XII. But do not so desire to follow Christ to the garden of Gethsemane, as to refuse following him now to the carpenter's shop, if Providence now call you to it. Do not lose the present day by idly looking back at yesterday, or foolishly antedating the cares of to-morrow: but wisely use every hour; spending it as one who stands on the verge of time, on the border of eternity, and one who has his work cut out by a wise Providence from moment to moment. Never, therefore, neglect using the two talents you have now, and doing the duty which is now incumbent upon you. Should ye be tempted to it, under the plausible pretence of wait. ing for a great number of talents: remember that God doubles our talents in the way of duty, and that it is a maxim, advanced by Elisha Coles himself, "Use grace and have [more] grace." Therefore, "to continual watchfulness and prayer, add continual employment," says Mr. Wesley, "for grace flies a vacuum as well as nature; the devil fills whatever God does not fill." "As by works faith is made perfect, so the completing or destroying of the work of faith, and enjoying the favour, or suffering the displeasure of God, greatly depend on every single act of obedience." If you forget this, you will hardly do now whatsoever your hand findeth to do. Much less will you do it with all your might, for God, for eternity. XIII. Love is modest: it rather inclines to bashfulness and silence, than to talkative forwardness. "In a multitude of words there wanteth not sin;" be therefore "slow to speak;" nor cast your pearls before those who cannot distinguish them from pebbles. Nevertheless, when you are solemnly called upon to bear testimony to the truth, and to say "what great things God has done for you;" it would be cowardice, or false prudence, not to do it with humility. Be then "always ready to give an answer to every man who [properly] asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness [without fluttering anxiety] and with fear" [with a reverential awe of God upon your minds,] 1 Pet. iii, 15. Perfect Christians are "burning and shining lights," and our Lord intimates that, as "a candle is not lighted to be put under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may give light to all the house;" so God does not light the candle of perfect love to hide it in a corner, but to give light to all those who are within the reach of its brightness. If diamonds glitter, if stars shine, if flowers display their colours, and perfumes diffuse their fragrance, to the honour of the Father of lights, and Author of every good gift; if without self seeking they disclose his glory to the utmost of their power, why should "ye not go and do like. wise?" Gold answers its most valuable end when it is brought to light, and made to circulate for charitable and pious uses; and not when it lies concealed in a miser's strong box, or in the dark bosom of a mine. But when you lay out your spiritual gold for proper uses, beware of imitating the vanity of those coxcombs who, as often as they are about to pay for a trifle, pull out a handful of gold, merely to make a show of their wealth. XIV. Love or "charity rejoiceth in the [display of an edifying] truth." Fact is fact, all the world over. If you can say to the glory of God, that you are alive, and feel very well, when it is so; why should you not also testify to his honour, that you "live not, but that Christ liveth in you," if you really find that this is your experience? Did not St. John say, "Our love is made perfect, because as he is, so are we in this world?" Did not St. Paul write, "The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, who walk after the Spirit?" Did he not, with the same simplicity, aver, that although he had nothing, and was sorrowful, yet he possessed all things, and was always rejoicing?" Hence it appears, that, with respect to the declaring or concealing what God has done for your soul, the line of your duty runs exactly between the proud forwardness of some stiff Pharisees, and the voluntary humility of some stiff mystics. The former vainly boast of more than they ex. perience, and thus set up the cursed idol, SELF: the latter ungratefully hide "the wonderful works of God," which the primitive Christians spoke of publicly in a variety of languages; and so refuse to exalt their gracious benefactor, CHRIST. The first error is undoubtedly more odious than the second; but what need is there of leaning to either? Would ye avoid them both? Let your tempers and lives always de. clare that perfect love is attainable in this life. And when you have a proper call to declare it with your lips and pens, do it without forwardness, to the glory of God; do it with simplicity, for the edification of your neighbour; do it with godly jealousy, lest ye should show the treasures of Divine grace in your hearts, with the same self complacence with which King Hezekiah showed his treasures, and the golden vessels of the temple to the ambassadors of the king of Babylon, remembering what a dreadful curse this piece of vanity pulled down upon him: “And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord, Behold the days come, that all that is in thine house shall be carried into Babylon : nothing shall be left, saith the Lord." If God so severely punished Hezekiah's pride, how properly does St. Peter charge believers to "give with fear an account of the grace which is in them!" and how careful should ye be to observe this important charge! XV. If you will keep at the utmost distance from the vanity which proved so fatal to good King Hezekiah, follow an excellent direction of Mr. Wesley. When you have done any thing for God, or received any favour from him, retire, if not into your closet, into your heart, and say, “I come, Lord, to restore to thee what thou hast given, and I freely relinquish it, to enter again into my own nothingness. For what is the most perfect creature in heaven or earth in thy presence, but a void, capable of being filled with thee and by thee, as the air which is void and dark, is capable of being filled with the light of the sun? Grant therefore, O Lord, that I may never appropriate thy grace to myself, any more than the air appropriates to itself the light of the sun which withdraws it every day to restore it the next; there being nothing in the air that either appropriates his light or resists it. O give me the same facility of receiving and restoring thy grace and good works! I say thine, for I acknowledge that the root from which they spring is in thee, and not in me." "The true means to be filled anew with the riches of grace, is thus to strip ourselves of it; without this it is extremely difficult not to faint in the practice of good works." "And, therefore, that your good works may receive their last perfection, let them lose themselves in God. This is a kind of death to them, resembling that of our bodies, which will not attain their highest life, their immortality, till they lose themselves in the glory of our souls, or rather of God, wherewith they shall be filled. And it is only what they had of earthly and mortal, which good works lose by this spiritual death." 66 XVI. Would ye see this deep precept put in practice? Consider St. Paul. Already possessed of Christian perfection, he does good works from morning till night. He warns every one night and day with tears. He carries the Gospel from east to west. Wherever he stops, he plants a Church at the hazard of his life. But instead of resting in his present perfection, and in the good works which spring from it, "he grows in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;" unweariedly following after, if that he may apprehend that [perfection] for which also he is apprehended of Christ Jesus," that celestial perfection, of which he got lively ideas when he was "caught up to the third heaven, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not possible for a man to utter." With what amazing ardour does he run his race of Christian perfection for the prize of that higher perfection! How does he forget the worksof yesterday, when he lays himself out for God to-day! "Though dead, he yet speaketh ;" nor can an address to perfect Christians be closed by a more proper speech than his. "Brethren," says he, " be followers of me-I count not myself to have apprehended [my evangelical perfection;] but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, [settling in none of my former experiences, resting in none of my good works,] and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the [celestial] prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." In the meantime you may sing the following hymn of the Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley, which is descriptive of the destruction of corrupt self will, and expressive of the absolute resignation which cha. racterizes a perfect believer : Suffice that for the season past, Myself in things Divine I sought; For comforts cried with eager haste, And murmur'd that I found them not: I leave it now to thee alone, Father, thy only will be done! Thy gifts I clamour for no more, JESUS, the giver, I desire, Welcome alike the crown or cross, 46 This hymn suits all the believers who are at the bottom of Mount Sion, and begin to join "the spirits of just men made perfect." But when the triumphal chariot of perfect love gloriously carries you to the top of perfection's hill; when you are raised far above the common heights of the perfect; when you are almost translated into glory, like Elijah, then you may sing another hymn of the same Christian poet, with the Rev. Mr. Madan, and the numerous body of imperfectionists who use his collection of Psalms, &c:— Who in Jesus confide, They are bold to outride All the storms of affliction beneath : To that heavenly shore, And outfly all the arrows of death. By faith we are come To our permanent home; And by hope we the rapture improve: And look down on the skies For the heaven of heavens is love! Who on earth can conceive, In the city of God, the great King? When our Jesus's grace The whole heavenly company sing! What a rapturous song, Hearts, voices, and lyres, And the burden is mercy Divine! But when you cannot follow Mr. Madan, and the imperfectionists of the Lock Chapel, to those rapturous heights of perfection, you need not give up your shield. You may still rank among the perfect, if you can heartily join in this version of Psalm cxxxi : That Lord, thou dost the grace impart ! Poor in spirit, meek in heart, I shall as my Master be, Rooted in huinility. Now, dear Lord, that thee I know, Nothing will I seek below, Aim at nothing great or high, Lowly both in heart and eye. Simple, teachable, and mild, Hangs my new-born soul on thee, Nothing wants beneath, above, your earthen vessels may be filled with this love till they break, and you enjoy the Divine object of your faith without an interposing veil "Make up thy Jewels, Lord, and show O might my lot be cast with these, O that my Lord would count me meet, To wait upon his saints below! END OF VOL. II. |