BY THE REV. KENNETH BAYNE, GREENOCK.
[ON the 11th October, Mr Bayne preached from the same text—Phil. i. 6—when he had a full recapitulation of his last discourse, and added several things.] 1. Observed that he had particularly described the beginning of the good work mentioned in the text, in order that every one might examine themselves as in the sight of God and know whether they had that work begun in them or not. 2. Observed that God carried on that work as well as began it, as sundry Scriptures prove, such as Ps. xcii. from verse 12—Hosea xiv. from verse 1, and Mark iv. from verse 26 to 30. This work in its progress might be compared to the growth of a child to manhood and maturity, or to the shining light that shineth more and more to the perfect day.
[He then repeated the particulars in which proper regard and obedience to God consisted as fear, repentance. All these God’s people were to make progress in. He then mentioned the particular view of the subject he was to take, viz.:—]
1. Growth in Spiritual Knowledge
On the first of these he had spoken in the last discourse and observed that spiritual knowledge in its growth was commanded and necessary for the three following reasons:—1. It would be found that ignorance, some way or other, was the cause or occasion of every sin the people of God committed. 2. In proportion as they grew in knowledge, so would they prosper in every other grace and virtue. 3. Their growing in knowledge much promoted their meetness for heaven. [In the course of the foregoing he said] there were three kinds of light or knowledge. 1. Physical—”God said, let there be light.” 2. Intellectual, rational, or speculative. 3. Spiritual, which only the Spirit of God could create in the soul, and this last is what is meant.
2. Progress in Holiness and Conformity to God
[He then dealt with the second point, viz., that the people of God made progress in holiness and conformity to God. He said holiness consisted in a right and proper regard to God in all things, or in the right and proper exercise of all the faculties of the soul, and all the graces of the Spirit in an active and progressive course of holy obedience to God and all His commands, or this might be divided in two.] 1. Holiness consisted in a perfect freedom from all sin, and 2, In a perfect conformity to God and to His will. The whole commands of the Moral Law prohibited sin. They are given in this tenor—Thou shalt not do so and so. This, however strict it appears and though it were attained to, is but the least part of holiness. It is but the negative part of it. [He then mentioned the following as examples of perfect freedom from sin, whom the people of God ought to imitate in the programme of the good work begun in them.] 1. God Himself was the highest and most perfect example of purity and holiness. But as finite creatures could not so well look upon or comprehend His character He had given us His law, His Word, which was a transcript of His nature, to which we should endeavour to conform. 2. Angels. They were perfectly holy and had been so from the beginning. 3. Jesus Christ was perfectly holy and is so still. Who could convict Him of sin? 4. Adam. The first parent of mankind was so before his fall and apostasy. 5. Glorified spirits. All these are perfectly free from sin, and we ought to imitate them. [He spoke a little on each of the foregoing, and then added that the believer’s part of holiness was implied in the mortification of sin, of which he had some time ago preached at considerable length from Roms. viii. 13. And here he repeated the particulars he had on that subject, such as (1) abstinence from sin; (2) hating it in the heart, etc. He then came to the second or positive and active part of holiness—doing the will of God. And here he went over the forementioned five examples of holiness, and showed how each of them were all active in doing positive good.] They were not idle or indolent. They were not merely content to be free from all sin, but they were actively engaged in doing good. They were not found retiring into convents that they might be free from sin, as the Papists do, but were continually active in a contrary way, doing good. [On this part of the discourse he was very full. Here he made some suppositions for illustration.] As suppose the Almighty, after He had created the universe and all things in it, were to retire to some corner of it, if this were possible, and leave the world and all His creatures and works to themselves, and not continue to uphold and govern and do good to them. What would be the consequence ? Similar suppositions might be made as to the others. But this was not the case. The Almighty was good, and continually doing good. Angels were actively employed continually in doing His will, in ministering to the heirs of salvation. Jesus Christ went about doing good continually. Adam, in innocence, was not to be idle, but to keep and dress the garden. So, also, glorified spirits are continually active. None of all these were to rest in being perfectly free from sin, but all to persevere in active holiness.
Application
In application it will be seen that (1) none of the human race can expect to be justified on account of their own righteousness before God, for none is perfect in holiness; (2) the children of God have much work to do in this present life in pursuing after universal and perfect holiness; (3) there may be some here who need some encouragement. They may think they are so far off from these things that they have no real religion at all. But let such examine themselves. If they find they are honest and sincere in pressing after holiness, in abstaining from all appearance of evil, in lamenting their shortcomings, in looking to Jesus for pardon and help, let them persevere and be encouraged to hope for in due season they shall reap if they faint not.
[I forgot to mention that before the application he declared it was his opinion that in this day, though there was so great a stir in the religious world, and noise of doing good to mankind, in forming societies and collecting money for this purpose, and that yet he feared that real, active, positive holiness was much neglected and not earnestly sought after as it should be. He feared we had not the holy and pious dispositions of our forefathers, or were not seeking after these as we should.] Men did not seek nearness to God and holy communion with Him as they ought and as our progenitors did. People might attend ordinances and public meetings regularly and be satisfied with all this while they were afar off from God, from fellowship with Him, and from real holiness. Though all these were commendable of themselves, and he was truly glad at what was being done, and approved of it and wished success to it, and expected much good from it.
As many a man loses the sight of a city when he comes near it, so many a choice soul loses the sight of heaven even when it is nearest to heaven.—Brooks.