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038 - The Nature of Enthusiasm · Sermons on Several Occasions, First Series

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Speaker 1: Section thirty seven of Sermons on Several Occasions First Series.
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Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Robert Smith. Sermons on
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Speaker 1: Several Occasions, First series by John Wesley. The Nature of
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Speaker 1: Enthusiasm and Festus said with a loud voice, Paul thou
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Speaker 1: Art beside thyself, Acts twenty six, twenty four. And so
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Speaker 1: say all the world, the men who know not God,
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Speaker 1: of all that are of Paul's religion, of every one
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Speaker 1: who is so a follower of him as he was
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Speaker 1: of Christ. It is true. There is a sort of religion, nay,
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Speaker 1: and it's called Christianity too, which may be practiced without
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Speaker 1: any such imputation, which is generally allowed to be consistent
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Speaker 1: with common sense. That is, a religion of form, a
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Speaker 1: round of outward duties, performs in a decent, regular manner.
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Speaker 1: You may add orthodoxy there too, a system of right opinions, yea,
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Speaker 1: in some quantity of heathen morality. And yet not many
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Speaker 1: will pronounce that much religion hath made you mad. But
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Speaker 1: if you aim at the religion of the heart. If
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Speaker 1: you talk of righteousness and peace and joy in the
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Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, then it will not be long before your
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Speaker 1: sentences passed. Thou art beside thyself, And it is no
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Speaker 1: compliment which the men of the world pay you. Here
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Speaker 1: They for once mean what they say. They not only affirm,
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Speaker 1: but cordially believe that every man is beside himself who
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Speaker 1: says the love of God is shed abroad in his
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Speaker 1: heart by the Holy ghost given unto him, and that
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Speaker 1: God has enabled him to rejoice in Christ with unspeakable
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Speaker 1: and full of glory. If a man is indeed alive
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Speaker 1: to God and dead to all things here below, if
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Speaker 1: he continually sees him that is invisible and accordingly walks
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Speaker 1: by faith and not by sight, and they accounted a
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Speaker 1: clear case beyond all dispute. Much religion hath made him mad.
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Speaker 1: It is easy to observe that the determinant thing which
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Speaker 1: the world account madness is that utter contempt of all
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Speaker 1: temporal things and steady pursuit of things eternal, that divine
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Speaker 1: conviction of things not seen, that rejoicing in the favor
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Speaker 1: of God, that happy, holy love of God, and that
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Speaker 1: testimony of His spirit with our spirit, that we are
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Speaker 1: the children of God, that is, in truth, the whole
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Speaker 1: spirit and life and power of the religion of Jesus Christ.
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Speaker 1: They will, however, allow, in other respects the man acts
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Speaker 1: and talks like one in his senses. In other things
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Speaker 1: he is a reasonable man. It is in these instances
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Speaker 1: only his head is touched. It is therefore acknowledged that
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Speaker 1: the madness under which he labors is of a particular kind,
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Speaker 1: and accordingly they are accustomed to distinguish it by a
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Speaker 1: particular name, enthusiasm. A term this which is exceeding frequently used,
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Speaker 1: which is scarce ever out of some men's mouths, and
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Speaker 1: yet it is exceeding rarely understood even by those who
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Speaker 1: use it most. It may be therefore not unacceptable to
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Speaker 1: serious men, to all who desire to understand what they
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Speaker 1: speak or hear. If I endeavor to explain the meaning
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Speaker 1: of this term, to show what enthusiasm is, it may
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Speaker 1: be an encouragement to those who are unjustly charged therewith
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Speaker 1: there may possibly be of you use to some who
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Speaker 1: are justly charged with it, at least to others who
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Speaker 1: might be so were they not cautioned against it. As
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Speaker 1: to the word itself, it is generally allow to be
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Speaker 1: of Greek extraction. But whence the Greek word and thousiasmos
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Speaker 1: is derived, none has yet been able to show. Some
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Speaker 1: have endeavored to derive it from Antho in God, because
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Speaker 1: all enthusiasm has reference to him, but this is quite forced,
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Speaker 1: there being small resemblance between the word derived and those
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Speaker 1: they strive to derive it from. Others would derive it
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Speaker 1: from an ethysiae in sacrifice, because many of the enthusiasts
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Speaker 1: of old were affected in the same violent manner during
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Speaker 1: the time of sacrifice. Perhaps is a fictitious word invented
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Speaker 1: from the noise which some of those made who are
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Speaker 1: so affected. It is not improbable that one reason why
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Speaker 1: this uncouth word has been returned in so many languages
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Speaker 1: was because men were not better agreed concerning the meaning
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Speaker 1: than concerning the derivation of it. They therefore adopted the
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Speaker 1: Greek word because they did not understand it. They did
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Speaker 1: not translate it into their own tongues because they knew
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Speaker 1: not how to translate it. It having been always a word
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Speaker 1: of a loose, uncertain sense to which no determinate meaning
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Speaker 1: was affixed, it is not therefore at all surprising that
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Speaker 1: it is so variously taken at this day, different persons,
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Speaker 1: understanding it in different senses, quite inconsistent with each other.
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Speaker 1: Some take it in a good sense, for a divine
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Speaker 1: impulse or impression, superior to all the natural faculties, and
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Speaker 1: suspending for the time, either in whole or in part,
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Speaker 1: both the reason and the outward senses. In this meaning
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Speaker 1: of the word, both the prophets of old and the
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Speaker 1: apostles were proper enthusiasts, being at divers times so filled
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Speaker 1: with the spirit than so influenced by Him who dwelt
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Speaker 1: in their hearts that the exercise of their own reason
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Speaker 1: their senses, in all their natural faculties being suspended, they
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Speaker 1: were wholly actuated by the power of God, and spake
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Speaker 1: only as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Others
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Speaker 1: taking the word in an indifferent sense, such as is
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Speaker 1: neither morally good nor evil. Thus they speak of the
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Speaker 1: enthusiasm of the poets of Homer and Virgil in particular.
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Speaker 1: And this a late eminent writer extends so far as
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Speaker 1: to assert, there is no man excellent in his profession,
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Speaker 1: whatsoever it be, who has not in his temper a
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Speaker 1: strong tincture of enthusiasm. By enthusiasm. These appear to understand
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Speaker 1: all uncommon vigor of thought, a peculiar fervor of spirit,
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Speaker 1: a vivacity and strength not to be found in common men,
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Speaker 1: elevating the soul to greater and higher things than cool
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Speaker 1: reason could have attained. But neither of these of the
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Speaker 1: sense wherein the word enthusiasm is most usually understood the
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Speaker 1: generality of men. If no farther agreed, at least agree
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Speaker 1: thus far concerning it, that it is something evil. And
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Speaker 1: this is plainly the sentiment of all those who call
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Speaker 1: the religion of the heart enthusiasm. Accordingly I shall take
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Speaker 1: it in the following pages as an evil, a misfortune.
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Speaker 1: If not a fault as to the nature of enthusiasm,
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Speaker 1: it is undoubtedly a disorder of the mind, and such
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Speaker 1: a disorder as greatly hinders the exercise of reason. Nay,
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Speaker 1: sometimes it wholly sets it aside, not only dims but
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Speaker 1: shuts the eyes of the understanding. It may therefore well
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Speaker 1: be a countered a species of madness, of madness rather
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Speaker 1: than of folly. Seeing a fool is properly one who
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Speaker 1: draws wrong conclusions from right premisses, whereas a madame man
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Speaker 1: draws right conclusions, but from wrong premises. And so does
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Speaker 1: an enthusiast suppose his premises true, and his conclusions would
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Speaker 1: necessarily follow. But here lies his mistake. His premisses are false.
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Speaker 1: He imagines himself to be what he is not, and
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Speaker 1: therefore sitting out wrong. The farther he goes, the more
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Speaker 1: he wanders out of the way. Every enthusiast then is
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Speaker 1: properly a madman. Yet his is not an ordinary but
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Speaker 1: a religious madness. By religious, I do not mean that
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Speaker 1: it is any part of religion. Quite the reverse. Religion
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Speaker 1: is the spirit of a sound mind, and consequently stands
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Speaker 1: in direct opposition to madness of every kind. But I
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Speaker 1: mean it has religion for its object. It is conversant
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Speaker 1: about religion. And so the enthusiast is generally talking of
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Speaker 1: religion of God, or of the things of God, but
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Speaker 1: talking in such a manner that every reasonable Christian may
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Speaker 1: discern the disorder of his mind. Enthusiasm in general may
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Speaker 1: then be described in some such manner as this, a
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Speaker 1: religious madness, arising from some falsely imagined influence or inspiration
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Speaker 1: of God, at least from imputing something to God which
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Speaker 1: ought not to be imputed to him. Or expecting something
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Speaker 1: from God which ought not to be expected from him.
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Speaker 1: There are innumerable sorts of enthusiasm. Those which are most common,
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Speaker 1: and for that reason most dangerous, I shall endeavor to
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Speaker 1: reduce under a few general heads, that they may be
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Speaker 1: more easily understood and avoided. The first sort of enthusiasm
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Speaker 1: which I shall mention is that of those who imagine
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Speaker 1: they have the grace which they have not. Thus, some imagine,
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Speaker 1: when it is not so, that they have redemption through Christ,
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Speaker 1: even the forgiveness of sins. These are usually such as
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Speaker 1: have no root in themselves, no deep repentance or thorough conviction.
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Speaker 1: Therefore they receive the Word with joy. And because they
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Speaker 1: have no deepness of earth, no deep work in their heart,
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Speaker 1: therefore the seed immediately springs up. There is immediately a
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Speaker 1: superficial change, which, together with that light joy striking in
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Speaker 1: with the pride of their unbroken heart, and with their
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Speaker 1: inordinate self love, easily persuades them that they have already
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Speaker 1: tasted the good word of God and the powers of
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Speaker 1: the world to come. This is properly an instance of
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Speaker 1: the first sort of enthusiasm. It is a kind of
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Speaker 1: madness arising from the imagination that they have that grace,
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Speaker 1: which in truth they have not, So they only deceive
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Speaker 1: their own souls madness. It may be justly termed for
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Speaker 1: the reasons of these poor men. Aright, were their premises good,
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Speaker 1: But as those are a mere creature of their own imagination,
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Speaker 1: so all that is built of them falls to the ground.
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Speaker 1: The foundation of all their reveries is this. They imagine
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Speaker 1: themselves to have faith in Christ. If they had this,
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Speaker 1: they would be kings and priests to God, possessed of
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Speaker 1: a kingdom which cannot be moved. But they have it not. Consequently,
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Speaker 1: all their following behavior is as wide of truth and
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Speaker 1: soberness as that of the ordinary madman, who, fancying himself
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Speaker 1: an earthly king, speaks and acts in that character. There
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Speaker 1: are many other enthusiasts of this sort, such for instance,
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Speaker 1: as the fiery zealot for religion, or more properly, for
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Speaker 1: the opinions and modes of worship which he dignifies with
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Speaker 1: that name. This man also strongly imagines himself to be
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Speaker 1: a believer in Jesus. He that he is a champion
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Speaker 1: for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. Accordingly,
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Speaker 1: all his conduct is formed upon that vain imagination, and
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Speaker 1: allowing his supposition to be just, he would have some
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Speaker 1: tolerable plea for his behavior, whereas now it is evidently
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Speaker 1: the effect of a distempered brain, as well as of
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Speaker 1: a distempered heart. But the most common of all the
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Speaker 1: enthusiasts of this kind are those who imagine themselves Christians
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Speaker 1: and are not. These abound not only in all parts
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Speaker 1: of our land, but in most parts of the habitable earth.
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Speaker 1: That they are not Christians is clear and undeniable, if
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Speaker 1: we believe the oracles of God. For Christians are holy,
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Speaker 1: these are unholy. Christians love God, These love the world.
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Speaker 1: Christians are humble, These are proud. Christians are gentle, These
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Speaker 1: are passionate. Christians have the mind which was in Christ,
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Speaker 1: these are at the utmost distance from it. Consequently, they
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Speaker 1: are no more Christians than they are archangels. Yet they
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Speaker 1: imagine themselves so to be, and they can give several
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Speaker 1: reasons for it, For they have been called so ever
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Speaker 1: since they can remember. They were christened many years ago.
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Speaker 1: They embraced the Christian opinions of vulgarly termed the Christian
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Speaker 1: or Catholic faith. They use the Christian modes of worship
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Speaker 1: as their fathers did before them. They live what is
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Speaker 1: called a good Christian life, as the rest of their
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Speaker 1: neighbors do. And who shall presume to think or say
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Speaker 1: that these men are not Christians though without one grain
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Speaker 1: of true faith in Christ or of real inward holiness,
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Speaker 1: without ever having tasted the love of God or been
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Speaker 1: made partakers the Holy Ghost. Ah, poor self deceivers, Christians,
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Speaker 1: ye are not, But you are enthusiasts in a high degree. Physicians.
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Speaker 1: Heal yourselves, but first know your disease. Your whole life
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Speaker 1: is enthusiasm, as being all suitable to the imagination that
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Speaker 1: you have received that grace of God, which you have not.
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Speaker 1: In consequence of this grand mistake, you blunder on day
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Speaker 1: by day, speaking and acting under a character which does
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Speaker 1: in no wise belong to you. Hence arises that palpable,
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Speaker 1: glaring inconsistency that runs through your whole behavior, which is
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Speaker 1: an awkward mixture of real Heathenism and imaginary Christianity. Yet still,
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Speaker 1: as you have so vast majority on your side, you
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Speaker 1: will always carry it by mere dint of numbers, that
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Speaker 1: you are the only men in your senses, and all
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Speaker 1: the lunatics who are not as you are. But this
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Speaker 1: alters not the nature of things and the sight of
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Speaker 1: God and his holy angels. Yea, and all the children
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Speaker 1: of God upon earth. You are mere madmen, mere enthusiasts all,
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Speaker 1: are you not? Are you not walking in a vain shadow,
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Speaker 1: a shadow of religion, a shadow of happiness? Are you
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Speaker 1: not still disquieting yourselves in vain with misfortunes as imaginary
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Speaker 1: as your happiness or religion? Do you not fancy yourselves
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Speaker 1: great or good, very knowing and very wise? How long,
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Speaker 1: perhaps till death brings you back to your senses, to
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Speaker 1: bewail your folly forever and ever. A second sort of
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Speaker 1: enthusiasm is that of those who imagine they have such
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Speaker 1: gifts from God as they have not. Thus, some have
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Speaker 1: imagined themselves to be endured with the power of working miracles,
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Speaker 1: of healing the sick by a word or a touch,
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Speaker 1: of restoring sight to the blind, yea even of raising
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Speaker 1: the dead, orious instance of which is still fresh in
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Speaker 1: our own history. Others have undertaken to prophesy, to foretell
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Speaker 1: things to come, and that with the utmost certainty and exactness.
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Speaker 1: But a little time usually convinces these enthusiasts. When plain
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Speaker 1: facts run counter to their predictions, experience performs what reason
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Speaker 1: could not and sinks them down into their senses. To
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Speaker 1: the same class belong those who, in preaching or prayer,
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Speaker 1: imagine themselves to be so influenced by the Spirit of God,
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Speaker 1: as in fact they are not. I am sensible indeed
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Speaker 1: that without Him we can do nothing more, especially in
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Speaker 1: our public ministry, that all our preaching is utterly vain
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Speaker 1: unless it be attended with His power, and all our
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Speaker 1: prayer unless He is spirit therein helped our infirmities. I know,
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Speaker 1: if we do not both preach and pray by the Spirit,
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Speaker 1: it is all but lost labor. Seeing the help that
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Speaker 1: is done upon earth, he doeth it himself, who worketh
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Speaker 1: all in all. But this does not affect the case
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Speaker 1: before us. Though there is a real influence of the
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Speaker 1: Spirit of God, there is also an imaginary one, And
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Speaker 1: many there are who mistake the one for the other.
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Speaker 1: Many suppose themselves to be under that influence when they
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Speaker 1: are not, when it is far from them, And many
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Speaker 1: others suppose they are more under that influence than they
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Speaker 1: really are. Of this number, I fear are all they
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Speaker 1: who imagine that God dictates the very words they speak,
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Speaker 1: and the consequently it is impossible they should speak anything amiss,
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Speaker 1: either as to the matter or manner of it. It
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Speaker 1: is well known how many enthusiasts of this sort also
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Speaker 1: have appeared during the present century, some of whom speak
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Speaker 1: in a far more authoritative manner than either Saint Paul
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Speaker 1: or any the Apostles. The same sort of enthusiasm, though
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Speaker 1: in a lower degree, is frequently found in men of
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Speaker 1: a private character. They may likewise imagine themselves to be
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Speaker 1: influenced or directed by the Spirit, when they are not.
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Speaker 1: I allow, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
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Speaker 1: he is none of his, And that if ever we
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Speaker 1: either think, speak, or act or arte, it is do
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Speaker 1: the assistance of that blessed Spirit. But how many impute
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Speaker 1: things do him, or expect things from Him without any
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Speaker 1: rational or scriptural ground. Such are they who imagine they
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Speaker 1: either do or shall receive particular directions from God, not
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Speaker 1: only in points of importance, but in things of no
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Speaker 1: moment and the most trifling circumstances of life. Whereas in
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Speaker 1: these cases God has given us our own reason for
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Speaker 1: a guy, though never excluding the secret assistance of His Spirit.
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Speaker 1: To this kind of enthusiasm. They are peculiarly exposed to
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Speaker 1: expect to be directed of God, either in spiritual things
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Speaker 1: or in common life, in what is justly called an
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Speaker 1: extraordinary manner. I mean, by visions or dreams, by strong
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Speaker 1: impressions or sudden impulses on the mind. I do not
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Speaker 1: deny that God has of old times manifested his will
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Speaker 1: in this manner, or that he can do so now. Nay,
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Speaker 1: I believe he does in some very rare instances. But
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Speaker 1: how frequently do men mistake herein? How are they misled
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Speaker 1: by pride, no warm imagination to ascribe such impulses or impressions,
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Speaker 1: dreams or visions to God as are utterly unworthy of him.
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Speaker 1: Now this is all pure enthusiasm, all as wide of
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Speaker 1: religion as it is of truth and soberness. Perhaps some
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Speaker 1: may ask, ought we not then to inquire what is
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Speaker 1: the will of God in all things? And ought not
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Speaker 1: his will to be the rule of our practice? Unquestionably
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Speaker 1: it ought. But how is a sober Christian to make
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Speaker 1: this inquiry? To know what is the will of God?
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Speaker 1: Not by waiting for supernatural dreams, knight, by expecting God
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Speaker 1: to reveal it in visions. Not by looking for any
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Speaker 1: particular impressions or sudden impulses on his mind. No, but
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Speaker 1: by consulting the oracles of God, to the law and
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Speaker 1: to the testimony. This is the general method of knowing
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Speaker 1: what is the holy and acceptable will of God. But
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Speaker 1: how shall I know what is the will of God
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Speaker 1: in such and such a particular case. The thing proposed
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Speaker 1: is in itself of an indifferent nature, and so left
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Speaker 1: undetermined in scripture. I answer, the Scripture itself gives you
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Speaker 1: a general rule applicable to all particular cases. The will
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Speaker 1: of God is our sanctification. It is his will that
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Speaker 1: we should be inwardly and outwardly holy, that we should
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Speaker 1: be good and do good in every kind, and in
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Speaker 1: the highest degree, whereof we are capable. Thus far we
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Speaker 1: tread upon firm ground. This is as clear as the
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Speaker 1: shining of the sun. In order therefore, to know what
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Speaker 1: is the will of God in a particular case, we
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Speaker 1: have only to apply this general rule. Suppose, for instance,
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Speaker 1: it were proposed to a reasonable man to marry or
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Speaker 1: to enter into a new business, In order to know
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Speaker 1: whether this is the will of God, being assured it
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Speaker 1: is the will of God concerning me that I should
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Speaker 1: be as holy and do as much good as I can.
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Speaker 1: He has only to inquire in which of these states
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Speaker 1: can I be most holy and do the most good.
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Speaker 1: And this is to be determined partly by reason and
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Speaker 1: partly by experience. Experience tells him what advantages he has
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Speaker 1: in his present state, either for being or doing good,
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Speaker 1: and reason is to show what he certainly or probably
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Speaker 1: will have in the state proposed. By comparing these, he
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Speaker 1: is to judge which of the two may most conduce
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Speaker 1: to his being and doing good. And as far as
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Speaker 1: he knows this, so far he is certain what is
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Speaker 1: the will of God. Meantime, the assistance of his spirit
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Speaker 1: is supposed during the whole process of the inquiry. Indeed,
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Speaker 1: it is not easy to say in how many ways
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Speaker 1: that assistance is conveyed. He may bring many circumstances to
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Speaker 1: our remembrance, may place others in a stronger and clearer light,
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Speaker 1: may insensibly open our mind to receive conviction and fix
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Speaker 1: that conviction upon our heart. And to a concurrence of
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Speaker 1: many circumstances of this kind mind in favor of what
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Speaker 1: is acceptable in his sight. He may superadd such an
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Speaker 1: unutterable peace of mind, and so uncommon a measure of
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Speaker 1: his love as will leave us no possibility of doubting
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Speaker 1: that this, even this is His will concerning us. This
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Speaker 1: is the plain, scriptural, rational way to know what is
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Speaker 1: the will of God in a particular case. But considering
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Speaker 1: how seldom this way is taken, and what a flood
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Speaker 1: of enthusiasm as needs break in on those who endeavor
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Speaker 1: to know the will of God by unscriptural, irrational ways,
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Speaker 1: it were wished that the expression itself were far more
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Speaker 1: sparingly used. The using it as some do on the
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Speaker 1: most trivial occasions is a plain breach to the Third Commandment,
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Speaker 1: tis a gross way of taking the name of God
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Speaker 1: in vain, and betrays great irreverence toward him. Would it
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Speaker 1: not be far better then to use other expressions which
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Speaker 1: are not liable to such a objections. For example, instead
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Speaker 1: of saying, on any particular occasion, I want to know
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Speaker 1: what is the will of God, would it not be
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Speaker 1: better to say I want to know what will be
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Speaker 1: most for my improvement and what will make me most useful.
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Speaker 1: This way of speaking is clear and unexceptionable. It is
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Speaker 1: putting the matter on a plain scriptural issue, and that
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Speaker 1: without any danger of enthusiasm. A third, very common sort
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Speaker 1: of enthusiasm, if it does not coincide with the former,
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Speaker 1: is that of those who think to attain the end
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Speaker 1: without using the means by the immediate power of God.
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Speaker 1: If indeed those means were providentially withheld, they would not
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Speaker 1: fall under this charge. God can, and sometimes does, in
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Speaker 1: cases of this nature, exert his own immediate power. But
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Speaker 1: they who expect this when they have those means and
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Speaker 1: will not use use them, are proper enthusiasts. Such are
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Speaker 1: they who expect to understand the Holy scriptures without reading
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Speaker 1: them and meditating thereon yea, without using all such helps
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Speaker 1: as are in their power, and may probably conduce to
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Speaker 1: that end. Such are they who designedly speak in the
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Speaker 1: public assembly without any premeditation. I say designedly, because there
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Speaker 1: may be such circumstances as at sometimes make it unavoidable.
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Speaker 1: But whoever despises that great means of speaking profitably is
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Speaker 1: so far an enthusiast. It may be expected that I
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Speaker 1: should mention what some have accounted a fourth sort of enthusiasm.
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Speaker 1: They may be imagining those things to be owing to
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Speaker 1: the providence of God, which are not owing there too,
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Speaker 1: But I doubt I know not what things they are
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Speaker 1: which are not owing to the providence of God in ordering,
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Speaker 1: or at least in governing, of which this is not
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Speaker 1: either directly or remotely concerned. I accept nothing but sin,
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Speaker 1: and even in the sins of others, I see the
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Speaker 1: providence of God to me. I do not say his
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Speaker 1: general providence, for this I take to be a sounding
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Speaker 1: word which means just nothing. And if there be a
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Speaker 1: particular providence, it must extend to all persons in all things.
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Speaker 1: So our Lord understood it, or he could never have said,
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Speaker 1: even the hairs of your head are all numbered, and
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Speaker 1: not a sparrow fullest to the ground without the will
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Speaker 1: of your Father, which is in heaven. But if it
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Speaker 1: be so, if God preside universas toungu quam singulis had
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Speaker 1: singulous tanquam universes over the whole universe, as over every
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Speaker 1: single person, and over every single person, as over the
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Speaker 1: whole universe, what is it except only our own sins,
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Speaker 1: which we are not to ascribe to the providence of God,
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Speaker 1: So that I cannot apprehend there is any room here
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Speaker 1: to the charge of enthusiasm. If it be said, the
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Speaker 1: charge lies here when you impute this to Providence, you
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Speaker 1: imagine yourself the peculiar favorite of Heaven. I answer, you
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Speaker 1: have forgot some of the last words I spoke preceded universes,
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Speaker 1: tongue cum singulus. His Providence is over all men in
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Speaker 1: the universe, as much as over any single person. Do
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Speaker 1: you not see that he who, believing this, imputes anything
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Speaker 1: which befalls him to Providence, does not therein make himself
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Speaker 1: any more the favorite of Heaven than he supposes every
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Speaker 1: man under heaven to be. Therefore, you have no pretense
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Speaker 1: upon this ground to charge him with enthusiasm against every
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Speaker 1: sort of this. It behooves us to guard with the
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Speaker 1: utmost diligence, considering the dreadful effects it has so often produced,
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Speaker 1: and which indeed naturally result from it. Its immediate offspring
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Speaker 1: is pride. It continually increases the source from whence it flows,
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Speaker 1: and hereby it alienates us more and more from the
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Speaker 1: favor and from the life of God. It dries up
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Speaker 1: the very springs of faith and love, of righteousness and
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Speaker 1: true holiness, seeing all these flow from grace. But God
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Speaker 1: resisteth the proud, and giveth grace only to the humble,
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Speaker 1: Together with pride there will naturally arise an unadvisable and
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Speaker 1: unconvincible spirit, so that into whatever error or fault the
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Speaker 1: enthusiast falls, there is small hope of his recovery, for
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Speaker 1: reason will have little weight with him, as has been
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Speaker 1: frequently unjustly observed, who imagines he is led by a
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Speaker 1: higher guide, by the immediate wisdom of God. And as
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Speaker 1: he grows in pride, so he must grow in unadvisableness,
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Speaker 1: and in stubbornness. Also he must be less and less
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Speaker 1: capable of being convinced, less susceptible of persuasion, more and
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Speaker 1: more attached to his own judgment and his own will,
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Speaker 1: till he is altogether fixed and immovable, Being thus fortified
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Speaker 1: both against the grace of God, against all advice and
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Speaker 1: help from man, he is wholly left to the guidance
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Speaker 1: of his own heart and of the King of the
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Speaker 1: children of Pride. No marvel then, that he is daily
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Speaker 1: more rooted and grounded in contempt of all mankind, in
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Speaker 1: furious anger, in every unkind disposition, in every earthly and
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Speaker 1: devilish temper. Neither can we wonder at the terrible outward
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Speaker 1: effects which have flowed from such dispositions in all ages,
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Speaker 1: even all manner of wickedness, all the works of darkness
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Speaker 1: committed by those who called themselves Christians while they wrought
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Speaker 1: with greediness, such things as were hardly named even among
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Speaker 1: the Heathens. Such is the nature such the dreadful effects
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Speaker 1: of that many headed monster, enthusiasm, the consideration of which
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Speaker 1: we may now draw some plain inferences with regard to
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Speaker 1: our own practice. And First, if enthusiasm be a term,
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Speaker 1: though so frequently used, yet so rarely understood, take you
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Speaker 1: care not to talk of you know not what not
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Speaker 1: to use the words you understand it. As in all
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Speaker 1: other points, so likewise in this learn to think before
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Speaker 1: you speak, first, knowing the meaning of this hard word,
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Speaker 1: and then use it if need require. But if so few,
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Speaker 1: even among men of education and learning, much more among
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Speaker 1: the common sort of men, understand this dark, ambiguous word,
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Speaker 1: or of any fixed notion of what it means, then secondly,
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Speaker 1: beware of judging or calling any man an enthusiast upon
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Speaker 1: common report. This is by no means a sufficient ground
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Speaker 1: for giving any name of reproach to any man. Least
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Speaker 1: of all is it a sufficient ground for so black
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Speaker 1: a term of reproach as this. The more evil it contains,
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Speaker 1: the more cautious you should be. How you apply it
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Speaker 1: to any one to bring so heavy an accusation without
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Speaker 1: full proof, being neither consistent nor with justice nor mercy.
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Speaker 1: But if enthusiasm be so great an evil, beware you
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Speaker 1: are not entangled therewith yourself. Watch and pray that you
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Speaker 1: fall not into the temptation. It easily besets those who
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Speaker 1: fear or love God. Oh, beware, you do not think
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Speaker 1: of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Do
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Speaker 1: not imagine you have attained that grace of God which
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Speaker 1: you have not attained. You may have much joy, you
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Speaker 1: may have a measure of love, and yet not have
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Speaker 1: living faith. Cry unto God that He would not suffer
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Speaker 1: you blind as you are, to go out of the way,
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Speaker 1: that you may never fancy yourself a believer in Christ
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Speaker 1: till Christ is revealed in you, and till His spirit
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Speaker 1: witnesses with your spirit that you are a child of God.
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Speaker 1: Beware you are not a fiery, persecuting enthusiast. Do not
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Speaker 1: imagine that God has called you just contrary to the
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Speaker 1: spirit of Him. You style your master to destroy men's lives,
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Speaker 1: and not to save them. Never dream of forcing men
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Speaker 1: to the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think
32:41
Speaker 1: use no constraint in matters of religion, even those who
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Speaker 1: are farthest out of the way, never compel to come
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Speaker 1: in by any other means than reason, truth, and love.
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Speaker 1: Beware you do not run with the common herd of
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Speaker 1: enthusiast fancying you are Christian when you are not. Presume
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Speaker 1: not to assume that venerable name unless you have a
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Speaker 1: clear scriptural title there too, unless you have the mind
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Speaker 1: which was in Christ, and walk as He also walked.
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Speaker 1: Beware you do not fall into the second sort of enthusiasm,
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Speaker 1: fancying you have those gifts from God which you have not.
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Speaker 1: Trust not in visions or dreams, in sudden impressions or
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Speaker 1: strong impulses of any kind. Remember it is not by
33:29
Speaker 1: these you are to know what is the will of
33:31
Speaker 1: God in any particular occasion, but by applying the plain
33:35
Speaker 1: Scripture rule, with the help of experience and reason, and
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Speaker 1: the ordinary assistance of the Spirit of God. Do not
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Speaker 1: lightly take the name of God in your mouth. Do
33:46
Speaker 1: not talk of the will of God in every trifling occasion.
33:49
Speaker 1: But let your words as well as your actions be
33:52
Speaker 1: all tempered with reverence and godly fear. Beware, lastly, of
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Speaker 1: imagining you shall obtain in the end without using the
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Speaker 1: means conducive to it. God can give the end without
34:05
Speaker 1: any means at all. But you have no reason to think.
34:09
Speaker 1: He will therefore constantly and carefully use all those means
34:14
Speaker 1: which He has appointed to be the ordinary channels of
34:17
Speaker 1: His grace. Use every means which either reason or scripture
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Speaker 1: recommends as conducive to the free love of God in Christ,
34:24
Speaker 1: either to the obtaining or increasing any of the gifts
34:27
Speaker 1: of God. Thus expect a daily growth in that pure
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Speaker 1: and holy religion which the world always did and always
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Speaker 1: will call enthusiasm, but which to all who are saved
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Speaker 1: from real enthusiasm, for merely nominal Christianity is the wisdom
34:45
Speaker 1: of God and the power of God, the glorious image
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Speaker 1: of the most High, righteousness and peace, a fountain of
34:54
Speaker 1: living water spring up into everlasting life. End of sec
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Speaker 1: Action thirty seven, recording by Robert Smith