The
Lord Jesus Christ addressed these words on a certain occasion to those who
professed that they loved God. This
morning, and again in the afternoon, I plan to establish the doctrine of total
depravity.
In
doing this, I will first show what the doctrine of total depravity, is not.
Then
I will show what it is.
Finally,
I will prove this doctrine, according to my definition of it.
And
I will conclude each discussion with several appropriate and necessary remarks.
First,
I will show, what the doctrine of total depravity is not.
1.
It does not consist in any lack of faculties to obey God. We have all the powers of free moral agency
that are needed to obey God perfectly.
If there were any lack of faculties in our nature, our responsibility
would cease, and we could not be justly blamed for not doing what we don’t have
the moral power to do.
2.
Total depravity does not consist in a mutilated state of our moral powers. Our physical or mental powers are not in a
maimed or mutilated state. If they
were, our obligation to obey would be diminished, precisely in proportion to
the imperfection of the faculties of moral agency that we possess.
3.
Total depravity does not consist in any physical pollution transmitted from
Adam, or from our ancestors, to us. It
is impossible that moral depravity should consist in any physical
pollution. Some people speak about
depravity, and the pollutions of our nature, as if there were some moral depravity
that clings to, or is incorporated with the very substance of our being. Now this is utter nonsense. If such a depravity were possible, it would
not be a moral, but a physical depravity.
It could not be a blamable depravity.
It could not be a sinful depravity.
It would be a disease, and not a crime.
4.
Total depravity does not consist in any principle of sin that is incorporated
into our being. The word principle is
used two ways. It sometimes means ‘a
property or an attribute of a substance’, which has an inherent tendency to
produce results agreeable to its nature.
In this sense, depravity is not a principle, it is not a root, sprout,
essence, property, or attribute of any substance. It is not a part, either of body or mind. It does not belong to the constitution, but
belongs purely, and exclusively to character:
Moral depravity is a quality of voluntary action, and not of substance. If by principle, is meant ‘purpose,
preference, disposition, voluntary inclination to sin’; then, in this sense,
depravity is a principle; and in no other sense.
5.
Total depravity does not mean that any being is, or can be sinful, before he
has exercised the powers of moral agency.
6.
Total depravity does not mean that there is any sin in human beings, or in any
other beings, separate from actual transgression.
There
is no constitutional depravity that lies behind, and is the cause of all
transgressions.
7.
Total depravity does not mean that there is the same disposition to sin,
belonging to the substance of body or mind, that there is in a serpent to bite,
or in a wolf to devour sheep. In other
words, there is no constitutional appetite, or craving for sin, implanted in
the substance of the body or mind.
8.
Total depravity does not mean that men are as bad as they can be, or as they
might be, under other circumstances. If
they were placed under circumstances of less restraint, or of greater temptation,
they could be worse than they are.
When
we say that men are totally depraved, many people think that we are saying that
men are as bad as they can be. They
think that the word total means the worst possible degree of depravity. But this is not the meaning of the word
total. The total of 3 and 2 and 5 is
10. This is not the highest number
possible, but is the total of 3 and 2 and 5.
The same word when qualifying depravity does not mean the highest
possible degree of depravity, but simply that the whole character is depraved;
that there is no mixture of good in his character. It is not that everything he does and says is the most wicked
things that he could possibly say and do; but that whatever he does and says is
sinful. “That every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually." (Gen 6:5)
Secondly. By total depravity, I mean
1.
That unrepentant sinners have no true love of God. My main business this morning is to establish this position, and
conclude with several remarks. This afternoon,
Lord willing, I will further discuss what is meant by total depravity,
providing proof for each point as I go along.
Our
text clearly states that sinners do not have the love of God in them. It would be easy to show that this same
doctrine is recognized everywhere in the Bible. But since I am dealing with those of you who are totally
depraved, I don’t expect that a “thus saith the Lord” will settle the question
with you, and put it beyond debate. You
are unbelievers, and no matter how much you agree to the truth of the Bible in
general, I know that you have no hearty confidence in its doctrines in
detail. To prove to you the doctrine of
total depravity from the Bible, may only gain your unfeeling agreement. But I am well aware that this kind of
evidence will not bring the subject home to your experience, so that it will
make you feel its truth. I could quote
this text, and other passages of Scripture to prove this doctrine, and then
throw the responsibility on you to receive or reject it. But since there is an exhaustless variety of
other proofs within my reach, I will gather up a few of them, and lay them
before you for your consideration.
Facts
are stubborn things. No matter how men
may evade the Bible, no matter how they may turn away from, and misunderstand
abstract reasoning, they find it difficult to resist simple facts; especially
when the facts exist in their own experience.
I plan to gather my proofs of this doctrine, from your experiences. To point out certain facts in your own lives,
and in the lives of those around you, that will place this doctrine on such a
solid foundation that it will not be opposed.
The
laws of the mind, in their detail, are only imperfectly understood. Yet there are certain laws of our mind that
even children understand. They are
facts that are so universally and frequently experienced, that we absolutely
know that such facts are laws of our mind.
For instance, we know by experience, that it is a law of our mind to
delight in pleasing the object of our affection. To love an individual is to desire his happiness. To promote his happiness is to satisfy that
desire. And so, to please the object of
our affection is to please ourselves.
To do that which is pleasing to one whom we love, to add to his honor or
to his happiness in any way, will gratify our desire for his happiness, and
will naturally add to our own happiness.
We
don’t have to aim at gratifying ourselves, or at promoting our own happiness,
in our efforts to please the object of our affections.
When
we act virtuously, pleasing ourselves is not part of our purpose. But although it is not part of our purpose,
it is the natural result of pleasing an object of our affection. It is the gratifying of our love, or our
desire to promote one’s happiness, or honor that makes us happy. This gratifying of our desire is happiness
all by itself. We see this principle
manifested in all our relationships.
When is the affectionate husband or wife in a state of higher enjoyment,
than when they are engaged in doing things that contribute to each other’s
happiness? When is the affectionate
wife more cheerful, than when busied in those things she knows will please her
husband? How diligent and unwearied are
lovers, and other dear friends, who try to please the object of their
affection. How eager to anticipate each
other's desires; how readily; how joyfully they do those things that they know
will give pleasure to one whom they greatly love. It is absurd and contradictory for you to say that you love an
individual, and do not delight in pleasing him. It is impossible, that you should love an individual, and not be
satisfied in promoting his happiness.
To say that you love a person, is the same as to say that you desire his
happiness, and to say that you can desire his happiness without delighting in
promoting it, is the same as saying that you can satisfy virtuous desire and
not be happy. In other words, you are
saying that satisfying virtuous desire does not produce satisfaction.
This
law of our mind also holds true, in all its fullness and extent, on the subject
of religion. I appeal to every
Christian in this house, is it not true that to do the will of God is more
important than food? Is it not true
that your food and drink is to do the will of your Heavenly Father? You are the happiest when you are engaged in
those things that you know will promote the honor and glory of God. I don’t mean, or suppose, that it is your
purpose is to gratify yourself while you obey and serve God; but I ask, don’t
you find it to be a matter of fact, that you are never so happy, as when you
are engaged in doing those things that please God? You search His word, to know what will please Him. And when you know His will, and do it
heartily, the happiness you will experience in doing those duties may not enter
into your plan or thoughts; and yet you know that doing those things promotes
your own happiness. To please God,
pleases yourself. And now, let me
appeal to the experience of every unrepentant sinner in this house: don’t you
know that from the very constitution of your mind, you love to please your
friends. And don’t you know that it
doesn’t cost you one bit of happiness to please God. You enjoy making your children happy; and pleasing the objects
that you love the most; but I ask your conscience, do you take delight in
pleasing God? Do you study to know what
will please him? And when you have
learned His will, do you find yourselves inclined, readily and joyfully, to do
it?
You
will go to great pains at great expense; you will be watchful, assiduous, and
persevering, not only in conforming everything you do to the wishes of the one
whom you greatly love; but in doing even the littlest things to fulfill the
slightest desires, and satisfy even the passing wishes of one on whom your
heart is set. And thus, giving yourself
up to promote the happiness of the one you love, makes up, at once, the history
and the substance of your own happiness.
Now,
sinner, is this your experience on the subject of religion? Do you love to please God? Is it your business? Is it your joy? In other things, concerning the affairs of this world, everything
you say or do is viewed as having some relation to the object that you love the
most. If you love money more than
anything else, everything is judged by, is hated or loved, is desired or
rejected, according to the relationship it has to your desire for riches. If you can make money by it, you have
pleasure in it. If it would prevent you
from gaining wealth, you are unhappy with it.
So if you have an earthly friend, whom you really love, it is natural
for you to inquire, in everything you say and do, how it will be received or
looked at by the one you love and what relationship it has to him or her. All your conduct is modified, and all your
pursuits are regulated by this controlling and absorbing affection for this person. Now, sinner, I ask you again, is it true in
your own experience that everything either pleases or displeases you? You either love or hate it. You either desire or reject it according to
its relationship to the will of God. If
you see it will please God, does it please you? If it agrees with His will, does it agree with your will? If it will promote His glory, do you desire
it? If it will dishonor Him, do you
reject and hate it? If not, why do you
pretend to love God? You could not
believe that your children or your wife loved you, unless you saw that they
delighted to please you. And why should
you deceive yourself by thinking that you love God, when you know that it
doesn’t make you happy to please Him?
Again,
from the constitution of our minds, we delight in the society and conversation
of those whom we greatly love. To
commune with them is sweet. To be alone
with them; to enjoy their confidence; to pour into each other's heart the
overflowing of our affections, constitutes some of the sweetest and most sacred
of our joys. This law of mind reveals
itself, in all its strength, on the subject of religion.
Saints
throughout history have delighted to commune with God, seeking His fellowship,
and loving going into their prayer closet where they can be alone with
God. Never are they more supremely and
sacredly happy, than when they are alone in secret and holy communion with the
blessed God. Now, sinner, is this your
experience? Do you love to be alone
with God? Do you delight to pray? Is it your most sacred, most endeared
desire, to get alone, and get down on your knees, and pour out your heart in
communion with your God? I won’t ask if
you pray, because you could pray from different motives, but do you pray
because you love to pray? Do you pray
because you love to be alone and commune with God? If you are an impenitent sinner, you know that you do not love
the fellowship of God.
We
naturally prize the approval of the one we love. We consider it most important, and indispensable to our own
happiness, that we should have the approval of the object of our supreme
affection. We are so made, that it
grieves us to know that our dearest friends disapprove of our conduct. This is true about our worldly friends, and
it is also true about God. Nothing will
wring a Christian's heart with more intolerable anguish, than the conviction
that his conduct deserves the disapproval of God; and this is rarely because
the Christian fears God’s punishment.
The Christian may have, and often does have, the most painful emotions
in view of his having deserved God’s disapproval; while at the same time, he is
not distressed with fear of punishment.
But he has offended God. He is
ashamed and cannot look up. He feels
like an affectionate child or wife would feel, knowing that he had done something
that his parent or husband highly disapproved.
The
question naturally arises, and has a controlling influence over our lives, will
this or that please or displease the one whom I love. To gain the approval of the one we love is our ambition and our
highest joy. Now, sinner, I appeal to
you, is this true in your experience, concerning the one who is the object of
your greatest affection? And is it
true, that you prize the approval of God above all things? Is it your study? Is it your delight to gain His approval? Does the knowledge of having done what God
disapproves, wring your heart with anguish in spite of its consequences to
yourself, and in spite of the fear that you shall be punished? Do you feel the same emotions of sadness, of
shame, of distress and sorrow, when you have merited the disapproval of God,
that you feel when you have incurred the disapproval of your most beloved earthly
friend? I appeal to your own conscience
in the sight of God. Don’t you know,
that you don’t desire the approval of God more than anything else?
We
naturally refer to the feelings of the object of our supreme affections in
everything that we do. The affectionate
husband or wife, parent or child, is careful not to hurt the feelings of those
they love; and if they find that they have wounded their feelings, they can’t
rest until they have confessed, healed the wound, and are forgiven. This is true in religion. If you love God, you cannot think about how
you have wounded His feelings without pain.
The truth is, that if you truly love God, you cannot help repenting, any
more than an affectionate wife could refrain from grief if she had wounded and
grieved her husband.
Again,
we naturally love to think about the object of our affection. Everyone knows how sweet it is to be alone,
to meditate, to recall, and to dwell on some absent object of our love. Thus, lovers often seek solitude, and there
is a sacredness thrown around those hours, when, in the stillness of our bedchamber
or in the retirement of a lonely walk, we dwell in silent but delightful
meditations on the character and person of the one we fondly love. The deep hour of midnight will often witness
the wakeful meditations of our heart, which, in the sweetness of our own fond
imaginings, is dwelling on that beloved friend, who though absent, is at once
the circumference and the all-absorbing center of our love. These meditations enkindle our love into a
flame. See that husband at work. He is a husband and a father. When the bustle of the day is over; when the
distractions and cares of business have passed away; see his busy thoughts,
going out and dwelling on his absent wife; on his lively little children until
his heart is all in a glow, and tears of unutterable affection fill his
eyes. This is natural. And these laws of mind act with equal
uniformity when God is the object of our supreme love. The lone walk; the quiet bedchamber; the
hour of sacred retirement are sweet to the Christian. He loves to send out his thoughts after God. He loves to dwell on His glories; look into
the mysteries of God’s love; to think, and think, and meditate, and turn the
subject of God’s glorious character over and over before his mind, until his
heart dissolves in love. Thus, the
Psalmist says, “while I was musing, the fire burned.” (Psalm 39:3) Now, sinner,
do you love to think about God? Do you
delight to have God in all your thoughts?
Do you seek solitude and retirement, so that you may, uninterrupted,
dwell on Him in your fondest, holiest meditations? And when you think, meditate, and pray, do you find in it a
sweet, tender, and all-satisfying happiness?
Are you aware of emotions of love for God, that are stronger than those
emotions you feel when thinking of your dearest earthly friend? I appeal to your own experience, and to your
own conscience in the sight of God.
We
naturally delight in talking about the object of our affections. It gives us pleasure to speak of the one we
love. It satisfies us, to let our lips
speak out of the fullness of our hearts.
Sometimes an affection is cherished, where there is some particular
reason for hiding it; but even in those cases, a great affection is seldom cherished
without it being told to someone. But
where there is no reason for concealing it, we see how natural it is to make
the object of our affection the subject of our conversation. On the subject of religion, this law of mind
manifests itself the same way it does on any other subject. It is a philosophical as well as a moral
law, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If your heart is
warm with the love of God; if God is in all your thoughts, God and the interest
of His Kingdom will be in all your words.
If your heart is set on God, you will talk about God; unless you are
under circumstances that require silence, and then you will naturally remain
silent, rather than talk about something that is not in your heart. If you are under circumstances where you
cannot consistently speak about God, you really don’t want to speak at
all. Now, sinner, look at your own
experience; do you love to talk about God?
Is it delightful for you to speak about His character, about His person,
and about His glory? I’ll let your
conscience decide.
Again,
we are grieved when we are separated from those we love. Everybody knows this is true with worldly
friends; and this is also true with God.
Every Christian knows just what saints of old knew, that they cannot
live and have any happiness if they are far from God. If God hides his face, if the manifestations of His presence are
withdrawn, alas, how mournful, lonely, and sad is the Christian in the midst of
all the gaiety and enjoyment of the world around him. Sinner, do you know what it is like to feel as much pain, at the
withdrawal of God's presence from you, as you do when separated from your dearest
earthly friend? Do you feel lonely in
the midst of company; sad in the midst of gaiety; away from home in the midst
of all your worldly friends, if God's presence is withdrawn from you?
We
naturally love the friends of the one whom we love. We feel attached to them for his sake. We love to talk to them, and we seek their company, because their
views and feelings concerning the one we love corresponds with our own. Because of this principle, politicians who
are in favor of the same candidate are fond of each other's company. And individuals, who differ widely in other
respects, enjoy each other's company if they have one common and absorbing
object of affection and conversation.
Thus, Christians love to associate with each other. They love other Christians because they love
God. They delight in their company and
conversation, because their views, feelings, and conversation, harmonize with
their own. But, do sinners love the
friends of God? Do you love Christians,
because they are Christians? Do you
delight to talk with them? Do you
delight in their character because they love God? You may love some of them for other reasons, and in spite of
their religion; but it is not because of their religion that you love them.
Likewise,
we naturally avoid the enemies of our friends.
See that woman, is she intimate, and do you find her every day running
over to, and spending her time with that family who are enemies of her husband? Does she select as her friends and
intimates, those that speak against her husband or her children? No, she naturally and instinctively avoids
them. See that little child, he goes in
to play with a neighbor's children; but while there, he hears them speaking
against his father; he listens, and looks grieved and offended. He is a little
one, and they don’t notice him, but continue to vilify and abuse his father. He
sneaks silently and sadly away, and goes home crying; and after that, you will
see that he will avoid those people as he would avoid a serpent. The same is true with Christians. They naturally avoid the company of those
that abuse God, unless they mingle with them to warn and save them. Sinners, very often think that Christians
avoid them because they feel above them; but this is not true. It is true, that some professing Christians
don’t delight in the company and fellowship of the saints, but prefer the
company of the worldly and ungodly.
This only demonstrates that they are hypocrites, and that there is no
exception to this law which is found in the Bible: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Whoever therefore wants to be a
friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
We
are grieved when the one whom we love is abused in our presence. It is amazing to see the blindness and
stupidity of sinners on this subject.
When Christians show grief at the wicked conduct of sinners, those
sinners view that grief as senseless.
If a pious father or mother is grieved, when an unrepentant son or
daughter is engaging in sin and rebelling against God, they imagine that their
grief makes no sense. They say, “Those
parents have forgotten that they were once young”. See that husband, when he breaks the Sabbath, swears, and abuses
God, his wife weeps, and leaves the room. He says his wife is very unrealistic,
and that she is a bigot under the influence of an irrational
mind. He wonders why she should be
concerned about him. He is doing
fine. He can take care of himself. He does not understand the principle on
which his wickedness affects her.
You
sir; suppose you are sitting in your house with your wife, and an enemy comes
in, and begins to verbally abuse you in her presence, and after he had heaped
numberless profanities on you, he looks over and spots your wife in tears. He turns and says, “what ails you, woman? Don’t act so foolish. What ‘s your problem?” What do you think of such questions? Can’t you see why his abuse of you
distressed your wife? Wouldn’t you
think it strange if he did not understand the reason for her tears? Now, suppose your wife is a Christian. You disobey and abuse God in her presence,
and she objects and weeps, and you wonder at it, and call it stupid. Turn over the leaf. Suppose, this man abuses you to your face
and your wife shows neither grief nor indignation; but on the contrary, when
you glance at her, you see her consenting to it and appearing quite pleased
with it. What! A wife pleased to see her husband
abused. You would instantly call her a
hypocrite. You would not; you could not
believe that she loved you. Now, the
same holds true, where God is the object of our love. When God is abused in the presence of His friends, they are
grieved and upset. This is the reason
why unrepentant sinners find spiritual Christians so disagreeable. It’s not because he feels above you, sinner,
but because your conduct grieves him.
When Christians mingle with sinners, it is for business, or for doing
them good, and not because they can have any delight in their impenitent characters,
or conversation, as long they are the enemies of God.
I
ask you, sinner, are you grieved with people who disobey God? Do you feel mingled emotions of grief and indignation;
as if your wife, or your dearest friend was abused in your presence? Does it hurt you, even agonize you, to hear
men swear in public; to see them break the Sabbath; and trample on God's holy
commandments? If you were to go through
the streets and hear curses and abuses poured on your dearest earthly friend
from every quarter, it would fill you with severe grief and indignation. Can you walk the streets, and hear God's
holy name profaned; see his Sabbath desecrated; see hosts of impenitent sinners
trampling with unsanctified feet on God’s high and holy authority, and not be
grieved? Then you are a hardened and
shameless hypocrite if you pretend to love your Maker.
We
are naturally pleased when we hear good things about the one we love. It is a well-known fact that it is easy to
believe what we want to believe. And we
can believe according to our feelings, even with very little testimony. A man will believe what he wants to believe,
almost against testimony. If something
agrees with our desires, we usually don’t question the validity of the
testimony by which the desired fact is established. We witness manifestations of this law of your mind every
day. So on the subject of religion;
when Christians hear of the conversion of anyone, or of a remarkable revival of
religion; or anything else that glorifies God; they are quick to believe it
because it agrees with their desires.
But do impenitent sinners show that they love God, that their hearts are
set on His glory, and the interests of His kingdom, by manifesting a readiness
to believe what they hear, in favor of religion? Let your conscience speak.
We
love to see any means used to promote the interest and happiness of those we
love. If we greatly love an individual,
we delight in those who honor him, and try to promote his interest. We aren’t very particular about what means
are used to promote this object, if they are successful. We most naturally embrace, and most
cordially use those means that promise the highest success. Witness the conduct of politicians; see how
wise, industrious, and energetic they are in devising and executing means to
elect their favorite candidate. You
don’t hear them stop, argue, criticize, and find fault with any measure simply
because it is new. If it is not wicked,
and if it promises success, whether it is new or old, they will not object to
it being used if it has a fair chance of accomplishing their favorite object. The same is true with Christians whose
hearts are set on promoting the glory and honor of God. They are on the alert; looking out and
devising new means of effecting their favorite object. They are industrious and energetic in
finding out new ways and adopting new methods, to bring about the salvation of the
world. But do sinners apply their minds
to this subject, and show that they are interested in the glory of God? Are they planning and devising liberal
things for Zion? Are they finding out
new and more successful ways to promote the glory of God and the salvation of
men? Do you, sinner, rejoice when some
new measure is introduced, which has a tendency to promote this great
work? Do you hail it, as one of the
means by which your purpose is to be accomplished, on which your heart is supremely
set?
On
the other hand, it is difficult for us to believe an evil report of one whom we
love. Go and tell that affectionate
wife about some disgraceful conduct of her husband. Go and tell that mother of the immoral conduct of her only son;
do you find her ready and willing to believe those reports? Does she believe him without question? No, but she will sift through the testimony,
criticize, scrutinize, and perhaps no amount of evidence that you can present
to her, will thoroughly convince her of the facts. What lawyer is there, who has not seen the difficulty of
convincing a jury against their will?
If the jury strongly desires that the testimony of a witness should not
be true, even the slightest appearance of inconsistency will cause them to toss
his testimony into the wind. This law
of our mind develops itself, with equal uniformity, on the subject of
religion. Go, and report among
warm-hearted Christians, a story, whether true or false; which, if true,
dishonors God, and damages the interests of His kingdom. See, how instantly they will ask for your
authority; scrutinize and sift the testimony; and don’t expect them to believe,
unless it comes on them with the force of demonstration. But do sinners show this unwillingness to
believe evil reports of religion? If
you hear an evil report concerning the family of some close friend of yours; if
you hear that one of their sons had greatly disgraced his father, who was your
closest friend; would some vague report satisfy you? Would you consider the mere word of some irresponsible individual
as sufficient proof to believe the report?
No, you would ask for high and unquestionable authority, and even then
you would say, “I can hardly believe it”.
Now, sinner, when you hear a scandalous report about any deacon or
minister, or any other professed child of God, do you find yourself instantly
resisting the report? Do you find
yourself inclined to ask for further proof; to sift and criticize the
testimony; to weigh, scrutinize, and dismiss the whole thing as false and
slanderous if you find any discrepancy or absurdity in it? Do you feel the inward risings of
indignation, and your thoughts and feelings becoming repulsive, when such
God-dishonoring reports begin to circulate?
Do you feel, when such stories are reported about Christians, the same
as you would feel about slander that was uttered against your wife, or your
dearest earthly friend.
Also,
when we are compelled to believe an evil report of the one we dearly love, we
are careful to keep it to ourselves. Does
the mother go and tell everybody she knows about the disgrace of her
children? Does the affectionate wife
trumpet abroad on the winds of heaven the disgrace of her beloved husband? Oh, no!
She locks it up in her faithful and affectionate heart. The mother, and the wife will both seal
their lips in silence, and not breathe one word about errors of those they
love. The same is true with
Christians. When they are convinced,
beyond all doubt, that something has occurred which has dishonored God and religion;
do they go and blaze it all abroad? No,
unless compelled by conscience to say something, it remains a secret hidden
deep in their heart. And here let me
ask, sinner, are you careful not to circulate what you know to be true, to the
discredit of religion, and to the friends of God? Suppose, you had seen a minister or some other professing child
of God off his guard, and had witnessed him commit of some disgraceful sin,
would you, out of love to the cause, lock it up faithfully in your heart, and
never breathe one word of it, lest it should take wings and God should be
dishonored. If you hear an individual
saying something that is dishonorable to religion, does it distress you? Do you reprove him for it? Do you try to hush the matter up, and beg him
not to repeat it? I leave this question
with your consciences.
We
naturally try to put any event that might be injurious to the interest or
reputation of a friend whom we love, in the most favorable light. If an event took place that could have
happened many different ways, we would naturally try to reconstruct that event
in our mind that would be most consistent with the honor and reputation of our
friend. If a circumstance should occur
in the family of a beloved friend of ours, which allowed two opposite constructions;
one of which would disgrace our friend, and the other, not at all; we would,
from the very constitution of our being, naturally lean to the construction
that was in his favor. It is a law of
mind, that charity, or love, hopes for all things, believes all things, endures
all things, and is always ready to put the most favorable construction on any
event that the nature of the case will allow.
We see this principle in operation everyday. You will see Christians leaning to put that construction on any
event that is most consistent with the honor of religion and God. But do you witness this same disposition in
sinners? Do you, sinners who are here,
find in yourselves a desire to construe every ambiguous occurrence in that way,
which is most favorable to religion? If
something, said by a professing Christian, turns out to be false, do you
naturally ascribe it to a misunderstanding, and find yourself very unwilling to
believe that he meant to lie.
Also,
when any of the friends of one whom we greatly love does anything that is
greatly dishonorable to the object of our affection, it distresses us, and we
are disposed, as far as possible, to prevent that event from happening
again. If the son of our dearest friend
should begin taking drugs, or drinking, and are guilty of things that greatly
dishonor his father; or perhaps he ran away from home and was hitchhiking all
over the country; we would naturally want to reclaim him. We would love and pity him for his father's
sake. We would grieve and be distressed
at the dishonor that this son was bringing on his father. If we got the chance, we would talk to him
and warn him. We would pray for him;
and instead of going around trumpeting his failings all over the place, we
would naturally be very sensitive of his reputation for his father's sake. We would do everything that we honestly and
consistently could to cover up his faults.
Now, sinner, how do you behave when you see Christians err, and stray
from the path of righteousness? Do you
feel distressed that they bring such dishonor on God? Do you pity and love them for their Heavenly Father's sake? Do you pray for them, warn them, and try
your best to reclaim them? Let your
conscience speak. I will not bring a
railing accusation against you. But I
will let your own conscience rebuke you in the name of the Lord.
I
wall conclude this discourse with several remarks.
REMARKS
First. With all these facts staring sinners in the
face; standing out in bold relief on the very head and front of their own
experience; how is it, that they can believe that they love God? Nothing is more common, than for unrepentant
sinners to claim that they love God; and yet nothing is more certain than that
they do not love Him. Where does this
error come from? I answer,
1.
They do not distinguish between an admiration of God’s natural attributes,
which they sometimes feel, and a love for His moral character. The omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence,
eternity, and wisdom of God, are all attributes, which, when you think about
them, will automatically inspire awe and admiration in the heart of intelligent
beings, whether they are sinful or holy.
These attributes have no moral character. The devil himself may be filled with awe and admiration, when he
thinks about the displays of God’s natural attributes, which are manifested
throughout all creation.
Sinners
mistake a selfish gratitude for love to God.
A supremely selfish being may be grateful for favors bestowed on him,
without any true regard to the character of the one who bestows the
blessing. Sometimes, when sinners
escape death because of some marked providence inserted in their behalf, they
feel a kind of gratitude; and they might feel the same kind of gratitude to
Satan, as they do to God, if Satan had bestowed the same favor on them.
Sinners
make their own god and fall in love with a god of their own creation. They picture God to be the kind of person
they want Him to be. They strip Him of
His essential attributes, and give Him a character that suits them, and then
fall in love with their imaginary god, and walk by the light of their own fire,
and surround themselves with sparks of their own kindling. The Universalists create a god for them and
picture God as a being suited to their taste.
If you keep out of their view the essential attributes of justice and
truth; they will talk and feel very piously; but, bring before their mind the
true character of God, and their heart quickly becomes like the troubled ocean
that cannot rest; whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
2.
Do you see why unrepentant sinners think that religion is very gloomy? It is because they don’t love God. What would you think of a woman who thinks
that being with her husband is very gloomy?
If she should complain that doing things that please him was irksome and
disagreeable, for if she considered it a grief, a burden, and annoying to do
her duties as a wife, you would say that it was absolute proof that she did not
love her husband. The same is true with
sinners. When they see religion as
something gloomy, and designed to rob them of all their joys, it demonstrates
that they don’t love God; that they have no delight in pleasing Him.
3.
You can see from this subject, why it is that sinners grow weary and complain
of having too many, and too long meetings.
What would you think, if you heard an individual, who professed to love
you, complain that he or she was weary because of the length time you spent
with him or her? Suppose that person
said, “Oh, the time seems so long. I do
wish our time together would end. I’m
sure you’ll understand.” You could not
honestly believe that your friend thinks very highly of you. So, when you hear sinners complaining that
there are so many meetings, and wishing that the meetings would end as quickly
as possible; this is an indication of their feelings. They do not love God.
They have no delight in His service.
It is a burden, and annoying to be called to spend a short time in His
presence.
4.
Can you see why some professing Christians prefer parties to prayer meetings? Prayer meetings are the most delightful
parties to those who love God. But to
those that don’t love Him, prayer meetings are not a source of happiness; and
when they attended them, it is for other motives than for the love of God. Whenever you see professing Christians
showing more interest in worldly parties than in religious meetings, you know
that they are hypocrites.
5.
You see, from this subject that those who say they always love God are
deceived. There may be some cases, where
people may have been converted at such an early age, that they cannot remember
the time when they did not love God. If
there are such people, I am persuaded, that such cases are very rare. However, with these exceptions, it is
certain that those who suppose they have always loved God are deceived. Why, by the fact that they show that they
have never had a change of heart. They
feel towards God as they always did. If
they ever had truly loved God, when they first exercised this love, they would
know that it was something new to them, and could not possibly believe that
they had always loved Him.
6.
Do you now see that unrepentant sinners are often great hypocrites? They claim that they are opposed to
hypocrisy, and they say that they like true religion. They desire to see people sincere in what they profess. They think true religion is a good thing and
are very much in favor of it. They pretend
to be very friendly to God, and say that they love Him. Now, in these professions, they are bold hypocrites. Christ might say to them, “But I know you,
that you do not have the love of God in you”.
(John 5:42) “Do men gather
grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?” (Matt 7:16) “You are
those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.” (Luke 16:15) “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation
of hell?” (Matt 23:33)
7.
Can you see from this subject the clear and barefaced hypocrisy of those
professing Christians who unnecessarily publish the faults of Christians? We sometimes see professing Christians just
as willing to gossip to anybody at anytime about the faults, real or supposed,
of the professed children of God, as sinners are. They will spread their complaints of the errors and shortcomings
of those whose characters are closely associated with all the endeared interests
of religion. And this, they often do,
when it’s not even called for, and when you can’t even pretend that God, or the
interests of religion requires them to provide this service. Sometimes, they will even write letters or
articles about them, or send e-mails to everybody on their mailing list, or
even publish editorials about them in the newspapers, and all this under the
shear pretence of doing God a service and benefiting the cause of Christ. But this is the same method, and the
pretended motive that the Universalists used in their slanderous publications
against God, and his servants. There is
no more reason to believe that such professors of religion, have the true
interests of Christ's kingdom at heart, than there is to believe that
Universalists are motivated by a concern for the glory of God. Cases have occurred, in which professors of
religion, have entertained passengers on steamboats, and in other public
places, by telling slanderous stories about revival men and measures. A lot of prejudice has been created, and tremendous
evils have resulted from this wicked conduct of those who profess to love the
blessed God. O shame, where is thy
blush!
It
is impossible, from the very laws of their mind, that they should engage in
this work of death, this mischief of hell, if they truly loved the cause of
Christ. To willingly stifle the cause,
to bring reproach to a cause by blazing abroad the failings, real or supposed,
of those whose name, character, and influence, are identified with the dearest
interests of Zion, is an absolute demonstration that they are hypocrites.
Finally. While sinners imagine that they already love
God, it is not likely that they ever will love Him. Sinner, if you think that you love God already, you will never
realize that you need a change of heart.
If you really love Him, you certainly do not need a new heart, unless,
deep in your heart you really don’t love Him.
In pretending that you love God, you deny the very foundation of the
doctrine of the new birth. But let me
tell you, sinner, your delusion will soon be torn away. You cannot always deceive
yourself with the imagination that you love God. You are traveling rapidly towards eternity. There is, even now, perhaps, only one step
between you and death. The moment that
you appear in the presence of your Maker, and behold, the infinite difference
there is between your character and His; your delusion will vanish
forever. You pretend to love God, while
you know that you have no delight in His word, or worship, or service. Oh!
What would heaven be to you if you can’t enjoy a prayer meeting for one
hour? What would you do in heaven,
employed in God's service forever and ever?
Would heaven be heaven to you?
Would you feel at home? Would
you be happy there? What! Without the love of God in you? Away with this delusion: “Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)