Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.... 1 Tim. vi. 12. SOLDIERS of an earthly monarch are regularly enlisted to fight under his banner: they wear his livery and are furnished by him with arms: in a day of battle they prove their courage and faithfulness. So the captain of our salvation chooses and enlists his own soldiers: he puts on them a livery whereby they are known to his enemies : he puts an armour on them and weapons into their hands. From the moment they enlist under him, they enter the field of battle: there is never any peace with the enemy; the fight is the good fight of faith; the prize is eternal life; the daily word of command is, FIGHT....stand to your arms....give no quarter to the enemy....beware of the least truce with them; for the danger is great, the effects will prove awful. It is A GOOD FIGHT: it is in a good cause; under a good captain, who gives good encouragement, and has assured us of certain victory over the worst of enemies. Fight this good fight for the glory of him, who in dying for us has for ever conquered all who are against us. But they are not all dead yet: fight on it is a good fight of FAITH. Dost thou say I have got no faith? Then pull off thy soldier's livery. What hast thou to do in the rank? But who told thee thou art destitute of faith? Why, thou hast laid down thy shield, are got into the enemies' camp; he has seduced thee by his deceitful insinuations, and will prevail over thee. No faith! What meanest thou? Instead of fighting against, thou art parlying with the enemy. Dost thou believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners? Yes, sayest thou, but I have not the comfort of knowing that he is My Saviour! What then? Wilt thou deny thy faith for want of comfort? Desert thy Lord's banner till thou hast got assurance of his love? Fight on against thy worst foe, unbelief, and cry to thy best friend, Lord increase my faith. The battle is the Lord's: thy strength is from him: "be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: all ye that hope in the Lord."....Psalm. xxxi. 24. LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE; it is the free gift of God. Lay hold of it by faith; possess and enjoy it now in the belief of thy heart; hold it fast in hope: quit not thy confidence in it; so shall thy heart be warm with love, thy spirit filled with joy, and thine arms made strong to fight, until thou art crowned in eternal glory. Remember, the joy of thy Lord is thy strength. When death, the last enemy comes, hold fast thy faith, and thou shalt sing, victory in death. True 'tis a fight with many foes, For us too great and strong; Cheer up my soul, look to thy Lord, O'er all thine en'mies power. M. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away....2 Tim. iii. 5. PAUL says, "The gospel is the POWER of God,"....Rom. i. 16.... and "Christ is the POWER of God,"....1 Cor. i. 24....and "that our faith standeth in the POWER of God.".... Cor. ii. 5. Hence it is plain, that godliness is of a powerful nature upon the soul: it consists not in form and shadow, not in notion and speculation, but in the real enjoyment of Christ in the heart; and in an experimental knowledge of the grace of the gospel through faith it is the grand concern of every living and lively member of Christ, to enjoy more of the light, life, liberty, and power of Christ and his gospel. While those who have only the form of godliness, are content if their heads are clear in the notions of divine truths, if they can but see a harmony and consistency in the plan of salvation, give a good account of the doctrines of grace, talk fluently about them and contend earnestly for them: this they are content with and nothing more they seek after. There is a species of the Gnostics among us at this day they place all religion in head knowledge, while they are careless about real, heart experience: such are visible and manifest by their life and walk; they talk high, but live low; they soar aloft in notion, but live and walk low in carnal gratifications, earthly pleasures, and sensual delights: still the form of godliness exists in their heads, but their hearts are void of the power of the Spirit, and the warm influences of the love of God and the grace of Christ: they deny all this; if not in tongue, yet in life and action. What does the apostle advise concerning such? To aim to convince them, and strive to convert their hearts to the power of the truth? No: they are so fortified with head knowledge that you cannot reach their hearts; it would be but lost labour to attempt it; therefore, from such TURN AWAY: leave them; you can do them no good: they may do you much harm. 1st. In catching their spirit and temper ; it is contagious. We may say of such, as Solomon says of the furious man, "make no friendship with him, with him thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul."....Prov. xxii. 24, 25. 2d. Such professors greatly damp and abate the zeal of faith, the joy of hope, and the comfort of love, which are enjoyed in communion and fellowship with God and his Son Jesus Christ; as they have no heart to it, nor relish for it, their conversation will not savour of it; so that you will get no help forward, but rather be driven backward. 3d. You will be in danger of getting a notion that you can enjoy God and the world; have fellowship with both in your heart, while a train of notions only exist in your head. And, lastly, you will learn many specious, but carnal reasons, for throwing off all self-denial, and indulging a light, trifling, worldly spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh....John iii. 6. To learn the total corruption and desperate wickedness of human nature, is a hard lesson to flesh and blood: to have no confidence in the flesh; to consider ourselves upon a level with the very worst and vilest of sinners, yea, with the very devils, in point of hope of salvation in ourselves, is mortifying to our human pride and contrary to our carnal reason:" but the Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth."....Isa. xxiii. 9. He hath effectually done this, by appearing in our nature, and by the doctrines which he taught. All flesh is become so totally corrupt and abominable in the sight of God, so hopeless and helpless, that nothing but the coming of the Son of God could bring salvation to us: he became the Son of man that he might seek and save them that are lost: he seeks us before we seek him: he saves us before we look for salvation from him he comes to us by his word and Spirit, and says, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." The flesh profiteth nothing to salvation: they that are in the flesh cannot please God: there is no good thing dwells in the flesh: therefore no good thing can proceed from it. No man, unless born again out of corrupt nature, born again of the Spirit, can see the kingdom of God. O soul, consider, in order to raise love and gratitude, 1st. That salvation is a work quite out of nature, that the flesh has not the least hand in it, nor contributes the least mite towards it: nay, it is totally averse to salvation by the blood and righteousness of the Son of God: 2d. That the son of God did not come into the world to purchase grace and put it into the hands of nature, to make our flesh holy, righteous and good (as some foolishly talk) that so we might be saved: but he saves us out of nature; he gives us a new birth into himself by his Spirit; he leaves the flesh as he found it, vile and sinful, no good thing in it, that it might be subdued and mortified by the Spirit; yea crucified, as accursed and devoted to death and destruction, because of the sin which dwelleth in it. 3d. Art thou born again of the Spirit, so as to believe in Christ alone for salvation? Beware of having the least cònfidence in the flesh: aim not to make any shew in the flesh: this ministers to the pride and righteousness of the flesh. Know, thy flesh, with its corruption and lusts, as an enemy to thy Saviour and to the peace and holiness of thy soul: treat it as such keep it low daily. Lastly, see all thy righteousness and perfection in the Son of God: glory only in him and of him: look on thyself, though ever so vile, yet shining most gloriously in the sight of God, in the glorious robe and glittering garments of him who is "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."....Jer. xxiii. 6. But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.... 2 Sam. xv. 26. : HERE is majesty in distress, a kingdom in confusion, and the king's royal heart struck with a panic. Every circumstance concurs to heighten poor David's sorrow: his own son had stole away the hearts of his subjects, raised a most unnatural rebellion against his royal father, and caused him to flee from his city. Very excellently says one, "Let a child of God be but two or three years without an affliction, and he is almost good for nothing he cannot pray, nor meditate, nor discourse at that rate he was wont to do: but when a new affliction comes, he finds his tongue; he comes to his knees with fervency, and lives at another rate." Perhaps David was never more weaned from self-confidence, nor did his faith ever run higher, nor was his soul bowed lower, nor did he ever breathe with more humble submission to divine sovereignty than at, this time. O, how does his grace shine in this speech! As though he had said to Zadock the priest, "Return with the ark: I hope I shall have the Lord's real presence with me, though I have not the symbol of it: I see myself in his hands: I firmly believe God's everlasting love to me: he is my Saviour and my salvation: I know my immortal soul is safe: how he will direct the event of this dark providence, I know not. If it appears that the Lord has no delight in me, as the king of his people, if he suffers my crown and kingdom to be taken from me, his will be done; he has a sovereign right to pull down one and set up another. By him kings reign: by his will they are deposed. Behold, here I am, let him do unto me as it seemeth good unto him. Love makes all things work together for good." O christian, dost thou not admire his faith in his God, his resignation to the divine will, his submission to sovereign purposes, and his unreserved acquiescence with the counsel of the Lord? Let that man blush, who would dare impeach the character or speak of the faith of David in a diminutive sense, as though it was of the pigmy kind, not to be compared with the faith of a christian. O, for more of the grace of faith, to follow the bright example of this Old Testament saint: though his own beloved son, though his own dear subjects were against him; though driven from his palace, yet the presence of his God and the power of his Spirit was with him. Well might David say, "it is good for me that I have been afflicted."....Psalm cxix. 71. Ever remember, O soul, whatever thy afflctions may be, whoever may be against thee to heighten them and aggravate thy sorrows, yet the Lord hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." ....Heb. xiii. 5. Mav we possess that humble frame, And trusts and waits upon his name, Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God who pleadeih the cause of his people, &c....Isa. li. 22. "Who pleadeth THOU poor soul, art thou almost at thy wits' end; drunk with trouble and intoxicated with affliction; over thee do men insult and satan triumph? Are they saying to thee? "Bow down," thou poor insignificant wretch, "that we may go over thee," you a christian, you are not what you profess: in the lowliness of thy mind, and in the meekness of thy heart, dost thou take all this? And as it were, hast thou laid thy body on the ground and sufferedst thyself to be walked over? All this cannot satisfy the fury of thine enemies. Wherein art thou to take comfort under all this? Verily, from, THUS SAITH THY LORD. THY LORD: mind that: however men treat thee, they cannot take THY LORD nor his love from thee; nor should they at any time disturb thy peace, or destroy thy comfort in him; for the LORD IS THY GOD: THY is again repeated: why? that thou shouldst take special notice of it; be doubly confident in it. O the sweetness of these pronouns, MY and THY. The preciousness of the gospel (says Luther) consists in them. the cause of his people :" who doth this but Jesus? Then he is THY Lord: the LORD and THY God. Canst thou desire a better? Wouldst thou look to any other pleader? This righteous advocate hath fully undertaken thy cause, without fee or reward: yea, such his amazing love for thee, such his astonishing readiness to serve thee, that unsought, unasked, he voluntarily undertook to plead thy desperate cause. Thou art not asked to put it into his hands but art thou content and happy to see it there? Canst thou help loving and thanking such a dear advocate, such a blessed Mediator? This precious pleader hath two points to carry for us. 1st. To acquit us from every charge of the law, every condemnation of justice, and all the fury of divine wrath due to our sins. 2d. To obtain for us the comforting, renewing, sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost: for these he pleads the perfect atonement of his death and the spotless obedience of his life. O, let what he ever pleads before the throne, be the constant objects of our faith: so shall we triumph over all the powers of darkness, the evil of sin, the curse of the law, and even sing victory in distress. Mind this precious word and rejoice: "the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will beautify the meek with salvation."....Psalm cxlix. 4. Then do you take pleasure in the Lord and glory in his salvation. I shall prevail for Jesus pleads, 1 |