It may be useful, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, to say a few earnest words to a class of persons who are not, perhaps, addressed so distinctly or so frequently as others; namely, those who rank themselves among the people of God, but whose aim, whose tone of piety, and whose spiritual attainments are so low, that it is difficult to distinguish their right to this holy title. With a humble desire to lead them to self-examination, to an elevation of their sentiments, and an ennobling of their minds, we wish to endeavor, first, to show what God requires of us, by a consideration of the language and tenor of his word; secondly, to discover the reason why so many seem unobservant of the force of these requirements; and then, thirdly, to find the remedy. I. WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD REQUIRE OF CHRISTIANS? In the book of God the Christian's course is described in the strongest terms; as a race, a conflict, a wrestling, a fight, a conquest, a "following fully," a "giving all diligence," a "more earnest heed," a "building up," a "going on unto perfection," a "praying in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit," a "being dead to sin," a life "hid with Christ in God," "affections set on things above," a "flesh crucified," a "world crucified," a glorying only "in the cross." There is no excuse for spiritual poverty, for "God is able to make all grace abound toward you," and to "give all sufficiency always in all things." The "all" of God's written word is very remarkable. In Colossians [chap. i.] there are thirteen "alls," including all wisdom, all pleasing, all might, all patience, all fullness; and all these, if we are Christ's, shall be ours. There is no sanction for lukewarmness in Scripture; it is written, fervent in spirit; and those who are neither cold nor hot God will spue out of his mouth. How awful! because the Laodiceans were "neither cold nor hot," but lukewarm! And because the inhabitants of Meroz came not to the help of the Lord, [Judges v, 23,] "Curse ye them bitterly, saith the Lord," because they were lukewarm, negative, and did not gather with him; therefore the Lord did curse them bitterly. O! we have need to shudder, if ours be this lukewarm, sluggard spirit, standing still, not coming up to the help of the Lord. There is another main feature of the real believer, portrayed in Scripture, which, it is to be feared, is grievously overlooked, and this is growth. Where there is life there should be growth. Every emblem and expression in Scripture referring to the life of God in the soul of man involves growth and progress as inseparable consequences. First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear; the babe, the child, the young man, the fathers and mothers in Israel; the little leaven which spreads and leavens the whole lump; the grain of mustard seed, smallest of all seeds, growing up and becoming a tree for birds to lodge in; smoke bursting into a flame, consuming the dross. The epistles teem with growing, increasing, abounding, fruits multiplying more and more, faith that groweth exceedingly, perfecting holiness, and being filled with the Spirit of God. Must we not, then, stand in doubt whether there can be life at all in religious professors in whom there is no visible growth? Year after year the same pleasure in paltry, perishing things, the same preference of their temporal over their spiritual interests, or of the pursuits of science and taste to self-denying work in the Lord's vineyard! The same unprofitable conversation, the same inconsistencies of conduct, the same absence of unction in their tone and spirit, the same acknowledgment of coming short, with no hearty effort to get nearer, and the same insensibility to their danger! Where is the deep conviction of sin, mourning for sin, groaning, being burdened by sin? the O wretched man that I am! the poignant sorrow, the cry of anguish, the godly sorrow that worketh repentance unto salvation? Where the carefulness, wrought by painful experience, and shown by separation from an ungodly world, the indignation at themselves, the vehement desire after holiness, the zeal, the revenge? Where is the deep humiliation of soul, accounting themselves chief of sinners? and where are the rivers of water running down their eyes because men keep not God's law, the sighing and crying for the abominations of iniquity, and the head of waters and eyes a fountain of tears to weep day and night for the sins of our land? O, do not all come fearfully short in these things? It is not wise to measure ourselves by ourselves, or with those who, like ourselves, may be false to their principles and their professions, sluggard in soul and stinted in stature; but to compare ourselves with the holy precepts and examples given by the finger of God for our guidance, is wise; and we would therefore contemplate two of the fruits of the Spirit, of which that Spirit treats, as a test of character. Love, sweet, holy, happy love, comes first. See this grace in its constraining power: Mary at the feet of Jesus, sitting there to hear his word, anointing his head with ointment, and so loving that she cannot leave him. Paul says, the love of God so constraineth us to live henceforth not unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us. The disciples left all to follow Jesus: perhaps it may be thought they had not much to leave in a few boats and nets; but they went forth to suffer reproach, persecution and death, and Paul left his scholastic lore, and his daily comforts, and counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. Look, Christian professors, at this grace as it abounds to the children of God, and see if ye too abound in love. Have you done all when you have let an annual gift to some society go from your purse? Is this the measure of a Christian's love to souls? Is it such a love as will very gladly spend and be spent—though the more abundantly ye love, the less ye be loved; that travails in birth for souls until Christ be formed in them; affectionately desirous, and gentle, even as a nurse cherisheth her children; [I Thess. ii, 7, 8;] willing, like the apostles and evangelists, to have imparted not the gospel of God only, but also their own souls, because their converts were dear to them? Is it such a love as would lead the professor to yearn, and long, and weep, and pray day and night, and cease not? If such a spirit becomes the minister of Christ especially, it is not his sole prerogative; the women also labored with the Apostle in the gospel; [Phil. iv, 3;] and Priscilla and Aquila laid down their own necks for his life; [Rom. xvi, 4;] and the Macedonians—in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 2 Cor. viii, 2. Joy is another fruit. But if the signs of life are undeveloped, it is vain to look for the symptoms of health, which would be grace in exercise, the spiritual appetite, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, panting after God as the heart after the water-brooks, so the soul breaking from the longing it hath to his commandments at all times. These are all characteristics of men of like passions with ourselves; for we have not attempted to set forth that example which is especially given for our imitation, that we should walk in his steps, even in those of our blessed Lord himself. We have not spoken of his love—his heights of holiness and depths of humility, the length of his forbearance and compassion, and the immeasurable breadth of his redeeming love. Here we should indeed be lost; but even if you compare the light in you with the bright glowing flame that burned in the hearts of God's people of old, you will surely be ready to fear lest that light be darkness. Survey yourselves in the unerring mirror of the word of God, and you will see yourselves grievously defective in the features of the family of which you call yourselves children.138 And in reply, we may say that it is because you do not consult the mirror as you should; you do not read your Bible with prayer, and therefore you do not read it with profit; you read to satisfy the conscience, and not to feed the soul. The root of the whole evil probably is that you do not love communion with God; your prayers are the offspring of fear rather than of affection, a duty more than a pleasure. You are, it may be, content, as you think, to avail yourselves of Christ's salvation, without studying how to show your gratitude for his saving grace; willing to appropriate the benefit of his work while wanting in love to his person! O! be sure that if you were in the habitual exercise of near and dear communion with Jesus, you could not live as you do; your laggard souls would get wings, and mount up as eagles; your faces would shine like Moses', at times, and your souls would become a sweet savor of Christ. III. What, then, is THE REMEDY?
It is true faith in Christ, and a living communion with the Father of your spirits through the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. O friends, be ashamed of such a selfish, sordid religion as you think will just save you; tremble lest it be just too little. Faith worketh by love; if you have no love at work, fear lest yours be not a living faith. Seek, then, to have your hearts brought into close and blessed fellowship with Christ by the Spirit; to have your happiest time that which is spent with him in secret, while the Spirit makes to your soul fresh discoveries of his grace and beauty, displaying his love to you, and drawing your love out after him. When this is your happy experience, when from the deepest self-abasement springs up the highest exaltation in the Saviour, this is an unction from the Holy One—testifying, "He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself"; for then does the Spirit witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. O friends, follow after these great and gracious things! Be ashamed to creep when you might fly—to grovel in the mire when you might soar in a spiritual atmosphere; be ashamed of your spiritual poverty, when there are for you in Christ unsearchable riches—to stint your soul to such meager fare, when you are bidden to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, and the Spirit's royal mandate is, "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!" For the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, let your love in the Spirit be declared, [Col. i, 8,] for when there is more of this close walking in private, there will be less inconsistent walking before men. The people of God would not be found among the mixed multitude in such strange places; the putting on of apparel would come less in collision with putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, and being clothed with humility, and ornamented with a meek and quiet spirit; and the fashion of this world would in all things lose its baneful supremacy. Whatever tends to unfit the mind for close communion with God must be given up, and will be given up from choice; for nothing can compensate for the realized presence of God in the soul when once it has been tested there. Neither must we engage in anything on which we cannot distinctly ask and expect the blessing of God, fearing to do anything that we are not sure is for his glory. O beloved, we would warn, we would entreat you, come close and live close to Christ; give yourselves to prayer and to feeding upon the word; pray in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit. Thus the love of the Spirit will be more and more made known to you; your Saviour will be honored, your Father in heaven glorified, and neither angels above nor saints on earth will longer "stand in doubt of you;" but the eternal Spirit will bear record in you and of you, that you are children of God.—Tract, No. 198.