Hebrews 12:12

Hebrews 12:12

Religious Cowardice..

The encouragement which we derive from St. Mark's history is, that the feeblest among us may, through God's grace, become strong; and the warning to be drawn from it is to distrust ourselves, and, again, not to despise weak brethren or to despair of them, but to bear their burdens and help them forward, if so be we may restore them.

I. Observe in what St. Mark's weakness lay. There is a sudden defection, which arises from self-confidence. Such was St. Peter's. In St. Mark's history, however, we have no evidence of self-confidence; rather we may discern in it the state of multitudes at the present day who proceed through life with a certain sense of religion on their minds, who have been brought up well and know the truth, who acquit themselves respectably while danger is at a distance, but disgrace their profession when brought into any unexpected trial.

II Christians such as Mark will abound in any prosperous Church; and should trouble come, they will be unprepared for it. They have been so long accustomed to external peace that they do not like to be persuaded that danger is at hand. They settle it in their imagination that they are to live and die undisturbed. They look at the world's events, as they express it, cheerfully,and argue themselves into self-deception. Next, they make concessions to suit their own predictions and wishes, and surrender the Christian cause, that unbelievers may not commit themselves to an open attack upon it To speak plainly, a state of persecution is not (what is familiarly called) their element; they cannot breathe in it. If there be times when we have grown torpid from long security and are tempted to prefer the treasures of Egypt to the reproach of Christ, what can we do? what ought we to do but to pray God in some way or other to try the very heart of the Church and to afflict us here rather than hereafter? So may we issue evangelists for timid deserters of the cause of truth, speaking the words of Christ and showing forth His life and death, rising strong from our sufferings and building up the Church in the strictness and zeal of those who despise this life except as it leads to another.

J. H. Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons,vol. ii., p. 175.

References: Hebrews 12:12. Plain Sermons by Contributors to" Tracts for the Times," vol. i., p. 55.Hebrews 12:12; Hebrews 12:13. J. H. Thorn, Laws of Life,1st series, p. 323; H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xv., p. 243.Hebrews 12:12. R. W. Dale, The Jewish Temple and the Christian Church,p. 264.