badly beaten in the battle, he feels that without the help of God he is so totally defeated that he commences his own wail of defeat, “Oh wretched man that I am.” And then he asks this question, “Who shall deliver me?” And there comes a voice from the Law, “I cannot and I will not.” There comes a voice from Conscience, “I can make you see the battle, but I cannot help you in it.” And then there comes a cry from old Human Nature, and that says, “Ah! no one can deliver you, I shall yet destroy you; you shall fall by the hand of your enemy; the house of David shall be destroyed, and Saul shall live and reign for ever.” And the poor fainting soldier cries again, “Who shall deliver me?” It seems a hopeless case, and I believe that sometimes the true Christian may think himself hopelessly given over to the power of sin.
16. The wretchedness of Paul, I think, lay in two things, which are enough to make any man wretched. Paul believed the doctrine of human responsibility, and yet he felt the doctrine of human inability. I have heard people say sometimes — “You tell the sinner that he cannot believe and repent without the help of the Holy Spirit, and yet you tell him that it is his duty to believe and repent. How are these two to be reconciled?” We reply that they do not need any reconciliation; they are two truths of Holy Scripture, and we leave them to reconcile themselves, they are friends, and friends do not need any reconciliation. But what seems a difficulty as a matter of doctrine is clear as daylight as a matter of experience. I know it is my duty to be perfect, but I am conscious I cannot be. I know that every time I commit sin I am guilty, and yet I am quite certain that I must sin — that my nature is such that I cannot help it. I feel that I am unable to get rid of this body of sin and death, and yet I know I ought to get rid of it. These two things are enough to make any man miserable — to know that he is responsible for his sinful nature, and yet to know that he cannot get rid of it — to know that he ought to keep it down, and yet to feel he cannot — to know that it is his business to keep God’s law perfectly, and walk blamelessly in the commandments of the law, and yet to know by sad experience that he is as unable to do so as he is to reverse the motion of the globe, or dash the sun from the centre of the spheres. Will not these two things drive any man to desperation? The way in which some men avoid the dilemma, is by a denial of one of these truths. They say, “Well, it is true I am unable to cease from sin”; and then they deny their obligation to do so; they do not cry, “Oh wretched man that I am”; they live as they like, and say they cannot help it. On the other hand, there are some men who know they are responsible; but then they say, “Indeed but I can cast off my sin,” and these are tolerably happy. Both Arminian and the hyper-Calvinist get along very comfortably; but the man who believes these two doctrines, as taught in God’s Word, that he is responsible for sin and yet that he is unable to get rid of it, I do not wonder that when he looks into himself he finds enough to make him sigh and cry, even to faintness and despair, “Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death.”
17. And now one says, “Ah, I would not be a Christian, if that is the way in which he faints — if he is always to be fighting with himself; and even until he despairs of victory.” Stop a moment. Let us complete the picture. This man is fainting; but he will be restored by and by. Do not think that he is hopelessly defeated, he falls to rise, he faints only to be revived afresh. I know some magic, which can awaken his sleeping hopes and shoot a thrill along the freezing current of his blood. Let us sound the promise in his ear, see how soon he revives. Let us put the cordial to his lips; see how he springs up and plays the man again. “I have been almost defeated” he says, “almost driven to despair. Do not rejoice over me, oh my enemy; though I fall, yet I shall rise again.” And he violently attacks him once more, shouting, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So on he goes again, more than a conqueror, through him who has loved him.
18. IV. This brings me to this last point, that THE CHRISTIAN IS TO BE A CONQUEROR AT LAST. Do you think that we are for ever to be the drudges and the slaves of sin? Am I for ever to be the galley slave of my own nature, to tug for freedom and never to escape? Am I always to have this dead man chained to my back, and sniff the pestiferous exhalations of his putrid body? No, no, no, what is within my heart, is like a caged eagle; and I know that soon the bars which confine me shall be broken; the door of my cage shall be opened, and I shall mount up with my eye upon the sun of glory, soaring upward, true to the line, moving neither to the right hand nor to the left, flying until I reach my eyrie in the everlasting rocks of God’s eternal love. No, we who love the Lord are not for ever to dwell in Mesech. The dust may smear our robes, and filth may be upon our brow, and tattered may be our garment, but we shall not be so for ever. The day is coming when we shall rise and shake ourselves from the dust, and put on our beautiful garments. It is true we are now like Israel in Canaan. Canaan is full of enemies; but the Canaanites shall and must be driven out. Amalek shall be slain, Agag shall be hewn in pieces; our enemies shall, every one of them, be dispersed, and the whole land from Dan to Beersheba shall be the Lord’s. Christians, rejoice! You are soon to be perfect, you are soon to be free from sin, totally free from it, without one wrong inclination, one evil desire. You are soon to be as pure as the angels in light; no, more, with your Master’s garments on you are to be “holy as the holy one.” Can you think of that? Is not that the very sum of heaven, the rapture of bliss, the sonnet of the hilltops of glory — that you are to be perfect? No temptation can reach you from eye, or ear, or hand; nor if the temptation could reach you would you be harmed by it; for there will be nothing in you that could in any way foster sin. It would be as when a spark falls upon an ocean; your holiness would quench it in a moment. Yes, washed in the blood of Jesus, afresh baptized with the Holy Spirit, you are soon to walk the golden streets, white robed and white hearted too, and perfect as your Maker, you are to stand before his throne, and sing his praises for eternity.
19. Now, soldiers of Christ, to arms again! Once more rush into the fight, you cannot be defeated; you must overcome. Though you faint a little, yet take courage; you shall conquer through the blood of the Lamb.
20. And now, turning aside for a minute, I shall conclude by making an observation or two to many now present. There are some here who say, “I am never disturbed in that way.” Then I am sorry for you. I will tell you the reason for your false peace. You do not have the grace of God in your hearts. If you had you would surely find this conflict within you. Do not despise the Christian because he is in the conflict; despise yourself because you are not in it. The reason why the devil lets you alone is, that he knows you are his. He does not need to trouble you much now; he will have time enough to give you your wages at the last. He troubles the Christian because he is afraid of losing him; he thinks that if he does not tease him here, he shall never have the chance to do it in eternity; so he will bite him, and bark at him while he may. That is why the Christian is vexed more then you are. As for you, you may well be without any pain, for dead men feel no blows. You may well be without any prickings of conscience; for men who are corrupt are not likely to feel wounds, though you stab them from head to foot. I pity your condition, for the worm that does not die is preparing to feed upon you; the eternal vulture of remorse shall soon wet his horrid beak with the blood of your soul. Tremble; for the fires of hell are hot and unquenchable, and the place of perdition is hideous beyond a madman’s dream. Oh that you would think of your last end. The Christian may have an evil present, but he has a glorious future; but your future is the blackness of darkness for ever. I adjure you by the living God, you who do not fear Christ, consider your ways. You and I must give an account for this morning’s service. You are warned, men; you are warned. Take heed to yourselves, that you do not think this life to be everything. There is a world to come; there is “after death the judgment.” If you do not fear the Lord, there is after judgment eternal wrath and everlasting misery.
21. And now a word to those who are seeking Christ. “Ah!” one says, “sir, I have sought Christ, but I feel worse than I ever was in my life. Before I had any thoughts about Christ I felt myself to be good, but now I feel myself to be evil.” It is all right, my friend; I am glad to hear you say so. When surgeons heal a patient’s wound, they always take care to cut away the proud flesh, because the cure can never be radical while the proud flesh remains. The Lord is getting rid of your self-confidence
