(2 Tim. 2)
VERY serious damage is done to souls by displacing truth and confounding things which God has made to differ. If a man teaches plain and positive error, we may be on our guard against him; hut if he comes with misplaced truth, we are far more likely to be ensnared.
Thus, for example, there are terms made use of in the chapter before us, which only apply to one who "has passed from death unto life;" as " a workman," " a good soldier," "a sanctified vessel." If these be applied to one who has not yet rested his burdened conscience on the all-sufficient sacrifice of the cross, he will assuredly be plunged in hopeless confusion and perplexity. If a helpless sinner casts his eye toward the door of the Father's house, and finds it garrisoned by the " ifs" and " buts" and conditions of a cold and dark legality, he must retire in despair. And yet how often is this done! How often are the responsibilities which devolve only upon the true believer, pressed upon the conscience of the unregenerate. The effect of this unskillful division and application of the word is most deplorable. Anxious spirits are driven back—burdened consciences have their grievous yoke made more grievous still—hearts that have long sighed for peace and struggled hard to find it, anywhere and everywhere but in Jesus and His precious blood, are bowed down in hopeless sorrow—all by the system of confounding the worshipper and the workman.
How important, then, to distinguish them! How important to show the conscience-smitten sinner that the work which is to make him a worshipper was finished, over eighteen hundred years ago, on the cross! How needful to lead such an one entirely out of Himself, to fix the earnest and believing gaze of his soul upon " the one offering of Jesus Christ, once!" It is utterly impossible that true, solid, eternal peace can be enjoyed, or true spiritual worship presented, until the conscience is purged by the blood of the cross. I must know, not only that all the claims of my conscience, but that all the claims of God's throne have been perfectly answered by One who died in my stead, ere I can breathe freely, walk at ease, or worship within the veil. There is no if, no but, no condition. The door is thrown open as wide as the sinner's heart could desire. His nature his condition, and all his heavy liabilities have been divinely met in the cross. God can say, " Deliver him from going down to the pit," not because he has kept all my commandments, nor even because he has earnestly tried but reluctantly failed to keep them, nor yet because he has sincerely repented and purposes to lead a new life; no; but because "I HAVE FOUND A RANSOM." Here is true peace. God knew the exact amount of ransom required, and He has Himself found it—found it all—found it for me.
Reader, rest here! See the full amount of ransom told out beneath the eye of infinite holiness in the life-blood of Jesus! See it! hear it! believe it! rest in it! You are not asked to throw the weight of a feather into the balance to make up the full amount. Jesus has paid all; and as the eternal Father raised Him from the dead and enthroned Him at the right hand of the Majesty in the highest heavens, He, as it were, declared in the audience of all created intelligence-He sounded abroad through the entire universe, " I have found a ransom" It is needless for you to say, " I can find no rest, I am so terribly bad. I try to live better, but it is all the same. The more I try the worse I am; I try to keep the commandments; I attend the public ordinances of religion; I sometimes hear as many as three sermons on the Lord's day. I do all I can, but yet I have not got peace; I am not happy, I do not know that my sins are forgiven." Dear friend, all this is " I." You must look away from this poor, miserable, guilty, hell-deserving " I" altogether. God says, " I have found a ransom." Has He found it in you, or out of you? Has He said, " 1 have found ninety-nine parts of the ransom, and you must find the hundredth?" Ah! no; He has found it ALL. He has done all that He knew to be necessary, and He tells you " the glad tidings" in order that you may " hear and live."
Do not, therefore, read another line of this article until your weary heart has found sweet repose in God's ransom. He does not ask you to pay a farthing; but He tells you He has paid all. Take Him at His word—confide in His love—lean on His ransom. May God the Holy Ghost open your eyes to see and your heart to understand and believe the things that make for your eternal peace. Then, but not until then, you will be a worshipper—a purged worshipper; and, moreover, it is only when you are a purged worshipper that you can be a purged workman. To attempt to be a workman before you are a worshipper is to reverse God's order, and to make shipwreck of everything. You must put things where God puts them, and leave them there. It was when the leper was pronounced clean that he began to wash his clothes. (See Lev. 14:88And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. (Leviticus 14:8).) Had he attempted to do so before, he would have polluted the water instead of cleansing himself. " Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor. 7:11Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1).)
This is the way to be a purged workman—a sanctified vessel—an approved servant. " If," says the apostle to his son Timothy, " a man purge himself from these, (i. e., the dishonorable vessels in the great house,) he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work." (2 Tim. 2:2121If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21).) To be purged, as to my conscience, by the blood of Jesus, is one thing; to purge myself, by the powerful activities of the divine life within, from the defilement of the scene around me, is quite another. These things must be kept distinct. To confound them is to derange the entire Christian character—to rob the soul of peace and destroy the testimony.
The Christian is called to carry on a constant struggle. The moment his soul has found peace in Jesus, this struggle begins. It is when the shout of victory falls fully and clearly on the ear of faith that the battle begins. This may puzzle nature, but faith understands it perfectly. The believer is at once a conqueror and a combatant. He plants his foot upon " the foundation of God," which "standeth sure"—so sure that all the enemy's power cannot shake it- and in the enjoyment of the peace which that sure foundation yields, and not in a spirit of bondage, doubt, or fear, he " departs from iniquity." And what is his object in thus departing—thus purging himself? Is it that he may be a worshipper? By no means. He must be that ere ever the struggle begins. What then? That he may be a purged workman—a meet vessel—an instrument which " the Master" can take up and use. This is simple enough; and it is as practical as it is simple.
Christian reader, you have tasted the reality of a purged conscience, are you calling on the Lord " out of a purged heart?' Are you struggling to " flee youthful lusts, and follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a purged heart?" You may, perhaps, feel disposed to say, " I see such hopeless confusion and division all around me, that I know not with whom to follow or where to find a path for my feet." Well, that may be; but remember this, if the professing church were broken up into ten thousand times as many more fragments- if controversy, division, and confusion, were to roll like a desolating tide over the entire of Christendom, yet is each Christian man solemnly responsible to depart from iniquity the moment he sees it. He is called to " purge himself" from dishonorable vessels. And, moreover, it is in proportion as he so departs—so purges himself, that he will be “meet for the Master's use.”
Remember, the question here is not as to peculiar views or opinions in reference to matters ecclesiastical. So; it is far deeper, far more personal, far more practical. Wherever you are, you are called to this mighty struggle—this noble work of purging yourself, in order that Christ may use you. How are you responding to this call? Are you sighing after greater nearness and likeness to Jesus? Are you sick of the cold and heartless profession of the day—the withering formalism that seems to be settling down upon the professing church? If so, press on! press on! Let "upward and onward" be the motto distinctly inscribed upon your whole course and character. Be not satisfied with anything short of AN ENJOYED CHRIST. This is your privilege; see that you live up to it. Do not ask, " What harm is there in this or that?" But ask, " How can I enjoy most of Christ?" Seek to breathe the atmosphere of His presence—to drink into His Spirit—to walk in His footsteps -to grow in His likeness.
Finally, let us all remember that it is the energy of attaining, and not the measure of attainment, which leads to communion. If an apostle met a babe in whom he perceived the energy of attaining, he could have communion with the babe; but if the apostle were to make his measure of attainment the ground of fellowship, the babe would be shut out. The question is not, Do you agree with me? but, Are you following hard after Christ?
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