Resolve to Keep Close to Christ |
There is yet another stone wall which I will mention, namely, firmness of character. Our holy faith teaches a man to be decided in the cause of Christ, and to be resolute in getting rid of evil habits. “If thine eye offend thee”—wear a shade? No; “pluck it out.” “If thine arm offend thee”—hang it in a sling? No; “cut it off, and cast it from thee” True religion is very thorough in what it recommends. It says to us, “touch not the unclean thing.” But many persons are so idle in the ways of God that they have no mind of their own: evil companions tempt them, and they cannot say, “No.” They need a stone wall made up of noes. Here are the stones, “no, no, NO.” Dare to be singular. Resolve to keep close to Christ. Make a stern determination to permit nothing in your life, however gainful or pleasurable, if it would dishonour the name of Jesus. Be dogmatically true, obstinately holy, immovably honest, desperately kind, fixedly upright. If God’s grace sets up this hedge around you, even Satan will feel that he cannot get in, and will complain to God, “hast thou not set a hedge about him?”
Charles Spurgeon
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Duty to God and Man
Our Lord Jesus sums up the whole law in these two words, which he calls the two great commandments (Matt. 22:37) -- Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself -- the two legs that piety and practice walk upon. The one comprehends our duty to God, which runs through all the ten commands, but does more eminently exert itself in the first four, whereof we have spoken. The other contains our duty to our neighbor, which is set down more particularly in the last six commands, whereof we are now to speak. And however many do ignorantly and wickedly look on duty to man as somewhat extrinsic to religion and duty to God, yet both have the same authority, both are put in one sum of the law, both are written on tables of stone with the Lord's own finger, and put within the ark. And therefore we ought with a proportionable care to enquire what God requires of us as duty to others, as well as to himself; and we should make no less conscience of obedience to the one than to the other.
~James Durham~
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Gospel Piety + Moral Equity
A good Christian makes gospel piety and moral equity kiss each other. Herein some discover their hypocrisy: they will obey God in some things which are more facile, and may raise their repute; but other things they leave undone. "One thing is lacking," Mark 20:21. Herod would hear John Baptist, but not leave his incest. Some will pray, but not give alms; others will give alms, but not pray. "Ye tithes of mint and annise, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith." Matt. 22:23. The badger has one foot shorter than the other; so these are shorter in some duties than in others. God likes not such partial servants, who will do some part of the work he sets them about, and leave the other undone.
~Thomas Watson~
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