Again; wisdom and prudence, and a clear, powerful mind,are not they parts of Gods likeness? How is Gods Spirit described in Scripture? It is called the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of prudence and might. Therefore, surely, all wisdom and understanding, all prudence and strength of mind, are, like that Spirit, part of Gods image; and where did we get Gods image? Can we make ourselves like God? If we are like him, He must have formed that likeness; and He alone. The Spirit of God, says the Scripture, giveth us understanding.
Or, again; good-nature and affection, love, generosity, pity,whose likeness are they? What is Gods name but love? God is love. Has not He revealed Himself as the God of mercy, full of long-suffering, compassion, and free forgiveness; and must not, then, all love and affection, all compassion and generosity, be His gift? Yes. As the rays come from the sun, and yet are not the sun, even so our love and pity, though they are not God, but merely a poor, weak image and reflection of Him, yet from Him alone they come. If there is mercy in our hearts, it comes from the fountain of mercy. If there is the light of love in us, it is a ray from the full sun of His love.
Or honesty, again, and justice,whose image are they but Gods? Is He not The Just Onethe righteous God? Is not what is just for man just for God? Are not the laws of justice and honesty, by which man deals fairly with man, His lawsthe laws by which God deals with us? Does not every bookI had almost said every pagein the Bible shew us that all our justice is but the pattern and copy of Gods justice,the working out of those six latter commandments of His, which are summed up in that one command, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?
Now here, again, I ask: If justice and honesty be Gods likeness, who made us like God in thiswho put into us this sense of justice which all have, though so few obey it? Can man make himself like God? Can a worm ape his Maker? No. From Gods Spirit, the Spirit of Right, came this inborn feeling of justice, this knowledge of right and wrong, to uspart of the image of God in which He created manpart of the breath or spirit of life which He breathed into Adam. Do not mistake me. I do not say that the sense, and honesty, and love in us, are Gods Spiritthey are the spirit of man, but that they are like Gods Spirit, and therefore they must be given us by Gods Spirit to be used as Gods Spirit Himself uses them. How a man shall have his share of Gods Spirit, and live in and by Gods Spirit, is another question, and a higher and more blessed one; but we must master this question firstwe must believe that our spirits come from God, then, perhaps, we shall begin to see that our spirits never can work well unless they are joined to the Spirit of God, from whom they came. From whom else, I ask again, can they come? Can they come from our bodies? Our bodies? What are they?Flesh and bones, made up of air and water and earth,out of the dead bodies of the animals, the dead roots and fruits of plants which we eat. They are earthmatter. Can matter be courageous? Did you ever hear of a good-natured plant, or an honest stone? Then this good-nature, and honesty, and courage of ours, must belong to our soulsour spirits. Who put them there? Did we? Does a child make its own character? Does its body make its character first? Can its father and mother make its character? No. Our characters must come from some spirit above useither from God or from the devil. And is the devil likely to make us honest, or brave, or kindly? I leave you to answer that. GodGod alone, my friends, is the author of goodthe help that is done on earth, He doeth it all Himself: every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from Him.
Now some of you may think this a strange sort of sermon, because I have said little or nothing about Jesus Christ and His redemption in it, but I sayNo.
You must believe this much about yourselves before you can believe more. You must fairly and really believe that God made you one thing before you can believe that you have made yourselves another thing. You must really believe that you are not mere machines and animals, but immortal souls, before you can really believe that you have sinned; for animals cannot sinonly reasonable souls can sin. We must really believe that God made us at bottom in His likeness, before we can begin to find out that there is another likeness in us besides Godsa selfish, brutish, too often a devilish likeness, which must be repented of, and fought against, and cast out, that Gods likeness in us may get the upper hand, and we may be what God expects us to be. We must know our dignity before we can feel our shame. We must see how high we have a right to stand, that we may see how low, alas! we have fallen.
Now youI know many such here, thank Godto whom God has given clear, powerful heads for business, and honest, kindly hearts, I do beseech youconsider my words, Who has given you these but God? They are talents which He has committed to your charge; and will He not require an account of them? He only, and His free mercy, has made you to differ from others; if you are better than the fools and profligates round you, He, and not yourselves, has made you better. What have you that you have not received? By the grace of God alone you are what you are. If good comes easier to you than to others, He alone has made it easier to you; and if you have done wrong,if you have fallen short of your duty, as all fall short, is not your sin greater than others? for unto whom much is given of them shall much be required. Consider that, for Gods sake, and see if you, too, have not something to be ashamed of, between yourselves and God. See if you, too, have not need of Jesus Christ and His precious blood, and Gods free forgiveness, who have had so much light and power given you, and still have fallen short of what you might have been, and what, by Gods grace, you still may be, and, as I hope and earnestly pray, still will be.
And you, young men and womenconsider;if God has given you manly courage and high spirits, and strength and beautythinkGod, your Father, has given them to you, and of them He will surely require an account; therefore, Rejoice, young people, says Solomon, in your youth, and let your hearts cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. But remember, continues the wisest of men,remember, that for all these things God shall bring you into judgment. Now do not misunderstand that. It does not mean that there is a sin in being happy. It does not mean, that if God has given to a young man a bold spirit and powerful limbs, or to a young woman a handsome face and a merry, loving heart, that He will punish them for theseGod forbid! what He gives He means to be used: but this it means, that according as you use those blessings so will you be judged at the last day; that for them, too, you will be brought to judgment, and tried at the bar of God. As you have used them for industry, and innocent happiness, and holy married love, or for riot and quarrelling, and idleness, and vanity, and filthy lusts, so shall you be judged. And if any of you have sinned in any of these ways,God forbid that you should have sinned in all these ways; but surely, surely, some of you have been idlesome of you have been riotoussome of you have been vainsome of you have been quarrelsomesome of you, alas! have been that which I shall not name here.Think, if you have sinned in any one of these ways, how can you answer it to God? Have you no need of forgiveness? Have you no need of the blessed Saviours blood to wash you clean? Young people! God has given you much. As a young man, I speak to you. Youth is an inestimable blessing or an inestimable curse, according as you use it; and if you have abused your spring-time of youth, as all, I am afraid, haveas I haveas almost all do, alas! in this fallen world, where can you get forgiveness but from Him that died on the cross to take away the sins of the world?