All who do not love God supremely are then His enemies. But I go further. All are His enemies whose hearts and lives are not governed by this affection as their ruling passion, so habitually as to form their general character. What else can be understood by the passages already quoted? In these there is a character ascribed to Christians, (including all who love God at all,) and this character is, that they hate their nearest relations, and even life, in comparison with Him, that they do not "love the world," are not friends of the world, do not "mind earthly things," are "dead" to the world, are not "covetous," are not idolators, do not "serve mammon," do not serve "the creature more than the Creator," are not "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God," do not "love the praise of men more than the praise of God." Whatever remaining sins they have this is their character, their only character, then certainly their general character. And is it true after all that "nine hours out of ten" they are alive to the world, are friends of the world, are covetous, are idolators, are servants of mammon, are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, are enemies of God? Then this is their general character, and by these names they ought to be called. Are they who are described as serving God and not mammon, really serving mammon and not God "nine hours out of ten"? After the Bible has declared that no covetous man shall inherit the kingdom of Christ, shall they inherit who remain covetous, "nine hours out of ten," to the day of their death? Is the good man of the Bible one who, "nine hours out of ten," differs in nothing from the wicked? Do those temples in which the Holy Ghost" dwells," contain, "nine hours out of ten," nothing but idols and enmity to God? Christians are said not to "commit sin,"* to be "dead to sin," to be "freed from sin," which is explained to mean that they do not serve sin. And after all do they sin with the prevailing consent of their minds nine hours out of ten"? They indeed have large remains of indwelling corruption, and often do that which [they] would not"; but they are allowed to plead, "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." What can this mean unless that it is no more they in their general character? It is very apparent that men are denominated in Scripture according to their general character. For example, when our Saviour says, "Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father," He must mean to speak of general character, otherwise Peter falls under this sentence. When the apostle says, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him,"¶ he must mean to speak of general character, otherwise David fell from grace, and indeed all the saints daily fall. But David was not a murderer, nor Peter a denier of Christ, in the sense of Scripture, *1 John iii. 9. Rom. vii. 20. † Rom. vi. 2, 7, 18, 22. Rom. vi. 12, 16, 20. because such was not their general character. When it is said "There is no condemnation to them--who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit-if ye live after the flesh ye shall die,"* reference must be had to general character, or we may well exclaim, "Who then can be saved ?" By analogy, then, the declaration that "no-covetous man, who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ," must import that no Christian is covetous or idolatrous in his general character. That is, no Christian habitually loves "the creature more than the Creator."+ All then who are not enemies to God, and of course utterly destitute of holiness, are habitu *Rom. viii. 1, 13. To this conclusion the author has conceived himself driven by the Word of God. Any question connected with the subject which is not decided by that arbiter he dares not touch: for instance, whether the term love, as it is used in the Bible, includes both the dispositions and the exercise,-how much of the time the Christian exercises direct love to God,-how far his exercises, when God is not the immediate object of attention, may still be regarded as love to Him. Other affections may hourly rise in the Christian's heart, other passions may occasionally take possession of his mind, other objects may frequently engross his attention; his views may often be obscure when his attention is directed to God; through the insensible influence of selfish passions he may neglect to rouse himself to discern the will of God, and by that means may omit many selfdenying duties which a realizing sense of divine authority would have enforced; by the same means his attention may be drawn away from the interests of others, and leave his mind to sleep over a perishing world. But in almost all these seasons, let God present Himself before him, and fix the attention upon Himself, and there is found a temper to prefer Him and His interest to all other objects; there is found a heart that in the trying hour would die for the name of Jesus. ally governed by supreme love to Him. Or to reverse the proposition, all who are not habitually governed by supreme love to God are His enemies, and utterly destitute of holiness. II. With this standard let us now compare the world. If all are destitute of holiness who do not love God supremely,—who are not habitually governed by this affection, will any affirm that the mass of mankind possess a holy principle? Instead of supreme, habitual love, I shall show that they do not love God at all, but are His enemies. (1.) The mass of mankind do not love God at all. I have already shown that they who love God in the least degree are heirs of all the promises, and will inherit eternal glory; of course all who are not entitled to heaven are utterly destitute of that affection. In the last Lecture I cited texts to prove that natural men do not desire God, do not seek God, do not fear God, do not know God, and have no desires after Christ. I am now to present you with several classes of men who are expressly said not to love God. They who hate any of their fellow-men do not love God: "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen ?" This reasoning proves that without universal love to man there is no love to God; for if a single individual is excluded from our good will, the reasoning lies full against us. Again, they who with 66 "Whoso hath this brother have need, hold alms do not love God: world's goods, and seeth his and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" Again, they who reject the Gospel do not love God. It was on this account that our Saviour said to the Jews, "I know you that ye have not the love of God in you." "If God were your Father ye would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but He sent me." Again, they who disobey God do not love Him: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. If a man love me he will keep my words.-He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.-Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." Again, none of the wicked whom God will destroy have any love for him: "The Lord preserveth all them that love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy."* All, then, who either hate any of their fellow men, (in other words, lack universal love to mankind,) or withhold alms from the needy, or reject the Gospel, or habitually disobey the divine commands, or are of the class that will finally perish, or are not at present heirs of salvation, are utterly destitute of love to God. And pray will not these classes include every natural man on earth? That natural men possess no love to God is further evident from this, that the love of God is *Ps. cxlv. 20. John v. 42. and viii. 42. and xiv. 21, 23, 24. and xy. 14. 1 John iii. 17, and iv. 20. |