The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 02 (of 32)

by John Wesley

3. Some have judged, that by the poor in spirit here, are meant, those who love poverty; those who are free from covetousness; from the love of money; who fear, rather than desire riches. Perhaps they have been induced so to judge, by wholly confining their thought to thevery term; or by considering that weighty observation of St. Paul, that the love of money is the root of all evil. And hence many have wholly divested themselves, not only of riches but of all worldly goods. Hence also the vows of voluntary poverty, seem to have arisen in the Romish church: it being supposed, that so eminent a degree of this fundamental grace, must be a large step toward the kingdom of heaven.

But these do not seem to have observed, first, That the expression of St. Paul must be understood with some restriction. Otherwise it is not true: for the love of money is not the root, the sole root of all evil. There are a thousand other roots of evil in the world, as sad experience daily shews. His meaning can only be, it is the root of very many evils: perhaps of more than any single vice besides; secondly, that this sense of the expression, poor in spirit, will by no means suit our Lord’s present design, which is to lay a general foundation whereon the whole fabric of Christianity may be built: a design which would be in no wise answered, by guarding against one particular vice: so that, if even this were supposed to be one part of his meaning, it could not possibly be the whole: thirdly, that it cannot be supposed to be any part of his meaning, unless we charge him with manifest tautology: seeing if poverty of spirit were only freedom from covetousness, from the love of money, or the desire of riches,it would coincide with what he afterwards mentions, it would be only a branch of purity of heart.

4. Who then are the poor in spirit? Without question, the humble; they who know themselves: who are convinced of sin: those to whom God hath given that first repentance, which is previous to faith in Christ.

One of these can no longer say, I am rich, and increased in goods and have need of nothing: as now knowing, that he is wretched and poor and miserable and blind and naked. He is convinced that he is spiritually poor indeed; having no spiritual good abiding in him. In me, saith he, dwelleth no good thing; but whatsoever is evil and abominable. He has a deep sense of the loathsome leprosy of sin, which he brought with him from his mother’s womb, which overspreads his whole soul, and totally corrupts every power and faculty thereof. He sees more and more of the evil tempers, which spring from that evil root: the pride and haughtiness of spirit, the constant bias to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: the vanity, the thirst after the esteem or honour that cometh from men: the hatred or envy, the jealousy or revenge, the anger, malice, or bitterness; the inbred enmity both against God and man, which appears in ten thousand shapes: the love of the world, the self-will, the foolish and hurtful desires, which cleave to his inmost soul. He isconscious, how deeply he has offended by his tongue; if not by profane, immodest, untrue or unkind words, yet by discourse which was not good, to the use of edifying, not meet to minister grace to the hearers; which consequently was all corrupt in God’s account, and grievous to his holy Spirit. His evil works are now likewise ever in his sight; if he tell them, they are more than he is able to express. He may as well think to number the drops of rain, the sands of the sea, or the days of eternity.

5. His guilt is now also before his face: he knows the punishment he has deserved, were it only on account of his carnal mind, the entire, universal corruption of his nature: how much more, on account of all his evil desires and thoughts, of all his sinful words and actions? He cannot doubt for a moment, but the least of these deserves the damnation of hell; the worm that dieth not, and the fire that never shall be quenched. Above all, the guilt of not believing on the name of the only begotten Son of God, lies heavy upon him. How saith he, shall I escape, who neglect so great salvation! He that believeth not, is condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on him.

6. But what shall he give in exchange for his soul, which is forfeited to the just vengeance of God? Wherewithal shall he come before the Lord? How shall he pay him that he oweth? Were he from this moment to perform the most perfectobedience to every command of God, this would make no amends for a single sin, for any one act of past disobedience: seeing he owes God all the service he is able to perform from this moment to all eternity; could he pay this, it would make no manner of amends, for what he ought to have done before. He sees himself therefore utterly helpless, with regard to atoning for his past sins; utterly unable to make any amends to God, to pay any ransom for his own soul.

But if God would forgive him all that is past, on this one condition, that he should sin no more, that for the time to come he should entirely and constantly obey all his commands: he well knows that this would profit him nothing, being a condition he could never perform. He knows and feels, that he is not able to obey, even the outward commands of God: seeing these cannot be obeyed, while his heart remains in its natural sinfulness and corruption: inasmuch as an evil tree, cannot bring forth good fruit. But he cannot cleanse a sinful heart: with men this is impossible. So that he is utterly at a loss, even how to begin walking in the path of God’s commandments. He knows not how to get one step forward in the way. Incompassed with sin and sorrow and fear, and finding no way to escape, he can only cry out, Lord, save, or I perish!

7. *Poverty of spirit then, as it implies the first step we take in running the race which is set beforeus, is, a just sense of our inward and outward sins, and of our guilt and helplessness. This some have monstrously stiled, the virtue of humility; thus teaching us to be proud of knowing we deserve damnation. But our Lord’s expression is quite of another kind; conveying no idea to the hearer, but that of mere want, of naked sin, of helpless guilt and misery.

8. The great apostle, where he endeavours to bring sinners to God, speaks in a manner just answerable to this, [53]The wrath of God, saith he, is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men: a charge which he immediately fixes on the Heathen world, and thereby proves, they were under the wrath of God. He next shews, that the Jews were no better than they, and were therefore under the same condemnation: and all this, not in order to their attaining “The noble virtue of humility,” but that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.

He proceeds to shew, that they were helpless as well as guilty; which is the plain purport of all those expressions, Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified—But now the righteousness of God, which is by faith, of Jesus Christ, without the law is manifested—We conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law: expressions all tending to the same point, even to hide pride from man: to humblehim to the dust, without teaching him to reflect upon his humility as a virtue; to inspire him with that full piercing conviction of his utter sinfulness, guilt and helplessness, which casts the sinner, stript of all, lost and undone, on his strong helper, Jesus Christ the righteous.