This sermon is very encouraging for the believer and I hope you are edified
and comforted by it as well. Charles Spurgeon's sermon below is
beneficial,
in my humble opinion, for the Christians to read.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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PATIENCE, COMFORT, AND HOPE FROM THE SCRIPTURES
by C.H. Spurgeon
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope."-Romans 15:4
The apostle Paul was an inspired man when he wrote this Epistle, so there
was no necessity, on the part of the Holy Spirit, when guiding his mind
and
pen, to employ words which had been used before in the Scriptures, for his
language is unlimited. Yet Paul, inspired as he, was, frequently quoted
from the Old Testament, and in the verse preceding our text he quotes
from the Psalms: "As it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached
thee fell on me." One special reason for quoting from the Old Testament
was, doubtless, to, put honor upon it, for the Holy Spirit foresaw that
there
would be some, in these later days, who would speak of it disparagingly.
Not so did our Lord Jesus Christ; not so did his apostles; not so did any
by
whom the Holy Ghost spake. The Old Testament is not to be regarded
with one jot less of reverence and love than is the New Testament; they
must remain bound together, for they are the one revelation of the mind
and will of God; and woe be to the man who shall attempt to rend asunder
that seamless garment of Holy Scripture.
There are some who speak of the Old Testament as if it were worn out;
but, indeed, it has about it all the freshness, and the force, and the dew
of
it's youth; and, in the additional light that the New Testament throws
upon
its histories, its prophecies, and its promises, it has gathered force
rather
than lost any, so that we, probably, can appreciate the Old Testament
Scripture fair more highly now that we have the New Testament also than
we could have done if we had not received both the early and the later
revelations.
Some have supposed that the light of the New Testament is so bright that
it, quite eclipses the light of the Old Testament, as the rising of the
sun
makes us forget the moon; but it is not so. The Old Testament now ****nes
with a brighter light than ever to those whose faith is fixed on Jesus
Christ,
and whose eyes behold him in the pages of the New Testament. I confess
that, sometimes, a type or an emblem, which would have been dark or
obscure but for the light that has been shed upon it by the New Testament,
has seemed to me, if possible, to be clearer even than the New Testament
itself. I have seemed to see the brightness of the glory of the revelation
concentrated and focussed about some of the darker passages of the Old
Testament so manifestly that, instead of the Old seeming to be outdone by
the New, I have almost thought it to be the other way, if such a thought
might be tolerated for a moment. There is no need, however, to compare
them, for they are both a part of that all Scripture which is
God-breathed.
Nor has the authority of the Old Testament ceased. Of course, the legal
ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation are done away with, for we are not
under the law, but under grace; yet; even in their passing away, they
answer an im****tant purpose. They often afford us instruction where they
are not needed for direction. Still is it true, my brethren, concerning
the
entire Book, that it was" written for our learning;" and he is a learned
man
who knows much of Scripture, but he is unlearned, and unstable in the
things of God, who knows a thousand other things, 'but does not know
what" things were written aforetime," and who does not bend his soul, his
heart, his intellect, to the believing and the understanding of that which
God has spoken of old time by his prophets and apostles.
Believing this most truly, as I am sure we do, let us think, for a little
while,
about Holy Scripture and that which grows out of it. The text says, "that
we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."
I shall take the liberty of reading the text, not exactly as it is in our
version,
but putting in the articles which our translators have left out; I never
like to
leave out the article where it is inserted by the original writer. So the
passage runs thus, "That we through the patience and the comfort of the
Scriptures might have the hope." That rendering conveys to us another
shade of meaning, and I am convinced that it is the true one. Grammatical
construction requires that the meaning should be thus brought out by the
use of the articles.
So, first, we will consider the patience of the Scriptures; secondly, the
comfort, of the Scriptures; and then, thirdly; though that may not be
precisely according to the letter of the text, yet, I think, perfectly
consistent
with truth,-the hope of the Scriptures.
I. First, then, let us think of THE PATIENCE OF THE SCRIPTURES. You,
know, beloved? that we are saved by faith, and that, by faith, we find
complete and immediate salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. But you must
never forget that, as soon as we are saved, we come under the discipline
of
Christ, and a part of that discipline lies in the exercise of patience,-
patience in many senses,-"the patience of the Scriptures."
First, there is the patience inculcated in the Scriptures, of which I
should
say, first, that it signifies resignation to the divine will In the olden
times,
the Scriptures enjoined submission to the will of the Most High, whatever
that submission might involve. Solomon wrote, "My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the
Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth."
The Lord himself said, by the mouth of his servant, the psalmist, "Be
still,
and know that I am God." And the Holy Spirit said, through the lips of the
weeping prophet, Jeremiah, "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man
for the punishment of his sins?" The Old Testament, like the New, bids us
be patient under the hand of God. So we must be my brethren. Submit
yourselves unto God, for this is an essential part of the life of faith.
The
man who will not yield himself up to the divine will, and meekly bear it,
whatever it may be, is evidently rebellious against his God. How, then,
can
he be said to be trusting in the Lord? He has at 1east some unbelief still
clinging to him; for, were he fully a believer, he would resign himself to
the
Lord's will, and humble himself under the mighty hand of God that he
might exalt him in due time.
This patience also includes a continuance in the good work and walk,
though we may have to face human or even Satanic opposition. The
patience inculcated in the Scriptures is a patient perseverance in well
doing;
it is the walking in the path of the just, which "****neth more and more
unto
the perfect day;" it is the constant abiding in the fear of the Lord.
Nowhere
does either the Old or the New Testament speak of our being saved by a
kind of tem****ary faith or a spasm, of love; but herein is seen the
patience
of the saints,-that, although they are opposed by the seed of the serpent,
and by the old serpent himself, they still hold on their way, despite all
opposition and persecution, even to the end, and so they are saved.
This patience of the saints includes also the bearing of our brother's
burdens. It is in that connection that our text appears: "We then that are
strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please
ourselves;" and this is part of the patience inculcated in the Scriptures.
The
old law taught men to love their neighbors as themselves. Now, we quickly
make excuses for our own infirmities, and it therefore behoves us to
endure
the infirmities of others,-to put a kind construction on what might have
been harshly condemned,-to bear with the misconceptions of our conduct
made by others in their mistake, or even misrepresentations made in their
anger,-to be gentle and tender as a nurse is with a child,-never to be
hard, and harsh, and severe, for this is contrary to the second table of
the
law which can be summed up in the brief expression, love to men. Oh, I
would to God that we had more of this spirit in ALL our churches! Our
Savior said to his disciples, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye
love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." But
how often is that new commandment forgotten in the impatient way in
which we show our petulance towards weak and perhaps provoking saints!
God grant that, in the future, we may have more patience in this respect!
Patience, in the Old Testament, is often set forth in waiting for the
fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies. The patriarchs had to
wait;
Israel had to wait; we also are exhorted to wait on the Lord, and to be of
good courage, for he shall strengthen our heart. "Though the vision tarry,
wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." So you see
that
the patience of the Scriptures, that is to say, the patience which the
Scriptures inculcate, is that which we all need to exercise.
But it is able the patience which the Scriptures exhibit; for, when you
turn
to the grand old Book, you find that it gives us, in actual life, the
exemplification of the precepts which were written upon the tables of
stone, or upon the ancient rolls of Scripture. "Ye have heard of the
patience of Job," says the apostle James Ye may not have to sit among the
ashes as he did, or to endure such trials as fell upon him; but, between
here
and heaven, you may expect to have losses, and crosses, and bereavements,
and harsh words from those who ought to be your comforters. O beloved,
may you have, at such times, the patience of the Scriptures, and be able
to
say, with Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord." Job is one of the earthly patterns of patience,
though he was not perfect in it. May our patience at least come up to his
standard!
We need, too, the patience of David. He held on his way, though opposed
by wicked men, and especially by Saul, who hunted him like a partridge
upon the mountains. Yet David behaved himself with discretion, and would
not lift up his hand to smite the Lord's anointed, even though the crown
of
Israel seemed again and again to be within his reach. You know how
patiently he persevered, notwithstanding all the opposition which came to
thrust him out of his course.
Then with regard to bearing the infirmities of our brethren, you know the
patience of the Scriptures as set forth in the case of Joseph. How tender
and kind he was to his brethren even when he seemed to be most severe to
them! With what a generous heart did he forgive their cruelty to him! You
remember how he framed excuses for them as he said, "So now it was not
you that sent me hither, but God;" though he knew right well that, in
their
jealousy and malice, they had sold him for a slave.
If I speak of the patience that waits for the fulfillment of promises, I
may
remind you that the Old Testament sets before you notable examples of
this kind of waiting in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob-They waited long in
the land of which they owned not so much as a single foot, except the
field
that contained Abraham's place of burial in the cave of Machpelah;
dwelling in tents, they waited, sojourners with God, and strangers in the
land, until the time when the promise should be fulfilled. This is just
how
you also have to live, believer. This world is not a place of rest for
you,
for
it is polluted; so you are to live the separated life of a pilgrim and a
stranger until the Lord shall bring you into the Heavenly Canaan, and give
you the" inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away," which is "reserved in heaven for you."
This patience is, however, most clearly set forth in the Scriptures in the
life
of our dear Lord and Master. You will find in him patience in its highest
perfection. He is the model of patient perseverance in the work his Father
gave him to do; the pattern of patient silence under the reproaches and
sarcasms of wicked men, the image of patient suffering as he bowed his
head unto death, even the death of the crests. He it is, "who for the joy
that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." This is part
of
the patience of the Scriptures, and such patience as this we have, each
one
of us, to seek.
But, in addition to its being the patience inculcated, and the patience
exhibited, it is the patience produced by the Scriptures. Beloved, if you
read the Scriptures diligently, and meditate much upon them;-if you drink
in of their spirit, it will be with you as it; is with certain insects
which, when
they feed upon a peculiar kind of flower, their silk is coloured like that
upon which they feed. You shall find that, feeding upon the patience of
the
Scriptures, in meditation and prayer, you yourself will find reproduced in
you the patience of the Scriptures. If you want to kill impatience, turn
to
the Word of God, look out an appropriate text, ask to have it applied to
your heart by the Holy Spirit, and see whether the grace of patience is
not
thus implanted within you. Have you become weary in well-doing? Then,
stay yourselves upon a precious promise, and your weariness will speedily
depart. Do you seem as if you could not bear the continued opposition of
ungodly men? Turn you to the promises of your gracious Lord and Master,
and you shall learn to rejoice, and be exceeding glad, even when they
persecute you., and say all manner of evil against you falsely for his
name's
sake. The saints of God have long proved that the Scriptures produce
patience. There is no literature in the world theft is comparable to the
many
Books that are here put into one library called the Bible. There are no
philosophical maxims, under heaven, that can produce such patience as the
Word of God produces when 'the Spirit of God comes riding in his own
chariot of the Word into the soul of man. It is not the patience of a
brute
beast that cannot complain, or the patience of the stoic who refuses to
feel.
It is the patience of a child who believes in his father's love, the
patience of
a soldier who does not expect to conquer the, enemy without stern
fighting, the patience of a pilgrim who pushes on because he believes in
the
inheritance which he will ultimately reach. This is the patience of the
Scriptures; may God, of his great mercy, work it in each one of us!
II. Then, in addition to the patience of the Scriptures, we are exhorted
to
seek to possess THE COMFORT OF THE SCRIPTURES.
It is not right for us to be patient, yet miserable. I think I have seen
some,
who professed to be Christians, give themselves up to a mode of life which
was not at all what it Should be. They did not actually complain, but one
could see that they were not happy. This is not the point to which the
Spirit
of God would bring us; he would have us get the comfort of the Scriptures.
Well, now, what is the comfort of the Scriptures?
To go over the same heads again, I should say that it is, first, the
comfort
which the Scriptures inculcate. You know how the Word of God abounds
in injunctions and promises concerning comfort and consolation. "Comfort
ye, comfort, ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem." There are many passages, in the Old Testament, in which we
are plainly exhorted to be glad; and when you come to the New Testament,
you have such messages as this. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe
in God, believe also in me;" or this, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and
again
I
say, Rejoice." The Scripture bids us not merely to submit to tribulation,
but
to rejoice in it;-not simply to be patient, but to glory in infirmities,
to
glory in trials, to glory in tribulations, because then the grace of God
rests
upon us all the more manifestly.
Then, brethren, we should have the comfort which the Scriptures exhibit.
What a charming picture of a comfortable, happy frame of mind is that of
Enoch: who walked with God for centuries together! "Enoch walked with
God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years." How beautifully do
we see the spirit of consolation exhibited in the character of Abraham,
who, with all his troubles, as a stranger in a strange land, walks among
men
as a king! Have you never envied that quiet dignity with which, believing
in
God, he seemed also to master all around him without any sign of agitation
of mind? Oh, that you had such comfort as he had when he took his son,
his only son, whom he loved, to offer him up for a sacrifice! You never
have had such a trim as that; and, probably, you never will: but in all
that
time of testing, what solid comfort he had! There were no written
Scriptures then, yet how grand is the consolation which the Scripture
describes him as having! "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up
Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten
son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
accounting
that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from hence also he
received him in a figure." Therefore, he staggered not at the promise
through unbelief. Admire, too, the comfort that you often see in the caste
of David. His was a troubled life, but he stayed himself upon his God. As
one remarkable instance of this, think of the time when he came back from
the Philistines, and found Ziklag burned, all who were left in it carried
away captive, and the people"-his own followers-"spake of stoning
him;-but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." All through the
Psalms, you get beautiful pictures of the comfort that David enjoyed even
in his times of trouble. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art
thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Thus he talked to
himself, and admonished himself; and even when he sank in deep waters, he
still cried unto the Lord, and still hoped in his mercy. What a sweet song
of
hope he sings in the 23rd Psalm! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod
and
thy staff they comfort me."
So, be patient, brethren, but be comfortable, too. Submit to the will of
God, but do not do it like slaves who submit because they must, but like
children who learn to rejoice in their father's will, and who, though they
cannot understand it, yet believe it to be good and right. If you want to
exhibit, the comfort of the Scriptures, do as Hezekiah did when Rabshakeh
came with Sennacherib's letter full of filthiness and blasphemy:
"Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the
Lord." This is the comfort of the Scriptures, that we may go to the Lord
in
the worst time of trouble, and spread the whole case before the eye of
infinite love, expecting and being sure that God will, in some way, work
deliverance for us.
And, as I said about the patience of the Scriptures, so is it with the
comfort. I have spoken of the comfort which the Scriptures inculcate and
exhibit; now I want to speak of the comfort which the Scriptures produce.
Oh, how sweetly do the Scriptures console and cheer the heart! I am only
saying what many of you, dear brothers and sisters, know as well as I do,
and I know it in my very heart. There have been times, in my life, when
all
the words of men, however kindly they. may have been spoken, have
altogether failed to comfort me; but a promise-ay, I was about to say,
half
a promise-from God has lifted my soul out of the depths of despair, and
made it rise like a lark, singing as it soared in the clear sunlight of
Jehovah's countenance. When the Spirit of God applies even the briefest
****tion of Scripture to our spirit, it is a balm for every care, and the
end
of
every difficulty. We are glad, then, in the worst of weathers, to take up
our
cross, and go on our way rejoicing, when the consolations of the Holy
Scriptures are applied to us by the Holy Ghost. For, brethren, the
Scriptures always exactly fit our case, whatever it may be. Was there ever
a
book that was so much written, for you as this Book is. I claim that it
was
written for me, yet I grant, that it was also written for you;-I mean, not
merely for you ALL, as a whole congregation, but for each child of God.
There are passages in the Bible which sometimes come to my heart with
such force that it seems as if the Holy Spirit must have written them the
very day I read them. He must have known all about my case, for he has
put a little word into that verse which just exactly suits me. I know that
it
was written thousands of years ago, but what a marvellous prescience must
have been there to foresee the peculiarity and speciality of my trim! Have
not you found it so, beloved? Has not the comfort of the Scriptures been
so suitable, so tender, so condescending, that you have enjoyed it, and
been
made glad by it?
There is also this further comfort, that the Scriptures are so certain.
When
we have trusted in a praise of God, we have not relied upon a
cunninglydevised
fable. When we rely upon a covenant declaration, it is not a bruised
reed which will break beneath our weight, but it is a strong, substantial
column which will bear all the load that we can possibly put upon it, so
that
we may have fullest consolation and good hope through grace by this
comfort of the Scriptures.
Let us just think of a few Old Testament passages, and see if they do not
give us great comfort. "I know their sorrows." That is a very old
statement
of God concerning the children of Israel in Egypt; but, it is just as true
concerning all our sorrows, they are all known to God. "The eternal God is
thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." That is part of the
last message of Moses to the children of Israel; does not that comfort of
the Scriptures cheer you? Here is another precious passage: "Fear not,
thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord,
and
thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." "The mountains shall depart, and
the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither
shalt the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy
on thee." "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee." "Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they
may forget, yet wilt I not forget thee." "Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning." "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he
shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.' No
good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." "Trust in the
Lord, and do good: so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt
be
fed." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Do you want me to keep on
quoting such precious promises as these? I might do so ALL night long,
for these charming notes of the comfort of the Scriptures are practically
without end. Oh, may the Divine Spirit lay some of them home to your
troubled hearts, so that, beloved brethren and sisters, you may not only
have patience and comfort, but that, you may have the patience and the
comfort of the Scriptures!
III. Now I have to speak briefly on the last part of our subject; that is:
THE HOPE OF THE SCRIPTURES: "that we through the patience and the
comfort of the Scriptures might have the hope."
You have noticed, I daresay, that, the matters which concern our salvation
are always spoken of as the objects of faith. A man does not obtain the
pardon of his sins by hoping for it; he is not regenerated because he
hopes
to be born again; justification is not given to him because he hopes for
it;
all these things are matters of faith, not of hope. We are justified by
faith;
it, is by faith that we receive the forgiveness of our sins. Faith has to
do
with the past,-with what Christ has accomplished; but hope looks
forward to the future, Hope is for those who are saved, and hope comes to
us, and is strengthened in us, by the patience and the comfort; of the
Scriptures.
Well now, brethren, what is the hope which we get, as God enables us to
have the patience and the comfort of the Scriptures? Well,-to go over the
same three points again,-it is such a hope as the Scriptures hold forth.
For instance, they hold forth this hope: "The righteous shall hold on his
way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." So, if
you have the patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, you will be sure
about that great and glorious doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
Your hope: will be very bright about that matter, because you will feel
sure
that we shall be preserved, upheld, comforted, and rendered triumphant
even over the last enemy, which is death, for that he hath said, "I will
never
leave thee, nor forsake thee." That is one hope which the Scripture sets
forth to us. Than there is the hope that, after death, will come the
resurrection, and eternal life and glory, for that also is part of the
hope
set
forth in the Scriptures, as Job said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." And David
said, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be
satisfied,
when I awake, with thy likeness." And Isaiah said, "Thy dead men shall
live, together with my dead body shall they arise." Albeit that the Old
Testament in itself has not the brightness of hope that there is in the
New
Testament, yet is there enough even there to make us very hopeful for the
future; and if you read the whole of the Scriptures through, you will see
that the man who, by the patience of the Scriptures is holding on his way,
and by the comfort of the Scriptures is cheered in so doing, may have the
good hope of final perseverance and of eternal glory.
Then, also, this hope is such as the Scriptures exhibit. We have a very
beautiful picture of hope in the 11th of the Hebrews, where the apostle
describes all those heroes of the faith, and then says, "These all died in
faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and
were persuaded of them, and embraced them." They all died looking for
what they had not seen, but of which they were so sure that they already
embraced it. Over their mausoleum we may inscribe the words, "the
children of the morning." They had not seen the full light of the day, but
they were persuaded of its coming; they watched for it, and spoke of it,
and lived and died in expectation of it. You are to have the same kind of
hope that Abraham had, of whom our Lord said to the Jews, "Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." You are to
have the same sort of hope that all the patriarchs had when they remained
far off from the country from which they had gone out, because, like
Abraham, they "looked fore city which hath foundations, whose Builder
and Maker is God." You are to have a hope like that of Joseph, who died
in Egypt, yet gave commandment concerning his bones, that they were not
to be left, there; for he still claimed his ****tion, not with Pharaoh, but
with
his forefathers in the land of promise. I have not time to go through the
list
of the hopeful spirits of the Old Testament; but I Would just remind you
that they never hoped to have the inheritance without patiently waiting
God's time for them to receive it, and they only hoped to have it through
the comfort of the Scriptures which had promised it to them. It must, be
the same with us; through believing in Christ Jesus our Lord, and relying
upon the promises of our faithful, covenant-keeping God, we also, through
the patience of the Scriptures, and the comfort of the Scriptures, shall
inherit the hope which is set forth and exhibited in the Scriptures.
Lastly, this is a hope such as the Scriptures always produce in those who
believe them, obey them, and follow them. O brethren, if you are patiently
fighting the battles of the Lord, determined that nothing; shall turn you
aside from following the great Captain of your salvation,-if you are
resting in the precious blood of Jesus, and the Holy Ghost has wrought in
you this determination that come what may, you will never turn aside from
the King's highway of holiness, then I know that you will delight in and
seek after all the comforts that are stored up for you in the inspired
Word
of God. You will prize your Lord's promises, you will observe your Lord's
ordinances; above all, you will esteem and love your blessed Lord himself,
who is "the Consolation of Israel." You will honor the Divine Spirit, who
is the Comforter, who brings the comfort of which, our text speaks; and
when you have thus realized the patience and the comfort of the
Scriptures,
oh, what a hope you will have! You will share the hopes of all the saints,
the hopes which stirred their spirits When they died, some of them in
anguish at the stake or on the rack, or dragged at the heels of wild
horses,
or stoned, or sawn asunder, or slain with the sword. You will have the
hope with which your godly mother died: the hope with which all those
who were in Christ have died. You will have the hope that, when the
Master comes, he will find you ready to welcome him;-the hope that
when his throne is set, and his courtiers are gathered around it in the
great
day of account, you will be there;-and the hope that, for ever, you will
be
with him where he is, to behold his glory, the glory which the Father has
given him. I could not, if I had the tongues of men and of angels, explain
and expound all that is included in the hope of patient souls that are
comforted by the inspired Word of God. It is a hope full of immortality,
and of it the apostle Paul says, when writing to the Hebrews, "which hope
we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil; whither the Forerunner is for us
entered,
even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
This hope we would not part with for ten thousand worlds if we had there;
do you not say so, beloved? Oh, let your eyes sparkle at the very thought
of this hope: let your hearts dance even at the mere mention of it; let
your
whole soul be invigorated and kept in tune by this hope,-that, when Jesus
comes in his, glory, you shall be with him, and shall reign with him for
ever
and ever.
Now I must send you away with this mournful reflection,-that there are
some of you who have no hope. Sometimes, we use the word "hope" very
incorrectly. A man dies without any faith in Christ, and someone says,
"Well, I hope it is all right with him." I dare not say that; I dare say,
"I
wish
it had been all right with him, I desire that it might have been;" but
hope
needs solid ground to rest upon if it is to be a good hope. An idle, vain
hope is for idle and vain men. A foolish hope is only fit for fools. Sirs,
what
right have some of you to hope that you will ever get to heaven? If, when
you go out of this Tabernacle, you were to turn to the left, and go
towards
London Bridge, it would be very absurd for you to say that you hoped that,
in that way, you would get to Clapham; and when you turn your faces
towards the world, towards self, towards sin, it is idle, for you to say,
"I
hope we shall all meet in heaven." I am sure I wish, with all my heart,
that
we may; and that means that I hope the Lord will tram your faces
heavenward. May the Holy Spirit bring you to repent of sin, to believe in
Jesus, to cast yourselves wholly upon him;-may he, by his grace, cut the
links which now bind you to the world, and enable you to give yourselves
up wholly to Christ, that he may save you! May the Lord do this of his
infinite mercy, for Christ's sake! Amen.
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