SECTION XXIII.

PRESUMING.

PHILEMON.-EPAPHRAS..

Philemon.-Why is it so few professing Christians trust wholly to Christ? Is he not all-sufficient and self-sufficient? Are we not perfectly safe by holding simply to him? Is not a naked Saviour enough for our salvation? For my part, I hate the working system: a self-righteous spirit I cannot endure. I love the freedom and perfect liberty we have in Christ: "if the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed;" (John viii. 36.) and St. Paul says, "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Gal. v. 1.)

It is the doubting of the perfection of Christ's merit—it is the distrusting of his plenary grace; it is the depending on something in nature or grace received, that forms the bitter root that is springing up and troubling and rendering uneasy many real Christians: but it is a great source of comfort to my soul, that I can take up the language of David and say, "I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities, and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my foot in a large room." (Psalm xxxi. 7, 8.)

Epaphras.-Yet nothing is more dangerous than the absence of self-distrust, overweening confidence, and a presuming spirit. Solomon says, "Before honour is humility," (Prov. xviii. 12.) "and pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. xvi. 18.)

Ever bear it in mind, my friend, that as the seed of a tree is always in the root, though it bring forth no fruit, even so the seed of all evil is wrapped up and enfolded in every man's heart; the fountain of iniquity may not overflow, but it is not because it has no turbid streams in it: the best man alive needs much watchfulness.

Philemon.-Will you excuse me, dear Sir, but is there not great danger of falling into a legal spirit? Will those who enjoy everlasting freedom from nature's thraldom and bondage, voluntarily entangle themselves again? Will a man let out of prison return cheerfully to the door of his confinement? Do we not learn in the history of a whole Jewish nation, what bondage their captive souls were in? and would you have poor sinners sent back again all over the land of Egypt, to procure straw for themselves, and make bricks therewith, to build a foolish pyramid of pride and vain-glory? Is not Christ perfect, without any working of our own? and are we to question his finished salvation? are we to be sent out a second time into nature's field for working or evidence?

Epaphras. Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."

Philemon.-Oh, Sir, I must ever cleave to the freedom of the gospel: gospel freedom comes by

virtue of the Saviour's whole merit: its blessedness is, that we should have glorious liberty to call God by the endearing name of Father; that we should view him only as a God of love; that we should enter into his sanctuary with joy; that we should be divested of all fear; that we should have confidence in our prayers to be heard; assurance of life in death, and a glorious welcome and entrance into the new creation when this life is ended.

Epaphras.-It forms also part of God's revelation, that we "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," (Phil. ii. 12.) and that we "give all diligence to make our calling and election sure;" (2 Peter i. 10.) and further in Peter, it is enjoined, "that we add to our 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 :" (2 Peter i. 5-7.) so" an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter i. 11.)

Philemon.-Very true: still we must avoid the charge of being considered by the world as too strict, and righteous over-much. The Colossians, you know, were blamed for not holding the head: they were very exact and scrupulous about other things; they even gave more respect and paid more honour to angels than was meet; (Col. ii. 18.) but we must depend wholly upon Christ for life, and not upon any working of our own, or any means: it is all nothing worth without

Christ his gracious influence we may expect in the use of his ordinances; but it is himself we must look to, and depend upon, for every blessing.

Epaphras.-Whether we may be considered too strict or not, one thing I am sure of, that unless every one of us attend to duty, as well. as to doctrines, we are in a most unsatisfactory and unsafe state. Is not every one expected to make Christ his pattern? and is there any other a hopeful Christian, but he who is a growing Christian? Philemon. It strikes me, dear Sir, that all your remarks are personal: have they not an individual bearing, and may I not ask, am not I the mark you are aiming at?

Epaphras.-It is the truth-I stand in doubt of you; and I begin to tremble for your future spiritual welfare: I perceive a frame of mind which is not under the controul of salutary fear.

Philemon.-A heart possessed of the love of God is dispossessed of all fear. "I will not be afraid," says David; "though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear :" (Psalm xxvii. 3.) and again, “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil;" (Psalm xlix 5.) and in another place (Psalm xxiii. 4.) "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (i. e. though I walk in the near danger of death; for if the shadow of it follow me, the body and reality of it is not far off) "I will fear no evil.”

Epaphras. Still allow me to observe that a godly filial fear tends much to the preservation of saints in Christ; it is a salutary check in sudden surprisals and temptations to sin; it is a great

bulwark against inward apostacy; and if any one, especially a young man in grace, boasts that he is without any fear, all I can say is, that he is in every fear of falling.

Philemon.-I see more and more, we are not all alike taught from above, or led in the same way; the Spirit of God divideth to every man severally as he will; "and he that is spiritual judgeth or discerneth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor. ii. 15.) And I now perceive there may be a legal and self-righteous spirit where it was least suspected; surely it is our high privilege to live upon Christ. "For me to live is Christ," says the great apostle to the Gentiles; and again," the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God;" (Gal. ii. 20.) and therefore I infer that we must steer alike clear of nature, of legal precepts, and the covenant of works.

Epaphras.-And yet, unless we make a conscience of good works, of precepts and commandments of Christ, our soul is in the utmost peril and danger.

Philemon.-Is not the grace of God sufficient? Can we do God's will perfectly? Can we answer him one word in a thousand?

Epaphras.-Though we cannot perform a single commandment perfectly, yet we may make a conscience of every commandment; "then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments" (Psalm cxix. 6.) He does not say, when I keep them all fully and perfectly, for we all fail in that: but Christian's, though they cannot keep all, may pay a consis