Part 103 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Back to Part 102 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Part 104 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Back to HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
[3.] Thirdly, God in this life dispenses the gifts and graces of his Spirit unequally among his saints; to some he gives two talents, to others five, and to others ten.Hence it is you read both of a weak faith, and of a strong faith. "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" and, "O woman, great is your faith;" and, "Truly, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." [Mat. 25, 8:10, 26, and 15:28.]
And hence it is that you read both of weak Christians, and of strong Christians. "He who is weak in the faith receive;" "another who is weak eats herbs;" "and to the weak, I became as weak, that I might win the weak;" "we then who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves;" "when I am weak, then am I strong." [Romans 14:1-2; 1 Cor. 9:22; 2 Cor. 12:10; Heb. 5:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:2, and 5:1.]
And hence it is that you read of babes, and of children, and of young men, and of old men, in the Scripture. Saints are of different growths. Some are but babes in gifts and grace, others are children, others young men, and others old men. God distributes the good things of this world unequally among the sons of men, as to some more, to others less; to some great things, to others little things; to some high things, to others low things. God unequally distributes spiritual blessings among his dearest children; to some he gives more light, to others less; to some a greater measure of love, to others a less; to some a greater degree of joy, to others a less, etc. Some saints shine in grace and holiness as the skies, and others shine in grace and holiness as the stars; some shine in grace and holiness as the moon, and others shine in grace and holiness as the sun; and all this springs from those different measures of grace and holiness which God bestows upon his people.
Now doubtless men may as well plead for equal degrees of grace—as they may for equal degrees of glory; they may as well plead for an equal share in the good things of this world—as they may plead for an equal share in the happiness and blessedness of the eternal world. Doubtless as God dispenses his gifts and graces unequally in this life—just so, he will dispense his rewards unequally in the next life. As men's gifts and graces are different here on earth—just so, their glory shall be different when they come to heaven. Without all question, they shall have the whitest and the largest robes of honor, and the heaviest and the brightest crowns of glory—whose souls are most richly adorned with grace, and whose lives are most eminently bespangled with holiness.
The more grace and holiness any saint has here, the more he is prepared and fitted for glory; and the more any saint is fitted for glory, the more that saint shall at last be filled withglory. The greatest measures of grace and holiness do most enlarge the soul, and widen the soul, and capacitate the soul—to take in the greatest measures of glory; and therefore the more grace, the more glory, the more holiness, the more happiness, a saint shall have at last. Certainly God will crown his own gracious works in his children proportionable to what they are—but they are different and unequally in all his children in respect of measures and degrees; and therefore God will set different crowns of glory upon the heads of his children at last. But,