A Goodly Heritage

 ‘ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him, which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell ’ [Matt 10.28]. These words were not spoken by Jonathan Edwards. They were not spoken by Cotton Mather. They were not spoken by Calvin, or Augustine, or by Paul. But these words were spoken by Jesus. And when put together with the many other words like them in the Gospels, they demonstrate the utter falsity of the picture of Jesus which is being constructed in recent years. The other day, in one of the most popular religious books of the day,   The Reconstruction of Religion , by Ellwood, I came upon the amazing assertion that Jesus concerned Himself but little with the thought of a life after death. In the presence of such assertions any student of history may well stand aghast. It maybe that we do not make much of the doctrine of a future life, but the question whether Jesus did so is not a matter of taste but an historical qu

Genuine admiration of the cross of Christ - imbuing a man with the evangelical spirituality which is the lack of the age, and which alone has been found powerful enough to alienate us from the world at every point - makes him, there can be no reason to doubt, what the psalmist calls himself, "a stranger on the earth" (Ps. 119:19). Living by that faith which does not, and from the nature of things cannot, in this life "receive the promises, but sees them afar off, and is persuaded of them and embraces them," and realizes the splendidly dominating power of them, the man wakens up to the clear consciousness, and sees no reason for withholding the confession: "I am a stranger and a pilgrim in the earth" (Heb. 11:13); "a stranger and a sojourner as all my fathers were" (Ps. 39:12). It is of some importance to vindicate this aspect of the Christian life from those objections which intelligent and average

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers" (Psalm 1:1). We have been much impressed by the fact that the wondrous and precious Psalter opens with the word "Blessed," and yet a little reflection shows it could scarcely begin with any other. As most of our readers are doubtless aware, "Psalms" means "Praises," and the key note is here struck at the very outset, for it is only the "Blessed man" who can truly praise God, as it is  his  praises which are alone acceptable to Him. The word "Blessed" has here, as in so many places in Scripture (like Matt. 5:3-11), a  double force: First and primarily, it signifies that the Divine benediction—in contrast from God's curse, rests upon this man. Second and consequently, it denotes that he is a  happy  man. "Blessed is the man," not "blessed are  they "—the singular nu

"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory?"  - Romans 9:22,23 In a former discourse, brethren, I attempted to show you that the reason why God will punish the wicked eternally is, because he loveth righteousness. It is said in the eleventh Psalm, "Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup, for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness." I then tried to show you, that God has created hell, and will maintain it for ever, not because He loves human pain - I believe it is not so, nor is it because He is subject to passion, as men speak of passion - but because the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. And I showed you, as you will remember, what a certainty hell is to th

"As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."—Isaiah 66:8. SRAEL had fallen into the lowest condition, but an inward yearning of heart was felt in the midst of God's people for the return of the divine blessing; and no sooner had this anxious desire become intense, than God heard the voice of its cry, and the blessing came. It was so at the time of the restoration of the captives from Babylon, and it was most evidently so in the days of our Lord. A faithful company had continued still to expect the coming of the Lord's anointed messenger; they waited till he should suddenly come in his temple; the twelve tribes, represented by an elect remnant, cried day and night unto the Most High, and when at last their prayers reached the fulness of vehemence, and their anxiety wrought in them the deepest agony of spirit, then the Messiah came; the light of the gentiles, and the glory of Israel. Then began the age of blessedness in which the barren woman did kee