AN ABRIDGEMENT OF

BAD LODGERS AND HOW TO TREAT THEM (III)

Charles H. Spurgeon

Text: Jeremiah 4:14 – “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?”

That brings me to my closing head, which is, LET US SEE WHAT TO DO WITH THESE BAD LODGERS.

The first thing is to give them notice to quit at once. Let there be no waiting. Did you ever notice in our Lord’s parable of the prodigal son the decision of the repenting one? He said, “I will arise and go unto my father”; and he arose and came to his father, and, as I heard a quaint divine say, he did not give his master a day’s notice. The first thing, then, is to give notice to quit to all self-righteousness. Away with it! Away with it! What a fool I was ever to have any! All self-confidence— away with it! I had better lean on a broken reed than lean on myself. To all delays— to all hopes that I shall live another week— away with them! Away with them! I have no ground for such hopes. Away with them. Quit, quit, vain thoughts. Oh, that they would go at the bidding!

Suppose that these vain thoughts will not go just when you bid them begone. I will tell you what to do to get rid of them: starve them out. Lock the door, and let nothing enter upon which they can feed. I would have you unconverted people say, “We confess that we have fed our vain thoughts but now we will not go where they can get food. We will not go to ungodly amusements, nor into evil company, nor will we talk with idlers on our way home.” Send into your heart what you know vain thoughts cannot be nourished upon, what will be poison to them. Give them God’s Word. Read it and study it and cry to God to have mercy upon you. Do nothing which will help these vain thoughts to live.

Oh, that you might have grace now to give your whole nature to your Creator and Redeemer! Give the house over to a new owner, and let him come, and he will drive them out, and he himself will come and live there, and his divine Spirit will come and fill every chamber with his own presence, and there shall be no fear that these bad lodgers shall ever come back again.

God bless this simple word to many, for his name’s sake. Amen