December 2008
“Thou hast made summer and
winter.”
— Psalm 74:17
My soul begin this wintry
month with thy God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind
thee that He keeps His covenant with day and night, and tend to assure
thee that He will also keep that glorious covenant which He has made
with thee in the person of Christ Jesus. He who is true to His Word in
the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world, will not
prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved Son.
Winter in the soul is by no
means a comfortable season, and if it be upon thee just now it will be
very painful to thee: but there is this comfort, namely, that
the Lord makes it. He
sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation: He
scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes over the once verdant meadows of our
joy: He casteth forth his ice like morsels freezing the streams of our
delight. He does it all, He is the great Winter King, and rules in the
realms of frost, and therefore thou canst not murmur. Losses, crosses,
heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills, are of the
Lord’s sending, and come to us with wise design. Frosts kill noxious
insects, and put a bound to raging diseases; they break up the clods,
and sweeten the soul. O that such good results would always follow our
winters of affliction!
How we prize the fire just
now! How pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us in the same manner prize
our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time
of trouble. Let us draw nigh to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in
believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises,
and go forth to labours which befit the season, for it were ill to be as
the sluggard who will not plough by reason of the cold; for he shall beg
in summer and have nothing.
November 2008
Because of Us
“For the elect’s sake those days be
shortened.”—Matthew
24:22
FOR the sake
of His elect, the Lord withholds many judgments and shortens others. In
great tribulations the fire would devour all were it not that out of
regard to His elect the Lord damps the flame. Thus, while He saves His
elect for the sake of Jesus, He also preserves the race for the sake of
His chosen.
What an honor is
thus put upon saints! How diligently they ought to use their influence
with their Lord! He will hear their prayers for sinners, and bless their
efforts for their salvation. He blesses believers that they may be a
blessing to those who are in unbelief. Many a sinner lives because of
the prayers of a mother, or wife, or daughter, to whom the Lord has
respect.
Have we used
aright the singular power with which the Lord entrusts us? Do we pray
for our country, for other lands, and for the age? Do we, in times of
war, famine, pestilence, stand out as intercessors, pleading that the
days may be shortened? Do we lament before God the outbursts of
infidelity, error, and licentiousness? Do we beseech our Lord Jesus to
shorten the reign of sin by hastening His own glorious appearing? Let us
get to our knees and never rest till Christ appeareth.
Charles Spurgeon
Daniel 4
Nebuchadnezzar
the king,
To all peoples, nations, and
languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
I thought it good to declare the
signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
How great are His signs,
And how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom,
And His dominion is from
generation to generation.
I,
Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my
palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on
my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I
issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before
me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the
dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and
the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did
not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came
before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my
god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream
before him, saying: "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians,
because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no
secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that
I have seen, and its interpretation.
These were
the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the
earth,
And its height was great.
The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the
heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends
of all the earth.
Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found
shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt
in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.
"I saw in the
visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a
holy one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus:
‘Chop down the tree and cut off
its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter
its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from
under it,
And the birds from its branches.
Nevertheless leave the stump and
roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and
bronze,
In the tender grass of the
field.
Let it be wet with the dew of
heaven,
And let him graze with the
beasts
On the grass of the earth.
Let his heart be changed from
that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a
beast,
And let seven times pass over
him.
‘This decision is by the decree
of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of
the holy ones,
In order that the living may
know
That the Most High rules in the
kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of
men.’
"This dream
I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar,
declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom
are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are
able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you."
Then Daniel,
whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his
thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar,
do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you."
Belteshazzar
answered and said, "My lord, may the dream concern those who
hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!
"The tree
that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached
to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose
leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for
all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose
branches the birds of the heaven had their home— it is you, O
king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has
grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end
of the earth.
"And inasmuch
as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven
and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its
stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and
bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the
dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field,
till seven times pass over him’; this is the interpretation, O
king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come
upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your
dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall
make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of
heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that
the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to
whomever He chooses.
"And inasmuch
as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the
tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to
know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my advice be
acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and
your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may
be a lengthening of your prosperity."
All this came
upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was
walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke,
saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a
royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my
majesty?"
While the
word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven:
"King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has
departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your
dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make
you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you,
until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whomever He chooses."
That very
hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was
driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with
the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers
and his nails like birds’ claws.
And at the
end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and
my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and
praised and honored Him who lives forever:
For His dominion is an
everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from
generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in
the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the
earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, "What have You
done?"
At the same
time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom,
my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles
resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent
majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol
and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and
His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put
down.
October 2008
“Launch out into the deep,
and let down your nets for a draught.”
— Luke 5:4
We learn from this narrative,
the necessity of human
agency. The
draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his
boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the
fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the
present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh
without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself
selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most
magnified in the earth. Means of themselves
are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have
toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of
this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they
were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the
toil unskillfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled.
Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had
toiled all the night. Was there a
deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master
came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it
because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the
presence of Jesus? “Without him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we
can do all things. Christ’s presence
confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s
boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net.
When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church’s
power—the shout of a king is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up,
will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out this morning on our work of
soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let
us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who
bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
“A man greatly
beloved.”
— Daniel 10:11
Child of God, do you
hesitate to appropriate this title? Ah! has your unbelief made you
forget that you are greatly beloved too? Must you not have been greatly
beloved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot? When God smote his only begotten
Son for you, what was this but being greatly beloved? You lived in sin,
and rioted in it, must you not have been greatly beloved for God to have
borne so patiently with you? You were called by grace and led to a
Saviour, and made a child of God and an heir of heaven. All this proves,
does it not, a very great and superabounding love? Since that time,
whether your path has been rough with troubles, or smooth with mercies,
it has been full of proofs that you are a man greatly beloved. If the
Lord has chastened you, yet not in anger; if he has made you poor, yet
in grace you have been rich. The more unworthy you feel yourself to be,
the more evidence have you that nothing but unspeakable love could have
led the Lord Jesus to save such a soul as yours. The more demerit you
feel, the clearer is the display of the abounding love of God in having
chosen you, and called you, and made you an heir of bliss. Now, if there
be such love between God and us let us live in the influence and
sweetness of it, and use the privilege of our position. Do not let us
approach our Lord as though we were strangers, or as though he were
unwilling to hear us—for we are greatly beloved by our loving Father.
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Come boldly, O
believer, for despite the whisperings of Satan and the doubtings of
thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved. Meditate on the exceeding
greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and so go to thy
bed in peace.
September 2008
ERE THE NIGHT FALL
By Henry F. Lyte
|
Why do I sigh to find
Life’s evening shadows gathering round my way,
The keen eye dimming, and the buoyant mind
Unhinging day by day?I want
not vulgar fame—
I seek not to survive in brass or stone!
Hearts may not kindle when they hear my name,
Nor tears my value own:
But might I leave behind
Some blessing for my fellows, some fair trust
To guide, to cheer, to elevate my kind,
When I am in the dust; |
Might
verse of mine inspire
One virtuous aim, one high resolve impart,
Light in one drooping soul a hallowed fire,
Or bind one broken heart;
Death would be sweeter then,
More calm my slumber ’neath the silent sod—
Might I thus live to bless my fellowmen,
Or glorify my God!
O Thou whose touch can lend
Life to the dead, Thy quickening grace supply,
And grant me, swanlike, my last breath to spend
In song that may not die! |
FROM THAT
TIME MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK
William Mason
(1719-1791)
From that time
many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. – John
6:66
Thus was
fulfilled that saying, how "can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
Amos, 3:3. This chapter is like a touch-stone; herein our Lord tries His
disciples, to see who are His. Many who are His professed, are not His
real disciples. Times of trial will come: they make manifest. The lowest
hell is prepared for those who turn their backs upon the Son of God on
earth. Lord, grant that our faces may be set like a flint towards Thee;
for, blessed be Thy name, Thou hast said of those who continue with Thee
in Thy temptations: "I appoint unto you a kingdom; ye shall eat and drink
at my table." Luke 22:29, 30.
But those who
are not agreed with Christ, have not the mind of Christ, and will not walk
with Him. Some of these disciples followed Christ for the loaves and
fishes. John 6:26. Those who follow Christ to get food for their bodies
and the good things of this life, instead of food for the soul, will soon
forsake Him. Christ's blessings are spiritual, their views are carnal.
Such are not agreed with Him.
Others murmured
at Him because he said, "I came down from heaven." John 6:41. They were
ignorant of His mission from the Father. Many people hear again and again
of Christ, but have no solid, scriptural judgment of the divinity of His
person clothed in human nature, nor of the end and design of His coming
into the world; for want of knowledge of Him, and faith in Him, they soon
forsake Him.
Others could not
receive His saying, "Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the
Son of man, ye have no life in you." John 6:53. His words were spiritual,
their notions carnal: they could not see how Christ could be the spiritual
food of souls by faith; so, many in our day cry, "Where mystery begins
religion ends:" these left following Christ.
His doctrine of
His Father's sovereign grace was galling to the pride of their
self-righteous, self-sufficient hearts: "No man can come unto Me, except
it were given unto Him of my Father." John 6:65. "From that" speech, (time
is not in the original) "many of His disciples went back, and walked no
more with Him." O how many still oppose the truth of the sovereign love
and efficacious grace of God the Father, in drawing sinners to His Son for
salvation! Alas, they have not the mind of Christ; they see not the
special mercy of being under the efficacious influence of the Spirit of
the Father. O disciple, let the falling away of others warn thee: be
strong in the Lord: be diffident of self: look constantly to "Him that is
able to keep you from falling." Jude 25.
August 2008
William Gadsby
1 Election is a truth divine, as
absolute as free;
Works ne’er can make the blessing mine; ’tis God’s own wise decree.
2 Before Jehovah built the skies, or earth, or seas, or sun,
He chose a people for His praise, and gave them to His Son.
3 Eternal was the choice of God, a sovereign act indeed;
And Jesus, the incarnate Word, secures the chosen seed.
4 He loved and chose because He would; nor did His choice depend
On sinners’ work, or bad or good, but on His sovereign mind.
5 Nor law, nor death, nor hell, nor sin, can alter His decree;
The elect eternal life shall win, and all God’s glory see.
6 His counsel stands for ever sure, immortal and divine;
And justice, mercy, truth, and power, unite to make it mine.
I HAVE READ OF ONE WHO WAS DUMB
William Mason
(1719-1791)
Romans 3:4
Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every
man a liar. As it is written: "That You may be justified in Your words,
and may overcome when You are judged."
I have read of one who was dumb;
but who, on seeing a violent attempt to murder his father, cried out with
great vehemence, "My father." When his heavenly Father's truth and
faithfulness are attacked, Paul cannot be mute. Fired with a holy emotion
of spirit, he cries out, "Let God be true." Vain, arrogant man will you
dare oppose your carnal reasonings and fallacious arguments to the
covenant purposes, faithful word, and precious promises of the Lord? Every
such man, be he ever so noble, mighty, wise, and learned, is a liar.
Paul's heart was too warm with zeal for the glory of his God to pay any
soft compliment to those who act under the influence of the father of
lies. The keen satire of Mr. Pope is admirably adapted to such.
"Snatch
from His hand the balance and the rod,
Rejudge
His justice, be the God of God!
In
reas'ning pride (my friend) our error lies;
All quit
their sphere and rush into the skies."
Christian, lay aside thy carnal
reason; take up the Lord's word; exercise thy faith upon it. Thou art
called to be valiant for the truth of a faithful, covenant-keeping God.
Timid silence is criminal when your Father's truth is arraigned and His
glory at stake. Know thou hast much within thee, and many around thee, in
combination to oppose the mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh
to bring salvation to miserable sinners, and God's faithfulness engaged to
make this effectual by His sovereign grace, in spite of all the
unfaithfulness of man. Carnal reason says, how can these things be?
Self-confidence exalts herself against them; Arrogance refuses to submit
to them; Unbelief pronounces them impossible; Self-love declares against
subjection to them; Pride cries, away with them, totally reject them; and
Self-righteousness cries them down as leading to licentiousness.
These are all professed judges
of divinity, but in reality are lying adversaries against your Lord's
truth and faithfulness, and your peace, comfort, and holiness. Abide by
what is written; oppose God's truth to all their lying suggestions; be
simple of heart. Let simple faith prevail. Feed by faith upon God's truth,
and you shall prosper, while others cavil against it and grow lean. Hold
fast "the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised (to
Christ Jesus as our covenant head, and that we should enjoy it in Him)
before the world began." Titus 1:2.
Speak
What He Teaches
Exodus 4:12 "Now
therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you
shall say."
MANY a true
servant of the Lord is slow of speech, and when called upon to plead for
his Lord, he is in great confusion lest he should spoil a good cause by
his bad advocacy. In such a case it is well to remember that the Lord
made the tongue which is so slow, and we must take care that we do not
blame our Maker. It may be that a slow tongue is not so great an evil as
a fast one, and fewness of words may be more of a blessing than floods
of verbiage. It is also quite certain that real saving power does not
lie in human rhetoric with its figures of speech, and pretty phrases,
and grand displays. Lack of fluency is not so great a lack as it looks.
If God
be with our mouths and with our minds, we shall have something better
than the sounding brass of eloquence or the tinkling cymbal of
persuasion. God’s teaching is wisdom; His presence is power. Pharaoh had
more reason to be afraid of stammering Moses than of the most fluent
talker in Egypt, for what he said had power in it; he spoke plagues and
deaths. If the Lord be with us in our natural weakness, we shall be girt
with supernatural power. Therefore, let us speak for Jesus boldly, as we
ought to speak.
July 2008
“If thou lift up thy tool
upon it, thou hast polluted it.”
— Exodus 20:25
God’s altar was to be built of
unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon
it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross
into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved
tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel
carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the
truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own
Word are defilements and pollutions. The proud heart of man is very
anxious to have a hand in the justification of the soul before God;
preparations for Christ are dreamed of, humblings and repentings are
trusted in, good works are cried up, natural ability is much vaunted,
and by all means the attempt is made to lift up human tools upon the
divine altar. It were well if sinners would remember that so far from
perfecting the Saviour’s work, their carnal confidences only pollute and
dishonour it. The Lord alone must be exalted in the work of atonement,
and not a single mark of man’s chisel or hammer will be endured. There
is an inherent blasphemy in seeking to add to what Christ Jesus in His
dying moments declared to be finished, or to improve that in which the
Lord Jehovah finds perfect satisfaction. Trembling sinner, away with thy
tools, and fall upon thy knees in humble supplication; and accept the
Lord Jesus to be the altar of thine atonement, and rest in him alone.
Many professors may take
warning from this morning’s text as to the doctrines which they believe.
There is among Christians far too much inclination to square and
reconcile the truths of revelation; this is a form of irreverence and
unbelief, let us strive against it, and receive truth as we find it;
rejoicing that the doctrines of the Word are unhewn stones, and so are
all the more fit to build an altar for the Lord.
"And as it was
freely laid up, it is as freely distributed; our Lord gives it out
liberally, and upbraideth not; he gives this living water to
all that ask it of him, yea, to them that ask it not; he gives more grace,
large measures, fresh supplies of it, to his humble saints, readily and
cheerfully, as they stand in need of them; he withholds no good things
from them that walk uprightly. The persons to whom it is given are very
unworthy, and yet heartily welcome. Whoever is thirsty, and has a
will to come, may come and take the water
of life freely; such who have no
money, nor anything that is of a valuable consideration, who have
neither worth, nor worthiness of their own, may
come and buy wine and milk, without money, and
without price. And whereas this fulness
of Christ, this well of grace is
deep, and we have nothing to draw
with, faith, the bucket of faith is freely given: that grace, by which
we receive of it, is not of ourselves, it
is the gift of God; and with this we
draw water with joy out of the full
wells of salvation, which are in Christ
Jesus."
John Gill
John Piper and others have blasted Gill and other
"Hyper Calvinists" for not preaching the Gospel. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. In his selective reading of Gill and other
Sovereign Grace Baptists he even disparages the following statement from
John Martin. "Sinners in my opinion, are more frequently converted, and
believers more commonly edified, by a narrative of facts concerning Jesus
Christ, and by a clear, connected statement of the doctrines of grace, and
blessings of the gospel, and then by all the expectations and
expostulations that were ever invented." and in a footnote says, "The two
most influential authors representing High Calvinism—at least the ones who
influenced Particular Baptists most—were John Brine (1703-1765) and John
Gill (1697-1771). Morden comments that Timothy George and others have made
attempts to rehabilitate Gill and to rebut the charge that he was a
Hyper-Calvinist, “but attempts to defend him from the charge of high
Calvinism are ultimately unconvincing” (Offering Christ, p. 15) A
quotation illustrating John Gill’s attitude towards a free offer of the
gospel: “That there are universal offers of grace and salvation made to
all men, I utterly deny; nay I deny that they are made to any; no not to
God’s elect; grace and salvation are provided for them in the everlasting
covenant, procured for them by Christ, published and revealed in the
gospel and applied by the spirit.” John Gill, Sermons and Tracts,
Three Volumes (London: 1778), III, p. 269-270, quoted in Morden,
Offering Christ, p. 14. Fuller himself certainly saw Gill as a High
Calvinist responsible for much of the evangelistic deadness among his
fellow Particular Baptists: “I perceived . . . that the system of Bunyan
was not the same as [John Gill’s]; for while he maintained the doctrines
of election and predestination, he nevertheless held with the free offer
of salvation to sinners without distinction” (Morden, Offering Christ,
p. 31)."
It would be a good thing if the followers of Piper
and his friends were as concerned with the text of scripture as they are
with the men they adore.
Jesus never invited the proud, the self-righteous,
etc. to come to Himself, He always sent them to that in which they
trusted, a false view of the Law of God which rather than leading to
condemnation became their means to acceptance before God.
´The gospel is indeed ordered to be preached to
every creature to whom it is sent and comes; but as yet, it has never been
brought to all the individuals of human nature; there have been multitudes
in all ages that have not heard it. And that there are universal offers of
grace and salvation made to all men, I utterly deny; nay, I deny that they
are made to any; no, not to God`s elect; grace and salvation are provided
for them in the everlasting covenant, procured for them by Christ,
published and revealed in the gospel, and applied by the Spirit .”
John Gill
Acts 16:6-10 "Now
when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were
forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had
come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not
permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision
appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with
him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen
the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the
Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. "
What Spurgeon had to say about Gill:
john gill
was born at Kettering in Northamptonshire, November 23rd, 1697, and
ordained to the pastoral office over this church, March 22nd, 1720,
being then in the twenty–third year of his age. A man of profound
learning and deep piety, he was notable as a divine for the exactness of
his systematic theology in which he maintained the doctrines of grace
against the innovations of Arminian teachers. His “body
of divinity” has long been held in the
highest repute. As the fervent exposition of an entire and harmonious
creed, it has no rival. His famous treatise entitled “the
cause of God and truth,” obtained for him
the championship of the Calvinistic School of Divinity. He likewise
published a voluminous “commentary
on the holy scriptures” in nine volumes
folio, remarkable for the copiousness of its glossary, the brilliance of
its argument, his apprehension of prophecy, and the richness of his
Hebrew scholarship. His preparations for the pulpit having, as is well
known, furnished the materials for the press, we can but reflect on the
priceless value of his ministry. The eulogy pronounced upon him by the
Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady, a well–known contemporary divine of
the Church of England, was doubtless well merited. He says, “that his
labors were indefatigable, his life exemplary, and his death comfortable
if any one can be supposed to have trod the whole circle of human
learning, it was this great and eminent person. His attainments, both in
abstruse and polite literature, were equally extensive and profound, and
so far as the distinguishing doctrines of grace are concerned, he never
besieged an error which he did not force from its stronghold, nor ever
encountered an adversary whom he did not baffle and subdue.”
June 2008
God’s Promise Keeps
Ecclesiastes 11:1
"Cast your bread upon the
waters, for you will find it after many days."
WE
must not expect to see an immediate reward for all the good we do; nor
must we always confine our efforts to places and persons which seem
likely to yield us a recompense for our labors. The Egyptian casts his
seed upon the waters of the Nile, where it might seem a sheer waste of
corn. But in due time the flood subsides, the rice or other grain sinks
into the fertile mud, and rapidly a harvest is produced. Let us today do
good to the unthankful and the evil. Let us teach the careless and the
obstinate. Unlikely waters may cover hopeful soil. Nowhere shall our
labor be in vain in the Lord.
It is
ours to cast our bread upon the waters; it remains with God to fulfill
the promise, “Thou shalt find it.” He will not let His promise fail.
His good word which we have spoken shall live, shall be found, shall be
found by us. Perhaps not just yet, but some day, we shall reap what we
have sown. We must exercise our patience, for perhaps the Lord may
exercise it. “After many days,” says the Scripture, and in many
instances those days run into months and years, and yet the Word stands
true. God’s promise will keep; let us mind that we keep the precept, and
keep it this day.
“The evening and the
morning were the first day.”
— Genesis 1:5
Was it so even in the
beginning? Did light and darkness divide the realm of time in the
first day? Then little wonder is it if I have also changes in my
circumstances from the sunshine of prosperity to the midnight of
adversity. It will not always be the blaze of noon even in my soul
concerns, I must expect at seasons to mourn the absence of my
former joys, and seek my Beloved in the night. Nor am I alone in
this, for all the Lord’s beloved ones have had to sing the mingled
song of judgment and of mercy, of trial and deliverance, of
mourning and of delight. It is one of the arrangements of Divine
providence that day and night shall not cease either in the
spiritual or natural creation till we reach the land of which it
is written, “there is no night there.” What our heavenly Father
ordains is wise and good.
What, then, my soul, is
it best for thee to do? Learn first
to be content with this divine
order, and be willing, with Job, to receive evil from the hand of
the Lord as well as good. Study next, to
make the outgoings of the morning and the
evening to rejoice.
Praise the Lord for the sun of joy when it rises, and for the
gloom of evening as it falls. There is beauty both in sunrise and
sunset, sing of it, and glorify the Lord. Like the nightingale,
pour forth thy notes at all hours.
Believe that the night is as useful as the day.
The dews of grace fall heavily in the night of sorrow. The stars
of promise shine forth gloriously amid the darkness of grief.
Continue
thy service
under all changes. If in the day thy watchword be
labour, at night
exchange it for watch.
Every hour has its duty, do thou continue in thy calling as the
Lord’s servant until he shall suddenly appear in his glory. My
soul, thine evening of old age and death is drawing near, dread it
not, for it is part of the day; and the Lord has said, “I will
cover him all the day long.”
May 2008
Victory in Distress
“Rejoice not against me, O
mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when l sit in darkness the Lord
shall be a light unto me.”—Micah
7:8
THIS
may express the feeling of a man or woman downtrodden and oppressed. Our
enemy may put out our light for a season. There is sure hope for us in
the Lord; and if we are trusting in Him and holding fast our integrity,
our season of downcasting and darkness will soon be over. The insults of
the foe are only for a moment. The Lord will soon turn their laughter
into lamentation, and our sighing into singing.
What if the great enemy of
souls should for a while triumph over us, as he has triumphed over
better men than we are, yet let us take heart, for we shall overcome him
before long. We shall rise from our fall, for our God has not fallen,
and He will lift us up. We shall not abide in darkness, although for the
moment we sit in it; for our Lord is the fountain of light, and He will
soon bring us a joyful day. Let us not despair, or even doubt. One turn
of the wheel and the lowest will be at the top. Woe unto those who laugh
now, for they shall mourn and weep when their boasting is turned into
everlasting contempt. But blessed are all holy mourners, for they shall
be divinely comforted.
April 2008
Dauntless Faith
“I am with thee, and no man
shall set on thee to hurt thee.”—Acts
18:10
SO
long as the Lord had work for Paul to do in Corinth, the fury of the mob
was restrained. The Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed; but they
could neither stop the preaching of the gospel, nor the conversion of
the hearers. God has power over the most violent minds. He makes the
wrath of man to praise Him when it breaks forth, but He still more
displays His goodness when He restrains it; and He can restrain it. “By
the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone, till thy
people pass over, O Lord.”
Do not, therefore, feel any
fear of man when you know that you are doing your duty. Go straight on,
as Jesus would have done, and those who oppose shall be as a bruised
reed and as smoking flax. Many a time men have had cause to fear because
they were themselves afraid; but a dauntless faith in God brushes fear
aside like the cobwebs in a giant’s path. No man can harm us unless the
Lord permits. He who makes the devil himself to flee at a word, can
certainly control the devil’s agents. Maybe they are already more afraid
of you than you are of them. Therefore, go forward, and where you looked
to meet with foes you will find friends.
March 2008
Real Estate in Heaven
