Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors Part 17

Moreover, it is a.s.sumed that the distinction between these two cla.s.ses is so marked and plain, that it can be recognized by any one who will.

Orthodox people inquire, "_Is he pious?_" just as they would ask, "_Is he married?_"

Again, the change from one state to the other is a.s.sumed to be so distinct and marked, that he who runs can read. One may say to another, "_Where were you converted?_" just as they may say, "_Where did you go to college?_" "Where were you born?" said an English bishop to Summerfield, the Methodist preacher. "In Dublin and Liverpool," he answered. "Were you born in _two_ places?" said the bishop. " 'Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?' " replied Summerfield.

On the other hand, it is quite common among Liberal Christians to doubt the reality, or deny the importance, of such changes altogether. With them the Christian life consists, not in change, but in progress. In the Christian source, Orthodoxy lays the main stress on the commencement; Liberal Christianity, on the progress. The one wishes you to begin the journey, without seeming to care whether you go forward: the other urges you to go forward, without inquiring whether you have begun to go.

According to one, Christianity is nothing but a CRISIS; according to the other, nothing but a DEVELOPMENT.

-- 2. Crisis and Development.

Is there any truth in this Orthodox view of man? anything essential, substantial, vital? And is there any formal error? If there is, what is it? Is Christianity crisis or development, or both?

Common sense and the a.n.a.logies of common life must answer, "Both." If Christianity is a life, it must begin with a birth; if a journey, it cannot be taken except we set out; if an education, we must determine to commence the education; if labor in G.o.d's vineyard, we must go into the vineyard, and begin. There are only two cla.s.ses-those who are alive, and those who are not alive; those who are taking the journey, and those who have not yet set out; those who are studying, and those who have not yet begun to study; those who are at work for G.o.d, and those who are standing idle. The distinction into two cla.s.ses seems, therefore, substantial and real. It does not follow, to be sure, that these two cla.s.ses can be distinguished so easily by the eye of man; but they certainly can be by the eye of G.o.d. Nor does this primary distinction interfere with other distinctions and many degrees of difference-greater or less differences and degrees of progress, usefulness, goodness. Nor does it follow that those who are now on the right side may not change again to the wrong, and again to the right. There may be conversion, and _re_-conversion; but that, at any moment, every person must be either endeavoring to do right, or not so endeavoring, is evident. This view is confirmed by the New Testament: "No man can serve two masters."

That in the religious life there should be both crisis and development, accords with the a.n.a.logies of nature. The seed lies in the ground in a dormant state, perhaps for a long period. After a time comes a crisis; thrills of life vibrate through it; the germ is stirred; it sends its roots downward; its stalk pierces the mould, moving upward into light and air. After this great change, there comes a period of progress and development. The plant grows; its roots multiply; its stalk ascends, and divides into leaves. Then there comes a second crisis. The plant blossoms.

In the course of a few hours, after weeks of growth, the bud bursts into beautiful petals, surrounding the delicate stamens and precious pistil.

Then there comes a second long period of slow development. The petals fall, and the fruit slowly swells through many weeks of growth. At last there comes a day when the fruit is ripe. Yesterday it was not ripe; to-day it is. This is the third crisis. And so, in human life, long periods of development terminate in critical hours-the seeds of another long growth. So it is in other things; so also in religion.

-- 3. Nature of the Change.

The next position of Orthodoxy is, that man, in the second or regenerate state, is a new creature. It a.s.serts the change to be entire and radical, and the difference immense. Not only the whole direction of the life is changed, but the motive power is different, and the spirit different.

Instead of ambition, there is content; in the place of sensitive vanity, there comes humility; instead of anxiety, trust in G.o.d. The burden of sin is taken away; the sense of our unworthiness no longer torments us: for G.o.d has forgiven our sins. Duty no longer seems arduous and difficult; for there is joy in doing anything for the sake of G.o.d. The law is written in the heart. We are born into a new life, the principle of which is faith.

"The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of G.o.d."

This faith enables us to see G.o.d as he is, not as a stern King, or a distant Power, or an abstract Law, but as a Friend, Father, watchful Providence, surrounding Love, inflowing Life; Source from which we are always coming, and towards which we are always tending. This life of faith makes all things new. Old things have pa.s.sed away, and the outward world is fresh as on the first morning of creation. Our inward and outward life are both new. We have new convictions, new affections, new aims, new hopes, new joys. Nature is new, life is new, the Bible is new, the future world is new. Such and so great is the change which Orthodoxy a.s.sumes as the result of conversion.

-- 4. Its Reality and Importance.

And the experience of the whole Church, the biographies of the saints in every denomination, a.s.sure us of the substantial truth of this description. Even in churches which are not Orthodox,-churches like our own, which insist more upon development than upon crisis,-observation verifies this description. Even those who do not expect such a change, nor believe in it, often come to it unexpectedly. In the course of each one's experience as a Christian minister, though he may never have insisted on the importance of sudden changes, and though he may be no revival preacher, he must have known numerous instances of those who seem to have pa.s.sed from death to life in the course of a day or an hour. And is not this change, either sudden or gradual, that which makes Christianity a gospel? It is the good news, not of a future and distant heaven, but of a present heaven,-a heaven not outward, but inward; a present salvation from the power of sin; a present relief from the sense of guilt; a present joy and peace in believing; happiness in serving G.o.d; sympathy and good-will to man, instead of envy and uncharitableness; peace with G.o.d, with man, with ourselves, with our condition and circ.u.mstances.

That such a state is possible for every human being who desires it, is the good news which Christ brings; and the experience of ten thousand times ten thousand grateful hearts declares that it is a reality.

-- 5. Is it the Work of G.o.d, or of the Man himself? Orthodox Difficulty.

But now comes a difficulty in the Orthodox statement. Orthodoxy declares that this regenerate state is the result of faith, not of works; and that faith is the gift of G.o.d; and herein Orthodoxy follows the Scripture. Yet Orthodoxy calls upon us to repent and be converted, that our sins may be blotted out; and herein likewise Orthodoxy follows the Scripture. Is, then, conversion an experience, or is it an action? Is it something G.o.d gives, or something which he commands? Is it a duty to be done, or a gift to be received? Is it submission to his will, or joy in his love? a new life of obedience, or a new heart of faith? If it is submission, then we can all change our hearts at once, and make ourselves love G.o.d and love man. But who can love by an effort of the will? Yet, if the new life is a gift, then we have no power to procure it, and can only wait till G.o.d sees fit to send it; and how, then, can we be called upon to be converted?

Here is a difficulty which it seems to us Orthodoxy does not solve; and yet we think that a solution is to be found in a very simple distinction, which, like all other true and real distinctions, throws light on many other difficulties.

-- 6. Solved by the Distinction between Conversion and Regeneration.

The distinction of which we speak is between repentance or conversion on the one side, and regeneration or a new life on the other side. Repentance or conversion consists in renouncing all sin, and resolving to forsake it; in turning to G.o.d, with the purpose of submitting to his will and obeying his law. This conversion or repentance is an act proceeding from the will, and in obedience to the conscience. This is what G.o.d commands, and what we can and ought to do. Every conscientious person, every person who is endeavoring to do right and is ready to act up to his light, is a converted person. Every one who hates his sins, resists temptation, watches and prays against it, is a penitent person. This is the great, broad distinction between man and man. This divides all men into two cla.s.ses-those who, in their will and purpose, are for G.o.d, truth, and right; and those who, because they are not _for_ G.o.d, are really _against_ him.

But, besides this broad distinction, there is another secondary distinction-a distinction among those who are conscientiously endeavoring to do G.o.d's will. Among the _converted_ there are two cla.s.ses-the regenerate and the unregenerate. A man may be converted, and not be regenerate; for a man may repent of his sin and turn towards G.o.d, and yet not have the life of love and joy which we have described.

He is under law, not under grace. He is struggling to do right, but is not borne forward on a joyful tide-wave of love.

-- 7. Men may be divided, religiously, into three Cla.s.ses, not two.

If this be so, we may divide men into three cla.s.ses, and not into two. The first cla.s.s is of those who are neither converted nor regenerate; the second, who are converted, but not regenerate; the third, who are converted, and also regenerate. The first are like the prodigal in the parable,-living without G.o.d; the second, like the hired servants in the same story,-serving G.o.d for wages; the third are sons, serving from love, ever with their Father, and all that he has is theirs. The motive of the first cla.s.s is selfish will, selfish pleasure; the motive of the second is duty; that of the third, love. The first are without law, the second under law, the third under grace. And so we might multiply distinctions. But is it not clear to common observation, that this threefold cla.s.sification meets the facts of life better than the other? There are three degrees of character. There is the worldly man, who is just as good or bad as society around him leads him to be; whose virtues result merely from a happy organization, or fortunate influences, but who has no principle of goodness, no purpose of righteousness, no serious aim in life. Then there is the conscientious man, who means to live, and does live, by a standard of morality; who has a serious aim, but who is not yet deeply and joyfully religious; whose religion, at any rate, is hard work, not confiding, child-like faith. And then there is the Christian believer, who has begun to live from faith; who begins to feel a higher life pouring into his heart from on high; who has help and strength from above. From his heart the burden has been lifted, and he has become again as a little child. He knows how to pray the prayer of faith. He may not be so very much better than the other in outward character; but he has the principle within him which will make all things new, sooner or later.

The New Testament confirms this view of a threefold division. We saw, in our last chapter, that the apostle Paul, who considers human nature to consist of three elements,-spirit, soul, and body,-divides mankind into the carnal man, the natural (psychical or soulish) man, and the spiritual man. The carnal man is he in whom the bodily instincts and appet.i.tes are supreme. "He is not subject to the law of G.o.d, neither indeed can be." The natural man is he in whom the _soul_ is supreme: he is neither carnal on one side, nor spiritual on the other. "He cannot receive the things of the Spirit of G.o.d;" yet he is not in opposition and hostility to them, like the carnal man, whose mind is enmity against G.o.d.

Still more plainly does the apostle indicate the distinction when speaking of those who are without law, those who are under law, and those who are free from law and above it. The first state he describes in such words as these: "I was alive without the law once"-the glad, natural life and freedom before conscience is developed. But conscience does awake in all: "The commandment came, sin revived, and I died." When man sees that he ought to serve G.o.d, yet continues to serve the flesh and the world, he is spoken of as dead in sin; for all the principle of progress ceases. But if he does endeavor to do right, then Paul speaks of him as _under law_, and on his way to a higher state. That higher state he speaks of as being "delivered from the law, to serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter."

Thus we see that all religious experiences coincide. The experience of the apostle Paul is exactly the same, in its essentials, with that of every soul, however humble, that begins and goes forward in the Christian life.

If this distinction between conversion and regeneration be correct, it removes the difficulty in the Orthodox statement.

-- 8. Difference between Conversion and Regeneration.

Conversion is an act, regeneration an experience. "Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die?" is the command of the Old Testament. "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out;" "Repent, and be baptized, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," is the command of the New Testament. It is a duty to repent; but to become regenerate is not a duty: _that_ is a gift, to be received afterwards. G.o.d commands conversion: he bestows regeneration. Submission is an act of our own: faith is the gift of G.o.d. A change of outward life and conduct we can accomplish ourselves; at least, we can endeavor to accomplish it; but the change of heart G.o.d himself will bestow.

Conversion, a turning round, is necessarily instantaneous: it is a change.

But regeneration, or reception of divine Love, is a state, not sudden, but pa.s.sing by gradations into a deeper and deeper life of faith and joy.

So, too, conversion may be repeated: we may often find that we have again turned round, and are going the wrong way. But the inflow of life, when begun, cannot be begun again. When G.o.d has touched the heart with his love, it is forever lifted by that divine experience beyond the region of mere law. We can never forget it. These are the:

"Truths which wake To perish never; Which neither listlessness nor mad endeavor, Nor man nor boy, Nor aught that is at enmity with joy, Can utterly abolish or destroy."

And herein lies the basis of the truth in the doctrine of the "perseverance of saints."