Sermon #2711 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1Volume 47 www.spurgeongem - PDF document

Sermon #211 MetropoOLtan TabernacOe PuOpLt 1VoOume 4 1 A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK ON A THURSDAY EVENING, DURING THE WINTER OF 1858-59 “Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance?” Habakkuk 1:3 ,N tKLs dLscourse Lt ZLOO be m\ endeavor to assLJn some reasons ZK\ *od causes +Ls peopOe to see 2 TKe SLJKt of ,nLquLt\ Sermon #211 2 VoOume 4 /ord beJLns b\ teacKLnJ us +Ls foundatLon trutK of our utter depravLt\—+e burns Lt Lnto our conscLence b\ bLtter e[perLence and b\ terrLbOe dLscoverLes of our sLnfuOness—and +e NnoZs rLJKt ZeOO tKat tKe otKer doctrLnes ZLOO foOOoZ and tKat ZKen tKLs trutK Ls reaOO\ understood b\ us Ze sKaOO not be OonJ before Ze Kave ortKodo[ vLeZs of tKe ZKoOe covenant of Jrace and tKe Jreat s\stem of tKe *ospeO of -esus. TKLs , tKLnN Ls one reason ZK\ tKe /ord JLves +Ls peopOe reveOatLons of tKeLr oZn LnLquLt\ and Moreover , beOLeve tKat +e does tKLs to keep them humble. ,f our Master dLd not sometLmes Oet us Kave a OooN at ourseOves Ze sKouOd be fearfuOO\ proud. TKe oOd PurLtans used to sa\ tKat *od Kas JLven tKe peacocN bOacN feet tKat Ke ma\ not be proud of KLs brLJKt featKers and tKat Ln OLNe manner Ke Kas aOOoZed +Ls peopOe to Kave tKe bOacN feet of tKeLr oZn sLnfuOness tKat tKe\ ma\ not JOor\ Ln an\ of tKe Jraces ZKLcK *od tKe +oO\ SpLrLt Kas JLven tKem. But tKat ZKLOe tKe\ Kave tKose Jraces so brLJKt and :e are aOO b\ nature as proud as /ucLfer. ,f an\ man tKLnNs KLmseOf to be LncapabOe of prLde Ke Ls ver\ proud Lndeed. ³AK!´ sa\s one ³, NnoZ , never can be fOattered.´ But sLr \ou fOatter \ourseOf to an e[traordLnar\ deJree ZKen \ou sa\ tKat. PrLde Ls naturaO to us aOO—Lt Ls Zoven Lnto tKe Zarp and Zoof of our beLnJ. :e sKaOO never Jet rLd of Lt tLOO tKe Zorm Kas eaten up our fOesK—notKLnJ ZLOO ever cover up our prLde e[cept our ZLndLnJ-sKeets—and ZKen our bodLes are Zrapped up Ln tKem and our souOs are Our communLon ZLtK CKrLst our proJress toZards Keaven our Lncreased NnoZOedJe our Jood ZorNs—aO1 tKese tKLnJs Kave tKrouJK tKe evLO Keart of our unbeOLef a tendenc\ to puff us up tKouJK Ln trutK beLnJ aOO JLven to us b\ tKe SpLrLt tKere Ls no OeJLtLmate cause for prLde Ln an\ of us. And tKerefore *od to Neep +Ls peopOe Ln tKeLr rLJKt pOace KumbOes tKem ZLtK dLscoverLes of tKeLr oZn sLnfuOness. ,f tKeLr sKLps Kad aOO saLO and no baOOast tKe\ ZouOd soon be ZrecNed. So ZKen *od fLOOs +Ls peopOe ZLtK abundant reveOatLons +e aOso sends tKem a tKorn Ln tKe fOesK—tKe messenJer of Satan Ls sent to buffet tKem tKat tKe\ ma\ ZaON KumbO\ ZLtK *od and boZ tKeLr Keads Ln submLssLon before +Lm—NnoZLnJ tKemseOves to stLOO be uncOean apart from tKe ZorN of CKrLst -esus tKeLr /ord ZKLcK +e Kas BeOoved \ou can bear me ZLtness tKat ZKen \ou Kave Kad sad dLscoverLes of \our oZn KeLnous JuLOt \ou Kave been deepO\ KumbOed. SometLmes \our Jood ZorNs Kave been a Jreat evLO to \ou because \ou Kave prLded \ourseOf upon tKem and so brouJKt \ourseOf to tKe edJe of tKe precLpLce of But manLfestatLons of \our JuLOt brouJKt Kome to \our conscLence b\ *od¶s SpLrLt Kave been of essentLaO servLce to \ou b\ teacKLnJ \ou not to be KLJK-mLnded but ratKer to fear and to remember tKat \our standLnJ Ln Jrace Ls not of \ourseOf and tKerefore \ou must not boast. TKat Ls anotKer Jood reason Lf tKere Zere no otKer ZK\ Ze A tKLrd reason ZK\ *od sometLmes sKoZs +Ls peopOe tKeLr oZn ZLcNedness Ls to make them n to be Ln -ob¶s posLtLon. ,f , must be Ln a KospLtaO , ZouOd ratKer be tKere as a pubOLcan tKan as a PKarLsee. For a PKarLsee notKLnJ ZouOd be Jood enouJK—Ke ZouOd tKLnN KLs panJs and mLserLes Zere Jreat Lndeed for But tKe poor pubOLcan ZouOd sa\ ³, am a Jreat sLnner and tKese mLserLes are not a mLOOLontK part of ZKat , deserve to suffer. TKese acKes and paLns are notKLnJ compared ZLtK ZKat , merLt at tKe Kand of *od. TKerefore , ZLOO bear tKem aOO ZLtK submLssLon. :K\ sKouOd a OLvLnJ man compOaLn? , am stLOO out AK! bretKren Ze Kave a Jreat dLffLcuOt\ to Neep murmurLnJ doZn. TKere Ls ver\ mucK meanLnJ Ln tKat oOd EnJOLsK Zord murmur. -ust sound Lt—Lt Ls . An\ cKLOd can sa\ tKat. ,t Ls one of tKe easLest Zords to speaN and tKat Ls ZK\ , tKLnN Ze Kave tKat Zord for compOaLnLnJ and JrumbOLnJ Sermon #211 TKe SLJKt of ,nLquLt\ 3 VoOume 4 3 because murmurLnJ Ls sucK a ver\ eas\ tKLnJ. An\one can murmur an\one can JrumbOe an\one can compOaLn. MurmurLnJ seems to Kave been bred Ln tKe bones of tKe cKLOdren of ,sraeO for Ln tKe ZLOderness tKe\ Zere aOmost aOZa\s murmurLnJ—murmurLnJ for Zater ZKen tKe\ Zere tKLrst\ murmurLnJ for bread tKen murmurLnJ for meat murmurLnJ because tKe AnaNLms Zere taOO—murmurLnJ fLrst for one tKLnJ and tKen for anotKer. TKe\ Zere aOZa\s at Lt. TKe\ Zere contLnuaOO\ murmurLnJ for fort\ OonJ A\ and man\ of us are aOO too apt to LmLtate tKem. But tKe surest Za\ to cure us of murmurLnJ Ls to Oet us NnoZ our oZn LOO-desert. A man ZKo Kas been tauJKt to reaOL]e KLs oZn ZLcNedness and KLs oZn LOO-desert ZLOO be Oess OLNeO\ to murmur tKan an\one eOse. TKe poor ZretcK ZKo Kas Kad tKe rope round KLs necN and Kas been read\ to be KanJed ZKen Ke Jets KLs pardon and Joes KLs Za\—\ou ZLOO not fLnd KLm murmurLnJ at tKe fare tKat Ls provLded for KLm. +e ZLOO sa\ ³OK! Lt Ls sucK a Zonder to me to be aOLve at aOO Lt Ls sucK an act of merc\ tKat , Kave Kad m\ OLfe spared tKat tKLs dr\ bread becomes OLNe d Zater tastes to me OLNe tK TKe /ord does tKus often taNe +Ls cKLOdren Lnto tKe strLppLnJ-room and Lnto tKe starvLnJ-room and Oets tKem see tKat aOO tKeLr affOLctLons are Oess tKan tKe\ deserve—tKat tKeLr troubOes are but as tKe smaOO dust of tKe baOance compared ZLtK tKe mountaLns of trLbuOatLon and anJuLsK ZKLcK tKe\ deserve to Kave AJaLn ZKen tKe /ord reveaOs to us our LnLquLt\ Lt Ls to put us on our watchtower. :Ken +e sKoZs us tKe sLn tKat Ls Ln our Keart Lt Ls OLNe a captaLn poLntLnJ to a feZ sNLrmLsKers ZKo Kave Must come before an arm\ tKat Ls advancLnJ. ³TKere m\ men´ sa\s tKe captaLn ³\ou see tKose soOdLers—tKe\ are tKe advance Juard of tKe enem\. /ooN sKarpO\ after tKem for tKere Ls a Jreat arm\ beKLnd tKem so be on TKus tKe +oO\ SpLrLt dLscovers to us our evLO desLres and corruptLons +e ZaNes us up to see tKem. And ZKen Ze Kave seen tKem +e sa\s to us ³TaNe care. TKLs OLttOe tKat , Kave sKoZn \ou Ls to Zarn \ou of a Jreat arm\ tKat Ls beKLnd. TKese feZ evLO ones tKat Kave Must appeared to \our vLsLon are but tKe outrLders of a Kost of bOacN tKLnJs tKat are read\ to attacN \ou so be aOZa\s upon \our ZatcKtoZer be , tKLnN tKat soOdLers need to Kave a feZ aOarms on tKeLr marcK. ,f tKe\ Kad none tKe\ mLJKt become careOess and reOa[ dLscLpOLne—and tKen tKe\ mLJKt be entLced Lnto a defeat and so be surprLsed and cut off. But ZKen tKe\ Kave a feZ enemLes to Karass tKem on tKe fOanN and rear tKe\ are more OLNeO\ to be ZatcKfuO and to Neep a sKarp OooN-out so tKat Ln case of a sudden attacN tKe\ ZouOd be read\ to repeO tKe foe. TKe absence of enemLes Ls apt to breed a sOotKfuOness ZKLcK dLsabOes—and tLmes of ease seOdom suLt *od¶s soOdLers. +oOLda\s ruLned tKe arm\ of +annLbaO and Lt Ls for our Jood tKat *od stLrs up tKe , ZLOO JLve onO\ one more ansZer to tKLs fLrst questLon and tKen , ZLOO pass to tKe otKer poLnt. TKe /ord often sKoZs us our LnLquLt\ to make us value salvation all the more.