The Spurgeon Series 1857 & 1858. Charles H. Spurgeon

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СКАЧАТЬ yes, he is the most useless thing in the wide world.

      7. Now, let us dwell upon this point. A fruitless profession. And while I am preaching on it, let the words go around to each one, and let the minister, and let his deacons, and let his hearers all try their hearts and search their innermost being, and see whether they have a fruitless profession.

      8. 1. First, a fruitless professor. How do we know him? what his character? Secondly, What is the reason he is fruitless? Thirdly, What is God’s estimation of him? He is good for nothing at all. And then, fourthly, What will be his end? He is to be burned with fire.

      9. First, Where are we to find fruitless professors? Everywhere, dear friends, everywhere — down here, up there, everywhere; in pulpits and in pews. False professors are to be found in every church. Let us leave other denominations alone, then. They are to be found in this church; they are to be found in this present gathering. To whatever denomination you may belong, there are some false and fruitless professors in it. How do you know that you may not belong to those who bring forth no fruit? There are fruitless professors to be found in every position of the church, and in every part of society. You may find the false professor among the rich; he has much wealth, and he is hailed with gladness by the church. God has given him much of this world’s goods; and therefore, the church, forgetful that God has chosen the poor gives him honour, and what does she get from him? She gets very little to help her. Her poor are still neglected, and her means not in the least recruited by his riches. Or if she gains a portion of his riches, yet she gets none of his prayers; nor is she in the least supported by his holy living, for he who has riches often lives in sin, and rolls in uncleanness; and then wears his profession as a uniform, by which to cover his guilt. Rich men have sometimes been false professors; and they are to be found among poor men too. Very many a poor man has entered into the church, and been cordially received. He has been poor, and they have thought it a good thing that poverty and grace should go together — that grace should cheer his hovel, and make his poverty stricken home a glad one. But then, this poor man has turned aside to follies, and has degraded himself with drunkenness, has sworn, and by unworthy conduct dishonoured his God; or, if not, he has been idle, and sat still, and been of little service to the church; and so he has been false and fruitless in his profession.

      10. False professors are to be found in the men that lead the vanguard of God’s army; the men who preach eloquently, whose opinion is law, who speak like prophets, and whose language seems to be inspired. They have brought forth the fruit of popularity, indeed, and the fruit of philanthropy too, but their heart has not been right with God, therefore, the fruit, good in itself, was not fruit to holiness; the moral benefit of their labours does not extend to everlasting life. They have not brought forth the fruits of the Spirit, seeing that they were not living branches of the living vine. Then there have been false professors in obscurity; modest people who have said nothing, and seldom been heard from; they have glided into their pews on the Sunday morning, taken their seats, gone out, and satisfied themselves that by their presence they had fulfilled a religious duty. They have been so silent, quiet, and retiring; lazy fellows, doing nothing. You may think that all the fruitless trees grow in the hedge outside of the garden. No they do not. There are some fruitless trees inside it, in its very centre. There are some false professors to be found in obscurity as well as in public; some among the poor as well as among the rich.

      11. And there are false professors to be found among men that doubt a great deal. They are always afraid they do not love Jesus, and always saying, “Ah, if I only know that I were his! —

      ’Tis a point I long to know;

      Oft it causes anxious thought.”

      Yes, and it ought to cause them anxious thought, too, if they are bringing forth no fruit, and giving no “diligence to make their galling and election sure.” Fruitless professors are to be found, on the other hand, among the confident men, who say, without a blush, “I know whom I have believed; I know I am a Christian, let who will doubt. I am sure and certain my sins cannot destroy me, and my righteousness cannot save me. I may do what I like; I know I am one of the Lord’s.” Ah! fruitless professor again; just as fruitless as the other man, who had all doubts and no faith, and did nothing for his Master.

      12. And then there is the fruitless professor, who, when he is asked to pray at the prayer meeting, never does so; and who neglects family prayer. We will not say anything about private devotion; no doubt he neglects that too: he is a fruitless one. Ah! but there may be another, who stands up and prays such an eloquent prayer for a quarter of an hour, perhaps, just as fruitless a professor as the silent one; with plenty of words, but no realities; many leaves, but no fruits, great gifts of utterance, but no gifts of consistency; able to talk well, but not to walk well; to speak piously, but not to walk humbly with his God, and serve him with gladness. I do not know your individual characters tonight; but I know enough of you to say that your position, however honourable in the church, and your character, however fair before men, is not enough to warrant any of you in concluding at once that you are not a fruitless professor. For fruitless professors are of every character and every rank, from the highest to the lowest, from the most talented to the most illiterate, from the richest to the poorest, from the most retiring to the most conspicuous. Fruitless professors there are in every part of the church.

      13. Now, shall I tell you who is a fruitless professor? The man who neglects private prayer, and does not walk with his God in public; that man whose conduct and conversation before God are hypocritical; who cheats in trade and robs in business, yet wraps it up, and comes out with a fair face, like the hypocrite with a widow’s house sticking in his throat, and says, “Lord, I thank you I am not as other men are!” There is a man for you, who brings forth no fruit to perfection. Another one is he who lives very morally and excellently, and depends upon his works and hopes to be saved by his righteousness: who comes before God, and asks for pardon, with a lie in his right hand, for he has brought his own self-righteousness with him. Such a man is a fruitless professor; he has brought forth no fruit. That man, again, is a fruitless professor who talks big words about high doctrine, and likes sound truth, but he does not like sound living: his pretensions are high but not his practice. He can bear to hear it said,

      “Once in Christ, in Christ for ever.”

      But as for himself he never was in Christ at all, for he neither loves nor serves his Master, but lives in sin that grace may abound. There is another fruitless vine for you.

      14. But why do I need to stop to single you out? May the Lord find you out tonight! There are many of you here, concerning whom the curse of Meroz might be uttered “Curse Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse bitterly its inhabitants; because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” Many of you are content to eat the fat and drink the sweet, and bring forth no fruit for God; nor do you serve him — lazy Issachars, crouching down like a strong ass between two burdens; neither speaking for Christ, nor praying for Christ, nor giving to Christ, nor living for Christ, but having a name to live, while you are dead; wrapping yourselves up in a profession, while you are not living for Christ, nor consecrating your being to him. Judge what I say; if you were put into the sieve this night, how many of you would come out clean in this matter? Are there not many high flying professors here, who fly high, but who do nothing; who can talk fast, but live as slowly as you like; who, perhaps, delight in hearing the truth, but who never practise the truth in serving their God, nor living to his honour? Such as you, sirs, are the most useless and worthless of all creatures in the world! For, like the vine, you would be honourable if you were fruitful; but without fruit, as the vine is despicable, so are you good for nothing but to be cast out and burned.

      15. 2. And now I come to the second question — Why is it that these men are fruitless, and must be cast away? The reason is, because СКАЧАТЬ