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SUBJECT: 08 - ACT 4:13 Christ's People--Imitators of Him
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Christ's People-Imitators of Him
April 29, 1855
by
C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892)
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with
Jesus."-Act_4:13.
Behold! what a change divine grace will work in a man,
and in how short a time. That same Peter, who so lately
followed his master afar off, and with oaths and curses
denied that he knew his name, is now to be found side
by side with the loving John, boldly declaring that
there is salvation in none other name save that of
Jesus Christ, and preaching the resurrection of the
dead, through the sacrifice of his dying Lord. The
Scribes and Pharisees soon discover the reason of his
boldness. Rightly did they guess that it rested not in
his learning or his talents, for neither Peter nor John
had been educated; they had been trained as fishermen;
their education was a knowledge of the sea-of the
fisherman's craft; none other had they; their boldness
could not therefore spring from the self-sufficiency of
knowledge, but from the Spirit of the living God. Nor
did they acquire their courage from their station; for
rank will confer a sort of dignity upon a man, and make
him speak with a feigned authority, even when he has no
talent or genius; but these men were, as it says in the
original text, idiotai, private men, who stood in no
official capacity; men without rank or station. When
they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
that they were unlearned and private individuals, they
marveled, and they came to a right conclusion as to the
source of their power-they had been dwelling with
Jesus. Their conversation with the Prince of light and
glory, backed up, as they might also have known, by the
influence of the Holy Spirit, without which even that
eminently holy example would have been in vain, had
made them bold for their Master's cause. Oh! my
brethren, it were well if this condemnation, so forced
from the lips of enemies, could also be compelled by
our own example. If we could live like Peter and John;
if our lives were "living epistles of God, known and
read of all men;" if, whenever we were seen, men would
take knowledge of us, that we had been with Jesus, it
would be a happy thing for this world, and a blessed
thing for us. It is concerning that I am to speak to
you this morning; and as God gives me grace, I will
endeavor to stir up your minds by way of remembrance,
and urge you so to imitate Jesus Christ, our heavenly
pattern, that men may perceive that you are disciples
of the Holy Son of God.
First, then, this morning, I will tell you what a
Christian should be; secondly, I will tell you when he
should be so; thirdly, why he should be so; and then
fourthly how he can be so.
I. As God may help us then, first of all, we will speak
of WHAT A BELIEVER SHOULD BE. A Christian should be a
striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read lives
of Christ, beautifully and eloquently written, and you
have admired the talent of the persons who could write
so well; but the best life of Christ is his living
biography, written out in the words and actions of his
people. If we, my brethren, were what we profess to be;
if the Spirit of the Lord were in the heart of all his
children, as we could desire; and if, instead of having
abundance of formal professors, we were all possessors
of that vital grace, I will tell you not only what we
ought to be, but what we should be: we should be
pictures of Christ, yea, such striking likenesses of
him that the world would not have to hold us up by the
hour together, and say, "Well, it seems somewhat of a
likeness;" but they would, when they once beheld us,
exclaim, "He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of
him; he is like him; he has caught the very idea of the
holy Man of Nazareth, and he expands it out into his
very life and every day actions."
In enlarging upon this point, it will be necessary to
premise, that when we here affirm that men should be
such and such a thing, we refer to the people of God.
We do not wish to speak to them in any legal way. We
are not under the law, but under grace. Christian men
hold themselves bound to keep all God's precepts; but
the reason why they do so is not because the law is
binding upon them, but because the gospel constrains
them; they believe, that having been redeemed by blood
divine; having been purchased by Jesus Christ, they are
more bound to keep his commands, than they would have
been if they were under the law; they hold themselves
to be ten thousand fold more debtors to God, than they
could have been under the Mosaic dispensation. Not of
force; not of compulsion; not through fear of the whip;
not through legal bondage; but through pure,
disinterested love and gratitude to God, they lay
themselves out for his service, seeking to be
Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile. This much
I have declared lest any man should think that I am
preaching works as the way to salvation; I will yield
to none in this, that I will ever maintain-that by
grace we are saved, and not by ourselves; but equally
must I testify, that where the grace of God is, it will
produce fitting deeds. To these I am ever bound to
exhort you, while ye are ever expected to have good
works for necessary purposes. Again, I do not, when I
say that a believer should be a striking likeness of
Jesus, suppose that any one Christian will perfectly
exhibit all the features of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ; yet, my brethren, the fact that perfection is
beyond our reach, should not diminish the ardore of our
desire after it. The artist, when he paints, knows
right well that he shall not be able to excel Apelles;
but that does not discourage him; he uses his brush
with all the greater pains, that he may, at least in
some humble measure, resemble the great master. So the
sculptor, though persuaded that he will not rival
Praxiteles, will hew out the marble still, and seek to
be as near the model as possible. Thus so the Christian
man; though he feels he never can mount to the heights
of complete excellence, and perceives that he never can
on earth become the exact image of Christ, still holds
it up before him, and measures his own deficiencies by
the distance between himself and Jesus. This will he
do; forgetting all he has attained, he will press
forward, crying, Excelsior! going upwards still,
desiring to be conformed more and more to the image of
Christ Jesus.
First, then, a Christian should be like Christ in his
boldness. This is a virtue now-a-days called impudence,
but the grace is equally valuable by whatever name it
may be called. I suppose if the Scribes had given a
definition of Peter and John, they would have called
them impudent fellows.
Jesus Christ and his disciples were noted for their
courage. "When they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
they took knowledge of them, that they had been with
Jesus." Jesus Christ never fawned upon the rich; he
stooped not to the great and noble; he stood erect, a
man before men-the prophet of the people; speaking out
boldly and freely what he thought. Have you never
admired that mighty deed of his, when going to the city
where he had lived and been brought up? Knowing that a
prophet had no honor in his own country, the book was
put into his hands (he had but then commenced his
ministry), yet without tremor he unrolled the sacred
volume, and what did he take for his text? Most men,
coming to their own neighborhood, would have chosen a
subject adapted to the taste, in order to earn fame.
But what doctrine did Jesus preach that morning? One
which in our age is scorned and hated-the doctrine of
election. He opened the Scriptures, and began to read
thus: "Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias,
when the heaven was shut up three years and six months,
when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto
none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city
of Sodom, unto a woman that was a widow. And many
lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus, the
prophet; and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman,
the Syrian." Then he began to tell, how God saveth whom
he pleases, and rescues whom he chooses. Ah! how they
gnashed their teeth upon him, dragged him out, and
would have cast him from the brow of the hill. Do you
not admire his intrepidity? He saw their teeth
gnashing; he knew their hearts were hot with enmity,
while their mouths foamed withe revenge and malice;
still he stood like the angel who shut the lions'
mouths; he feared them not; faithfully he proclaimed
what he knew to be the truth of God, and still read on,
despite them all. So, in his discourses. If he saw a
Scribe or a Pharisee in the congregation, he did not
keep back part of the price, but pointing his finger,
he said, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites;" and when a lawyer came, saying, "Master,
in speaking thus, thou condemnest us also;" he turned
round and said "Woe unto you, lawyers, for ye bind
heavy burdens upon men, while ye yourselves will not
touch them with so much as one of your fingers." He
dealt out honest truth; he never knew the fear of man;
he trembled at none; he stood out God's chosen, whom he
had anointed above his fellows, careless of man's
esteem. My friends, be like Christ in this. Have none
of the time-serving religion of the present day, which
is merely exhibited in evangelical drawing-rooms,-a
religion which only flourishes in a hot-bed atmosphere,
a religion which is only to be perceived in good
company. No; if ye are the servants of God, be like
Jesus Christ, bold for your master; never blush to own
your religion; your profession will never disgrace you;
take care you never disgrace that. Your love to Christ
will never dishonor you; it may bring some temporary
slight from your friends, or slanders from your
enemies; but live on, and you shall live down their
calumnies; live on, and ye shall stand amongst the
glorified, honored even by those who hissed you, when
he shall come to be glorified by his angels, and
admired by them that love him. Be like Jesus, very
valiant for your God, so that when they shall see your
boldness, they may say, "He has been with Jesus."
But no one feature will give a portrait of a man; so
the one virtue of boldness will never make you like
Christ. There have been some who have been noble men,
but have carried their courage to excess; they have
thus been caricatures of Christ, and not portraits of
him. We must amalgamate with our boldness the
loveliness of Jesus' disposition. Let courage be the
brass, let love be the gold. Let us mix the two
together; so shall we produce a rich Corinthian metal,
fit to be manufactured into the beautiful gate of the
temple. Let your love and courage be mingled together.
The man who is bold may indeed accomplish wonders. John
Knox did much, but he might perhaps have done more if
he had had a little love. Luther was a conqueror-peace
to his ashes, and honor to his name!-still, we who look
upon him at a distance, think that if he had sometimes
mixed a little mildness with it-if, while he had the
fortitier in re, he had been also suaviter in modo, and
spoken somewhat more gently, he might have done even
more good than he did. So brethren, while we too are
bold, let us ever imitate the loving Jesus. The child
comes to him; he takes it on his knee, saying, "Suffer
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not."
A widow has just lost her only son; he weeps at the
bier, and with a word, restores life to the dead man.
He sees a paralytic, a leper, or a man long confined to
his bed; he speaks, they rise, and are healed. He lived
for others, not for himself. His constant labors were
without any motive, except the good of those who lived
in the world. And to crown all, ye know the mighty
sacrifice he made, when he condescended to lay down his
life for man-when on the tree, quivering with agony,
and hanging in the utmost extremity of suffering, he
submitted to die for our sakes, that we might be saved.
Behold in Christ love consolidated! He was one mighty
pillar of benevolence. As God is love, so Christ is
love. Oh, ye Christians, be ye loving also. Let you
love and your beneficence beam out on all men. Say not,
"Be ye warmed, and be ye filled," but "give a portion
to seven, and also to eight." If ye cannot imitate
Howard, and unlock the prison doors-if ye cannot visit
the sad house of misery, yet each in your proper
sphere, speak kind words, do kind actions; live out
Christ again in the kindness of your life. If there is
one virtue which most commends Christians, it is that
of kindness; it is to love the people of God, to love
the church, to love the world, to love all. But how
many have we in our churches of Crab-tree Christians,
who have mixed such a vast amount of vinegar, and such
a tremendous quantity of gall in their constitutions,
that they can scarcely speak one good word to you: they
imagine it impossible to defend religion except by
passionate ebullitions; they cannot speak for their
dishonored Master without being angry with their
opponent; and if anything is awry, whether it be in the
house, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive it
to be their duty to set their faces like flint, and to
defy everybody. They are like isolated icebergs, no one
cares to go near them. They float about on the sea of
forgetfulness, until at last they are melted and gone;
and though, good souls, we shall be happy enough to
meet them in heaven, we are precious glad to get rid of
them from the earth. They were always so unamiable in
disposition, that we would rather live an eternity with
them in heaven than five minutes on earth. Be ye not
thus, my brethren. Imitate Christ in you loving
spirits; speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that
men may say of you, "He has been with Jesus."
Another great feature in the life of Christ was his
deep and sincere humility; in which let us imitate him.
While we will not cringe or bow3(far from it; we are
the freemen whom the truth makes free; we walk through
this world equal to all, inferior to none)3yet we would
endeavor to be like Christ, continually humble. Oh,
thou proud Christian (for though it be a paradox, there
must be some, I think; I would not be so uncharitable
as to say that there are not some such persons), if
thou art a Christian, I bid thee look at thy Master,
talking to the children, bending from the majesty of
his divinity to speak to mankind on earth, tabernacling
with the peasants of Galilee, and then-aye, depth of
condescension unparalleled-washing his disciples' feet,
and wiping them with the towel after supper. This is
your Master, whom ye profess to worship; this is your
Lord, whom ye adore. And ye, some of you who count
yourselves Christians, cannot speak to a person who is
not dressed in the same kind of clothing as yourselves,
who have not exactly as much money per year as you
have. In England, it is true that a sovereign will not
speak to a shilling, and a shilling will not notice a
sixpence, and a sixpence will sneer at a penny. But it
should not be so with Christians. We ought to forget
caste, degree, and rank, when we come into Christ's
church. Recollect, Christian, who your Master was-a man
of the poor. He lived with them; he ate with them. And
will ye walk with lofty heads and stiff necks, looking
with insufferable contempt upon you meaner fellow-
worms? What are ye? The meanest of all, because your
trickeries and adornments make you proud. Pitiful,
despicable souls ye are! How small ye look in God's
sight! Christ was humble; he stooped to do anything
which might serve others. He had no pride; he was an
humble man, a friend of publicans and sinners, living
and walking with them. So, Christian, be thou like thy
Master-one who can stoop; yea, be thou one who thinks
it no stooping, but rather esteems others better than
himself, counts it his honor to sit with the poorest of
Christ's people, and says, "If my name may be but
written in the obscurest part of the book of life, it
is enough for me, so unworthy am I of his notice!" Be
like Christ in his humility.
So might I continue, dear brethren, speaking of the
various characteristics of Christ Jesus; but as you can
think of them as well as I can, I shall not do so. It
is easy for you to sit down and paint Jesus Christ, for
you have him drawn out here in his word. I find that
time would fail me if I were to give you an entire
likeness of Jesus; but let me say, imitate him in his
holiness. Was zealous for his master? So be you. Ever
go about doing good. Let not time be wasted. It is too
precious. Was he self-denying, never looking to his own
interest? So be you. Was he devout? So be you fervent
in your prayers. Had he deference to his Father's will?
So submit yourselves to him. Was he patient? So learn
to endure. And best of all, as the highest portraiture
of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies as he did; and
let those sublime words of you Master, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do," always ring in
your ears. When you are prompted to revenge; when hot
anger starts, bridle the steed at once, and let it not
dash forward with you headlong. Remember, anger is
temporary insanity. Forgive as you hope to be forgiven.
Heap coals of fire on the head of your foe by your
kindness to him. Good for evil, recollect, is god-like.
Be god-like, then; and in all ways, and by all means,
so live that your enemies may say, "He has been with
Jesus."
II. Now, WHEN SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE THUS? For there is
an idea in the world that persons ought to be very
religious on a Sunday, but it does not matter what they
are on a Monday. How many pious preachers are there on
a Sabbath-day, who are very impious preachers during
the rest of the week! How many are there who come up to
the house of God with a solemn countenance, who join
the song and profess to pray, yet have neither part nor
lot in the matter, but are "in the gall of bitterness
and in the bonds of iniquity!" This is true of some of
you who are present here. When should a Christian,
then, be like Jesus Christ? Is there a time when he may
strip off his regimentals-when the warrior may unbuckle
his armor, and become like other men? Oh! no; at all
times and in every place let the Christian be what he
professes to be. I remember talking some time ago with
a person who said, "I do not like visitors who come to
my house and introduce religion; I think we ought to
have religion on the Sabbath-day, when we go to the
house of God, but not in the drawing-room." I suggested
to the individual that there would be a great deal of
work for the upholsterers, if there should be no
religion except in the house of God. "How is that?" was
the question. "Why," I replied, "we should need to have
beds fitted up in all our places of worship, for surely
we need religion to die with, and consequently, every
one would want to die there." Aye, we all need the
consolations of God at last; but how can we expect to
enjoy them unless we obey the precepts of religion
during life? My brethren, let me say, be ye like Christ
at all times. Imitate him in public. Most of us live in
some sort of publicity; many of us are called to work
before our fellow-men every day. We are watched; our
words are caught; our lives are examined-taken to
pieces. The eagle-eyed, argus-eyed world observes
everything we do, and sharp critics are upon us. Let us
live the life of Christ in public. Let us take care
that we exhibit our Master, and not ourselves-so that
we can say, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ
that liveth in me." Take heed that you carry this into
the church too, you who are church-members. Be like
Christ in the church. How many there are of you like
Diotrephes, seeking pre-eminence? How many are trying
to have some dignity and power over their fellow
Christians, instead of remembering that it is the
fundamental rule of all our churches, that there all
men are equal-alike brethren, alike to be received as
such. Carry out the spirit of Christ, then, in your
churches, wherever ye are; let your fellow members say
of you, "He has been with Jesus."
But, most of all, take care to have religion in your
houses. A religious house is the best proof of true
piety. It is not my chapel, it is my house-it is not my
minister, it is my home-companion-who can best judge
me; it is the servant, the child, the wife, the friend,
that can discern most of my real character. A good man
will improve his household. Rowland Hill once said, he
would not believe a man to be a true Christian if his
wife, his children, the servants, and even the dog and
cat, were not the better for it. That is being
religious. If your household is not the better for your
Christianity-if men cannot say, "This is a better house
than others," then be not deceived-ye have nothing of
the grace of God. Let not your servant, on leaving your
employ, say, "Well, this is a queer sort of a religious
family; there was no prayer in the morning, I began the
day with my drudgery; there was no prayer at night, I
was kept at home all the Sabbath-day. Once a fortnight,
perhaps, I was allowed to go out in the afternoon, when
there was nowhere to go where I could hear a gospel
sermon. My master and mistress went to a place where of
course they heard the blessed gospel of God-that was
all for them; as for me, I might have the dregs and
leavings of some overworked curate in the afternoon."
Surely, Christian men will not act in that way. No!
Carry out your godliness in your family. Let everyone
say that you have practical religion. Let it be known
and read in the house, as well as in the world. Take
care of your character there; for what we are there, we
really are. Our life abroad is often but a borrowed
part, the actor's part of a great scene, but at home
the wizard is removed, and men are what they seem. Take
care of you home duties.
Yet again, my brethren, before I leave this point,
imitate Jesus in secret. When no eye seeth you except
the eye of God, when darkness covers you, when you are
shut up from the observation of mortals, even then be
ye like Jesus Christ. Remember his ardent piety, his
secret devotion-how, after laboriously preaching the
whole day, he stole away in the midnight shades to cry
for help from his God. Recollect how his entire life
was constantly sustained by fresh inspirations of the
Holy Spirit, derived by prayer. Take care of your
secret life; let it be such that you will not be
ashamed to read at the last great day. Your inner life
is written in the book of God, and it shall one day be
open before you. If the entire life of some of you were
known, it would be no life at all; it would be a death.
Yea, even of some true Christians we may say it is
scarce a life. It is a dragging on of an existence-one
hasty prayer a day-one breathing, just enough to save
their souls alive, but no more. O, my brethren, strive
to be more like Jesus Christ. These are times when we
want more secret prayer. I have had much fear all this
week. I know not whether it is true; but when I feel
such a thing I like to tell it to those of you who
belong to my own church and congregation. I have
trembled lest, by being away from our own place, you
have ceased to pray as earnestly as you once did. I
remember your earnest groans and petitions-how you
would assemble together in the house of prayer in
multitudes, and cry out to God to help his servant. We
cannot meet in such style at present; but do you still
pray in private? Have you forgotten me? Have you ceased
to cry out to God? Oh! my friends, with all the
entreaties that a man can use, let me appeal to you.
Recollect who I am, and what I am-a child, having
little education, little learning, ability or talent;
and here am I called upon week after week, to preach to
this crowd of people. Will ye not, my beloved, still
plead for me? Has not God been pleased to hear your
prayers ten thousand times? And will ye now cease, when
a mighty revival is taking place in many churches? Will
ye now stop your petitions? Oh! no; go to your houses,
fall upon your knees, cry aloud to God to enable you
still to hold up your hands like Moses on the hill,
that Joshua below may fight and overcome the
Amalekites. Now is the time for victory; shall we lose
it? This is the high tide that will float us over the
bar; now let us put out the oars; let us pull by
earnest prayer, crying for God the Spirit to fill the
sails! Ye who love God, of every place and every
denomination, wrestle for your ministers; pray for
them; for why should not God even now put out his
Spirit? What is the reason why we are to be denied
Pentecostal seasons? Why not this hour, as one mighty
band, fall down before him and entreat him, for his
Son's sake, to revive his drooping church? Then would
all men discern that we are verily the disciples of
Christ.
III. But now, thirdly, WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS IMITATE
CHRIST? The answer comes very naturally and easily,
Christians should be like Christ, first, for their own
sakes. For their honesty's sake, and for their credit's
sake, let them not be found liars before God and men.
For their own healthful state, if they wish to be kept
from sin and preserved from going astray, let them
imitate Jesus. For their own happiness' sake, if they
would drink wine on the lees well refined; if they
would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if
they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of
this world, let them imitate Jesus Christ. Oh! my
brethren, there is nothing that can so advantage you,
nothing can so prosper you, so assist you, so make you
walk towards heaven rapidly, so keep you head upwards
towards the sky, and your eyes radiant with glory, like
the imitation of Jesus Christ. It is when, by the power
of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus
in his very footsteps, and tread in his ways, you are
most happy and you are most known to be the sons of
God. For your own sake, my brethren, I say, be like
Christ.
Next, for religion's sake, strive to imitate Jesus. Ah!
poor religion, thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel
foes, but thou hast not been wounded one-half so much
by them as by thy friends. None have hurt thee, O,
Christianity, so much as those who profess to be thy
followers. Who have made these wounds in this fair hand
of godliness? I say, the professor has done this, who
has not lived up to his profession; the man who with
pretences enters the fold, being naught but a wolf in
sheep's clothing. Such men, sirs, injure the gospel
more than others; more than the laughing infidel, more
than the sneering critic, doth the man hurt our cause
who professes to love it, but in his actions doth belie
his love. Christian, lovest thou that cause? Is the
name of the dear Redeemer precious to thee? Wouldst
thou see the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms
of our Lord and his Christ? Dost thou wish to see the
proud man humbled and the mighty abased? Dost thou long
for the souls of perishing sinners, and art thou
desirous to win them, and save their souls from the
everlasting burning? Wouldst thou prevent their fall
into the regions of the damned? Is it thy desire that
Christ should see the travail of his soul, and be
abundantly satisfied? Doth thy heart yearn over thy
fellow-immortals? Dost thou long to see them forgiven?
Then be consistent with thy religion. Walk before God
in the land of the living. Behave as an elect man
should do. Recollect what manner of people we ought to
be in all holy conversation and godliness. This is the
best way to convert the world; yea, such conduct would
do more than even the efforts of missionary societies,
excellent as they are. Let but men see that our conduct
is superior to others, then they will believe there is
something in our religion; but , if they see us quite
the contrary to what we avow, what will they say?
"These religious people are no better than others! Why
should we go amongst them?" And they say quite rightly.
It is but common-sense judgment. Ah! my friends, if ye
love religion for her own sake, be consistent, and walk
in the love of God. Follow Christ Jesus.
Then, to put it in the strongest form I can, let me
say, for Christ's sake, endeavor to be like him. Oh!
could I fetch the dying Jesus here, and let him speak
to you! My own tongue is tied this morning, but I would
make his blood, his scars, and his wounds speak. Poor
dumb mouths, I bid each of them plead in his behalf.
How would Jesus, standing here, show you his hands this
morning! "My friends," he would say, "hehold me! these
hands were pierced for you; and look ye here at this my
side. It was opened as the fountain of your salvation.
See my feet; there entered the cruel nails. Each of
these bones were dislocated for your sake. These eyes
gushed with torrents of tears. This head was crowned
with thorns. These cheeks were smitten; this hair was
plucked; my body became the centre and focus of agony.
I hung quivering in the burning sun; and all for you,
my people. And will ye not love me now? I bid you be
like me. Is there any fault in me? Oh! no. Ye believe
that I am fairer than ten thousand fairs, and lovelier
than ten thousand loves. Have I injured you? Have I not
rather done all for your salvation? And do I not sit at
my Father's throne, and e'en now intercede on your
behalf? If ye love me,"-Christian, hear that word; let
the sweet syllables ring forever in your ears, like the
prolonged sounding of silver-toned bells;-"if ye love
me, if ye love me, keep my commandments." Oh,
Christian, let that "if" be put to thee this morning.
"If ye love me." Glorious Redeemer! is it an "if" at
all? Thou precious, bleeding Lamb, can there be an
"if?" What, when I see thy blood gushing from thee; is
it an "if?" Yes, I weep to say it is an "if." Oft my
thoughts make it "if," and oft my words make it "if."
But yet methinks my soul feels it is not "if," either.
"Not to mine eyes is light so dear,
Nor friendship half so sweet."
"Yes, I love thee, I know that I love thee. Lord, thou
knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee," can
the Christian say. "Well, then," says Jesus, looking
down with a glance of affectionate approbation, "since
thou lovest me, keep my commandments." O beloved, what
mightier reason can I give than this? It is the
argument of love and affection . Be like Christ, since
gratitude demands obedience; so shall the world know
that ye have been with Jesus.
IV. Ah! then ye wept; and I perceive ye felt the force
of pity, and some of you are inquiring, "HOW CAN I
IMITATE HIM?" It is my business, then, before you
depart, to tell you how you can become transformed into
the image of Christ.
In the first place, then, my beloved friends, in answer
to your inquiry, let me say, you must know Christ as
your Redeemer before you can follow him as your
Exemplar. Much is said about the example of Jesus, and
we scarcely find a man now who does not believe that
our Lord was an excellent and holy man, much to be
admired. But excellent as was his example, it would be
impossible to imitate it, had he not also been our
sacrifice. Do ye this morning know that his blood was
shed for you? Can ye join with me in this verse,-
"O the sweet wonders of that cross,
Where God the Saviour lov'd and died;
Her noblest life my spirit draws
From his dear wounds and bleeding side."
If so, you are in a fair way to imitate Christ. But do
not seek to copy him until you are bathed in the
fountain filled with blood drawn from his veins. It is
not possible for you to do so; your passions will be
too strong and corrupt, and you will be building
without a foundation, a structure, which will be about
as stable as a dream. You cannot mould your life to his
pattern until you have had his spirit, till you have
been clothed in his righteousness. "Well," say some,
"we have proceeded so far, what next shall we do? We
know we have an interest in him, but we are still
sensible of manifold deficiencies." Next, then, let me
entreat you to study Christ's character. This poor
Bible is become an almost obsolete book, even with some
Christians. There are so many magazines, periodicals,
and such like ephemeral productions, that we are in
danger of neglecting to search the Scriptures.
Christian, wouldst thou know thy master? Look at him.
There is a wondrous power about the character of
Christ, for the more you regard it the more you will be
conformed to it. I view myself in the glass, I go away,
and forget what I was. I behold Christ, and I become
like Christ. Look at him, then; study him in the
evangelists, studiously examine his character. "But,"
say you, "we have done that, and we have proceeded but
little farther." Then, in the next place, correct your
poor copy every day. At night, try and recount all the
actions of the twenty-four hours, scrupulously putting
them under review. When I have proof-sheets sent to me
of any of my writings, I have to make the corrections
in the margin. I might read them over fifty times, and
the printers would still put in the errors if I did not
mark them. So must you do; if you find anything faulty
at night, make a mark in the margin, that you may know
where the fault is, and to-morrow may amend it. Do this
day after day, continually noting your faults one by
one, so that you may better avoid them. It was a maxim
of the old philosophers, that, three times in the day,
we should go over our actions. So let us do; let us not
be forgetful; let us rather examine ourselves each
night, and see wherin we have done amiss, that we may
reform our lives.
Lastly, as the best advice I can give, seek more of the
Spirit of God; for this is the way to become Christ-
like. Vain are all your attempts to be like him till
you have sought his spirit. Take the cold iron, and
attempt to weld it if you can into a certain shape. How
fruitless the effort! Lay it on the anvil, seize the
blacksmith's hammer with all you might, let blow after
blow fall upon it, and you shall have done nothing.
Twist it, turn it, use all your implements, but you
shall not be able to fashion it as you would. But put
it in the fire, let it be softened and made malleable,
then lay it on the anvil, and each stroke shall have a
mighty effect, so that you may fashion it into any form
you may desire. So take your heart, not cold as it is,
not stony as it is by nature, but put it into the
furnace; there let it be molten, and after that it can
be turned like wax to the seal, and fashioned into the
image of Jesus Christ.
Oh, my brethren, what can I say now to enforce my text,
but that, if ye are like Christ on earth, ye shall be
like him in heaven? If by the power of the Spirit ye
become followers of Jesus, ye shall enter glory. For at
heaven's gate there sits an angel, who admits no one
who has not the same features as our adorable Lord.
There comes a man with a crown upon his head, "Yes," he
says, "thou hast a crown, it is true, but crowns are
not the medium of access here." Another approaches,
dressed in robes of state and the gown of learning.
"Yes," says the angel, "it may be good, but gowns and
learning are not the marks that shall admit you here."
Another advances, fair, beautiful, and comely. "Yes,"
saith the angel, "that might please on earth, but
beauty is not wanted here." There cometh up another,
who is heralded by fame, and prefaced by the blast of
the clamor of mankind; but the angel saith, "It is well
with man, but thou hast no right to enter here." Then
there appears another; poor he may have been;
illiterate he may have been; but the angel, as he looks
at him, smiles and says, "It is Christ again; a second
edition of Jesus Christ is there. Come in, come in.
Eternal glory thou shalt win. Thou art like Christ; in
heaven thou shalt sit, because thou art like him." Oh!
to be like Christ is to enter heaven; but to be unlike
Christ is to descend to hell. Likes shall be gathered
together at last, tares with tares, wheat with wheat.
If ye have sinned with Adam and have died, ye shall lie
with the spiritually dead forever, unless ye rise in
Christ to newness of life; then shall we live with him
throughout eternity. Wheat with wheat, tares with
tares. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Go away with
this one thought, then my brethren, that you can test
yourselves by Christ. If you are like Christ, you are
of Christ, and shall be with Christ. If you are unlike
him, you have no portion in the great inheritance. May
my poor discourse help to fan the floor and reveal the
chaff; yea, may it lead many of you to seek to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to
the praise of his grace. To him be all honor given!
Amen.
Provided by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
internet: hyperlink
Box 318
Columbus, NJ 08022