Living Authentically: The Christian Witness and Its Impact

The daily inconsistencies of the people of God have much to do in this matter by inconsistencies I do not exactly mean those grosser crimes into which at sad and mournful periods many professors fall but I mean those frequent inconsistencies which become so common in deed that they are scarcely condemned by Society. [07:09]

The covetousness of too many Christians has had this effect look says the worldly this man professes that his inheritance is above and that his affection is set not on things on the Earth but on things of heaven but look at him he is just as Earnest as I am about the things of this world. [07:33]

The Church of Christ appears to be as worldly as the world itself and professors of religion have become as sharp in trade and as ungenerous in their dealing as those that have never been baptized into the Lord Jesus and have never professed to serve him and now what does the world say it throws this in our teeth. [08:45]

Look too at the Manifest pride of many professors of religion you see members of Christian churches as proud as they possibly can be their backs are as stiff as if an iron Rod were in the center they come up to the house of God and it is a Christian doctrine that God is made of one flesh All Nations that dwell upon the face of the Earth. [11:31]

The pride of the church surely has become almost as great as the pride of Sodom ofal her fullness of bread and her stiffness of neck ha brought her to exalt herself and whereas it is the real glory of the church that the poor have the gospel preached unto them and that the poor have received the word with gladness. [12:40]

The various enmities and stries and divisions that arise you tell the worldly man that Christians love each other ah says he you should go over to Ebenezer or to reoboth and see how they love each other don't talk of leading a cat and dog life look at many of your churches see how the minister is treated. [14:22]

How often do the people of God Comfort sinners in their sins by their murmurings and their complaints oh beloved we are too much in the habit of covering our faces with sadness on account of our temporal trials and too little in the habit of weeping on account of the failings of the Church of God. [19:48]

I was sincerely desirous of being led in the right path that night but I heard you speak in such a strain of levity and with so much coarseness too that I went outside the house while you were sitting down to your evening meal I stamped my foot upon the ground I said that you were liar that Christianity was a falsehood. [33:39]

The Church of God at the present age is cold and lukewarm and lifeless compared with what it used to be when I was preaching in Wales this week I could not but observe the power which attended the ministry when there was a living congregation and an Earnest company gathered together to hear the word of God. [22:59]

The world says we like everything to go on smoothly we like a man to go to his own Parish church and hear a good solid substantial sermon read we like to go up to the meeting house and hear a sober eloquent Divine we don't like any of this Furious preaching any of the these Earnest exaltations. [24:59]

I have doubtless a very large number of persons who are not converted to God and who have continually made this their excuse I see so much of the inconsistencies of professors that I do not intend to think about religion myself my hearer I conjure thee by the Living God give me thine ear a moment. [36:11]

Church of God awake awake wake awake to the Salvation of men sleep no longer begin to pray to wrestle to travail in birth be more holy more consistent more strict more solemn in thy deportment begin oh Soldiers of Christ to be more true to your colors and as surely as the time shall come when the church shall thus be reformed. [46:27]