SELF-EXAMINATION. "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith."-2 Cor. xiii. 5. SELF-EXAMINATION, it is to be feared, is a duty which has fallen into very great and very undeserved disuse. There are the evidences on all hands, of a superficial, lukewarm piety. People seem to take for granted, that if they are not living in the habitual practice of some flagrant sin, or if they have but the outward characteristics of piety, all is well; and never for one moment imagine that it is necessary to subject the inner man to a close and constant scrutiny. Such books as those of Mason on Self-knowledge, are among the antiquated things upon which our forefathers might set great store; but we, forsooth, are wiser than to spend our time in self-inspection, and flatter ourselves that if we do but act with outward decency and decorum, the springs of action may be left untouched, the inner house will keep itself in order. It was customary for the first teachers of religion to tell their disciples to look within for the evidences of the truth of Christianity; convinced that, if the Holy Spirit dwelt in the mind, and if truth was operative there, they might "put to silence" all anxious doubt, and unbelief, and fear. They were commanded to look for the "witness in themselves;" and then they would be enabled to overcome the sneer of the scornful, and the laugh of the sceptical, by the assurance, "I know whom I have believed." St. Paul was here seeking to convince these Corinthians that his mission was not of man but of God. To prove his Divine legation, what plan does he adopt? He does not, as we should suppose, or as they, perhaps, desired, bring forth some extraordinary manifestation of Divine agency, but contents himself with an appeal to themselves: What sort of response do your hearts give? If ye have, indeed, tasted of the grace of God, and handled and felt of the Word of Life, ye will I. LET US EXPLAIN AND ENFORCE THE 1. Self-examination must have respect to the thoughts and feelings within. The mind of man is the source of life: it is the fountain of being. Perhaps it is quite impossible for the best and the wisest to have a thorough acquaintance with the windings and labyrinths of his own heart. There is so much of cunning, of subtlety, of deceit, in the human heart, that holy Scripture may well pronounce it "deceitful above all things;" and we may well exclaim, in the words of the psalmist, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." For a person to know himself has always been regarded as the highest knowledge. Indeed, the injunction, "Know thyself," was held by the old Greeks to be heaven-descended,much importance did they attach to that vast and complicated world within. In a busy mercantile age like this, men are prone to content themselves with but a smattering of any kind of knowledge they may require; but we fear the great bulk of men have not even a smattering of knowledge about themselves. The habits of these times, it is admitted, are not favourable to the acquisition of this high knowledge. Too many pursuits. seem to occupy men's attention, all bearing them away from themselves. There are busy worlds without worlds of commerce, of science, of art-worlds of pleasure, of dissipation, of amusement; and each seems to vie with the other to - SO make man as oblivious of himself as he | first uttered by the apostles or prophets. can possibly be. Still, we say to each man, "Know thyself, and thou art wise. Be ignorant of thyself, and whatever other knowledge thou mayest have, thou wilt be a fool." To examine and closely scrutinise all your prejudices, and evil thoughts, and corrupt feelings-to pry into the dark and secret recesses of those chambers of imagery, where foul pas sions sport and riot-to look yourself fully and fairly in the face, and be your own bold and faithful interpreter-this, it is confessed, requires much strong nerve, and much Almighty grace. But banish all fear, and bravely and unflinchingly "examine yourselves." 2. Self-examination must have respect to the inner state, as compared with the Word of God. It is an incalculable blessing that we have "a sure word of prophecy," to which we can always repair. We have no irregular and fluctuating standard of appeal, such as the voice of tradition, or the voice of the church; but we have a constant, infallible guide, the Word of God. We conceive that we have the strongest warranty for taking Scripture as our guide, in the fact, that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work." In Scripture we have great principles enunciated, we have the lives of good, and even bad men, drawn for us by an unerring finger; we have the mind laid bare as it is unbared nowhere else; we have light for the understanding, for the conscience, for the heart; we have the broad comprehensive law of God, which relates to all times, to all countries, to all races of men. One of the peculiarities of the Bible is, that it is not only an inspired, but that it is also a universal book. It can never become antiquated. It can never grow obsolete. It speaks as truly to the heart of humanity now, as when It is as much a book for these times as for the first century of the Christian era. It is as much adapted to a commercial country like England, as to a pastoral country like Judea. Now, if all this be true, how important it is that we should each be continually revolving such questions as these-How close a resemblance do I bear to the holy men who are described for me by the pen of inspiration? How much am I below the standard of Scripture? How far do the principles of the sacred volume operate upon my heart and life? Let me compare the "spiritual things" in my bosom with the "spiritual things" in this book. Let me not be continually measuring myself with myself, or measuring myself with some professed fellow Christian, whose piety is as feeble and sickly as my own; but let me see whether I come up to the apostolic standard and pattern. It is easy to say, "I am not more irregular in my at tendance at the sanctuary, I am not more remiss in my devotional duties, I am not colder in my love to Christ, than many of my fellow-disciples;" just as it is easy, and as it is common, for a bad man to say, "O, I am not worse than my neighbour, and I shall stand quite as good a chance as he;" but neither the one plea nor the other will find acceptance at the hands of God. "Examine yourselves" by the light of holy Scripture. 3. Self-examination must have respect unto the life. It is well to subject our hearts to scrutiny, and to compare our inner state of thought and feeling with the teachings of revelation; but after all, the proof of piety will be found in the life. After the closest scrutiny and selfinspection within, a person may be mistaken; but the evidence of a lifetime is so plain and palpable, that no one, except the most perverse and obstinate, can be mistaken thereby. Our piety cannot better be proved than by subjecting it to all the duties and respon sibilities of life. We should subject our piety to exactly the same test as we would apply to anything else. A piece of machinery, for instance, may look very well on examination-it may seem to be fitted up according to approved rules-it may apparently correspond to every treatise that has been written on the subject; and yet, when put to actual trial, by some strange oversight, or unforeseen casualty, it may prove in the working an absolute failure. That religion is genuine which will enable a person to resist temptation, to fight against evil in all its forms, to trample sin and Satan beneath our feet. That religion is genuine which will enable us to endure persecution for righteousness' sake, to bear calumny and reproach without a murmur, to return a blessing for a curse, and love for hate. That religion is genuine which makes a man humble, and conscientious, and faithful, and honest in all his dealings with mankind, and which prompts a man to prefer death to disgrace. That religion is genuine which makes its possessor resigned to the will of Heaven, whatever that will may be: which uncomplainingly receives every stroke of the Divine hand; which exclaims, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." That religion is genuine which nerves for toil in the kingdom of Christ, which enables us to endure hardship as good soldiers, which prompts us to self-sacrifice, which fires us with the zeal of a martyr and the love of a seraph. "Examine yourselves," brethren, in all these respects. Remember, that in all these respects others may examine you too; and whether you pronounce a verdict upon yourselves or not, a verdict will be pro. nounced. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." II. LET US SHOW THE DESIGN OF SELFEXAMINATION. Of course, the design of self-examination is various. Were we to take in the whole of its design,-all the valuable results flowing therefrom, we might occupy much space. We con fine ourselves to the one view of the matter presented in these words of Scripture, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." Self-examination is to relate to our being in the faith. To be in the faith, means to be in the faith of Christ, to have faith in his atonement, to be constantly relying upon his death. It means, to be a believer. There are three thoughts presented to us here: 1. The design of self-examination is to show whether we have ever been in the faith. There are changes in our states of mind, and points in our history, which it is of the utmost importance for us to examine and classify. There are particular circumstances in the life of every person, to which we delight to recur, or of which we think with sorrow and sadness. Now there can be no period to the Christian so important as that which witnessed his surrender to the claims of the Divine Redeemer, his renunciation of self, and his faith in the cross of Christ. There is nothing in the history of any man comparable in real substantial importance to that change which we denominate conversion. In Scripture it is called "putting off the works of the flesh and the devil, coming out of darkness into marvellous light, transformed by the renewing of the mind, putting on the new man, being born again." Every Christian should recur to this period as one of incalculable importance, bearing, as it does, upon its bosom, the issues both of time and of eternity. The exact time or place, or circumstances of our conversion, may not in all cases be easy of discovery, nor is it necessary too minutely to scrutinise them. There will, however, be some days of joy, of exultation, of transport, to which we may look back with profit. We may think of the vows we then made, and ask how have we fulfilled them? We may think of the promises we made to God, and ask, have they been redeemed? We may think of the attachment we then professed to the Saviour, and ask, has time, the test of all things, proved that attachment to be steady and true? Look back, reader-it is a profitable exercise -upon the time when God first called you by his grace, when Christ first revealed himself as an all-sufficient Saviour, when you found the pearl of great price, and obtained the peace which passeth all understanding. 2. The design of self-examination is to show whether we are in the faith now. We read in Holy Scripture of some churches and Christians who have "lost their first love," of some who are warned lest they make "shipwreck of faith and a good conscience," and of some who are commanded "not to frustrate the grace of God." We know it is a nice question for casuists, of which simple-minded people lay hold and say, " But if we had faith once, can we lose it?" To which we would reply by another of far greater practical importance, "Have you lost it?" It is very easy for men to argue about this and the other doctrine, and all the time be in "the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity," and to be hastening onwards with rapid strides towards perdition. It is very easy to say, "O, but I think I once had faith, and right feeling, and real attachment to my Lord and Saviour; but somehow I do not feel my interest in Christ so strong as formerly: may I not rest on what I once was? Will not my past conversion do, whether I have the present proof of it in a holy life or not?" Why, the very worst men may use such arguments as these. The thief, when he is arraigned at the bar of justice, may say, "O, I was once honest: spare me on account of the past." The profligate may say, "O, I was once amiable, and chaste, and consistent, when I lived beneath my father's honoured roof; but, alas! sad, sad scenes have I witnessed since." The first man, as he was driven out of Paradise, might say to the angel with the flaming sword, "Think of what I once was a companion of angels, the friend of God-and treat me not thus." The angels who kept not their first estate might reply to the great God, as he drove them out of heaven, "Were we not the sons of the morning? Did we not live in thy life, and shine with thy lustre, and dwell in thy blessed home? Remember what we were, and spare us, O thou terrible Avenger!" But who does not see the utter absurdity of such arguments as these? Nor are they less absurd when used by you. The question is not, "Did I once believe?" It is, Am I a believer now?" It is not, "Was I once united to Christ?" is, "Am I united to Christ now?" It is not, "Was I in the faith formerly?" It is, "Am I in the faith at this present moment?" It 3. The design of self-examination is to show whether we are growing in the faith. Faith is progressive. Religion is a growth. "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Let your eye wander abroad over nature. You see the grass, the flower, the tree, are all growing. There is life, teeming, rejoicing life, everywhere. The dew, the sun, the shower, are all contributing of their riches to fill the earth with animation, and to make man grateful to the all-bountiful Giver. Nor is it, at least, nor ought it to be less so, in the kingdom of grace than in the kingdom of nature. But, alas! these plants, the plants of grace, which ought to know no winter, but which ought to rejoice in the ever-during sunshine of heaven, and to be continually yielding their ripe, mellow fruit, are stunted, and faded, and dwarfish, and dying. Where do we find the healthy, robust, vigorous Christian? Alas! brethren, our "piety is sicklied o'er too much with worldliness and sin." We have a name to live, but life is wellnigh extinct. We have a form of godliness, but where is its mighty, all-subduing, all-controlling power? We might have given some directions for attending to this important duty, but we must pause. "Examine your selves, whether ye be in the faith." Let | membering how terrible, how fatal, the your self-examination be sincere, not consequences of mistake. Examine pretended; let it be thorough, not par- yourselves in the light of Scripture, of tial; let it be constant, not occasional; conscience, of eternity, and with a conlet it be prayerful, not in your own viction that the full blaze of the eye of strength, but in the strength and by the God is upon you; and then you will aid of Him who knows what is in man, not have discharged the duty in vain. and who has promised to help in every J. B. L. time of need. Examine yourselves, re Northallerton. ENVY. Of all the vices indigenous to the human heart, perhaps the most to be dreaded is envy; not only on account of the torment it inflicts on its possessor, but also because of the baneful and wide-spreading evils consequent on its pernicious influences. Did it stop short in its effects, and prove rottenness of the bones only to the framework of the spirit which cherishes it, we would not so much care to exhibit the odiousness of this monster crime. But, when we consider, that instead of this being the case, it is a polluted fountain, whose streams infect every object with which they come in contact, -a moral pestilence, which infuses its deadly poison into the very heart's core of its victims,-a consuming fire, which spares not, but rushes on, increasing in its fury, until its rapacious maw is sated by having devoured whatever came within its reach, we can. not but feel it our duty to fully exhibit its disgusting deformities. What the power of envy is, we infer from the language of inspiration. "Wrath," says Solomon, "is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who can stand before envy?" It is a pestiferous virus, infecting man's very life-blood. The apostle James says, "The spirit that is in us lusteth to envy." Profane history also, as well as individual observation and experience, furnishes examples fully demonstrative of this fact. But, confining ourselves to the Word of God, we there read of occasions no fewer than four-and-twenty, on which this hell-lighted torch blazed forth with the fury of a consuming fire. We make no apology for using strong language: we have the sanction of the apostle James, who employs the same figure in reference to the tongue: "It is set on fire of hell." We have an instance of envy in the Israelites, towards Moses and Aaron, because the favour of the Almighty was apparent towards them. Another is that of the brethren of the patriarch Joseph, who through envy delivered him into the hands of the Ishmaelites: he being better than they. Their envy was so fiercely excited, that even murder was suggested by one or two of them: their father's just preference for Joseph instigating them to the foul deed. Gaunt Envy's weapons are always aimed against great and good persons, or great and good actions. Who envies the despised? Who envies poverty, or evil of any kind? "Envy delights to suck poison from the fairest flowers." Its victims are Heaven's favourites. Towards such it directs its most envenomed darts! Among these are detraction, censoriousness, slander; all which are sent forth with unsparing and merciless hand. Sometimes, in the disguise of pity, it will insinuate its nauseous drugs. If the character be |
