Table Of Content

T AGES D L HE IGITAL IBRARY COLLECTED WORKS T W J W HE ORKS OF OHN ESLEY VOLUME 6 F S S (40-53) IRST ERIES OF ERMONS S S B (54-86) ECOND ERIES EGUN by John Wesley B o o k s F o r Th e A g e s AGES Software • Albany, OR USA Version 1.0 © 1997 2 THE WORKS OF JOHN WESLEY THIRD EDITION Complete and unabridged THIRD EDITION, 1872 VOLUME 6 FIRST SERIES OF SERMONS (40-53) SECOND SERIES BEGUN (54-86) 3 CONTENTS FIRST SERIES CONTINUED SERMON 40. — Christian Perfection. <500319>Philippians 3:19. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. SERMON 41. — Wandering Thoughts. <471005>2 Corinthians 10:5. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ SERMON 42. — Satan’s Devices. <470211>2 Corinthians 2:11. We are not ignorant of his devices. SERMON 43. — The Scripture Way of Salvation. <490208>Ephesians 2:8. Ye are saved through faith. SERMON 44. — Original Sin. <010605>Genesis 6:5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, etc. SERMON 45. — The New Birth. <430307>John 3:7. Ye must be born again. SERMON 46. — The Wilderness State. <431622>John 16:22. Ye now have sorrow: But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, etc. SERMON 47. — Heaviness through Manifold Temptations. <600106>1 Peter 1:6. Now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness though manifold temptations 4 SERMON 48. — Self-denial. <421923>Luke 19:23. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. SERMON 49. — The Cure of Evil-speaking. <401815>Matthew 18:15-17. If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and Sell him his fault, etc. SERMON 50. — The Use of Money. <421609>Luke 16:9. I say unto you, Make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, etc. SERMON 51. — The Good Steward. <421602>Luke 16:2. Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. SERMON 52. — The Reformation of Manners. <199416>Psalm 94:16. Who will rise up with me against the wicked. SERMON 53. — On the Death of Mr. Whitefield. <042310>Numbers 23:10. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! SECOND SERIES. SERMON 54. — On Eternity. <199002>Psalm 90:2. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God. SERMON 55. — On the Trinity. <620507>1 John 5:7. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: etc. SERMON 56. — God’s Approbation of his Works. <010103>Genesis 1:3. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. 5 SERMON 57. — On the Fall of Man. <010319>Genesis 3:19. Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. SERMON 58. — On Predestination. <450829>Romans 8:29, 30. Whom he did foreknown, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, etc. SERMON 59. — God’s Love to Fallen Man. <450515>Romans 5:15. Not as the offense, so also is the free gift. SERMON 60. — The General Deliverance. <450819>Romans 8:19-29. The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God: SERMON 61. — The Mystery of Iniquity. <530207>2 Thessalonians 2:7. The mystery of iniquity doth already work. SERMON 62. — The End of Christ’s Coming. <620308>1 John 3:8. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. SERMON 63. — The General Spread of the Gospel <231109>Isaiah 11:9. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. SERMON 64. — The New Creation. <662105>Revelation 21:5. Behold, I make all things new. SERMON 65. — The Duty of Reproving our Neighbor. <031917>Leviticus 19:17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart: Thou shalt anywise rebuke thy neighbor. SERMON 66. — The Signs of the Times. <401603>Matthew 16:3. Ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times. 6 SERMON 67. — On Divine Providence. <421207>Luke 12:7. Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered SERMON 68. — The Wisdom of God’s Counsels. <451133>Romans 11:33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! SERMON 69. — The Imperfection of Human knowledge. <461309>1 Corinthians 13:9. We know in part. SERMON 70. The Case of Reason impartially Considered. <461420>1 Corinthians 14:20. Brethren, be not children in understanding: Howbeit in malice be ye children, etc. SERMON 71. — Of Good Angels. <580114>Hebrews 1:14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. SERMON 72. — Of Evil angels. <490612>Ephesians 6:12. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, etc. SERMON 73. — Of Hell. <410948>Mark 9:48. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched SERMON 74. — Of the Church. <490401>Ephesians 4:1-6. I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, etc. SERMON 75. — On Schism. <461215>1 Corinthians 12:15. That there might be no schism in the body SERMON 76. — On Perfection. <580601>Hebrews 6:1 Let us go on unto Perfection. SERMON 77. — Spiritual Worship. 7 <620520>l John 5:20 This is the true GOD, and eternal life SERMON 78. — Spiritual Idolatry. <620501>1 John 5:1 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. SERMON 79. — On Dissipation. <460735>1 Corinthians 7:35 This I speak — that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. SERMON 80. — On Friendship with the World. <590404>James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? etc. SERMON 81. — In what Sense we are to leave the World. <470617>2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, etc. SERMON 82. — On Temptation. <461013>1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. SERMON 83. — On Patience. <590104>James 1:4 Let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. SERMON 84. —The Important Question. <401606>Matthew 16:6 What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul. SERMON 85. — On Working out our own Salvation. Philippians 2:12, 13 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: etc. SERMON 86. — A Call to Backsliders. Psalms 27:7, 8 Will the Lord absent himself for ever And will he be no more entreated, etc. 8 SERMONS. SERMON 40 CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. <500312>Philippians 3:12. T 1. HERE is scarce any expression in holy writ, which has given more offense than this. The word perfect is what many cannot bear. The very sound of it is an abomination to them; and whosoever preaches perfection, (as the phrase is,) that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican. 2. And hence some have advised, wholly to lay aside the use of those expressions; “because they have given so great offense.” But are they not found in the oracles of God? If so, by what authority can any Messenger of God lay them aside, even though all men should be offended? We have not so learned Christ; neither may we thus give place to the devil. Whatsoever God hath spoken, that will we speak, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear; knowing that then alone can any Minister of Christ be “pure from the blood of all men,” when he hath “not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God.” 3. We may not, therefore, lay these expressions aside, seeing they are the words of God and not of man. But we may and ought to explain the meaning of them; that those who are sincere of heart may not err to the right hand or left, from the mark of the prize of their high calling. And this is the more needful to be done, because, in the verse already repeated, the Apostle speaks of himself as not perfect: “Not.” saith he, “as though I were already perfect.” And yet immediately after, in the fifteenth verse, he 9 speaks of himself, yea, and many others, as perfect: “Let us,” saith he, “as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” 4. In order, therefore, to remove the difficulty arising from this seeming contradiction, as well as to give light to them who are pressing forward to the mark, and that those who are lame be not turned out of the way, I shall endeavor to show, First, In what sense Christians are not; and, Secondly, In what sense they are, perfect. I. 1. In the First place, I shall endeavor to show, in what sense Christians are not perfect. And both from experience and Scripture it appears, first, that they are not perfect in knowledge: They are not so perfect in this life as to be free from ignorance. They know, it may be, in common with other men, many things relating to the present world; and they know, with regard to the world to come, the general truths which God hath revealed. They know, likewise, (what the natural man receiveth not; for these things are spiritually discerned,) “what manner of love” it is, wherewith “the Father” hath loved them, “that they should be called the sons of God:” They know the mighty working of his Spirit in their hearts; and the wisdom of his providence, directing all their paths, and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea, they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord requireth of them, and how to keep a conscience void of offense both toward God and toward man. 2. But innumerable are the things which they know not. Touching the Almighty himself, they cannot search him out to perfection. “Lo, these are but a part of his ways; but the thunder of his power, Who can understand?” They cannot understand, I will not say, how “there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these Three are One;” or how the eternal Son of God “took upon himself the form of a servant;” — but not any one attribute, not any one circumstance, of the divine nature. Neither is it for them to know the times and seasons when God will work his great works upon the earth; no, not 10 even those which he hath in part revealed by his servants and prophets since the world began. Much less do they know when God, having “accomplished the number of his elect, will hasten his kingdom;” when “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” 3. They know not the reasons even of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men; but are constrained to rest here, — Though “clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his seat.” Yea, often with regard to his dealings with themselves, doth their Lord say unto them, “What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.” And how little do they know of what is ever before them, of even the visible works of his hands! — how “he spreadeth the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing?” how he unites all the parts of this vast machine by a secret chain, which cannot be broken? So great is the ignorance, so very little the knowledge, of even the best of men! 4. No one, then, is so perfect in this life, as to be free from ignorance. Nor, Secondly, from mistake; which indeed is almost an unavoidable consequence of it; seeing those who “know but in part” are ever liable to err touching the things which they know not. It is true, the children of God do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation: They do not “put darkness for light, or light for darkness;” neither “seek death in the error of their life.” For they are “taught of God;” and the way which he teaches them, the way of holiness, is so plain, that “the wayfaring man, though a fools need not err therein.” But in things unessential to salvation they do err, and that frequently the best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken even with regard to facts; believing those things not to have been which really were, or those to have been done which were not. Or, suppose they are not mistaken as to the fact itself, they may be, with regard to its circumstances; believing them, or many of them, to have been quite different from what, in truth, they were. And hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. Hence they may believe either past or present actions which were or are evil, to be good; and such as were or are good, to be evil. Hence also they may judge not according to truth with regard to the characters of men; and that, not only by supposing good men to be better, or wicked men to be worse, than they are, but by believing them to have