"Spurgeon Speaks Postmodernism From the Grave" From Steve Camp's Blog (www.stevenjcamp.blogspot.com)
Spurgeon Speaks to Postmodernism from the Grave
Titled & Compiled by Dr. James White
"We have to deal with a spirit, I know not how to denominate it, unless I call it a spirit of moderatism in the pulpits of protestant churches. Men have begun to rub off the rough edges of truth, to give up the doctrines of Luther and Zwingle, and Calvin, and to endeavour to accommodate them to polished tastes. You might go into a Roman Catholic chapel now-a-days, and hear as good a sermon from a Popish priest as you hear in many cases from a Protestant minister, because he does not touch disputed points, or bring out the angular parts of our Protestant religion. Mark, too, in the great majority of our books what a dislike there is to sound doctrine! the writers seem to fancy that truth is of no more value than error; that as for the doctrines we preach, it cannot matter what they are; still holding that
"He can't be wrong whose life is in the right."
"There is creeping into the pulpits of Baptists and every other denomination, a lethargy and coldness, and with that a sort of nullification of all truth. While they for the most part preach but little notable error, yet the truth itself is uttered in so minute a form that no one detects it, and in so ambiguous a style, that no one is struck with it. So far as man can do it, God's arrows are blunted, and the edge of his sword is turned in the day of battle. Men do not hear the truth as they used to. The velvet mouth is succeeding to the velvet cushion, and the organ is the only thing in the building which giveth forth a certain sound. From all such things, "good Lord deliver us!" May heaven put an end to all this moderatism; we want out-and-out truth in these perilous days; we want a man just now to speak as God tells him, and care for nobody. Oh! if we had some of the old Scotch preachers! Those Scotch preachers made kings tremble; they were no men's servants; they were very lords, wherever they went, because each of them said, "God has given me a message; my brow is like adamant against men; I will speak what God bids me." Like Micah, they said, "As the Lord my God liveth, whatsoever my God saith unto me, that will I speak." Heroes of the truth, soldiers of Christ awake! Even now there are enemies. Think not that the fight is over; the great warfare of truth waxes more hot and fierce than ever. Oh! soldiers of Christ! take your swords from your scabbards! stand up for God and for his truth again, lest a free grace gospel should be forgotten."
"But I think that the worst battlement the churches have now, is an earthwork of great and extreme caution. It is held to be improper that certain obnoxious truths in the Bible should be preached; sundry reasons are given why they should be withheld. One is, because it tends to discourage men from coming to Christ. Another is, because certain persons will be offended on account of these rough edges of the gospel. Some would say, "O keep them back! You need not preach such and such a doctrine. Why preach distinguishing grace? Why divine sovereignty? Why election? why perseverance? why effectual calling? These are calculated to offend the people, they cannot endure such truths." If you tell them about the love of Christ, and the vast mercy of God, and such like it will always be pleasing and satisfying; but you must never preach deep searching law-work, you must not be cutting at the heart and sending the lancet into the soul-that would be dangerous. Hence most churches are shielding themselves behind an ignominious bulwark of extreme caution. You never hear their ministers spoken against; they are quite safe behind the screen you will be very much puzzled to tell what are the real doctrinal views of our modern divines. I believe you will pick up in some poor humble chapel more doctrinal knowledge in half an hour, than in some of your larger chapels in half a century. God's church must be brought once more to rely upon the pure truth, upon the simple gospel, the unalloyed doctrines of the grace of God. O may this church never have any bulwark but the promises of God! May he be her strength and shield! May his Aegis be o'er our head and be our constant guard! May we never depart from the simplicity of the faith!"
Titled & Compiled by Dr. James White
"We have to deal with a spirit, I know not how to denominate it, unless I call it a spirit of moderatism in the pulpits of protestant churches. Men have begun to rub off the rough edges of truth, to give up the doctrines of Luther and Zwingle, and Calvin, and to endeavour to accommodate them to polished tastes. You might go into a Roman Catholic chapel now-a-days, and hear as good a sermon from a Popish priest as you hear in many cases from a Protestant minister, because he does not touch disputed points, or bring out the angular parts of our Protestant religion. Mark, too, in the great majority of our books what a dislike there is to sound doctrine! the writers seem to fancy that truth is of no more value than error; that as for the doctrines we preach, it cannot matter what they are; still holding that
"He can't be wrong whose life is in the right."
"There is creeping into the pulpits of Baptists and every other denomination, a lethargy and coldness, and with that a sort of nullification of all truth. While they for the most part preach but little notable error, yet the truth itself is uttered in so minute a form that no one detects it, and in so ambiguous a style, that no one is struck with it. So far as man can do it, God's arrows are blunted, and the edge of his sword is turned in the day of battle. Men do not hear the truth as they used to. The velvet mouth is succeeding to the velvet cushion, and the organ is the only thing in the building which giveth forth a certain sound. From all such things, "good Lord deliver us!" May heaven put an end to all this moderatism; we want out-and-out truth in these perilous days; we want a man just now to speak as God tells him, and care for nobody. Oh! if we had some of the old Scotch preachers! Those Scotch preachers made kings tremble; they were no men's servants; they were very lords, wherever they went, because each of them said, "God has given me a message; my brow is like adamant against men; I will speak what God bids me." Like Micah, they said, "As the Lord my God liveth, whatsoever my God saith unto me, that will I speak." Heroes of the truth, soldiers of Christ awake! Even now there are enemies. Think not that the fight is over; the great warfare of truth waxes more hot and fierce than ever. Oh! soldiers of Christ! take your swords from your scabbards! stand up for God and for his truth again, lest a free grace gospel should be forgotten."
"But I think that the worst battlement the churches have now, is an earthwork of great and extreme caution. It is held to be improper that certain obnoxious truths in the Bible should be preached; sundry reasons are given why they should be withheld. One is, because it tends to discourage men from coming to Christ. Another is, because certain persons will be offended on account of these rough edges of the gospel. Some would say, "O keep them back! You need not preach such and such a doctrine. Why preach distinguishing grace? Why divine sovereignty? Why election? why perseverance? why effectual calling? These are calculated to offend the people, they cannot endure such truths." If you tell them about the love of Christ, and the vast mercy of God, and such like it will always be pleasing and satisfying; but you must never preach deep searching law-work, you must not be cutting at the heart and sending the lancet into the soul-that would be dangerous. Hence most churches are shielding themselves behind an ignominious bulwark of extreme caution. You never hear their ministers spoken against; they are quite safe behind the screen you will be very much puzzled to tell what are the real doctrinal views of our modern divines. I believe you will pick up in some poor humble chapel more doctrinal knowledge in half an hour, than in some of your larger chapels in half a century. God's church must be brought once more to rely upon the pure truth, upon the simple gospel, the unalloyed doctrines of the grace of God. O may this church never have any bulwark but the promises of God! May he be her strength and shield! May his Aegis be o'er our head and be our constant guard! May we never depart from the simplicity of the faith!"
Comments
Bret, you should check out www.livingwaters.com and see HELL'S BEST KEPT SECRET bar at the top. And check out www.wayofthemaster.com I enjoyed your blog so far man. Please consider checking out mine too: DTFDisciples based on Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him DENY himself, and TAKE up his cross, and FOLLOW me.
http://dtfdisciples.blogspot.com/
Thank you for reading and responding to my Blog Post, and for your encouragement.
Do you participate and read articles on "The Highway" (www.the-highway.com)? That website is what God used to bring me to a greater understanding of His wonderful sovereign grace in salvation. I appreciate your recommendation of the article by James Adams on "Decisional Regeneration." I have read that before, and is probably posted in my Blog somewhere.
I also checked out your Blog, and wholeheartedly agree with you about such issues as Decisional Regeneration being false, repentance, taking up our cross, etc. Where it looks like we do disagree is regarding the results of God's drawing, aka born again, regeneration, quickened/made alive. Once God has regenerated a sinner dead in trespasses, they will see their sin for what it is in light of our Holy, Just God, and see their need for the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him with a repentant faith.
Since you mentioned such people as Charles Spurgeon, James Adams (by way of the article), Thomas Boston, and "The Highway" then you probably also know that these folks also believe that those God does draw (His elect) will put their trust in the Person and Work of Christ with a repentant faith.
Notice in Jn.6:44 that it says Christ will raise up those that the Father draws. Earlier in verse 37 it says "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and he that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." And Acts 13:48 says that those who were ordained to eternal life believed. We have not inherited the nature of Adam and Eve before the Fall, but their nature after the Fall.
The term "free will" (by the way, I was serving the Lord in the Free Will Baptist Association for 12 years, 10 of those years agreeing with all of their doctrine)can mean different things to different people. Of course no Christian will believe the will is completely free therefore being able to stop sinning or coming to Christ without any influence by the Spirit of God. However the human will is free to do what it "wants." But what the person wants is always in accordance with the person's nature. No one can "choose" contrary to their nature. "For the natural man receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because he is spiritually discerned." For the life of me, I don't see how so many Christians still think that the "things of the Spirit of God" is everything except the gospel:-).
Anyway, there certainly is no room in the word of God for easy believism. Even though many Christians accuse those who believe in election and the effectual call through the new birth, of fatalism, since it is God who begins the good work and will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phlp.1:6), such Christians will have a repentant faith to the end and will not sin habitually as a way of life. In other words, their lives will be charcterized by denying self and taking up the cross and following the blessed Lord Jesus Christ. As you may agree however, most Christians in our country and time have not really been put to the test. But I believe that we may be put to the test one day in our lifetime.
Thank you again for commenting. May the Lord bless you as you serve Him, and as we worship and enjoy Him forever. For that is what we were created and redeemed by Christ to do.