Luke ix. 26.
Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory and in his Father’s, and of the holy Angels.
If we compare this text with the parallel one of St. Mark[263], it will seem probable that it more immediately concerned the Jews; who, in consequence of their being ashamed of Christ, and rejecting him, as their Messiah, should themselves be covered with shame, and be rejected by him from being his people, when he came to take vengeance of their crimes in the destruction of Jerusalem. In this view, the words are prophetical of what should, and, in fact, did, befall the unbelieving Jews of that age, in which Christ lived; for before that age was passed, all these things were fulfilled on that adulterous and sinful generation: were so remarkably fulfilled, that the unbelieving Jews, only, were involved in that calamity, while the Christians, even to a man, as we are told, providentially made their escape from it.
But, though this be the primary sense of the text, we have reason to believe that something further, and still more terrible, was intended by it. For the destruction of Jerusalem was emblematical of that final destruction, which should await all the enemies of Christ in the day of judgment; as we may probably gather from the exaggerated terms in which the prophecy concerning Christ’s coming to judge Jerusalem is delivered, and as we certainly conclude from those passages of scripture, which professedly describe the final day of judgment, when all that believe not shall be condemned[264], and concerning which our Lord himself says—He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the WORD which I have spoken, THE SAME shall judge him in the last day[265].
Whence, you see, we are authorized to take the words of the text in their full force, and to understand them as a general declaration to ALL, who shall be ashamed of Christ and of his words, that of them shall Christ, also, be ashamed, in the great day of retribution, sublimely expressed by the circumstance of his coming in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy Angels.
To be ashamed of CHRIST, is very intelligible language, and means to disown him for what he claims to be, The Messiah; and to take it for a degradation to us, a reflexion on our own sufficiency and importance, to regard him as our Lord and Saviour. In like manner, to be ashamed of his WORDS, is, to think it beneath us to receive his doctrine, and to observe it: It is to say, or to behave ourselves as if we said, with neglect and scorn, that we will not condescend to be influenced and directed by it.
But how, and in what respects, may we be said to incur the guilt of this charge? in what ways, may we testify to the world that the shame of CHRIST and of his WORDS is predominant in us?
The inquiry, you see, is of the last importance; for this shame of Christ, in whomsoever it prevails, and so far as it prevails, will be repaid in kind, in that day, when he shall come in glory, in that day when it so much concerns us to have boldness before him, in the day of judgment[266].
To assist you, then, in making this momentous inquiry, permit me to lay before you, gradually and distinctly, the CHIEF of those cases, which appear to me to express, or imply, the existence of this false shame; and may therefore let us see whether we are, or not, involved in the guilt of it.
I. They (if any such there be) who reject Christianity on the grounds of a fair impartial inquiry, cannot so properly be said to be ashamed of Christ, as to be convinced that he has no claim to their respect and veneration. For they deny him, they will say, not from a principle of shame, or disrespect, but of what they take to be right reason.
But then, if any oblique views have influenced their disbelief; if conceit, or vanity, or presumption, has any share in forming their conclusions; if a careless or fastidious neglect of the means, by which they might be better informed, has mixed itself with their inquiries; if they have felt the smallest disposition in themselves to struggle with evidence, or to be concluded by any thing but evidence; if any, or all, of these motives can be imputed to them, they will find themselves liable, more or less, to the charge of the text; and it surely concerns them to see that they stand clear of all such imputations: It concerns them the more, because, if the revelation be divine, the revealer knew what evidence was fit to be given of it, and that the evidence given was sufficient to the conviction of a reasonable inquirer. To the severe scrutiny of their own hearts, the disbelievers on principle are, therefore, referred: and, if their heart condemn them in any degree, let them reflect with awe, that God is greater than their heart, and knoweth all things[267].
But, whatever these immaculate unbelievers may have to say for themselves, there are others who have the spots of shame indelibly impressed upon them.
Such were the Jews of old, who rejected Christ, not because they wanted evidence of his mission (for they could not deny, nay they frankly owned, that he did many miracles[268]), but because he was the Son of a Carpenter[269]; because he was of Galilee[270], and dwelt at Nazareth; because their rulers did not believe in him[271]; because they were afraid of being put out of their synagogue[272]; because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God[273]; in plain words, because on one account or other, they were ASHAMED OF HIM.
Such, too, in succeeding times, were many of the pagan wise men, who disbelieved, because the doctrine of the cross was foolishness to them[274]; because the Jews, who were the first converts to the faith and the first preachers of it, were, in their eyes, a contemptible people; because the vulgar were generally inclined to believe in him; because his doctrine contradicted and degraded their philosophy; because their pride of reason would not submit to be tutored by the Galilæan; in a word, for a hundred frivolous reasons, which only shewed, that they were ASHAMED OF HIM.
Such, too, in later times (may we affirm without a breach of charity) have been, and are, many of those over-modest men, who know not how to withstand the raillery of prophane scoffers; who think the credit of their parts concerned in rejecting their creed, and applaud themselves for sitting loose to the principles, which they call the prejudices, of their Christian education; who affect to have a religion of their own making, if they have any at all, or, rather, disclaim all regard to religion, on the authority of this or that renowned patriarch of infidelity; to say all, in a word, who have the infirmity, and yet make it a matter of vanity, to be ashamed of Jesus.
Now, of such unbelievers it must be said, that they clearly come within the description of the text; they are ashamed of the Son of man, and yet, perhaps, glory in their shame: to what end, let them reflect, when they read on, and find, that of such shall the Son of man, in his turn, be ashamed, when he shall came in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy Angels.
II. [1.] Of men professing Christianity, they are most exposed to the censure of the text, who, under a full conviction that Jesus is the Christ, yet, in WORDS, formally disown and reject him. Such was the Apostle Peter, who thrice denied his Lord, though he had not the least doubt of his divine pretensions. And why did he deny him? Because, it lessened him in the eyes of a stranger or two, to have it believed by them, that he was connected with a supposed criminal; because he had not the confidence to bear up against the reproach of a maid-servant, who looked earnestly upon him, and said, This man was, also, with him. Such was the power, which a false shame had upon this great, and otherwise fervent, disciple of Christ! A memorable instance of human frailty, which should admonish believers to be on their guard against all approaches towards a crime, the less pardonable, because committed against the clear sense of the mind, and almost without temptation.
St. Peter, it is true, might alledge the passion of fear, as well as shame: he probably thought his life in some danger, and had an eye to his personal safety, as well as credit, when he denied his Master. Yet when he reflected on his unworthy conduct, though under these circumstances of alleviation, he wept bitterly, as he had reason to do. What then should they feel, who have not this cloke for their shame? who deny their Lord without any inducement to do so, but the weak apprehension of disgusting some persons, whose sentiments, after all, they do not really adopt, themselves. Yet is this no uncommon case. Men are ashamed to confess with their mouths, what they believe in their hearts; and give themselves airs of a frank libertinism, when they tremble at their own impiety: And all this to be well with a frivolous circle, which they frequent, or to merit the good word of certain fashionable blasphemers.
[2]. Another sort of men seem to come within the description of the text, who, though neither prompted by a sense of danger to their persons, nor of disgrace to their reputation, are yet induced by a regard to their interest, when it presses upon them with a certain force, to dissemble their conviction, or rather openly to avow their shame of Jesus. Such are they, of whom our Lord himself speaks, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away[275]: And such, in particular, was the young man in the Gospel, who had no vice to keep him from believing, nay who would gladly, perhaps have sacrificed any thing, but his fortune, to the Christian faith. It seems, as if he had been upon the point of entering, without reserve, into the service of his new master, when, being told, that he must part with all he had, and then follow him, he grew sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions[276]. Poverty was a cross, which this amiable young man was not prepared to take up. His faith, which, before, gave a promise of life and vigour, died away at the proposal. He now found, doubtless with some surprize to himself, that he had the seeds of infidelity lurking in him. He could not resolve to give this last proof of his sincerity: he, therefore, withdrew himself from Christ; in other words, he was ashamed of him. Let us pity the weakness of this unhappy young man; and only ask ourselves, if, in his circumstances, or in any approaching to them, we should not have hesitated, as he did, about believing in the name of the Lord Jesus. If we should, let us implore the divine grace to strengthen our faith, and frankly confess, that a secret principle of shame, though skulking behind some other and more venial infirmity, has taken hold of us.
[3]. Still we may not have gone these lengths of infidelity. We assure ourselves, perhaps, that no consideration would induce us, simply and wholly, to renounce the faith, and that, if the hard alternative was proposed to us, we should rather give up wealth, fame, and life itself, than formally deny our Lord, and disclaim all hopes of interest in him. But let us explore our hearts a little, those hearts, which, as we are told and have reason to know, are deceitful above all things[277]. Have we never in lesser instances detected ourselves approaching somewhat towards this ignominious crime of apostacy?
Have we not contented ourselves with being the disciples of Christ in private, and with going to him, as the Ruler of the Jews did, by night, in secrecy, and, as it were, by stealth, not to draw the observation of men upon us? Have we been willing and ready to serve him in the congregation, to attend his ordinances, and to revere his sacraments? Have we dared to let the world see that we are not ashamed of the cross of Christ[278]? and that we glory in remembering him, as we are admonished to do, at his holy table[279]? Have we no reluctance to let our friends, nay our servants, know[280] that we live in a daily sense of our duty to him, and that we hope for all the blessings of this life and the next, only through his merits and intercession? Have we never heared his pretensions slighted, and his holy name blasphemed, without expressing a becoming zeal for the honour of our Redeemer? Have we testified out displeasure at freedoms of this sort by an open reprehension of them on all fit occasions; at least by a look and manner, which shewed how offensive they were to us? On the other hand, have we never, in such circumstances, by an assumed air of complacency, seemed to authorize what we secretly disapproved, and to yield our assent to propositions which we inwardly detested? In a word, have we none of us, at any time, given occasion to unbelievers to say or think of us, that we were almost inclined to be of their party; or at least that we had not the zeal, and firmness and resolution, which men ought to have, who profess themselves believers in Jesus?
To these, and other questions of the like sort, it concerns us to think what answers we could honestly make. But of this be we assured: If we have not constantly and uniformly signified, declared, proclaimed our attachment to Christ; if we have not taken care to avoid all irreverence toward our Lord and Master; nay, if we have not been enough upon our guard to let no man suspect us of indifference towards him—we certainly have not done our duty; we have virtually denied the Son of Man; we have, in effect, been ashamed of him.
And THUS MUCH may suffice for a commentary on that part of the text, which more immediately respects the PERSON of Jesus Christ—Whosoever shall be ashamed of ME—but our Lord goes farther, and says—Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of MY WORDS—of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, in the day of judgment.
Here, then, is a new subject of discourse. I call it a new one; because, though the two topics run into one, and he that is ashamed of Christ’s words, may not improperly be said to be ashamed of Christ himself, yet, for the sake of method, it may be convenient to keep these two points distinct, and to give to each a separate consideration.
It remains, then, to set before you the principal of those ways, in which we may incur the guilt, especially, of being ashamed of our Lord’s words, that is, his DOCTRINES, and LAWS: a copious and important subject! on which I shall reserve what I have to say to another occasion. In the mean time, let us lay to heart what we have now heard concerning the honour due to the PERSON of our great Redeemer. Be we not, therefore, ashamed of our Lord[281]—but let us resolutely abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming[282].