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Every worldly Christian
-Spurgeon, "Travailing for Souls"
Every worldly Christian hinders the progress of the
gospel-- Every member of a church who is living in secret
sin, who is tolerating in his heart any thing that he knows to
be wrong, who is not seeking eagerly his own personal
sanctification, is to that extent hindering the work of the
Spirit of God.
For to the extent that we maintain known unholiness, we
restrain the Spirit. He cannot work by us as long as any
conscious sin is tolerated.
It is not over breaking of commandments that I am now
speaking of, brethren, but I include 'worldliness' also--
a care for carnal things, and a carelessness about spiritual
things; having enough grace just to make us hope that you
are a Christian, but not enough to prove you are;
bearing a shriveled apple here and there on the topmost
bough, but not much fruit; this I mean, this 'partial
barrenness'-- not complete enough to condemn,
yet complete enough to restrain the blessing, this robs
the treasure of the church, and hinders her progress.
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