Matthew Mead · 10 of 17

Question I. How far may a man go in the way to heaven, and yet be but almost a Christian? · Part 5

Inward sanctification is that which deals with the soul and its faculties, understanding, conscience, will, memory, and affections. Outward sanctification is that which deals with the life and conversation. Both these must concur to make a man a Christian indeed: therefore the apostle puts them together in his prayer for the Thessalonians: “The God of peace sanctify you wholly; and, I pray God, your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” A man is then sanctified wholly when he is sanctified both inwardly and outwardly—both in heart and affections, and in life and conversation. Outward sanctification is not enough without inward, nor inward without outward: we must have both “clean hands, and a pure heart.” The heart must be pure, that we may not incur blame from within; and the hands must be clean, that we may not incur shame from without. We must have hearts “sprinkled from an evil conscience, and bodies washed with pure water.” “We must cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.” Inward purity is the most excellent, but, without the outward, it is not sufficient; the true Christian is made up of both.

Now many have clean hands, but unclean hearts. They wash the outside of the cup and platter, when all is filthy within. Now, the former without the latter, profiteth a man no more than it profited Pilate, who condemned Christ, to wash his hands in the presence of the people: he washed his hands of the blood of Christ, and yet had a hand in the death of Christ. The Egyptian temples were beautiful on the outside, but within you shall find nothing but some serpent or crocodile. “He is not a Jew which is one outwardly.” Judas was a saint without, but a sinner within; openly a disciple, but secretly, a devil.

Some pretend to inward sanctity without outward. This is the pretence of the open sinner: “Though I sometimes drop an idle, foolish word,” saith he, “or though I sometimes swear an oath, yet I think no hurt:—I thank God my heart is as good as the best!” Such are like the sinner Moses mentions; that “blessed himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine own heart, to add drunkenness to thirst.”

Some pretend to outward sanctity without inward. Such are like the Scribes and Pharisees, “who outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity;” fair professors, but foul sinners.

Inward sanctity without outward, is impossible; for it will not reform the life. Outward sanctity without inward, is unprofitable; for it will not reform the heart: a man is not a true Christian without both. The body doth not make a man without the soul, nor the soul without the body; both are essential to the being of man: so the sanctification of both, are essential to the being of the new man. True sanctification begins at the heart, but works out into the life and conversation; and if so, then man may attain to an outward sanctification, and yet, for want of an inward, be no better than almost a Christian.

And so I shall end this long pursuit of the almost Christian, in his progress heavenward, with this one general conclusion:—

XX. A man may do all, as to external duties and worship, that a true Christian can; and, when he hath done all, be but almost a Christian.

You must know, all the commands of God have an intra and an extra: there is, as I may say, the body and the soul of the command. And accordingly, there is an internal and an external worship of God.

Now the internal acts of worshipping of God„ are to love God, to fear God, to delight in God, to trust in God, &c.

The external acts of worshipping of God, are by praying, teaching, hearing, &c.

Now there is a vast difference between these internal and external acts of worship; and such a difference there is, that they distinguish the altogether from the almost Christian; the sincere believer from the unsound professor: and, indeed, in this very thing the main difference between them doth lie.

1. Internal acts of worship are good propter fieri; the goodness doth adhere intrinsically to the thing done. A man cannot love God, nor fear God, but it will be imputed to him for a gracious act, and a great part of his holiness. But now, external acts of worship are not denominated good, so much from the matter done, propter fieri, as from the manner of doing them. A man cannot sin in loving and delighting in God, but he may sin in praying and hearing, &c., for want of a due manner.

2. Internal. acts of worship put a goodness into external: it is our faith, our love, our fear of God, that makes our duties good.

3. They better the heart, and greater the degrees of a man’s holiness. External duties do not always do this. A man may pray, and yet his heart never the holier; he may hear the word, and yet his heart never the softer: but now, the more a man fears God, the wiser he is: the more a man loves God, the holier he is. Love is the perfection of holiness: we shall never be perfect in holiness, until we come to be perfect in love.

4. There is such an excellency in this internal worship, that he who mixes it with his external duties, is a true Christian when he doth least but without this mixture, he is but almost a Christian that doth most.

Internal acts of worship, joined with outward, sanctify them, and make them accepted of God, though few: external acts of worship, without inward, make them abhorred of God, though they be never so many. So that, although the almost Christian may do all those duties in hypocrisy, which a true Christian doth in sincerity; nay, though in doing external duties, he may out-do the true Christian, as the comet makes a greater blaze than the true star: if Elijah fast and mourn, Baal’s priests will cut their flesh; yet he cannot do those internal duties, that the meanest true Christian can.

The almost Christian can pray, but he cannot love God; he can teach or hear, &c., but he cannot take delight in God. Mark Job’s query concerning the hypocrite: “Will he delight himself in the Almighty?” He will pray to the Almighty, but will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he take pleasure in God? Ah, no! he will not—he cannot! Delight in God ariseth from a suitableness between the faculty, and the object; now, none more unsuitable, than God and a carnal heart. Delight arises from the having what we desire, and from enjoying what we have. How then can he delight in God, that neither enjoyeth, nor hath, nor truly desireth God? Delight in God is one of the highest exercises of grace: and therefore, how can he delight in God, that hath no grace?

Why, then, should any saint of God be discouraged, when he hears how far the almost Christian may go in the way to heaven: whereas, he that is the weakest true believer, that hath the least true grace, goes farther than he; for he believes in, and loves God.

Should the almost Christian do less, as to matter of external duties, yet, if he had but the least true faith, the least sincerity of love to Christ, he would surely be saved; and should the true Christian do ten times more duties than he doth, yet, had he not faith in Christ, and love to Christ, he would surely be rejected.

O, therefore, let not any weak believer be discouraged, though hypocrites may out-do them, and go beyond them in duty; for all their duties are done in hypocrisy, but your faith and love to God in duties, is a proof of your sincerity.

I. I do not speak this to discourage any soul in the doing of duties, or to beat down outward performances, but to rectify the soul in the doing of them. As the apostle saith, “Covet earnestly the best gifts: but yet I show you a more excellent way.” So I say, covet the best gifts; covet much to be in duties, much in prayer, much in hearing, &c. “But I will show you a more excellent way;” and that is, the way of faith and love. Pray much, but then believe much too. Hear much; read much; but then love God much too. Delight in the word and ordinances of God much, but then delight in the God of ordinances more.

And when you are most in duties, as to your use of them, O then be sure to be above duties, as to your resting and dependence upon them. Would you be Christians, indeed,—altogether Christians? O then, be much in the use and exercise of ordinances, but be much more in faith and dependence upon Christ and his righteousness. When your obedience is most to the command, then let your faith be most upon the promise. The professor rests in duties, and so is but almost a Christian but you must be sure to rest upon the Lord Christ. This is the way to be altogether Christians; for, if ye believe, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. And thus I have answered the first query; to wit, how far a man may go in the way to heaven, and yet be but almost a Christian.

1. He may have much knowledge.

2. He may have great gifts.

3. He may have a high profession.

4. He may do much against sin.

5. He may desire grace.

6. He may tremble at the word.

7. He may delight in the word.

8. He may be a member of the church of Christ.

9. He may have great hopes of heaven.

10. He may be under great and visible changes.

11. He may be very zealous in the matters of religion.

12. He may be much in prayer.

13. He may suffer for Christ.

14. He may be called of God.

15. He may, in some sense, have the Spirit if God.

16. He may have some kind of faith.

17. He may love the people of God.

18. He may go far in obeying the commands of God.

19. He may be, in some sense, sanctified.

20. He may do all, as to external duties, that a true Christian can, and yet be no better than almost a Christian.