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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 8

Conversion and Regeneration

Conversion and Regeneration.

Nothing is so striking in the Gospel of Christ as the principle constantly and emphatically set forth of the absolute conversion and regeneration of the heart. Christ oftentimes warns us against hollow morality. We are taught not to rest satisfied with delivering ourselves from particular vices and impurities. Nothing short of a thorough renunciation of all manner of evil, nothing short of an absolute regeneration of the heart, will please Christ. It is inconsistent with the main and fundamental principles of Christ's ethics to rest satisfied with what the world calls virtue and honesty. There is a clear line of demarcation between the true principles of the Gospel ethics and those principles of dry morality which are oftentimes prized very highly by worldly-minded men. In order to enter God's holy kingdom we must not only cast aside this vice, or that evil trait in our character, but we must thoroughly convert our hearts. There must be new life in us. The old man must be altogether put away, and our aspirations and feelings, our instincts and our thoughts, must be regenerated. We must not attempt to build virtue upon the old foundation of our animal nature, but we must annihilate the old nature, putting away all that is wrong and selfish and dishonourable in us, and enter into new regions of heavenly life. We must not try to bring down truth from God's holy mansions, and, with its aid, live in the midst of honesty and purity on earth, but we must enter into heavenly regions, and, while our bodies are on earth, our spirits must hold communion with our Heavenly Father. What is the condition, what is the true state, of regenerate life? It is set forth in the exhortation,—"Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the king- page 242 dom of heaven." The idea of manhood, the strong characteristic which distinguishes men from children, is pride, self-sufficiency. "Want of straightforwardness also forms another characteristic of what we call manhood; but we are in this passage strongly and emphatically warned against pride, against a want of simplicity and frankness. We must pull down our pride and arrogance, and become as little children. We must become as simple, as gentle, as meek, and as pure-hearted as little infants. The infant knows nothing in this world except its father and mother; it lisps in semi-articulate language with great tenderness the name of its father and mother, and it recognises them and them alone. So must our hearts recognise our Heavenly Father as our all in all. There are, it is true, many relationships on earth dear and near to us, but our true relationship, our abiding and eternal relationship, is that in which we stand to our Heavenly Father. The child recognises its parent, not through knowledge, not through philosophy, but instinctively. So our hearts, in a state of regenerate existence, instinctively recognise the Divine Father. Philosophy does not aid us, the help of scholarship is not necessary to us; but religious instincts at once help us to perceive that He who encompasseth us, and is with us in our downsitting and uprising, who feedeth us and protecteth us, and who delivereth us from all manner of sin and iniquity, is really our Father and our Friend for time and for eternity.

There is another characteristic of little children: they are guileless. The world's temptations have no influence on them, for they know not the temptations of the flesh. The little infant looks about and sees the riches and treasures of the world, but its artless, guileless heart knows not what temptations are. Between the grass that fadeth and withereth and is trodden under feet by men and the riches and treasures of the world, there is no distinction whatsoever in the eye of the little infant. To the infant riches are nothing; and so to the regenerate soul the riches and treasures of this world are as nothing. Not only does the little child ignore riches and treasures, but they can exercise no influence whatever on its tender heart. So with regenerate and pious sons of God: it is not with them a work of struggle and difficulty to come away from the influence of temptations, to overcome them and to become righteous. No; temptations are not temptations to those who have been regenerated. In vain does the world ply the feelings and inclinations of the regenerate man with all its allurements and fascinations; they fall flat upon his mind and heart. He does not for one moment feel moved or tempted; and so with him there is no difficulty in overcoming these temptations. But those who have not been regenerated, those who desire to remain satisfied with mere honesty and morality, have not only every day, but every hour of their existence, to wage unceasing war with the passions of the heart and page 243 the lusts of the flesh. We have always to struggle with temptations, and on every occasion we have to overcome them with the aid of conscience before we can unfurl the banner of victory in our hearts; but the regenerate man does not go through these struggles. With him there is no difficulty, no warfare, but as his body freely inhales the pure air of God's earth, so his soul freely and naturally inhales the pure air of God's kingdom. He is surrounded by God's holiness, by an atmosphere full of celestial purity, and his eyes naturally drink in God's light, and his heart naturally inhales purity. As children pass through this world without being moved or tempted, and as there cannot be any defilement in there little minds, so must the regenerate man go through the thorny paths of this world without being defiled or contaminated by the sins of this world. Though, therefore, we are grown-up men, yet we should not boast of our wisdom, of our virtue, of our sanctity. Rather let us pull down the edifices of arrogance and conceit that we have built up. Rather let us confess our unworthiness before God, and humble ourselves down to the dust under an overpowering consciousness of our sins and transgressions. Rather let us say we are as little children, groping in the dark in the midst of a wilderness in search of truth, in quest of God. Ten thousand temptations in horrid forms are every moment frightening us, and in alluring forms every moment enticing us away from the paths of purity; we have not energy or wisdom in us sufficient to overcome the influence of these temptations; and if in the spirit of humility—of childlike humility—we fall down at the feet of our Heavenly Father, He will certainly have compassion and pity on us. And with childlike trust may we recognise Him as our only Father, and Master, and Friend. May we be enabled to say that there is none on earth and there is nothing in heaven that we desire besides our God. Let our only desire be to live with our Father, as devoted and loving children wish to be always with their father. Let us not form abstract conceptions of the Deity, but let us go to Him with hearts full of filial trust as little children. Let us all feel that, whatever our doctrinal differences may be, we are children of the same Father. When we boast of our wisdom and scholarship, we are apt to enter into learned controversies and theological wranglings; but when we look upon ourselves as simply His children, of what avail is theology before God? Every man who desires and pants for admission into His holy temple must show that his heart has been converted. Let all men stand round His holy throne as little children, and when He sees that they are full of humility and childlike trust and simplicity, He shall spread His holy kingdom amongst them all, recognise them as His children, and make them into one everlasting family. All nations are pressing forward to that kingdom of heaven which is yet to come, for the Lord's kingdom is not behind, but before. If we have conscience within page 244 us and a thorough dependence on God's all-conquering grace—if we believe, as we ought to believe, that He will save the prodigal son and will receive him back if he is penitent and prayerful—then let us no longer despair, let us not faint or falter, but let us steadily march on, singing the name of our holy Father, and with hearts full of humility and meekness and gentleness, advance daily in order that we may all enter into His holy kingdom. Then there shall be no sorrow, no sighing, no controversy, no sectarianism, but all shall be received by God because of their conversion, because of their regeneration. Let us pray, then, to the Father of mercy for our regeneration, for the absolute purification and sanctification of our hearts.—Baboo Keshub Chunder Sen.