SERMON XII.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)
In discussing this subject, I will pursue the
following:
I.
What does the love of the world mean?
II.
Who loves the world?
III.
Does the world love God?
I.
What does the love of the world mean?
1. The love of the world that the scripture talks about is not every kind or degree of desire for worldly objects. God has so created us, that we need a certain amount and certain kinds of worldly objects for our existence. We need food and clothing, tools to work with, implements of trade, and various worldly things. The proper desire of these things is neither sinful nor inconsistent with the love of God.
To
love the world is to make worldly things the principal objects of our desire
and pursuit.
To
love worldly things, and desire them more than to love God and man; to be more
anxious to obtain worldly things, and spend more time getting them, than
glorifying God, and saving men’s souls, is to love the world in the sense of
this text. Where the love of God and of
men is supreme in the heart, there may be a suitable desire for worldly
objects. But where an individual shows
a passion for acquiring wealth or worldly objects, and aims to obtain worldly
things rather than to glorify God and to do good to others, it is certain that
the love of the world is supreme in his heart.
II.
Who loves the world?
1.
All who cheat and defraud to obtain the things of the world. Anyone, who cheats and defrauds his
neighbor, does not love him as he loves himself. Isn’t this obvious? A man
who will disobey God for the purpose of obtaining worldly goods, does not love
God supremely. That he loves the things
of the world more than anything else is a simple matter of fact.
2.
All those whose anxieties and cares are mostly about worldly things love the
world. If they are more careful for the
things of the world and more anxious and earnest in the pursuit of them than in
glorifying God and in doing good to men, they love the world supremely.
But, you might ask, can a man be anxious to
obtain worldly things for doing good with money? A man may desire to obtain money for glorifying God with it; but,
in that case the principal anxiety, care, and desire, would not terminate on
obtaining money, but on the end which he hopes to accomplish through the use of
that money. To believe that anyone,
whose supreme object is to glorify God and do good to man, should primarily
concern himself with worldly things, is just as absurd as it is to believe that
he is more anxious about the means than about the end that he hopes to
accomplish using those means. The end
makes the means valuable. The end is
the main object of thought and of desire; and to think that a man's anxieties
and cares would focus on the means of accomplishing the end, rather than on the
end itself, is plainly absurd and impossible.
Suppose
a gentleman was engaged to be married to a young lady halfway around the
world. Now he has to begin a long
journey to his wedding. His heart is
set on the end he has in view. Is it
likely that the delights and worries of his journey will occupy most of his
thoughts, and absorb more of his affections than his goal of getting to his
wedding? Who does not know that if his
heart was set on obtaining his bride, he would travel from city to city hardly
noticing the incidents that took place during his travels? His bride and his marriage would fill up his
thoughts every day, and be the subject of his dreams at night; and all his
cares and desires would be that the trains and planes would carry him as fast
as possible to accomplish his heart's desire.
Can
someone who loves God supremely, and whose desire for money and possessions is
such that he may glorify God and benefit mankind thereby, be so anxious and so
busy about the means that he loses sight of the end? Can his interest in the end to be accomplished be swallowed up in
his efforts to obtain the means? This
can’t be. Now I appeal to the two
groups of people I am talking about.
You that practice fraud, take advantage of the ignorance of men, and
cheat them in little or great things; do you pretend to love God? If so, you are an arrogant hypocrite.
And
you, who are so worried about worldly things, whose time, thoughts, and
affections are swallowed up in efforts to obtain them, know assuredly that you
love the world, and that the love of God is not in you.
3.
All those who consult only their own interest in the transaction of business.
God
requires you to love your neighbor as yourself. He says, “Let each of you
look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of
others”. (Phil 2:4) “Let no one seek his own, but each one the
other's well-being.” (I Cor 10:24) These are simple requirements of God. They are the very spirit and substance of
the Gospel. Benevolence is a desire to
do good to others. A willingness to
deny self, for promoting the interest of your neighbor is the very spirit of
Christ. It is the heart and soul of His
Gospel.
Now,
suppose a man, in his business dealings with others, aims only to promote his
own interest. He only seeks his own
wealth. He does not look after the
welfare of others, but his eye and his heart is only on his own side of the
bargain. He does not aim at benefiting
the individual with whom he transacts business. His only object is to take care of himself. This is the very opposite of the spirit of
the Gospel. Does this man love his
neighbor as himself? Does he love God supremely? Has he prohibited all selfishness, on pain
of eternal death? No! If he loved God, he won’t disobey Him for
the sake of making money. If he loved
his neighbor as himself; if he felt that it was more blessed to give than to receive;
if he had the spirit of the Gospel, he would of course feel and manifest just
as much desire for the interest of those with whom he deals as for his own
interest. He would be as anxious to
give, as to get a good bargain; in face, he would be more so. Self-denial to promote the happiness and the
interest of others would be his joy, would constitute his happiness, and would
be his heart’s desire. Now, let me ask
all you who are here, can you deny this principle? What then is your spiritual state? Do you have the love of God in you? How do you transact business?
Do you consult the interest of those with whom you deal, as much as you
do your own? Or, in all your bargains,
do you aim simply to secure a profit for yourself? If you do, the love of God is not in you. You do not even have the beginning of piety
in your heart.
4.
All those who feel chagrined and grieved when they discover that the person
with whom they have dealt has the best of the bargain and has made a greater
profit than themselves, love the world supremely.
Now,
if a man had the spirit of Christ, he would rejoice in this. It would be his heart’s desire to benefit
the individual that he deals with as much as possible. And if he later learns that the individual
made a good bargain and greatly benefited from it, it would make him all the
happier.
Now,
how about you, my listeners? Do you
find yourselves gratified and delighted when you find that you have greatly
contributed to the interest of those with whom you deal, in having given them
the best side of the bargain? Be
honest. Try yourself by this rule; see whether you love your neighbor as yourself;
see whether you love God supremely. He
requires you to seek not your own, but your neighbor's wealth, to look not on
your own interest, but on the interest of others.
Do
you have the spirit of these requirements?
Do you have the spirit and temper of the God who lays down this rule of
action? If not, you do not have the
love of God in you?
5.
All those who will make bargains only when they can profit by it.
Many will never trade unless it promotes their own interest, no matter how much it might benefit anybody else. The interest of the person, who desires to make the bargain with them, is not taken into account at all. They do not think of making a bargain to benefit others, and will turn away from any such proposal instantly, unless it can promote their own selfish ends. They will stand and bow, and be very accommodating, kind, and attentive, as long as there is a chance to make a healthy profit on their goods; but the negotiation is broken off immediately, without courtesy or good manners, as soon as they realize that they can make nothing by the bargain. This shows that they do not consult the interests of those with whom they deal, and that the world is their God.
6.
All those who will take advantage of the ignorance of those with whom they
deal, to get a good bargain out of them, love the world supremely.
Cases
like this often occur. A customer comes
in. He is instantly measured from head
to foot by every eye. They survey him
all around to see whether he understands the value of the things he wants to
buy, whether it will be difficult or easy to get a good bargain out of him,
whether they can keep the price of goods high and whether it is likely that he
will buy a lot. And if he wants to buy
a lot, some of the first articles that he asks about are deliberately priced
low to lead him on, from purchase to purchase under the idea that all the
prices are low. Management like this is
supremely selfish. They are frauds, and
the very opposite of the spirit of Christ.
For such a person to claim he loves God is bold hypocrisy.
7.
Those who will sell useless articles to men for the sake of profit do not have
the love of God in them.
A
man that does this cannot be consulting the interest of his neighbor at
all. He must be acting on principles of
pure selfishness. He takes the money
without giving him his money’s worth, and consents that they should “spend
money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy.” (Is. 55:2)
This is the direct opposite of the spirit of Christ.
8.
All who sell unsafe articles, for the sake of profit, do not have the love of
God in them.
The
man that will sell articles that they know may be harmful to his fellow man for
the sake of gain, has the very spirit of hell.
Shall a man, who will sell rum, or make whiskey, or sell drugs, and deal
out death and damnation to men and make them pay for it, not only poison them
to death, but also rob them of their money.
Shall he pretend to love God?
For shame, you hypocrite! You
wretch! You enemy of God and man! You wolf sheep’s clothing! Take off your mask, and write your name,
Satan, on your forehead.
There
are those that will sell articles that are not only useless, but also
harmful. Their only purpose is to
promote the pride and vanity of men, and to take their hearts away from God,
and fasten on them the shackles of the pleasures of this vain world. They tempt the deceitful hearts of men, and
enlist them in chasing after of fashion, and gaiety, and worldliness. Now, instead of being pious, they who do
this take the devil's place, and tempt mankind to sin.
9.
All those who transact business on principles of commercial justice, rather
than on principles of benevolence, love the world supremely.
Business
principles, called the principles of commercial justice, are selfish
principles. Selfish men have
established them for selfish purposes without any thought of conforming to the
law of love. These principles neither
demand, nor expect, that any one should seek another's wealth; but every one should
take care of himself, buy as low as possible and sell as high as he can; take advantage
of the state of the market and the scarcity of the articles in which he
deals. In short, to apply those principles
of business that are designed to promote self-interest. Can a man love God supremely and his
neighbor as himself, who daily and habitually transacts business on the
principles of commercial justice, when they are based on requirements which are
the direct opposite of the requirements of God? Every day to be engaged in business transactions, that are
designed to promote self-interest; that do not even pretend to aim at promoting
the interest of others. But self is the
beginning, the middle, and the end of all that is done.
10.
All those who engage in business, and neglect spiritual exercises, love the
world supremely. Many professors of
religion seem to have just about as much interest in doing good with their
money, as unrepentant sinners have to repent.
They claim to engage in business for the glory of God, but instead of using
their money for God's glory, they enlarge their capital, and their business,
and transact business using the principles of worldly men. Instead of laying out their money as they go
along for building up the kingdom of Jesus Christ, they add their yearly
profits to their capital, until nearly their whole time, thoughts, and
affections are engrossed with moneymaking.
Now,
do you who practice this not see that you are deceiving yourselves?
The
only way, in which money can be used for the glory of God and the good of men,
is to promote the spirituality and holiness of men. If you pursue business in a way that is inconsistent with your
own spirituality, you might as well talk of getting drunk or swearing for the
glory of God, as of making money for His glory. For you to neglect communion with God, under the pretense of
making money for Him, is sheer hypocrisy.
If you prefer business to prayer, busy yourselves in your office, or
shop, and neglect your prayer closets, the love of God is not in you. To pretend that you love God is just as
absurd as to believe that your eagerness to make money for the glory of God,
leads you to neglect communion with Him; or that your great zeal to serve Him,
and great love for him leads you to neglect communion with Him, and spend all
your time making money.
11.
There are those who make their business an excuse for not attending meetings
and using means for the conversion of sinners.
It is obvious that such people are not transacting business for
God. The only possible use of making
money for the glory of God is, to use it for the conversion and sanctification
of sinners. This is the great end of
doing business for God. But to be so
busy in making money that you neglect to make direct and personal efforts to
convert sinners is absurd. It
demonstrates that the object of making money is not to convert, and sanctify,
and save sinners. In such cases, it is
obvious, that money is sought for the love of it, and not for building up the
kingdom of Jesus Christ.
12.
All those whose business diverts their thoughts and affections away from
God. If they were transacting business
for God, the busier they were in His service, in doing His will and in making
money for Him, the more would He be present in all their thoughts, and the
deeper and more mellow would be their piety.
13.
All rich men love the world supremely.
Jesus Christ has said that it is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, you say, this is true if he sets his
heart on his riches. Now, what I affirm
is, that according to the Gospel, every rich man sets his heart on riches. If he did not he would not be rich. If he loved the kingdom of God supremely, he
would give his riches to promote that kingdom.
We always do that which we, generally choose to do. If you have money, and see an article of
furniture, or dress, or anything else that you prefer to any given amount of
money, you are certain to buy it, if it is in your power. This is just as certain as it is that your
choice governs your conduct. Now, if a
man loves the Lord Jesus Christ and the souls of men more than he loves his
money, if he prefers the glory of God and the salvation of men to his own selfish
interest, it is certain that he will stop seeking riches and give his money to
promote those interests because it is his will that controls his actions. According to the Gospel, a man is rich when
he knows that his money can be used for the glory of God and the conversion of
souls. It demonstrates that he loves
the world supremely. To say that he is
rich, but does not set his heart on riches; that he continues to accumulate his
wealth, and yet does not set his heart on wealth, is obviously absurd and
false. For, certainly, nothing but a
supreme attachment to wealth could cause him to hold on to it, when every wind
is loaded down with cries and pleas to send the bread of life to those that are
ready to perish.
But,
perhaps some will say that a lot depends on the instructions that rich people
receive. They may have been erroneously
led to believe that they may lawfully retain and enjoy their wealth. I answer that this does not relieve the
difficulty, for the question is not what they may lawfully do, but what they
are inclined to do. Suppose an
affectionate wife has a husband who is a slave whom she tenderly loves. The price of his freedom is fixed, and she,
by her earnings and savings, is determined to pay the price. See how she will behave. What use would it be to tell her that she
can purchase fancy clothes, pearls and expensive perfume, and that there is
nothing wrong for her to have the comforts of life? What good would it do to tell her that she could spend her money? No.
She will scarcely allow herself a pair of shoes. She will save every penny she possibly can,
and take satisfaction in denying herself everything but the absolute
necessities of life, until she has saved up enough money to pay the amount
needed for her husband's ransom. It is
of no use to preach to her that there is nothing wrong for her to spend her
money on other things. She has one
all-absorbing object in view. She
values money only as it will contribute to the promotion of this object. No false instruction, nor right instruction,
concerning the lawfulness of using her money for other purposes will alter her
practice. Every penny that she can
spare is laid out to promote the object of her heart's desire.
Therefore,
if a man loves God supremely, if he longs for the coming and prosperity of His
kingdom more than anything else, the question with him will not be whether he
may lawfully enjoy an estate. The truth
is, he prefers to build up the kingdom of Christ with his money, and considers
his money as being worthless unless it can contribute to the cause of
Christ. Therefore, if a man is rich and
continues to be rich under the Gospel, there can be no other reason than that
he prefers wealth to promote the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Do
any of you object and say, that Abraham, Job, David, and Solomon were
rich? I answer: the command had never
been given in their day to preach the Gospel to every creature, and there is no
reason to believe that they so much as dreamed that the world could be converted
in the way in which we now know that it can and must be converted. Therefore, they could not have had the same
motives for using their wealth for the conversion of the world that we
have. We have no reason to believe that
their property could have been used for the conversion of the world, in the
sense in which we can use ours.
Therefore, keeping their wealth was no indication that they preferred it
to the kingdom and glory of God.
14.
All those who hoard their surplus income do not have the love of God in
them. By surplus income, I mean income
that is not necessary for the support of them and their families. If they hoard it, it must be because they
love it. If they preferred the kingdom
of Jesus Christ, they would immediately use what they could spare after providing
for the needs of their families, to build up God’s kingdom. Suppose an individual was stranded on the
coast of Africa, and desperately longed to return to his home, but he had no
way to pay for his trip. If some one
should give him a purse of gold, would he keep it, or would he immediately
spend it to gratify the all-absorbing desire of his heart and pay for his
ticket back to his native country. This
would be the very reason why he would prize the gift. It would be valuable to him because by it he might accomplish the
object of his heart's desire. Can it be
that a man loves supremely the kingdom of Christ, longs exceedingly for its
coming and extension, and yet hoards up his money, instead of spending it for
what he desires the most?
15. You do not practice self-denial when you
give from your surplus income. You give
to God that which costs you nothing.
There is no substantial evidence in such an act that you love God. If you gratifies all your wants and the
wants of your family, provide for them all the comforts and conveniences of
life, and simply give whatever is left over, you do not practice
self-denial. You enjoy all that can be
enjoyed from your wealth, and all you are doing is getting rid of the trouble
of taking care of the extra money by giving the balance of your yearly income
to the cause of Christ. This is like a
safety valve that lets off the surplus steam that would otherwise burst the
boiler.
Perhaps
some of you object and ask, “Should every man give up all his capital and means
at once to promote the cause of Christ?”
I answer, No, this might not be good Christian economy. A man’s capital, if it is not more than is
necessary for the wisest transaction of business, is to be considered in light
of tools with which he serves God and his generation. In such cases, if he gives his income, after deducting the
necessary expenses of his family, I cannot see that such a use of it is inconsistent
with the love of God. But for a man to
live and die rich, to hoard up his income, to enjoy his wealth, and leave an
inheritance to his offspring, is the Psalmist's definition of a wicked man who
has his portion in this world.
16.
All those who are more interested in the stock market and news reports that
relate to money transactions, than in the accounts of religious revivals, and
in those things that pertain to the kingdom of Christ, love the world
supremely.
Show
me a man that is looking over the Wall Street Journal, studying the stock
prices, and excited about bank questions and money speculations, but who does
not read or take an interest in reports of revivals, and the onward movements
of the church. If he claims to love
God, his profession is hypocrisy.
17.
All those who become more depressed over commercial and financial losses, than
they are over the low state of religion and the state of dying sinners, love
the world supremely. This is too
obvious to need either proof or illustration.
18.
All those who would rather invest their time in money speculations than they
would in revivals of religion, love the world supremely.
Some
people who profess religion get all excited when money speculations are
made. They get excited when stocks are
high, real estate is on the rise, or any opportunity of making money comes
their way. But if an effort is made to
promote a revival of religion, they are too much busy with financial matters to
give their time and hearts to God's work.
They pretend that they are making money for God. They may also pretend to promote revivals of
religion, and pretend to appropriate money to the cause of Christ.
If the great object of
embarking in financial speculations is to promote religious revivals, and build
up Christ's kingdom, it doesn't make sense that if in the use of means they
should have no heart to engage in directly promoting the end to which they
aim. The fact is, that if they prefer
money speculations to revivals of religion, they love money, and love the world
supremely.
19. All those who
disobey the commandments of God for the purpose of making or saving money, love
the world supremely. Anyone, who would
avoid fellowship and travel on Sunday to collect a mortgage payment or a debt
owed to him, certainly loves money supremely.
Could he think, if he knew that the property in his possession belongs
to God, that it would be better for him to forsake the assembling of the
brethren, than to wait until Monday to collect his money?
20. All those who are
not happier spending money for the cause of Christ, than for anything else,
love the world supremely.
Lets take another look
at the woman who is earning money to free her husband from slavery. How else could she spend that money that
would satisfy her heart as much? Her
money is valuable to her because of the importance of setting her husband
free. Should an individual give her a
purse of gold, would she say, “Now I can buy a nice dress, now I can furnish my
house and live comfortably?” No, but
bursting into tears of joy and gratitude, she would exclaim, “Now I can redeem
my husband!” In the same way, a man who
loves God and longs for the coming of His kingdom, will feel most satisfied
setting aside money for promoting that object so near to his heart. Jesus Christ has said, “it is more blessed
to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) The
truly benevolent man has the highest and holiest pleasure in dispensing his
possessions in the best way possible to promote the glory of God and the good
of his fellow men.
Instead of giving to
God's work grudgingly to promote Christ's kingdom he will unsparingly pour out
of his treasures with the fullest, readiest heart. For this, his heart yearns.
His spirit longs with unutterable desires. He therefore considers nothing a sacrifice that is given to
advance the kingdom.
Does the miser consider
his hoarding money a sacrifice or a grievance?
No, he considers his hoarding the best thing he could do with his
money. He gives sparingly to everything
else, and is not satisfied when he is obligated to spend money. His heart is set upon accumulating treasures. Every dollar that is saved and put into his
account adds to his heart's desire. Now
the Christian's heart is just as truly set on building up the kingdom of Jesus
Christ as a miser's heart is set on hoarding up his wealth. In other expenditures, therefore, he will
naturally be sparing. But in promoting
the great object of his heart's desire, he will be liberal and bountiful, and
enjoy every dollar invested towards his goal.
21. All those who prefer
investing to contributing to the interests of Christ’s kingdom, love the world
supremely. If they loved God supremely,
they would want to invest in worldly financial matters to enable them to
contribute to His work. If they made a
hundred or a thousand dollars, they would say, “Oh for an opportunity now to invest
this money in the cause of Christ”. But
if they love investing, and are not ready and joyful in contributing to the
cause of Christ, they love the world, and the love of God is not in them.
22. All those who would
rather see a customer come in to pay them money, than a Christian laborer to
receive a donation to promote Christ's kingdom, love the world supremely. Here is a man who smiles and appears
delighted when a customer comes in, but when an agent who is collecting funds
for the building up of Christ's kingdom calls, he is sour, and dry, and formal,
and perhaps uncivil. This demonstrates
beyond all doubt, where his heart is, and shows that he loves his money more
than he loves his God.
23. All those who do not
really enjoy giving more than receiving, love the world supremely. If they
loved God supremely, their supreme object and joy in receiving would be that
they might immediately turn round and give to promote their darling
object. But if their incessant cry is
give, give, wishing always to receive, and not enjoying the giving of money as
they do the receiving of it, it must be because they love the world.
24. All those who are
more miserly in what they spend for the kingdom of Christ, than in what they
spend on themselves and their families, love the world supremely. There are many so called pious people who
seem to think it a Christian duty to have everything connected with the worship
and service of God as cheap as possible, while their home, their personal
appearance, and their families appearance demonstrates that they practice a
very different principle.
If
a church is to be furnished, everything must be done dirt-cheap. If there are carpets, they must be the
cheapest. If there are stoves, or
cushions, or lights, or other conveniences, almost anything will do, as long as
it is cheap. Things are allowed to
remain broken. Filth is allowed to
accumulate, and the house of God is allowed to deteriorate; and all this is
done under the pious pretense of Christian economy. Many churches in this country have poor interior lighting, and
some of them are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Others have broken windows. The doors of others are so dilapidated that
they won’t close properly. Other
churches have rotten windowsills, and the church is either not painted at all,
or the paint is so old that if it were a dwelling, you would think that a drunk
lived there. Many churches in this
country have no carpets; and in churches carpets are needed more than any place
else, to prevent disturbances that always occur where people are going in and
out on an uncarpeted floor. This is
especially true in the city where there are many who are unwilling to pay to
furnish the house of worship as comfortably as they furnish their own
houses. Now, it is clear, no matter
what they may say or do in the name of Christian economy, this conduct has its
foundation in the love of the world, and in supreme selfishness. Men are always most free in appropriating
their money to promote the objects dearest to their hearts. This is a simple matter of fact. If, therefore, our heart is set supremely on
honoring God with what He has provided us, it will certainly be that if we are
bountiful and liberal with our money, we will spend it on decorating and
maintaining a place for His worship, and in all those things that are essential
to decency, to comfort, and enjoyment in His service.
III. Having noticed some of the principal
evidences of supreme attachment to the world, I now give several reasons why
such people cannot love God.
7Our text today is a
form of expression that expresses a very strong negative. “If any man love the world”, says John, “the
love of God is not in him”. This is
clear and straightforward. As far as
Scripture testimony goes, the proof is conclusive. But I there are several considerations that relate to the mind
that will demonstrate, beyond all doubt, that individuals upon whom these marks
of worldliness are found do not have the love of God in them. The argument runs like this, and is very
brief.
1. It is impossible that
a man should have two supreme objects of affection. If he has any acceptable love for God, it must be supreme; and to
say that a man loves the world in the sense of this text, and that he loves God
with any acceptable love, is a contradiction.
It is the same as to say, that he loves both God and the world
supremely.
2. A man cannot love two
objects that are entirely opposite to each other at the same time. John immediately adds to the text, For all
that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life is not of the Father but is of the world.” (I John 2:16) The love of
the world, and the love of God, is directly opposite states of mind, so that to
exercise them both at the same time is impossible.
3. It is minding the
flesh, which John says is enmity against God.
4. Finally. It is supreme selfishness, which is the
direct opposite of the love of God and man.
Just mentioning these considerations is enough to prove that “if any man
loves the world, the love of God is not in him”.
REMARKS
1. Can you see from this
subject, that if men would transact worldly business on Gospel principles, it
would be infinitely better for the world?
If everyone sought to promote the happiness and interest of others, the
amount of property, and of every other good, would be greatly increased. Some people believe that unless they consult
their own interest, it is impossible that society should exist. What! they say, would you have us all seek
not our own interest, but the interest of others? What then would become of our own interests? Your interest would be secured, if, while
you were benefiting others, they were benefiting you. The secular interests of men would be thus
as highly, even more highly advanced, than under the present arrangement of
society. While the spirit that would be
cherished and cultivated by this course of conduct would shed a sweet, healing,
and refreshing influence over all the discords and disquietudes of selfishness;
and peace, love, and heaven, would reign on earth in the hearts of men.
But does any one object
and say, that because worldly men will not practice these principles, then
Christians couldn’t practice these principles without giving up all the
business of the world into their hands?
This is a radical and ruinous mistake.
Suppose it was known that Christians universally discarded all selfishness
in their business, and acted on principles of entire benevolence; that in all
their dealings they sought the interest of those with whom they deal, equally
with their own interest. No sooner
would this fact be known, than worldly men would be forced to transact business
on these principles, or to place all the business of the world into the hands
of Christians. After all, who would
deal with a man who acted on principles of supreme selfishness, when he might
just as easily transact business with those who would not only treat him
fairly, but would treat him with entire benevolence. So, it is perfectly within the power of the church to compel
worldly men to transact business on Gospel principles, or not transact business
at all. And woe to the church, if she
does not reverse and annihilate our whole system of doing business based on
selfish principles.
II. Perhaps some of you
will say, if the doctrine of this sermon is true, who then can be saved? I answer, certainly not those who manage
their affairs on principles that are directly opposite to Gospel love; who let
commercial justice, which is based on selfishness rule their lives. Certainly not those who are satisfied with
being honest, according to commercial justice, instead of being governed by the
law of love. Certainly not those who seek
their own, and not their neighbor's wealth; who mind earthly things, and
consider it more blessed to receive than to give. If there is any truth in the word of God, all such men are in
their way to hell.
III. But, will any one
object and say, that what I am saying is very uncharitable? If my words are true, then the church is
loaded with hypocrites. Dear brothers
and sisters in Christ; this scripture is true, whatever the inference may
be. I do not pretend to be more
charitable than God is by hoping that those people are pious when God has said
that His love is not in them. I will
not be charitable enough to throw away my Bible, or to suppose that the lovers
of the world are the friends instead of the enemies of God. That multitudes of people who profess to be
Christians are deceived. The fact that
they love the world supremely is as obvious as if they had taken a public oath
of it; and because the great mass of professing Christians give evidence of
this state of mind, we are not to dispute our Bibles, and charitably hope that
they are saved.
IV. Do you see from this
subject why it is that so few professing Christians have a spirit of
prayer? The truth is, the love of God
is not in them. Look around this great
commercial nation; nearly the entire population is here for worldly gain. The principles on which almost the entire
business of this nation is transacted is one of supreme selfishness. How then can a spirit of prayer prevail in
such a community as this? This same
principle prevails almost universally throughout the country. Farmers, mechanics, merchants, and men and
women of every occupation, without hesitation, transact their business on
selfish principles, and seek supremely their own and not their neighbor's
wealth. It is impossible that the love
of God should prevail in the church, or in any heart, while motivated by such
principles.
V. Do you see from this subject why it is
that young converts grow spiritually cold so quickly? Let any individual pass through one business season, acting on
business principles, and it is impossible that the love of God should remain
alive in his heart. He is continuously
cultivating and cherishing a spirit of selfishness; and in all his daily
activities, he does not so much as intend to seek the good of others, but his
own good. Can we be at a loss for the
reasons for such universal backsliding?
VI. From this subject you may see that the
religion of most of the church is not the religion of love, but of fear. They fear the Lord, but serve their own
gods. Their consciences drag them along
in the dry performance of what they call their duty. They have a dry, legal, earthly spirit; and their pretended
service is hypocrisy and utter wickedness.
VII. You can see from
this subject why so little fruit is produced from all the means that are used
for building up the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Men would much rather give their money than to live holy lives and walk
with God. A movement seems to be taking
place today to convert the world with money.
So-called pious men avidly pursue trading and investing. While their heart, and soul, and lives are
absorbed in the spirit of this world, they are trying to persuade themselves
that their money will be a substitute for a holy life, and compensate for the
neglect of personal efforts to save the souls of men; but, rely on it, God will
show them the error of their ways.
VIII. The spontaneous conduct of the early
church shows what true piety will do in leading men to renounce the world; and
while the love of God pervaded the church, men were clearly moved by different
principles from those of commercial justice.
They sought not their own, but the things of Jesus Christ.
IX. But do you ask, is
most of the church wrong? I answer,
that on this subject they are wrong. In
most things, the church of today is orthodox in theory, but vastly heretical in
practice. Nor is it anything new for
the church to be nearly all wrong. More
than once or twice have nearly the entire body of the church departed from God,
and satisfied themselves with the religion of selfishness.
Finally, I beg you who
are convicted of worldliness, not to go away and say that you hope that you
love God, knowing that some, or perhaps all of these evidences are against
you. I ask to you before God and the
Lord Jesus Christ, that if these marks of worldliness are evident in your
lives, the love of God is not in you.
And oh, “do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows,
that he will also reap. For he who sows
to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit
will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
(Gal. 6:7-8)