1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. I. RELIGION IS NOT AN IMPRACTICABLE THING, AS SOME MEN SUGGEST, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US TO LIVE UP TO IT. Take the hardest part of the Christian yoke, that is to say, forgiveness of enemies, denying our worldly interests, and renouncing all we have for the sake of Jesus Christ. Yet there is nobody can say that these things are impossible. Thousands have actually done all these things, and that upon far lighter motives and considerations than Christ's religion offers. And if these things be practicable, why must we not think the same of the rest of the Christian precepts, such as owning God for our Creator, and as such paying Him our constant tribute of worship, and prayer, and praise, using with temperance and moderation the good things He vouchsafes us, being honest and just and faithful in all our dealings, and showing kindness and charity to all our fellow creatures. Ay, but it will be said I have not fairly represented the matter; the impossibility of keeping God's commandments doth not lie in any particular instance of duty; but the objection is that our duty is impracticable in the whole. But it was never intended to leave out of the account the gracious allowances that God hath promised by Christ Jesus to make for the infirmities of human nature. II. AS THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD ARE NOT GRIEVOUS UPON ACCOUNT THAT THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE, SO NEITHER ARE THEY GRIEVOUS IN THIS RESPECT, THAT THEY ARE UNNATURAL, OR A FORCE UPON THE CONSTITUTION OF MANKIND. As long as human nature is as it is, the happiness of mankind can consist in nothing else but in using their liberty according to the best rules of reason, and those we are sure are but another name for the laws of religion. And the very transgressing those rules, though God had annexed no penalties to the transgression, would of itself have found a sufficient punishment. Ay, but it will be said, is it not plain that men are born with several strong inclinations to pleasure, to wealth, to power, and greatness, and the like? And doth not religion put a terrible curb upon all those appetites and passions, how then can you call the laws of it agreeable to nature? Why, to this I answer, that as to all the appetites and passions that men are born, religion, as it is taught .us in the gospel, doth not hinder the satisfaction of any of them. All that our religion forbids is the irregularity and exorbitancy of our passions. III. LET OUR NATURAL INABILITIES AND OUR AVERSIONS TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD BE AS GREAT AS THEY WILL, YET THE SUPERNATURAL ASSISTANCE WE MAY EXPECT FROM GOD FOR THE CARRYING ON OF THIS WORK WILL BE SUFFICIENT AT LEAST TO MAKE THE SCALES EVEN. Though the devil and our own corrupt natures may tempt us strongly one way, yet the spirit of Christ and His invisible attendants that pitch their tents round about us, do incline us as much the other way. Nor can there be any snares laid for us by the wicked one, but what by the assistance of this invisible spiritual army that fights for us we shall easily break and overcome. IV. This ought also to be acknowledged in this argument, that though there be great difficulties in religion, though as the temper of mankind now generally stands it is much against the grain to serve God, yet these difficulties are chiefly occasioned by our prejudices and evil habits, by our being used to a contrary course of life. But then we are to remember that IN A LITTLE TIME THESE DIFFICULTIES WILL WEAR OFF AND WE SHALL FIND AFTER SOME TRIAL THAT A LIFE OF SINCERE RELIGION WILL BE FAR MORE NATURAL AND DELIGHTFUL THAN ANY COURSE OF SIN THAT WE WERE FORMERLY ENGAGED IN. If custom and long usage have such a strange power as to make vice and sin not only supportable, but also pleasant to us, then much more will the same custom and usage make virtue so, than which, as we have seen, nothing is more agreeable, more natural to the minds of men. We shall then acknowledge that we never till now enjoyed our true liberty, and shall rather choose to die than to return to that hard bondage we before served in to sin and Satan. V. WHEREAS IT IS URGED AGAINST A LIFE OF RELIGION, THAT THERE IS MUCH PAINS AND WATCHFULNESS REQUIRED TO IT: THIS IS SO FAR FROM BEING A REAL DIFFICULTY OR INCONVENIENCE THAT REALLY IT IS BUT THE NATURAL EFFECT OF OUR MAKE AND CONSTITUTION. We cannot possibly be happy but in motion, and therefore to charge this as a hardship in religion that it set our wits at work, that it exercises our diligence, is a very unreasonable thing. That which makes any man uneasy in labour is not his being busy and intent upon a thing, but his spending himself upon such things or in such ways as are no ways agreeable to him. As, for instance, when he is either employed on such exercises as do more than ordinarily exhaust his animal spirits, and bring great heaviness and languor upon him; or when he lays out his pains upon that which no ways suits with his temper and genius; or, lastly, when he hath such a business in hand that he hath no prospect of bringing it to good effect, but his labour seems likely to be lost upon it. But now the diligence and application that we must use in this matter of virtue and religion (let it be otherwise as great as you please) yet hath none of those inconveniences attending upon it. VI. Let all the hardships and difficulties of religion be magnified as much as we please, yet THE MIGHTY MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS WE HAVE FROM THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO UNDERTAKE THAT WAY WILL VERY MUCH OUTWEIGH THEM. 1. Let the difficulties of religion be never so great, yet we have God's promise that He will stand by us, and enable us both to support them and to overcome them, if we ourselves be but honest (1 Corinthians 10:13). 2. Though our religion were attended with very great difficulties, yet is there nothing in that peace of conscience which every good man enjoys while he pursues virtuous ways for the smoothing those difficulties. 3. If to this we add the mighty unspeakable rewards that are promised to all faithful persevering Christians in the other world, and the sad portion that doth await all wicked men, let the difficulties of religion be never so great, yet there will be no comparison between sin and virtue, which of them is the easier, and which of them most recommends itself to the choice of mankind. (Abp. John Sharp.) Parallel Verses KJV: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.WEB: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous. |
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