Sinner, awake
Oh that we may feel what they were not able to express. Sinner, awake. Know yourself. Know and feel that you were shaped in wickedness, and that in sin your mother conceived you (Psalm 51:5), and that you yourself have been heaping sin upon sin ever since you could tell good from evil. Sink under the mighty hand of God, as guilty of eternal death, and cast off, renounce, and abhor every imagination of ever being able to help yourself. Let it be all your hope to be washed in his blood, and renewed by his almighty Spirit, who himself bore all our sins in his own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). So you shall witness, Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
1771 text
10. O that we may feel what they were not able to express! Sinner, awake! Know thyself! Know and feel, that thou wert shapen in wickedness, and that in sin did thy mother conceive thee; and that thou thyself hast been heaping up sin upon sin, ever since thou couldst discern good from evil. Sink under the mighty hand of God, as guilty of death eternal: and cast off, renounce, abhor all imagination, of ever being able to help thyself! Be it all thy hope to be washed in his blood, and renewed by his almighty Spirit, who himself bare all our sins in his own body on the tree. So shalt thou witness, Happy are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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 21 in the 1771 Works. Matthew 5:1-4.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.