In the 18th century, John and Charles Wesley
began an evangelism ministry that changed the face
of history.
The majority of church leaders at the time
were hypocrites to the extreme, and they did
very little to promote holy living amongst the
congregation.
Most of the pulpits in the established church
were off-limits to the brothers, so they
began preaching in the fields.
They reached out to the poor and spoke
to people who had never even seen the
inside of a church.
John believed in the deity of Christ, miracles,
and the supernatural.
He fearlessly preached against the many sins of
his time, especially drunkenness and gambling.
He stressed holy living and sought to bring
sinners to conversion.
John Wesley's contribution to England, and to the
entire world, is immeasurable.
By the end of his life, much of
the ignorance, coarseness, brutality, and drunkenness had disappeared
from English living, and a new vitality came
to the Christian church at large.
This is James Christian, inviting you to listen
to John Wesley's complete unabridged sermons for the
benefit of your soul.
May the Lord bless you, and use these
as a means for prompting and continuing in
holiness.
Sermon 48 is entitled, Today's
text is taken from the book of Luke.
And he said to them all, If any
man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me.
Luke 9.23 It has been frequently imagined
that the direction here given related chiefly, if
not wholly, to the apostles, at least to
the Christians of the first ages, or those
in a state of persecution.
But this is a grievous mistake.
For although our blessed Lord is here directing
His discourse more immediately to His apostles, and
those other disciples who attended Him in the
days of His flesh, yet in them He
speaks to us, and to all mankind, without
any exception or limitation.
The very reason of the thing puts it
beyond dispute, that the duty which is here
enjoined is not peculiar to them, or to
the Christians of the early ages.
It no more regards any particular order of
men, or particular time, than any particular country.
No, it is of the most universal nature,
respecting all times and all persons, yea, and
all things, not meats and drinks only, and
things pertaining to the senses.
The meaning is, if any man of whatever
rank, station, circumstances, in any nation, in any
age of the world, will effectually come after
me, let him deny himself in all things,
let him take up his cross of whatever
kind, yea, and that daily, and follow me.
The denying ourselves, and the taking up our
cross, in the full extent of the expression,
is not a thing of small concern.
It is not expedient only, as are some
of the circumstantials of religion, but it is
absolutely, indispensably necessary, either to our becoming, or
continuing His disciples.
It is absolutely necessary, in the very nature
of the thing, to our coming after Him,
and following Him, insomuch that, as far as
we do not practice it, we are not
His disciples.
If we do not continually deny ourselves, we
do not learn of Him, but of other
masters.
If we do not take up our cross
daily, we do not come after Him, but
after the world, or the prince of the
world, or our own fleshly mind.
If we are not walking in the way
of the cross, we are not following Him,
we are not treading in His steps, but
going back from, or at least wide of
Him.
It is for this reason, that so many
ministers of Christ, in almost every age and
nation, particularly since the reformation of the Church
from the innovations and corruptions gradually crept into
it, have wrote and spoke so largely on
this important duty, both in their public discourses
and private exhortations.
This induced them to disperse abroad many tracts
upon the subject, and some in our own
nation.
They knew both from the oracles of God,
and from the testimony of their own experience,
how impossible it was not to deny our
Master, unless we will deny ourselves, and how
vainly we attempt to follow Him that was
crucified, unless we take up our cross daily.
But may not this very consideration make it
reasonable to inquire, if much has been said
and wrote on the subject already, what need
is there to say or write any more?
I answer, there are no inconsiderable numbers, even
of people fearing God, who have not had
the opportunity either of hearing what has been
spoke, or reading what has been wrote upon
it.
And perhaps, if they had read much of
what had been written, they would not have
been so much profited.
Many who have wrote, some of them large
volumes, do by no means appear to have
understood the subject.
Either they had imperfect views of the very
nature of it, and then they could never
explain it to others, or they were unacquainted
with the due extent of it.
They did not see how exceeding broad this
command is, or they were not sensible of
the absolute, the indispensable necessity of it.
Others speak of it in so dark, so
perplexed, so intricate, so mystical a manner, as
if they designed rather to conceal it from
the vulgar, than to explain it to the
common readers.
Others speak admirably well, with great clearness and
strength on the necessity of self-denial.
But then they deal in generals only, without
coming to particular instances, and so are of
little use to the bulk of mankind, to
men of ordinary capacity and education.
And, if some of them do descend to
particulars, it is to those particulars only which
do not affect the generality of men, since
they seldom, if ever, occur in common life.
Such as the enduring imprisonment or tortures, the
giving up, in a literal sense, their houses
or lands, their husbands or wives, children, or
life itself, to none of which we are
called, nor are likely to be, unless God
should permit times of public persecution to return.
In the meantime, I know of no writer
in the English tongue who has described the
nature of self-denial in plain and intelligible
terms, such as lie level with common understanding,
and applied it to those little particulars which
daily occur in common life.
A discourse of this kind is wanted still,
and it is wanted the more because, in
every stage of the spiritual life, although there
is a variety of particular hindrances of our
attaining grace or growing therein, yet are all
resolvable unto these general ones.
Either we do not deny ourselves, or we
do not take up our cross.
In order to supply this defect in some
degree, I shall endeavor to show, first, what
it is for a man to deny himself,
and what to take up his cross, and,
secondly, that, if a man be not fully
Christ's disciple, it is always owing to the
want of this.
I shall, first, endeavor to show what it
is for a man to deny himself and
take up his cross daily.
This is a point which is, of all
others, most necessary to be considered and thoroughly
understood, even on this account that it is,
of all others, most opposed by numerous and
powerful enemies.
All our nature must certainly rise up against
this, even in its own defense.
The world, consequently, the men who take nature,
not grace for their guide, abhor the very
sound of it, and the great enemy of
our souls, well knowing its importance, cannot but
move every stone against it.
But this is not all.
Even those who have, in some measure, shaken
off the yoke of the devil, who have
experienced, especially of late years, a real work
of grace in their hearts, yet are no
friends to this grand doctrine of Christianity, though
it is so peculiarly insisted upon by their
master.
Some of them are as deeply and totally
ignorant concerning it as if there were not
one word about it in the Bible.
Others are farther off still, having unawares imbibed
strong prejudices against it.
These they have received partly from outside Christians,
men of a fair speech and behavior, who
want nothing of godliness but the power, nothing
of religion but the spirit, and partly from
those who did once, if they do not
now, taste of the powers of the world
to come.
But are there any of these who do
not both practice self-denial themselves and recommend
it to others?
You are little acquainted with mankind if you
doubt of this.
There are whole bodies of men who only
do not declare war against it.
To go no farther than London, look upon
the whole body of predestinarians, who by the
free mercy of God have lately been called
out of the darkness of nature into the
light of faith.
Are they patterns of self-denial?
How few of them even profess to practice
it at all.
How few of them recommend it themselves or
are pleased with them that do.
Rather, do they not continually represent it in
the most odious colors, as if it were
seeking salvation by works or seeking to establish
our own righteousness?
And how readily do antinomians of all kinds,
from the smooth Moravian to the boisterous foul
-mouthed ranter, join the cry with their silly,
unmeaning cant of legality and preaching the law.
Therefore, you are in constant danger of being
wheedled, hectored, or ridiculed out of this important
gospel doctrine, either by false teachers or false
brethren, more or less beguiled from the simplicity
of the gospel, if you are not deeply
grounded therein.
Let fervent prayer, then, go before, accompany, and
follow what you are now about to hear,
that it may be written in your heart
by the finger of God, so as never
to be erased.
But what is self-denial?
Wherein are we to deny ourselves?
And whence does the necessity of this arise?
I answer, the will of God is the
supreme unalterable rule for every intelligent creature.
Equally binding every angel in heaven and every
man upon earth.
Nor can it be otherwise.
This is the natural necessary result of the
relation between creatures and their creator.
But if the will of God be our
one rule of action in everything, great and
small, it follows, by undeniable consequence, that we
are not to do our own will in
anything.
Here, therefore, we see at once the nature,
with the ground and reason, of self-denial.
We see the nature of self-denial.
It is the denying or refusing to follow
our own will from a conviction that the
will of God is the only rule of
action to us.
And we see the reason thereof, because we
are creatures, because it is he that hath
made us and not we ourselves.
This reason for self-denial must hold, even
with regard to the angels of God in
heaven, and with regard to man, innocent and
holy, as he came out of the hands
of his creator.
But a farther reason for it arises from
the condition wherein all men are since the
fall.
We are all now shapen in wickedness, and
in sin did our mother conceive us.
Our nature is altogether corrupt, in every power
and faculty.
And our will, depraved equally with the rest,
is wholly bent to indulge our natural corruption.
On the other hand, it is the will
of God that we resist and counteract that
corruption, not at some times, or in some
things only, but at all times, and in
all things.
Here, therefore, is a farther ground for constant
and universal self-denial.
To illustrate this a little further, the will
of God is a path leading straight to
God.
The will of man, which once ran parallel
with it, is now another path, not only
different from it, but, in our present state,
directly contrary to it.
It leads from God.
If, therefore, we walk in the one, we
must necessarily quit the other.
We cannot walk in both.
Indeed, a man of faint heart and feeble
hands may go in two ways, one after
the other, but he cannot walk in two
ways at the same time.
He cannot, at one and the same time,
follow his own will, and follow the will
of God.
He must choose the one or the other,
denying God's will to follow his own, or
denying himself to follow the will of God.
Now, it is undoubtedly pleasing for the time
to follow our own will by indulging in
any instance that offers the corruption of our
nature.
But by following it in anything, we so
far strengthen the perverseness of our will, and
by indulging it, we continually increase the corruption
of our nature.
So, by the food which is agreeable to
the palate, we often increase a bodily disease.
It gratifies the taste, but it inflames the
disorder.
It brings pleasure, but it also brings death.
On the whole, then, to deny ourselves is
to deny our own will, where it does
not fall in with the will of God,
and that, however pleasing it may be.
It is to deny ourselves any pleasure which
does not spring from and lead to God.
That is, in effect, to refuse going out
of our way, though it be into a
pleasant flowery path, to refuse what we know
to be deadly poison, though agreeable to the
taste.
And everyone that would follow Christ, that would
be his real disciple, must not only deny
himself, but take up his cross also.
A cross is anything contrary to our will,
anything displeasing to our nature.
So that taking up our cross goes a
little farther than denying ourselves, it rises a
little higher, and is a more difficult task
to flesh and blood, it being more easy
to forego pleasure than to endure pain.
Now, in running the race which is set
before us, according to the will of God,
there is often a cross lying in the
way, that is, something which is not only
not joyous, but grievous, something which is contrary
to our will, which is displeasing to our
nature.
What, then, is to be done?
The choice is plain.
Either we must take up our cross, or
we must turn aside from the way of
God, from the holy commandment delivered to us,
if we do not stop altogether, or turn
back to everlasting perdition.
In order to the healing of that corruption,
that evil disease, which every man brings with
him into the world, it is often needful
to pluck out, as it were, a right
eye, to cut off a right hand.
So painful is either the thing itself which
must be done, or the only means of
doing it.
The parting, suppose, with a foolish desire, with
an inordinate affection, or a separation from the
object of it, without which it can never
be extinguished.
In the former kind, the tearing away such
a desire or affection, when it is deeply
rooted in the soul, it is often like
the piercing of a sword, yea, like the
dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, the
joints and marrow.
The Lord, then, sits upon the soul as
a refiner's fire, to burn all the dross
thereof.
And this is a cross indeed.
It is essentially painful.
It must be so, in the very nature
of the thing.
The soul cannot be thus torn asunder.
It cannot pass through the fire without pain.
In the latter kind, the means to heal
a sin-sick soul, to cure a foolish
desire, an inordinate affection, are often painful, not
in the nature of the thing, but from
the nature of the disease.
So when our Lord said to the rich
young man, Go sell that thou hast, and
give it to the poor, as well knowing
this was the only means of healing his
covetousness, the very thought of it gave him
so much pain, that he went away sorrowful,
choosing rather to part with his hope of
heaven than his possessions on earth.
This was a burden he could not consent
to lift, a cross he would not take
up.
And in the one kind or the other,
every follower of Christ will surely have need
to take up his cross daily.
The taking up differs a little from bearing
his cross.
We are then properly said to bear our
cross when we endure what is laid upon
us without our choice, with meekness and resignation.
Whereas we do not properly take up our
cross, but when we voluntarily suffer what is
in our power to avoid, when we willingly
embrace the will of God, though contrary to
our own, when we choose what is painful,
because it is the will of our wise
and gracious Creator.
And thus it behooves every disciple of Christ
to take up as well as to bear
his cross.
Indeed, in one sense, it is not his
alone, it is common to him and many
others, seeing there is no temptation befalls any
man, but such as is common to men,
such as is incident and adapted to their
common nature and situation in the present world.
But in another sense, as it is considered
with all its circumstances, it is his, peculiar
to himself.
It is prepared of God for him.
It is given by God to him as
a token of his love.
And, if he receives it as such, and,
after using such means to remove the pressure,
as Christian wisdom directs, lies as clay in
the potter's hand, it is disposed and ordered
by God for his good, both with regard
to the quality of it, and in respect
to its quantity and degree, its duration, and
every other circumstance.
In all this, we may easily conceive our
blessed Lord to act as the physician of
our souls, not merely for his own pleasure,
but for our profit, that we may be
partakers of his holiness.
If, in searching our wounds, he puts us
to pain, it is only in order to
heal them.
He cuts away what is putrefied or unsound
in order to preserve the sound part.
And, if we freely choose the loss of
a limb rather than the whole body should
perish, how much more should we choose, figuratively,
to cut off a right hand rather than
the whole soul should be cast into hell?
We see plainly, then, both the nature and
ground of taking up our cross.
It does not imply the disciplining ourselves, as
some speak, the literally tearing our own flesh,
the wearing haircloth or iron girdles, or anything
else that would impair our bodily health, although
we know not what allowance God may make
for those who act thus through involuntary ignorance,
but the embracing the will of God, though
contrary to our own, the choosing wholesome, though
bitter, medicines, the freely accepting temporary pain, of
whatever kind and in whatever degree, when it
is either essentially or accidentally necessary to eternal
pleasure.
Part 2 I am, secondly, to show that
it is always owing to the want of
either self-denial or taking up his cross
that any man does not thoroughly follow him,
is not fully a disciple of Christ.
It is true this may be partly owing,
in some cases, to the want of the
means of grace, of hearing the true word
of God spoken with power, of the sacraments,
or of Christian fellowship.
But where none of these is wanting, the
great hindrance of our receding or growing in
the grace of God is always the want
of denying ourselves or taking up our cross.
A few instances will make this plain.
A man hears the word which is able
to save his soul.
He is well pleased with what he hears,
acknowledges the truth, and is a little affected
by it.
Yet he remains dead in trespasses and sins,
senseless and unawakened.
Why is this?
Because he will not part with his bosom's
sin, though he now knows it is an
abomination to the Lord.
He came to hear full of lust and
unholy desires, and he will not part with
them.
Therefore, no deep impression is made upon him,
but his foolish heart is still hardened.
That is, he is still senseless and unawakened
because he will not deny himself.
Suppose he begins to awaken out of sleep,
and his eyes are a little opened.
Why are they so quickly closed again?
Why does he again sink into the sleep
of death?
Because he again yields to his bosom's sin.
He drinks again of the pleasing poison.
Therefore, it is impossible that any lasting impression
should be made upon his heart.
That is, he relapses into his fatal insensibility
because he will not deny himself.
But this is not the case with all.
We have many instances of those who, when
once awakened, sleep no more.
The impressions once received do not wear away.
They are not only deep, but lasting.
And yet, many of these have not found
what they seek.
They mourn and yet are not comforted.
Now, why is this?
It is because they do not bring forth
fruits meat for repentance.
Because they do not, according to the grace
they have received, cease from evil and do
good.
They do not cease from the easily besetting
sin, the sin of their constitution, of their
education, or of their profession.
Or they omit doing the good they may,
and know they ought to do, because of
some disagreeable circumstance attending it.
That is, they do not attain faith because
they will not deny themselves or take up
their cross.
But this man did receive the heavenly gift.
He did taste of the powers of the
world to come.
He saw the light of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The peace which passeth all understanding did rule
his heart and mind, and the love of
God was shed abroad therein by the Holy
Ghost which was given unto him.
Yet, he is now weak as another man.
He again relishes the things of earth and
has more taste for the things which are
seen than those for which are not seen.
The eye of his understanding is closed again
so that he cannot see him that is
invisible.
His love is waxed cold, and the peace
of God no longer rules in his heart.
And no marvel, for he has again given
place to the devil and grieved the Holy
Spirit of God.
He has turned again unto folly, to some
pleasing sin, if not an outward act, yet
in heart.
He has given place to pride or anger
or desire or self-will or stubbornness.
Or he did not stir up the gift
of God which was in him.
He gave way to spiritual sloth and would
not be at the pains of praying always
and watching thereunto with all perseverance.
That is, he made shipwreck of the faith
for want of self-denial and taking up
his cross daily.
But perhaps he has not made a shipwreck
of the faith.
He has still a measure of the spirit
of adoption which continues to witness with his
spirit that he is a child of God.
However, he is not going on to perfection.
He is not, as once, hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, panting after the whole image and
full enjoyment of God, as the heart after
the water brook.
Rather, he is weary and faint in his
mind, and, as it were, hovering between life
and death.
And why is he thus but because he
hath forgotten the word of God by works
his faith made perfect?
He does not use all diligence in working
the works of God.
He does not continue instant in prayer, private
as well as public, in communicating, hearing, meditation,
fasting and religious conference.
If he does not wholly neglect some of
these means, at least he does not use
them all with his might.
Or he is not zealous of works of
charity as well as works of piety.
He is not merciful after his power with
the full ability which God giveth.
He does not fervently serve the Lord by
doing good to men in every kind and
in every degree he can to their souls
as well as their bodies.
And why does he not continue in prayer?
Because in time of dryness it is pain
and grief unto him.
He does not continue in hearing at all
opportunities because sleep is sweet or it is
cold or dark or rainy.
But why does he not continue in works
of mercy?
Because he cannot feed the hungry or clothe
the naked unless he retrench the expense of
his own apparel or use cheaper and less
pleasing food.
Beside which the visiting the sick or those
that are in prison is attended with many
disagreeable circumstances.
And so are most works of spiritual mercy,
reproof in particular.
He would reprove his neighbor but sometimes shame,
sometimes fear comes between.
For he may expose himself not only to
ridicule but to heavier inconveniences too.
Upon these and the like considerations he omits
one or more if not all works of
mercy and piety.
Therefore his faith is not made perfect.
Neither can he grow in grace namely because
he will not deny himself and take up
his daily cross.
It manifestly follows that it is always owing
to the want either of self-denial or
taking up his cross that a man does
not thoroughly follow his Lord, that he is
not fully a disciple of Christ.
It is owing to this that he who
is dead in sin does not awake though
the trumpet be blown, that he who begins
to awake out of sleep yet has no
deep or lasting conviction, that he who is
deeply and lastingly convinced of sin does not
attain remission of sins, that some who have
received this heavenly gift retain it not but
make shipwreck of the faith, and that others,
if they do not draw back to perdition,
yet are weary and faint in their mind
and do not reach the mark of the
prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
How easily may we learn hence that they
know neither the Scripture nor the power of
God who directly or indirectly, in public or
in private, oppose the doctrine of self-denial
and the daily cross!
How totally ignorant are these men of a
hundred particular texts as well as of the
general tenor of the whole oracles of God!
And how entirely unacquainted must they be with
true genuine Christian experience of the manner wherein
the Holy Spirit ever did and does at
this day work in the souls of men!
They may talk indeed very loudly and confidently,
a natural fruit of ignorance, as though they
were the only men who understood either the
word of God or the experience of His
children.
But their words are, in every sense, vain
words.
They are weighed in the balance and found
wanting.
We may learn from hence, secondly, the real
cause why not only many particular persons but
even bodies of men who were once burning
and shining lights have now lost both their
light and heat.
If they did not hate and oppose, they
at least lightly esteemed this precious gospel doctrine.
If they did not boldly say, We trample
all self-denial underfoot, we devote it to
destruction.
Yet they neither valued it according to its
high importance nor took any pains in practicing
it.
Said that great bad man, The mystic writers
teach self-denial.
No, the inspired writers.
And God teaches it to every soul who
is willing to hear His voice.
We may learn from hence, thirdly, that it
is not enough for a minister of the
gospel not to oppose the doctrine of self
-denial, to say nothing concerning it.
Nay, he cannot satisfy his duty by saying
a little in favor of it.
If he would indeed be pure from the
blood of all men, he must speak of
it frequently and largely.
He must inculcate the necessity of it in
the clearest and strongest manner.
He must press it with his might on
all persons at all times and in all
places, laying line upon line, line upon line,
precept upon precept, precept upon precept.
So shall he have a conscience void of
offense.
So shall he save his own soul and
those that hear him.
Lastly, see that you apply this, every one
of you, to your own soul.
Meditate upon it when you are in secret.
Ponder it in your heart.
Take care not only to understand it thoroughly,
but to remember it to your life's end.
Cry unto the strong for strength that you
may no sooner understand than enter upon the
practice of it.
Delay not the time, but practice it immediately
from this very hour.
Practice it universally on every one of the
thousand occasions which will occur in all circumstances
of life.
Practice it daily without intermission from the hour
you first set your hand to the plow
and enduring therein to the end till your
spirit returns to God.
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