Conditions of Attaining to Holiness, Continued
Xxxiv. Another interesting and highly important relation which Christ sustains to his people, is that of Shepherd* This relation presupposes the helpless and defenceless condition of Christians in this life, and the indispensable necessity of guardianship and protection. Christ was revealed to the Psalmist in this relation, and when oh earth, He revealed Himself to his disciples in this relation. It is not enough, however, that he should be revealed merely in the letter or in words as sustaining this relation. The real spiritual import of this relation and what is implied in it, needs to be revealed by the Holy Spirit, to give to it efficiency, and beget that universal trust in the presencey care, and protection of Christ, that is often essential to preventing a fall in the hour of temptation. Christ meant all that He said when He professed to be the Good Shepherd, that cared for the sheep, that would not j9ee, but that would lay down his life for them. In this relation, as in all others, there is infinite fullness and perfection. If the sheep do thoroughly know and confide in the Shepherd, they will follow Him, will flee to Him for protection in every hour of danger, will at all times depend on Him for all things. Now all this is received and possessed in theory by all professors of religion. And yet how few comparatively seem to have had Christ so revealed to them as to have secured the actual embracing of Him in this relation and a continual dependence on Him for all that is implied in it. Now either this is a vain boast of Christ, or else He may be and ought to be depended upon, and
the soul has a right .to thxo?R &ll
106 GUIDB TO THB iAVIOB.
Him for all that is implied in the relation of Good Shepherd. But this relation with all the other relations of Christ, implies a corresponding necessity in us. This necessity we must see and feel, or this relation of Christ will have no impressive significancy. We need, then, in this case as in all others, the revelation of the Holy Spirit to make us thoroughly to apprehend our dependence, and to reveal Christ in the Spirit and fullness of this relation, and to urge our acceptance home upon us until our souk have thoroughly closed with Him. Some fall into the mistake of supposing that when their necessities and the fulhiess of Christ have been revealed to the mind by the Spirit, the work is done. But unless they actually receive Him and commit themselves to Him ‘m this relation, thy will soon iGnd to their shame that nothing has been done to purpose 10 far as their standii in the hqw: q{ temptation ik oonceme lit may be clearly revealed in any of his relations, the soul may see both its necessities and his fullness and yet forget or neglect to actively and personally receive Him in these relations. It should never be forgotten that this is in every case indispensable. The revelation is designed to secure our acceptance of Him; if it does not do this, it has only greatly aggravated our guilt without at all securing to us the benefits of these relations. It is amazing to sea how common it is and has been for ministers to overlook this truth, and of course neither to practice it themselves, nor urge it upon their hearers. Hence Christ is not known to multitudes, and is not In many cases received even when He is revealed by the Holy Spirit. If I am not greatly mistaken, thorough inquiry would show that error upon this subject exists to a most appalling extent. The personal and individual acceptance of Christ in all his offices and relations as iVv slue qoa ^^^vni
of entire sanctification, seems to me to be seldom either understood or insisted on by ministers of the present day, and of course little thought of by the church. The idea of accepting for ourselves a whole Savior, of appropriating to our own individual selves all the offices and relations of Jesus, seems to be a rare idea in this age of the church. But for what purpose does He sustain these relations? Is the bare apprehension of thoSe truths and of Christ in the relations enough, without our own activity being duly excited by the apprehension, to lay hold and avail ourselves of his fullness 1 What folly and madness for the church to expect to be saved by a rejected Savior! To what purpose is it for the Spirit to make Him known to us, unless we as individuals embrace Him and make Him our own 1 Let the soul but truly and fully apprehend and embrace Christ in this relation of Shepherd, and it shall never per* jsh, neither shall auy pluck It out of his
CHBIST THE DOOR. 1()9
land. The knowing of Christ in this reation, secures the soul against following trangers. But thus knowing Him is inlispensable to securing this result. If we mow him as Shepherd, we shall follow Him, but not else. Let this be well conlidered.
XXXV. Christ is also the Door by and through which the soul enters the fold and finds security and protection among the sheep. This needs also to be spiritually apprehended, and the door needs to be spiritually and personally answered to secure the guardianship of the Good Shepherd. Those who do not spiritually and truly apprehend Christ as the door, and enter by and through Him, and jret hope for salvation, are surely attemptng to climb up some other way, and are therefore thieves and robbers. This is a familiar and well known truth, in the nouth not only of every minister and Dhristian, but of every Sabbath School shild. Yet how few really aprlvli4^y
embrace its spiritual import. That then is no other means or way of access to the fold of God, is admitted by all the orthodox; but who really perceives and knowi through the personal revelation of the Holy Spirit, what and all Christ meant in the very significant words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep;” “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture?” He who truly discovers this door, and gains access by it, will surely realize in his own experience the faithfulness of the Grood Shepherd, and will go in and but and find pasture. That is, he will surely be fed, be led into green pastures and beside the still waters.
But it is well to inquire. What is implied in this relation of Christ?
1. It implies that we are shut out from the protection and favor of God except as we approach Him through and by Christ
CHIUST THE DOOR. Ill
2. It implies that we need to know md clearly to apprehend and appreciate this.
3. That we need to discover the door ind what is implied both in the door and ia entering it.
4. That entering it implies the utter renunciation of self and of self-righteousciess and self-protection, and siport, and 91 putting ourselves entirely under the control and protection of the Shepherd.
5. That we need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to make us clearly apprehend the true spiritual import of this relation and what is iioplied in it.
6. That when Christ is revealed in Urn relation, we need to embrace Him and for ourselves to enter by and through Him Into the enclosure that every where surrounds the chiklren of God»
It is m inward and not a mere outr wAxd reyeWtion that we need. It is m inward, a beart*eiU;ecing» and not a mere Qotiony idoa* theory,, dcewi of thexioiaier nation. It is really an intelligent act of the mind; as much and as real an entering into the fold or favor of God, by ani through Christ as we ever entered the house of God on the Sabbath day by the door. When the soul enters by the door, it finds an infinitely different reception and treatment from that of those who climb up into the church upon a ladder of mere opinion, a scaling ladder of mere orthodoxy. This last class are not fed. They find no protection from the (Jood Shepherd. They do not know the Shepherd and follow Him, because they have climbed up anoier way. They have not confidence in Him, can not approach Him with boldness and claim his guardianship and protection. Their knowledge of Christ is but an opinion, a theory, a heartless and fruitless speculation. O, how many give the saddest proof that they have never entered by the door, and consequently have no realization in their own Jife and experience of the blessed and efficient protection and support of the Good Shepherd. Here I must not forget again. to insist upon the necessity of a personal revelation of our relations to Grod as being excluded from all access to Him and his favor save through Christ the door; and also the necessity of the personal revelation to us by the Holy Spirit of Christ as the door, and of what is implied in this; and lastly and emphatically upon the indispensable necessity of a personal, responsible, active and full entering in at this door and gaining access for ourselves to the inclosure of the love and favor of God. Let this never for one moment be forgotten or overlooked. I must enter for and by myself. I must truly enter. I must be conscious that I enter. I must be sure that I do not misapprehend what is implied in entering; and at my peril I must not forget or neglect to enter.
And here it is important to inquire, have you had this personal axid wvrxs
114 Gunn TO tbm MAWwrn.
revelation? Have yoa dearly seen yov self without the fold, exposed to all tb unrelenting cruelty of your sfMtqal saeinies and shut out forever by your m from the favor and protection of Godt I a When this has been revealed have yw I 3 been made clearly to apprehend duM as the doort Have yoa understood whit is implied in his sustaining this rehtioet And last, but not least, have yon enteisl this door by faith T Have yon seen the door open, and have you entered fiir yourself, and have you dally this evidenes that you follow the Shepherd, nnd find all you need*
XXXYL Christ Is also the Way d
Salvation.
Observe: He is not a mere teacher of the v/BYf as some vainly imagine and teach. Christ te truly the wajr** HssK or He is Himself *<the way.” Works en not the way y whether these works are legal or gospel works; whether works of hw or works of faith. Works of (kith are a
( condition of salvation. But they are not “the way.” Faith is not the way. Faith is a condition of entering and abiding in this way, but it is not “the way.” Christ is Himself “the way.” Faith receives Him to reign in the soul and to be its salvation. But it is Christ Himself who is “the way.” The soul is saved by Christ Himself, not by doctrine, not by the Holy Spirit, not by works of any kind, not by faith or love, or by any thing whatever but by Christ Himself. The Holy Spirit reveals and introduces Christ to the soul, and the soul to Christ. He takes of Christ’s and shows to us. But He leaves it to Christ to save us. He urges and induces us to accept of Christ, to receive Him by appropriating faith as He reveals Him to us. But Christ is the way. It is his being received by us, that saves the soul. But we must perceive the way. We must enter this way by our own act. We must proceed in this way. We must continue in this way to the end of life and to all eternity as indispensable condition of our salvation. “Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know,** said Christ. Thomas said unto Him, Lord we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?” ‘’Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the tnitii, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also, and from henceforth ye know Him and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord show us the Father, and it suiSceth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?** Here Christ so identifies Himself with the Father as to insist that he who had seen one had seen the other. When, therefore. He Bays, no man comeXVi lo lk FoAher but by
Him, we are to understand that no man need expect to find the true God elsewhere than in Hiau The visible Christ embodied the true Godhead. He is the way to God, for and because He is the true God and the eternal life and salvation of the souL Many seem to understand Christ in this relation as nothing more than a teacher of a system of morality by the observance of which we may be saved. Others regard this relation as only implying that He is the* way in the sense of making an atonement and thus rendering it possible for us to be forgiven. Others still understand this language as implying not only that Christ made an atonement and opened up a way of access through his death and mediation to Godt but also that He teaches us the great truths essential to our salvation. Now all this, in my apprehension, falls entirely, and I may say infinitely short of the true spiritual meaning of Christ and the true spiritual import of this relation. The
QUIDS TO THE SAVIOE,
above is implied and included In this i
tion beyond qaeslioo, but this is no
nor the essentia! truth intended in
declaration of Christ’s. He did not
I came to open the way nor to teach
way, nor to call you into the way, b’
am the way.** Suppose He had intej
merely that his instructions pointed
the way, or that his death was to i
the way, and his teachings point it
would He not have said: Whatf
I so long taught you, and have you
understood my doctrine? Would lit
have said, I have taught yoa the
instead of saying, I am the way?
fact is, there is meaning in these w
more profoundly spiritual than hiA i
pies then, and than many now, seen
pable of understanding. He is Ilij
the way of salvation, because He ii
salvation of the sotU, He is the wi
the Father because He is in the Fi
and the Father is in Him» He is the
to eternal life betausft H.^ Va ttViuael very essence and substance of eternal life. The soul that finds Him needs not to look for eternal life for it has found it already. These questions of Thomas and Philip show how little they really knew of Christ previous to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Vast multitudes of the professed disciples of the present day, seem not to know Christ as “the way.” They seem not to have known Christ in this relation as He is revealed by the Holy Spirit. This revelation by the Comforter of Christ as “the way,” is indispensable to. our so knowing Him as to retain our standing in the hour of temptation. We must know and enter and walk and abide in this true and living way for ourselves. It is a living way and not a mere specu* lation.
Do you,my brother, know Christ by the Holy Spirit as the “living way?” Do you know Christ for yourself by a perso* nal acqaintance? or do you know Him only by report, by hearsay, by ^taciia^
GUIDE TO THB SAVIOR.
by reading and by study? Do youl( Him as in the Father and the Fath« in Him 1 Philip seemed not to hav« a spiritual and personal revelation ol proper Deity of Christ to his own Have you had thia revelation? when He has been revealed to you a true and living way, have you by faith sonally entered this way? Do you steadfast in it? Do you know by exence what it is to live and move and your very being in God? Be ye no ceived he that does not spiritually dis and enter this wayjand abide in it unt end J cannot be saved. Do see to it that you know the way to be sanctj to be justified to be saved. See that you do not mistake the way anc take yourself to some other way. member, works are not the way, f U not the way. Doctrine is not way. All these are conditions of sation, but Christ in hU awn person is loav’^ His own Ufe, living in and nil
A to you is the way and the only way. You enter this way by faith; works of fiiith result firom and are a condition of abiding in this way; but the way itself is the indwelling, liraigy personally em. braced and appropriated Christ: the true God and the eternal life.
Amen, Lord Jesus; the way is pleasant and all its paths are peace.
XXXVII. Christ is also the Truth,** and as such He must be apprehended and embraced to secure the soul from falling in the hour of trial. In this relation many have known Christ merely as one who declared the truth, as one who revealed the true God and the way of salvation. This is all ihey understand by this assertion of Christ that He is the Truth.
But if this is all, why may not the same with equal truth be said of Moses, and of Paul and John? They taught the truth. They revealed the true God so far as holy lives and true doctrine are concerned; and yet who ever heard of John, or Paul or 6
GUtnE TO TUK dAVtOR.
Moses as being the way and the t They taught the way and the truth they were neither the way nor the 1 while Christ is truth. What, the truth 1 Why, Christ is the truth. ever knows Christ spirltualJy, know truth. Words are not the truth, are not the truth But words and may be signs and representatives o truth. But the truth lives and has ing and a hotne in Christ. He ii cmbodiraent and essence of truth, reality. He is substance and not sha He is truth revealed. He b elemen essentifti, eternal, immutable neces fibsolule, Bel f-exis tent, infinite T When the Holy Spirit reveals trutl reveals Christ. When Christ r» truth, He reveals Himself. Philuso] have found it difficult to define t Ftlate asked Christ, what is truthi did not wait for an answer. The is doubtless used in a double b SomBlim the mer Tfeft«iC.vvoa or n sentation of things in signs, such as words, Actions, writings, pictures, and diagrams, etc., is called truth; and this is the popular understanding of it. But all things that exist are only signs, reflections, symbols, representations or types of the Author of all thinys. That is, the universe is only the objective representation of the subjective truth, or is the reflection or reflector of God. It is the mirror that reflects the essential truth or the true and living God.
But I am aware that none but the Holy Spirit can possess the mind of the import of this assertion of Christ. It is full of mystery and darkness, and is a mere figure of speech to one unenlightened by the Holy Spirit in respect to its true spiritual import. The Holy Spirit does not reveal all the relations of Christ to the soul at once. Hence there are many to whom Christ has been revealed in some of his relations while others are yet veiled from the view. Each dfelvcLcX wxcsa ^bsA
office and relation needs to be made the subject of a special and personal revelation to the soul, to meet its ttecessities, and to confirm it in obedience under all circumstances. When Christ is revealed and apprehended as the essential, eternal, and immutable truth, and the soul has embraced Him as such, as He of whom all that is popularly called truth is only the reflection, as He of whom all truth in doctrine, whether of philosophy in any of itP branches, or revelation in any of its departments; I say, when the mind apprehends Him as that essential truth of which all that fnen call truth, is only the reflection, it finds a rock, a resting place, a foundation, a stability, a reality, a power in truth of which before it had no conception. If this is unintelligible to you, I cannot help it. The Holy Spirit can explain and make you see it; I cannot Christ is not truth in the sense of mere doctrine, nor in the sense of a teacher of / irfip doctrine but aA the subpti»viQe gjir essence of truth. He is that of which all truth in doctrine treats. True doctrine treats of Him, but is not identical with Him. Truth in doctrine is only the sign, or declaration, or representation of truth in essence, of living, absolute, self-existent truth in the Godhead. Truth in doctrine or true doctrine is a medium through which substantial or essential truth is revealed. But the doctrine or medium is no more identical with truth than light is identical with the object which it reveals. Truth in doctrine is called light and is to essential truth what light is to the objects that radiate or reflect it. Light coming from objects, is at once the condition of and the medium through which they are revealed. So true doctrine is the condition and the means of knowing Christ, the essential truth. All truth in doctrine is only a reflection of Christ, or is a radiation upon the intelligence from Christ. When we learn this spiritually, we shall learn to distinguish between doctrlvn ^’cvd Him whose radiance it is — to worship Christ as the essential truth and not the doctrine that reveals Him — to worship God instead of the Bible. We shall then find our way through the shadow to the substance. Many, no doubt, mistake and fall down and worship the doctrine, the preacher, the Bible, the shadow, and do not look for the inefiably glorious substance of which this bright and sparkling truth is only the sweet and mild reflection or radiation.
Dearly beloved, do not mistake the doctrine for the thing treated of by the doctrine. When you find your intellect enlightened and your sensibility quickened by the contemplation of doctrine, do not confound this with Christ. Look steadily in the direction from which the light emanates until the Holy Spirit enables you to apprehend the essential truth, and the true light that enlighteneth every man. Do not mistake a dim reflection of the sun for the sun himself. Do not fall
VHSIST THE TRUTH* 137
down at a pool and worship the sun dimly reflected from its surface, but lift your eye and see where he stands glorious in essential and eternal and ineffable brightness. It is beyond question that multi* tudes of professed Christians know nothing farther than the doctrine of Christ; they never had Christ Himself pei*sonally revealed or manifested to ihem. The doctrine of Christ as taught in the gospel is intended to direct and draw the mind to Him. The soul mu3t not rest in the doctrine, but receive the living, essential person and substance of Christ. The doctrine makes us acquainted with the facts concerning Christ, and presents Him for acceptailce. Do not rest in the story of Christ crucified and risen and standing at the door but open the door and receive the risen, living and Divine Savior as the essential and all-powerful truth to dwell within you forever. *
XXXVIIL Christ is “the true uoht.»’ John says of Him, ‘*In Him was life, and the life was. the Light of men. And the Light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the Iit^A/, that all men through Him might believe. He was not that Lights but He came to bear witness of that Light. That was the true light which lightenetk every man that cometh into the world.” Jesus says, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.** And Again, “While ye have the light, believe in the light.” “I am come a light into the world.” Again, it is said of Saul on his way to Damascus, “And there shined around him a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun.*’ It is said of Christ in his transfiguration on the mount,” that his miment became white as the light.” Paul speaks of Christ as dwelling in light which no man can approach unto. Peter says of Him, “who called you into his marvellous light.” John says, ‘<God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” Of the New Jerusalem it is said, that the inhabitants have no need of the sun, nor of the moon to en-^ lighten it, “for the glory of God and the Lamb are the light thereof.”
Light certainly appears to be of two kinds, as every spiritual mind knows, physical and spiritual. Physical or natural light reveals or makes manifest physical objects through the fleshly organ, the eye. Spiritual light is no less real light than physical. In the presence of spiritual light the mind directly sees spiritual truths and objects, as, in the presence of material or natural light, it distinctly sees material objects. The mind has an eye or seeing faculty which uses the material eye and natural light to discern material objects. It is not the eye that sees. It is always the mind that sees. It uses the eye merely as an instrument of vision by which it discerns material objects. The eye and the light are conditions of seeing the material universe, but it is always the mind that sees.
So the mind directly sees spiritual realities in the presence of spiritual light. But what is light? What is natural, and what is spiritual light? Are they really identical, or are they essentially different? It is not my purpose here to enter into any philosophical speculations upon thb subject; but I must observe, that whatever spiritual light is, the mind under ce tain circumstances cannot discern the difference, if difference there is between them. Was that spiritual or physical light which the disciples saw on the mount of transfiguration? Was that spiritual or physical light which Paul and his companions saw on their way to Damascus? What light is that which falls upon the mental eye of the believer when he draws so near to God as not at the moment to at all distinguish the glory that surrounds him from material light 7 What was th light which made the face of Moses shine with such brightness that the people were unable to behold it? And what is that light which lights up the countenance of a believer when he comes direct and fresh from the mount of communiQU wi:ii God? There is often a visible light in his countenance. What is that light which often shines upon the pages of the Bible, making its spiritual meaning as manifest to the mind as the letters and words are? In such seasons the obscurity is removed from the spirit of the Bible, just as re«illy and as visibly as the rising sun would remove the obscurity of midnight from the ktter. In one case you perceive the letter clearly in the presence of natural light. You have no doubt, you can have no doubt, that you see the letters and words as they are. In the other, you apprehend the spirit of the Bible just as clearly as you see the letter. You can no more doubt at the time that you see the true spiritual import of the words, than that you see the words theinselves. Both the letter and the spirit seem to be set in so strong a light that you know that you see both. Now what light is this in which the spirit of the Bible is seen? That it is light every spiritual man knows. He calls it light. He can call it nothing else. At other times the letter is as distinctly ttisible as before, and yet there is no possibility of discern* ing the spirit of the Bible. It is then only known in the letter. We are then left to philologize, and philosophize, and theorize, and theologize, and are really all in the dark as to the true spiritual import of the Bible. But when “the true light that lighteth every man,” shines upon the world, we get at once a deeper insight into the real spiritual import of the word than we could have gotten in a life-time without it. Indeed, the true spiritual import of the Bible is hid from the learning of this world, and revealed to the babes who are in the UghX o{ Christ. I have often been aflBicted with the fact that true spiritual light is rejected and contemned, and the very idea of its existence rejected by many men who are wise in the wisdom of this world. But the Bible every where abounds with evidence that spiritual light exists, and that its presence is a condition of apprehending the reality and presence of spiritual objects. It has been generally supposed that the natural sun is the source of natural light. Sure it is that light is a condition of our beholding the objects of the material universe. But what is the source of spiritual light? The Bible says Christ is. But what does this mean? When it is said that He is the true light, does it mean only that He is the Teacher of true doctrine? Or does it mean that He is the light in which true doctrine is apprehended, or its spiritual import understood; that He shines through and upon all spiritual doctrine, and causes its spiritual import to be apprehended, and that the presence of his light or
in other words his own presence, is a condition of any doctrines being spiritually understood? He is no doubt the essential light. That is, light is an attribute of his Divinity. Essential, uncreated light is one of the attributes of Christ as God. It is a spiritual attribute of course. But it is an essential and a natural attribute of Christ, and whoever knows Christ after the Spirit or whoever has a true, spiritual, and personal acquaintance with Christ as God, knows th at Christ is light, that his being called light is not a mere figure of speech; that his “covering himself with light as with a garment;” his enlightening the heavenly world with so ineflable a light that no man can approach thereunto and live, that the strongest seraphim are unable to look with unveiled face upon his overpowering effulgence: — I say, to a spiritual mind, these are not mere figures of speech; they are understood by those who are in the Ughl, and who walk
in the light of Christy to mean what they say.
I dwell upon this particular relation of Christ because of the importance of its being understood, that Christ is the real and true light who alone can cause us to see spiritual things as they are. Without his light we walk in the midst of the most overpowering realities without being at all aware of their presence. Like one surrounded with natural darkness, or as one deprived of natural light gropes his way and knows not at what he stumbles, so one deprived of the presence and light of Christ, gropes his way and stumbles at he knows not what. To attain to true spiritual illumination and to continue and walk in this light, is indispensable to entire sanctification. O that this were understood! Christ must be known as the true and only light of the soul. This must not be held merely as a tenet. It must be understood and spiritually experienced and known. That Christ is in som undfttermined sense the light of the soul, and the true light is generally admitted just as multitudes of other things are admitted without being at all spiritually and experimentally understood. But this relation or attribute of Christ must be spiritually known by experience as a condition of abiding in Him. John says, “this then is the message which we have heard of Him, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” This light is come into the world, and if men do not love darkness rather than liihtf they will know Christ as the true light of the soul and will so walk in the light as not to stumble.
I desire much to amplify upon this relation of Christ, but must forbear or I shall too much enlarge this course of insnici>URIST THE TRUE LIGHT. 137
tion. I would only endeavor to deeply Impress you with the conviclion that Christ is lighty and that this is no figure of speech. Rest not, my brother, until you truly and experimentally know Him as such. Bathe your soul daily in his light, so that when you come from your closet your face will shine as if it were the face of an angel.