Look to yourself, Julius, and to your insincere
heart. Look to yourself at all times, but above all other times at the
times and in the places of your devotions. Ten to one, my hearer of to-
night, you may never have thought of that before. And what would you
think if you were told that this Sincere shepherd was appointed us for
this evening's discourse, and that you were led up to this house, just
that you might have your attention turned to your many miserable
insincerities of all kinds, but especially to your so Julius-like
devotions? 'And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man. And David
said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.'
What, then, my truly miserable fellow-sinner and fellow-worshipper, what
are we to do? Am I to give up preaching altogether because I am
continually carried on under the impulse of the pulpit far beyond both my
attainments and my intentions? Am I to cease from public prayer
altogether because when engaged in it I am compelled to utter words of
contrition and confession and supplication that little agree with the
everyday temper and sensibility of my soul? And am I wholly to eschew
pastoral work because my heart is not so absolutely clean and simple and
sincere toward all my own people and toward other ministers' people as it
ought to be? No! Never! Never! Let me rather keep my heart of such
earth and slag in the hottest place of temptation, and then, such
humiliating discoveries as are there continually being made to me of
myself will surely at last empty me of all self-righteousness and self-
sufficiency, and make me at the end of my ministry, if not till then, the
penitent pastor of a penitent people.
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