by His dealings, our faith is weak; strong faith on the other hand judges God's dealings by His promises. If you judge God's dealings by His promises, faith will always come off triumphant; but if you judge of the promises by the dealings you will walk by sight, not by faith, and always be in difficulty. She answered, "Truth, Lord." Ah! she had been taught the truth about herself. He called her a dog; she knew it was even so. Brethren, if He were to call some of us dogs we would be very much offended; why should we be so? People are very willing to speak disparagingly about themselves, but they would not like anyone else to do it. I knew a friend who went once to see an old lady who was evermore complaining what a miserable sinner she was; in fact, her song, I was going to say, from morning till night was, What an unworthy sinner I am! how could anyone who was a Christian love me; and when people went to speak a word of comfort to her, "she only wondered that anyone in whose heart was the Spirit of God would notice her." My friend called one day, and she said, "" Have you come to see such a creature as I am? if you know what a poor, weak, unworthy, inconsistent creature I am, you would never have crossed the threshold." "Oh, but I do know what you are; I have heard that you are one of the worst women, etc." I assure you she got quite in a passion! My dear friends, it is one thing to speak disparagingly of oneself, but it is quite another thing to have another to do it; there is a very false pride, a spiritual pride in talking of ourselves as if we were nothing. I don't know that it is not a great temptation of the devil. If you will not allow other persons to say of you what you say of yourselves, you had much better say nothing. "Truth, Lord." Ah, she knew it was all true, but then with divining art she turned the argument upon Himself. "Truth, Lord," I am a dog; but I am Thy dog. If the Master has children, the Master has dogs too; let me have a crumb as my share, "the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Master's table." Thus she more than triumphs over the difficulties and the trials of her faith. Remember these things, remember the least faith is true faith, and cannot fail. The intercession of our Lord Jesus seems to be especially employed in reference to the trials of His people's faith. "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not;" if faith fails, all fails; remember again, when the devil tries and tempts you, his object is not so much to humble you, or even to induce you to sin, as to take occasion by your conscious failure to discourage you into unbelief, and to make you doubt the love, and power, and forgiving tenderness of your God. Then, indeed, he has the advantage of you; then, indeed, he has you under his feet. Remember, lastly, that the most useful, the most successful, the most triumphant of God's servants, have always been those whose faith has been most tested. Faith is precious faith; it cannot, it shall not be lost; it is more precious than all the gold and silver and diamonds in the world, and it shall be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. "With steadfast faith thy path of duty run, God nothing does, nor suffers to be done, But what thou wouldst do thyself couldst thou but see W XIII. The heavenly Calling. HEN the great Apostle of the Gentiles addressed himself to the Church of God among the Hebrews he addressed them by one of those wondrous titles which we find scattered throughout the Word of God, whereby God delights to name His people, "holy brethren, parTAKERS OF THE HEAVENLY CALLING." And it has been laid upon my heart, in the few remarks I may be permitted to utter to you, beloved, just to keep that title, 'partakers of the heavenly calling," before my own mind and yours. As believers; not merely the strong believer, but the weakest believer, not only the old believer, but the youngest believer, we are (not merely shall be but we are) "partakers of the heavenly calling." And the more we realise what that "heavenly calling" is, the greater degree of faith God must needs give us to realise it. Now, faith is a Divine thing, for its source is heavenly. It has no friends on earth-no, not one. It dwells here in a strange country, in an ungenial clime. The world and flesh and blood are no friends to faith; ofttimes the very circumstances which in the providence of God we are exposed to are no friends to faith; certainly the great enemy of souls is not. Faith hath one friend, and that is God. All its security, all its strength, all its establishment is in God; and therefore God delights to strengthen faith. You will generally find that when God makes a great promise, or utters a great statement of Divine truth, calculated to fill the hearts of His people with joy and gladness, He gives them something to strengthen their faith in that statement or promise. And as this is a great statement, that believers are "partakers of the heavenly calling," we find God pledging one of His Divine attributes, that we may know the security is good, and the promise sure. You read in I Cor. i. 9: "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." God pledges His faithfulness, that we may be sure the salvation is not too great, the position not too high, the portion not too full, for poor worms of the earth like ourselves. "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I find He pledges other attributes when He makes great promises. For example, that startling attribute of God-His holiness. He says, "Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David." And as if the Lord would plead His own word in John xvii. and remind Him of His covenant and pledged attribute of holiness, He says, "Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me." Again, He pledges His justice, as you remember: "He is faithful and just to forgive us cur sins." We hear some ill-taught Christians making a difference between the throne of grace and that of judgment. To the believer there is no difference. When I stand before God, and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," I stand before a throne of grace, but also before a throne of judgment. Christ's work makes the throne of judgment the throne of grace to his people; not only is He gracious, but "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But I specially draw your attention to this one attribute, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." We find God's faithfulness pledged in connection with other promises of special importance to us. See, for instance, 1 Cor. x. 13, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Some of you, friends, often fear you may be tempted above that you are able. See also Heb. x. 23, "He [God] is faithful who hath promised," and the precious connection in which these words occur. Again, you remember that wonderful prayer in the Thessalonians. "And I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"; and it is added, "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." Now, a word on this "calling." "Partakers of the heavenly calling." 66 Heavenly!" for the call comes from heaven. "Heavenly!" for its source is heaven. "Heavenly!" |