Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

The awakened conscience of the sixteenth century betook itself to "the righteousnessof God." There it found refuge, at once from condemnation and from impurity. Only by"righteousness" could it be pacified; and nothing less than that which is divine could meetthe case. At the cross this "righteousness" was found; human, yet divine: provided forman, and presented to him by God, for relief of conscience and justification of life. Onthe one word

tetelestai

"It is finished," as on a heavenly resting-place, weary souls satdown and were refreshed. The voice from the tree did not summon them to

, but to besatisfied with what was

done

. Millions of bruised consciences there found healing andpeace.The belief of that finished work brought the sinner into favour with God; nor did itleave him in uncertainty as to this. The justifying work of Calvary was God's way, notonly of bringing pardon, but of securing certainty. It was the only perfect thing which hadever been presented to God in man's behalf; and so peculiar was this perfection, that itmight be used by man in his transactions with God, as if it were his own.The knowledge of this sure justification was life from the dead to multitudes. Allover Europe, from the Apennines to the Grampians, from the Pyrenees to theCarpathians, went the glad tidings that man is justified freely, and that God wishes him toknow he is justified. It was not merely a new thought for man's intellect, but a newdiscovery for his soul, (1) As to the true source of spiritual health, viz. the setting of man's

conscience

right with God; (2) As to the continuation of that health, viz. thekeeping of the

conscience

right.The fruit of this was not merely a healthy personal religion, but a renovated intellectand a noble literature, and, above all, a pure worship. It was an era of resurrection. Thegraves were opened; and the congregation of the dead became the church of the living.Christendom awoke and arose. The resurrection-dew fell far and wide; nor has it yetceased to fall.For ages Christianity had grovelled in the dust, smothered with semi-pagan rites;ready to die, if not already dead; bound hand and foot by a semi-idolatrous priesthood,unable to do aught for a world which it had been sent to regenerate. Now "it was lifted upfrom the earth, and made to stand upon its feet as a man, and a man's heart was given toit."A new

conscience

was born; and with a new conscience came in new life and power.Nothing had been seen like this since the age of apostles.The doctrine of another's righteousness reckoned to us for justification before God isone of the links that knot together the first and the sixteenth centuries, the Apostles andthe Reformers. The creeds of the Reformation overleap fifteen centuries, and land us atonce in the Epistle to the Romans. Judicial and moral cleansing was what man needed;and in that epistle we have both the imputed and imparted righteousness; the former theroot or foundation of the latter. Not the one without the other; both together, inseparable;but each in its own order.It was not Luther merely who took up the old watchword, "The just shall live byfaith," and thus found the answer of a good conscience toward God. To thousands of hearts it came like a voice from heaven, they knew not how. Sunshine from above hadfallen upon one grand text; the text which the age needed: men recognized the truth thus

supernaturally lighted up. "The nations came to its light, and kings to the brightness of itsrising." The inquiring men of that age, though not borrowing from each other, betook themselves to this truth and text. From every kingdom of Europe came the same voice;and every Protestant Confession bore witness to the unanimity of awakened Christendom.The long-needed, long-missing truth had been found; and

eureka

was the cry of gladnesswere heard announcing its discovery.Our fathers saw that this truth was the basis of all real spiritual life. That which wassuperficial, and morbid, and puny, and second-rate, might do with some less deep, lessbroad foundation; but all that is healthy, and noble, and daring, and happy, and successfulin religion must rest here. "The just shall live by faith."Religion is fashionable in our age. But is it that which sprang up, after centuries of darkness, among our fathers in Europe? Is it that of apostles and prophets? Is it the calmyet thorough religion which did such great deeds in other days? Has it gone deep into theconscience? Has it filled the heart? Has it pervaded the man? Or has it left the conscienceunpacified, the heart unfilled, the man unchanged, save with some external appliances of religiousness, which leaves him

hollow

as before? There is at this moment many anaching spirit, bitterly conscious of this hollowness. The doctrine, the profession, the goodreport of others, the bustle of work, will not fill the soul. God Himself must be there, withHis covering righteousness, His cleansing blood, His quickening Spirit. Without this,religion is but a shell: holy services are dull and irksome. Joy in God, which is the souland essence of worship, is unknown. Sacraments, prayer-meetings, religious services,labours of charity, will not make up for the living God.How much of

unreality

there may be in the religious life of our age, it is for eachindividual to determine for himself, that he may not be deceived nor lose his reward.(1) All unreality is weakness as well as irksomeness; and the sooner that we are strippedof unreality the better, both for peace and for usefulness.Men with their feet firmly set on Luther's rock, "the righteousness of God," filledwith the Spirit, and pervaded with the peace of God, do the great things in the church;others do the little.The men of robust spiritual health are they who, like Luther, have made sure of theirfilial relationship to God. They shrink from no battle, nor succumb to any toil. The menwho go to work with an unascertained relationship give way in the warfare, and faintunder the labour: their life is not perhaps a failure or defeat; but it is not a victory, it is nota triumph."We do not war after the flesh," and "our weapons are not carnal" (2 Cor 10:3,4).Our battle is not fought in the way that the old man would have us to fight it. It is "thefight of

faith

" (1 Tim 6:12). It is not by

doubting

but by

believing

that we are saved; it isnot by

doubting

but by

believing

that we overcome. Faith leads us first of all to Abel's"more excellent sacrifice" (Heb 11:4). By faith we quit Ur and Egypt and Babylon,setting our face to the eternal city (Heb 11:16). By faith we offer up our Isaacs, andworship "leaning on the top of our staffs," and "give commandment concerning ourbones." By faith we choose affliction with the people of God, and despise Egypt'streasures. By faith we keep our passover; pass through the Red Sea; overthrow Jerichos;subdue kingdoms; work righteousness; stop the mouth of lions; quench the violence of fire; turn to flight the armies of the aliens, and refuse deliverance in the day of trial, thatwe may obtain a better resurrection (Heb 11:35).

It is "believing" from first to last. We begin, we go on, we end in

faith

. The faith that

justifies

is the faith that

overcomes

(1 John 5:4). By faith we obtain the "good report"both with God and man. By faith we receive forgiveness; by faith we live; by faith wework, and endure, and suffer; by faith we win the crown,-a crown of righteousness, whichshall be ours in the day of the appearing of Him who is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.THE GRANGE, EDINBURGH,November, 1872.

(1)One who knows the "religious world" well, and passed through itshollowness, thus writes: "It is just two years since He came in a way as certainlymiraculous as ever He spake with a voice to Paul or any other, and ran His ploughthrough my heart, breaking up and tearing into shreds my old 'Christian' and'professor' life, showing me

death

, death amidst all, and leading me, though withterrible struggles and opposition from the old heart and its pride, into somethinglike a knowledge of Himself, the living personal Jesus; though, alas, how feeble, howdark, how slow, has been the progress!Before that, I was in a condition in which I verily believe (though it may seemunkind and morbid to say so) the great part of the professing church is at thepresent day, ministers as well as people. I know the kind of intercourse I had withmany who pass for as good Christians as are to be found; and I know this, that verymany who could talk hotly about doctrine, who would laugh and make merry, smileat my foolish jesting, showed no inclination whatever to join in speaking of thepersonal living Lord Himself, after He came by His strong arm of power, and mademe wish more to speak of Him. (cont.)I think it is well that you should be told such things. Cry aloud, spare not; showto the house of Israel their sins. There is far too much assuming even on the part of the faithful ones, that many of their flock are only

in a low state

, and that the merecalling them to go out of the world is enough. No. While there may be an isolatedcase of this sort, I believe that where worldliness and inconsistency are sowidespread as they are, where so many are known only by profession, and by noother single mark or fruit of the Lord's people, it tells of something worse. Theploughshare must be sent deeper. It must bring up earth which has not yet beensearched.

A great number are awakened and interested in youth, who by and by find asort of peace, through some kind of wrong preaching or daubing with untemperedmortar, along with the blindness of their own heart. Such peace is not founded on

personal contact with the living One

; and when business, or advancing years, orworldly entanglements come in, their vessel will not hold in. What have they to fallback upon? They do not like to abandon their profession; nay, there hangs aboutthem a sort of spurious and galvanic life, which blinds them. But they know not theLord of life. The good Lord help you to deal with such souls; and may He anoint you