Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount Discourse VIII · §53 · John Wesley

Wasting a talent

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How pernicious to your own soul the latter of these is has been excellently shown by a late writer. If we waste our money we are not only guilty of wasting a talent which God has given us, but we do ourselves this further harm: we turn this useful talent into a powerful means of corrupting ourselves, because so far as it is spent wrong, so far it is spent in the support of some wrong temper, in gratifying some vain and unreasonable desires, which as Christians we are obliged to renounce.

1771 text

How pernicious to your own soul the latter of these is, has been excellently shewn by a late writer. “If we waste our money we are not only guilty of wasting a talent which God has given us, but we do ourselves this farther harm, we turn this useful talent into a powerful means of corrupting ourselves; because so far as it is spent wrong, so far it is spent in the support of some wrong temper, in gratifying some vain and unreasonable desires, which as Christians we are obliged to renounce.”

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About this text

The eighth sermon on the Sermon on the Mount, on Matthew 6:19-23: treasures on earth and in heaven, and the single eye of a pure intention.

EditionPrinted in Wesley's 1771 Works, which do not say when he preached it

Wesley's own sermon in updated English wording. The 1771 panel is the text of the Works Wesley himself had printed in 1771. It is public domain.

Reference

Sermon 28 in the 1771 Works. Matthew 6:19-23.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We put this English text into updated wording with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open the 1771 text under any part to compare.

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