Samuel Hopkins: Christian Friendship

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[00:01:01] Provides thoughts is a production of Revived Studios.

[00:01:08] This is Troy Injell and you're listening to Revived Thoughts.

[00:01:17] Everyone who with impartial B sees what Christianity is and knows that in following it,

[00:01:23] the greatest piece love and friendship and the most pure and noble happiness is to be enjoyed.

[00:01:31] Every episode we bring you a different voice from history in a sermon that they delivered

[00:01:36] today we're listening to a sermon by Samuel Hopkins.

[00:01:40] It was preached in 1767 in Massachusetts.

[00:01:45] Troy, how's the leases?

[00:01:47] What are they doing?

[00:01:48] Her broken her poor, poor broken foot.

[00:01:50] How's the recovery road?

[00:01:51] It's better.

[00:01:53] It is better and I like to think it's partially because we've had some nice friends.

[00:01:57] We have some people in the community that have been helping us out.

[00:02:00] Mark and I Harry Yana, who doesn't mean much to most of you but I know that they listen to the show.

[00:02:05] So, Harry Yana, yeah, I know.

[00:02:08] Well, very well.

[00:02:09] You're always hanging out with them exactly.

[00:02:11] And so I just want to say that it is been really nice that people have been helping us out

[00:02:15] and keep going to say they have to drive us around because in Indonesia is not accessible

[00:02:19] and handicap accessible at all.

[00:02:22] So, there's a lot of help that's needed in between just all the different things that have been going on.

[00:02:27] I would say the reason the leases recovering is due to the good community of people that are here

[00:02:32] where we live in Indonesia.

[00:02:34] So, I am grateful.

[00:02:35] But if you were thinking, hey, you know, a sound spun breaking my foot in Indonesia?

[00:02:39] No, actually.

[00:02:40] It's not as fun as you might think it is.

[00:02:42] You might want to re-dial those ideas and break your foot somewhere else.

[00:02:46] If you really want to do it, you know.

[00:02:48] I have to write that off my list.

[00:02:50] Yeah, no.

[00:02:50] I know it's a bucket list item for a lot of people.

[00:02:53] They're like, you're not living if you haven't done that one.

[00:02:55] But I'm telling you, it's not as much fun as it sounds and you might want to recommend doing that

[00:02:59] and just do it somewhere else where they believe in wheelchairs and sidewalks that don't have like

[00:03:04] 1,000 lumps and cracks in the more sidewalks period at all.

[00:03:08] And about 100 other things that make it difficult to get around here.

[00:03:11] Even our cons has just ran them steps and it like all over the place that you have to like walk up and down

[00:03:16] in random spots in your house.

[00:03:18] Probably because the house was built one room at a time and it does not make it easy if you're

[00:03:24] on crutches and you got to go up and down all over the place all the time.

[00:03:29] So again, you sound like someone that's like running with a political agenda to like we

[00:03:35] have to pass, you know, resolution 316 to it on a well-handic access exactly.

[00:03:41] I am tired of there not being wheelchair ramps in my house for my poor wife.

[00:03:46] I have to get around and we've got to fix those.

[00:03:48] And it's my wife, at least was basically saying that when we were in the airport trying to get

[00:03:52] around.

[00:03:52] There were some moments where we had to basically take her down two flights of stairs to get to bathrooms

[00:03:57] and stuff like that when it was just crazy.

[00:04:01] And she was like, I know that this will never happen but I am now a supporter of more wheelchair-excessive

[00:04:06] little bathrooms and airports in Indonesia.

[00:04:08] I don't know that I can ever change that but it's now on her agenda to at least mention it if it ever comes up.

[00:04:13] Like, she's ever hanging out with the governor of Indonesia.

[00:04:16] She might be like, by the way, a good idea is in a handicap accessible bathroom.

[00:04:22] And they'll laugh in her face probably.

[00:04:24] They'll be like, okay that's nice.

[00:04:26] All right, well anyway, that's that's our, that's what we got going on.

[00:04:29] Joel has everything back on.

[00:04:30] I in old Kansas City.

[00:04:32] There's going well.

[00:04:33] It's going well.

[00:04:34] What's the specific question?

[00:04:35] Hit me with something I can elaborate on.

[00:04:37] How's the fam?

[00:04:38] How the kiddos?

[00:04:39] Famous dome great.

[00:04:40] It's a little baby variety.

[00:04:42] Is it hidden nine months and she is full teething swing, which is a rough time around here.

[00:04:48] Lots of, do you remember like the amount of drool that would come out of a baby when they were teething?

[00:04:53] It is from my own experience.

[00:04:55] Yeah, I don't know what my level of droolness but from my children.

[00:04:59] Your children.

[00:05:00] Oh yes, no, that is a very memorable time of it.

[00:05:03] For me, it wasn't the drool as much as it was just the middle of the night crying.

[00:05:08] You can't really do much to fix media.

[00:05:10] I'm so sorry.

[00:05:11] I know you're miserable.

[00:05:12] And it's a really whimper cry too.

[00:05:14] Yeah, and you know what will make you feel better if you go back to sleep and then you won't feel the pain because you're in sleep.

[00:05:19] But obviously, the babies are very unreasonable when you explain that to them.

[00:05:24] Yeah, yeah, they don't see logic.

[00:05:25] Other than they're just being a thin layer of drool slobber over our whole house,

[00:05:32] you things are pretty pretty good.

[00:05:35] It's a season.

[00:05:37] It'll pass.

[00:05:38] Yeah, that's where we're at.

[00:05:39] And then Amy's doing great.

[00:05:40] He just turned four and he's a man.

[00:05:43] Great big brother.

[00:05:43] He's helping out all around the house.

[00:05:45] Oh, nice.

[00:05:47] So haven't seen Frank the snake in the back deck for several weeks.

[00:05:51] There we go.

[00:05:52] There we go.

[00:05:52] I think he hopefully moved on probably not that I'm sure I'll see him six months from now.

[00:05:57] Maybe he's just going, well, I was going to say going away from winter.

[00:06:00] I guess for more I live, it feels like it's probably winter in the States.

[00:06:04] Because it's starting to move into what is called the rainy season.

[00:06:07] And we can feel it with the humidity, but I forget that it's September there.

[00:06:11] So it's probably actually still pretty hot.

[00:06:13] Yeah, we're actually kind of having a bit of a bipolar identity crisis with our seasons.

[00:06:21] We've been like pretty heavy rollercoaster ride where we'll be like in the 60s for half a week.

[00:06:27] And then it'll shoot up and then be men 90s and then be 60s.

[00:06:31] And we've gone up and down.

[00:06:34] It's like it's like a four day cycle of beautiful, wonderful fall weather and then summer again.

[00:06:40] And then beautiful fall, cold weather.

[00:06:43] And it makes it kind of hard to plant the plant activities.

[00:06:48] But you know, I can't complain too much.

[00:06:50] No, no, no, I feel you're, I mean, gosh, I just have the 90 degree weather.

[00:06:53] And I can't imagine what you're suffering with that delightful 60s degrees every couple days.

[00:06:58] I, boy, you have my sympathy out there.

[00:07:01] And that a nice time you're having.

[00:07:02] Can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

[00:07:04] That's 100% sarcastic.

[00:07:05] I would kill for a free.

[00:07:06] You've been, I don't know.

[00:07:08] When I was in endo, we were going up into the mountains and the locals were like,

[00:07:12] You should bring a jacket.

[00:07:13] We're going to go up into the mountain.

[00:07:15] And it gets, it gets quite frigid.

[00:07:18] And it might have been like 81 degrees up there.

[00:07:21] Yeah, they were shivering freezing.

[00:07:23] Yeah, that's because they grew up here.

[00:07:24] Okay, when I literally go to the mountains and I feel that same quote unquote shiver of theirs.

[00:07:29] And I don't want to leave.

[00:07:30] I just want to like hug the air and does not.

[00:07:32] Like, I go there and try to collect the cold in my body for a couple hours.

[00:07:36] And then when I go back down where I live,

[00:07:38] I just have to like remember when I was slightly chilly.

[00:07:40] That was so nice.

[00:07:43] When it was just, you know, a little ball me instead of a human.

[00:07:48] Yeah, that was, it wasn't like cold.

[00:07:51] Like it was like cold, like the entrance of a grocery store.

[00:07:54] Not even the milk.

[00:07:55] I just like just the entrance.

[00:07:57] That was so nice.

[00:07:58] Just remember that feeling for the next couple of weeks until I can get it again.

[00:08:02] I don't let's go ahead.

[00:08:04] Now this is going to say who are we talking about.

[00:08:06] We're talking about, I said it's beginning.

[00:08:07] Samuel Hopkins.

[00:08:08] Samuel Hopkins.

[00:08:10] But let's first cover one nice positive review because we absolutely are always a huge fan of when we get a five star review on Apple podcasts.

[00:08:17] And we did, which brought us to a hundred and ninety five star reviews.

[00:08:21] The other day, some of my students were Googling teachers names.

[00:08:24] And I could hear them out of, like they didn't know I was kind of half listening to them.

[00:08:29] And of course this is not the first time has happened but the Googled me.

[00:08:32] And then they were suddenly like, oh, oh, look at all this stuff.

[00:08:35] Like it's like whoa when you put my name into an address like this actually a bunch of links that come up because of our podcast.

[00:08:41] And when they got to our thing, I heard them go five stars.

[00:08:44] He has five stars.

[00:08:46] And it made me laugh pretty hard. So yes, thank you for all of you who've given us a five star review on Apple podcasts helping the keep us at five point out.

[00:08:54] And our latest one comes in and says great content, great show has been refined and improved a ton over the years.

[00:09:01] Thank you Leonard.

[00:09:02] I'm glad that we have continued to get better and more refined as we got on these these revised thoughts of ours are becoming refined thoughts and I appreciate that.

[00:09:10] How many reviews did you say we were up to?

[00:09:11] A hundred and ninety on the US Apple podcasts is actually like 240 or 50 I think when you include like so I didn't know this but Apple podcast was differentiate between like your Indonesia Apple stars and your UK Apple stars or whatever.

[00:09:25] So you have to go to a special website to see all of them and collect it at one spot.

[00:09:29] But in the US we're at 190 and across all of them it's like 240 or 250.

[00:09:34] Well hey we need to get that up to 200 nice clean to double.

[00:09:42] Troy Samuel Hopkins Connecticut 17 21.

[00:09:48] This is brand was born so this is pre America America this is colonial America and it's just a wild west out there imagine right who knows who knows what the other is colonies 13 of them is you know about.

[00:10:03] It is a very different era.

[00:10:07] People drink lots of tea that they paid high tax on was my understanding solid.

[00:10:13] He grew up on a farm he likely would have been a farm himself that's farmer himself that's how these things usually.

[00:10:20] These usually go you're raised in your family trait you take over the family business.

[00:10:25] But you know at this time in this era economy not doing great farm not doing great.

[00:10:31] He he was a pretty smart kid he started reading and he was good at reading and so his family said hey let's in this boy to school.

[00:10:39] And maybe he can he can do something with his life that would be more.

[00:10:45] Profitable more beneficial for him in the family than hanging around this farm that it looks like it's on its way out so they sent him out to school and he did okay for himself.

[00:10:57] He went to Yale he graduated in 1741 at the age of 20 and was interested in things of ministry.

[00:11:05] Originally he planned to live with and join the traveling preacher revival this Gilbert tenant that was like who we looked up to live is tenet guy.

[00:11:14] I've got to learn from him but then a Jonathan Edwards came through his town one day and immediately his plans changed this Jonathan Edwards guy oh my goodness he's he's who I have to learn from him.

[00:11:29] So almost like a almost like a disciple in the Bible seems like he left he left his home to go study under Edwards and follow Edwards around learn Edwards theology and build a friendship with him as as his teacher.

[00:11:44] And he did so he was we worked very closely with Edwards up until Edwards's death.

[00:11:49] In fact if you've read any of Jonathan Edwards's work any of his memoirs or anything like that it's you're probably almost certainly reading the work of Samuel Hopkins as the the arranger the collector.

[00:12:04] He's the one that went through all of Jonathan Edwards's work and arranged them into his memoirs so that people like us could read them a few hundred years later.

[00:12:14] And he was also able to chime in and kind of fill in the details and gaps where Jonathan Edwards wasn't able to do so because he was with him for a lot of this stuff.

[00:12:23] Joel Hopkins loved theology and loved writing his own views although they could definitely be controversial in their world at the time.

[00:12:31] We recently covered Zachary Reyes or Sinius as kind of a second generation reformation kind of guy like the guys who come after Martin Luther and Hopkins to me is definitely a second generation Jonathan Edwards thinking kind of guy.

[00:12:45] He promoted the theology, the works, the ideas of Jonathan Edwards to New England and they would end up getting a name for themselves as kind of school of thought that were people who wanted to continue with Jonathan Edwards started the new divinity that spread across New England.

[00:12:58] But and this is actually something that we don't see that often in our show as a preacher Samuel Hopkins was not considered maybe very good.

[00:13:08] One source said that a famous preacher was in town listening to a speak and said quote, he was the very ideal of bad delivery such tones never came from any human voice within my hearing before which I mean that's pretty much as bad as a review can get right that his sermon was so bad.

[00:13:26] He didn't believe he'd ever heard hear human voices sound like that before so yeah, I feel bad for Samuel Hopkins on that one.

[00:13:34] But he would eventually be appointed to a church in Massachusetts the one he was at when he preaches this sermon that we're going to listen to thankfully not spoken by somebody with tones of voice that should never be heard.

[00:13:44] But it will be a very small church of only about 30 families going to it in a very small community that actually to this day still exists but it's like one of those communities in America that are kind of unattached to anything very small community.

[00:13:57] We do not know the exact reasons why, but over time his views and books would generate opposition from what then is own congregation and like his mentor Edwards he will actually get kicked out of his own church.

[00:14:11] So not always easy time of ministry for Samuel Hopkins.

[00:14:15] Yeah, I mean he did have his bout of controversies as we see you know people are imperfect.

[00:14:24] So there were some things so he was like at Calvinist but he was also like the extreme Calvinist and like this was somewhat to my double of you.

[00:14:34] I don't know in Bible college, I definitely remember having that debate with several people of people who like you take Calvinism too far and then you have that extreme Calvinism and it doesn't matter how and I've always counted with like I've never met anyone like that.

[00:14:49] Like I do not know, I know I have ever like or any of these extreme Calvinists that you are so weary of.

[00:14:58] I guess I guess now I do say something.

[00:15:02] It seems to be one of those more extreme Calvinists.

[00:15:05] Yeah he so he definitely, I know you're talking about that why when you discuss his story and stuff for the church and you're always going over Calvinism and our many of those someone kids are always asking questions about the subjects.

[00:15:16] And there's always this fear of the of the hyper Calvinist that I will say I've learned from my friends in the Netherlands that actually can be a problem that when they have talked with about sending out missionaries and stuff that they they told us there are churches that will basically be like we don't need to send anybody out because God will bring them in so we should all just stay here and live our lives and that's fine.

[00:15:38] I was like whoa so there it is out there that are people who buy into this but Samuel Hopkins has the most extreme version of this I have heard and I'll just go ahead and say this.

[00:15:48] Revive thoughts is not endorsed this view of of anything they were explaining it to you because this was this controversial view but I did not think it's very good view Joel go ahead and tell us.

[00:15:58] Yeah so he I mean it's probably the most like can pick quote that we see come out of his theology is one that says if God wanted to send you to hell then you should be glad to glorify God by going to hell.

[00:16:10] Pretty extreme and you know it's interesting to look at his life because he like all people goes through phases and errors of theology.

[00:16:22] Is this a viewpoint that shifted over time I don't know maybe a debt I think it does definitely seem to be stemmed in some of Hopkins own doubts in faith.

[00:16:34] He he definitely references a personal encounter that he had with God when he was younger but throughout his life he would often share about doubts that still lingered in the back of his mind about faith and faith that he wrestled with.

[00:16:48] Again like a lot of our speakers do I think it's a very human thing but could some of that stem to maybe an over correction and over exaggeration.

[00:17:00] I'm not sure you know he did dedicate his life to preaching Jesus Christ.

[00:17:05] Yeah I do think I agree with that like to me it felt like he was almost trying to convince himself like I am struggling with doubt,

[00:17:13] but you know what I'm going to take the view that even if God wanted to send me to hell that's the right thing for him to do so I feel like he's trying to convince himself a little bit like.

[00:17:23] I'm I'm going to take this extreme hard line position because I need to be willing to accept whatever it is, but I don't think that he was either I not no evidence for me shows that he is a not a believer.

[00:17:34] I'm he definitely seems to be a believer and be I don't think he's actually would agree.

[00:17:39] I don't think he would be happy to be sent to hell.

[00:17:42] I think he was almost just trying to take that over over correction as it were for his own sake and I don't I'm glad that that's not a popular sentiment today if that makes sense.

[00:17:53] Yeah yeah maybe yeah just trying to psychologically process things and ways that in retrospect don't appear to be maybe the healthiest way to do that.

[00:18:02] But even more controversial than his takes on extreme cavernism where his views on slavery.

[00:18:10] Now Jonathan Edwards, his mentor and this is man it's it's hard to get your mind in this headspace of what would be like in this era again this is colonial America pre revolution.

[00:18:23] Edwards is an interesting character and this is who who obligations is working with and learning from Edwards seems to be pretty much like against the slave trade he talked a lot in in was very much against the idea of kidnapping people from Africa and using them enslaved.

[00:18:41] Against the businesses that white Europeans were doing in enslaving Africans but Edwards anyone that knows Edwards he did have a couple slaves and defenders of Edwards will claim that hey these these were so these were two young kids that he bought when when they were children.

[00:18:59] And he purchased them to save them from because they were in a real bad situation and so he took that he got them out of that situation by purchasing them and I mean it is it is pretty well documented that he did treat them well.

[00:19:14] I mean and especially when it came to the church they were granted if whether you were a member of color or your white your granted full membership black parishioners, you know all of that they were all treated as the same as white ones but no one.

[00:19:27] I don't know I don't want to speak too finitivally about either side of the case no one knows for sure.

[00:19:34] You know how Edwards treated people behind closed doors and so it is it is one that is hard to look back on and talk about in today's day.

[00:19:46] I mean I think we'd all like to think oh there must have been a good reason but I looked John the Edwards is a sinful human and it very is very possible that there wasn't a good reason and we have to I think leave that door open that he bought these slaves just because it was the thing to do at the time and he didn't see it as necessarily a sin.

[00:20:04] Even though he did seem to have a he did I from an I at least looked at people said yes he did have a did right against kidnaps and all that stuff and did right against the safe trade but as possible he didn't think it was a sin the other way around.

[00:20:15] So I think until he that door open when history does not give you the answer but Hopkins built on this and so he said yeah no we are supposed to do everything we do out of love he had this idea basically of gods.

[00:20:28] The serving god our god juggle is humans is the serve god glorify god and he believed in what was called this interested benevolence which means everything you do to glorify god it has to be done out of love with not a hint of selfishness.

[00:20:42] And so your entire life should be motivated by loving others about a hint of your own selfishness involved.

[00:20:48] And he said there's just no way to own slaves and not be on some level selfish and so because you can't do that you shouldn't.

[00:20:56] And he began to preach and write about abolition ideas very very early by 1776 at the founding of america before america's even even started really the revolutionary war.

[00:21:07] He was writing pamphlets basically writing hey we're starting this new country america and one of the first things we need to do is get rid of all of our slaves and tree Africans quote as our beloved brother and.

[00:21:17] So I don't know that he's he's I don't think he's the earliest abolitionist but I mean he is at the very early days of this abolitionist movement especially on the american side of the pond.

[00:21:29] And he was successful he seemed he was able to convince many ministers to free their slaves and let go of slavery as a wrong and sinful practice and earlier this year we actually had an adria and a speech.

[00:21:41] By a guy who was working in that time I believe it's Richard Allen who was talking about you know emancipation that kind of stuff and he was a slave that was freed by a minister in the late 1700s.

[00:21:53] I don't it wasn't the same minister but I kind of wonder if that minister maybe it interacted with Samuel Hopkins because there's just this connection to around the same time Samuel Hopkins says.

[00:22:03] Everybody needs to free their slaves and goes around telling people that writing pamphlets and then around the same time that guy was let go so I kind of think like you can see that this is starting to click with at least some people that it is a sinful practice to own slaves.

[00:22:16] Now the reason we said this is controversial by the way is it's not controversial to us today like in 2024 I don't think anybody goes wait a second are you sure.

[00:22:24] But back then it was a very controversial thing for a pastor to start saying oh and by the way these slaves we have are sinful and there were a lot of people going more later second now are you sure it is what come on now let's not say that.

[00:22:36] Now he really respected people who were not white as well in a way that wasn't as common back then for example he set up a school hoping to train black missionaries that would go into Africa and would go into communities of people.

[00:22:51] And basically share the gospel with them and it was really not something that had been tried before to raise up people to go sending them back.

[00:23:00] However setting up a school like that during the Revolutionary War just did not work out all of America's resources were tied up in the war and so as just kind of as the school was getting started it ended up trying to get enclosed down which is too bad.

[00:23:14] But just again the very idea that he was in the attempt to do that tells you where his heart was and how he felt about treating other people.

[00:23:26] When did you understand who you are?

[00:23:30] Someone who was a wimp and with whom the beautiful evening of your life you want to live?

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[00:24:43] Make his own way preaching at different places for a time.

[00:24:47] He really during this era really championed the idea of like a selfless servant in the way that he thought

[00:24:55] believe or should live their life and particularly in politics.

[00:25:00] He was really championed for public servants to almost kind of like

[00:25:05] surrender to a life of poverty.

[00:25:07] I don't know if I'd say poverty, but the idea that if you are a public servant truly in politics,

[00:25:13] and your goal is to serve the community, then that community's thriving should come before your own personal

[00:25:22] luxuries in life.

[00:25:24] And he exemplified this personally in his own life.

[00:25:28] There were lots of times where he would go without meals for a long time because he was feeding the poor around him

[00:25:35] and people had to tell him like hey you got to eat and you got to put some food in your belly.

[00:25:40] And he thought that hey you know I can suffer for the sake of others in this sense.

[00:25:47] And that was his kind of driving theology in the sense of that you should be selfless and everything.

[00:25:53] And everything should be done and love.

[00:25:55] And he was a personal example of what that looks like as far as sacrificing his own pursuit of happiness for the sake of serving others.

[00:26:04] It sounds like a relatively normal thing for Christians to get behind that concept in today's age, but from how we read about it,

[00:26:13] it definitely seemed to be pretty radical for those folks at that time.

[00:26:18] That was something that was not a part of how they thought in that era.

[00:26:21] A few years before his death he'd suffer a stroke and he continued preaching for a few years,

[00:26:26] but eventually he'd pass way in 1803.

[00:26:29] Not as well known today, but his influence on culture and his willingness to take tough stances definitely left a legacy in an impact.

[00:26:39] Despite kind of his mentor's feelings in the areas of slavery,

[00:26:42] Edward's did end up inspiring the man that would help the abolitionist movement get off the ground in America.

[00:27:03] Song of Solomon 516.

[00:27:05] This is my beloved and this is my friend.

[00:27:09] One, this subject of Christ's friendship with humanity when it is surely considered a force great evidence of the truth and divinity of Christianity.

[00:27:19] It is right up there with the great and leading doctrines,

[00:27:22] and yet at the same time shows how the Christian, though not learned or of great natural talent, can be assured that he can show the divinity of God and hope of eternal happiness.

[00:27:32] This scheme of friendship and happiness for man never would have been thought of by any one of the human race.

[00:27:38] It had to be revealed from heaven.

[00:27:41] Here it is made certain that no other scheme of religion but that revealed in the Bible is true or can make men happy by embracing it,

[00:27:49] and that all other methods to obtain happiness of which there are many devised by the wit and learning of the most sage-like among men are mere delusions.

[00:27:58] And they were never will or can obtain it.

[00:28:01] For when the world by their wisdom does not know God or the way to true happiness, it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching to save and make eternally happy all those who believe.

[00:28:13] But the unbeliever will say, I do not pretend to understand the scriptures,

[00:28:17] but I am certain that my reason and my experience dictate that there is no happiness in attending to the Bible, but very much the opposite.

[00:28:25] And the spread of Christianity in the world has been far from making mankind more happy than they were without it.

[00:28:33] It has been the occasion of unspeakable disaster, and even professing Christians instead of being united by it in love and friendship have been the greatest enemies to each other and destroyed one another in cruel ways.

[00:28:46] I answer.

[00:28:48] That such have received no happiness by the attention they have paid to the Bible is not an argument of the least weight that is not to be found there.

[00:28:58] Men may come to the Bible with a strong and prevailing disposition in taste of mind or heart, which does not relish true happiness.

[00:29:06] But instead is highly disgusted and displeased with it.

[00:29:09] With this corrupted taste they relish and seek after other happiness where it cannot be found, being wholly blind to these noble spiritual truths.

[00:29:19] And such a wrong taste and disposition tends to bias their understanding and reason, so as to render it partial and inclined to error.

[00:29:27] This blindness which consists in a wrong taste and disposition of mind, the scripture speaks of as common to all men in their natural state.

[00:29:37] And when it so commonly takes place, it is a confirmation of the truth of the scripture.

[00:29:42] The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

[00:29:52] As to the effect which Christianity has had in the world, it is acknowledged that where it has been perverted and abused, it has been the occasion of much evil.

[00:30:01] The best things are capable of abuse and of being made the occasion of great misery.

[00:30:07] But this is no argument against their excellency and tendency to the greatest good when used properly.

[00:30:13] So to use it well, we must study the Bible and learn what are the doctrines and precepts contained in it.

[00:30:19] Everyone who with impartiality and right or good taste does this sees what Christianity is and knows that in following it, the greatest peace, love and friendship, and the most pure and noble happiness is to be enjoyed.

[00:30:35] For the true Christian has constant evidence in his own mind that Christianity is from heaven, and will give complete and eternal life and happiness to all who embrace it.

[00:30:45] They have found this happiness, consisting in Christian friendship to Christ and to all who appear to bear his image.

[00:30:51] And they know that nothing is lacking in order for their complete happiness forever.

[00:30:56] They are only to have this friendship perfected and attended to with everything that is favorable to it.

[00:31:02] They are sure this scheme is from heaven and has a divine stamp on it, as it has as much beyond man to form it as to create the world.

[00:31:10] They may not be able to produce all which is called the external evidence of the truth of Christianity or to answer all the subtle arguments and objections and witty scoffs of infidels.

[00:31:21] But are able to say alongside the primitive Christians, we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true.

[00:31:32] This is the true God and eternal life.

[00:31:35] And their witnesses to the truth declared by their beloved Lord in Savior, this is eternal life that they might know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

[00:31:47] They have found the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great price.

[00:31:51] They have found all they want to make them eternally happy, and cheerfully forsake and give up everything else and renounce all hopes or desires of any other happiness for the sake of these.

[00:32:03] Two.

[00:32:05] How happy are the true friends of Christ? They have a degree of sweet enjoyment and happiness now, which strangers cannot interfere with, that is deep in love and union of heart to Christ and their fellow saints.

[00:32:16] They taste the sweets of Christian friendship in comparison with all other enjoyment, our shallow, incipid and worthless.

[00:32:25] They seize such powerful, ravishing beauty and excellence in their most beloved friend that they become insensible and dead to all those objects which glitter and the eyes of the world.

[00:32:36] They have a friend of such excellence and worth that it will take an eternity to tell who we is and make a full display of his sufficiency and perfections.

[00:32:44] Even if they are portioned in this world a small and their life hard, they know it is ordered by their kind, why is friend for their best good?

[00:32:53] Even if they may be overlooked, yes, despised even by men, and are counted as rejected by all things.

[00:33:00] But their names are enrolled in the most honorable place in heaven. They are engraved on the heart of him who is at the head of the universe,

[00:33:08] who is their almighty and everlasting friend, and will confess their names before the congregated universe.

[00:33:14] Their life is hidden with Christ in God, and when Christ, their friend, who is their life appears, then they will also appear with Him in glory.

[00:33:25] Though they are inconceivably unworthy, guilty, despicable, and undeserving in themselves, yet their friend to whom they are united has dignity and worthiness overflowing,

[00:33:37] so as to commend them to the highest honors and happiness. Because they love Him and have united themselves to Him as their friend and patron, the great father of the universe loves them,

[00:33:48] and is willing to bestow on them unimaginable favors and honors. And all the angels delight in them and join to serve and honor them.

[00:33:57] The low, guilty and wretched state into which they are fallen by sin will on the hall be no disadvantage to them, but infinitely to the contrary.

[00:34:08] All this evil will be turned into the greatest good for them. From this infinite depth of guilt and woe in which they have sunk infinitely below the reach of any human arm,

[00:34:18] they will be raised to the top of the creation, and they will be made the highest and happiest of all, next to the most blessed and glorious people of Scripture to whom they are united,

[00:34:30] and bear the most near and honorable relationship with their friend. With Him they would dwell forever, and be admitted as if He was their equal.

[00:34:39] They will enjoy a dear and sweet friendship with Him without interruption, and will grow more and more sweet and comforting through boundless time eternal ages.

[00:34:51] In that world of love, where all will swim in this river, this boundless ocean of sacred pleasure and delight, they will have the sweetest, the cream of the crop.

[00:35:00] As the firstborn they will inherit a double portion forever, but I must stop. The theme itself is as boundless as the subject.

[00:35:11] Am I speaking to any of the friends of Jesus Christ? Who love Him in sincerity?

[00:35:17] Praise, let you be blessed of the Lord. You are greatly beloved by Him, and nothing will be able to separate you from His love.

[00:35:25] All things are working together for your good. Jesus, the beloved of your souls, is at the head of the universe,

[00:35:32] and is the appointed judge of all, lift up your heads and rejoice for your redemption draws near.

[00:35:41] You will soon see Him at the head of His most glorious kingdom with all His enemies under His feet.

[00:35:47] He will completely fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness towards you, be encouraged than not to faint, but lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

[00:35:57] Let us not cease to pray for one another and for all the saints that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory,

[00:36:04] may give to us more of the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

[00:36:10] Pray that the eyes of our understanding are enlightened. Pray that we may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of His glory of His inheritance, which He has provided for all the saints.

[00:36:22] Three.

[00:36:24] But who are these most happy persons? The true friends of Jesus Christ?

[00:36:30] Many are doubtlessly deceiving themselves in this important point. They are professing great love to Jesus Christ,

[00:36:37] and are confident that He is their friend, while indeed they know Him not.

[00:36:42] Instead, they are real enemies to His true character, and will be found at last as the workers of sin of whom He will be ashamed

[00:36:50] and reject them as those whom He never knew.

[00:36:54] There may be others who, though they are His real friends, are often calling their love and friendship to Christ in question

[00:37:01] and are ready sometimes even to conclude against themselves as friends. It may therefore be worthwhile to attend to this question a little

[00:37:10] to which the subject we are upon naturally leads us. For those who are seriously inquiring,

[00:37:16] whether they are true friends to Christ or not, let us look at a few points.

[00:37:21] So that the truly sincere may be encouraged and comforted, and the presumptuous self-deceiver may be detected and aware.

[00:37:29] First, true friendship to Jesus Christ is not built upon and does not come from a conviction that He loves them and is their friend.

[00:37:38] This has been apparent in the whole description that has been given of this love and friendship,

[00:37:43] and is most evident from the nature of natural friendships. Where one person loves and is a friend to another person,

[00:37:50] only because He is persuaded that the other loves Him, there is no real love or true friendship in this case.

[00:37:57] It is nothing but self-love displayed in a particular way in which there is not a spark of true friendship.

[00:38:04] The man is a friend to himself. He is wholly bound up in his own private interest and values and seeks nothing else,

[00:38:12] and takes no delight in anything else. He delights only in persons or things any further than in his view.

[00:38:20] It has been official to him or in some way promotes his interests. Such a person, continuing so, is not capable of true friendship.

[00:38:29] For unselfice love is essential for true friendship. This is so obviously a dictate of common sense and mutual feeling of mankind that it cannot be argued against.

[00:38:40] And all mankind has joined together to pronounce it as a worthless thing, and not worthy of the name of true friendship.

[00:38:47] Well, it is as distant from true friendship and as worthless when exercise towards Jesus Christ as if it was exercised towards us.

[00:38:56] Yet many are here deceiving themselves and offering that to Christ for His acceptance. But if we should offer it to any of our fellow men, they would despise and hate it.

[00:39:07] But his true friends, when his character was once open to their eyes and they saw what man or a person Christ was, they were pleased and charmed with Him,

[00:39:17] and their hearts became friendly to Him in a moment.

[00:39:20] That this is always true of the real friends of Christ. We can even demonstrate from the fact that we can have no evidence that Christ is our friend and loves us until it is evident that we are His friends.

[00:39:34] There was no other possible way for any person to know or have grounds to think that Christ is His friend, but by bearing fruits in their life when they walk with Him.

[00:39:43] If therefore He waits and neglects to become friendly to Christ, till He has some evidence that Christ is His friend, He will never be a friend to Him.

[00:39:54] Christ says, He that loves me, I will love Him, or I will love them that love Me.

[00:40:01] Here Christ promises His love and friendship to those who love Him.

[00:40:05] Therefore, according to this promise, our love for Him is the only evidence that He is our friend.

[00:40:12] And there is not one promise of the Bible of Christ's special love and friendship to anyone, unless He has that character which implies true love to Christ.

[00:40:22] Or put another way, they who are not true friends to Christ have no promise made to them of Christ's special love and favor.

[00:40:30] Therefore, they can have no degrees of evidence in Christ's friendship with Him while they continue searching and waiting.

[00:40:38] They therefore who think they have had any token or evidence of Christ's special love to them outside of their own love for Him.

[00:40:45] Or before they have become His true friends, our most certainly deluded.

[00:40:50] And those who will not love Christ and become friends to Him, till they first know, or believe on concrete evidence that He is their true friend.

[00:40:58] We'll never be His friends in this world and we'll remain His enemies to all eternity.

[00:41:05] The true friends of Christ love Him for who He is in Himself, and all their friendship to Him consists originally and fundamentally who He is.

[00:41:15] He has worthiness and excellency, beauty and charms enough in His person and character to win the heart of anyone who has the smallest degree of true discernment.

[00:41:25] If people have no degree of such taste and discerning, all the possible manifestations and testimonies of Christ's special love to them would not begin the least spark of such a heart.

[00:41:37] And so would not produce the least movement of true friendship and so would do no good to someone like that but in fact it hurts them.

[00:41:47] For He leaves a more confirmed enemy to Christ than He was before.

[00:41:51] But if people have any degree of right taste and discerning implanted in their hearts, which is always done in regeneration, they will love and be charmed with the beauty and excellence of Christ's character

[00:42:03] and commence as true friends immediately.

[00:42:06] Even before they have the evidence that He is their friend.

[00:42:09] And it is in consequence of so openly loving and cleaving to Him that He manifests Himself to them as their special friend and Redeemer.

[00:42:18] Christ Himself has own design stated this matter as plain as words can make it.

[00:42:24] He says, He that loves me, I will love Him and will manifest myself to Him.

[00:42:29] It is granted that the gospel and evidence of Christ's special love to His true friends will greatly increase their love for Him.

[00:42:37] So in a sense and degree, they love Him because He first loved them or His loved of them manifested in the display of the cross, does make Him more dear to them.

[00:42:49] But if they had no real love to Him, grounded upon who He is in Himself, knowledge of the gospel even would not create true love.

[00:42:58] But what has been said is sufficient to prove that those who contend for a love and friendship to Christ, which is not true friendship, but is perfectly selfish and mercenary, cannot be speaking about true Christianity.

[00:43:12] The worst of men will love those that love them without any change in their moral character at all.

[00:43:19] Such a love is no virtue, but rather a vice as it is only the exercise of their own lusts.

[00:43:26] And these same men will love Christ if they can be persuaded to believe that Christ loves them.

[00:43:32] But they will be as destitute of true religion and as vicious as ever.

[00:43:37] And whoever is a friend to Christ, only in this view and on this account has no true faith and is at their core a real enemy to Christ.

[00:43:46] The meaning of these words, then we love Him because He first loved us.

[00:43:51] Must be that God's love and kindness to us is the ground and reason of our ever being brought to love Him as we should never have been brought to such an attitude.

[00:44:01] But have continued His enemies had He not from His eternal electing love given us a new heart, a heart that will love Him.

[00:44:09] So that in this sense His love to us, which is first even from eternity, is the cause of our love to Him.

[00:44:18] Our Savior, speaking of the same thing, the love and friendship between His disciples and Himself expresses it in different words.

[00:44:27] He says to them, you have not chosen me but I have chosen you.

[00:44:31] My previous choice of you to be my disciples and friends has been the reason for your becoming my friends and followers,

[00:44:39] as you never would have become my friends had I not brought it about.

[00:44:44] So you now love me and have become my friends because I first loved you and called you by my influences and grace.

[00:44:52] What the Apostle plainly asserts here is that in the work of redemption a mutual love and friendship takes place,

[00:44:58] but God is the first mover and not man.

[00:45:02] This is the theme He is upon as appears by the 10th verse.

[00:45:07] Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

[00:45:16] God is first in His love to man by which He has provided a mediator and then by His motion and influences brings man to love Him.

[00:45:25] And so we are brought into this friendship and love God in the Savior, not as first moving and the affair ourselves but because God first loved us.

[00:45:36] The devil knew that such a selfish religion is not true religion but is an argument that a man is really a wicked man and an enemy to God.

[00:45:46] Therefore He said in order to set Job in a bad light and insinuate that the character of God gave of Him as an upright man did not belong to Him.

[00:45:57] Does Job serve God for nothing?

[00:46:00] He is really saying.

[00:46:03] Job is holy selfish and mercenary in what He does and has no true respect and love to God, nor is really His friend.

[00:46:11] For all the love and service He renders to God is grounded on God's love and kindness to Him and the good He gets by it.

[00:46:20] Therefore, only take away these tokens of love and goodness and His love will holy cease and He will turn into an enemy of God.

[00:46:29] And God implicitly grants that if this was the case with Job, He was not worthy of the character He had given Him.

[00:46:36] Therefore He proceeds to put this matter to rest.

[00:46:40] Wow to the person whose love and friendship to Christ is built on no better foundation than this.

[00:46:45] When the trial comes, He will be found lacking.

[00:46:48] He would be just at the devil would have predicted Him to be.

[00:46:53] The true friends of Christ are submissive and obedient to Him.

[00:46:57] There is no true principle of obedience but love.

[00:46:59] So far as one is a true friend to another, He is devoted to His services and is at His service, especially if He is superior and has a right to dictate and command.

[00:47:11] And with what freedom and pleasure do we strive to serve and please our dear friends?

[00:47:16] They don't just talk but feel it a privilege to serve.

[00:47:20] What influence then will true love and friendship to Christ have in this respect?

[00:47:24] With what sweet delight do they devote themselves to Him?

[00:47:29] Looking on His service as the greatest privilege and happiness they can imagine.

[00:47:33] They long to be all submission and obedience to Him.

[00:47:37] For a sense of the sweetness and pleasure of it.

[00:47:40] As soon as they become friends with Him, they are reconciled to and pleased with all His rules, commands and ways.

[00:47:48] They esteem all His precepts concerning all things to be perfectly right.

[00:47:52] They will meditate on His precepts and have respect for all His ways.

[00:47:57] Yes, they will delight in His statutes and rejoice in the way of His testimonies more than in all riches.

[00:48:03] They will understand the solmus when He says, I opened my mouth and panted for I longed for Your commandments.

[00:48:12] They are not disposed to pick and choose for themselves but are ready to sign a blank and say, Lord, what will you have me to do?

[00:48:19] With this attitude they read God's word, desiring to find what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of Christ.

[00:48:29] They are not offended at the cross or feared at the prospect of suffering for their dear Lord and Master.

[00:48:34] But are ready to look upon this as a great privilege and happiness?

[00:48:39] All this is the natural and even necessary work of true friendship to Christ.

[00:48:44] This our dear Lord has expressed repeatedly in the strongest terms.

[00:48:48] His words are, He that has my commandments and keeps them.

[00:48:53] He is that who loves me.

[00:48:56] If a man loves me, he will keep my word.

[00:48:59] You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

[00:49:03] There are many professed friends of Christ who are found lacking.

[00:49:07] Yes, essentially defective when tried by this plain, infallible rule as the best rule of trial.

[00:49:14] They have, it may be, at times had some uncommon emotions and stirrings of the soul as they fondly think of Christ.

[00:49:23] And in these they rest as a sure evidence that they have become friends to Him.

[00:49:28] But what is the fruit in their life and conversation?

[00:49:32] Why it may be truly said of them they profess great love and friendship to Christ but in works they dishonor and deny Him.

[00:49:39] They call Him Lord and master but do not the things that He says.

[00:49:44] Therefore, we may be sure they are not His friends that all their affection, love and joy, however high it rises is of a doubtful kind

[00:49:53] and as nothing of the nature of the true love to Christ.

[00:49:57] Look carefully at your cells at this point, my friends.

[00:50:00] Do not flatter yourselves that your friends to Christ unless you are wholly devoted to His service.

[00:50:06] And are, with great exactness and careful care, labor and alertness, attending upon whatever He has commanded and avoiding all that He has forbidden.

[00:50:16] In thought, word and deed.

[00:50:18] At the same time not counting this task but a privilege from which you never desire to be released.

[00:50:33] Thank you for listening to today's episode of Revived Thoughts.

[00:50:37] Today's sermon was narrated by Nick Garland.

[00:50:40] Thank you, Nick Garland for narrating this Samuel Hopkins episode.

[00:50:44] If you enjoyed this sermon, we mentioned at the top that we always appreciate a five star apple podcast review.

[00:50:49] If you can leave one of those or on Spotify or on where you are, if you can leave us a review it does help.

[00:50:56] All of these things online look at reviews as part of putting our shows and people's feeds so it helps our show to grow.

[00:51:03] And to reach more people when you do that. So thank you so much if you could do that.

[00:51:07] This is Troy and Joel, and you're listening to Revived Thoughts.

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