Thursday, July 28, 2011

Go to the work, stay at the work


Find a man who is pleading with sinners, really practically engaged in the work, and is bringing souls to Jesus Christ, and I will warrant you that he will be orthodox. He believes in the doctrine of human depravity, for he sees it to be a fact: he believes in the work of the Holy Spirit, for he often sees his own work to be good for nothing: he believes in sovereign grace, for he often observes that some are saved whom he least expected to see, and those whom he looked for are left behind.

There is nothing like work to keep a man soundly evangelical. When a fellow has nothing to do, the devil puts it into his head to write an essay against the orthodox faith. The man is a practical ignoramus, and, therefore, he is wiser than seven men that can render a reason. His hands are unemployed, and, therefore, he wanders about in Christ’s halls, whittling the doctrines of truth, and inventing new notions to please his fancy. Get to work, and you will be healthy. If God makes you a light to others you will be bright yourself, as you are giving the light your shining will burn off the spots and blots. When iron is red hot the blackness disappears. Streams as they run let fall their impurities, and filter themselves; and so the working Christian is enabled by God’s Spirit to purge himself from errors. He does God’s will, and therefore he knows
his doctrine.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Light Of The World," delivered April 27, 1873. Image by pasotraspaso on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

3 comments:

drawingcloser said...

Wow! Spurgeon really shined for Christ so bright he still does. May we all learn to shine for Christ like he did

Jill said...

wow!!!

Wilks in Poland said...

Wow, what a master of words! Love it! Thanks for the fine encouragement!