Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount Discourse XIII · §13 · John Wesley

Doing no harm

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The saying, Lord, Lord! may, secondly, imply, the doing no harm. We may abstain from every presumptuous sin, from every kind of outward wickedness. We may refrain from all those ways of acting or speaking, which are forbidden in holy writ. We may be able to say to all those among whom we live, Which of you convinces me of sin (John 8:46)? We may have a conscience void of any external offence, towards God and towards man. We may be clear of all uncleanness, ungodliness and unrighteousness, as to the outward act: or (as the apostle testifies concerning himself,) touching the righteousness of the law (Philippians 3:6), that is, outward righteousness, blameless. But yet we are not hereby justified. Still this is no more than saying, Lord, Lord! And if we go no farther than this, we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1771 text

2. The saying, Lord, Lord! may, secondly, imply, the doing no harm. We may abstain from every presumptuous sin, from every kind of outward wickedness. We may refrain from all those ways of acting or speaking, which are forbidden in holy writ. We may be able to say to all those among whom we live, Which of you convinceth me of sin? We may have a conscience void of any external offence, towards God and towards man. We may be clear of all uncleanness, ungodliness and unrighteousness, as to the outward act: or (as the apostle testifies concerning himself,) touching the righteousness of the law, i. e. outward righteousness, blameless. But yet we are not hereby justified. Still this is no more than saying, Lord, Lord! And if we go no farther than this, we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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About this text

The last of the thirteen sermons on the Sermon on the Mount, on Matthew 7:21-27: not everyone who says Lord, Lord, and the wise man who builds on the rock.

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 33 in the 1771 Works. Matthew 7:21-27.

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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