Then, unless you were
sanctified very early, you never loved God in your life.
My dear friends, I am more particular in this, because it is a most
deceitful delusion, whereby so many people are carried away, that they
believe already. Therefore it is remarked of Mr. Marshall, giving
account of his experiences, that he had been working for life, and he
had ranged all his sins under the ten commandments, and then, coming
to a minister, asked him the reason why he could not get peace. The
minister looked to his catalog. "Away," says he, "I do not find one
word of the sin of unbelief in all your catalog." It is the peculiar
work of the Spirit of God to convince us of our unbelief--that we have
got no faith. Says Jesus Christ, "I will send the comforter; and when
he is come, he will reprove the world" of the sin of unbelief; "of
sin," says Christ, "because they believe not on me."
Now, my dear friends, did God ever show you that you had no faith?
Were you ever made to bewail a hard heart of unbelief? Was it ever the
language of your heart, Lord, give me faith; Lord, enable me to lay
hold on Thee; Lord, enable me to call Thee my Lord and my God? Did
Jesus Christ ever convince you in this manner? Did he ever convince
you of your inability to close with Christ, and make you to cry out to
God to give you faith? If not, do not speak peace to your heart.
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