Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 49 - Self-denial - Sermons on Several Occasions

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49 - Self-denial - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Self denial, and he said to them all, if any
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  Speaker 1: man will come after me, let him deny himself and
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  Speaker 1: take up his cross daily, and follow me. Look Chapter nine,
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  Speaker 1: verse twenty three. It has been frequently imagined that the
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  Speaker 1: direction here given related chiefly, if not wholly, to the apostles,
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  Speaker 1: at least to the Christians of the First Aegis, or
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  Speaker 1: those in a state of persecution. But this is a
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  Speaker 1: grievous mistake. For although our blessed Lord is here directing
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  Speaker 1: his discourse more immediately to his apostles and those other
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  Speaker 1: disciples who attend him in the days of his flesh,
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  Speaker 1: yet in them he speaks to us and to all mankind,
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  Speaker 1: without any exception or limitation. The very reason of the
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  Speaker 1: thing puts it beyond dispute that the duty which is
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  Speaker 1: here enjoined is not peculiarly to them or to the
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  Speaker 1: Christians of the early ages. It no more regards any
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  Speaker 1: particular order of men or particular time, than any particular country. No,
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  Speaker 1: it is of the most universal nature, respecting all times
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  Speaker 1: and all persons. Yea, in all things, not meets and
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  Speaker 1: drinks only, and things pertaining to the senses. The meaning
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  Speaker 1: is if any man of whatever rank, station circumstances in
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  Speaker 1: any nation, in any age of the world, will effectually
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  Speaker 1: come after me. Let him deny himself in all things,
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  Speaker 1: Let him take up his cross of whatever kind yea,
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  Speaker 1: and that daily, and follow me. The denying ourselves and
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  Speaker 1: the taking up our cross, in the full extent of
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  Speaker 1: the expression, is not a thing of small concern. It
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  Speaker 1: is not expedient only, as are some of the circumstantials
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  Speaker 1: of religion. But it is absolutely indispensably necessary either to
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  Speaker 1: our becoming or continuing his disciples. It is absolutely necessary
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  Speaker 1: in the very nature of the thing to our coming
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  Speaker 1: after him and following him. Is so much that as
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  Speaker 1: far as we do not practice it, we are not
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  Speaker 1: his disciples. If we do not continually deny ourselves, we
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  Speaker 1: do not learn of Him, but of other masters. If
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  Speaker 1: we do not take up our cross daily, we do
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  Speaker 1: not come after Him, but after the world, or the
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  Speaker 1: Prince of the world, or our own fleshly mind. We
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  Speaker 1: are not walking in the way of the Cross. We
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  Speaker 1: are not following him. We are not treading in his steps,
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  Speaker 1: but going back from, or at least wide of him.
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  Speaker 1: It is for this reason that so many ministers of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: in almost every age and nation, particularly since the Reformation
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  Speaker 1: of the Church, from the innovations and corruptions gradually crept
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  Speaker 1: into it, have wrote and spoke so largely on this
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  Speaker 1: important duty, both in their public discourses and private exhortations.
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  Speaker 1: This induced them to disperse abroad many tracks upon the subject,
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  Speaker 1: and some in our own nation. They knew, both from
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  Speaker 1: the oracles of God and from the testimony of their
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  Speaker 1: own experience, how impossible it was to deny our Master
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  Speaker 1: unless we will deny ourselves, and how vainly we attempt
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  Speaker 1: to follow him that was crucified, unless we take up
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  Speaker 1: our cross daily. But may not this very consideration make
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  Speaker 1: it reasonable to inquire, if much has been said and
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  Speaker 1: wrote on the subject already, what need is there to
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  Speaker 1: say or write any more? I answer, there are no
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  Speaker 1: inconsiderable numbers, even of people fearing God, who have not
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  Speaker 1: had the opportunity either of hearing what has been spoke
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  Speaker 1: or reading what has been wrote upon it. And perhaps
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  Speaker 1: if they had read much of what has been written,
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  Speaker 1: they would not have been so much profited. Many who
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  Speaker 1: have wrote, some of them large volumes, do by no
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  Speaker 1: means appear to have understood the subject. Either they had
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  Speaker 1: imperfect views of the very nature of it, and then
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  Speaker 1: they could never explain it to others, or they were
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  Speaker 1: unacquainted with the due extent of it, they did not
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  Speaker 1: see how exceeding broad this command is, or they were
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  Speaker 1: not sensible of the absolute, the indispensable necessity of it.
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  Speaker 1: Others speak of it in so dark, so perplexed, so intricate,
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  Speaker 1: so mystical a manner, as if they designed rather to
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  Speaker 1: conceal it from the vulgar than to explain it too
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  Speaker 1: common readers. Others speak admirably well, with great clearness and strength,
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  Speaker 1: on the necessity of self denial. But then they deal
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  Speaker 1: in generals only, without coming to particular instances, and so
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  Speaker 1: are of little use to the bulk of mankind, to
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  Speaker 1: men of ordinary capacity and education. And if some of
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  Speaker 1: them do descend to particulars, it is to those particulars
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  Speaker 1: only which do not affect the generality of men, since
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  Speaker 1: they seldom, if ever occur in common life, such as
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  Speaker 1: the enduring imprisonment or tortures, the giving up in a
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  Speaker 1: literal sense, their houses or lands, their husbands or wives, children,
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  Speaker 1: or life itself, to none of which we are called,
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  Speaker 1: nor are likely to be, unless God should permit times
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  Speaker 1: of public persecution to return in the meantime. I know
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  Speaker 1: of no writer in the English tongue who has described
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  Speaker 1: the nature of self denial in plain and intelligible terms
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  Speaker 1: such as lie level with common understandings and applied to
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  Speaker 1: those little particulars which daily occur in common life. A
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  Speaker 1: discourse of this kind is wanted still, and it is
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  Speaker 1: wanted the more because, in every stage of the spiritual life,
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  Speaker 1: although there is a variety of particular hindrances of our
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  Speaker 1: attaining grace or growing therein, yet are all resolvable into
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  Speaker 1: these general ones. Either we do not deny ourselves, or
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  Speaker 1: we do not take up our cross. In order to
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  Speaker 1: supply this defect in some degree, I shall endeavor to
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  Speaker 1: show first what it is for a man to deny
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  Speaker 1: himself and what to take up his cross, And secondly
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  Speaker 1: that if a man be not fully Christ's disciple, it
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  Speaker 1: is always Owing to the want of this, I shall
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  Speaker 1: first endeavor to show what it is for a man
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  Speaker 1: to deny himself and take up his cross daily. This
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  Speaker 1: is a point which is of all others, most necessary
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  Speaker 1: to be considered and thoroughly understood. Even on this account
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  Speaker 1: that it is of all others, most opposed by numerous
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  Speaker 1: and powerful enemies. All our nature must certainly rise up
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  Speaker 1: against this, even in its own defense the world. Consequently,
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  Speaker 1: the men who take nature not grace for their guide,
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  Speaker 1: abhor the very sound of it, and the great enemy
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  Speaker 1: of our souls, well knowing its importance, cannot but move
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  Speaker 1: every stone against it. But this is not all. Even
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  Speaker 1: those who have in some measure shaken off the yoke
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  Speaker 1: of the devil, who have experienced, especially of late years,
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  Speaker 1: a real work of grace in their hearts, yet are
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  Speaker 1: no friends to this grand doctrine of Christianity, though it
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  Speaker 1: is so peculiarly insisted on by their master. Some of
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  Speaker 1: them are as deeply and totally ignorant concerning it as
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  Speaker 1: if there was not one word about it in the Bible.
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  Speaker 1: Others are further off, still having unawares imbibed strong prejudices
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  Speaker 1: against it. These they have received partly from outside Christians,
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  Speaker 1: men of a fairer speech and behavior, who want nothing
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  Speaker 1: of Godliness but the power, nothing of religion but the spirit,
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  Speaker 1: and partly from those who did once. If they do
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  Speaker 1: not now taste of the powers of the world to come,
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  Speaker 1: are are there any of these who do not both
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  Speaker 1: practice self denial themselves and recommend it to others, You
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  Speaker 1: are little acquainted with mankind. If you doubt of this,
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  Speaker 1: There are whole bodies of men who only do not
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  Speaker 1: declare war against it. To go no further than London.
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  Speaker 1: Look upon the whole body of predestinarians, who, by the
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  Speaker 1: free mercy of God have lately been called out of
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  Speaker 1: the darkness of nature into the light of faith? Are
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  Speaker 1: they patterns of self denial? How few of them even
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  Speaker 1: profess to practice it at all? How few of them
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  Speaker 1: recommend it themselves or are pleased with them that do. Rather,
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  Speaker 1: do they not continually represent it in the most odious colors,
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  Speaker 1: as if it were seeking salvation by works, or seeking
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  Speaker 1: to establish our own righteousness? And how readily do Antinomians
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  Speaker 1: of all kinds, from the smooth Moravian to the boisterous
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  Speaker 1: falmouth ranter, join the cry with their silly, unmeaning cant
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  Speaker 1: of legality and preaching the law. Therefore, you are in
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  Speaker 1: constant danger of being wheedled, hectored, or ridiculed out of
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  Speaker 1: this important Gospel doctrine, either by false teachers or false brethren,
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  Speaker 1: more or less beguiled from the simplicity of the Gospel.
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  Speaker 1: If you are not deeply grounded therein let fervent prayer.
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  Speaker 1: Then go before accompany and follow what you are now
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  Speaker 1: about to read, that it may be written in your
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  Speaker 1: heart by the finger of God, so as never to
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  Speaker 1: be erased. But what is self denial? Wherein are we
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  Speaker 1: to deny ourselves? And whence does the necessity of this arise?
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  Speaker 1: I answer? The will of God is the supreme, unalterable
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  Speaker 1: rule for every intelligent creature, equally binding every angel in
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  Speaker 1: heaven and every man upon earth. Nor can it be otherwise.
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  Speaker 1: This is the natural, necessary result of the religetion between
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  Speaker 1: creatures and their creator. But if the will of God
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  Speaker 1: be our one rule of action in everything great and small,
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  Speaker 1: it follows by undeniable consequence, that we are not to
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  Speaker 1: do our own will in anything. Here therefore we see
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  Speaker 1: at once the nature with the ground and reason of
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  Speaker 1: self denial. We see the nature of self denial. It
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  Speaker 1: is the denying or refusing to follow our own will
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  Speaker 1: from a conviction that the will of God is the
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  Speaker 1: only rule of action to us. And we see the
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  Speaker 1: reason thereof because we are creatures, because it is He
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  Speaker 1: that hath made us, and not we ourselves. This reason
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  Speaker 1: for self denial must hold even with regard to the
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  Speaker 1: angels of God in heaven, and with regard to man,
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  Speaker 1: innocent and holy, as he came out of the hands
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  Speaker 1: of his creator. But a further reason for it arises
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  Speaker 1: from the condition wherein all men are since the fall.
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  Speaker 1: We are all now shapen in wickedness, and in sin
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  Speaker 1: did our mother conceive us. Our nature is altogether corrupt
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  Speaker 1: in every power and faculty, and our will, depraved equally
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  Speaker 1: with the rest, is wholly bent to indulge all our
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  Speaker 1: natural corruption. On the other hand, it is the will
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  Speaker 1: of God that we resist and counteract that corruption, not
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  Speaker 1: at sometimes or in some things only, but at all
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  Speaker 1: times and in all things. Here therefore is a further
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  Speaker 1: ground for a constant and universal self denial. To illustrate
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  Speaker 1: this a little further, the will of God is a
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  Speaker 1: path leading straight to God. The will of man, which
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  Speaker 1: once ran parallel with it, is now another path, not
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  Speaker 1: only different from it, but in our present state directly
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  Speaker 1: contrary to it. It leads from God. If therefore we walk,
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  Speaker 1: and the one we must necessarily quit. The other we
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  Speaker 1: cannot walk in both. Indeed, a man of faint heart
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  Speaker 1: and feeble hands may go in two ways, one after
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  Speaker 1: the other. But he cannot walk in two ways at
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  Speaker 1: the same time. He cannot at one and at the
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  Speaker 1: same time follow his own will and follow the will
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  Speaker 1: of God. He must choose the one or the other,
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  Speaker 1: denying God's will to follow his own, or denying himself
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  Speaker 1: to follow the will of God. Now, it is undoubtedly
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  Speaker 1: pleasing for the time to follow our own will by
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  Speaker 1: indulging in any instance that offers the corruption of our nature.
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  Speaker 1: But by following it in anything, we so far strengthen
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  Speaker 1: the perverseness of our will. And by indulging it, we
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  Speaker 1: continually increase the corruption of our nature. So by the
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  Speaker 1: food which is agreeable to the pellate, we often increase
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  Speaker 1: a bodily disease. It gratifies the tastes, but it inflames
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  Speaker 1: the disorder. It brings pleasure, but it also brings death
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  Speaker 1: on the whole. Then to deny ourselves is to deny
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  Speaker 1: our own will where it does not fall in with
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  Speaker 1: the will of God. And that, however pleasing it may be,
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  Speaker 1: it is to deny ourselves any pleasure which does not
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  Speaker 1: spring from and lead to God. That is in effect,
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  Speaker 1: to refuse going out of our way, though into a pleasant,
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  Speaker 1: flowery path, to refuse what we know to be deadly poisoned,
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  Speaker 1: though agreeable to the taste. And everyone that would follow Christ,
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  Speaker 1: that would be his real disciple, must not only deny
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  Speaker 1: himself but take up his cross. Also, a cross is
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  Speaker 1: anything contrary to our will, anything displeasing to our nature,
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  Speaker 1: So that taking up our cross goes a little further
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  Speaker 1: than denying ourselves. It rises a little higher and is
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  Speaker 1: more difficult task to flesh and blood, it being more
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  Speaker 1: easy to forego pleasure than to endure pain. Now, in
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  Speaker 1: running the race which is set before us according to
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  Speaker 1: the will of God, there is often a cross lying
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  Speaker 1: in the way. That is something which is not only
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  Speaker 1: not joyous, but grievous, something which is contrary to our will,
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  Speaker 1: which is displeasing to our nature. What then is to
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  Speaker 1: be done? The choice is plain. Either we must take
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  Speaker 1: up our cross, or we must turn aside from the
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  Speaker 1: way of God, from the holy commandment delivered to us.
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  Speaker 1: If we do not stop altogether, are turned back to
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  Speaker 1: everlasting perdition. In order to the healing of that corruption,
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  Speaker 1: that evil disease which every man brings with him into
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  Speaker 1: the world. It is often needful to pluck out, as
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  Speaker 1: it were a right eye to cut off a right hand.
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  Speaker 1: So painful is either the thing itself which must be done,
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  Speaker 1: or the only means of doing it. The parting suppose
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  Speaker 1: with a foolish desire, with an inordinate affection, or a
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  Speaker 1: separation from the object of it, without which it can
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  Speaker 1: never be extinguished. In the former kind, the tearing away
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  Speaker 1: such a desire or affection, when it is deeply rooted
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  Speaker 1: in the soul, is often like the piercing of a sword,
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  Speaker 1: yea like the dividing a center of the soul and spirit.
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  Speaker 1: The joints end merrile. The Lord then sits upon the
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  Speaker 1: soul as a refiner's fire, to burn all the drafts thereof.
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  Speaker 1: And this is a cross. Indeed, it is essentially painful.
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  Speaker 1: It must be so in the very nature of the thing.
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  Speaker 1: The soul cannot be thus torn asunder it cannot pass
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  Speaker 1: through the fire without pain. In the latter kind, the
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  Speaker 1: means to heal a sin sick soul, to cure a
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  Speaker 1: foolish desire and inordinate affection, are often painful, not in
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  Speaker 1: the nature of the thing, but from the nature of
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  Speaker 1: the disease. So when our Lord said to the rich
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  Speaker 1: young man, go sell that thou hast and give it
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  Speaker 1: to the poor as well, knowing this was the only
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  Speaker 1: means of healing his comesteousness, the very thought of it
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  Speaker 1: gave him so much pain that he went away sorrowful,
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  Speaker 1: choosing rather to part with this hope of heaven than
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  Speaker 1: his possessions on earth. This was a burden he could
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  Speaker 1: not consent to lift across he would not take up.
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  Speaker 1: And in the one kind or the other, every follower
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  Speaker 1: of Christ will surely have need to take up his
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  Speaker 1: cross daily. The taking up differs a little from bearing
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  Speaker 1: his cross. We are then properly said to bear our
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  Speaker 1: cross when we endure what is laid upon us without
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  Speaker 1: our choice, with meekness and resignation. Whereas we do not
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  Speaker 1: properly take up our cross, but when we voluntarily suffer
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  Speaker 1: what it is in our power to avoid, when we
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  Speaker 1: willingly embrace the will of God, though contrary to our own,
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  Speaker 1: when we choose what is painful, because it is the
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  Speaker 1: will of our wise and gracious creator. And thus it
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  Speaker 1: beholdes every disciple of Christ to take up as well
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  Speaker 1: as to bear his cross. Indeed, In one sense, it
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  Speaker 1: is not his alone, it is common to him and
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  Speaker 1: many others. Seeing there is no temptation befalls any man,
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  Speaker 1: he may anthropinos. But such as is common to men,
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  Speaker 1: such as is incident and adapted to their common nature
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  Speaker 1: and situation in the present world. But in another sense,
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  Speaker 1: as it is considered with all its circumstances, it is
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  Speaker 1: his peculiar to himself. It is prepared of God for him.
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  Speaker 1: It is given by God to him as a token
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  Speaker 1: of his love. And if he receives it as such,
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  Speaker 1: and after using such means to remove the pressure, as
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  Speaker 1: Christian wisdom directs, lies as clay in the potter's hand.
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  Speaker 1: It is disposed and ordered by God for his good,
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  Speaker 1: both with regard to the quality of it, and in
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  Speaker 1: respect to its quantity and degree, its duration, and every
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  Speaker 1: other circumstance. In all this we may easily conceive our
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  Speaker 1: blessed Lord to act as the physician of our souls,
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  Speaker 1: not merely for his own pleasure, but for our profit,
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  Speaker 1: that we may be partakers of His holiness. If in
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  Speaker 1: searching our wounds he puts us to pain, it is
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  Speaker 1: only in order to heal them he cuts away what
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  Speaker 1: is putrefied or unsound in order to preserve the sound part.
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  Speaker 1: And if we freely choose the loss of a limb
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  Speaker 1: rather than the whole body should perish, how much more
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  Speaker 1: should we choose figuratively to cut off a right hand
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  Speaker 1: rather than the whole soul should be cast into hell?
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  Speaker 1: We see plainly, then, both the nature and ground of
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  Speaker 1: taking up our cross. It does not imply the disciplining ourselves,
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  Speaker 1: as some speak, the literally tearing our own flesh, the
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  Speaker 1: where haircloth, or iron girdles, or anything else that would
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  Speaker 1: impair our bodily health, although we know not what allowance
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  Speaker 1: God may make for those who act thus through involuntary ignorance.
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  Speaker 1: But the embracing the will of God, though contrary to
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  Speaker 1: our own, the choosing wholesome though bitter medicines, the freely
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  Speaker 1: accepting temporary pain, of whatever kind and in whatever degree,
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  Speaker 1: when it is either essentially or accidentally necessary to eternal pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: I am secondly to show that it is always owing
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  Speaker 1: to the want, either of self denial or taking up
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  Speaker 1: his cross, that any man does not thoroughly follow him
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  Speaker 1: is not fully a disciple of Christ. It is true
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  Speaker 1: this may be partly owing in some cases to the
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  Speaker 1: want of the means of grace, of hearing the true
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  Speaker 1: word of God spoken with power of the sacraments, or
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  Speaker 1: of Christian fellowship. But these is wanting. The great hindrance
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  Speaker 1: of our receiving or growing in the grace of God
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  Speaker 1: is always the want of denying ourselves or taking up
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  Speaker 1: our cross. A few instances will make this plain. A
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  Speaker 1: man hears the word which is able to save his soul,
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  Speaker 1: he is well pleased with what he hears, acknowledges the truth,
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  Speaker 1: and is a little affected by it. Yet he remains
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  Speaker 1: dead in trespasses and sins, senseless and unawakened. Why is
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  Speaker 1: this because he will not part with his bosom sin,
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  Speaker 1: though he now knows it is an abomination to the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: He came to hear full of lust and unholy desires,
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  Speaker 1: and he will not part with them. Therefore, no deep
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  Speaker 1: impression is made upon him. But his foolish heart is
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  Speaker 1: still hardened. That is, he is still senseless and unawakened,
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  Speaker 1: because he will not deny himself. Suppose he begins to
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  Speaker 1: awake out of sleep and his eyes are a little open,
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  Speaker 1: Why are they so quickly closed again? Why does he
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  Speaker 1: again sink into the sleep of death, because he again
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  Speaker 1: yields to his bosom sin, he drinks again of the
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  Speaker 1: pleasing poison. Therefore, it is impossible that any lasting impression
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: should be made upon his heart. That is, he relapses
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: into his fatal incessibility, because he will not deny himself.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: But this is not the case withal. We have many
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: instances of those who, when once awaken, sleep no more.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: The impressions, once received do not wear away. They are
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: not only deep, but lasting. And yet many of these
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: have not found what they seek. They mourn and yet
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: are not comforted. Now why is this. It is because
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: they do not bring forth fruits meet for repentance, because
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: they do not, according to the grace they have received,
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: cease from evil and do good. They do not cease
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: from the easily besetting sin, the sin of their constitution,
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: of their education, or of their profession, or they omit
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: doing the good they may and know they ought to do,
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: because of some disagreeable circumstance attending it. That is, they
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: do not attain faith because they will not deny themselves
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: or take up their cross. But this man did receive
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: the heavenly gift. He did taste of the powers of
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: the world to come. He saw the light of the
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: peace which passeth all understanding did rule his heart and mind,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: and the love of God was shed abroad therein by
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: the holy ghosts which was given onto him. Yet he
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: is now weak as another man. He again relishes the
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: things of earth, and has more taste for the things
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: which are seen than for those which are not seen.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: The eye of his understanding is closed again, so that
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: he cannot see him that is invisible. His love is
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: wax cold, and the peace of God no longer rules
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: in his heart, and no marvel, For he has again
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: given place to the devil and grieve the holy Spirit
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: of God. He has turned again unto folly, to some
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: pleasing sin, if not in outward act, yet in heart
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: he has given place to pride or anger, or desire,
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: to self will or stubbornness. Or he did not stir
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: up the gift of God which was in him. He
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: gave way to spiritual sloth, and would not be at
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: the pains of praying always and watching thereunto with all perseverance.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: That is, he made shipwreck of the faith for want
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: of self denial and taking up his cross daily. But
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: perhaps he has not made shipwreck of the faith. He
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: has still a measure of the spirit of adoption, which
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: continues to witness with his spirit that he is a
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: child of God. However, he is not going on to perfection.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: He is not as once hungering and thirsting after righteousness,
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: panting after the whole image and full enjoyment of God,
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: as the heart after the water brook. Rather, he is
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: weary and faint in his mind, and as it were,
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: hovering between life and death. And why is he thus
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: but because he hath forgotten the Word of God. By
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: works is faith made perfect. He does not use all
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: diligence in working the works of God. He does not
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: continue instant in prayer, private as well as public, in communicating, hearing, meditation, fasting,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: and religious conference. If he does not wholly neglect some
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: of these means, at least he does not use them
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: all with his might, or he is not zealous of
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: works of charity as well as works of piety. He
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: is not merciful after his power with the full ability
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: which God giveth. He does not fervently serve the Lord
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: by doing good to men in every kind and in
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: every degree he can to their souls as well as
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: their bodies. And why does he not continue in prayer?
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: Because in time of dryness it is pain and grief
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: unto him. He does not continue in hearing at all
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: opportunities because sleep is sweet, or it is cold or
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: dark or rainy. But why does he not continuing works
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: of mercy? Because he cannot feed the hungry or clothe
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: the naked unless he retrench the expense of his own
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: apparel or use cheaper and less pleasing food. Besides which,
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: the visiting the sick or those that are in prison
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: is attended with many disagreeable circumstances, And so are most
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: works of spiritual mercy reproof In particular, he would reprove
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: his neighbor. But sometimes shame, sometimes fear comes between, for
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: he may expose himself not only to ridicule, but to
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: heavier inconveniences too. Upon these and the light considerations he
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: omits one or more, if not all, works of mercy
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: and piety. Therefore, his faith is not made perfect. Neither
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: can he grow in grace, namely because he will not
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: deny himself and take up his daily cross. It manifestly
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: follows that it is always, owing to the want either
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: of self denial or taking up his cross, that a
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: man does not thoroughly follow his Lord, that he is
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: not fully a disciple of Christ. It is owing to
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: this that he who is dead in sin does not
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: awake though the trumpet be blown, that he who begins
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: to awake out of sleep yet has no deep or
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: lasting conviction. That he who is deeply and lastingly convinced
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: of sin does not attain remission of sins. That some
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: who have received this heavenly gift retain it not but
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: make shipwreck of the faith. And that others, if they
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: do not draw back to perdition, yet are weary and
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: faint in their mind, and do not reach the mark
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: of the prize of the high calling of God in
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus. How easily may we learn hence, that they
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: know neither the scripture nor the power of God, who
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: directly or indirectly, in public or in private, oppose the
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: doctrine of self denial and death the daily cross. How
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: totally ignorant are these men of a hundred particular texts,
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: as well as of the general tenor of the whole
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: oracles of God, And how entirely unacquainted. Must they be
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: with true, genuine Christian experience of the manner wherein the
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit ever did and does at this day work
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: in the souls of men. They may talk, indeed, very
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: loudly and confidently, a natural fruit of ignorance, as though
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: they were the only men who understood either the word
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: of God or the experience of his children. But their
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: words are in every sense vain words. They are weighed
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: in the balance and found wanting. We may learn from hints. Secondly,
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: the real cause. Why not only many particular persons, but
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: even bodies of men, who were once burning and shining lights,
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: have now lost both their light and heat. If they
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: did not hate and oppose, they at least lightly esteemed
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: this precious Gospel doctrine. If they did not boldly say,
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: abnegatiaem omnim proculchamus into nicioni damus, we trample all self
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: denial underfoot, we devote it to destruction. Yet they neither
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: valued it according to its high importance, nor took any
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: pains in practicing it. I think mystici docent said that
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: great bad man the mystic writers teach self denial. Know
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: the inspired writers and God teaches it to every soul
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: who is willing to hear his voice. We may learn
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: from hence. Thirdly, that it is not enough for a
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: minister of the gospel not to oppose the doctrine of
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: self denial to say nothing concerning it. Nay, he cannot
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: satisfy his duty by saying a little in favor of it.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: If he would indeed be pure from the blood of
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: all men, he must speak of it frequently and largely.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: He must inculcate the necessity of it in the clearest
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: and strongest manner. He must press it with his mind
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: night on all persons, at all times and in all places,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: laying line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept,
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: precept upon precept. So shall he have a conscious void
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: of offense. So shall he save his own soul and
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: those that hear him. Lastly, see that you apply this,
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: every one of you, to your own soul. Meditate upon
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: it when you are in the secret, ponder it in
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: your heart. Take care not only to understand it thoroughly,
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: but to remember it to your lives. End cry on
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: to this wrong for strength, that you may no sooner
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: understand than enter upon the practice of it. Delay not
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: the time, but practice it immediately from this very hour.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Practice it universally on every one of the thousand occasions
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: which will occur in all circumstances of life. Practice it
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: daily without intermission, from the hour you first set your
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: hand to the plow, and enduring their end to the end,
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: till your sphere it returns to God. End of section
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: forty nine.