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CONSCIOS INTEGRITY
PAINFUL as the consideration of God’s omniscience must be to the wicked, it is a rich source of consolation to those who are upright before him. Circumstances may arise, wherein they may not be able fully to vindicate their character to the world, even though they are perfectly innocent of the things laid to their charge. The defilement also which they sometimes contract by reason of their indwelling corruptions maybe such as to excite fears respecting the state of their souls; while they are maintaining a strenuous conflict with the whole body of sin. In such cases it will be a satisfaction to them to reflect, that their very inmost souls are naked and open before God; and that he can discern the integrity of their hearts, even when most clouded, either by unreasonable suspicions, or just occasions of doubt. From this source Job drew his consolation, when the dispensations of Providence seemed to justify his friends in accusing him of hypocrisy: he could then appeal to God, and say, “Thou knowest that I am not wicked.”
We propose to shew,
I. What we are to understand by this appeal—
Job never intended to assert that he was possessed of sinless perfection—
[God had indeed honoured him with the title of a “perfect man.” But in the very same place, the import of the term “perfect” is limited and explained by the word “upright” united to it [Note: Job_1:8.]. Perfection, in the Scripture use of the word, relates rather to our desires than our attaimments; and denotes that growth in grace, which is found in those who have arrived at the full stature of a Christian, as distinguished from a state of infantine weakness, or youthful inexperience. That Job did not deny himself to be a sinner, or still to be encompassed with sinful infirmities, is evident from the whole of the preceding context, where he repeatedly acknowledges, and deeply bewails, his own depravity [Note: Job_7:20; Job_9:20-21; Job_9:30-31.]. Indeed his spirit at this time was by no means free from sinful impatience [Note: ver. 3.]; so that, if he had boasted of sinless perfection, he would have opposed the whole tenor of Scripture [Note: 1Ki_8:46. Jam_3:2. 1Jn_1:8.], and his own mouth would have condemned him, and proved him perverse.]
But he appealed to God,
1. That he was free from the sin imputed to him—
[Job’s friends imagined, that heavy judgments were never sent except as punishments of some enormous wickedness. What evils Job had been guilty of, they could not tell: but, as they saw him so grievously afflicted, they concluded that he must have indulged some secret wickedness, which God now intended to disclose and punish. They therefore, at a venture, accused him of hypocrisy [Note: Job_8:13-14; Job_8:20.]. But he repelled the charge, and asserted, in opposition to them, his own innocence [Note: David did the same. See Psa_7:3; Psa_7:8; Psa_26:1; Psa_26:6. And Paul: see 1Th_2:10.].]
2. That he was, on the whole, upright before God—
[He had unfeignedly endeavoured to serve and please God; nor did his conscience accuse him of allowedly indulging sin. In hopes therefore that the solemnity of an appeal to God would convince and satisfy his friends, he presumed to address the Deity in the words of our text. Nor was this without an evident propriety: for, as the troubles which proceeded from God were considered as a testimony against him, he could not clear himself better than by appealing to the Author of those troubles for a testimony in his favour. To have done this merely to cover his guilt, would have been madness: for if he was already suffering the rebukes of God on account of his hypocrisy, he could expect nothing but a ten-fold load of misery us the reward of such aggravated impiety Such an appeal therefore to the heart-searching God, upon a subject of which none but God could judge, was the best, and indeed the only means, of re-eatablishing his character in the good opinion of his friends.]
But, that we may not be too hasty in making such an appeal, let us consider,
II. What is necessary to warrant it—
We ought to have the testimony of our own conscience,
1. That we are free from all allowed sin—
[If we allow ourselves in any sin, we are servants of sin [Note: Rom_6:16.]; we belong to Satan [Note: 1Jn_3:8.]; we have no interest in the covenant or grace [Note: Rom_6:14.]; yea, even the prayers we offer in such a state are an abomination to the Lord [Note: Psa_66:18. Pro_28:9.]. It matters not whether the sin be open or secret, great or small; if we indulge it willingly, we oppose the authority of God, which is equally displayed in every commandment. It is no excuse to say, that such or such an indulgence is conducive to our comfort, or necessary to our welfare: if it be as useful as a right hand, or as precious as a right eye, we can never be sincere, if we do not pluck it out or out it off, and cast it from us [Note: Mat_5:29-30.]. In order to say with truth, “I am not wicked,” we must have “a single eye [Note: Mat_6:22.],” and be Israelites indeed, without guile [Note: Joh_1:47.].]
2. That we endeavour habitually to approve ourselves to God—
[We may approve ourselves to our fellow-creatures, while there is much iniquity harboured in our hearts. If we would have a good conscience, we must act, not to men, but to God: God’s will must be the reason, his word the rule, and his glory the end, of our obedience [Note: Col_3:23.]. We must have as much respect to our motives and inclinations as to our words and actions; we must be careful to purge out all leaven [Note: Luk_12:1. 1Co_5:7-8.], and to have the very thoughts of our hearts brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ [Note: 2Co_10:5.]. Without this we cannot say, “I am not wicked;” for that which is the root and summit of all wickedness abides within us: we have “a carnal mind that is enmity against God [Note: Rom_8:7.]:” and however clean we may be in the outward appearance, we are inwardly like whited sepulehres, full of rottenness and all uncleanness [Note: Mat_23:27-28.].]
But in proportion to the difficulty of making this appeal is,
III. The blessedness of being able to make it—
Certainly such a consciousness of our own integrity must be a rich consolation to us,
1. Under any troubles that may come upon us—
[Under the pressure of any heavy calamity, when God seems as if he were “bringing our sins to remembrance,” and especially in times of persecution, when our characters are traduced, and we are regarded as the most worthless of man-kind, we find it a most painful addition to our grief if we think that we have brought the trial on ourselves by some misconduct of our own. But if, in either of these cases, we can appeal to God that we have sought only his glory, and endeavoured to approve ourselves to him, we shall feel our trials greatly alleviated, and our spirits calmed. Never was a man more cruelly aspersed, or more virulently persecuted, than the Apostle Paul: yet the reflection that God knew his heart, and approved his conduct, made it appear “a light matter to him to be judged of man’s judgment [Note: 1Co_4:3.].” A similar consciousness will be productive of similar composure in all our minds [Note: 2Co_1:12.].]
2. In the prospect of death and judgment—
[None who have guilt upon their conscience can look forward to these seasons without pain and dread. But to him who can make this appeal to God, death and judgment have lost all their terrors. He has within himself an earnest of the felicity that awaits him. The judgment has already passed, as it were, with respect to him; and, while others have only a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation to consume them, he “knows that he has a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens [Note: 2Co_5:1.].” Not being condemned in his own heart, he has a just and Scriptural confidence towards God [Note: 1Jn_3:19-21.].]
Address,
1. Those who are living in any known sin—
[Perhaps you have contrived so well, that you can defy man to lay any particular evil to your charge. But what will that avail, while God beholds the secret abominations of your hearts? To what purpose is it to say to your fellow-creatures, “Ye cannot accuse me,” when you are constrained to confess before God, “Thou knowest that I am wicked?” Reflect on the strictness of the trial that awaits you; and know, that God will bring every secret thing into judgment, whether it be good or evil [Note: 1Co_4:4-5. with the first clause of Job_10:15.].]
2. Those who think themselves in a good state—
[It is by no means uncommon for men to “deceive themselves, by thinking themselves something when they are nothing [Note: Gal_6:3.].” The way to prevent this is, to take the word of God as the standard by which we try ourselves; and, to beg of God to search and try us. This is recommended by St. Paul, in order that we may have rejoicing in ourselves alone, and not merely in the good opinion of others [Note: Gal_6:4-5.]. If indeed we have in ourselves an evidence that we truly love and fear God, we may say, with Peter, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee [Note: Joh_21:17.].” But, after all, we should remember, that, whatever be our estimate of our own character, “Not he who commendeth himself shall be approved, but he whom the Lord commendeth [Note: 2Co_10:18.].”]