Of a Reading Meeting with J. N. D., at Forest Hill, Eng., June 3, 1873.
There is never any light from God without love. Whenever there is a real revelation of God to a soul, you always get the conscience reached, and the heart affected.
I believe we never know anything about God with the mind, save that we cannot know Him. All true knowledge humbles, because it brings something to me of God that I did not know before, and it finds i me something contrary to it; truth perfectly divine and heavenly in its character, yet suited to me,—it brings what is heavenly, and shows me I am not that and humbles me. Take the thief on the cross; light shines in, and see the effect: " Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the seine condemnation, and we indeed guilty." Truth is of no use until it is subjective, i. e., until it affects me, otherwise it is only a matter of memory. Thus church truth may be held by one who does not know what it is to he in the- Spirit, it is only a matter of memory. The Holy Ghost does not merely say there is a church, but we are members of His body, of His flesh, of His bones; it is not a mere dogma.
The tendency with us is to make theology, and not to take what Scripture says. You never find election or predestination spoken of in Scripture without our being predestinated to some thing—-" predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son," etc. I take this as an example of the- way truth is brought out hi Scripture. I do not get merely a 'statement, but God connects it, livingly with my heart and affections. Another important thing is how tar the actual condition of a soul is such, that it is able to receive truth. Thus at Corinth the Apostle fed them with milk, they were not able to take strong meat, so also in Hebrews; we need to bear this in mind, if you talk to a person about truth that he is not in a state to receive, you only puff him up. If a Christian walks unfaithfully he may lose even what he knows. All living truth becomes a part of myself like food; thus it is said " if any man thirst," and 'then it speaks of coming out of his belly, that is out of the very inmost part of the man himself. T. do not believe any one has got the truth un. less it has engaged his affections to Christ, and moved his conscience.
As regards preaching the Gospel, I do not think God's right over souls is enough brought out in modern preaching. I remember speaking to a man who was preaching in America, and saying to him, " Now suppose God had not brought in this salvation, do you think Ile has a right to damn people?" He replied " No." The thing came out. We may put the question how are you going to meet God, or how will you meet your Father, but whether bringing in peace or not it owns the title of God. I believe no one ever came to God but through a sense of his need. The mistake is to think because I cannot meet the responsibility, I am absolved from it. A man may owe me £10,000, have spent everything, and be a thorough scamp, he says, " I cannot pay, therefore I am not responsible." It is quite true he cannot pay, but he forgets the rights of the- one to whom he is a debtor. All claim is i-he effect of relationship, as a wife; or child, &c.; God created man and he ought to obey, and God took care he should have a conscience, but that did- not make him responsible, though it makes him feel it. The weakness is that abstract kindness is preached without the tide of God. Law is the expression of this claim,—the maintenance of relationship which existed already, thus: the first commandment is that idols were not to be worshipped, for Jehovah was the one true God; the fifth, parents were to be honored; the seventh, faithfulness to 'the marriage tie; but all these relationships existed before, and the law maintained them, Preaching that the only ground of judgment is the rejection of Christ is false doctrine. It is contrary to Scripture; the Lord Himself says, "If ye believe not that I am He ye shall die in your sins."- In John 16, " convince the world of sin because they believe not' on me." There it is, the whole World in a lump.
But would you not say the rejection of Christ is -the crowning sill? Very true, but if it is a crowning sin, you must have sins to crown. Again, because of these things. (sins) the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience." Scripture is distinct-they shall be judged for their works; it is true unbelief unites all on the sinner, but he is judged for his works. How would this agree with 2 Cor. 5, God not imputing trespasses? That is His manner of dealing; God is not charging your sins on you, but still if you reject his mercy you will be judged for them.
But I would add, I think more of earnestness than mere accuracy, though we ought to be this too.
It is important to distinguish between propitiation and substitution; many are much confused as to them. In Lev. 16, I get the two goats, one was the Lord's lot, its blood was sprinkled before and on the mercy seat, on the other the sins were laid, their' iniquities put on the head of the goat, and it was sent away. The blood is now on the mercy seat and I go and tell the sinner to come in, there is a ground for me to do so. This is propitiation. In substitution my sins are borne and carried away. Faith enters into this; but it is not true for all that sins are put, away. The blood on the mercy seat is propitiation, the goat carrying away the sills is substitution. We have both in the work of Christ; God is glorified in one, my need is met in the other.
The first thing I am brought to own is guilt; I am guilty, but knowledge of guilt is not-knowledge of self. -I have to be broken to learn a second "thing in me, i. e., in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing; the conscience may be reached as to sins, but then there is the consciousness of what we are, i. e., lost people don't know they are lost, they own they would be if' Christ had not taken away their sins, but not that they are. It is what is the end of the whole book of Job, to bring Job to own what he is. The question raised between Job and his friends is this, whether this world was an adequate representation of God's government, they affirmed that it was-" the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,"-you have been doing something Job and now God is punishing you. Job shows that this principle is not true, for wicked men prospered, etc., and though Job was naughty, said some hard things, yet he understood God's ways better than they did, and stood up and vindicated God.
What I see in the modern preaching of forgiveness of sins is, that this side, i. e., forgiveness only being pressed, it is received and enjoyed; but how long does it last?
Perhaps a month; great delight to have such a God forgiving sins; but alas, no holiness, no knowledge of self.
If I have a servant in my house that I cannot trust, I lock up everything—I am suspicious—so if I know what the flesh is, prone to evil, and Satan on the watch, I do no trust Myself. (In reply to a question): We cannot say that Christ has borne the sins of the world, for Scripture does not say so. The passage is, " behold the Lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world." It is an abstract statement. I do not doubt it reaches to the new heavens and- the new earth as to the result-the effect of it.
On one quoting Heb. 9:2626For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26), as, " He has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself," it was replied, Nothing of the kind, look at the passage. " Now once in the end of the world He hath appeared to put away sin," &c. He has come to do that work, we 'by faith have entered. into it; the ground is laid on which it will be done, but the full result is not yet. We come into it beforehand by fait '" All fullness was pleased to dwell in Him and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things in heaven or things in earth, mid you that," etc., yet now hath he reconciled." On the day of atonement the people did not knew the result till the high priest came out to bless them; and that is just where Israel, as a people, are now; the work is done that puts away their sin, but they will not know it until He comes forth from Heaven. We have it now; for the Holy Ghost has come down to tell us that the work has been accepted.
But how as to 1 John 2, " Not for oars only, but for the whole world." There it is propitiation, not substitution. If I were to preach that Christ has put away all sins,-a arm might say, I am very glad to hear it, I shall not have to bear them, I shall not trouble myself about them, and shall go and do what I like." Moreover, it all sins are put away every body will be saved, for there is nothing remaining for which they could be judged. When conic to the cross I find Christ with all my sins on Him, and that He has put them away. That is substitution—my sins are forgiven. but sin is not forgiven, but condemned,. Rom. 8,:3. Christ has died and God reckons that I have died in Him, and Scripture tells me that I am-dead, and justified from sin not sins. In this sense Christ would not have been clear, had He not died, but He did, Rom. 4:1010How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. (Romans 4:10). The work is done, but the sin of dm world will not be put away until the new-heavens and new earth; but for us, the Holy Ghost has come out before He (Christ) has, and I say I see I am all clear, and what is more I have a place in heaven.
Col. 2, 11 was quoted, "In whom also ye were circumcised," &c., that is my dying with Christ. 1 am to walk in the faith of it,. but not actual, it will be when I die, that is, lie that is dead is justified or freed from sin." I was explaining it to one in America: supposing a man lying d there, on the floor before us, how could you charge hint with lusts; of course you cannot, he is freed or justified from sin who has died, and in that way only; we have done this in Christ's death. See Col. 2
Heb. 9, " to put away" is the effect, that there is no more sin before God's eye in heaven or earth; that is not yet fulfilled—the work is done which does it, John I, 29. Christ is the putter away, the power is not yet come in which does it.
The law is very useful to convince of sin, but now you must be in the light; the veil is rent, and there is nothing now interposing, God is perfectly revealed, and if I cannot meet the light, it is because I will not; this goes far beyond the law. Two things I notice under the law: God did not come out, and man could not go in. Now both things are changed, God has come out, and man can come in, but lie comes into the presence of God, into the holiest, into the light, as He is in the light, and that is the only proper place for a Christian, in the full result of the infinite value of the work of Christ.