Written 1776 · From Cardiphonia, or The Utterance of the Heart
The Difficulty of Drawing a Line for Another
My London journey, which prevented my writing in October, made me amends by an opportunity of seeing you in person. Such seasons are not only pleasant at the time — but afford me pleasure in the review. The subject you were pleased to suggest has been often upon my mind; and glad would I be, were I able to offer you anything satisfactory upon it.
There is no doubt but first religious impressions are usually mingled with much of a legal spirit; and that conscience at such a time is not only tender — but misinformed and scrupulous. And I believe, as you intimated, that when the mind is more enlightened, and we feel a liberty from many fetters we had imposed upon ourselves, we are in danger of verging too far towards the other extreme.
It seems to me that no person can adjust and draw the line exactly for another. There are so many particulars in every situation of which a stranger cannot be a competent judge, and the best human advice is mixed with such defects, that it is not right to expect others to be absolutely guided by our rules, nor is it safe for us implicitly to adopt the decisions or practices of others. But the Scripture undoubtedly furnishes sufficient and infallible rules for every person, however circumstanced; and the throne of grace is appointed for us to wait upon the Lord for the best exposition of His precepts. Thus David prays:
By frequent prayer, and close acquaintance with the Scripture, and a habitual attention to the frame of our hearts, there is a certain delicacy of spiritual taste and discernment to be acquired, which renders a proper judgment concerning questionable things quite unnecessary. Love to Christ is the clearest and most persuasive factor; and when our love to the Lord is in lively exercise, and the rule of His Word is in our eye — we seldom make great mistakes!
And I believe the over-doings of a young convert, proceeding from an honest simplicity of heart and a desire of pleasing the Lord, are more acceptable in His sight — than a certain coolness of conduct which frequently takes place afterward, when we are apt to look back with pity upon our former weakness, and secretly to applaud ourselves for our present greater attainments in knowledge, though perhaps (alas that it should ever be so!) we may have lost as much in warmth as we have gained in light.
General Rules from Scripture
From the time we know the Lord, the two chief points we should have in view are to maintain communion with Him in our own souls, and to glorify Him in the sight of men. The Scripture does not enumerate or infallibly decide for or against many things which some plead for and others condemn; yet it furnishes us with some general rules which, if rightly applied, will go a good way towards settling the debate. Among these are Romans 12:1–2; 1 Corinthians 8:13 and 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 4:30; 5:11, 15–16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; and, suitable to the present times, Isaiah 22:12 and Luke 21:34.
The spirit of these passages will bring a Christian under such restrictions as follow. To avoid and forbear, for his own sake, whatever has a tendency to dampen and indispose spiritual mindedness; for such things — though they may not be condemned as sinful in themselves — if they have a repeated and evident tendency to deaden our hearts to Divine things, there must be something in them, either in season, measure, or circumstance, wrong to us. They do but rob us of our gold to pay us with pebbles. For the light of God's countenance, and an open cheerfulness of spirit in walking with Him in private, is our chief joy.
The Law of Charity Toward Weaker Brethren
For the sake of the church, and the influence that example may have upon fellow-Christians, the law of charity and prudence will often require a believer to abstain from some things — not because they are unlawful — but because they are harmful to others. Thus the Apostle, though strenuous for the right of his Christian liberty, would have abridged himself of the use of meat rather than offend a weak brother, rather than mislead him to act against the present light of his conscience.
Upon this principle, if I could, without hurt to myself, attend some public amusements — as a concert or oratorio — and return from thence with a warm heart to my closet (the possibility of which, in my own case, I greatly question); yet I should think it my duty to forbear, lest some weaker brother than myself should be encouraged by me to make the like experiment, though in their own minds they might fear it was wrong, and have no other reason to think it lawful — but because I did it. In which case I should suspect, that though I received no harm — they would.
I have known and conversed with some who have made shipwreck of their profession, who dated their first decline from imitating others, whom they thought wiser and better than themselves, in such kinds of compliances.
It seems that an obligation of this sort of self-denial rises and is strengthened in proportion to the weight and influence of our characters. Were I in private life, I do not know that I would think it sinful to hunt for partridge — but, as a minister, I no more dare do it, than I dare join in a drunken frolic, because I know it would give offence to some, and be pleaded for as a licence by others.
A Separated People
There is a duty, and a charity likewise, which we owe to the world at large. This seems to require that, though we should not be needlessly singular — yet, for their instruction, and for the honour of our Lord and Master, we should keep up a certain kind of singularity, and show ourselves called to be a separated people: that, though the providence of God has given us callings and relations to fill up — yet we are not of this world, but belong to another community, and act from other principles, by other rules, and to other ends, than the generality of those about us.
I have observed that the world will often leave professors in quiet possession of their notions, and sentiments, and places of worship — provided they will not be too stiff in the matter of conformity with their more general customs and amusements. But I fear many of them have had their prejudices strengthened against our holy religion by such compliances, and have thought, that if there were such joy and comfort to be found in the ways of God as they hear from our pulpits, professors would not so often run among them to get relief from the burden of time hanging upon their hands.
In our way of life in the country, serious people often complain of the snares they meet with from worldly people, and yet they must mix with them to get a livelihood. I advise them, if they can, to do their business with the world as they do it in the rain. If their business calls them abroad, they will not leave it undone for fear of being a little wet; but then, when it is done, they presently seek shelter, and will not stand in the rain for pleasure. Just so, providential and necessary calls of duty which lead us into the world will not hurt us, if we find the spirit of the world unpleasant, and are glad to retire from it.
Redeeming the Time
The value of time is to be taken into the account. Time is a precious talent, and our Christian profession opens a wide field for the due improvement of it. Many things which custom pleads for will not be suitable to a Christian, for this one reason — that they are not consistent with the simplest notion of the redemption of time.
It is generally said that we need relaxation. I allow it in a sense. The Lord Himself has provided it; and because our spirits are too weak to be always upon the wing in meditation and prayer, He has appointed to all men something to do in a secular way. When everything of this sort in each person's situation is properly attended to, if the heart is in a right state — spiritual concerns will present themselves as affording the noblest, sweetest, and most interesting relaxation from the cares and toils of life. A life divided between God and the world is desirable, when one part is spent in retirement seeking after and conversing with Him whom our souls love; and the other part is employed in active services for the good of our family, friends, the church, and society, for His sake.
The Signs of the Times
The day in which we live seems likewise to call for something of a peculiar spirit in the Lord's people. It is a day of abounding sin, and I fear a day of impending judgment. The world, as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, is secure. If I am not mistaken in the signs of the times, there never was, within the annals of English history, a period in which this spirit could be more suitable than the present:
The Lord calls for mourning and weeping — but the words of many are stout against Him! New kinds of evil are invented almost daily; and the language of those who bear the greatest sway in the polite circle — the interpretive language of their hearts — is like that of the rebellious Jews:
In short, things are coming to a point, and it seems to be almost putting to the vote whether the Lord or Baal is God. In this state of affairs, methinks we cannot be too explicit in avowing our attachment to the Lord, nor too careful in avoiding improper relationships with those who are in confederacy against Him.
Conclusion
Upon the whole, it appears to me that it is more honourable, comfortable, and safe (if we cannot exactly hit the golden mean), to be thought by some too scrupulous and precise — than actually to be found too compliant with those things which, if not absolutely contrary to a Divine commandment, are hardly compatible with the genius of the Gospel, or conformable to the mind which was in Christ Jesus, which ought also to be in His people.
As to family connections, I cannot think we are bound to break or slight them. But as believers and their friends often live as it were in two elements, there is a mutual awkwardness which makes their interactions rather dry and tedious. Both sides keep up returns of civility and affection; but as they cannot unite in sentiment and leading inclination, they will not contrive to be very often together, except there is something considerable given up by one or the other — and I think Christians ought to be very cautious what concessions they make upon this account. But, as I said at the beginning, no general positive rules can be laid down.
I have simply given you such thoughts as have occurred to me while writing, without study, and without coherence. I dare not be dogmatic; but I think what I have written is agreeable both to particular texts and to the general tenor of Scripture.