From Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, July 5 (Morning):
"Called to be saints" (Romans 1:7)
We tend to regard the apostolic saints as if they were saints in a more special manner than the other children of God. All are saints whom God has called by His grace and sanctified by His Spirit. The nearer a man lives to God, the more intensely he mourns over his own evil heart. The more his Master honors him in His service, the more also does his evil flesh tease him daily. The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we would have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family. If we had talked with him, we would have said, "We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the same trials to endure."
Do not look on the ancient saints as being exempt from infirmities or sins. Do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are called to be saints by that same voice which constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian's duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship. We have the same light that they had, and the same grace is accessible to us. Why should we rest satisfied until we have equaled them in heavenly character? They lived with Jesus and for Jesus . Therefore, they grew like Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, "looking unto Jesus," and our saintship will soon be apparent.
