Ye simple souls that stray
Far from the path of peace,
That lonely, unfrequented way
To life and happiness,
Why will ye folly love,
And throng the downward road,
And hate the wisdom from above,
And mock the sons of God?
So wretched and obscure,
The men whom ye despise,
So foolish, impotent, and poor,-
Above your scorn we rise:
We through the Holy Ghost,
Can witness better things;
For he whose blood is all our boast,
Hath made us priests and kings.
Riches unsearchable
In Jesus’ love we know;
And pleasures springing from the well
Of life, our souls o’erflow:
The Spirit we receive
Of wisdom, grace, and power;
And always sorrowful we live,
Rejoicing evermore.
Angels our servants are,
And keep in all our ways,
And in their watchful hands they bear
The sacred sons of grace:
Unto that heavenly bliss
They all our steps attend;
And God himself our Father is,
And Jesus is our friend.
John Wesley
Let us turn, for a moment, to the sixty-ninth psalm, which so vividly presents
our blessed and adorable Lord suffering from the hand of man, and appealing
to God for vengeance.....
But let us look at the other side of the picture. Turn to the twenty-second psalm,
which presents the Blessed One suffering under the hand of God. Here the result is
wholly different. Instead of judgment and vengeance, it is universal and everlasting
blessedness and glory.....
These two quotations present, with great distinctness, the two aspects of the death
of Christ. He died, as a martyr, for righteousness, under the hand of man. For this
man will have to account to God. But He died, as a victim, for sin, under the hand
of God. This is the foundation of all blessing to those that believe in His Name. His
martyr sufferings bring down wrath and judgment upon a godless world: His atoning
sufferings open up the everlasting well-springs of life and salvation to the Church, to
Israel, and to the whole creation. The death of Jesus consummates the world's guilt;
but secures the Church's acceptance. The world is stained, and the Church purged,
by the blood of the cross.
Such is the double bearing of the first of our three great New Testament facts.
Jesus has come and gone – come, because God loved the world – gone, because
the world hated God. If God were to ask the question – and He will ask it – "What
have you done with My Son?" What is the answer? "We hated Him, cast Him out,
and crucified Him. We preferred a robber to Him."
But, blessed forever be the God of all grace, the Christian, the true believer,
can look up to heaven and say, "My absent Lord is there, and there for me. He is
gone from this wretched world, and His absence makes the entire scene around me a
moral wilderness – a desolate waste.”
C. H. Mackintosh
Friday, April 7, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
What shall we be, and whither shall we go
What shall we be, and whither shall we go,
When the last conflict of our life is o'er,
And we return from wandering to and fro
To our dear home through heaven's eternal door;
When we shake off the last dust from our feet,
When we wipe off the last drop from our brow,
And our departed friends once more we greet,
The hope which cheers and comforts us below?
What shall we be, when we ourselves shall see
Bathed in the flood of everlasting light,
And from all guilt and sin entirely free,
Stand pure and blameless in our Maker's sight,
No longer from His holy presence driven,
Conscious of guilt, and stung with inward pain,
But friends of God and citizens of heaven,
To join the ranks of His celestial train?
What shall we be, when we drink in the sound
Of heavenly music from the spheres above,
When golden harps to listening hosts around
Declare the wonders of redeeming love;
When far and wide through the resounding air
Loud Hallelujahs from the ransomed rise,
And holy incense, sweet with praise and prayer,
Is wafted to the Highest through the skies?
What shall we be, when the freed soul shall rise
With unrestrained and bold aspiring flight
To Him, who by His wondrous sacrifice
Hath opened heaven, and scattered sin's dark night;
When from the eye of faith the thin veil drops,
Like wreaths of mist before the morning's rays,
And we behold, the end of all our hopes,
The Son of God in full refulgent blaze?
What shall we be, when we shall hear Him say,
"Come, O ye blessed;" when we see Him stand,
Robed in the light of everlasting day,
Before the throne of God at His right hand;
When we behold the eyes from which once flowed
Tears o'er the sin and misery of man,
And the deep wounds from which the precious blood,
That made atonement for the world, once ran?
What shall we be, when hand in hand we go
With blessed spirits risen from the tomb,
Where streams of living water softly flow,
And trees still flourish in primeval bloom;
Where in perpetual youth no cheek looks old
By the sharp touch of cruel time imprest,
Where no bright eye is dimm'd, no heart grows cold,
No grief, no pain, no death invades the blest?
What shall we be, when every glance we cast
At the dark valley underneath our feet,
And every retrospect of troubles past
Makes heaven brighter and its joys more sweet;
When the remembrance of our earthly woe
Gives a new relish to our heavenly peace,
And draws our heart to Him, to whom we owe
Our past deliverance and our present bliss?
What shall we be, who have in Christ believed?
What through His grace will be our sweet reward?
Eye hath not seen, ear heard, or heart conceived,
What God for those who love Him hath prepared.
Let us the steep ascent then boldly climb,
Our toil and labour will be well repaid;
Let us haste onward, till in God's good time
We reap the fruit, a crown that doth not fade.
C. J. P. Spitta,
trans by H. Massie
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5
.....while we live here we are always children of hope; not miserable, because we
have a sweet taste of what we hope for, and not perfectly happy, because we want
fulness. Before Christ they hoped for his coming in the flesh; since Christ, we look
for his 'second coming in glory;' in grace we look for glory; and when our souls are in
glory, they look for the redemption of the bodies, and for the day of restoring of all
things. 'How long, Lord, how long?' Rev. 6:10. Else would this life be heaven to us;
and we should not desire or pray, 'Lord, let thy kingdom come.’.....This should whet
in us our desires and prayers for our heavenly estate; and not make our heaven
here on earth, but desire earnestly the full harvest, by considering how excellent the
first-fruits of glory in this life are; and with the creature, Rom. 8:19, 'wait, and expect,
and long, and groan for the time of the dissolution of all things;' and make this a note to
discern of our estate; for it is a certain infallible token of a good frame of spirit in us,
if we can long for that better life in the fulness, that we have here; that we can desire
to be with Christ. Furthermore, note this as a difference between the estates of
the wicked and the godly. The wicked must look for worse and worse continually.
His best is here, and while he hath this world; but the godly, their worst is here, their
best is to come.
Richard Sibbes, D.D.
When the last conflict of our life is o'er,
And we return from wandering to and fro
To our dear home through heaven's eternal door;
When we shake off the last dust from our feet,
When we wipe off the last drop from our brow,
And our departed friends once more we greet,
The hope which cheers and comforts us below?
What shall we be, when we ourselves shall see
Bathed in the flood of everlasting light,
And from all guilt and sin entirely free,
Stand pure and blameless in our Maker's sight,
No longer from His holy presence driven,
Conscious of guilt, and stung with inward pain,
But friends of God and citizens of heaven,
To join the ranks of His celestial train?
What shall we be, when we drink in the sound
Of heavenly music from the spheres above,
When golden harps to listening hosts around
Declare the wonders of redeeming love;
When far and wide through the resounding air
Loud Hallelujahs from the ransomed rise,
And holy incense, sweet with praise and prayer,
Is wafted to the Highest through the skies?
What shall we be, when the freed soul shall rise
With unrestrained and bold aspiring flight
To Him, who by His wondrous sacrifice
Hath opened heaven, and scattered sin's dark night;
When from the eye of faith the thin veil drops,
Like wreaths of mist before the morning's rays,
And we behold, the end of all our hopes,
The Son of God in full refulgent blaze?
What shall we be, when we shall hear Him say,
"Come, O ye blessed;" when we see Him stand,
Robed in the light of everlasting day,
Before the throne of God at His right hand;
When we behold the eyes from which once flowed
Tears o'er the sin and misery of man,
And the deep wounds from which the precious blood,
That made atonement for the world, once ran?
What shall we be, when hand in hand we go
With blessed spirits risen from the tomb,
Where streams of living water softly flow,
And trees still flourish in primeval bloom;
Where in perpetual youth no cheek looks old
By the sharp touch of cruel time imprest,
Where no bright eye is dimm'd, no heart grows cold,
No grief, no pain, no death invades the blest?
What shall we be, when every glance we cast
At the dark valley underneath our feet,
And every retrospect of troubles past
Makes heaven brighter and its joys more sweet;
When the remembrance of our earthly woe
Gives a new relish to our heavenly peace,
And draws our heart to Him, to whom we owe
Our past deliverance and our present bliss?
What shall we be, who have in Christ believed?
What through His grace will be our sweet reward?
Eye hath not seen, ear heard, or heart conceived,
What God for those who love Him hath prepared.
Let us the steep ascent then boldly climb,
Our toil and labour will be well repaid;
Let us haste onward, till in God's good time
We reap the fruit, a crown that doth not fade.
C. J. P. Spitta,
trans by H. Massie
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5
.....while we live here we are always children of hope; not miserable, because we
have a sweet taste of what we hope for, and not perfectly happy, because we want
fulness. Before Christ they hoped for his coming in the flesh; since Christ, we look
for his 'second coming in glory;' in grace we look for glory; and when our souls are in
glory, they look for the redemption of the bodies, and for the day of restoring of all
things. 'How long, Lord, how long?' Rev. 6:10. Else would this life be heaven to us;
and we should not desire or pray, 'Lord, let thy kingdom come.’.....This should whet
in us our desires and prayers for our heavenly estate; and not make our heaven
here on earth, but desire earnestly the full harvest, by considering how excellent the
first-fruits of glory in this life are; and with the creature, Rom. 8:19, 'wait, and expect,
and long, and groan for the time of the dissolution of all things;' and make this a note to
discern of our estate; for it is a certain infallible token of a good frame of spirit in us,
if we can long for that better life in the fulness, that we have here; that we can desire
to be with Christ. Furthermore, note this as a difference between the estates of
the wicked and the godly. The wicked must look for worse and worse continually.
His best is here, and while he hath this world; but the godly, their worst is here, their
best is to come.
Richard Sibbes, D.D.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Brethren, Christ is real in all that he speaks unto you
The following is a part of a letter written by Reverend Joseph Alleine -
August 11, 1665.
Brethren, understand mine office;—I preach not myself, but the Lord Jesus Christ,
and myself your servant for Jesus’ sake. Give him your hearts, and I have my errand.
I am but the friend of the bridegroom, and my business is but to give you to understand
his love, and to gain your hearts unto him. He is an object worthy of my commendations
and of your affections. His love is worth the writing of, and worth the thinking of, and
worth the speaking of. O my brethren, never forget, I beseech you, how he loveth you.
He is in heaven, and you are on earth: he is in glory, and you in rags; he is in the shining
throne, and you in dirty flesh;—and yet he loveth you. His heart is infinitely tender
over you, even now while he is at the right hand of the Majesty on high. How feelingly
doth he cry out at the hurt of his poor members on earth, Saul, Saul why persecutest
thou me? Oh, of what quick sense is the sense of our dear Lord unto us! When we
are touched on earth he feels it in heaven.
Brethren, Christ is real in all that he speaks unto you. He is not like a flourishing
lover, who fills up his letters with rhetoric, and hath more care of the dress of his
speech than of the truth. Who ever gave demonstration of the reality of his love at
so dear a rate as Christ hath done? Men do not use to die in jest. Who will impoverish
himself to enrich his friend? And divest himself of his honour to advance him? And
debase himself to admiration below his own degree to contract affinity with him?
And all this but to make him believe that he loves him?
Brethren, possess your very hearts with this, that Christ's love doth go out with
infinite dearness towards you. Even now, while he is in all his glory, he earnestly
remembers you still. This is the High Priest that now is entered into the holy of holies,
doth bear your names particulary, remembering every poor believer by name. He
bears your names, —but where? "upon his breast-plate, upon his heart," saith
the text, Exodus 28:29. Ah! Christians, I may salute you as the angel did Mary,
Hail you that are highly favoured: Blessed are you among men. Sure
your lot is fallen in a happy place. What! in the bosom of Christ? Yea, and verily
you may believe, and doubt not. I may apply that of Gabriel, O Daniel, thou art
greatly beloved, unto you; you are beloved indeed, to have your names written
upon the very heart of Christ, now he is in glory.
Oh, let his name be written then on your hearts. Do not write his name in the
sand when he hath written yours upon his own breast! Do not forget him who
hath taken such care, that where he is, he may never forget you, having recorded
your names only on his book, but on his flesh, and set you as a seal upon his heart.
He hath you upon his heart,—but why? "For a memorial before the Lord continually,"
so saith the text. Beloved, your Lord is so far from forgetting you in all his greatness
and glory, that he is gone into heaven on purpose, there to present you before the
Lord, that you may be always in remembrance before him. O beloved, glory, yea,
and triumph in his love. Doubtless it must go well with us. Who shall condemn?
It is Christ that died, and rose again, and is now making intercession. His interest is
potent. He is always present. Our advocate is never out of court. Never did cause
miscarry in his hand. Trust you safely in him. Happy is that man for whom he shall
undertake to speak.
Oh, the riches of Christ's love! He did not think it enough to die for you. His
love and care doth not end with his natural life on earth, but "he ever liveth to make
intercession for us." His love is like his life, ever and ever; knowing no remission in
degree, nor intermission of time, no cessation of working, but is ever, ever in motion
towards us.
But when shall I end, if I suffer my soul to run out its length, and my running pen to
enlarge according to the dimensions of this boundless field of divine love? If the pens
of all the world were employed to write volumes of love; if the tongues of all the living
were exercised in nothing else but talking of this love; if all the hearts that be were made
up of love: and all the powers and affections of the mind were turned into one, to wit,
the power of love; yet this were no less than infinitely too little, either to conceive, or to
express the greatness of Christ's love.
O my dearly beloved, may your souls be swallowed up in this love. Think, and think
while you will, you can never think how much you are beloved. See that ye love again,
by way of gratitude, though not of requital. What though, your souls be but narrow,
and your powers but little, yet love him with all you have. Love him with all your hearts,
and all your strength. To the meditations, and to the embraces of divine love I leave
you, thinking it now not worth while to tell you of my love, remaining
Yours in the bonds
of your most dear Lord Jesus,
Joseph Alleine.
August 11, 1665.
Brethren, understand mine office;—I preach not myself, but the Lord Jesus Christ,
and myself your servant for Jesus’ sake. Give him your hearts, and I have my errand.
I am but the friend of the bridegroom, and my business is but to give you to understand
his love, and to gain your hearts unto him. He is an object worthy of my commendations
and of your affections. His love is worth the writing of, and worth the thinking of, and
worth the speaking of. O my brethren, never forget, I beseech you, how he loveth you.
He is in heaven, and you are on earth: he is in glory, and you in rags; he is in the shining
throne, and you in dirty flesh;—and yet he loveth you. His heart is infinitely tender
over you, even now while he is at the right hand of the Majesty on high. How feelingly
doth he cry out at the hurt of his poor members on earth, Saul, Saul why persecutest
thou me? Oh, of what quick sense is the sense of our dear Lord unto us! When we
are touched on earth he feels it in heaven.
Brethren, Christ is real in all that he speaks unto you. He is not like a flourishing
lover, who fills up his letters with rhetoric, and hath more care of the dress of his
speech than of the truth. Who ever gave demonstration of the reality of his love at
so dear a rate as Christ hath done? Men do not use to die in jest. Who will impoverish
himself to enrich his friend? And divest himself of his honour to advance him? And
debase himself to admiration below his own degree to contract affinity with him?
And all this but to make him believe that he loves him?
Brethren, possess your very hearts with this, that Christ's love doth go out with
infinite dearness towards you. Even now, while he is in all his glory, he earnestly
remembers you still. This is the High Priest that now is entered into the holy of holies,
doth bear your names particulary, remembering every poor believer by name. He
bears your names, —but where? "upon his breast-plate, upon his heart," saith
the text, Exodus 28:29. Ah! Christians, I may salute you as the angel did Mary,
Hail you that are highly favoured: Blessed are you among men. Sure
your lot is fallen in a happy place. What! in the bosom of Christ? Yea, and verily
you may believe, and doubt not. I may apply that of Gabriel, O Daniel, thou art
greatly beloved, unto you; you are beloved indeed, to have your names written
upon the very heart of Christ, now he is in glory.
Oh, let his name be written then on your hearts. Do not write his name in the
sand when he hath written yours upon his own breast! Do not forget him who
hath taken such care, that where he is, he may never forget you, having recorded
your names only on his book, but on his flesh, and set you as a seal upon his heart.
He hath you upon his heart,—but why? "For a memorial before the Lord continually,"
so saith the text. Beloved, your Lord is so far from forgetting you in all his greatness
and glory, that he is gone into heaven on purpose, there to present you before the
Lord, that you may be always in remembrance before him. O beloved, glory, yea,
and triumph in his love. Doubtless it must go well with us. Who shall condemn?
It is Christ that died, and rose again, and is now making intercession. His interest is
potent. He is always present. Our advocate is never out of court. Never did cause
miscarry in his hand. Trust you safely in him. Happy is that man for whom he shall
undertake to speak.
Oh, the riches of Christ's love! He did not think it enough to die for you. His
love and care doth not end with his natural life on earth, but "he ever liveth to make
intercession for us." His love is like his life, ever and ever; knowing no remission in
degree, nor intermission of time, no cessation of working, but is ever, ever in motion
towards us.
But when shall I end, if I suffer my soul to run out its length, and my running pen to
enlarge according to the dimensions of this boundless field of divine love? If the pens
of all the world were employed to write volumes of love; if the tongues of all the living
were exercised in nothing else but talking of this love; if all the hearts that be were made
up of love: and all the powers and affections of the mind were turned into one, to wit,
the power of love; yet this were no less than infinitely too little, either to conceive, or to
express the greatness of Christ's love.
O my dearly beloved, may your souls be swallowed up in this love. Think, and think
while you will, you can never think how much you are beloved. See that ye love again,
by way of gratitude, though not of requital. What though, your souls be but narrow,
and your powers but little, yet love him with all you have. Love him with all your hearts,
and all your strength. To the meditations, and to the embraces of divine love I leave
you, thinking it now not worth while to tell you of my love, remaining
Yours in the bonds
of your most dear Lord Jesus,
Joseph Alleine.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
The heathen raged
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice,
the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in
the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow,
and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Psalms 46:6-11
I. As King of nations, ruling the world by his power and providence, and
overruling all the affairs of the children of men to his own glory; he does according
to his will among the inhabitants of the earth, and none may say, What doest thou?
1. He checks the rage and breaks the power of the nations that oppose him
and his interests in the world (v. 6)....
2. When he pleases to draw his sword, and give it commission, he can make
great havoc among the nations and lay all waste (v. 8).....
3. When he pleases to sheathe his sword, he puts an end to the wars of the
nations and crowns them with peace, v. 9.....
II. As King of saints, and as such we must own that great and marvellous are
his works, Rev. 15:3. He does and will do great things,
1. For his own glory (v. 10): Be still, and know that I am God.
(1.) Let his enemies be still, and threaten no more, but know it, to their terror,
that he is God, one infinitely above them, and that will certainly be too hard for them;
let them rage no more, for it is all in vain: he that sits in heaven, laughs at them; and, in
spite of all their impotent malice against his name and honour, he will be exalted
among the heathen and not merely among his own people, he will be exalted in the
earth and not merely in the church. Men will set up themselves, will have their own
way and do their own will; but let them know that God will be exalted, he will have
his way will do his own will, will glorify his own name, and wherein they deal proudly
he will be above them, and make them know that he is so. (2.) Let his own people
be still; let them be calm and sedate, and tremble no more, but know, to their comfort,
that the Lord is God, he is God alone, and will be exalted above the heathen; let him
alone to maintain his honour, to fulfil his own counsels and to support his own interest
in the world. Though we be depressed, yet let us not be dejected, for we are sure
that God will be exalted, and that may satisfy us; he will work for his great name, and
then no matter what becomes of our little names. When we pray, Father, glorify thy
name, we ought to exercise faith upon the answer given to that prayer when Christ
himself prayed it, I have both glorified it and I will glorify it yet again. Amen, Lord,
so be it.
2. For his people's safety and protection. He triumphs in the former: I will be
exalted; they triumph in this, v. 7 and again v. 11. It is the burden of the song, "The
Lord of hosts is with us; he is on our side, he takes our part, is present with us and
president over us; the God of Jacob is our refuge, to whom we may flee, and in
whom we may confide and be sure of safety." Let all believers triumph in this.
(1.) They have the presence of a God of power, of all power: The Lord of hosts
is with us. God is the Lord of hosts, for he has all the creatures which are called
the hosts of heaven and earth at his beck and command, and he makes what use
he pleases of them, as the instruments either of his justice or of his mercy. This
sovereign Lord is with us, sides with us, acts with us, and has promised he will
never leave us. Hosts may be against us, but we need not fear them if the Lord
of hosts be with us. (2.) They are under the protection of a God in covenant,
who not only is able to help them, but is engaged in honour and faithfulness to
help them. He is the God of Jacob, not only Jacob the person, but Jacob the people;
nay, and of all praying people, the spiritual seed of wrestling Jacob; and he is our
refuge, by whom we are sheltered and in whom we are satisfied, who by his providence
secures our welfare when without are fightings, and who by his grace quiets our minds,
and establishes them, when within are fears. The Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob,
has been, is, and will be with us--has been, is and will be our refuge: the original includes
all; and well may Selah be added to it. Mark this, and take the comfort of it, and say,
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Matthew Henry
the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in
the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow,
and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Psalms 46:6-11
I. As King of nations, ruling the world by his power and providence, and
overruling all the affairs of the children of men to his own glory; he does according
to his will among the inhabitants of the earth, and none may say, What doest thou?
1. He checks the rage and breaks the power of the nations that oppose him
and his interests in the world (v. 6)....
2. When he pleases to draw his sword, and give it commission, he can make
great havoc among the nations and lay all waste (v. 8).....
3. When he pleases to sheathe his sword, he puts an end to the wars of the
nations and crowns them with peace, v. 9.....
II. As King of saints, and as such we must own that great and marvellous are
his works, Rev. 15:3. He does and will do great things,
1. For his own glory (v. 10): Be still, and know that I am God.
(1.) Let his enemies be still, and threaten no more, but know it, to their terror,
that he is God, one infinitely above them, and that will certainly be too hard for them;
let them rage no more, for it is all in vain: he that sits in heaven, laughs at them; and, in
spite of all their impotent malice against his name and honour, he will be exalted
among the heathen and not merely among his own people, he will be exalted in the
earth and not merely in the church. Men will set up themselves, will have their own
way and do their own will; but let them know that God will be exalted, he will have
his way will do his own will, will glorify his own name, and wherein they deal proudly
he will be above them, and make them know that he is so. (2.) Let his own people
be still; let them be calm and sedate, and tremble no more, but know, to their comfort,
that the Lord is God, he is God alone, and will be exalted above the heathen; let him
alone to maintain his honour, to fulfil his own counsels and to support his own interest
in the world. Though we be depressed, yet let us not be dejected, for we are sure
that God will be exalted, and that may satisfy us; he will work for his great name, and
then no matter what becomes of our little names. When we pray, Father, glorify thy
name, we ought to exercise faith upon the answer given to that prayer when Christ
himself prayed it, I have both glorified it and I will glorify it yet again. Amen, Lord,
so be it.
2. For his people's safety and protection. He triumphs in the former: I will be
exalted; they triumph in this, v. 7 and again v. 11. It is the burden of the song, "The
Lord of hosts is with us; he is on our side, he takes our part, is present with us and
president over us; the God of Jacob is our refuge, to whom we may flee, and in
whom we may confide and be sure of safety." Let all believers triumph in this.
(1.) They have the presence of a God of power, of all power: The Lord of hosts
is with us. God is the Lord of hosts, for he has all the creatures which are called
the hosts of heaven and earth at his beck and command, and he makes what use
he pleases of them, as the instruments either of his justice or of his mercy. This
sovereign Lord is with us, sides with us, acts with us, and has promised he will
never leave us. Hosts may be against us, but we need not fear them if the Lord
of hosts be with us. (2.) They are under the protection of a God in covenant,
who not only is able to help them, but is engaged in honour and faithfulness to
help them. He is the God of Jacob, not only Jacob the person, but Jacob the people;
nay, and of all praying people, the spiritual seed of wrestling Jacob; and he is our
refuge, by whom we are sheltered and in whom we are satisfied, who by his providence
secures our welfare when without are fightings, and who by his grace quiets our minds,
and establishes them, when within are fears. The Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob,
has been, is, and will be with us--has been, is and will be our refuge: the original includes
all; and well may Selah be added to it. Mark this, and take the comfort of it, and say,
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Matthew Henry
Monday, April 3, 2017
Christ, from whom all blessings flow
Christ, from whom all blessings flow,
Perfecting the saints below,
Hear us, who thy nature share,
Who thy mystic body are.
Join us, in one spirit join,
Let us still receive of thine;
Still for more on thee we call,
Thou who fillest all in all.
Move and actuate, and guide,
Divers gifts to each divine;
Placed according to thy will,
Let us all our work fulfill;
Never from our office move;
Needful to each other prove;
Let us daily growth receive,
More and more in Jesus live.
Sweetly may we all agree,
Touched with softest sympathy;
Kindly for each other care;
Every member feel its share.
Many are we now and one,
We who Jesus have put on;
Names, and sects, and parties fall;
Thou, O Christ, art all in all.
Charles Wesley
Perfecting the saints below,
Hear us, who thy nature share,
Who thy mystic body are.
Join us, in one spirit join,
Let us still receive of thine;
Still for more on thee we call,
Thou who fillest all in all.
Move and actuate, and guide,
Divers gifts to each divine;
Placed according to thy will,
Let us all our work fulfill;
Never from our office move;
Needful to each other prove;
Let us daily growth receive,
More and more in Jesus live.
Sweetly may we all agree,
Touched with softest sympathy;
Kindly for each other care;
Every member feel its share.
Many are we now and one,
We who Jesus have put on;
Names, and sects, and parties fall;
Thou, O Christ, art all in all.
Charles Wesley
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Great is the mystery of godliness
And, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God manifested
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up to glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
All the graces are mysteries, every grace. Let a man once know it, and he shall
find that there is a mystery in faith; that the earthly soul of man should be carried above
itself, to believe supernatural truths, and to depend upon that he sees not, to sway the
life by reasons spiritual; that the heart of man should believe; that a man in trouble should
carry himself quietly and patiently, from supernatural supports and grounds, it is a mystery.
That a man should be as a rock in the midst of a storm, to stand unmoveable, it is a mystery.
That the carriage of the soul should be turned universally another way; that the judgment
and affections should be turned backward, as it were; that he that was proud before
should now be humble; that he that was ambitious before should now despise the vain
world; that he that was given to his lusts and vanities before should now, on the contrary,
be serious and heavenly-minded: here is a mystery indeed when all is turned backward.
Therefore we see how Nicodemus, as wise as he was, it was a riddle to him when our
blessed Saviour spake to him of the new birth, that a man should be wholly changed and
new moulded; that a man should be the same; the same man for soul and body, yet not
the same in regard of a supernatural life and being put into him, carrying him another way,
leading him in another manner, by other rules and respects, as much different from other
men as a man differs from a beast. A strange mystery, that raiseth a man above other
men, as much as another man is above other creatures. For a man to be content with his
condition, in all changes and varieties, when he is cast and tossed up and down in the
world, to have a mind unmoveable, it is a mystery. Therefore St Paul saith,
Philip. 4:11-12, 'I have entered into religion,' as it were, 'I have consecrated myself.'
The word is wondrous significant. 'I have learned this mystery, to be content.' It is a
mystery for a man to be tossed up and down, and yet to have a contented mind. 'I can
want, and I can abound; I can do all through Christ that strengtheneth me.' Why?
I have consecrated myself to Christ and religion, and from them I have learned this point,
to be content. Therefore in the text here,—as we shall see afterwards,—not only divine
truths are a mystery —'great is the mystery of godliness'—but he insists on particular
graces, 'preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world:' these are mysteries.
In Christ, all is mysteries: two natures, God and man, in one person; mortal and
immortal; greatness and baseness; infiniteness and finiteness, in one person.
The church itself is a mystical thing. For under baseness, under the scorn of the
world, what is hid? A glorious people. The state of the church in this world, it is like a
tree that is weather-beaten. The leaves and fruit are gone, but there is life in the root.
So, what is the church? A company of men that are in the world without glory, without
comeliness and beauty; yet notwithstanding, they have life in the root, a hidden life:
'Our life is hid with Christ, in God,' Col. 3:3. The church hath a life, but it is a hidden
mystical life, a life under death. They seem to die to the world, but they are alive.
This is excellently and theoretically followed by St Paul: 'As dying, and yet we live;
as poor, yet making many rich,' 2 Cor. 6:9. A strange kind of people; poor and rich,
living and dying, glorious and base. Yet this is the state of the church here in this
world. They are an excellent people, but they are veiled under infirmities of their
own, and the disgraces and persecutions of the world. So we see both the doctrine
itself, and the graces, and the head of the church, and the church itself, are nothing
but mysteries.
Richard Sibbes, D.D.
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up to glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
All the graces are mysteries, every grace. Let a man once know it, and he shall
find that there is a mystery in faith; that the earthly soul of man should be carried above
itself, to believe supernatural truths, and to depend upon that he sees not, to sway the
life by reasons spiritual; that the heart of man should believe; that a man in trouble should
carry himself quietly and patiently, from supernatural supports and grounds, it is a mystery.
That a man should be as a rock in the midst of a storm, to stand unmoveable, it is a mystery.
That the carriage of the soul should be turned universally another way; that the judgment
and affections should be turned backward, as it were; that he that was proud before
should now be humble; that he that was ambitious before should now despise the vain
world; that he that was given to his lusts and vanities before should now, on the contrary,
be serious and heavenly-minded: here is a mystery indeed when all is turned backward.
Therefore we see how Nicodemus, as wise as he was, it was a riddle to him when our
blessed Saviour spake to him of the new birth, that a man should be wholly changed and
new moulded; that a man should be the same; the same man for soul and body, yet not
the same in regard of a supernatural life and being put into him, carrying him another way,
leading him in another manner, by other rules and respects, as much different from other
men as a man differs from a beast. A strange mystery, that raiseth a man above other
men, as much as another man is above other creatures. For a man to be content with his
condition, in all changes and varieties, when he is cast and tossed up and down in the
world, to have a mind unmoveable, it is a mystery. Therefore St Paul saith,
Philip. 4:11-12, 'I have entered into religion,' as it were, 'I have consecrated myself.'
The word is wondrous significant. 'I have learned this mystery, to be content.' It is a
mystery for a man to be tossed up and down, and yet to have a contented mind. 'I can
want, and I can abound; I can do all through Christ that strengtheneth me.' Why?
I have consecrated myself to Christ and religion, and from them I have learned this point,
to be content. Therefore in the text here,—as we shall see afterwards,—not only divine
truths are a mystery —'great is the mystery of godliness'—but he insists on particular
graces, 'preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world:' these are mysteries.
In Christ, all is mysteries: two natures, God and man, in one person; mortal and
immortal; greatness and baseness; infiniteness and finiteness, in one person.
The church itself is a mystical thing. For under baseness, under the scorn of the
world, what is hid? A glorious people. The state of the church in this world, it is like a
tree that is weather-beaten. The leaves and fruit are gone, but there is life in the root.
So, what is the church? A company of men that are in the world without glory, without
comeliness and beauty; yet notwithstanding, they have life in the root, a hidden life:
'Our life is hid with Christ, in God,' Col. 3:3. The church hath a life, but it is a hidden
mystical life, a life under death. They seem to die to the world, but they are alive.
This is excellently and theoretically followed by St Paul: 'As dying, and yet we live;
as poor, yet making many rich,' 2 Cor. 6:9. A strange kind of people; poor and rich,
living and dying, glorious and base. Yet this is the state of the church here in this
world. They are an excellent people, but they are veiled under infirmities of their
own, and the disgraces and persecutions of the world. So we see both the doctrine
itself, and the graces, and the head of the church, and the church itself, are nothing
but mysteries.
Richard Sibbes, D.D.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Charge them that are rich in this world
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things
to enjoy I Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded. One
of the evils to which they are particularly exposed. The idea is, that they should
not value themselves on account of their wealth, or look down with pride and
arrogance on their inferiors. They should not suppose that they are any better men,
or any nearer heaven, because they are wealthy. Property really makes no distinction
in the great things that pertain to character and salvation. It does not necessarily make
one wise, or learned, or great, or good. In all these things, the man who has not
wealth may be vastly the superior of him who has; and for so slight and unimportant
a distinction as gold can confer, no man should be proud. Besides, let such a man
reflect that his property is the gift of God; that he is made rich because God has
chosen to arrange things so that he should be; that it is not primarily owing to any
skill or wisdom which he has; that his property only increases his responsibility,
and that it must all soon be left, and he be as poor as the 'beggar that lies at his gate;'
and he will see ample reason why he should not be proud. Nor trust in uncertain riches.
Marg., The uncertainty of. The margin expresses the meaning of the Greek more
accurately than the text, but the sense is not materially varied. Riches are uncertain
because they may soon be taken away. No dependance can be placed on them in
the emergencies of life. He who is rich today, has no security that he will be tomorrow;
and if he shall be rich, tomorrow, he has no certainty that his riches will meet his
necessities then. A man whose house is in flames, or who is shipwrecked, or
whose child lies dying, or who is himself in the agonies of death, can derive no
advantage from the fact that he is richer than other men.....That against which Paul
here directs Timothy to caution the rich, is that to which they are most exposed. A
man who is rich, is very liable to 'trust' in his riches, and to suppose that he needs
nothing more. Compare Luke 12:19. He feels that he is not dependent on his
fellow-men, and he is very likely to feel that he is not dependent on God. It is for
this cause that God has recorded so many solemn declarations in his word respecting
the instability of riches (comp. Prov. 23:5), and that he is furnishing so many instructive
lessons in his providence, showing how easily riches may suddenly vanish away.
But in the living God. (1.) He is able to supply all our wants, and to do for us what
riches cannot do; and (2.) he never changes, or leaves those who put their trust in
him. He is able to meet our wants if in the flames, or in a storm at sea, or when a
friend dies, or when we lie down on a bed of death, or wherever we may be in
the eternal world. Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. The meaning of this
seems to be, that God permits us to enjoy everything. Everything in the works of
creation and redemption he has given to man for his happiness, and he should therefore
trust in him. He has not merely given wealth for the comfort of men, but he has given
everything, and he on whom so many and so great blessings have been bestowed for
his comfort, should trust in the great Benefactor himself, and not rely merely on one
of his gifts.
Albert Barnes
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things
to enjoy I Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded. One
of the evils to which they are particularly exposed. The idea is, that they should
not value themselves on account of their wealth, or look down with pride and
arrogance on their inferiors. They should not suppose that they are any better men,
or any nearer heaven, because they are wealthy. Property really makes no distinction
in the great things that pertain to character and salvation. It does not necessarily make
one wise, or learned, or great, or good. In all these things, the man who has not
wealth may be vastly the superior of him who has; and for so slight and unimportant
a distinction as gold can confer, no man should be proud. Besides, let such a man
reflect that his property is the gift of God; that he is made rich because God has
chosen to arrange things so that he should be; that it is not primarily owing to any
skill or wisdom which he has; that his property only increases his responsibility,
and that it must all soon be left, and he be as poor as the 'beggar that lies at his gate;'
and he will see ample reason why he should not be proud. Nor trust in uncertain riches.
Marg., The uncertainty of. The margin expresses the meaning of the Greek more
accurately than the text, but the sense is not materially varied. Riches are uncertain
because they may soon be taken away. No dependance can be placed on them in
the emergencies of life. He who is rich today, has no security that he will be tomorrow;
and if he shall be rich, tomorrow, he has no certainty that his riches will meet his
necessities then. A man whose house is in flames, or who is shipwrecked, or
whose child lies dying, or who is himself in the agonies of death, can derive no
advantage from the fact that he is richer than other men.....That against which Paul
here directs Timothy to caution the rich, is that to which they are most exposed. A
man who is rich, is very liable to 'trust' in his riches, and to suppose that he needs
nothing more. Compare Luke 12:19. He feels that he is not dependent on his
fellow-men, and he is very likely to feel that he is not dependent on God. It is for
this cause that God has recorded so many solemn declarations in his word respecting
the instability of riches (comp. Prov. 23:5), and that he is furnishing so many instructive
lessons in his providence, showing how easily riches may suddenly vanish away.
But in the living God. (1.) He is able to supply all our wants, and to do for us what
riches cannot do; and (2.) he never changes, or leaves those who put their trust in
him. He is able to meet our wants if in the flames, or in a storm at sea, or when a
friend dies, or when we lie down on a bed of death, or wherever we may be in
the eternal world. Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. The meaning of this
seems to be, that God permits us to enjoy everything. Everything in the works of
creation and redemption he has given to man for his happiness, and he should therefore
trust in him. He has not merely given wealth for the comfort of men, but he has given
everything, and he on whom so many and so great blessings have been bestowed for
his comfort, should trust in the great Benefactor himself, and not rely merely on one
of his gifts.
Albert Barnes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)