SERMON XXIV.
CONFESSION AND SELF-DENIAL, TOKENS OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST.

WHITSUNDAY.

ACTS xix. 20.

"So mightily grew the Word of God, and prevailed."

THE Word of God is the doctrine of the Gospel, the religion of Jesus Christ, which His Apostles began to preach as on this Day with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. They had preached it before. So far they were commissioned, as a message from Jesus Christ. But now the whole of it was made known to them; and the blessed Comforter, God the Holy Ghost, came down according to Christ's promise, to teach them, and guide them into all truth. Then they began to speak with all authority, and to declare to men in Christ's Name the whole Counsel of God, all His wonderful works wrought for the salvation of mankind: not only as before, that men should repent, and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand; but the whole of what is contained in the Apostles' Creed: the whole of what Christians must believe, in order to be Christians. This the Apostles taught, and they taught it in Christ's Name, i. e. as persons who had Christ dwelling within them by His Holy Spirit, and opening their mouths to say and to teach these things. The epistle to-day has told us of the beginning of that teaching, on the great Day of Pentecost. The second morning-lesson has told us how it went on, no long time afterwards, to be made known among the Gentiles: how, after a sermon by S. Peter, the Holy Ghost fell upon the good centurion Cornelius, and upon all who, with him, heard and believed the word. And bye and bye we shall hear in the second evening-lesson, how after many years this good work was going on and prospering in the rich and learned city of Ephesus. S. Paul was there, preaching and teaching for two whole years: and God wrought special miracles by his hands: "so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them."

Now in this city of Ephesus there were many of those whom the Scripture calls wizards and soothsayers, whose way was, to have dealings with evil spirits, or to pretend that they had so: and some of them, seeing S. Paul's miracles, made believe to do the same, using our Blessed Lord's Name: "We adjure you by Jesus, Whom Paul preacheth." But though they took in their mouths the Name of Christ, they were in reality about the devil's work: they were trying to do that, which our Saviour Himself had long ago declared to be impossible: i. e. to cast out devils by Beelzebub: and it happened as might be expected: "the man in whom the evil spirit was, cried out" as that spirit taught him, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? and he leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." Thus the people of that place were plainly taught that there was an inward Power in the Church and Body of Christ, far above all those evil powers which they depended on and made idols of: and all feared, and many believed. They felt, as S. John writes, "These Christians are of God, and have overcome the world: for greater is He that is in them, than he that is in the world."

In that time then, and in that place, the kingdom of God was clearly coming on, and the great work, which had begun at Pentecost, was advancing towards perfection. And our Church has appointed this history to be read as the last lesson for Whitsunday, in order perhaps, that we might have before us a sort of token or sample of what has been and is even now going on, and will go on unto the world's end more or less openly, in the spreading and prevailing of the Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, thoughtful people are apt to be continually asking for signs and tokens of the progress of Christianity, both outwardly in the world, and inwardly in their own hearts. They would like to know, whether or no there are from time to time more and better Christians than there used to be: and also they would like to know whether they themselves and those belonging to them, are really and in earnest going forward or backward. Now if we will attend to this history, we shall find that Almighty God has here given us two sure and clear signs, whereby we may know both for ourselves, and for others committed to our charge, whether or no things are going well with us in the great matter of saving our souls: whether or no we are growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ: whether we are carrying on or hindering the work of the Spirit, begun on the first Whitsunday.

These two signs are, first, sincere confession of sin, and next, giving up for Christ's sake what people would be glad to keep. For so it was in Ephesus at that time. "The Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." And how might men know that it was truly magnified, and not in word only? "Many of them that had believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds." That was one sign of real conversion: the sincere confession of their sins. The other is described as follows: "Many of them also which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." What is the meaning, when it is said, "They used curious arts?" It means that they are magicians, sorcerers; what we call conjurors. It means that they had, or imagined themselves to have, secret dealings with the evil spirits. They were, then, idolaters of a very bad sort, depending upon the devil for that help, which men ought to seek of God only. Now the secrets of this their hateful and accursed knowledge were written in certain books: rare books and very costly: i. e. foolish persons, who wanted to prosper in the world and thought they might do so by such help as this, were willing to give a great deal for it. For the owners therefore of these books, to part with them and throw them into the fire, was making a real sacrifice, parting with something that cost them a good deal: it was making themselves so much the poorer for Christ's sake: and in this case we read how they counted the price of the books which they burned, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver: i. e. more than sixteen hundred pounds of our money: a very large sum indeed at that time. All this money they gave up, and likewise all the credit and profit and consequence which they might enjoy by their skill in such matters: all, at once, they cast into the fire; they gave it up with all joy and eagerness, to take Christ's part against the devil, to please their God and to save their souls.

Thus, you see, those Ephesian Christians gave two remarkable signs of the work of the Spirit going on within them. They had believed, it appears, some time before, and had received God's grace in Baptism; but the wonderful things which they now saw moved them to a deeper fear of God, and a more entire repentance: and they proved it in these two ways: they confessed their sins, and they burned their bad books. And we know that those two things were very pleasing in God's sight, and were accepted by Him as real helps to His kingdom: for the Scripture, after relating them, adds, "So mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed."

Now that great and Holy Spirit Who began His work to-day at Jerusalem, and Who, as you have just now heard, afterwards did so great things at Ephesus: He is the same Spirit now that He was then, and His work is the same; to turn men from Satan to God, and to set up His heavenly kingdom in all our hearts, by making and keeping us members of Jesus Christ. The signs then, whereby Christian people may know whether that gracious Spirit is still abiding in their hearts, are the same now, as they were then. There was not one manner of conversion for the Christians of Ephesus in S. Paul's time, and another for us in these days: but as we believe in the same Father, and worship the same Saviour, and are sanctified by the same Comforter, so the fruits and tokens of His Divine Presence must be the same now as they were then. If it was well for those Ephesian Christians to come and confess and shew their deeds, it is also well for us. If it was necessary for them to burn their bad books, it must be also necessary for us to cast away sinful studies and amusements, whatever it may seem to cost us.

As to confession, it is most properly a work of the Spirit, a work of this holy time of Pentecost. For the Holy Spirit, Who graciously offers Himself at this season to dwell more and more in our hearts, He will not, He cannot abide in the same lodging with an impure spirit, nor dwell in the body which is subject to sin: and therefore, where He is invited to come, the bad spirit must be turned out: and we know that one of the most effectual ways of driving the Evil one out of our hearts, when he has got himself a place there by our unhappy sinful ways, is to confess the sin, truly and humbly: to make, as the saying is, a clean breast of it. We know: at least all who have been used to care at all for their souls know, what a great relief such confession is, how it seems, almost immediately, to take off a part of our burthen, and to make room in the heart for better things. "Now I have told, I feel much easier:" is not this a thought, which even young children can understand? And if it is a relief to them to pour out their shame and grief, when they have done amiss, into their mother's bosom, how much more, when God's sinful children humbly acknowledge their sins to Him! If the one drives away the sullen and impenitent spirit, how much more the other! If the parent's very heart yearns over his son or daughter, drawing near to own transgression and ask pardon: how unspeakably sweet will be the consolations of God, when we have knelt before Him in earnest, and tried to tell Him all our faults! So we are told by one, who had deep experience, first alas! of sin, and then of confession and pardon. Holy David tells us, "I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord, and so Thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin." "Thou art a place to hide me in; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."

But let us well understand, what that confession is, to which so great things are promised. Of course it is not merely owning in general, that you are a sinner, as other men are. It is not merely going to Church, and kneeling down with the rest and joining in the General Confession: for this all men may do, light and serious, sincere and hypocritical alike. But true and devout confession, such as Holy Scripture approves of, is first of all, humbly considering in your heart your own particular sins, whatever they are, and however long ago committed; as Joseph's brethren were stricken to the heart, when God's Providence caused them to remember, so many years afterwards, how guilty they were concerning Joseph. True confession, that confession of the heart, which is really the work of God's Spirit, recollects the miserable past, one bad thing after another, all those particulars of our sin, which tend to made us hate and abhor it. True confession cannot be, where people suffer themselves to dwell with satisfaction on the praise, which in the bottom of their hearts they know they cannot really deserve. Again, observe this very particularly: that you cannot make a true confession to God, if, in order to hide your sin, you wilfully use deceit and lying towards man. How common is it, how completely a matter of course, for persons, when they have done amiss, to deny it as nearly as they dare, on being asked about it! How readily do they find excuses, to make themselves out less blameable than they know they are! Many, I fear, go on doing this in little ordinary matters, for a great part of their lives, and hardly ever repent of it in earnest: and yet they think themselves decent people, good enough to obtain God's mercy through Christ without any special repentance. O that they would consider it in time, and pray God to shew them, whether they are in a safe way! For observe, how unlike such doings are to the fruits of the Spirit as described in God's Word I When S. Peter preached at Jerusalem, on the first Whitsunday, those who heard him were pricked to the heart, and instead of making light of their sins, came to the Apostles in great distress, saying, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" And you have heard how S. Paul's miracles caused Christians, hitherto imperfect, to remember their old sins: to come and confess them, and shew their deeds: their own deeds, one by one. They did not merely own that they were sinners like all others: they openly and willingly took shame for what they had done. At least then let sinners now meekly submit to the shame, if it please God to make their sin known; let them not hide it deceitfully, nor be angry when told of it. Let them freely and thoughtfully confess their sin to those whom it may concern: to God always, all their sins: to the Priest, if they conveniently may, those sins which perplex their souls, and cause them to desire further comfort or counsel: also to any of their brethren whom they have wronged, if so be that, by confession, they may set matters more nearly right; restoring unlawful gains, unsaying false or unkind words, or asking pardon for offences. All these are so many works of true Christian confession, fruits of the Holy and Blessed Spirit, tokens that the Word of God is growing mightily and prevailing in the souls which are so moved, and in the congregations where many such souls are found.

Confess your sins thus heartily and entirely, and He will not only, for His Son's sake, forgive the wickedness of your sin, but will also "inform you and teach you in the way wherein you should go." He will give you more and more of His Spirit, and help you to avoid, more and more entirely, the evils which you so earnestly repent of.

And as part of your reward, you may hope that He will enable you to deny yourself more and more for His sake. For this is that other true token of the Holy Comforter abiding within you, which, being joined to real and humble confession, will cause you to keep a blessed and joyful Whitsuntide. Do not, I beseech you, think this a hard saying. It is our Lord's own word, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself." If the Ephesians would turn in earnest to God, they must give up their curious arts, and throw their learned and enticing books into the fire. If we English Christians would keep the grace given unto us in holy Baptism, we must beware of the many corrupt books and papers, which in our times are constantly thrown in the way of almost all persons who can read, tempting them to all kinds of evil fancies, discontented, covetous, impure, unkind. We must turn away from the pleasantest companions, when we perceive that they are likely to lead us into sin. We must be willingly ignorant of many things, which the world and the flesh would tell us we ought to know. We must watch ourselves, eye, ear, and heart, that we do not wander after forbidden imaginations. This will be very troublesome, especially after the first strong effort is over, and before the habit of denying ourselves is formed. But will you not endure a little trouble, for the sake of saving your souls, and doing your humble part in the work of God's kingdom? Remember our first mother, Eve: what a great thing it would have been for her and for us, had she taken that little trouble of turning away her eyes, and checking her desire to know, what God in mercy would have kept from her. The Holy Spirit Who came down this day is a kind and loving Spirit: He watches night and day for every little token we may give of a dutiful and devout mind: nothing that we try to do right is suffered by Him to fall to the ground. He watches, to do you good; do you also watch, to receive good from Him. Every night, confess to Him: every day deny yourself something for His sake. So shall you find bye and bye, that, without your knowing it, the Word of God has been growing mightily and prevailing within you. May the good God bestow on us this favour, through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord!

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