The sheep-dogs, by their earnest barking, arouse the watchers to chase away the wolf; but it would be woe to the flock if it were left to the sole care of the dogs. Feeding is as needful as guarding. While the shepherd is hourly providing, he does in the best manner continually protect. An outcry against the false doctrine which is devouring the souls of men is needful, but it must not take any one of us off from the steady proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord. Indignant denunciation of the lie will be a poor substitute for loving testimony to the truth. The temptation to spend his soul in perpetual protest may readily overcome a brave and truthful spirit; but it is a temptation, come to whomsoever it may. Luther and the other Reformers would have done little had they only thundered at Rome, and failed to preach the positive theology of the doctrines of grace.
In our holy warfare, to attack is often the best defense. Work for the Lord keeps off many a temptation. It is wise to carry the war into the enemy’s country continual activity has a purifying power. Rivers cleanse themselves as they flow. When a church is intensely occupied with soul-winning it seldom cares for setting up worldly amusements; when it is seeing conversions daily, it has little patience with unbelieving novelties. The blighting influence of the far-spread influenza of “modern thought” is driven away by those powerful gales of grace which speed the ship of Holy Endeavour. As travelers who can keep moving do not yield to the death-sleep of the arctic regions, so Christians who continue in zealous activities almost always escape the fatal influences of this prevalent doubt. The plague usually begins among literary people who are personally unacquainted with evangelical efforts, and it finds its chief friends among young men who would be thought superior, and young women who affect strong-mindedness. It is not often that those who are good for anything as workers fall in love with soul-destroying inventions.
From C. H. Spurgeon.