SERMON XVI.

NO NEUTRALITY IN RELIGION.

LUKE xi. 23.

"He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth."

THE Occasion, upon which our Lord made use of these words, was when He was accused of casting out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And it should seem, that in using the words of the text, He was applying a principle, and possibly a proverb, very generally admitted. For, whatever may be the case in other matters, yet in the great conflict going on in the world between good and evil, he that is not on the side of God, is on the side of Satan, and he that is not working the work of Satan, must be working the work of God. So that as our Lord was clearly not working the work of Satan in casting out devils, it was no less unreasonable than blasphemous to lay it to His charge, that He was in league with Beelzebub. It was plain to all but the wilfully blind, that He was putting forth the

power of God, for the overthrow of the power of Satan and that as in no sense He could be said to be working with him, it was manifest He was working against him; as He was not gathering with him, it was plain He was scattering: that is, defeating his purpose and destroying his power.

But upon another occasion in our Lord's history, we find Him using words, which at first sight, might appear perhaps inconsistent with the words of the text: He says, "he that is not against us, is on our part." The seeming inconsistency however disappears, if we look to the different circumstances under which the words were spoken. In the one case, the casting out the devil by the power of God, was proof that our Lord could not possibly be in league with Beelzebub. In the other, the fact that the person referred to, had cast out devils in the name of Jesus, was proof that he could not be opposed to His name, though he might not have joined himself to His company. And hence, we see, that this cannot justify the existence of neutrality in any of us; for the person spoken of, was not occupying any supposed middle ground between Christ and Satan, but was helping to break down the power of Satan, by the manifestation of the far

1 Mark ix. 40.

greater power of Christ. The words of the text then, will lead us to consider this point, namely, that there are but two parties in the world, those who are with Christ, and those who are against Him: or which is the same thing, those who are with Satan, and those who are against him; for he that is with Christ must be against Satan, and he that is with Satan must be against Christ.

And in pressing this truth upon your attention, I shall not go into the consideration of the position in which heathen nations stand, in reference to the two distinct parties of good and evil in the world, but shall confine myself to the distinction which exists within the bosom of the church of God. And here we are compelled to testify that numbers who name the name of Christ, are not working with Him but against Him: doing not His will, but the will of Satan. Yes, even Christians, who have been so solemnly dedicated to the service of God, are oftentimes found fighting against the Lord that bought them, and doing the very work in which Satan delights.

For, in the first place, are there not some to be found, who are in this sense, the enemies of Christ, in that they have an utter aversion themselves to the ways of godliness, and will do what they can to deter others from pursuing them? Just as the sorcerer Elymas sought to turn away Sergius

Paulus from the faith, so are there found in every age, some who set themselves against the progress of the truth. When, for instance, one member in a family, begins to think that man was created for something else than merely to take his pleasure, and begins to see the necessity of a life of strict devotedness to God, how common is it for that person to be assailed by the scoffs, and jeers, and arguments, and objections of the rest of the family. My brethren, there is too much reason to believe, that it is still true, that a man's foes, are for the most part, those of his own house. The awakened soul, anxious and alarmed, asks for the guidance and assistance of some friendly hand but instead of being encouraged and comforted, it oftentimes meets only with scorn, or becomes the object of ridicule. The bruised reed is broken; the smoking flax is quenched; and the soul that is seeking after a resting-place, where only a resting-place can be found, is driven back by the dread of encountering the daily ridicule of friends; and what is even worse than this, the growing cold of the affections of those who have hitherto been the foremost in their love. Oh! it is a cruel thing to attempt to dissuade any one from serving the Lord his God. It is a cruel thing as well as a sin of fearful enormity, to put a stumbling block in the way of such as are just

turning from the follies of a worldly life, to give themselves to the service of Christ. "It must needs be that offences come, but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh!" If any one in the world is fighting against God, surely that man is chargeable with this madness, who would stop the prodigal in his return to his father's house: who would stand in the way of the poorest penitent when anxious to come back to God. Oh! then, you that are parents, see that you do not put any obstacle in the way of your children being really religious. Remember, you are taking part with Satan, if you are endeavouring to turn any one from the faith. You may keep your children back from following their convictions: you may come between them and the God who made them: you may intimidate them by the fear of your displeasure, or you may tell them, in the hope of overcoming their purpose, that if they think so much of religion, they will become melancholy or mad: you may laugh at them, and argue with them, and by this means perplex them and make them uneasy-but whatever you do, which keeps a soul from Christ, it is a dishonour to God: it is a work of Satan.

But, secondly, there are others, who will not, perhaps, go so far as to ridicule the religion of the

1 St. Matthew xviii. 7.