intent upon gaining the world. To be rich, or at least to be comfortable, to be reputable, to be stylish, to be fashionable, to live in larger houses, and to have finer furniture and more earthly things than others—seems to be the supreme concern of most! They must, whether they can afford it or not, vie with their neighbors in all their habits. This seems to be
Many seem almost without knowing it, to be possessed by a grasping at things beyond their reach, and an ambitious aspiring at some undefinable point of worldly elevation. All their time, all their attention, is absorbed—and all the vigor of their spirits is exhausted—in this panting race after the world’s possessions and comforts!
It is evident that . . .until this disposition be more subdued than it is, until our moderation be more known to all men, until we have lowered our estimate of the importance of wealth, until we have ceased thus to mind earthly things, until we have gained a greater victory over the world, or are anxious to gain it—our piety cannot be revived. It is like seed growing amidst thorns—and though a fertile shower and a warmer sun should cause it to spring afresh during a more than ordinarily genial season—yet it is still among thorns, which will be sure to choke the grain!
I am afraid that we have not . . .that simplicity of taste, that contentment, that moral courage to be indifferent to the world’s opinions, that sobriety of mind, that comparative unconcernedness about finery and splendor—which are necessary to prepare us for a high state of piety.
Let us, then, consider this matter. Let us attend to the apostolic admonition, "Be not conformed to this world—but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The spirit of the world, and the spirit of piety, cannot dwell together in the same bosom. "You cannot serve God and Mammon." "If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "Are you seeking great things for yourself? Seek them not!" "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth," so much as treasures in heaven. Remember that "one thing is needful!" "Take heed, and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he has."
But if we will be rich, if we will be anxious about many things, if we will be full of worldly ambition, and earthly mindedness and covetousness—then we cannot experience much revival in piety—and need not add hypocrisy to lukewarmness! For very little better than a hypocrite, is the man who prays for the effusions of the Holy Spirit—and yet will not moderate his extreme concern after worldly wealth.
We must also put away our worldly-mindedness, our ambition, our excessive concern to be conformed, as far as possible, to the showy, expensive, and luxurious habits of the people of this world. We must restrain our taste for voluptuous ease, extravagance and self-indulgence. We must give up our concern to be accounted fashionable.
"Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
What an unearthly spirit, what an impress of eternity, what a temper of heaven should there be in us! Professing to believe all this, to hope for all this, to love all this, to yield up ourselves to all this—ought we not to be a people really, practically differing from the people of the world—seen, known and acknowledged to be different . . .in our prevailing spirit, in our pleasures, in our tastes, in our feelings and conduct in regard to wealth, in the maxims which govern us?
Ought we not to appear to be the conquerors, and not the captives, of the world? But is it so? Is not the very opposite to all this, the present characteristic of many professors? Has not
In the habits of some professing Christians, there is a too prevailing taste for an expensive, showy style of living; an undue ambition to be in vogue; an excessive sensitiveness about fashion, refinement, needless show, extravagance, luxury and appearance. This is seen in their feverish concern to live in large houses, and possess elegant furniture.
Fashion is the goddess to whose shrine too many bow with ardent devotion. Just look at the conduct of many professors of religion. Are they not almost as completely swallowed up in the eagerness to be rich, as the openly ungodly?
Christians must be upon their guard, lest they become too eager for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle.
The following duties are common to all Christians: unreserved, cheerful, perpetual devotedness to Christ, entire and constant dependence on the Holy Spirit, a life of faith, spirituality of mind, separation from the world, heavenly mindedness, supreme regard to eternity, universal and high toned morality, eminent social excellence in all the relative duties of life, all the gentle and passive virtues.
O, what a character is that of
How holy, how heavenly, how humble, how gentle, how benevolent, how just,
how devout, how useful, how happy!!
"As the One who called you is holy, you also are to
Let him turn away from all the ’conventional piety’ of the day, and study with devout attention what the Scriptures teach of the true nature of genuine piety.
Let him, in a season of closet devotion, examine his own piety, and compare it with the Scriptural standard.
Let him, upon discovering his great and numerous shortcomings, humble and abase himself before God, in a spirit of true contrition.
Let him reject all excuses which his own deceitful heart, and lukewarm, worldly-minded Christians will be ever ready to suggest. He must be thoroughly convinced that nothing can, or will, be admitted by God as an apology for a low state of personal piety.
Let him intensely desire to be raised from his low state into a more exalted state of spirituality, devoted zeal and heavenly-mindedness. Let him set himself most vigorously to the work of mortifying sin, and crucifying the flesh.
Let him redouble his diligence in attending the means of grace, and especially let him give himself to reading the Scriptures, meditation and prayer.
Let him add a season of humiliation and supplication, to obtain a new and copious effusion of the Holy Spirit. Without the influence of the Spirit, we are only building a Babel to proclaim our folly, or a mausoleum to entomb our fleshly endeavors.
Let him cultivate a new and more delicate sensibility of conscience, in reference to all matters of offense, both towards God and man.
Let him give himself to Christian vigilance, watching always against sin.
Let him, in short, intelligently, resolutely, and unalterably, make up his mind to enter upon a new course of personal godliness; so new that his past attainments shall seem as if they were nothing. There is such a thing as starting afresh, as forgetting the things that are behind—and so must it be with him who would be really in earnest. He will wake up from his slumbering, dreamy profession, saying, "I have slept too long and too much! I must now throw off the spirit of sloth, and give all diligence to make my calling and election sure."
A great hindrance to earnest piety, is the taste for amusement, which characterizes the present day.
Every age has had its sources of pleasure, and its means and methods of diversion—to relieve the mind from the fatigue and oppression of the more serious occupations of life. The human mind cannot be kept always upon the
stretch, nor can the heart sustain, without occasional relief, its burden of care. I would not rob the believer of his few brief holidays, nor condemn as irrational or unchristian, his occasional oblivion of worldly vexations amidst the beauties of nature, or the pleasures of the social circle. There is a time to laugh—as well as to weep.
Still, it may be seriously questioned, whether among professing Christians, the
The very craving after diversion and amusement, which there is in some people, shows a morbid state of the soul. It might be supposed, judging from the representations of true religion which we find in the word of God, and from the general principles contained in it—that a Christian has rendered unnecessary, all such sources of enjoyment, which worldly people resort to.
To hear all this talk, then, about the necessity of entertainment; and the impossibility of relieving the exhaustion of labor, and the monotony of life, without parties, games, and diversions—sounds very like a growing weariness of the yoke of Christ!
This growing desire after amusement marks a low state of piety. The godly Christian is very well content to forego many things in which the people of the world see no harm.