Stletropolitan Cabernacle Nutpit.
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Volume 16 · Sermon 938
Timothy ii.2,3.
AGOODSOLDIEROFJESUSCHRIST.
qSermon
DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, JUNE 2CTI, 187O,BY
C.H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
“A good soldier of Jesus Christ."—Timothy ii.2,3.
MANY men,many minds.In reference to what a Christian is there
havebeen very many and diverse opinions.According to the notions of
some,a Christian is an exquisite of remarkably delicate tastes;he can-
notworshipexceptitbeinaplace whose architectureiscorrectly
Gothic,otherwise his dainty soulwill be shocked；he is unable to offer
prayer arightunlesshisdevotionsareupliftedupon thewings of the
choicest music;and,even then, scarcely will he be successful unlcss he
be aided by sundry gentlemen,whose pedigree, like that of racelorses,
can be clearly traced,and whose garments thetailor has fashioned
accordingto the directionsof the ecclesiasticalfashion bookfor the
various seasons of the year.If this be to be a Christian in these days,
itmustbe confessed thatPaulhas saidlittle concerning this delicate
and artistic sort of creature,unless,indeed,he had referencetoit in
Galatians iv.9,10,11,which read at yourleisure; neither would Paul’s
Master acknowledgeit.
With some a Christian is a spiritual gourmand.He attendsupon
the ministry of the word for no purpose but to be fed;he strongly
denounces every sermon that is aimed at the conversion of sinners,
for helooks even upon theBiuleitself asa book solely intended toyield
him personalconsolation.T'he more anydoctrinalteachingpromiseshim
amonoplyof good things,and the more it excludes others,thebetter he
enjoysit,it being tohim aparticular part of the sweetness of the feast
tobelievethatbut avery slendercompany maydaretopartakeofit.For
him to live is to enjoy and not to serve.To gratify his selfishness he
would blot outthefreeinvitations ofthegospel.Heis not ahearerouly,
but certainly he is not also a doer,he is a hearer and a feeder, ina
certain coarse sense,upon the word of God,and nothing more.That is
notPaul's idealof aChristian.Hedoesnotpicture him withhis
napkin in his hand,sitting at a banquet,but rather with a sword girt
upon nis thigh,ready for the confict.
To some the highestform of Christian isa great reader,a profound
student of the best of books,for the purpose of coinposing spiritual
riddles.He reads for no practical end.He is a picker out of words,
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aspelleroverof syllables,amagnifier ofmicroscopicpoints,aproficient
more sure he is of its meaning.He cares most for things which have
the least practical bearing.Heis apeeper through spiritual spyglasses,
fancying that he can interpretwhatwisermenleave to God to expound.
He is a hunter after spiritual coneys,which，if caught,would never
pay the huntsman for his toil,while the weightier matters he holds in
small esteem.This does not seem to have been Paul's conception of
a Christian;for the apostle was no lover of foolish and unlearned
questionswhichgender strife.
And I amafraidImustaddthatwithsomethebeauidealof a
serenity；a man who,havingbelieved,orprofessed to believe,in Christ,
thine ease,thou hast henceforth much goods laid upfor manyyears in
thineown security,eat,drink,bemerryinthegospel;butasforfeeding
the hungry or clothing the naked，artthou thy brother'skeeper?What
is that tothee?See thou to thyself,and ifthou thyself beright,let
fate,or providence,or sovereignty, take care of the rest.”Paul does
not appear tohavepictured truebelievers assluggards sound asleep
upon the downiestbeds;his description ofaChristian in the text is
thatofasoldier,and thatmeanssomethingveryfar different either
from a religious fop,whose best delight is music andmillinery,or a
theologicalcriticwhomakesamanan offender foraword,or a
spiritual glutton who cares fornothingbutalifelong enjoyment of
thefat thingsfull of marrow,or an ecclesiastical slumberer who longs
only for peace forhimself.He represents him as a soldier,and that,I
say,is quite another thing.Forwhat isa soldier?A soldier is a
practical man, a man who has work to do, and hard, stern work. He
may sometimes when heis at his ease wear the fineries of war,but
whenhe comes to realwarfare he cares little enoughforthem;the dust
and the smoke,and the garments rolled in blood, these are forthose
wnogoa soldiering;and swords allhacked,and dented armour,and
bruised shields,these are the things that mark thegood,the practical
soldier.Truly to serve God,reallytoexhibit Christiangraces,fully
toachievealife-work for Christ,actuallyto win souls,this isto bear
fruit worthy of a Christian.A'soldieris a man of deeds,and not of
words.He has to contend and fight.In war times his life knows
little of luxurious ease.In thedeadofnight perhaps the trumpet
sounds to boot and saddle,just at the time whenhe is most weary,and
hemust away to the attackjustwhen hewould best prefer to takehis
rest in sleep.The Christian is a soldier in an enemy's country always
needing to stand on his watchtower,constantly to be contending,
though not withfesh and blood,with far worse foes,namely，with
spiritualwickednessesinhighplaces.
The Christian is a self-sacrificing man as the solaier must be.To
protecthiscountry the soldiermust expose his own bosom;to servehis
king he must beready to lay down his life.Surely heis no Christian
whonever felt the spiritofself-sacrifice.If I liveuntomyself I am
who lives tohis God,to Christ,to the truth,to the church,and to'the
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good old cause, only he is the man who can reckon himself at all to be
asoldier ofJesusChrist.
A soldier is a serving man.He does not follow his own pleasure;
duty； and he must be obedient to the word of another andnot to his
own will andwhim.Such is the Christian.We serve the LordJesus
Christ.Though no longer the slaves of man so as to dread his frown,
we are servants ofChrist whohasloosed our bonds.
The soldier is full often a suffering man.There are wounds,there
aretoils,there arefrequentlyingsinthehospitals,there maybeghastly
cuts whichlet the soul outwith the blood.Such the Christian soldier
must be,ready to suffer,enduring hardness,notlookingfor pleasure of
aworldly kindin this life,but counting it his pleasure to renounce his
pleasure forChrist's sake.
Once again,the true soldier is an ambitious being.He pants for
honour, seeks for glory.On the field of strife he gathers his laurels,
and amidst a thousand dangers he reaps renown.The Christian is
firedbyhigherambitions thanearthlywarrioreverknew.Hesees a
crown thatcannever fade;he lovesaKing who best of allis worthy
tobe served;hehasamotivewithinhim whichmoveshim tothe
noblest deeds,adivine spiritimpelling him tothemost self-sacrificing
actions.ThusyouseetheChristian is a soldier,andit is one of the
main things inChristian life,to contend earnestly for the faith,and
tofightvalorously againstsin.
Paul does not exhort Timothy tobe a common,or ordinary soldier,
but to be a“ good soldier of Jesus Christ;”for all soldiers, and all true
soldiers,maynotbegoodsoldiers.Therearemenwho arebutjust soldiers
andnothingmore;they only needsufficient temptation andthey readily
become cowardly, idle,useless and worthless;but he is the good
soldier who isbravest of thebrave,courageous at all times,who is
zealous,doeshis duty withheart andearnestness.Heisthe good soldier
of Jesus Christ who,through grace,aims to make himself as able to
serve hisLord as shall bepossible,who triesto growin grace and to be
battles fitfor theroughest and sternest service,andready tobear the
verybrunt ofthefray.David hadmany soldiers,andgood soldierstoo,
butyouremember it was said of many,“These attained not unto the
first three.”NowPaul,if Iread him rightly,would have Timothy try
to be of thefirst three,to be a good soldier.And surely I would this
morning sayto my dear comrades in the little army of Christ meeting
here,let each oneof us try to attain unto the firstthree;let us ask to
be numbered among theKing’s mighties,to do noble work for him and
honourable service,thatwemay bring to ourMaster's cause freshglory.
Be it ours to covet earnestly the best gifts,and aswe have had mrch
forgiven,let us lovemuch, and prove that love by signs following.
Before I proceed fully to open up this metaphor, let me say that
though we shall use military terms this morning,and stirring speech,
it should ever be recollected that we have no war against persons, and
that theweapons whichwe use arenotsuch as are forgedforthedeadly
conficts of mankind. The wars of a Christian are against principles,
against sins, against the miseries of mankind, against that evil one who
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has led man astray from hisMaker,against the iniquity which keeps
manan enemytohimself;and theweapons thatweuseareholy
arguments and consecrated lives,devotion and prayer to God,and
teachingand example among thesons ofmen.Ours is battlingfor the
audturn itupside down to setitright;wepull down strongholds that
theymaynotpull down theZion ofGod;wedashdownthemighty
thatthehumbleandthemeekmaybeestablished.Wehaveno sympathy
with any other war,but count itan evilof the direst_sort,ietit be
disguised as itmay.Nowwith that caution,whateverIshall seem to
saywill not sound as though Iloved orexcusedordinarywarfare,for
nothingcan bemoreabhorrenttotheChristianman thanwholesale
slaughter;nothing can be more desired by us than the promised era,
when men shall beat their swords into ploughshares,and their spears
intopruninghooks.
Nowletus come to thework of thismorning.First,we shall describe
agood soldier of Jesus Christ,and when we have done so,we shall
echortyoutobesuch.
I.First,then,this morning,we shall endeavour to DEscRIBE A GOOD
SOLDIER OFJEsUs CHRIST.Wemustbegin with thisfundamental-he
must beloyal tohisKing.Asoldier ofJesusChristowns thedivine
Redeemer as hisKing,and confesses his sole and undivided sovereignty
in the spiritual kingdom.He abhors Antichrist in all its forms,and
everyprinciplethat opposes itself to thereign of thebelovedPrince
ofPeace.Jesus is tohim both LordandGod:The day when he
enlisted,he did as itwereputhisfingerinto theprint ofthe nails,and
declaration,and he remains true to it.Christ is all,”is his motto,
and towinallmento obedience toImmannelishislifework.Till he
sheatheshis sword in thelastvictory，theCrucitiedissolemonarch of
his soul; for him he lives,for him he would even dare to die.He has
entered intosolemnleague andcovenant,tomaintainagainst all comers
thatJesus ChristisLordto theglory of God theFather.
Moreover,the Christiansoldiernotonly acknowledgesJesus tobe
his King,but his heart is full of loving devotion to him as such.
Nothingcan make his heart leaplike the mentionof thataugust,that
more than royal name.He remembers who Jesus is,the Son of God,
“the Wonderful,the Counsellor,the Mighty God.”He remembers
what Jesus did,howhe lovedhim,and gavehimself for him;he looks
tothe cross,andremembers the streamsof bloodwlerebytheelectwere
redeeined,evenwhen they were enemiesto God.Heremembers Christ
inheaven,enthronedattherighthand of the Father,he loveshim
there,andit ravishes his heart to think that Godhathhighly exalted
the once-despised andrejectedOne,andgivenhimaname thatisabove
every name,that atthename ofJesus everyknee shall bow,of things
in heaven,and things in earth,and things under the earth.He pants
forthe time when the Crucifed shall come in his glory，andrule the
nations as their liege Lord.He lovesJesus so thut hefecls he,belongs
to him altogethier,bought with his blood,redeemed by his power,and
comforted byhis presence;he delights to know thathe isnothis own,
for he is bought witha price.And since he loves his King, and loves
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him with an ardour unquenchable,for many waters cannot drown his
love,neither can the floods quench it,heloves all the King'sbrethren
and servants for the King's sake;he hails his brethren in arms with
hearty afection;heloves the grand old banner of the gospel;heprays
for the wind of the Holy Spiritto expand its furls,thatall eyes may
beholdits beauties;heis steadfast in the faith once deliveredto thie
saints,andrejoices so much at every doctrine of thegospel that he
would gladly lay down his life to preserve it to theworld.Above all,
he lovesthe crown of hisKing,and thecause ofhisMaster.Oh,could
hesettheCaptainofhissalvationhigheramongmen,hewouldbecontent
to diein the ditchof neglect and scorn;couldhe but seetheKing come
to his own, and the heir of all things loyally acknowledged by his re-
voltedprovinces,hewould besatisfiedwhatevermightbecome ofhimself.
His heart is more than loyal,it is full of personal affection for the chief
among ten thousand.1 ask you,brethren,whether it is so with you?
Believing,yea,knowing thatitissowithmany，Iwould toGoditwere
thus with all.'Brethren, I know you love Jesus well, no music sounds
toyour ears so sweetly as his charmingname;no song of choicest
minstrelis half so sweet.The very thought of himwithrapture fills
yourbreasts.Assuredly you have one of thefirst marks of good soldiers;
go on,Ipray you,to thatwhich lies beyond.
The next characteristic ofagood soldieris thatheisobedient tohis
captain'scommands.Hewouldbe no soldier at all who would nottake
his marching orders from his leader,but must needs act after his own
mind;he would soon be dismissed the service, if not shot, by order of
a court martial,for crimes which military rule cannot tolerate.Now,
without enlargingonthatillustration,letme askeveryChristian here,
andmyseif firstof all,are we doing all theMaster's will?Dowewish
toknow theMaster'swill?I should notlike thatanypart of the
Scripture shouldbe distastefultome._Iwould trembleifthere were
portions of myLord's testimonywhichIfeared to read,orfound it con-
venient to forget.Itis terrible whenmenareobliged topass over
certain texts,or else to cut and square themto makethem agree with
theirbeliefs.Weshould notpractise an ordinancemerelybecause our
church teaches it,or our parents believed in it;we must read the
Seriptures,and searchthequestionfor ourselves,orwe are not respect-
ful toourLord.The soldierwhodidnottakethetroubletoreadthe
orders of his superior,mightjustly be suspected ofmutinousintentions.
Disobedience rankles in any heart where there is carelessness about
knowing theLord'swill.Be courageous enough alwaysto lookScripture
in the face,it is after all nothing more than your bare duty.Better
for us thatwe changed our sentiments every day in order tobe right,
thanthatweheldtothem obstinatelywhiiewehadsomefear that
perhapswewerewrong.Tolive alifeof obedienceisagreater matter
thansomesuppose.
Obedience isnosecond-ratevirtue:“to obey is
better than sacrifce,and tohearkenthan thefatoframs”If ye love
kings forme?No,neither of these things is expressly selected,but
If ye love me,keep my commandments,”as though this were the
surest and most accepted testof love.Mayyouthus,then,being loyal
to theKing,bein the secondplace obedienttohis commands.
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The third matter for a good soldier to mind is this,if he be indeed.a
first-class soldier,worthy of the service,to conquer willbehis ruling
passion.Thefight is on,and the soldier's blood isup,andnowhe feels
Imustdrivetheenemy fromhisentrenchment,Imust takeyonder
redoubt.I must plant our conquering standard on the castleof the
foe,orI must die.Accursed bethe sun if hego down this day and
see me turn my backupon the enemy.”Heisresolvedthat he will win
orlie cold andstarkupon thebattlefield.The Christian man,inorder
that he may winforChrist the souls of others,maymakeknown Christ’s
truth,may establish Christ's church on fresh ground,is quite asready
tosufferor die asistheboldestmember ofthemostrenownedreginent.
Todothishedisentangleshimself asmuchashe can fromall other
ambitions andaims,“for he thatwarrethentangleth not himself with
the affairs of this life”Witha good soldierofChrist themaster passion
is to spread the gospel,to save souls from perishing,and he would
sooner do this and be poor thanbe richand neglect it;he would sooner
beusefulandlive unknown thanrankamongthegreat onesof theearth
and be useless to his Lord.A truly good soldier of Jesus Christ knows
nothingaboutdifficulties except as things to be surmounted.If his
Masterbidshim perform exploits toohardfor him,he draws upon the
resourcesofomnipotence,and achievesimpossibilities.Wellington sent
word to his troops one night,“Ciudad Rodrigo must be taken to-night."
Andwhat do you think was the commentary of theBritish soldiers
Sowhen our great Captain sends round,as he doth to us, the word
ofcommand,“Goyeinto all theworld andpreach thegospel toevery
creature”if we were allgood soldiers of the cross,we should say at
once,We will do it.However hard the task, since God himself is
withus tobe ourCaptain,and.Jesus thePriest of theMostHighis with
us to sound the trumpet, we will do it in Jehovah's name.May such
dauntlessresolutionfireyourbreastsmybrethrenand sistersaudmay
you thus prove yourselves“good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
The passionforvictory with the soldier oftenmakeshimforget every-
thing else.Before the battle ofWaterloo,Picton had had twoof his
ribs smashed in at Quartre Bras,but he concealed this serious injury,
and,though sufferingintensestagony，herodeattheheadofhistroop,
andledone ofthegreat chargeswhich decided thefortunes of the day.
Henever lefthispost,butrode on tillaball crushedinhis skulland
penetrated tothebrains.Theninthehotfighttheherofell.Howfew
among us could thus endure hardness forJesus.O that we felt we
could suffer anythingsooner than be turned asidefrom accomplishing
ourlife-workforhimwelove.In that same battle one ofourlieutenants,
in the early part of the day,had his left fore-arm broken by a shot;he
could not,therefore, hoid the reins in his hand,but he seized
them with his mouth,and fought on till another shot broke the
upper part of the arm to splinters,and it had to be amputated;
the wound all raw,riding at the head of hisdivision.
Brave
things have been done amongst the soldiers of our country—O that
suchbrave thingswere common among the armedmen of the church
militant!Wouid to God,that in theteeth of suffering we could all
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persevere in living the holy life he bids us live, and in zealously
spreading abroad that gloricus gospel which has saved our souls and
whichwill save the soulsofothers.GreatMaster,bythine ownexample
inspire us with this valour.I desire to see in this our beloved church
more of you who are resolved that Christ's gospel shall conquer this
South ofLondon,that it shall conquertheworld,that Christ shall see
of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.Ilong to witness more of
that doggedperseverance amongst Christians whichwould make them
work on andon,even without success,and persevere under every dis-
couragement,until atlast their Master shallgivethem their reward on
earth,or else take them away to their reward in heaven.To be agood
soldier of Jesus Christ, there must be a passion for victory,an insa-
tiable greed for setting up the throne of Jesus in the souls of men.
Fourthly,a good soldier is very brave at acharge.When the time
comes andtheorders are givenforthegoodsoldier toadvance to
the attack,he does notwish himself away;thoughaperfecthail of
hurtling shot whistles all around, and the ranks of the army are
thinned,heis glad tobe there,forhefeels the stern joy that flushes the
face inthelightof battle,and he onlywants tobe within arm's length
of the foe and to come toclose quarters withhim.So is it with the
genuine Christian when his heart is right with God.If he be bidden to
advance,let the danger be what it may,he feels he is honoured by
having such a service allotted to hin.But are we all such?
fear not.How many of us are silent about Jesus Christ in private
conversation,howlittle do we showforth our light before men.If we
men, and prudently but yet zealously press the claims of Jesus Christ
and his gospel upon them.Oh,do you this,beloved,and good will
come of it.Weshouldeachonebesceking tohave his own special
work forJesus, and if no one elsewere atteinpting the task we should,
like the brave men who rush in to the storming of abattery,carry the
fagfirst and plant it,knowing that there are hundreds ofothers who
willfollowthefirstbrave man,who mightnotbe ableperhaps tolead
the way themselves.My beloved,may you andI be readyfor anything,
andbold tobearwitnessfor Christbefore a scoffingworld.In thepul-
pits where we preach,in the workshops where welabour,in the markets
where we trade,in every company amidst which we are called to move;
wherever we may be,may we bebrave enough to own our Lord and to
upholdhiscause.
But thisis not all that goes to make a good soldier.A good soldier
islike a rock under attacl.SoBritish soldiers have been;they have
stood in solid squares against the enemies’cavalry until their foes have
dashed upon them madly, gnashed their teeth,fred in their faces,
thrown their guns at them,and yet might just as well have ridden
against granite rocks;for our soldiers did notknowhow to yield,and
there stood the square of iron defying therush of the foe.We want
this kind of fixed, resolved,persevering Godliness in our churches,
and we shall have it if we are good soldiers of Jesus Christ.Alas!too
many are exhausted by the zeal at first exhibited; for a time they can
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reach thehighest point,but to continue on,and on,and on,this is toq
difficult a task forthem.How many young people willjoin thechurch,
and for awhile seem very zealous and then grow cold!AlasIit is not
always theyoung,therebe some amongyourselves whowere once most
diligentinyourvariousformsofservice;whatdothhinderyou that
you are not diligent in your Master's business now?Has Christ given
you leave toretireintoinglorious ease?Does heexemptyou from
must through life still maintain our integrity,stillresist temptation,
still tread the separated path，and,withal,still seek thesouls ofmen
withundyingardour,withindefatigable earnestness,stillwrestlingwith
God for men andwith men for God.Oh,for more of this stern deter-
mination to stand,and having done all to stand!
The last mark of a really good soldier of Jesus Christ is that he
deriveshisstrengthfrom onhigh.Thishasbeen trueevenof some
common soldiers,for religious men when they have sought strength
fromGodhavebeenall thebraverin the dayof confict.Ilikethe
story ofFrederick the Great；when he overheardhis favouritegeneral
engaged in prayer, and was about to utter a sneering remark,the fine
old man,whonever feared a foe,and didnoteven fear his majesty's
jest,said,“Your Majesty,I have just been asking aid from your
Majesty’s greatally.”He had been waiting upon God.This is how
best Christian who is the best intercessor,he shall do the most who
shall pray thebest.In the battleof Salamanca,when Wellington bade
one of his offcers advancewith his troops,andoccupy a gap,which the
Duke perceived in the lines of the French,thegeneral rode up tohim,
and said, “My lord, I wil do the work, but first give me a grasp
of that conquering right hand of yours.”'He received a hearty grip,
and away he rode to the deadly encounter.Often has my soul said to
her Captain,“MyLord,Iwilldo that work if thou wilt give me a grip
of thy conquering right hand”Oh,whatpoweritputs intoaman
when he gets a gripof Christ,and Christgets a gripof him!Fellow-
shipwith Christis'thefountainof the church's strength.Her power
didnever lie inher wealth,nor in the eloquence of her preachers,nor
in aught that comes of man; the strength of the churchis divine,and
if she fails to draw strength from the everlasting hills,she becoines
weak as water.Good soidiers of Jesus Christ,watch unto prayer,
andinthepowerofhismight.
II.ThusIhave inaverypoorwaydescribeda good soldierofJesus
Christ.Give me a few minutes while I ExHoRT YoU To BE sUCH;
and, mark you I shall speak especially to the members of this Christian
church.
Iexhort you,dear brethren,who are soldiers of Christ,to be good
soldiers,because many of you have been so.Paul was wont to
(ommendthechurcheswhenhecould,andIfeelImayhonestlyand
and Masterwell.I knowyou have nothing whereof toglory,forwhen
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andwill rejoice whenIsee the work of theHoly Spirit in you;and I
willventure to saythatIhaveseenhercinstances ofapostolic ardour
and self-sacrifice such as I have read of in ancient records,but hardly
everexpectedtosee.
There are those in this house this day who wil
shine as starsfor ever and ever,for theyhave turnedmanytorighteous-
ness.Dishonour notyour past,I beseech you,fall not fromyour high
standing.“Forward” be your motto;never think of declining,but
rather advanceinlovetoGod,and intheardour ofyour zeal.Be
good soldiers still, and depart not from your first love.I am sure there
is greater need of good soldiering now than ever.Ten years ago or six-
landwas notbing to what it is now.In those days the Church of
Englandwas moregenerallyProtestant,now itis sofrequently popish
churches,thatof Romeand that of Oxford,the secondnot one whit
better than the frst,only more crafty and insidious,inasmuch asit
attractsto itself a number of godly and graciousmen,whoprotect the
villainswhobear aProtestantnameandwhoaredoingthePope's
work.Igrieve toknow that the evangelical clergy of England,by
theircontinuedunionwith the ChurchofEnglandareacting asa shield
to theritualistic or popish party,andgiving them every opportunity to
work outtheir schemesforleadingthenationbacktopopery enmasse.
Around this very spot a battlewill have to be fought between the
sacramentarians andtheloversofthegospel.Atyourverydoorsthe
battleiscomeatlast；itwasnot sotibutlately,buthereitis,ande
that are men must show your colours, and serve your Master against
innumerable and constantly active foes.Yehavenever failed me,ye
have alwaysbeenbold and’steadfast,and laborious,and solet itbe,for
the time requires it.I can see on all hands that many of your young
men arebeing attracted by theworldlyamusements which surround us,
for our dangers are not only those of popery,but those of the world,
the fesh,and the devil.There must be greater earnestness and a
deeper-toned piety among you,or the next generation will become
tothis.
Be good soldiers,for much depends upon it.Your country will be
blest in proportion as you are earnest.Nonconformity in England will
lose allits power if itlosesitsgodliness.I do not care much for our
political strength-Iwas aboutto sayIamalmostindifferentto our
politicalrightsIcare for them,butonly so much asto occupy avery
minorplacein myconsideration;butour spiritualityisthemain
matter,it is this alone that can make us a blessing to our country.
Sons of the Puritans,ye must walk with God,or your day is past,ye
willbe sweptawayasEstherwouldhavebeen，whocametothe
kingdomforthesalvation of hernation,if shehadnotfulfilled the
office for which Godhadexalted her.You have grown in numbers,
better,andloveChrist better，foryour countryneedsit,your children
need it,yourselves need it.The times are perilous,andyet they are
soldiersofJesus Christ.
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Let no man's hearl failhim.There is no fear of defeat.Lo,these
many years the Lord of Hosts has been with us as a church,and he
willbhestillourhelper.Wehave seentherise and fall ofmany who
blazed for awhile,but are now quenched in darkness,while we have
increasedfrom a handful to this mass; and Godwhohas been our trust,
and is still our stay, will not forsake us now.He has not drawn you
together,and heldyouin one body by cords of love,that after allyou
may prove to be apowerless unwieldiymass of associated Christians;
he intends to direct and strengthen you for nobler ends and purposes.
God,even our own God,will bless us.Immanuel, God with us,leads
the van.The truth,like the virgin daughter of Zion,shakes her head
atboastfulerror,andlaughsit to scorn.Let falsehoodput onher tawdry
garments,andthinkherselfaqueen,andsaythat sheshall sitalone,and
see no sorrow;let error come forth in her panoply and wave her flaunt-
ing banner beforethe sun.She drawsnearher end.Her armour-
what is it?It is but pasteboard, and the lance of truth shall pierce it
through and through.Her banner, what is it but a foul rag of
the Roman harlot?It shall be laid in the dust.Nay,let error
bringforth allherhosts,andletthem standintheir serriedranks,and
throughthemthefaithfulsoldiersofJesuswillrideandbowthecolumns
like reeds in the wind.In these days, the doctrines and traditions of
men compass us about,yea,like bees they compass us about,but in the
name of theLordwill we destroy them.Onlylet us have confidence in
God,and the victory is sure.As for the thought of turning back,that
can never be endured.A message came to Sir Colin Campbell at the
Alma,that Her Majesty's Guards were falling thick and fast bencath
the shot,had theynotbetterretire fora littlewhile into safe quarters？
The answer was，Itwere better, sir,that every one of Her Majesty’s
Guards should lie dead on thisbattlefield thanturn their backsonthe
enemy.”And it is so.Let us die,yea,it were to be devoutly wished
rather than thatwe lived acoward’s life!Letthe preacherfirstof all
be carried to his grave,let him never live to see the shame of this
Israel.Let these eyesbe sealed in death ratherthan behold Ichabod”
written on these walls. No,brethren, it shall not be; you will serve
Jesus,you will love him,andOnward tovictory”shall beyourwatch
“I stand at the door,and knock:if any man hear my voice,andopen
the door,Iwill come into him,and will supwith him,andhe with
me This blessed supping with Jesus will restore you; though you
renew the loveofyour espousals.Oh,then,mybrethren,inJesus
name I bid you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
I havenot preachedto sinnersbutyouwilldothatifyoucatchthe
spirit of this sermon; there will be many thousands of words to sinners
spoken as the resut of this exhortation, if God,the Holy Spirit,
soldiers ofJesus Christ;trust himnow,comenowand kiss his silver
sceptre of grace;hewill forgive the rebel,and take him to be his
servant.God bless you.Amen.