Category Archives: Old-Time Sermons

Do You Believe?

Do You Believe?

by

J. C. Ryle

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish—but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Look at the well-known text which heads this page. Its words are probably familiar to your ears. You have very likely heard them, or read them, or quoted them, a hundred times. But have you ever considered what a vast amount of divinity this text contains? No wonder that Luther called it “the Bible in miniature!” And have you ever considered what an immensely solemn question arises out of this text? The Lord Jesus says, “Whoever believes shall not perish.” Now, reader, DO YOU BELIEVE?

Questions about religion are seldom popular. They frighten people. They oblige them to look within and to think. The insolvent tradesman does not like his books to be searched. The faithless steward does not like his accounts to be examined. And the unconverted professing Christian does not like to be asked home-questions about his soul. Continue reading

Sovereignty and Responsibility

NOTES OF

A SERMON

DELIVERED BY

Rev. BASIL MANLY, D.D.

AT

PLEASANT GROVE CHURCH
FAYETTE CO., ALA.

APRIL 8th, 1849

Philippians 2: 12, 13. “Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure.”

To understand any passage of scripture, we must know to whom it is addressed. This is obviously addressed, in common with the whole epistle, to believers;–“to all saints in Christ Jesus, which are in Philippi.” The beginning of the 12th verse, in which our text commences, implies this. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed; not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence; work out,” The terms, therefore, may be readily understood.

He could not mean, by working out our own salvation, devising the plan;–that is the Father’s work, and was done long ago. Not redemption or justification;–these were the Son’s work, and were accomplished in that one offering, completed when he said ‘it is finished,’ and went to plead that finished sacrifice before the throne of God. Not regeneration;–that is the Spirit’s work, and is evidently supposed to have been already wrought in those very persons;–they were saved-saints–so far, therefore, as regards regeneration, and sanctification, (in part at least,) salvation was already wrought in them. Continue reading

A Call to Prayer

A CALL TO PRAYER

J.C. Ryle, 1878

“Men ought always to pray.” Luke 18:1

“I will that men pray everywhere.” 1 Timothy 2:1

I have a question to offer you. It is contained in three words, DO YOU PRAY?

The question is one that none but you can answer. Whether you attend public worship or not — your minister knows. Whether you have family prayers or not — your relations know. But whether you pray in private or not — is a matter between yourself and God.

I beseech you in all affection, to attend to the subject which I bring before you. Do not say that my question is too close. If your heart is right in the sight of God, there is nothing in it to make you afraid. Do not turn off my question by replying that you say your prayers. It is one thing to say your prayers — and another to really pray. Do not tell me that my question is not necessary. Listen to me for a few minutes, and I will show you good reason for asking it. Continue reading

Trying the Spirits

Trying the Spirits

Preached at Gower Street Chapel, London,
on June 18, 1865, by J. C. Philpot

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
1 John 4:1

Has it never struck you as a remarkable circumstance that in what are called primitive times, no, in the very days of the apostles themselves, there should spring up in the professing church a crop of men, some of whom were abandoned to the vilest sins, and others given up to believe and propagate the grossest errors and heresies? We would naturally have thought that when such manifest dangers awaited every one who professed to believe in Jesus Christ; when Christians were objects on every side of the deepest enmity and hottest persecution; when every convert carried his life as if in his hand; above all, when there was such a large outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the churches, that there would have been generally, as well as individually, both purity of doctrine and purity of life. But that such was far from the case is evident from the testimony of the New Testament Scriptures. Continue reading

Distinguishing Marks

Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God

by

Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” [1 John 4:1]

In the apostolic age, there was the greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God that ever was; both as to his extraordinary influences and gifts, and his ordinary operations, in convincing, converting, enlightening, and sanctifying the souls of men. But as the influences of the true Spirit abounded, so counterfeits did also abound: the devil was abundant in mimicking, both the ordinary and extraordinary influences of the Spirit of God, as is manifest by innumerable passages of the apostles’ writings. This made it very necessary that the church of Christ should be furnished with some certain rules, distinguishing and clear marks, by which she might proceed safely in judging of the true from the false without danger of being imposed upon. The giving of such rules is the plain design of this chapter, where we have this matter more expressly and fully treated of than any where else in the Bible. Continue reading