0:00:00.504,0:00:02.619
Asahel Nettleton's feelings were often

0:00:02.619,0:00:04.724
severely tried by the unwise counsel

0:00:04.724,0:00:06.347
which some professing Christians

0:00:06.347,0:00:07.806
were in the habit of giving

0:00:07.806,0:00:09.505
to awakened sinners.

0:00:09.505,0:00:10.906
He has been heard to say

0:00:10.906,0:00:13.743
that he recognized more [br]evil from this source,

0:00:13.743,0:00:15.472
than from all the opposition

0:00:15.472,0:00:17.681
of public enemies of religion.

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He usually occupied one meeting

0:00:19.520,0:00:22.252
in considering these misguided directions.

0:00:22.252,0:00:23.878
A sketch of the address delivered

0:00:23.878,0:00:25.424
on these occasions is found

0:00:25.424,0:00:26.665
among his papers,

0:00:26.665,0:00:30.279
of which the following is an extract.

0:00:30.279,0:00:31.574
Number one:

0:00:31.574,0:00:33.097
Wait at the pool.

0:00:33.097,0:00:34.844
You must not be discouraged,

0:00:34.844,0:00:38.800
for we read of one who waited 38 years.

0:00:38.800,0:00:42.102
This text is used by way of accommodation.

0:00:42.102,0:00:44.504
The impotent man was waiting at the pool,

0:00:44.504,0:00:46.486
not for the pardon of his sins,

0:00:46.486,0:00:48.965
but to be healed of a bodily disease.

0:00:48.965,0:00:51.474
We may accommodate [br]passages of Scripture

0:00:51.474,0:00:54.528
for the purpose of illustrating [br]acknowledged truth,

0:00:54.528,0:00:58.027
but we must not trace analogies too far.

0:00:58.027,0:01:00.873
In many respects, there [br]is a striking analogy

0:01:00.873,0:01:02.462
between a depraved heart

0:01:02.462,0:01:04.453
and a diseased body;

0:01:04.453,0:01:06.068
but there is one important point

0:01:06.068,0:01:08.387
in which the analogy does not hold -

0:01:08.387,0:01:09.880
the one is criminal,

0:01:09.880,0:01:13.039
the other is merely calamitous.

0:01:13.039,0:01:14.992
This use of the passage contradicts

0:01:14.992,0:01:17.260
many plain declarations of the Bible -

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particularly all those which enjoin

0:01:19.767,0:01:22.619
the duty of immediate repentance.

0:01:22.619,0:01:24.519
Suppose a person should address sinners

0:01:24.519,0:01:25.991
in this manner:

0:01:25.991,0:01:29.024
Behold, now is the accepted time!

0:01:29.024,0:01:31.911
Behold, now is the day of salvation!

0:01:31.911,0:01:34.644
But wait at the pool.

0:01:34.644,0:01:36.917
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve;

0:01:36.917,0:01:39.476
but wait at the pool.

0:01:39.476,0:01:41.426
God now commands all men everywhere

0:01:41.426,0:01:45.401
to repent, but wait at the pool.

0:01:45.401,0:01:47.013
The effect of this direction is

0:01:47.013,0:01:49.331
to make the impression [br]on the sinner's mind,

0:01:49.331,0:01:51.073
that he is not under obligation

0:01:51.073,0:01:53.084
to obey God immediately;

0:01:53.084,0:01:55.207
and, of course, it [br]counteracts the influence

0:01:55.207,0:01:56.555
of every command of God

0:01:56.555,0:01:58.765
on the sinner's conscience.

0:01:58.765,0:02:01.639
The sinner is told that he [br]must not be discouraged,

0:02:01.639,0:02:05.198
for the impotent man waited 38 years.

0:02:05.198,0:02:07.205
This, however, is not said.

0:02:07.205,0:02:11.526
It is said that he had [br]an infirmity 38 years;

0:02:11.526,0:02:15.529
but it is not said that [br]he had waited a day.

0:02:15.529,0:02:17.373
Be this, however, as it may,

0:02:17.373,0:02:20.178
he was not healed by the pool after all,

0:02:20.178,0:02:21.573
nor is there any evidence

0:02:21.573,0:02:22.891
that he would have been

0:02:22.891,0:02:26.278
if he had waited all his life.

0:02:26.278,0:02:27.329
Number two:

0:02:27.329,0:02:30.570
Be patient and wait God's time.

0:02:30.570,0:02:32.362
What is the meaning of this direction

0:02:32.362,0:02:34.850
when given to an awakened sinner?

0:02:34.850,0:02:36.565
Be patient!

0:02:36.565,0:02:38.117
Is the sinner to understand

0:02:38.117,0:02:40.119
that he is too anxious for the salvation

0:02:40.119,0:02:41.334
of his soul,

0:02:41.334,0:02:43.101
and that he ought to wait patiently

0:02:43.101,0:02:44.748
in his sins till God shall see fit

0:02:44.748,0:02:46.805
to change his heart?

0:02:46.805,0:02:48.867
To tell the anxious sinner to be patient

0:02:48.867,0:02:50.111
without a new heart,

0:02:50.111,0:02:51.781
is the same as to tell him

0:02:51.781,0:02:53.731
to dismiss all his anxiety,

0:02:53.731,0:02:57.233
and to go back to a state of stupidity.

0:02:57.233,0:02:59.455
Patient in his sins!

0:02:59.455,0:03:01.817
Rather let him be more and more impatient

0:03:01.817,0:03:05.299
with himself and with [br]his deplorable condition.

0:03:05.299,0:03:08.036
Let him tremble in view [br]of a judgment to come,

0:03:08.036,0:03:10.178
and weep and howl for the miseries

0:03:10.178,0:03:12.997
that are coming upon him.

0:03:12.997,0:03:14.456
What is meant when the sinner

0:03:14.456,0:03:17.312
is directed to wait God's time?

0:03:17.312,0:03:19.414
Is it meant that God is not now ready

0:03:19.414,0:03:21.060
to receive the sinner?

0:03:21.060,0:03:22.479
Is it meant that the sinner

0:03:22.479,0:03:23.986
is willing to do his part,

0:03:23.986,0:03:25.566
and that he must wait for God

0:03:25.566,0:03:27.067
to do His?

0:03:27.067,0:03:29.122
If so, why not speak plainly

0:03:29.122,0:03:30.679
and tell the sinner:

0:03:30.679,0:03:32.246
I know you are ready and willing

0:03:32.246,0:03:33.361
to be a Christian,

0:03:33.361,0:03:34.958
but God is not ready and willing

0:03:34.958,0:03:36.700
to receive you.

0:03:36.700,0:03:38.216
But if God is not ready now

0:03:38.216,0:03:40.172
to receive the returning sinner,

0:03:40.172,0:03:41.535
what evidence is there

0:03:41.535,0:03:44.022
that He ever will be ready?

0:03:44.022,0:03:47.131
But when is God's time?

0:03:47.131,0:03:48.534
Do those who direct sinners

0:03:48.534,0:03:49.873
to wait God's time,

0:03:49.873,0:03:51.930
mean that it is not their duty

0:03:51.930,0:03:53.364
to repent and believe till

0:03:53.364,0:03:56.333
God grants them repentance and faith?

0:03:56.333,0:03:57.889
Then it was never was the duty

0:03:57.889,0:03:59.385
of those sinners to repent

0:03:59.385,0:04:01.073
who have gone to destruction,

0:04:01.073,0:04:02.981
and it never will be.

0:04:02.981,0:04:04.499
They waited all their lives,

0:04:04.499,0:04:06.123
and are waiting still,

0:04:06.123,0:04:08.278
and will wait to all eternity.

0:04:08.278,0:04:10.565
And it has never yet been the duty

0:04:10.565,0:04:13.093
of any sinner who is now impenitent

0:04:13.093,0:04:14.666
to repent;

0:04:14.666,0:04:16.726
and if God should not [br]grant him repentance,

0:04:16.726,0:04:18.302
it never will be.

0:04:18.302,0:04:22.034
But this directly [br]contradicts the Scriptures.

0:04:22.034,0:04:24.419
The sinner under conviction is distressed

0:04:24.419,0:04:26.734
with a sense of his obligation to comply

0:04:26.734,0:04:29.509
with the terms of salvation without delay.

0:04:29.509,0:04:31.546
And there is no way to relieve him

0:04:31.546,0:04:33.848
from his distress while impenitent,

0:04:33.848,0:04:35.597
but to release him from his sense

0:04:35.597,0:04:38.025
of obligation to repent.

0:04:38.025,0:04:40.254
To direct him to wait God's time

0:04:40.254,0:04:43.409
is directly calculated [br]to produce this effect,

0:04:43.409,0:04:45.043
and to counteract the operations

0:04:45.043,0:04:46.945
of the divine Spirit.

0:04:46.945,0:04:51.375
It is to plead the sinner's [br]cause against God.

0:04:51.375,0:04:53.679
But is it not hard to distress the sinner

0:04:53.679,0:04:56.369
by pressing him with his obligations?

0:04:56.369,0:04:59.212
It is painful, but it is necessary.

0:04:59.212,0:05:01.005
It is painful to the surgeon

0:05:01.005,0:05:02.300
to probe to the bottom

0:05:02.300,0:05:03.666
of a dangerous wound;

0:05:03.666,0:05:05.129
but it must be done,

0:05:05.129,0:05:07.070
or the patient will die.

0:05:07.070,0:05:08.531
If, through false pity,

0:05:08.531,0:05:11.375
we console the sinner [br]under these circumstances,

0:05:11.375,0:05:13.660
there is reason to fear that his blood

0:05:13.660,0:05:16.473
will be required at our hands.

0:05:16.473,0:05:18.180
if we direct the sinner to wait,

0:05:18.180,0:05:20.628
we direct him to run the awful hazard

0:05:20.628,0:05:23.840
of losing his soul.

0:05:23.840,0:05:25.059
Number three:

0:05:25.059,0:05:26.689
It is sometimes said to the sinner

0:05:26.689,0:05:28.094
under deep distress,

0:05:28.094,0:05:30.033
"Don't despair."

0:05:30.033,0:05:32.225
This expression frequently produces

0:05:32.225,0:05:34.969
a bad effect upon the sinner's mind.

0:05:34.969,0:05:36.609
It is sometimes the case,

0:05:36.609,0:05:38.279
that sinners speak of the greatness

0:05:38.279,0:05:39.169
of their sins

0:05:39.169,0:05:41.127
and the hopelessness of their condition,

0:05:41.127,0:05:44.169
on purpose to be flattered and consoled.

0:05:44.169,0:05:45.492
And when they do not,

0:05:45.492,0:05:46.979
it is always best to admit that

0:05:46.979,0:05:48.221
their case is quite as bad

0:05:48.221,0:05:49.798
as they represent it.

0:05:49.798,0:05:51.559
It is proper to hold up the fullness

0:05:51.559,0:05:52.933
of the atonement,

0:05:52.933,0:05:54.114
and the readiness of God

0:05:54.114,0:05:56.308
to forgive all who repent.

0:05:56.308,0:05:59.532
But this the sinner [br]generally does not doubt.

0:05:59.532,0:06:01.935
The thing that distresses [br]the convicted sinner

0:06:01.935,0:06:05.184
is the fear that he never shall repent.

0:06:05.184,0:06:06.414
From his own experience

0:06:06.414,0:06:08.616
he has full conviction [br]that it will never be

0:06:08.616,0:06:11.436
easier to repent than now.

0:06:11.436,0:06:13.191
His sins are increasing,

0:06:13.191,0:06:14.480
and his heart is becoming

0:06:14.480,0:06:16.453
more and more perverse.

0:06:16.453,0:06:17.652
God has said,

0:06:17.652,0:06:19.317
"Except ye repent,

0:06:19.317,0:06:21.757
ye shall all likewise perish."

0:06:21.757,0:06:23.161
He believes it.

0:06:23.161,0:06:25.170
He despairs of obtaining salvation

0:06:25.170,0:06:26.386
without repentance;

0:06:26.386,0:06:30.691
and of this he ought to despair.

0:06:30.691,0:06:31.945
Number four:

0:06:31.945,0:06:34.052
In every case of clear conviction

0:06:34.052,0:06:35.931
there is in the mind of the sinner

0:06:35.931,0:06:38.709
a painful sense of obligation to repent,

0:06:38.709,0:06:40.379
and a fearful apprehension

0:06:40.379,0:06:42.927
that he never shall repent.

0:06:42.927,0:06:45.228
In this state he sometimes inquires:

0:06:45.228,0:06:48.781
Do you think there is any hope in my case?

0:06:48.781,0:06:50.223
Do you think I ever shall

0:06:50.223,0:06:52.278
become a Christian?

0:06:52.278,0:06:54.422
This is a most interesting crisis,

0:06:54.422,0:06:57.648
and a little flattery here [br]may ruin the soul.

0:06:57.648,0:07:00.541
The proper answer to these inquiries is:

0:07:00.541,0:07:02.717
"I do not know.

0:07:02.717,0:07:04.870
It is altogether uncertain.

0:07:04.870,0:07:06.272
One thing is certain,

0:07:06.272,0:07:08.533
however great your sins may be,

0:07:08.533,0:07:09.913
if you will repent,

0:07:09.913,0:07:11.572
they shall be pardoned;

0:07:11.572,0:07:13.157
but whether you ever will repent

0:07:13.157,0:07:15.261
is altogether uncertain.

0:07:15.261,0:07:16.757
Sinners as anxious as you,

0:07:16.757,0:07:17.935
and perhaps more so,

0:07:17.935,0:07:20.112
have returned to stupidity,

0:07:20.112,0:07:21.993
and their last state has become worse

0:07:21.993,0:07:24.173
than the first."

0:07:24.173,0:07:26.255
When sinners are in this state of mind,

0:07:26.255,0:07:28.188
their friends are exceedingly prone

0:07:28.188,0:07:29.468
to flatter them.

0:07:29.468,0:07:31.831
"Oh! Don't despair - be patient.

0:07:31.831,0:07:33.273
Wait God's time.

0:07:33.273,0:07:35.939
You will doubtless find relief."

0:07:35.939,0:07:38.904
Such language is exceedingly dangerous.

0:07:38.904,0:07:40.707
Every word takes it for granted

0:07:40.707,0:07:42.733
that the sinner's concern for his soul

0:07:42.733,0:07:45.183
is without foundation.

0:07:45.183,0:07:47.530
One of two things is true -

0:07:47.530,0:07:49.774
either such directions are wrong,

0:07:49.774,0:07:52.429
or the sinner is not under conviction;

0:07:52.429,0:07:54.709
for if he is under real conviction,

0:07:54.709,0:07:56.830
the Spirit of God is shewing him

0:07:56.830,0:07:58.973
his true condition.

0:07:58.973,0:08:00.683
His apprehensions are well founded,

0:08:00.683,0:08:03.897
and if we attempt to [br]remove these apprehensions,

0:08:03.897,0:08:06.448
we directly counteract the operations

0:08:06.448,0:08:09.153
of the Holy Spirit.

0:08:09.153,0:08:11.755
The above extract will give the reader

0:08:11.755,0:08:13.863
some idea of the manner in which

0:08:13.863,0:08:15.554
Dr. Nettleton was in the habit

0:08:15.554,0:08:17.652
of dealing with awakened sinners.

0:08:17.652,0:08:20.707
He did not heal the [br]heart of sinners slightly,

0:08:20.707,0:08:23.563
nor cry, "Peace, peace,"

0:08:23.563,0:08:26.930
when God had not spoken peace.

0:08:26.930,0:08:29.198
Original Title: Injudicious Directions

0:08:29.198,0:08:31.228
From: Asahel Nettleton: Life & Labors

0:08:31.228,0:08:33.545
by Bennet Tyler & Andrew Bonar

0:08:33.545,0:08:36.783
Created by: ILLBEHONEST.COM