actually walk in the Spirit, as St. Paul writes to the Galatians-if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. That is, if we have a new life given us by the Spirit, let us walk according to that life-according to the will of that Spirit, Who gives us life, and Who is ready to enable us to do God's will; and this is the great trial of our faith, whether we will believe that He is able to carry us through, and give ourselves up into His hands as Abraham did, when called to leave his country, and to go where God should lead him. Whoever thus give themselves up to be led by the Spirit of God, will be favoured, as Abraham was, with more and more revelation of good things to come. They will not need a voice from Heaven to speak to them, for the work of the Holy Spirit within them will be a sufficient witness of the favour of God and of His presence with them, and will afford them at once a pledge and a foretaste of the glory that is to be revealed. Only remember that these things can only be understood by those who make trial of them. Nay you cannot even make trial of them without taking God at His word, and firmly resolving to make Him your portion He will not let you hold the for ever. earnest of the inheritance unless you will be firm to the covenant. If you do so, He will be as good as His word, and far better than your understanding of His word, for of those who have this hope in Christ, and purify themselves accordingly, St. John says we know not yet what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is1. P 1 John iii. 2. SERMON XIII. PREACHED AT ST. MARY'S ON THE EIGHTH SUNDAY ROM. viii. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear. But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. MEN seem to find a difficulty in reconciling this truth with that other, which the Apostle places so nearly in connection with it, If ye live after the flesh ye shall die. They do not see how we can be called free, and sons of God, and not in fear, seeing that we are threatened with death if we do not obey. Accordingly they are apt either to be careless of thinking about the liberty of the sons of God, saying that it is enough if we do our duty, without aiming at such high thoughts, or still more commonly perhaps they take the other side, and say, 'It is not right to insist upon the law of God, as though every transgression would receive a Rom. viii. 13. K its punishment, for we are not to be in bondage or in fear.' And of course these errors must prevail, and each of them must continue to give occasion and pretence to the other, so long as men in general will not take the more excellent way of real evangelical obedience. For it is this only that can enable us to see clearly the truth, which we ought at least to receive as matter of faith until we can see it, that the strictness of God's law and the freedom of His Saints agree perfectly together. The Holy Spirit declares both to us in the plainest words that can be conceived. And the simple reason why men will not receive them both is, because they are not prepared to give up their own will so entirely, as to be truly free from sin and from self, and to be the children of their Heavenly Father. And because they cannot bring themselves to do this at once, they think they must satisfy themselves with something short of it. They know that God will not require of us more than He will enable us to do, and so they make up their minds that it is their duty to be satisfied with what they now feel that they can do. One party will have it to be their duty b Matt. v. 45. b to be satisfied without that perfect love which casts out fear, and to be content when they find they can obey the commandments of God as well as most men do, thinking that such a measure of obedience shews that they are sincere, and they are thus sure of acceptance. Another sort suppose it to be their duty to be satisfied about their spiritual state at all events. They must first make sure that they are safe, and their sins entirely pardoned and blotted out, and then that obedience will follow of course. But the truth is that we have not to satisfy ourselves, and to make ourselves believe we are living to God, but we have to live to Him, and, which is the same thing, to satisfy the Eternal Judge that we are living to Him. St. Paul expressly tells the Romans, when he calls the obedience of the Gospel the service of God, and Christians the servants of God, that he is speaking after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of their flesh. It seems to be a service until we are perfectly free in it, but that is not its true nature. Our spirit, by the aid of the Holy Spirit of God, is already able freely to choose the divine life, and to c Rom. vi. 19. |