Spiritual Appetite
Thomas Charles, 1838
There is no image in the whole Bible, more frequently made use of to express the workings, affections, and desires of the new man after spiritual things—than the craving of our bodily appetites after food and nourishment; namely, hunger and thirst. And what proper food is to a hungry man—that, spiritual things, Christ and the blessings of the Gospel, are to the renewed soul.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." Hunger and thirst are the strongest of all our bodily appetites. They are also unceasing and continually more and more craving and importunate until we either eat and drink, or die. And nothing will satisfy them but food and drink. Offer a hungry man the world and all things in it, he will despise and reject them, and say, 'These are not the things I need—give me food or else I die.' Just so are the desires of the new man in Christ, after spiritual things—the grace of Christ, the favor of God, and conformity to his image. The appetites are strong and unceasing, craving after spiritual food with more and more importunity; and nothing but this will satisfy.
Riches, honors and pleasures, are all lightly esteemed. 'Give me grace, give me peace and reconciliation with God, give me holiness—or else I die', is his unceasing language.
A hungry man finds in food a suitableness, a taste, a relish, and refreshment. And so do those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, find in divine things,. There is a suitableness in them to the soul's wants, and satisfaction and refreshment in the enjoyment of them which is great and inexpressible. "They are sweeter to his taste than honey or the honey-comb."
Until he feeds upon them, the soul is miserable and refuses comfort, like a person ready to perish with hunger. But when he has a sense of the goodness, power and efficacy of them on his soul—he is filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. He feeds upon them with joy, however any of them may be in their own nature, or in their dispensation, bitter to flesh and blood. The cross is sweet and refreshing, if under it he can taste how gracious the Lord is. Everything that is wholesome food, and good nourishment, though it be bitter herbs—is sweet and refreshing to him who is spiritually hungry.
For this reason divine things are compared not only to bread and water, but to "wine and milk, to fat things full of marrow"—things that are not only nourishing, as bread and water, but also relishing, refreshing, and reviving. If the soul is in health and has strength to digest its food—if its appetite is not lost by spiritual sickness, vitiated and corrupted by any prevalent sin, and heavenly things thus become unsavory and tasteless, "like the white of an egg"—if this be not the case with the renewed soul, then spiritual things are always relishing, refreshing, and full of nourishment; and by them it grows and gains spiritual strength.
These two things are inseparably connected with the things of the Spirit of God to a renewed soul which is in spiritual health—he finds in them savor, and nourishment; he is refreshed and strengthened by them.
A vitiated taste and a false appetite may relish things that are not proper food—which have little or no nourishment in them. But a man in health and vigor of body, cannot live on such things. So a soul sickly and weak, may have a taste and a pleasing relish given to the imagination by the dispensation of the word, and in the use of the means of grace—when at the same time it is in no degree nourished and strengthened by grace itself in the use of the means; but the soul is as weak and sickly as ever, and still finds an emptiness, a craving, painful and uneasy, and a feebleness, which unfits him for every undertaking that is spiritual and difficult.
But a soul in health must have the sincere milk of the word; it will be satisfied with nothing else. It grows thereby—it gains renewed strength, fresh vigor, increasing alacrity and delight in the things of God and the ways of God. The gospel and its heavenly doctrines are never stale, tasteless, or unsavory to him—but daily more refreshing and more nourishing. He feeds upon them more heartily and more frequently, and his stomach is not over-loaded, because he can digest his food; so that his appetite is keen and his soul more and more nourished.
He has increasing discernment also to know more exactly what is proper food for him, and rejects those things, which he knows, have more tendency to fill the soul with wind and vanity, than to minister nourishment and strength. "Being of full age, by means of use he has his senses exercised to discern both good and evil".
No sign can be worse than a cold indifference towards the things of God—when they become as it were stale, without any relish, or nourishment, like a tale that has been told a hundred times over. In this case, the soul can have no experience of the life and workings of spiritual things, nor any comfort or refreshment from them. He, who is in this state, honors not the gospel by any fruits of love, zeal, or delight; nor is he useful in any way to others.
"He is a tree, whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the root". This is a state, which of all others, Christ is most displeased with. In temptations, the Lord, who is compassionate and gracious, pities those who are tempted. In persecutions, he sympathizes with the afflicted. He intercedes for his people in their sudden and unexpected surprises. But he severely threatens those who are in spiritual decays, who are in a cold, formal and lifeless state. Rev. 2.4, 5. This he cannot bear with, because it reflects so much dishonor upon him, and on the provision he has made in the gospel. It will, if not quickly prevented by a speedy recovery, prove the certain ruin of the soul. Yes, Christ will bear longer even with those who are utterly dead, and make no pretensions to religion. "I would," he says, "you were cold or hot—because you are neither, I will spue you out of my mouth!" Rev. 3:16.
We cannot be too jealous and watchful over ourselves on this point. Everything in this world has a tendency to deaden our souls, quench the Spirit, and blunt the edge of our desires and affections after spiritual things. Our own corruptions always resist grace; and the world around us would by every way bring us unto some little compliance with it. The company of dead and formal professors also cannot but greatly damage the soul. Their company, if much frequented, will, like ice when handled, strike a chill and damp into the soul that was before alive, fervent, and active. This is the last effort of the devil; if he cannot by his temptations turn us back, or draw us aside from the ways of God, he will by all his cunning, craft and malice, endeavor to enfeeble our strength, cool our zeal, and diminish our ardor in the good way, into which the grace of God has brought us.
We should beware of these decays in our souls, in their very first beginnings; or else recovery will be more difficult and more doubtful.
But here is the cause of the utter ruin of many. At first they listen to the carnal reasonings of their own minds, strengthened it may be, by the suggestions of formal professors and lifeless Christians—until they are gone so far in spiritual decay, that their recovery becomes doubly more difficult.
Some would confine all warmth and fervency of affections about spiritual things to first convictions, to youthful days, when the heat of the physical spirits is greater. A dangerous insinuation! for does not this highly dishonor the things of God? What! Are we more affected by them, the less we know of them? Is it their novelty only, that gives them their efficacy? Is food more refreshing to a child, than to a hungry man in full strength, after the labor and toil of the day? Far from it!
The objects of creation, the more we contemplate, minutely examine, and thoroughly know them—the more we are amazed with the exquisite wisdom and power displayed in them, and the more they command our admiration. Are the wonders of grace and salvation more easily comprehended—or are we less interested in them? Surely not.
The reason why the works of God in creation, providence and grace are unnoticed by us, and we are unaffected by them, is because we know them so little, and our minds are turned to different objects.
But the decay of the physical spirits, it may be said by some, diminishes the efficacy and lessens the effect of divine things. It ill suits any to make this excuse, who, while they are dead and lifeless about spiritual things—are alive, active and intent upon other things. For instance, the lawful enjoyments and comforts of life. If a man in his old age, grows more in love with the things of the world, and less in love with the things of God—then surely this must proceed not from the decay of nature, but from the decay of grace, and the growing strength of sin. The decays of nature, will not, cannot, effect decays in holiness of life, and in diligence in religious duties; it will never diminish the vigorous and firm adherence of the mind and will, at least, to spiritual things. And where the heat and warmth of the affections are not as lively as they were in former times, whatever the decays of nature may be—the soul, if alive to God, cannot be satisfied in this state; it is his grief and burden; and he preserves a godly jealousy over himself, lest his decays should not be outward, but inward; not in the natural, but in the spiritual man.
The life, comfort, and honor of religion, is to find the things of God always new and refreshing, and our appetites keen for them. Without this there can be no real consolation of the gospel, no growth in grace, no adorning of religion, no recommending of it to others. But the soul will become barren and unfruitful—a mere walking, talking skeleton in religion. Good Lord, deliver me from this cursed state of soul! Rather empty me from vessel to vessel, put me in the furnace, let me rather die—than live thus to dishonor you and your cause.