SERMON XXXIV.

DIST. V. CHARACTERISTIC.

CONCLUSION.

PETER AND JOHN.*

Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.-John xxi. 20-22.

AMIDST the benefits which arise from looking at example in religion there are likewise some practical evils. Persons are too much swayed by comparisons. They are needlessly depressed, or unsafely elevated, by comparing their experience too much with the experience of others. If they can sanction their own low standard of holy living by an example which, especially and eminently, ought to be their directory, they are insecurely contented; forgetting that the value of the proof depends always on the trueness of the test. Whereas, if a brother or a sister in Christ seem to pass them by on their journey, and to advance very far before them towards the goal of Christian

* These characters are again introduced, not to repeat their biography, but to illustrate a general subject by one incident in their history.

perfection—if the graces of others appear to be more matured, and their character more completed, and their confidence more established-if their faith appears to be stronger, their hope more steadfast, their love more fervent,—then many a diffident believer, who has learned in the school of Christ to think meanly of that which is for good in himself, and largely of that which is evil, shall be depressed and dissatisfied at the view of his own short-comings. But often, we say, he shall be thus disquieted needlessly. And why do we so judge?—for various reasons. We say that such are needlessly discouraged, because the whole natural character and turn of mind in those other disciples is of a totally different description :-their graces, as they appear to be, are frequently in a great degree, the parts and features of the natural disposition,-their meekness is natural simplicity, their devotion is natural seriousness, their faith is natural credulity. We say again that such discouragement is needless,-because many of those elevated disciples, who are viewed with such emulation, are not in the sight of God what they are in the sight of their fellow ;- we do not know the heart, and this is not all the evil-they do not know it either; -all is not gold that glisters,—the humble, contrite worshipper, who walks with God softly and safely in the valley of humiliation, has a better portion to trust to than those who are high upon the mountain, exposed to all the storms of temptation, the blasts of Satanic assault, the gaze of the world below them, and the dangerous precipices of self-delusion. And again we affirm that this depression is needless,-because it may be the Lord's good pleasure that some of his chosen generation should receive more largely of his fulness than what he has appointed unto others,-or else it may be his will, that some particular grace may be conspicuous in one, some grace of an equal value distinguish the spirit of another. "To each of

us grace is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ;" and this will be the feeling of every real disciple-'I am thankful to be, though but as a hewer of wood, or drawer of water, in Jehovah's tabernacle ! I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than dwell in the palaces of ungodliness." "He that wrought effectually in Peter," says St. Paul, for one purpose, "the same was mighty in me" for another. "Lord," said Peter, in the text, "seeing another disciple following,-Lord, and what of this man-what shall he do? Jesus saith to him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."

Seeing, therefore, brethren, that there is, and is to be, this diversity of character, this is evident— that the great, essential duty for every separate person who wishes to seek the Lord is, instead of comparing with others, to make religion and all its exercises an individual matter-a matter of personal enquiry, of separate personal application. In closing, therefore, by this discourse, the course of Sermons on Conversion which has occupied us for a long time past, and taking up the consideration of our fifth leading distinction in that great and important work-a distinction characteristic—a distinction in the subsequent character of the disciples of Jesus after they have become converted-I shall just endeavour to enforce this one principle-that, amongst the multitude of real but distant, and of doubtful, and of defective followers of Jesus around us, there is only one safe course for us, and that is to make religion a separate personal affair with us ;-to take the Scripture only, and with prayer for Divine teaching, apply it to our own heart, and to our own experience ;-to use the question, and obey the suggestion of St. Paul, "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God ;"to avoid those comparisons with others which the

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Lord interdicted when he said" what is that to thee?" and to obey the direction which he added to it "follow thou me."

There can be no doubt to any reasonable person, but that the main business of life for every one of us is to take care of this point, that we do lay hold of the hope set before us and the grace given us in the Gospel before we come to a dying hour. But the question now before us is-how we are to conduct ourselves in the Church of our Lord, as members mutually together in him, and every one members one of another; so that while, on the one hand, we make a profitable use of the communion of saints, we may not make an abuse of it, on the other, to hinder and interrupt us in running the race that is set before us. These two points, therefore, I shall attempt to take up and examine in this discourse,

I. The abuses which may be made of the mutual position in which believers are placed as fellow-pilgrims and sojourners, and

II. The uses which it may be applied to.

I. Consider we, first, the abuses. I shall mention four of them, and all partaking of one character, viz. that by looking too much at man in this matter, this effect is produced upon such persons' religion,there is in it a resting in the creature, instead of looking upward to the creature's God:-"Lord, and what shall this man do? What is that to thee?" said Jesus,-" follow thou me."

1. In the first place, the religion of such, who look too much at their fellow-sinners, and too little at their Lord and Saviour,-who are ready to ask concerning every one but themselves, "Lord, and what of this man?"-their religion becomes a religion of

custom-a religion of creature-conformity and not of Divine influence. We believe this to be the state of a large proportion of the younger part of those who are counted Christians in the present generationthose who are members of Christian families, and trained for life and its after duties under religious discipline. They are taught from their earliest childhood the principles of the Gospel; but they learn them from man's teaching-from flesh and bloodand not from the Lord revealing his secrets to them. They are acted upon by example, which is used to influence their will,-they are told to look at such an one, or to listen to such another, or to imitate such another; but it is man's example-it is an influence drawn from the creature, and not from the creature's God. They are told to form certain habits,-to spend such a time in prayer, in reading, or in self-examination; but it is a human restriction-a law of bondage on the conscience; and the motive and the power to keep it is only derived through the creature,—it is not a sense of privilege which comes from the love of Christ constraining. And then they are taught to perform certain outward works,-to join religious societies, to visit the widows and the fatherless, to deluge the country with religious tracts, to further the interests of Sunday schools, and other such labours of charity, of which it is easily forgotten that all their reality of value depends upon the motive from which they originate. "A cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple shall not lose its reward;" but of "many wonderful works" it shall be said at last to the doers,-"ye are workers of iniquity."

Now all this is the religion of custom-the religion of creature-conformity put in the place of Divine influence. The instruction-the example-the restriction- the outward diligence-are all gotten