Difference between revisions of "Argument 6"
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<p>Those who have not sincere love to Christ, are in the same condition in which they were born—which an accursed damnable condition; for by nature all are "children of wrath!"—and children of wrath are cursed children. Some are so ignorant, as to say, they have loved Christ ever since they were born, as if they were born with love in their hearts to Christ. Whereas love to Christ is not in us by the first birth—but by the second birth; not by the natural birth—but by the spiritual birth. Our state by nature is a state of bitterness and bonds—as bitter as gall! Acts 8.23. </p> | <p>Those who have not sincere love to Christ, are in the same condition in which they were born—which an accursed damnable condition; for by nature all are "children of wrath!"—and children of wrath are cursed children. Some are so ignorant, as to say, they have loved Christ ever since they were born, as if they were born with love in their hearts to Christ. Whereas love to Christ is not in us by the first birth—but by the second birth; not by the natural birth—but by the spiritual birth. Our state by nature is a state of bitterness and bonds—as bitter as gall! Acts 8.23. </p> | ||
<p>And while you are in a state of nature, the world has your love, and sin has your love—therefore Christ is not the object of it; for the world and Christ, sin and Christ, cannot at the same time, by the same man, be superlatively loved. </p> | <p>And while you are in a state of nature, the world has your love, and sin has your love—therefore Christ is not the object of it; for the world and Christ, sin and Christ, cannot at the same time, by the same man, be superlatively loved. </p> | ||
Latest revision as of 23:42, 4 March 2020
Argument 6.
Those who have not sincere love to Christ, are in the same condition in which they were born—which an accursed damnable condition; for by nature all are "children of wrath!"—and children of wrath are cursed children. Some are so ignorant, as to say, they have loved Christ ever since they were born, as if they were born with love in their hearts to Christ. Whereas love to Christ is not in us by the first birth—but by the second birth; not by the natural birth—but by the spiritual birth. Our state by nature is a state of bitterness and bonds—as bitter as gall! Acts 8.23.
And while you are in a state of nature, the world has your love, and sin has your love—therefore Christ is not the object of it; for the world and Christ, sin and Christ, cannot at the same time, by the same man, be superlatively loved.
It must then be granted, that you were born without love to Christ—and, being in the same condition in which you were born, you have lived hitherto without love to Christ; and if you die without love to Christ—then the next moment after death, your condition is accursed.
Argument 7. Deceivers in the worship of God are accursed; those who come to pray and hear, and not love Christ—are such deceivers. All such men's religious duties and services are done in deceit and hypocrisy—they are deceivers of themselves, deceivers of other men, and go about to deceive God himself. What is it to play the hypocrite , if not this—to give God your words, but not your hearts. What is deceitful dealing, if not this—to give God and Christ outward service, and deny him your heart's love? To do the outward action—and withhold from him the inward affection?
Would you be paid what is owed to you in such coin—in that which has the color and resemblance of gold, but underneath is base metal? Would you not cry out of such a one as a deceiver? Is this a fault in men to you—and is it no fault in you to God? Are you ready to curse such a man—and will not God curse you? "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it—but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations!" Malachi 1:14
You bring him some cold prayers—and you do not have a heart to give him. You bring him some outward expressions of worship—and you do not have inward affections to bring him. You offer him your words—and deny him your love. These are cursed doings—and you, the doers of them, are accursed!
Argument 8. Robbers and thieves are accursed—and non-lovers of Christ are robbers and thieves. For whose are you? God's—or your own? Whose by right are your hearts? The world's—or Christ's? Who should have your love as due, to whom does it belong—to the world, to vanity, to self—or to Christ? That which you purchase—do not you call your own? That which you pay for—is it not your own? Would it not be robbery in another, without your consent, to keep it from you? Has not Christ bought you with a price given for you, more than you are worth? He made your hearts to love him, and when you defaced them, and sinned away the love of God—did not Christ buy you? Has not he paid dearly to have your love? Might you set your love upon whatever you please? Are not you, body and soul—Christ's by purchase? "You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Is it not a robbing of Christ, to deny him his own? And is not he who is a robber of God and Christ—a cursed wretch?
If you should rob your father, or mother, or a stranger—would you not ne accounted a vile transgressor? How can you rob God, and Christ—and make no matter of it? But God does. "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me!" Malachi 3:8-9. They are said to rob God in tithes and offerings—and you rob God in your hearts and affections. And what is the robbing of tithes—to the robbing of the heart, and love thereof? Yet God cursed them with a curse, that is, certainly accursed them—how then will you escape? God might charge you, that you have played the thief with him, and have stolen away your love from him; and have gone and pawned it for a little money, or a filthy lust; and yet you have no mind, nor serious thought to get it redeemed, or fetched your love out of pawn.
Argument 9. Those who do not love Christ, are spiritual adulterers, and go a whoring from God. Do not you profess to be married to Christ? What! and give your love to the world, to pleasures, to the strumpet sin? Is that a chaste woman who loves another man more than her own husband? To love other things more than God and Christ, is called in scripture, "a going a whoring from God;" "a playing the harlot;" "You have played the harlot with many lovers," "committing adultery." "You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that the friendship of this world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God!" James 4:4. A lover of the world is an enemy of God; and are not those whom God marks as his enemies, in a bad and miserable condition, and will be worse when the Lord comes?
Some please themselves with this as an evidence of their good condition, and hope of salvation—that they are neither harlots nor thieves. But such as do not love Christ above all, in a spiritual and scriptural sense, are both harlots and thieves. Such a one is a thief, in robbing God of that love which is his due. He is guilty of spiritual whoredom, in loving other things more than Christ. If you think to escape the curse, continuing in such sins, when the Lord comes, and you are tried at his bar—you shall find you were greatly mistaken, and meet with a curse, when you expected a blessing!
Argument 10. Such as shall be commanded to depart from Christ, and be driven from his glorious presence—are accursed. Non-lovers of Christ shall be commanded to depart from Christ, and be driven from his glorious presence. Your heart that does not love Christ—it is not towards God and Christ. And when he comes—his heart shall not be towards you! Your heart is alienated from Christ—and then Christ's heart shall be alienated from you. While you will not love him, you say in your hearts to Christ, "Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways!" Job 21:14. And Christ will say to you, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:41.
As he who trusts in the creature—his heart departs from God; so he who loves the creature more than God—his heart departs from God. He whose heart departs from God, either by trusting to, or loving of the creature more than God, is accursed: "Thus says the Lord, Cursed be the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord!" Jeremiah 17.5. And when Christ shall command you to depart from him—you shall find yourselves in a cursed condition!
Such as do not love the Lord Jesus, do not obey the gospel, for the gospel commands your love. Those who do not obey the gospel, at Christ's coming shall be separated from him; and those who shall be separated from him then—shall find and feel themselves accursed, "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
Are you not yet convinced of your deplorable condition by reason of the lack of love to Jesus Christ? Do you not see that the curse of God hangs over your soul? Can you give a suitable reply to this, or deny it? Or will you still hold to your old conclusion, that you shall not be thus accursed—like to what is recorded, "And it shall come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst," Deuteronomy 29.19. Behold a man blessing himself—whom the Lord declared accursed! But what then? Is the curse the further from him—or the blessing nearer to him? Read on: "The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under Heaven. The LORD will single him out for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law!" Deuteronomy 29:20-21
It is but a poor shift to lull your consciences asleep with groundless hopes of escaping the curse, contrary to the express word of God, who will not allow one tittle of it to fall to the ground—even though, in the accomplishment and fulfillment of it, millions of sinners fall into Hell.
The curse then being certainly to fall upon the final non-lovers of Christ—the third thing in order follows—to open to you what kind of curse it shall be , to be Anathema when Maranatha—cursed when the Lord shall come.