SERMON XX. THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

Mark iii. 35.

Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother and my sister and mother.

From this, and one or two other passages in the gospels, it has been sometimes imagined, that our blessed Lord set no value on the common relationships, the natural ties, the tender endearments of life; and that He intended to teach His disciples, by His own example, to neglect such considerations altogether; as if all Christians had an equal claim upon our affection; as if the spiritual brotherhood were the only object worthy of our regard; as if parents and brothers and sisters were merely upon a footing with the rest of mankind. This notion is entirely erroneous; it is a mistaken conclusion from the words and conduct of our Lord.

His own example, on several occasions, has afforded a sanction to the feelings of private friendship, as well as of family affection. How deeply was He moved at the death of Lazarus! “Jesus wept, then said the Jews, behold how He loved him!” [367a] And of our Lord’s disciples we read, that there was one, treated with peculiar tenderness and regard; one, “who leaned on His bosom;” [367b] one, distinguished by the high and honourable name of the “beloved disciple.” And this disciple, the evangelist St. John, has drawn one of the most striking pictures of an affectionate family, ever represented to the eye and the heart of man: “There stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” Jesus not only loved and protected His mother through life, but was solicitous to provide for her future well-being, even amidst the agonies of the cross; commending her to His dearest personal friend; and by way of effectually securing his regard and her confidence, He calls John the son, and Mary the mother: Behave to each other as mother and son; and it is all I can ask or require. This must be admitted as a proof, that Jesus felt most tenderly and peculiarly for His nearest earthly relation: and it shews, that those passages, which have been supposed to favour a contrary opinion, have been wrongly interpreted.

Let us now consider the circumstances which led to the declaration in the text. It appears, that the earnestness and perseverance of Jesus in teaching the people, notwithstanding the opposition of the Pharisees, had given disquietude to His friends and brethren, that is, to His near relations, some of whom did not believe in Him. They seem to have desired Him to forbear and discontinue His ministry at that particular time, supposing that He had exceeded the bounds of prudence; and it further appears, that they had induced Mary, His mother, to concur in this improper design; which conveyed a reflection upon His wisdom, and the perfection of His character. They came, therefore, when He was teaching the people; and, not being able to approach Him for the multitude, they sent to speak with Him. But Jesus, aware of their intention, answered by enquiring, who His mother and brethren were; thereby intimating, that they had no right to interfere on such an occasion, nor had any authority over Him in respect of His important work; that His spiritual affection to His disciples, in the advancement of their eternal interests, was greater than any natural affection, which He bore to His relations, in a mere earthly point of view; that His love to men’s souls had the greatest consideration and weight with Him; that even His mother was nearer to Him as a true believer, than on account of her natural relationship; and that His brethren would derive no advantage or favour from Him, if they were not also believers.

Jesus then proceeded to declare, that His true disciples, even though they had no connexion with Him by the natural tie of blood, would be regarded in the light of relations; would be the objects of His sincere affection and esteem; “He looked round on them which sat about Him, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren, for whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother and My sister and mother.” We cannot but observe, that these words are addressed, not merely to the disciples of that day, but to every individual Christian throughout the world; whosoever, of any age or nation, should do the will of His heavenly Father, by hearing, believing, obeying His revealed word, by embracing the gospel of salvation, he would, in life, in death, in judgment, and for ever, be honoured and blessed; even as the brother, sister, or mother of Him, who is the Lord of all, and the King of glory.

How encouraging, how delightful an assurance, to be persuaded, that in all our difficulties and troubles, in all our bereavements and desertions and afflictions, through this vale of tears, we have a friend, a relation, at the right hand of God, the omnipotent Redeemer; who is advanced, after His earthly humiliation, to the throne above, for the very purpose of “receiving gifts for men;” and of distributing them for the relief and assistance of all His loving and faithful brethren. How fortunate do the needy children of men esteem themselves, if they have a kind relative or friend in a high quarter; one possessed of honour and wealth and power. They feel themselves ennobled by the connexion; and are raised above the fear and apprehension of want, by a confidence in his influence and generosity. But what are the highest and greatest of earthly relatives, in comparison with the glorious everlasting Son of God; with Him who “hath put all our enemies under His feet;” with the “high and holy one that inhabited eternity?”

Earthly friends may and do fail, often when they are most needed; an untoward occurrence, a groundless displeasure arises; and all our expectations from them are suddenly swept away. But with Jesus “there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning:” He searches our hearts; and as long as they are really and stedfastly united with Him, no casualties, no outward appearances can estrange us from His favour. Earthly friends die, one after another; and often at a time, when they are become most dear and most necessary to us; but Jesus liveth for evermore; and the union, we form with Him, is in no danger of being severed by any change of time or circumstance; but goes on progressively and perpetually increasing. The very disasters, which often tend to disunite us from our earthly friends and brethren, serve but to bind us the more closely to the Saviour; in adversity, in poverty, in contempt, in persecution, we find Him the nearer and dearer; always most ready to succour us, when most wanted and desired: always ready, and always able. So that, if the whole world were to fail us, His abiding favour would more than counterbalance all the evils of our lot. “When even my father or my mother forsaketh me, the Lord taketh me up;” [373] He is in the stead of parents, in the stead of all: “the Father of the fatherless, and the God of the widow;” the Lord of consolation, and the Lord of love. The upholding of His Spirit will sustain our infirmities; one beam of His gracious mercy will cheer all the darkness, which the world casteth over our souls.

The disciples of Jesus experience His friendly comfort every day and hour: even if there were no other world than this, they feel themselves abundantly blessed in their connexion with Him, by His present affection and grace; but there is another world; where their joy and love will be continued, and their union with Him perfected in glory. He is called, in gracious condescension, “the first-born among many brethren;” [374a] He has suffered and died and triumphed and risen again, risen “as the first fruits of them that sleep;” [374b] and His brethren, “who endure unto the end,” shall also rise from the sleep of death, and “see Him as He is, and be like Him:” [374c] they shall “be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” [374d]

And “do not our hearts burn within us” at the representation of this blessedness? Do we not desire the honour, the privilege, the advantage, the excellency of being thus united, in a bond of holy endearment, to the glorious Son of God, to the Saviour of our souls? Undoubtedly we do: unless our understandings be so darkened and our affections so depraved and debased, that we are incapable of choosing between good and evil, that we “put darkness for light and light for darkness.” There cannot be one amongst us, who does not profess to set a value upon the favour and friendship of his Lord; upon the relationship which, as christians, we are graciously permitted to bear to Him. Not one of us would go to rest, content and happy, with the prospect of being deprived of this distinguished and heavenly blessing. Let us know and remember then, that our relationship to Him is not like that of earthly families, a mere name which we have inherited from infancy; and which will necessarily continue without our care or concern. We became related to Him by our baptismal covenant; but there must be something more than baptism; something more is required than a mere profession, than an outward belonging to His visible church, in order to our being acknowledged as His brethren. Brethren by name all of us are; nay, we have been spiritually admitted into holy connexion with Him: but Jesus regards those only, as accepted members of His family, who believe in Him with all their heart and soul; who look to Him, with a single, entire, and constant dependence, for life and salvation; those, who “are daily renewed in the spirit of their minds;” and desire and strive to bring all their affections into a righteous subjection to Him and His holy law; those, in a word, “who do the will of God.”

We cannot sufficiently reprobate the practice of those persons, who boastfully claim the Saviour as their “familiar friend,” without an abiding concern and a strenuous endeavour to walk as He walked, in all the ways of spiritual and moral integrity. Consider, I pray you, His own clear text on this point: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments:” [377] there can be no other evidence of our saving interest in the Lord, but that which He Himself has established. His true disciples and brethren must bear His image; and not the marred, corrupted, hideous likeness of the author of sin and death. This it is, to be spiritually and effectually incorporated into the family of Jesus Christ; thus is our relationship to be proved and cherished: he that walketh as a brother and a friend, will be owned as such; he, that faileth so to walk, will be disowned and cast away, whatever his pretensions: “better had it been for that man if he had never been born;” better still, if he had never been born “of water and the spirit;” if he had never “named the name of Christ.” Let us then faithfully remember, not only the joys and privileges of the brethren of our Lord, but the means also, which are absolutely necessary for the proof and establishment of this holy title; the conditions, the evidences, and the duties of so high and happy a state.

And from our Lord’s example in the instance before us, we may gather several particulars for our instruction in life: He gave His relations to understand, that it was not so much the natural tie which He valued, as the spiritual; not, as we have already explained, that He was devoid of natural affection, but that the spiritual bond was of so much higher importance in His esteem. In applying this principle for our adoption and regulation, certainly great allowance must be made, and sound discretion used; allowance for our mutual infirmities; and discretion, for the sake of preserving domestic harmony and peace. Far be it from us, to disclaim and renounce every one of our family, who liveth not as a faithful follower of Christ; he has a natural hold upon us, which must not be harshly or hastily broken.

Independently of a universal feeling of benevolence for all mankind; it is evidently the will of God, that the different members of each family should be especially attached together, for the sake of promoting each other’s interest and comfort; and thus of contributing to the good of society at large; to the increase of the general stock of happiness, and the diminution of evil.

And this, the design of a merciful Providence, which is manifest to our common reason and our common feelings, is abundantly verified and enforced by the holy word of God. The fifth commandment in the law distinctly recognizes and requires the exercise of domestic affection; and it is repeatedly confirmed, under the gospel covenant, by the pen of an inspired apostle. That apostle has farther declared, that “if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” [379] And the sense of this precept may be properly extended, to sanction and command all those peculiar offices, of kindness and countenance and support, which the members of a family can perform for each other. Under ordinary circumstances therefore, if there be no opposing necessity, the natural tie is to be respected by the Christian, and bound upon his conscience and his heart.

Nor is such a connexion to be dissolved, but in cases of extremity; for this among other reasons, that there is always a hope, of the recreant and abandoned becoming, by the mercy of God, at length reclaimed and converted; and of this great blessing the pious relative may be made an instrument, by his fervent prayer, his affectionate counsel, and the constant influence of his good example.

But all this hinders us not from looking, with a very different eye, upon the spiritual and the worldly relation; upon the good and the evil; though both may be objects of our kind personal offices, the nature and degree of our affection may vary most exceedingly. Our love for the truly christian relative has a fervour, a purity, a delight, which nothing but the mutual working and spirit of religion can possibly generate: the happiness proceeds from that sacred, heavenly source, from which both of us draw our principles and hopes; from the consciousness of our common interest in the great Redeemer, and our common relationship to Him: we are both “members of Christ and children of God;” inheritors of a better kingdom; to which we are journeying together, and of which we love to be discoursing; it is a bond of union, which nothing can separate; not distance, not death: for this is the great consideration, the great enhancement of our joy and comfort, that the love which we are bearing for one another, in the kingdom of grace, shall be renewed and matured in the kingdom of glory. And unless there be this principle of attachment between relations, this common faith and hope, this exercise of piety and godliness, this interchange of holy affection, all other attachments, however requisite for this world, are but time-serving and poor: death will be the dreadful extinction. But when the natural affection is thus combined with the spiritual, and draws its nourishment from it, they produce together a happiness, which none but such relations can know.

And further, we are taught by this example of Christ, that every sincere believer, with whom we are made acquainted, with whom we have intercourse, is to be treated as a brother; whatever be his situation in life, he is an object of affection far more noble and delightful, than any human tie can possibly produce; and is entitled to our best and most benevolent services. We may not be familiarly associated; we may not dwell with him as with an earthly relative; there may be a distance of rank between us; but we love and honour him, for the Lord’s sake and his own sake, as one of God’s redeemed people, with whom we hope to dwell in love for ever; and therefore our soul delighteth “to communicate with him and to do him good.” Pity that there is not, in the christian world, more of this spirit of the blessed Jesus; more friendly sympathy and brotherly interchange; more regard for one another, as members of the same holy family; the rich for the rich, the poor for the poor, the rich and poor for each other. Far different would be our condition in this world, if all were thus regarding, thus feeling for, thus helping one another. Why is it not so? For the want of a true christian faith and principle. If the tree were good, the fruit would be thus beautiful.

My brethren, allow me affectionately to recommend this subject to your private and most serious consideration; to your daily prayers; as a subject, in which your own interest in the Saviour is deeply involved; as a subject, intimately connected with all your best promises and hopes, in this life and the life to come. And may the God of love shed His spirit abroad amongst us, and “pour into our hearts this most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues.” Has Jesus, our common Lord and Master, our heavenly and eternal King, declared, of every faithful disciple, that “the same is to Him, as a brother and sister and mother?” Then remember His example, and remember His words, “as I have loved you, that ye love one another:” remember them, or you will be forgotten by Him: “love the brotherhood,” or you do not belong to Christ; your profession is hypocrisy. “Walk in love, as Christ hath loved you;” let it be your daily walk: the reward is great, in every point of view; great upon earth, in present comfort and peace and honour; greater on the latter day, in the approving declaration of your Lord; “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me:” [384] greatest in heaven, where we shall be made “perfect in love;” in the love of God, and of the holy angels, and all His redeemed people, for ever and ever.