By the Late Rev. D. Macdonald, Shieldaig
Delivered at Fellowship Meeting, Wick, on Friday, 27th April, 1894.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8: 14).
Adam was taking great delight in God, but the devil led him captive. Man ever since delights in sin, and in the lusts of the flesh; but has no delight in God, or holiness. He hates both. “The fool saith in his heart, There is no God.” That is man’s condition by nature, and he does not feel it, as he is dead and spiritually blind. In that state he is ignorant of his condition, and is led by an evil spirit — the devil. Man delights in sin, and the devil knows the sin you delight in, and he tempts you the more easily to commit it.
Those who are led by the Spirit of God were convinced of sin, when they were effectually called, and many are satisfied with that. When the soul is awakened, he knows God as a consuming fire. Job said: “The arrows of God are within me.” God’s people are stript of all their self-righteousness, and good works; they are led from the works of the law to delight in Christ, and they have this cry: “Oh! that I knew where I might find him.” There are many who confess they are sinners, who yet love sin; but God’s people do not love sin. They are chastised by God, and sometimes when He has a great work for a soul to do, He leaves that person for years without comfort. “The pains of hell took hold of me, I grief and trouble found.” The people of God know the testimony of Christ about their own evil hearts to be truth, and that is a great mercy, for it keeps them humble. The people of God know Satan, and it makes them realise their need of the whole armour of God. They also know the world, and though Satan tempts them with his pleasant baits, they perceive that everything on earth is perishable; and therefore some of them have been led to say: “I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ.”
God’s people are led into the mystery of divine truth. Many know the truth by head knowledge, but never had Christ dwelling by faith in their hearts. This people are led into the mysteries of the covenant of grace: “He hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure.” They have an interest in the Lamb’s book of life. The Holy Spirit enlightens their minds, gradually, about the knowledge of these things. Before they were converted, they were dark and ignorant: “I am come,” saith Christ, “that they might have life.” The Holy Spirit leads them to behold Jesus Christ, as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. They are led into the mystery of godliness and the Spirit makes them able and willing to embrace Christ, and immediately they begin to enjoy Him.
If you have been long under law-work, the joy it will be when you get deliverance. Dr Love said when Christ was first revealed to him: “I am afraid I shall never enjoy so much happiness again till I get to heaven.”
What a privilege it is to be the sons of God! Why is it so? Because so many are sons of the devil. You are eternally indebted to God for His goodness in making you His sons. Oh! says one: “He plucked me as a brand out of the burning. What a wonder that He called me, and passed by the rich and the learned.” “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” — “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” He breaks in upon their souls, and their bands are loosed. They know when they are in the Spirit; for then they like to turn their thoughts from the world away to Jesus. He is the object they love most, and they behold the glory of God in His blessed face. “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” Your mind and contemplations are then absorbed in Christ: none but Christ. George Wishart cried out when he was being burned: “Oh! Christ — none but Christ.” If we suffer worldly loss for His sake, He will make it up. John Bunyan says: “There is a devil of false peace in the soul; but whosoever has peace in this life the child of God has not.” There is a fight continually going on in the souls of the Lord’s people — the spirit fighting against the flesh, and the flesh fighting against the spirit; for the carnal mind is enmity against God. Are you cherishing pride? It is a bad companion. The people of God are fighting against the hosts of darkness: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” They have, in our day, to fight against graceless Professors, who are worse than the devils. The high priests were the most bitter of Christ’s enemies.
Oh! some one says: “Would that I might say I belong to God — Oh! that I might get a place in the favour of God — Oh! that the Holy Spirit would sprinkle my soul with the blood of Christ — Oh! that I might find Him.” If you are a child of God you will hunger and thirst after the promise, and when you get it, the devil will try to take it from you. The great privilege of the Lord’s people is, that they are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Others are not in the Spirit but they think that they are, because they heard so much of the gospel; but they do not love God or His people, and they read novels instead of the Bible. There are millions of such in this land, who go to the Lord’s table to eat and drink damnation to themselves. They drink up every doctrine — every contaminating heresy — that comes from the godless Professors’ chairs. That is a very sad state of matters. Think you on the doctrines that are being taught the rising generation, and it is enough to cause you to shed tears of blood.
“The days of old to mind I call’d,
And oft did think upon
The times and ages that are past
Full many years agone.”