Latest / Sermons on Several Occasions, First Series / 033 - Upon our Lords Sermon on the Mount Discourse XII

Transcript

033 - Upon our Lords Sermon on the Mount Discourse XII · Sermons on Several Occasions, First Series

0:00
Speaker 1: Sermon thirty two, John Wesley's Sermons on Several Occasions. This
0:07
Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
0:11
Speaker 1: public domain. To find out how you can volunteer, contact
0:17
Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Reading by Father Zilei of Detroit, John
0:25
Speaker 1: Wesley's Sermons on Several Occasions, Sermon thirty two upon Our
0:32
Speaker 1: Lord's Sermon on the Mount, Discourse twelve. The text is
0:38
Speaker 1: Matthew seven, verses fifteen to twenty. Beware of false prophets,
0:45
Speaker 1: which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are
0:49
Speaker 1: ravenous wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
0:54
Speaker 1: men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so,
1:01
Speaker 1: every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt
1:05
Speaker 1: tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring
1:10
Speaker 1: forth evil fruit. Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
1:14
Speaker 1: good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit
1:20
Speaker 1: is hewn down and cast into the fire.
1:24
Speaker 2: Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.
1:31
Speaker 1: It is scarce possible to express or conceive what multitudes
1:35
Speaker 1: of souls run on to destruction, because they would not
1:39
Speaker 1: be persuaded to walk in a narrow way, even though
1:44
Speaker 1: it were the way to everlasting salvation, and the same
1:48
Speaker 1: thing we may still observe daily. Such is the folly
1:53
Speaker 1: and madness of mankind that thousands of men still rush
1:58
Speaker 1: on in the way to hell only because it is
2:01
Speaker 1: a broadway.
2:04
Speaker 2: They walk in it themselves because others do.
2:08
Speaker 1: Because so many perish, they will add to the number.
2:13
Speaker 1: Such is the amazing influence of example over the weak,
2:17
Speaker 1: miserable children of men. It continually peoples the regions of
2:23
Speaker 1: death and drowns numberless souls in everlasting perdition.
2:31
Speaker 2: To warn mankind of this, to guard as many.
2:34
Speaker 1: As possible against this spreading contagion, God has commanded his
2:39
Speaker 1: watchmen to cry aloud and to show the people the
2:43
Speaker 1: danger they are in. For this end, he has sent
2:47
Speaker 1: his servants, the prophets in their succeeding generations, to point
2:52
Speaker 1: out the narrow path and exhort all men not to
2:56
Speaker 1: be conformed to this world. But if the watchmen themselves
3:02
Speaker 1: fall into the snare against which they should warn others,
3:07
Speaker 1: What if the prophets prophesy deceits, if they cause the
3:13
Speaker 1: people to err from the way, What shall be done
3:16
Speaker 1: if they point out as the way to eternal life?
3:20
Speaker 1: What is in truth the way to eternal death? And
3:23
Speaker 1: exhort others to walk as they do themselves in the broad,
3:28
Speaker 1: not the narrow way? Is this and unheard of? Is
3:33
Speaker 1: it an uncommon thing? Nay, God knoweth it is not.
3:38
Speaker 1: The instances of it are almost innumerable.
3:42
Speaker 2: We may find them in every age and nation.
3:45
Speaker 1: But how terrible is this when the ambassadors of God
3:49
Speaker 1: turn agents for the devil, When they who are commissioned
3:53
Speaker 1: to teach men the way to Heaven do in fact
3:56
Speaker 1: teach them the way to hell. Are like the locusts
4:01
Speaker 1: of Egypt, which eat up the residue that had escaped,
4:06
Speaker 1: that had remained after the hail. They devour even the
4:10
Speaker 1: residue of men that had escaped that were not destroyed
4:13
Speaker 1: by ill example. It is not therefore without cause that
4:18
Speaker 1: our wise and gracious Master so solemnly cautions.
4:22
Speaker 2: Us against them.
4:24
Speaker 1: Beware, saith, he of false prophets, which come to you
4:29
Speaker 1: in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. A
4:35
Speaker 1: caution this of the utmost importance, that it may be
4:40
Speaker 1: the more effectually sink into our hearts. Let us inquire
4:45
Speaker 1: first who these false prophets are, secondly what appearance they
4:51
Speaker 1: put on, and thirdly, how we may know what they
4:55
Speaker 1: really are notwithstanding their fair appearance.
5:02
Speaker 2: We are first to.
5:03
Speaker 1: Inquire who these false prophets are, and this it is
5:08
Speaker 1: needful to do, the more diligently, because these very men
5:12
Speaker 1: have so labored to rest this scripture to their own,
5:16
Speaker 1: though not only their own destruction. In order therefore to
5:22
Speaker 1: cut off all dispute, I shall raise no dust, as
5:26
Speaker 1: the manner of some is. Neither use any loose rhetorical
5:30
Speaker 1: exclamations to deceive the hearts of the simple, but speak rough,
5:36
Speaker 1: plain truths, such as none can deny who has either
5:41
Speaker 1: understanding or modesty left, and such truths as have the
5:45
Speaker 1: closest connection with the whole tenor of the preceding discourse.
5:51
Speaker 1: Whereas too many have interpreted these words without any regard
5:55
Speaker 1: to all that went before, as if they bore no
5:58
Speaker 1: manner of relation to the sermon in the close of
6:02
Speaker 1: which they stand. By prophets here, as in many other
6:07
Speaker 1: passages of Scripture, particularly in the New Testament, are meant
6:12
Speaker 1: not those who foretell things to come, but those who
6:16
Speaker 1: speak in the name of God, those men who profess
6:20
Speaker 1: to the sent of God to teach others the way
6:23
Speaker 1: to heaven. Those are false prophets who teach a false
6:28
Speaker 1: way to heaven, a way which does not lead thither,
6:32
Speaker 1: or which.
6:33
Speaker 2: Comes in the end. To the same point, who do
6:36
Speaker 2: not teach the.
6:37
Speaker 1: True Every broad way is infallibly a false one. Therefore
6:44
Speaker 1: this is one plain sure rule. They who teach men
6:48
Speaker 1: to walk in a broad way, a way that many
6:51
Speaker 1: walk in, are false prophets. Again, the true way to
6:58
Speaker 1: heaven is a narrow way. Therefore this is another plain
7:02
Speaker 1: sure rule. They who do not teach men to walk
7:05
Speaker 1: in a narrow way, to be.
7:07
Speaker 2: Singular, are false prophets.
7:12
Speaker 1: To be more particular, the only true way to heaven
7:16
Speaker 1: is that pointed out in the preceding sermon. Therefore they
7:20
Speaker 1: are false prophets who do not teach men to walk
7:24
Speaker 1: in this way. Now, the way to heaven pointed out
7:28
Speaker 1: in the preceding sermon is the way of lowliness, mourning, meekness,
7:36
Speaker 1: and holy desire, love of God and of our neighbor,
7:41
Speaker 1: doing good and suffering evil for Christ's sake. They are
7:46
Speaker 1: therefore false prophets who teach as the way to heaven
7:50
Speaker 1: any other way than this.
7:54
Speaker 2: It matters not what they call that other way.
7:57
Speaker 1: They may call it faith or good works, or faith
8:01
Speaker 1: and works, or repentance or repentance, faith and new obedience.
8:05
Speaker 2: All these are good words.
8:08
Speaker 1: But if under these or any other terms, whatever they
8:12
Speaker 1: teach men any way distinct from.
8:14
Speaker 2: This, they are properly false prophets.
8:19
Speaker 1: How much more do they fall under that condemnation who
8:23
Speaker 1: speak evil of this good way? But above all they
8:26
Speaker 1: who teach the directly opposite way, the way of pride,
8:30
Speaker 1: of levity, of passion, of worldly desires, of loving pleasure
8:35
Speaker 1: more than God, of unkindness to our neighbor, of unconcern
8:40
Speaker 1: for good works, and suffering no evil, no persecution for
8:45
Speaker 1: righteousness sake. If it be asked, why whoever did teach
8:51
Speaker 1: this or who does teach it as the way to heaven?
8:55
Speaker 1: I answer ten thousand wise and honorable men, even all
9:00
Speaker 1: those of whatever denomination, who encourage the proud, the trifler,
9:05
Speaker 1: the passionate, the lover of the world, the man of pleasure,
9:09
Speaker 1: the unjust or unkind, the easy, careless, harmless, useless creature,
9:15
Speaker 1: the man who suffers no reproach for righteousness sake. To
9:18
Speaker 1: imagine he is in the way to heaven. These are
9:23
Speaker 1: false prophets in the highest sense of the word.
9:27
Speaker 2: These are traitors both to God and man.
9:31
Speaker 1: These are no other than the first born of Satan,
9:35
Speaker 1: the eldest sons of Apollyon the Destroyer.
9:39
Speaker 2: These are far.
9:39
Speaker 1: Above the rank of ordinary cutthroats, for they murder the
9:43
Speaker 1: souls of men. They are continually peopling the realms of night.
9:49
Speaker 1: And whenever they follow the poor souls whom they have destroyed,
9:53
Speaker 1: Hell shall be moved from beneath to meet them at
9:56
Speaker 1: their coming. But do they come now in their own
10:02
Speaker 1: shape by no means. If it were so, they could
10:07
Speaker 1: not destroy. You would take the alarm and flee for
10:10
Speaker 1: your life. Therefore they put on a quite contrary appearance,
10:16
Speaker 1: which was the second thing to be considered.
10:19
Speaker 2: They come to you in sheep's.
10:20
Speaker 1: Clothing, although inwardly they are ravening wolves. They come to
10:27
Speaker 1: you in sheep's clothing, that is, with an appearance of harmlessness.
10:33
Speaker 1: They come in the most mild, inoffensive manner, without any
10:38
Speaker 1: mark or token of enmity. Who can imagine that these
10:43
Speaker 1: quiet creatures would do any hurt to anyone. Perhaps they
10:47
Speaker 1: may not be so zealous and active in doing good
10:50
Speaker 1: as one would wish they were. However, you see no
10:54
Speaker 1: reason to suspect that they have even the desire.
10:58
Speaker 2: To do any harm. But this is not all.
11:03
Speaker 1: They come secondly with an appearance of usefulness. Indeed, to this,
11:09
Speaker 1: to do good, they are particularly called.
11:13
Speaker 2: They are set apart for this very thing.
11:15
Speaker 1: They are particularly commissioned to watch over your soul and
11:19
Speaker 1: to train you up to eternal life.
11:21
Speaker 2: It is their whole business.
11:23
Speaker 1: To go about doing good and healing those that are
11:26
Speaker 1: oppressed of the devil. And you have been always accustomed
11:31
Speaker 1: to look upon them in this light, as messengers of
11:34
Speaker 1: God sent to bring you a blessing. They come Thirdly
11:40
Speaker 1: with an appearance of religion. All they do is for
11:44
Speaker 1: conscience sake. They assure you. It is out of mere
11:48
Speaker 1: zeal for God that they are making God a liar.
11:52
Speaker 1: It is out of pure concern for religion that they
11:55
Speaker 1: would destroy it root and branch.
11:58
Speaker 2: All they speak is only from a love of truth and.
12:02
Speaker 1: A fear lest it should suffer, And it may be
12:05
Speaker 1: from a regard for the Church and a desire to
12:08
Speaker 1: defend her from all her enemies. Above all, they come
12:14
Speaker 1: with an appearance of love. They take all these pains
12:19
Speaker 1: only for your good. They should not trouble themselves about you,
12:23
Speaker 1: but that they have a kindness for you. They will
12:27
Speaker 1: make large professions of their goodwill, of their concern for
12:30
Speaker 1: the danger you are in, and of their earnest desire
12:34
Speaker 1: to preserve you from error, from being entangled in new
12:37
Speaker 1: and mischievous doctrines. They should be very sorry to see
12:41
Speaker 1: one who means so well hurried into any extreme, perplexed
12:46
Speaker 1: with strange and unintelligible notions, were deluded into enthusiasm. Therefore,
12:53
Speaker 1: it is that they advise you to keep still in
12:56
Speaker 1: the plain middle way, and to beware of being righteous
13:00
Speaker 1: over much, lest you should destroy yourself. But how may
13:08
Speaker 1: we know what they really are? Notwithstanding their fair appearance.
13:14
Speaker 1: This was the third thing into which it was proposed
13:17
Speaker 1: to inquire. Our blessed lords saw how needful it was
13:21
Speaker 1: for all men to know false prophets, however disguised. He
13:27
Speaker 1: saw likewise how unable most men were to deduce a
13:31
Speaker 1: truth through a long train of consequences. He therefore gives
13:36
Speaker 1: us a short and plain rule, easy to be understood
13:40
Speaker 1: by men of the meanest capacities, and easy to be
13:43
Speaker 1: applied upon all occasions.
13:45
Speaker 2: Ye shall know them by their fruits upon all occasions.
13:51
Speaker 1: You may easily apply this rule in order to know
13:55
Speaker 1: whether any who speak in the name of God are
13:57
Speaker 1: false or true prophets. It is easy to observe, first
14:03
Speaker 1: what are the fruits of their doctrine as to themselves?
14:07
Speaker 1: What effect has it had upon their lives? Are they
14:11
Speaker 1: holy and unblameable in all things? What effect has it
14:16
Speaker 1: had upon their hearts? Does it appear by the general
14:20
Speaker 1: tenor of their conversation that their tempers are holy, heavenly divine?
14:27
Speaker 1: That the mind is in them which was in Christ Jesus,
14:31
Speaker 1: That they are meek, lowly, patient, lovers of God, and
14:35
Speaker 1: man zealous of good works.
14:39
Speaker 2: You may easily observe.
14:40
Speaker 1: Secondly, what are the fruits of their doctrine as to
14:44
Speaker 1: those that hear them? In many at least, though not
14:48
Speaker 1: in all or the apostles themselves.
14:51
Speaker 2: Did not convert all they heard them?
14:54
Speaker 1: Have these the mind that was in Christ? And do
14:59
Speaker 1: they walk as he he also walked? And was it
15:02
Speaker 1: by hearing these men that they began to do?
15:05
Speaker 2: So?
15:06
Speaker 1: Were they inwardly and outwardly wicked till they heard them?
15:10
Speaker 1: If so, it is a manifest proof that those are
15:14
Speaker 1: true prophets teachers sent of God. But if it is
15:19
Speaker 1: not so, if they do not effectually teach either themselves
15:23
Speaker 1: or others to love and serve God, it is a
15:26
Speaker 1: manifest proof that they are false prophets, that God hath
15:31
Speaker 1: not sent them a hard saying this, how few can
15:37
Speaker 1: bear it. This our Lord was sensible of, and therefore
15:41
Speaker 1: condescends to prove it at large by several clear and
15:45
Speaker 1: convincing arguments. Do men, says he gather grapes of thorns
15:51
Speaker 1: or figs of thistles? Matthew seven sixteen. Do you expect
15:56
Speaker 1: that these evil men should bring forth good fruit?
16:00
Speaker 2: As well?
16:00
Speaker 1: Might you expect that thorn should bring forth grapes, or
16:04
Speaker 1: that figs should grow upon thistles. Every good tree bringeth
16:09
Speaker 1: forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
16:14
Speaker 1: Matthew five seventeen. Every true prophet, every teacher whom I
16:19
Speaker 1: have sent, bringeth forth a good fruit of holiness. But
16:22
Speaker 1: a false prophet, a teacher whom I have not sent,
16:26
Speaker 1: brings forth only sin and wickedness. A good tree cannot
16:31
Speaker 1: bring forth evil fruit, Neither can a corrupt tree bring
16:35
Speaker 1: forth good fruit.
16:37
Speaker 2: A true prophet, a teacher sent from God.
16:39
Speaker 1: Does not bring forth good fruit, sometimes only, but always
16:45
Speaker 1: not accidentally, but by a kind of necessity. In like manner,
16:50
Speaker 1: a false prophet, one whom God hath not sent, does
16:54
Speaker 1: not bring forth evil fruit accidentally or sometimes only, but
16:59
Speaker 1: all alas and of necessity. Every tree that bringeth not
17:05
Speaker 1: forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the
17:09
Speaker 1: fire Verse nineteen. Such infallibly will be the lot of
17:14
Speaker 1: those prophets who bring not forth good fruit, who do
17:19
Speaker 1: not save souls from sin, who do not bring sinners
17:23
Speaker 1: to repentance. Wherefore, let this stand as an eternal rule.
17:29
Speaker 1: By their fruits, ye shall know them Matthew seven twenty.
17:34
Speaker 1: They who in fact bring the proud, passionate, unmerciful lovers
17:39
Speaker 1: of the world to be lowly, gentle lovers of God
17:42
Speaker 1: and man.
17:43
Speaker 2: They are true prophets.
17:45
Speaker 1: They are sent from God, who therefore confirms their word.
17:49
Speaker 1: On the other hand, they whose hearers, if unrighteous before,
17:54
Speaker 1: remain unrighteous still, or at least void of any righteousness,
17:59
Speaker 1: which e pease the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
18:03
Speaker 2: They are false prophets. They are not sin of God.
18:08
Speaker 1: Therefore their word falls to the ground, and without a
18:11
Speaker 1: miracle of grace, they and their hearers together will fall
18:16
Speaker 1: into the bottomless pit.
18:19
Speaker 2: Oh beware of these false prophets, For.
18:22
Speaker 1: Though they come in sheep's clothing, yet inwardly they are
18:25
Speaker 1: ravening wolves. They only destroy and devour the flock. They
18:31
Speaker 1: tear them in pieces. If there is none to help them,
18:34
Speaker 1: they will not cannot lead you in the way to heaven.
18:38
Speaker 2: How should they when they know it not themselves.
18:42
Speaker 1: Oh beware, they do not turn you out of the
18:45
Speaker 1: way and cause you to lose what you have wrought.
18:50
Speaker 1: But perhaps you will ask if there is such danger
18:53
Speaker 1: in hearing them?
18:55
Speaker 2: Ought I to hear them at all?
18:57
Speaker 1: It is a weighty question which just deserves the deepest consideration,
19:02
Speaker 1: and ought not to be answered, but upon the calmest.
19:06
Speaker 2: Thought, the most deliberate reflection.
19:10
Speaker 1: For many years I have been almost afraid to speak
19:13
Speaker 1: at all concerning it, being unable to determine one way
19:18
Speaker 1: or the other, or to give any judgment upon it.
19:22
Speaker 1: Many reasons there are which readily occur and incline me
19:26
Speaker 1: to say hear them not. And yet what our Lord
19:30
Speaker 1: speaks concerning the false prophets of his own times seems
19:35
Speaker 1: to imply the contrary, then, spake Jesus unto the multitude
19:40
Speaker 1: and to his disciples, saying, the scribes and the Pharisees
19:45
Speaker 1: sit in Moses seat, are the ordinary stated teachers in
19:50
Speaker 1: your church. All therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe,
19:56
Speaker 1: and do, but do not ye after their works, For
20:00
Speaker 1: they say and do not.
20:04
Speaker 2: Now that these were.
20:05
Speaker 1: False prophets in the highest sense, our Lord has shown
20:09
Speaker 1: during the whole course of his ministry, as indeed he
20:12
Speaker 1: does in those very.
20:13
Speaker 2: Words they say and do not.
20:17
Speaker 1: Therefore, by their fruits, his disciples could not but know them,
20:21
Speaker 1: seeing they were open to the view of all men. Accordingly,
20:26
Speaker 1: he warns them again and again to beware of these
20:30
Speaker 1: false prophets. And yet he does not forbid them to
20:34
Speaker 1: hear even these, Nay, he in effect commands them so
20:39
Speaker 1: to do in those words. All therefore, whatsoever they bid
20:44
Speaker 1: you observe, that observe, and do, for unless they heard them,
20:48
Speaker 1: they could not know, much less observed whatsoever they bade
20:53
Speaker 1: them do. Here, then, our Lord himself gives a plain
20:57
Speaker 1: direction both to his apostles and the whole multitude, in
21:02
Speaker 1: some circumstances to hear even false prophets known and acknowledged
21:08
Speaker 1: so to be. But perhaps it will be said he
21:14
Speaker 1: only directed to hear them when they read the scriptures
21:17
Speaker 1: to the congregation.
21:19
Speaker 2: I answer at the same.
21:21
Speaker 1: Time, that they thus read the scripture, they generally expounded
21:26
Speaker 1: it too, And here is no kind of intimation that
21:30
Speaker 1: they were to hear the one and not the other. Also, nay,
21:34
Speaker 1: the very terms all things whatsoever they bid you observe,
21:39
Speaker 1: exclude any such limitation. Again, unto them, unto false prophets, Undeniably,
21:48
Speaker 1: such is frequently committed, oh grief to speak. For surely
21:53
Speaker 1: these things ought not so to be the administration of
21:57
Speaker 1: the sacrament also to men. Therefore, not to hear them
22:02
Speaker 1: would be in effect to cut them off from the
22:05
Speaker 1: ordinances of God. But this we dare not do, considering
22:11
Speaker 1: the validity of the ordinance doth not depend upon the
22:14
Speaker 1: goodness of Him that administers, but on the faithfulness of
22:18
Speaker 1: Him that ordained it, who will and duth meet us
22:22
Speaker 1: in his appointed ways. Therefore, on this account, likewise I
22:27
Speaker 1: scruple to say here not even the false prophets.
22:32
Speaker 2: Even by these who are under.
22:35
Speaker 1: Accurse themselves, God can and doth give his blessing for
22:40
Speaker 1: the bread which they break we have experimentally known to
22:45
Speaker 1: be the communion of the.
22:46
Speaker 2: Body of Christ. And the cup which God.
22:49
Speaker 1: Blessed even by their unhallowed lips, was to us the
22:54
Speaker 1: communion of the blood of Christ. All therefore which I
22:59
Speaker 1: can say, is this in any particular case, Wait upon
23:05
Speaker 1: God by humble and earnest prayer, and then act according
23:09
Speaker 1: to the best light you have. Act according to what
23:13
Speaker 1: you are persuaded upon. The whole will be most for
23:16
Speaker 1: your spiritual advantage. Take great care that you do not
23:21
Speaker 1: judge rashly, that you do not lightly think any to
23:25
Speaker 1: be false prophets. And when you have full proof, see
23:30
Speaker 1: that no anger or contempt have any.
23:33
Speaker 2: Place in your heart.
23:35
Speaker 1: After this, in the presence and in the fear of God,
23:39
Speaker 1: determine for yourself. I can only say, if by experience
23:44
Speaker 1: you find that the hearing them hurts your soul.
23:48
Speaker 2: Then hear them not.
23:50
Speaker 1: Then quietly refrain and hear those that profit you. If
23:55
Speaker 1: on the other hand, you find it does not hurt
23:57
Speaker 1: your soul, you may hear them. So still only take
24:01
Speaker 1: heed how you hear, beware of them and of their doctrine.
24:06
Speaker 1: Here with fear and trembling, lest you should be deceived
24:10
Speaker 1: and given up like them to a strong delusion, as
24:14
Speaker 1: they continually mingle truth and lies. How easily may you
24:18
Speaker 1: take in both together here with fervent and continual prayer
24:23
Speaker 1: to Him who alone teacheth man wisdom, and see that
24:28
Speaker 1: you bring whatever you hear to the law and to
24:31
Speaker 1: the testimony. Receive nothing untried, nothing till it is weighed
24:36
Speaker 1: in the balance of the sanctuary.
24:38
Speaker 2: Believe nothing they say.
24:40
Speaker 1: Unless it is clearly confirmed by passages of holy writ.
24:44
Speaker 1: Holy reject whatsoever differs therefrom whatever is not confirmed thereby,
24:50
Speaker 1: and in particular, reject with the utmost abhorrence whatsoever is
24:56
Speaker 1: described as the way of salvation that is either different
25:00
Speaker 1: from or short of the way our Lord has marked
25:04
Speaker 1: out in the foregoing discourse. I cannot conclude without addressing
25:10
Speaker 1: a few plain words to those of whom we have.
25:13
Speaker 2: Now been speaking. Oh ye false.
25:16
Speaker 1: Prophets, oh ye dry bones, hear ye for once the
25:20
Speaker 1: word of the Lord.
25:21
Speaker 2: How long will ye lie in the name.
25:23
Speaker 1: Of God saying God hath spoken and God hath not
25:28
Speaker 1: spoken by you?
25:29
Speaker 2: How long will ye pervert the right.
25:31
Speaker 1: Ways of the Lord, putting darkness for light and light
25:35
Speaker 1: for darkness. How long will ye teach the way of
25:38
Speaker 1: death and call it the way of life? How long
25:42
Speaker 1: will ye deliver to Satan the souls whom ye profess
25:45
Speaker 1: to bring unto God? Woe unto you, ye blind leaders
25:51
Speaker 1: of the blind, For ye shut the kingdom of Heaven
25:53
Speaker 1: against men. Ye neither go in yourselves, Neither suffer.
25:58
Speaker 2: Ye them that are entering.
26:00
Speaker 1: Go in them that would strive to enter in at
26:04
Speaker 1: the straight gate. E call back unto the broad way,
26:08
Speaker 1: them that have scarce gone one step in the ways
26:11
Speaker 1: of God. You devilishly caution against going too far. Them
26:16
Speaker 1: that just begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness, you
26:20
Speaker 1: warn not to be righteous over much. Thus you cause
26:25
Speaker 1: them to stumble at the very threshold yea, to fall
26:29
Speaker 1: and rise no more. Oh, wherefore do ye this? What
26:33
Speaker 1: profit is there in their blood? When they go down
26:36
Speaker 1: to the pit, miserable profit to you? They shall perish
26:41
Speaker 1: in their iniquity, But their blood will God require at
26:46
Speaker 1: your hands? Where are your eyes? Where is your understanding?
26:53
Speaker 1: Have ye deceived others till you have deceived yourselves?
26:57
Speaker 2: Also?
26:58
Speaker 1: Who hath required this your hands? To teach a way
27:01
Speaker 1: which ye never knew? Are you given up to so
27:05
Speaker 1: strong a delusion that ye not only teach, but believe
27:09
Speaker 1: a lie. And can you possibly believe that God hath
27:13
Speaker 1: sent you, that ye are his messengers? Nay, if the
27:17
Speaker 1: Lord had sent you, the work of the Lord would
27:20
Speaker 1: prosper in your hand, as the Lord liveth If ye
27:24
Speaker 1: were messengers of God, he would confirm the word of
27:27
Speaker 1: his messengers. But the work of the Lord doth not
27:31
Speaker 1: prosper in your hand. You bring no sinners to repentance.
27:35
Speaker 1: The Lord doth not confirm your word, for you save
27:39
Speaker 1: no souls from death. How can you possibly evade the
27:44
Speaker 1: force of our Lord's words, so full, so strong, so express?
27:49
Speaker 1: How can ye evade knowing yourselves by your fruits? Evil
27:53
Speaker 1: fruits of evil trees? And how should it be otherwise?
27:58
Speaker 1: Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?
28:02
Speaker 1: Take this to yourselves, ye, to whom it belongs, Oh
28:06
Speaker 1: ye barren trees, Why cumber ye the ground? Every good
28:09
Speaker 1: tree bringeth forth good fruit. See not that here is
28:14
Speaker 1: no exception. Take knowledge, then ye are not good trees,
28:19
Speaker 1: for ye do not bring forth good fruit, but a
28:22
Speaker 1: corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
28:25
Speaker 2: And so have ye done from the beginning.
28:29
Speaker 1: Your speaking as from God has only confirmed them that
28:33
Speaker 1: heard you in the tempers, if not the works of
28:36
Speaker 1: the devil. Oh, take warning of him in whose name
28:40
Speaker 1: he speak before the sentence he hath pronounced. Take place
28:44
Speaker 1: every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn
28:48
Speaker 1: down and cast into the fire. My dear brethren, harden
28:56
Speaker 1: not your hearts. You have too long shut your eyes
29:00
Speaker 1: against the light. Open them now, before it is too late,
29:05
Speaker 1: before you are cast into outer darkness. Let not any
29:09
Speaker 1: temporal consideration weigh with you, For eternity is at stake.
29:16
Speaker 1: Ye have run before ye were sent.
29:20
Speaker 2: Oh, go not farther.
29:22
Speaker 1: Do not persist to damn yourselves and them that hear you.
29:26
Speaker 1: You have no fruit of your labors. And why is
29:29
Speaker 1: this even because the Lord is not with you? But
29:34
Speaker 1: can you go this warfare at your own cost?
29:38
Speaker 2: It cannot be.
29:40
Speaker 1: Then, humble yourselves before him, cry unto him out of
29:44
Speaker 1: the dust, that he may first quicken thy soul. Give
29:48
Speaker 1: thee the faith that worketh by love, that is lowly
29:52
Speaker 1: and meek, pure and merciful, zealous of good works, rejoicing
29:57
Speaker 1: in tribulation, in reproach, in distress, in persecution, for righteousness sake.
30:03
Speaker 1: So shall the spirit of glory and of Christ rest
30:07
Speaker 1: upon THEE, and it shall appear that God hath sent THEE.
30:11
Speaker 1: So shalt thou indeed do the work of an evangelist
30:15
Speaker 1: and make full proof of thy ministry. So shall the
30:18
Speaker 1: word of God in thy mouth be in hammer that
30:21
Speaker 1: breaketh the rocks in pieces.
30:24
Speaker 2: It shall then be known by thy.
30:26
Speaker 1: Fruits that thou art a prophet of the Lord, even
30:29
Speaker 1: by the children whom God.
30:31
Speaker 2: Hath given THEE.
30:32
Speaker 1: And having turned many to righteousness, thou shalt shine as
30:37
Speaker 1: the stars forever and ever. The end of Sermon thirty two,
30:47
Speaker 1: read by Father Zileh of Detroit