DISCOURSE: 993
THE SERVICES WHICH GOD REQUIRES
Isaiah 58:5-11. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burthens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day: and the Lord shall guide this continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
IT is not uncommon for persons who are hypocrites at heart, to make a great profession of religion, and even to complain of God himself, as not recompensing sufficiently their zeal in his cause. The Pharisee who boasted of his fastings and his alms-deeds, is a just representation of this character. But against inch persons it is the duty of a minister to bear the most decided testimony. The injunction given to the prophet was, “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” And what were the transgressions that were to be so severely censured? Was it an entire neglect of ordinances? No: it is acknowledged that the people abounded in the externals of religion: “They seek me early,” says God, “and delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinances of justice: they take delight in approaching to God.” But in the midst of all this pretended zeal for godliness, they were insincere at heart. Their observance of duties proceeded from a principle of pride, and was intended as a cloak for their hidden abominations. Their very “fasts” were nothing but a display of the vilest hypocrisy, which God abhorred. The prophet, being commanded to reprobate such odious conduct, states to them what their fasts should be, in order to be accepted and approved by God.
In considering this statement we shall shew,
I. What, in their seasons of humiliation, was required of God’s people of old—
They were called to express their contrition by fasting [Note: Joel 2:15-17.]. But the outward service, however humble in appearance, was not acceptable to God, unless attended with suitable dispositions of mind, and amendment of life. Hence the prophet appealed to the people themselves, that, to evince the sincerity of their devotions, there must be a change in their whole conduct, and an habitual practice of the long-neglected duties of justice and charity.
[The Jews, both before and after the Babylonish captivity, were much addicted to extortion and oppression [Note: Jeremiah 34:9-11. with Nehemiah 5:5.]. To make restitution to those whom they had defrauded, and reduced to bondage; to refrain from “putting forth the finger” in a way of scorn and menace against those whom they had injured, or from deceiving them by “vain promises” of compensation; and to “break entirely every yoke,” whereby they had galled and oppressed their brethren—these were the very first acts required to evince the sincerity of their repentance; since with the commission of such cruelties not the smallest measure of real penitence could consist.
But to the reformation of these habits God required them to add the exercise of mercy. They must “feed the hungry and clothe the naked,” and consider every child of man as a brother whom they should regard “as their own flesh:” they were to take the most destitute of the human race, and “bring him, if occasion so required, to their own house,” for the purpose of affording him more effectual relief: they were to feel such sympathy with him, as to “draw out,” not merely their purse, but even “their very souls,” for his relief; and so to apportion their benevolence, as to aim at not merely comforting, but “satisfying, his afflicted soul.” This is the spirit which God loves; this he approves infinitely beyond all outward services of whatever kind; and this he required of his people, as the best proof of a regenerate heart, and as the surest evidence of their love to him.]
Such a change as this, he assured them, should bring down upon their souls the richest blessings.
[They might have seasons of darkness and distress, even as others; or they might be calumniated by evil men, yea, and be harassed by cruel persecutions: but, if they abounded in the heavenly dispositions before specified, “their light should break forth as the morning, and their darkness be as the noonday; yea, their health should spring forth speedily;” and they should experience in their own souls far richer consolations than they ever did, or could, administer to their afflicted brethren: “their righteousness, which had been impeached, should go before them,” to testify their real character; and “the glory of the Lord should be their rereward,” interposing between them and their persecutors, like the cloud and pillar of fire, for their effectual preservation and protection. Whatever they might want, they should have liberty of access to God for it; and upon their crying to him for it, he would present himself before them, saying, “Here I am; here I am; and whatever thou wantest I will give thee.” Should they be in doubt how to act, “the Lord would guide them continually:” should they be in any particular necessity or distress, he would “satisfy their souls in drought, and even make fat their bones,” insomuch that their graces should flourish “like a well-watered garden,” and their consolations abound “like a spring of water whose waters fail not.”]
Now this leads me to shew,
II.
What God requires of us at this time—
There is a special call, both from God in his providence, and from the highest authorities in the realm, to humble ourselves at this time in fasting and prayer. But we must be careful not to think that a mere outward service will be of any avail, if we add not to it that reformation of heart and life which God calls for at our hands: I say then that,
1. He requires of us the same duties as of his people of old—
[We must put away from us every thing that is contrary to love, and live in the habitual exercise of love in all its branches. There are many things, the offspring of pride and selfishness, sanctioned by the habits of the world, which yet we should be careful not to practise — — —
When addressing you on a day of national humiliation, I may well advert to that great national sin of holding thousands of our fellow-creatures in bondage, and treating them as though they had neither the rights nor feelings of humanity — — — Whilst this continues, God cannot but have a controversy with us; nor can we expect any thing at his hands but to be visited with his heaviest displeasure — — — But there are manifold instances of oppression which obtain amongst ourselves in our daily intercourse with mankind, which, though not of the same flagrant nature with the slave-trade, are most offensive in the sight of God: and against these we should, all of us individually, be on our guard; for God is the avenger of the injured party, whosoever he may be, and will call us to account for all the evils that we inflict upon him.
But this is a small, a very small, part of the duty which we owe to our brethren of mankind. We should regard our fellow-creature, how poor and destitute soever he may be, “as our own flesh,” and be as anxious for the relief of his necessities, as we should for the ease and welfare of a member of our own body. The extent to which our charity should be carried, should know no other bounds than the necessities of our brother, and our own ability to relieve him. And such should be our delight in these exercises of love, that they should call forth all the finest feelings of our souls, and administer to ourselves a more exquisite joy than the communication of any benefits can confer on the receiver of them.
This is the proper employment of a season like this; and, without it, our external sacrifices will be no better than “the cutting off a dog’s neck, or the offering of swine’s blood [Note: Isaiah 1:10-17; Isaiah 66:3.].”]
2. He extends to us the same encouragements—
[There is in the minds of many religious people a very undue jealousy on the subject of charity, as entailing on those who abound in it a rich reward. But the Scriptures are full of declarations to this effect; and God even declares that he would esteem himself “unrighteous [Note: Hebrews 6:10.],” if he omitted to recompense to us the benefits which for his sake we confer on others. True, our works of charity shall not go before us, to obtain the favour of God for the remission of our sins. Nothing but the blood of Christ can avail for that; nor can any thing but his perfect righteousness imputed to us, form a justifying righteousness for us, even though we gave all our goods to feed the poor, or our bodies to be burned. But our deeds of charity, if springing from faith in Christ, and love to his name, “will follow us [Note: Revelation 14:13.],” as evidences of the divine principle within us, and as memorials of our desire to serve and honour God in his appointed way.
But we need go no further than to the passage before us, to see what testimonies of his approbation God will vouchsafe to all who live in the exercise of love. Our acts may have been so private, that “our right hand has not known what our left hand has done:” but God himself will bear witness to us, and bring forth our works, not only as objects of his approbation, but as grounds on which he will proceed in apportioning the glory that shall be awarded to us [Note: Matthew 25:34-36.]. At this present time also he will bestow such blessings as can scarcely be conceived. Take the different expressions in my text: analyse them: apply them to the soul in all their extent and amplitude: view them as suited to all the necessities that can possibly arise: and see God himself as pledged to carry them all into effect: and then regard them all but as a prelude to the glory that shall be accorded to us at the instant of our departure hence: in a word, only enter fully into the promises here made to God’s ancient people, and you will need nothing more to evince the excellence of love, and the blessedness of those who lay themselves out for God in the discharge of its high duties.]
See now,
1.
How to turn to a good account the services of this day [Note: By a slight alteration of these words the subject may be adapted to a fast approaching, or present, or past.]—
[Though the outward tokens of humiliation should not be neglected, the inward rectification of the soul should be our chief aim. We should “break off our sins by righteousness, and our iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor [Note: Daniel 4:27.].” To do justly and to love mercy are the chief things which God requires of us as proofs and evidences of our sincerity in humbling ourselves before him. If then we would spend an acceptable day unto the Lord, let us set ourselves earnestly to the work marked out for us by God himself, rectifying whatever we know to have been amiss in our conduct, and fulfilling to the uttermost every office of compassion and love. We must distinguish indeed between what we do in order to obtain acceptance with God, and what we do to please and honour him. To obtain mercy at his hands, we must simply believe in Christ: but to glorify his name we must search out all possible occasions of doing good, and promote to the utmost of our ability the edification and happiness of all around us.]
2. How to obtain a very heaven upon earth—
[Religious professors, when they enjoy but little comfort in their own souls, are apt to ascribe it to a sense of their own unworthiness, and to regard it rather as a proof of their humility. But in most instances, I believe, it must be traced to an habitual neglect, or a very partial performance, of the offices of love. The generality are too selfish in their habits, and too regardless of the necessities of their fellow-creatures, and the honour of their God. We have seen in the passage before us what God would do for us, if we laid ourselves out for him in the duties and offices of love. He has told us that, “to water others is the way to be ourselves watered,” and to mete out liberally to others is the way to have good measure poured into our own bosom. Let us then abound more and more in every good work; and we shall surely find, that “the work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance for ever [Note: Isaiah 32:17.].”]