CHRISTIAN EXPOSITOR.
1. Tim: 1. 5. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” This may be called properly the golden chain of divine truth.
The end of it is charity, or love—the beginning is unfeigned faith—and the middle is a good conscience, and a pure heart. Faith produces, or leads to a good conscience—this to purity of heart— and this, to love, or universal benevolence. This is the sum of Christianity, without which none can be perfect or complete Christians.
The commandment is broad, including all that God requires us to believe and do. It is the gospel of the Son of God, in contradistinction of the old covenant or law of Moses. This commandment must be heartily and unfeignedly believed before it can be profitable, or before it will become effectual in the production of a good conscience, a pure heart, and charity. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and Saviour of sinners, and, consequently, faith in his testimony, produces the conviction of sin, and guilt in us. Feeling the intolerable load, we cry out what shall we do to be saved? How shall we be delivered from this evil, guilty conscience? How shall we obtain a good conscience?
We know of but one way— “Repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins.” “The like figure whereunto, baptism doth now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The new translation, instead of the answer of a good conscience, has it. “The Seeking of a good conscience.” This is certainly a more literal translation of the Greek word, and accords better with the whole New Testament, and with the experience of all Christians. The poor, convicted sinner is tormented with a guilty, condemning conscience; or in the language of scripture, with an evil conscience. He trembles at the just judgment, and wrath of God against him—He is seeking for salvation—for a good conscience, or deliverance from condemnation, or from an evil conscience. How shall my sins be remitted—How shall they be washed away) How shall I be justified?—What would be more appropriate than the language of Peter to such seekers? Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Surely, in submitting to baptism, they are seeking after “a good conscience, and, believing in God, they obtain it.
I admit that conscience is the creature of education. When we measure our conduct by a rule, we think right, and find it agree with, the rule, we have an approving conscience. Thus, Paul measuring his conduct by a rule, which he thought right, had a good conscience; but after he found his rule, by which he measured himself, was not right; and after the true rule was presented, he found himself guilty—his good conscience became an evil conscience. Thus, a Papist, who has a rule not to eat flesh on certain days—if he eat, he has an evil, guilty conscience, and if he eat not, he has a good conscience. A person, believing infant sprinkling to be a duty, has a good conscience in having his children sprinkled, add an evil one in omitting it—now, who is prepared to say, that because our conscience approves our course, so does God? Our conscience is good in the sight of God, when it agrees with the rule of conduct which he has giver us—this rule is his revealed word.
When, therefore, we heartily and unfeignedly believe his word and obey it, we have a good conscience in the remission of our sins.
With a good conscience is intimately connected a pure heart.
They are not the same thing. A good conscience flows from firm belief in the promise of God that our sins are forgiven, when we have obeyed the gospel in being baptized. This forgiveness is not the act of the creature, but of God—it is not an inward work, but an outward act passed on us—purity of heart flows from the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we receive through obedience. It is the work of God performed in us, by which we are born of the Spirit, and made new creatures. The heart is made pure; it hates and departs from all iniquity—it loves and seeks holiness in all the ways of God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Christians, all Christians hate pure hearts. This is the sine qua non of religion.
I have heard men, even professed preachers of the gospel—the exclusive ambassadors of Christ, and the only true ministers of his gospel I have heard them in their prayers, confess for themselves, and their people, that their hearts were deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked—that they were as a cage of unclean birds—that from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there was no soundness, but wounds, braises, and purifying sores. This well accords with the hearts of sinners desperate in wickedness, but infinitely distant from the character of Christians. Charity would lead us to belief they were sincere in such acknowledgments’; and yet if they were, charity forbids us to acknowledge them Christians, much more, that such are ambassadors of Jesus. Are not such things a disgrace to Religion?
Will not the ungodly conclude, that religion is useless, if these people are, what they profess to be?—I once met with an old Baptist. I saluted him calling him brother D—. He replied, I cannot call you brother, only as a brother sinner—I replied, I would not own that relation—by the grace of God, I am a Christian and not a sinner. He, said, well I am a poor sinner; and then went on in such language as used above. I then exhorted him to repent and be converted, for the time was short, and left him.
Out of a pure heart proceeds love—love to God, and man. This is the religion of heaven; and the religion of all the members of the kingdom of heaven on earth—for except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God— and that which is born of the Spirit—is a partaker of the divine nature. Love is the fairest fruit of the Spirit—to this are united joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance.
These, these are the fruits, of the Spirit—the fruits, which Christians bear.
Love leads to universal obedience—”This is the love of God, that ye keep his commandments.” On these two commandments, love to God and man, hang all the law and the prophets— all the laws of Jesus and his apostles—all, all were designed to lead mankind to love—Little children, let us love one another; for love is of God. Let us often read—let us commit to memory 1. Cor. 13, 1—8. Never was charity or love more beautifully pourtrayed in language than in, that chapter. In the life of Jesus it is drawn in perfection. Let us make him our model.
B. W. STONE, Editor.
Christian Messenger, volume 8 page 74