(Continued from page 219.)
It must doubtless have excited the attention of even the careless observer, that this is a day marked, not only by the wonderful development of man's power and resources, but by many a busy and active philanthropic scheme. I enter not into them, only seeking to point out the ground which they take as unsafe for the believer, in fact, helping to consummate the apostasy. The end proposed by man is, the blessing of his species; to this end all means are to be rendered subservient—Legislation, Science, Machinery, Education, Christianity. Now it is manifest, that the three first can only affect the present state of man; and although the two last may have an onward and future aspect, they may not be used as such, but at the best for man's moral and intellectual improvement. Now in the estimation of God, the condition of man before Him is so bad, that it is absolutely irremediable. Every experiment of God on man (to speak after the manner of men) has failed; and, instead of improving, has only tended to develop successively and increasingly the weakness and perverseness of man.
Hence the end of God's philanthropy as revealed in His word, is salvation, deliverance out of such a state as this altogether, and not the improvement of it. “According to His mercy He saved us,” not only in reference to man's lack of claim on Him, but in reference to the greatness and kind of the salvation itself which could never have entered into the thought of the creature. As the starting point, the worthlessness of man is acknowledged; the cross is God's estimate of the flesh, i.e., man as he is: all this faith recognizes. “By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost—here is the manner of the salvation; not the improvement of anything old, but the introduction of a new existence; the bringing out of that family, whose inheritance is sin and death, into union with the Head of another family, from whom flow Spirit and Life. It is a new life—life out of death—anew in its origin, its objects, and desires, and requiring an aliment peculiar to itself—the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Thus the inheritance is not that of sin and sorrow, but of eternal life.
Now, unless we start from the same point as God, and have the same object in view, all our attempts will end in disappointment and disaster. The starting point with God is the irremediable evil of man; and the remedy a new one, even resurrection-life. It is Jesus and the resurrection which is to be preached, as the only adequate remedy. To take, therefore, either a more favorable view of the present constitution of man than God does, or to propose any remedy short of the resurrection to meet it (dignify it with whatever name we may), is only to deceive ourselves through false philosophy. Our blessed Lord clearly saw what expectations man would form as to the result of His wondrous love and condescension, in coming into such a world as this. They would look for so great an amelioration in the condition of man, as to make the present state one of possible, if not of probable, enjoyment. But how completely does He nullify any such expectation” Suppose ye, that I am come to give peace on earth?” (Luke 12:5151Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (Luke 12:51)). Such would be the necessary consequence of the introduction of a new life Had it been merely an improvement of the old life, it would have been borne, and bailed as a blessing by man; for all men naturally allow to a consistent Christian an advance on them in degree, but not a difference from them in kind. But the new life comes into direct collision with the old, and must cause necessary discomfort here, and be, in its exercise, a continual course of self-denial—a hating of our lives in this world.
Now the end which philanthropy proposes, is confessedly nothing beyond the improvement of the old life; and it is not now my purpose to urge farther the failure of such an attempt, but rather to she w the necessary collision into which philanthropy and Christianity must come; in other words, that the way of God and the way of man to meet evil, not coinciding, must issue in conflict; and that one trial of the faith of the disciples of Christ will arise from philanthropy. Everything is now rapidly tending to the concentration of the powers of man against the evil of his condition; the barriers of ages which appear hitherto to have prevented the full exercise of these powers, are falling before them one after another, and a fair field seems opening to man for the experiment of the regeneration of his species.
Now, whilst Christianity may lend its aid to further this scheme, it will be tolerated, praised, and caressed; but the moment Christians assert their own principles, and stand on their own ground, that is, the resurrection, it will cast such shame and contempt on the efforts of philanthropy, as to be esteemed an enemy and a hindrance in its way. Whilst man is working to his end, God assuredly is to His; and that is to bring out His own into separateness from everything foreign to them; and this is no less evident to him who can judge all things, than the movement of the spirit of the age in philanthropical schemes. At this very day we see this work of God's Spirit among Christians, so as to cause dissatisfaction with all around them; and although we be slow in distinguishing His leadings, and are liable to the seductions of error, yet the result is the desire awakened of occupying our own ground according to scripture, and standing simply on the Lord's side.