THE CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER

CHAPTER IV

The Nature and Exercise of Faith

Faith is the gift and the operation of God. It comes by the Holy Spirit’s power, moving and strengthening the sublimest faculties of the soul, and is really a regeneration, a re-begetting, a revival of life from the dead. Thus the believer is said to be “born of the Spirit;” because it is the Spirit’s office in the covenant of grace to regenerate; and because it is the promise concerning the Spirit to “all, even as many as God shall call.” And thus also, the Christian is said to be “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

When this principle of divine life and light is given to the soul, it enables the soul to feel its own loss and misery, and to see its own sin and darkness. A man can have no true sight of the nature of sin but by this grace. He is, therefore, in some sense, a believer before he knows himself to be one. Faith acts in him, before he can be sensible of the reflex act of faith. He first lives; and then he feels his misery; and then he cries for mercy. He cries for mercy; and then is enlightened to see the way of mercy in the word of mercy. He is next enlightened to behold the free welcome and rich bounty of this mercy to all returning sinners. He is enabled to contemplate upon himself, and to view the fitness of God’s mercy for him, and his fitness, as a needy convinced sinner, for it. He is then strengthened to embrace it, like a poor creature who must perish without it, but who shall never perish with it. And, at length, God’s grace seals itself upon the soul, by giving a true taste of joy and peace in believing: insomuch that the broken, drooping heart revives, and is able to say “I do humbly venture to believe that Christ died for me, and will save me for evermore.”

Now, through all the course of this gracious work, which, according to the will of God, is slower in some than in others, there is often much doubting and disputing in the man’s own conscience. It is a sore struggle, at times, to quell the clamors of unbelief, and the suggestions of satan; and at last, perhaps, the soul embraces the reality of God’s love in Christ, with a trembling kind of hopeless hope, and doubting believing. These things often puzzle the understanding, and perplex the whole will and affections. A true believer is like Rebecca laboring with twins, a faithless Esau, and a trusting Jacob; and so, like her, he cries out, “If it be so, why am I thus?” Whereas, if it were not so, if he were not of God, it could not be thus. Nature alone would not struggle; nor can what is dead strive against the stream. The whole bent of nature is against grace. So again, if he were all grace and no sin, he would feel no trouble; for the opposition of grace is made to nature and to the sin which is in it. And it is a good sign, though not a pleasant feeling, that there is this conflict: it demonstrates the life of God to be within.

In this way, the Christian embraces the gospel. He is enabled in hope against hope to believe it, as the grand charter of his salvation. And this very act of believing is the evidence within, concurring with the evidence of the written work without, that his name is enrolled in the charter, and that he is consequently entitled to all its blessings.

Take heart, therefore, thou child of God, and fear not. Thou hast the promise, the power, the mercy, and the truth of Jehovah on thy side; and who can prevail against him? If thou dost not wholly believe, or art not perfectly cleared from all doubts, be not however dismayed. The faithfulness of thy Lord is not grounded upon the perfect exercise of thy faith, but upon his own sovereign grace and love. Thou desirest to trust him with thy whole heart; but thou never couldst have desired this, if he had never wrought that disposition within thee. He was the Author, and he will be the Finisher, of all in thee, as well as all for thee. If God did not spare his own Son for thy sake, what will he spare beside? Who shall, or who can, lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God himself, with whom there is neither evil nor folly, that justifieth thee from both. Who can codemn thee? It is Christ who blotteth out thy sins by his precious blood, or rather is risen again to present thee faultless in his righteousness before the throne, and to plead for thee as that Advocate who never lost a cause. Who shall separate thee from the love of Christ? Shall the evils of life, all the distresses of time, all the rage of the devil ? Nay, in all these things thine Almighty Saviour will render thee a conqueror, and more than a conqueror, because he hath loved thee. O divine words that follow! From thine inmost affections, from the very ardour and spirit of faith, mayest thou breathe them forth ? “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord.”

CHAPTER V

On Communion with the Divine Persons in Jehovah

Curious speculations upon the Trinity profit not. There is a sort of knowledge in this, as in other things, which betrays its own falsehood by puffing up the soul. Much time hath been lost, and many hurtful disputes have been raised, concerning the mode of the Son’s generation from the Father, and the manner of the Spirit’s procession from both; points which have not been revealed, and which, therefore, are not necessary to faith. It is sufficient for us to apprehend, that there are three equal persons in one Jehovah, or self-existent Godhead, and that this Godhead is one: that we are privileged to have communion with these divine persons in their several offices of salvation; and that, by the unction of the Spirit, we come into the grace of the Son, and possess the love of the Father, now and for evermore. “Through Christ,” says the Apostle, “we both,” that is, Jews and Gentiles, “have an access by one Spirit unto the Father.” And thus, “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost,” are with all true believers in every age of the world. He, therefore, that doth not thus apprehend the doctrine of the Trinity, only apprehendeth the phantom of his own imagination, and is never the better for his speculation, be it ever so abstruse or refined.

Of what avail to my soul are all the nicest disquisitions of men ? I want food and light, reality and enjoyment. These do thy word, O Lord, afford in plentiful measure, when thy grace opens the well-spring to my heart. I am there taught to pray for that anointing of the holy one, which shall lead and guide me into all thy saving truth. By him I am both instructed, and enabled to renounce myself; to put on Christ, and to cleave to my Redeemer as my only portion and hope. By the Spirit and Son of God, I am led up to fellowship with the Father, and to call upon him as my Father, even mine. O my blessed God, my Abba, my Father, my Life, and my All, what hast thou revealed to my poor soul; and how much more hast thou done and prepared than thou hast hitherto revealed to men, or than men in this state are able to conceive! O thou fountain of unutterable blessedness, thou unfathomable Height and Depth of love, help me thus to know thee in the secret of my soul; and may all thy works of providence and grace increase this inward knowledge to the end! While others dispute, let me enjoy. Manifest thy precepts to my mind, and say to my longing spirit, “Peace be unto thee, for I am thy salvation.”

One spark of this life is of more worth than the whole universe of notions; for this not only brings an understanding of divine things superior to all speculations, but gives with it a fulness of satisfaction, arising from the very taste and perception of the things themselves. Faith takes them for realities, hope is enkindled by them as such, and love finds them to be so, and embraces them with joy to the end.

CHAPTER VI

On the Incarnation of Christ, by Which He Became Emmanuel

Who shall unfold this mystery, or unfathom this love of my God? The Ancient of days became a child of days, and the Lord of all would be the servant of all, that he might be a Redeemer, a brother, a friend, of poor unworthy mortals, of vile apostates and rebels, such as I am, and such as, without him, I and all others for ever must have been.

He took our nature without sin, that he might bear our sin. If sin had been in that which he took for himself, it would not have been possible, that one, who was equally sinful, should have taken off sinfulness from others. Thus he, who was not, and could not, be a sinner by nature, did, by imputation, become the greatest of sinners: “He bare our sins in his own body on the tree; and Jehovah laid upon him the iniquities of us all, when he once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust.” This dear Emmanual was a Lamb without spot, and therefore meet to be slain for atonement; and a Scape-Goat, or Strong-One, going off, laden with iniquities; and so able to bear them away into everlasting forgetfulness.

He was very God and very man in one Christ. As Christ he is Emmanual, or God with us. What his name implies, that he truly is. He is God with us, able to save and to succour, able to bless and to enliven, in all our pilgrimage from earth to heaven. “Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

And is this thy promise, O thou meek and lowly Jesus! and shall I be still slow of heart to believe it! Shall I always be hanging my head like a bulrush; and shall my eyes be still gushing out their faithless tears; when thou hast promised not only the best of creatures in earth and heaven, but thine own blessed Self to be with me, who art Lord of all! O my dear Redeemer, be so with me, by thy gracious power, that I may be deeply sensible of thy continual presence! Manifest thyself to me as thou dost not unto the world; for I am thine, and I desire to give up myself and all I am and have to thy blessed will for ever. Be indeed, according to thy name, my Emmanuel, my God with me and in me of a truth, that I may walk with thee as one agreed, and draw from thee all those supplies of grace, life, and peace, without which I can neither be happy nor alive to thy glory. O hear and answer, for mine eyes and my heart are upon thee.

CHAPTER VII

On Christ’s Descent into Egypt

It behooved this Emmanuel in all things to be made like unto his brethren; therefore he went down into Egypt. All he did upon earth had some use and meaning. By some facts, he testified what he was doing; and by others, what he would continually do for his people.

Out of Egypt have I called my Son, saith the Lord.” His redeemed were spiritually in Egypt, the house of bondage. They were there under the service of a cruel king, a prince who ruleth in the world by usurpation till the time appointed. Grievous are the tasks, and sad are the wages, of this tyrant of souls. Jesus went down and came up again for a sign. As the head of his people he did this, preaching their redemption from bondage in himself. In their order and times, they come up out of Egypt too, by the strong hand of this captain of salvation. He is great in might, and therefore not one of them faileth. The prince of the air loseth his dominion over them; and though he follow them like Pharaoh, and chase them all the way, he cannot hinder their course of faith, nor rob them of their Canaan in glory.

O marvellous love of my Saviour! Was it not enough for thee to take up my nature in its best estate, without submitting to a manger, to contempt, to persecution, to banishment, and all the wrongs of men? O how low must I be fallen, that it should be needful for thee (for, if it had not been needful, this act had been spared,) to endure poverty, wretchedness, and shame, that I might be delivered from all! I was in Egypt, and thou camest to me. Thy grace preached liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound. Thy power performed what thy love proclaimed: and thou broughtest the prisoners from the prison, and those that sat in darkness out of the prisonhouse. I, 0 wonder ful to tell! I, among thy ransomed, have followed thee in the regeneration out of this dismal Egypt, and have tasted a little of the glorious liberty of thy children. Not unto me, my dear Saviour, not unto me, but unto thy name be all the praise. I was wallowing in the mire of Egypt, and in the mud of the Nile; I was entirely given up to the filth and pollutions of this world, and should have remained therein till I had been sunk for ever in its woe; unless thy mighty arm had wrought my deliverance, and set me free. Glory to the, Jehovah-Jesus, thou Saviour all divine, for mercy unmeasurable like this, for grace and glory yet before me, to which there is no end! O how shall I show forth thy praise for all which thou hast done for my soul!

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen