A Sermon
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY EVENING, MAY 12, 1850,
BY THE REV. C. G. FINNEY,
at the Tabernacle, Moorfields,
and at the Borough Road Chapel, Southwark, November 1849.
"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."--Matthew vi. 10.
These words are part of what is commonly called "The Lord's Prayer," and it is
one of the petitions which our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples to present
to God. I must assume to-night that certain things are admitted by my hearers,
and, among them, I must assume that you admit the will of God to be perfectly
done in heaven, that God is perfectly obeyed there, that everything which is
done there is in perfect accordance with his will. This I shall not attempt to
prove, but I shall take it for granted that it is admitted by my audience. In
speaking from the words of our text, I design to call your attention,
I. To some of the principal relations in which the will of God may be
contemplated.
II. What is implied in an acceptable offering of this petition to God.
III. That it is an universal and present duty, to be in the state of mind that
can acceptably offer up this petition.
IV. Point out the guilt of not being in this state of mind.
V. That this state of mind is a condition of salvation.
I. My first inquiry is--What are some of the relations in which the will of God
may be contemplated? Now, observe that God must be a moral agent, if he is a
virtuous being. This I take to be a truth universally known and conceded--that
God's virtue must be voluntary, that it must consist, substantially, in the same
thing in which all virtue consists. If, then, God is a moral agent and a
virtuous being, and has an intelligent will, he must live for some good and
desirable end. He must exercise his will for some good purpose, and not act at
random and without discretion or aim; but that wherever he exercises his agency,
it is for some good purpose and end. 1. We say then, first, that God's will may
be contemplated in relation to the end upon which it is fastened, and which it
is endeavouring to realise. In this must the virtue of God, and all other moral
agents, substantially consist. If God has chosen a worthy and good end, he is a
worthy and good being; but if he has chosen an unworthy end, he cannot be called
a good being; for goodness cannot consist in Divine substance, irrespective of
Divine action and will. God's virtue, then, consists in the attitude of his will.
Now, if I see that God has proposed to himself some great and good end, upon
which his heart is set--upon which it was set from all eternity--and that this
design and aim is really what it ought to be--what the Divine intelligence would
point out as an end worthy of being chosen and realised--then I can understand
the relations of God's will and character thus far, that he is pursuing an end
well worthy of himself. We are told in his word that this end is to secure his
own glory and the good of the entire universe. 2. The will of God may be
contemplated in respect to the means which he uses, in order to secure this end.
I refer to the government of God, and by this I mean all that is implied in the
movements of the universe that shall secure the end at which he aims. We may
contemplate the will of God, as it relates to both physical and moral government;
as it relates to the arrangements and order of nature--the physical universe
which he has created; and as it relates also to moral government; rewarding the
good, and punishing the guilty. 3. The will of God may be contemplated as the
will of a sovereign, who exercises sovereignty over his people; not arbitrarily,
for which there is no reason, but in that he acts according to his own will,
without consulting any other being. God's will, then, may be contemplated in
relation to his character, his government, the exercise of his providential
government in the physical creation; and in respect to all moral agents,
prescribing the law, and showing how it was to be obeyed, and then punishing
those who refuse to obey, and rewarding those who do obey; and his will may be
regarded as the law of a sovereign, acting according to his own discretion, and
aiming at those things which to himself shall seem wise.
II. I inquire next, What is implied in an acceptable offering of the petition
contained in the text? "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Now,
doubtless, when our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples to pray this prayer,
he meant something more than that they should just repeat these words. They were
intelligent beings, and moral agents, and, doubtless, he intended that they
should express the state of their own minds; and would not, therefore, have them
understand that they would be regarded as offering acceptable prayer, because
they offered this mere form: this surely was not what Christ intended should be
understood. He intended that they should use this language in sincerity of heart,
understanding and meaning what they said. I suppose this will not be doubted.
Then the question which we have to answer, is, What is the state of mind
required in an individual, and which must be implied in his offering such a
petition as this to God? 1. I reply, first, the acceptable offering of this
petition must imply that the petitioner understands what God's will is. I mean
this--he must have some knowledge of the true character and will of God. If he
has not a true conception of this, he may fall into grievous errors. Suppose an
individual should conceive of God as a selfish being; suppose that he should
conceive of God's will as being neither wise nor good; and if, with this state
of mind, he should pray for God's will to be done in the earth, would he offer
an acceptable petition to God? By no means. Then, to be acceptable, he must
conceive rightly of what God's will is. He must regard God as a wise and good
being; for if God's will was neither wise nor good, people ought not to do his
will. Suppose that God's will was neither wise nor good, and yet that he should
require us to offer this petition, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven"--and that there was nothing, neither wise nor good, done in heaven, it
could not be our duty, as moral agents, to offer such a petition. The offering
of this petition, then, implies that we understand God's will as perfect, both
as to its wisdom and goodness. 2. An acceptable offering of this petition, must
imply that we have implicit confidence in this will, as being perfectly wise and
perfectly good; for if we have not this confidence, we cannot honestly and
intelligently pray this prayer. 3. The acceptable offering of such a petition as
this, implies sincerity of heart. If an individual asks anything of God, he is
required to ask it in sincerity. But what is implied in an individual being
sincere in asking this of God? First, it must imply that he really desires that
God's will should be done; that this petition is in accordance with his will,
and really expressive of the true state of his heart. If it is not so, why then
surely the offering of such a petition would be hypocrisy. Of course it follows,
secondly, that the state of mind which can sincerely offer this petition to God,
must be in entire harmony with the will of God, so far as God's will is known.
If there is anything in which his will is not conformed to the will of God, he
cannot offer this petition without base hypocrisy. 4. The acceptable offering of
this petition, implies, of course, that we understand and embrace the same end
that God embraces; to wit, that we really consecrate ourselves to the end for
which God lives, and that we sympathise with him in the end for which he
consecrates and exercises all his attributes. If we have not the same end in
view that God has, how can we say, "Thy will be done." 5. Again, unless we
sympathise with him in the means that he uses, how can we say, "Thy will be
done." 6. An acceptable offering of this petition to God, implies a willingness
to say and do just what he tells us. If we are not satisfied of the Divine
conduct in all respects, how can we say, "Thy will be done?" If we are not
willing for him to require of us just what he does; if we have in our hearts any
objections to what he does; if we regard his will as exacting, and that it is
unjust to us, we can never offer this petition acceptably. But suppose that
intellectually we admit that his will is not grievous, that is not enough if the
heart does not fully consent; for observe this prayer is to be the prayer of the
heart. 7. The acceptable offering of this petition not only implies that we are
willing that he should require just what he does, but that he should require it
on the condition of all the pains and penalties upon which he does require it.
8. It implies an entire willingness, on our part, to obey him. How can a man
sincerely say, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," who is himself
not willing to do the will of God? If he is really not in a state of mind truly
and really obedient, as truly and really obedient to God's will as they are in
heaven, so far as he knows his will--how can he offer such a petition as this?
If he is resisting God's will on any point and in any form, he cannot, without
gross hypocrisy, offer this petition. The offering of this petition implies that
we sympathise with the spirit of heaven, that our hearts are really yielded up
in most solemn and earnest devotedness to God; for, how can men whose wills are
not yielded up to the will of God, without being hypocrites, say to God, "Thy
will be done in earth as it is in heaven." In heaven, the will of God is
perfectly done, universally done; and shall a man acceptably offer such a
petition as this, who is not in a state of mind to go the full length of God's
will, and subscribe heartily to it? It cannot be. 9. Observe, then, that the
acceptable offering of this petition must imply present obedience in the heart
to God. The will of the petitioner must have been given up to the control of the
will of God; his will must be the expression of God's will so far as he knows it,
or he cannot honestly offer such a petition as this to God. I say that the
acceptable petitioner must do the whole of the will of God, so far as it is
expressed, in whatever way it is made known; whether through Christ, through the
Spirit, through providential arrangements and occurrences, through the workings
of his own heart and mind, or in whatever other way this will is made known. The
heart that is sincere, then, in offering this petition must really embrace and
express the whole of this will as really and truly as it is embraced and
expressed in heaven itself. By this I do not mean to affirm that the will of God
is known to the same extent in earth as it is in heaven; but this I do say, that,
so far as it is known, the petitioner must as really and truly embrace it and
obey it as they do in heaven. It is not to be supposed that God's will is fully
known upon earth; undoubtedly many things concerning the will of God have not
been fully revealed to us, so that we cannot understand all the details of his
will; but, in so far as we understand it, there will be a willingness to obey it
entirely. 10. The acceptable offering of this petition implies the absence of
all selfishness in the mind that offers it. God is not selfish; selfishness is
the will set upon itself, regardless of all else. The man, therefore, who offers
this petition cannot be selfish--the very petition implies the present absence
of selfishness. 11. An acceptable offering of this petition implies that we
really hold ourselves at the Divine disposal as honestly and truly as we suppose
they do in heaven. Who does not suppose that every being in heaven holds himself
at the Divine disposal? It must be that every being there considers himself as
belonging to God--that to God all his powers are consecrated; and that any
indication of the Divine will as to how these powers are to be disposed, is to
be readily adopted and carried out by the agent himself. Now, this must be the
way in which all beings in heaven will hold themselves at the disposal of God.
Who can conceive that there is any hesitation to do the known will of God in any
particular? Now, to sincerely offer such a petition as this to God, there must
be an entire consecration of the will and the whole being to him. A man who
offers this petition acceptably, must be in such a state of mind as to consider
that he has no right to the disposal of himself; he must lay his whole being
upon God's altar--hold himself entirely at the Divine disposal. The same is true
of all that he possesses. Who doubts that everything in heaven is held as
belonging to God? We know not what things the inhabitants of heaven have in
possession, or what their employments are--what they may be employed about, and
what instruments they may use to promote the great end that God is intending to
realise--but this we know, that whatever they have influence over is all held at
the Divine disposal. No one thinks there of disposing of anything to promote any
selfish interests of his own. Who can believe that any one there has a separate
private interest? Now, what state of mind in respect to our possessions, must we
be in to offer this petition acceptably to God? Why, God's will respects the
disposal of our possessions, our time, our talents, our influence, our character,
and everything. Now, these must be held at the Divine disposal; given to the
Divine discretion; laid on his altar and left there. Now, no man can offer this
petition acceptably to God without doing this. If he would be selfish, and
selfishly use anything in the whole world, he is in no state of mind to offer
this petition to God. If he is endeavouring to promote his own will, do you
suppose that he is fit for heaven? Do the inhabitants of the heavenly world act
without consulting God, and without reference to his will? No, indeed; and when
men say, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," does not this imply
that everything on earth is to be at the Divine disposal, and to be as truly
disposed of for God as they are disposed of in heaven? Let it be understood,
then, that he who offers this petition to God must as really design to obey him,
use all his powers and everything that he possesses for his glory, just as they
do in heaven. If he has not this deliberate and solemn purpose in his mind, what
does he mean by such a petition as this? 12. But I pass to say again, the
offering of this petition implies that the petitioner is really and truly
willing to make sacrifices of any personal ease and comfort for the promotion of
God's glory, so far as he understands that he ought. Who doubts that, in heaven,
they are willing to go on messages to any part of the universe, or to give up
personal ease, or anything else, for the promotion of the great end for which
God is aiming? We are informed in the Bible, that "angels are ministering
spirits sent forth to minister to them who are heirs of salvation." Any moment
they may be called to self-denial and arduous labour; and doubtless they often
are; but do they hesitate--do they consider it a hardship? No; because they
sympathise with God and with Christ in this great work, and they do not hesitate
at all to make any personal sacrifices that are demanded of them.--they are
perfectly cheerful and happy in it. Now, a person who would say, "Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven," must be willing to make any sacrifices that
he knows is to be in accordance with the will of God. If it is plainly a matter
of duty for him to do this or that, to go here or there, he must be perfectly
willing to comply, or how can he offer this petition? 13. Again: the state of
mind in which this petition can be acceptably offered, implies that there is as
real opposition to sin as there is in heaven. I suppose not to the same degree,
because we have not the same appreciation of its character that they have; but,
insofar as it is understood here, the individual that offers this petition is as
really opposed to sin as they are in heaven. 14. An individual who offers this
petition acceptably to God, must have as real sympathy with ALL that God has as
they have in heaven. In heaven they doubtless sympathise with all that is good,
so that that individual who offers sincerely this prayer, must have intense
hatred to all that it*[it in original] is wicked, and must deeply sympathise
with all that is good. There must be as true a renunciation of self and all
selfishness, and as genuine a disposition to please God, in every heart that
offers this petition, as there is in heaven. I speak not of degree, because I
suppose we do not apprehend these things so clearly as they do; but, so far as
we understand what God loves, our sympathy must be as real as it is in heaven.
III. This leads me, in the third place, to state, in few words that to be in
this state of mind is a an universal and present duty. Every man is bound, now,
to be in this state of mind. I say every man; not merely Christian ministers and
Christian professors, but every moral agent is bound to be in this state. 1.
First, it is demanded by the nature of things. How can man be released from this
obligation? Every man knows that he ought to obey God; he affirms it by an
affirmation that is irresistible. Every man knows that God's will is wise and
good. Who ever heard this called in question by any one who had a true idea of
God developed in his mind? Every moral agent admits that he is bound to consent
that God's will should be done, and that he ought himself to do it. Every moral
agent knows, too, that it is not his duty merely to do this some time or other,
but that it is his present duty, that he has no right for a moment to resist the
Divine will. I need not, of course, enlarge upon this part of the subject,
because I suppose that these truths need only to be stated to be universally
recognised and affirmed to be true, as seen in the light of their own evidence.
Nay, are not men so constituted, as to have it confirmed by a law of their own
nature, that they ought to conform to the will of God?--that they would not be
moral agents, if they were under no obligation to obey the will of God?
IV. But let me, in the next place, point out the guilt of not being in this
state of mind. 1. In the first place, if an individual is not in this state of
mind, he refuses to sympathise with God. He knows that all God's aims are
directed towards an end worthy of the pursuit of God, worthy of the Creator of
the universe, and yet he refuses to sympathise with God in this end, he sets it
at naught, he turns his back upon it, though he knows it is good. 2. But again:
if an individual is not in this state of mind, he is unwilling that God should
govern the universe, not only in relation to the end that he seeks, but the
means that he uses. He refuses his consent that God should govern the universe
in any shape. The man who will not obey God's law, really rebels against the
will of the law-giver; he actually refuses to consent that God should govern. 3.
Again, let me say that the individual who is not in this state of mind, really
refuses in his heart to consent that God should be good. He would not have God
do what he is doing; he is unwilling to obey him, then, of course, in what he
requires. He would rather that God did not require what he does--that he would
not do what he does do; and yet these things are implied in the goodness of God,
and are essential to his goodness. He were not a good being, if he did not
require and do just as he does. The individual who is not in this state of mind,
then, refuses to consent that God should be a good being--that God should do
that which he knows is proper to do. Now, just think of this, he rebels against
that which constitutes the very goodness of God. 4. But, again, let me say, the
individual who is not in this state of mind really refuses that God should
comply with the necessary conditions of his own happiness; for the necessary
conditions of God's happiness must be his virtue. Now, an individual who is
unwilling to obey God, is unwilling that God should govern, is unwilling that
God should be good, in consequently unwilling that God should comply with the
necessary conditions of his own happiness. The individual who is in this state
of mind cannot say, "Thy will be done," for he is really at war with the
holiness and happiness of God--he is arrayed against both. He is unwilling that
God should will as he does, and as holiness belongs to His will, and consists in
willing as he does will, all God's actions are included in the actions of his
will; and the individual who is not in harmony with God, not only refuses to
sympathise with him, and refuses to consecrate himself for the end which God is
consecrated, but he arrays himself against him. Yes, he virtually says, Let God
cease to be; let him not require what he does; let him not pursue the end that
he does; let him not govern the universe; let not his will be universal law! He
may just as well go one step further, and say, Let not God be happy; let him be
infinitely and eternally miserable. For if God were not holy, who does not know
that he would be infinitely unholy? And I tremble to say it, but who does not
know that if God were a wicked being, instead of a good being, that the workings
of his own infinite nature would fill his mind with infinite agony? Now,
observe, what does a man mean when he takes this attitude--that he will not
consent to have God's will done--that he will not obey him, that he is virtually
opposed to his being good? Why, if God is not good, what must be the
consequences? If he may not will as he does, and require as he does, and do as
he does, he must do the opposite! And does not sin imply this--that the sinner
really takes this attitude? Yes, it does! All men that refuse sincerely to offer
this petition, are opposed to the holiness and the happiness of God, and would
consent to the eternal overthrow and total ruin of Jehovah and his whole empire!
This is certainly implied in resistance to the will of God. For, let it be
understood that no moral agent can be indifferent to the will of God: he must
either subscribe to it, or resist it; he must yield himself to it, or array
himself against it! No thanks to him, if there be any particle of good in God's
universe; no thanks to any moral agent who cannot honestly and sincerely
subscribe to this petition, if any being in the universe is either holy or happy!
He is opposed to it all! The state of his mind is perfectly opposed to it all,
and, were he to have his will, he would annihilate the whole of it, and
introduce sin and misery into every part of the universe. How great, then, must
be the guilt of an individual who has his will opposed to the will of God. I
could expatiate upon this at large, but must now pass to consider--
V. In the next place, That the state of mind which can sincerely offer this
petition must be a condition of salvation. By a condition of salvation, I don't
mean that it is the ground upon which sinners will be saved. I don't mean that
they will be saved because of universal and perfect obedience; but I affirm this,
that it is a condition in this sense, that without being in this state,
salvation is both naturally and governmentally impossible. 1. First, it is
naturally impossible. Heaven is no place for the man whose will is not in
harmony with the will of God. Suppose that he entered there, he would introduce
a jarring note--he would introduce discord; heaven would be no place for him. 2.
It is governmentally impossible for him to possess heaven, whose will is not in
harmony with the will of God. God is the Governor of the universe. God's will is
infinite, and where God is, his will must be the law. In every community there
must be some one mind that sways every other, or there will be discord. Some
will must give law to the universe. There must be some one whose will is
universally confided in as perfect, and that will must be universally performed,
or there will be jarring, there will be clashing. God, therefore, as governor of
the universe, must be obeyed. The indication of his will must carry all minds
with it. Now, to the man who hates God's will, this would be intolerable;
therefore, governmentally, it is impossible for the man to enter heaven who
cannot sincerely say, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
I must now conclude by making a few observations. 1. And, first, I remark, how
shocking it must be for persons to use the Lord's Prayer as a mere form. How
shocking and blasphemous it must be! Just think of it! An individual offering
such a petition to God, who is living in known sin, What can he mean? What
profanity is involved in it! What blasphemy is involved in it! Why, really, my
hearers, It makes one's hair stand on end to hear an individual pray in that
manner to Jehovah, the heart-searching God. 2. How shocking it is for
congregations--many of whom, perhaps, unconverted, ungodly men and women--to
make use of such petitions as this, pretending to worship God; yet how common it
is to repeat this prayer as a mere form; and it is often introduced into the
nursery, and the children repeat it without being told what is implied in it.
Why, no wonder their hearts become hardened. But perhaps some one will say, If
this is so, I will not offer this petition at all. But what petition, pray, will
you offer? For remember that you can offer no petition acceptably, unless you
offer it sincerely! And which of the petitions in the Lord's prayer, or in any
other prayer, is there, the right offering of which does not involve the same
thing? Does any one of them? For example, let us read over these very petitions.
"After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven." What
does this imply? Why, the recognition of God's relation as our Father. "Hallowed
be thy name." What is implied in that? Why, a similar state of mind as that
which I have just pointed out. "Thy kingdom come." What is implied in the
offering of that petition? Why, that you have set your heart upon the same end
that God has, that your will is to obey his will, that you are consecrated to
the interests of his kingdom. Then follows the petition contained in the text--"Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread."
What is implied in that? Why, the recognition of the universal providence of God.
"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors;" not, as some say, "forgive
us our trespasses, and enable us to forgive them which trespass against us;" but
"as we forgive them which trespass against us." If you do not forgive the
trespasses of others, you pray to God not to forgive you yours. It implies, then,
a most forgiving state of mind on your part. I have often been acquainted with
the state of mind of certain individuals in respect to others, and I have
wondered, when they attempted to pray the Lord's Prayer, that this petition did
not choke them. How many persons, when they pray this prayer, really pray to God
that he would not forgive them at all; for they don't forgive their enemies. But
let us proceed a step. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil." What state of mind does this imply? Why, a dread of sin, and an
opposition of heart to it; and a most sincere yearning of soul to be conformed
to everything that is good. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen." Now, suppose that any should say, Why, if this is a true
exposition of the Lord's Prayer, I shall never dare to offer it again. And what
prayer, pray, will you offer? Take any other petition, and does not an
acceptable offering of it by you, imply that you sympathise with God, and that
you will submit to all his will? Can you expect him to hear and answer you,
unless you are in an obedient state of mind? Why, if you will expect him to hear
and answer you, while you refuse to obey him, you do not regard the plain
declaration of his Word, which says, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing
the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." Well, say some of you, if this
be true, it is no use for a sinner to pray at all. What do you mean by that? Of
no use for a sinner to pray! Well, of what use can it be for a sinner to lie to
God and mock him? Do you ask me if I mean to prohibit sinners praying? I say,
no! But I want to prevent their being hypocrites. Let them pray, but let them
cease to be sinners, and submit themselves to the will of God. They should
consecrate themselves at once to God. It is their present duty. They need not
say, I will not pray because I am a sinner! What business have you to be a
sinner? My will is not in a right state, you say. But why is it not in a right
state? The sinner is bound to pray on pain of eternal death; but he has no right
to tell lies to God; he is bound to be sincere and honest with God. And is it
difficult for men to be honest and sincere? Is it an impossible thing? For my
right hand, I would not discourage any one individual from praying; and neither,
for my right hand, would I encourage him to pray with a heart wicked and
rebellious against God. The truth is, men ought to know that they are shut up,
by the Divine requirements and the affirmations of their own minds, to
unqualified submission to the will of God, upon pain of eternal death. 3. I
remark again: It is easy to see, from what has been said, that a great many
individuals offer the Lord's Prayer, and other prayers, and leave it for others
to do the will of God. They pray, "Thy will be done;" but they leave it to
others to perform this will."[sic.] 4. But I pass to remark, in the next place:
It is easy to see what it is to be truly religious; it is to have the will
entirely given up to God. It implies, of course, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
and much more of which it is not now my design to speak, as I must confine my
attention to the point before us. 5. In the next place, then, I remark: Many
persons will say, that this ought to be the state of their minds, that they
ought to offer this prayer in sincerity, without solemnly inquiring, Am I really
willing that God's will should be done? do I really do it?--for this is implied
in an acceptable offering of this petition, that, for the time being, we are in
a state in which we really do all we know of our duty. By a necessary law, if
the will is right, the outward life will correspond. 6. I remark, in the next
place, that there is a wonderful degree of carelessness among many persons as to
what they really say in prayer. They begin, and talk right on, without
considering that God requires truth in the inward parts; and, by so doing, often
say many things that are not true. They verify what the Lord says--"they did
flatter him with their mouths, and they lied unto him with their tongues." 7. I
remark once more: While individuals are not in this state of mind, there is no
true peace; while their wills are not under the control of God's will, and while
they are not devoted to him, what multitudes of things are continually occurring
to agonise them and destroy their peace of mind! But when individuals yield up
their wills to the will of God, they breathe an atmosphere of love, and live in
profound peace and tranquillity. 8. I remark again: That when persons are in
this state of mind, and regard everything as an expression in some sense of
God's will, how easily God's will sits upon them! 9. I remark, once more, much
that is called prayer is really an expression of self-will. I would here refer
to a fact that occurred some years since in the western part of the State of New
York. A gentleman of high standing, intelligent and influential, became very
much annoyed by the minister of the congregation where he usually attended,
pressing upon his hearers the fact that they were not willing to be Christians.
The man to whom I refer, insisted upon it that he was willing, and that he had
long been willing, to become a Christian. His wife was very much irritated by
what the minister had said; his wife remarked that she had never seen him so
irritated before upon any subject. The minister kept turning that over, and
pressing it upon the people that they were not Christians, because they were not
willing to become Christians; but this man was obstinate in affirming that he
knew, for his own part, that he was willing to become a Christian, and would
anybody deny that he knew the state of his own conscience? He went home in this
state of mind one evening, and in the morning his mind was so weighed down, that
he sought relief by going in a place alone to pray. He kneeled down to pray, but
found that he could not pray; he could not think of anything that he really
wished to say. It occurred to him to say the Lord's Prayer. The moment that he
opened his mouth to say, "Our Father," he stopped to consider, Do I recognize
God as my Father? He hesitated and trembled to say it. "Hallowed be thy name."
No, that is not the expression of my heart. "Thy kingdom come" was the next
petition, and he said that he was conscious that he never wanted the kingdom of
God to come, that he had never lived to promote it, and was not living now to
promote it; however, he said that, and then came to the next petition,--"Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." He paused for a moment, and the
inquiry rushed upon him, How is God's will done in heaven? and am I willing that
it should be done in earth? Am I willing to do it myself? These inquiries came
over him, and he perceived, for the first time, what was included in being a
Christian. He now saw that to be a Christian implied that the heart should be
consecrated to God; that he should fully obey God's will. He felt that he did
not do that; that he never had done that; that never, by his own will, had the
will of God governed him. He continued upon his knees, and the perspiration
poured down him, he was in such agony of mind. He now felt what the minister had
said was true, and the question came up, Why am I not willing to be a Christian?
He felt that there was no reason why he should not, and no excuse that he could
make for refusing any longer. If he was not willing to do as he ought, he felt
he ought to go to hell, and be willing to go and take the consequences--that he
ought to be sent there, and have no disposition to open his mouth by way of
objecting. But hear his own experience. "I gathered up all my soul and energies,
and rose up in my strength, and cried at the top of my voice, 'Thy will be
done.' I know that my will went with my words; and then so great a calmness came
over me that I can never express it, so deep a peace instantly took possession
of me. It seemed as if all was changed; my whole soul justified God and took
part against itself." I need not enter into this further; but let me say, dearly
beloved, when you go away, can you kneel before your Maker, and say, "O my God,
let thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, require just what Thou doest,
require of me just what Thou doest; 0 God, my whole being cries out, Let thy
will be universally done in earth as it is in heaven?" Or can you not say that?
You ought to be able to say it, and to be honest in saying it; but if you never
have yet, let me ask you to do so to-night. If you have never found peace before,
you shall know what it is to go to bed in peace once, if you will retire in that
state of mind. You shall know what that peace of God is that passeth
understanding, and drink of the river of his pleasures. Do not rest until the
attitude of your mind is to do all the will of God.