A Call to Prayer # 3
Never be surprised if you hear ministers of the gospel dwelling much on the importance of prayer. This is the point they want to bring to you. They want to know that you pray. Your views of doctrine may be correct. Your love of Protestantism may be warm and unmistakable. But still this may be nothing more than head knowledge and party spirit. They want to know whether you are actually acquainted with the throne of grace, and whether you can speak to God as well as speak about God.
Do you wish to find out whether you are a true Christian? Then rest assured that my question is of the very first importance - DO YOU PRAY?
III. I ask whether you pray, because there is no duty in religion so neglected as as private prayer. We live in days of abounding religious profession. There are more places of public worship than there ever was before. There are more people attending them than there ever was before. And yet in spite of all this public religion, I believe there is a vast neglect of private prayer. It is one of those private transactions between God and our souls which no eye sees, and therefore one which people are tempted to pass over and leave undone.
I believe that thousands never utter a word of prayer at all. They eat. They drink. They sleep. They rise. They go forth with their work. They return to their homes. They breathe God's air. They see God's sun. They travel on God's earth. They enjoy God mercies. They have dying bodies. They have judgment and eternity before them. But they never speak to God. They live like the animals that perish. They behave like creatures without souls. They have not one word to say to Him in whose hand are their life and breath, and all things, and from whose mouth they must one day receive their everlasting sentence. How dreadful this seems; but if the secrets of men were only known, how common.
I believe there tens of thousands whose prayers are nothing but mere form, a set of words repeated by rote, without a thought about there meaning. Some say over a few hasty sentences picked up in the nursery when they were children. Some content themselves with repeating the Creed, forgetting that thee is not a request in it. Some add the Lord's prayer, but without the slightest desire that its solemn petitions may be granted.
Does this surprise you? I will show you that I am not speaking as I do without reason.
Have you forgotten that it is not natural to anyone to pray? "The carnal mind is enmity against God." (Romans 8:7). The desire of a person's heart is to get far away from God, and have nothing to do with Him. Their feeling towards Him is not love. Why then should a person pray when they have no real sense of sin, no real feeling of spiritual needs, no thorough belief in unseen things, no desire after holiness and heaven? Of all these things the vast majority of people know and feel nothing. The multitudes walk in the broad way. I cannot forget this. Therefore I say boldly, I believe that few pray.
Have you forgotten that it is not fashionable to pray? Have you forgotten the lives that many live? Can we really believe that people are praying against sin night and day, when we see them plunging into it?
I cannot see your heart. I do not know your private history in spiritual things. But from what I see in the Bible and in the world, I am certain I cannot ask you a more necessary question than that before you - DO YOU PRAY?
IV. I ask whether you pray, because diligence in prayer is the secret of eminent holiness. Without controversy there is a vast difference among true Christians. There is an immense interval between the foremost and the hindermost in the army of God.
They are all fighting the same good fight but how much more valiantly some fight than others. They are all doing the Lord's work; but how much more some do than others. They are all light in the Lord; but how much more brightly some shine than others. They all love the same Lord and Saviour; but how much more some love Him than others. I ask any true Christian whether this is not the case. Are these things not so?
There are some of the Lord's people who seem never able to get on from the time of their conversion. They are born again, but they remain babies all their lives.
~J. C. Ryle~
(continued with # 4)
Saturday, August 17, 2019
A Call to Prayer # 2
A Call to Prayer # 2
II. I ask again whether you pray, because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. All the children of God on earth are alike in this respect. From the moment there is any life and reality about their religion, they pray. Just as the first sign of the life of an infant when born into the world is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying.
This is one of the common marks of all the elect of God. "They cry unto Him day and night" (Luke 18:7). The Holy Spirit who makes them new creatures, works in them a feeling of adoption, and makes the cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15). The Lord Jesus, when He quickens them, gives them a voice and a tongue, and says to them, "Be dumb no more." God has no dumb children. It is as much a part of their new nature to pray, as it is of a child to cry. They see their need of mercy and grace. They feel their emptiness and weakness. They cannot do other wise than they do. They must pray.
I have looked carefully over the lives of God's saints in the Bible. I cannot find one whose history much is told us, from Genesis to Revelation, who was not a person of prayer. I find it mentioned as a characteristic of the godly, that "they call on the Father," that "they call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." I find it recorded as a characteristic of the wicked, that "they call not upon the Lord" (1 Peter 1:17; 1 Cor. 1:2; Psalm 14:4).
I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since the Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, and some were unlearned. Some of them were Episcopalians, and some were Christians of other names. Some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians. Some have loved to use liturgy, and some to use none. But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They have all been people of prayer.
I study reports of missionary societies in our own times. I see with joy that lost men and women are receiving the gospel in various parts of the globe. There are conversions in Africa, in New Zealand, in India, in China. The people converted are naturally unlike one another in every respect. But one striking thing I observe at all the missionary stations: the converted people always pray.
I do not deny a person may pray without heart and without sincerity. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person's praying proves everything about their soul. As in every other part of religion, so also in this, there may be deception and hypocrisy.
But this I do say, that not praying is a clear proof that a person is not yet a true Christian. They cannot really feel their sins. They cannot love God. They cannot feel themselves a debtor to Christ. They cannot long after holiness. They cannot desire heaven. They have yet to be born again. They have yet to be made a new creature. They may boast confidently of election, grace, faith, hope and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you may rest assured it is all vain talk, if they do not pray.
And I say furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A person may preach from false motives. A person may write books and, make fine speeches and seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas Iscariot. But a person seldom goes into their closet and pours out their soul before God in secret, unless they are in earnest. The Lord Himself has set His stamp on prayer as the best proof of true conversion. When He sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He gave him no other evidence of His change of heart than this, "Behold he prays." ( Acts 9:11).
I know that much may go on in a person's mind before they are brought to pray. They may have many convictions, desires, wishes, feelings, intentions, resolutions, hopes, and fears. But all these things are very uncertain evidences. They are to be found in ungodly people, and often come to nothing. In many a case they are not more lasting than the morning cloud, and dew that passes away. A real hearty prayer, flowing from a broken and contrite spirit, is worth all these things put together.
I know that the Holy Spirit, who calls sinners from their evil ways, does in many instances lead them by very slow degrees to acquaintance with Christ. But the eye of man can only judge by what it sees. I can not call anyone justified until they believe. I dare not say that anyone believes until they pray. I cannot understand a dumb faith. The first act of faith will be to speak to God. Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body. How a person can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a person can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.
~J. C. Ryle~
(continued with # 3)
II. I ask again whether you pray, because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. All the children of God on earth are alike in this respect. From the moment there is any life and reality about their religion, they pray. Just as the first sign of the life of an infant when born into the world is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying.
This is one of the common marks of all the elect of God. "They cry unto Him day and night" (Luke 18:7). The Holy Spirit who makes them new creatures, works in them a feeling of adoption, and makes the cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15). The Lord Jesus, when He quickens them, gives them a voice and a tongue, and says to them, "Be dumb no more." God has no dumb children. It is as much a part of their new nature to pray, as it is of a child to cry. They see their need of mercy and grace. They feel their emptiness and weakness. They cannot do other wise than they do. They must pray.
I have looked carefully over the lives of God's saints in the Bible. I cannot find one whose history much is told us, from Genesis to Revelation, who was not a person of prayer. I find it mentioned as a characteristic of the godly, that "they call on the Father," that "they call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." I find it recorded as a characteristic of the wicked, that "they call not upon the Lord" (1 Peter 1:17; 1 Cor. 1:2; Psalm 14:4).
I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since the Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, and some were unlearned. Some of them were Episcopalians, and some were Christians of other names. Some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians. Some have loved to use liturgy, and some to use none. But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They have all been people of prayer.
I study reports of missionary societies in our own times. I see with joy that lost men and women are receiving the gospel in various parts of the globe. There are conversions in Africa, in New Zealand, in India, in China. The people converted are naturally unlike one another in every respect. But one striking thing I observe at all the missionary stations: the converted people always pray.
I do not deny a person may pray without heart and without sincerity. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person's praying proves everything about their soul. As in every other part of religion, so also in this, there may be deception and hypocrisy.
But this I do say, that not praying is a clear proof that a person is not yet a true Christian. They cannot really feel their sins. They cannot love God. They cannot feel themselves a debtor to Christ. They cannot long after holiness. They cannot desire heaven. They have yet to be born again. They have yet to be made a new creature. They may boast confidently of election, grace, faith, hope and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you may rest assured it is all vain talk, if they do not pray.
And I say furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A person may preach from false motives. A person may write books and, make fine speeches and seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas Iscariot. But a person seldom goes into their closet and pours out their soul before God in secret, unless they are in earnest. The Lord Himself has set His stamp on prayer as the best proof of true conversion. When He sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He gave him no other evidence of His change of heart than this, "Behold he prays." ( Acts 9:11).
I know that much may go on in a person's mind before they are brought to pray. They may have many convictions, desires, wishes, feelings, intentions, resolutions, hopes, and fears. But all these things are very uncertain evidences. They are to be found in ungodly people, and often come to nothing. In many a case they are not more lasting than the morning cloud, and dew that passes away. A real hearty prayer, flowing from a broken and contrite spirit, is worth all these things put together.
I know that the Holy Spirit, who calls sinners from their evil ways, does in many instances lead them by very slow degrees to acquaintance with Christ. But the eye of man can only judge by what it sees. I can not call anyone justified until they believe. I dare not say that anyone believes until they pray. I cannot understand a dumb faith. The first act of faith will be to speak to God. Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body. How a person can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a person can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.
~J. C. Ryle~
(continued with # 3)
Saturday, August 10, 2019
A Call To Prayer # 1
A Call To Prayer # 1
"Men ought always to pray" (Luke 18:1).
I have a question to offer you. It is contained in three words, Do you pray?
The question is one that none but you can answer. Whether you attend public worship or not, your minister knows. Whether you have family prayers in your house or not, your relations know. But whether you pray in private or not, is a matter between yourself and God.
I beseech you in all affections to attend to the subject I bring before you. Do not say that my question is too close. If your heart is right in the sight of God, there is nothing in it to make you afraid. Do not turn off my question by replying that you say your prayers. It is one thing to say your prayers and another to pray. Do not tell me that my question is unnecessary. Listen to me for a few minutes, and I will show you good reasons for asking it.
Prayer is the most important subject in practical religion. All other subjects are second to it. Reading the Bible, listening to sermons, attending public worship, going to the Lord's Table - all these are very important matters. But none of them are so important as private prayer.
I propose in this paper to offer seven clear reasons why I use such strong language about prayer. I draw to these reasons the attention of every thinking man into whose hands this paper may fall. I venture to assert with confidence that they deserve serious consideration.
I. I ask whether you pray, because prayer is absolutely needful to a person's salvation.
I say, absolutely needful, and I say so advisedly. I am not speaking now of infants or idiots. I am not settling the state of the heathen. I know where little is given, there little will be required. I speak especially of those who call themselves Christians, in a land like our own. And of such I say, no man or woman can expect to be saved who does not pray.
I hold no salvation by grace as strongly as anyone. I would gladly offer a free and full pardon to the greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not hesitate to stand by his dying bed, and say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ even now, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31). But that a person can have salvation without asking for it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a person will receive pardon of their sins, who will not so much as lift up their heart inwardly and say, "Lord Jesus, give it to me," this I cannot find. I can find that nobody will be saved by their prayers, but I cannot find that without prayer anybody will be saved.
It is not absolutely needful to salvation that a person should read the Bible. A person may have no learning, or be blind, and yet have Christ in their heart. It is not absolutely needful that a person should hear public preaching of the gospel. They may live where the gospel is not preached, or they may be bedridden, or deaf. But the same thing cannot be said about prayer. It is absolutely needful to salvation that a person should pray.
There is no royal road either to health or learning. Prime ministers and kings, poor men and peasants, all alike must attend to the needs of their own bodies and their own minds. No person can eat, drink, or sleep, by proxy. No person can get the alphabet learned for them by another. All these are things which everybody must do for themselves, or they will not be done at all.
Just as it is with the mind and body, so it is with the soul. There are certain things absolutely needful to the soul's health and well-being. Each must attend to these things for himself. Each must repent for himself. Each must apply to Christ for himself. And for himself each must speak to God and pray. You must do it for yourself, for by nobody else it can be done.
To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven. It is to be in the road to hell. Now can you wonder that I ask the question, DO YOU PRAY?
~J. C. Ryle~
(continued with # 2)
"Men ought always to pray" (Luke 18:1).
I have a question to offer you. It is contained in three words, Do you pray?
The question is one that none but you can answer. Whether you attend public worship or not, your minister knows. Whether you have family prayers in your house or not, your relations know. But whether you pray in private or not, is a matter between yourself and God.
I beseech you in all affections to attend to the subject I bring before you. Do not say that my question is too close. If your heart is right in the sight of God, there is nothing in it to make you afraid. Do not turn off my question by replying that you say your prayers. It is one thing to say your prayers and another to pray. Do not tell me that my question is unnecessary. Listen to me for a few minutes, and I will show you good reasons for asking it.
Prayer is the most important subject in practical religion. All other subjects are second to it. Reading the Bible, listening to sermons, attending public worship, going to the Lord's Table - all these are very important matters. But none of them are so important as private prayer.
I propose in this paper to offer seven clear reasons why I use such strong language about prayer. I draw to these reasons the attention of every thinking man into whose hands this paper may fall. I venture to assert with confidence that they deserve serious consideration.
I. I ask whether you pray, because prayer is absolutely needful to a person's salvation.
I say, absolutely needful, and I say so advisedly. I am not speaking now of infants or idiots. I am not settling the state of the heathen. I know where little is given, there little will be required. I speak especially of those who call themselves Christians, in a land like our own. And of such I say, no man or woman can expect to be saved who does not pray.
I hold no salvation by grace as strongly as anyone. I would gladly offer a free and full pardon to the greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not hesitate to stand by his dying bed, and say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ even now, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31). But that a person can have salvation without asking for it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a person will receive pardon of their sins, who will not so much as lift up their heart inwardly and say, "Lord Jesus, give it to me," this I cannot find. I can find that nobody will be saved by their prayers, but I cannot find that without prayer anybody will be saved.
It is not absolutely needful to salvation that a person should read the Bible. A person may have no learning, or be blind, and yet have Christ in their heart. It is not absolutely needful that a person should hear public preaching of the gospel. They may live where the gospel is not preached, or they may be bedridden, or deaf. But the same thing cannot be said about prayer. It is absolutely needful to salvation that a person should pray.
There is no royal road either to health or learning. Prime ministers and kings, poor men and peasants, all alike must attend to the needs of their own bodies and their own minds. No person can eat, drink, or sleep, by proxy. No person can get the alphabet learned for them by another. All these are things which everybody must do for themselves, or they will not be done at all.
Just as it is with the mind and body, so it is with the soul. There are certain things absolutely needful to the soul's health and well-being. Each must attend to these things for himself. Each must repent for himself. Each must apply to Christ for himself. And for himself each must speak to God and pray. You must do it for yourself, for by nobody else it can be done.
To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven. It is to be in the road to hell. Now can you wonder that I ask the question, DO YOU PRAY?
~J. C. Ryle~
(continued with # 2)
You Fool! (and others)
You Fool! (and others)
"You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you!" What harsh language, some will be ready to say. But it is true; and the occasion requires all earnestness. If you see your neighbor's house on fire while he is sound asleep in his bed, you do not hesitate to alarm him with the most penetrating cry that you can utter. The reason in both cases is of the same nature, but much stronger in the latter, because the loss of the soul is infinitely greater than that of the body; the fires of hell are much more to be dreaded than any material fire, which can only destroy property, or at most, shorten life.
But why is this man called a fool? Surely he was not such in the world's estimation. He evidently possessed the wisdom of this world. He knew how to manage his farm successfully. If there was any defect in this respect, it was in not building his barns large enough at first. Often enterprising, industrious men run far before their own anticipations. Wealth flows in upon them, so that they have more than heart could wish. This man, no doubt, had labored hard, but now thinks of taking his rest, and entering on the enjoyment of his rich possessions. He said to his soul, "Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!" No cloud appeared in all his horizon to darken his prospects. His expectation was, not only rest from labor, and ease from trouble; but actual enjoyment in feasting, and unceasing mirth.
The course of this farmer and his success are the very objects at which thousands are constantly aiming. They look no higher; they ask no more than he possessed. How then was he a fool? Will not the epithet apply as truly to most of the people of the world? If this present world were our only state of existence, it would be hard to prove the folly of such a course and such sentiments. Then men might with some show of reason say, "Let us eat and drink - for tomorrow we die." If this were all of man, and death the end of existence, the scene will so soon be over, and all joys and sorrows so soon buried in eternal oblivion. If there were no hereafter, of what account would it now be, whether the thousands of millions who have inhabited this globe were sad or merry while they lived?
The utter folly of this worldling, and of thousands like him, consisted in this - that being the creature of a supreme Being, he neglected to serve Him, and took no pains to secure His favor, or to arrest His wrath. The folly of this he must have felt when God spoke to Him and said, "This night your soul shall be required of you!" Oh, what a sudden interruption to his plans of future pleasure. What! Must he give up all his possessions - his fields loaded with ripe harvests, the fruit of his anxious toil? In a moment his fond dream of feasting and mirth is terminated. God, his Maker, calls for him, and none can resist His command. "And who knows the power of His anger?" His soul is required. His account, whether prepared or unprepared, must be rendered. "Give an account of your stewardship." Show in what manner you have improved the talents committed to you. What good use have you made of the riches conferred on you?
Poor, wretched man; what can he say for himself? What justification can he offer for a life of disobedience and forgetfulness of God? Where now can he turn? Where can he flee for refuge from his angry Judge? Alas, there is no escape! His riches cannot profit him now. The whole world could not redeem his soul from destruction; and while his heirs are striving about his great wealth, his soul is writhing in unending anguish! Careless reader, take heed lest this be your case! You are in the same condemnation!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
___________________________
Heaven
Heaven is a reality, not seen by eyes of flesh, but made known by revelation, and received by faith.
Heaven is a rest from toil, trouble, temptation, and sin. Such a rest is very desirable, if it were only a sweet sleep; but heaven is more.
It is a state of delightful activity. Every faculty and every affection will find appropriate exercise; and probably latent powers, not needed here, will there be waked into activity - powers suited to the new condition in which the soul exists.
Heaven is full of light; all darkness and doubt are absent. Knowledge will there be clear, and will possess a transforming efficacy; still, knowledge in heaven will be progressive; the pleasure will partly consist in ever learning something unknown before.
Heaven is a region of perfect love; all the heart and mind and strength will be exerted in love. And if the power of loving should, in the progress of the immortal soul, be increased a thousand-fold, all this increased ability will be kept constantly in full stretch by the loveliness and glory of the objects of affection.
Christ is the center of attraction in heaven. From Him radiate the rays of divine glory which enliven, attract, and beautify all the innumerable army of worshipers.
Love in heaven is pure, perfect, and reciprocal. He who loves, cannot be satisfied without a return of affection. And the more exalted and excellent the character of the person beloved, the sweeter the sense of His favor.
Heavenly joy consists in loving with all the heart, and in being beloved.
As heaven is a society, the members are happy not only in loving their King, but in mutual love. There will exist no envy, nor jealousy, nor apathy.
Heaven is a place of peace - sweet peace and uninterrupted harmony; all disturbing elements will be left behind. The atmosphere of heaven is exempt from all evil; it is purity itself; all sin and impurity are denied admission into that holy place.
Heaven is an unchanging state. All change is advancement in knowledge, in dignity, in happiness!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
"You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you!" What harsh language, some will be ready to say. But it is true; and the occasion requires all earnestness. If you see your neighbor's house on fire while he is sound asleep in his bed, you do not hesitate to alarm him with the most penetrating cry that you can utter. The reason in both cases is of the same nature, but much stronger in the latter, because the loss of the soul is infinitely greater than that of the body; the fires of hell are much more to be dreaded than any material fire, which can only destroy property, or at most, shorten life.
But why is this man called a fool? Surely he was not such in the world's estimation. He evidently possessed the wisdom of this world. He knew how to manage his farm successfully. If there was any defect in this respect, it was in not building his barns large enough at first. Often enterprising, industrious men run far before their own anticipations. Wealth flows in upon them, so that they have more than heart could wish. This man, no doubt, had labored hard, but now thinks of taking his rest, and entering on the enjoyment of his rich possessions. He said to his soul, "Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!" No cloud appeared in all his horizon to darken his prospects. His expectation was, not only rest from labor, and ease from trouble; but actual enjoyment in feasting, and unceasing mirth.
The course of this farmer and his success are the very objects at which thousands are constantly aiming. They look no higher; they ask no more than he possessed. How then was he a fool? Will not the epithet apply as truly to most of the people of the world? If this present world were our only state of existence, it would be hard to prove the folly of such a course and such sentiments. Then men might with some show of reason say, "Let us eat and drink - for tomorrow we die." If this were all of man, and death the end of existence, the scene will so soon be over, and all joys and sorrows so soon buried in eternal oblivion. If there were no hereafter, of what account would it now be, whether the thousands of millions who have inhabited this globe were sad or merry while they lived?
The utter folly of this worldling, and of thousands like him, consisted in this - that being the creature of a supreme Being, he neglected to serve Him, and took no pains to secure His favor, or to arrest His wrath. The folly of this he must have felt when God spoke to Him and said, "This night your soul shall be required of you!" Oh, what a sudden interruption to his plans of future pleasure. What! Must he give up all his possessions - his fields loaded with ripe harvests, the fruit of his anxious toil? In a moment his fond dream of feasting and mirth is terminated. God, his Maker, calls for him, and none can resist His command. "And who knows the power of His anger?" His soul is required. His account, whether prepared or unprepared, must be rendered. "Give an account of your stewardship." Show in what manner you have improved the talents committed to you. What good use have you made of the riches conferred on you?
Poor, wretched man; what can he say for himself? What justification can he offer for a life of disobedience and forgetfulness of God? Where now can he turn? Where can he flee for refuge from his angry Judge? Alas, there is no escape! His riches cannot profit him now. The whole world could not redeem his soul from destruction; and while his heirs are striving about his great wealth, his soul is writhing in unending anguish! Careless reader, take heed lest this be your case! You are in the same condemnation!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
___________________________
Heaven
Heaven is a reality, not seen by eyes of flesh, but made known by revelation, and received by faith.
Heaven is a rest from toil, trouble, temptation, and sin. Such a rest is very desirable, if it were only a sweet sleep; but heaven is more.
It is a state of delightful activity. Every faculty and every affection will find appropriate exercise; and probably latent powers, not needed here, will there be waked into activity - powers suited to the new condition in which the soul exists.
Heaven is full of light; all darkness and doubt are absent. Knowledge will there be clear, and will possess a transforming efficacy; still, knowledge in heaven will be progressive; the pleasure will partly consist in ever learning something unknown before.
Heaven is a region of perfect love; all the heart and mind and strength will be exerted in love. And if the power of loving should, in the progress of the immortal soul, be increased a thousand-fold, all this increased ability will be kept constantly in full stretch by the loveliness and glory of the objects of affection.
Christ is the center of attraction in heaven. From Him radiate the rays of divine glory which enliven, attract, and beautify all the innumerable army of worshipers.
Love in heaven is pure, perfect, and reciprocal. He who loves, cannot be satisfied without a return of affection. And the more exalted and excellent the character of the person beloved, the sweeter the sense of His favor.
Heavenly joy consists in loving with all the heart, and in being beloved.
As heaven is a society, the members are happy not only in loving their King, but in mutual love. There will exist no envy, nor jealousy, nor apathy.
Heaven is a place of peace - sweet peace and uninterrupted harmony; all disturbing elements will be left behind. The atmosphere of heaven is exempt from all evil; it is purity itself; all sin and impurity are denied admission into that holy place.
Heaven is an unchanging state. All change is advancement in knowledge, in dignity, in happiness!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
Saturday, August 3, 2019
A Disciple
A Disciple
"The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26).
A disciple is a learner, but a learner supposes a teacher. In reality, the visible church is only a school, where Christ is the great Teacher. The word of God contains all the lessons which are inculcated in this school. But as Christ is the sum and substance of the word, He is not only the Teacher, but the subject of the lesson taught! "This is eternal life, to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." "You have not so learned Christ, if so be you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus." "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
A genuine disciple is not only taught out the word, but by the Holy Spirit. External teaching, however correct, is not sufficient. We need internal illumination by the Spirit. "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth." "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Not that this divine instructor teaches anything different from the word. No! He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us. He is the Spirit of truth, and will guide the disciples into all truth. "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him" (1 John 2:27).
He "reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment"
But what are some of the lessons learned by the disciple in this school?
1. The worth of the soul.
2. The value of time.
3. Veneration for the holy Scriptures as the infallible rule to guide our faith and practice.
4. Our ruined and condemned state - "children of wrath, even as others," "dead in trespasses and sins," "without hope and without God in the world."
5. The Spirit convinces the human heart, or rather, gives the soul a glimpse of the indwelling sin, by which it is convinced of total depravity. Oh, what a multitude of evils; what a fountain of impurity; what a mass of corruption! The heart is found to be deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. There is found nothing in it truly good.
What can be done? Where shall the sinner fly for relief? Where, but to the house of mercy - to the city of refuge? There stands One with wounded hands widely extended, who invites the perishing sinner to come to Him for safety. The guilty soul hesitates - fears this invitation cannot be for one so unworthy. But no other door is open, and the kind, entreating voice is still heard, Come - "and him who comes, I will never cast out." It ventures - trembling, it advances - it throws itself into the arms of divine mercy, and is graciously received, without merit, without upbraiding; becomes a son or daughter by adoption, an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ.
6. The disciple also learns to prize Christ above all people and above all treasures. "To you who believe, He is precious." He values Jesus above all price as his infallible Prophet, his sovereign King, as well as an atoning Priest. The disciple learns to roll all its burdens on the Lord, and learns to live outside of itself, by desiring vital supplies from Christ, day by day. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
7. Again, the disciple is taught the beauty of holiness. Moral or spiritual beauty is the glory of heaven. External glory is nothing; but moral, divine excellence is the glory of God, comprehending all His divine perfections. To view this excellence, is the beatific vision in which the happiness of heaven consists. Oh, glorious state! Oh, blessed abode!
8. Finally, the disciple learns to know the reality and sweetness of communion with God. While many are contented to worship in the outward court, he desires to penetrate into the holy of holies, where he can hear the words of the divine oracle, and see the resplendent face of Immanuel. The apostle teaches that the most holy place is a type of heaven; and surely nothing on earth is more like heaven than intimate communion with God.
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
"The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26).
A disciple is a learner, but a learner supposes a teacher. In reality, the visible church is only a school, where Christ is the great Teacher. The word of God contains all the lessons which are inculcated in this school. But as Christ is the sum and substance of the word, He is not only the Teacher, but the subject of the lesson taught! "This is eternal life, to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." "You have not so learned Christ, if so be you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus." "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
A genuine disciple is not only taught out the word, but by the Holy Spirit. External teaching, however correct, is not sufficient. We need internal illumination by the Spirit. "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth." "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Not that this divine instructor teaches anything different from the word. No! He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us. He is the Spirit of truth, and will guide the disciples into all truth. "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him" (1 John 2:27).
He "reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment"
But what are some of the lessons learned by the disciple in this school?
1. The worth of the soul.
2. The value of time.
3. Veneration for the holy Scriptures as the infallible rule to guide our faith and practice.
4. Our ruined and condemned state - "children of wrath, even as others," "dead in trespasses and sins," "without hope and without God in the world."
5. The Spirit convinces the human heart, or rather, gives the soul a glimpse of the indwelling sin, by which it is convinced of total depravity. Oh, what a multitude of evils; what a fountain of impurity; what a mass of corruption! The heart is found to be deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. There is found nothing in it truly good.
What can be done? Where shall the sinner fly for relief? Where, but to the house of mercy - to the city of refuge? There stands One with wounded hands widely extended, who invites the perishing sinner to come to Him for safety. The guilty soul hesitates - fears this invitation cannot be for one so unworthy. But no other door is open, and the kind, entreating voice is still heard, Come - "and him who comes, I will never cast out." It ventures - trembling, it advances - it throws itself into the arms of divine mercy, and is graciously received, without merit, without upbraiding; becomes a son or daughter by adoption, an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ.
6. The disciple also learns to prize Christ above all people and above all treasures. "To you who believe, He is precious." He values Jesus above all price as his infallible Prophet, his sovereign King, as well as an atoning Priest. The disciple learns to roll all its burdens on the Lord, and learns to live outside of itself, by desiring vital supplies from Christ, day by day. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
7. Again, the disciple is taught the beauty of holiness. Moral or spiritual beauty is the glory of heaven. External glory is nothing; but moral, divine excellence is the glory of God, comprehending all His divine perfections. To view this excellence, is the beatific vision in which the happiness of heaven consists. Oh, glorious state! Oh, blessed abode!
8. Finally, the disciple learns to know the reality and sweetness of communion with God. While many are contented to worship in the outward court, he desires to penetrate into the holy of holies, where he can hear the words of the divine oracle, and see the resplendent face of Immanuel. The apostle teaches that the most holy place is a type of heaven; and surely nothing on earth is more like heaven than intimate communion with God.
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
Christ Despised # 3
Christ Despised # 3
Why was Christ "despised and rejected by men?" Second, because He demanded repentance. "Repent - and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15) was His claimant call - that order is unchanging, for it is impossible to savingly believe the Gospel until the heart is contrite. Repentance is taking sides with God against ourselves - it is the unsparing judgment of ourselves because of our high-handed rebellion. It is a ceasing to love and tolerate sin, and excusing ourselves for the commission of it. It is a mourning before God because of our transgressions of His holy Law. And therefore did Christ teach, "Unless you repent - you shall all likewise perish!" (Luke 13:3), for He would not condone evil. He came to save His people from their sins - and not in them.
Why was Christ "despised and rejected by men?" Third, because He insisted on the denial of self, and this at two principal points, namely, the indulging and the exalting of self. All fleshly lusts are to be unsparingly mortified, and self-righteousness is allowed no place under the Gospel scheme. This was made unmistakably plain by our Lord's teaching, "If any man will come after Me" (Matt. 16:24). Yet nothing is more contrary to the desires of the natural man (carnal man), and Christ's insistence upon these terms of discipleship causes Him to be "despised and rejected by men."
How is Christ "despised and rejected" by men? In different ways and in varying degrees - professedly and practically, in words and in works. It is most important that this should be clearly recognized, for satan deceives a great many souls at this point. He deludes them into supposing that because they are not guilty of what pertains to the avowed infidel and blatant atheist, therefore they are innocent of the fearful sin of slighting and defying the Lord Jesus. Ah, my reader, the solemn fact remains, that there are millions of people in Christendom who though not atheists and infedels - yet despise and reject the Christ of Scripture! "They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work" (Titus 1:16). That verse clearly enunciates this principle.
Because of the limited space at our disposal, we are obliged to condense this last division so that the preacher will have to develop it for himself. Christ's authority is "despised" by those who disregard His precepts and commandments. Christ's yoke is "rejected" by those who are determined to be Lord over themselves. Christ's glory is "despised" by those who bear His name yet have no concern whether their walk honors Him or not. Christ's Gospel is "rejected" by those who on the one hand affirm that sinners may be saved without repenting of and turning away from their sins, and on the other hand by those who teach that Heaven may be won by our own good works.
There are some who intellectually reject Christ, by repudiating His claims, denying that He is God the Son, assumed a holy and impeccable humanity, and died a vicarious death to save His people from their sins. There are others who virtually and practically reject Christ. Just as thee are those who profess to believe in the existence of God, own His power, and talk about His wondrous handiwork - yet who have not His fear upon them and are not in subjection to Him. So there are many who claim to trust in the finished work of Christ - yet their daily walk is no different from that of thousands of respectable worldlings. They profess to be proud, self-willed, uncharitable; in a word, utterly unChristlike!
~A. W. Pink~
(The End)
Why was Christ "despised and rejected by men?" Second, because He demanded repentance. "Repent - and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15) was His claimant call - that order is unchanging, for it is impossible to savingly believe the Gospel until the heart is contrite. Repentance is taking sides with God against ourselves - it is the unsparing judgment of ourselves because of our high-handed rebellion. It is a ceasing to love and tolerate sin, and excusing ourselves for the commission of it. It is a mourning before God because of our transgressions of His holy Law. And therefore did Christ teach, "Unless you repent - you shall all likewise perish!" (Luke 13:3), for He would not condone evil. He came to save His people from their sins - and not in them.
Why was Christ "despised and rejected by men?" Third, because He insisted on the denial of self, and this at two principal points, namely, the indulging and the exalting of self. All fleshly lusts are to be unsparingly mortified, and self-righteousness is allowed no place under the Gospel scheme. This was made unmistakably plain by our Lord's teaching, "If any man will come after Me" (Matt. 16:24). Yet nothing is more contrary to the desires of the natural man (carnal man), and Christ's insistence upon these terms of discipleship causes Him to be "despised and rejected by men."
How is Christ "despised and rejected" by men? In different ways and in varying degrees - professedly and practically, in words and in works. It is most important that this should be clearly recognized, for satan deceives a great many souls at this point. He deludes them into supposing that because they are not guilty of what pertains to the avowed infidel and blatant atheist, therefore they are innocent of the fearful sin of slighting and defying the Lord Jesus. Ah, my reader, the solemn fact remains, that there are millions of people in Christendom who though not atheists and infedels - yet despise and reject the Christ of Scripture! "They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work" (Titus 1:16). That verse clearly enunciates this principle.
Because of the limited space at our disposal, we are obliged to condense this last division so that the preacher will have to develop it for himself. Christ's authority is "despised" by those who disregard His precepts and commandments. Christ's yoke is "rejected" by those who are determined to be Lord over themselves. Christ's glory is "despised" by those who bear His name yet have no concern whether their walk honors Him or not. Christ's Gospel is "rejected" by those who on the one hand affirm that sinners may be saved without repenting of and turning away from their sins, and on the other hand by those who teach that Heaven may be won by our own good works.
There are some who intellectually reject Christ, by repudiating His claims, denying that He is God the Son, assumed a holy and impeccable humanity, and died a vicarious death to save His people from their sins. There are others who virtually and practically reject Christ. Just as thee are those who profess to believe in the existence of God, own His power, and talk about His wondrous handiwork - yet who have not His fear upon them and are not in subjection to Him. So there are many who claim to trust in the finished work of Christ - yet their daily walk is no different from that of thousands of respectable worldlings. They profess to be proud, self-willed, uncharitable; in a word, utterly unChristlike!
~A. W. Pink~
(The End)
Saturday, July 27, 2019
An Amiable Youth Falling Short of Heaven # 2 (and others)
An Amiable Youth Falling Short of Heaven # 2 (and others)
But did he ever come back with a better mind? We do not read that he ever did. His sorrow was not that of true repentance; that is, repentance unto life. But his sorrow was "the sorrow of the world, which works death;" a sorrow which probably he has bitterly felt for eighteen centuries, and which will never cease!
What good can his riches do him now? They only furnish fuel to the flame in which he is tormented! Let young men look at this! Let the lovers of riches look at this!
Although neither the future course of this rich young man in this world, nor his final destiny, is given in the Scriptures; the probability is, that having turned his back on the Saviour and on the heavenly inheritance, he relinquished all thought about his salvation from this time, and abandoned himself to the enjoyment of his idolized riches. Men who have for a time been under serious concern about the salvation of their souls, and afterwards turn back to the world, because they find the terms of salvation too difficult, commonly become more careless and more hardened than others. "Their last state is worse than the first."
But though we have no record of the end of this rich young man, we have, from the lips of the Saviour Himself, an affecting account of the end of another rich man, who lived in splendor and pleasure on earth, but neglected piety and charity. The transition, in his case, from a sumptuous table, and from being clothed in purple and fine linen - to the torments of hell, is as great as the imagination can conceive! When he began to experience the keen anguish of future misery, O how better was his cry! "Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame!" But it was too late to pray. He had enjoyed his good things here - and torment awaited him in the world of woe!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
______________________
Prayer A Privilege
Although God is everywhere present, yet He is invisible. He is an all-pervading Spirit, yet is perceived by none of our senses. We behold His glorious works in the heavens and in the earth, and may learn something, by careful observation, of the general laws by which the material universe is governed; but still the great Architect is concealed. As far as reason can lead us, we seem to be shut out from all fellowship with our Maker; and whether prayer is permitted would remain forever doubtful, were it not for divine revelation. Indeed, considering man as a sinner, it would seem presumptuous for such a creature to obtrude himself into the presence of a holy God. Scripture teaches us that God may be acceptably approached by sinners only through the mediation of His Son.
Prayer is everywhere in the Bible recognized as proper, and inculcated as a duty. But it is also a most precious privilege, one of the richest blessings conferred on man. It opens a method of fellowship and communion with our Father in heaven; it furnishes a refuge for the soul oppressed with sin and sorrow; it affords an opportunity to the heart overwhelmed with an intolerable weight of misery to unburden itself, to pour its griefs into the ear of one who can pity and help.
The moral effect of prayer is important. It humbles the soul, and excites veneration for the magnificent and holy character of God. But though prayer brings into exercise the noblest acts and emotions of which our nature is capable, yet it would be a grand mistake to confine the efficacy of prayer to their moral effects. Prayer, when offered in faith, for things agreeable to the will of God, actually obtains for the petitioner the blessings which he needs. It has an efficacy to obtain forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and deliverance from a thousand evils. Prayer enters into the ears of the Lord Almighty; the prayer of faith is the mightiest engine upon earth. The Lord of heaven has given His word to answer prayer. He will be inquired of by His people, that He may bless them.
The Christian life is sustained by prayer. By it every grace is exercised, every blessing is obtained. Without the sincere desires of the heart, prayer is nothing; it is worse - it is a mockery. He is the best Christian who prays most. As God is ever near to us, "for in Him we live, and move, and have our being," we are permitted to hold fellowship with Him at all times, and in all places. We are commanded to "pray without ceasing" - to "be instant in prayer" - to pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands."
In prayer there is not only an outgoing of the soul to God, in acts of faith, love, and confidence, but there is an actual communication from God to the soul. Prayer is a holy converse - a fellowship with God. One hour spent in prayer, will accomplish more good than many employed in study or labor. Surely, then, it is good to draw near to God in prayer.
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
But did he ever come back with a better mind? We do not read that he ever did. His sorrow was not that of true repentance; that is, repentance unto life. But his sorrow was "the sorrow of the world, which works death;" a sorrow which probably he has bitterly felt for eighteen centuries, and which will never cease!
What good can his riches do him now? They only furnish fuel to the flame in which he is tormented! Let young men look at this! Let the lovers of riches look at this!
Although neither the future course of this rich young man in this world, nor his final destiny, is given in the Scriptures; the probability is, that having turned his back on the Saviour and on the heavenly inheritance, he relinquished all thought about his salvation from this time, and abandoned himself to the enjoyment of his idolized riches. Men who have for a time been under serious concern about the salvation of their souls, and afterwards turn back to the world, because they find the terms of salvation too difficult, commonly become more careless and more hardened than others. "Their last state is worse than the first."
But though we have no record of the end of this rich young man, we have, from the lips of the Saviour Himself, an affecting account of the end of another rich man, who lived in splendor and pleasure on earth, but neglected piety and charity. The transition, in his case, from a sumptuous table, and from being clothed in purple and fine linen - to the torments of hell, is as great as the imagination can conceive! When he began to experience the keen anguish of future misery, O how better was his cry! "Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame!" But it was too late to pray. He had enjoyed his good things here - and torment awaited him in the world of woe!
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
______________________
Prayer A Privilege
Although God is everywhere present, yet He is invisible. He is an all-pervading Spirit, yet is perceived by none of our senses. We behold His glorious works in the heavens and in the earth, and may learn something, by careful observation, of the general laws by which the material universe is governed; but still the great Architect is concealed. As far as reason can lead us, we seem to be shut out from all fellowship with our Maker; and whether prayer is permitted would remain forever doubtful, were it not for divine revelation. Indeed, considering man as a sinner, it would seem presumptuous for such a creature to obtrude himself into the presence of a holy God. Scripture teaches us that God may be acceptably approached by sinners only through the mediation of His Son.
Prayer is everywhere in the Bible recognized as proper, and inculcated as a duty. But it is also a most precious privilege, one of the richest blessings conferred on man. It opens a method of fellowship and communion with our Father in heaven; it furnishes a refuge for the soul oppressed with sin and sorrow; it affords an opportunity to the heart overwhelmed with an intolerable weight of misery to unburden itself, to pour its griefs into the ear of one who can pity and help.
The moral effect of prayer is important. It humbles the soul, and excites veneration for the magnificent and holy character of God. But though prayer brings into exercise the noblest acts and emotions of which our nature is capable, yet it would be a grand mistake to confine the efficacy of prayer to their moral effects. Prayer, when offered in faith, for things agreeable to the will of God, actually obtains for the petitioner the blessings which he needs. It has an efficacy to obtain forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and deliverance from a thousand evils. Prayer enters into the ears of the Lord Almighty; the prayer of faith is the mightiest engine upon earth. The Lord of heaven has given His word to answer prayer. He will be inquired of by His people, that He may bless them.
The Christian life is sustained by prayer. By it every grace is exercised, every blessing is obtained. Without the sincere desires of the heart, prayer is nothing; it is worse - it is a mockery. He is the best Christian who prays most. As God is ever near to us, "for in Him we live, and move, and have our being," we are permitted to hold fellowship with Him at all times, and in all places. We are commanded to "pray without ceasing" - to "be instant in prayer" - to pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands."
In prayer there is not only an outgoing of the soul to God, in acts of faith, love, and confidence, but there is an actual communication from God to the soul. Prayer is a holy converse - a fellowship with God. One hour spent in prayer, will accomplish more good than many employed in study or labor. Surely, then, it is good to draw near to God in prayer.
~Archibald Alexander~
(The End)
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