Promising without Doing.
We promise to serve God; we do not perform; and that not from deliberate faithlessness in the particular case, but because it is our nature, our way not to obey, and we do not know this; we do not know ourselves or what we are promising. Note several instances of this kind of weakness:
I. That of mistaking good feelings for real religious principle. How often is a man incited by circumstances to utter a virtuous wish, or propose a generous or valiant deed, and perhaps applauds himself for his own good feeling, and has no suspicion that he is not able to act upon it. It escapes him that there is a great interval between feeling and acting. He knows he is a free agent, and can on the whole do what he will; but he is not conscious of the load of corrupt nature and sinful habits which hang upon his will, and clog it in each particular exercise of it.
II. One especial case of this self-deception is seen in delaying repentance. Nothing but pastacts are the vouchers for future.Past sacrifices, past labours, past victories over yourselves these are the tokens of the like in store, and doubtless of greater in store. But trust nothing short of these. "Deeds, not words and wishes," this must be the watchword of your warfare and the ground of your assurance.
III. Another plausible form of the same error is a mistake concerning what is meant by faith. Dead faith, as St. James says, profits no man. What, on the other hand, is living faith? Do fervent thoughts make faith living? St. James tells us otherwise. He tells us works,deeds of obedience, are the life of faith. As far as we know anything of the matter, justifying faith has no existence independent of its particular definite acts. It may be described as the temper under which men obey; the humble and earnest desire to please Christ which causes and attends on actual services.
J. H. Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons,vol. i., p. 165.