Saturday, June 18, 2011

Christian Hedonism in Walter Marshall's The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

You are to esteem the enjoyment of Christ as the only salvation and true happiness, and such happiness as has in it unsearchable riches of glory, and will make our cup to run over with exceeding abundance of peace, and joy, and glory, to all eternity. We 'must account all things but loss or the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord' etc. (Phil. 3:8). Such a persuasion as this will allure and incline your wills and affections to choose and embrace Christ as the chief good, and never to rest satisfied without the enjoyment of Him, and to reject everything that stands in competition with Him, or the enjoyment of Him.
Walter Marshall
, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

Here is the goal: "to choose and embrace Christ as the chief good".
Here is the fruit of that end: "never to rest without the enjoyment of Him" and to "reject everything that stands in competition with Him".
For this to happen: "incline your wills and affections".
But, our wills and affections are allured by a "persuasion such as this".
The persuasion is: "enjoyment of Christ" is the "only salvation and true happiness".

And that, my friends, is Christian Hedonism!

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