seek to justify it, acknowledge that it is not commanded. They describe it as the way of counsel, not of obligation; as the way of higher perfection not of ordinary duty. It is enough to take the records of the covenant and connect them with the example of Abraham, viewing him as being by direct appointment an example peculiarly, a visible symbol and sacrament of piety. Called from Ur of the Chaldees to dwell as a stranger and pilgrim in Canaan, had perfection—and he was commanded to be perfect— been divinely associated with the solitary life, how easily might the Monk of Bethlehem have been anticipated, and Abraham been but another Jerome! But duties, commendations, promises, all refer to the social life even of this migrating shepherd-prince, this self-confessed stranger and pilgrim on earth, seeking a better, that is, an heavenly, country. He had to walk with God and before God, as having to live with and before man. The opposite error, when seriously examined, scarcely involves deliberate opinion. Like all other courses of action, it supposes a principle, of which it is the development. But that principle does not consist in a mistaken judgment. They who really cherish it, not only shrink from its avowal, but would be startled at themselves if led suddenly to make it. We now have in view those who are, in a certain sense, sincere professors of the faith of Abraham. They in whom religion is nothing but a collection of vague notions, powerless because lifeless, may be expected to live just as nature prompts them; to follow the devices and desires of their own hearts, continually offending against God's holy laws, and continually unmindful that they are doing so. Yet how many are there whose profession of religion is far from insincere, of whom, if sometimes the enlightened teacher of religion is compelled to say, "I stand in doubt of you;" yet, so far from daring to say, "I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you," he is at other times, perhaps on a closer view, glad to indulge what to himself is a more pleasing feeling, and to say, "We hope better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak." We know that the visible conduct of man does not always afford sufficient matter for a perfect analysis and a definite conclusion. We may take all that we know, and yet there may be that which we do not know, and which is known to the Searcher of hearts, the God of judgment, by whom actions are weighed, which, were we able to make it one of the elements in our investigation, would materially affect our decision, perhaps render it altoge ther different. And therefore is the solemn admonition addressed to us, Judge not, that ye may not be judged." Still, in the character of which we are about to speak, there is so much visible that is mistaken, and so much of what, if we are to judge of tendencies, without pronouncing on persons, when we apply the-to us-supreme and unbending rule of holy Scripture, is most dangerous, that our present inquiry would be very seriously defective, were we altogether to omit the examination. 66 Leaving, then, all individual judgments to Him who alone can form them with perfect truth, and who will form them with perfect righteousness, may we not say, How many are there, whose visible conduct and character, Christianly experimented upon, would lead to a conclusion which must be expressed in such terms as these! They appear as if they were of opinion that to be religious consisted in the performance of the general duties of worship, connected with the avoidance not only of what all admit to be gross wickedness, but also of evident and palpable inconsistencies; and that then they may, in manner and spirit, practically with the same eagerness, continuity, and devotion, and, with little difference, by the same methods, just avoiding what all, godly and profane, acknowledge to be dishonest, pursue worldly avocations, seeking what worldly avocations in general promise, and being as earnest in the search after gain and wealth, as if they really believed that in gain and wealth their true and supreme good were to be found. Omit the consideration of their attention, such as it is, to religious duty, leave out of sight, for the moment, their observance of the rules of honesty,-according to the worldly standard of honesty,—and in the rest of their spirit, temper, and practice, in what do they differ from others, who make not the slightest profession of faith in the unseen realities of eternity, as disclosed by divine revelation in the inspired Scriptures? They cannot be charged, on the one hand, with the total neglect of worldly duty, under the influence of mistaken views of religion; nor can they, on the other, be said to be entirely devoted to Mammon, and to be living, visibly and totally, without God in the world. But do they not seem to be endeavouring at the same time to serve both God and Mammon? Observe them at the family-altar; or, on the Sabbath, in the sanctuary; and you would say that they were serving God. But follow them to their trade, and what do they there? As their neighbours do, do not they the same? Now, is this right? right according to the decisions of God himself? Is religion merely a something to be added to the ordinary pursuits of life, and to have, along with them, its duly-proportioned share of our attention? Or is it that which is to be governing, constant, and uniform, expelling what is contrary to its own nature, moulding what it retains in its own form, and subordinating all things to itself, asserting a visible supremacy, and both requiring and receiving, not an incidental and uninfluential homage, but a full, obedient, and visible loyalty, placing its possessors in a class by themselves; so that, in character, they dwell alone, and are not numbered with the nations? From first to last, the unchanging testimony of Scripture is, that "religion is walking with God:" and the question is, -Is the conduct which we have just been describing, common as it is, such a walk as the Scriptures point out and require? It is not enough to say, that many are satisfied with this, that they hope they are right, or even that charity leads you to admit their sincerity. Character suggests a standard. Form your standard according to the suggestions of such character as this. Reduce it to form, and connect it with obligation and command. Can you abide the test? Actually propose to yourself this mode of life. Are you satisfied with it? Is it not rather your hope that God will, somehow, you scarcely know how, allow it, than your conviction that God accepts it? Have you, now that you come thus solemnly, as in the sight of God, and in the view of eternity, and its awful judgment and decisions, no misgivings? Let us never forget that, as a practical rule, we have to do, not with supposed instances of exception, but with explicitly-declared commands. What God, the supreme Judge, may do, in individual cases, on a perfect view of all circumstances, is one thing: what, as our sovereign Governor, he requires us to do, is another. If there really are, what may be termed, in language suggested by human analogies, exceptions in the judgments of God, it is for Him to make them. All that we have to do is to look at the rule. Wretched is the condition, fearful the prospect, of the man who only hopes to escape condemnation, when he stands before the great white throne, and is judged out of what is written in the opened books, by being exempt from the operation of general law. The question is a fearful one; but it must be put: Can he who thus looks for salvation only to exceptions, be said truly to desire and seek salvation at all? No one can have seriously examined the Scriptures for the purpose of learning from them the true rule of life, without perceiving that the supremacy of religion implies its government, not merely of certain portions of our time, certain actions of our life, but its government of the whole, and of the whole always. Religion is walking with God, not only in the temple, but in the ordinary paths of life. And we must not say, "Ah, but we have a Saviour, and God is not so strict as you would represent." For this is the mercy promised so especially from the days of Abraham, and which is in such perfect and beautiful harmony with the command: "Walk before me," addressed to Abraham, and through him to his seed throughout all generations, "that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE." That we may be on our guard against this most subtle temptation of our enemies, by which they seek to retain us in their hands, by leading us rather to hope for exceptions and allowances, than to seek for the actual experience of the promised salvation, let us look, not at some supposed case which possibly may be, at least we hope so,-but at what, according to the explicit language of Scripture, this required walking with God, amidst the activities and relations of life, does really include. Endeavouring equally to avoid the mistake of those who would go out of the world, and of those who would live in the world without being delivered from it according to the will of God our Father, let us, in simplicity and godly sincerity, referring to the law of the Lord, inquire what it is, in this life, and in the present world, to walk with Him? 1. And in the first place, as we have already said, all the duties strictly termed "religious," and which too often are considered as being exclusively so, are to be carefully performed. And in attending to these, two things must be constantly kept in view. (1.) By such performance we are to honour God before men: we are thus practically to declare that, forgetful of Him as the world is, and disposed to live as if He did not exist, and in this sense, although some general acknowledgment of belief in Him be made, to be, as it were, atheists in the world, we do really believe in his being and perfections, that we remember Him, and that He is truly reverenced by us. To public, domestic, and private worship, a portion of our time, notwithstanding our secular occupations, is to be regularly devoted; union with the church is to be maintained, and the profession of our faith thus held fast without wavering. We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and we are never to act as if we were so. Ostentation and vain-glory in religious acts is to be sedulously avoided, and concealment equally so. The mark of religion is not to be carried as in our closed hand, but, where by too many the mark of the beast is worn, openly on our foreheads. Men are to see these our good works, by which we testify that we are endeavouring to walk with God. (2.) But while one object of these duties is the acknowledgment of God, that by others, too, he may be glorified, this is not their sole object. We thus maintain the form of godliness: its power is likewise to be cultivated and preserved. We are not only to offer our sacrifice, but to keep the heaven-kindled flame burning on the altar. In all the duties of religion we are to seek fellowship with God, and not to be satisfied unless it be experienced. We are to go to the temple, but not as mere outer-court worshippers. If Christ has washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us Priests unto our God, we are to remember that the veil of the temple is rent in twain, that there is an open way into the holiest, and access to the mercy-seat. We are to draw nigh with a true heart, and in full assurance of faith, seeking to receive the promised mercy, and grace to help in time of need. We are to pray that He who sits between the cherubim would shine forth upon us, and stir up his strength and save us. "I will hear," said David, "what God the Lord will speak; for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly." If our services be lifeless, if in them there be no access by the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father, we do not walk with God in them. 2. In attending to worldly duties, not only must gross, open sin be avoided, but sin under its more private aspects. The "custom of trade,” as it is called, must be nothing to us. No plans for carrying out our business must be adopted that we know would be disapproved even by our neighbours, if they knew them. We are to be just, whether seen or not, under the inspection of our own conscience. In an age of great trading competition, the utmost vigilance and self-denial must be exercised, that we do not seek to outrun our competitors by doing that which we cannot ourselves justify, and which, when we cannot justify, we seek to excuse, by saying that others do so, and that, by not doing so, we give them great advantage over us, and perhaps expose ourselves to certain loss. The case may be a painful one, the trial severe. But we profess to make walking with God our first and governing object; and his command is, "Thou shalt do what is right in the sight of the Lord thy God." What is gained in contravention of this rule, is not lawfully gained, and no blessing on it can be expected. If we lose, it is a sacrifice to which we are, for his sake, to submit. Our faith may be tried; but it is to be manifest that we are fully influenced by our Lord's declaration, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" There is Sabbath trading, for instance. He who conscientiously ceases from all secular employment on the Sabbathday appears to give immense advantages, humanly speaking, to him who violates the divine command, and sets the divine authority at defiance. In all such cases, if we are resolved to keep the course we have begun, and to pass through life walking with God, we must trust in the Lord and do good. It may be that his powerful blessing shall turn apparent evil to real good. That which seems to be against us, may eventually prove to be all in our favour. But if he permits us actually to suffer the loss we apprehend, his servants have often had to count not even their lives dear to them, that they might finish their course with joy. It was so with Daniel, and the three Hebrew youths; so with the Confessors and Martyrs. Whatever we gain, whatever we lose, nothing must be allowed to interrupt, our walking with God. 3. And, thirdly, vigilant inspection must be continually exercised, that in the whole course of secular engagements our hearts be kept right with God. We must attend to our motives. As the command is, "Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, do all to the glory of God," so this command is not fulfilled by the mere iteration of the words. We must see to it that this is really the intention of our heart. Lower motives, for immediate contemplation, there must be, of course; but these are to be strictly subordinated to the ultimate one,-kept, as it were, always in the same line with it. Indeed thus may the preserved or lowered purity of our intention be ascertained. In seeking the glory of God, setting it always before us, the line which directly leads to it will always be found to be identified with the one which the commands of God have already marked; whereas, if we seek ourselves, or the world, our movement is deflected from the straight line, and we shall be at least preparing to turn aside into our crooked paths. God is never glorified by us in contradicting his revealed will. And then, knowing that we are as though in an enemy's country, that we have an enemy who walketh about seeking whom he may devour, exercising subtlety as well as power, employing stratagems and devices as well as assaults, we are to be ever on our guard that he gain no advantage over us. Most solemn is the admonition of our Lord, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." Not merely, that it do not overcome you, but that you do not enter into it. You pray, "Lead us not into temptation:" do not move into it. Very easily, if you are not watchful, may outward circumstances, hitherto harmless, begin to be temptations. Crosses and afflictions may suggest distrust, and improper methods of seeking relief. Success may suggest the pleasure and advantages of gain. The necessity of constant industry may make you love business for its own sake, till soul and intellect shall be alike absorbed in it. Without turning from your path, you may incautiously walk into an insidiously-planned ambuscade, and have at least a severe contest, even if you sustain no ultimate injury; experiencing that the way of outward duty, though always the safest way, is not, without watchfulness and prayer, the way of complete safety. In a word, in all your ways God is to be acknowledged. A mind heavenly and spiritual is to be preserved in the midst of secular engagements. At this you are to aim, that you may always be able to say, "Lo! I come with joy to do The Master's blessed will; Faithful to my Lord's commands, I still would choose the better part; "The Lord If trials like those of Job await you, like Job, you must say, gave, the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord!" If you are successful, and move onward into increasing prosperity, your heart must be as detached from earth, as earnestly raised to heaven, as when it was otherwise with you. "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." They are placed at your disposal; but this is as real a trial-however seldom considered or termed so—as their loss would be. You are your Lord's servants. They are intrusted to you that you may employ them according to his will, as made known in his word. You are to study that word expressly to know what you are to do, considering, in connexion with the divine word, the divine providence by which your circumstances are arranged, and according to which you are to apply particularly what the word commands generally. You are to act with them as though the Lord Jesus were himself with you, had intrusted the purse to your keeping, and directed you as to the employment of its contents. As to others, indeed, you are the independent proprietor; and, in respect of them, you may do what you will with what is, so far as they are concerned, all your own. But, as to Christ, you are steward. Your property is His; and to Him, on his throne of judgment, will you have to account for its use. Happy will * The whole hymn, in the Wesleyan Large Hymn-Book, p. 310, is earnestly recommended to the reader's attention. |