Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
SERMONS
SERMON XL
CHRISTIAN PERFECTION
And he is pure from anger, in the common sense of the word; for Christ was meek and gentle, patient and long suffering. If we walk in the light, — we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” And again: “If we confess.
THE PROMISE OF SANCTIFICATION
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,” both in the Law and in the prophets, and having the prophetic word confirmed unto us in the Gospel, by our blessed Lord and his Apostles; “let us cleanse. ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”. All might, all majesty, all praise, All glory be to Christ my Lord!) 28 Now let me gain perfection’s height.
SERMON XLI
WANDERING THOUGHTS
Now by all these they make flat war with God: These are wandering thoughts of the highest kind. For instance: Why is not God in all the thoughts, in any of the thoughts of a natural man.
SERMON XLII
SATAN’S DEVICES
Look upon it as the most desirable gift which is in all the stores of the rich mercies of God. God is now pouring his benefits upon you: Now approve yourself a faithful steward of the present grace of God.
SERMON XLIII
THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION
Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of sanctification, exactly as it is of justification. But what is that faith whereby we are sanctified; — saved from sin, and perfected in love?” It is a divine evidence and conviction, First, that God hath promised it in the Holy Scripture.
SERMON XLIV
ORIGINAL SIN
No; none at all: “God saw that the whole imagination of the heart of man was only evil.” It cannot indeed be denied,. What is more natural to us than to seek happiness in the creature, instead of the Creator. What more natural than “the desire of the flesh?” that is, of the pleasure of sense in every kind.
Or, to come back to the text, is “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually!” Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. We may learn from hence, in the Third place, what is the proper nature of religion, of the religion of Jesus Christ.
SERMON XLV
THE NEW BIRTH
It must therefore be understood of spiritual death, the loss of the life and image of God. He has no knowledge of any of the things of the world, or any natural. Certainly it is not by any within these kingdoms, whether of the established Church, or dissenting from it.
Water, wherein the person is baptized, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But it is by slow degrees that he afterward grows up to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
SERMON XLVI
THE WILDERNESS STATE
In consequence of the loss of faith and love, follows, Thirdly, loss of joy in the Holy Ghost. He is dispossessed of righteousness, as well as of peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. In the same proportion as this prevails, love and joy in the Holy Ghost increase.
Is not the work of God in the heart most swiftly and effectually carried on during a state of inward suffering. The Scripture nowhere says, that the absence of God best perfects his work in the heart.
SERMON XLVII
HEAVINESS THROUGH MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS
And they still “rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.” They were filled with joy in the Holy Ghost. This is the constant, literal meaning of the word: And, this being observed, there is no ambiguity in the expression, nor any difficulty in understanding it. This may well be termed a “fiery trial:” And though it is not the same with that the Apostle speaks of in the Fourth chapter, yet many of the expressions there used concerning outward sufferings may be.
At the same time it increases our joy in the Lord, which cannot but attend a hope full of immortality. In this view the Apostle exhorts believers in the other chapter: “Rejoice that ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ.” On this very account, “happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you:” And hereby ye are enabled, even in the midst of sufferings, to “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”.
SERMON XLVIII
SELF-DENIAL
It is the denying or refusing to follow our own will, from a conviction that the will of God is the only rule of action to us. And this is a cross indeed, it is essentially painful; it must be so, in the very nature of the thing. I am, Secondly, to show, that it is always owing to the want either of self-denial, or taking up his cross, that any man does not thoroughly follow Him, is not fully a disciple of Christ.
Because he will not part with his bosom-sin, though he now knows it is an abomination to the Lord. It manifestly follows, that it is always owing to the want either of self- denial, or taking up his cross, that a man does not thoroughly follow his Lord, that he is not fully a disciple of Christ.
SERMON XLIX
THE CURE OF EVIL-SPEAKING
First, “If thy brother shall sin against thee, go and tell him of his fault between thee and him alone.” The most literal way of following this first rule, where it is practicable, is the best: Therefore, if thou sees with thine own eyes a brother, a fellow-Christian, commit undeniable sin, or hearest it with thine own ears, so that it is impossible for thee to doubt the fact, then thy part is plain: Take the very first opportunity of going to him;. See that thou speak in a meek as well as a lowly spirit; for the “wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” If he be “overtaken in a fault,” he can no otherwise be restored, than. Still speak in a spirit of tender love, “which many waters cannot quench.” If love is not.
If he will not hear the Church,” if he persist in his sin, “let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican.” You are under no obligation to think of him any more; only when you commend him to God in prayer. It one member suffered, all would suffer with it;” “if one was honored, all would rejoice with it;” and.
SERMON L
THE USE OF MONEY
These, generally, do not consider, as the importance of the subject requires, the use of this excellent talent. Expend no part of it merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. Do not waste any part of so precious a talent, merely in gratifying the desire of the eye, by superfluous or expensive apparel, or by needless ornaments.
If, therefore, you would indeed “make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness,” add the Third rule to the two preceding. I entreat you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, act up to the dignity of your calling.
SERMON LI
THE GOOD STEWARD
Nay, but “it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves:” The manifest consequence is, that he is still Lord over. The hour is swiftly approaching, it is just at hand, when we “can he no longer stewards!” The moment the body “returns to the dust as it was, and the spirit to God that gave it,” we bear that character no more; the time of our stewardship is at an end. Is it not probable, that those of the lower kind will cease, — the feeling, the smell, the taste, — as they have a more immediate reference to the body, and are chiefly, if not wholly, intended for the preservation of it.
It is with regard to them that the unseen world is “the land of forgetfulness.” All things therein are. All these are, as our Lord speaks, ta allotria, — the property of another; of God our Creator.
SERMON LII
PREACHED BEFORE THE SOCIETY FOR REFORMATION OF MANNERS ON SUNDAY,
JANUARY 30, 1763,
The number, therefore, of the members is no more to be attended to than the riches or eminence. But the intention, the eye of the mind, is always to be fixed on the glory of God and good of man. And is not here an opportunity of doing, good to many, even good of the highest kind.
In this way, however, “come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty!”. Will you leave a few of your brethren to stand alone, against all the hosts of the aliens.
SERMON LIII
ON THE DEATH OF THE
The next Sunday he preached to a crowded auditory, in the church wherein he was baptized. Here he read Prayers twice a day; early in the morning, and in the evening after the people came from work. But though the churches were large, and crowded exceedingly, yet many hundreds stood in the. churchyard, and hundreds more returned home.
February 11, he took in four orphans more; and set out for Frederica, in order to fetch the orphans that were in the southern parts of the colony. Awhile he was here, and in the neighboring places, he was extremely weak in body: Yet the multitudes of hearers were so great, and the effects wrought on them so astonishing, as the oldest men then alive in the town had never seen before.
