The Labourer’s Rest by Philpot (1802-1869)

J. C.  Philpot’s spiritual treasure came from pressures within and without. From within he suffered chronic poor health and from without he suffered the consequences of choosing the heart of Christ over the religious institutions of his day.

The following is a portion from one of his sermons preached in London, England, on July 27, 1845.

“The Lord sees that many of His dear children are toiling and struggling to do something pleasing in His sight. And, whatever disappointments they continually meet-whatever rents are made in the web which they are weaving to clothe themselves with; however short they find the bed, and however narrow the garment-yet many go on foolishly endeavouring to please God by the works of the law, instead of trampling under foot their own righteousness, and looking wholly and solely to the obedience and sufferings of Jesus.

To such He says, ‘Come unto me.’ Your labour is in vain; you can never work out a righteousness pleasing to God; for to be a righteousness acceptable to Him, it must be perfect: there must be no flaw in it; it must be completely without a spot, a speck, or a stain.

Can you produce this? Have you ever produced one thought perfectly pure?-one action thoroughly holy?-one desire with which sin and self have not in some way intermingled? Were you ever fully conformed to God’s holy will and word for one minute in your life? Then how can you produce a righteousness which God can be pleased with?

Now, we must learn for ourselves, by painful experience, that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and thus cast them away with self-loathing and abhorrence from us; yea, feel as Job did, ‘Though I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me’ Job 9:30,31.

Yes, we must know and feel the word of God, manifesting His holiness and our unholiness, till we are glad to cast off our own righteousness just as we should be glad to cast off our besmeared clothes if we fell into a dirty ditch.”

Philpot’s sermons can be downloaded free at jcphilpot.wordpress.com