Christians Are the Light of the World.
Content
CHRISTIA S ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. STEPHE OLI , D.D., LL.D.,
Ye are the light of the world. — Matt., v., 14. The world itself is dark. " Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." The apostle Paul speaks of " the darkness of this world" not as an accident, or an attribute of our moral condition here, but as its essence and principal element, as wholly pervading and overshadowing all human society. It is no wonder that the dwellers in this dim, dismal region "go astray from their birth," for " he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth." " The god of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that beheve not." It was in reference to the spiritual condition of beings to whom such language was universally applicable, and to the merciful designs he entertained toward them, that the adorable Savior announced himself as " the light of the world." He that followed Jesus should walk no more in darkness,. but should have "the Hght of life." Christ, in the season of his incarnation, illuminated the palpable obscure by his miracles, by his testimony of the Father, by his evangelical doctrines and morals, by his pure example and deeds of mercy, and by bringing " life and immortality to light." When he ascended up on high, having fulfilled his earthly mission, he devolved this function on his faithful disciples. The Church, itself radiant with the word and the spirit of God, became thenceforth the medium of that blessed illumination before which, in the large plans of the divine benevolence, all moral darkness is to be chased away from the face of the whole earth. " Ye are the light of the world."
CHRISTIA S ARE THE
The Gospel, of which the Christian Church is thus made the depository and sole agent, is " the true light,"' in distinction from all other systems, whether of religion or morals. This was and is its grand distinction. Other systems could never attain to this excellence. They were for the most part positively and universally mischievous in their entire action and tendencies. They led to evil, and that continually. As guides to virtue and mere worldly happiness they were inadequate and treacherous. But it was chiefly when the uninspired teachers who preceded the Christian dispensation assumed to be teachers of rehgion, that they became, one and all, " Wind leaders of the Wind." They only led men away from God. The objects of worship, the forms and rites, the methods of propitiation which they prescribed, interposed so many obstacles in the way of true piety. It is very remarkable that the religious principles and observances of idolatrous nations tend almost always to the subversion of the moralities and virtues which their philosophy sometimes inculcates. In every idol they raise up a rival to the Almighty ; and when the fundamental doctrines of all true rehgion are thus corrupted, it must of course follow that all progress will be into error and darkness. Christ is the " true light," so far, at lea^t, as religion and virtue are concerned ; and the Gospel, as living in the faith and developed in the conduct of the sincere followers of Jesus, is, and is intended to be, under the present economy of the divine Providence, the sole guide and safeguard of the human race — it is " the hght of life." So much, I suppose, I may take for granted, that we are indebted to Christianity for whatever of sound piety and good morals may exist in the civilized world. I fear, however, there may be more of skepticism in regard to another claim that I am disposed to assert on behalf of the Gospel, that no really valuable improvement, no social mehoration or progress can be effected by other than Christian agencies. It
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may well be doubted, I think, whether Greece, or E-ome, or Hindostan, or China, was ever the better for its reHgion or philosophy ; whether the state was better governed, or society at large more refined or happy ; whether the domestic circle was richer in the pure affections and sweet charities which constitute its bliss and its peculiar charm. Good government, I am quite ready to admit, may do a great deal for humanity ; so may a wise system of education ; so may voluntary associations with benevolent objects ; not, however, because they are professedly divorced from the Gospel, but because they have really manifold alliances with it ; because they act upon, and must fashion their measures and ministries to the sentiments and wants of a Christian people. A law that should do violence to the religious sense of the country could not be enacted, or, if enacted, could not be enforced. A society that should be formed upon an avowedly anti-Christian basis would, unless protected by its insignificance, be put down, either by public sentiment or by the mob ; while parents, who never see the inside of a church, will yet contend might and main against the exclusion of the Bible from our common schools. So much, at least, has the Gospel achieved among us. It has won an acknowledged authority over the general conscience. It has become supreme in the theory of popular ethics, if not in our actual morals, and it thus very beneficially fulfills its mission as " the light of the world." It irradiates where it does not purify, and gives law to opinion where it fails of gaining any permanent authority over the life. Thus it is that Christianity, or its impersonation, the whole company of true beHevers constituting the Church, sheds forth upon the entire mass of human society a very benignant and conservative influence, while it may yet be true that it becomes " the power of God unto salvation" only to the few upright souls who truly believe in the Savior, and bear his cross. It has breathed a measure of its own spirit into our laws and insti-
64 CHRISTIA S ARE THE tutions, into our opinions and literature, into our sentiments and customs. Such are the incidental and indirect benefits which the Gospel has conferred upon society. They are great beyond all computation. Christianity is, even in this lower sense, the grand source and medium of all that is true and noble in theory and beneficent in action. It is " the light of the world." But the distinctively religious function of the Church is by far its highest. It "is the light of life." True siJiritual Christians constitute the great living development and the recognized representatives of Christianity, and the entire work of its manifestation and diffusion is committed to them. The existence of the Church through so many centuries of persecutions and political revolutions, a " city set on a hill," with its pure doctrines, and impressive ordinances, and living ministry, exhibiting to the successive generations of men at least a goodly likeness of what Christ and his apostles taught and ordained, is a deeply impressive fact, which we can not afford to lose as an argument, because so many will use it as an idol. o one can reasonably doubt that this has been one of the chosen means of the great Author of our faith for making a manifestation of his truth to the understandings and consciences of men. The light has often been dim, but never wholly extinguished. Seasons of revival and reformation have succeeded seasons of spiritual darkness and prevailing corruptions ; and many good men whose history has not been written have, no doubt, been raised up in every age to give their testimony for Jesus. Christianity has had, probably, throughout its entire history, its epochs of light and power, when impressions were made upon the masses as well as the schools, too deep to be effaced in one or two generations. God has ever taken care of the Church, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it ; yet it may be confessed that, upon the whole, and taking into our ac-
count its resources, divine and human, the Church has made
LIGHTOFT HE WORLD. 65 only a tardy and dishonorable progress in the fulfillment of its mission. Its light has struggled, and grown dim amid the surrounding and encroaching darkness. It could not be otherwise, for its light is but another name for its piety, and that has commonly been shamefully and wickedly low. The aggressive power of the Gospel is dependent upon the personal piety of its disciples more than upon any other or all other conditions. It therefore provides for, and expects in them the highest style of virtue and of performance. Our holy religion has the advantage over all mere worldly theories or systems, because it encourages the aspirant with higher motives. A man will make and can make efforts to secure any great object, which would be impracticable on lower incentives. He can do more and better to win a fortune than he can for only his daily bread. It is easier to play the hero at the head of an army where great honors are to be gained, than in the ranks where distinctions and emoluments are alike out of the question. The Gospel takes advantage of this inborn principle, and seeks to cultivate the highest virtues by pros posing the highest rewards. It demands, and it has a right to demand, that they who enter upon a race where white robes, and celestial crowns, and a heavenly heritage are to be won, should run swiftly and perseveringly. In point of fact, the man who seeks after purity and moral excellence on Christian principles, has a decided advantage over all others, and his success is answerable to his better position. It would be unphilosophical in the highest degree to expect any other result. The Christian has another special guarantee of proficiency and success in the fundamental principle of his religion. If a Christian at all, he is a onan of faith. He has a sure trust in God and his promises, which are an inex-
haustible fountain, not of encouragement only, but of courage. His hands never grow weak in their proper work. He is ever brave, and cheerful, and whole-hearted, assured
66 CHRISTIA S ARE THE of ultimate triumph over all obstacles and all foes. ot so the unbeliever, who, if he sometimes aspires to the culture of a lofty, sterling virtue, is often doubtful of ultimate success ; and if he succeeds to some extent, his fabric lacks solidity and breadth of basis, and gives less hope of permanence. His most usual ground of failure, however, is found in the infirmity of his own nature and the strength of his own passions. Here, again, the advantage of working on Christian principles becomes apparent. If weak himself, the grace of God is sufficient for all the exigencies of the Christian, and to this his position fully entitles him. He encounters his own strong passions, and perverse habits, and low appetencies — he combats with all temptations, and braves all opposition and all danger, with a cheering assurance that the Holy Spirit is his great auxiliary ; that, if his own power is small, God's is omnipotent ; that in every conjuncture where he wants help — help, divine help is pledged to him ; that the deadliest struggles and the sorest distresses constitute the precise condition under which Christ will come to his rescue if he only believes. These, it is obvious, are special facilities secured to the Christian by the good economy under which he works, and it would be strange, and a reproach to the name he bears, if he should not signalize himself above the man of the world, who can trust only to an arm of flesh. God expects him to excel others, and in truth he does excel all others whenever he makes a proper use of his immense resources. The world is reluctant enough to admit this claim, but the true saint extorts the admission from all ingenuous minds. Here, then, properly begins the manifestation of religious influence and light. The presence of a holy man purifies — the odor
of his quiet, loving spirit perfumes the atmosphere where he dwells. His silent example is eloquence — his unobtrusive virtues are a halo and marvelous glory about his head. The world, as often as it can spare a glance or a thought from
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 67 the idolatry of its absorbing interests, will bend it upon this monitory spectacle — upon the man who, in the midst of the objects of sense, walks by faith, and evidently thinks more of Christ than of self This essential, indwelling godliness imparts its character and its own power to all the external conduct of the truly good man. It pervades his conversation — it sanctifies his intercourse and his relations with other men. His public and private duties, his charities, and his every-day virtues are armed with a certain moral efficiency — are instinct with a measure of the mind and the might that was in Christ Jesus. They become so many manifestations of the religious spirit and the Christian principle within. They multiply the luminous points in Christian character. They enlarge its shining surface, and supply its broad, radiant orb with golden beams. Almost the same things may be affirmed of the more strictly religious performances of a sincere, deeply-earnest Christian — of his attendance on public worship, his prayers, his sacraments, his songs of praise, and his Sabbath-keeping. Every religious act is redolent of costly incense, and ghtters with the holy unction. It is invested with peculiar authority over the conscience of the spectator, and inspires a subduing awe, as if some discovery had been made of a divine presence. o room is left for any possible suspicion of hypocrisy or vain show, or of unfruitful, heartless formality ; for there is a contagion in the spirit that is breathed forth which none can altogether escape. Well may it be said of an individual Christian thus thoroughly furnished unto every good work, that he is " a burn-
ing and shining light." His orbit may be straitened, and his disk of no wonderful diameter ; but he is one of the heavenly bodies, and divinely luminous. A Church composed of members such as I have described is the true centre of the Redeemer's system for enlightening and saving the world. He lived and died to establish a Church capable of this no-
68 CHRISTIA S ARE THE ble function. He bought her and washed her with his own blood, and clothed her with garments of salvation. He laid her corner-stone upon the stained rock of Calvary. He made her the depository of his precious doctrines, and the heir expectant of his glory ; and he transferred to her hands, in a very high and holy sense, the work of carrying out his own designs in behalf of a dying but redeemed race. He rose upon our dark sphere "the Sun of Righteousness." He said of himself, " I am the light of the world ;" and he bequeathed this beneficent mission to his followers : " Ye are the light of the world." What Christ did, by his teaching and his miracles, during the season of his incarnation, his true disciples are now called upon to do by the power and beauty of their holiness, by sacrifices, and by all the ministries of a positive and aggressive Christianity. As a great spiritual fraternity, they are " a city set on a hill, which can not be hid" — a strong-hold and fortress of truth, whose high battlements and shining towers are seen from afar — from the wilderness and from the sea — ^by the wayfaring and the tempest-tost. The Church, with her ministry and her ordinances, is the beacon-light of successive generations — an imperishable historical monument of the life, and death, and resurrection of her Savior — the representative and heir of past Christian ages, and the trustee and witness for all to come. The Church, as such, has done more for civilization, and humanity, and righteousness, during the period of its existence on earth, than all human governments and laws. Through the spiritual members, of which alone the true Church is composed, this influence is multiplied and difilused, and they are, in a
sense no less important, " lights of the world." Scattered every where throughout the masses of men, they leaven the whole. Full of earnestness, and love, and restless sympathies — prone to activity, to aggression, and to utterance, they can not but spread their opinions, and communicate their infelt sentiments and emotions. Ever in contact with the general
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 69 conscience, they shed light upon it, they arouse it, they hold up the high standard of divine morals, they compel the multitude to think of God and his tribunal. The world would gladly forget eternity, but it can not wholly succeed so long as it has in its midst so many who are visibly laboring for a heavenly inheritance — so many who die daily unto the world, that they may live unto Christ. Every Christian irradiates a certain sphere — is a link in the shining chain along which the electric influence of the Gospel is borne, in so many directions and degrees, to every household and every heart. It is chiefly through this silent emanation of light and power that the multitude are saved from absolute atheism. They can not but partake of sympathies, and fears, and opinions that prevail all around. one can wholly escape the contagion which fills the atmosphere, or remain wholly skeptical with regard to truths which reign over the general conscience. These convictions, which flow out spontaneously upon the poeple from the living Christianity that is among them, are the showers that prepare for the good seed of the forthcoming sower. To follow our figure, they are the dawn that precedes the day — the harbinger of the Sun of Righteousness, when he comes with healing in his wings. II. I have hitherto dwelt upon the inherent fitness and great efficiency of living, earnest piety, in its proper function as the " light of the world." The duty of the Church and of individual Christians plainly follows from the premises so fully discussed. " Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven." This duty is performed well, just in proportion as the piety of the Church is deep, intent, and consistent. The Church illuminates the world by the manifestation of its piety, but its manifested can never exceed its real piety. Its power to fulfill this its most peculiar and essential function may therefore be accurately measured by the faith, zeal, and holiness of its members. A Church
70 CHRISTIA S ARE THE may be what the world calls a strong Church in point of numbers and influence. A Church may be made up of men of wealth, men of intellect, men of power, high-born men, and men of rank and fashion ; and, being so composed, may be, in a worldly sense, a very strong Church. There are many things that such a Church can do. It can launch ships, and endow seminaries. It can difiuse intelligence, can uphold the cause of benevolence, can maintain an imposing array of forms and rehgious activities. It can build splendid temples, can rear a magnificent pile, and adorn its front with sculptures, and lay stone upon stone, and heap ornament upon ornament, till the costliness of the ministrations at the altar shall keep any poor man from ever entering the portal. But, my brethren, I will tell you one thing that it can not do — it can not slmie. It may glitter and blaze like an iceberg in the sun, but without inward holiness it can not shine. Of all that is formal and material in Christianity it may make a splendid manifestation, but it can not shine. It may turn almost every thing into gold at its touch, but it can not touch the heart. It may lift up its marble front, and pile tower upon tower, and mountain upon mountain ; but it can not touch the mountains, and they shall smoke ; it can not conquer souls for Christ ; it can not awaken the sympathies of faith and love ; it can not do Christ's work in man's conversion. It is dark in itself, and can not difiuse light. It is cold at heart, and has no overflowing and subduing influences to pour out upon the lost. And with all its strength, that Church is weak, and for Christ's peculiar work worth-
less. And with all its glitter of gorgeous array, it is a dark Church — it can not shine. On the contrary, show me a Church poor, illiterate, obscure, unknown, but composed of praying people ; they shall be men of neither power, nor wealth, nor influence ; they shall be families that do not know one week where they are to get their bread for the next ; but with them is the hiding of God's
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 71 power, and their influence is felt for eternity, and their light shines and is watched, and wherever they go there is a fountain of light, and Christ in them is glorified, and his kingdom advanced. They are his chosen vessels of salvation, and his luminaries to reflect his light. In this view the true Church of Christ is ever delivering a silent but effective testimony. It stretches out its hands all the day long. The lustre of its example, the beauty of its holiness,' the glory of its inheritance, the fervors of its zeal, have voices which " go forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." These are the sources of that ever-living energy imbosomed in the true Church, and its richest endowment from the Savior, in virtue of which it ever wields a truly apostolic authority over the consciences of men, and diffuses through the masses those incipient convictions which, in the day of merciful visitation, become effectual to the conversion of the soul. As the ability of the entire company of believers, or of any single Church, to perform its duty to God and the world, depends upon their piety, even so it is with the individual Christian. If his religion be merely decent, and formal, and ostensible, it will be utterly powerless. If, on the contrary, it is heartfelt, intense, and impulsive, it will be irresistible, and its speechless eloquence will reach hearts and habitations where the pastor and his preaching can get no access.
In this view the purest, meekest, most child-like man is often the mightiest. He who wrestles most earnestly with God in his closet is most likely to go forth to his converse with men anointed for his mission. His garments smell of the spices of Paradise. His face shines as the face of an angel, and he unavoidably becomes in his sphere "the light of the world." The humble Christian, without suspecting that he is fulfilling such a ministry, is ever acting upon others. To some family or individual he appears from day to day the impersonation of all they know or heed of saving
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Christianity — the living epistle in which they read the character of the Gospel, its author, and his disciples. It is probably safe to affirm that every Christian holds a relation to some immortal soul, on which its final destiny is likely to turn. Father, brother, neighbor, superior or inferior, he is the man upon whose purity, or faith, or zeal, or consistency, or prayers, or faithful admonition, the salvation of another undying spirit is suspended. " Ye are the light of the world." 2. "We must never cease to inculcate, both on the Church and on the individual, that all religious manifestation not proceeding from heartfelt piety must be utterly powerless, as well as unchristain, so far as the salvation of souls is concerned ; and yet it is unquestionably true, that works of piety, no less than the religion of the soul, enter deeply into the great scheme of God for evangelizing the world. Religious light is to shine through " good works ;" and, after all that is said in disparagement of good works, it is hard to see how, if they proceed from a pious motive and aim at pious ends, they may not be just as evangelical as the faith from which they spring. At any rate, they are one of the appointed ways of manifestation, not merely of the excellency, but also of the power of the Gospel ; and, as every believer
is bound to be as spiritual as he can, in order that he may do his part toward the needful illumination of the world, so is he bound to be as active as he can, that he may contribute in his measure to the carrying out of the great objects of Christ's kingdom. The watch-word which a great captain gave out on the day of battle to stir the hearts of his warriors, would answer well, with the change of a single word, for the motto of all Christians — " Christ expects every man to do his duty." And be sure there is a duty for every man to do. Small or great, rich or poor, it is just the same thing — evenj one is called out into action, and there will be guilt on his conscience and peril to souls somewhere if he holds back. Hemember well, "ye are the light of the world." God
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 73 depe?ids on you for the fuljilli7ig of this function. He has made no other provision for it ; and if you fail him, the world will be dark, and polluted, and damned. You hold the great remedy. You monopolize it for the benefit of the race. For all the ills of the pagan and of the Christian world, the Church is the great depository of all that has the skill and the efficacy to heal, and on this principle will our last reckoning proceed. And in regard to the outward evangelizing movement, that is mostly true which I have already affirmed of the inward grace and of the silent example — the most devoted, and the most earnest, and the most holy man is likely to do the most good without reference to other qualifications, apart from his piety. A stammering prayer, if it be full of faith — an ungraceful appeal to the sinner's conscience, if it be full of love — a small pecuniary contribution, if it carry with it the spirit and the blessing of the widow's mite — these, tried in the balance which God holds in his hand, outweigh all that the merely eloquent, or learned, or opulent can bring into his treasury from their shining stores. The truly converted soul is illuminated from on high, and it is also luminous, and in its sphere and measure a luminary. Whoever refuses to shine dishonors the Savior, and is in a
way to be disowned by him. Are your resources small in gifts, in acquirements, in influence or wealth ? It matters the less, if you are ready to consecrate all you have to God. There is more in the spirit and the manner than in the amount. Let your light so shine as to glorify God. Do what you can, and do that cheerfully, heartily, joyfully, prayerfully, " as unto Jfiod." Only feel, and feel always, that your great business here is to promote the Redeemer's kingdom on the earth. Settle that in your hearts and in your habits, and then every thing will be done in order and in due proportion. ever imagine for a moment — abjure as a deadly heresy — the notion that you have nothing to do for the salvation of souls. So far from it, some soul is likely D
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to be damned if the humblest Christian fails in his duty. The onward movement of the good cause loses a portion of its momentum if a single heart or a single hand be withdrawn from the work. Every twinkling star gives its ray to the glories of a brilliant night : so let every converted soul indulge in the noble ambition of holding forth the word of life. Let him soar bravely up to his place in the Gospel firmament. Let him give out the light that is in him. Let him become a luminary, and pour his borrowed beams all around him upon the darkness of this world.
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Ye are the light of the world. — Matt., v., 14. The world itself is dark. " Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." The apostle Paul speaks of " the darkness of this world" not as an accident, or an attribute of our moral condition here, but as its essence and principal element, as wholly pervading and overshadowing all human society. It is no wonder that the dwellers in this dim, dismal region "go astray from their birth," for " he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth." " The god of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that beheve not." It was in reference to the spiritual condition of beings to whom such language was universally applicable, and to the merciful designs he entertained toward them, that the adorable Savior announced himself as " the light of the world." He that followed Jesus should walk no more in darkness,. but should have "the Hght of life." Christ, in the season of his incarnation, illuminated the palpable obscure by his miracles, by his testimony of the Father, by his evangelical doctrines and morals, by his pure example and deeds of mercy, and by bringing " life and immortality to light." When he ascended up on high, having fulfilled his earthly mission, he devolved this function on his faithful disciples. The Church, itself radiant with the word and the spirit of God, became thenceforth the medium of that blessed illumination before which, in the large plans of the divine benevolence, all moral darkness is to be chased away from the face of the whole earth. " Ye are the light of the world."
CHRISTIA S ARE THE
The Gospel, of which the Christian Church is thus made the depository and sole agent, is " the true light,"' in distinction from all other systems, whether of religion or morals. This was and is its grand distinction. Other systems could never attain to this excellence. They were for the most part positively and universally mischievous in their entire action and tendencies. They led to evil, and that continually. As guides to virtue and mere worldly happiness they were inadequate and treacherous. But it was chiefly when the uninspired teachers who preceded the Christian dispensation assumed to be teachers of rehgion, that they became, one and all, " Wind leaders of the Wind." They only led men away from God. The objects of worship, the forms and rites, the methods of propitiation which they prescribed, interposed so many obstacles in the way of true piety. It is very remarkable that the religious principles and observances of idolatrous nations tend almost always to the subversion of the moralities and virtues which their philosophy sometimes inculcates. In every idol they raise up a rival to the Almighty ; and when the fundamental doctrines of all true rehgion are thus corrupted, it must of course follow that all progress will be into error and darkness. Christ is the " true light," so far, at lea^t, as religion and virtue are concerned ; and the Gospel, as living in the faith and developed in the conduct of the sincere followers of Jesus, is, and is intended to be, under the present economy of the divine Providence, the sole guide and safeguard of the human race — it is " the hght of life." So much, I suppose, I may take for granted, that we are indebted to Christianity for whatever of sound piety and good morals may exist in the civilized world. I fear, however, there may be more of skepticism in regard to another claim that I am disposed to assert on behalf of the Gospel, that no really valuable improvement, no social mehoration or progress can be effected by other than Christian agencies. It
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 63
may well be doubted, I think, whether Greece, or E-ome, or Hindostan, or China, was ever the better for its reHgion or philosophy ; whether the state was better governed, or society at large more refined or happy ; whether the domestic circle was richer in the pure affections and sweet charities which constitute its bliss and its peculiar charm. Good government, I am quite ready to admit, may do a great deal for humanity ; so may a wise system of education ; so may voluntary associations with benevolent objects ; not, however, because they are professedly divorced from the Gospel, but because they have really manifold alliances with it ; because they act upon, and must fashion their measures and ministries to the sentiments and wants of a Christian people. A law that should do violence to the religious sense of the country could not be enacted, or, if enacted, could not be enforced. A society that should be formed upon an avowedly anti-Christian basis would, unless protected by its insignificance, be put down, either by public sentiment or by the mob ; while parents, who never see the inside of a church, will yet contend might and main against the exclusion of the Bible from our common schools. So much, at least, has the Gospel achieved among us. It has won an acknowledged authority over the general conscience. It has become supreme in the theory of popular ethics, if not in our actual morals, and it thus very beneficially fulfills its mission as " the light of the world." It irradiates where it does not purify, and gives law to opinion where it fails of gaining any permanent authority over the life. Thus it is that Christianity, or its impersonation, the whole company of true beHevers constituting the Church, sheds forth upon the entire mass of human society a very benignant and conservative influence, while it may yet be true that it becomes " the power of God unto salvation" only to the few upright souls who truly believe in the Savior, and bear his cross. It has breathed a measure of its own spirit into our laws and insti-
64 CHRISTIA S ARE THE tutions, into our opinions and literature, into our sentiments and customs. Such are the incidental and indirect benefits which the Gospel has conferred upon society. They are great beyond all computation. Christianity is, even in this lower sense, the grand source and medium of all that is true and noble in theory and beneficent in action. It is " the light of the world." But the distinctively religious function of the Church is by far its highest. It "is the light of life." True siJiritual Christians constitute the great living development and the recognized representatives of Christianity, and the entire work of its manifestation and diffusion is committed to them. The existence of the Church through so many centuries of persecutions and political revolutions, a " city set on a hill," with its pure doctrines, and impressive ordinances, and living ministry, exhibiting to the successive generations of men at least a goodly likeness of what Christ and his apostles taught and ordained, is a deeply impressive fact, which we can not afford to lose as an argument, because so many will use it as an idol. o one can reasonably doubt that this has been one of the chosen means of the great Author of our faith for making a manifestation of his truth to the understandings and consciences of men. The light has often been dim, but never wholly extinguished. Seasons of revival and reformation have succeeded seasons of spiritual darkness and prevailing corruptions ; and many good men whose history has not been written have, no doubt, been raised up in every age to give their testimony for Jesus. Christianity has had, probably, throughout its entire history, its epochs of light and power, when impressions were made upon the masses as well as the schools, too deep to be effaced in one or two generations. God has ever taken care of the Church, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it ; yet it may be confessed that, upon the whole, and taking into our ac-
count its resources, divine and human, the Church has made
LIGHTOFT HE WORLD. 65 only a tardy and dishonorable progress in the fulfillment of its mission. Its light has struggled, and grown dim amid the surrounding and encroaching darkness. It could not be otherwise, for its light is but another name for its piety, and that has commonly been shamefully and wickedly low. The aggressive power of the Gospel is dependent upon the personal piety of its disciples more than upon any other or all other conditions. It therefore provides for, and expects in them the highest style of virtue and of performance. Our holy religion has the advantage over all mere worldly theories or systems, because it encourages the aspirant with higher motives. A man will make and can make efforts to secure any great object, which would be impracticable on lower incentives. He can do more and better to win a fortune than he can for only his daily bread. It is easier to play the hero at the head of an army where great honors are to be gained, than in the ranks where distinctions and emoluments are alike out of the question. The Gospel takes advantage of this inborn principle, and seeks to cultivate the highest virtues by pros posing the highest rewards. It demands, and it has a right to demand, that they who enter upon a race where white robes, and celestial crowns, and a heavenly heritage are to be won, should run swiftly and perseveringly. In point of fact, the man who seeks after purity and moral excellence on Christian principles, has a decided advantage over all others, and his success is answerable to his better position. It would be unphilosophical in the highest degree to expect any other result. The Christian has another special guarantee of proficiency and success in the fundamental principle of his religion. If a Christian at all, he is a onan of faith. He has a sure trust in God and his promises, which are an inex-
haustible fountain, not of encouragement only, but of courage. His hands never grow weak in their proper work. He is ever brave, and cheerful, and whole-hearted, assured
66 CHRISTIA S ARE THE of ultimate triumph over all obstacles and all foes. ot so the unbeliever, who, if he sometimes aspires to the culture of a lofty, sterling virtue, is often doubtful of ultimate success ; and if he succeeds to some extent, his fabric lacks solidity and breadth of basis, and gives less hope of permanence. His most usual ground of failure, however, is found in the infirmity of his own nature and the strength of his own passions. Here, again, the advantage of working on Christian principles becomes apparent. If weak himself, the grace of God is sufficient for all the exigencies of the Christian, and to this his position fully entitles him. He encounters his own strong passions, and perverse habits, and low appetencies — he combats with all temptations, and braves all opposition and all danger, with a cheering assurance that the Holy Spirit is his great auxiliary ; that, if his own power is small, God's is omnipotent ; that in every conjuncture where he wants help — help, divine help is pledged to him ; that the deadliest struggles and the sorest distresses constitute the precise condition under which Christ will come to his rescue if he only believes. These, it is obvious, are special facilities secured to the Christian by the good economy under which he works, and it would be strange, and a reproach to the name he bears, if he should not signalize himself above the man of the world, who can trust only to an arm of flesh. God expects him to excel others, and in truth he does excel all others whenever he makes a proper use of his immense resources. The world is reluctant enough to admit this claim, but the true saint extorts the admission from all ingenuous minds. Here, then, properly begins the manifestation of religious influence and light. The presence of a holy man purifies — the odor
of his quiet, loving spirit perfumes the atmosphere where he dwells. His silent example is eloquence — his unobtrusive virtues are a halo and marvelous glory about his head. The world, as often as it can spare a glance or a thought from
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 67 the idolatry of its absorbing interests, will bend it upon this monitory spectacle — upon the man who, in the midst of the objects of sense, walks by faith, and evidently thinks more of Christ than of self This essential, indwelling godliness imparts its character and its own power to all the external conduct of the truly good man. It pervades his conversation — it sanctifies his intercourse and his relations with other men. His public and private duties, his charities, and his every-day virtues are armed with a certain moral efficiency — are instinct with a measure of the mind and the might that was in Christ Jesus. They become so many manifestations of the religious spirit and the Christian principle within. They multiply the luminous points in Christian character. They enlarge its shining surface, and supply its broad, radiant orb with golden beams. Almost the same things may be affirmed of the more strictly religious performances of a sincere, deeply-earnest Christian — of his attendance on public worship, his prayers, his sacraments, his songs of praise, and his Sabbath-keeping. Every religious act is redolent of costly incense, and ghtters with the holy unction. It is invested with peculiar authority over the conscience of the spectator, and inspires a subduing awe, as if some discovery had been made of a divine presence. o room is left for any possible suspicion of hypocrisy or vain show, or of unfruitful, heartless formality ; for there is a contagion in the spirit that is breathed forth which none can altogether escape. Well may it be said of an individual Christian thus thoroughly furnished unto every good work, that he is " a burn-
ing and shining light." His orbit may be straitened, and his disk of no wonderful diameter ; but he is one of the heavenly bodies, and divinely luminous. A Church composed of members such as I have described is the true centre of the Redeemer's system for enlightening and saving the world. He lived and died to establish a Church capable of this no-
68 CHRISTIA S ARE THE ble function. He bought her and washed her with his own blood, and clothed her with garments of salvation. He laid her corner-stone upon the stained rock of Calvary. He made her the depository of his precious doctrines, and the heir expectant of his glory ; and he transferred to her hands, in a very high and holy sense, the work of carrying out his own designs in behalf of a dying but redeemed race. He rose upon our dark sphere "the Sun of Righteousness." He said of himself, " I am the light of the world ;" and he bequeathed this beneficent mission to his followers : " Ye are the light of the world." What Christ did, by his teaching and his miracles, during the season of his incarnation, his true disciples are now called upon to do by the power and beauty of their holiness, by sacrifices, and by all the ministries of a positive and aggressive Christianity. As a great spiritual fraternity, they are " a city set on a hill, which can not be hid" — a strong-hold and fortress of truth, whose high battlements and shining towers are seen from afar — from the wilderness and from the sea — ^by the wayfaring and the tempest-tost. The Church, with her ministry and her ordinances, is the beacon-light of successive generations — an imperishable historical monument of the life, and death, and resurrection of her Savior — the representative and heir of past Christian ages, and the trustee and witness for all to come. The Church, as such, has done more for civilization, and humanity, and righteousness, during the period of its existence on earth, than all human governments and laws. Through the spiritual members, of which alone the true Church is composed, this influence is multiplied and difilused, and they are, in a
sense no less important, " lights of the world." Scattered every where throughout the masses of men, they leaven the whole. Full of earnestness, and love, and restless sympathies — prone to activity, to aggression, and to utterance, they can not but spread their opinions, and communicate their infelt sentiments and emotions. Ever in contact with the general
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 69 conscience, they shed light upon it, they arouse it, they hold up the high standard of divine morals, they compel the multitude to think of God and his tribunal. The world would gladly forget eternity, but it can not wholly succeed so long as it has in its midst so many who are visibly laboring for a heavenly inheritance — so many who die daily unto the world, that they may live unto Christ. Every Christian irradiates a certain sphere — is a link in the shining chain along which the electric influence of the Gospel is borne, in so many directions and degrees, to every household and every heart. It is chiefly through this silent emanation of light and power that the multitude are saved from absolute atheism. They can not but partake of sympathies, and fears, and opinions that prevail all around. one can wholly escape the contagion which fills the atmosphere, or remain wholly skeptical with regard to truths which reign over the general conscience. These convictions, which flow out spontaneously upon the poeple from the living Christianity that is among them, are the showers that prepare for the good seed of the forthcoming sower. To follow our figure, they are the dawn that precedes the day — the harbinger of the Sun of Righteousness, when he comes with healing in his wings. II. I have hitherto dwelt upon the inherent fitness and great efficiency of living, earnest piety, in its proper function as the " light of the world." The duty of the Church and of individual Christians plainly follows from the premises so fully discussed. " Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven." This duty is performed well, just in proportion as the piety of the Church is deep, intent, and consistent. The Church illuminates the world by the manifestation of its piety, but its manifested can never exceed its real piety. Its power to fulfill this its most peculiar and essential function may therefore be accurately measured by the faith, zeal, and holiness of its members. A Church
70 CHRISTIA S ARE THE may be what the world calls a strong Church in point of numbers and influence. A Church may be made up of men of wealth, men of intellect, men of power, high-born men, and men of rank and fashion ; and, being so composed, may be, in a worldly sense, a very strong Church. There are many things that such a Church can do. It can launch ships, and endow seminaries. It can difiuse intelligence, can uphold the cause of benevolence, can maintain an imposing array of forms and rehgious activities. It can build splendid temples, can rear a magnificent pile, and adorn its front with sculptures, and lay stone upon stone, and heap ornament upon ornament, till the costliness of the ministrations at the altar shall keep any poor man from ever entering the portal. But, my brethren, I will tell you one thing that it can not do — it can not slmie. It may glitter and blaze like an iceberg in the sun, but without inward holiness it can not shine. Of all that is formal and material in Christianity it may make a splendid manifestation, but it can not shine. It may turn almost every thing into gold at its touch, but it can not touch the heart. It may lift up its marble front, and pile tower upon tower, and mountain upon mountain ; but it can not touch the mountains, and they shall smoke ; it can not conquer souls for Christ ; it can not awaken the sympathies of faith and love ; it can not do Christ's work in man's conversion. It is dark in itself, and can not difiuse light. It is cold at heart, and has no overflowing and subduing influences to pour out upon the lost. And with all its strength, that Church is weak, and for Christ's peculiar work worth-
less. And with all its glitter of gorgeous array, it is a dark Church — it can not shine. On the contrary, show me a Church poor, illiterate, obscure, unknown, but composed of praying people ; they shall be men of neither power, nor wealth, nor influence ; they shall be families that do not know one week where they are to get their bread for the next ; but with them is the hiding of God's
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 71 power, and their influence is felt for eternity, and their light shines and is watched, and wherever they go there is a fountain of light, and Christ in them is glorified, and his kingdom advanced. They are his chosen vessels of salvation, and his luminaries to reflect his light. In this view the true Church of Christ is ever delivering a silent but effective testimony. It stretches out its hands all the day long. The lustre of its example, the beauty of its holiness,' the glory of its inheritance, the fervors of its zeal, have voices which " go forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." These are the sources of that ever-living energy imbosomed in the true Church, and its richest endowment from the Savior, in virtue of which it ever wields a truly apostolic authority over the consciences of men, and diffuses through the masses those incipient convictions which, in the day of merciful visitation, become effectual to the conversion of the soul. As the ability of the entire company of believers, or of any single Church, to perform its duty to God and the world, depends upon their piety, even so it is with the individual Christian. If his religion be merely decent, and formal, and ostensible, it will be utterly powerless. If, on the contrary, it is heartfelt, intense, and impulsive, it will be irresistible, and its speechless eloquence will reach hearts and habitations where the pastor and his preaching can get no access.
In this view the purest, meekest, most child-like man is often the mightiest. He who wrestles most earnestly with God in his closet is most likely to go forth to his converse with men anointed for his mission. His garments smell of the spices of Paradise. His face shines as the face of an angel, and he unavoidably becomes in his sphere "the light of the world." The humble Christian, without suspecting that he is fulfilling such a ministry, is ever acting upon others. To some family or individual he appears from day to day the impersonation of all they know or heed of saving
72 CHRISTIA S ARE THE
Christianity — the living epistle in which they read the character of the Gospel, its author, and his disciples. It is probably safe to affirm that every Christian holds a relation to some immortal soul, on which its final destiny is likely to turn. Father, brother, neighbor, superior or inferior, he is the man upon whose purity, or faith, or zeal, or consistency, or prayers, or faithful admonition, the salvation of another undying spirit is suspended. " Ye are the light of the world." 2. "We must never cease to inculcate, both on the Church and on the individual, that all religious manifestation not proceeding from heartfelt piety must be utterly powerless, as well as unchristain, so far as the salvation of souls is concerned ; and yet it is unquestionably true, that works of piety, no less than the religion of the soul, enter deeply into the great scheme of God for evangelizing the world. Religious light is to shine through " good works ;" and, after all that is said in disparagement of good works, it is hard to see how, if they proceed from a pious motive and aim at pious ends, they may not be just as evangelical as the faith from which they spring. At any rate, they are one of the appointed ways of manifestation, not merely of the excellency, but also of the power of the Gospel ; and, as every believer
is bound to be as spiritual as he can, in order that he may do his part toward the needful illumination of the world, so is he bound to be as active as he can, that he may contribute in his measure to the carrying out of the great objects of Christ's kingdom. The watch-word which a great captain gave out on the day of battle to stir the hearts of his warriors, would answer well, with the change of a single word, for the motto of all Christians — " Christ expects every man to do his duty." And be sure there is a duty for every man to do. Small or great, rich or poor, it is just the same thing — evenj one is called out into action, and there will be guilt on his conscience and peril to souls somewhere if he holds back. Hemember well, "ye are the light of the world." God
LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 73 depe?ids on you for the fuljilli7ig of this function. He has made no other provision for it ; and if you fail him, the world will be dark, and polluted, and damned. You hold the great remedy. You monopolize it for the benefit of the race. For all the ills of the pagan and of the Christian world, the Church is the great depository of all that has the skill and the efficacy to heal, and on this principle will our last reckoning proceed. And in regard to the outward evangelizing movement, that is mostly true which I have already affirmed of the inward grace and of the silent example — the most devoted, and the most earnest, and the most holy man is likely to do the most good without reference to other qualifications, apart from his piety. A stammering prayer, if it be full of faith — an ungraceful appeal to the sinner's conscience, if it be full of love — a small pecuniary contribution, if it carry with it the spirit and the blessing of the widow's mite — these, tried in the balance which God holds in his hand, outweigh all that the merely eloquent, or learned, or opulent can bring into his treasury from their shining stores. The truly converted soul is illuminated from on high, and it is also luminous, and in its sphere and measure a luminary. Whoever refuses to shine dishonors the Savior, and is in a
way to be disowned by him. Are your resources small in gifts, in acquirements, in influence or wealth ? It matters the less, if you are ready to consecrate all you have to God. There is more in the spirit and the manner than in the amount. Let your light so shine as to glorify God. Do what you can, and do that cheerfully, heartily, joyfully, prayerfully, " as unto Jfiod." Only feel, and feel always, that your great business here is to promote the Redeemer's kingdom on the earth. Settle that in your hearts and in your habits, and then every thing will be done in order and in due proportion. ever imagine for a moment — abjure as a deadly heresy — the notion that you have nothing to do for the salvation of souls. So far from it, some soul is likely D
74 THEGOSPELTHE
to be damned if the humblest Christian fails in his duty. The onward movement of the good cause loses a portion of its momentum if a single heart or a single hand be withdrawn from the work. Every twinkling star gives its ray to the glories of a brilliant night : so let every converted soul indulge in the noble ambition of holding forth the word of life. Let him soar bravely up to his place in the Gospel firmament. Let him give out the light that is in him. Let him become a luminary, and pour his borrowed beams all around him upon the darkness of this world.
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