in Christ Jesus." Though it is probable the apostle had made as great progress in religion, as any christian that ever lived, yet he would not rest in any present attainments. And every christian ought to follow his example.That constant advancement in religion is the duty of christians may appear from the following considerations. 1. Their imperfection should induce christians to make constant advancement in religious attainments. They are, in all respects, very imperfect. The apostle was deeply sensible of his imperfection, as he declares in our context. And his imperfection had its proper influence upon his conduct. It excited him to be constant and earnest in his exertions to advance towards perfection. And by the same consideration every christian should be excited to conduct in the same man ner. Whatever progress christians may have made in religion, they ought to forget the things that are behind. They ought to consider how far they are from the mark they are bound to reach. The apostle blames the Hebrew christians, because they had made no greater progress in divine "When for the time, ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such, as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For every one, that useth knowledge. He says, milk, is unskilful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe." If christians would be but truly sensible of their imperfections, they would perceive, that the one thing, which they ought to desire and pursue, is constant advancement in religious attainments. 2. God requires christians to make constant advancement in religion. He says, by the apostle, unto the church of the Thessalonians, "Furthermore, then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus Christ, that as ye have received of us, how ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound more and more." Again he says, "as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren, who are in all Macedonia; but, we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more." Peter urges his brethren to advance in the divine life. He says, "giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you, that ye shall neither be idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again he says, "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." These divine requirements urge and bind christians, whatever progress they may have made, constantly to adadvance in religion. 3. God has appointed the best means to promote the religious advancement of christians. To the saints at Ephesus, it is written, "He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints; for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come, in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ." Here we are taught, that the great object, for which God appoints the religious instructions and privileges, which christians enjoy, is their progress in religious attainments. For this purpose they have the holy scriptures. For this purpose they have the ministry of the gospel. For this purpose they have divine ordinances. For this purpose they are separated from the world by a public profession of religion. And for this purpose they are subjected to the discipline, which the Lord Jesus Christ requires his churches to maintain in his name. Now, since God appoints such means to promote the religious advancement of christians, they ought to unite with him in this important design, and not receive his grace in vain. 4. To obtain the great object of their profession, it is necessary for christians to advance in religion. The knowledge, the service and enjoyment of the living and true God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the present life and in the future existence, are what persons profess to desire and pursue, when they profess and bear the name of christians. To gain the great object of their profession, they must renounce every contrary interest and pursuit. In our context, the apostle says, "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."The blessedness and glory, which the apostle sought, he calls “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." To gain this prize, he constantly labored to advance in religious attainments.— Without such advancement, he knew he could not be prepared to be with Christ in heaven. And no christian can enter heaven, until he is completely formed into a vessel of mercy, and fitted for the pure and perfect society of those blessed mansions. Neither the profession, nor the privileges, nor the experiences, nor the sacrifices, nor the services, nor the enjoyments of christians will avail any thing towards their admission into heaven, unless they become perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Unless they advance in religion, until they are perfectly holy, they never can gain the great object, for which they profess to renounce the world, the flesh and Satan.They must, therefore, constantly advance in religion, in order to gain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. IMPROVEMENT. 1. In view of the attainments, in which christians may forever advance, it is evident that the church must afford the Lord Jesus Christ a high degree of delight. The growth of any object in what is valuable and beautiful is pleas ant. The growth of children is interesting and delightful. It is pleasant to trace the commencement and progress of communities, whether civil or religious. The rise and growth of states, king doms and nations, and their advancement in literature, policy, science, arts and wealth, have always excited a high degree of attention and interest. But these objects, though for a time, they advance and flourish, are never perfect, They soon decline and perish. But christians grow in such respects, as are most important and beautiful. And their growth continues and increases, until they arrive to perfection. Such is the growth of a christian. But consider the growth of the whole church. The church may be seen in its commencement and It has been progress on earth. maintained and enlarged through successive ages, notwithstanding its own weakness and the number and power of its enemies. At a future day it will be prosperous and triumphant among all nations. At the final judgment, the millions and millions of redeemed sinners, will be raised to the perfection of heavenly blessedness and beauty, Yet, then, they will for ever advance in knowledge, holiness, usefulness and happiness. All this life, growth and glory, the church receives from the Lord Jesus Christ. In him was formed the eternal purpose of redemption.He begins and finishes this purpose. He creates, preserves and governs all things in reference to his spiritual kingdom. For this object he came into the world, became a man of sorrows and died on the cross. But he is now "head over all things unto the church, which is his body; the fulness of him, that filleth all in all." The redemption, advancement and glory of the church will for ever exercise and gratify his benevolent affections. He says, that from eternity his delights were with the sons of men." It is written "for the joy set before him, he endur ed the cross." It is also written, "He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied." The eternal and increasing excellence and glory of his redeemed people will for ever afford the Lord Jesus Christ the highest enjoyment and satisfaction. then, should never think highly of themselves, or of their religious attainments. It becomes every christian to sink into his proper place, and to impress very deeply upon his own heart the sentiment of the apostle, who says, "I am nothing." 2. From what has been said in the present discourse, it is evident, that no christian can ever have any reason to think highly of his religious attainments. Mankind are, by nature, disposed to think themselves something when they are nothing. And real christians have strong and violent conflicts with a proud and selfish spirit.They are liable to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. They are apt to think highly of their religious opinions, affections, services and enjoyments. But they have no reason to think highly of their spiritual attainments. They ought not to think that they have already attained; or that they are already perfect. Compared with what some christians have attained in this life, most christians have made but little progress in religion. And their progress appears still less, when it is compared with what all christians ought to be. But the highest attainments of such christians, as have made the greatest progress in religion, are not worthy to be compared with the future attainments of such christians, as are now mere babes in Christ. But even with an eternal progression in excellence, christians must for ever be nothing and less than nothing in the presence of the supreme Being. Christians, present attainments. Nor ought 3. Since christians should constantly advance in religion, they never should make of themselves a standard in respect to religion. If they imagine themselves to be a standard in religion, they act as if they had already attained, and were already perfect. By such unwise conduct they prevent their progress in religion. To the saints at Corinth, the apostle writes, "We dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." It is unwise for a person to measure himself by himself. And it is more unwise for a person to measure other persons by himself. Yet many professors of religion are so unwise, that they will admit of nothing but what agrees with themselves. But it is extremely unwise and dangerous for a person to try and admit or reject things by himself, as if he were a standard in religion. Every person ought to try himself by the perfect standard of moral rectitude. And every christian ought constantly to advance beyond his any christian ever to rest in himself, as a standard in respect to religion. 5. From the present subject, we may perceive a striking difference between true and false professors of religion. This difference respects advancement in religion. As advancement in religion, is the constant duty, so it is the constant object of real christians. But false professors do not advance in the christian course. They are not truly alive unto God. Nor do they walk in the path of life. How can they, while dead in sin, advance in spiritual attainments? It is certain, that a person, who is not a true christian, never grows in religion. False converts are content with a false hope. They think themselves something, when they are nothing, and so they deceive themselves. They may have a high opinion of their religious character and condition. They may imagine they are eminent for knowledge, piety and usefulness, while they are totally destitute of every christian attainment and exceedingly offensive and loathsome in the church of God. It is evident, that they are not christians, whatever they may think and profess, and whatever they appear to be, because they make no progress in real religion. Without life they cannot grow. Though they may at first appear well, they never appear better. The more they are known, the worse they appear. As they show no growth, they show that they have no life. But the real and living christian grows. And by his growth he shows that he is alive. In respect 4. Since constant advancement in religion is the duty of christians, they should be careful to be thoroughly acquainted with their own imperfections. If they do not see in what respects they are imperfect and defective, they will not see what is to be reformed and amended in themselves. Christians, then, should be careful to obtain a thorough and intimate acquaintance with themselves, in order to advance in religious attainments. Every christian ought to be very particular in his attention to his failings and blemishes. A christian may think favorably of himself, because he avoids some errors and sins, while he does not avoid other errors and sins that are equally hateful and pernicious. Some real christians are peculiarly liable to err in one respect; while other real christians are peculiarly liable to err in other respects. Besides their common imperfection and depravity, there are particular blemishes in every christian. These blemishes every christian must be exceedingly careful and watchful to discover in himself and remove, if he would advance in religion. Christians should constantly and impartially strive for an accurate and increasing knowledge of their imperfections, that they may remove from themselves every spot and wrinkle and every such thing; and that they may be holy and without blemish. |