his design, our purposes will be fulfilled. Thus, if a man speaks falsely, or acts unfairly, or injures his neighbour, or dishonours God's ordinances for the sake of promoting his own interests, he is advancing himself by the means which Satan provides for him, putting his trust in God's enemy, and recognizing his sovereignty. Alas, my brethren, what cause for shame and grief is here! Think how at various times in years past we have submitted to that degrading slavery. Think how we have thrown from our necks the light and easy yoke of Christ, and stooped to let another bind us down with the cords of vanity. Having once been made free, we have again enslaved ourselves; for by wilful sin we fall back again into that state from which we were redeemed. Did we forget that we had been purged from our old sins, that we could again yield ourselves to him who was our master by nature? Have we now forgotten what we were, and what we became, and what we are? .... Let us hear how Almighty God reminds us of our misery, and His mercy, by the mouth of the Prophet Ezekiel. "As for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee,.... nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, hatred, he is near us when we sin, and lays his iron yoke upon our necks, as his toils are entangling our feet. Remember what he said to our Saviour in the wilderness after he had shown Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; "All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me."5 Now that towards which he allured our Saviour he effects in us, when he leads us into sin; for whenever we wilfully choose to disobey the commandment of God, we are doing the bidding of another master. Unconsciously it may be, but certainly we are putting our trust in him, and making him our God. For why do men do wrong? Is it not because it seems to them that they will in some way be the better for it, or because they suppose it to be easier, pleasanter, more desirable? Is it not because they esteem the better way hard and disagreeable? And is not this to choose the wages of Satan? Pleasure, and ease, and money, and honourable estate, and the good-will of men, these, and such as these, are his wages. With these he pays men for yielding to his temptations; and all who enjoy any of these seeming good things as the price of doing wrong, are receiving and using the wages of the Evil One, and thereby acknowledging his lordship over them. Let no man deceive himself. When we choose to do wrong, we choose the service of Satan. When we set our hearts upon some fancied good, and care not how we attain it, he will help us to the means, and then by his power, and according to 5 St. Matt. iv. 9. his design, our purposes will be fulfilled. Thus, if a man speaks falsely, or acts unfairly, or injures his neighbour, or dishonours God's ordinances for the sake of promoting his own interests, he is advancing himself by the means which Satan provides for him, putting his trust in God's enemy, and recognizing his sovereignty. Alas, my brethren, what cause for shame and grief is here! Think how at various times in years past we have submitted to that degrading slavery. Think how we have thrown from our necks the light and easy yoke of Christ, and stooped to let another bind us down with the cords of vanity. Having once been made free, we have again enslaved ourselves; for by wilful sin we fall back again into that state from which we were redeemed. Did we forget that we had been purged from our old sins, that we could again yield ourselves to him who was our master by nature? Have we now forgotten what we were, and what we became, and what we are? Let us hear how Almighty God reminds us of our misery, and His mercy, by the mouth of the Prophet Ezekiel. "As for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born, .... neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee,.... nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live." Such is our condition by nature, miserably forlorn and helpless; and such is the tender pity of God, exercised towards us with abundant liberality and goodness, as farther described by the same Prophet: "Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God."7 In their fulness, indeed, these glorious gifts are the inheritance only of the spouse of Christ, the whole company of the redeemed ones. But yet to each of us He gave our portion. He washed our bodies with pure water, and our whole nature in His own healing blood, and anointed us with the oil of heavenly grace, and wrapped us in the garment of salvation. The fine linen, the righteousness of the saints, and the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, Ezekiel, xvi. 4-6. Ezekiel, xvi. 9-14. 6 7 and the girdle of truth, and the jewels of divine virtues, and the crown that fadeth not away, were all the portion of our inheritance. How, then, could we find in our hearts to return again to the filthiness of sin? Is it not an awful thing to have defiled that which God had cleansed; to have dimmed the glory which was His gift, a reflection of His brightness; to have torn and defaced the beautiful garments with which He had clothed us? Let us, then, observe how the Prophet proceeds to warn us of the miserable consequences of our sins. "Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered; . . behold, therefore, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their hand, and ... . they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare." "Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore, I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God."8 Now if, as we trust, we have escaped the full measure of this misery by repentance; and if Almighty God has been and is more merciful to us than we Ezekiel, xvi. 36–43. 8 |