[March 29th, 1857.]
There are many forms in which the Bible teaches the doctrine that the attainment of salvation is a difficult task.
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It is directly asserted that few are saved; that the way is narrow and the door strait; that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence; that the righteous scarcely are saved.
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The comparison of a laborer. We are to work out our salvation. We are compared to servants with whom the master is to reckon.
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To soldiers engaged in a deadly struggle with numerous and powerful enemies.
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The Bible abounds with exhortations, warnings and directions, implying the difficulty and the danger of the work.
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We are compared to men called upon to run a race.
I. The main thing designed to be inculcated by all these modes of instruction is the necessity of exertion and effort in order to salvation.
If a laborer sits idle all the day, his work will not be done and he will lose his reward.
If a soldier neglects to watch or refuses to fight, his enemy has him in his power.
If a man called to run a race saunters along and puts forth no effort, he will not win the prize. And just as surely, if we take religion thus easy and make no strenuous exertion, we shall fail of eternal life.
II. The special truths meant to be taught by this figure of a race are
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That we must renounce our sins. The man who ran a race divested himself of all encumbrances, his flowing robes. He laid aside every weight. So we must lay aside our own sin which is a clog, and which easily besets us. It gets in our way. What fetters would be to a runner, sin is to the Christian. It must be laid aside. It not only puts us to disadvantage and makes the race more difficult, but it renders success impossible. We must choose between giving up sin and giving up the race.
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The necessity of self-denial. This includes a great deal more than casting off sin. It includes self-control. The refusal to indulge in any thing however lawful, which under the circumstances may be injurious. The subjugation of the appetites of the body, the affections of the heart, the habits of the life to the strict demands of duty and the exigencies of the case. This is illustrated by the apostle when he refers to the discipline of the combatants in the Grecian games.
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The necessity of perseverance to the end; the exertion must be kept up to the last. What would it avail that a man should run one-half or two-thirds of the course and then give up? His failure would be as complete and as ignominious as though he had never started. This is the case with multitudes. “Ye did run well,” says the apostle, “who did hinder you?”
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The necessity of fixedness of purpose and of aim. A runner must keep the goal in view. He must go directly towards it. He must not turn aside for any thing, however alluring or however important. If he does he will certainly fail. So, brethren, we must run our race as our great business to which every thing is subordinate. We must look away from the attractions of the world. It is not the question whether they are right or wrong, but whether they further or hinder us in our Christian race. We must look to Jesus, a. As our example. b. As the giver of strength. c. As himself our exceeding great reward.
III. The encouragements are proportioned to the difficulties of the race.
The reward is infinite. The evil of failure is infinite. A defeated combatant slinks away from notice, mortified, disgraced, unhappy, but what were his sufferings compared to what we must endure. We shall be banished from God and Christ and all holy beings, and consigned to outer darkness forever and ever.
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