Dead to God
This is another character of the sleeper spoken to here. He abides in death, though he does not know it. He is dead to God, dead in trespasses and sins. For to be carnally minded is death. Even as it is written, by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, not only temporal death, but spiritual and eternal death as well.
In the day that you eat, said God to Adam, you shall surely die. Not bodily, unless as he then became mortal, but spiritually. You shall lose the life of your soul. You shall die to God. You shall be separated from him, your essential life and happiness.
Thus the vital union of our soul with God was first dissolved, so that in the midst of natural life we are now in spiritual death. And in this we remain until the second Adam becomes a quickening Spirit to us, a life-giving Spirit, until he raises the dead, the dead in sin, in pleasure, in riches, or in honors.
But before any dead soul can live, he hears the voice of the Son of God, and hearkens to it. He is made sensible of his lost estate, and receives the sentence of death in himself. He knows himself to be dead while he lives, dead to God and to all the things of God. He has no more power to perform the actions of a living Christian than a dead body has to perform the functions of a living man.
1771 text
8. This is another character of the sleeper here spoken to. He abides in death, tho’ he knows it not. He is dead unto God, dead in trespasses and sins. For, to be carnally minded is death. Even as it is written, by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, not only temporal death, but likewise spiritual and eternal. In that day that thou eatest (said God to Adam) Thou shalt surely die. Not bodily (unless as he then became mortal) but spiritually: thou shalt lose the life of thy soul: thou shalt die to God; shalt be separated from him, thy essential life and happiness.
9. Thus first was dissolved the vital union of our soul with God: insomuch that in the midst of |natural| life, we are |now| in |spiritual| death. And herein we remain till the second Adam becomes a quickening spirit to us, till he raises the dead, the dead in sin, in pleasure, riches, or honours. But before any dead soul can live, he hears (hearkens to) the voice of the Son of God: He is made sensible of his lost estate, and receives the sentence of death in himself. He knows himself to be dead while he liveth, dead to God, and all the things of God: having no more power to perform the actions of a living Christian, than a dead body to perform the functions of a living man.
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 3 in the 1771 Works. Charles Wesley preached it at Oxford, 4 April 1742. Ephesians 5:14.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.