John Duncan spoke in the Free Church General Assembly, on 21 May 1844 and said. “As long as I am told that I must come to God, and that I can come, I am left to suppose that some good thing, or some power of good remains in me; I arrogate to myself that which belongs to Jehovah; the creature is exalted, and God is robbed of His glory. If, on the other hand, I am told that I cannot come to God, but not also told that I must come, I am left to rest contented at a distance from God; I am not responsible for my rebellion, and God Jehovah is not my God. But if we preach that sinners cannot come, and yet must come, then is the honour of God vindicated, and the sinner is shut up. Man must be so shut up that he must come to Christ, and yet know that he cannot. He must be told to come to Christ, or he will look to another, when there is no other to whom he may come. He must be told that he cannot come, or he will look to himself. This is the gospel vice, to shut up men to faith. Some grasp at one limb of the vice and some at the other, leaving the sinner open. But when a man is shut up so that he must and cannot, he is shut up to faith. God is declared to be Jehovah, and the sinner is made willing to be saved by Him, in His own way, as sovereign in His grace.”
"Heaven is my throne...Isaiah 63"
GOD'S REJECTION OF ALL MATERIAL TEMPLES. There was a time when it could be said that there was a house of God on earth. That was a time of symbols, when as yet the Church of God was in her childhood. She was being taught her A B C, reading her picture-book, for she could not as yet read the Word of God, as it were in letters. She had need to have pictures put before her, patterns of the heavenly things. Even then, the enlightened amongst the Jews knew well that God did not dwell between curtains, and that it was not possible that He could be encompassed in the most holy place within the veil It was only a symbol of His presence. But the time of symbols is now passed altogether. In that moment when the Saviour bowed His head, and said "It is finished! " the veil of the temple was rent in twain, so that the mysteries were laid open. So, one reason why God saith He dwelleth not in temples made with hands, is, because He would have us know that the symbolical worship is ended...
Comments
Post a Comment