Again, dear friend, prove this by consistent diligence. “In the morning
sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.” “Be instant
in season, out of season.” I had a friend, who had learned the way to
put a peculiar meaning upon that passage of Scripture, “Let not thy
right hand know what thy left hand doeth.” He thought that the best
way was to have money in both pockets; put one hand into each
pocket, and then put both hands on the collection plate. I never
objected to this interpretation of the passage. Now, the way to serve
Christ. Is to do all you possibly can, and then as much more. “No,” says
you, “that cannot be.” I do not know that it cannot be. I found that the
best thing I ever did was a thing I could not do. What I could do well,
that was my own; but what I could not do, but still did, in the name and
strength of the Eternal Jehovah, was the best thing I had done. Beloved,
sow in the morning, sow in the evening, sow at night, sow all day long,
for you can never tell what God will bless; but by this constant sowing,
you will prove to demonstration that you are not observing the winds,
nor regarding the clouds.
IV. I now come to my concluding observation: LET US KEEP THIS EVIL OUT OF OUR
HEARTS AS WELL AS OUT OF OUR WORK.
And, first, let us give no heed to the winds and clouds of doctrine that
are everywhere about us now. Blow, blow, ye stormy winds; but you
shall not move me. Clouds of hypotheses and inventions, come up with
you, as many as you please, till you darken all the sky; but I will not
fear you. Such clouds have come before, and have disappeared, and
these will disappear, too. If you sit down, and think of man’s inventions
of error, and their novel doctrines, and how the churches have been
bewitched by them, you will get into such a state of mind that you will
neither sow nor reap. Just forget them. Give yourself to your holy
service as if there were no winds and no clouds; and God will give you
such comfort in your soul that you will rejoice before him, and be
confident in his truth.
And then, next, let us not lose hope because of doubts and temptations.
When the clouds and the winds get into your heart, when you do not
feel as you used to feel, when you have not that joy and elasticity of
spirit you once had, when your ardour seems a little damped, and even
your faith begins to hesitate a little, go you to God all the same. Trust
him still.
“And when thine eye of faith grows dim,
Still hold to Jesus, sink or swim;
Still at his footstool bow the knee,
And Israel’s God thy strength shall be.”
Do not go up and down like the mercury in the weather-glass; but
know what you know, and believe what you believe. Hold to it, and
God keep you in one mind, so that none can turn you; for, if not, if you
begin to notice these things, you will neither sow nor reap.
Lastly, let us follow the Lord’s mind, and come what will. In a word, set
your face, like a flint, to serve God, by the maintenance of his truth, by
your holy life, by the savour of your Christian character; and, that
being done, defy earth and hell. If there were a crowd of devils
between you and Christ, kick a lane through them by holy faith. They
will fly before you. If you have but the courage to make an advance,
they cannot stop you. You shall make a clear gangway through legions
of them. Only be strong, and of good courage, and do not regard even
the clouds from hell, or the blasts from the infernal pit; but go straight
on in the path of right, and God being with you, you shall sow and you
shall reap, unto his eternal glory.
Will some poor sinner here to-night, whether he sinks or swims, trust
Christ? Come, if you feel less inclined to-night to hope, than you ever
did before. Have hope even now; hope against hope; belief against
belief. Cast yourself on Christ, even though he may seem to stand with
a drawn sword in his hand, to run you through; trust even an angry
Christ. Though your sins have grieved him, come and trust him. Do not
stop for winds to blow over, or clouds to burst. Just as thou art, without
one trace of anything that is good about thee, come and trust Christ as
thy Saviour, and thou art saved. God give you grace to do so, for Jesus’
sake! Amen.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
