This blog will be continued at a different URL; A Puritan At Heart
Do you belong to that class of persons who really profess Christian faith and Christian obedience, and are you trying, however weakly, to follow Christ in the midst of an evil world?
I think I know something of what goes on in your heart. You sometimes feel that you will never persevere to the end, and will some day give up your profession of faith. You are sometimes tempted to write bitter things against yourself, and to believe that you have no grace at all.
I am afraid there are myriads of true Christians in this condition, who go trembling and doubting toward heaven. However, in spite of all their groans and doubts and fears, they do not turn back, but press on, though faint.
Now, my advice to all such persons is very simple. Pray every morning and evening of your life, "Lord, increase my faith." Cultivate the habit of fixing your eyes more simply on Jesus Christ, and try to know more of the fulness there is laid up in Him for every one of His believing people.
Do not be always pouring over the imperfections of your own heart, and dissecting your own sins. Look up! Look more to your risen Head in heaven, and try to realize more and more that the Lord Jesus not only died for you, but that He also rose again, and that He is ever living at God's right hand as your Priest, your advocate, and your Almighty Friend. [J.C. Ryle]
Feb. 15. My discouragements increase daily among this people, by reason of the divisive temper inflamed by the late fast, so that there are several of them whose face I have not seen since that time. My circumstances are extremely heavy: they seem to have little desire for the gospel: the most weighty truths look as nauseous to them; though if any thing relating to the public fall in, they use to prick up their ears. Some have never come to the ordinance since I came, being led by mere laziness and profane neglect; besides those that were always dissenters from the established church. Those that come, many of them think nothing of staying away several Sabbaths; and when they come, they are generally very uncomfortable. My wonted exercise of conversing with exercised souls is gone; there is no converse but about the division; the practice of godliness is thereby stifled, and burnt up with the fire. The crown is fallen from my head, and I am brought very low! The approaching Sabbath, that sometimes was my delight, is now a terror to me; so that it is my business now, to get my forehead steeled against brass and iron. On Sabbath was fourteen days, I felt the sad effects of giving way to discouragement, and this has put me on my guard. I have sometimes asked myself, Whether, if I had known all that has befallen me here, I would have accepted the call, or not? And I cannot say, I durst have refused. Two things are supporting to me: 1. My clearness as to my call from the Lord, which has not been perplexed by all that I have met with, but still remained as a ground of comfort. 2. An amazing conduct of Providence in preaching the word, whereby I am guided in my ordinary to speak in their case. As, particularly, these two last Sabbaths it fell in my ordinary to lecture the 7th and 8th chapters of the Revelation, where I had occasion to speak largely of schism and division, with the effects thereof. And in this very time Mr. Macmillan was preaching in the bounds. And in my ordinary sermons I find the same conduct of Providence. [Thomas Boston]
Those that are at peace in their own consciences will be peaceable towards others. A busy, contentious, quarrelsome disposition, argues that it never felt peace from God, and though many men think it commendable to censure the infirmities of others, yet it argues their own weakness; for it is a sign of strength, where we see in men anything good, to bear with their weakness. Who was more indulgent than Christ? He bore with the infirmities of His disciples from time to time; therefore we should labor to carry ourselves lovingly towards them that are weak. Nothing should raise us so high in our own esteem above others as to forget them to be our brethren, inasmuch as those infirmities that we see, shall be buried with them. [Richard Sibbes]
It will therefore be no small advantage unto us to have our souls and consciences always affected with and in due subjection unto the power of this truth, — namely, that "to be spiritually minded is life and peace;" whence it will follow, that whatever we may think otherwise, if we are not so, we have neither of them, neither life nor peace. It will, I say, be of use unto us if we are affected with the power of it; for many greatly deceive themselves in hearing the word. They admit of sacred truths in their understanding, and assent unto them, but take not in the power of them on their consciences, nor strictly judge of their state and condition by them, which proves their ruin; for hereby they seem to themselves to believe that whereof in truth they believe not one syllable as they ought. They hear it, they understand it in the notion of it, they assent unto it, at least they do not contradict it, yea, they commend it oftentimes and approve of it, but yet they believe it not; for if they did, they would judge themselves by it, and reckon on it that it will be with them at the last day according as things are determined therein. [John Owen]
Labels: John Owen
Broken bones occassion pain, strong pain, yea, pain that will make a man or woman groan 'with the groanings of a deadly wounded man' (Ezek 30:24). Soul pain is the sorest pain, in comparison to which the pain of the body is a very tolerable thing (Prov 18:14). Now here is soul pain, here is heart pain; here we are discoursing of a wounded, or a broken spirit; wherefore this is pain to be felt to the sinking of the whole man, neither can any support this but God. Here is death in this pain, death forever, without God's special mercy. This pain will bring the soul to, and this the broken hearted man doth feel. 'The sorrows of death,' says David, 'compassed me and the pain of hell gat hold of me, I found trouble and sorrow.' (Psa 116:3).
Ay, I'll warrant thee poor man thou foundest sorrow and trouble indeed; for the pains of hell and sorrows of death are pains and sorrow the most intolerable. But this the man is acquainted with that has his heart broken. [John Bunyan]
How easily do we bear our brethren's pains and reproaches, wants and afflictions, in comparison of our own! How few thoughts, and how little cost and labour. do we use for their supply, in comparison of what we do for ourselves! Nature indeed teaches us to be sensible of our own case, but grace tells us, that we should not make so great a difference as we do, but should love our neighbour as ourselves. [Richard Baxter]
There are times when solitude is better than company, and silence is wiser than speech. We would be better Christians if we were alone more often, waiting on God and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for service in His kingdom. We ought to ponder the things of God, because that is how we get the real nutriment out of them. [Charles Spurgeon ]
Many men hear sermons much—and yet remain worldly. They may pray like angels—and yet live as if there were no heaven nor hell. They will talk much of heaven—and yet those who are spiritual and wise, smell their breath to stink strong of earth. All their endeavors can never cure them of this soul-killing disease—until faith breaks forth in its glorious actings. A man may hear sermons and pray many years—and yet remain as carnal, base, and worldly as ever! There is no way under heaven to remove this burden—but the exercise of faith![Thomas Brooks]
Labels: Thomas Brooks
With what mighty intention of spirit should the heart be put forth towards Jesus Christ in all things! Though God gives you an estate and honor in the world, if you have not Christ you have nothing. You have not that which makes way for you to eternity. Therefore, do not be satisfied with anything without Christ. As Abraham said, What wilt Thou give me Lord, seeing I go childless? So you say, "Lord, You have given me a portion in this world. You have given me credit and reputation among men, but, Lord, what is all this to me if I go Christless and do not have Him that is the conveyance of grace to my soul, Him that is all in all? Oh, Lord, You have taught me this day that such is the distance and breach between You and me that, unless it is made up through a Mediator, I must eternally perish. Therefore, give me Christ, whatever else You deny me.[Jeremiah Burroughs]
That which carnal Hearers make light of, includes in it, Christ himself, and the Blessings, which he bestows."Concerning Christ himself, the Gospel declares his Person and Nature, and the great Things he has done and suffered for Men, his redeeming us from the Wrath of God by his Blood, and purchasing a Grantof Salvation for us. The same Gospel makes an Offerof Christ to Sinners, that if they will accept him on his easy and reasonable Terms, he will be their Saviour, the Physician of their Souls, their Head, and their Husband.—the Blessings which Christ bestows upon Sinners, are the Pardon of all their past Sins, and Deliverance from the Wrath of God, and a sure Way of obtaining Pardon for all the Sins they shall commit hereafter, provided they obey sincerely, and turn not again to the Rebellion of their unregenerate State. They shall have the Holy Spirit to be their Guide and
Sanctifier, to dwell in their Souls, to help them against their spiritual Enemies, and conform them more and more to a divine Likeness, to heal their spiritual Diseases, and bring them back to God. They shall, also have a right to everlasting Glory, when this Life is ended, and their Bodies shall be raised up to partake of it at the great Day. Besides these, they shall have many excellent Priviledges and Means, abundant Preservation and Provision in their Way, and the Foretaste of their future Joy. All these Blessings the Gospel offers to them that will accept of Christ on his reasonable Terms. For this is the Record, that God hath given to us eternal Life; and this Life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath Life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not Life. [Richard Baxter]
Inordinate and immoderate sorrow for any affliction doth many times provoke God to lay on greater and heavier afflictions upon a people; it is the way to provoke the Lord to double his strokes upon you, to make your burdens heavier and your bondage greater. God deals with us, as a Father with his child; if the father sees that the child bears his corrections kindly he will give him the less; but if he be stubborn and frets and takes on, it will not make the father lessen his strokes, but to give him more and more; so if we do patiently bear the indignation of the Lord in these afflictions he lays upon us, it is the way to have them alleiviated; but if we murmur and repine against God, are immoderate in our sorrows, this is the way to have them increased. [Christopher Love]
I WILL now call to mind my past foulness, and the carnal corruptions
my soul, not because I love them, but that I may love Thee, O my God.
For love of Thy love do I it, recalling, in the very bitterness of my
remembrance, my most vicious ways, that Thou mayest grow sweet to
me, — Thou sweetness without deception! Thou sweetness happy and
assured! and re-collecting myself out of that my dissipation, in which I
was torn to pieces, while, turned away from Thee the One, I lost myself
among many vanities. For I even longed in my youth formerly to be
satisfied with worldly things, and I dared to grow wild again with various
and shadowy loves; my form consumed away, and I became corrupt in
Thine eyes, pleasing myself, and eager to please in the eyes of men. [Augustine]
It is a most singular honor of the saints' rest, to be called the purchased possession; that is, the fruit of the blood of the Son of God; yea, the chief fruit, the end and perfection of all the fruits and efficacy of that blood. Greater love than this there is not, to lay down the life of the lover. And to have this our Redeemer ever before our eyes, and the liveliest sense and freshest remembrance of that dying, bleeding love, still upon our souls! How will it fill our souls with perpetuaL joy, to think that in the streams of this blood we have swum through the violence of the world, the snares of Satan, the seductions of flesh, the curse of the law, the wrath of an offended God, the accusations of a guilty conscience, and the vexing doubts and fears of an unbelieving heart, and are arrived safely at the presence of God! Now he cries to us, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow!" And we scarce regard the mournful voice, -- scarce turn aside to view the wounds. But then our perfected souls will feel, and flame in love for love. With what astonishing apprehensions will redeemed saints everlastingly behold their blessed Redeemer! the purchaser, and the price, together with the possession! Neither will the view of his wounds of love renew our wounds of sorrow. He, whose first words after his resurrection were to a great sinner, "Woman, why weepest thou?" knows how to raise love and joy, without any cloud of sorrow or storm of tears. If any thing we enjoy was purchased with the life of our dearest friend, how highly should we value it! If a dying friend deliver us but a token of his love, how carefully do we preserve it, and still remember him when we behold it, as if his own name were written on it! And will not, then, the death and blood of our Lord everlastingly sweeten our possessed glory? As we write down the price our goods cost us; so, on our righteousness and glory write down the price, The precious blood of Christ. His sufferings were to satisfy the justice that required blood, and to bear what was due to sinners, and so to restore them to the life they lost, and the happiness from which they fell. The work of Christ's redemption so well pleased the Father, that he gave him power to advance his chosen, and give them the glory which was given to himself; and all this "according to his good pleasure and the counsel of his own will.[Richard Baxter]
