The
Lord Jesus Christ addressed these words on a certain occasion to those who
claimed that they loved God. This
morning, and again in this afternoon, I plan to establish the doctrine of total
depravity.
In
discussing total depravity, I will first show what the doctrine of total
depravity, is not.
Then
I will show what it is.
Finally,
I will prove this doctrine, according to the way that I define it for you this
morning.
And
then, I will conclude each discussion with several appropriate and necessary
remarks.
I.
First, please let me show you, what the doctrine of total depravity is not.
1.
Total depravity does not consist in the lack of any natural powers or abilities
to obey God. We have all the powers of
that free moral agent needs to obey God perfectly (What I mean by free moral
agent is someone who has free will.
Their will is free to make moral decisions). If there were any natural lack of powers or abilities in our
nature, our responsibility to God would cease, and we could not be justly
blamed for not doing what we don’t have the moral power to do.
2.
Total depravity does not consist in some kind of mutilated state of our moral
powers. Our physical or mental powers
are not in a maimed or a mutilated state.
If they were, our obligation to obey would be diminished, precisely in
proportion to how imperfect our moral powers and abilities were.
3.
Total depravity does not consist in any physical pollution that was transmitted
from Adam, or from any of our ancestors down to us. It is impossible that moral depravity should consist in any
physical pollution. Some people speak
about depravity, and the pollutions of our nature, as if there were some moral
depravity that clings to, or is incorporated with the very substance of our
being. Now this is utter nonsense. If such a depravity were possible, that kind
of depravity would not be a moral depravity, but it would be a physical
depravity. It could not be a blamable depravity. God could not blame us for possessing
it. It could not be a sinful
depravity. It would be a disease, and
not a crime.
4.
Total depravity does not consist in any principle of sin that is incorporated
into our being. The word principle is
used two ways. Sometimes the word principle
means ‘a property or an attribute of a substance, which has an inherent
tendency to produce results agreeable to its nature’. In this sense, depravity is not a principle. Depravity is not a root, sprout, essence,
property, or attribute of any substance.
Depravity is not a part of either our body or our mind. It does not belong to our physical or mental
constitution, but depravity belongs purely, and exclusively to our moral
character. Moral depravity is a quality
of our voluntary action, and not a quality of our substance. If, when you use the word ‘principle’, you
mean ‘purpose, preference, disposition, voluntary inclination to sin’; then, in
this sense, depravity is a principle; but in no other sense.
5.
Total depravity does not mean that any being is, or can be sinful, before he
has exercised the powers of moral agency.
6.
Total depravity does not mean that there is any sin in human beings, or in any
other beings, that has nothing to do with actual transgressions.
Constitutional
depravity does not lie behind a transgression of God’s law, thus causing your
transgressions. Constitutional
depravity does not cause people to sin.
7.
Total depravity does not mean that we have the same disposition or tendency to
sin that a serpent has to bite, or a wolf has to kill sheep. Total depravity does not mean that we have a
tendency to sin that belongs to the substance of our body or mind. In other words, we have no constitutional
appetite or craving for sin that is implanted in the substance of our body or
mind.
8.
Total depravity does not mean that people are as bad as they can be, or as they
might be, under other circumstances. If
they were placed under circumstances that were less restraining, or provided
stronger temptation, they could be worse than they are.
When
we say that people are totally depraved, many people think that we are saying
that those people are as bad as they can possibly be. They think that the word total means the worst possible degree of
depravity. But this is not the meaning
of the word total. The total of 3 plus
2 plus 5 is 10. This is not the highest
number possible, but is the total of 3 plus 2 plus 5. The same word, when it qualifies the word depravity, does not
mean the highest possible degree of depravity, but it simply that one’s whole
character is depraved; that there is no mixture of good in his character. It is not that everything he does and says
are the most wicked things that he could possibly say and do; but that whatever
he does and says is sinful. “That every intent of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually." (Gen 6:5)
II.
Secondly. By total depravity, I mean
that unrepentant sinners have no true love of God. My main business this morning is to establish this position, and
then conclude this morning’s message with several remarks. This afternoon, Lord willing, I will discuss
further what total depravity means, providing proof for each point as I go
along.
III.
Today’s passage clearly states that sinners do not have the love of God in
them. It would be easy to show that
this same doctrine is recognized everywhere in the Bible. But since I am dealing with those of you
here this morning who are totally depraved, I don’t expect that a “thus says
the Lord” will settle the question with you, and put it beyond debate. You are unbelievers, and no matter how much
you agree to the truth of the Bible in general, I know that you have no hearty
confidence in its doctrines in detail.
Proving to you the doctrine of total depravity from the Bible, may only gain
your unfeeling agreement. But I am well
aware that this kind of evidence will not bring the subject home to your
experience, so that it will make you feel its truth. I could quote this passage, and many other passages of Scripture
to prove this doctrine, and then throw the responsibility on you to receive or
reject it. But since there is an
endless variety of other proof within my reach, I will gather up a few of them,
and lay them before you for your consideration.
Facts
are stubborn things. No matter how men
may evade the Bible, no matter how they may turn away from, and misunderstand
abstract reasoning, they find it difficult to resist simple facts; especially
when the facts exist in their own experience.
I plan to gather my proofs of this doctrine, from your experiences. To point out certain facts in your own
lives, and in the lives of those around you, that will place this doctrine on
such a solid foundation that you will not be able to reasonably oppose it.
We
only imperfectly understand the laws of our mind in detail. Yet, there are certain laws of our mind that
even children understand. They are
facts that we so universally and frequently experience, that we absolutely know
that such facts are laws of our mind.
For example, we know by experience, that it is a law of our mind to
delight in pleasing the object of our affection. To love an individual is to desire his or her happiness. To promote his or her happiness is to
satisfy that desire to love them. And
so, to please the object of our affection is to please ourselves. To do something that is pleasing to someone
we love, to add to that person’s honor or happiness in any way, will gratify
our desire for his or her happiness, and will naturally add to our own
happiness.
We
don’t have to aim at gratifying ourselves; we don’t have to aim at promoting
our own happiness in our efforts to please those people we love so dearly.
When
we act virtuously, pleasing others is part of our purpose. When we act virtuously, pleasing ourselves
is not part of our purpose. But
although pleasing ourselves is not part of our purpose, it is the natural
result of pleasing someone that we dearly love. It is the gratifying of our love, or our desire to promote one’s
happiness or honor, that makes us happy.
This gratifying of our desire is happiness all by itself. We see this principle manifested in all our
relationships. When is the affectionate
husband or wife in a state of higher enjoyment, than when they are engaged in
doing things that contribute to each other’s happiness? When is the affectionate wife more cheerful,
than when she is busy doing those things she knows will please her
husband? How diligent and unwearied are
lovers, and other dear friends, who try to please the object of their
affection. How eager to anticipate each
other's desires; how readily; how joyfully they do those things that they know
will give pleasure to the person they love so very much. It is absurd and contradictory for you to
say that you love an individual, and you do not delight in pleasing that
person. It is impossible, that you
should love an individual, and not be satisfied in promoting that person’s
happiness. To say that you love somebody,
is the same as saying that you desire his or her happiness, and to say that you
can desire his or her happiness without delighting in promoting their
happiness, is the same as saying that you can satisfy virtuous desire and not
be happy. In other words, you are
saying that satisfying virtuous desire does not produce satisfaction.
This
law of our mind also holds true, in all its fullness and extent, on the subject
of religion. I appeal to every
Christian in this house this morning, isn’t it true that to do the will of God
is more important than food? Isn’t it
true that your food and drink is to do the will of your Heavenly Father? You are the happiest when you are engaged in
doing those things that you know will promote the honor and glory of God. I don’t mean, or suppose, that it is your
purpose is to gratify yourself while you obey and serve God; but let me ask
you, don’t you find it to be a matter of fact, that you are never so happy, as
when you are engaged in doing those things that please God? You search His word, to know what will
please Him. And when you know His will,
and do it heartily, the happiness you will experience in doing those duties may
not enter into your plan or thoughts; and yet you know that doing those things
promotes your own happiness. To please
God, pleases yourself. And now, let me
appeal to the experience of every unrepentant sinner in this house: don’t you
know that from the very constitution of your mind, that you love to please your
friends. And don’t you know that it
doesn’t cost you one bit of happiness to please God. You enjoy making your children happy; and pleasing the people
that you love the most; but I ask your conscience, do you take delight in
pleasing God? Do you study to know what
will please Him? And when you have
learned His will, do you find yourselves inclined, readily and joyfully, to do
it?
You
will go to great pains at great expense; you will be watchful, busy, and
persevering, not only in conforming everything you do to the wishes of the one
whom you love the most; but in doing even the littlest things to fulfill the
slightest desires, and satisfy even the passing wishes of the one your heart is
set on. And thus, the dedication of
your time and energy to promote the happiness of the one you love, makes up the
history and the substance of your own happiness.
Now,
sinner, is this your experience on the subject of religion? Do you love to please God? Is it your business to please God? Is it your joy to please Him? In other things, concerning the affairs of
this world, everything you say or do is viewed as having some relation to the
object that you love the most. If you
love money more than anything else, everything is judged by, everything is
hated or loved, everything is desired or rejected according to the relationship
it has to your desire for riches. If
you can make money by it, you have pleasure in it. If it would prevent you from gaining wealth, you are unhappy with
it. So if you have an earthly friend,
whom you really love, it is natural for you to ask, in everything you say and
do, how the one you love will receive or look at everything you say and do by
the relationship it has to him or her.
Everything you do is modified, and all your pursuits are regulated by
this controlling and absorbing affection for this person. Now, sinner, I ask you again, is it true in your
own experience that everything either pleases or displeases you? You either love something or you hate
it. You either desire or reject it
according to its relationship to your own selfish desires. If you see it will please God, does it
please you? If it agrees with His will,
does it agree with your will? If
something will promote His glory, do you desire it? If it will dishonor God, do you reject and hate it? If not, why do you pretend that you love
God? You could not believe that your
children or your wife loved you, unless you saw that they delighted to please
you. And why should you deceive
yourself by thinking that you love God, when you know that it doesn’t make you
happy to please Him?
Also,
from the way God created our minds, we delight in the company and conversation
of those whom we love the most. To
fellowship with them is sweet. To be
alone with them; to enjoy their confidence; to pour into each other's heart the
overflowing of our affections, constitutes some of the sweetest and most sacred
of our joys. Now, this law of our mind
reveals itself, in all its strength, on the subject of religion.
Saints
throughout history have delighted to commune with God. They delighted to seek His fellowship, and
they loved going into their prayer closet where they could be alone with
God. Never were they more supremely and
sacredly happy, than when they were alone in secret and holy communion with
their blessed God. Now, sinner, is this
your experience? Do you love to be
alone with God? Do you delight to
pray? Is it your most sacred, most
loving desire, to get alone, and to get down on your knees, and pour out your
heart in communion with your God? I
won’t ask if you pray, because you could have many different reasons for
praying, but do you pray because you love to pray? Do you pray because you love to be alone and commune with
God? If you are an impenitent sinner,
you know that you do not love the fellowship of God.
We
naturally prize the approval of the one we love. We consider it most important and indispensable to our own
happiness, that we should have the approval of the object of our supreme
affection. We are also created in such
a way, that it grieves us to know that our dearest friends disapprove of our
conduct. This is true about our worldly
friends, and it is also true about God.
Nothing will wring a Christian’s heart with more intolerable anguish,
than the conviction that his conduct deserves the disapproval of God; and this
is rarely because the Christian fears God’s punishment. The Christian may have, and often does have,
the most painful emotions when he sees that he deserves God’s disapproval;
while at the same time, he is not distressed because he fears God’s punishment. But, he has offended God. He is ashamed and He cannot look up. He feels like an affectionate child or wife
would feel, knowing that he had done something that his parent or husband
highly disapproved of.
The
question naturally arises, and this question has a controlling influence over
our lives, “will this or that please or displease the one whom I love”. To gain the approval of the one we love is
our ambition and our highest joy. Now,
sinner, I appeal to you, isn’t this true in your experience, concerning the one
who you love more than anything else? And
is it true, that you prize the approval of God above everything else? Is the approval of God your study? Is it your delight to gain His approval? Does the knowledge of having done what God
disapproves of, wring your heart with anguish in spite of its consequences to
yourself, and in spite of the fear that you shall be punished? Do you feel the same emotions of sadness, of
shame, of distress and sorrow, when you have merited the disapproval of God,
that you feel when you have incurred the disapproval of your most loved earthly
friend? I appeal to your own conscience
in the sight of God. Don’t you know,
that you don’t desire the approval of God more than anything else?
We
naturally refer to the feelings of the object of our supreme affections in
everything that we do. The affectionate
husband or wife, parent or child, is careful not to hurt the feelings of those
they love; and if they find that they have wounded their feelings, they can’t
rest until they have confessed, healed the wound, and are forgiven. This is true in religion. If you love God, you cannot think about how
you have wounded His feelings without pain.
The truth is, that if you truly love God, you cannot help repenting, any
more than an affectionate wife could refrain from grief if she had wounded and
grieved her husband.
We
naturally love to think about the object of our affection. Everyone knows how sweet it is to be alone,
to meditate, to recall, and to dwell on some absent object of our love. Thus, lovers often seek solitude, and there
is a sacredness thrown around those hours, when, in the stillness of our
bedroom or in the retirement of a lonely walk, we dwell in silent but
delightful meditations on the character and person of the one we fondly love. The deep hour of midnight will often witness
the wakeful meditations of our heart, which, in the sweetness of our own fond
imaginings, is dwelling on that beloved friend, who though absent, is at once
the circumference and the all-absorbing center of our love. These meditations enkindle our love into a
flame.
See
that husband at work. He is a husband
and a father. When the bustle of the
day is over; when the distractions and cares of business have passed away; see
his busy thoughts, going out and dwelling on his absent wife; on his lively
little children until his heart is all in a glow, and tears of unutterable
affection fill his eyes. This is
natural. And these laws of mind act
with equal uniformity when God is the object of our supreme love. The lone walk; the quiet bedroom; the hour
of sacred retirement are sweet to the Christian. He loves to send out his thoughts after God. He loves to dwell on God’s glories. He loves to look into the mysteries of God’s
love; to think, and think, and meditate, and turn the subject of God’s glorious
character over and over before his mind, until his heart dissolves in
love. Thus, the Psalmist says, “while I
was musing, the fire burned.” (Psalm
39:3) Now, sinner, do you love to think
about God? Do you delight to have God
in all your thoughts? Do you seek
solitude and retirement, so that you may, uninterrupted, dwell on Him in your
fondest, holiest meditations? And when
you think, meditate, and pray, do you find in your communion with God a sweet,
tender, and all-satisfying happiness? Are you aware of emotions of love for God that are stronger than
those emotions you feel when thinking of your dearest earthly friend? I appeal to your own experience, and to your
own conscience in the sight of God.
We
naturally delight in talking about things we love the most. It gives us a lot of pleasure to speak about
the one we love. It satisfies us, to
let our lips express the fullness of our hearts. Sometimes we have a particular reason for hiding an affection
that we deeply cherish; but even in that situation, we can rarely cherish a
strong affection without telling about it to somebody. But whenever we have no reason for hiding
our affections, we see how natural it is to make the thing that we love the most
to be the subject of our conversation.
Concerning religion, this law of our mind manifests itself the same way
it does on any other subject. It is a
philosophical law as well as a moral law, that out of the abundance of our
heart our mouth speaks. If your heart
is warm with the love of God; if God is in all your thoughts, God and the
interests of His Kingdom will be in all your words. If your heart is set on God, you will talk about God; unless you
are under circumstances that require silence, and then you will naturally
remain silent, rather than talk about something that is not in your heart. If you are under circumstances where you
cannot consistently speak about God, you really don’t want to speak at
all. Now, sinner, look at your own
experience; do you love to talk about God?
Is it delightful for you to speak about His character, about His person,
and about His glory? I’ll let your
conscience decide.
We
grieve when we become separated from those we love. Everybody knows this is true with worldly friends; and this is
also true with God. Every Christian
knows just what the saints of old knew, that they cannot live and have any
happiness if they are far from God. If
God hides His face, if the manifestations of His presence are withdrawn, oh,
how mournful, how lonely, and sad is the Christian in the midst of all the
happiness and enjoyment of the world around him. Sinner, do you know what it is like to feel as much pain, when
God withdraws His presence from you, as you do when separated from your closest
earthly friend? Do you feel lonely in
the midst of company; sad in the midst of happiness; away from home in the
midst of all your worldly friends, when God’s presence is withdrawn from you?
We
naturally love the friends of the one whom we love. We feel attached to them for our friend’s sake. We love to talk to them, and we seek their
company, because their views and feelings concerning the one we love correspond
with our own views and feelings.
Because of this principle, politicians who are in favor of the same
candidate are fond of each other's company.
And individuals, who differ widely in other respects, enjoy each other's
company if they have one common and absorbing object they love and can talk
about together. Thus, Christians love
to associate with each other. They love
other Christians because they love God.
They delight in their company and they enjoy talking with them, because
their views, feelings, and conversation harmonize with their own. But, do sinners love the friends of
God? Do you love Christians because
they are Christians? Do you delight to
talk with true Christians? Do you
delight in their character because they love God? You may love some of them for other reasons, and you may love
some of them in spite of their religion; but it is not because of their religion
that you love them.
Likewise,
we naturally avoid the enemies of our friends.
See that woman, is she intimate, and do you find her every day running
over to, and spending her time with that family who are enemies of her husband? Does she select as her closest friends,
those that speak against her husband or her children? No, she naturally and instinctively avoids them. See that little child. He goes over to play with his neighbor's
children; but while he is there, he hears them putting down and criticizing his
father. He listens, and he feels
grieved and offended. He is a little
one, and they don’t notice him, but they continue to vilify and verbally abuse
his father. He sneaks silently and
sadly away, and goes home crying; and after that, you will see that he will
avoid those people as he would avoid a serpent. The same is true with Christians. They naturally avoid the company of those who abuse God, unless
they mingle with them to warn and save them.
Sinners, very often think that Christians avoid them because they feel
above them; but this is not true. It is
true, that some professing Christians don’t delight in the company and
fellowship of the saints, but they prefer the company of the worldly and
ungodly. This only demonstrates that they
are hypocrites, and that there is no exception to this law which is found in
the Bible: “Do you not know that
friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
We
are grieved when the one whom we love is abused in our presence. It is amazing to see the blindness and
stupidity of sinners on this subject.
When Christians show grief at the wicked conduct of sinners, those
sinners view that grief as senseless. If a pious father or mother is grieved, when an unrepentant son or
daughter is engaging in sin and rebelling against God, that son or daughter may
imagine that the grief of their parents makes no sense. They say, “My parents have forgotten that
they were once young”. See that
husband, when he breaks the Sabbath, swears, and abuses God, his wife weeps,
and leaves the room. He says his wife
is very unrealistic, and that she is a bigot under the influence of an
irrational mind. He wonders why she
should be concerned about him. He is
doing fine. He can take care of
himself. He does not understand the
principle on which his wickedness affects her.
You
sir; suppose you are sitting in your house with your wife, and an enemy comes in,
and begins to verbally abuse you in her presence, and after he had hurled
countless profanities at you, he looks over and spots your wife in tears. He turns and says, “what’s wrong with you,
woman? Don’t act so foolish. What’s your problem?” What do you think of questions like
these? Can you see why his abuse of you
distressed your wife? Wouldn’t you
think it was strange if he did not understand the reason for her tears? Now, suppose your wife is a Christian. You disobey and abuse God in her presence,
and she objects and weeps, and you wonder at it, and call it stupid. Now, let’s look at the other side of the
coin. Suppose, this man abuses you to
your face and your wife doesn’t show any grief or indignation; but instead,
when you look at her, you see her consenting to it and appearing quite pleased
with it. What! A wife pleased to see her husband
abused. You would instantly call her a
hypocrite. You would not; in fact, you
could not believe that she loved you.
Now, the same thing holds true, where God is the object of our
love. When God is abused in the
presence of His friends, they are grieved and upset. This is the reason why unrepentant sinners find spiritual
Christians so disagreeable. It’s not
because he feels above you, sinner, but because your conduct grieves him. When Christians mingle with sinners, it is
for business, or for doing them good, and not because they can have any delight
in their impenitent characters, or their conversation, as long they are the
enemies of God.
I
ask you, sinner, are you grieved with people who disobey God? Do you feel mingled emotions of grief and
indignation, as if your wife, or your dearest friend, was abused in your
presence? Does it hurt you, even
agonize you, to hear men swear in public; to see them break the Sabbath; and
trample on God’s holy commandments? If
you were to go through the streets and hear curses and abuses poured on your
dearest earthly friend from every quarter, it would fill you with severe grief
and indignation. Can you walk the
streets, and hear God’s holy name profaned; see his Sabbath desecrated; see
hosts of impenitent sinners trampling with unsanctified feet on God’s high and
holy authority, and not be grieved?
Then you are a hardened and shameless hypocrite if you pretend to love
your Maker.
We
are naturally pleased when we hear good things about the one we love. It is a well-known fact that it is easy to
believe what we want to believe. And we
can believe according to our feelings, even with very little testimony. A man will believe what he wants to believe,
almost against testimony. If something
agrees with our desires, we usually don’t question the validity of the
testimony by which the desired fact is established. We witness manifestations of this law of our mind every day. So on the subject of religion; when
Christians hear about the conversion of anyone, or about a remarkable revival
of religion; or anything else that glorifies God; they are quick to believe it
because it agrees with their desires.
But do impenitent sinners show that they love God. Do sinners show that their hearts are set on
His glory and the interests of His kingdom, by manifesting a readiness to
believe what they hear, in favor of religion?
Let your conscience speak.
We
love to see any way used to promote the interest and happiness of those we
love. If we really love an individual,
we delight in those who honor him, and in those who try to promote his or her
interests. We aren’t very particular
about what they do to promote this goal, as long as they are successful. We most naturally embrace, and most
cordially use whatever ways will be the most successful in promoting his or her
interests. Witness the conduct of
politicians; see how wise, industrious, and energetic they are in devising and
executing ways to elect their favorite candidate. You don’t hear them stop to argue or criticize, and find fault
with any measure simply because it is new.
If it is not wicked, and if it promises success, whether it is new or
old, they will not object to using it if it has a fair chance of electing their
favorite candidate. The same is true
with Christians whose hearts are set on promoting the glory and honor of
God. They are on the alert; looking out
and devising new means to accomplish their goal of promoting God’s glory and
honor. They are industrious and
energetic in finding out new ways and adopting new methods to bring about the
salvation of the world. But, do sinners
apply their minds to this subject, and show that they are interested in the
glory of God? Are they planning and
devising liberal things for Zion? Are
they finding out new and more successful ways to promote the glory of God and
the salvation of others? Do you,
sinner, rejoice when some new measure is introduced, which has a tendency to
promote this great work? Do you hail
it, as one of the means by which your purpose is to be accomplished, on which
your heart is supremely set?
On
the other hand, it is difficult for us to believe an evil report of one whom we
love. Go and tell that affectionate
wife about some disgraceful conduct of her husband. Go and tell that mother of the immoral conduct of her only son;
do you find her ready and willing to believe those reports? Does she believe him without question? No, but she will sift through the testimony,
criticize, scrutinize, and perhaps no amount of evidence that you can present
to her, will thoroughly convince her of the facts. What lawyer is there, who has not had trouble convincing a jury
against their will? If the jury strongly
desires that the testimony of a witness should not be true, even the slightest
hint that the testimony is inconsistent will cause them to toss his testimony
out the window. This law of our mind
develops itself, with equal uniformity, on the subject of religion. Go, and report among warm-hearted
Christians, a story, whether true or false; which, if true, dishonors God, and
damages the interests of His kingdom.
See, how instantly they will ask for your authority; scrutinize and sift
the testimony; and don’t expect them to believe, unless you can forcefully
demonstrate and prove it to them. But
do sinners show this unwillingness to believe evil reports of religion? If you hear an evil rumor concerning the
family of some close friend of yours; if you hear that one of their sons had
greatly disgraced his father, who was your closest friend; would some vague
rumor satisfy you? Would you consider
the mere word of some irresponsible individual as sufficient proof to believe
that rumor? No, you would ask for
information that comes from a reliable source, and even then, you would say, “I
can hardly believe it”. Now, sinner,
when you hear a scandalous report about any deacon or minister, or any other
professed child of God, do you find yourself instantly resisting the
report? Do you find yourself inclined
to ask for more proof. Do you sift and
criticize the testimony; to weigh, scrutinize, and dismiss the whole thing as
false and slanderous if you find any discrepancy or absurdity in it? Do you feel the inward risings of
indignation, and your thoughts and feelings becoming repulsive, when such
God-dishonoring reports begin to circulate?
Do you feel, when such stories are reported about Christians, the same
as you would feel about slander that was uttered against your wife, or your
closest earthly friend.
Also,
when we are compelled to believe an evil report of the one we dearly love, we
are careful to keep it to ourselves.
Does the mother go and tell everybody she knows about the disgrace of
her children? Does the affectionate
wife trumpet abroad on the winds of heaven the disgrace of her beloved
husband? Oh, no! She locks it up in her faithful and
affectionate heart. The mother, and the
wife will both seal their lips in silence, and not breathe one word about the
errors of those they love. The same is
true with Christians. When they are
convinced, beyond all doubt, that something has occurred which has dishonored
God and religion; do they go and tell everybody they can possibly find? No, unless they are compelled by their
conscience to say something, it remains a secret hidden deep in their
heart. And let me ask you here this
morning, sinner, are you careful not to circulate what you know to be true,
that discredits religion, and brings sorrow to the friends of God? Suppose, you had seen a minister or some
other professing child of God off his guard, and had witnessed him commit some
disgraceful sin, would you, out of love to the cause, lock it up faithfully in
your heart, and never breathe one word of it, lest it should take wings and God
should be dishonored. If you hear an
individual saying something that is dishonorable to religion, does it bother
you? Do you reprove him for it? Do you try to keep him from spreading those
rumors, and do you beg him not to repeat them?
I leave this question with your consciences.
We
naturally try to put any event that might be harmful to the interest or
reputation of a friend, whom we love, in the most favorable light. If an event took place that could have happened
many different ways, we would naturally try to reconstruct that event in our
mind that would be most consistent with the honor and reputation of our
friend. If something should happen in
the family of a very close friend of ours, which allowed two opposite
conclusions, the first conclusion would disgrace our friend, while the second
conclusion wouldn’t disgrace him at all; we would, from the very way that God
has created us, naturally favor the conclusion that was in his favor. It is a law of our mind, that charity, or
love, hopes for all things, believes all things, endures all things, and is
always ready to arrive at the most favorable conclusions on any event that the
nature of the situation will allow. We
see this principle operating everyday. You will see Christians leaning to interpret any event that is
most consistent with the honor of religion and God. But do you witness this same disposition in sinners? Do you, sinners who are here, find in
yourselves a desire to interpret every ambiguous occurrence in a way that is
most favorable to religion? If
something, said by a professing Christian, turns out to be false, do you
naturally conclude that it must be a misunderstanding, and find yourself very
unwilling to believe that he really meant to lie?
Also,
when any of the friends of one whom we greatly love does anything that is
greatly dishonorable to the thing that we love the most, it distresses us, and
we will try, as best as we possibly can, to prevent that event from ever
happening again. Perhaps the son of our
dearest friend should begin taking drugs, or should start drinking, and start
doing things that greatly dishonor his father.
Perhaps he runs away from home and starts hitchhiking all over the
country. We would naturally want to reclaim
him. We would love and pity him for his
father’s sake. We would grieve and the
dishonor that this son was bringing on his father would upset us. If we got the chance, we would talk to that
young man and warn him. We would pray
for him; and instead of going around broadcasting his failings all over the
place, we would naturally be very sensitive of his reputation for his father’s
sake. We would do everything that we
honestly and consistently could do to cover up his faults. Now, sinner, how do you behave when you see
Christians err, and stray from the path of righteousness? Do you feel distressed that they bring such
dishonor on God? Do you pity and love
them for their Heavenly Father's sake?
Do you pray for them, warn them, and try your best to win them
back? Let your conscience speak. I will not bring a railing accusation
against you. However, I will let your
own conscience rebuke you in the name of the Lord.
I
will conclude this morning’s message with several remarks.
REMARKS
1.
With all these facts staring sinners in the face; standing out in bold relief
on the very surface of their own experiences; how can it be, that they can
believe that they love God? Nothing is
more common, than for unrepentant sinners to claim that they love God; and yet
nothing is more certain than that they do not love Him. Where does this error come from? I answer,
They
do not distinguish between an admiration of God’s natural attributes, which
they sometimes feel, and a love for His moral character. The omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence,
eternity, and wisdom of God, are all attributes, which, when you think about
them, will automatically inspire awe and admiration in the heart of intelligent
beings, whether they are sinful or holy.
These attributes have no moral character. The devil himself may be filled with awe and admiration, when he
thinks about the displays of God’s natural attributes, which are manifested
throughout all creation.
Sinners
mistake a selfish gratitude for love to God.
A supremely selfish being may be grateful for favors bestowed on him,
without any true regard to the character of the one who bestows the
blessing. Sometimes, when sinners
escape death because of some noticeable providence that happens in their
behalf, they feel a kind of gratitude; but if Satan had bestowed the same favor
on them, they might feel the same kind of gratitude toward the devil, as they
do to God.
Sinners
make their own god and then fall in love with the god of their own
creation. They picture God to be the
kind of person they want Him to be.
They strip Him of His essential attributes, and give Him a character
that suits them, and then they fall in love with their imaginary god, and walk
by the light of their own fire, and surround themselves with sparks from their
own kindling. The Universalists create
a god for themselves and picture God as a being that is suited to their
desires. If you keep out of their view
the essential attributes of justice and truth; they will talk and feel very
piously; but, bring before their minds the true character of God, and their
heart quickly becomes like the troubled ocean that cannot rest; whose waters
churn up mud and dirt.
2.
Do you see why unrepentant sinners think that religion is very gloomy? It is because they don’t love God. What would you think of a woman who thinks
that being with her husband is very gloomy?
If she should complain that doing things that please him was annoying
and disagreeable. If she considered
doing her duties as a wife a grief, a burden, and annoying, you would say that
her attitude was absolute proof that she did not love her husband. The same is true with sinners. When they see religion as something gloomy,
and designed to rob them of all their joy, it demonstrates that they don’t love
God. It reveals that they have no
delight in pleasing Him.
3.
You can see from what I have said here this morning, why sinners grow weary and
they complain about having too many meetings, and meetings that last too
long. What would you think if you heard
an individual, who said that he loved you, complain that he or she was weary
because of the amount of time that you spent with him or her? Suppose that person said, “Oh, the time I
spend with you seems so long. I really
wish our time together wouldn’t last so long.
I’m sure you’ll understand.” You
could not honestly believe that your friend cares for you very much. Therefore, when you hear sinners complaining
that there are so many meetings, and they wish that the meetings would end as
quickly as possible; this is an indication of their feelings. They do not love God. They have no delight in serving Him. It is a burden, and it really bothers them
to have to spend a little time in His presence.
4.
Can you see why some professing Christians prefer parties to prayer
meetings? Prayer meetings are the most
delightful parties to those who love God.
But to those that don’t love Him, prayer meetings are not a source of
happiness; and when they attended them, it is for other reasons than because
they love God. Whenever you see
professing Christians showing more interest in worldly parties than in
religious meetings, you know that they are hypocrites.
5.
You can see, from what I have said that those who say they have always loved
God are deceived. There may be some
cases, where people may have been converted at such an early age, that they
cannot remember the time when they did not love God. If there are such people, I am convinced, that they are very
rare. However, with these exceptions,
it is certain that those who believe they have always loved God are
deceived. Why, the fact that they show
that they have never had a change of heart proves that they are deceived. They feel towards God as they always
did. If they ever had truly loved God,
when they first exercised this love, they would know that it was something new
to them, and they could not possibly believe that they had always loved Him.
6.
Do you now see that unrepentant sinners are often tremendous hypocrites? They claim that they are opposed to hypocrisy,
and they say that they like true religion.
They desire to see people sincere in what they profess. They think true religion is a good thing and
are very highly in favor of it. They
pretend to be very friendly to God, and say that they love Him. Now, in all of these professions, they are
bold hypocrites. Christ might say to
them, “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you”. (John 5:42)
“Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?” (Matt 7:16)
“You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
hearts.” (Luke 16:15) “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of
hell?” (Matt 23:33)
7.
Can you see from this subject the clear and barefaced hypocrisy of those
professing Christians who unnecessarily publish the faults of Christians? We sometimes see professing Christians just
as willing to gossip to anybody at anytime about the faults, real or supposed,
of the professed children of God, as sinners are. They will spread their complaints of the errors and shortcomings
of those whose characters are closely associated with all the endeared
interests of religion. And this, they
often do, when it’s not even called for, and when you can’t even pretend that
God, or the interests of religion requires them to provide this service. Sometimes, they will even write letters or
articles about them, or even publish editorials about them in the newspapers,
and all this under the shear pretence of doing God a service and benefiting the
cause of Christ. But this is the same
method, and the same reason that the Universalists pretended to use in their
slanderous publications against God, and God’s servants. There is no more reason to believe that such
people who claim they are Christians, have the true interests of Christ's
kingdom at heart, than there is to believe that Universalists are motivated by
a concern for the glory of God.
Situations have taken place, in which these professing Christians, have
entertained passengers on steamboats, and in other public places, by telling
slanderous stories about revival men and some of the things that take place in
those meetings. A lot of prejudice has
been created, and tremendous evils have resulted from this wicked conduct of
those who claim that they love the blessed God. O shame, where is thy blush!
It
is impossible, from the very laws of their own minds, that
they would engage in this work of death, this mischief of hell, if they truly
loved the cause of Christ. To willingly
stifle the cause of Christ, to bring reproach to a cause by blazing abroad the
failings, real or supposed, of those whose name, character, and influence, are
identified with the dearest interests of Zion, is a clear demonstration that
they are hypocrites.
Finally. While sinners imagine that they already love
God, it is not likely that they will ever truly love Him. Sinner, if you think that you love God
already, you will never realize that you need a change of heart. If you really love God, you certainly do not
need a new heart, unless, deep in your heart you really don’t love Him. In pretending that you love God, you deny
the very foundation of the doctrine of the new birth. But let me tell you, sinner, your delusion will soon be torn
away. You cannot always deceive
yourself with the imagination that you love God. You are traveling rapidly towards eternity. There is, even now, perhaps, only one step
between you and death. The moment that
you appear in the presence of your Maker, and behold, the infinite difference
that exists between your character and His character will forever vanish your
delusion. You pretend to love God,
while you know in your heart that you have no delight in His word, or worship,
or service. Oh! What would heaven be to you if you can’t enjoy
a prayer meeting for one hour? What
would you do in heaven, employed in God’s service forever and ever? Would heaven be heaven to you? Would you feel at home? Would you be happy there? What!
How could you be happy there if you don’t have the love of God in
you? Away with this delusion: “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.” (John 3:3)