Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Compar'd with Christ, in all besides

Compar'd with Christ, in all besides
No comeliness I see;
The one thing needful, dearest Lord,
Is to be one with thee.

The sense of thy expiring love
Into my soul convey:
Thyself bestow! for thee alone,
My All in all, I pray.

Less than thyself will not suffice
My comfort to restore:
More than thyself I cannot crave;
And thou canst give no more.

Lov'd of my God, for him again
With love intense I'd burn:
Chosen of thee ere time began,
I'd choose thee in return.

Whate'er consists not with thy love,
O teach me to resign;
I'm rich to all the intents of bliss,
If thou, O God, art mine.                                          
                                          Toplady


.....but Christ is all.....   Col 3:11

     If Christ be all, see here the Christian's inventory, how rich is he
that hath Christ!  He hath all that may make him completely happy.  Plutarch
reports that the wife of Phocion being asked where her jewels were, she answered,
"My husband, and his triumphs are my jewels!" so, if a Christian be asked, where
are his riches, he will say, "Christ is my riches."  A true saint cannot be poor; if you
look into his house, perhaps he hath scarce a bed to lie on, 1 Cor. 4:11, "Even to
this present hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and have no certain
dwelling-place."  Come to many a child of God, and bid him make his will, he
saith as Peter, Acts 3:6, "Silver and gold have I none:" yet he can at the same
time make his triumph with the apostle, 2 Cor. 6:10, "As having nothing, yet
possessing all;" he hath Christ who is all.  When a believer can call nothing his,
he can say all is his.  The tabernacle was covered with badgers' skins, Exod. 25:5,
yet most of it was of gold:  so a saint may have a poor covering, ragged clothes,
but he is inlaid with gold, 'Christ is formed in his heart,' and so he is all glorious
within.
     How could a Christian sit down satisfied with Christ!  "Christ is all."  What
though he wants other things, is not Christ enough?  If a man hath sunshine, he
doth not complain he wants the light of a candle; hath he not enough who hath
"the unsearchable riches of Christ?"  I have read of a godly man, who being
blind, his friend asked him if he was not troubled for the want of his sight; he
confessed he was; "Why," saith his friend, "are you troubled because you want
that which flies have, when you have that which angels have?"  So I say to a
Christian, Why art thou troubled for wanting that which a reprobate has, when
thou hast that which the glorified saints have?  Thou hast Christ with all his
perquisites and royalties!  Suppose a father should deny his son furniture for
his house, but should settle all his land upon him, had he any cause to complain? 
If God denies thee a little furniture in the world, but in the mean time settles
his land upon thee, he gives thee the field wherein the pearl of price is hid,
hast thou any cause to repine? a Christian that wants necessaries, yet having
Christ, he hath the one thing needful, Col. 2:10, "Ye are complete in him." 
What! complete in Christ, and not content with Christ?.....let the Christian
take the harp and the viol, and bless God.                           
                                                                        Thomas Watson 

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