01.03a. Section 3 contd
17. Take those reproofs best--which you need most. Do not be angry with those who tell you the truth--nor with the truth that is told you, "Have I now become your enemy--by telling you the truth?" Galatians 4:16. He can be no true friend to you--who is a friend to your sins! And you can be no friend to yourself--if you are an enemy to him who tells you of your sins. Will you like him the worse--who tries to make you better? "Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head." Psalms 141:5. You see here that the godly man is not angry with reproof--but takes it as a kindness; it shall be a kindness, and as an excellent oil on his head. But the serpent, the more he is provoked, the more he gathers up his poison to spit at you. If Amos declares the Word of the Lord--the land is not able to bear all his words, Amos 7:10. If John the Baptist endeavors to take away the life of Herod’s sins--Herod will take away the life of John the Baptist! Matthew 14:10. If the prophet goes about to expose the king’s sins--he himself shall be imprisoned, 2 Chronicles 16:10. "The king was so angry with the prophet, that he put him into prison." Jerusalem will stone the prophets, until she has not one stone left upon another. Oh! that men should be so cruel--to those that intend their cure!
Wicked men cannot endure reproof. You allow the physician to tell you of any disease that is in your bodies; you allow your lawyer to show you any flaw that is in your estates. And what! must faithful preachers only flatter you, and deceive you, and cry, "Peace, peace!" until your souls drop into hell! Oh! we cannot, we will not, we must not! "Go out, and tell them whatever I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them!" Jeremiah 1:17. "Command those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth." 1 Timothy 6:17. Great men, as well as poor men, must be admonished.
But, my brethren, there is a great deal of discretion to be used in reproving. Many reprove anger--with anger; and this is to lay one devil and raise another. Reproof should not be with passion--but with compassion; not with jeering--but with grieving; not with laughing--but with weeping! "I have told you often, and now I tell you weeping," Php 3:18. The apostle could not make mention of their sins, with dry eyes; his eyes were wet, because their eyes were dry.
It is the part of a godly man to reprove, though his reproof is not taken in good part. It is better to lose the smiles of men--than to lose the souls of men! The magistrates, they look to your peace; the lawyers, they look to your estate; the physicians look to your bodies, the ministers, they look to your souls. Ministers must draw the sword of reproof against men, and strike at them, and thrust at them. "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness--but rather reprove them," Ephesians 5:11. We must not allow wicked men to walk in the devil’s ways without reproof !we must reprove you wisely, sincerely, sharply; and when you mend your lives--we shall mend our language!
18. Labor more for the inward purity--than for the outward felicity.
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life." John 6:27. That man who is a laboring bee for earthly prosperity, will be but an idle drone for heavenly felicity. Gold in your bags will make you greater--but it is grace in your heart that will make you better. He is a rich man that lives upon his wealth--but he is a righteous man that lives upon his faith! A heavenly conversation is better than any earthly possession. It is a great mercy to have a portion in the world--but to have the world for a portion, is a great misery. Our affections were made for things that are above us, and not for the things that are below us. Colossians 3:1-2, "If you have been raised to new life with Christ," What then? "Set your hearts on things above! Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things!" The things of this life--do not have the promise of godliness--but godliness has the promise of the things of this life.
Inward piety is the best friend to outward felicity--though outward felicity be many times the worst enemy to inward piety. The ways of iniquity are the ways of beggary. You make heaven your throne to serve it--and God will make the earth your foot-stool to serve you. Inward piety is the ready road to outward plenty. 1 Timothy 4:8, "Godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Oh what an excellent jewel is godliness! We should part with all--for godliness! We should account all other things but dung and dirt--to gain godliness!
But, alas! some men are so in love with their golden bags, that they will ride with all possible haste to hell--if they are but paid well for their pains! They look upon gain as the highest good, and not upon godliness as the highest gain! They mind the present world so much--as if it would never have an ending! They mind the world to come so little--as if it would never have a beginning! The perishing things of this world--are all the happiness of the men of this world! "Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us if we pray?" Job 21:15. Oh, what wretched worldlings! Oh, what pains do men take to cover the flesh from nakedness, when their spirits are not clothed with the robes of righteousness?
They are diligent about what is temporal--but negligent about what is eternal! They are careful about dying vanities--but slothful about durable excellencies! They feast their bodies--but starve their souls! They lay up treasures on earth--but none in heaven! Oh! "Why do you spend money on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy?" Isaiah 55:2. Riches have made good men worse--but they never made any bad man better. Usually the poorest on earth--are the richest in heaven. If riches would free from hell--oh then how few rich men would be damned. He who knocks at the creature’s door for true happiness--will find but an empty house kept there. Oh, beloved, what is darkness, compared to light? What is gold, compared to grace? What is earth, compared to heaven? that you thus neglect the great things, the weighty things, the eternal things--and busy yourselves about toys and trifles! You have a crown to look after, a heaven to look after, a kingdom to look after!
I beseech you, beloved, labor more for inward holiness--than for outward happiness! Labor more for the seed of grace--than for the bag of gold! Labor more for inward piety--than for outward plenty! Labor more for an heavenly conversation--than for an earthly possession! The earth is for a saint’s passage--but heaven is for a saint’s portion. Oh, believer, while you live, you will find godliness gainful; and when you die, you will find godliness needful!
19. Live in love--and live in truth.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue--but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18. Let your love, Christians, be sincere, and not selfish.
Galatians 5:14, "Love your neighbor as yourself." How do you love yourself? How dearly do you love yourself? Why, just so you must love your neighbor! He who is not lacking in this duty, is lacking in no duty. Love is called both an old commandment, and a new commandment in 1 John 2:7-8. It is as old as the law of Moses, and yet as new as the gospel of Jesus Christ. A carnal man may love his friend--but it is a Christian man that loves his enemy. He who loved us when we were enemies, commands us to love our enemies. "Love your enemies," said our Lord, "bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who despitefully use you, and persecute you." A Christian should wish well--to those who wish him ill.
Oh, believers, let me beseech you, let me beg of you for your precious souls’ sake--to live in love, and to live in truth. You are fellow-laborers, fellow-members, fellow-citizens, fellow-travelers, fellow-sufferers, fellow-heirs, fellow-servants; and will you not love one another! Remember, Christians, he who would not be his brother’s keeper, would be his brother’s butcher! "While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him!" Genesis 4:8.
All Christians have all the same father, God; the same head, Christ; the same guide, the Spirit; the same attendants, the angels; the same grace, faith; the same title, son; the same clothing, Christ’s righteousness; the same glory, heaven. And shall we not love one another? He who loves himself, will not hate his brother; for while you are out of charity with your brother--God is out of charity with you; and you lose more for lack of God’s love, than your brother loses for lack of your love!
Hebrews 13:1, "Let brotherly love continue." Do you love the person of Christ--and hate the picture of Christ? Oh, sirs, remember the God of love--has commanded us to love one another. Beloved, it is a sad thing, and truly so sad, that it may make our very hearts bleed within us, to think that the Lamb’s little flock--who are in strength the weakest, in riches the poorest, in number the fewest--that they should be in love the coldest! Is not this sad --that the little ones of Jesus Christ, that the lambs of Jesus Christ, should love one another so little? Oh, Christians, either lay your malice aside, or else God will lay you aside--to your great sorrow! He who will be angry and sin not--must not be angry but with sin.
Therefore, dear Christians, let me beseech you to love one another. Oh, that I could but speak out how much I desire love to one another! Oh, it will be a happy day when all the people of God are knit together in love and affection! Oh, sirs, if God had commanded some great thing of us, some burdensome thing of us--it might have been excused! But, alas! it is no more but to love our brethren--and shall we deny this to him? But you may say, How should we believers love one another? I answer:
First, You should highly esteem one another as pearls--in comparison of other men! This is how God looks on his people. God calls his people his jewels, his treasures, his glory and his portion--when he calls wicked men dogs, vipers, swine, briers and thorns! You should be very high in one another’s affections.
Secondly, You should delight in the company of one another, in the society of each other! God delights in the society of saints--and so should you.
Thirdly, You should be ready to help one another, and to do good for one another, and to share with one another. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "It is a more blessed to give--than to receive.’’
Fourthly, Admonish one another. Exhort one another, stir up one another to love, and to do good works.
Fifthly, Sympathize one with one another. Fellow-members should be fellow-feelers; so did Moses, and Jeremiah; and old Eli--his heart was broken before his neck was broken. Dear Christians, let me beseech you, let me beg of you--to love one another! God calls us to love--who is love itself.
"Of him, and through him, and to him are all things--to whom be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36. It is sad, my beloved, it is sad--that we should live so long in the world, and do so little good; or that we should live so little in the world, and do so much evil. Oh, you must never imagine that you can dance with the devil all day--and sup with Christ at night! You can never go from Delilah’s lap--to Abraham’s bosom! If salvation were easy to come by--it would be slightly set by. There is no obtaining of what is promised--but by fulfilling what is commanded. Do not neglect the race of holiness, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which none shall see God!" Hebrews 12:14.
Beloved, there are many young people in the world, who are very wicked in the world. They walk in darkness, and do the works of darkness. They are young in years--but old in sin. They are very vain--in a vain world. They sin with delight--and make sin their delight. I beseech you to meditate on Ecclesiastes 11:9, "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see!" Oh this is brave indeed--if it would always last! But after the flash of lightning, comes the clap of thunder! Mark what follows, "BUT know that for all these things--God will bring you to judgment!" Do you but see here, sirs. Oh were it not for this BUT--how brave wicked men would be! "BUT know that for all these things--God will bring you to judgment!" For all your lusts, and for all your pride, and for all your worldliness and selfishness--you shall be brought to judgment! After all your present receiving, you must be brought to your future reckoning.
Oh, therefore, let nothing be done in this world--which cannot be answered for in the eternal world. I beseech you who are young--to serve God, to love God, to honor God, to obey God in your youthful days. "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth!" The flower of life is Christ’s setting--and shall it be of the devil’s plucking? Will you hang the most sparkling ring of your young years--on the devil’s ear! Oh! it is hard casting off the devil’s yoke--when we have worn it so long on our neck! Oh, young people! If God’s today is too soon for your repentance, your tomorrow will be too late for God’s acceptance. You can never come too soon to God, nor stay too long with God!
He shall be happy in the end--who is holy to the end. "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life," Revelation 2:10. Oh, hold on--and hold out to the end! He who draws back from profession, shall be kept back from salvation! He who endures in the faith shall be saved; but he who departs from the faith shall be damned! "If any man draws back--my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38. So I say to you all, both young and old, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58.
If God gives us that grace which is not due to us--shall we deny him that glory which is due to him? If God makes our natures gracious--we should make his name glorious. Oh! be still with God! "When I awake, I am still with you!" Psalms 139:18. David was least alone--when he was most alone! There cannot be a better being for us--than for us to be with God.