A Sermon preached at St. George's Church, Bolton, on Sunday, 7th January, 1838 occasioned by the death of the Rev. William Thistlewaite — Context and Discussion

Transcribed from the 1838 John Heaton edition by David Price.

A SERMON PREACHED AT ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, BOLTON, _On Sunday_, 7_th_ _January_, 1838,

OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF

THE REV. WILLIAM THISTLETHWAITE, M.A., LATE INCUMBENT OF THAT CHURCH, AND PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF THE CONGREGATION,

BY THE REV. J. SLADE, M.A.

PRINTED BY JOHN HEATON, DEANSGATE.

And Sold by all Booksellers.

_For whether we live_, _we live unto the Lord_; _and whether we die_, _we die unto the Lord_: _whether we live therefore_, _or die_, _we are the Lord’s_.

THE text refers to the foregoing verse: “None of us liveth unto himself; and no man dieth to himself.” We are very apt to feel and act, as if we were independent creatures. Perhaps if examined, as to our particular creed, we should readily confess ourselves to be placed under the sovereignty of the Almighty; and to be accountable, as Christians, at the bar of Him, who will “judge both quick and dead.” But few are daily conscious, as they ought to be, either of their dependence or their responsibility. Their creed is not in their heart; they live chiefly and practically under a system of self-government; grievously forgetting the dominion of the Lord who created and redeemed them. A proud spirit is, as it has been from the beginning, the bane of man: he fell through impatience of his Maker’s mild yoke, and an intolerance of his Maker’s superiority: and the poison, thus whispered into his ear by the evil one, still lurks within him; corrupting his feeling and principle, and rendering him greatly insensible to the divine superintendence and blessing.

This pride and selfishness however the gospel is designed to humble and correct; and it does produce the mighty change in the heart of every sincere believer; of all who feel its vital power, “the power of God unto salvation.” Of all such it must be said, in the utmost latitude, in the most unqualified sense, “none of us liveth unto himself.” There is no true disciple of the Lord Jesus, who makes earthly interest, gain or pleasure, ambition or lust, his ruling and absorbing object. Such is the character of the degenerate and lost world: there is no fitter description of a worldly man than this, that he lives to gratify his own humour, and carry out the schemes of his own wilfulness, and promote his own prosperity during his little career: earth is his sphere of action, and all centres in self. But every follower of Christ is called out of the world, effectually called and chosen and delivered: he has another mind, another spirit, another view. He cannot live for himself: it is not merely against his conviction, his sense of propriety, his professed and deliberate principle, it is against his new nature: he is born of God, with new affections, new desires, new purposes, new prospects; the Spirit of the living God dwells within him; cleanses him from all fleshly corruption; and brings his will, brings all that he is, and all that he has, into subjection to the Godhead. This is the character, the certain and essential and distinguishing character of all who belong to Christ: they live not, in any regard or in any matter, for themselves.

Nor do they die unto themselves. They die not, either like the beasts that perish, or for their own disposal and glory; not to make bodily or earthly provisions; not to give orders for their funeral; not to hand down their name and style to posterity upon a blazoned escutcheon; not to bequeath their riches to others: “after all these things do the Gentiles seek.” But a grand and glorious change has been made by the gospel: the true nature of death stands now unfolded in all its awful and stupendous reality: it is a passage to another state of being: the disembodied soul flies and lives elsewhere: not, as on earth, for a few short years, but for eternity. And what may be thought or said of me, whether by the present or by future generations, whether by friends or foes; what may become of my property, baubles or possessions; what may be done with my corpse, whether meanly or superbly coffined, whether laid without winding-sheet or clothed with purple and fine linen,—all these are matters of minor note, of comparative indifference. I shall have been living and dying for another, an eternal world; and the great consideration is, where and what that world shall be.