Grace Gems for NOVEMBER 2018

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Hang this question up in your houses!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6

Hang this question up in your houses, "What would Jesus do?"

And then think of another, "How would Jesus do it?"

For what Jesus would do, and how He would do it-will always stand as the best guide to us.

"Leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

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He is too wise to err-and too good to be unkind!

(James Smith, "The Love of Christ! The Fullness, Freeness, and Immutability of the Savior's Grace Displayed!")

Jesus is both our Advocate and Counselor.

Every believer has a powerful, crafty, and malignant foe who tempts him to sin-and then turns to be his accuser before God! "But if any man sins-we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!" 1 John 2:1.

All the glory of His person and the perfection of His work-is thrown into His plea. He pleads . . .
the Father's love,
His own blood,
the promises of grace, and
the weakness of His people;
and so pleading-He must prevail.

His people have fled to Him under the greatest difficulties, and have received counsel which has delivered them from the greatest perplexities. He is always in office for us-and always at liberty to listen to us.

What ails you, poor tried believer? Flee to your Advocate and Counselor!

He is a wonderful Counselor! He never . . .
mistakes a case,
despises a poor client,
or charges a fee!

He possesses . . .
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;
all the kindness of sinless humanity,
and all the love of Deity!

What a wonderful lover is Jesus! He . . .
assumes any office,
stoops to any service,
and fills any relation-
so that He may but do His people good, and manifest His love unto them.

My soul, employ this Advocate, repair to this Counselor in every season of difficulty, and follow His advice in every circumstance and situation! He is too wise to err-and too good to be unkind!

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Brethren, we have two faults

(Charles Spurgeon)

Brethren, we have two faults:

   1. We do not think God to be as great as He is. (His transcendence)
   2. We do not think God can be as little as He can be. (His immanence)

We err on both sides. We neither know the height of His glory-nor the depth of His grace!

He who counts the brilliant stars-also numbers the very hairs of our head!
He never fails to hear the heart-lispings of His redeemed people.

I dare say that we think that we magnify Him, but in reality we belittle Him with our highest thoughts.

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A fine pig and a spoiled child!

(Charles Spurgeon)

Give to a pig when it grunts, and to a child when it cries-and you will have a fine pig and a spoiled child!

If you never have headaches through rebuking your children-you shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up!

It is a common thing for a little child to be the idol of the family. Wherever that is the case, there is a rod laid up in store in that house! You cannot make idols of your children, without finding out, sooner or later, that God makes them into rods with which He will punish you for your idolatry!

"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." Proverbs 13:24

"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Proverbs 19:18

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15

"Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." Proverbs 23:13

"Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:17

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Here we see what is in every human heart by nature!

(Don Fortner)

"What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" Matthew 27:22

Oh, what a revelation of man the cross is!
Man hating God, and hating Him most when God displayed His love most fully.
Man acting like the devil, taking Satan's side against God!

Yes, the cross was a public declaration of man's hatred for God and His Son.

The cross is proud man spitting in God's face and saying, "I am holy. I need no Savior. To Hell with God and His Son!"

Our Savior asked, "What do you think you of Christ?"
Man's answer was, "Crucify Him!"

Man's heart, his hands, his tongue all combine to scream out hatred for God and His Son.

Calvary's hill displays man's utter hatred for God!

How deep, bitter, universal, and vile is the hatred of the human heart for God! Oh, how fallen man hates God!

The arrest, the scourging, the mockery, the spitting, the smiting, the cries, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!", the wagging the heads, the cruel nails, the thieves' railing-everything was but the outpouring of man's utter hatred for God.

Here we see what is in every human heart by nature!

Man declared his heart, in the crucifixion of God's darling Son.

God seems to have said, "Vent the feelings of your heart." And he did, taking God by the throat, as it were, man snatched the only begotten Son from His Father's heart and crucified Him with hellish delight.

Reckoning the death of the cross the worst of all deaths, man said, "This is the best way to show my contempt for God. This is exactly what I think of the Son of God!" Thus, the enmity of the natural heart speaks out, and man not only confesses publicly that he is a hater of God, but he takes pains to show the intensity of his hatred.

The cross interprets what is in man's heart.

The cross rips the mask of pretended religion off of the face of our race.

The cross of Christ exhibits man's heart as a cesspool overflowing with the malignity of Hell.

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We must in some degree tread the path He trod

(Octavius Winslow, "The Tried Believer Comforted")

"He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief!" Isaiah 53:3

Jesus' life was one continuous trial. From the moment He entered our world He was leagued with suffering. He identified Himself with affliction in its almost endless forms. He seemed to have been born with a tear in His eye, with a shade of sadness on His brow. From the moment He touched the horizon of our earth, from that moment His sufferings commenced.

He did not come to indulge in a life of tranquility and ease.
He did not come to quaff the cup of earthly pleasures.
He came to suffer,
He came to bear sin's curse,
He came to drain the deep cup of wrath,
He came to weep, to bleed, to die!

Our Savior was a cross-bearing Savior. Our Lord was a suffering Lord. Is it to be expected that those who link their destinies with His, who avow themselves to be His disciples and followers-should walk in a dissimilar path from their Lord's?

There can be no true following of Christ as our example, if we lose sight of Him as a suffering Christ-an afflicted Savior. There must be fellowship with Him in His sufferings.

We must in some degree tread the path He trod. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you-leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

Here is one reason why He ordained that along this rugged path His saints should all journey. They must be like their Lord-they are one with Him, and this oneness can only exist where there is mutual sympathy.

Our great and glorious Redeemer sought not, and found not, repose here-this world was not His rest. He turned his back upon the pleasures, the riches, the luxuries, and even the common comforts of this world-preferring a life of obscurity, penury, and suffering. His very submission seemed to impart dignity to suffering, elevation to poverty, and to invest a life of suffering, need, and trial-with an air of holy sanctity.

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That restless, invisible, subtle, experienced enemy!

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

"Simon, Simon-Satan Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat!" Luke 22:31

We learn here-what a fearful enemy the devil is to believers.
Satan was near Christ's flock-though they saw him not.
He was longing to accomplish their ruin-though they knew it not.

The devil desires the destruction of souls, more than the wolf craves the blood of the lamb!

The personality, activity, and power of the devil are not sufficiently thought of by Christians.
This is he who brought sin into the world at the beginning, by tempting Eve.
This is he who is described in the book of Job as "going to and fro in the earth."
This is he whom our Lord calls "the prince of this world," a "murderer," and a "liar."
This is he whom Peter compares to a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
This is he whom John speaks of as "the accuser of the brethren."
This is he who is ever . . .
working evil in the churches,
catching away good seed from the hearts of hearers,
sowing tares amid the wheat,
stirring up persecutions,
suggesting false doctrines,
and fomenting divisions!

The world is a snare to the believer.
The flesh is a burden and a clog.
But there is no enemy so dangerous as that restless, invisible, subtle, experienced enemy-the devil!

If we believe the Bible, let us not be ashamed to believe that there is a malicious devil who is ever on a deadly prowl. It is a solemn proof of the hardness and blindness of unconverted men-that they can jest and speak lightly of Satan.

If we profess to have any real religion, let us be on our guard against the devil's evil schemes. The enemy who overthrew David and Peter, and assaulted Christ Himself-is not an enemy to be despised. He is very subtle and malicious. He has studied the heart of man for six thousand years. He can approach us under the garb of an "angel of light." We have need to watch and pray, and put on the whole armor of God.

It is a blessed promise, that if we resist him-then he will flee from us.

It is a still more blessed thought that when the Lord comes-He will bruise Satan under our feet, bind him in eternal chains and cast him into the lake of fire! "The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever!" Revelation 20:10

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A holy antipathy against sin!

(Thomas Watson, "Doctrine of Repentance")

There is no better sign of true repentance-than a holy antipathy against sin.
Sound repentance begins in love to God-and ends in the hatred of sin.

How may true hatred of sin be known?

1. When a man's HEART is set against sin. Not only does the tongue protest against sin-but the heart abhors it. However lovely sin is painted, we find it odious-just as we abhor the picture of one whom we mortally hate, even though it may be well drawn.

Suppose a dish is finely cooked-yet if a man has an antipathy against the meat, he will not eat it. Just so, let the devil cook and dress sin with pleasure and profit-yet a true penitent has a secret abhorrence of it, is disgusted by it, and will not meddle with it.

2. True hatred of sin is UNIVERSAL. There is a dislike of sin not only in the judgment-but in the will and affections. Many a one is convinced that sin is a vile thing, and in his judgment has an aversion to it-yet he tastes sweetness in it, and has a secret delight in it. Here is a disliking of sin in the judgment-and an embracing of it in the affections! Whereas in true repentance, the hatred of sin is in all the faculties, not only in the mind-but chiefly in the will.

He who truly hates one sin-hates all sins. He who hates a serpent-hates all serpents. "I hate every false way!" (Psalm 119:104). Hypocrites will hate some sins which mar their credit. But a true convert hates all sins-gainful sins, besetting sins, the very stirrings of corruption.

3. A holy heart detests sin for its INTRINSIC POLLUTION. Sin leaves a stain upon the soul. A regenerate person abhors sin not only for the curse, but for the contagion. He hates this serpent not only for its sting, but for its poison. He hates sin not only for Hell-but as Hell.

Those who have no antipathy against sin, are strangers to gospel repentance. Sin is in them-as poison in a serpent, which, being natural to it, affords delight. How far are they from repentance who, instead of hating sin-love sin! To the godly-sin is as a thorn in the eye; to the wicked-sin is as a crown on the head! "They actually rejoice in doing evil!" (Jeremiah 11:15).

Loving of sin is worse than committing it. What is it which makes a swine love to tumble in the mire? Its love of filth. O how many there are, who love the forbidden fruit! They love their sin-and hate holiness.

There should be a deadly antipathy between the heart and sin.

What is there in sin, which may make a penitent hate it?

Sin is the accursed thing-the most deformed monster! Look upon the origin of sin, from whence it comes. It fetches its pedigree from Hell: "He who commits sin is of the devil!" (1 John 3:8). Sin is the devil's special work. How hateful is it to be doing that which is the special work of the devil-indeed, that which makes men into devils!

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The Great Physician and His patients!

(George Everard, "The Great Physician and His Patients" 1874)

"Those who are well have no need of a Physician, but those who are sick." Luke 5:31

Our Great Physician possesses the most perfect skill to discern the peculiar needs of each case. He sees the working of all this sin and corruption and hardness of heart-and He can counteract it all by His all-sufficient grace. Before you have spoken a word, when you kneel down and cast yourself upon His mercy-He is prepared to forgive and save. Christ knows beforehand all that you are, and cannot fail to support His tempted or afflicted child.

In Christ there is not only Divine wisdom to discern every case of spiritual disease-but He also has Divine power completely to effect a cure. When He was upon earth, none were sent away unhealed. The blind and the lame, the deaf and the dumb, the palsied and the lepers, those possessed with demons and the dead-all alike were healed immediately by the touch of Jesus. "The whole multitude sought to touch Him-for virtue went out of Him, and healed them ALL."

Thus completely and surely does Jesus restore all who come to Him. He can . . .
open the eyes long closed in the night of ignorance,
strengthen those who have yet had no power to walk in God's ways,
unstop the ear long deaf to the sweet voice of the Gospel,
teach the prayerless lips to plead with God,
remove the paralysis of a careless indifference,
cleanse souls from the leprosy of debasing lusts,
cast out the evil spirits of envy, and hatred and unbelief,
save men from the fever of covetousness, and every evil temper.

His power, when on earth, reached to the very worst cases of disease! The man full of leprosy, and the woman whom other physicians had tried in vain to cure-both came, and others just as hopeless, and all were alike healed. Yes, and I see Jesus day by day saving such as man might reckon beyond the reach of His saving arm.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

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An excessive anxiety about the innocent things of this life

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

"Be on your guard, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of life-or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap!" Luke 21:34-35

The exhortation before us should teach us the great importance of an unworldly heart. The "cares of this life" are placed side by side with carousing and drunkenness.

Excess in eating and drinking, is not the only excess which injures the soul. There is an excessive anxiety about the innocent things of this life-which is just as ruinous to our spiritual prosperity, and just as poisonous to the soul.

Never, never let us forget-that we may make spiritual shipwreck on lawful things-as really and truly as on open vices! Happy is he who has learned to hold the things of this world with a loose hand, and to believe that seeking first the kingdom of God, "all other things shall be added to him!" Matthew 6:33

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What could an unsanctified man do in Heaven?

(J.C. Ryle, "Holiness, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots")

"Without holiness, no one will see the Lord!" Hebrews 12:14

Most men hope to go to Heaven when they die; but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy Heaven if they got there.

Heaven is essentially a holy place;
its inhabitants are all holy;
its occupations are all holy.
To be really happy in Heaven, it is clear and plain that we must be somewhat trained and made ready for Heaven while we are on earth.

We must be saints before we die-if we are to be saints afterwards in glory.
We need the work of the Holy Spirit-as well as the work of Christ;
we need renewal of the heart-as well as the atoning blood;
we need to be sanctified-as well as to be justified.

What could an unsanctified man do in Heaven, if by any chance he got there?

No man can possibly be happy in a place where he is not in his element, and where all around him is not congenial to his tastes, habits and character.
When an eagle is happy in an iron cage,
when a sheep is happy in the middle of a lake,
when a fish is happy on the dry land-
then, and not until then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in Heaven!

The book of Revelation says expressly, "Nothing impure will ever enter it." Revelation 21:27

Suppose for a moment, that you were allowed to enter Heaven without holiness.
What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you experience there?

Now perhaps, you love the company of . . .
   the vain and the impious,
   the worldly-minded and the profligate,
   the reveler and the pleasure-seeker,
   the ungodly and the profane.
There will be none such in Heaven!

Now perhaps you think that the saints of God too strict and particular and serious. You rather avoid them. You have no delight in their society. But there will be no other company in Heaven.

Now perhaps you think that praying and Scripture reading and hymn singing-are dull and melancholy and foolish; a thing to be tolerated now and then-but not enjoyed. You reckon the worship a burden and a weariness. But remember, Heaven is never-ending worship. The inhabitants thereof rest not day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," and singing the praise of the Lamb. How could an unholy man find pleasure in occupation such as this?

It seems clear that Heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man! We must be heavenly-minded and have heavenly tastes in the present life-or else we will never find ourselves in Heaven in the life to come!

"Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong;
let him who is vile continue to be vile;
let him who does right continue to do right;
and let him who is holy continue to be holy." Revelation 22:11

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A glance into heavenly bliss!

("Solitude Sweetened" by James Meikle, 1730-1799)

All at once I find myself in an unbounded flood of bliss, a spacious sea of glory-lost in wonder amidst ineffable delights, and transported with the raptures of seraphic harmony! While all His saints rejoice in His excellent glory-what ardor glows in every soul, and what rapture swells in every song! O the wondrous displays of His perfections-the manifestations of His goodness-the outlettings of His love!

Here we received out of His fullness-grace upon grace. and glory upon glory.
Our heavenly possession is worthy of our liberal Giver. We have . . .
a kingdom which cannot be moved,
an undefiled inheritance, which does not fade away,
a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God,
garments of glory,
a crown of righteousness,
the tree of life to feed upon,
the fountain of life to drink of,
the garden of God to walk in,
life above the reach of death,
health secured from sickness,
eternal pleasure without pain!

Our bodies are immortal,
our souls are immaculate,
our senses are sanctified,
our conceptions are spiritualized,
our faculties are enlarged, and
our whole soul is glorious!

Our past bliss is with us in the sweet remembrance,
our present bliss enchants us in the enjoyment, and
our future bliss is present with us in the full assurance of our eternal felicity.

Thus we are forever blessed to the highest degree. We are . . .
above all fear,
beyond anxiety and doubt,
and fixed above all change!

Our service is sincere,
our adorations are ardent,
our knowledge is profound and satisfying.

Rapture rushes in at every part!

Our eyes are ravished with seeing the King in His beauty;
our ears are ravished with hearing the songs of the inner temple;
our nostrils are ravished with the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon, the plant of renown;
our feet are ravished with standing in His holy place;
our hands are ravished with handling of the word of life; and
our mouths are ravished with the wine of our Beloved, which goes down sweetly-causing our souls to shout aloud, and our lips to sing and never cease.

Our experience of His fullness, our vision of His perfections and glory-constitute our most exalted bliss, and are the heaven of heavens!

O what torrents of eternal love teem from the glorious throne into our souls!

O the exuberant rivers of joy that flow at His right hand!

O love! never to be forgotten-which has brought me safely through so many winding labyrinths and crooked paths, in sight of so many enemies-in spite of . . .
a tempting devil,
the accusations of my sins,
the rebellion of my lusts,
the carnality of my affections, and
the weakness of all my graces-
to dwell at last forever in heavenly bliss!

O eternity! Once the comfort of our longing expectations-now the transport of our enlarged souls! For we are . . .
forever with the Lord,
beholding His unclouded face,
wearing His divine name,
drinking at the streams of His pleasures,
eating of His hidden manna,
sitting beneath the Tree of Life,
basking under the beams of the Sun of Righteousness,
singing hallelujahs to Him who loved us, who washed us from our sins in His blood, and brought us here to be with Him forever!

O state of complete happiness and consummate bliss!

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Sinners in Hell are not the fools they were on earth!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Then He will say to those on His left: Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:41

Sinners in Hell are not the fools they were on earth!

In Hell, they do not laugh at everlasting burnings.

In the pit, they do not despise the words, "eternal fire!"

The worm that never dies, when it is gnawing, gnaws out all joke and laughter.

You may despise and mock God now-but death will change your note!

"Remember, you can laugh your way into Hell-but you can never laugh your way out of Hell!"

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life!" Matthew 25:46

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Splendid sins!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ!" Galatians 2:16

See the uselessness of mere morality. Honesty, morality and such things may be very good among men. But all these things put together, without faith, do not please God.

Without saving faith, all moral virtues are but splendid sins!

You will as surely be lost if you trust to your good works, as if you had trusted to your sins!

Trust Jesus, and you are saved.
Trust self, and you are damned.

Unbelief nullifies everything!
It is the dead fly in the ointment!
It is the poison in the pot!

All the moral virtues,
all the benevolence of philanthropy,
all the kindness of unselfish charity,
-give no title to Divine acceptance, for "without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6

The cardinal error against which the gospel of Christ has to contend, is the tendency of the human heart to rely on salvation by its works, or morality, or virtues.

The poor sinner trying to be saved by his morality or good works, is like a blind horse going round and round a mill, and never getting a step further, but only being whipped continually.

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J.C. Ryle: "The holiest actions of the holiest saint that ever lived, are all more or less full of defects and imperfections. They are either wrong in their motive, or defective in their performance, and in themselves are nothing better than "splendid sins," deserving God's wrath and condemnation. To suppose that such actions can stand the severity of God's judgment, atone for sin, and merit Heaven-is simply absurd! The only righteousness in which we can appear before God, is the righteousness of another-even the perfect righteousness of our Substitute and Representative, Jesus Christ the Lord. His work, and not our work-is our only title to Heaven. This is a truth which we should be ready to die to maintain!"

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Arthur Pink: "The Gospel addresses men as guilty, condemned, perishing criminals. It declares that the most chaste moralist is in the same terrible plight as is the most voluptuous profligate; and the zealous professor, with all his religious performances, is no better off than the most profane infidel! The Gospel contemplates every person as a fallen, polluted, Hell-deserving and helpless sinner. Salvation by Christ alone, is the sinner's only hope!"

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There lies the sweetness!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"My meditation of Him shall be sweet." Psalm 104:34

"Of Him"-that is, of the Well-Beloved of the Father, of the Well-Beloved of my own soul-of Him who loved me, in whose blood I have washed my robes and made them white.

It is meditation "of Him" that is sweet-not merely of doctrine about Him-but of Him, of Himself. Not merely of His offices, and His work, and all that concerns Him-but of His own dear Self! There lies the sweetness!

The closer we come to His blessed Person, the more truly have we approached the very center of bliss!

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What a superlatively grand and consoling idea!

(John Foster, 1888)

"For to me, to live is Christ-and to die is gain!" Philippians 1:21

What a superlatively grand and consoling idea, is that of DEATH! Without this wondrous hope of death-life would, to my view, darken into midnight melancholy! Oh! the expectation of living always on this sin-cursed earth, would be indeed a prospect of overwhelming despair!

But thanks to God for that fatal decree which dooms us to die!
Thanks to that gospel which opens up the vista of a glorious and endless life!
And thanks, above all, to that Savior-Friend who has promised to conduct all the godly through the sacred trance of death-into scenes of Paradise and everlasting delight!

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!" Revelation 14:13

"You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11

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Infant depravity

(Asahel Nettleton)

"They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one!" Psalm 14:1-3

"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Genesis 6:5

"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood." Genesis 8:21

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5

Those who deny that infants are sinners, have the gigantic task of defending the justice of God in bringing suffering and death upon millions of beings who are perfectly innocent. Those who admit the doctrine of infant depravity, have no difficulty on this subject.

How old must a child be, before he can be said to belong to the human race? When a child dies, how old must he be, before it can be said of him, that his death was the result of sin? In other words, how old must he be, before he can be considered as included in the following declaration of the apostle: "By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin-and so death passed upon all men for all have sinned." Romans 5:12

"Through one transgression, there resulted condemnation to all men." Romans 5:18

"Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath." Ephesians 2:3

Arthur Pink: "This verse speaks of not simply 'children of corruption,' but 'children of wrath'-obnoxious to God, criminals in His sight. Thus 'children of wrath' connotes those who are deserving of wrath, heirs of wrath, fit for it. They are born to wrath, and under it, as their heritage. They are not only defiled and corrupt creatures, but the objects of God's judicial indignation. In consequence of Adam's sin, all of his children are delinquents, warped from the beginning. Their very being is polluted, for evil is bred in them. Their nature is inclined to wickedness only; and if God leaves them to themselves they will never turn from it.
Many have insisted (contrary to the facts of common experience and observation) that children are corrupted by external contact with evil-that they acquire bad habits by imitation of others. We do not deny that environment has a measure of influence. Yet if any baby could be placed in a perfect setting and surrounded only by sinless beings, it would soon be evident that he was corrupt. Had Adam never sinned, neither he nor any of his descendants would have become subject to death. Had not the guilt of Adam's offense been charged to all of his posterity, none would die in infancy."

Thomas Goodwin: "They are children of wrath in the very womb, before they commit any actual sin."

L. Boettner: "In accordance with these verses, we find that even infants, who have no personal sin, nevertheless suffer pain and death. Now the Scriptures uniformly represent suffering and death as the wages of sin. God would be unjust if He executed the penalty of death, on those who are not guilty. Since the penalty falls on infants, they must be guilty; and since they have not personally committed sin, they must, as the Scripture says, be guilty of Adam's sin."

Louis Berkhof: "In virtue of their connection with Adam, all men are born in a sinful state and condition. This state is called original sin and is the inward root of all the actual sins that defile the life of man. This means that the guilt of Adam's sin is imputed to us. Since he sinned as our representative, we are guilty in him. This means that we are therefore by nature liable to sin's punishment-death. All of the descendants of Adam are not only burdened with his guilt, but also inherit moral pollution from him. They are not only deprived of original righteousness, but also have an inherent disposition toward sin. This inherent corruption extends to every part of man's nature. There is in him no spiritual good in relation to God at all, but only moral perversion."

For those who desire further information on this topic, we suggest the following short article by John Piper's ministry: "What Is the Biblical Evidence for Original Sin?"

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Their hearts were devoted to their idols!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their heart!" Ezekiel 14:3

"Their hearts were devoted to their idols!" Ezekiel 20:16

Whatever a man depends upon,
whatever rules his mind,
whatever governs his affections,
whatever is the chief object of his delight
-is his god.

Man is such an idolater that, if he cannot idolize anything else-he will idolize himself, and bow down and worship himself!

If you love anything better than God-you are idolaters.
If there is anything you would not give up for God-it is your idol.
If there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than God-that is your idol.

True conversion is a turning from every idol!
"They tell how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God!" 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"Dear children, keep yourselves from idols!" 1 John 5:21

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Our sins-His mercies!

(Letters of John Newton)

"Where sin abounded-grace did much more abound!" Romans 5:20

March 18, 1767
Dear friend,
You have one hard lesson to learn, that is-the evil of your own heart. You know something of it, but it is needful that you should know more; for the more we know of ourselves-the more we shall prize and love Jesus and His wondrous salvation.
The more you know Him-the better you will trust Him.
The more you trust Him-the better you will love Him.
The more you love Him-the better you will serve Him.
This is God's way. He is teaching you these things, and I trust He will teach you to the end.

Do not be surprised to find yourself to be poor, helpless, and vile. All whom God favors and teaches-will find themselves so. The more grace increases-the more we shall see in ourselves to abase us in our own eyes!

I hope what you find in yourself by daily experience, will humble you-but not discourage you.
For if our Physician is almighty-our disease cannot be desperate.
Our sins are many-but His mercies are more.
Our sins are great-but His righteousness is greater.
When our sins prevail, remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, who is able to pity, to pardon, and to save to the uttermost!

Think of the names and relations which Jesus bears to us. He calls Himself . . .
our Savior,
our Shepherd,
our Friend,
and our Husband!

He has made known unto us . . .
His wondrous love,
His atoning sacrifice,
His righteousness,
His promises,
His power, and
His grace-and all for our encouragement!
It is better to be admiring the compassion and fullness of grace which is in our Savior-than to dwell and pore too much upon our own poverty and vileness.

Remember that He has loved you with an everlasting love-and therefore in loving-kindness has drawn you to Himself. He will surely accomplish that which He has begun. Nothing which can be named or thought of-shall ever be able to separate you from Him!
This persuasion will give you strength for the battle!
This is the shield which will quench the fiery darts of Satan!
This is the helmet which the enemy cannot pierce!
Be strong, therefore, not in yourself-but in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Remember, the growth of a believer is not like a mushroom-but like an oak, which increases slowly-but indeed surely. Many suns, showers, and frosts, pass upon it before it comes to perfection. And in winter, when it seems to be dead-it is gathering strength at the root. Be humble, watchful, and diligent in the means of grace; and endeavor to look through all, and fix your eye upon Jesus-and all shall be well. I commend you to the care of the good Shepherd and Guardian of your souls!

~ ~ ~ ~

A saint abroad, and a devil at home!

(Charles Spurgeon)

The way in which a man lives in his home is vital. It will not do to be a saint abroad, and a devil at home! There are some of that kind. They are wonderfully sweet at church, but they are dreadfully sour to their wives and children. This will never do! Every genuine believer should say and mean it: "I will be careful to lead a blameless life . . . I will walk in my house with blameless heart." Psalm 101:2

It is in the home that we get the truest proof of godliness.

"What sort of a man is he?" said one to George Whitefield, and Whitefield answered, "I cannot say, for I have never lived with him."

The best way to test what a man really is, is to live with him.

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:1-2

    ~ ~ ~ ~

We would wreck everything!

"My times are in Your hands!" Psalm 31:15

(Charles Spurgeon)
Not only are we ourselves in the hand of the Lord, but all that surrounds us. Our times make up a kind of atmosphere of existence; and all this is under Divine arrangement. We dwell within the palm of God's hand. We are absolutely at His disposal, and all our circumstances are arranged by Him in all their details. We are comforted to have it so.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(J.R. Miller)
Not only does God love us and desire our good-but His wisdom is infinite. He knows what is best for us-what things will do us the good we need. We ourselves do not know. The things we think would bring us blessing-perhaps would bring us irreparable harm! The things we dread as evil, and shrink from-perhaps are the bearers to us of divinest good! We would make pitiful work of our lives-if we had the ordering of our affairs in our own hands. If for but one day we could take matters into our own hands, and out of God's hands-we would wreck everything!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Susannah Spurgeon)
Why then, need I worry or tremble? That great, loving, powerful hand keeps all the events of my life sealed and secure within its almighty clasp! If we fully believed this, we would be absolutely devoid of the worry which corrodes and chafes the daily life of so many professing Christians.

"My times." Not one or two important epochs of my history only, but everything that concerns me-all these lay in that mighty hand-as the purposes of God's eternal will for me.

You agree with me in all this, do you not, dear reader? Then, I beg you, apply it to your present circumstances, however dark or difficult they may be. They have come directly from your Father's hand to you, and they are His dear will for you!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

"My times are in Your hands!" Psalm 31:15

It would be a sorry thing for me if my times were in my own hands-and it would afford me little satisfaction if my times were in an angel's hands. How restful should I be in knowing that they are in God my Savior's hands!
He sees the end from the beginning.
He knows how to apportion my sorrows and my joys.
He knows what to give-and what to withhold.
He knows also when to give-and when to take away.

But, alas! how often is my heart mistrustful-how often have I murmured under the trying dispensations of His providence! O my soul, be ashamed and confounded-be humbled in the dust that you should ever call in question the wisdom or kindness of the dealings of Him who so loved you as to give His only Son for your redemption!

Help me, O God of my salvation, henceforth, with childlike confidence and peaceful trust-to yield all to You, and to rejoice in the assurance that "My times are in Your hand!"

"My times are in Your hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear!"

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Afflictions!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous." Psalm 34:19

"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives!" Hebrews 12:6

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Health is the greatest temporal blessing that God ever sends us-besides sickness, which is far better.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty.
Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles-they believe . . .
   that Sovereignty has ordained all their afflictions,
   that Sovereignty overrules them, and
   that Sovereignty will sanctify them all.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had, have turned out to be my best days. And when God has seemed most cruel to me, He has then been most kind. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else-it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things, the richest tenderest love has been manifested to me. Our Father's wagons rumble most heavily, when they are bringing us the richest freight of the bullion of His grace.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Love letters from Heaven are often sent in black-edged envelopes!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

I have got more good out of my afflictions, than out of all my prosperity! I would not be without a cross for all the world!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

I have learned to kiss the stormy waves which throw me up against the Rock of Ages!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who dive in the sea of affliction-bring up rare pearls!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord gets His best soldiers, out of the highlands of affliction.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The tears of affliction, are often needed to keep the eye of faith bright.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The best remedy for affliction, is submitting to God's providence.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

To be one of the Lord's saved ones-is joy enough to bear up the heart under every affliction!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The discerning of the hand of God in all our afflictions, is a sweet lesson in the school of experience.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

What can't be cured, must be endured!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

As for any affliction that you ever can have to endure on earth, it is not merely light, it is absolutely unworthy of mention in comparison with the eternal woe that is the portion of the lost!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The furnace of affliction is a good place for you, Christian.
It benefits you-it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for Heaven.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Our trials and troubles, afflictions and adversities-are among the best medicines of our Great Physician.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering is better than sinning. There is more evil in a drop of sin-than in an ocean of affliction!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Some day you will thank God for all your afflictions.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The most sympathizing, loving and Christlike-are generally those who have the most affliction.
The worse thing that can happen to any of us, is to have our path made too smooth.
One of the greatest blessings the Lord ever gives us, is a cross.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me-to think . . .
   that I have an affliction which God never sent me,
   that the bitter cup was never filled by His hand,
   that my trials were never measured out by Him, nor
   sent to me by His arrangement of their weight and quantity.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble. They must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction-otherwise we shall not truly receive them.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart, upon the black horse of affliction!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed affliction it is-which leads us to a Savior's love!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions may come distinctly from man, as the result of persecution or malice-and yet they come with even greater certainty from the Lord, and are the necessary outcome of His special love to us.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Many believers think that their afflictions were punishments sent from God on account of their sins. The thing is impossible! God has punished us, who are His people, once and for all in Christ-and He will never punish us again! He cannot do it, seeing He is a just God. Afflictions are chastisements from a Father's hand-they are not judicial punishments!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

I would never have known the Savior's love half as much-if I had never been in the storms of affliction.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is sometimes in the furnace of affliction. The fire will soon be over when he can say, "May the Lord's will be done." It is a sign that the dross has gone, when you can see the image of the Refiner in it-when the heart reflects the face of God and says, "Not as I will, but as You will."

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Very few of Christians will fully ripen without affliction. The vine produces little fruit-unless it makes acquaintance with the knife, and is sternly pruned.

   ~ ~ ~ ~

The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions become the black velvet on which the diamond of God's love glitters all the more brightly!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven shall make amends for all!

~ ~ ~ ~

Short pithy gems from Elizabeth Prentiss (1818–1878)

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The longer I live, the more conscious I am of my human frailty-and of the constant, overwhelming need I have of God's grace.

~ ~ ~ ~

The thorny path bears some of the sweetest flowers that adorn life.
When with naked, bleeding feet we walk upon a flinty soil-we often find diamonds!

~ ~ ~ ~

If the loss of your earthly fortune gains Christ for you-it will be a beautiful loss.

~ ~ ~ ~

Dying grace is not usually given until it is needed. Death, to the disciple of Jesus, is only stepping from one room to another and far better room of our Father's house. And how little will all the sorrows of our earthly pilgrimage seem to us, when we get to our home above!

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You never will be really happy-until Christ becomes your dearest and most intimate friend.

~ ~ ~ ~

Seek Jesus-not joy!

~ ~ ~ ~

What does it matter, after all, from what point of time or space, that we go to our eternal home.
O how we shall smile after we get there-that we ever gave it one moment's thought.

~ ~ ~ ~

In proportion to our devotion to the Savior-will be the blessedness of our life.

~ ~ ~ ~

The more we love Him-the more we see how sinful sin is, and the more sorry we are to have been guilty of it.

~ ~ ~ ~

It is sweet to be in the sunshine of the Master's smile-but I believe our souls need winter, as well as summer.

~ ~ ~ ~

I have lived to see that God never was so good to me-as when He seemed most severe.

~ ~ ~ ~

To love Christ more is my deepest need, and the constant cry of my soul!

~ ~ ~ ~

I am a wayward, foolish child-but He loves me!
I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand times-but He loves me!
I have lost faith in some of my dearest friends and am very desolate-but He loves me!
I do not love Him much-but He loves me!

~ ~ ~ ~

If a glimpse of our Savior here on earth can be so refreshing and delightful-then what will Heaven be?

~ ~ ~ ~

Lay down this principle as a law: God does nothing arbitrary. If He takes away your health, for instance, it is because He has some reason for doing so. This is true of everything you value, and if you have real faith in Him, you will not insist on knowing this reason.

~ ~ ~ ~

All your tears will soon be wiped away. You will see the King in His beauty. You will see Christ your Redeemer, and realize all He is, and all He has done for you. As I think of these things my soul is in haste to be gone!

~ ~ ~ ~

Those words, "daily nearer God," have an inexpressible charm for me. I long for such nearness to Him that all other objects shall fade into comparative insignificance.

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I believe that there is no happiness on earth, to be compared with that of losing all things to possess Christ!

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Choice pithy sayings of William Tiptaft (1803-1864)

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Many who died last year are in Hell, who never committed half the sins some of you have!

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It is of God's grace, if we differ from the mirthful and foolish multitude around us.

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The world, in its various shapes-is Christ's great enemy!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

"God knows best!" and "May Your will be done!" are hard lessons to learn!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If you were to go about telling people that you had an inheritance worth a million worlds, and yet were out of temper for a trifle-they would not believe you.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

We come into the world crying,
we go through it complaining,
and we go out of it groaning!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

O Lord, deliver us from everything that may entangle our affections and harden our hearts.
Grant that we may hold the world with a loose hand.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If I love money more than Christ-then woe is me!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Pride and covetousness cling very close to us-they influence us more than we can imagine.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If rich men only knew when they died, how . . .
their relatives would scramble for their money,
the worms would scramble for their bodies, and
the devil would scramble for their souls,
they would not be so anxious to save money!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a bad sign when a minister has the smiles of worldly professors.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

O Lord, keep our hearts, keep our eyes, keep our feet, and keep our tongues.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, teach us more what we are by nature-and what we are by grace.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If the way to Heaven is so narrow, and so few find it-then what will become of those who never seek it?

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Are you ready to shake hands with death?

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever esteemed it a mercy-that you are out of Hell?

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Let worldly minds the world pursue,
It has no charms for me;
Once I admired its trifles too,
But grace has set me free!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

I have no stone to cast at the vilest of the vile.
It is all of grace that I am made to differ!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Some have a clear knowledge of the doctrines-but are evidently void of saving grace.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Has your religion cost you anything?
If it has cost you nothing, it is worth nothing.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever experienced the new birth?
If not, dying in your present state-to Hell you must go.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, look upon those who mourn in Zion-put their tears into Your bottle, and listen to their sighs and groans.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Six feet by two-and-a-half, is all the ground that the richest man in England will shortly occupy.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Lord finds His rod-His people find their knees.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If not washed in Christ's blood and clothed in His righteousness-then no Heaven for you, no Heaven for me.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

How awful to die out of Christ!
How blessed to die in Christ!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

The least work of grace in the heart is worth a thousand worlds!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

The cross is not to be escaped-if we are to enter into glory.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have one grain of grace-you must die to know how rich you are!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot touch pitch and not be defiled.
Sin is of a defiling nature.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Sinning will stop praying-or praying will stop sinning.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing worth living for in this vain world.
Vanity is stamped upon all created good.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Show me a man's books and show me a man's companions-and I will tell you what sort of a man he is.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Children take more notice of what their parents do, than what they say. Actions speak louder than words.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot jump out of Delilah's lap-into Abraham's bosom!

    ~ ~ ~ ~

Dead fish go with the stream-living ones go against it.

    ~ ~ ~ ~

O what a narrow way is that which leads to eternal life!