What an idea for men to sit on the grave question of essentials and non-essentials, in the divine institution given by our Lord and confirmed by the most indubitable signs and wonders! What part of that which has been given by the wisdom of God is essential, and what part is not essential? It is all essential, or the wisdom of God would not have given it, and the authority of God would not have required it. The very circumstance that the infinite wisdom devised it and the infinite authority required it makes the whole of christianity binding. There is not a non-essential in it.
III. “How far is diversity to be tolerated?”
We are all required to “speak the same thing,” to “teach no other doctrine,” to “preach the word,” to preach no “other gospel,” to teach the things that become “sound doctrine,” and if we “speak not according to his word it is because there is no light in us.” In one word, we are not to have “all sorts of doctrine from all sorts of teachers,” but to “earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”
IV. “How shall we reconcile the right of private judgment with the right of the Church to maintain the faith in its purity, and still preserve the unity of the faith which the word of God enjoins?”
The way we have done it for fifty years past. We have had the light of private judgment, and, at the same time, maintained the faith in its purity and preserved the unity of the faith as enjoined in Scripture. Demonstration is better than theory. We have brought the people from all parties, united them in the one faith, made them one in the unity of the Spirit, with the exception of a few erratic spirits, but we have not had more of these than they had in the time of the apostles. They and their mission were predicted in Scripture, and they have come and fulfilled the predictions of the Lord and the apostles without intending or knowing it, and thus furnished an additional evidence that the Scriptures are divinely inspired.
[IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON.]
THERE are times when general apathy prevails; when it appears impossible to rouse the people to anything like an appreciation of the things of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ; when the hearts of the people appear to be closed against all that can be said or done to save them. They frequently hear at such times, act as orderly as ever, and show as much respect to the gospel; but they do not have the heart and soul in it, and can not be moved to action. Their emotional nature appears to be utterly inaccessible. There are again times when the hearts of the people are open. They not only hear the truth, pay a decent respect to it and admire its beauties, but, with joy, they receive it into good and honest hearts, believe it to be the salvation of their souls. It melts them down, fills their hearts to overflowing and moves them to obedience. This much we know to be fact. We have tried to see the cause of this fact, but do not claim that we can see the cause, nor do we see any particular importance in seeing the cause, but we ought to turn the fact to account. How can this be done?
Paul has a period, or state of things, that he styles “in season,” and another that he styles “out of season.” There is a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to dress the vineyard and a time to gather the fruit. These periods, when the hearts of the people are open, are the harvest times—the time for gathering in the ripe grain ready for the harvest—for turning sinners to the Lord. No matter about the cause of it; there is the opportunity; and we should be ready and go into the harvest and gather precious souls into the fold of Christ. A door is now open and let no man waste his time about the cause of this opening, but while the way is open go up and possess the land. Never mind explaining how the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended to the words spoken by Paul, nor how the Lord now is opening the hearts of the people; it is enough for the man of God to find that the hearts of the people are open, and that they will attend to the word of the Lord when it is spoken. Go on and speak to them the word of the Lord—the words of everlasting life—turn them to God and save them.