REVERENCE FOR THE WORD OF GOD.
THE man that respects not his own word, respects not himself; and he that respects not himself, no one will respect. He who, in the beginning, spoke, and it was done; whose word is like a fire and like a hammer, that breaketh the rock in pieces; whose word shall judge the world, and never pass away; but stand like its immutable author, when the heavens and the earth are no more, will surely respect and honor his own word. Of the name of the Lord, it is said it is a strong tower into which the righteous run and are safe; but of his word it is said, "Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Ps. cxxxviii, 2. The man who can cavil or trifle with the word of the Great Jehovah, to avoid a duty it commands; or to defend a doctrine of his own denomination, is a presumptuous and thoughtless man. Little does he realize, that he will be confronted by the fearful and insulted Author of that word, when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, and the books be opened. "To this man will I look, even to him that is of a poor and contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."—"Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word." Isa. lxvi, 2, 5. A lack of reverence for the word of God, is the one great sin of Christendom. A certain tyrant of Rome used to wish the Roman people had but one neck, that he might despatch them at a blow. Your sins, reader, have but one neck; namely, disrespect for God's word. If a man have just reverence for his word, he will commit none of the sins it forbids. Please consult the following scriptures: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." "For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel." Ps. xix, 7; John viii, 32; xv, 3; James i, 18; 1 Cor. iv, 15. Reader, if you do not believe what these texts assert; namely, that men are begotten through the truth—are clean through the word—are converted by the law of the Lord, you have good reason to doubt, whether you have any reverence for the word of God. Professed Christians reverence many things which the Bible teaches, not because God says so; but because the sectarian party to which they have attached themselves, teach and practice so. Indeed, almost every observing man must have noticed, that it is of no more use to quote to a party man, the plainest declaration of God's word against a tradition of his church, than it would be to cite a heathen fable. A man rejects the doctrine of purgatory, (as he thinks,) because it is not in the Bible; and at the same time, practices infant sprinkling, although that is not in the Bible either! Thus these men deceive themselves: they think they respect the book of God, when in fact they only respect the doctrines of their own party; the truth is, they reject these things, not because they are not in God's word, but because they are not in the creed of their own church. It is most manifest, that the revelation of God is of no more use to such men, than it is to the pagan that never heard of it. The pagan follows his own feelings, and so do they—they both profess to be taught by the same spirit—the one, idolatry, the other sectarianism. If men revered the word of God properly, they would not be giving their support to Confessions of faith, Articles of faith, Books of discipline, and other mere human traditions; they would be content with God's discipline, if they had confidence in the sufficiency of the blessed volume; they would give the inquiring sinner the instructions of the Bible, instead of the instructions of their church; they would not, contemptuously say of the commandment of the Lord, "That is only a command of God." Jesus says, "I know that his commandment is life everlasting;" they say, "We know his commandment is not a saving ordinance." "His commandment is non-essential." While the Book asserts that his word "liveth and abideth forever," you would not hear them declaring it to be a "dead letter," if they suitably respected the word of the living God. Remember, reader, you are to be judged by that same word, whether it be dead or alive. Though a man may be in error, if he reveres the word of his Maker, there is hope of his reformation; but if he has no regard for the word, he is beyond the reach of the converting power ordained of God. While I write, I am surrounded by religionists who have so little reverence for the word of God, that if I read a truth from it, that contradicts a doctrine of theirs, they will reluctantly admit that it says so, but contend that God does not mean what he says! They know it is not as God says, because they have "felt it." Having rejected the light of God's word, they are in the dark, "feeling after God." He that has implicit faith in the word, has no necessity for feeling his way in the dark, for he walks "by faith," not by feeling; and he finds no occasion to appeal to his own feelings for any thing which he believes; for the good word of God is the entire rule of his faith. He is too well instructed to attempt to interpret the pure word of God by his impure and erring feelings; but strives to correct his feelings and bring them into entire subjection to the word of him who upholds all things by the word of his power. The Quaker's "light within" [more or less modified] has spread its baneful influence over almost all religious parties. God says his word is light; but why should the man who believes he has a superior light within, heed the light from without? He consequently learns to despise the light of God's word. This doctrine has no support in revelation, or analogy in nature. The light that enlightens the dark understanding of fallen man, must always come first, from without. The literal light must always enter through the organ of sight; and he, that so far despises God's arrangement as to turn that organ inside-out to discover the light within, will always go "feeling" his way through this world. He will never see the twinkling star, the full moon, or the morning dawn: much less the splendor of a noon-day sun. "Woe unto them that put darkness for light, and light for darkness." This doctrine of ultra-spiritualism is hanging like an incubus upon the vitals of the public. Multitudes are waiting from sixteen to sixty, to be "made fit" to obey the word of the Lord, by the discovery of the spirit within. Many who never had a doubt of the truth of the gospel, have died in their sins, [having never confessed Christ before men,] wrapped in this destructive delusion. God's word is the light of the moral universe; and where its benign rays have not penetrated, in the pagan world, there ignorance sways her dark sceptre—darkness covers the land, and gross darkness the people—and yet many there are, here under the lustre of this glowing luminary of heaven, who would close their eyes to this light, and feel their way back into the region and shadow of death!180 Men will contend for some popular error with great warmth; but if you demand Bible proof, they will take shelter behind their own ignorance of the word, saying, "If I knew as much of the Bible as you, I could put you down;" thus glorying in their own shame! The common sense idea, that if they are ignorant of the Bible, they probably are ignorant of the truth which it teaches, never seems to have entered their bewildered brain. The case would be far different, if they studied their Bibles as they do their temporal interests. If they loved God supremely, they would love his word, and treasure it up in their hearts; and would not be so shamefully ignorant of its teachings. The Bible funds of most men are mere scraps gathered by accident, from the pulpit or the fireside; often garbled, and generally incorrectly quoted. No man can, with any confidence, say what any passage of scripture means, unless he knows enough of the connection to get the leading idea before the mind of the sacred Author: this often requires a thorough acquaintance with an entire letter or book. As the printer tells any story desired, true or false, with the same type, so the different sects "prove" any ism they choose by the same scripture scraps, arranged according to the fancy or education of the compositor. Thus they employ the Bible as the printer does his case. I bear my solemn protest against the injustice. Knowledge of, and reverence for the word of the living God, are the only remedy.