The Christian life made plain; a treatise on experimental religion, followed by sermons on doctrinal and practical themes and an alumni address, delivered at Randolph-Macon College

Front matter

The istian Life Made Plain

Class ■!3A^Q2.17 Book itli:

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Introduction

MY honored friend and brother, the author of this book, was born in Dinwiddie county, Virginia, October 3, 1838, united with the Methodist Church at the age of thirteen, and graduated from Randolph- Macon College, Va., in 1858, receiving the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts. For many years he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the College.

At the outbreak of the Civil War he was preparing for the gospel ministry, but felt constrained to enlist in the Confederate army, and served in Company G, Eighteenth Virginia Infantry, first as private and later as lieutenant, to the close of the war. He was twice wounded in battle, and was taken prisoner at Gettysburg. There he took part in the celebrated charge of Pickett's Division, and is said to have fired the last gun from his Division in that battle.

After the war he engaged in farming and teaching for a time, and was licensed as a local preacher in 1868. Having served for a year as assistant pastor of a circuit, he was received on trial into the Virginia Conference in November, 1869, and entered upon the full pastorate. As preacher and pastor he served many charges with conspicuous fidelity and success, honored and loved by his brethren of the ministry and by the people among whom he labored. After fifty years of continuous service in the active ministry, he retired to the superannuate relation in November, 1918, just after passing his eightieth birthday. For reasons of health and family ties he settled in Tampa, Florida, where he and his devoted wife are enjoying a well-earned rest.

Not willing to regard his ministry as terminated by superannuation, this veteran minister has put into the present volume the ripe fruits of many years of study and experience, in the hope that it may convey to others a message of salvation after he has passed away. Without expectation of pecuniary benefit, he is financing the book out of his own limited resources, for the glory of God and the benefit of mankind. The reader will find here many valuable lessons, copiously illustrated and strongly fortified by apt quotations from the Holy Scriptures. The chapter on Conversion has been pronounced especially clear and helpful by those who heard the author preach on this vital theme. The sermons on Baptism also have been received with much favor.

Having read this book in manuscript, and rendered some service in putting it through the press, I commend it cordially to all who love the old-fashioned gospel and desire to see more clearly the Christian way from earth to heaven.

J. T. Whitley.

Norfolk, Va., 1922.

Contents

PAGE

Preface ^

Introduction 7

Chapter I

/ thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. — Psahn 119:59.

THOUGHT is the preliminary step to the Christian hfe. All intelligent action is based upon thought — deep, serious, solemn thought. By it the world is moved. The great thinkers are the great actors, and the great actors are the great benefactors. Without thought Galileo watching the lamp swaying back and forth in the Church at Pisa would not have derived the laws of motion which led to the use of the pendulum; nor would Newton have deduced the laws of gravitation from the falling of apples to the earth. Without profound thought Watt and Fulton had never utilized steam, nor Whitney invented the cotton gin, nor Franklin plucked the lightning from the clouds. Without deep reflection Edison, Marconi and others could never have applied electricity in so many useful ways. Only by persistent thought were the great masters — Phidias and ApoUodorus, Raphael and Michelangelo, and other men of genius — enabled to produce their sublime works of art on canvas or in stone. It was by deep and persistent thought that Milton wrote Paradise Lost, Bunyan the Pilgrim's Progress, and Shakespeare his immortal plays.

The same thing is true in other departments of life, in the moral realm as well as in the material world. Without profound and patient thought Moses and David, Peter and Paul, could not have produced the literature that has made them so potent in the history of mankind. Thought is not only the initial step in the Christian life, but it is equally necessary to its continuance and progress. It is the way to the knowledge of God, of self, of duty, of heaven, and indeed of all truth. The sensibilities and the will are reached through the intellect. Truth is first received by the mind, then entertained by the affections, and afterwards approved and applied by the will.

On the other hand, thoughtlessness is the fruitful source of error, folly and sin. Because of thoughtlessness Israel was betrayed into folly, for which the prophet Isaiah accused them of being more stubborn and silly than the sullen ox or the stupid ass: ''The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib ; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." Multitudes out in the world are in darkness, fast bound in Satan's chains because they do not think; and not a few members of the Church of God are lean and lank in soul for the same cause. Let the reader stop and question himself whether these things are so.

As to the forms that thought may assume, it should be noted that it often takes the form of Meditation. The scope of this is general, and it may dwell upon things past, or present, or future — upon God, or heaven, or eternity. David, meditating upon the works of nature, exclaims: ''The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun ; which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." And again, meditating in the law of God, he continues: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple ; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and the honey-comb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned ; and in keeping of them there is great reward." And his holy meditation leads to that earnest prayer: ''Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19). In harmony with this is the description of the godly man in the First Psalm: "His delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

Again, thought may take the form of Self-Examination. Here it begins the study of self. Alexander Pope declares:

"The proper study of mankind is man;" and the old Greek philosopher Thales used to say to each of his disciples: "Know thyself." A still higher authority, the apostle Paul, utters the admonition to Christians: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." By this process we find out what we owe to God, our neighbor and ourselves. It is important both to becoming Christ's disciples and continuing in His fellowship. It is like an artist drawing an accurate portrait of every one in view. It is a mirror into which we may look and behold our features. It is a window that lets in the light; a key that unlocks the secret chambers of the soul. Would that men would examine themselves with a closer scrutiny! By this process let us go down into the depths of our hearts and view their inmost recesses, which are hidden from all eyes but those of God and ourselves. Let us take the lamp of past experience and the guide-book of God's Word, the microscope of truth, and the telescope of faith, and study ourselves till we become thoroughly acquainted with the state of mind and heart. And let us do this, not once or twice only, but often as the days and years go by, so that the best results may follow.

Moreover, thought may take the form of Reflection, in which the mind turns itself backward. This is what the psalmist meant when he said in the words that head this chapter: "I thought on my ways." As if he had said: "I pondered over them, I counted them through and through, I turned them upside down, I looked at them from every standpoint." Dr. Adam Clarke says: "The word as here used is a metaphor taken from embroidering, where the figure must appear the same on the one side as it does on the other; therefore the cloth must be turned on each side every time the needle is set in." Every sinner who will thus closely and narrowly reflect upon his ways, as the psalmist did, will find them crooked and perverse. He will see that he is out of harmony with God, and that the condemnation of the Almighty is resting upon him. Oh, that men could be induced to reflect upon their ways! For, as the poet says:

" 'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours, And ask them what report they bore to heaven."

There is a story told of a wild young man, to whom a curious ring was given, engraved with a death's-head, and the condition named was that he should spend a part of every day in looking at it and thinking of it. In a spirit of wantonness he accepted the gift, but was led to keep his promise and examine it with serious diligence. It is said that a wonderful change was wrought in his life, and that pondering the significance of the ring led to his transformation from a desperate sinner to a faithful servant of God.

It is evident, however, that it is not enough merely to think, and that to be effective thought must be followed by action. The psalmist not only said: *'I thought on my ways," but also he said to the Lord: ''I turned my feet unto thy testimonies." So must every one do who would find favor with God. This implies repentance and acceptance of the Scriptural terms of salvation — ''repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." There are those who think, but turn elsewhere than to God for relief, looking to themselves or to the world for help. Turning their backs upon the only Saviour, they seek to drown conviction and stifle the pleadings of conscience. But he who sincerely desires to be a Christian must repent and turn to God through Christ. By thought becoming fully convinced of his sinful, lost, ruined condition, he must betake himself to Christ and His word for relief and safety. And if any man will only do his part, he need not fear but that God, the almighty, gracious, merciful, loving Father, will come to his help. The prophet Ezekiel received this charge from God: "Say unto them. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek. 33: 11). And Paul says to the Romans: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8: 32).

In view of these great truths, the appeal here made is that men shall think, and that thought shall lead to action, and that action shall be without delay. This is what the psalmist did — he acted at once. Said he: "I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments." He felt that such a matter could not be postponed. And surely, in a matter of such momentous concern there should be no hesitating or halting between two opinions. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." With all speed the guilty one should run to the cross of Christ, where alone refuge can be found. Bunyan represents his pilgrim as making no stop, not even to salute anyone by the way ; but stuffing his fingers into his ears, he runs with all his might. Or, as Dr. Clarke puts it: "I did not stand, What, What, Whatting;" or as we say, dilly-dallying, or shilly-shallying.

All delays are dangerous. ''Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" (Eccles. 9: 10). "Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27 : 1 ) .

"Be wise to-day, 'tis madness to defer: Next day the fatal precedent will plead; Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time ; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene."

The Devil is never better pleased than when he can get a sinner to put off his return to the Lord until another day. Stop and think, and then act upon your convictions without waiting for a "convenient season." How many victories have been lost by delaying till to-morrow ! During the Civil War, at the first battle of Manassas, when the Federal troops were routed. General Beauregard lost the grandest opportunity of his life to win a great success, by delaying till the next day. It is thought also that General Lee lost a golden opportunity when he did not attack Burnside's forces the very night of the Federal defeat at Fredericksburg; and that General Meade lost a similar chance at Gettysburg by faihng to press Lee's army at once after the third day's disastrous assault. An ancient story tells us that a letter was sent by messenger to Archias, the Grecian magistrate, to inform him that a plot had been formed against his hfe. The messenger was charged to tell him to read the letter at once, as it contained serious matters. But Archias was flushed with wine and revelry, and lightly replied: "Serious matters to-morrow!" But to-morrow never came to him, for that same night he and all his companions were slain. Ah ! how many have paid the penalty of ''to-morrow!" How many have lost their opportunity and wrecked their souls forever upon that fatal rock!

Dear reader, if you are a Christian and wish to make progress in the way of the righteous, or if perchance you have gone astray, follow the example of the psalmist, think upon your ways, and turn at once to the testimonies of the Lord ; make haste and delay not to keep His commandments.

If you are a sinner, just stop and think, and make a resolution and a revolution ; face about and rush into the kingdom. I once heard a man who had been a drunkard tell how he became a sober man: ''I just stopped and thought: this thing is going to ruin me, soul and body, and I mean to quit it now and forever." And he did quit it then and there. How was it with the Prodigal Son? He did not start back to his father's house until he began to think. It was only after "he came to himself" and began to reflect that he said, "How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." Then he arose and hastened to his father, and a right royal welcome he received. Thus will it ever be with the prodigals who think and repent and return!

A certain minister at a camp-meeting saw a young man leaning against a tree, looking sad and forlorn. His clothes were ragged and his feet were bare. The minister approached him and asked: ''Are you not willing to come to Christ?" The young man replied: "I have been thinking about it, and I wish I could; but I am ashamed to go and kneel as a penitent, lest the people laugh at me." "Ah," said the minister, "come just as you are. I remember a young man just like you. His feet were bare, his garments were tattered. He had gone away from his father's house, had wasted his substance, and was eating with the swine. But he thought of his father's house where there was enough and to spare." "Oh," interrupted the man, "that's in the Bible, isn't it?" "Yes," answered the minister; whereupon the young man went forward at once, bowed before his Heavenly Father, and found welcome and peace. So may it be with every sinner whose eyes may fall upon these lines! Make haste to return: for —

" 'Tis God's all-animating voice That calls thee from on high; 'Tis His own hand presents the prize To thine aspiring eye:

"That prize, with peerless glories bright, Which shall new luster boast, When victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems Shall blend in common dust."

Chapter II

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. — Luke 3:4.

IT was customary for Eastern monarchs in undertaking a journey, especially through a wilderness or desert country, to send messengers before them to announce their coming. Pioneers also were sent to prepare the way by levelling the hills and filling up the valleys, making the crooked ways straight and the rough places smooth.

In harmony with this custom the prophet Isaiah uttered the words at the head of this chapter, in foretelling the mission of John the Baptist who became the harbinger of Christ. John prepared the way for the Messiah by preaching repentance and exhorting the people to "bring forth fruits meet for repentance." To the multitude of Jews who attended upon his ministry he said: "Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father," by which he meant to warn them against trusting to their descent, or to their connection with the visible Church and enjoying its external privileges. These things have no saving power, but repentance must be shown by its proper results. "Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire." As to the nature of this fruit, he explained to the people when he said: "He that hafh two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." Also to the publicans he said: ''Exact no more than that which is appointed you." And to the soldiers he gave the admonition: "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." His word to Herod was: Forsake your adulterous relationship with Herodias, your brother Philip's wife. Thus John the Forerunner exhorted all to do right, to love justice, mercy and truth, and to walk humbly with God. Such was the preparation the gospel harbinger admonished all classes of the people to make in order to receive Christ.

"The way of the Lord" is the heart of every man, and each one is in eminent degree his own pioneer. No man can do this work of preparation absolutely for another. God Himself cannot, or will not, do it without the concurrence of man's will. "We are labourers together with God," and He works while we work. Hence the apostle Paul exhorts the Phihppians: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13). Here we see God and man cooperating, and man must open the door before God can enter.

The command to prepare the way of the Lord implies that the heart is in a state of unpreparedness. All human experience proves that this is even so. The prophet Jeremiah declares: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Jesus declared: "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matt. 15: 19). In its natural state the human heart is like a wilderness where wild beasts roam and ravage, where the hills are high and rough and need to be levelled down, where the valleys and gorges are deep and must be filled, and where the rushing streams must be bridged, before the traveler can pass with safety. To drop the figure, all sin must be abandoned and the stubborn will subdued, before God can enter the heart and set up His kingdom, whose characteristics are "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."

Submission, then, is the first thing to be done in preparing the way for the King. An unyielding will is an impassable barrier, a veritable Gibraltar, which defies Omnipotence and must be battered down. Against it every force must be hurled until the surrender is complete. Not that the will does the work of regeneration, but it yields to God that He may do it. Until the will is subdued Christ cannot enter and abide in any heart. Self-denial is refusing to follow one's own will, and is a necessary condition of discipleship ; for Christ declared: "If any man will (is willing to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow^ me" (Matt. 16:24). When a man begins to yield, the language of his heart will be: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Then will follow earnest prayer and sincere repentance. Not that these have been absent before, for they have helped to subdue the will and to show that it is subdued ; but there will be deep penitence and fervent prayer for deliverance from sin. The needy, longing soul, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, will cry for help from above. Like the publican in the temple, he will pray: "God be merciful to me a sinner!" Or, like the blind beggar of Jericho: "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" The words of David in the Fifty-first Psalm will spring to his lips: ''Have mercy upon me, O God, according to th}' loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." Repentance and prayer are like a plough-share, breaking up the fallow ground of the heart and fitting it for the reception of the gospel seed. Without these there can be no suitable preparation for the coming of the King. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." While it is true that "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord," it is likewise true that "the prayer of the upright is his delight" (Prov. 15:8).

When our friends notify us of an approaching visit we begin to set the house in order, so as to make all needed preparation to receive them with a hospitable welcome and to give them proper entertainment. The housewife is sure to put the various rooms in order, removing dust and stains and whatever might lessen the pleasure of the coming guests. So it must be when the visitor is Christ, who will soon stand at the door and knock. Sin has defiled the heart w4th many dark spots and blots, and it requires much hard scouring upon our knees to remove the stains. The soap of the Word too must be freely used. Thus as our own efforts are aided by God's cooperating grace, the heart is cleansed and becomes a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God neither prays, nor repents, nor believes for any man, but He helps the man to do these things for himself. We may rest assured that He is ever ready to do His part when we are ready to do ours. Therefore, I repeat, each one is in a preeminent sense his own pioneer in the work of his salvation. Remove, then, all barriers from your heart, whatever they may be.

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Drive out all enemies of Christ. If it be a worldly spirit, put it away. If it be pride, lust, anger, revenge, covetousness, or evil of any other kind, banish and destroy it. Just one cherished sin has kept many a man or woman from becoming a Christian — such as inordinate love of the world, indulgence of unlawful desire, an unforgiving disposition, unwillingness to make restitution, and such like things. How many have been brought at length to confess that fondness for the theatre, opera, dance, card-table, or intoxicating drink, has kept Christ out of their hearts !

During a revival meeting a lady presented herself again and again at the altar for the prayers of the church. I became deeply interested in her case, gave her counsel as best I could, and when she still lingered I insisted upon knowing what was the difficulty in her way. At last she frankly confessed that there was just one thing that kept her from finding peace with God and becoming a Christian, and that was a feeling of hatred toward a certain woman who had injured her. To this I could only say: "You cannot expect to be forgiven unless you forgive, for our Lord Himself declared: 'If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.' "

At another meeting a lady came to the altar, and when I began to talk with her she said: "Tell my husband to come here. He is a member of the church, but he is not right." He came to her side, and while the congregation was singing the husband and wife talked together and then returned to their seats. At the close of the service she gave me a pressing invitation to go to her home, which I accepted.

Later in the day this explanation was made concerning the events that had taken place at the church: The husband was engaged in the lumber business with his father, who lived near by; but there had been no friendly relations between the two families for nearly twelve months, on account of causes that were comparatively trivial. This state of things had become a barrier in the way of the spiritual prosperity of the parties concerned. After hearing the matter stated, I made the suggestion that we should go over to the house of my host's father in the evening; and on our arrival we were cordially received and kindly treated. The visit proved to be a pleasant one, and at its close we held worship together. Among the results that followed was the conversion of my host's two sisters, and the revival received a new impetus. Needless to say, the friendly relations of the two families were restored, and the disquieted hearts found peace.

But you ask: What is faith? There are some things that cannot be simplified, because they have been reduced to their last analysis. If you ask the chemist. What is water? he answers: "It is composed of hydrogen and oxygen in certain proportions." If then you ask: What are oxygen and hydrogen? he replies: "They are gases that have certain properties." And here he reaches the last analysis. To say that faith is trust, reliance, recumbency, as many books have it, does not give a full explanation. It is said that John Wesley, in one of his class meetings, had up the question: "What is saving faith?" A godly sister suggested: "It is taking God at His word." Mr. Wesley replied: "That is enough; let us adopt that definition." Perhaps no better definition of faith can be given than the one set forth by

Horace Bushnell: "Faith is the act by which one person, a sinner, commits himself to another person, a Saviour." Every little child v^^ho accepts w^ithout question the woxd. of father or mother is exercising filial faith. If you wtrt lost in some vt^ilderness, and there should come along some one w^ho knew^ the w^ay out, and w^hose v^^ord you could trust, it would be natural and easy for you to follow him as your guide. So we are to look to Jesus as our Guide, who will conduct us out of the wilderness of sin. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," we shall find safe guidance.

In carrying forward its gracious work, faith has efficient allies and helpers. Hear what the apostle Peter says with reference to it: "Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:5-8). Of these aUies, all of which serve as props to faith, I call attention at present to but one, and that is Patience, which conveys the idea of perseverance and endurance.