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32 - Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Discourse XII - Sermons on Several Occasions · Sacred Texts Archive

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