(1.) It signifies to receive weak saints as our own bowels ; to receive them with the greatest tenderness, affection, pity, and compassion that possibly can be. So the same Greek word is used in the Epistle of Philemon, ver. 12, where Paul entreats Philemon ' to receive Ouesimus as his own bowels.' The word there is the same word with this in the text. So must the strong receive the weak, even as their own bowels ; receive them with the greatest aflection, with the greatest compassion that possibly can be.
(2.) The word signifies patiently to hear with tJie weak when they are received; and not to take them into your bosom, into your com- nmnion one day and cast them out the next, but patiently to bear with them, as well as affectionately to receive them.
It was a heathen prince [Xerxes] that crowned his steersman in the morning, and beheaded him in tiie evening of the same day, &c.
(3.) The word signifies by fatherly instruction to sack to restore him. It is not the will of Christ that weak saints should be rejected, or that the door of entrance should be shut against them, till tliey are stronger,or till they have attained to such heights and such perfections of grace and divine enjoyments of God as others have attained. Remember this, as the weakest faith, if true, gives the soul a right to all that
EpH. III. 8.] EICHES OF CHRIST. 97
that internal and eternal worth that is in Christ : so the weakest faith, if true, gives a man a real right unto all the external privileges and favours that come by Christ. In Rom. xv. 7, ' Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.' This is the standing rule for all the saints and churches in the world to go by. It is not their wills, but these two scriptures last cited, that are the standing rules by which all the churches on earth are to go by, in the admission of members.
• Them that are weak in the faith ' are to be received by you, be- cause the Lord Jesus hath received them. Christ does not receive the strong to the glory of God, and cast off the weak. No ; the Lord Jesus gathers the weak into his bosom, and tenderly dandles them upon his knee. He receives the weak to glory, as well as the strong ; therefore saith the apostle, ' As the Lord hath received them, so do you.'
Bucer rejected none in whom he saw aliquid Christi, anything of Christ, but gave them the right hand of fellowship. Such persons and churches can never answer it to Christ, that keep the door of admission shut against souls truly gracious, though they are but weak in grace, though they have [not] attained to such a measure of light, or degrees of love, or to such perfections in holiness, as such and such have done. No ; the standing rule is, ' Him whom the Loi'd hath received, receive.'
If weak saints shall desire communion, and be willing to walk in the ways that Jesus Christ hath appointed his saints to walk in, the churches ought to give them the right hand of fellowship. And that is the second duty that lies upon the strong, viz., that they are to receive the weak into communion and fellowship with them, and that with the greatest affection, love, and compassion, that possibly can be.
A third duty that lies upon strong saints to the weak is this :
[3.] They must look more upon their graces than upon their iveah- nesses.
It is a sad thing when they shall borrow spectacles to behold their weak brethren's weaknesses, and refuse looking-glasses wherein they may see their weak brethren's graces. Saints that are strong; ouo-ht to look more upon the virtues of weak saints than upon their miscarriages. When Christ saw but a little moral good in the young man, the text saith that ' He looked upon him, and loved him,' Mark x. 12. And shall not we look upon a weak saint and love him, when we see the love of God and the image of God upon him. Shall moral virtue take the eye, and draw the love of Christ ? And shall not supernatural grace in a weak Christian take our eyes and draw our hearts ? Shall we eye a little gold in much earth ? And shall we not eye a little grace where there is much corruption ? '
It is an unsufferable weakness, I had almost said, for persons to suffer their affections to run out only to such that ai-e of their judg- ments, and to love, prize, and value persons according as they suit their opinions, and not according to what of the image of God shines in them. But if this be not far from a gospel spirit, and from that God-like spirit
^ If moral virtue conld be seen with mortal eyes, it would soon draw all hearts to it- self, saith Plato. What, then, should grace do ? the least dram of wliich is of more worth than all the moral virtues in the world.
98 THE UNSEAECHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
that should be in saints, I know nothing. It speaks out much of Christ within, to own where Christ owns, and love where Christ loves, and embrace where Christ embraces, and to be one with every one that is practically one with the Lord Jesus. Christ cannot but take it very unkindly at our hands, if we should disown any upon whom he hath set his royal stamp. And I bless his grace that hath drawn out my desires and endeavours to love, own, and honour the people of Christ, according to what of the appearances of Christ I see in them. And, if I am not much mistaken, this is the highway to that joy, peace, and comfort, the want of which makes a man's life a hell. God looks more on the bright side of the cloud, than he doth on the dark, and so should we.
It was the honour of Vespasian that ' he was more ready to conceal the vices of his friends, than their virtues.' Surely there is much of God in that soul, that is upon a gospel account more careful and skilful to conceal the vices of weak saints, than their virtues. Many in these days do justly incur the censure which that sour philosopher passed upon grammarians, that ' they were better acquainted with the evil of Ulysses, than with their own.' ^
[4.] Fourthly, It is the duty of strong saints, in things indifferent to deny themselves, to please the weak.