Sermons on Judges 5:23

5. As to the manner of acting and speaking, I advise you to do it with all innocence and simplicity, prudence and seriousness. Add to these, all possible calmness and mildness; nay, all the tenderness which the case will bear. You are not to behave as butchers or hangmen; but as surgeons rather, who put the patient to no more pain than is necessary in order to the cure. For this purpose, each of you, likewise, has need of “a lady’s hand with a lion’s heart.” So shall many, even of them you are constrained to punish, “glorify God in the day of visitation.” 6. I exhort all of you who fear God, as ever you hope to find mercy at his hands, as you dread being found (though you knew it not) “even to fight against God,” do not, on any account, reason, or pretence whatsoever, either directly or indirectly, oppose or hinder so merciful a design, and one so conducive to his glory. But this is not all: If you are lovers of mankind, if you long to lessen the sins and miseries of your fellow-creatures, can you satisfy yourselves, can you be clear before God, by barely not opposing it? Are not you also bound by the most sacred ties, “as you have opportunity to do good to all men?” And is not here an opportunity of doing good to many, even good of the highest kind? In the name of God, then, embrace the opportunity! Assist in doing this good, if no otherwise, yet by your earnest prayers for them who are immediately employed therein. Assist them, according to your ability, to defray the expense which necessarily attends it, and which, without the assistance of charitable persons, would be a burden they could not bear. Assist them, if you can without inconvenience, by quarterly or yearly subscriptions. At least, assist them now; use the present hour, doing what God puts into your heart. Let it not be said that you saw your brethren laboring for God, and would not help them with one of your fingers. In this way, however, “come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty!” …

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These Gadites, likewise, furnish us with a noble example of strong revolution. When the eleven men determined to join David, they were living on the other side of a deep river which at that season of the year had overflowed its banks— so that it was extremely deep and broad. But they were not to be kept from joining David when he needed them by the river. They swam across the river that they might come to David. Oh, I would like to hold up my Master's banner and be His recruiting sergeant tonight, if I could entertain the hope that out of this company there would come men of such mettle whose hearts the Lord has touched to join themselves to the Lord and fight for His Cross, whatever might impede and block their way! Do you stand back and shrink from avowing your attachment to the standard of God's Anointed because it would involve loss of reputation, displeasure of friends, the frowns of your associates in the world, or the heartbreaks of anguish of those you tenderly love? Know, then, that our Lord is worthy of all the troubles you incur and all the risks you run! And be assured that the peace which a soul enjoys that once joins Christ in the hold and abides with Him in the wilderness, well repays a man for all that he has to part with in getting to his Lord and Master! We have known some of the rich who have joined Christ's Church who have had to swim through overflowing rivers of contumely—the unkindness they have braved has indeed been cold and chilling. We have known many a poor woman who has had to suffer from her husband's brutality—and many a poor man who has had to run the gauntlet of a thousand cruel tongues! But who is afraid of such treatment as that? Once see the King in His beauty and your fears will vanish like smoke! Did you ever see His face stained with spit and black and blue with the blows of mailed hands? Did you ever see that head surrounded with the crown of thorns and mark the painful agony that was upon His visage, more marred than any man's? And have you not said, "Savior, since You endured all this for me, there is nothing that I will count too difficult to endure for You. I will count shame for You to be my glory, and Your reproach shall be greater riches to me than all the treasures of Egypt"? Have you not said that? If you have said so from your very soul, God the Holy Spirit writing it upon your heart, I know you have resolved to endure any pain or shame if you could but get to your Lord and stand side by side with Him! They swam the river to get to David, so, Believer, swim the river to be with Christ! …

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III. SHALL WE NOT DESIRE MORE AND MORE THIS "JOY IN HARVEST?" Many of God's people are just now anxiously desiring a harvest which would bring to us an intense delight. Of late, divers persons have communicated to me in many ways the strong emotion they feel of deep pity for the souls of men. Others of us have felt a mysterious impulse to pray more than we ever have and to be more anxious than we ever were, that Christ would save poor perishing sinners. We shall not be satisfied until there is a thorough awakening in this land! We did not raise the feeling in our own minds, but we do not desire to repress it! We do not believe it can be repressed! And others will feel, too, the same heavenly affection and will sigh and cry to God day and night until the blessing comes! This is the sowing, this is the plowing, this is the harrowing—may it go on to harvesting! I long to hear my Brothers and Sisters universally saying, "We are full of anguish! We are in agony till souls are saved." The cry of Rachel, "Give me children, or I die," is the cry of your minister this day—and the longing of thousands more besides! As that desire grows in intensity, a revival is surely approaching! We must have spiritual children born to Christ, or our hearts will break for the longing that we have for their salvation! Oh, for more of these longings, yearnings, cravings, travailing! If we plead till the harvest of revival comes, we shall partake in the joy of it! …

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