Salvation is infinitely the most momentous subject that can engage the thoughts of men. It embraces a knowledge of G.o.d on the one hand and a knowledge of man on the other. It is a pleasing thought that as the knowledge of G.o.d is unfolded to the mind, a knowledge of man"s own sinful and lost condition flows in along with it; so that the very same light which enables him to perceive the love and goodness and truth and holiness of G.o.d imparts to him at the same time a view of his own sinful state. He is led to see and feel in himself a spiritual condition which is the very opposite of that which he discovers in G.o.d his Creator, Preserver and bountiful Benefactor.
The Bible tells us that "in the beginning G.o.d made man upright," that he created him in his own image, after his own likeness, and p.r.o.nounced him, with all else that he had made, "_very good_." But how is man now? What is his moral and spiritual condition? I appeal to the heart experience of every one in this house for an answer. Brother, there is no charge on the part of the church against you. The church has never at any time preferred a charge against you. You are loved and held in high esteem by all the brethren and sisters. The laws of your land have never brought an accusation against you. You have, in the most minute particulars, been "a law-abiding citizen." More than all this, you labor to do all the good you can, by feeding and clothing the poor; by helping to keep up the church, and by aiding in the spread of the Gospel. You also help your neighborhood, county and State by paying all your dues and by voluntary contributions of money or labor to public improvements, education and whatever else may be for the general good, as necessity may demand.
But, with all these excellencies in your character and life in full view, I ask you, as in the presence of G.o.d: Do you feel in your _heart_ that you are a _good_ man? Would you be willing for the world and the church to know every thought and imagination and desire that enters your heart and pa.s.ses through your mind in the short s.p.a.ce of one day of your life? Do you feel that all within is fit for the eye of G.o.d? I know, or _think_ I know, just what is in your mind, and your answer is in words like these: "I do not feel that I am good. It is only by constant watchfulness, by looking to Jesus in his Word, and by reading his Word with prayer, in connection with my attendance upon the ordinances of his house, that I am enabled to walk in the path I go, and lead the life I do.
""He LEADETH me: HE leadeth me: By his own hand he leadeth me."
"His promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," sustains my hope and a.s.sures me that "he will never leave me, nor forsake me." Thus, G.o.d being my helper, I do all the good I can, and shun the evil. In this way "I labor, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing to him; and work out my own salvation with fear and trembling;" feeling, however, at the same time, a blessed a.s.surance that it is G.o.d who worketh in me both to will and to do the things that are pleasing in his sight."
Brethren, this is salvation. It is the sum of "the things which many prophets and wise men desired to see, and saw them not; and to hear, and heard them not." But let us look at the divine forces, brother, that have wrought in you this wonderful change from a life of _self-love_, into which you were born by nature, to a life of divine love, joyful, holy, heavenly love to G.o.d and your brother, into which you have been born by the Spirit.
Peter tells us something about this in the chapter read. He here says: "Ye were REDEEMED, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; but with the precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ.... Ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth; ... having been begotten [or born] again, ...
through the word of G.o.d, which liveth and abideth."
He now introduces the contrast between man"s natural birth and his spiritual birth: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit;" and he says:
"All flesh is as gra.s.s, And all the glory thereof as the flower of gra.s.s.
The gra.s.s withereth, and the flower falleth."
"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," is the doom of flesh and blood sealed to every mortal as a consequence of sin. No wonder the grave is sad and lonely to the contemplation of those who have no hope of aught of life or love beyond it. It is sad to think how many have no higher claim to life and happiness than mere fleshly, bodily existence. But our Lord hath "brought life and immortality to light,"
and
"The good Spirit of the Lord Reveals a heaven to come; The beams of glory in his Word Allure and guide us home."
"Beloved, now are we the children of G.o.d, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be;" but we know that we have the promise of "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away."
Brethren, this inheritance which Peter talks of--what do you think about it? Is it something extraneous to the man, something outside of him? Or is it something intrinsic to the man in his renewed state, something internal, something inside of him? I, for one, believe that man"s eternal and blissful inheritance, which Peter and John and Paul describe in such glowing terms, is in the man himself, in his adaptation to the bliss-inspiring garniture of heaven. It is "Christ in him the hope of glory."
This exalted and blissful state of man redeemed is what Peter calls his "_inheritance which is incorruptible_." Think of it, Brethren. No more sin to bewail; no more sickness to suffer; no more death to dread! It is also "_undefiled_." No more "filthiness of the flesh;"
"neither idolatry, nor adultery, nor whatsoever loveth and maketh a lie." And "_that fadeth not away_." The l.u.s.ter of the eye; the bloom of the cheek; the facial expressions of beauty and love, purity and truth, know nothing of decay in the amaranthine bowers of spotless purity.
We often wonder about heaven. But I will tell you, Brethren, what I believe about it. I do believe in my very soul that every Christian man, after the death of his body, finds himself in the very heaven he takes with him from this world; and that every man"s heaven is the LOVE and the TRUTH that abound in his mind and heart. If his heart is filled with _love_ to G.o.d and to his brother, and his mind stored with the _truth_ of G.o.d as revealed in his Son Jesus Christ, that man"s heaven is _in_ him. Do you remember, Brethren, that when Jesus was on earth he said that he was also at the same time in heaven? Now let me show you this. He says to Nicodemus: "No man hath ascended to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, _even the Son of man_ WHICH IS IN HEAVEN." John 3:13.
And right here a difficulty confronts us which we must try to settle.
Did not Elijah ascend to heaven? How about Moses? These two redeemed saints were both of them in heaven at the very time our Lord said this to Nicodemus. Very shortly after this conversation they made their appearance, not only to Jesus, but to Peter and James and John on the holy mount in glory. How had they gotten there? I will tell you just what I think our Lord meant. He meant to teach that stupid, _materialistic_ Nicodemus that people do not go to heaven by merely ascending, like as one would ascend or go up from a lower room in a building to a higher one. He meant to teach him that heaven must be in the man, inwrought into his character and life. This follows in perfect harmony with what he had just before told him about the new birth and a change of heart. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," and nothing more. But Paul says: "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of G.o.d dwell in you." Elijah had not _really ascended_. The Lord just took him up as he had taken Enoch many years before. He was in heaven whilst on earth, just as Jesus was. The only change he underwent in his departure from this world was a change in the relations of his state. While here his _state_ was a _heavenly_ state, but surrounded by earthly things.
After his departure from earth his _state_ was the same; but his surroundings were heavenly, and he could feel at home.
THE ANGELS.
No wonder, Brethren, that the angels desire to look into these things.
Some very good and wise men are of the opinion that all the angels of heaven are none other than saints redeemed from the earth. How this may be I do not know; but some things that the Bible says about angels seem to favor this conclusion. The main thing in this direction is the deep interest they have always felt, and the active part they have always taken in the things of man"s salvation. Paul covers this whole ground by a single sweep of his pen. "Are they not all," says he, "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Of course he means by the _heirs of salvation_ those still tabernacling in the flesh, and still exposed to the ups and downs of the waves of life.
I think, though, that one reason why the angels feel such a deep interest in the things of man"s salvation is because they are there--in heaven, I mean--always beholding the face of our Father who is in heaven. They see and feel the glory; they know the bliss of that celestial state. So full of love are they even for poor, fallen, lost, ruined man that we are told by the Lord himself that "there is joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d over one sinner that repenteth."
Their joy in this is commensurate with the exalted knowledge they have of the blessedness of true penitence. In it they see light shining in the darkness of the poor sinner"s heart. Peace to the waves of his storm-beaten soul,--a new creature in the image of their and our Lord Jesus Christ coming forth into the enjoyment of a new life in him; deliverance from the bondage and power of sin, and restoration to the glorious liberty of the children of G.o.d! How much more than all this they see in the return of one soul to G.o.d. I do not know; and we never can know fully until we go up higher.
"The blessedness of those above, Why longs my panting soul to know?
For future bliss I know is LOVE, And love is felt by saints below.
"But love so pure, exalted high Beyond compute, beyond compare-- No eagle wing that height may fly; No mortal breathe that upper air.
"There, love springs pure and unrepressed; There, all are loved, and love again.
Love fills each burning cherub"s breast; Love fires each flaming seraph train.
"Soon, soon shall I, this conflict o"er, From sin be freed, with love be fired; Soon, soon in heaven, my G.o.d adore, With love, celestial love inspired."
And right here this thought comes to mind: If angels are so much interested in the salvation of men, should not men be quite as deeply interested in the salvation of one another? If there are such exultant emotions of joy in the bosoms of _angels_ over one sinner that repents, should there not be an equal measure of joy in the bosoms of _men_ from the same cause?
But the text says: "The angels _desire_ to look into these things."
We should not infer from this that their knowledge of the way of salvation is limited, or that they meet with difficulties in the way of understanding it. Oh, no! Their _desires_ are being constantly met and supplied with the means of acquiring knowledge upon this subject, fully up to the measure of each one"s capacity to take it in. We may, therefore, justly infer from the text that the subject is immensely vast in its proportions and range.
As salvation is infinite in respect to the TRUTHS contained in it and connected with it, so is it also eternal in respect to the SCENES and experiences through which the redeemed will be forever pa.s.sing.
"Could we, so rich in rapture, fear an end, That ghastly thought would drink up all our joy; And quite unparadise the realms of light."
And here, dear brethren and sisters, another thought comes to mind suggesting another question: If _angels_ desire to look into the things of man"s salvation, should not _men_ have an equal desire to look into them? Should not those who still have the stream to cross, and to whom the ford looks somewhat dark and uncertain, be quite as much interested in it, and in all connected with it, as those who are safely landed on the other sh.o.r.e? Think of this, will you? Let me impress this thought: If the _angels_, who are out of the reach of all harm and danger, feel such a glow of interest to learn all they can about the way in which all are saved; should not _men_, who are still exposed to danger, feel an equal or a still deeper interest?
But how is it with the bulk of professors? Who of you, my dear Brethren, make the Bible the man of your counsel? Who of you read and study it with that devotion of faith which makes you feel that your eternal life is in that Word? With joy would I give you the touch of heaven"s galvanism to quicken your souls to a livelier sense of the transcendent importance of this matter. I feel sure that many of you do read. You love your Bible because it tells you of your sin and your Savior, of your cross and your crown. But how is it with many? They read some, no doubt; partly from a sense of duty and to quiet their consciences; but not, I fear, with a deep and inmost desire to learn the things of salvation.
Brethren, if the Bible be true, it is tremendously true. It is true with a power that lifts the contrite, penitent, faithful follower of our Lord to the gates of the Holy City, and opens them to him; and it is true with a power that sinks the faithless, impenitent, careless, sin-loving sinner to h.e.l.l. To which cla.s.s do I belong? With which cla.s.s am I going to spend a long eternity? I am happy to see in the l.u.s.ter of many an eye here the evidence of your being in the cla.s.s first named, and on the side of salvation. G.o.d grant that all may be in that number; and in a better world and a purer life, with angels on high, sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
Brother Price was followed by brethren John Garber, Henry Kurtz and Umstead, all bearing testimony more or less extended. The services were brought to a close, and an intermission was given. In the afternoon queries were taken in.
TUESDAY, May 16. The meeting was continued to-day. Seven queries were disposed of. Love and harmony abound.
WEDNESDAY, May 17. The meeting was brought to a close to-day. The business being all disposed of, it broke up in the afternoon by the singing of the hymn:
"Blest be the dear uniting love That will not let us part; Our bodies far apart may move, We still are joined in heart."
O my G.o.d, I pray that we, as thy dear people, may ever be thus joined in heart; that we may ever be of one mind and speak the same thing; that thy Spirit may fill us and guide us into a clear understanding of thy revealed will that we may not err therein; that we may keep all pride and emulation of the flesh out of our hearts; that each one may esteem another better than himself with all lowliness and meekness; with long-suffering; forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of G.o.d unto a perfect man; unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Amen!
THURSDAY, May 18. Some of the Brethren from a distance start home to-day. Set things in order at the meetinghouse. While thus engaged our thoughts would turn to the pleasant season of brotherly communion we had just pa.s.sed through. I can but wish and pray that the same spirit of love and union may pervade every meeting yet to be held in the Brotherhood, through all time, to the end of the world.
THURSDAY, August 10. Benjamin Bowman and Samuel Wampler were established in the ministry to-day, in a council at our meetinghouse.
TUESDAY, August 29. Brother Kline and Brother Flory start to Maryland and Pennsylvania on horseback. Brother Abraham Flory, by the way, was a suitable companion for Brother Kline. He loved home, it is true, and he had a home worthy of being loved. But when he made up his mind to go he left all his home cares behind; and, like Abraham of old, he said to these servants of life: "Stay ye here while I go yonder to worship; and I will return again unto you." He consequently never fretted about home in his absence; but was habitually calm and self-possessed. Even a rainy day or high water did not interfere with the equilibrium of his mild temper.
These two brethren were well mounted. Their horses were good travelers, not only as to gait, but _bottom_ as well. This, in common _parlance_, means great power of endurance. We must not forget that this journey was undertaken more than sixty years ago. The two travelers did not know what weather they might have to contend with on a journey which was to occupy more than _five weeks_. Umbrellas were rare in that day; but even if they had been abundant they were too much "after the fashion" to have been used by these unfashionable brethren. Indeed umbrellas were not used by the Brotherhood, at least in Virginia, until many years after this.
A GREAT COAT, made of heavy and compact stuff, with long skirts reaching to the feet, and a large cape attached, covering completely the shoulders, and b.u.t.toning over the breast, const.i.tuted a covering defying both rain and storm. Superadded to this was a very broad-brimmed hat of solid felt. Every saddle in that day was provided with what was called a _coat-pad_. This was a flat leather pad fastened to the saddle just behind the seat, and furnished with straps and buckles so as to hold an overcoat, when properly rolled up and fastened, in perfect order whilst traveling. Leather saddlebags well stocked with changes of clean underwear completed the outfit.
Thus equipped, these two brethren started on their journey. Their spirit in all this reminds one of what pa.s.sed between two ministering brethren of another persuasion who were traveling together, neither so well equipped nor mounted, but on foot. Trudging along in the face of foul weather to meet an engagement, Comer said to Proctor:
"I don"t mind the rain If souls I may gain."
To which Proctor instantly replied to Comer:
"I can face every storm of rain and foul weather, When I and my Lord are walking together."