An Address to Young People: Excuses for the Neglect of Religion (4)

The plea of inability is also urged to justify the neglect of religion.

I would ask the person who urges this plea, in the first place, whether he really believes that he has done every thing toward the work of his renovation, that is in his power? Have you reflected daily and habitually on your guilt and danger? Have you steadfastly resisted the temptations of the world? Have you sought intercourse with God’s people and availed yourself of every means within your power for becoming acquainted with your true condition and character, yielding up your heart to God? And have you persevered in this course up to the present hour? If your conscience does not tell you that you have actually left nothing undone which was in your power to do towards the work of your salvation, then you have no right to urge the plea of inability. Nor have you a right even in that case, to urge it; for who has told you, if your past efforts have been unavailing that a persevering repetition of them may not accomplish the great object to which they are directed? If it is ever to be urged with even a semblance of plausibility, it must be in the last moments of your life — after all that has been in your power has been done, and to no purpose.

The plea of inability is also urged to justify the neglect of religion.

But this plea may be shown to be false in another way. The whole duty of man is summarily comprehended in love to God. But the reason why the sinner does not exercise this love is not because he is destitute of affections, for he actually bestows them on objects innumerable, those infinitely less deserving of them than God. Nor is it because, in the exercise of these affections, he has not all the powers of a moral agent; for in all his moral exercises, he is conscious of perfect freedom. He can love the world with intense affection; and he can roll sin as a sweet morsel under his tongue; but when the most glorious Being in the universe claims the homage of his heart, he coldly refuses the offering, and shelters himself behind the plea of inability. And what is the obvious construction of this conduct? Why manifestly this: That he is so bitter an enemy to holiness, and has such a cordial aversion to the character of God, that he cannot be reconciled to Him. What would you think if your neighbor should insult you with such an apology for an injury he had done you? What would you think of the wretch who had burnt down your dwelling, or the assassin who had murdered your father, if he should enter a court of justice and plead his innocence on the ground of his malevolence towards your family? And do you think that such an apology as this will satisfy the great God for the contempt poured upon His character? You surely dare not think of carrying this excuse to the judgment, unless you have made up your mind to encounter the agonies of perdition.

But if this plea were admitted, look at the consequences to which it would lead. If that kind of inability, which consists in a simple aversion to the character and service of God, justifies the sinner in opposition to His character, and in declining His service, we arrive instantly at the absurd conclusion that the more a man hates God, the less guilty he is; and he that hates Him with perfect hatred is perfectly innocent.

Moreover, this plea is not only false and preposterous, but, in the highest degree, insincere. Could you hear the honest language of the sinner’s heart, at the very moment this plea is upon his lips, it would be that he did not believe a word of it. For observe that this plea proceeds upon the supposition that heaven and hell are realities. The plea itself is nothing less than that he who offers it, is exposed every hour to suffer the pangs of the second death; and yet that by the iron bars of fate, he is prevented from making his escape. If your dwelling were on fire, and some wretch had chained you down in such circumstances that you could not escape the devouring element, would you amuse yourself with the awful grandeur of the scene, or would you be distracted with terror at the anticipated horrors of the death that awaited you? When we find you frantic with agony while you are offering this plea, we may acknowledge that there is at least some appearance of sincerity; but till then, wonder not if we regard the plea as merely the suggestion of a spirit of rebellion.

Rev. William B. Sprague (1795-1876) was a well-known Calvinistic, Presbyterian pastor who served West Springfield, Massachusetts for ten years and Albany, New York for forty years. He published 165 sermons and fourteen books, several of which were written for young people. This address is taken from his Lectures to Young People, recently reprinted by Sprinkle Publications, P.O. Box 1094, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen