INTRODUCTION
OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST
To love God with all the heart is the sum of all duty. Love must be exercised according to the
relations which we bear. When a parent loves his child, he feels bound to exercise parental
authority over it for its benefit; but the love of a child towards a parent requires obedience. So love
to God produces obedience; for it is impossible to love God supremely without a supreme desire to
please him in all things. Hence this one principle contains, involved in it, perfect obedience to
every divine requirement.
The loveliness of the divine character is not abated, by being exhibited in the humble nature of man, in the person of Jesus Christ. In him the glory of the Father appears, claiming our supreme affections; and he is invested with the Father's authority, to which perfect obedience is due. The divine perfections are rendered snore intelligible to us by his mediation; and, in proportion to the clearness of the discovery, the obligation to love and obey becomes increased.
A powerful motive, to love and obey Christ, is drawn from the love which he has manifested in
dying for us. Paul felt this in an overpowering degree, when he said, I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."(1) The same
overpowering impulse to love and obedience, is brought to view in another declaration of this
apostle: "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, thee
were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto
themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."(2) When our love to the Saviour
grows cold we should repair to his cross, and fix our thoughts on the exhibition of love there
presented. And when we feel our hearts melt, the recollection that the suffering Saviour is God
over all, must produce a full purpose to yield to him the obedience of all our powers during our
whole existence. From the cross we come forth to be Christ's, resolved to glorify him with our
bodies and our spirits, which are his.
Jesus said to his disciples, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." This claim of obedience is
cordially admitted by every true disciple. When the first emotion of love to Christ throbbed in the
heart of the persecuting Saul, he inquired, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
The first disciples were required to serve their Lord and Master by strenuous efforts to spread his
religion through the world; and the same obligation devolves on us. He came to be the Saviour of
the world; and, notwithstanding the humility of his appearance, and the feebleness of the
instrumentality which he chose, the religion of the despised Nazarene must prevail over the earth,
and bless every nation of mankind. The conquest of the world has not yet been achieved, but the
work is before us; and, if we are loyal subjects of Zion's King, we must give ourselves to its
accomplishment.
The means which our King employs, for diffusing the blessings of his reign, are not such as
human wisdom would have adopted. It has pleased the Lord, "by the foolishness of preaching, to
save them that believe." It has seemed good to infinite wisdom, that the religion which is to bless
mankind, should be propagated by the simple instrumentality of the Christian ministry and the
Christian churches. If we seek military force, or legislative enactments, to accomplish the work,
we turn away from the simplicity of Christ, and convert his kingdom into one of this world; and,
whenever human wisdom has attempted, in any particular, to improve the simple means that
Christ ordained, the progress of truth and righteousness has been impeded.
Much that has existed, and that now exists, among the professed followers of Christ, cannot be
contemplated by one who sincerely loves him, without deep distress. Different creeds, and
different ecclesiastical organizations, have divided those who bear his name into hostile parties,
and Christianity has been disgraced, and its progress retarded. The world has seen hatred and
persecution where brotherly love ought to have been exhibited; and Christ has been crucified
afresh, and put to open shame, by those who claim to be his disciples.
For these evils, what shall be the remedy? Shall we look to the wisdom of this world, to devise
the cure? Human wisdom did not originate the institutions of Christianity; and it is now unable to
give them efficiency. We must return to the feet of our divine Master, and again receive his
instructions. Let us, in the spirit of obedient disciples, inquire for the good old paths, that we may
walk therein. No individual can accomplish everything; but it is his duty to do what he can. Let
each one show that he possesses the spirit of Christ, and carefully obey all the commands of
Christ. If he cannot cure the existing evils, he will, at least, not increase them; and the influence of
his example may produce salutary effects beyond his most sanguine hopes.
The true spirit of obedience is willing to receive the slightest intimations of the divine will. All the
truths of Revelation are not equally clear; yet none of them may be disregarded because of
difficulty in their investigation. If some most needful to be known, are presented prominently on
the inspired pages, and written in characters so large that he who runs may read; there are others
which are discoverable only by diligent search. Yet the truths, thus discovered, are precious gems
dug from an exhaustless mine; and even the very labor of discovery brings its own reward in the
mental and spiritual discipline which it furnishes. The diligent student of the Scriptures derives an
abundant recompense for his toil, not only from the enlarged and clearer views of divine truth to
which he attains, but also from that constant exercise of humility and faith, for which he finds
occasion at every step of his progress.
As the truths of revelation differ in the clearness with which they are exhibited, so our faith
embraces them with different degrees of strength. A man who does not investigate for himself,
may receive, with unwavering confidence, and maintain, with obstinate pertinacity, every dogma
of his party: but he who uses his own powers in the search after truth, will find some things to be
received as undoubted articles of faith, others as opinions to be held with various degrees of
confidence, according to the strength of evidence with which they have been severally presented to
the mind. By not furnishing overpowering evidence on every question of faith and practice, the
divine wisdom has given scope for the moral dispositions of men to exert their influence. A careful
inquiry respecting the minutest portions of duty, and a fixed determination to observe the will of
God in every particular, may exhibit proofs of obedience more strong and decisive, than would be
possible, if all truth and duty were discovered by intuition.
Our obedience to Christ should be universal. The tithing of mint, anise, and cummin, is of less moment than the weightier matters of law, judgment, mercy, and faith; but it is not therefore to be disregarded. Christ taught that both were to be observed. "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (3) Church order and the ceremonials of religion, are less important than a new heart; and in the view of some, any laborious investigation of questions respecting them may appear to be needless and unprofitable. But we know, from the Holy Scriptures, that Christ gave commands on these subjects, and we cannot refuse to obey. Love prompts our obedience; and love prompts also the search which may be necessary to ascertain his will. Let us, therefore, prosecute the investigation" which are before us, with a fervent prayer, that the Holy Spirit, who guides into all truth, may assist us to learn the will of him whom we supremely love and adore.
1. 1Gal. ii. 20
2. 22 Cor. v. 14, 15.
3. 3Matt. xxiii. 23.