GREY HAIRS ARE UPON HIM - Robert Murray Mcchene
Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.”—Hos. vii., 9.
THESE words describe a state of secret backsliding, the most dangerous, perhaps, of any. It is a common thing for persons crown up in years to turn old and grey-headed without observing it. Most people are unwilling to be thought old. They do not love to notice the progress of decay, and the marks of old age are allowed to steal upon them unobserved, The teeth drop out one by one, the hand loses its steadiness, the limbs lose their elasticity the eye becomes dim, and grey hairs are here and there upon the head, and we are in old age before we are aware. So is it in the decay of the soul in divine things.
It is a solemn and most affecting truth, that the life of God in the soul is subject to wither and decay. It cannot really die. If God has once given spiritual life to the soul, I know he will maintain it to eternal glory. “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Have respect unto the work of thine own hands.”— Ps. cxxxviii., 8. But still it is liable to many and sad decays. This is plain from Scripture. God says: “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how, then, art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?”—Jer. ii., 21. “Turn, O backsliding children, saith. the Lord, for I am married unto you.”—Jer. iii., 14. “My people are bent to backsliding frond me.”—Hos. xi., 7. Nevertheless I have this against thee, that thou hast left my first love.”—Rev. ii., 4.
Alas! my friends, it is plain from ourselves. Though I praise God he seems to be adding to the Church among you still “such as shall be saved,” though some of you appear to be going from strength to strength, yet of how many it may be said: “Grey hairs are here and there upon you, and you know it not.” How many have lost their relish for the house of God! It is not with you ai in months past. The Thursday evening is not so prized as it once was; the private prayer-meeting is seldom if ever visited; the company of the world is more sought after; the company of Christ more lightly esteemed. Is there not less zeal for the conversion of others, less prayer, less praise, less liberality? Ah! brethren, we as a congregation are a monument that there is such a thing as spiritual decay.
How earnest you once were in hearing the Word of God! You would not miss an opportunity, week-day or Sabbath-day. You heard as for your life. Your praises were fuller and more fervent once than they are now. How careful you were in treasuring up the Word; repeating it to yourselves, and your children, and your companions! How fervent in your prayers! On many of your hearts I fear we must write, “Ichabod—The glory is departed.”
Another solemn fact is, that this decay is always secret and unnoticed. It is like the approach of old age. “Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” Old people never observe the gradual advance of old age. In general, they do not like to think of their getting older. So it is in the decay of a believer’s soul. It goes on secretly and silently; the eye of faith becomes dimmer and dimmer; the hand loses its firm hold of Jesus; the soul loses its fresh delight in Immanuel’s finished work: and yet he knows it not. Sinful compliances steal upon the soul. “Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.”
I. Marks—some of the “grey hairs.”
1. The Bible neglected. When a soul is first brought to Christ . he delights in the word of God; he has appetite for it “as a newborn babe.” Just as an infant has a constant, steadily recurring appetite for its mother’s milk, so has the soul for the Word. He has spiritual understanding of the Word. It seems all sweet and easy; it all testifies of Jesus. The soul grasps the meaning— earnestly inquires from ministers and others the meaning of difficult passages. He has growth: “That ye may grow thereby.” It is felt to be the daily nourishment of the soul—the sword to ward off temptation. What a difference in decay! No relish for the Word. It may be read as a duty, or as a burdensome task; it is not delighted in. Other books are preferred to the Bible. There is no growing in the knowledge of the Word; no self application; no receiving it with meekness; no frequent recurrence of the mind to the chapter read in the morning; no answering Satan by “Thus it is written,” and “Thus saith the Lord.” Ah! my friends, how is the gold become dim! “Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.”
2. Prayer neglected. “Behold he prayeth,” was the first mark that Paul was brought from death to life. The soul enjoys great nearness to God, enters within the veil, lies down at the feet of Jesus, and pours out its groans and tears there. The believer rises, like his Lord, a great while before day—waking in the night —
cries in secret to God; before entering any company, or meeting a friend, or answering a proposal, the heart would wing its way to the mercy-seat; so that he prayed without ceasing. He poured forth earnest cries for deliverance from sin—the sins he was most tempted to, he prayed most against. His intercessions for others were deep, constant, wide. Once it was sweet and easy to pray for others: “Forbid that I should sin against God by ceasing to pray for you.” All this secretly changes. The soul is far from God—no putting prayers into the golden censer— entering within the veil—drawing near. No early rising now to pray, no cries in the night no prayer on sudden emergencies. We now frequently answer proposals in our own spirit, without asking counsel of the Lord. Little praying against sin now! We dare not pray against some sin, or only feebly, and without resolving to forsake it. Little intercession no —little bearing unconverted friends on our heart before God—little prayer for the Church, for the Jews, and the Heathen. Ah! these are some of the grey hairs.
3. Christ little esteemed. When first we know the Lord Christ is all in all. He is the Fountain for sin, where we are continually washing our souls from sin and uncleanness. Under his whiteshining robes we are continually hiding our naked souls. He is the Rock, giving out living water, which ever follows us. He is the compassionate Husband and elder Brother on whom we lean, coming up from the wilderness. He is our King, at whose feet our heart is laid down, that he may reign over it for ever and ever. When we decay it is not so. There is much guilt on the conscience, but little travelling to the Fountain; there is a doubt and dislike of the way of Salvation by Christ. There is little hiding beneath the righteousness without works. There is little drinking out of the Rock—it seems dry, or we are removed from it There is no leaning upon Christ—no sense of his presence by night and by day. Ah! this is a sad mark of grey hairs.
4. Sin not hated. When first we knew the Lord, how did sin appear? We had awful discoveries of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It appeared evil and bitter; the load that had crushed the Lord Jesus to the lowest hell; we could not bear it—we fled from temptation with our whole heart—we were quick-scented (Isa. xi., 3—margin) in the fear of the Lord. Like those animals that quickly scent game, so the new creature easily discovered the approach of sin, and fled from it. Now we have little conviction of sin. Dry eyes in confession—little confession, or none at all; no time set apart for the confession of sin. Temptation little feared, the soul becomes bolder and bolder in its approaches to sin.
5. Christians lightly esteemed. Once we loved all that loved the Lord; all our delight was in them—the mark that Christ left as the mark of a true disciple applied to us: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”— John xiii., 3-5. We had all things in common with them, so that none of them could be in want; we exhorted one another daily, as iron sharpeneth iron; we would not suffer sin upon our brother; we spoke with such love, and frankness, and humility, that they could not be offended. Now we look on them with coldness; we are not so intimate with them—we fear lest they see our guilt. We are not so careful of the poor saints as once we were; we have sworn to our own hurt, and we begin to change; we do not exhort one another daily; when they reprove us, we turn angry, and we do not reprove in love, but with a bitter spirit, or we speak evil of them behind their back.
G. The ungodly not warned. Once we wept over them in secret— pleaded with God night and day for their conversion— abhorred their ways: “I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”—Ps. ci., 3. Now our bowels do not yearn over them little or no prayer for their conversion; we now, perhaps, guiltily smile on their wicked ways. If we do not partake, at least we do not reprove them.
II. Causes of decay.
1. A lust allowed to prevail. So with Israel: “They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker,”—Hos. vii., 4. This was the cause of Israel’s decay. So it will be with you and me. A lust for money—a sensual lust—a lust for praise or pleasure, if tampered with, and suffered to prevail, will make the whole soul wither. For a time you begin to fight against it; then your opposition grows weaker; then you make excuses for it; then you hide it from yourself, but still obey its power. This brings guilt on the conscience; takes away your relish of the Bible i makes you weary of the mercy-seat. This makes the holy Saviour little prized; this makes sin little hated, Christians avoided, and the ungodly not pitied. O my brethren! we must either be enemies of all sin, or we shall be decaying, withering branches. One lust nourished in your heart will be a viper in your bosom.
2. Worldly company. “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people.”—Hos. vii., 8. This was the peculiar character of the Jews: “The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations;” but when they mixed themselves among the nations, then grey hairs began to appear. So it is with Christians—they are a peculiar people. Jesus said of them: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” We are as completely separated from the world as Christ was; we have got blood upon us, and the Holy Spirit in us; we have peculiar joys and peculiar sorrows; we are a praying people—a praising people. But the moment we begin to mix with the ungodly, grey hairs begin to appear: our souls wither.
Do not mistake me. If God has cast your lot in an ungodly family, where God is not worshipped; where his holy name is blasphemed; where his word is not read; where your ears are vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked; be not cast down. This is your peculiar trial; and God, who suits the back to the burden, will give grace according to your day. But if you choose a place where God is not; if you choose companions who have no fear of God; if you venture into companies where the god of this world reigns, where the Bible is a jest-book, and God’s ministers are the song of the drunkard; then your soul will and must begin to wither.
You retire to your closet, and open your Bible; but its holy, pure words, are not sweet to your taste. You kneel and fold the hands; but prayer is a burden: you have no spiritual desires. You name the name of Christ; but he does not appear altogether lovely. Sin has lost its frightful look. Lively Christians are now too exact and precise for you. Alas! it is not with you as in months past. The crown has fallen from your head. Woe unto you, because you have sinned!
III. Cure.
1. You may be cured. “O Ephraim, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help. Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet return again to me, saith the Lord.” Satan will tempt you to say, There is no hope—no, for I have loved strangers; but this is a lie. Remember, in Christ there is hope.
2. Search out the cause. Your heart will be most unwilling to find it out, but you must find it out. It’ you were in a sinking ship, the first thing is to find the leak; so you must find the leak in your soul. Is it an idol 1—lay it bare. Trace back your feelings till you find it out. Is it some lust you indulge ?—make it out. Is it worldly company ?—note it—put your finger on it. Say, This is the Achan in my heart—this is the troubler.
3. Get forgiveness of it. Confess it over the head of the Scapegoat: plunge it into the Fountain opened for sin. Jesus is crying: “Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.”
5. Slay the Troubler. Do with it as they did with Achan. Seek the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power to slay the troubler, that it never rise up any more. O my friends! if we would thus seek reformation, we would be the better of our falls; we would get honey out of the lion’s carcass. Awake! awake, my friends! hell is as deep as ever it was; Christ as free; your souls as precious; your eternity is nearer and nearer. O how foolish to deny, instead of, like Caleb, following the Lord fully! “Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor shall not be in vain in the Lord.”