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HARDEN NOT YOUR HEART

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 30, 1861

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 17, No. 24.

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HARDEN NOT YOUR HEART.

By Finney

(Concluded)
24. Sometimes through strong attachments, and entanglements in love affairs, men will harden their hearts against God. Lovers are very apt to withstand the claims of God, unless the parties can mutually agree to become christians. Sometimes husbands and wives will each withstand the claims of God, because the other party is not a Christian. I have known cases repeatedly, where the wife would resist the claims of God, because her husband was not a christian; and the husband would resist the claims of God because his wife was not a christian. Indeed, in some instances, I have known them to affirm that they would rather go to hell with an unconverted companion, than to be saved without them.
A lady of decided standing in society once told me that she was not going to become a christian; that it would destroy all family happiness; and she would sooner go to hell with her unconverted husband than give up her sympathy with him in his impenitence and become a Christian.
Sometimes they fear persecution from the other party, or from friends, or from enemies; and will, therefore harden their hearts whenever the claims of God are presented.
25. Sometimes sinners harden their hearts through the insane assumption that Christians will triumph over them if they submit to the claims of God. I know a young lady who when pressed with the claims of God, after weighing the matter for a time, decided against these claims and hardened her heart, because she said that a certain christian lady who had talked often with her, and prayed much with her, would triumph over her if now she became a Christian.
"I will not submit," says she, "for mother so and so," naming her, "will shout, 'victory, victory through the blood of the Lamb;' I will not have Christians triumph over me, that at last I have submitted."
26. Sinners often harden their hearts because it does not suit their present convenience to repent and become Christians. They are determined to make no sacrifice, and to be at no pains to become Christians at present. They have some objections, therefore they treat the claims of God contemptuously, and intend to harden their hearts against him, until it is in all respects convenient for them to yield to his claims.
27. Sinners often harden their hearts through a spirit of presumption. As the Bible says, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." This fully setting the heart is the same as hardening the heart. They think there is time enough; they presume that God will wait upon them; that they shall live long, or at any rate, shall not die speedily. They therefore resolve upon putting it off, presuming that there will be time enough before they die; and thus they trifle with the claims of God, commit the horrible sin of presumption, and often bring upon themselves swift destruction.
III. I will briefly consider the guilt involved in hardening the heart against God.
1. Observe that it is a voluntary act, and an act of direct resistance against God's most righteous claims. It is a direct refusal to obey and acknowledge duty to the blessed God; and is, therefore, as dishonest and wicked as possible. It is saying to God, "I know the claim is just, but I cannot pay it."
And then, to aggravate the guilt of this hardening of the heart, resort is had to reasons the most ridiculous, unreasonable and blasphemous. Just consider all the reasons to which I have alluded, for a man's hardening himself against the claims of God. In every case the reason assigned for resisting God's claims is but adding an insult to an injury. First to refuse to obey God, and then to assign such reasons for disobedience, is a direct and horrible insult to the blessed God.
2. It is a direct resistance to his earnest and honest offers of mercy. The sinner is not satisfied with refusing to obey God; he is not satisfied to trample on his authority and his law, and to harden himself against every commandment of God; he also directly resists and pours contempt upon his offers of mercy. And he not only resists the commands, but the importunities and entreaties of God.
God commands, expostulates, entreats, beseeches, urges by every moving consideration; pours his love and mercy as an ocean around him; but he hardens himself against them all, contemns alike justice and mercy. Present to him the commands and threatenings of God, and he hardens himself, and says he is not going to be moved by threatenings, he is not going to submit to authority. Present to him the compassion, the urgent mercy of God, and then he will cavil, that he does not deserve the punishment supposed in the offer of mercy; or, Christians have done something wrong. Thus he will resort to every miserable and provoking shift conceivable, to justify himself in rejecting mercy.
3. It is setting the worst possible example; and example is the highest moral influence that can be exerted. Actions speak more emphatically than words.
If a man resists the claims of God, he virtually invites all others, over whom he has influence, to resist these claims also. He need not say in words, "Come, let us resist the claims of God;" to persist in resisting them himself, is the loudest call on others to resist them of which he is capable. No thanks to the sinner if God has a virtuous subject in his kingdom. The man that hardens his heart against God, does the utmost he can to lead all others to do so.
IV. I will notice briefly the danger of hardening the heart against God.
1. It is dangerous, because it has thus far prevented your conversion.
2. It is dangerous, because, if you continue it, you will never be converted. The fact is, the course you are pursuing, sinner, is an insane war upon your own soul.
3. The same is true if you are a backslider; if you harden your heart and continue to do so, it will surely be fatal to you. There is no power in the universe that can save you, if you will persist in hardening your heart against God.
4. It is dangerous because you have already contracted the habit of hardening yourself; and it is of course more natural for you to do it now than it was at first. Indeed it has become highly probable, that with respect to many of you, you never will do otherwise than to continue to harden your heart till you find yourselves in hell.
5. You are in great danger of being given up of God. If you read the verses in connection with the text, you will see that this is the use the Apostle makes of the conduct of the Jews. They continued to harden their hearts against God, during their journey in the wilderness. They would murmur through unbelief, and strengthen themselves in their unreasonable prejudices and opposition. God bore with their manners for a long time; and finally brought them up to the borders of the promised land, and commanded them to go up and take possession. They had frequently hardened their hearts before; but now, doubtless they thought God had borne with them so long that they might tempt him once more. They sent up spies, and these came back and reported that they were unable to go up and possess the land. This produced a murmur and a hardening of heart throughout the whole camp of Israel. The time had arrived for God to make this generation an example. He swore in his wrath that they never should enter into his rest. He turned them back and wasted their carcasses in the wilderness.
Hear again, then, what he says, "He limited a certain day; as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart."
Some of you have often hardened your hearts against the claims of the mercy of God. If you do it to-day again it may seal your doom. If you go from this house hardening your heart to-day, it may be the Lord will lift up his hand and swear that you shall never enter into his rest. I beseech you, therefore, I conjure you by the mercies of God, that to-day you hear his voice, and harden not your heart.

REMARKS.

1. In the light of this subject we can see why so many persons have little or no religious feeling. The fact is, their will is committed in the attitude of disobedience and self-seeking; consequently they divert their thoughts from all that class of truths that would make them feel.
2. Please remember that men are the authors of their own hardness of heart. Sinners often complain of their hardness of heart, as if it was not of their own creation. They speak of it as if it were not their own persistent act. In such cases, they mean by hardness of heart simply the apathy of their sensibility, their want of feeling. But this is only a result, a natural consequence of the hardness of their hearts. It is the stubbornness of their will, their wilfulness, that constitutes the hardness of their hearts: and, as we have seen, this want of feeling is a result. To be sure, they cannot feel while their will remains girded and braced in its opposition to God. Or, if they do feel, their feelings will be those of remorse and regret, and agony; the tender emotions cannot be brought into exercise while they harden themselves, and make their wills obstinate in resistance to God.
3. We see many persons trying to feel by making efforts to feel; trying to excite emotions of sorrow and love and gratitude, while the controversy is not yielded, so far as the attitude of their will is concerned. They have not submitted themselves to God, have not adjusted themselves in his will, have not yielded the controversy; and yet they are endeavoring to feel as if they had yielded the controversy. Their voluntary stubbornness remains, and they are vainly endeavoring to feel.
This, I fear is the case with many of you. You complain that you do not feel; you spend your time in trying to feel. You would feel sorrow for your sins, while you persist in holding fast to them. You would force the tender emotions towards God into exercise, while your will cruelly braces itself against him. In this you labor in vain, and spend your strength for nought.
4. By what innumerable shifts men harden their hearts and secure their own damnation. I might as well preach a month as an hour, in enumerating the innumerable ways in which men manage to harden their hearts against God. Men manifest a kind of infernal sagacity and cunning in resorting to every possible excuse that shall justify their stubbornness towards their heavenly Father. They make constant resistance to his claims and offers of mercy.
5. Sinners use their free agency even the whole strength of it, to resist their own salvation. This is the only reason why men are lost. Christ has died for all men, and offers salvation to all.
The fact that men have sinned, is no sufficient reason that they should be lost; but if they will harden their hearts against the claims and mercies of God, it is impossible for him to save them.
It is forever impossible in the nature of the case, that a man should be forced to submit to the claims of God. God cannot, by any possibility force him to heaven. Forced action is not moral action. Where force begins moral action ends.
No moral change, or change involving moral character, can possibly take place in man without his own free consent; and every change implies the power of resisting any possible amount of motive that can be presented. Let no man suppose that God will ever, or can, by any possibility, force his will in making him a Christian.
And now, sinner, I conjure you to remember, that if you persist in hardening your heart, you render your salvation impossible, even to God himself.
If you harden your heart as you have done, if you persist in this course but a little longer, your judgment which now of a long time lingereth not, and your damnation that slumbereth not, will overtake you. O, will you remember this? will you lay it to heart? will you be wise, and this day hear his voice, and no longer harden your heart?
6. How astonishing is the long-suffering of God? How many ways have you hardened your hearts against him! How many times have you betaken yourselves to the most absurd, unreasonable, provoking reasons for girding yourself and resisting the claims of God! And God's forbearance is still lengthened out, even to this long-suffering! Will it not suffice you thus far to have resisted the mercy and compassion of God? I beseech you, now let the controversy cease. Lay down your weapons; accept God's claims; humble yourselves under his mighty hand; lay down your sins, and accept the offer of eternal life.
But let me ask, if to-day you refuse to hear his voice, and again harden your heart, will you have any reason to complain if God gives you up to a reprobate mind, and lifts up his hand and swears that you shall never enter into his rest? Will you have any claim upon God, if now to-day, after so long a time, you harden your heart? Can you object if his Spirit is withdrawn, and the offer of mercy is made no more?
Take care what you do! Act in view of the solemn judgment! Remember what the text speaks to you, "To-day, after so long a time, saith the Holy Ghost, as it is said, To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart."-Finney.