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==But now, secondly==

II. But now, secondly, our other text informs us that Christ's followers have been known as the sect of the Nazarenes — that is to say, they must expect to bear a measure of the indignities poured upon their leader. Dear young friends, I want to press some matters home upon you who have lately joined the church, and also upon you who love the Lord — but have never yet confessed it.

If you follow Christ fully — you will be sure to be called by some foul name or other. For, first, they will say how singular you are. "My inheritance," says God, "has become like a speckled bird — that other birds of prey surround and attack!" If you become a true Christian — you will soon be a marked man. They will say, "How odd he is!" "How singular she is!" They will think that we try to make ourselves remarkable, when, in fact, we are only conscientious, and are endeavoring to obey what we think to be the word of God. Oftentimes that is the form of contempt: practical Christians are set down as intentionally eccentric and willfully odd.

Mothers have brought that charge against daughters who have been faithful to Christ, because they would not go into gaiety, or indulge in vain apparel; and many a working man has said it to his fellow man by way of accusation, "You must be different from anybody else." This difference, which God has made a necessity, men treat as a mere whim of our own. If we do not come out from among them, and be separate — we cannot expect to be housed beneath the wings of the Eternal; but if we do, we may reckon upon being regarded by those around us as strange, unfriendly creatures.

Then, again, they will say to the genuine Christian, "Why, you are so old-fashioned! Look at you now! You believe the same old things that they used to believe in Oliver Cromwell's day — those old Puritanical doctrines. Do you not know that the world has made a great progress since those times, and we have entered upon the nineteenth century; a wonderful century, never was century like it. There was only one Solomon centuries ago — but we are all Solomons now, the very least of us, while the greater ones far excel a thousand Solomons rolled into one. The nineteenth century! And here are you, you still stick to an old book that was written, half of it ages ago, and the other half is at least eighteen hundred years old! Will you never move with the times? Will you get as far as Moses, and Jesus, and John, and stay there?"

Yes, exactly there! We go not an inch beyond Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. We try to hold fast the faith that was once delivered to the saints. In ordinances we hold to the olden baptism, and the ancient supper; in doctrine we abide by the truths which Paul taught among the Gentiles, for we feel that we cannot improve upon them. We would wish to exhibit the same spirit as Jesus Christ our Lord, for we know we shall never improve upon his perfections. Therefore they say, "You are so old-fashioned;" and we answer that for this we tender no apology.

When that form of criticism does not take effect, they laugh at our faith. They say, "You simple-minded people have great capacity for believing! Look at us, we are far too sensible to believe anything. We do not feel sure about anything. What we think we know today we are not certain of; we are so receptive that we may learn the reverse tomorrow. We get our faith out of our own moral consciousness, and compel even the Scriptures to plead at the bar of our inward conceptions. We do not want to have things revealed to us and to have a book, and bind ourselves down to a book revelation; we are our own teachers, judges, and infallible guides, and the very idea of absolutely certain truth is abhorred by us.

"As to this Spirit of God that you trust in, it is sheer enthusiasm. There is nothing in it, and we wonder that you should be so credulous, when instead of that you ought to be rational, and believe in Huxley. Do not be credulous and believe in God — but be rational and believe in Voltaire and Tom Paine." This is another sting for the Nazarenes — but happily it has small power to vex us, since our reverence for the authorities of modern wisdom is not sufficient to make us fear their scoffs.

Time was, when Christianity was opposed by men of real ability, masters in learning — but in the present age its antagonists are men of much smaller caliber, whose lack of argument is scantily concealed by the outrageous absurdities which they invent. Instead of attempting to overwhelm us by the weight of their learning, they endeavor to surprise us with unexpected hypotheses, which we are more inclined to ridicule than to refute; and then, with mock sobriety, they assert that our bewilderment is defeat. The spears of the phalanx of reason are seen no more — but the shafts of folly stand thick upon our shields. In this, also, we shall conquer through the blood of the Lamb. Meanwhile we leave sneers of contempt to those who are such masters of them. It is for Nazarenes to receive — but not to return, insult.

Another arrow of contempt, is the assertion that Christian people have not their liberty. "Look at you, you dare not go to the theater; you dare not drink." "Why," says one man, "I like a jolly drink sometimes; and if I were a Christian, I could not enjoy that great privilege." No, friend, you certainly would lose that booze of yours. As far as we are concerned, we have no ambition in that direction. Some of us know a little of what the amusements of the ungodly are, and we are astonished that you should be able to find contentment in them, for they do not suit our taste at all. We never envy hogs their mire. Let them have their trough well-filled as often as they please. We have no taste in that direction. 

But you need not say that we have no liberty because we do not feed out of the swine trough — for such liberty we never desired. We have liberty to serve God and do good, and this is the freedom which we covet. We have liberty to do as we like, for we like to do what God would have us do, and we pray that our likes may every day be more and more conformed to the liking of God. There is not much after all in the taunt, "You God-fearing people are cowardly; you dare not enjoy yourselves." We live daily so as to give this taunt the lie, for we are a happy people, a free people, even we who are of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Again, some turn around upon true Christians for their not being very choice in their company. If we associated only with the rich and great, whose society, as far as I know of it, is about the poorest thing out — we would then be acting properly. Keep to "society," and society will smile upon you; but if you attend meetings where you call a barrow-boy your brother, where the washer-woman is your sister, where so long as people love Christ — you count them the best of company; then you are low and vulgar — a Nazarene. If you are willing to be a true brother to a black man, or to one who is an outcast in condition, who was actually seen with a broom sweeping a crossing — then, of course, you cannot expect to be recognized by anybody who is anybody.

Listen to the world's ridicule of true Christian churches where there is real brotherly love and true fraternity. They cannot endure it. Well, they may do without it then — but this shall be my glory, that God has made of one blood all nations of men which dwell upon the face of the earth, and that where there is a touch of grace in any man — his dress and his rank are nothing to me. Real believers in Jesus are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ — however poor or however illiterate they may be. 

This is the very genius of Christianity. To the poor, the gospel is preached: as soon as men enter into the church of Christ, all outward distinctions are forgotten, and they are one in the gracious family of God their Father. This, however, is the subject of contempt even among those who profess and call themselves Christians. Many of your fine ladies and gentlemen would not own Jesus himself — if he were now upon earth! And as for his disciples, I am sure they would get the cold shoulder on all sides. I, for one, never expect to see saints fashionable, nor holiness popular. Let us be content to be base and vulgar in men's esteem, for the Lord's sake.

And then, if God's servants will preach the truth outright, or if not being preachers, they will hold it, and dare to avow it — I warrant you they will soon meet with some contemptuous title or other. Pare down the gospel, cut away its angles, remove the lion's teeth — and then at once you shall be friends with the world! But hold the doctrines of grace, bring forth the atonement, speak out plainly, have your convictions and state them — and soon the hounds will be after you full cry! 

Say that the Bible and the Bible alone is the religion of true Christians, and that we are not bound by prayer-books, synods, conferences, or anything of the kind — but only by the word of God, and you shall see what you shall see, for all sorts of people will be against you. Live a godly, gracious life — and you will not escape persecution. You may be happily circumstanced so as to live among earnest Christians, and so escape persecution — but take the average Christian man in this city, and he will have a hard time of it if he is faithful, and he will be pointed at by some opprobrious name or other, something like Paul, was when they said he was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

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