We
shall not lose the Holy Spirit when we are raised again (John 14:16). This,
perhaps, is a simple truth, but one that makes us feel how great will be our
capacity for happiness in that state. In this present life, a great portion of
our spiritual strength is employed to enable us to walk in integrity, in spite
of the flesh and the temptations of the enemy. But in our resurrection life,
neither the flesh nor the devil will exist. All the power of the Spirit in us
will then be employed in rendering us fit for the infinite happiness we shall
find there (Psa. 16:11). We shall enjoy it all according to the strength of the
Spirit.

      The
allowance of flesh in the least degree in a Christian is to grieve the Spirit
of God, by which he has been sealed until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).
What a motive to holiness is the fact—true of every believer—that the Holy
Spirit of God dwells in him! He may, alas, grieve Him in many ways. Everything
that has not Christ for its motive and object must grieve God’s Spirit and
hinder our growth and communion.

      To
quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19) is to hinder His free action in the assembly.
While there are special permanent gifts in the Church (Eph. 4:11), there are
also the “joints and bands” (Col. 2:19) that work effectually in the measure of
every part, and by which the body of Christ increases. If they are hindered in
true spiritual service, the Spirit of God is quenched.

      There
are dangers to be avoided on both sides, especially by those who seek to walk
in the truth of the Church of God. On one side the danger is that because there
is liberty for all to “prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be
comforted” (1 Cor. 14:31), there may be the undervaluing of special ministry
which is a permanent thing as long as the Church of God is here. On the other
side there is the danger of quenching the Spirit in the various helps—the
joints and bands by which nourishment is ministered in the body of Christ—by
putting special ministry in the place of the free action of the Holy Spirit in
the members of Christ. Both are to be cherished, and the most spiritual are
those who will value all that God gives.

      We
see in 1 Thess. 5:20,21 that it is ministry that the apostle has in his mind.
While in verse 12 he exhorts them to own those who labor among them and esteem them
highly in love for their work’s sake, in verses 19-21 they were not to quench
the Spirit in any, but at the same time to “prove all things” which were said
and “hold fast that which is good.”

      (From
Scripture Notes and Queries.)

 “Judge [or criticize] not, that
you be not judged [or criticized]” (Matt. 7:1).

      How
many of you, my readers, enjoy receiving criticism? Not many, if any, I reckon.
Now, how many of you have ever given out criticism? Most, if not all, I would
guess. So why do we dish it out if neither we nor anyone else enjoys receiving
it? This is a question we all need to ponder.

      The
above verse is fast becoming one of the best known and most widely quoted of
all Scripture. It is being used more and more against those who dare teach that
certain activities and behaviors are wrong and sinful. But did the Lord intend
that His disciples never discern between right and wrong in themselves
and others? In Matt. 18:15-17 the Lord clearly authorizes His people not only
to discern sins committed by others but also to go to such a person and point
out the sin. For what purpose? Showing that I am better than that sinner? No,
not at all, but rather for the purpose of drawing that person back to the Lord.
“If he shall hear you, you have gained your brother.”

      Notice
that Matt. 7:1 is not an absolute prohibition against judging or criticizing
another. Verse 5 gives one condition that needs to be satisfied before we are
qualified to criticize another:“First cast out the beam [or log] out of your
own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the mote [or speck] out of your
brother’s eye.” However, this condition is helpful only if I have the spiritual
discernment to detect the log in my own eye.

      Another
condition is implied in verse 1 itself:“Judge not, that you be not judged.” In
other words, if you don’t want to be criticized, and if you don’t appreciate
the value of it for yourself, then you are not qualified by the Lord to give it
out to others. But as we grow spiritually, we will begin to pray along with the
psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts;
and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psa. 139:23,24), and “Cleanse me
from secret faults” (Psa. 19:12). In what ways does God answer these prayers?
(1) He may impress a Scripture upon our hearts during our private Bible study
(“All Scripture … is profitable … for reproof, for correction,” 2 Tim.
3:16,17); (2) He may use the public preaching and teaching of the Scriptures to
impress upon our hearts the need for correction and change (“Preach the Word
… reprove, rebuke, exhort,” 2 Tim. 2:2); or (3) He may send another believer
to us to point out our sin (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1). Most of us can easily
handle the first two means of correction, but many of us have difficulty with
the third one. Why is that? Our human pride gets in the way (1 John 2:16).

      The
more we grow in Christ—in that One who was “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt.
11:29), the One who “humbled Himself and became obedient unto death” (Phil.
2:8)—the more we will exhibit these characteristics of Christ (see Gal.
5:22,23). Thus, we will grow in the ability to be ready and willing to receive
reproof, correction, and criticism from other persons, whether believers or
unbelievers, whether family members or non-relatives, and whether persons older
or younger than ourselves.

      As
we begin accepting and valuing the criticism of ourselves, we will discern the
ways of offering criticism that make it easiest to accept. Then, and only then,
are we prepared and qualified by the Lord to pass along criticism to others.
When we see a brother or sister “overtaken in a fault” or sinning in some way,
we first fall on our knees before the Lord. We examine ourselves as to that
fault or sin. We make intercession to the Lord for that person (1 Tim. 2:1).
And if the Lord lays it on our heart to “go and tell him his fault” (Matt.
18:15), we go with fear and trembling, “in the spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1),
and with much prayer and dependence upon the Lord. “If the sinning person
“hears you, you have gained your brother [or sister]” (Matt. 18:15), restoring
him or her to a closer walk with the Lord and to precious fellowship with
yourself.

      So
let us pray for the ability to accept and value positive, spiritual, Biblical
criticism from others, that we may in turn be “thoroughly furnished unto all
good works” (2 Tim. 3:17), including that of helping to restore our sinning brothers
and sisters to the Lord.

        “The fruit of
the Spirit is … temperance” (Gal. 5:22,23).

        While the word
“temperance” sometimes conveys the thought of moderation and abstinence from
drinking alcoholic beverages, the Scriptural thought goes far beyond this. The
word in the Greek literally means “self-control” and covers all aspects of our
daily lives. The apostle Paul uses this word in 1 Cor. 7:8,9:“I say therefore
to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But
if they cannot contain [or do not have self-control], let them marry; for it is
better to marry than to burn.” In the same epistle the word is used also in the
context of training for an athletic contest:“Every man who strives for the
mastery is temperate [or controls himself] in all things” (1 Cor. 9:25). The
lack of self-control is a characteristic of the last days:“Men shall be …
without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent [or
without self-control]” (2 Tim. 3:1-3).

        To have
self-control means that we are not slaves to any habit. The person who is not
temperate has cravings for certain natural pleasures, and he either continually
yields to these cravings, or else becomes edgy or grouchy if deprived of the
pleasures. While we might tend to think particularly of alcohol, tobacco, and
other naturally addicting substances in this regard, there are other things,
not physiologically addicting, for which people, including Christians who are
not controlled by the Holy Spirit, may develop cravings. These may include such
things as chocolates or other sweets, coffee, food in general, watching
television, watching the ball game, playing games, reading unprofitable books,
sleeping in, or simply desiring relaxation.

        Many of us may
have problems with regard to pushing ourselves away from the table on which is
often spread enough food for twice the number of people present. Do I desire to
use my body for the Lord, realizing it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.
6:19)? Then I should not want to do anything to my body that will tend to
degrade my health or to reduce my mental alertness. Perhaps a common example of
lack of self-control is found in our partaking of the traditionally large
Sunday noon dinner, and then—because we have eaten more than is
prudent—spending the afternoon sleeping it off. Thus, precious hours which
could have been used in service for the Lord, discussion of the Scriptures, or
prayer and meditation are lost forever.

        The Roman
philosopher Seneca, whose life span overlapped that of the Lord Jesus, once
said, “I am born to greater things than to be the servant of my body.” If a
heathen can recognize the foolishness of indulging the flesh, how much more
should a child of God be diligent not to be in bondage to the desires of the
flesh.

        Listen to what
the Scriptures say about overeating:

        “Put a knife to
your throat if you are a man given to appetite” (Prov. 23:2).

        “The drunkard
and the glutton shall come to poverty” (Prov. 23:21).

        “I will say to
my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat,
drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, You fool, this night your soul
shall be required of you” (Luke 12:19,20).

        Another has
said, “We can certainly enjoy food, relishing in the wholesome aroma and taste
of a succulent meal; but when food begins to be our master we have stepped from
the realm of godly enjoyment to bitter bondage and sin.”

        The Lord Jesus
counseled, “If your right hand offend you, cut it off” (Matt. 5:30). A less
extreme application of this verse could be applied by one who has a problem
with overeating. Try removing all unnecessary foods from your house for a
period of time. Discipline your body as the apostle Paul did and “bring it into
subjection” (1 Cor. 9:27).

        For what do we
hunger and thirst? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). “As newborn babes, desire
the since milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if so be you have tasted
that the Lord is gracious” (1 Pet. 2:2,3).

        Do we know what
it is to be on the heavenly race course (Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:1,2)? This is
the course in which we lay hold of heavenly blessings and possessions, and gain
more intimate knowledge of Christ Himself. We will come to know very little of
these things apart from self-discipline and self-control—the ability to say an
emphatic “NO” to the natural desires of the flesh.

Having the Attitude of

Christ toward Sinners

      Suppose
your brother does you wrong; an evil word, perhaps, or an unkind action done
against you—something that you feel deeply as a real personal trespass against
you. It is a sin, of course. Nobody knows it, probably, but himself and you.
What are you to do? At once this great principle is applied:When you were
ruined and far from God, what met your case? Did God wait till you put away
your sin? He sent His own Son to seek and to save you. “The Son of Man came to
seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). This is the principle for
you to act upon. You belong to God; you are a child of God. Your brother has
wronged you? Go to him and seek to set him right. It is the activity of love
that the Lord Jesus presses upon His disciples. In the power of divine love we
are to seek the deliverance of those who have wandered from God. The flesh
feels and resents wrong done against itself. But grace does not shroud itself
in its own dignity, waiting for the offender to come and humble himself and own
his wrong. The Son of Man came to seek the lost. I want you, He says, to be
walking after the same principle, to be vessels of the same love—to be
characterized by grace, going out after the one who has sinned against God.
This is a great difficulty unless the soul is fresh in the love of God and
enjoying what God is for him. How does God feel about the child who has done
wrong? His loving desire is to have him right. When the child is near enough to
know the Father’s heart he goes out to do the Father’s will. A wrong may have
been done against him, but he does not think about that. It is his brother who
has slipped into evil, and the desire of his heart is not to vindicate self but
to have the brother righted who has gone astray that his soul may be restored
to the Lord.

“You and Him Alone”

      “Moreover,
if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between
you and him alone” (Matt. 18:15). It is not here the case of a sin known to a
great many, but some personal trespass only known to the two of you. Go, then,
to him and tell him his fault between you and him alone. “If he shall hear you,
you have gained your brother.” Love is bent on gaining the brother. So it is to
him who understands and feels with Christ. It is not the offender, but your
brother that is the thought before the heart:“You have gained your
brother.”

Further Steps

      “But
if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth
of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (18:16). Is it
possible he may resist one or two who come to him, witnesses of the love of
Christ? He has refused Christ pleading by one; can he refuse Christ now that He
pleads by more? It may be, alas, that he will. “And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it unto the church.” The church means the assembly of God in the
place to which these all belong. “If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it
unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto you as a
heathen man and a publican” (18:17). The assembly, then, is told of the guilty
person’s fault. The thing has been investigated and pressed home. The church
warns and entreats this man, but he refuses to hear; and the consequence is:
“Let him be unto you as a heathen man and a publican.” This is a most solemn
issue! A man who is called a brother in the preceding verse is now to me as a
heathen man and a publican.

The Kind of Person Who

Is to Be Put Away

      We
are not to suppose the man necessarily to be a drunkard, thief, or fornicator;
but he is one who shows the hardness of self-will and a spirit of
self-justification. It may arise out of small circumstances; but this unbending
pride about himself and his own fault is that on which he may, according to the
Lord, be regarded as a heathen man and a publican. In the case of open sin or
wickedness, the duty of the church is clear:the person is put away. Nor would
there be reason in such a case for going one at a time, and then one or two
more. But the Lord shows here how the end of this personal trespass might be
the same:the Church has finally to hear it may have to put the unrepentant
sinner away.

      (From
Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew.)

        “Let your
moderation be known unto all men” (Phil. 4:5).

        Undoubtedly,
moderation is a most commendable Christian virtue, but there is more to the
original word than this. It has been rendered by some as “yieldingness”; this,
too, is an excellent translation and suggests the resilience of character that
many of us sadly lack. Other versions have “considerateness,” “forbearance,”
and “gentleness.” These various terms may be summed up in the very appealing
translation given by another:“Let your sweet reasonableness be
manifested to all men.” What a lovely trait is this sweet reasonableness in a
Christian! It is the very opposite to that unyielding, harshly-dogmatic,
self-determined spirit that so often dominates in place of the meekness and
gentleness of Christ. “I beseech you, my brethren,” wrote Cromwell to the
warring theologians of his day, “remember that it is possible you may be
wrong.” How apt we are to forget this when engaged in discussions as to either
doctrines, methods of service, or assembly principles!            This does not
mean that one need be lacking in intensity of conviction or assurance as to the
correctness of doctrines, principles, or practices that one believes he has
learned from the Word of God. But it does imply a kindly consideration for the
judgment of others who may be equally sincere and equally devoted—and,
possibly, even more enlightened. Nothing is ever lost by recognizing this and
remembering that we all “know in part” (1 Cor. 13:12).

        (From Notes
on Philippians, Loizeaux, Neptune, New Jersey.)

* * *

        Other verses
with the same Greek word as translated “moderation” in Phil. 4:5:

        “I … beseech
you by the … gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1).

        “A bishop then
must be patient, not a brawler” (1 Tim. 3:3; also Tit. 3:2, “gentle”).

        “The wisdom
that is from above is … gentle, and easy to be entreated” (Jas. 3:17).

                “Servants,
be subject … not only to the good and gentle, but also to the
froward”(1 Pet. 2:18).

      “If
your brother shall [sin] against you, go and tell him his fault between you and
him alone” (Matt. 18:15).

      The
disciples having been charged to avoid what would be offense against another,
and as to themselves rather to get rid of what might seem like hand or foot
than go on with what was matter of offense, are now taught how to deal with sin
in another.

Dealing with Sin in Another

      But
at once question begins:What is the sin which we have to do with here? and are
we to take it as generally taken, as simply personal trespass? Some of the most
ancient manuscripts and some editors omit the “against you” of the common
version, and have only “if thy brother sin,” which would seem to make it wider.
However, this can, I think, be better settled as we go on, and we may leave it
for the present undecided.

      We
are to note that the thing to be considered by us is what the Lord calls “sin,”
and we must not allow ourselves to admit a lighter word than that. “Sin,”
whether it be against oneself or not, is something that should bring up at once
before us the psalmist’s deep realization, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I
sinned” (Psa. 51:4). These words only appear the more striking as we think of
the dreadful character of that which David had committed against his neighbor.
Sin can only be viewed rightly as against God; and to treat it so we must be
before God about it. We must know how, in Old Testament language, to eat the
sin-offering in the holy place.

      In
the presence of God sin is truly judged, but therefore judged in ourselves
first; and so it is we obtain that “spirit of meekness” in which alone we are
able to “restore” those “overtaken in a fault” as considering our own proneness
to temptation (Gal. 6:1). The first thought here and always as regarding one
who has sinned is restoration:“if he shall hear you, you have gained your
brother.” There is not one thought of “pay me what you owe,” but of gaining a
brother—of winning him back to all that belongs to Christian brotherhood. Sin
means collapse, estrangement from the Lord and other Christians—a shadow over
the glory of “what is really life,” and dishonor to Christ and to God. How, in
the apprehension of this, could one even think of one’s own things, save as one
may truly find them in the thought of a “brother”!

      This
governs all in this first step taken:“go and show him his fault”—literally,
“convict him,” bring him to conviction—“between you and him alone.” Let there
be no needless exposure, no pain that can be spared, nothing that would arouse
resentment, whatever might hinder recovery.

      Grace
is the only power over sin. It is not laxity, as people misconceive it, but
always sin’s unsparing enemy and scourge. “Sin shall not have dominion over
you, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). Yet how
often do those who are themselves wholly debtors to grace, use the law without
hesitation in their dealings with one another. Of course, they betray in this
their own slight knowledge, while the fruit is reaped in failure to maintain
the holiness they seek. We cannot make that which is the “strength of sin”
become its antidote.

      But
if this is the divine principle in dealing with it, it is plain that it matters
not whether it is sin against myself or against another. This does not come
into consideration, and the reading that would leave it out seems practically
right. If it is grace that is moving me for a brother’s deliverance, it can
make no difference against whom the sin is. No, if it is in my brother, it is
against me necessarily, if not directly:it injures me and grieves me as one of
the family. It is equally against God my Father, against Christ my Lord, and
against the soul of him who has committed it.

“One or Two More”

      The
next step to be taken, if the first is ineffectual, is to “take with you one or
two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established.” These witnesses are not to establish the truth of the charge:for
of this the one who has sinned is already “convicted,” but to bring the
influence of the truth to bear upon him the more by their confirmation. They
are a jury of appeal to make him realize the gravity rather than the truth of
his sin—a midway step between the private reasoning and the full publicity of
the assembly. Love would yet spare the person, while it cannot spare the sin;
and therefore the present procedure.

“Tell It unto the Church”

      The
third appeal is to the assembly as a whole, which is defined in what follows
(18:20) as a gathering to the name of Christ. The thought here is not of the
Jewish synagogue, although it is true that the Christian assembly did not yet
exist; the Lord is speaking anticipatively. The Christian assembly has as yet
only once been spoken of in Matthew’s Gospel (16:18), and in the present case
it is a local assembly—a “gathering,” for which we must wait historically for
the Acts. Here we have it strikingly for the first time as entrusted with the
maintenance of holiness in connection with Christ’s Name on earth. It is, as we
see, the last court of appeal, and to whose acts He gives, in the most solemn
way, authoritative sanction. The case is left in its hands for final decision,
which is supposed to be in accordance with what has been done before; and now,
“if he refuse to hear the assembly, let him be unto you as a Gentile and a
tax-gatherer.”

      This
is the fourth step therefore:the man is now to be treated as in an outside
place, as a Gentile. A “tax-gatherer” adds to this the thought of having lost
the place inside by his unworthiness. The outside place is manifest:of course,
in the Lord’s lips it could not mean any dismissal of care and thought and
labor after the one so treated. It is Matthew, one of that hated class of the
tax-gatherers, who records this injunction, himself the most signal example of
the grace that sought all such. On the other hand, while business intercourse
and communications might go on, even in all this would it be but the more
apparent that what was Christian had come to an end, till divine grace should
restore it. The Christian in the world was to be but the reflection of his
Master’s mind; and as surely as He could not go on with sin, no more could
those who were to act on earth for Him who had left it.

      It
is true that it is said here, “let him be to you,” and this is the binding of
this conduct on the individual; but any proper consideration given to the
matter will assure us that this could not possibly mean that this refusal of
Christian fellowship was to be merely on the part of the one against whom the
sin had been. Were the witnesses who had shown their sympathy up to this point
with the brother who had been sinned against, now to withdraw it, and go on in
fellowship with him they had condemned, because the case was not their own? Was
the brother offended, and to whom at least this must apply, to act in such a way,
not because of the sin, but because he himself was the person wronged? How this
would destroy the whole character of discipline, as well as the spiritual
character of Christian fellowship!

Binding and Loosing

      The
assembly would be little Christian which could become partner to anything of
this sort, or look at sin as having merely a particular reference, and not
being the general concern of all. The next verse also, which applies, of
course, to the assembly as a whole, negatives absolutely any such conclusion.
Here, the power of God allying itself to human weakness, the Lord adds,“Verily
I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

      The
Church on earth acts for its absent Lord. The Lord gives the local assembly His
authority with the broad seal of royalty attached to the commission. Without
this it could not move in the regulation of such matters at all:all the
authority that it has is delegated to it by the King; it is not a democracy,
but a monarchy most absolute—a Kingdom not of man but of God.

      The
Church is not a legislative body but executive:it does not decree what shall
be, but decides upon what is. It has authority to act, but upon lines laid down
for it; and authority to act does not guarantee the action. Unless the action
be according to His mind, it should be plain that the Lord could not sanction
it. He could not “bind” sin upon one who had not sinned, nor “loose” it where
there had been no repentance. This would be to put evil for good and good for
evil, and to put the Church above her Lord. Either, then, the Church’s action
is secured infallibly, or there are conditions implied which we shall be able
to gather from the context.

      In
the specified case to which this assurance is appended, it is abundantly plain
that it is a case of real “sin”:“if thy brother sin.” Of this he is to be
convicted, and witnesses brought in, and then it is to be told to the assembly.
This is the case in which the assembly is authorized to act, and only in such
plain cases. As far as we read here, if the case were not plain—if there were
not, therefore, agreement about it—it would not be such as would give title, or
(to speak better) impose responsibility, to act at all. It must be in the
light, not in the dark, we walk. The Church is guardian of the holiness that is
always to be associated with the profession of the name of the Lord.

      (From
The Numerical Bible:The Gospels.)

        “Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”
(Jas. 1:19).

        Christ Himself
is the model of this, as of all else that is good. As the Holy One of God, none
was so swift as He to hear God’s Word. He says through the prophet, “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the
learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.
He wakens morning by morning, He wakens Mine ear to hear as the learned. The
Lord GOD has opened Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away
back” (Isa. 50:4). Nor was it otherwise with His bearing in the presence of the
tempter:the Word of God was His constant resource, and only the more if Satan
perverted it. “It is written again” (Matt. 4:7) was His lowly, God-honoring
answer. And so it is, and has ever been, with His sheep. They hear His voice
and follow Him; they know not the voice of strangers (John 10:4,5).

        The Word of
truth abides in its value. By it we have been begotten of God (Jas. 1:18); by
it the new life is fed, formed, directed, and strengthened. If we rightly heed
all Scripture, we assuredly shall welcome every word that explains the new life
and its duties, and His glory and grace who is its spring and fullness.

        “Be … slow to
speak.” We have another nature that is self-confident and impulsive. We need to
be on our guard that, knowing ourselves weak, ignorant, and naturally prone to
evil, we may look up to God and wait dependently on Him. As born of Him, it is
ours to be jealous that we may neither misrepresent nor grieve Him. And
therefore are we warned of another danger when it is added that we should be
“slow to wrath.” How often we manifest impotent and hasty self-will! We are now
sanctified to do His will, to obey as Christ obeyed. There is of course a right
occasion for wrath. So the Lord looked round about on those who misused the
Sabbath to oppose God’s grace in an evil world (Mark 3:2-5). But we are
exhorted to be slow to wrath and to let it soon be over. “Be angry and sin not;
let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither give place to the devil” (Eph.
4:26,27).

        James is
occupied with our practical ways in consistency with God’s sovereign will in
begetting “us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits
of His creatures” (Jas. 1:18). Thus He looks for conduct according to that new
nature He has given us by faith. Submissiveness of heart becomes us in hearkening
to Him, and in avoiding our natural haste of speech and proneness to wrath.

        (From Exposition
of the Epistle of James, Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, Illinois.)

* * *

        Scriptural
advice to the overly quiet:

        “There is … a
time to speak” (Eccl. 3:1,7).

        “If your
brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and
him alone” (Matt. 18:15).

        “Grant unto Thy
servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word” (Acts 4:29).

        “Let no man
despise your youth; but be an example of the believers in word” (1 Tim. 4:12).

* * *

        Scriptural
advice to the overly talkative:

        “O that you
would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom” (Job 13:5).

        “Set a watch, O
LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Psa. 141:3).

        In the
multitude of words there wants not sin; but he who refrains his lips is wise”
(Prov. 10:19).

        “He who has no
rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls” 
(Prov. 25:28).

        “There is … a
time to keep silence”(Eccl. 3:1,7).

        “A fool’s voice
is known by multitude of words” (Eccl. 5:3).

        “In … many
words there are also divers vanities:but fear God” (Eccl. 5:7).

        “Hold your
peace at the presence of the Lord GOD:for the day of the LORD is at
hand” (Zeph. 1:7).

        “Every idle
word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment” (Matt. 12:36).

        “If any man
among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his
own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (Jas. 1:26).

      “My
little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1
John 2:1).

      If
the child of God has still within him a fallen, sinful nature, it is not only
possible, but there is the constant danger of his falling into sin, unless he
is guarded by the truth, and by the power of God. Sin is not looked upon as a
trifle, nor as something habitual. “Whosoever is born of God does not commit
sin” (1 John 3:9). Any doctrine, therefore, that teaches that we are to think
lightly of sin is not the doctrine of Christ, but of Satan.

      But,
on the other hand, there is the opposite extreme. Satan would seek, first, to
make the believer careless and lead him into sin, and then to overwhelm him
with despair. Both are the opposites of that which grace does. It warns against
sin, speaks of its danger; but for one who has fallen into sin, it shows the
remedy, and means of restoration to God.

Failure

      What
is the root and origin of all failure in the child of God? Self-confidence:
this leads to self-pleasing, begets carelessness, and the eye is taken off the
Lord Jesus. A living faith in Him alone is what keeps the saint in God’s ways.
“By faith you stand” (2 Cor. 1:24). God has called His people to make progress
in His ways, to go on from strength to strength, and not to be standing still.
“Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue …” (2 Pet. 1:5). When the
soul is thus pressing on after Christ, with the one object to be with Him and
like Him on high, he will despise the attractions of the world and the
enticements of the flesh, and will withstand the wiles of the devil. But “he
who lacks these things is blind” (2 Pet. 1:9). It is spiritual sloth in the
child of God that leads to neglect of prayer and feeding on the manna; and thus
Satan’s opportunity has come. Well is it for the soul if this inward declension
is owned at once, and restoration take place immediately. The Lord’s eye, as a
flame of fire, sees down in the secrets of the heart, and knows when love has
grown cold. “You have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4)—this is the beginning
and root of all declension; and to this one He says, “Repent.” This is a call
to judge the state of the heart, to turn afresh to Him whose love is as intense
and almighty as when He laid down His life and rose again. His love fans the
heart’s dull flame into brightness and warmth, and restoration is effected in
His grace.

      Suppose
this state of coldness and worldliness is neglected; it increases, and becomes
manifest in some form of outward evil. This may be some gross act like the sin
of David, or that of Peter when he denied his Lord; or it may be increased
worldliness, taking up the ways of the world, its pleasures or its
covetousness. Many things, doubtless, that are not regarded by man as evil are
in the Lord’s eyes a fall. Indeed, the gross act may be used by Him to awaken
the saint, who would otherwise go on with a cold and careless heart. A fall:is
it a trifle? God keep us from thinking so. It means dishonor to Christ, linking
His holy name with sin. It means the encouragement of the world to go on in
sin, to despise God, to reject Christ. It means an example to fellow-Christians
that may embolden them to trifle with sin. Who can tell the consequences of
such an act?

Restoration

      If
the child of God were left alone after a fall, he would be hopeless; Satan
could fill him with despair, and he would plunge still more deeply into sin, or
lapse into hopeless indifference. But there is a mightier One than Satan. The
good Shepherd has His eye upon His poor wandering sheep, and none shall pluck
him out of His hands. So He begins the work of restoration. “He restores my
soul” (Psa. 23:3). Indeed, this had been anticipated for, as He said to Peter,
“I have prayed for you” (Luke 22:61); and this was before Peter dreamed of his
danger. “He ever lives to make intercession for [us]” (Heb. 7:25) but He must
bring the sin home to the conscience; for otherwise one would remain
indifferent. So He recalls the soul:“The Lord turned and looked upon Peter”
(Luke 22:61). This brings back the warning, shows the sin, and breaks the
heart. Its effect is wonderful and most blessed. All his pride and
self-confidence is gone, and in true sorrow Peter goes out, not to continue in
his denial, but to weep bitterly.

      Nathan’s
words to David, “You are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7), and the effect upon David—“I
have sinned against the Lord” (12:13)—tells the same story. The work of
recovery is now effectually begun; the soul has judged its sin and confessed
it. Confession and self-judgment, in simple faith, are God’s means of restoring
the soul to communion. This is the washing of the disciples’ feet (John 13)—a
bringing home to the conscience the sense of sin, and leading to true confession
to the Lord. And He is as ready to forgive and restore (not to save, which had
already been done when the soul first came to the Lord) as He was to receive
the first feeble call of faith. There are many lessons, humbling and painful,
that He has to teach, showing the root of the evil, and how it developed,
leading them to increased self-distrust, hatred and loathing of the sin, and
earnest departure from it. Thus following restoration to communion, and the joy
of the Lord, is the walk in the Lord’s path, in childlike obedience and happy
engagement in His service.

      (From
Help and Food, Vol. 25.)