A Goodly Heritage

The reason the Lord clothed them (Adam and Eve ) with skins appears to me to be this ; Because garments formed of this material would have a more degrading appearance than those made with linen and woollen . God therefore designed that our first parents should , in such a dress, behold their own vileness ,- just as they had seen it before in their nudity, - and should thus be reminded of their sin . In the meantime , it is not to be denied , that he would propose to us an example , by which he would accustom us to a frugal and inexpensive mode of dress . And I wish those delicate persons would reflect on this , who deem no ornament sufficiently attractive , unless it exceed in magnificence . Not that every kind of ornament is to be expressly condemned ; but because when immoderate elegance and splendour is carefully sought after , not only is the Master despised , who intended clothing to be a sign of shame , but war is , in a certain sense , carried on against nature .John Calvin

How ever far off you may have been , you may now be made nigh by the blood of Christ !  the true Israel , as we see it all around , is a body constantly recruited , - recruited from the ranks of its despisers , its assailiants and its foes ! The church of today  was the world of yesterday , even as it will be the general assembly of the first born tomorrow . Its great and glorious head invites you now to join it ; and He will separate you from your present allies , and from their destiny ; and when His conquering hosts march over all the high places that have in vain resisted , you will , not be trodden down , but led forth , redeemed , regenerated , and disenthralled  , to victory and endless rest 

Great , and indeed impenetrable , as is the mystery of evil in God's universe , we can at least believe this , however we fail completely to understand it , that evil is somehow over-ruled for God's glory . This does not abate the malignity of evil in itself as utterly contrary to God's nature , or involve God in the least complicity with it . But it is plain that if God , remaining in utter antagonism to evil , can thus over rule it , it is a yet greater perfection of God to do so , and involves a yet greater humiliation of his enemies . Thus they contribute , against their thought and will  , to the exaltation of the kingdom which they seek to overthrow . . This appears most strikingly of all in regard to the design of evil powers in the Saviour's crucifixion .It was said to the tempter in the first oracle of mercy ," He shall bruise thy head , and thou shalt bruise his heel ;"and it was by the bruising of the Saviour's heel , that Satan led most visibly

"Therefore doth my Father love me ."  What is the secret of the Father's love ? Why is it that the heart of the Father rejoices in the Son .? Is it because of the Son's sacrifice  .?  Is it because the Father saw in Him a victim on the altar  of death .? No , it is because that on the altar of death He sees in Him an offering that is no victim . The Father's heart rejoices not that the Son is compelled to die , but that the Son can die without compulsion , that he has power to lay down His own life .All other sacrifices had been types of impotence , but this was a type of power . Never had the strength of will been manifested so gloriously . There had been conquerors and mighty warriors , who had paved their own way through the hearts of others ;   here was a life that could pave a way for others through its own heart . O strength perfected in weakness , O , self surrendering power of love , we , like the Father , yield our hearts to thee . If it had been mere res

Therefore "this man after he had offered one sacrifice  for sins fortever  sat down on the right hand of God ."Yet the oneness of his priestly offering stands connected with priestly reward and glory now . The slain Lamb is of himself sufficient for all the ends of God's glory in the magnifying of his law and in meeting all the demands and is now enthroned amidst the praises of the universe  and the glory of his Father . His sacrifice , set in the central and most august place of glory inthe universe ,is seen to be a divine , heavenly , eternal thing . It was so even on earth when it was offered amidst earth's manifest characteristics of weakness , vanity and transience , yet not partaking of them . Even on earth it was a heavenly thing , even in human nature it was divine ; enen in time ,and in the instant of its offering , it was eternal . But it seemed earthly ;it seemed human merely ; it seemed temporal and transient . But away from earths narrow limitations , and

"O man greatly beloved ,fear not ; peace be unto thee, be strong , yea be strong ." Daniel 10 ; 19. Why should we fear ! We are loved , greatly beloved ; loved to God's uttermost ; loved to the gift of his Only begotten ; loved to tears ; loved to blood shedding and death . It is said that Jesus , having loved his own , which were in the world , loved them unto the end ; not to the end of his human ministry , but to the uttermost of what love can be (John 13 :1)  Why should we fear ? Has God done so much , and will he not do all ! Has he brought us out of Egypt to let us perish in the wilderness ? Is he so careful of the soul , and so careless of all beside ? There are mysteries - mysteries of life and death , of sin and sorrow , of this world and the next ; but fear not ; God is ours , and we are his by immutable and indissoluble ties .       Let us possess ourselves in peace . We cannot understand , but we can trust . we may not know the way we are going , but we can

You desire sanctification ,- You pant to be conformed to the image of Christ .  This is well ; for it is an eternal law of God , that without holiness no man shall see His face . But holiness can be learned only at this altar . It is a sight of a dying Jesus ,which kills lust . It is the shadow of the cross, which causes evil to wither .  A lover of iniquity cannot dwell on this hallowed ground . But there never was a holy man , who did not live glorying in the "more excellent sacrifice. " If ever you would walk with God in true righteousness , you must not be Cain like , but reject it . But ,remember , this sacrifice is only one . Jesus by the one offering of Himself , once made , "hath perfected forever them that are sanctified ."Pass it by ,and you will find none else . Pass it by today , and you may seek it in vain tomorrow . Hear then , the voice of Abel , which calls you without delay to hasten to the one altar of salvation . Remember these humble lines , unti

The purposes of God's are as unchangeable as His nature . He has said "My counsel shall stand , and I will do all my pleasure ." Whatever He has absolutely determined to do shall certainly be done . Now , all true believers are persons whom God foreordained to salvation , and that by an act of sovereign grace , not on account of any foreseen good in them , or to be done by them . If ,therefore , He cannot but execute every one of His decrees , it follows by necessary consequence , that none of those shall perish whom God has decreed to save . Some who once appeared to be believers may become apostates , but that is no proof of the purpose of election having failed . It remains firm and stable , and the apostasy of such professors merely proves that they never were believers . Thus Paul , after alluding to the apostacy of Hymenaeus and Philetus from the faith , adds ;"nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure , having this seal , The Lord knoweth them that are

The boundary between spiritual life and spiritual death is admiration . Between seeing the beauty without desiring it and seeing the beauty with desire there seems but a thin line , but it is a line of infinitude ; it is the difference between the almost and the altogether . Admiration of Christ's beauty is the lowest step of the ladder , but it is a step . It may exist where the deeds of life are not in harmony with its ideal , but it is the prophesy of the future perfection , the pledge of good things to come . My soul, bethink thee , that which thou admirest must be allied to thyself . Thou could not possibly admire it if it had nothing in common with you . Like can only be known by like ; love cannot be recognised by selfishness, nor can the face of purity be be beheld by moral debasement . Therefore it is that the words are written , "Without holiness no man can see the Lord." It is not a threat ; it is a statement of a divine which is also a human law . You cannot s

A lamb is the emblem of innocence and purity . And so Christ , while he had a real human nature , it was entirely free from sin . Such was his character .he was a lamb "without spot or blemish.".He had no original sin ; for though descended from Adam , through Mary , his virgin mother , yet he was not one of Adams natural descendants , and , therefore was neither involved in the guilt of his first sin , as all his natural descendants are , nor derived from him , as they do , a corrupt nature . And as he has no original sin , either imputed or inherent , so he had no actual sin . He was "holy ,harmless , undefiled , separate from sinners ".    He was a sacrificial victim , and offered as such on the altar of Divine justice , for the sins of his people . They were a part of the guilty race of Adam , and Christ , in order to effect the irredemption , not only assumed their nature , but suffered and died in it . He was "made of a woman , made under the law , to re

It is not a languid expectation of an easy heaven ; it is a battle that is before us today . He is the best soldier in the warfare who hates most his Sovereign's enemy and his own . Polluting lust is the spark that kindles hell; there is no other way of being saved from that burning than by stamping out the embers that lie hidden in the ashes of our own heart. " The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly ."   Sweet promise ! yea ,sweet promise and stern command , united together as firmly as the warp and woof of the garment that you wear . Take it whole , and it will cover you ; but take one half , and the other will fall apart , like loose threads , and leave the wearer naked . God will subdue the adversary ; but he will subdue him under your feet . You must yield yourselves to his instruments to crush with your own will all the old serpent's folds .     2 Corinthians 10: 4.   "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal , but mighty through

The one true ,pure , abiding joy is to hold fellowship with God and to live in His love . The secret of all our unrest is the going out of our desires after earthly things . They fly forth from our hearts like Noah's raven , and nowhere amidst the weltering flood can find a resting place . The secret of satisfied repose is to set our affections entirely on God . Then our wearied hearts , like Noah's dove returning to its rest , will fold their wings and nestle fast by the throne of God .  "All the happiness of this life ," said William Law , " is but trying to quench thirst out of golden empty cups ." But if we take the Lord for  "the portion of our cup ,"we shall never thirst.

"A potters vessel that cannot be made whole again "Jeremiah 19:11. These words were spoken first of the inevitable judgements which were to befal Jerusalem . She who had been a chosen vessel was now to be broken beyond repair . An earthen vessel is a true emblem of human life , so frail , so brittle . But there is something frailer yet in our resolutions and efforts after holiness . And when once these have failed us , we can never be again what we were . Always the crack , the rivets , the mark of the join . In Gideon's day there was a light within the earthen vessels; and when these were broken it shone forth . There is ,therefore , a breaking of the vessel which is salutary and desirable . And it is of this that Miss Taylor sings :-O to be nothing , nothing !                                  Only to lie at his feet ,                                   A broken and empty vessel .                                  For the Masters use made meet . If ther be in any one

"While the Libertines were asserting themselves against all authority , in 1552, a physician named Servetus who had been condemned to death at Vienne , fled to Geneva . The Libertines saw in him the very person to oppose the Reformer ; and the two made common cause against him . Servetus was arrested and imprisoned ..............Two men , Perrin and Berthelier , had been deberred from the Lord's table by the Consistory on account of their evil lives .The latter demanded that hios sentence be annulled ; and in face of a remonstrance from Calvin his demand was granted . Everything therefore now seemed to be against the Reformer and the Reformation .   The following Lord's day , September 3rd , was the day appointed for the celebration of the communion ; and Calvin ,seeing the danger , assembled all the pastors , and proceeded with them to the General Council . With one consent the pastors promised to stand firm to oppose the the desecration of the Lord's table . The Cou

"Father , I know that all my life Is portioned out by Thee, And the changes that shall surely come I do not fear to see ; But I ask Thee for a present mind Intent on serving Thee. I would not have the restless will That hurries to and fro, Seeking for some great thing to do , Or secret thing to know ; I would be treated as a child , And guided where I go ." Thus ,brother ,"go thy way till the end be ;" and "thou shalt rest , and stand in thy lot at the end of the days," For men of few talents it is better not to attempt too much , but rather to do well the little for which they have capacity. The man who would be and do mre than he is fit for , is worse than useless . He brings forth , not the sweet wholesome fruit of the Spirit , but the inflated fruits of vanity , which , like the apples of Sodom , are fair and delicious to the eye and soft to the touch , but are yet full of wind , and being pressed , explode like a balloon .

All whom the Lord meets and calls are sent to work , and all go ("Lord what wilt thou have me to do ." Acts 9 :6.)They not only labour for the Lord , they "labour in the Lord" God does not need our work , but we ,for our own sakes , need work in his kingdom . The true spirit of a worker is love to his Master , and to the work for the Masters sake . The moment that a thought of merit comes into the servants heart ,it brings him down , not from the number of true disciples , but from the highest to the lowest class there

In these days of deteriorated Church doctrine , when other remedies than that of the gospel are applied to the wounded spirit , it is worth putting upon record the mode of healing in the British Church , so far back as the time of the Conquest , which , it will be seen , was not the baptism of tears , auricular confession , penance ,or  man's working, but the simple view of the great sacrifice , as the one object of faith . In the form of a prayer for the Visitation of the sick in the time of Anselm (1080)the priest asked the sick person "dost thou believe to come to glory , not by thine own merits , but by the virtue and merit of the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ ? Dost thou believe that our Lord Jesus Christ did die for our salvation , and that none can be saved by his own merits , or by any other means than the merits of his passion ? " On the sick person answering -"all this I believe "- the priest is directed to give him the following instructions and co

My soul ,do not despise the shadows of life . Do not say that they are exceptions to the proof of Divine intelligence ; do not exclaim when they are passing over thee that thy way is hid from the Lord . These shadows are sent to thee , not as hidings , but as revelations of the face of God ; they come to thee as messengers of light . They tell thee what thou could not know without them - that there is a life stronger than natural life . How could you learn that , if the natural life never failed you ? How could faith begin if sight were perfect ? How could trust exist if there were no darkness ? It is the darkness that lights thee , and it is from the shadows that thy spiritual nature is illuminated . From the sense of human emptiness thou reachest that prophetic hunger which is certain to be filled; your life rises , Phoenix -like , from the ashes of your dying , and out of your deepest darkness God says , "Let there be light."

One of the greatest of true religion is in bearing suffering . At such a time we are apt , if we are professing Christians , to exact a certain constraint over ourselves , and bear ourselves heriocallyWe have read of people in like circumstances who have not shed a tear or uttered a complaining word ;and we have braced ourselves to a Christian stoicism . Yet beneath the correct exterior there may be the pride and haughtiness of an altogether unsubdued self . There is a more excellent way ; to humble oneself under the mighty hand of God ; to search the heart for any dross that needs to be burnt out ; to resign oneself to the will of the Father ; to endeavour to learn the lesson in the black lettered book ; to seek to manifest the specific grace for which the trial calls ; to be very tender and thoughtful for others ; to live deeper down . "Nearer my God to Thee ! nearer to Thee! Ev'n though it be a cross that raiseth me , Still all my song shall be ,-Nearer my God to Thee! Near

He that would go down to the pit in peace , let him gain a great repute for religion and labour to make others better than he is himself , and in the meantime fail to humble his heart to walk with God in manifest holiness and usefulness, and he will not fail of his end .

The only cheerful Christianity is a Christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with Jesus Christ . There is no way of men being religious and happy except being profoundly religious, and living very near their Master , and always trying to cultivate that spirit of communion with Him which will surround them with the sweetness and the power of His felt presence . We do not want Pharasaic fasting , but we do want that the reason for not fasting shall not be that Christians like eating better , but that their religion must be joyful because they have Christ with them , and therefore cannot choose but to sing , as a lark cannot choose but to carol . "Religion has no power over us , but as it is our happiness ," and we shall never make it our happiness , and therefore never know its beneficent control , until we lift it clean out of the low regions of outward forms and joyless service , into the blessed heights of communion with Jesus Christ ,