Genuine Discipleship 2
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3. THE BLESSINGS THAT SPRING OUT OF GENUINE DISCIPLESHIP
But we pass on to consider the blessed fruits and results of genuine discipleship. They are twofold, as stated in the text--"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Spiritual knowledge, and divine freedom are the two blessed fruits and results of genuine discipleship.
But what is "the truth" spoken of in our text? It is not confined to certain doctrines, which are emphatically distinguished by the word truth--as it is said in common parlance, 'Such a minister preaches the truth,' when all the truth perhaps that he preaches is contained in and confined to the five doctrinal articles that bear the name of Calvin. But "the truth" comprehends everything, be it doctrine, be it experience, or be it practice, that God has revealed in his word of truth; and especially it embraces Him, who said of himself, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." To "know the truth," then, is to know everything connected with the Person, work, blood, love, grace, and glory of Jesus, as revealed in the scriptures of truth. We cannot admit a lower definition than that; we cannot take a portion of the truth, and say that and that only is "the truth." We cannot take one isolated street, or one little alley in London, and say that is the metropolis. No; we must take the whole circuit.
And so to say this or that doctrine is "the truth" is incorrect; it is a part of "the truth," but "the truth" is not to be shut up in such a nutshell--is not to be limited nor confined to a few particulars. There are, I believe, some ministers and some hearers who would confine all the truth in the land to their pulpit, or their chapel; and call everything lies and error, which their dim eyes do not see, and their tiny fingers do not grasp. But none can be said to have the whole truth who have not had the whole Bible spiritually revealed in their heart, and worked out experimentally in their soul. And where is such a minister or such a people to be found? "The truth," then, that is the whole truth, contains everything of an unctuous and savory nature, everything that God has revealed for the salvation and edification of his Church. In a word, every line of the bible is "the truth," when God is pleased to make it known in our souls as such.
1. But the grand force of the promise lies in the word KNOW--"You shall know the truth." What! in the future? Why should the Lord put it in the future tense? He would not allow that they knew it yet; they neither had the word, nor had they continued in the word. In order to "know the truth," they must not only have the word lodged as a vital principle in their conscience, but they must "continue in it," and be "disciples indeed;" proving their genuine discipleship by their adherence to the Lord at all costs and all hazards, cleaving to him through all the difficulties, temptations, and trials that their souls might be led into.
To "know the truth" is to know it by a spiritual and supernatural revelation of it. Not to compare scripture with scripture, passage with passage, and parallel with parallel, and thus to elicit truth, as a man may elicit some truth in mathematics. People think if they can get a Concordance, or collect a number of parallel passages, and compare one passage with another, they have got hold of the truth; they have indeed in the letter, but this is not the power. That is another thing; that can only be made known in the heart by God's special application, and by the Spirit's supernatural and unctuous revelation of it. And this all genuine disciples know.
Genuine disciples feel their ignorance, their darkness, then--spiritual inability to communicate to their own souls a saving and savory knowledge of the truth. Their part is often to walk in "darkness which may be felt," to "grope for the wall like the blind, and to grope as if they had no eyes, and to stumble in desolate places like dead men." But many of our modern professors when they come to hear a minister of the truth preach, if they can but carry away his divisions, or recollect the substance of his discourse, are sure they "know the truth," when perhaps the Holy Spirit has never sealed a single portion of the sermon upon their hearts, nor made known any line of it with power in their consciences.
Now it is the very ignorance felt by God's people, the very darkness of mind under which they often groan, the very clouds that hang over their path, which are blessed of God to teach them that they cannot instruct or guide themselves into a spiritual knowledge of the truth; and thus they are led to cry, and groan, and supplicate, and wrestle, and beseech the Lord to apply his own word of truth with power to their souls. And as the Lord is pleased to enlighten the eyes of their understanding, and to apply his truth with a divine unction to their hearts, they begin to know by soul experience, and by inward revelation, such a measure of truth as He himself makes manifest in their consciences.
As the Lord, then, leads them to "know the truth"--for instance, the truth of his declaration with respect to their own vile, deceitful and corrupt natures, they "set to their seal" that God spoke truth when he said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Jer 17:9 When they read that from within, "out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, fornications, murders, adulteries," and all that dreadful catalogue of human wickedness and crime, Mr 7:21 they "set to their seal" that the Lord of life and glory spoke the real truth of the case. And when the Lord the Spirit leads them to see the glorious God-man Mediator at the right hand of the Father, they know that there is such a blessed Mediator, because be hears and answers the requests of their soul.
In the same way are they brought to know the efficacy of atoning blood; the beauty of justifying righteousness; the sweetness of undeserved grace; and the love-taste of eternal glory. And thus they "know the truth;" not because this or the other minister preaches it, not because this or that eloquent or experienced writer has unfolded it, not because this or that Hymn Book contains it, no, nor even because the scriptures themselves reveal it, though through the scriptures all saving truth comes; but they know it by its being let down with power into their hearts, and experimentally and spiritually revealed in their consciences.
My friends, how many truths have you learned in this way? Say you, 'I believe in personal and eternal election, particular redemption, imputed righteousness, final perseverance, and all the doctrines of grace.' So you may, and there are thousands in hell who believe the same, for even "devils believe, and tremble;" but do you know these things, as the Lord Christ instructs his people into the knowledge of them? by first having the word fastened upon your soul with power, continuing in that word through many grievous temptations, painful exercises, and soul tribulations, proving your discipleship by cleaving to the Lord and yielding your soul up wholly and solely unto him, and then, as the Lord is pleased to lead you step by step and line by line into the truth, receiving it from his own blessed lips as a special and spiritual revelation in your conscience? That is the way to "know the truth;" and if a man lives and dies without "knowing the truth" in that way, he lives and dies in his sins, and where God is he will never come.
We live in a day very trying to God's real family. There is so much profession and so little possession, so much truth in the letter and so little truth in the Spirit, so much of the form and so little of the power; and we are so easily drawn aside, we so love to be deceived, we so gladly drink down the delusive draught, that unless God himself is pleased in a special manner to undeceive us, and drag us through painful temptations and soul exercises, as through briars and thorns, and thus strip off every rag of creature wisdom, strength, and righteousness, we never seem to come rightly at a knowledge of the truth.
And I think those who hear ministers of doctrinal truth are of all persons the most likely to be deceived; because when they are pleased with a man's eloquence or gift, or yield a complete assent to what drops from his lips, they are so fully satisfied that it is "truth," that they look very little at the way in which the truth is received into their own heart. No they may pride themselves to think that they have the truth in their chapel, and rest in that, when, were the matter probed to the very bottom, it would be found in many cases that they received it not from God, but only from the lips of their minister.
2. But the second fruit and result of genuine discipleship is, SPIRITUAL FREEDOM. "The truth shall make you free." What are we by nature? Slaves and bondsmen; slaves to sin, to Satan, to the world, to pride, to prejudice, to presumption, to everything hateful and horrible; and only so far as the Lord brings us out of our wretched serfdom, do we come in any measure into real spiritual freedom. But what freedom is this? 'Oh!' says one very trippingly upon the tongue– 'Oh!' answers another in a moment from some corner of the chapel– 'Of course it is gospel liberty that the Lord is speaking of.' I do not doubt it; but just as "the truth" may perhaps include a little more than is contained in your church articles, and embraces a wider range than what is wrapped up in most Established or Dissenting nutshells, so the freedom of which the Lord speaks, may possibly (I throw it out as a suggestion,) have a more extensive scope than some of you may dream of.
There is a freedom from things, distinct from gospel liberty, though gospel freedom will produce it. Gospel freedom consists, we know, in a freedom from the curse and hard bondage of the law; in a freedom from the wrath of God; in a freedom from agonizing doubts and fears. And God's people, when they "know the truth," and are blessed with a feeling reception of it, are favored with this freedom.
But is there not such a thing, do you think, as being made free from the world? I am afraid, if we were to follow into their shops and counting-houses some who talk much of gospel liberty, we might find that the world's fetter had not been struck off their heart. We might possibly find that some who could boast very largely, and talk very fluently of "standing fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free," had a golden chain, though invisible to their own eyes, very closely wrapped round their heart-strings. There is no use then talking about Christian freedom and gospel liberty, unless a man has liberty from something else; if he is not made free, for instance, from the power of covetousness, for the Scripture declares, that "a covetous man, who is an idolater, shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." To be made free, then, implies a liberty, not only from the curse of the law and so on, but also from the world, and the spirit of covetousness in the heart.
There is a being made free also from the tyrannical empire of respectability; from the desire to rise in life; from the miserable system of outliving one's income, in order to cut a respectable appearance in the eyes of neighbors. Many who talk about gospel liberty, and would scorn anything like imputation of bondage, are under the dominion of this tyrant, Respectability.
And there is a being made free from the power of sin. I greatly fear, if we could follow into their holes and corners, and secret chambers many who prattle about gospel liberty, we would find that sin had not yet lost its hold upon them, that there was some secret or open sin that entangled them, that there was some lust, some passion, some evil temper, some wretched pride or other, that wound its fetters very close round their heart.
And there is a being made free from self also--from proud self, presumptuous self, self-exalting self, flesh-pleasing self, hypocritical self, self in all its various shapes and turns, self in all its crooked hypocrisy and windings.
We would then very much understate what this freedom is if we said– 'Oh! it is a freedom from the curse of the law, a freedom from eternal wrath and damnation,' and left it there. No; we must extend the circle somewhat wider; and if we extend the circle, we may find that some, who boast much of gospel freedom, have not yet reached the bound of gospel liberty.
But "the truth shall make you free." And who want to be made free? Not those who are boasting of self-assumed freedom. The Jews, to whom the Lord spoke it, could not bear the imputation. Said they, "We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man; how say you, We shall be made free?" What an insult to talk to them of being made free; as though they were not free always! But they had forgotten the Babylonish captivity; they had forgotten the captivity under which they were at that moment to the Romans. Self deceit so blinded them, that they resented as an insult the imputation that they were not free, at the very moment when the Roman coin was circulating among them, carrying with it the mark of their subjection.
And do you think, this will not bear a spiritual application? 'Freedom! what--do you think that I am not free yet? am I in bondage?'--will say many a one who is a slave to his lusts. Many cannot bear to be thought in bondage, who have never yet known anything of being made free by the truth. But the truth will make a man really free. It will free him, not merely as to those things, in which gospel freedom is said chiefly to consist; it will make him free from the fear of man, from the smiles of the creature, from bowing down to any person to gain his good opinion; it will make him free before God, so as to walk before the Lord with an enlarged heart.
"He is the free man whom the truth makes free, And all are slaves beside," sang a Christian poet; and when the truth, any part or portion of it, comes into a man's heart, it makes him free, because it has a liberating effect. And if time sufficed, I might endeavor to point out how every part and particle of God's truth in a man's conscience, from the first teaching of God upon the soul, has the seeds of freedom in it, and works in him a freedom from those things, in which he was entangled.
We have seen then a little of what it is to be a genuine disciple, and what are the blessed fruits and effects of genuine discipleship; and if we are enabled, by God's blessing, to trace out in our souls honestly that we possess the marks and tests of genuine discipleship, we stand interested, whatever be the darkness of our mind, in all the promises made to those who are Christ's, and in all the blessings stored up in heavenly places for them.
But my business this evening is, to speak a few words on behalf of the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society. A friend, speaking of it, remarked to me the other day, that "of all Societies it was the worst supported." "This witness was true." And it caused this question to arise in my mind. What are the causes of this general lack of support? This effect cannot arise but from certain causes; what then are the causes of this general indifference to its needs and claims?
1. The first cause that strikes my mind is this. The patrons and the supporters of, as well as those who are supported by this Society, profess those doctrines of sovereign, discriminating grace, which are hateful to the bulk of the professing world; and therefore, from their very profession of truth, a stigma is necessarily cast upon the Society. Those who are wrapped up in self-righteousness will of course turn their backs upon it, and cannot support a Society, which fosters what they consider most pernicious heresies.
2. Another apparent cause of its lack of support, is that it does not lend its aid to, what the late Thomas Hardy used to call, "man's godship." You know what the old serpent said to Eve, when he breathed his poisonous words into her ears--"You shall be as gods." His temptation was to elevate her into godship. Now man, unhumbled man, never can do with anything that does not flatter this imaginary godship. Bible Societies and Missionary Societies, from the Christian knowledge Society down to the humblest Tract Society, all flatter man's godship. They say– 'Co-operate with God; it is your province to convert the world; send forth your Missionaries, and convert all men to a knowledge of the truth.' This exalting men into gods is wonderfully pleasing to the flesh; and thus all rush forward to contribute to a Society, whatever it be, that flatters them by making "lords many and gods many."
3. Another cause, as it strikes my mind, is the general poverty of those who love the truth. God has "chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom;" and therefore, the bulk of God's people being poor, they have so little to contribute to the needs of others, that this Society cannot command those subscriptions and those sums, which are readily contributed by such as love a flesh-pleasing gospel.
Without going further, I think these three causes will sufficiently account for its lack of support. But is not that a great reason why we should give ours? Suppose, as we were walking in the street, there were some pitiful accident (so called) to take place, and the people held back, and nobody would go forward. Some human being was crushed, and lay bleeding, and dying, and all stood aloof; would not the very circumstance of their standing aloof, not merely draw forth the pity of our heart towards that suffering object, but induce us, for the sake of suffering humanity, to lend some aid?
And if the religious world, who support the various Bible and Missionary Societies, if the numerous chapels and churches in London that despise the truth, hang back, who are to come forward? Why, those surely who believe the same truths, whose hearts are touched by the same Spirit, who are brothers and sisters of the Pilgrims whom the Society supports, and who are "bound up in the bundle of life" with them and their common Lord. Thus the very reason why we should come forward, those of us who have it in our power, is because others hang back; their keeping back is the very thing to push us forward.
And who are the persons, whom we are called upon to support? They profess to be--and we trust that they are--pilgrims; Aged Pilgrims; traveling on to a better country; only needing a little more of "this world's good; pressed down with poverty; suffering often perhaps pangs of hunger and need; fearful of being ejected from their little tenements, and of being turned out of their garrets (which, though uncomfortable to us, are comfortable to them,) by some cruel landlord. How anxiously do they watch for the coming of the visitor! I have no doubt the husband says to the wife, or the lonely widower, or desolate widow to himself or herself– 'Tomorrow the visitor comes; there will be the money for the baker, or for the rent." How anxiously he is looking for the sum he is to receive! Yes; but how is water to come out of the well, if there is no water in it? Or if we lock up the handle of the pump, how is the water to flow? You must give the spring; it is your part, your privilege, to help to fill the well; and then the visitor has but to drop the monthly bucket, and draw up a supply for the Aged Pilgrims.
How painful it must be for these poor creatures, when the time comes, and there is no money for them! I am told that the Society has been sometimes driven actually to lack the money for the next payment, unless by some miraculous and providential interposition; and God has sent some person, with grace in his heart and money in his pocket, just in time to help them out of the present difficulty, that they may look up to Him in the next emergency.
I hope we shall see this evening, then, a liberal collection. And to the marks of genuine discipleship which have been brought forward, I hope I may be able to add another; and what is that? "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another." But how are we to show our love, except by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and giving drink to the thirsty?--which the Lord himself will acknowledge as done to Him, when he will separate the sheep from the goats.
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