Experimental Religion
Signs of the Times - November 1, 1845
There are many kinds of
religion in the world. The apostle Paul speaks of having been brought up after
the manner of the Jews’ religion and, although it acknowledges a God, and the
authenticity of the scriptures of the Old Testament, differed as widely from the
Christian religion as enjoyed by the regenerated sons of God as spiritually
worship differs from carnal ordinances. The religion of the Jews could never fit
its possessors for the enjoyment of spiritual things here, nor for the songs of
the redeemed in the ultimate state of their glory.
The
Pagans, also, were a religious people; extremely devotional and zealous, but
knew not the author of their existence as God. They worshipped and still do
worship a variety of gods. Mahometans [Moslems; Ed.] are religious, and their
alcoran [Koran, Ed.] is by them regarded as an infallible and sacred oracle.
Catholics and Protestants of numerous sects claim to be Christians, profess the
Christian religion, and some of them are remarkably zealous in making converts
to their religion; compassing sea and land, employing thousands of agents, and
expending millions of money in spreading their religion; but all these are
essentially different from the primitive disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. And
although the Catholics and the Protestants will not like to be classed with
Jews, Pagans, and Mahometans, a careful investigation of their several claims
will show them to be equally distant front the
All
false religion must agree in the particulars noticed above, for if regeneration
were a prerequisite to knowledge of false religion, as it is to a knowledge of
experimental religion, false religion could not be propagated, for the Holy
Spirit will not qualify men for the reception or practice of false religion. But
experimental religion cannot be taught or learned as the sciences, or as every
description of religion can. “Except a man be born again he cannot see the
The religion of Jesus is
not a science; but purely a revelation. Flesh and blood did not reveal it to
Peter. Paul knew nothing of it but by revelation. “When it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son
in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not
with flesh and blood,” (Gal. 1:15-16). God has hidden these things effectually
from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes. It is indeed a
distinguishing provision for the New Testament saints that they shall no more
teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother to know the Lord. The
knowledge of Lord is eternal life. “For this is life eternal, that they might
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent,” (John
17:3). Men may with quite as much propriety undertake to give eternal life to
dead sinners, as to give them a knowledge of the true God, and of Jesus Christ;
for the one equivalent to the other.
But experimental religion
is not only radically dissimilar to all other kinds of religion, but there is
also a wide difference between the practice dictated by pure religion, and the
experience of that pure religion. Men may have the form of godliness while they
know not the experience of its vital power in their hearts; but no man can
possess the experience of godliness in his heart without its producing an effect
upon his deportment. The difference between true and false religion is known by
their respective fruits. Those who possess the experimental power of religion in
their hearts, work from life already possessed, while all others work in
anticipation of life expected. Such as are born of God desire and pray that the
they may be reconciled to God; all others desire and pray that God may be
reconciled to them. God’s people are exercised by faith; all others profess to
exercise faith. Experimental Christians love God, love his truth, love his
service, and desire with their whole hearts to live in obedience to all the
precepts of their spiritual King; but others sometimes have been heard to say,
if they believed that their eternal destiny was unalterably settled in the
purpose and decree of God, they would take a fill of sin.
On the whole, a religious
education, a constrained, or even voluntary form of godliness may exist where
there is no vital relationship to God; where the power and experience of the
religion of God is unknown; and what an awful state must that be, where the form
of godliness is possessed and the power thereof is denied.
Before we close these
remarks, we will observe for the encouragement of some of the trembling lambs of
the Redeemer’s flock, that the experience of vital religion in the heart is not
always attended with an unfaltering and clear evidence of such is the case. We
have thought there are no people on earth so exceedingly jealous of the
evidences, of their own personal interest in the religion of Jesus, as the
children of God are. The reason is obvious; they both see and feel the
corruptions of their own natures. Grace has made them sensitive and that which
would occasion no pain to a hypocrite, is felt and mourned by an heir of heaven.
None can know the experience of vital religion, who do not feel the opposing
corruptions of their fleshly nature.
This number of the
Signs[of the Times; Ed.] may reach the eye of some one of those tried,
afflicted, tempted, doubting, and tempest-tossed children of God, who feels
almost ready to conclude all former exercises are but delusion. Such a tried,
sighing soul may reason thus: If a child of God, why so dull, so stupid so
barren and unfruitful? Why so tempted, perplexed, and doubtful? Or why so little
of the spirit of grace and of supplication? Why hungering and thirsting for
righteousness, never able to see myself as I would wish to be? Poor soul all
this is Christian experience. No Christian escapes these trials of their faith.
No graceless hypocrite ever experienced these trials. Therefore, “Count it not
strange, as though some strange thing had happened unto you.” The trial of your
faith is more precious than the trial of gold which perisheth. Therefore count
it all joy when you fall into divers temptations for:
“Your God shall make the tempter flee,
For as thy days thy strength shall be.”
