James Grierson
Let us consider the general way that communicants ought to behave to the world from which they have professedly separated. Those who publicly
8Original Letters Relative to the English Reformation, vol 1, The Parker Society, ed Hastings Robinson, Cambridge, 1846, p 64.
9Commenting and Commentaries, p 58.
1Grierson (1791-1859) was latterly minister of the Free Church congregation in Errol, Perthshire; R M M’Cheyne speaks of a sermon by Grierson as “an instructive word”. This piece is taken, with editing, from Grierson’s volume, The Lord’s Supper. It is the first point in a chapter headed, “The general conduct which all who partake of the Lord’s Supper should be careful afterwards to maintain”.
profess to have accepted Christ also profess to have been separated from the world. Of His genuine disciples, Christ Himself says that He has chosen them out of the world. They are again and again exhorted, in every possible way, to demonstrate that they are keeping themselves distinct from it. “Love not the world,” says the Apostle John, “neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” They are reminded by James that “pure religion and undefiled”, which they have professedly embraced, consists partly in keeping themselves “unspotted from the world”.
But Paul goes still farther and beseeches them not to be “conformed to this world”. He also exhorts them to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”. He was aware that it was impossible for them to avoid altogether the company of some who, as the followers of the world, continued to follow the lusts of the flesh. He remarked that, if they were never, on any account, to have dealings with such persons, they must “needs go out of the world”.
Yet he showed them that, if they could not entirely avoid the society of those who were unbelieving and ungodly, they should be all the more careful to show that they had no sympathy with the principles of the world and did not participate in their ungodly deeds. He exhorted them as professing Christians to abstain, not only from what was in itself evil, but “from all appearance of evil”. “Let not”, said Paul, “your good be evil spoken of.” Instead of giving any “occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme”, their conduct should be such that, in the words of Peter, “whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ”.
This leads us to remark that those who have publicly declared themselves to be Christ’s should be careful to behave in a way that not only shows they “have escaped the pollutions of the world”. They are not to be content with the distinction, glorious as it is, of being “blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke,” but they are to “shine as lights in the world”. Each is to show himself “a pattern of good works,” as well as “sound speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say” of them. They are exhorted to “walk honestly” and to “walk in wisdom toward them that are without,” that is, toward those who do not belong to the Christian community.
Christ Himself said to His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth . . . Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” They are represented as “epistles”, of
Christ, “known and read of all men”. The boldness, devotedness and consistency of the first disciples were such that the “rulers of the people, and elders of Israel” – especially when “they perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men” – “marvelled; and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus”.
Not only, however, did they arouse the astonishment of the rulers, they won the admiration and favour of multitudes among the people. “They continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. . . . And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people.” It was thus that the primitive Christians not only kept themselves unspotted from the world, but showed an example which was calculated to improve its morals and recommend that gospel of which they were at once the disciples and the ornaments. Thus likewise the Lord has a right to expect that all who have partaken of the holy ordinance of His Supper will habitually be careful to adorn the doctrines of God their Saviour, and – seeing they are “bought with a price” – to “glorify God in [their] body and in [their] spirit, which are God’s”.
They should hold themselves solemnly bound, not only “as much as lieth” in them, to “live peaceably with all men” but, after the example of their blessed Lord, they should be ready to relieve their distresses, and to “do good unto all men, as they have opportunity,” whether in their souls, or in their bodies. They should neither conceal their views of the sins of worldly men, nor, on the other hand, speak of them harshly or with exaggeration. They should avoid all uncharitableness in the way they view the conduct of these people and, in the exercise of pity towards them on account of their delusions and their vices, they should carefully avoid everything like the arrogance of self-righteous superiority.