A Goodly Heritage

Isaiah 45 9 .  We hear much of what man does and can do and ought to do . But we by no means hear so much of what God is doing and has purposed to do . Man's agency stands very prominently out to view . God's arm and power are hidden . It seems almost as if man would thrust God aside , and take the reins of government out of His hands and be to himself a god . Man gets great credit for doing and saying great things . God gets little glory . The position of the sinner , as the receiver of salvation ( and every blessing connected with it in this life and the life to come , ) is denied . And man is exalted to be a co-operator with God in the matter of salvation . He begins the work by becoming willing , and God ends it . He does what he can , and God does the rest . He is represented as helping God to save him . Or rather, we should say that God is represented as helping man to save himself !  In the old creation God did it all . But in the new creation , as it is a far more stup

"Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Man was not created for himself , and to be his own end ; he therefore that does chiefly at his own satisfaction in anything , is not a new creature ; he has his old deformed end into which he sunk by the fall . But grace carries a man higher , and reduces all to God , and to his well pleasing . Col 1. 9 10, the apostle desires they may be " filled with the knowledge of the will " of God that they may "worthy of the Lord , unto all well pleasing ." The very first motion of this new principle is towards God ; as the first appearance of a living seed in the ground is towards heaven ; there it casts its look , from whence its life came . What the new creature receives is from God ; 1 Thes, 2.13 , "They received it as the wqord of God ,"and therefore what he does is for God .      Stephen Charnock

A boat rows against the stream ; the current punishes it . So is a nation violating a law of God ; it is subject to a judgement . The boat turns and goes with the stream ; the stream assists it . So is a nation which has repented and put itself into harmony with God's law ; it is subject to a blessing . But the current is the same ; it has not changed , only the boat has changed its relationship to the current . Neither does God change - we change ; and the same law which executed itself in punishment now expresses itself in reward . Thomas Brooks

I would here suggest the remarkable contrast between the testimony set up in Eden , and which is set up now .Then , when all around was life , God spoke of death ; now , on the contrary when all around is death , God speaks of life ; then the word "in the day thou eatest thou shalt die ;"    "now the word is believe and live ;" And as in Eden , the enemy sought to make void God's testimony , as to the result of eaating the fruit , so now , he seeks to mahe God's testimony as to the result of believing the Gospel . God had said " In the day that thou eatest thereof , thou shalt surely die . But the serpent said , Ye shall not surely die ."And now , when God's word plainly declares that " he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ",The same serpent seeks to persuade people that they have not everlasting life , nor should they presume to think of such a thing , until they have , first , done felt , and experienced all manner of

If the Lord will have Zion ploughed as a field, and her goodly stones laid in the dust ; if it be his pleasure that Antichrist shall rage yet longer , and wear out the saints of the most High; if it be his will that a day of trouble , and of treading down , and of perplexity by the Lord God of Hosts shall be upon the valley of vision , that the wicked shall devour the man that is more righteous than he , what are we that we should contest with God ? Fit it is that we should be resigned up to that will whence we proceeded , and that he that made us should dispose of us as he pleaseth; he might do what seemeth him good without our consent ; doth poor man stand upon equal ground , that he should capitulate with his creator, or that God should render him an account of any of his matters ? It is every way as reasonable we be content , however God dispose of us , that we be obedient to whatever he commands us . Stephen Charnock

As men advance in the divine life , zeal becomes purer ; it has less of natural emotion in it , and more of God's grace .And , whenever a Christian begins to languish and fall away , the first flower that the wind of temptation nips , is zeal . Pray then , for us , and for yourselves that we may endure , shall I say , for a little longer , a few years , or many years  ? No ; it is to the end that we must endure . This is not the language of our own hearts , the flesh is always crying out , "Stop now , stop now !"Yes , it a very comfortable sound in mens ears , when he is worn out and weary ; and a man might begin to think about obeying it , if another voice did not contradict the lie , if God did not say " He that shall endure to the end , the same shall be saved ," Alas , we know too well what decays of zeal are ; and now that in the gracious providence of God to labour in the ingathering of souls , may it be to act boldly , and to enter in , by the door of Em

Grace is more than mercy and love , it superadds to them . It denotes , not simply love , but the love of a sovereign , transendently superior , one that may do what he will , that may wholly choose whether he will love or no . There may be love between equals , and an inferior may love a superior , but love in a superior , and so superior that he may do what he will , in such a one  love is called grace ; and therefore grace is attributed to princes ; they are said to be gracious to their subjects , whereas subjects cannot be gracious to to princes . Now God , who is an infinite Sovereign , who might have chosen whether He would ever love us or no , for Him to love us , that is grace . Thomas Goodwin

What is prosperity? Is it the threads of life woven into a bright tissue ? a full cup - ample riches - worldly applause - an unbroken circle ? Nay,,  these are often a snare - received without gratitude - dimming the soul to nobler destinies . Often , spiritually , it rather means God taking us by the hand into the Valley of Humiliation ; leading us as He did his servant Job of old , out of his sheep , oxen , camels , health , wealth , children , in order that we may be brought to lie before Him in the dust and say , "Blessed be His name ."

The Christian should \regard himself as the channel through the manifold grace of Christ may flow out to a needy world ; and the more frequently he communicates , the more freely will he receive , "for there is that scattereth , and yet increaseth and there  is that witholdeth more than is meet , and it tendeth to poverty ."This places the believer in a place of sweetest privilege , and , at the same time , of the most solemn responsibility. He is called to be the constant witness and exhibitor of the grace of Him on whom he believes .     Nopw the more he enters into the privilege , the more he will answer the responsibility. If he is habitually feeding upon Christ , he cannot avoid exhibiting him. The more the Holy Spirit keeps the Christian's eyes fixed on  Jesus , the more will his heart be occupied with His adorable Person , and his life and character bear unequivocal testimony to His grace . Faith is , at once , the power of ministry , the power of testimony , and

When the soul has been made alive , what follows ? " I spread my skirt over thee , and covered thy nakedness; yea ,I sware unto thee , saith the Lord God , and thou becamest mine ." Ezekiel 16  : 8. The poor sinner needs such a covering ; for at the same time when God comes thus to give us a covering , your soul and mine are naked , having no kind of covering of our own by nature , but needing both to be washed and cleansed from iniquity by the Lord's own hand , and to be clothed from head to foot . Therefore when Jehovah thus gives life to a poor sinner , He leads him away to His dear Son's blood ; and once made white and clean there , He clothes the naked soul with the perfect righteousness of His Well- beloved . Nor does He stop there , He makes a full promise for time and for eternity , - "I sware unto thee , and entered into a covenant with thee , and thou becamest mine ." In the day in which God calls any sinner , He enters into a covenant with him ,

The 73rdPsalm , like the 7th chapter of Romans , is a specimen of spiritual autobiography . Cut out , at the crisis , a section of that self-history of a soul ; "So foolish was I and ignorant ; I was a beast before thee . Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou hast holden me by my right hand . Thou shalt guide me by the counsel , and afterwards receive me to glory ." Extremes meet here ; the l;owest and the highest touch each other . Within the compass of a few lines recording one man's experience , we find a humility which depresses him below the level of man ,and an honour which admits him into the presence of God . One moment the penitent feels himself to be brutish ; another, his glad forgiven spirit rises buoyant towards the throne like a flame of fire , or a ministering angel . These are the footsteps of the flock . It concerns us to know that we are on the same track ; for none other conducts us to safety . It is when a man is so purged of pride as to count

Looking at Adam and Eve as a type of Christ and the church, as scripture fully warrants us to do , we see how the death  of Christ needed to be an accomplished fact, before the church could be set up, though , in the purpose of God , she was looked at and chosen in Christ , before the foundation of the world . There is , however a vast difference between the secret purpose of God and the revelation and accomplishment thereof . Before the divine purpose could be actualised in reference to the constituent parts of the church, it was necessary that the Son should be rejected and crucified - that He should take his seat on high -that He should send down the Holy Ghost to baptise believers into one body.  It is not that souls were not quickened and saved previous to the death of Christ . They assuredly were . Adam was saved , and thousands of others , from age to age , in virtue of the sacrifice of Christ , though the sacrifice was not yet accomplished . But the salvation of individual sou

Should the Lord Jesus appear now to any of us in His majesty and glory , it would not be to our edification or consolation . For we are not meet nor able , by the power of any light or grace that we have received , or can receive , to bear the immediate appearance and representation of them . His beloved apostle John had leaned on His bosom probably many a time in his life , in the intimate familiarities of love , but when afterward He appeared to him in His glory , " he fell at His feet as dead. "  John Owen

As there was unsearchable wisdom in the words of Jesus Christ , so there was a depth of Divine wisdom in the whole nature of his actions . The works done by Christ , however plain and simple externally , were full of mystery ; and the glory of God appeared in the most ordinary actions performed by him . But the chief glory of his character was spiritual and internal ;- hid in his heart . It is only a little of this that can be searched into by men in this life , the light of eternity alone will unfold these hidden mysteries , which continually burned in secret , in the heart of Jesus Christ , before the eyes of God the Father . Men are slow of heart to understand spiritual things ; their minds are so carnal that they are not much affected , except by that which is material , and which can be percieved by bodily senses . To this state of things God has condescended to accommodate himself , in the revelation of his will ; and the wisdom and grace of Jesus Christ was manifested , in adap

Every converted soul,from the hour of its conversion, is commissioned to seek and to save that which was lost. Try, then ,to praise the Lord for this. Try to wonder at His goodness, that , instead of taking His dear children home , when first they come to Him , He leaves them in a world of enemies, that they may seek for sinners . He might transplant them at once to their eternal blessed home with Himself in glory, as soon as they had tasted of His love ; but He leaves them amidst sorrow and trial , in a vale of tears, that they may be examples , as Christ is to them ; nay more , He lays woe upon them if they preach not the Gospel. Ah! how much easier for them if , as soon as they could call Him Father , they were to reach their Father's house , and get the smile of his reconciled countenance  - if as soon as their souls were lighted at the Spirit's fire , they were allowed to burst forth into a flame of glory,with which redeemed souls shine in the kingdom above ,instead of ha

Some persons who have heard the Gospel , abandoned their vicious courses , and been enrolled as members of the church , and after a while openly returned to their former sins . The apostle betrays no faltering in dealing with the case ; he utters a certain sound . Although it was "knowledge of the Lord " that induced them at first to reform their lives , they had never been in true faith united to the Saviour . The fear of the Judge had driven them for a time from their indulgences , but the love of the Redeemer had not conclusively won them to hope and holiness . They dreaded Christ's judgement seat , but were not created again into His image . They fled in fear from the material food of their corrupt appetites , but carried their corrupt appetites away in alive in their breasts . When the terror passed the tastes revived , and , by a resistless instinct , devoured again the very abominations which they had cast out as evil .                      The sow was washed ; t

If faith were assurance , then a man's sins would be pardoned before he believes , for he must necessarily be pardoned before he can know he is pardoned . The candle must be lighted before I can see it is lighted . The child must be born before I can be assured it is born . The object must be before the act . Assurance is rather the fruit of faith , than faith itself . It is in faith as flower is in the root ; faith in time , after much communion with God , acquaintance with the word , and experience of His dealings with the soul , may flourish into assurance . But as the root truly lives before the flower appears , and continues when it has shed its beautiful leaves , and is gone again ; so doth true justifying faith live before assurance comes and after it disappears. William Gurnall

O prosperity ! prosperity !who can resist thy baneful influences ? Who ever stood thy unclouded sunshine ?Who ever escaped unhurt from thine unceasing smile ? There is nothing , nothing so difficult as to escape this ; indeed we may say at once , that without a great degree of the influence of the Spirit of God , it is impossible . Blessed be Jehovah's name , that with Him all things , the very greatest of human impossibilities , are possible . Commonly speaking , however , this is not the case ; it too often happens , and I think it is the greatest proof of the fearful depravity of our nature , that all God's gifts are , one after another , turned in measure against the Giver . W.C. Burns

One thing is needful ; and this is the meaning of a gospel ministry ,-"Be ye reconciled to God ." Make him your refuge , and you will find the way is open , and the welcome prepared . Make him your refuge , and all things will work together for good . When evil passios stir within , and evil men oppress without , - when conscience accuses , and death overshadows , - I am like a dove tossed with the tempest ; but like the dove tossed with the tempest , I see an entrance opened into the bosom of my Father , - thither I fly away to be at rest . Blessed is even the storm which drove the dove to its window . Blessed , in the end , will be the miscellaneous dangers and trials of life ; for they shut  the pilgrim up to the Refuge of his soul , and kept him cowering deep, deep, all his days , in God's loving kindness , which is better than life . William Arnot

In regeneration , nature is not ruined but rectified . The convert is the same man , but new made . The faculties of his soul are not destroyed , but they are refined ; the same viol , but new tuned . Christ did not give the blind man new eyes , but a new sight to the old ones . Christ did not give Lazarus a new body , but enlivened his old body . So God in conversion does not bestow a new understanding , but a new light to the old ; not a new soul , but a new life to the old one .  George Swinnock

And if God spared not the angels , whom He placed in the highest heavens , but for their pride threw them down headlong into the nethermost hell , how much less shall He spare the proud dust and ashes of the sons of men , and shall cast them from the height of their earthly altitude to the bottom of that infernal dungeon  ! " Humility makes men angels ; pride makes angels devils ;" as the Father said ....Oh let us be humbled by our repentance , that we may not be brought down to everlasting confusion ; let us be cast down upon our knees , that we be not cast down upon our faces . For God will make good His own word , one way ; " A man's pride shall bring him low ." Joseph Hall