John Dick
There are means appointed for carrying on the work of sanctification. We reject those suggested by human wisdom; let us now attend to those which God Himself has ordained.
First, it is evident that, as the Word of God is the rule of holiness, so it is admirably adapted to promote its own design. It not only points out our duty, but presents many considerations calculated to work powerfully on the will and the affections. It not only delivers bare precepts, which recommend themselves to us because we can see that they conform to reason and truth; but it exhibits them in all the loveliness of example – in the history of the saints, and particularly of our Redeemer. Holiness, if I may speak so, appears in Him in an animated form and, displaying every grace before us, fixes our attention and engages our love.
The idea of Plato, the ancient philosopher, is put into effect by the incarnation of virtue in Christ; and although his prediction, that all men would fall down and adore virtue, is not fulfilled; yet this is the effect upon those whose hearts are made, by divine grace, to feel its attractions. The Word of God holds out the greatest encouragements to seek holiness, in the promises of divine assistance with which it is filled. It will be manifest to everyone who has seriously reflected on his own moral weakness, and has felt the paralysing effect of such meditation, how appropriate the promises are to promote holiness.
How is it possible for me, the sinner is apt to exclaim when he is called to purify his heart, to cleanse myself from the pollution of sin? Can the Ethiopian change his skin, and the leopard his spots? Then may I, who am accustomed to do evil, learn to do well. In this state of despondency, the Word of God affords us relief by assurances of supernatural grace. When the Word of God says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”, it adds, “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil 2:12,13). It places before us the best motives: the love of God and the love of Christ; the priceless benefits which have already been bestowed upon us, and the new blessings which we may expect to obtain; the peace, the consolation, the joy, the hope with which our heavenly Father refreshes the souls of His obedient children and recompenses, in this world, their services.
Briefly, the Bible displays, before the eyes of the runner in the Christian race, the glorious prize which awaits him at the end of his course – the immortal crown which the righteous Judge will bestow upon him. We know, from experience, the efficacy of hope in stimulating and sustaining our exertion. The Scriptures enlist this principle of human nature in the service of religion, and exhort us to be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).
Second, all the other ordinances are means of sanctification. I shall notice two: prayer and the Lord’s Supper. Prayer has a direct tendency to impress the mind with a sense of divine things, to heighten our reverence and esteem for the object of worship, to increase our desire for the blessings we ask for, and our abhorrence of the evils from which we implore deliverance. Besides these effects, the direct object of prayer is to obtain grace from God. It consists, not only in adoration and thanksgiving, but also petition. It involves a sinful creature, conscious of guilt, needs and wretchedness, applying to the infinite mercy and kindness of the Creator. As prayer is authorised by Him, it never fails – when it is presented in the name of the Mediator – to bring down the blessing.
Its effect is similar to that produced on the face of Moses by his communion with God. The soul, returning from the sanctuary, shines with spiritual glory. By strength not his own, the Christian overcomes difficulties, repels temptations, and advances with a steady progress in the path of obedience: “Let us . . . come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).
The connection of the Lord’s Supper with the sanctification of the soul is equally clear. The very emblems which are used point it out as an institution adapted to the purpose of invigorating the graces of the Christian. As bread and wine furnish nutriment to the body, so the body and blood of Christ – in other words, His atonement and its benefits – contribute to the nourishment of the soul. The ordinance powerfully impresses upon the mind the unspeakable love of Christ and the great evil of sin, and thus excites two principles of mighty efficacy to purify the soul – gratitude to Him and abhorrence of sin. But it is a means of communication between the Saviour and His faithful disciples, in whom He works anew by His Spirit, to carry on to perfection the good work which He has begun.
Sitting at His table, partaking of His bounty, they renew their baptismal vows in humble dependence upon His grace, by which only they shall be enabled to perform them. They devote themselves to His service, not from necessity, but from choice; not merely because they are bound to do so, but because they prefer Him to every other master. A deep sense of what they have enjoyed, and of what they have done, remains. Their faith is more confident; their love is more ardent; their resolution is more firm; their state of mind is more spiritual and heavenly. Like a traveller, who has stopped, has rested and been refreshed, and then resumes his journey with renewed vigour, they go from strength to strength till they appear before God in Zion. “As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.” (Jn 6:57)
In the third place, The dispensations of providence are means of sanctification. “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). Paul makes use of the universal term all to signify that nothing is excluded and that there is a co-operation of events to promote the spiritual interests of believers. And here we must admire the infinite wisdom and almighty power of God, who renders subservient, to His merciful designs, things which are not only considered as evil, but are evil in themselves and have a tendency to evil. Were they not controlled and regulated by His superintending care, they would cause the most injurious effects on the bodies and the souls of His people, on their present and their future well-being.
But, as in medical treatment, substances which are nauseous to our senses – substances which, when absorbed into the system, cause pain in the first instance, and substances which are harmful – are administered in such quantities and with such mixtures that the ultimate effect is the removal of disease and the restoration of health; so it is in spiritual things. The objective is the spiritual health of the patient; and this is the result of the bitter doses which he is compelled to swallow, and of the pain of amputation to which he may be subjected.
The Scriptures frequently speak of affliction as contributing to the progress of holiness: “Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us” (Rom 5:3-5). You observe the process: affliction calls into exercise the graces of the Christian and strengthens them, and this ends in the more powerful diffusion of divine love in the soul, in a more powerful impression of the love of God to us, or a stronger emotion of love on our part to God. Thus our promptitude and sincerity in serving Him will be increased. The sanctifying effect of affliction is pointed out in many passages of Scripture; the Psalmist experienced it and says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept Thy Word” (Ps 119:67). It is the discipline which our heavenly Father administers to the members of His family, and it is so necessary and so beneficial that none of them is exempted. It is a proof of His love, because His design in correcting them is to make them partakers of His holiness.
How blessed are the fruits of sanctified affliction! They are the fruits of righteousness, and are of far greater value than the temporal blessings they most appreciate. They humble the pride of the people of God, awaken their vigilance, make them feel their own weakness, create a stronger abhorrence of sin and an increasing indifference to earthly things, inspire a meek submission to the will of God. Leading the thoughts to heaven, they stir up longing desires for the peace which awaits them there, and for the pure joys of religion which are earnests of its felicity. I have restricted myself in illustrating the effects of adversity; but all the dispensations of providence, under the direction of divine wisdom and goodness, have the same tendency and are included in that comprehensive plan of benevolence which God is carrying on for the final happiness of the objects of His love.
[1] Another edited extract from Dick’s Lectures on Theology, vol 3.