Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1248
“And he spoke a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.” Luke 6:39, 40.
MAN can hardly be retained in the place of wisdom, even if brought there. Truth lies between two extremes and man, like a pendulum, swings either too much this way or that. He abides not long in one place, but tosses from side to side, never, except by Divine Grace, finding rest in the middle point of wisdom. Two extremes exist in reference to the pilgrimage and scholarship of life. Some assert that man needs no guide whatever. Is he not a noble creature, gifted with high intelligence? Can he not reason and judge, and understand and discern? He can surely find his own way without direction from without. As a learner, why does he need a teacher? He can instruct himself! Is he not possessed of science? Has he not already found out many inventions?
Such self-sufficient boasters will not, therefore, condescend to sit at the feet of a master, or follow the track of a guide—and, consequently, they frequently become erratic, singular, lawless and unreasonable in their modes of thought and action. Into the mazes of infidelity and atheism such pilgrims wander! Into foolishness and strong delusion such teachers of themselves conduct their own minds. This scheme is dangerous, but its opposite pole is not less so. Deliver a man from rationalism and he often swings into superstition, and says, “I see that I need a guide, I will take the one nearest to me.”
Finding a guide constituted by this authority or that, the man who has ceased to use his judgement surrenders himself, at once, to his leadership and reckons that to question is to be guilty of wicked unbelief. Without considering whether the guide is a seeing man or blind, or the teacher an instructed and qualified instructor, the credulous yield themselves up to priests or leaders and are sorely misled. Weary of thinking, they beg others to think for them and there they leave the matter. This is the religion of a great many and they find much in it—the peace of slumbering stupidity! They meet with a church which claims to be venerable for antiquity and then they believe whatever that church chooses to teach!
They consider that they have no right any longer to judge or to use their understanding. They hang conscience and reason in a sling, as if they were broken arms, no longer usable, and give themselves up to be wheeled about like invalids in the chairs of tradition and dogmatism. They do not dare to question—that would spoil the whole thing—they shut their eyes and let other people see for them. No, they shut their eyes to be guided by blind men! They give up thinking, to be directed by those who have also given up thinking, who have long ago shut their eyes and opened their mouths to take in whatever a supreme council or a pope may please to put into them.
Between these two extremes there is a narrow path of right, and happy is he who finds it—namely, the honestly and sincerely judging of whom the leader and teacher should be. This leads to the discovery that a Leader has been appointed in the Person of the Lord Jesus and a teacher in the Divine Spirit—and then a complete, willing and believing submission of the whole man to this Infallible guidance! Happy is that man who, in the pride of intellect, determines not to be a guide to himself—and so to be guide to a fool! Happy is that man who, in the indolence of superstition, refuses to surrender himself up to be guided by his fellow man, call him priest, or pope, or minister, or what you will—but who, having found that God has sent His Son into this world of ours to be the Captain of salvation, who shall bring many sons into Glory, follows where his Commander leads the way!
Happy is the man, having seen this same Jesus appointed to be the Prophet of His people, delights to sit at His feet and receive of His words, reason, affection, contemplation and will—finding perfect rest in Him. He, with his eyes open,
follows the All-Seeing One and, with his mind illuminated, becomes a disciple of the Eternal Light! It is clear that the most important thing, if we are agreed that we need a guide, is to examine the claims of those who aspire to the office. Some take a guide because, as I have said before, he is appointed by authority—he happens to be the parson of the parish, or the family minister—and he is at once accepted without consideration.
He would be a very foolish person who would, in climbing the mountains of Switzerland, take a guide merely because he professed to be one and carried the usual certificates, if upon looking at him it was clear that the man was stone blind! Would you say that does not matter, he says he is appointed by authority? Would you go to the top of Mont Blanc with him? If so, he would soon conduct you into a crevasse and there would be an end to your folly! Yet multitudes resolve upon taking their religion by prescription, feeling confident that what is patronized by the great, and established and endowed by the nation, must, of course, be right!