Funeral Sermon for the Rev. J. J. Janeway

More documents

Recommendations

Info

BY THE REV. CHARLES HODGE, D.D. 291which he lives, whatever else he may be, he is not aChristian. Let the simplicity of the gospel be understood.Let men understand that the only questionfor them to decide, is whether they will serveChrist or Satan. They cannot be merely religious,or merely moral, they must conscientiously devotethemselves to the service of the Lord Jesus, or theycontinue the servants of the devil.Such being the nature of the conflict in question,and such the principle which governs the Christianwarrior, the object of the conflict is thereby determined.Every contest is for some object. The specificobject of the Christian conflict is to bring ourselvesand others into subjection to Christ. It isimportant that this should be understood. It is notsimply that we and others should be good, or in thegeneral sense of the term, religious, but that we andall men should recognize Jesus Christ in his truecharacter, that we should allow him to rule in and toreign over us, and to employ us in the promotion ofhis kingdom and glory. This is the only form inwhich religion and morality can exist. There is notrue religion but the worship of God in Christ, orwhich does not recognize Christ as the clearest revelationof God, and the highest object of a religiouslife; and there is no true holiness but in obedience toChrist, i.e. in living and acting under the governinginfluence of a desire to do his will and to be conformedto his image. It is an entire delusion tosuppose that any man can be religious or goodwithout being a Christian. How can a man be a
292FUNERAL SERMONgood subject of a kingdom who does not recognizeand obey its legitimate sovereign ? If Christ be theEternal Son of God, and the legitimate Sovereign ofthe souls of men, any thing short of the cordial recognitionof his claims, and of entire subjection tohis will, is a rejection of him, and to reject him is toreject God. This then, my hearers, is the specificend of the conflict in which we are engaged. It isto bring ourselves and others into subjection toChrist. And as his kingdom is spiritual, as it extendsover the whole man, the reason, the conscience,the affections, the will and the outward life, thissubjection implies that all our judgments or convictionsof truth should be determined by his teachings,who is the eternal Logos or reason. To agree with him,therefore, is to agree with the eternal source andsum of truth; it is to be in accordance with the infiniteMind who sees all things intuitively as they are.To differ from him is to be in darkness; to be irrationalor demented. Let men therefore not set upfor themselves, or pretend to the folly of thinkingfor themselves. Let them strive to be conformed tothe judgments or teachings of Christ, in whose lightwe see light, and who is the true light which lightethevery man who cometh into the world.The conscience of man is no more independentthan his understanding. “We are not to decide forourselves what is right and what is wrong. Theendless diversity of opinion among men on questionsof morals, shows conscience to be no infallible guide.Not only Pagans and Christians, not only different
Page 1 and 2: FUNERAL SERMON,BY THE REV. CHARLES
Page 3 and 4: 280FUNERAL SERMONchoice of his bret
Page 5 and 6: 282FUNERAL SERMONwitness to the lib
Page 7 and 8: 284FUNERAL SERMONit is always prese
Page 9 and 10: 286FUNERAL SERMONtween Christ and S
Page 11 and 12: 288FUNERAL SERMONhappy, in the dept
Page 13: 290FUNERAL SERMONtion to Jesus Chri
Page 17 and 18: 294FUNERAL SERMONproportion that Ch
Page 19 and 20: 296FUNERAL SERMONsubjection of the

Funeral Sermon for the Rev. J. J. Janeway

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?