A Goodly Heritage

Lift me Lord , for I fall and nothing stays me loveless and heedless, without faith or fear . I long to rise but lie unmoving here : The very self that wishes disobeys me . Though one , my self divides and then betrays me : at once both dead , alive ; sad full of cheer ; not able - though I can  - to persevere , I flee that sin that tangles and delays me . So obstinate am I , so steeled in will , that fear of being lost and fear to lose you have never yet dissuaded me from ill. Work then , your power and mercy , so I choose you, since I know some who mend each day  - and still find in myself but fresh desire to bruise you . Fray Miguel de Guevara. 1585 - 1646 . Translated from the Spanish

Four things are absolutely necessary to be experimentally known and felt before we can arrive at any saving or sanctifying  knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus   1. Divine light in the understanding .  2. Spiritual faith in the heart .   3. Godly fear in the conscience .  4. Heavenly love in the affections. Without light we cannot see . Without faith we cannot believe . Without Godly fear we cannot reverentially adore . Without love we cannot embrace Him who is the Truth  as well as the Way and the Life.    

Christ tells us that men ought always to pray , and not to faint . And again he tells us , that this is one definition of a hypocrite , that either he will not continue in prayer , or else if he do it ,. it will not be in power , that is , in the spirit of prayer , but in the form . for a pretence only (Job 27:10 Matt. 23 :14 ) It is the easiest thing to fall from the power to the form , but it is the hardest thing to keep in the life , spirit and power of any one duty , especially prayer ; that is such a work , that a man without the help of the Spirit , cannot so much as pray once , much less continue , without it , in a sweet praying frame , and  to pray so as to have his prayers ascend into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.  Jacob did not only begin , but held to it "  I will not let thee go , unless thou bless me ". So did the rest of the godly. But this could not be without the Spirit of prayer . It is through the Spirit that we have access to the Father .   There is a

When a whole people have been formed into an army to resist aggression , or to conquer for themselves a home , and when the end is gained , and all enemies are conquered and destroyed , it can no more act as an army ; its existence as such ceases , and its individual soldiers are merged into the triumphant nation , for the fulfilment of those higher functions , and the enjoyment of those nobler activities and pleasures , which were the object of the previous conflict . So with the militant church . When the number of the redeemed is complete , and the conflict in each soul is ended , then the whole design , both of the visible church , and the present course of nature in our fallen world ends , and all these pass away together , and give place to that entirely new and infinitely glorious order of things represented by the New Jerusalem , in heavenly and mysterious splendours , descending out of heaven from God , where , by gradual accretions , she had been preparing for her final inher

There belongs to every true notion of truth a power . The notion is the shell; the power , the kernel and life .  Without this last , truth does me no good , nor those to whom I communicate it . Hence Paul said to the Corinthians , "When I come to you again , I will not know the speech of them that are puffed up , but the power . For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power."Search then , after the power of what thou knowest ; for it the power that will do thee good. Now , this will not be got but by earnest prayer,and much attending upon God . Also thy heart must not be stuffed with the cumbering cares of the world ; for thy are of a choking nature . Take heed therefore , of slighting that little that thou hast . A good improvement of a little is the way to make that little thrive ; and the way to obtain additions thereto . " He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much ."    

"The wicked desireth the net of evil men ; but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit :-" Man is always restlesss to press on to something not yet enjoyed . The Christian reaches forth to higher privileges and increasing holiness. (Phil;3 12-14) The wicked emulate each other in wickedness; and if they see evil men more successful than themselves , they desire their net (Psalm 10   8-10)to discover their plans , in order to imitate them . Not satisfied with the honest "gain of Godliness "they desire a net in which they may grasp richer treasures of the worlds vanities(1 Timothy 6 : 10)The history of the church strongly illustrates this energy of sin ; Infidelity and Popery ; one net following another with more crafty device . Such is the root of evil , fraught with destruction. But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit  -  true ,solid , abundant fruit ; not always visible , but always acceptable . (Hebrew 13 . 15,16) Dependence on Christ is the source of this b

Conscience is a terrible disturber when it is left unclean , and a mighty peacemaker when it is purged . Concience is a kind of resident ambassador from God in the inner court of the soul . Our appliances cannot satisfy the conscience , because the conscience speaks from God -for God . But let the appliance for cleansing the conscience which God has himself provided , and with which he is well pleased be brought to the soul , at length all strife ceases . When the blood of Christ is accepted and applied , conscience has no more to say, for the King eternal is satisfied .                The act of forgiving is God's act , and it is done on high ; but when the soul withinclearly and correctly sees the reflection of that great light glancing down from heaven , all its troubles subside , and there is a great calm . It is not that the soul can make peace within itself ; but even that sea can settle down into a great calm when it hears the Lord's command  " Peace be still."

In the beams of heavenly light , a Christian comes to see his own pride , ignorance , unworthiness , conceitedness , and nothingness. That knowledge that swells thee , will undo thee ; that knowledge that puffs thee will sink thee; that knowledge that makes thee delightful in thine own eyes will make thee despicable in God's and good men's eyes . (1Cor . 8:  1-2) "Knowledge puffeth up;" that is notional knowledge , speculative knowledge , knowledge that ripens a man for destruction , and will leave him short of salvation . This knowledge puffs and swells a man and makes himself something when he is nothing ;  "And if any man thinketh that he knoweth anything , he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know " saith the apostle  .  Will not that philosopher rise in judgement against many of our high flown professors , who swell , and look big , and talk big under their notional knowledge , which was very great ; ' This only I know , that I know nothing .'W

" No land , no home , not even a cave , As Isaac had to make His grave, Had He ; No place to lay His head , Among the living or the dead. No gold , no silver - to the bag All went , that Judas carried ; rag Of clothing , none was left ; the guard Had all , and left Him not a shard . His spirit loosed from fleshly bands , Bequeathed He to His Fathers hands ; His body Joseph begged , and laid In the new grave for Joseph made. His mother I heard Him leave to John;  Only the cross He died upon ,  Some nails , and thorns had He to leave To us ; then , brother , wherefore grieve ?" E. Horton  

Looking at the things of this world , the "I  am ,"not the ,"I have ,"is the standard of His valuation , to Him they are precious or vile  just as they enrich or impoverish the inward man , just as they fit or unfit for the grand future . His own choice , when He became a sojourner here , was a poor man's lot ; and when He died as a man , He had no legacy to leave His dearest friend but His poor mother. Silver and gold are not named among the things that come to us through the death of Christ . But if we are not down in His will for earthly property , we shall , through His cross ,"the true riches,". He has said ,"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness , and all other things shall be added unto you ." Christians , what He means by all other things you will not know till you die ; but you will know this - " Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ , that , though He was rich , yet for your sakes He became poor , that ye

The true reason why the Papists forbid the Scriptures to be read is not to keep men from errors and heresies , but to keep them from discovering those which they themselves impose on them . Such trash as they trade in would never go off their hands if they did not keep their shops in the dark ; which made one of their shavelings so bitterly complain of Luther for spoiling their market , saying that but for him , they might have persuaded the people of Germany to eat hay. Anything , indeed , will go down a blind man's throat. .

Let our rules be such as may be easily and cheerfully observed , remembering that we are to serve God in the newness of the spirit , not in the oldness of the letter .  Let the object be to make them a help , not to convert them into a penance . And let their inferiority and subserviency to the principle on which they are founded be always kept in mind . Let them not be easily dispensed with when once made ; and yet , let there be no foolish superstitious  scruple about dispensing with them when real necessity arises . Oh, who shall teach the one-sided mind of man the true middle path between the bondage of observances  ( which is the bondage of Judaism ) and that spurious  (so-called) freedom , which affects to disdain self - discipline , and refuses to acknowledge itself under the Law to Christ !God will show us the path , if we will not lean to our own understanding , but follow , with the simplicity and docility of children , the guidance of His hand .