CHRIST'S FAMOUS TITLES

CHRIST'S FAMOUS TITLES
by William Dyer (1632-1696)

All Christians have all the same father, God; the same head, Christ; the same guide, the Spirit; the same attendants, the angels; the same grace, faith; the same title, son; the same clothing, Christ's righteousness; the same glory, heaven. And shall we not love one another? He who loves himself, will not hate his brother; for while you are out of charity with your brother--God is out of charity with you; and you lose more for lack of God's love, than your brother loses for lack of your love!

Hebrews 13:1, "Let brotherly love continue." Do you love the person of Christ--and hate the picture of Christ? Oh, sirs, remember the God of love--has commanded us to love one another. Beloved, it is a sad thing, and truly so sad, that it may make our very hearts bleed within us, to think that the Lamb's little flock--who are in strength the weakest, in riches the poorest, in number the fewest--that they should be in love the coldest! Is not this sad --that the little ones of Jesus Christ, that the lambs of Jesus Christ, should love one another so little? Oh, Christians, either lay your malice aside, or else God will lay you aside--to your great sorrow! He who will be angry and sin not--must not be angry but with sin.

Therefore, dear Christians, let me beseech you to love one another. Oh, that I could but speak out how much I desire love to one another! Oh, it will be a happy day when all the people of God are knit together in love and affection! Oh, sirs, if God had commanded some great thing of us, some burdensome thing of us--it might have been excused! But, alas! it is no more but to love our brethren--and shall we deny this to him? But you may say, How should we believers love one another? I answer:

First, You should highly esteem one another as pearls--in comparison of other men!

This is how God looks on his people. God calls his people his jewels, his treasures, his glory and his portion--when he calls wicked men dogs, vipers, swine, briers and thorns! You should be very high in one another's affections.

Secondly, You should delight in the company of one another, in the society of each other! God delights in the society of saints--and so should you.

Thirdly, You should be ready to help one another, and to do good for one another, and to share with one another. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "It is a more blessed to give--than to receive.''

Fourthly, Admonish one another. Exhort one another, stir up one another to love, and to do good works.

Fifthly, Sympathize one with one another. Fellow-members should be fellow-feelers; so did Moses, and Jeremiah; and old Eli--his heart was broken before his neck was broken. Dear Christians, let me beseech you, let me beg of you--to love one another! God calls us to love--who is love itself.

20. Set out for God at your beginning--and hold out with God until your ending. As there are none too old for eternity--so there are none too young for mortality, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," Ecclesiastes 12:1. We are born to serve God. It is better we had never been born--than not serve him. Man is indebted to God--for what he has; but God is not indebted to man--for what he does. It is a greater glory to us--that we serve God; than it is to God--that we serve him. It is not he--who is made happy by us; but we--who are made happy by him. He needs not such servants as we are on earth--but we need such a Master as he is in heaven. He will be everlastingly blessed without us--but we will be everlastingly cursed without him.

"Of him, and through him, and to him are all things--to whom be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36. It is sad, my beloved, it is sad--that we should live so long in the world, and do so little good; or that we should live so little in the world, and do so much evil. Oh, you must never imagine that you can dance with the devil all day--and sup with Christ at night! You can never go from Delilah's lap--to Abraham's bosom! If salvation were easy to come by--it would be slightly set by. There is no obtaining of what is promised--but by fulfilling what is commanded. Do not neglect the race of holiness, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which none shall see God!" Hebrews 12:14.

Beloved, there are many young people in the world, who are very wicked in the world. They walk in darkness, and do the works of darkness. They are young in years--but old in sin. They are very vain--in a vain world. They sin with delight--and make sin their delight. I beseech you to meditate on Ecclesiastes 11:9, "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see!" Oh this is brave indeed--if it would always last! But after the flash of lightning, comes the clap of thunder! Mark what follows, "BUT know that for all these things--God will bring you to judgment!" Do you but see here, sirs. Oh were it not for this BUT--how brave wicked men would be! "BUT know that for all these things--God will bring you to judgment!" For all your lusts, and for all your pride, and for all your worldliness and selfishness--you shall be brought to judgment! After all your present receiving, you must be brought to your future reckoning.

Oh, therefore, let nothing be done in this world--which cannot be answered for in the eternal world. I beseech you who are young--to serve God, to love God, to honor God, to obey God in your youthful days. "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth!" The flower of life is Christ's setting--and shall it be of the devil's plucking? Will you hang the most sparkling ring of your young years--on the devil's ear! Oh! it is hard casting off the devil's yoke--when we have worn it so long on our neck! Oh, young people! If God's today is too soon for your repentance, your tomorrow will be too late for God's acceptance. You can never come too soon to God, nor stay too long with God!