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JOHN’S ADDRESS TO THOSE WHO CAME TO BE BAPTIZED OF HIM
WHEN a profession of religion is become fashionable, as it were, and common, it is necessary for ministers to be doubly careful that they do not sanction, much less promote, the delusions of hypocrites or impostors. At such seasons, peculiar faithfulness and discrimination will be wanted, that the upright may not be discountenanced, nor the vain pretenders to piety be encouraged.
The Baptist was signally successful in his ministrations, insomuch that Jerusalem, and all Jud æ a, and all the region round about Jordan, went to be baptized of him. Amongst this great multitude came many Pharisees and Sadducees, desiring to be numbered amongst his disciples. At this he was utterly astonished; because the Pharisees were so conceited of their own goodness as to think that they needed no better religion; and the Sadducees, the free-thinkers of the day, despised religion altogether. He would not immediately reject them, but, in a most faithful and energetic address, declared what they must be, if they would obtain happiness in the future world. He called them “a generation of vipers,” because of the poisonous and infectious nature of their principles, and the manifest relation which, both in sentiment and conduct, they bare to the old serpent the devil [Note: Joh_8:44.]. Such an address became him as a prophet [Note: Such were delivered by other prophets, Isa_1:10; and by Christ himself, Mat_23:33.]; but it would not be suited to us who bear an inferior commission. Nevertheless the same fidelity should be found in all: and what he spake to them, we must declare to you; namely, that,
I. True religion must be judged of by its fruits—
As this is the only criterion whereby the excellence of a tree can be known, so is it the only true test of religion. There are “fruits meet for repentance;” fruits that manifest its existence, and denote its power. Let us inquire what they are: and, as they will be found in every part of our conduct, let us examine them in reference to,
1. God—
[It will certainly shew itself in high thoughts of God’s unbounded goodness and mercy; in deep humiliation of our souls before him; in a joyful acceptance of his proffered salvation; and in love, ardent love, to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us; together with a simple reliance on his atoning sacrifice. It will stimulate the soul to fervent prayer for the continued influences of God’s Holy Spirit, and to a surrender of the soul, with all its faculties and powers, to his service. It will make the pleasing of God to be henceforth the great object of our lives; and will moderate all our regards to the creature, insomuch that, though we are in the world, we shall not be of it; and, though “we use it, we shall not abuse it.”]
2. Our neighbour—
[Repentance extends not to the sins of the first table only, but to those of the second table also. It will give a new principle to us in all our dealings with mankind. We shall be strictly just and honest in all our transactions, doing to others precisely as, in a change of circumstances, we should think it right for them to do to us. If a man be our superior, we shall be ready to pay him, for God’s sake, all that respect and obedience which the laws of God or man enjoin. If he be our inferior, we shall act towards him with all kindness and condescension, all tenderness and love. Whatever be his state and condition, we shall be cautious of grieving him by word or deed; we shall applaud his virtues, conceal his faults, and exercise towards him that forbearance and forgiveness which we ourselves desire to meet with at the hands of God. It will be the joy of our hearts to alleviate his troubles, to supply his necessities, and to seek his welfare, not only as well as, but even in preference to, our own [Note: 1Co_13:4-7. Php_2:4. 1Co_10:24.].]
3. Ourselves—
[The office of repentance in regulating the secret dispositions of our hearts, is by no means sufficiently considered: but, if it extend not to these, it is not genuine, nor will it ever prove “a repentance to salvation.” In the natural and unrenewed heart, pride, envy, malice, wrath, discontent, uncleanness, lasciviousness, and many other hateful evils, are harboured, even where the external and visible exercise of them is restrained. But the true penitent “puts away all these,” and and cultivates a spirit of meekness and gentleness, of love and kindness, of patience and thankfulness; and endeavours to guard against an impure thought or desire, no less than against the most criminal indulgence.
I do not say, that a penitent so attains all these graces as never to betray his weakness; but this I say, that these are the fruits of the Spirit which every penitent will produce [Note: Gal_5:22-23.]; that they necessarily arise out of godly sorrow [Note: 2Co_7:10-11.]; and that every sincere penitent will advance in these attainments, so that they who are most conversant with him shall be constrained to bear testimony to the progressive amelioration of all his tempers.
O that there might be in all of us such an heart; and that all who profess repentance might thus make their profiting to appear!]
It is of infinite importance to ascertain in this way whether our religion be genuine; for,
II. Without it, all hopes of salvation are delusive—
The Jews were apt to found their hopes of mercy on their relation to Abraham—
[Many of them had a strange conceit that no child of Abraham could perish: and it is probable that they built that notion on the promise of God never to cast off the seed of Abraham [Note: Jer_31:35-37.]. They had no idea that there was such a thing as a spiritual seed; and therefore they limited the promise to his descendants according to the flesh, and included all of them without any regard to their moral character. Against this erroneous notion the Baptist cautioned those whom he now addressed; and told them, that God would rather raise up a posterity to Abraham out of the very stones, (or perhaps from among the Gentile soldiers, many of whom might be present with them on that occasion,) than either suffer his promise to fail, or admit impenitent sinners to heaven.]
And similar to this are the delusions which obtain amongst us—
[Because men have been born of Christian parents, and educated in a Christian land, and have never formally renounced Christianity, they imagine that they are Christians, notwithstanding they havenever cordially embraced the doctrines of Christianity, nor obeyed its precepts. They have the same reason for being Christians that Mahometans have for being Mahometans, and no better. They have never seen the suitableness of Christianity to their wants, nor the sufficiency of it for their necessities: nor have they been concerned about it, any further than just to observe its outward forms. Yet on this the generality found their hopes of heaven. Whether they will express it in words or not, it is that which they “think to say within themselves.” But we must remind all such persons of the declaration of St. Paul, “that he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God [Note: Rom_2:28-29.].” It is not any external profession that will avail us in the day of judgment: we may have the sublimest knowledge, the strongest faith, the most ardent zeal, and the most unbounded liberality, and yet perish at last for want of that principle of love, which is the source and summit of all vital godliness [Note: 1Co_13:1-3.]. O that we may never deceive our own souls, nor rest in any thing short of “pure, practical, and undefiled religion!”]
Such indifference about true religion would not long exist, if men would but reflect, that,
III. There is a time shortly coming, when the want of it will be attended with the most bitter consequences.
God had determined to punish the Jewish nation for their unfruitfulness—
[Long had he waited to see whether the vines he had cultivated with so much care, would bring forth fruit: but they brought forth none but wild grapes: and therefore, though he had spared them long at the intercession of the vine-dresser, he determined speedily to cut them down, that they might cumber the ground no longer. Of this the Baptist warned his audience: he assured them, that God was ready to execute his purpose; that “the axe was even now lying at [Note: Ê å ῖ ô á é ð ñ ü ò .] their roots;” and that nothing but immediate and true repentance could avert their doom.]
The same awful judgment awaits every unfruitful soul—
[An unfruitful tree stands unconscious of the destiny that awaits it: but they who see the preparations made for cutting it down, anticipate its fate. Thus, if impenitent transgressors had eyes to see, they might see the axe lying at their root, and God giving his orders to him that is to use it. Disease or accident are just tarrying awhile, but coming at the appointed moment, to execute their commission.
And here let it be remembered, that it is not a mere negative goodness that will obtain a respite. It is not said, that every tree which brings forth peculiarly bad fruit, shall be cut down; but every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit. There must be such fruits as we have before spoken of; such as characterize a converted state; such as are “meet for” and “worthy of” true repentance. As the “unprofitable servant” is numbered with those who are positively “wicked,” so the unfruitful tree will receive the same doom as that which is laden with the most pernicious fruits. And happy would it be for such professors of religion, if they had only temporal judgments to expect: but there remains for them a fire, after they are cut down; a fire into which they will be cast, and which, though incessantly consuming them, will never be extinguished.]
Address—
1. Guard against delusive expectations—
[Every person, whatever may have been his life, hopes to be happy in a future world. The vanity of such hopes is in many cases so manifest, that we cannot but pity the selfdeluding people who cherish them. Yet, though we can see the delusions of others, we cannot see our own: we all hope that our own state is safe: “a deceived heart turns us aside, so that we cannot deliver our souls, or say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” The Pharisees had a high conceit of their own comparative sanctity, as the Sadducees had of their superior wisdom: and though each condemned the other, neither would condemn themselves. But John saw that neither the one nor the other would ultimately attain salvation, unless they experienced an entire change both of heart and life. They however would not believe him, and therefore rejected the counsel of God, which the more humble publicans thankfully embraced [Note: Luk_7:29-30.]. Let me guard you then against their mistakes; and entreat you all, however wise or good you may conceive yourselves to be, to entertain a godly jealousy respecting your state: and be fearful, lest by building your hopes upon the sand, you then begin to find your error when it is beyond a remedy.]
2. Be thankful to those who will shew you your true character.
[Those ministers who commend themselves most faithfully to your consciences, deserve your thanks. Many are the reproaches which they bear on account of their fidelity; but a hope of benefiting your souls emboldens them to proceed; and they account themselves richly recompensed, when they see you bringing forth fruits meet for repentance. Do not then be angry with them for speaking plainly and pointedly, as the Pharisees were when they saw that our Lord had spoken a parable against them [Note: Luk_20:19.]; but rather take occasion, from what they say, to search and examine your own hearts with sincerity and diligence, desiring and determining, with God’s help, to know the worst of yourselves.
You will do well also to encourage your friends to communicate to you freely what they see amiss. You cannot but know, that if a skilful lawyer were to point out to you a flaw in the title of an estate which you were about to purchase, you would feel greatly indebted to him: and why? Because you would save your money. And will you not be thankful to one who by his counsel endeavours to save your soul? Alas! alas! to flatterers we can listen without weariness; but to a faithful monitor we can scarcely for a few minutes lend an ear: what the one says is received gladly, even though we have every reason to believe that he goes beyond the truth; but what the other says, calls forth all our ingenuity to weaken its force, though we know every syllable of it to be true. Beloved, be on your guard against this self-love: you may easily deceive yourselves, but you cannot deceive your God.]
3. Let nothing retard you in fleeing from the wrath to come—
[There is no room to ask, “Who hath warned you?” for I have warned you; and God has warned you; and, I hope, your own consciences have warned you: or, if none of these have spoken yet so as to attract your attention, I now warn you, with all plainness and faithfulness, to “flee from the wrath to come.” Consider whose wrath it is: it is the wrath of Almighty God. Consider the description given of it: it is, and ever will be, the wrath to come: yes, many millions of years hence, it will be no nearer its termination than at this moment: to all eternity it will be the same, The wrath to come. Can you reflect on the greatness and duration of this wrath, and not be diligent in fleeing from it? What other work can you have to do that is of the least importance when compared with this? Would the man-slayer loiter, when he saw the pursuer of blood just ready to overtake him? Do ye then use all diligence: leave nothing till to-morrow that can be done to day. I would lay hold of your hand, as the angels did of Lot and his daughters, and hasten your steps. Stop not even to look behind you; but “what your hand findeth to do, do it with all your might.” The Saviour is ready to receive you: he will cast out none that come unto him: and the express promise of your God is this, “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin [Note: Eze_18:30.].”]