Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 526
“And did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.” Acts 12:9.
FANCY, not fact! A dream! A delusion! That would be the world’s estimate of the most blessed Christian experience. “Fanaticism” is the name by which they call it. But call it by whatever name you please, the Divine Grace that interposes and rescues a sinner from the Law’s threats, from Satan’s tyranny, from the malice of men, and the fears of one’s own heart is matter of abundant joy. Then let it be witnessed by a life of undeviating principle and devoted service of God— sneer who may—suspect it who will—it is a noble triumph.
Such triumphs of Grace we have among us, and there are many who can witness to the fact. Still, dear Friends, not infrequently does it happen that you, whose salvation is our joy, of whom we speak with the utmost assurance, are yourselves in straits, exercised with fights without and fears within. And you are unable to satisfy your own consciences that the work is Divine. Observe now that Peter was brought out of prison by a great miracle, and yet it seemed to him as a vision or a dream. I need not recapitulate the circumstances. I have just read them in your hearing. This much I propose.
First, let me endeavor to draw out some reflections from the narrative. And then, secondly, I shall take up the text itself and try to show you that there is no illusion, whatever you may think, in the mighty operations of the Lord.
To begin—the first remark we think we are justified in making is this, that if ever our enemies can get hold of us, they will be quite sure to hold us as fast as they can. When Herod had been able to apprehend Peter, he was not content with ordinary means of keeping him in custody. He has Peter put into the strongest prison in Jerusalem. To make assurance doubly sure, he is chained not to one soldier, but to two. He was too great a prize to be readily lost. He anticipated as much satisfaction for himself from the applause of the people, for putting so eminent a servant of Christ as James to death, that he could not afford to lose an opportunity of getting further prey.
So he seizes upon him who was accounted a pillar in the Church with singular avidity. Mark you, Brothers and Sisters, if by any fault of our own we ever fall into the hands of our enemies, we need expect no mercy from them. And if without fault we are delivered for a little season into their hands, we have good reason to cry aloud to God, for whoever may be spared, the Christian never is. Men will forgive a thousand faults in others, but they will magnify the most trivial offense in the true follower of Jesus. Nor do I very much regret this. Let it be so and let it be a caution to us to walk very carefully before God in the land of the living.
You young members of the Church, who are often engaged in your worldly calling, where a great number of persons are watching for your falling, let this be a special reason to walk very humbly before God. If you walk carelessly, remember the lynx-eyed world will soon see it and then, with its hundred tongues, it will soon spread the story. You may say— “Tell it not in Gath; publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of Philistia rejoice.” But they will tell it. With many an addition of their own they will repeat the story. You shall hear them say—“Aha! Aha! So would we have it! All these Christians are inconsistent, they are all mere professors, they are hypocrites to a man, every one of them.”
Thus will much damage be done to our good cause and much insult offered to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross of Christ is in itself an offense to the world. Let us take heed that we do not add any offense of our own. It is “to the Jew a stumbling block.” Let us mind that we put no stumbling blocks where there are enough already. “To the Greek it is foolishness.” Let us not add our folly to give point to the scorn with which the worldly deride the Gospel. Oh, how jealous should we be of ourselves, for we serve a jealous God! How rigid should we be with our consciences, for we serve One whose name is “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
Yes, in the presence of adversaries who will misrepresent our best deeds and twist our best endeavors into something selfish—impugning our motives where they cannot censure our actions—how circumspect should we be! We pilgrims travel as suspected persons through the world. Not only are we under surveillance, but there are more spies than we reckon. The espionage is everywhere—at home and abroad. If we fall into their hands we may sooner expect generosity from a wolf, or mercy from a fiend, than to find anything like patience with our infirmities from the men of the world, or anything like the hiding of our iniquities from the men who spice their infidelity towards God with scandals against His people.