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041 - Christian Perfection Part 1 · Sermons on Several Occasions, First Series

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  Speaker 1: Section forty of Sermons on Several Occasions First series. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings from the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Robert Smith. Sermons on Several Occasions, First series
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  Speaker 1: by John Wesley Christian Perfection, Part one. Not as though
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  Speaker 1: I had already attained, either were already perfect Philippians three twelve.
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  Speaker 1: There is scarce any expression and holy writ which is
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  Speaker 1: given more offense than this. The word perfect is what
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  Speaker 1: many cannot bear the very sound of It's an abomination
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  Speaker 1: to them. And whosoever preaches perfection as the phrase is,
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  Speaker 1: that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life,
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  Speaker 1: runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than
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  Speaker 1: a heathen man or a publican. And hence some have
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  Speaker 1: advised wholly to lay aside the use of those expressions,
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  Speaker 1: because they have given so great offense. But are they
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  Speaker 1: not found in the oracles of God? If so, by
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  Speaker 1: what authority can any messenger of God lay them aside?
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  Speaker 1: Even though all men should be offended. We have not
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  Speaker 1: so learned Christ. Neither may we thus give place to
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  Speaker 1: the devil whatsoever God hath spoken, that will we speak,
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  Speaker 1: whether men will hear, whether they will forbear, knowing that
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  Speaker 1: then alone can any minister of Christ be pure from
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  Speaker 1: the blood of all men, when he hath not shunned
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  Speaker 1: to declare unto them all the counsel of God. We
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  Speaker 1: may not therefore lay these expressions aside, seeing they are
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  Speaker 1: the words of God and not of man. But we may,
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  Speaker 1: and ought to explain the meaning of them, that those
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  Speaker 1: who are sincere of heart may not err to the
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  Speaker 1: right hand or to the left from the mark of
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  Speaker 1: the prize of their high calling. And this is the
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  Speaker 1: more needful to be done, because in the verse already repeated,
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  Speaker 1: the Apostle speaks of himself as not perfect, not saith he,
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  Speaker 1: as though I were already perfect. And yet immediately after
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  Speaker 1: in the fifteenth verse he speaks of himself yea, and
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  Speaker 1: many others as perfect. Let us saith he, as many
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  Speaker 1: as be perfect, be thus minded. In order therefore, to
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  Speaker 1: remove the difficulty arising from this seeming contradiction, as well
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  Speaker 1: as to give light to them who are pressing forward
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  Speaker 1: to the mark, and that those who are lame may
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  Speaker 1: not be turned out of the way, I shall endeavor
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  Speaker 1: to show first in what sense Christians are not, and
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  Speaker 1: secondly in what sense they are per In the first place,
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  Speaker 1: I shall endeavor to show in what sense Christians are
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  Speaker 1: not perfect, And both from experience and scripture, it appears
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  Speaker 1: first that they are not perfect in knowledge. They are
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  Speaker 1: not so perfect in this life as to be free
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  Speaker 1: from ignorance. They know it may be in common with
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  Speaker 1: other men many things relating to the present world. And
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  Speaker 1: they know with regard to the world to come, the
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  Speaker 1: general truth which God hath revealed. They know likewise what
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  Speaker 1: the natural man receiveth not, for these things are spiritually discerned.
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  Speaker 1: What manner of love it is wherewith the Father hath
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  Speaker 1: loved them that they should be called the sons of God.
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  Speaker 1: They know the mighty working of His Spirit in their hearts,
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  Speaker 1: and the wisdom of His providence, directing all their paths
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  Speaker 1: and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea,
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  Speaker 1: they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord
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  Speaker 1: requireth of them, and how to keep a conscience void
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  Speaker 1: of offense, both toward God and toward man. But innumerable
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  Speaker 1: are the things which they know, not touching the Almighty himself.
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  Speaker 1: They cannot search him out to perfection. Lo, these are
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  Speaker 1: but a part of his ways, but the thunder of
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  Speaker 1: His power. Who can understand? They cannot understand. I will
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  Speaker 1: not say how there are three that bear record in heaven,
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  Speaker 1: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In these
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  Speaker 1: three are one, or how the eternal Son of God
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  Speaker 1: took upon himself the form of a servant. But not
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  Speaker 1: any one attribute, not any one circumstance of the divine nature.
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  Speaker 1: Neither it is for them to know the times and
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  Speaker 1: seasons when God will work his great works upon the earth. No,
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  Speaker 1: not even those which He hath in part revealed by
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  Speaker 1: his servants and prophets since the world began. Much less
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  Speaker 1: do they know when God, having accomplished the number of
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  Speaker 1: his elect, will hasten his kingdom, when the heaven shall
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  Speaker 1: pass away with a great noise and the elements shall
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  Speaker 1: melt with fervent heat. They know not the reasons even
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  Speaker 1: of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men.
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  Speaker 1: But they are constrained to rest here, though cloud in
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  Speaker 1: darkness around about him. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation
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  Speaker 1: of his seat. Yea. Often with regard to his dealings
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  Speaker 1: with themselves, that their Lord say unto them, what I
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  Speaker 1: do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter?
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  Speaker 1: And how little do they know of what is ever
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  Speaker 1: before them, of even the visible works of his hands.
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  Speaker 1: How he spreadeth the north of the empty place, and
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  Speaker 1: hangeth the earth upon nothing. How he unites all the
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  Speaker 1: parts of this vast machine by a secret chain which
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  Speaker 1: cannot be broken. So great is the ignorance, so very
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  Speaker 1: little the knowledge of even the best of men. No one, then,
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  Speaker 1: is so perfect in this life as to be free
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  Speaker 1: from ignorance, nor secondly from mistake, which indeed is almost
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  Speaker 1: an unavoidable consequence of it. Seeing those who know but
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  Speaker 1: in part are ever liable to air touching the things
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  Speaker 1: which they know not. It is true the children of
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  Speaker 1: God do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation.
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  Speaker 1: They do not put darkness for light or light for darkness,
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  Speaker 1: neither seek death in the error of their life. For
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  Speaker 1: they are taught of God, and the way which he
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  Speaker 1: teaches them, the way of holiness, is so plain that
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  Speaker 1: the wayfaring man tho a fool, need not err therein,
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  Speaker 1: but in things unessential to salvation they do er. And
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  Speaker 1: that frequently. The best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken,
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  Speaker 1: even with regard to facts, believing those things not to
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  Speaker 1: have been which really were. Are those who have been
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  Speaker 1: done which were not, or suppose they are not mistaken
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  Speaker 1: as to the fact itself, they may be with regard
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  Speaker 1: to circumstances, believing them or many of them, to have
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  Speaker 1: been quite different from what in truth they were, and
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  Speaker 1: hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. Hence, they may believe,
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  Speaker 1: either past or present, actions which were or are evil
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  Speaker 1: to be good, and such as were or are good
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  Speaker 1: to be evil. Hence also they may judge not according
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  Speaker 1: to truth with regard to the characters of men, and
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  Speaker 1: that not only by supposing good men to be better,
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  Speaker 1: or wicked men to be worse than they are, but
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  Speaker 1: by believing them to have been or to be good,
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  Speaker 1: men who were or are very wicked, or perhaps those
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  Speaker 1: who have been or to be wicked, men who were
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  Speaker 1: or are wholly and unreprovable, Nay, with regard to the
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  Speaker 1: holy scriptures themselves, as careful as they are to avoid it,
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  Speaker 1: the best of men are liable to mistake and do
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  Speaker 1: mistake day by day, especially with respect to those parts
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  Speaker 1: thereof which thus immediately relate to practice. Hence, even the
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  Speaker 1: children of God are not agreed as to the interpretation
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  Speaker 1: of many places in Holy writ. Nor is there difference
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  Speaker 1: of opinion any proof that they are not the children
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  Speaker 1: of God on either side. But it is a proof
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  Speaker 1: that we are no more to expect any living man
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  Speaker 1: to be infallible than to be omniscient. If it be
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  Speaker 1: objected to what has been observed under this in the
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  Speaker 1: preceding head that Saint John, speaking to his brethren in
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  Speaker 1: the faith, says, ye have an unction from the Holy One,
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  Speaker 1: and ye know all things first John two twenty. The
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  Speaker 1: answer is plain, ye know all things that are needful
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  Speaker 1: for your soul's health. That the Apostle never designed to
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  Speaker 1: extend this farther, that he could not speak it in
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  Speaker 1: an absolute sense is clear first, and hence the otherwise
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  Speaker 1: he would describe the disciple as above his master. Seeing
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  Speaker 1: Christ himself as man knew not all things of that hour,
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  Speaker 1: saith he knoweth no man, no, not the Son, but
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  Speaker 1: the Father only. It is clear. Secondly from the Apostle's
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  Speaker 1: own words that follow these things have I written und
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  Speaker 1: you concerning them that deceive you as well as from
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  Speaker 1: his frequently repeated caution let no man deceive you, which
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  Speaker 1: had been altogether needless, had not those very persons who
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  Speaker 1: had that unction from the Holy One been liable not
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  Speaker 1: to ignorance only, but to mistake also? Even Christians therefore,
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  Speaker 1: are not so perfect as to be free either from
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  Speaker 1: ignorance or error. We may thirdly add, nor from infirmities. Only.
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  Speaker 1: Let us take care to understand this word aright. Only
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  Speaker 1: let us not give that soft title to known sins
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  Speaker 1: as the of some is so. One man tells us
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  Speaker 1: every man has his infirmity, and mine is drunkenness. Another
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  Speaker 1: has the infirmity of uncleanness, another of taking God's holy
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  Speaker 1: name in vain, and yet another has the infirmity of
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  Speaker 1: calling as brother thou fool, or a turning railing for railing.
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  Speaker 1: It is plain that all you who thus speak, if
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  Speaker 1: ye repent not, shall with your infirmities go quick into hell.
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  Speaker 1: But I mean hereby not only those which are properly
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  Speaker 1: termed bodily infirmities, but all those inward or outward imperfections
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  Speaker 1: which are not of a moral nature, such the weakness
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  Speaker 1: or slowness of understanding, dulness, or confusedness of apprehension and
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  Speaker 1: coherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination, such
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  Speaker 1: to mention. No more of this kind is the one
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  Speaker 1: of a ready or of a retentative memory. Such in
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  Speaker 1: another kind are those which are commonly, in some measure
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  Speaker 1: consequent upon these, namely slowness of speech, impropriety of language,
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  Speaker 1: ungracefulness of pronunciation, to which one might add a thousand
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  Speaker 1: nameless deffects, either in conversation or behavior. These are the
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  Speaker 1: infirmities which are found in the best of men, in
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  Speaker 1: a larger or smaller proportion. And from these none can
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  Speaker 1: hope to be perfectly freed till the spirit returns to
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  Speaker 1: God that gave it, Nor can we expect till then
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  Speaker 1: to be wholly free from temptation. Such perfection belongeth not
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  Speaker 1: to this life. It is true, there are those who,
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  Speaker 1: being given up to work, all uncleanness, with greediness scarce,
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  Speaker 1: precede the temptations, which they resist not, and so seem
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  Speaker 1: to be without temptation. There are also many whom the
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  Speaker 1: wise enemy of souls, seeing to be fast asleep and
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  Speaker 1: the dead form of godliness, will not tempt to grow
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  Speaker 1: sin lest they should awake before they drop into everlasting burnings.
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  Speaker 1: I know there are also children of God who, being
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  Speaker 1: now justified freely, having found redemption in the blood of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: for the present, feel no temptation. God hath said to
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  Speaker 1: their enemies, touch not mine anointed, and do my children
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  Speaker 1: no harm. And for this season, it may be for
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  Speaker 1: weeks or months, He causeth them to ride on high places.
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  Speaker 1: He beareth them as on eagle's wings, above all the
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  Speaker 1: fiery darts of the wicked one. But this state will
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  Speaker 1: not last always, as we may learn from that single consideration,
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  Speaker 1: that the Son of God himself, in the days of
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  Speaker 1: his flesh, was tempted even to the end of his life. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: so let his servant expect to be, for it is
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  Speaker 1: enough that he be as his master. Christian perfection therefore
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  Speaker 1: does not imply, as some men seem to have imagined,
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  Speaker 1: an exemption either from ignorance or mistake, or infirmities or temptations. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: it is only another term for holiness. They are two
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  Speaker 1: names for the same thing. Thus, every one that is
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  Speaker 1: perfect is holy, and every one that is holy is
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  Speaker 1: in the scripture sense perfect. Yet we may lastly observe
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  Speaker 1: that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection
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  Speaker 1: on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, as it
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  Speaker 1: is termed none, which does not admit of a continual increase.
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  Speaker 1: So that how much soever any man hath attained, or
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  Speaker 1: in how high a degree soever he is perfect, he
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  Speaker 1: hath still need to grow in grace and daily to
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  Speaker 1: advance in the knowledge and love of God his Savior.
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  Speaker 1: In what sense, then, are Christians perfect? This is what
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  Speaker 1: I shall endeavor in the second place to show. But
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  Speaker 1: it should be premised that there are several stages in
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  Speaker 1: Christian life, as in natural some of the children of
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  Speaker 1: God being but new born babes, others having attained to
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  Speaker 1: more maturity. And accordingly, Saint John, in his first epistle
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  Speaker 1: One John two twelve applies himself severally to those he
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  Speaker 1: terms little children, those who he styles young men, and
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  Speaker 1: those whom he entitles fathers. I write unto you, little children,
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  Speaker 1: saith the apostle, because your sins are forgiven you, because
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  Speaker 1: thus far you have attained, being justified freely, you have
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  Speaker 1: peace with God through Jesus Christ. I write unto you,
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  Speaker 1: young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one, or
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  Speaker 1: as he afterwards addeth, because ye are strong, and the
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  Speaker 1: Word of God abideth in you. Ye have quenched the
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  Speaker 1: fiery darts for the wicked one, the doubts and fears,
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  Speaker 1: wherewith he disturbed your first peace and the witness of
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  Speaker 1: God that your sins are forgiven. Now abideth in your heart.
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  Speaker 1: I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him,
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  Speaker 1: that is from the beginning, Ye have known both the
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  Speaker 1: Father and the Son, and the Spirit of Christ in
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  Speaker 1: your inmost soul, Ye are perfect men, being grown up
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  Speaker 1: to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: It is of these chiefly I speak in the latter
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  Speaker 1: part of this discourse, for these only are properly Christians.
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  Speaker 1: But even babes in Christ are in such a sense perfect,
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  Speaker 1: are born of God, an expression taken also in diverse senses,
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  Speaker 1: as first not to commit sin if any doubt of
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  Speaker 1: this privilege of the sons of God. The question is
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  Speaker 1: not to be decided by abstract reasonings, which may be
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  Speaker 1: drawn out into an endless length and leave the point
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  Speaker 1: just as it was before. Neither is it to be
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  Speaker 1: determined by the experience of this or that particular person.
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  Speaker 1: Many may suppose they do not commit sin when they do.
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  Speaker 1: But this proves nothing either way. To the law and
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  Speaker 1: to the testimony. We appeal. Let God be true in
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  Speaker 1: every man a liar. By His word will we abide,
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  Speaker 1: and that alone hereby we ought to be judged. Now
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  Speaker 1: the Word of God plainly declares that even those who
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  Speaker 1: are justified, who are born again in the lowest sense,
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  Speaker 1: do not continue in sin, that they cannot live any longer.
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  Speaker 1: Therein Romans six verses one and two, that they are
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  Speaker 1: planted together in the lightness of the death of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Roman six five. That their old man is crucified with him,
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  Speaker 1: the body of sin being destroyed, so that henceforth they
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  Speaker 1: do not serve sin. That being dead with Christ, they
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  Speaker 1: are free from sin. Roman six six and seven. That
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  Speaker 1: they are dead under sin and alive unto God. Romans
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  Speaker 1: six eleven. That sin hath no more dominion over them
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  Speaker 1: who are not under the law but under grace, but
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  Speaker 1: that these, being free from sin, are become the servants
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  Speaker 1: of righteousness Romans six, fourteen and eighteen. The very least
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  Speaker 1: which can be implied in these words is that the
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  Speaker 1: persons spoken of therein, namely, all real Christians or believers
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  Speaker 1: in Christ are made free from outward sin. And the
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  Speaker 1: same freedom which Saint Paul here expresses in such variety
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  Speaker 1: of f yis Saint Peter expresses in that one first
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  Speaker 1: Peter four one and two. He that hath suffered in
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  Speaker 1: the flesh, hath ceased from sin, that he no longer
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  Speaker 1: should live to the desires of men, but to the
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  Speaker 1: will of God. For this ceasing from sin, if it
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  Speaker 1: be interpreted in the lowest sense as regarding only the
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  Speaker 1: outward behavior, must denote the ceasing from the outward act,
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  Speaker 1: from any outward transgression of the law. But most express
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  Speaker 1: are the well known words of Saint John in the
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  Speaker 1: third chapter of his First Epistle, verse eight, He that
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  Speaker 1: committeth a sin is of the devil, for the devil
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  Speaker 1: sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of
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  Speaker 1: God was manifested that he might destroy the works of
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  Speaker 1: the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,
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  Speaker 1: for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin
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  Speaker 1: because he is born of God. And those in the
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  Speaker 1: fifth verse John five eighteen. We know that whosoever is
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  Speaker 1: born of God sinneth not, But he that is begotten
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  Speaker 1: of God keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: it is said this means only he sinneth not wilfully,
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  Speaker 1: or he doth not commit sin habitually, or not as
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  Speaker 1: other men do, or not as he did before. But
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  Speaker 1: by whom is this said by Saint John? No, there
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  Speaker 1: is no such word in the text, nor in the
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  Speaker 1: whole chapter, nor in all his epistle, nor in any
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  Speaker 1: part of his writings whatsoever. Why then, the best way
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  Speaker 1: to answer a bold assertion is simply to deny it.
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  Speaker 1: If any man can prove it from the Word of God,
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  Speaker 1: let him bring forth his strong reasons. And a sort
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  Speaker 1: of reason there is which has been frequently brought to
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  Speaker 1: support these strange assertions drawn from the examples recorded in
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  Speaker 1: the Word of God. What say they did not Abraham
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  Speaker 1: himself commit sin prevaricating and denying his wife. Did not
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  Speaker 1: Moses commit sin when he provoked God of the waters
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  Speaker 1: of strife, nay, to produce one for all? Did not
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  Speaker 1: even David, the man after God's own heart, commit sin?
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  Speaker 1: In the matter of Uriah the Hittite, even murder and adultery,
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  Speaker 1: It is most sure he did. All this is true.
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  Speaker 1: But what is it you would infer from hence it
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  Speaker 1: may be granted, first that David, in the general course
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  Speaker 1: of his life, is one of the holiest men among
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  Speaker 1: the Jews, and secondly that the holiest men among the
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  Speaker 1: Jews did sometimes commit sin. But if you would hence
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  Speaker 1: infer that all Christians do and must commit sin as
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  Speaker 1: long as they live, this consequence we utterly deny. It
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  Speaker 1: will never follow from those premise. Those who argue thus
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  Speaker 1: seem never to have considered the declaration of our Lord
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  Speaker 1: Matthew eleven eleven. Verily, I say unto you, among them
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  Speaker 1: that are born of women, there hath not risen a
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  Speaker 1: greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding, he that is least
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  Speaker 1: in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. I fear. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: there are some who have imagined the Kingdom of Heaven
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  Speaker 1: here to mean the kingdom of glory, as if the
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  Speaker 1: Son of God had just discovered to us that the
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  Speaker 1: least glorified saint in Heaven is greater than any man
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  Speaker 1: upon earth. To mention this is sufficiently to refute it.
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  Speaker 1: There can therefore no doubt be made but the Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of Heaven here as in the following verse, where it
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  Speaker 1: is said to be taken by force, or the Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of God, as Saint Luke expresses, it is that Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of God on earth where unto all true believers in Christ,
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: all real Christians belong. In these words, then our Lord
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: declares two things. First, that before his coming in the flesh,
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: among all the children of men, there had not been
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: one greater than John the Baptist, whence it evidently follows
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: neither Abraham, David, nor any Jew was greater than John.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Our Lord secondly declares that he which is least in
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God, in that kingdom which He came
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: to set up on earth, in which the Violet now
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: began to take by force, is greater than he, not
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: a greater prophet, as some have interpreted the word. This
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: is probably false in fact, but greater in the grace
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: of God and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: we cannot measure the privileges of real Christians by those
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: formerly given to the Jews. Their ministration or dispensation, we allow,
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: was glorious, but ours exceeds in glory. That whosoever would
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: bring down the Christian dispensation to the Jewish standard. Whoever
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: gleans up the examples of weakness recorded in the Law
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: and the prophets, and thence infers that they who have
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: put on Christ are endued with no greater strength. Doth
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: greatly err, neither knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: But are there not assertions in scripture which prove the
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: same thing? If it cannot be inferred from those examples,
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: does not the scripture say expressly even a just man
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: since seven times a day? I answer no, The scripture
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: says no such thing. There is no such text in
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: all the Bible. That which seems to be intended is
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: the sixteenth verse the twenty fourth chapter of the Proverbs,
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: the words of which are these, A just man falleth
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: seven times and riseth up again. But this is quite
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: another thing. For first, the words a day are not
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: in the text, so that if a just man falls
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: seven times in his life, it is as much as
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: is affirmed here. Secondly, here is no mention of falling
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: into sin at all. What is here mentioned is falling
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: into temporal affliction. This plainly appears from the verse, before
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: the words of which are these, lay not wait a
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous spoil, not
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: his resting place. It follows, for a just man falls
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: seven times and riseth up again, but the wicked shall
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: fall into mischief, as if he had said, God will
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: deliver him out of his trouble. But when thou fall'st
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: there shall be none to deliver thee. But however, in
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: other places continued the objectors, Solomon does assert plainly there
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: is no man that sinneth not First Kings eight forty six,
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: Second Chronicle six thirty six. Yea, there is not a
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: Ecclesiastes seven twenty I answer without doubt. Thus it was
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: in the days of Solomon. YEA. Thus it was from
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: Adam to Moses, from Moses to Solomon, and from Solomon
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: to Christ. There was then no man that sinned, not
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: even from the day that sin entered into the world.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: There was not a just man upon earth that did
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: good and sind, not until the Son of God was
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: manifested to take away our sins. It is unquestionably true
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: that the heir, as long as he is a child,
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: differeth nothing from a servant, and that even so they
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: all the holy men of old, who are under the
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Jewish dispensation, were during that infant state of the Church
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: in bondage under the elements of the world. But when
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: son made under the law law to redeem them that
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: were under the law, that they might receive the adoption
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: of sons, that they might receive that grace which is
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: who hath abolished death and brought life in immortality to
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: light through the Gospel Tewod Timothy one ten. Now therefore
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: they are no more servants but sons. So that whatsoever
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: was the case of those under the law, we may
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: safely affirm with Saint John, that since the Gospel was given,
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: he that is born of God sinneth not, it is
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: of great importance to observe, and that more carefully than
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: is commonly done, the wide difference there is between the
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: Jewish and the Christian dispensation, and that ground of it
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: which the same Apostles signs in the seventh chapter of
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: his Gospel, after he had the related those words of
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: our blessed Lord, he that believeth on me as the scripture,
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: living waters. He immediately subjoins. Thus spake he of the
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: spirit ou emmeln lambanaine hoi pisteontes es autun, which they
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: who should believe on him were afterwards to receive. For
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: was not yet glorified. Now the apostle cannot mean here
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: as some have taught, that the miracle working power of
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost was not yet given. For this was given.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: Our Lord had given it to all the apostles when
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: he first sent them forth to preach the gospel. He
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: then gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out,
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: power to heal the sick, yea to raise the dead.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: But the Holy Ghost was not yet given in his
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: sanctifying graces, as he was after Jesus was glorified. It
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: was then, when he ascended up on high and led
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: captivity captive, that he received those gifts for men, yea,
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: among them. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Then first it was that they who waited for the
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: promise of the Father were made more than conquerors over
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: sinned by the Holy Ghost given unto them, that this
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: great salvation from sin was not given till Jesus was glorified.
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: Saint Peter also plainly testifies, where speaking of his brethren
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: in the flesh as now receiving the end of their
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: faith the salvation of their souls, he adds first Peter one,
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: nine and ten, of which salvation the prophets have inquired
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: and searched diligently, Who opiciite of the grace, that is,
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: the gracious dispensation that should come unto you, searching what
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: or what manner of time? The Spirit of Christ which
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: sufferings of Christ and the glory the glorious salvation that
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: should follow unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves,
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: but unto us, they did administer the things which are
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: now reported unto you by them that have preached the
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: Gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: heaven viz. At the day of Pentecost, and so unto
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: all generations, into the hearts of all true believers. On
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: this ground, even the grace which was brought unto them
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: by the revelation of Jesus Christ. The apostle might well
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: build that strong exhortation. Wherefore, herding up the loins of
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: your minds, as he which hath called you is holy,
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. End
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: of section forty. Recording by Robert Smith,