his hearefs about hell and danger. He tells them that there is a " wrath to come." He speaks of " the axe " of God's judgments, and of unfruitful trees being cast into " the fire."
The subject of hell is always offendve to human nature. The minister who dwells much upon it, must expect to find himself regarded as coarse, yiolent, unfeeling, and narrow-minded. Men love to hear *' smooili things," and to be told of peace, and not of danger. (Isai. xxx. 10.) But the subject is one that ought not to be kept back, if we desire to do good to souls. It is one that our Lord Jesus Christ brought forward frequently in His public teaching. That loving Saviour, who spoke so graciously of the way to heaven, has also used the plainest language about the way to hell.
Let us beware of being wise above that which is writ- ten, and more charitable than Scripture itself. Let the language of John the Baptist be deeply graven in our hearts. Let us never be ashamed to avow our firm belief, that there is a "wrath to come" for the impenitent, and that it is possible for a man to be lost as well as to be saved. To be silent on the subject is positive treachery to men's souls. It only encourages them to persevere in wickedness, and fosters in their minds the devil's old delusion, "Ye shall not surely die." That minister is surely our best friend who tells us honestly of danger, and warns us, like John the Baptist, to " flee from the wrath to come." Never wiU a man flee till he sees there is real cause to be afraid. Never wiU he seek heaven till he is convinced that there is risk of his falling into hell. The religion in which there is no mention of
LUKE, CHAP. m. VKB. 7 — 14. 91
hell, is not the religion of John the Baptist, and of our Lord Jesus, and His apostles.
We should mark, thirdly, how John exposes the useless- ness of a repentance which is not accompanied by fruits in the life. He said to the mnltitade, who came to be bap- tized, ''Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance." He tells them that " Erery tree which bringeth not forth good finit is hewn down."
This is a truth which should always occupy a promi- nent place in our Christianity. It can neyer be impressed on our minds too strongly, that religious talking and pro- fession are utterly worthless, without rdigious doing and practice. It is yain to say with our lips that we repent, if we do not at the same time repent in our lires. It is more than yain. It will gradually sear our consciences, and harden our hearts. To say that we are sorry for
really sorry for them, by giying them up. Doing is the yery life of repentance. Tell us not merely what a man says in religion. Tell us rather what he does. "The talk of the lips," says Solomon, ''tendeth only to penury." (Proy. xiy. 23.)
We should mark, fourthly, what a blow John strikes at the common notion, that connection with godly people can sofoe our souls. ''Begin not to say," he tells the Jews, " we haye Abraham to our Father ; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."
The strong hold that this notion has obtained on the heart of man, in eyery part of the world, is an affecting proof of our fallen and corrupt condition. Thousands
92 sxposrroKY thoughts.
lutre always been found, in every age of the chnreh, who have belieyed that connection with godly men made them aooeptable in the sight of God. Thousands have liyed and died in the blind delusion, that because they were allied to holy people by ties of blood or church- membership, they might themselyes hope to be saved.
Let it be a settled principle with us, that saving religion is a personal thing. It is a business between each man's own soul and Chrisi It will profit ujs no- thing at the last day, to have belonged to the Church of Luther, or Calvin, or Cranmer, or Knox, or Owen, or Wesley, or Whitfield. — ^Had we the faith of these holy men P Did we believe as they believed, and strive to live as they lived, and to follow Christ as they followed HimP These will be the only points on which our salvation will turn. It will save no man to have had Abraham's blood in his veins, if he did not possess Abraham's faith and do Abraham's works.
We should remark, lastly, in this passage, the searching test of sincerity which John applied to the consciences of the various dosses who came to his baptism. He bade each man who made a profession of repentance, to begin by breaking off from those sios which specially beset him. The selfish multitude must show common charity to each other. The publicans must '' exact no more than their due. " The soldiers must '' do violence to no man, and be content with their wages." He did not mean that, by so doing, they would atone for their sins, an4 make Iheir peace with God* But he did mean that, by so doing, they would prove their repentance to be sincere.
LT7KB, CKkT. III. VEB, 7—14. 93
Let US leave fhe passage with a deep conyiction of fhe wisdom of this mode of dealing with souls, and specially with the souls of those who are beginning to make a profession of religion. Above all, let ns see here ihe right way to prove our own hearts. It must not content us to cry out against sins to whichi by natural tempera- menty we are not inclined^ while we deal gently with other sins of a different character. Let us find out our own peculiar corruptions. Let us know our own besetting sins. Against them let us direct our principal efforts. With these let us wage unceasing war. Let the rich break off firom the rich man's sins, and the poor from the sins of the poor. Let the young man give up the rins of youth, and the old man the sins of age. This is the first step towards proving that we are in earnest, when we first b^in to feel about our souls. Are we real ? Are we sincere ? Then let us b^in by looking at home, and looking witibin.
KoTBB. Luxx HL 7—14.
8. — [Bring forth fndt] It is worthy of remark, that the word trans- lated " hring forth," is the same that is used hy St John, when he speaks of " committing sin," and " doing righteousness." (1 John iiL 4, 7.) Both there and here is implied a continued habit, and not a single act.
[We have Abraham to our father.] A passage in Stella, the Spanish commentator on the Gospel of St Luke, on this ex- pression, is worth quoting : — '* There are many monks who imitate these Jews, saying, we have Benedict, Augustine, Jerome, Fran- cis, or Dominic for our father, just as they said. We have Abraham to our father. They relate to others the marvel- lous doings of the founders of their order, and cry up their praises with wonderful commendation. They sa^, our order has 80 many holy men enrolled in the catalogue of saints, so many Popes, so many Cardinals, so many bishops, so many teachers. In them they rejoice and yain-gloriously boast, while they themselYes have degenerated from the true excellencies of then
-/ »^l^
94
EXFOsrroRi? thoughts.
founders, by iniquity and laxity of morals. To all these we may deservedly say what Christ said to the Jews, *If ye are Abraham's children, do the works of Abraham.'"
[God is able of these stones, del The meaning of this ex- pression is simply this: "Think not that God will not have a people to show forth His praise, if He cuts you off and does not save you. Even if vou were all cast off, He could raise up a family for Himself of true believers from these stones." The calling of the Gentiles was evidently implied.
14. — [what shall we do!] Our English version hardly gives the full sense of the original Greek here. It should rather be, "and we, what shall we do ? "
\do violence,'] The word so translated is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It signifies " to put in fear, or to shake, by violent conduct."
[accuse falsely!] This word is only found in one other place, and there it is rendered, " take by false accusation." It occurs in the remarkable profession of Zacchseus after his conversion. (Luke xix. 8.)
Let it be carefully noted that John the Baptist says not a word to shew that the work of the tax-gatherer or the soldier is unlawful in the sight of God.
LUKE in. 15—20.
15. And as the people were in ex-
Eectation, and all men mused in their earts of John, whether he were the Christ, ornot;
16 John answered, saying unto ihem all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but one mightier than I Com- eth, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose ; he shall bap- tize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire :
17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and
will gather the wheat into his ^mer ; but the chaff he will bum with fire unquenchable.
lo And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.