Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 54 - On the Death of the Rev Mr George Whitefield - Sermons on Several Occasions

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54 - On the Death of the Rev Mr George Whitefield - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Sermon number fifty three on the death of the Reverend
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Speaker 1: mister George Whitefield, preached at the Chapel in Tottenham Court
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Speaker 1: Road and at the Tabernacle near Moorfields on Sunday, November eighteenth,
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Speaker 1: seventeen seventy. Let my death be the death of the righteous,
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Speaker 1: and let my last end be like his numbers twenty
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Speaker 1: three ten, Let my last end be like his? How
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Speaker 1: many of you join in this wish? Perhaps there are
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Speaker 1: a few of you who do not, even in this
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Speaker 1: numerous congregation. And Oh, that this wish may rest upon
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Speaker 1: your minds, that it may not die away till your
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Speaker 1: souls also are lodged where the wicked cease from troubling,
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Speaker 1: and where the weary are at rest. An elaborate exposition
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Speaker 1: of the text will not be expected on this occasion.
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Speaker 1: It would detain you too long from the sadly pleasing
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Speaker 1: thought of your beloved brother, friend and pastor yea, and
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Speaker 1: father too. For how many here whom he hath begotten
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Speaker 1: in the Lord Lord? Will it not then be more
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Speaker 1: suitable to your inclinations as well as to this solemnity
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Speaker 1: directly to speak of this man of God whom you
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Speaker 1: have heard so often speaking in this place the end
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Speaker 1: of whose conversation you know Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
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Speaker 1: and to day and forever. And may we not observe
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Speaker 1: a few particulars of his life and death, take some
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Speaker 1: view of his character, and inquire how we may improve
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Speaker 1: this awful providence his sudden removal from us. We may,
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Speaker 1: in the first place, observe a few particulars of his
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Speaker 1: life and death. He was born at Gloucester in December
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Speaker 1: seventeen fourteen, and put to a grammar school there when
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Speaker 1: about twelve years old. When he was seventeen, he began
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Speaker 1: to be seriously religious and served God to the best
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Speaker 1: of his knowledge. About eighteen he removed to the university
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Speaker 1: and was admitted at Pembroke College in Oxford, and about
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Speaker 1: a year after he became acquainted with the Methodists, so called,
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Speaker 1: whom from that time he loved is his own soul.
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Speaker 1: By them he was convinced that we must be borne
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Speaker 1: again or outward religion will profit us nothing. He joined
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Speaker 1: with them in fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, in visiting
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Speaker 1: the sick and the prisoners, and in gathering up the
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Speaker 1: very fragments of time that no moment might be lost,
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Speaker 1: and he changed the course of his studies, reading chiefly
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Speaker 1: such books as entered into the heart of religion and
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Speaker 1: led directly to an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ and
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Speaker 1: him crucified. He was soon tried as with fire. Not
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Speaker 1: only his reputation was lost, and some of his dearest
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Speaker 1: friends forsook him, but he was exercised with inward trials
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Speaker 1: and those of the severest kind. Many nights he lay
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Speaker 1: sleepless upon his bed, many days prostrate on the ground.
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Speaker 1: But after he had groaned several months under the spirit
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Speaker 1: of bondage, God was pleased to remove the heavy load
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Speaker 1: by giving him the spirit of adoption, enabling him, through
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Speaker 1: a living faith, to lay hold on the son of
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Speaker 1: his love. However, it was thought needful for the recovery
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Speaker 1: of his health, which was much impaired, that he should
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Speaker 1: go into the country. He accordingly went to Gloucester, where
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Speaker 1: God enabled him to awaken several young persons. These soon
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Speaker 1: formed themselves into a little society, and were some of
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Speaker 1: the first fruits of his labor. Shortly after, he began
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Speaker 1: to read twice or thrice a week to some poor
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Speaker 1: people in the town, and every day to read to
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Speaker 1: and pray with the prisoners in the county jail. Being
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Speaker 1: now about twenty one years of age, he was solicited
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Speaker 1: to enter into Holy orders. Of this he was greatly afraid,
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Speaker 1: being deeply sensible of his own insufficiency, But the Bishop
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Speaker 1: himself sending for him, and telling him, though I had
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Speaker 1: purpose to ordain none under three and twenty, yet will
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Speaker 1: I ordain you whenever you come, and several other providential
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Speaker 1: circumstances concurring, he submitted and was ordained on Trinity Sunday,
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Speaker 1: seventeen thirty six. The next Sunday he preached to a
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Speaker 1: crowded auditory in the church, wherein he was baptized. The
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Speaker 1: week following he returned to Oxford and took his bachelor's degree.
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Speaker 1: And he was now fully employed, the care of the
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Speaker 1: prisoners and the poorer lying chiefly on him. But it
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Speaker 1: was not long before he was invited to London to
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Speaker 1: serve the cure of a friend going into the country.
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Speaker 1: He continued there two months, lodging in the tower, reading
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Speaker 1: prayers in the chapel twice a week, catechising and preaching
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Speaker 1: once beside visiting the soldiers in the barracks and the infirmary.
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Speaker 1: He also read prayers every evening at Wapping Chapel and
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Speaker 1: preached at Ludgate Prison every Tuesday. While he was here,
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Speaker 1: letters came from his friends in Georgia, which made him
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Speaker 1: long to go and help them, But, not seeing his
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Speaker 1: call clear at the appointed time, he returned to his
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Speaker 1: little charge at Oxford, where several youths met daily at
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Speaker 1: his room to build up each other in their most
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Speaker 1: holy faith. But he was quickly called from hence again
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Speaker 1: to supply the cure of dummer in Hampshire. Here he
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Speaker 1: read prayers twice a day, early in the morning and
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Speaker 1: in the evening after the people came from work. He
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Speaker 1: also daily catechised the children and visited from house to house.
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Speaker 1: He now divided the day into three parts, allotting eight
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Speaker 1: hours for sleep and meals, ate for study and retirement,
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Speaker 1: and ate for reading prayers, catechising and visiting the people.
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Speaker 1: Is there a more excellent way for a servant of
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Speaker 1: Christ in his church? If not, who will go and
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Speaker 1: do likewise? Yet his mind still ran on going abroad,
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Speaker 1: and being now fully convinced he was called of God
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Speaker 1: there too, He set all things in order, and in
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Speaker 1: January seventeen thirty seven, went down to take leave of
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Speaker 1: his friends in Gloucester. It was in this journey that
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Speaker 1: that God began to bless his ministry in an uncommon manner.
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Speaker 1: Wherever he preached, amazing multitudes of hearers flocked together in
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Speaker 1: Gloucester and stone House, in Bath and Bristol, so that
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Speaker 1: the heat of the churches was scarce supportable, and the
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Speaker 1: impressions made on the minds of many were no less extraordinary.
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Speaker 1: After his return to London, while he was detained by
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Speaker 1: General Oglethorpe from week to week and from month to month,
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Speaker 1: it pleased God to bless his words still more, and
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Speaker 1: he was indefatigable in his labor. Generally, on Sunday he
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Speaker 1: preached four times, to exceeding large auditories, beside reading prayers
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Speaker 1: twice or thrice, and walking to and fro often ten
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Speaker 1: or twelve miles. On December twenty eighth he left London.
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Speaker 1: It was on the twenty ninth that he first preached
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Speaker 1: without notes. December thirtieth he went on board, but it
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Speaker 1: was above a month before they cleared the land. One
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Speaker 1: happy effect of their very slow passage, he mentions in
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Speaker 1: April following Blessed be God. We now live very comfortably
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Speaker 1: in the Great cabin. We talk of little else but
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Speaker 1: God and Christ, and scarce a word is heard among
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Speaker 1: us when together, But what has reference to our fall
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Speaker 1: in the first and our new birth in the second? Adam,
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Speaker 1: It seems likewise to have been a peculiar providence that
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Speaker 1: he should spend a little time at Gibraltar, where both
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Speaker 1: citizens and soldiers, high and low, young and old acknowledged
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Speaker 1: the day of their visitation. From Sunday, May seventh, seventeen
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Speaker 1: thirty eight till the latter end of August following, he
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Speaker 1: made full proof of his ministry in Georgia, particularly at Savannah.
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Speaker 1: He read prayers and expounded twice a day, and visited
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Speaker 1: the sick daily. On Sunday he expounded at five in
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Speaker 1: the morning, at ten read prayers and preached, and at
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Speaker 1: three in the afternoon, and at seven in the evening
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Speaker 1: expounded the Church Catechism. How much easier is it for
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Speaker 1: our brethren in the ministry, either in England, Scotland or Ireland,
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Speaker 1: to find fault with such a labor in our Lord's
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Speaker 1: vineyard than to tread in his steps. It was now
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Speaker 1: that he observed the deplorable condition of many children here,
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Speaker 1: and that God put into his heart the first thought
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Speaker 1: of founding an orphan house, for which he determined to
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Speaker 1: raise contributions in England if God should give him a
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Speaker 1: safe return thither. In December following he did return to London,
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Speaker 1: and on Sunday, January fourteenth, seventeen thirty nine, he was
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Speaker 1: ordained a priest at Christ Church, Oxford. The next day
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Speaker 1: he came to London again, and on Sunday the twenty first,
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Speaker 1: preached twice. But though the churches were large and crowded exceedingly,
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Speaker 1: yet many hundreds stood in the churchyard, and hundreds more
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Speaker 1: returned home. This put him upon the first thought of
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Speaker 1: preaching in the open air, but when he mentioned it
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Speaker 1: to some of his friends, they judged it to be
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Speaker 1: mere madness, so he did not carry it into execution
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Speaker 1: till after he had left London. It was on Wednesday,
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Speaker 1: February twenty first, that, finding all the church doors to
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Speaker 1: be shut in Bristol, besides that no church was able
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Speaker 1: to contain one half of the congregation, at three in
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Speaker 1: the afternoon he went to Kingswood and preached abroad to
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Speaker 1: near two thousand people. On Friday, he preached there to
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Speaker 1: four or five thousand, and on Sunday two it was
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Speaker 1: supposed ten thousand. The number continually increased all the time
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Speaker 1: he stayed at Bristol, and a flame of holy love
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Speaker 1: was kindled, which will not easily be put out. The
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Speaker 1: same was afterwards kindled in various parts of Wales, of
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Speaker 1: Gloucestershire and Worceshire. Indeed, wherever he went, God abundantly confirmed
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Speaker 1: the word of his messenger. On Sunday, April twenty ninth,
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Speaker 1: he preached the first time in Moorfields and on Kennington Common,
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Speaker 1: and the thousands of hearers were as quiet as they
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Speaker 1: could have been in a church. Being again detained in England,
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Speaker 1: from month to month, he made little excursions into several counties,
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Speaker 1: and received the contributions of willing multitudes for an orphan
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Speaker 1: house in Georgia. The embargo, which was now laid on
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Speaker 1: the shipping gave him leisure for more journeys through various
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Speaker 1: parts of England, for which many will have reason to
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Speaker 1: bless God to all eternity. At length. On August fourteenth
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Speaker 1: he embarked, but he did not land in Pennsylvania till
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Speaker 1: October thirtieth. Afterwards, he went through Pennsylvania, the Jerseys, New York, Maryland, Virginia,
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Speaker 1: North and South Carolina, preaching all along to immense congregations
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Speaker 1: with full as great effect as in England. On January tenth,
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Speaker 1: seventeen forty, he arrived at Savannah. January twenty ninth, he
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Speaker 1: added three desolate orphans to near twenty which he had
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Speaker 1: in his house. Before the next day he laid out
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Speaker 1: the ground for the house about ten miles from Savannah.
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Speaker 1: February eleventh, he took in four orphans more and set
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Speaker 1: out for Frederica in order to fetch the orphans that
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Speaker 1: were in the southern parts of the colony. In his return,
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Speaker 1: he fixed a school both for children and grown persons
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Speaker 1: at Darien, and took four orphans. Thence March twenty fifth
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Speaker 1: he laid the first stone of the orphan house, to which,
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Speaker 1: with great propriety he gave the name of Bethesda, a
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Speaker 1: work for which the children yet unborn shall praise the Lord.
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Speaker 1: He had now about forty orphans, so that there was
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Speaker 1: near a hundred miles to be fed daily. But he
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Speaker 1: was careful for nothing, casting his care on him who
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Speaker 1: feeds the young ravens that call upon him. In April,
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Speaker 1: he made another tour through Pennsylvania, the Jerseys, and New York.
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Speaker 1: Incredible multitudes flocked to hear, among whom were abundance of negroes.
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Speaker 1: In all places, the greater part of the hearers were
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Speaker 1: affected to an amazing degree. Many were deeply convinced of
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Speaker 1: their lost state, many truly converted to God. In some
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Speaker 1: places thousands cried out aloud, many as in the agonies
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Speaker 1: of death. Most were drowned in tears. Some turned pale
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Speaker 1: as death. Others were wringing their hands, others lying on
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Speaker 1: the ground, others sinking into the arms of their friends,
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Speaker 1: almost all lifting up their eyes and calling for mercy.
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Speaker 1: He returned to Savannah June fifth. The next evening, during
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Speaker 1: the public service, the whole congregation, young and old, were
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Speaker 1: dissolved in tears. After service, several of the parishioners and
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Speaker 1: all his family, particularly the little children, returned home crying
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Speaker 1: along the street, and some could not help praying aloud.
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Speaker 1: The groans and cries of the children continued all night
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Speaker 1: in great part of the next day. In August, he
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Speaker 1: set out again, and through various provinces, came to Boston.
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Speaker 1: While he was here and in the neighboring places, he
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Speaker 1: was extremely weak in body. Yet the multitudes of hearers
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Speaker 1: were so great, and the effects wrought on them so astonishing,
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Speaker 1: as the oldest men then alive in the town had
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Speaker 1: never seen before. The same power attended his preaching at
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Speaker 1: New York, particularly on Sunday, November two. Almost as soon
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Speaker 1: as he began, crying, weeping, and wailing were to be
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Speaker 1: heard on every side. Many sunk down to the ground,
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Speaker 1: cut to the heart, and many were filled with divine consolation.
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Speaker 1: Toward the close of his journey, he made this reflection,
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Speaker 1: it is the seventy fifth day since I arrived at
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Speaker 1: Rhode Island, exceedingly weak in body, Yet God has enabled
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Speaker 1: me to preach a hundred and seventy five times in public,
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Speaker 1: beside exhorting frequently in private. Never did God vouchsafe me
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Speaker 1: greater comforts. Never did I perform my journeys with less fatigue,
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Speaker 1: or see such a continuance of the divine presence in
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Speaker 1: the congregations to whom I preached. In December he returned
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Speaker 1: to Savannah, and the March following arrived in England. You
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Speaker 1: may easily observe that the preceding account is chiefly extracted
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Speaker 1: from his own journals, which, for all their artless and
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Speaker 1: unaffected simplicity, may vibe with any writings of the kind.
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Speaker 1: And how exact a specimen is this of his labors,
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Speaker 1: both in Europe and America for the honor of his
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Speaker 1: beloved Master during the thirty years that followed, as well
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Speaker 1: as of the uninterrupted shower of blessings, wherewith God was
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Speaker 1: pleased to succeed his labors. Is it not much to
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Speaker 1: be lamented that anything should have prevented his continuing this
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Speaker 1: account till at least near the time when he was
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Speaker 1: called by his Lord to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
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Speaker 1: If he has left any papers of this kind, and
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Speaker 1: his friends account me worthy of the honor, it would
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Speaker 1: be my glory and joy to methodize, transcribe, and prepare
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Speaker 1: them for the public view. A particular account of the
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Speaker 1: last scene of his life is thus given by a
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Speaker 1: gentleman of Boston. After being about a month with us
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Speaker 1: in Boston and its Vicinity, and preaching every day, he
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Speaker 1: went to Old York preached on Thursday, September twenty seventh.
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Speaker 1: There proceeded to Portsmouth and preached there on Friday. On
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Speaker 1: Saturday morning he set out for Boston, but before he
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Speaker 1: came to Newbury, where he had engaged to preach the
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Speaker 1: next morning. He was importune to preach by the way
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Speaker 1: the house, not being large enough to contain the people,
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Speaker 1: he preached in an open field. But having been infirmed
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Speaker 1: for several weeks, this so exhausted his strength that when
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Speaker 1: he came to Newbury he could not get out of
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Speaker 1: the ferry boat without the help of two men. In
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Speaker 1: the evening, however, he recovered his spirits and appeared with
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Speaker 1: his usual cheerfulness. He went to his chamber at nine,
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Speaker 1: his fixed time, which no company could divert him from,
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Speaker 1: and slept better than he had done for some weeks before.
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Speaker 1: He rose at four in the morning September thirtieth and
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Speaker 1: went into his closet, and his companion observed he was
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Speaker 1: unusually long in private. He left his closet, returned to
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Speaker 1: his companion, threw himself on the bed, and lay about
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Speaker 1: ten minutes. Then he fell upon his knees and prayed
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Speaker 1: most fervently to God, that, if it was consistent with
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Speaker 1: his will, he might that day finish his master's work.
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Speaker 1: He then desired his man to call mister Parsons, the
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Speaker 1: clergyman at whose house he was, But in a minute
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Speaker 1: before mister Parsons could reach him, died without a sigh
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Speaker 1: or groan. On the news of his death, six gentlemen
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Speaker 1: set out for Newbury in order to bring his remains hither,
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Speaker 1: But he could not be moved, so that his precious
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Speaker 1: ashes must remain at Newbury. Hundreds would have gone from
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Speaker 1: this town to attend his funeral, had they not expected
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Speaker 1: he would have been interred here. May this stroke be
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Speaker 1: sanctified to the Church of God in general, and to
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Speaker 1: this province in particular. We are in the second place
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Speaker 1: to take some view of his character. A little sketch
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Speaker 1: of this was soon after published in the Boston Gazette,
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Speaker 1: an extract of which is subjoined. Little can be said
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Speaker 1: of him, but what every friend of vital Christianity who
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Speaker 1: has sat under his ministry will attest in his public labors,
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Speaker 1: he has for many years astonished the world with his
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Speaker 1: eloquence and devotion. With what divine pathos did he persuade
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Speaker 1: the impenitent sinner to embrace the practice of piety and virtue.
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Speaker 1: Filled with the spirit of grace. He spoke from the heart,
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Speaker 1: and with a fervency of zeal, perhaps unequaled since the
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Speaker 1: day of the Apostles, adorned the truths he delivered with
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Speaker 1: the most graceful charms of rhetoric and oratory. From the pulpit,
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Speaker 1: he was unrivaled in the command of an ever crowded auditory,
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Speaker 1: Nor was he less agreeable and instructive in his private conversation,
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Speaker 1: happy in a remarkable ease of address, willing to communicate, studious,
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Speaker 1: to edify. May the rising generation catch a spark of
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Speaker 1: that flame which shone with such distinguished luster in the
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Speaker 1: spirit and practice of this faithful servant of the most
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Speaker 1: High God. A more particular and equally just character of
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Speaker 1: him has appeared in one of the English papers. It
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Speaker 1: may not be disagreeable to you to add the substance
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Speaker 1: of this. Likewise, the character of this truly pious person
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Speaker 1: must be deeply impressed on the heart of every friend
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Speaker 1: to vital religion. In spite of a tender and delicate constitution,
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Speaker 1: he continued to the last day of his life, preaching
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Speaker 1: with a frequency and fervor that seemed to exceed the
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Speaker 1: natural strength of the most robust being called to the
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Speaker 1: exercise of his function at an age when most young
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Speaker 1: men are only beginning to qualify themselves for it, he
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Speaker 1: had not time to make a very considerable progress in
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Speaker 1: the learned languages. But this defect was amply supplied by
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Speaker 1: a lively and fertile genius, by feverent zeal and by
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Speaker 1: forcible and most persuasive delivery. And though in the pulpit
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Speaker 1: he often found it needful by the terrors of the
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Speaker 1: Lord to persuade men, he had nothing gloomy in his nature.
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Speaker 1: Being singularly cheerful as well as charitable and tender hearted,
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Speaker 1: he was as ready to relieve the bodily as the
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Speaker 1: spiritual necessity of those that applied to him. It ought
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Speaker 1: also to be observed that he constantly enforced upon his
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Speaker 1: audience every moral duty, particularly industry in their several callings
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Speaker 1: and obedience to their superiors. He endeavored by the most
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Speaker 1: extraordinary efforts, in preaching in different places and even in
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Speaker 1: the open fields, to rouse the lower class of people
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Speaker 1: from the last degree of inattention and ignorance to a
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Speaker 1: sense of religion. For this and his other labors, the
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Speaker 1: name of George Whitefield will long be remembered with esteem
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Speaker 1: and veneration. That both these accounts are just and impartial,
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Speaker 1: will readily be allowed. That is as far as they go.
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Speaker 1: But they go little farther than the outside of his character.
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Speaker 1: They show you the preacher, but not the man, the Christian,
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Speaker 1: the Saint of God. May I be permitted to add
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Speaker 1: a little on his head from a personal knowledge of
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Speaker 1: near forty years. Indeed, I am thoroughly sensible how difficult
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Speaker 1: it is to speak on so delicate a subject. What
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Speaker 1: prudence is required to avoid both extremes, to say neither
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Speaker 1: too little nor too much. Nay, I know it is
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Speaker 1: impossible to speak at all, to say either less or more,
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Speaker 1: without incurring from some the farmer, from others the latter censor.
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Speaker 1: Some will seriously think that too little is said, and
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Speaker 1: others that it is too much. But without attending to this,
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Speaker 1: I will speak just what I know before him, to
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Speaker 1: whom we are all to give an account. Mention has
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Speaker 1: been already made of his unparalleled zeal, his end of
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Speaker 1: fatigable activity, his tender heartedness to the afflicted, and charitableness
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Speaker 1: toward the poor. But should we not likewise mention his
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Speaker 1: deep gratitude to all whom God has uses instruments of
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Speaker 1: good to him, of whom he did not cease to
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Speaker 1: speak in the most respectful manner, even to his dying day.
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Speaker 1: Should we not mention that he had a heart susceptible
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Speaker 1: of the most generous and the most tender friendship. I
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Speaker 1: have frequently thought that this, of all others, was the distinguished,
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Speaker 1: wishing part of his character. How few have we known
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Speaker 1: of so kind a temper, of such large and flowing affections.
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Speaker 1: Was it not principally by this that the hearts of
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Speaker 1: others were so strangely drawn and knit to him? Can
21:13
Speaker 1: anything but love beget love? This shone in his very countenance,
21:19
Speaker 1: and continually breathed in all his words, whether in public
21:23
Speaker 1: or private. Was it not this which, quick in penetrating
21:27
Speaker 1: his lightning, flew from heart to heart, which gave that
21:30
Speaker 1: life to his sermons, his conversations, his letters, Ye are witnesses,
21:37
Speaker 1: But away with the vile misconstruction of men of corrupt minds,
21:40
Speaker 1: who know of no love but what is earthly and sensual.
21:43
Speaker 1: Be it remembered that at the same time he was
21:46
Speaker 1: endued with the most nice and unblemished modesty. His office
21:50
Speaker 1: called him to converse very frequently and largely with women
21:54
Speaker 1: as well as men, and those of every age and condition.
21:58
Speaker 1: But his whole behavior towards them was a practical comment
22:01
Speaker 1: of that advice of Saint Paul to Timothy, entreat the
22:05
Speaker 1: elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity. Meantime,
22:11
Speaker 1: how suitable to the friendliness of his spirit was the
22:13
Speaker 1: frankness and openness of his conversation, Although it was as
22:17
Speaker 1: far removed from rudeness on the one hand as from
22:20
Speaker 1: guile and disguise on the other, was not this frankness
22:24
Speaker 1: at once a fruit and a proof of his courage
22:28
Speaker 1: and intrepidity. Armed with these, he feared not the faces
22:32
Speaker 1: of men, but used great plainness of speech to persons
22:35
Speaker 1: of every rank and condition, high and low, rich and poor,
22:40
Speaker 1: endeavoring only by manifestation of the truth to commend himself
22:44
Speaker 1: to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Neither
22:47
Speaker 1: was he afraid of pain or labor, any more than
22:50
Speaker 1: of what man could do unto him, being equally patient
22:53
Speaker 1: in bearing ill and doing well. And this appeared in
22:57
Speaker 1: the steadiness wherewith he pursued whatever he undertook for his
23:01
Speaker 1: master's sake witness one instance, for all the orphan house
23:06
Speaker 1: in Georgia, which he began and perfected in spite of
23:11
Speaker 1: all discouragements. Indeed, in whatever concerned himself, he was pliant
23:15
Speaker 1: and flexible. In this case he was easy to be entreated,
23:19
Speaker 1: either to be convinced or persuaded, But he was immovable.
23:23
Speaker 1: In the things of God, or wherever his conscience was concerned.
23:27
Speaker 1: None could persuade any more than affright him to vary
23:31
Speaker 1: in the least point from that integrity, which was inseparable
23:34
Speaker 1: from his whole character and regulated all his words and actions.
23:39
Speaker 1: Herein he did stand as an iron pillar, strong and
23:42
Speaker 1: steadfast as a wall of brass. If it be inquired,
23:46
Speaker 1: what was the foundation of this integrity, or of his sincerity, courage, patience,
23:51
Speaker 1: and every other valuable and amiable quality, it is easy
23:54
Speaker 1: to give the answer. It was not the excellence of
23:57
Speaker 1: his natural temper, not the strength of his understanding. It
24:01
Speaker 1: was not the force of education, no nor the advice
24:04
Speaker 1: of his friends. It was no other than faith in
24:08
Speaker 1: a bleeding Lord, faith of the operation of God. It
24:11
Speaker 1: was a lively hope of an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and
24:15
Speaker 1: that fateth not away. It was the love of God
24:19
Speaker 1: shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost, which
24:22
Speaker 1: was given unto him, filling his soul with tender, disinterested
24:26
Speaker 1: love to every child of man. From this source arose
24:29
Speaker 1: that torrent of eloquence, which frequently bore down all before it.
24:33
Speaker 1: From this that astonishing force of persuasion, which the most
24:37
Speaker 1: hardened sinners could not resist. This it was which often
24:42
Speaker 1: made his head as wanters, and his eyes a fountain
24:46
Speaker 1: of tears. This it was which enabled him to pour
24:49
Speaker 1: out his soul in prayer in a manner peculiar to himself,
24:53
Speaker 1: with such fullness and ease, united together with such strength
24:57
Speaker 1: and variety, both the sentiment and exp Pressian. I may
25:01
Speaker 1: close this head with observing what an honor it pleased
25:04
Speaker 1: God to put upon his faithful servant by allowing him
25:08
Speaker 1: to declare his everlasting Gospel in so many various countries,
25:12
Speaker 1: to such numbers of people, and with so great an
25:15
Speaker 1: effect on so many of their precious souls. Have we
25:19
Speaker 1: read or heard of any person since the Apostles who
25:22
Speaker 1: testified the gospel of the Grace of God through so
25:25
Speaker 1: widely extended a space, through so large a part of
25:28
Speaker 1: the habitable world. Have we read or heard of any
25:32
Speaker 1: person who called so many thousands, so many myriads of
25:36
Speaker 1: sinners to repentance? Above all, have we read or heard
25:40
Speaker 1: of any who has been a blessed instrument in his
25:43
Speaker 1: hand of bringing so many sinners from darkness to light
25:47
Speaker 1: and from the power of Satan unto God. It is true,
25:50
Speaker 1: were we to talk thus to the gay world, we
25:53
Speaker 1: should be judged to speak as barbarians. But you understand
25:57
Speaker 1: the language of the country to which you are going,
25:59
Speaker 1: and whither our dear friend is gone a little before us.
26:04
Speaker 1: But how shall we improve this awful providence? This is
26:07
Speaker 1: the third thing which we have to consider. And the
26:11
Speaker 1: answer to this important question is easy. May God write
26:14
Speaker 1: it in all our hearts by keeping close to the
26:17
Speaker 1: grand doctrines which He delivered, and by drinking into His spirit.
26:21
Speaker 1: And first, let us keep close to the grand scriptural
26:24
Speaker 1: doctrines which He everywhere delivered. There are many doctrines of
26:28
Speaker 1: a less essential nature, with regard to which even the
26:31
Speaker 1: sincere children of God, such as the present weakness of
26:34
Speaker 1: human understanding are and have been divided from many ages.
26:39
Speaker 1: In these we may think, and let think, we may
26:42
Speaker 1: agree to disagree. But meantime, let us hold fast the
26:47
Speaker 1: essentials of the faith which was once delivered to the saints,
26:50
Speaker 1: and which this champion of God so strongly insisted on
26:53
Speaker 1: at all times and in all places. His fundamental point
26:58
Speaker 1: was give God the glove glory of whatever is good
27:01
Speaker 1: in man, and in the business of salvation. Set Christ
27:05
Speaker 1: as high and man as low as possible. With this point,
27:09
Speaker 1: he and his friends at Oxford, the original Methodists so called,
27:13
Speaker 1: set out their grand principle. There is no power by
27:17
Speaker 1: nature and no merit in man. They insisted, all power
27:22
Speaker 1: to think, speak, or act aright is in and from
27:26
Speaker 1: the spirit of Christ, and all merit is not in man,
27:30
Speaker 1: how high soe'er it in grace, but merely in the
27:32
Speaker 1: blood of Christ. So he and they taught, there is
27:36
Speaker 1: no power in man till it is given to him
27:38
Speaker 1: from above to do one good work, to speak one
27:42
Speaker 1: good word, or to form one good desire. For it
27:46
Speaker 1: is not enough to say all men are sick of sin. No,
27:49
Speaker 1: we are all dead in trespasses in sin. It follows
27:53
Speaker 1: that all the children of men are by nature children
27:56
Speaker 1: of wrath. We are all guilty before God, liable to
28:00
Speaker 1: death temporal and eternal. And we are all helpless, both
28:06
Speaker 1: with regard to the power and to the guilt of sin.
28:09
Speaker 1: For who can bring a clean thing out of an
28:11
Speaker 1: unclean none less than the Almighty. Who can raise those
28:16
Speaker 1: that are dead spiritually dead in sin? None but He
28:20
Speaker 1: who raised us from the dust of the earth. But
28:23
Speaker 1: on what consideration will He do this? Not for the
28:26
Speaker 1: works of righteousness that we have done. The dead cannot
28:28
Speaker 1: praise thee O Lord, nor do anything for the sake
28:31
Speaker 1: of which they should be raised to life. Whatever therefore
28:35
Speaker 1: God does, he does it merely for the sake of
28:38
Speaker 1: his well beloved son. He was wounded for our transgressions,
28:42
Speaker 1: He was bruised for our iniquities. He himself bore all
28:46
Speaker 1: our sins in his own body upon the tree. He
28:50
Speaker 1: was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for
28:53
Speaker 1: our justification. Here, then, is the soul meritorious cause of
28:58
Speaker 1: every blessing we do or canon joy, in particular of
29:01
Speaker 1: our pardon and acceptance with God of our full and
29:05
Speaker 1: free justification. By what means do we become interested in
29:09
Speaker 1: what Christ has done and suffered. Not by works lest
29:13
Speaker 1: any man should boast, but by faith alone. We conclude,
29:17
Speaker 1: says the Apostle, that a man is justified by faith
29:20
Speaker 1: without the works of the law. And to as many
29:24
Speaker 1: as thus receive him, giveth he power to become the
29:27
Speaker 1: sons of God, even to those that believe in His name,
29:30
Speaker 1: who are born not to the will of man, but
29:32
Speaker 1: of God. And except a man be thus born again,
29:36
Speaker 1: he cannot see the Kingdom of God. But all who
29:39
Speaker 1: are thus born of the Spirit have the Kingdom of
29:41
Speaker 1: God within them. Christ sets up his kingdom in their hearts, righteousness, peace,
29:46
Speaker 1: enjoy in the holy ghost. That mind is in them,
29:50
Speaker 1: which was in Christ Jesus, enabling them to walk as
29:53
Speaker 1: Christ also want. His indwelling spirit makes them both holy
29:59
Speaker 1: in heart and holy in all manner of conversation. But still,
30:03
Speaker 1: seeing all this is a free gift through the righteousness
30:06
Speaker 1: and blood of Christ, there is eternally the same reason
30:09
Speaker 1: to remember He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
30:15
Speaker 1: You are not ignorant that these are the fundamental doctrines
30:18
Speaker 1: which He everywhere insisted on. And may they not be
30:21
Speaker 1: summed up as it were in two words, the new
30:24
Speaker 1: birth and justification by faith. These let us insist upon
30:29
Speaker 1: with all boldness at all times, and in all places
30:33
Speaker 1: in public, those of us who are called there too,
30:35
Speaker 1: and at all opportunities in private, keep close to these good, old,
30:41
Speaker 1: unfashionable doctrines, how many soever contradict and blaspheme go on,
30:46
Speaker 1: my brethren, in the name of the Lord and in
30:49
Speaker 1: the power of His might, with all care and diligence,
30:52
Speaker 1: Keep that safe which is committed to your trust, knowing
30:55
Speaker 1: that heaven and earth shall pass away. But this truth
30:58
Speaker 1: shall not pass away. But will it be sufficient to
31:02
Speaker 1: keep close to His doctrines, how puresoever they are, Is
31:06
Speaker 1: there not a point of still greater importance than this, namely,
31:09
Speaker 1: to drink into His spirit herein, to be a follower
31:12
Speaker 1: of Him even as he was of Christ. Without this,
31:16
Speaker 1: the purity of our doctrines would only increase our condemnation. This,
31:20
Speaker 1: therefore is the principal thing to copy after His spirit,
31:25
Speaker 1: and allowing that in some points we must be content
31:27
Speaker 1: to admire what we cannot imitate, yet in many others
31:30
Speaker 1: we may, through the same free grace, be partakers of
31:33
Speaker 1: the same blessing conscience. Then of your own wants and
31:38
Speaker 1: of His bounteous love, who giveth liberally and upbraids not
31:42
Speaker 1: cry to him that works all in all for a
31:45
Speaker 1: measure of the same precious faith, of the same zeal
31:49
Speaker 1: and activity, the same tender heartedness, charitableness, bowels of mercy.
31:57
Speaker 1: Wrestle with God for some degree of the same grateful, friendly,
32:01
Speaker 1: affectionate temper, of the same openness, simplicity, and godly sincerity.
32:07
Speaker 1: Love without dissimulation. Wrestle on to the power from a
32:13
Speaker 1: high works in you the same steady courage, impatience, and
32:17
Speaker 1: above all, because it is the crown of all the
32:19
Speaker 1: same invariable integrity. Is there any other fruit of the
32:25
Speaker 1: grace of God with which he was endily endowed, and
32:28
Speaker 1: the want of which among the children of God he
32:31
Speaker 1: frequently impassionately lamented. There is one that is Catholic love,
32:38
Speaker 1: that sincere and tender affection, which is due to all
32:42
Speaker 1: those who we have reason to believe are children of
32:45
Speaker 1: God by faith. In other words, all those in every
32:49
Speaker 1: persuasion who fear God and work righteousness. He longed to
32:55
Speaker 1: see all who had tasted of the good word of
32:57
Speaker 1: a true Catholic spirit, a word little understood and still
33:02
Speaker 1: less experienced by many who have it frequently in their mouth.
33:07
Speaker 1: Who is he that answers this character, who is the
33:11
Speaker 1: man of a Catholic spirit, one who loves as friends,
33:16
Speaker 1: as brethren in the Lord, as joint partakers of the
33:19
Speaker 1: present Kingdom of Heaven, and fellow heirs of His eternal kingdom,
33:24
Speaker 1: all of whichever opinion, mode of worship, or congregation, who
33:28
Speaker 1: believe in the Lord Jesus, who love God, and man
33:33
Speaker 1: who rejoicing to please.
33:35
Speaker 2: And fearing to offend God, are careful to abstain from evil,
33:39
Speaker 2: and zealous of good works. He is a man of
33:42
Speaker 2: a truly Catholic spirit, who bears all these continually upon
33:46
Speaker 2: his heart.
33:47
Speaker 1: Who, having an unspeakable tenderness for their persons and an
33:51
Speaker 1: earnest desire of their welfare, does not cease to commend
33:55
Speaker 1: them to God in prayer, as well as to plead
33:58
Speaker 1: their cause before men, who speaks comfortably to them on
34:02
Speaker 1: labors by all his words to strengthen their hands in God.
34:08
Speaker 1: He assists them to the uttermost of His power in
34:11
Speaker 1: all things spiritual and temporal. He is ready to spend
34:16
Speaker 1: and be spent for them, yea, to lay down his
34:19
Speaker 1: life for his brethren. How amiable a character is this,
34:26
Speaker 1: how desirable to every child of God. But why is
34:30
Speaker 1: it then so rarely found? How is it that there
34:33
Speaker 1: are so few instances of it? Indeed, supposing we have
34:39
Speaker 1: tasted of the love of God, how could any of
34:42
Speaker 1: us rest till it is our own? Why there is
34:46
Speaker 1: a delicate device whereby Satan persuades thousands that they may
34:51
Speaker 1: stop short of it and yet be guiltless. It is
34:54
Speaker 1: well if many here present are not in the snare
34:57
Speaker 1: of the devil, taking captive at his will. Oh, yes,
35:01
Speaker 1: says one. I have all this love for those I
35:03
Speaker 1: believe to be children of God, But I will never
35:05
Speaker 1: believe he is a child of God who belongs to
35:08
Speaker 1: that vile congregation? Can he do you think be a
35:12
Speaker 1: child of God who holds such detestable opinions? Or he
35:17
Speaker 1: that joins in such senseless and superstitious, if not idolatrous worship?
35:23
Speaker 1: So we may justify ourselves in one sin by adding
35:26
Speaker 1: a second to it. We excuse the want of love
35:30
Speaker 1: in ourselves by laying the blame on others to color
35:33
Speaker 1: our own devilish temper. We pronounce our brethren children of
35:37
Speaker 1: the devil. Oh, be aware of this. If you are
35:40
Speaker 1: already taken this nare escape out of it as soon
35:43
Speaker 1: as possible, Go and learn that truly Catholic love, which
35:47
Speaker 1: is not rash. We're hasty in judging that love which
35:51
Speaker 1: thinks no evil, which believes and hopes all things, which
35:55
Speaker 1: makes all the allowances for others that we desire others
35:59
Speaker 1: should make for us. Then we shall take knowledge of
36:02
Speaker 1: the grace of God which is in every man, whatever
36:05
Speaker 1: be his opinion or mode of worship. Then all that
36:08
Speaker 1: fear God be near and dear unto us in the
36:11
Speaker 1: bowels of Jesus Christ. Was not this the spirit of
36:16
Speaker 1: our dear friend? And why should it not be ours? O,
36:20
Speaker 1: Thou God of Love? How long shall thy people be
36:23
Speaker 1: a by word among the heathen? How long shall they
36:27
Speaker 1: laugh us to scorn and say, see how these Christians
36:31
Speaker 1: love one another? When wilt thou roll away our reproach,
36:37
Speaker 1: shall the sword devour forever? How long will it be
36:40
Speaker 1: ere thou bid thy people return from following each other.
36:45
Speaker 1: Now at least let all the people stand still and
36:47
Speaker 1: pursue after their brethren no more. But whatever others do,
36:52
Speaker 1: let all of us, my brethren, hear the voice of
36:56
Speaker 1: Him that, being dead yet speaks. Suppose ye hear him?
37:00
Speaker 1: Say now, at least THEE followers of me as I
37:02
Speaker 1: was of Christ. Let brother no more lift up sword
37:05
Speaker 1: against brother. Neither know ye war any war. Rather put
37:10
Speaker 1: ye on as the elect of God. Bowels of mercies, humbleness,
37:15
Speaker 1: of mild, brotherly kindness, gentleness, long suffering forbearing one another
37:21
Speaker 1: in love. Let the time pass suffice for strife, envy, contention,
37:26
Speaker 1: for abiding and devouring one another. Blessed be God, that
37:30
Speaker 1: ye have not long ago been consumed one of another.
37:33
Speaker 1: From henceforth hold ye the unity of the spirit in
37:36
Speaker 1: the bond of peace, O God, with THEE, no word
37:40
Speaker 1: is impossible. Thou doest whatsoever please THEE, O, that thou
37:45
Speaker 1: would cause the mantle of thy prophet, whom thou hast
37:48
Speaker 1: taken up now to fall upon us that remain Where
37:51
Speaker 1: is the Lord, God of Elijah. Let his spirit rest
37:55
Speaker 1: upon THEE. Thy servants, show thou art the God that
37:58
Speaker 1: answers by fire. Let the fire of thy love fall
38:01
Speaker 1: on every heart. And because we love THEE, let us
38:05
Speaker 1: love one another with a love stronger than death. Take
38:08
Speaker 1: away from us all anger and wrath and bitterness, all
38:12
Speaker 1: clamor and evil speaking. Let thy spirits rest upon us
38:16
Speaker 1: that from this hour we may be kind to each other,
38:19
Speaker 1: tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
38:23
Speaker 1: sake hath forgiven us Ahaim, servant of God. Well done,
38:30
Speaker 1: Thy glorious warfares past the battles fought. The race is one,
38:35
Speaker 1: and thou art crowned at last of all thy heart's
38:39
Speaker 1: desire triumphantly possessed, lodged by the ministerial choir in thy
38:45
Speaker 1: Redeemer's breast, in condescending love, thy ceaseless prayer, he heard
38:51
Speaker 1: and bade thee suddenly remove to thy complete reward, ready
38:56
Speaker 1: to bring the peace. Thy beauteous feet were shod when
39:00
Speaker 1: mercy signed thy soul's release and caught thee up to God.
39:05
Speaker 1: With saints enthroned on high. Thou dost thy Lord, proclaim
39:09
Speaker 1: and still to God's salvation, cry salvation to the lamb,
39:13
Speaker 1: O happy, happy soul, and next to seise of praise.
39:18
Speaker 1: Long as eternal ages roll, thou seest thy Saviour's face
39:24
Speaker 1: redeemed from earth and pain all when shall we ascend
39:28
Speaker 1: and all in Jesu's presence reign with our translated friend,
39:33
Speaker 1: Come Lord, and quickly come, and when in thee complete
39:38
Speaker 1: receive thy longing servant's home to triumph at thy feet.
39:44
Speaker 1: End of Section fifty four. End of Sermons on several Occasions,
39:51
Speaker 1: first series by John Wesley