He went even further

He went even further

He went even further. Why, he actually dared to tell the scribes and Pharisees who had fasted so many times in the week, and never ate bread without washing their hands, and tithed the mint and the cummin — that there was nothing in all this, and he said, "You blind guides, you hypocrites, you strain out a gnat — and you swallow a camel." He went on to tell them that all their external religion was a lie and a falsehood, unless the inner part of the soul were cleansed. He said that it was not that which a man ate or drank — but that which came out of the man which really defiled him. People said, "Did you ever hear such talk as that? Why, he is putting us all down — we who are the best people. If we are not good, who can be? — we who are the leaders of society, the pink of perfection? We do swallow a widow's house sometimes — but we always do that behind the door. It is true that we are not as clean inside as we should be; but then we always make the outside of the cup and platter clean. He has been talking against us; and at the same time he is inviting the fallen sinners to himself, and saying, 'Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.'" "Well, well," they said, "we cannot bear it: he is nothing but a Nazarene!" And so they turned their backs upon him.

Dear friends, today Jesus Christ is as much despised as ever, by those ungodly and vain-glorious men who understand what his gospel is. How frequently you will find in the public newspapers, and in the magazines of those who think themselves the cultivated class, remarks against the doctrine of justification by faith. You and I are simpletons enough to believe that we are justified by faith in Christ Jesus, because God has told its so, and we sing,

"Nothing in my hands I bring Simply to Your cross I cling!"

And they tell us that this is inconsistent with public morality; that the masses ought to be told that unless they behave themselves — they cannot possibly go to Heaven, and so on. When we tell about free grace, which pardons the vilest through faith in Christ, men are changed, and made moral and holy — but our unbelieving critics choose to ignore all that, and go and talk against what is the very essence of the gospel of Christ, as though it were a poor, miserable thing, only fit for a set of fanatics to preach. "Only believe, and you shall be saved," say they, "that is their absurd doctrine." Thus, in other words, they repeat the old abuse, and call us Nazarenes.

But if you want to see the ungodly world foam at its mouth — oh if you want to see rage get to its worst, and wish to see pretended learned men upon their mettle — preach the doctrine of atonement by shed blood! Tell them that remission of sin is by substitution — that Christ stood in the sinner's stead, and took the sinner's sin, and that without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. See how they writhe and rage! They cannot bear this horrible doctrine of atonement by sacrifice — and yet most learned sirs, it is upon that horrible atonement that our hope depends! It is upon that horrible doctrine that we hinge our destiny for time and for eternity; and we are not ashamed to bring it out with all plainness of speech, for the precious blood of Christ, God's dear Son, and that alone, cleanses us from all sin.

"Ah, well," they say, "that is just the old story which your Puritan fathers used to tell; that is the old Methodist doctrine: that is your Presbyterianism, and as James the First said, Presbyterianism is no religion for a gentleman." These learned men admire the broad-church school, where everything is taken to be true — except the truth! Still Jesus is to the mass of mankind, the despised Nazarene.

I will not dwell longer upon it, however, because you that know the Lord need not be told that he is to this day despised and rejected of men. Call yourself a Christian, and forget what real Christianity is — and you will have easy times of it. Instead of preaching the simple gospel of Christ — get fine music, and fix up fine shows, turn the place of worship into a theater — and there will be no persecution for you. Of course not, that is not Jesus Christ! But preach Jesus Christ, and see if all the dogs will not howl at you directly. You shall have bad names, and wicked stories, and all sorts of jests poured upon you. Go through the world as a respectable professor of religion, and never let fall a single distinctive truth from your lips, never perform one single distinctive action of Christianity — but just do as others do, and live as others do — and I will warrant you, you shall be in a whole skin from the first of January to the end of December. But be a real Christian, and live your Christianity and speak it out — and see how long you will be before they of your own house are at war with you. If we are true to the Master, we shall find that we have not enlisted in a service which is all fine feathers and music. There is war to be borne, and hardness to be endured by every good soldier of the cross, for still Jesus is called the Nazarene.

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