The Oberlin Evangelist

LECTURE X

May 6, 1840

UNBELIEF -- 1

by the Rev. Charles G. Finney

Modernized by Cliff Collins

“So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)

“He who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

In discussing this subject, I would like to answer a few questions:

I. What is unbelief?

II. What are some of the developments and manifestations of unbelief?

III. Why is unbelief unreasonable?

IV. What causes unbelief?

V. Why is unbelief wicked?

I. What is unbelief?

Unbelief is the absence, or perhaps I should say, the opposite of faith. Faith is a felt, conscious, practical confidence in the character, providence, and word of God. Faith is the conscious assurance that what God has said will happen. Faith is such an inward and felt assurance; it is such a hearty and joyful embracing of the truth that it produces corresponding feelings and actions, and excludes doubt. Unbelief then is a real withholding of this inward, felt, conscious assurance or confidence. Unbelief is a state of mind that leaves our conduct uninfluenced by the truths of God. It is such a withholding of confidence that it leaves both our body and soul under the influence of error, to pursue our lives as if the truths of God were not true.

II. What are some of the manifestations of unbelief?

1. One of the manifestations of unbelief is stupidity on religious subjects. It is not in the nature of a moral being to be stupid concerning religious subjects on any other principle than unbelief. The infinitely great and weighty truths of religion naturally make impressions on us, in proportion to how much we mentally grasp and believe them.

2. Another manifestation of unbelief is worldly mindedness. It is impossible that a human being will pursue worldly possessions on any other principle than unbelief. Just let him possess that inward, felt assurance that the infinitely great truths of religion are real, and the world will quickly dwindle to insignificance in his eyes. It will no longer be important whether he does or does not possess the wealth, the honors, the friendship, or the wisdom of this world. In addition, spending his time and his thoughts thinking about accumulating anything that this world can give or take away is completely unnatural to a mind that believes in eternal realities.

3. Another manifestation of unbelief is a spirit of worry, or an anxiety on any subject that eats away and destroys one’s peace. Can anyone, who has the conscious and felt assurance that the infinitely faithful God pledges to supply all of his material, spiritual, and eternal needs, experience the worry and anxiety of one who does not believe?

4. Worldly conversation comes from unbelief. Can the infinitely interesting things of religion be felt, conscious realities to the person whose conversation is worldly? Impossible! “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt 12:34) It is impossible for a person to talk about things that don’t occupy his thoughts. And, if eternal things feel like they are so real that our heart takes the deepest and most joyful interest in them, it is impossible that our conversation should not correspond with our thoughts and feelings.

5. Another manifestation of unbelief is being insensitive to the state of the Church and the world. A person can no more avoid being excited by the religious state of the Church and the world, if religious truth is real to him, than he could avoid excitement, if the house or town he lives in burned to the ground.

6. Another manifestation of unbelief is being insensitive to the abuse that humanity heaps on God everywhere. If the existence, character, and omnipresence of God, with their related truths become real to us, we would grieve every time we saw the abuse that God’s creatures pile on God. Could you see your father, or mother, or wife, or husband, or governor, or king, or your dearest earthly friend, abused and maligned and not feel sorry? Impossible!

7. Your apathy concerning spreading the gospel proves that you do not believe in the gospel. This country became excited several years ago over the famine in the Cape Verdi Islands and over the oppression of the Greeks. The public interest stirred, and many made sacrifices to send them relief. If a famine swept across Europe or America, universal sympathy would be stirred, and the excited population would sacrifice to provide thousands of tons of provisions to supply their needs. This is natural, reasonable, right, and according to the laws of our existence. But how shall we account for the apathy of the Church, concerning souls that are starving and going down to hell without the gospel? Why, we would account for the apathy of the Church only on the principle that almost nobody in the Church believes the gospel. It is impossible to account for such apathy any other way.

8. Neglecting the Bible is another result of unbelief. What is the Bible? What are its claims? What does it reveal to mankind? Why, the Bible claims to be a revelation from God to the human race. It is a history of their past lives, and a revelation of their future destiny. From every point of view, it is infinitely the most interesting book that ever existed. Yet, most people today, even in Christian lands, are unfamiliar with its truths. They don’t really care about Biblical truths. Why? Because of unbelief! People, who believe the Bible, will search for its truths as if they would search for hidden treasures. They can’t be satisfied, until they have harvested every practical truth contained in it.

9. Unbelief often manifests itself in how we interpret the Bible. Unitarians can’t see enough evidence for the divinity of Jesus Christ. Why can’t they? Because of unbelief. The extent that unbelief controls Biblical interpretation in the Church is remarkable. Take for example, 2 Cor. 6:16-18: “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people’. Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate’, says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters’, says the Lord Almighty’.”

Now the apostle Paul draws a completely different conclusion from these promises than what many professing Christians generally draw today. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1) Paul saw in these promises such fullness of meaning that he immediately concludes that these promises point to attaining a state of entire sanctification or holiness in this life. Notice the strength of his words. He exhorts them to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. It is easy to see that his faith grabbed a hold of an infinitely fuller meaning of these promises then an unbelieving heart sees. And why shouldn’t he draw the conclusion he does? After all, he says: “You are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people’. Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate’, says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters’, says the Lord Almighty’.”

Certainly, the conclusion that the Apostle draws from this passage leads to the exhortation in the first verse of the next chapter, to take these provisions, and “perfect holiness in the fear of God”. This is highly reasonable. Yet, unbelief sees no satisfactory reason, either in these or in all the promises of the Bible, to warrant the conclusion, that we can attain a state of holiness during our lifetime.

Listen to that spiritually minded woman talk with her minister about the great fullness there is in Christ. As long as she speaks in general terms, he agrees to everything she says, that there is, indeed, unspeakable and infinite fullness in Christ. But where does she see this fullness? Why, in the scripture declarations and promises of God’s word. Now let her begin to quote them one after another as she understands them, and he will probably object to every one of her views, and consider her ideas as completely extravagant, and perhaps fanatical. He agrees in general to the fullness that is in Christ, but he explains away all the detailed evidence that a spiritual mind fully understands. The truth is that a spiritual mind, and a spiritual mind only, understands the true meaning of the Bible. Nothing is more common than for people in a state of unbelief to repeatedly read any and every passage in the Bible without understanding what the Holy Spirit means. A person in this state of mind has never begun to understand the fullness there is in Jesus Christ, nor the depth and extent of meaning in the declarations and the promises of the Bible.

10. Stumbling over disagreements is another manifestation of unbelief. Some people are not moved by the influence of evidence, especially on subjects that clash with their own interests. No matter how strong the evidence may be, any suggestion that clashes with their interests becomes an insurmountable stumbling block. Even a hint of an objection seems to bring them to a halt concerning all progress in reform, and turns them over to the dominion of appetite, lust, and every form of selfishness. They are eagle-eyed in discovering an objection, but they don’t seem to have the ability to answer and remove any of those objections. A slight objection or disagreement is even a good enough reason for even resisting the evidence of miracles. Even witnessing a miracle does not seem to move their hearts. If an answer to their objection is suggested to them, they only listen to it for a moment, but within an hour, or perhaps the next day, you will find them still clinging to their doubts. You will find them still hanging onto their old and perhaps often answered objections, and going stubbornly on in their sins. This is a most guilty and abominable state of mind. Its manifestation among the Jews was disgusting, when neither the life, nor the doctrine, nor the miracles, nor the death, nor the resurrection of Christ, could convince them. Certain preconceived notions of what Christ would be and certain false and absurd interpretations of prophecy about Him were sufficient objections in their minds to break the power of all the evidence that Christ brought forth to demonstrate His Messiahship.

It is amazing and distressing to see how unbelief paralyzes the power of any testimony in favor of truth, because no amount of evidence can gain a foothold in anybody’s mind or heart in the presence of objections that are often ridiculous.

Let us look at the conduct of Abraham, the “father of the faithful”. God promised to make him “a father of many nations”. But, the fulfillment of this promise was delayed until Abraham and his wife were at such an age, that without the promise of God, it was totally unreasonable for Abraham to expect that Sarah would have an heir. “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Romans 4:19-21) The fact that he and Sarah were nearly a hundred years old was not a sufficient reason to set aside the testimony of God. Abraham remained firm in the opinion that God’s promise would be performed.

Notice his conduct when he offered up Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. Here is another beautiful illustration of the power of faith as opposed to unbelief. After a long time his beloved Isaac was born, who also was to be the father of many nations, through whom the promised Messiah was to come. However, before he was the father of any offspring, God commanded Abraham to offer his son as a burnt sacrifice. Now so unshaken was his confidence, that it doesn’t appear that he felt uneasy about doing this. Perhaps he felt that it might stagger Sarah’s faith, and so he said nothing to her. But the Bible says that he rose up calmly the morning after the command was given, and proceeded to the spot with the wood and necessary implements, clearly expecting to offer his son according to the command of God. In fact, mentally, he really did offer his son. That is why the Bible says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called’, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Notice the conduct of Abraham concerning the Promised Land. God had promised to give that land to him and to his descendants forever. (Gen 13:15) Now Abraham lived in this country as a stranger: “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” (Hebrews 11:9) When his beloved Sarah died, he bought the cave of Machpelah for a burying place. Later, he was buried in that same cave; and his descendants did not inherit the land for more than four hundred years. This shows that Abraham understood that his descendants would fulfill the promise, and he remained “strong in faith, giving glory to God”. (Romans 4:20)

Now how vastly different was the state of Abraham’s mind from the mind that I have been talking about, where the smallest objection can stumble a mind and paralyze and overthrow all confidence in the testimony of God.

11. Confiding more in men than in God is another result of unbelief. Even professing Christians often have more confidence in the prayers of certain people, than in the intercession of Christ. They place more reliance on the word of man than on the word of God. In fact, they are more influenced by the opinions of others, than by the testimony and even the oath of God. If you ask them if they have more confidence in man than in God, they would say no. But they do have more confidence in man than in God, whether they are aware of it or not. Their conduct proves that their faith is not in God, but in man. To illustrate this, simply look at the anxieties and worries of multitudes of God’s professing children on the subject of providing for their families. Now if some wealthy man would give them a bond and mortgage, a check, or even a promissory note for a million dollars, they would feel perfectly comfortable concerning the supply of their material needs. Their faith or confidence in this promised money would have practical results. It would quiet their fears and silence all their anxieties. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” (Psalms 37:3) Now this and many similar promises provide infinitely higher and better security than can be given by the wealthiest men on earth. You have the bond, the mortgage, the promissory note, and the oath of Jehovah who cannot lie, and He has the resources of the whole Universe at His command. Now let me ask you, what state of mind does not have as much confidence in God’s promises, as in human obligations and securities? What do you mean? Why don’t you rest? What higher possible security can you have? What shocking unbelief, and how infinitely provoking to God, when the promises of mortal men are trusted in more than the promises and oath of God!

12. Murmuring at God’s providence is another manifestation unbelief. Some people are almost always afraid that things won’t go right under the providence of God. They are full of fear, trembling, and anxiety, lest the winds, the weather, the seasons, and millions of other things, don’t completely agree with their desires. They constantly complain about what happens every day. Their behavior tells us that they are either completely opposed to God, or that they are infidels, and don’t believe in His providence. They demonstrate a complete lack of confidence in His existence, wisdom, and providence. They want almost everything in God’s government of the material Universe to be different from what it is. Today, they are upset because it rains. Tonight, they are afraid there will be frost. Tomorrow, they are angry over a high wind. In the summer, there may be drought; and in the winter, there will either be too much or too little snow. Indeed the unbelief of many persons keeps them in a state of almost constant and God-dishonoring anxiety. And doesn’t it astonish you that so few see that this state of mind is the very essence of all that is criminal and abominable in the sight of God?

13. Not joyfully agreeing with all of God’s will, as it is expressed in His works, His providence, or His word, is also a form of unbelief. If a person has complete confidence in everything God does, he will be completely satisfied with God’s will. He will not only submit without rebellion, but he will also joyfully agree with all the works, ways, and will of God. Whatever the weather is; whatever the seasons are; whatever God does or allows, the soul that exercises faith sweetly supports.

14. Maintaining a false hope, is another manifestation of unbelief. God said, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure”. (1 John 3:3) Now, how many millions of professing Christians are there, whose hope does not manifest itself in a holy life? They are just as certain about this as they are about their existence, and yet they hold on to their false hope and they seem determined to risk their eternal destiny on it. Now what is this but virtually betting their eternal salvation that this statement in Scripture is not true? They are not only questing this and many other similar passages, they are denying these passages. They are not merely calling God a liar. But they are virtually saying, “I stake my eternal salvation, that these declarations of God are not true”. What other conceivable or possible ground can they hold fast to their false hope? They seem to be completely ignorant that their hope is the result of sheer infidelity. They don’t even have any conviction that the Bible is true. If they had, their hope would perish like a moth in a moment. How many thousands of situations are there, where professing Christians, as soon as they become convicted and have realized the truth of the Bible, give up their false hopes without ever realizing that the fact that they believed what they did was because of their unbelief.

15. Refusing to enter into the rest of faith is another fruit of unbelief. God has said, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”. (Isaiah 26:3) There are many, who never have peace, not only in their physical state but also in their spiritual state, simply because they refuse to believe that in Christ they are complete. Simply because they refuse to believe that in Him all fullness dwells; that in Him every demand of their nature, everything that they need for time and eternity, is made secure by the promise and oath of God.

A state of unbelief is a lot like a mind in the middle of some agonizing dream. Often, during some distressing dream, someone imagines that he is poor. Perhaps he and his family are destitute and in need of everything. Perhaps he dreams he is in debt, and in prison, and he has no way to pay his debts. The darkest and most forbidding prospects surround Him on every side, and on every subject. He has no friends, no home, no job, and no confidence in himself or in anybody else. Complete wretchedness and despair has overwhelmed him, until some dire catastrophe wakes him from his slumber, and behold, he is at home, in bed, in health, and the opposite of all his crazy dreams is true. “I thank God”, he exclaims, “that all this was only a dream. I thought I had no home, no friends, no health, in debt, persecuted, imprisoned. I saw no help, for time or eternity, but all this was a dream. I am now awake, and praise God. What is real is the opposite of my dream.”

In the same way, faith wakes the mind up from all its doubts, perplexities, and anxieties, and introduces it into a state of perfect rest in Christ. Oh, the wretched unbeliever feels condemned. He feels like he owes ten thousand talents to divine justice and he has nothing to pay. He struggles, agonizes, prays, reads, searches, looks every way, but he can’t see any help or hope. His memory of his past fills his soul with shame, and it is agonizing beyond words. His present circumstances are discouraging and it fills his mind with forebodings of future wrath. His future appears as dark as midnight. There seems to be no eye to pity him, and no arm to save him. It seems as if the accumulation of every conceivable woe, material, spiritual, and eternal, are reserved just for him. But, ah! He grabs a hold of Christ, and instantly, his whole outlook is changed. “Can it be possible”, he exclaims. “He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. (See Psalms 40:2) I see ample provision, not only for the forgiveness of all my past sins, but also for all my present needs, my future needs, and for the utmost conceivable needs possible. God’s provision is unlimited. His provision for me is made sure by the promise of Him who cannot lie. Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. (See Psalms 116:7) Can this really be true? Do I have such a Savior, in whom all fullness dwells? Am I complete in Him? Is He my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption? It certainly is true. It is as certain as my existence. Oh, I feel as if my soul were in an ocean of sweet and boundless rest and peace, and my God has said, ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You’.”

Now any refusal or neglect to immediately enter into this state of mind is unbelief. And, dearly beloved, if this is true, let me ask you, didn’t Christ ask a most relevant question when He said, “When I come, will I really find faith on the earth”? (Luke 18:8)

16. Another development of unbelief is a lack of an inward assurance and heartfelt confidence that God’s promises will be fulfilled. Take for example, James 1:5-7: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” Now who will pretend to call this truth into question? Yet, who believes it? Who has the inward assurance, which is essential to faith, that God will teach him? Who comes to the Lord with the assurance that God will teach him, like a student going to his professor with questions, that he knows his teacher will answer? Why, the student goes to his teacher, with a felt and conscious expectation, with as much inward assurance as he has of his existence, that his teacher will instruct him. He does not go with a negative state of mind; but he knows that his teacher thoroughly knows the subject of his question, and that he will quickly help him understand it. Now why does he expect this? Because this is his teacher’s job, and this is because his teacher is committed to instructing his students. In the same way, God is committed in the strongest and most solemn manner, and shouldn’t we come to God for instruction with as much felt assurance, as we would exercise going to a human teacher?

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (I Thess 5:23:24) Now here the Apostle prays for the entire sanctification of spirit, soul, and body, and that our whole being may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and then he pledges the faithfulness of God: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” Now aren’t we required to exercise the utmost confidence, and to have a heartfelt and strong assurance, that what God promises, will happen? Now whatever falls short of this is unbelief.

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor 12:9) Paul said, “A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure”. (V.7) But Paul, fearing that it would hurt his ministry, sought the Lord three times that God might remove it from him. But Christ replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. Now God’s reply completely satisfied Paul, and he immediately added, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”. (V.9) It appears that Paul felt an inward, conscious assurance, that relieved all his fears concerning the influence of this thorn in the flesh, and enabled him to say; “Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities”. Now I suppose this is as true of every one as it is of Paul, that Christ's grace is sufficient for him, in any circumstances where the providence of God places him. Nothing but unbelief prevents any Christian from experiencing the utmost confidence, and the inward unwavering assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient for him.

17. Always asking God for an inward assurance of what He has promised is another manifestation of unbelief. Suppose you promised your little son, something he knows you are more than able to give, but your promise did not satisfy him. He is uneasy and continues to ask whether you will do it. And in spite of your most sincere assurances, he keeps returning to you and saying, “Father, I want you to do something that will give me an inward assurance that you will fulfill your promise. I feel very unhappy about it. I don’t have any assurance that you will do it. I want to feel in my heart, that I will have it. I want that inward assurance. I can’t rest without it.” Now wouldn’t this insult you? Suppose you had not only given him your word repeatedly, but had confirmed it by an oath; and yet he had no felt confidence in your honesty. Grief and indignation would fill your heart as you listened to him beg for additional assurances. You would feel as if he was accusing you of lying. You would feel as if you are patronizing you son just by listening to his requests. Now let me ask you, do Christians feel that their constant asking for inward assurances or that strong confidence that quiets their mind, demonstrates shocking unbelief? Don’t you feel that assurance already? Can’t the promise and oath of God convince, persuade, and assure you, that what He has said will come to pass? You should know, that the absence of this felt assurance virtually charges God with lying and perjury.

18. Always pleading the promises of God without this inward, felt, unwavering assurance of mind, that the promise is plain and the application is just, is a manifestation of unbelief. When Paul prayed against the thorn in the flesh, he had no clear promise that that thorn should be removed. Therefore, he was not prepared to believe that it would be. In the same way, Christ had no clear promise that His agony in the garden would be removed. In these situations, perfect faith in God did not imply the belief that God would grant the particular things requested. But, if there was a clear promise in either or both of these situations, they would have had the right and obligation to exercise the most unwavering assurance that the specific blessing promised would be granted. Therefore, please understand that in pleading the promises of God with a right apprehension and understanding of them, unbelief falls short of the most unwavering assurance that the thing promised will be granted, according to the true thought and meaning of the promise. All uneasiness of mind about the event, all unhappiness because you are afraid that He will not give you what He promised, everything short of the utmost rest in the truthfulness of God, is God-dishonoring unbelief.

Suppose a student receives letters from his father, containing the strongest assurances that he will supply all his needs, giving him complete freedom to ask him at any time for any amount he needs. Now, suppose everybody knew that his father’s is very rich, and there could be no doubt that he is able to fulfill all his promises. Suppose that his father backed up his promises with oaths and the most abundant assurances that anyone could express in words. Now suppose this student is full of anxiety and worry over his support. He spreads out and arranges his plans to help himself, completely independent of his father’s aid. It would immediately be clear, that he had no confidence in his father’s assurances. Everybody would quickly conclude, that no matter how rich his father might be, his son will never place any confidence in his honesty. Everyone could say, “You see how it is. This young man knows his father. We have seen his letters. We know what abundant promises he has received, and yet, this son does not have one particle of confidence in his father’s assurances.” They would all come to the natural and certain conclusion that he has no faith in his father.

Now, Christian, did you ever consider how horrible your conduct is in the eyes of an unbelieving world. They know what promises your Father has made, and they see by your worry and worldly-mindedness how little confidence you have in these promises. They witness your anxious and worldly spirit, and they think in their hearts that these Christians believe that God can’t be trusted, because they have no confidence in His promises. Now how can you damage religion more deeply than by demonstrating this unbelief. How can you dishonor God more awfully and horribly? It is the most shameful demonstration, in the most impressive manner possible; that you believe God is a liar!

19. Not realizing that Christ died for you in particular is another development of unbelief. The Apostle says, “Christ tasted death for every man”. Now what state of mind cannot realize and feel assured that He died for you? There is a great deal of complaining in the Church, that individuals can’t feel as if Christ died for them in particular. If He died for every man, He died for you as an individual, and every need for you to realize and feel the inward assurance of this is unbelief. Your mind is hiding itself in the darkness of its own selfishness. You believe that He died for all men; that “He tasted death for every man”; but you cannot make it feel as if He died for you. Thus, you evade your obligation, and hide from the realization that your sins nailed Him to the cross and that your soul is guilty of His death, and that His love has rolled a mountain weight of responsibility on you. It is time for you to realize that this is nothing but unbelief, and a virtual contradiction of the truth that “Christ tasted death for every man”. No wonder your heart is not subdued. No wonder you are in bondage to your sins. No wonder your lusts and appetites have dominion over you. You are so unbelieving that you can’t realize what God has said is true.

20. All lack of appropriating the truth, promises, and warnings of God, to yourself is unbelief. There is a remarkable tendency in most professing Christians to mingle with the crowd, and to mix up their own sins, needs, and everything that concerns them individually, with the sins and needs of the Church at large. Now truth does no good in the world unless it applies to individuals. The truth doesn’t sanctify until it is appropriated, taken home, and applied to the individual’s conscience and heart. If you do not appropriate the truth to yourself, you are like an individual, invited to a feast with many others; but you don’t go because the promise was given to everybody; or when you get there, you don’t eat because the provision was made for all the guests. The main reason why you should go as an individual, why you should partake personally without hesitation, is because the provision is for everybody, and everyone has a right to partake. God expects everyone to partake. How shocking it is that so many professing Christians let the provisions of the gospel lie before them, and all the promises of the Bible gather around them, and yet because the provisions are so ample, and the promise is to everyone who will partake, they stand and look on, in their unbelief, and starve to death.

Nevertheless, I must finish this discussion next time.