salvation is, to every living Christian, a distinct and separate personal work. It is a work which, so far, every man must do for himself; and neither must he take measure by his neighbours' state, nor they by his. Every man must prove his own work," in this grand particular. Works common to ourselves together with our neighbours we still shall have to do, in abundance ;— to bear one another's burthens; to comfort them that mourn; to bind up the broken-hearted; to feed the hungry; to clothe the naked; to let the light of good works shine among our brethren; to keep our households in the fear of God; to train up children in the way in which they should go; by all and every proper means to spread the knowledge of divine truth, and to instruct the ignorant ;—these, and innumerable other, are good works, in which we should encourage every man his neighbour*, and every man be willing to take copy from his neighbour. But the working out his own salvation is something still distinct from all and every one of these. It will and does include them all; but it is something greater than all; before, above, beyond them all. In that, 66 every man must bear his own burthen." * See Sermon I. And the only safe light and rule by which to labour in this highest work is, the measure of some leading rule which Christ hath distributed to us. III. Such rule may be perceived, for one place, in a short sentence of our Saviour's own; "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in "heaven is perfect"." Here is a pattern set before us, by which we may at all times safely measure ourselves. The more we shall compare ourselves with this, in a right spirit of humility, the wiser we shall grow. There will be nothing in the view of this to check our efforts in the paths of holiness and righteousness; nothing to mislead, or flatter us; nothing to persuade us to be weary in well-doing, when yet our proper course towards salvation is hardly begun. Here we may turn our thoughts, and measure, and compare, and always be safe. The lesson will at all times be the same; "Go on unto perfection." Whether in reality we may have passed our neighbours in the race, or be behind them, or be even with them, will not matter. To them we shall not be allowed to look, in this pursuit; they must not be our pattern. But we shall still perceive a voice y Matth. v. 48. commanding us, GO ON: we cannot have attained unto our high standard. Much therefore must be added yet from time to time continually; but no good thing declined, no feature of the mind that was in Jesus Christ left off. This is the mark for us to aim at, and not the standard of our brother's righteousness. Nor does the Scripture only set this mark before us: but it exhibits an example likewise how it is to be pursued. Refer to the third chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, and you will see how he pursued it". "I follow after;" (he there says) "not as though I "had already attained, either were already per"fect.....I count not myself to have appre"hended. But this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching "forth unto those things which are before, I press "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Observe the passage well; and you will see the guidance it affords us to be not less complete in the respect of faith and principle", than of the pattern which it gives us of the * See also Sermon VIII. See particularly ver. 8-11. |
