The
Precepts of the Word of God
by J. C. Philpot
Introduction
Encouraged by the kind way in which our "Meditations on
Various Important Points of our Most Holy Faith" have been thus far received
by many of our gracious readers, we feel a willing mind to continue
following onward in the same track; and as hitherto we have found, we hope,
seasonable help from the only Source of all light and life, so would we now
at the opening of another year, and the commencement of a fresh subject,
lift up our soul in unison, we trust, with theirs, that "the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give unto us the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of our
understanding being enlightened," that as the Lord the Spirit may be pleased
to bring before our mind and lay upon our heart any portion of his precious
word which may seem to us to be of vital importance, or of an edifying
nature, we may unfold it with that "demonstration of the spirit and of
power" which shall, as "seasoned with salt," not only minister grace unto
our readers, (Col. 4:6; Eph. 4:29,) but shall, "by manifestation of the
truth, commend itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (Eph.
1:17, 18; 1 Cor. 2:4: 2 Cor. 4:2.)
It is indeed a high privilege conferred upon us, a favor
from on high for which we cannot feel sufficiently thankful, that the Lord
should condescend to make any use of so weak and worthless an instrument to
communicate any measure of instruction, comfort, or encouragement to any of
those whom he has eternally loved, and whom he is leading through many a
painful path of trial and affliction to a knowledge of his love here, that
they may enjoy it in its full fruition hereafter. And as the Lord has been
pleased, for his own wise purposes, to lay us aside, for a time at least,
from the active work of the ministry, we feel doubly bound to avail
ourselves of the privilege still granted to us to communicate with his dear
people by our pen, and thus be neither idle ourselves, nor wholly
unprofitable to the Church of God. We purpose, therefore, with God's help
and blessing, to bring before our readers in this and several following
papers some thoughts upon the preceptive part of the word of truth, and
especially as contained in and enforced by the Scriptures of the New
Testament.
Several reasons have concurred to direct our mind to this
particular point of heavenly truth—
1. First, it is a branch of divine revelation which,
without wishing to speak harshly or censoriously, has in our judgment been
sadly perverted by many on the one hand, and we must say almost as sadly
neglected, if not altogether ignored and passed by, by many on the other.
The probable causes of this neglect, or, to speak more decidedly, of this
serious omission, we shall presently consider.
2. But a second reason for our taking up this subject is,
if we may speak with all humility of ourselves, that it is one into which of
late years we seem to have been more particularly led.
3. And thirdly, the consideration of the preceptive part
of the word will, we think, form a not inappropriate sequel to our late
papers on its power and authority on the heart.
But let us now, by way of introduction to our subject,
for the sake of clearness, first define and explain what we understand by
"the precept," or, according to our title, "the Preceptive Part of the Word
of God." Great clearness and precision are needed on this point, that we may
so run not as uncertainly, so fight not as one that beats the air, but, as a
workman that needs not to be ashamed, may rightly divide the word of truth.
(1 Cor. 9:26; 2 Tim. 2:15.) To make, then, our meaning as clear and as
distinct as we can, we will view the point from two sides—its negative and
its positive aspect.
1. First, then, negatively. By the precept we do
not mean any part of the old "Do and live" covenant, but we carefully and
rigidly exclude every point, fact, or consideration which springs out of, is
connected with, or bears upon the law of works, either as a covenant or as a
rule, either as justifying or as sanctifying, either as binding upon the
conscience or as influencing the heart and life. Here we wish to stand
particularly clear and decided, and to give place, no, not for an hour, to
any men or measures, doctrine or experience, principle or practice, letter
or spirit, word or work, which would bring us into bondage, or put a legal
yoke on the neck of Christ's true disciples. No! let us be clear here; let
us stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and not, in
our zeal for the precept, put ourselves under the curse of the law, or
mingle the smoke and flame of Mount Sinai with the bright and glorious light
of Mount Zion.
Let us keep a clear distinction between "Do and live"—and
"Live and do;" between the spirit of bondage—and the spirit of adoption;
between the forced task of a convict in chains—and the willing obedience of
a loving son; between the thief skulking in the pantry—and the child sitting
at the table; between the grudging eye-service of a slave under the fear of
the lash—and the affectionate offices of a wife whose best reward is a smile
and a kiss.
If we cannot keep these things distinct, we had better
put our fingers into the fire than handle with them the precepts of the New
Testament. O, in considering this weighty subject, for some small measure of
the grace and wisdom which so shine forth in the epistles of blessed Paul,
in keeping distinct the law and the gospel, in separating between the
ministration of condemnation, bondage, and death—and the ministration of
righteousness, liberty, and life. Who so fervid as he against binding the
legal yoke upon the neck of those whom the truth has made free, and
confounding the children of promise with the children of the bond-woman?
Hear his thunders, which, as armed with all the authority and power of an
apostle of God, he launches against the Galatian teachers who, by their
legal doctrines, would trouble the believing disciples of Jesus, and pervert
the gospel of Christ. (Gal. 1:7-9.) And yet mark how the same man of God
could, with the grace of the gospel in his heart and the precepts of the
gospel in his hand, be as gentle as a mother, and as loving as a father—"but
we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." "As
you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a
father does his children, that you would walk worthy of God, who has called
you unto his kingdom and glory." (1 Thess. 2:7, 11, 12.)
2. But, having defined what we do not mean by the
precept, in other words, having viewed it negatively, let us now define what
we do mean by it, in other words, let us view it positively.
We mean, then, by "the precept," or the "preceptive part of the word of
God," those exhortations, injunctions, commands, entreaties,
admonitions—call them by what name you will, so long as you attach to the
word which you use a definite meaning, which the Holy Spirit has revealed in
the New Covenant as claiming our attention and our obedience, and as thus
addressed to our heart, and intended to be influential upon our life.
The precept is not doctrine, though founded
upon it, nor experience, though connected with it, but stands apart
from each, as possessing a peculiar, distinctive character of its own. All
the three are equally a part of the same gospel, have the same Author, the
same sanction, the same authority; and therefore are all three to be
received by the same faith, with the same reverence, and in the same love.
He who rejects or despises the one rejects or despises the other; and he who
by divine power and influence truly believes the doctrine, will spiritually
feel the experience, and graciously perform the precept.
Why, then, has the precept been so neglected among the
Churches of truth? Friends and brethren, is it so—or is it not so? Guilty or
not guilty, servants of the living God, members of Churches founded upon the
love of truth in its purity and power? We are not speaking here, mind you,
of a man tying at the end of a sermon the precepts together into a bundle of
rods and flogging with them Christ's sheep and lambs. That is legality. That
is not preaching the precept as Paul preached it, and as the Holy Spirit has
revealed it. To handle the precept properly, is to handle it spiritually, in
the love and spirit of the gospel, with a broken heart and a melted
soul—broken by a sense of sin, and melted by a sense of mercy. This, not to
anticipate future explanation, this is what we mean by preaching the
precept. But are there no reasons for this omission? Surely there are, or
the omission would not be so wide-spread. Have we not ourselves been guilty
here? We freely confess our fault this day, and perhaps we have but to look
into our own bosom to find why others have been faulty too.
Now we confess that for some years after we had received
the love of truth we did not clearly or fully see the connection of the
precept with the doctrines of grace and the experience of
the saints. We saw, what was obvious enough, that the precept occupied a
large and prominent place in the New Testament, and as such we received it.
But two difficulties seemed to stand in the way of its cordial and hearty
reception, and a right view of its beauty and blessedness as a part of
divine revelation. These were, 1, the sinfulness; 2, the inability of the
creature, and of ourselves in particular.
The consciousness of utter inability to perform the
precept made it as if too inaccessible to the hand to reach it; the holiness
of the precept made it as if too pure for the hand to touch it. Thus, if
passed by, it was not from contempt—but reverence; if not handled, it was
not from willful neglect—but from not properly seeing its place in the
gospel of the grace of God. Allow us a few words on this point. All truth,
especially revealed truth, must be consistent with itself—harmonious in
every part. But to see this consistency and harmony, not only must the eye
be duly instructed, but must look at it from the right point of view. Will
our readers permit us to use a figure or two to illustrate our meaning? In
some gallery of art* take your stand before a beautiful picture, say one of
Turner's grand sea-views. Look at it near at hand; what is it? A mass of
blotches and smears, with dabs of white paint here and there. Go back a few
steps, and view it from the right point. What a change! What beauty, what
harmony, what coloring! The blotches and smears resolve themselves into a
sea heaving with life and motion, and the dabs of paint are waves, curling
with foam as if they would dash at your very feet.
*It will be observed that this is
merely an illustration, and does not imply that we sanction Christians
visiting the exhibition, or public picture-galleries.
Take a more familiar figure. Look through a microscope at
a photograph. What do you see? Something like a building, but all confusion.
Wait a moment. Now you have got the focus. What do you see now? The front of
a palace or a cathedral, with every architectural detail so clear and
distinct that you might fancy yourself looking upon the very building
itself. So in divine truth. Let the eye be spiritually opened, let the right
point of view be gained, and then every part falls into its right place—full
of beauty and harmony. While then we view the precept from a legal
standing, we must see it distorted and out of place. It is what we may call
out of perspective; we do not see it from the same point of view as the Holy
Spirit has drawn it in the word, and as he intended it to be looked at with
a believing eye. But when we see, as represented in the gospel, doctrine and
experience, promise and precept, love and obedience, motive and action,
receiving Christ and walking in him, the grace which saves and the grace
which sanctifies, the blood that cleanses and the water that washes, Christ
as Priest to atone, Christ as Prophet to teach, Christ as King to rule—all
forming one harmonious whole, all combining in one glorious plan for the
glory of God and the present and future blessedness of his people, then we
view "the truth as it is in Jesus" almost as Moses gazed on the land of
promise from Pisgah's height, or as, John "saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband." (Rev. 21:2.)
But there was another reason, perhaps, why we did not see
the beauty and harmony of the precept. Having had our fleshly holiness and
creature piety knocked to pieces, having passed for several years through
much inward exercise and temptation, and having learned in that school the
thorough helplessness of the creature; then being delivered from the galling
yoke of legality and self-righteousness, and having tasted the sweetness and
the freeness of gospel grace—our mind revolted from everything which seemed
legal, Pharisaical, or self-righteous. Thus there was a going to the
opposite extreme; and, to avoid one evil, there was not a falling into, but
too near an approach to the other. Repelled and almost disgusted by the way
in which Arminians, moderate Calvinists, and the whole race of man-made
preachers handled the invitations and precepts of the gospel, holding them
out to dead men to act upon and perform, there was a shrinking from any
confederacy with such doings and dealings, such teachings and preachings,
such a turning of things upside down, such a fouling of the waters, such a
treading down of the pastures of the flock of slaughter. Besides which we
saw in even some good men (men of whom we had hoped better things) a legal
bias, which led them to use the precept more as a rod for others, than as a
rule for themselves, and rather to feed a spirit of bitterness in their own
minds and of those whom they influenced—than as the pure milk of the word
that they might grow thereby—the result being rather spiritual pride and
self-exaltation among many of the real people of God—than humility,
brokenness, brotherly kindness, and love. Hence separation between ministers
of truth and divisions in Churches, being just the contrary effect to the
real spirit and intention of the precept.
These things all combined to produce an injurious effect;
and thus the precept, being thrust out of its place, lost a good measure of
its loveliness, and seemed rather alongside the building, than a glorious
part of it. "As in water face answers to face, so the heart of man to man."
Thus it may be that some of our experience on this point may have been the
experience of others; and if so, it may explain why the precept has been too
much neglected by them as well as by us.
But for the last few years we have been called to walk in
a somewhat different path. We have had much affliction of body, and with it
much exercise of mind upon the things of God, with many searchings of heart.
We wish to speak upon this point very cautiously, knowing the hypocrisy and
deceitfulness of our wretched nature; but we trust that through these
afflictions and accompanying exercises there has been wrought in our heart a
greater, as well as a more earnest and abiding desire to walk more closely
with the Lord, to live more in his fear, and to know more of his Person and
work, mind and will in the revelations of himself through the word of his
grace. Not that we are one whit better; not that we find our nature less
corrupt, or our heart less deceitful above all things, or less desperately
wicked. Not that we can move forward a single step with any more life or
power; not that our barren seasons are not many and long, and our fruitful
seasons few and short.
No, all this we may but more increasingly feel, and yet
not be wholly given up to carelessness and carnality, but only all the more
bend our back to the word which smites it, or our neck to the word which
yokes it. And yet we cannot but acknowledge that light upon the precept
seems to have come gradually into our mind, and its place in the word of
truth to have been more clearly opened to our understanding, and larger room
made for it in our heart and conscience. How far this light is from above,
let our gracious readers judge, when we shall have accomplished our task,
from the truth and savour of our communication, and the weight and power
with which it may be commended to their conscience as harmonizing with the
word of God and their personal experience.
But as we have confessed our fault in not at one time
clearly seeing the place of the precept in the gospel of the grace of God,
so we have thought it best to state as simply as we could the way in which
we have been led to our present views and feelings on this important part of
divine truth. In thus speaking, we have not, through rich mercy, any past
error to acknowledge, any wrong or perverted view, any willful or unseemly
neglect, any delusive experience as a Christian man, any false teaching as a
Christian minister to confess—but we have rather thankfully to record a
greater enlargement of desire at least after, if not of fuller attainment
unto, "the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding." (Col. 1:9.) And as we are bidden to "grow in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," we should certainly
desire and aim both for ourselves and others not to be ever fixed as a post
at one and the same spot, or lie like a dead man at the same point of
knowledge and experience, as if we already knew all that was to be known,
and having reached the goal, were only waiting for the conqueror's crown—but
rather with blessed Paul, forgetting the things which are behind, should
reach forth unto those things which are before, and thus press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let, then, this suffice for an introduction to our
subject, as to commence it in our present paper would either require more
space than we can well afford, or compel us to break off abruptly soon after
we had made a beginning.
As we advance onward in the divine life, we usually see
and feel more and more of the thick darkness and gross ignorance which brood
by nature over our mind, and we become more fully convinced of our utter
inability to understand or realize the certainty and power of spiritual
things, except by a gracious revelation of them to our soul. "The things of
the Spirit of God" we feel can only be, as the Apostle says, "spiritually
discerned;" (1 Cor. 2:14;) for being high, heavenly, and holy, they are,
from their very nature, far beyond the sight, far out of the reach of our
natural understanding, strain itself as much as it may, let it be cultivated
to the utmost of its powers. As it is only in God's light that we see light,
(Psalm 36:9,) and as whatever does make manifest its light, (Eph. 5:13,) the
very sight and sense that we have of our darkness springs from the light of
life in our soul.
As, then, we grow in light and life, for there is or
should be a growth in grace, (2 Pet. 3:18,) there is a growing discovery and
a deeper feeling of the darkness of our mind in the things of God. But all
is not darkness with those who have been delivered from the power of
darkness—for darkness is one thing and the power of darkness another—and
been "translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." (Col. 1:13.) Every now
and then there are favored moments when glimpses and glances of heavenly
realities, in their brightness and glory, break in upon their soul; and
then, perhaps, they are as suddenly withdrawn, much almost, if we may use
such comparisons, as the sheet which Peter saw in vision was received up
again into heaven, or as the cloud received the ascending Lord out of the
sight of his gazing disciples. (Acts 1:9; 10:16.) But from these breakings
in of divine light we obtain those spiritual views of heavenly realities
which not only reveal their nature to the enlightened understanding, and
seal their blessedness on the heart—but deeply convince us also what a veil
there is over our mind when it is not thus graciously lifted up. Will our
readers permit us to use a figure to illustrate this?
(We crave this indulgence, because
some, whose judgment in divine things we much respect, object to the use of
figures for the purpose of illustrating scriptural truth, on the ground that
spiritual things cannot be explained by natural comparisons. Admitting to
some degree the force of this objection, we still find, as a matter of
continual experience, that an appropriate figure, cautiously and temperately
used, and not pressed beyond its legitimate bearing, will often convey an
explanation of a truth where reasoning seems to fail; for many can
understand a comparison who cannot comprehend an argument. Argument is much
more forcible and much less fallacious than figure, but demands a more
trained mind. We, therefore, to meet different readers, seek to blend both;
and while we base our views and our explanation of them upon scriptural
argument, we intersperse, as occasion serves, illustrations and comparisons,
not only to enliven, but to throw light upon our subject.)
On a misty day, when thick fog hides from view the
surrounding landscape, the sun will sometimes suddenly burst forth; in a
moment the veil is lifted up, and the whole prospect shines out bright and
clear. The lofty mountain chain, or the smiling valley, or the long, winding
sea coast, with all its rocky headlands, which had been shrouded in mist,
stands out at once to view like a sudden apparition of beauty, and the whole
landscape presents itself fully and clearly to the eye as a lovely,
harmonious whole. But the mist returns almost as suddenly as it was drawn
up; one object after another becomes wrapped up in cloud, until the whole
view is again buried out of sight. And yet all is not gone. We can remember
what we have seen. An impression has been made on the mind, which remains
fixed as a durable recollection, though the vivid clearness is vanished and
gone, and what we see now is but mist and fog.
May we not apply this illustration to our views of
spiritual things, both as regards light and darkness? For the most part we
groan and sigh under a sense of the thick darkness of our mind, for though
the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the
sun, yet the days of darkness are many. (Eccles. 11:7, 8.) This is the dense
mist and fog. But there are times and seasons when the Sun of righteousness
suddenly arises upon the soul, with healing in his wings. (Mal. 4:2.) Then
the mist and fog are immediately dispersed. Light beams into the heart; and
at once the whole plan and scheme of salvation from grace to glory, from
before the foundation of the world to the ages to come, from the original
purposes of God to their full and final accomplishment in a blissful
eternity, shine forth.
This is produced sometimes by reading the word, sometimes
by the power of a passage of Scripture applied to the heart, sometimes in
secret meditation, sometimes when on one's knees before the Lord seeking his
gracious face. At these favored moments there is an entrance of divine light
into the soul, for "the entrance of your words gives light;" (Psalm
119:130;) and this light spreads itself, as it were, over the word of truth,
lighting up every part on which it shines with an indescribable beauty and
glory. Let us read, for instance, under such a divine power and influence,
Ephesians 1, or Romans 8, or the discourses of our blessed Lord with his
disciples before his sufferings and death, or that wondrous prayer, (John
17,) in which he interceded for them, and for us too who believe in his
name, (ver. 20,) as the great High Priest over the house of God.
As we read these heavenly truths, and faith is drawn out
upon and mixed with what we read, what beauty and blessedness shine through
every sentence; and how the glorious gospel of the grace of God beams forth,
as with light from heaven, to connect every part into one grand harmonious
whole. As the soul becomes softened and melted under the power and influence
of the word thus made to it spirit and life, all seeming difficulties
vanish; and not a jarring note interrupts the harmony of the heavenly choir
of gospel truths, making sweet melody in the heart. At such moments and in
such a frame, what we cannot fully understand we are content to leave;
caviling and contention with either God or man, with both ourselves and
others, die away, for they cannot live in this heavenly atmosphere; and the
majesty and power of the word of the living God both awe the mind with
reverence, and draw forth the affections into love.
All doctrine, all experience, all
precept are then seen to center, as one grand harmonious whole, in the
glorious Person of the Son of God. From him they all come; to him they all
flow. Severed from him, doctrine is seen to be but a withered branch,
experience but a delusive dream, precept but a legal service. But his light
enlightening, his life quickening, his power attending the word of his
grace—doctrine is seen to be no longer doctrine dry and dead, but glorious
truth; experience to be not a mere matter of fluctuating feeling, but a
blessed reality, as the very kingdom of God set up with a divine power in
the heart; and obedience not a legal duty, but a high, holy, and acceptable
service.
But we must not anticipate our subject, for it will be
found that in the channel thus briefly sketched our views and thoughts will
chiefly run. And yet we have ventured to give this preliminary sketch, as
feeling desirous, on the one hand, to disarm at the very outset all
suspicions which might arise in the mind of friend or foe, that by taking up
the precept we were swerving from the truth into legality; and, on the
other, to prepare the way for a fuller consideration of the point which we
have undertaken to elucidate. Without further preface, then, we purpose, in
handling the subject before us, to consider the
precepts of the Word of God
mainly under these four heads:
I. The IMPORTANCE of the precepts.
II. The NATURE of the precepts.
III. The place of the precepts in the WORD.
IV. The place of the precepts in the HEART and LIFE.
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