The Word of Men and the Word of God 2
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III. I pass on to our next point, the PROOF and EVIDENCE of receiving the gospel, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God– it effectually works in those who believe.
Receiving the word as the word of men works, as I have shown, certain effects; but it does not work effectually. That word "effectually" stamps the difference between the two works with God's own stamp-mark. If what I have said is correct; if I have traced out with any degree of truth and clearness the work of nature and the work of grace, you will see that receiving the gospel as the word of men works in the understanding, in the conscience, and in the affections, that is, so far as they are natural; but it does not work effectually so as to bring forth salvation. There is nothing really done thereby; no good is actually communicated, nothing wrought in or brought forth that will stand for eternity; in fact, even as regards visible effects, there is no effectual work where there is no grace. There is no effectual separation from the world; no effectual repentance; no effectual faith, hope, or love; no effectual prayer or supplication; no effectual cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart. It is all shallow, all superficial, deceptive, and hypocritical.
But where the gospel is received as the word of God, though it may be in a small measure, it is in an effectual measure. God's word, like God's work, must have a reality in it. When God said, "Let there be light," light burst forth at his creative fiat, and was effectual light– it existed at once as day. When God commanded the day-star to know its place, the sun to shine in the sky, or bade earth produce its living creatures, its grass, its fruits, and so on, God's word was effectual. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." (Psalm. 33:6, 9.)
But the word of man is not effectual. I might go forth on a night like this and say, "Wind change! rain fall!" but my words would be the words of an idiot. Let God only command the 'bottles of heaven', and they will drop their full store upon the earth after the long and severe drought. Let God only speak, and nature smiles, or nature withers, according to the word of his mouth.
So it is in grace. When God speaks, he speaks effectually, and his word has an effectual operation. Thus, if he gives conviction, it is effectual conviction, and never wears off until it ends in effectual consolation. If he brings the soul effectually under Mount Sinai, he will bring it effectually under Mount Zion; if he convinces effectually of unbelief, he will give effectual faith; if he effectually kills, he will effectually make alive; and if he effectually brings down, he will effectually bring up. This is the great distinguishing mark of receiving the gospel as the word of God– that it is thorough work. When God called Abraham, there was no delay– he went out into the land which he knew not. Compare the going out of Lot from Sodom with the going out of Lot's wife. Lot went out effectually. Lot's wife followed the steps of her husband; but she turned back; there was no effectual leaving of Sodom, and therefore she fell under the destruction of Sodom.
We read of one who said, "I will go, Sir," but he went not. There was no effectual going. The other said he would not go, but afterwards repented and went. That was effectual going. So when Abraham was called on to offer Isaac, he rose up early in the morning and went unto the place which God had told him of. God worked effectually in him by his word, and by the power of that word in his heart he was enabled to offer up Isaac. Thus, even if you have but a small measure of grace, yet if you have received the gospel into your heart as the word of God, it has wrought in you effectually. It may not have been a very deep work, or of long standing; you may have much yet to learn both of yourself and of the Lord, of your misery and his mercy, of your weakness, and of his strength, of your sin to condemn and of his mercy to save. Your faith may be weak, your hope dim, and your love but scanty; and yet if they have been wrought in your heart by the power of God through his word and the gospel of his grace, they have been wrought in you effectually.
There is a vast difference between a still-born child and a living babe. The living babe may not be so fine a child, judging from appearance, as the still-born. Many babes we know that live are born very weak and feeble, and some have even been laid aside to die who have revived through careful nursing, life being discovered in them, and grown up into strong men or women. So you must not measure the work of grace in your own soul or in that of others by its depth or strength, but by its vitality. Is there life in your bosom? Has God's power attended the work? Is the grace of God really in your heart? Has God spoken to your soul? Have you heard his voice, felt its power, and fallen under its influence?
It may perhaps at present not extend much beyond the conviction of sin, the confession of your transgressions and iniquities, covering you with confusion and shame of face before God, some attempt to call upon his holy name, and seek his face by prayer and supplication. At present you may have little effectual operation of his word upon your heart, except to make you in earnest about the salvation of your soul, separating you from the world, and bringing you as a humble hearer under the preached gospel. Your views of the Person and work of Christ, of his suitability to your wants and woes, of the compassion of his loving heart, of his heavenly blessedness may be but dim and feeble, and yet they may be so far spiritual and real, as to draw forth a measure of faith toward him and of hope in him.
There may be all this weakness in your faith and hope, and yet there may be truth and vitality in them. I would not speak a word to encourage the presumption of a vain, self-confident professor, but I certainly would not put forth my hand to quench the smoking flax, or break the bruised reed. I would seek if this be the last time I speak in your ears, to encourage the faintest, feeblest work of grace, while I would equally endeavor to stamp out all sparks of false fire, that you may have kindled to warm your hands at. But though I thus speak, yet I know that it is the hardest part of the Christian ministry to draw this narrow line so as to strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees of real believers– and yet not strengthen the hands of self-deceived professors.
I say "real believers;" for now look at the characters in whom, according to our text, the word of God effectually works, "in those who believe." Faith is the eye whereby we see light in God's light; faith the ear whereby we hear the word of God, and faith the hand whereby we receive out of Christ's fullness grace for grace. Thus the word of God works effectually in those who believe, and in them only; for where there is no faith there can be no effectual work; and I may add that it works effectually in exact measure and proportion to our faith. If our faith is weak, then the power that works in us is weak; or, to speak more correctly, if the power that works in us be weak, our faith, corresponding to that power, will be weak also. As we believe, it is done unto us. Strong faith brings strong consolation; weak faith brings weak consolation.
We have all of us the same hand, the same number of fingers, the same way of using them; but the hand may be the hand of a babe or the hand of a strong man. The babe may grasp the same object as the man; but O the difference of strength with which the tiny fingers of a babe grasp an object, and the muscular hands of a stout man! So the hands of the feeblest babe in grace may take hold of the Person and work of Christ, and receive out of his fullness; but compare that feeble hand with the strong hand of the man blessed with sweet assurance and a holy, happy confidence, enabling him to rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
IV. But it is time to advance to our last point, the cause that there is for UNCEASING THANKFULNESSthat God has a people who have received the word of God not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God– "For which cause also thank we God without ceasing."
O there we sadly fail! What an ardent flame of heavenly love burnt in the breast of Paul. He was praising God without ceasing for the blessing that rested upon his ministry. Here we come short; here we see how scanty is our measure of grace, compared with that of the apostle. And yet every Christian minister, every servant of God, must have deep cause for thankfulness in seeing and believing that there is a people who have received his gospel, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God; and in having proofs and evidences how effectually it works in those who believe, from beholding the fruits of faith as manifested by their lips and in their life. John could say, "I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth" (2 John 4); and again, "I have no greater joy, than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4.) So Paul could say to the Thessalonians– "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy." (1 Thess. 2:19, 20); and again, "Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith; For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." (1 Thess. 3:7, 8.)
I hope, though I would wish to speak of myself humbly and modestly as becomes me– yet I would gladly hope that the Lord, not only here, but elsewhere, has caused the gospel I have preached to be received not as the word of men, but as it is, the word of God. And I hope there are those underneath this roof this evening who can set to their seal that they have received what I have said from time to time from this pulpit, not as the word of men, but as the word of God. They have felt at various times a power in the word, as if God himself were pleased to speak to their hearts by it; and from the effects realized by it, in the peace and joy it has communicated, in the liberty which it has brought, in the comfort which it has given, in the sweet assurance with which it has been attended, in the abiding effects which it has wrought, and the permanent effects which it has produced, they can look back and recognize it as having been to them the very voice of God.
Now, my dear friends, this will stand, and stand forever. If you have received what I have spoken to you for these many years only as the word of men, when I am gone all will be gone, and I and it as much forgotten as if I had never preached in your ears the word of life. It will be as vain, as fleeting, as useless as the foam upon the water when stirred by a breeze, will all pass away as the smoke out of a chimney, or as the chaff of the summer threshing floors.
No, worse, for where the gospel is not the savor of life unto life, it is the savor of death unto death (2 Cor. 2:16); and if our gospel be hid, it is hid to those who are lost. (2 Cor. 4:3.) It will little profit you in the great day to have heard the gospel for many years if it has not been made the power of God to your salvation. No, it cannot but increase your condemnation to have seen the light and rebelled against it, to have heard the truth, and yet inwardly or outwardly, in heart or in life to have turned aside to lies.
But you who have received the gospel from my lips as the word of God, and found and felt its effectual power in your heart, will stand every storm and live at last. What you have thus heard and received has been for eternity. It has saved and sanctified your soul, and it will be owned of God at the last day as his voice through me to you. The faith raised up in your heart by the power of this word, the hope that has been communicated, and the love shed abroad by the Holy Spirit through it will all have his approbation in the great day when Christ shall come and all his saints with him. Then you who by his teaching and testimony have believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, even you who can only say you desire to fear his name, be you weak or strong, will be found in him in that day accepted in the beloved.
O that we may now be blessed with a sweet assurance that we shall then enter into the joy of the Lord; when all the infirmities of the flesh shall be forgotten, all the sins of our nature lost and buried in the grave, and we stand before the throne, with palms in our hands and everlasting crowns upon our heads, and all sorrow and sighing forever fled away!
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