Conditions of Attaining to Holiness, Continued
Ll Christ is our Shield. By this name or in this relatioQ He has always been known to the saints. God said to Abmham, I am thy 15: 1. Ps. 33: 20; The Lord Is my shield. Prov. 30: 5; He is a shield to them that put their trust in Him. A shield is a pieciB of defensive armor used in war. It is a broad plate made of wood or metal, and borne upon the arm and handy and in conflict presented between the body and the enemy to protect it against his arrows or his blows. God is the Chrfetian’s shield in the spiritual waN fare. This is a most interesting and important relation. He who do«&liQ. Vlnw«
Christ in this relation, and has not embraced and put Him on as one would buckle on a shield, is all exposed to the assaults of the enemy tod will surely be wounded if not slain by his fiery darts. This is more than a figure of speech. No fact or reality is of more importance to the Christian than to know how to hide himself behind and in Christ In the hour of conflict. Unless the Christian has oa his shield and knows how to use it he will surely fall in battle. When Satan appears, the soul must present its sbieldt must take refuge behind and in Christ, or all will be defeat and disgrace. Whea faith presents Christ as the shield, Satan retires vanquished from the field in every instance. Christ always makfes way for our escape and never did a soul get wounded in conflict who made the proper use of this shield. But Christ needs to be known as our protection, as ready on all occasions to shield us from the curse of the Jaw and from xVv of the en-CHRIST OVB PORTION. 177
cmy of our souls. Be sure to truly know Him and put Him on in this relation, and then you may always sing of victory.
Lll. The Lord is The Portion’’ of his people.
“I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward*’’ said God to Abrahamt» As the reward or portion of the soul we need to know and embrace Ghristt as the condition of abiding in Him. We need to know Him as “our exceeding ^yreat portion,” a present, all-eatisiying portion. Unless we so know Christ, as to be satisfied with Him, as all we can ask or desire, we shall not of course ubstaia from all forbidden sources of enjoyment. Nothing is more indispensable to our en* tire sanctification than to apprehend tho fullness there is in Christ in this relation. When the soul finds in Him all its desires and all its wants fully met, when it sees in Him all that it can conceive of as ex« cellent and desirable, and that He is its
portion, it remains at rest. It has little
8*
178 OUIDfe TO THB SAVIOR.
temptation to go after other lovers or after other sources of enjoyment. It a full. It has enough. It has an infinitely rich and glorious inheritance. What more can it ask or think 7 The soul that understands what it is to have Christ as Its portion, knows that He is an infinite portion, th0.t eternity can never exhaust or even diminish it in the least degree; that the mind shall to all eternity increase in the capacy of enjoying this portion, but that no increase of capacity and en* joyment can diminish aught of the infi* nite fullness of the Divine Portion qfowr ^ouls.
LIII. Christ is our hope. 1 Tim. 1: 1; Paul, an apostle of Jesus’ Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our Hope.” Gol. 1: 26; *’ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which Is Christ in you the Hope of glory .•» Oar 4mly rational excVBiVvc^Ti & ttom HiiAt
CHRIST OtR nOPB. 179
Christ in us is our hope of glory. Without Christ in us we have no good or well-grounded hope of glory. Christ in the gospel, Christ on the cross, Christ risen, Christ in heaven is not our hope; but Christ in us, Christ actually present, living and reigning in us as really as He lives and reigns in glory, is our only well-grounded hope. We cannot be too cer-» tain of this, for unless we despair of salvation in ourselves or in any other, we do not truly make Christ our hope. The soul that does not know and spiritually know Christ in this relation has no well-grounded hope. He may hope that he is a Christian. ‘He may hope that his sins are forgiven — that he shall be saved. But he can have no good hope of glory. It cannot be too fully understood or too deeply realized that absolute despair of help and salvation in any other possible way except by Christ in us, is an unalterable condition of our knowing and embracing Christ as our hope. Mauf
180 OUmS TO THE SAVldS4
seem to have conceived of Christ an their hope only in his outward relation, that is, as an atoning Savior, as a risen and ascended Savior. But the iadispensable necessity of having Clirisf within them, ruling in their hearts and establishing his government over their whole being, is a condition of salvation of which they have not thought. Christ cannot be truly and savingly our hope any farther than He is received into and reigns in our souls. To hope m merely an outward Christ, is to hope in vain. To hope in Christ with tme Christian hope implies,
1. The ripe and spiritual apprehension of our hopeless condition without Him. It implies such an apprehension of our sins and governmental relations as to annihilate all hope of salvation upon legal grounds.
2. Such a perception of our spiritual bondage to sin, as annihilates all hope of salvation wWhovxX. VXa exAVftsl loflotuAisr OUR Hora. 181
toce and strength to keep us from sin,
3. Such a knowledge of our circumstances of temptation as to empty us of all expectation of fighting our own battles, or of in the least degree making headway against oUr spiritual foes in our own wisdom and strength.
4. A complete annihilation of all hope from any other source.
3. The revelation of Christ to our Souls as our hope by the Holy Spirit.
6. The apprehension of Him as one to dwell In Us and to be received by faith to the supreme control of our souls.
7. The hearty and joyful reception of Him in this relation. The dethroning of elf or the utter denial or rejection of self and the enthroning and crowning of Christ in the inner man. When Christ is clearly seen to be the only hope of the soul, and when He is spiritually received in this relation, the soul learns habitually and constantly to lean upon Him, to rest in Him, and make no efforts without HI<sl«
LIY. Christ is also our Salvation. Ex. 15: 3; ‘^ The Lord is my strength and 8ong9 and He has become my salvation; He is my God) and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” Ps. 27: 1; “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall 1 fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Ps. 38: 22; “Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” Ps. 62: 7; «In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” Ps. 114: “The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation;” Is. 12:2; “Behold G.od is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord J^ hovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.” Isa. 49: 6;” And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tril)es of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; 1 will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou
CHRIST OVtL SALVATION. 18^
mayest be my salvation unto thie ends of the earth.” Luke 2: 30; “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” Thes6 and multitudes of similar passages present Christ not only as our Savior, but as our Salvation, That is, He saves us by be» coming Himself our salvation. Becoming our salvation includes and implies the fol* lowing things:
1. Atonement for our sins.
2. Convincing us of and converting tt from oui’sihs.
3. Sanctifying our souls.
4. Justifying or pardoning and accept* liig or receiving us to favor.
5. Giving us eternal life and happl-
6. The bestowment of Himself upon xA ks the portion of our souls.
7. The everlastihg union of our soulii ‘•ilth God.
All this Christ is to us, and well J3k itoay be regarded, hot only as our Saviof, lt ias our ISalMii&n.
Nothiog is or can be more important than for us to apprehend Christ in thi fullness of his relations to us. Many seem to have but extremely superficial apprehensions of Christ. They seem in a great measure blind to the length, and .breadth* and height, and depth of their infinite ne« cessities. Hence they have never sought for such a remedy as is found in Christ The great mass of Christian professon seem to conceive of the salvation of Christ as consisting in a state of mind resulting not from a real union of the soul with Christ, but resulting merely from under* standing and believing the doctrines of Christ. The doctrine of Christ as taiibt in the Bible was designed to gain for Christ a personal reception to dwell within and rule over us. He that truly believes the gospel, will receive Christ as He is presented in the gospel, that is, for what He is there asserted to be to hii people, in all the relations He sustains to our souls, as fast as these relationi
CHRIST THB ROCK OF SALVATION. 18&
are revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit.
The newly converted soul knows Christ in but few relations. He needs ‘trials and experience to develop his weakness, and to reveal to him his multiplied necessitiesi and thus lead him to a fuller knowledge, of Christ. The new convert embraces Christ so far as he knows him, but at first he knows but little of hi9 need of Him, except in his governmental relations. Subse* queiit experience is a condition of his know- ping Christ in all his fullness. Nor can he be effectually taught the fullness there is in Christ any faster than his trials develop his real necessities. If he embraces all he understands of Christ, this is the whole oC present duty in respect to him; but as trials are in his way he will learn more of his own necessities, and must learn more of Christ and appropriate Him in new relations, or he will surely fall,
LV. Christ is also the Rock of our Salvation:
186 GITIDIS TO THfi SAVIOft.
Ps. llh 14. Let the words of my mouth) and the meditation of my heart, be accept* able in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, {margin, JZocA:,] and my Redeemer.
28: 1. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my Rock; be not silent to me; lest if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
31: 2. Bow down thine ear to me, de« liver me speedily, be thou my strong Rock, for a house of defense to save me. 3. For thou art my Rock and my fortress; therefore, for thy name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
42: 9. 1 will say unto God my Rock, why hast thou forgotten me T why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy T
61: 2. From the end of the earth will 1 cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than L
73: 26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God la xVv ^Vwevgici ^jsbs
RocU] of my heart, and my portion forever.
78: 35. And they remembered that God was their Rock« and the high God their Redeemer.
89: 26. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.
di: 22. But e Lord is my defensef and my God is the Rock of my refuge.
95: 1. O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation.
Isa. 17: 10. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips.
32: 2. And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of watter in a dry place, as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land.
It is deeply interesting and affecting to contemplate the relations in which Christ revealed Himself to the Old Testament saints. He is a Rock of Salvation, a Strong Hold or Place of Refuge. In this relation the soul must know Him, and must take hold of Him or take shelter in Him.
LY I. He is also a Rock Cleft, from which the waters of life flow. 1. Cor. 10: 14 “And did all drink thei same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” As such the soul must know and embrace Him.
LVIL He is a great Rock that is higher than we, rising amid the burning sands of our pilgrimage, under the cooling shadow of which the soul can find repose and comfort. He is like the shadow of a great Rock in a weaiy land. To apprehend Christ in thisrelition, the soul needs to be brought into sharp and protracted trials until it is faint and ready to sink in discouragement. “WXx^TL Vv %.>&^% Vsi too
CHRIST A GREAT ROCK.
severe for longer endurance, and the soul is on the point of giving up in despait*! then when Christ is revealed as a great rocky standing for its defense against the heart of its trials, and throwing over it th6 cooling, soothing influence of his protecttion, it finds itself at rest and refreshed and readily adopts the language of a numerous class of passages of scripture, and finds itself to have apprehended Christ aa inspired men apprehended and embraced Him. It is truly remarkable that in all our experiences we can find that inspired writers have had the like, and in every trial and in very deliverance, in every new discovery of our emptiness, and of Christ’s fullness, we find the language of our. hearts most fully and aptly expressed in the language of the living oracles. Wt readily discover that inspired men had fallen into like trials, had Christ revealed to them in the same relations, and had similar exercises of mind; insomuch that no language of our own can %q x^£^
190 OtJtDS TO TAB 9AV10a«
express all that we think and feel and see.
LVIII. He is the Rock from which the soul is satisfied with honey. Ps. 81: 18 He should have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey out ol the rock should I have satisfied thee.’ The spiritual mind apprehends this Ian* guage spiritually, and it is doubtless really intended to be understood. It knowi what it is to be satisfied with honey from the Rock, Christ. The divine sweetnesi that often refreshes the spiritual mind when it betakes itself’to the Rock, Christ, reminds it of the words of this passage of scripture.
LIX. He IS the Rock or Foundation upon which the church as the temple of the living God, is builded.
Matt. 16: 18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upoa this Rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it..
Rom. 9: 33. As it is written, Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone, and a rock of offense; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
1 Pet 2: 8. And a stone of stumb ling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.
He is a sure foundation. He is an eternal Rock, or the Rock of Ages’ — the cor* Ber stone of the whole spiritual edifice.. But we must build for ourselves upon this Rock. It is not enough to understand as a tenet, a theory, an opinion, an article of our creed, that Christ is the Rock in this sense. We must see that we do not build upon the sand. Matt. 7: 26, 27.” And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, sha 1 be likened unto a foolish m(in, which built his house upon the sand; And the rain descended, and the floods camCf
192. GUIDE TO THE SAVlblEU
and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”
LX. He is the “strength of our heart*’ He is not only our refuge and strength fn our conflicts with outward temptatiooi and trials in the sense expressed in Ps. 46: 1. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,** bat He is also the strength of our heart and our portion forever, in the sense of Ps, 73: 26; “My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He braces up and con* firnis the whole inner man in the way of holiness. What Chriiitian has not at times found himself ready to halt and faint by the way? Temptation seems to steal upon him like a charm. He fiodf his spiritual strength very low, his reso* lution weak, and he feels as if he should igive way to the slightest temptation. H§ is afraid to expose himself out of his closet, or even to remain within it lest he should «ia« He says nvWVv D^^vd I shall fall by
the hand of Saul.” He finds himself empty — all weakness and trembling. Were it not that the strength of his heart interposes in time, he would doubtless realize in his experience his worst fears. But who that knows Christ has not often experienced his faithfulness under such circumstances, and felt an immortal awaking, reviving, and strength taking possession of his whole being? What spiritual minister has not often dragged himself into the pulpit so discouraged and faint as to be hardly able to stand, or to hold up his head? He is so weak that his spiritual knees smite one against the other. He is truly empty and feels as if he could not open his mouth. He sees himself to be an empty vine, an empty vessel, a poor, helpless, strengthless infant, lying in the dust before the Lord, unable to stand, or go, or preach, or pray, or do the least thing for Christ. But lo! at this juncture, his spiritual strength is renewed. Christ, the strength pf hv Vv. <i^^ls:c ft his own almightiness within him. His mqqth is open. He is strong in faith, giving glory to God. He is made at once a sharp threshing instrument to beat down the mountains of opposition to Chiist and his gospel. His bow is renewed In his hand and abides in strength. His mouth is opened and Christ has filled it with arguments. Christ has girded him to the battle, and made strong the arms of his hands with the strength of the mighty God of Jacob.
The same is true of every Christian In substance. He has his seasons of being empty that he may feel his dependence; and anon he is girded with strength from on highland an immortal and supethuman strength takes possession of his soul. Tho enemy gives way before him. In Christ he can run through a troop, and In his strength he can leap over a wall. Every difficulty gives way before him, and he is conscious that Christ has strengthened him with strengOi liVi>^li« ‘C^da will
seems to have the utmost decision, so that. temptation gets an exphatic no / without a moment’s parley.
LXI. Christ is He through whom we may reckon oui*selves dead indeed unto sin, and alive unt6 God. This we are exhorted and commanded to do. That is, we may and ought to account or reckon ourselves through Him as dead unto sin and alive unto God. But what is implied in this liberty to reckon ourselves dead unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Why, certainly:
1. That through and in Him we have all the provision we need, to keep us from sin.
3. That we may and ought to expect to live without sin.
3. That we ought to account ourselves as having nothing more to do with sin than a dead man has with the afiairs of this world.
4. That we may and ought to 1^ hold on Christ for this full and present death unto sin, and life unto God«
5. That if we dp lhvi$ ;r(^so9L ouiyebfii dead unto am md alive jonjbo Go4 the true spiritual sense of this :t»i, W shall find Chriftt ufuto our soub <aU we expect of Him in this i»latioa. If Ohnit cannot or will nof -save us from ;bb» upon condition of our laykig hold of Him and reckoning ourselves dead uato in, and alive unto Gkpd throi Him what right bad the apostle to sayyiUcfcoB yourselves indeed dead unto sin and sliit unto God through Jesus Ghnst our Jjuaki Whatl does the apostle tell us to acoooot or reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, and shall D. D’s tell us lliat soek reckoning or expectation is a dangexoof delusion?
N0W9 certainly nothing less cad be meant by reckoning ourselves dead uolo sin and alive unto God thnM^h Jesoi Christ, than that through Christ mt shouU expect .to live without sib. And not to expect to live .without siOi through Christ, *ia uniMS&aL iliaasiqiMJ
CHmS.T OUR DEATH TO SIN. 197
tion €^ Ohrist in this relation. Through rClhri&t we ought to expeot to live to jQrodf m’ much as we expect to live at 4iti. He that does not expect this, irejects -Christ as his sanctilScation and as Jesus who saves bis people from their .sins.
Do not understand me as teaching that WQ must st know Christ in, all the .relations before we can be ^anctiiSed. 7he thing intended is, that coming to jknow Christ in these relations is a contiiiipn or the indispensable .means of our MeadfastnesSf or perseverance in holiness imder temptation — that when we are tempted from time to time, nothin’g can secure us:against a,”&U but the revelation of Christ to the soul in tiiese* relations one after another, and Our appropriatioB of; Him to ourselves by faith. The gospeLhas jdirectly promised in every tempitatioalo open, a 3aray iOf escape so that »e shall be.able to bear it The spirit o itlus promise pledges t ua fraiOfci xs^Sac*
198 017IDB TO THie SAVIOR.
tion of Christ as to secure our standing, if we will lay hold upon Him by faith, as revealed. Our circumstances of temptstion render it necessary that one time we should apprehend Christ in one relation, and at another time in another. For example, at one time we are tempted to despair by Satan’s accusing us of sin, and suggesting that our sins are too great to be forgiven. In this case we need a revelation and an appropriation of Christ as having been made sin for us; that is, as having atoned for our sins-^-as being our justification or righteousness. This will sustain the soul’s confidence and preserfs its peace.
At another time we are tempted to despair of overcoming our tendencies to sin and give up our sanctification as a hopeless thing. Now we need a revelation of Christ as our sanctification, etc.
At another time the soul is harraned with the view of the subtlety and sagacity of Ws v(lt.» ^^oMooifia and.
CHRIST OUR DEATH TO Sllf. 199
greatly tempted to despair on that account. Now it needs to know Christ as its wisdom.
Again, it is tempted to discouragement on account of the great number and strength of Its adversaries. On such occasions, it needs Christ ‘revealed as the Mighty God, as its strong tower, as its hiding place, its munition of Rocks.
Again, the soul is pressed with a sense of the infinite holiness of God, and the infinite distance there is between us and God on account of our sinfulness and his infinite holiness, and on account of his infinite abhorrence of sin and sinners. Now the soul needs to know Christ as its righteousness, and as a Mediator between God and man.
Again, the Christian’s mouth is closed with a sense of guilt, so that he cannot look up nor speak to God of pardon and acceptance. He trembles and is confounded before God. He lies along on his face, and despairlni ]b.owN& x
200 GUIDE TO THB 8A.VIOm.
tide agony through his soul. He is speechless and can only groan out his self-accusations before the Lord. Now as a condition of rising above this tempta-. lion to despair, he needs a revelation of Christ as his Advocate, as his High Priest, as ever living “to make mtercession for him. This view of Christ will enable the soul to commit all to Him in this relation, and maintain its peace and hold on to its steadfastness.
Again, the soul is led to tremble in view of its constant exposedness to besetmentd on every side, oppressed with such a sense of its own utter helplessness in the presence of its enemies as almost to despair. Now it needs to know Christ as the Good Shepherd who keeps a constant watch over the sheep, and carries the lambs in his bosom. He needs to know Him as a Watchman and a Keeper.
Again it is oppressed with a sense of its own utter emptiness, and is forced to exclaimt 1 know ^^X Vdl tOL^^thaXisuin my flesh, drelleth no good thing. It sees that it has no lifi, or unction, or. power, or spirituality in itself. Now it needs to know Christ as the True Vine from which it may receive constant and abundant spiritual nourishment. It needs to know Him as the fountain of the water of life, and in those relations that will meet its necessities in this direction. Let these suffice as specimens to illustrate what is intended by entire or permanent sanctification being conditioned on revelation and appropriation of Christ in all the fullness of bis official relations.
In my estimation, the church as a bodt/y, I mean the nominal church, have entirely mistaken the nature and means or conditions of sanctification. They have not regarded it as consisting in a state of entire consecration, nor understood that contin-^ ual entire consecration was entire sanctification. They have regarded sanctification as consisting in the annihilation of e constitutional propensities inateaxl of the controlling of them. They have erred equally in regard to the means or condi* tion of entire sahctification. They seem to have regarded sanctilScation as brooght about by a physical cleansing in which man was passive; or to have gone over to the opposite extreme, and regarded sanctilScation as consisting in the formation of habits of obedience. The Old School have seemed to be waiting for a physical sanctification, in which they are to be in a great measure passive, and which they have not expected to take place in this life. Holding; as they do* that the constitution of both soul and body is defiled or sinful in every power and faculty, they of course cannot’ hold to entire sanctification in this life.. If the constitutional appetites, passions, and pro* pensities are in fact, as they hold, sinful ill themselves, why then the question is set* tied that entire sanctification can not take place in thb world nor in the next, except as the constitution is radicaly chaDged» and that of course by the creative power of Grod. The New School, rejecting the doctrine of constitutional and moral depravity and physical regeneration and. sanctificationy«and losing sisht of Christ as our sanctificationy have fallen into a self-righteous view of sanctification, and have held that sanctiiication is effected by works or by forming holy habits, etc Both the Old and New School have fallen into egregious errors upon this fundamentally important subject.
The truth is, beyond all question, that •anctification is by fiiith as opposed to works. That is, faith receives Christ in all his offices and in ifll the fullness of his relations to the soul; and Christ, when received, works in the soul to will and to do of his good pleasure, not by a physical, but by a moral and persuasive working. Observe, He influences the will. This must be by a moral influence, if its actings are intelligent and free, as they must ho to be holy. That is, if He influences the vill to obey God, it must be by a divi moral suasion. The soul never in any stance obeys in a spiritual and true sen except it be thus influenced by the indwc ing Spirit of (Dhrist. But whenever Chris apprehended and received in any rel tiouy in that relation He is full and perfei so that we are complete in Him, For hath pleased the Father that in Hi should all fullness dwell; and that v might all receive of his fullness until have grown up into Him in all thing Until ‘we all come in the unity of tl faith and of the knowledge of the Son i God unto a perfect man, unto theineasu] of the stature of the fullness of Christ** AN OVERDUE FEE F THIS BOOK IS