A Goodly Heritage

To plead Christ's merits in prayer, and not by the Spirit, is to bring right incense but strange fire , and so our prayers are but smoke , offensive to His pure eyes , not incense , a sweet savour to His nostrils William Gurnall ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christ is the door that opens into God's presence and lets the soul into His very bosom , faith id the key that unlocks the door ; but the Spirit is He that makes the key. William Gurnall

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 him for the grand future . His own choice , when He became a sojourner here , was the 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  us through the death of Christ . But if we are not down in His will for earthly property , we shall, through His  cross ,have 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 know this -"You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ,that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor , That ye through His po

There are ties that out-measure and out-last all earthly ties. Jesus once said "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren !and He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples , and said , Behold My mother and My brethren . For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven , the same is My brother,and sister and mother." In the transaction , in treating John as if were of nearer kin to Mary than her natural relatives were , He reminds us of the life which binds together all that are one in Him; He teaches us that we must be mutual helpers amidst the trials and bereavements of this world ; He leaves His people one to another  - says to those who have the due qualification, "Take care of My poor , old, lonely  relatives;" and shows that He would have the young help the old , and the old trust the young.                                   In this saying we are reminded of the Saviour's poverty while He dwelt below . He made no will but this in relati

Wrath may arouse the sleeper, but only love can melt his heart. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance ,.The threatening of judgement, accordingly is preceded by a tender appeal to the mercies of . God. "Remember therefore , how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent." This "how" of course , has reference both to matter and magnitude , as well as to the manner of the mercies bestowed. Let such a church (the visible church) review the past history of His dealings with her, and if there be a spark of love it will be enkindled . The hardest heart must melt in view of the magnitude and tenderness of redeeming grace, and long-suffering patience . remember how largely , how tenderly , how undeservedly thou hast received !What abounding mercies , privileges, instructions, promises,warnings, ordinances, influences of the Spirit, and free offers of the fulness of faith, and hope , and joy.!Remember the everlasting covenant , the precious blood th

God sometimes permits Satan to assail His dear children , the more to strengthen them in His spiritual graces , and to confirm them more fully in the assurance of His love and their salvation .   For as a city which has been once besieged and not sacked will ever after be more strong to hold out if it be assaulted by the like danger ..... so those that are besieged and assaulted by their spiritual enemies will ever after more carefully arm themselves against them with the graces of God's Spirit , that they may not be overcome nor foiled by them .  

Our great Pattern has showed us what our deportment ought to be in all suggestions and temptations .When the Devil showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them"to tempt Him withal . He did not stand and look upon them , viewing their glory , and pondering their empire ... but He instantly and without stay, cries "get thee hence Satan ."Meet your temptations in its entrance with thoughts of faith concerning Christ on the cross; this will make it sink before thee. Entertain no dispute with it , if thou would not enter into it .                                                  John Owen

The Lord does not tie Himself to a particular way , or use the same order with all . He comes sometimes with a still small voice . Such as have had godly parents, and have sat under the warm sunshine of religious education , often do not know when or how they were called .......They know by the heavenly effects that they were called , but the time or manner they know not .Thus God deals with some . Others are more stubborn and knotty sinners , and God comes to them in a rough wind . He uses more wedges of the law to break their hearts ...... This call , though it more visible than the other , yet is no more real 

A pragmatic test:- By this you shall know whether you have given your heart to God or not ; If the heart be gone , all will follow . As the sun rises first , and then the beasts arise from their dens , the fowls from their nests , and men from their beds ; so when the heart sets forward to God all the members will follow after it , the tongue will praise Him the foot will follow Him , the ear will attend Him , the eye will watch Him , the hand will serve Him , nothing will stay after the heart , but every one goes .

"Grace" is more than mercy and love , it superadds to them . It denotes, not simply love , but the love of a sovereign , transcendly superior , one that may do what he will , that may wholly choose whether he will love or not. .There may be love between equals , and an inferior may love a superior ; but love in a superior , and so superior as 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 princes . Now God , who is an infinite Sovereign , who might have chosen whether ever He would love us or not , for Him to love us , this is grace . 

Let us not commend our graces to the eye of our deluded judgements , as shopkeepers do their coarse wares , by setting coarser by them , or by setting in our sight the examples of others who come short of us ;but let us compare our little sparks of grace with those bright flames which shone in the patriarchs ,prophets, and apostles , yea , in our Saviour , Christ himself . And so we shall not be proud of our progress, but ashamed rather of our small proficiency ; and with the apostle ,"forgetting those things that are behind , and reaching forth to those things that are before ,"we shall "press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

God looks not at the elegancy of your prayers, to see how neat they are ; nor at the geometry of your prayers , to see how long they are ; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers to see how many they are ; nor yet at the music of your prayers , nor yet at the sweetness of your voice , nor yet at the logic of your prayers ; but at the sincerity of your prayers , how hearty they are . There is no prayer acknowledged , approved , accepted , recorded , or rewarded by God ,but that wherein the heart is sincerely and wholly . The true mother would not have the child divided . God loves a broken and a contrite heart , so He loathes a divided heart . God neither loves halting nor halving . 

God redeems Israel that He may dwell among them .The tabernacle points very expressly to this privilege. the institutions of the Gospel no less truly. God is to be found by the Spirit in His ordinances. By these institutions He sanctifies and separates His Israel from all others , for His glory"For wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? Is it not that Thou goest with us ? So shall we be separated ,I and Thy people from all the people that are on the face of the earth"Exodus33:10 It is a propitious with Israel , for in the tabernacle He meets with them and records His name. At the door of the tabernacle sinners meet with God, and He hears and saves them . Such also is the purpose of the Gospel ordinances, and the reason for attending them .                          The enjoyment and possession of these privileges is intimately connected with improvement. Were the priests to neglect the altar, the fire would die out, the daily sacr

Whom he chooseth , shall be created, called justified, sanctified, glorified; because His purpose cannot be altered, His promise revoked. Let Manasseh repair the high places , rear altars for Baal; the prodigal run from his father, drink and swill, consume his portion ; Saul make havoc of the saints , put them in prison, do many things against Jesus of Nazareth; yet shall they come to themselves , mourn for their sins , and be saved. For they are elected , beloved of Him who is the same for ever . Were it not thus , what hope could the faithful have to see Babel ruined , the Roman whore burned , the Jew called the Devil's kingdom destroyed , and Christ's perfected

The minister's life must, to the end , be a life of meditation and study. No man who neglects the apostle's exhortation to "give attendance to reading"will long continue a profitable preacher to an intelligent congregation. The native resources even of the most powerful minds need to be replenished; and therefore the preacher "must not merely' have been ' a man of reading ; he must read still, or his sermons will be trite and barren of thought. He had better however bring his old stores into fresh service , than trust to the impulse of the moment of duty, or draw imprudently upon the resources of a mind too scantily stocked . At all events to suffer the week to draw to a close without ready furniture for our Sabbath work , is the mark of indolence and presumption , and promises a very inadequate and unfruitful performance of this weighty responsibility. 

Paradise had four rivers that watered the earth..............and howsoever neglected by many , they make glad the city of God . So Bernard sweetly ; eternal life is granted to us in election , promised in our vocation , sealed in our justification , possessed in our glorification . Conclude then , faithfully to thy own soul . I believe , therefore I am justified; I am justified, therefore I am sanctified ; I am sanctified , therefore I am called ; I am called , therefore I am elected ; I am elected , therefore I shall be saved . O! settled comfort of joy , which ten thousand devils shall never make void . 

You begin at the wrong end if you first dispute about your election . Prove your conversion , and then never doubt your election . If you cannot prove it , set upon a present and thorough turning . Whatever God's purposes be , which are secret, I am sure His promises are plain . How desperately do rebels argue ! "If I am elected I shall be saved , do what I will . If not , I shall be damned , do what I can ."Perverse sinner, will you begin where you should end ? 

Predestination is pleaded. If I have been written to life , I may do this , for many are saved that have done worse . If not , were my life never so strict , hell appointed is not to be avoided . These men look to the top of the ladder , but not to the foot . God ordains men not to jump to heaven , but to climb thither by prescribed degrees . He has decreed the end , decreed also the means that conduce to it . If you take liberty in  sin , this is none of the way . Peter describes the rungs of the ladder ; "Faith , virtue , knowledge , temperance , patience , godliness, charity ,"You run a contrary course in the wild paths of unbelief , profaneness , ignorance ,riot , impatience , impiety , malice; this is none of the way . These are the rungs of the ladder that go downwards to hell . God's predestination helps many to stand , pushes none down . Look thou to the way , let God alone with the end .