The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, pt. 4
by Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847)
[With this study, we continue our series that has the goal of increasing our love for God and
the things of God, while decreasing our love for the world and the things of the world. This
series will consist of three classic sermons by noted godly men of the past. In the first
sermon, Thomas Chalmers teaches that our love for the world cannot be expelled unless we
replace it with love for a greater object: the love for God. This is the fourth and final part of
that sermon. The first three parts established that men, by nature, do not give up love for
something unless a greater love replaces it, and that the stronghold of the world upon the
hearts of men is great: they love the world and the things of the world. Given these things,
the most effective means of convincing men not to love the world is not merely by pointing
out flaws in the world, but to replace the love of the world by a greater love: the love of God.
This is achieved by instilling in men the love of God through the preaching of the Gospel.]
15
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15).
The object of the Gospel is both to pacify the sinner’s conscience, and to purify his
heart; and it is of importance to observe, that what mars the one of these objects,
mars the other also. The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a
pure one, and by the love of what is good, to expel the love of what is evil. Thus it
is, that the freer the Gospel, the more sanctifying is the Gospel; and the more it is
received as a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine according to
godliness. This is one of the secrets of the Christian life, that the more a man holds
of God as a pensioner, the greater is the payment of service that he renders back
again. On the tenure of “Do this and live,” a spirit of fearfulness is sure to enter;
and the jealousies of a legal bargain chase away all confidence from the intercourse
between God and man; and the creature striving to be square and even with his
Creator is, in fact, pursuing all the while his own selfishness, instead of God’s glory;
and with all the conformities which he labours to accomplish, the soul of obedience
is not there, the mind is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed under such an
economy ever can be. It is only when, as in the Gospel, acceptance is bestowed as a
present, without money and without price, that the security which man feels in
God is placed beyond the reach of disturbance—or, that he can repose in Him, as
one friend reposes in another—or, that any liberal and generous understanding can
be established betwixt them—the one party rejoicing over the other to do him
good—the other finding that the truest gladness of his heart lies in the impulse of a
gratitude, by which it is awakened to the charms of a new moral existence.
Salvation by grace—salvation by free grace—salvation not of works, but according
to the mercy of God—salvation on such a footing is not more indispensable to the
deliverance of our persons from the hand of justice, than it is to the deliverance of
our hearts from the chill and the weight of ungodliness. Retain a single shred or
fragment of legality with the Gospel, and we raise a topic of distrust between man
and God. We take away from the power of the Gospel to melt and to conciliate. For
this purpose, the freer it is, the better it is. That very peculiarity which so many
dread as the germ of antinomianism is, in fact, the germ of a new spirit, and a new
inclination against it. Along with the light of a free Gospel, does there enter the love
of the Gospel, which, in proportion as we impair the freeness, we are sure to chase
away. And never does the sinner find within himself so mighty a moral
transformation, as when under the belief that he is saved by grace, he feels
constrained thereby to offer his heart a devoted thing, and to deny ungodliness.
To do any work in the best manner, we should make use of the fittest tools for it.
And we trust that what has been said may serve, in some degree, for the practical
guidance of those who would like to reach the great moral achievement of our
text—but feel that the tendencies and desires of Nature are too strong for them. We
know of no other way by which to keep the love of the world out of our heart, than
to keep in our hearts the love of God—and no other way by which to keep our
hearts in the love of God, than building ourselves up on our most holy faith. That
denial of the world which is not possible to him that dissents from the Gospel
testimony, is possible even as all things are possible, to him that believeth. To try
this without faith is to work without the right tool or the right instrument. But faith
worketh by love; and the way of expelling from the heart the love which
transgresseth the law, is to admit into its receptacles the love which fulfilleth the
law.
Conceive a man to be standing on the margin of this green world; and that, when
he looked towards it, he saw abundance smiling upon every field, and all the
blessings which earth can afford scattered in profusion throughout every family,
and the light of the sun sweetly resting upon all the pleasant habitations, and the
joys of human companionship brightening many a happy circle of
society—conceive this to be the general character of the scene upon one side of his
contemplation; and that on the other, beyond the verge of the goodly planet on
which he was situated, he could descry nothing but a dark and fathomless
unknown. Think you that he would bid a voluntary adieu to all the brightness and
all the beauty that were before him upon earth, and commit himself to the frightful
solitude away from it? Would he leave its peopled dwelling places, and become a
solitary wanderer through the fields of nonentity? If space offered him nothing but
a wilderness, would he for it abandon the homebred scenes of life and of
cheerfulness that lay so near, and exerted such a power of urgency to detain him?
Would not he cling to the regions of sense, and of life, and of society?—and
shrinking away from the desolation that was beyond it, would not he be glad to
keep his firm footing on the territory of this world, and to take shelter under the
silver canopy that was stretched over it?
But if, during the time of his contemplation, some happy island of the blest had
floated by; and there had burst upon his senses the light of its surpassing glories,
and its sounds of sweeter melody; and he clearly saw that there, a purer beauty
rested upon every field, and a more heartfelt joy spread itself among all the
families; and he could discern there, a peace, and a piety, and a benevolence, which
put a moral gladness into every bosom, and united the whole society in one
rejoicing sympathy with each other, and with the beneficent Father of them
all.—Could he further see, that pain and mortality were there unknown; and above
all, that signals of welcome were hung out, and an avenue of communication was
made for him—perceive you not, that what was before the wilderness, would
become the land of invitation; and that now the world would be the wilderness?
What unpeopled space could not do, can be done by space teeming with beatific
scenes, and beatific society. And let the existing tendencies of the heart be what
they may to the scene that is near and visibly around us, still if another stood
revealed to the prospect of man, either through the channel of faith, or through the
channel of his senses—then, without violence done to the constitution of his moral
nature, may he die unto the present world, and live to the lovelier world that stands
in the distance away from it.
------------------
This article is taken from:
Chalmers,
Thomas.
The
Works
of
Thomas
Chalmers
,
Vol.
VI.
Glasgow:
William
Collins, c. 1850.
A PDF file of this book can be downloaded, free of charge, at:
http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com/comp_set_section.html
© 1994-2018, Scott Sperling
The Expulsive Power of a New
Affection, pt. 4
by Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847)
[With this study, we continue our series that has the goal of
increasing our love for God and the things of God, while
decreasing our love for the world and the things of the
world. This series will consist of three classic sermons by
noted godly men of the past. In the first sermon, Thomas
Chalmers teaches that our love for the world cannot be
expelled unless we replace it with love for a greater object:
the love for God. This is the fourth and final part of that
sermon. The first three parts established that men, by
nature, do not give up love for something unless a greater
love replaces it, and that the stronghold of the world upon
the hearts of men is great: they love the world and the
things of the world. Given these things, the most effective
means of convincing men not to love the world is not merely
by pointing out flaws in the world, but to replace the love of
the world by a greater love: the love of God. This is
achieved by instilling in men the love of God through the
preaching of the Gospel.]
15
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15).
The object of the Gospel is both to pacify the sinner’s
conscience, and to purify his heart; and it is of
importance to observe, that what mars the one of these
objects, mars the other also. The best way of casting
out an impure affection is to admit a pure one, and by
the love of what is good, to expel the love of what is
evil. Thus it is, that the freer the Gospel, the more
sanctifying is the Gospel; and the more it is received as
a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine
according to godliness. This is one of the secrets of the
Christian life, that the more a man holds of God as a
pensioner, the greater is the payment of service that he
renders back again. On the tenure of “Do this and
live,” a spirit of fearfulness is sure to enter; and the
jealousies of a legal bargain chase away all confidence
from the intercourse between God and man; and the
creature striving to be square and even with his
Creator is, in fact, pursuing all the while his own
selfishness, instead of God’s glory; and with all the
conformities which he labours to accomplish, the soul
of obedience is not there, the mind is not subject to the
law of God, nor indeed under such an economy ever
can be. It is only when, as in the Gospel, acceptance is
bestowed as a present, without money and without
price, that the security which man feels in God is
placed beyond the reach of disturbance—or, that he
can repose in Him, as one friend reposes in
another—or, that any liberal and generous
understanding can be established betwixt them—the
one party rejoicing over the other to do him good—the
other finding that the truest gladness of his heart lies
in the impulse of a gratitude, by which it is awakened
to the charms of a new moral existence. Salvation by
grace—salvation by free grace—salvation not of works,
but according to the mercy of God—salvation on such
a footing is not more indispensable to the deliverance
of our persons from the hand of justice, than it is to the
deliverance of our hearts from the chill and the weight
of ungodliness. Retain a single shred or fragment of
legality with the Gospel, and we raise a topic of
distrust between man and God. We take away from the
power of the Gospel to melt and to conciliate. For this
purpose, the freer it is, the better it is. That very
peculiarity which so many dread as the germ of
antinomianism is, in fact, the germ of a new spirit, and
a new inclination against it. Along with the light of a
free Gospel, does there enter the love of the Gospel,
which, in proportion as we impair the freeness, we are
sure to chase away. And never does the sinner find
within himself so mighty a moral transformation, as
when under the belief that he is saved by grace, he
feels constrained thereby to offer his heart a devoted
thing, and to deny ungodliness.
To do any work in the best manner, we should make
use of the fittest tools for it. And we trust that what has
been said may serve, in some degree, for the practical
guidance of those who would like to reach the great
moral achievement of our text—but feel that the
tendencies and desires of Nature are too strong for
them. We know of no other way by which to keep the
love of the world out of our heart, than to keep in our
hearts the love of God—and no other way by which to
keep our hearts in the love of God, than building
ourselves up on our most holy faith. That denial of the
world which is not possible to him that dissents from
the Gospel testimony, is possible even as all things are
possible, to him that believeth. To try this without faith
is to work without the right tool or the right
instrument. But faith worketh by love; and the way of
expelling from the heart the love which transgresseth
the law, is to admit into its receptacles the love which
fulfilleth the law.
Conceive a man to be standing on the margin of this
green world; and that, when he looked towards it, he
saw abundance smiling upon every field, and all the
blessings which earth can afford scattered in profusion
throughout every family, and the light of the sun
sweetly resting upon all the pleasant habitations, and
the joys of human companionship brightening many a
happy circle of society—conceive this to be the general
character of the scene upon one side of his
contemplation; and that on the other, beyond the verge
of the goodly planet on which he was situated, he
could descry nothing but a dark and fathomless
unknown. Think you that he would bid a voluntary
adieu to all the brightness and all the beauty that were
before him upon earth, and commit himself to the
frightful solitude away from it? Would he leave its
peopled dwelling places, and become a solitary
wanderer through the fields of nonentity? If space
offered him nothing but a wilderness, would he for it
abandon the homebred scenes of life and of
cheerfulness that lay so near, and exerted such a power
of urgency to detain him? Would not he cling to the
regions of sense, and of life, and of society?—and
shrinking away from the desolation that was beyond
it, would not he be glad to keep his firm footing on the
territory of this world, and to take shelter under the
silver canopy that was stretched over it?
But if, during the time of his contemplation, some
happy island of the blest had floated by; and there had
burst upon his senses the light of its surpassing glories,
and its sounds of sweeter melody; and he clearly saw
that there, a purer beauty rested upon every field, and
a more heartfelt joy spread itself among all the
families; and he could discern there, a peace, and a
piety, and a benevolence, which put a moral gladness
into every bosom, and united the whole society in one
rejoicing sympathy with each other, and with the
beneficent Father of them all.—Could he further see,
that pain and mortality were there unknown; and
above all, that signals of welcome were hung out, and
an avenue of communication was made for
him—perceive you not, that what was before the
wilderness, would become the land of invitation; and
that now the world would be the wilderness? What
unpeopled space could not do, can be done by space
teeming with beatific scenes, and beatific society. And
let the existing tendencies of the heart be what they
may to the scene that is near and visibly around us,
still if another stood revealed to the prospect of man,
either through the channel of faith, or through the
channel of his senses—then, without violence done to
the constitution of his moral nature, may he die unto
the present world, and live to the lovelier world that
stands in the distance away from it.
------------------
This article is taken from:
Chalmers,
Thomas.
The
Works
of
Thomas
Chalmers
,
Vol.
VI. Glasgow: William Collins, c. 1850.
A
PDF
file
of
this
book
can
be
downloaded,
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