Grace Gems for DECEMBER 2023
Desiring God!
(Thomas Watson, "The Lord's Prayer") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Whom have I in Heaven but You?
And earth has nothing I desire besides You!" Psalm 73:25
We may know the kingdom of grace is set up in our hearts, by having true desires after God. By the beating of this pulse, we conclude there is life.
A true desire after God is sincere. We desire God for Himself, for His intrinsic excellencies. The savor of the ointment of Christ's graces draws the virgins' desires after Him. Canticles 1:3. A true saint desires Him not only for what God has, but for what He is; not only for His rewards, but for His holiness. No hypocrite can thus desire God. He may desire God for His jewels, but not for His beauty!
A true desire after God is insatiable. It cannot be satisfied without God; let the world heap her honors and riches, they will not satisfy. No flowers or music will content him who is thirsty. Just so, nothing will quench the soul's thirst, but the blood of Christ! He faints away, his heart breaks with longing for God. Psalm 84:2; Psalm 119:20
A true desire after God is active. It flourishes into endeavor. "With my soul have I desired you in the night—yes, with my spirit within me will I seek You early." Isaiah 26:9. A soul that desires aright says,
"I must have Christ!
I must have grace!
I must have Heaven, though I take it by storm!"
A true desire after God is supreme. We desire Christ, not only more than the world, but more than Heaven! "Whom have I in Heaven but You?" Psalm 73:25. Heaven itself would not satisfy, without Christ. Christ is the diamond in the ring of glory!
A true desire after God is increasing. A little of God will not satisfy, but the pious soul desires still more. A drop of water is not enough for the thirsty traveler. Though a Christian is thankful for the least degree of grace—yet he is not satisfied with the greatest degree of grace. He still thirsts for more of Christ, and His Spirit. A saint would have more knowledge, more sanctity, more of Christ's presence. A glimpse of Christ through the lattice of an ordinance is sweet; but the soul will never stop longing, until it sees Him face to face! It desires to have grace perfected in glory! It desires to be wholly plunged into the sweetness of God. We would be swallowed up in God, and be forever bathing ourselves in those perfumed waters of pleasure which run at His right hand!
Surely this sincere desire after God is a blessed sign that the kingdom of grace has come into our hearts. The beating of this pulse shows life! Desires for God—are from God. If iron moves upwards contrary to its nature—it is a sign some magnet has been drawing it. Just so, if the soul moves towards God in sincere desires—it is a sign the magnet of the Spirit has been drawing it!
"He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him." Psalm 145:19~ ~ ~ ~
How did those swine run!
(Thomas Watson, "The Ten Commandments") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil's trap, having been captured by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:26
Men naturally are enslaved to Satan. Satan is called the prince of this world (John 14:30); and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4); because he has power to command and enslave his dupes. Though he shall one day be a fellow prisoner in chains—yet now he insults and tyrannizes over the souls of men. Sinners are under his rule, he exercises a jurisdiction over them. He fills men's heads with error, and their hearts with malice! "Why has Satan filled your heart?" Act 5:3. A sinner's heart is the devil's mansion house. "I will return into my house." Matthew 12:44
Satan is a comprehensive tyrant.
He rules men's minds, he blinds them with ignorance. "The God of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not." 2 Corinthians 4:4
He rules their memories. They remember that which is evil, and forget that which is good. Their memories are like a strainer, which lets go all the pure, and retains only the dregs.
He rules their wills. Though he cannot force the will, he draws it. "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father, you will do." John 8:44.
He has control over their hearts, and they willingly obey him. His strong temptations draw men to evil, more than all the promises of God can draw them to good.
This is the state of every man by nature: the devil has him in his power! A sinner grinds in the devil's mill! He is at the command of Satan, as the donkey is at the command of the driver.
How did those swine run, when the devil entered into them! "They entered the swine, and suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water!" Matthew 8:32
It is a dreadful and dismal case, to be under the power and tyranny of Satan! He wholly possesses them. If people should see their pets bewitched and possessed by the devil, they would be much troubled; and yet, though their souls are possessed by Satan, they are not sensible of it! What can be worse, than for men to be in bondage to the devil, and him hurry them on in their lusts, to perdition! Yet they are willingly enslaved to Satan! They love their gawler!
What an infinite mercy it is, when God brings poor souls out of this house of bondage, when He gives them a deliverance from the prince of darkness.
As David rescued a lamb out of the lion's mouth—so Christ rescues souls out of the mouth of the roaring lion! Oh, what a mercy it is, to be turned "from the power of Satan, unto God." (Acts 26:18) to be brought out of the house of bondage, from being Satan's captives—to be made subjects of the Prince of Peace!~ ~ ~ ~
A beast with a man's head!
(Thomas Watson, "A Divine Cordial" 1663) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Love to God is an expansion of soul, or the inflaming of the affections, by which a Christian breathes after God as the supreme and sovereign good. "There is nothing on earth that I desire beside You!" Psalm 73:25
The Christian loves God above all other objects. God is the quintessence of all good things—He is superlatively good. The soul admiring in Him that constellation of all excellencies, is carried out in love to Him in the highest degree. God, who is the chief of our happiness, must have the chief of our affections.
The creature may have the milk of our love—but God must have the cream! Though some drops of love may run to our kindred and friends—yet the full torrent must run out after Christ. Relations may lie on the bosom—but Christ must lie in the heart!
We set a high value upon God as being the most sublime and infinite good. We so esteem God, as that if we have Him, we do not care though we lack all other things. The stars vanish, when the sun appears. All creatures vanish in our thoughts, when the Sun of righteousness shines in His full splendor. The soul that loves God, rejoices in Him as in his treasure, and rests in Him as his center. The heart is so set upon God—that it desires no more!
We must love God more for what He is (His intrinsic excellencies), than for what He bestows. True love is not mercenary. You need not hire a mother to love her child. Just so, a soul deeply in love with God needs not be hired by rewards. It cannot but love Him, for that luster of beauty which sparkles forth in Him!
Despisers and haters of God, have no lot or part in this privilege. It is children's bread—it belongs only to those who love God. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God," Romans 8:28
This is a sharp reproof to those who do not love God—to such as have not a grain of love to God in their hearts; and are there such reprobates alive? He who does not love God, is a beast with a man's head!
Oh wretch! Do you live upon God's bounty every day—yet not love Him! These are monsters in nature—devils in the shape of men!
Let them read their doom: "If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed!" 1 Corinthians 16:22
How can he expect love from God, who shows no love to Him?
Will God ever lay such a viper in His bosom, as casts forth the poison of malice and enmity against Him?~ ~ ~ ~
God sees through these fig-leaves!
(Thomas Watson, "Body of Divinity") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes!" Jeremiah 16:17
If God is a God of infinite knowledge, then see the folly of hypocrisy. Hypocrites carry it fair with men, but care not how bad their hearts are—they live in secret sin. They say,
"How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
"What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness?"
"God has forgotten, He hides His face—He will never see it!"
But "His understanding is infinite!"
He has a window to look into men's hearts!
He has a key to open up the heart.
"Your Father who sees in secret."
God sees in secret.
As a merchant enters debts in his book—so God has His debt-book in which He enters every sin!
The hypocrite thinks to disguise and juggle with God, but God will unmask him. "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing." "For they have done outrageous things . . . I know it and am a witness to it, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:23
The hypocrite hopes he shall color over his sin, and make it look very good.
Absalom masks over his treason with the pretense of a religious vow.
Judas cloaks his covetousness, with the pretense of "charity to the poor."
Jehu makes religion a cloak for his selfish design.
But God sees through these fig-leaves!
He who has an eye to see, will find a hand to punish!
Since God is infinite in knowledge, we should always feel as under His omniscient eye. "I have set the Lord always before me." The consideration of God's omniscience would be preventive of much sin. The eye of man will restrain from sin; and will not God's eyes much more?
"Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes? the king roared." Esther 7:8. Will we sin when our Judge looks on?
Would men speak so vainly, if they considered God overheard them? What care would people have of their words—if they remembered that God heard, and His pen was writing everything down in Heaven?
Would they commit immorality—if they believed God was a spectator of their wickedness, and would punish them in Hell for it?
Would they defraud in their dealings, and use false weights—if they knew God saw them; and for making their weights lighter, would make their damnation heavier?
Is God omniscient, and His eye chiefly upon the heart? Then be sincere—be what you seem! "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
Men judge the heart, by the actions.
God judges the actions, by the heart!~ ~ ~ ~
The scars of the saints!
(Thomas Watson, "A Treatise Concerning Meditation") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.
Not many of you were wise by human standards;
not many were influential;
not many were of noble birth."
1 Corinthians 1:26
Meditate on the sovereignty of Christ's love!
In the old law, God passed by the noble lion and the eagle—and took the dove for sacrifice. That God should pass by so many of noble birth and abilities; and that the lot of free grace should fall upon me—O the depth of divine grace!
How invincible is the love of Christ!
"It is strong as death!" Song of Solomon 8:6.
Death might take away Christ's life, but not His love!
Neither can our sin wholly quench that divine flame of love.
The church had her infirmities, her sleepy fits, Song of Solomon 5:2, but though blacked and sullied, yet she is still Christ's dove. Christ could see the faith, and wink at the failing.
He who painted Alexander, drew him with his finger over the scar on his face. Just so, Christ puts the finger of mercy over the scars of the saints! He will not throw away His pearls for every speck of dirt! That which makes this love of Christ the more stupendous, is that there was nothing in us to excite or draw forth His love! He did not love us because we were worthy—but by loving us, He made us worthy!
Serious meditation on the love of Christ, would make us love Him in return. Who can tread by meditation upon these hot coals of Christ's love—and his heart not burn in love to Him?
Meditation on Christ's love, would set our eyes abroach with tears!
O that we should sin against so sweet a Savior!
Had we none to abuse, but our best Friend?
Must we give Him more gall and vinegar to drink?
O, if anything can dissolve the heart into mourning—it is the unkindnesses we give to Christ! When Peter thought of Christ's love to him, this made his eyes to water! "Peter went out and wept bitterly."~ ~ ~ ~
The casting of dice!
(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not lean unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; and He shall direct your paths!" Proverbs 3:5-6
"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Our trust in God must be universal—that is, in all things. "In all our ways we must acknowledge Him;" not only in those ways which seem to be of greater importance, but in all things without exception. It is not in the rise and fall of empires alone, that God's hand is to be viewed, but in the falling of a sparrow, or in any event equally trivial.
We are apt to consider some things as important, and others as unimportant. But the truth is, that in God's sight nothing is important (except as it may advance His glory;) nor is there anything unimportant, as it relates to us.
Many things which in their effects and consequences have been of the greatest imaginable importance, may in their origin be traced to the slightest possible fluke! If we look into the book of Esther, we shall see this observation confirmed in its utmost extent.
Nor is God to be acknowledged only in those events which would be deemed small, but in those also which are, as we call them, accidental. The casting of dice appears to depend totally on chance, but the Lord determines how they fall! Proverbs 16:33
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered!" Matthew 10:29-30
In everything therefore, whether great or small, painful or pleasant, planned or incidental—God must be acknowledged as having sent it, if past; and as having the entire disposal of it, if future.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps!" Proverbs 16:9
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails!" Proverbs 19:21
"A man's steps are directed by the Lord." Proverbs 20:24~ ~ ~ ~
What is Heaven?
(Octavius Winslow) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Beloved, what is Heaven? What is the final glory of the saints?
It is the best place—the richest inheritance provided by the Father for the people ransomed and redeemed by the precious blood of His dear Son! And when we enter there, we shall enter as children welcomed to a Father's home! It will be the best that God can give us! He will bestow upon us who deserved the least—the best in His power to bestow:
the best Savior,
the best robe,
the best banquet,
the best inheritance.
In Heaven, there will be . . .
nothing more to taint,
nothing more to sully,
nothing more to embitter,
nothing more to wound,
no serpent to beguile,
no Eve to ensnare,
no spoiler to destroy,
no sin to defile,
no adversity to sadden,
no misunderstanding to alienate,
no tongue to defame,
no suspicion to chill,
no tear,
no sickness,
no death,
no parting.
It will be the best part of the pure, radiant, glorified universe which God will assign to His redeemed people!
Let the prospect cheer, sanctify and comfort you! It will not be long that you are to labor and battle here on earth. It is but a little while that you are to occupy your present sphere of conflict, of trial, and of sorrow. The time is coming—oh, how fast it speeds! Soon the Lord Jesus Christ will bring you home to Heaven!
"In My Father's house are many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me—that you also may be where I am!" John 14:2-3~ ~ ~ ~
The best physician!
(Thomas Watson) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Christ is the best physician!
Christ is the most skillful physician.
There is no disease too hard for Him. Psalm 103:3, "He who heals all your diseases." He can cure the gangrene of sin, even when it comes to the heart. He can melt a heart of stone, and wash away black sins in the crimson of His blood! There are no desperate cases with Christ. He has those salves, oils, and balsams which can cure the worst diseases.
Christ is the cheapest physician.
Sickness is not only a consumption to the body, but the purse! Luke 8:43. Physicians charge fees, but Jesus Christ gives His medicine freely—He takes no fee. Isaiah 55:1, "Come without money and without price!" He desires us to bring nothing to Him but broken hearts. And when He has cured us, He desires us to bestow nothing upon Him but our love—and one would think that was very reasonable.
Christ heals with more ease than any other.
Other physicians apply pills, potions or remedies. Christ cures with more ease. Christ makes the devil go out with a spoken word, Mark 9:25. So when the soul is spiritually possessed, Christ can heal with a word—nay, He can cure with a look! When Peter had fallen into a relapse, Christ looked on Peter, and he wept. Christ's look melted Peter into repentance—it was a healing look.
Other physicians can only cure those who are sick, but Christ cures those who are dead!
Ephesians 2:1, "You He has quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
Christ cures not only our diseases, but our deformities!
The physician can make the sick man well; but if he is deformed, he cannot make him lovely.
Christ gives not only health, but beauty.
Sin has made us ugly and misshapen.
Christ's medicines do not only take away our sickness, but our spots.
He not only makes us whole, but lovely.
Christ not only heals, but adorns.
Last, Christ is the most bountiful physician!
Other patients enrich their physicians, but here the Physician enriches the patient!
Christ advances all His patients.
He not only cures them, but crowns them! Revelation 2:10
Christ does not only raise them from the sick-bed, but to the throne!
He gives the sick man not only health, but also Heaven!
Oh, the love of this heavenly Physician! Christ Himself drank that bitter cup which we should have drunk; and by His taking the bitter potion—we are healed and saved! Thus Christ has shown more love than any physician ever did to the patient.~ ~ ~ ~
Your poor, silly sheep
(Octavius Winslow, "Daily Need Divinely Supplied" 1870)
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"The Lord is my Shepherd . . . He restores my soul." Psalm 23:1, 3
It is not the least important duty of the Shepherd to go in quest of the stray ones of the flock—the fickle sheep wandering from the fold.
The spiritual history of the believer is a history . . .
of declension—and revival,
of departure—and return,
of his backsliding—and of the Savior's restoring.
The regenerate soul is bent upon backsliding from the Lord. The sun does not more naturally decline, than does the believing heart wander from God.
"O Lord, how many and hidden are my soul's departures from You—You only know! How often my love chills, my faith droops, my zeal flags, and I grow weary, and am ready to halt in Your service. Mine is a sinful, roving heart—as fickle to You as the changing wind; as false to my vows as a broken bow. But You, O Lord, are my Shepherd, and You restore my soul. Pitying my infirmity, knowing my wanderings, and tracking all my steps—You recover, heal, and pardon Your poor, silly sheep, prone to leave Your wounded, sheltering side in quest of that which can be found in Yourself alone."
Oh, the love of Jesus in . . .
curbing our waywardness,
checking our wanderings,
arresting, healing, and restoring our souls!
He never forsakes His people, though they forsake Him times without number. How can He turn His back upon one bought with His sufferings, groans, and tears? How can He forsake the work of grace wrought in the soul by His Spirit? He may withdraw Himself for a time, gently to awaken us from our slothfulness and slumber—yet He returns again, and our lips gratefully sing, "He restores my soul!"
"I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood!
O to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee!
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above!
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood-washed linen
How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace!
Robert Robinson~ ~ ~ ~
The curtain-sinner!
(Thomas Watson, "The Godly Man's Picture Drawn with a Scripture Pencil)
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A godly man does not indulge himself in any sin.
Though sin lives in him, yet he does not live in sin. A godly man may step into sin through infirmity, but he does not keep on that road.
What is it to indulge sin?
To indulge sin is to give the breast to it and feed it.
To indulge sin is to commit it with delight.
The ungodly "delight in wickedness." 2 Thessalonians 2:12
In this sense, a godly man does not indulge sin.
Though sin is in him, he is troubled at it and would gladly get rid of it.
There is as much difference between sin in the wicked, and sin in the godly—as between poison being in a serpent, and poison being in a man.
Poison in a serpent is in its natural place, and is delightful.
But poison in a man's body is harmful, and he uses antidotes to expel it.
So sin in a wicked man is delightful, being in its natural place.
But sin in a child of God is burdensome, and he uses all means to expel it.
A godly man will not allow himself in secret sins. Some are more modest than to commit open gross sin—that would be a stain on their reputation. All will not sin on a balcony—but perhaps they will sin behind the curtain!
But a godly man dare not sin secretly, for he knows that God can neither be deceived by our subtlety, nor excluded by our secrecy. He knows that secret sins are in some sense worse than others. They reveal more deceit and atheism! "God knows the secrets of every heart!" Psalm 44:21
But the curtain-sinner thinks that God does not see: "Have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying: The Lord doesn't see us!" Ezekiel 8:12. How it provokes God, that men's atheism should give the lie to His omniscience! "He who formed the eye, shall He not see?" Psalm 94:9
A godly man knows that secret sins shall not escape God's justice. A judge on the bench cannot punish the treason of the heart. But the sins of the heart are as visible to God, as if they were written upon the forehead! As God will reward secret duties—so He will revenge secret sins!
A godly man enters his protest against sin: "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?" Romans 7:24. A child of God, while he commits sin—hates the sin he commits!~ ~ ~ ~
The Bible!
LISTEN to Audio! This gem is a MUST listen!
The Bible contains . . .
the mind of God,
the state of man,
the way of salvation,
the doom of sinners,
and the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding,
its stories are true,
and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
and practice it to be holy.
It contains . . .
light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.
It is . . .
the traveler's map,
the pilgrim's staff,
the pilot's compass,
the soldier's sword,
and the Christian's charter.
Here . . .
Paradise is restored,
Heaven opened and
the gates of Hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand subject,
our good the design, and
the glory of God its end.
It should . . .
fill the memory,
rule the heart,
and guide the feet.
Read it . . .
slowly,
frequently,
and prayerfully.
It is . . .
a mine of wealth,
health to the soul,
and a river of pleasure!
It . . .
involves the highest responsibility,
will reward the greatest labor,
and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents!
(author unknown)
"Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in Heaven!" Psalm 119:89
"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe!" 1 Thessalonians 2:13~ ~ ~ ~
Every minuscule circumstance is ordered by the Lord, and forms a link in the chain of His unerring providence!
(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered!" Matthew 10:29-30
Many events appear to us as accidental and trifling. But the truth is, that not one is accidental, not one is trifling! Every minuscule circumstance is ordered by the Lord, and forms a link in the chain of His unerring providence! Not a hair of our head falls, but by His appointment! It remains our duty to mark His providential dealings with care, and improve them with diligence.
Let any whose minds have been opened to spiritual realities, and whose souls have been liberated from spiritual bondage, look back and see the way by which they have been brought to the obtaining of these marvelous mercies; and they shall find such a mysterious chain of causes and effects as will furnish them with matter of astonishment to all eternity! Wonderful are the ways whereby God accomplishes His own eternal counsels!
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!" Romans 11:33~ ~ ~ ~
Theaters
(F.W. Krummacher, 1796-1868) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them," says the Lord. "Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you." 2 Corinthians 6:17
There are some things which are inconsistent with Christian character. What are the theaters, as they are now-a-days conducted, but the rallying points of every kind of worldly delusion and falsehood, where sin itself is glorified.
What are they, but . . .
the propaganda of self-deception, pride and vanity;
temples dedicated to sensuality;
decoys of Satan, beset with snares;
places from where everything really holy is derided; or at best, desecrated and depreciated.
The reigning spirit of such places is frivolity, materialism, and unbelief.
Participation in the pleasures of the unenlightened world proceeds from a carnal inclination, and a secret attachment to the pleasures of sin!
Can a Christian be in his place at such resorts?
Away with that insipid Christianity of modern times, which is made compatible with all things; that covertly returns to the world for the enjoyment of every fleshly gratification!
"Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes!" Revelation 18:4-5~ ~ ~ ~
The inexhaustible treasures of His grace!
(Octavius Winslow, "The God of Grace") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
Bring your perplexities to God, and He will guide them.
Bring your needs to God, and He will supply them.
Bring your mountains to God, and He will level them.
Bring your sins to God, and He will forgive them.
Bring your sorrows, trials, and temptations to God—and He will sustain you under, and will bring you through them; to the praise and glory of His great Name, as the "God of all grace."
Your supplies may be exhausted, but not His fullness.
Your need may press, but there is no pressure on His sufficiency.
Your power may be limited, but His is illimitable.
Your grace may be shallow, but His is fathomless.
And you may ask, "From where will my next supply come?" while, at the moment that the anxious question is trembling upon your lip—the supply that is to silence it is laid up in the inexhaustible treasures of His grace, and will be sent just at the moment that will awaken in you the sweetest song, and yield to Him the richest glory!
"The LORD is my Shepherd; I have all that I need!" Psalm 23:1~ ~ ~ ~
The flame of vainglory!
(Thomas Reade, "Christian Meditations") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart!" 1 Samuel 16:7
"On the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness!" Matthew 23:28
It is comparatively easy to live in the form of godliness:
to attend the service of the sanctuary,
to pray in private and in the family,
to read the Scriptures,
to associate with religious people,
to talk about religion, and
to give alms to the poor.
These duties can be performed, yet the heart may not be right with God.
Experience affords abundant proof, that all this may be done . . .
from a principle of self righteousness;
from a principle of vainglory;
from a desire to be seen of men,
and to obtain a name.
To ascertain my real character, I must look into the heart. Do I labor to perform these outward duties with a single eye to the favor and glory of God?
The flame of vainglory, which is kindled by the pride of fallen nature—is fanned and increased by the suggestions of Satan, and kept alive by the praises of men.
Oh! how difficult it is to keep down this unhallowed fire! Even when we think it is quenched, it is still smoldering beneath the embers—ready to burst forth at the least blast of Satan's temptations!~ ~ ~ ~
Low views of yourself
(Octavius Winslow, "Evening Thoughts") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
What are you to yourself?
Worthless?
Vile?
Empty?What is Jesus to you?
Precious?
Lovely?
All your salvation?
All your desire?What is sin to you?
The most hateful thing in the world?What is holiness to you?
Most lovely?
Most longed for?What is the throne of grace to you?
The most attractive spot?What is the cross to you?
The sweetest resting place in the universe?What is God to you?
Your God?
Your Father?
The spring of all your joys?
The fountainhead of all your bliss?
The center where your affections meet?Is it so? Then you are a child of God!
Those low views of yourself . . . .
that brokenness,
that inward mourning,
that secret confession,
that longing for . . .
more spirituality,
more grace,
more devotedness,
more love—
does but prove the existence, reality, and growth of God's work within you!Cheer up, precious soul!
That soul never perished, that felt itself to be vile and Jesus to be precious!
~ ~ ~ ~
A more vile and unlovely thing!
(Octavius Winslow, "Midnight Harmonies") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked!" Jeremiah 17:9
There exists not upon earth a more vile and unlovely thing, in the self searching view of the true believer, than his own heart!
From every other human eye that bosom is deeply, impenetrably veiled. All that is within is known only to itself. What those chambers of abomination are—God will not permit another creature to know!
But oh, how dark, how loathsome, how unholy to him "who knows the plague of his own heart!"
Believer! Jesus loves that heart of yours!
He purchased it with His own . . .
heart's blood,
agonies,
and tears!
With all its indwelling evil and self-loathing, God . . .
sees its struggles,
watches its conflict,
and marks its sincerity.
He has His finger upon its pulse—He feels every beat, records every throb.
Not a feeling thrills it,
not an emotion agitates it,
not a sorrow shades it,
not a sin wounds it,
not a thought passes through it
—of which He is not cognizant!
"God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:8~ ~ ~ ~
Wars, pestilences, earthquakes!
(Charles Spurgeon, "Now, and Then") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror,
but then we will see everything with perfect clarity."
1 Corinthians 13:12
When we get to Heaven, we shall understand the reasons of many of God's Providential dealings.
We shall there discover that . . .
wars that devastated nations,
and pestilences that fill graves,
and earthquakes that make cities tremble,
are, after all, necessary cogs in the great wheel of the divine machinery; and He who sits upon the throne at this moment, and rules supremely every creature that is either in Heaven, or earth, or Hell—will there make it manifest to us that His government was right.
It must come out right in the long run; it must be well. Every part and portion must work together with a unity of design to promote God's glory and the saint's good. We shall see it then! And we shall lift up our song with new zest and joy, as fresh displays of the wisdom and goodness of God, whose ways are past finding out, are unfolded to our admiring view.
"Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror,
but then we will see everything with perfect clarity."
1 Corinthians 13:12~ ~ ~ ~
It entwines him with its deadly windings!
(William Sprague, "Lectures to Young People") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"So that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness!" Hebrews 3:13
How insidious is sin! People are beguiled by sin, and do not think of the danger until it is too late to avert it!
From small and almost imperceptible beginnings, sin gradually makes its way, until it reduces the whole person to its mastery, and brings into captivity every affection and faculty of the soul!
Sin first throws out the bait of 'pleasure' and then flatters its victim onto forbidden ground. Then it makes him the willing captive of temptation. Sin does not give up until its dupe is fast bound in the chains of eternal death!
Sin, in its very nature, is deceitful. It is a stranger to all open and honest dealings. Its very element is the region of . . .
false appearances,
lying promises,
and fatal snares!
When sin shows itself to its unwary victim, it puts on a smiling countenance, and makes fair pretentions, and takes care to conceal its hideous features, until, like a serpent, it entwines him with its deadly windings, and renders his escape impossible, and consigns his soul to destruction!~ ~ ~ ~
A worldly spirit
(Hannah More, "Practical Piety" 1811) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Do not consider a worldly spirit . . .
as a little infirmity;
as a natural, and therefore a pardonable weakness;
as a trifling error, which will be overlooked for the sake of our many good qualities.
A worldly spirit is, in fact . . .
the essence of our other faults,
the temper that stands between us and our salvation,
the spirit which is in direct opposition to the Spirit of God.
Individual sins may more easily be cured, but a worldly spirit is the principle of all spiritual disease.
A worldly spirit, where it is rooted and cherished, runs through the whole character, insinuates itself in all we say, and think, and do. It is this which makes us . . .
so dead in religion,
so averse to spiritual things,
so forgetful of God,
so unmindful of eternity!
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever!" 1 John 2:15-17
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world, becomes an enemy of God!" James 4:4~ ~ ~ ~
The wretched worm of the earth!
(Thomas Reade, "The Evil of Pride") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"God resists the proud." James 4:6
Pride rules and governs the hearts of natural men! It is continually in operation.
Pride militates against the soul-humbling doctrines of the Gospel. Salvation by grace, through faith in the blood of Christ—is most offensive to the pride of the natural man.
The idea of being wholly indebted to another for admission into the kingdom of Heaven, is extremely disgusting to self-love. Such an idea is rejected with disdain by every heart unhumbled and untaught by the Spirit of God.
Fallen man needs to have some share in the great work of salvation, to have something whereof to boast. But God has declared that this shall not be. No flesh shall boast in His presence.
Oh! what cursed pride dwells in the heart of man!
But what will become of proud looks, and proud pretensions—when Christ shall sit on the throne of His glory, and render unto every man according to his works?
Then will the contrite soul, who, while on earth was trodden down by the foot of pride, be exalted to the heights of glory!
Then will the proud sinner, once admired and applauded, be hurled into the depths of Hell. The wretched worm of the earth, inflated with pride, will sink into endless woe!
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18
"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!" Proverbs 16:5~ ~ ~ ~
For you!
(Stephen Tyng, "Christ is All") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:8
The love of God to guilty man is a love that passes knowledge.
Its riches are unsearchable; and its extent past finding out.
For you, the heavens have bowed their glory.
For you, the Lord of life has descended to the earth.
For you, the Son of God became the Son of man; and the possessor of a heavenly throne has been made the victim of an earthly cross.
For you, this mysterious traveler upon the earth was humbled and bruised, has agonized and died.
For you . . .
purity was tempted,
innocence suffers,
kindness is despised,
majesty is crushed, and
all the dignity and glory of Immanuel is covered with shame!
Jesus did all this just to redeem you from inevitable condemnation; to save your perishing soul from an everlasting punishment in Hell.
"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is! May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully!" Ephesians 3:18-19~ ~ ~ ~
Tears have a voice!
(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping!" Psalm 6:8
Tears have a voice, and when flowing from a humble and contrite soul, they have an eloquence which God cannot resist!
The tears we shed are all carefully treasured up in our heavenly Father's bottle. Every sigh, and every groan, are remembered by Him; and shall add to that abundant and eternal weight of glory which we shall soon receive!
"You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in Your bottle!
You have recorded each one in Your book."
Psalm 56:8
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!" Isaiah 43:1-3~ ~ ~ ~
Little Sins!
(J.R. Miller, 1890) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:19
A great many people are careful about breaking large commandments and committing heinous sins—while they commit 'little sins' continually and without scruple.
They would not tell a direct lie for the world, but their speech is full of little falsehoods!
They would not steal money from the purse or drawer of another—and yet they continually commit small thefts! For example, by mistake the grocer gives them a penny too much change—and they do not think of returning it. Through the carelessness of a postal worker, the postage stamp on a letter is left uncancelled, and they take it off and use it a second time.
They would not purposely try to blacken a neighbor's name or destroy his character—and yet they repeat to others the evil whispers about him which they have heard, and thus soil his reputation.
They would not swear or curse in the coarse way of the ungodly—but they are continually using minced oaths, such as Gosh! Jees! Heck! and other culturally accepted substitutes for overt swearing.
They would not do flagrant acts of wickedness to disgrace themselves—but their lives are honey-combed with all kinds of little meannesses, impurities, selfishnesses, and bad tempers.
We need to remember, that little disobediences harm our witness for the kingdom of Heaven.
Little sins mar the beauty of our character.
Then, little sins are sure to grow!
The trickling leak in the dike—becomes a torrent deluging vast plains!
Ofttimes, too, little sins are infinite in their consequences.
We ought never to indulge even the smallest faults or evil habits—but should aim always at perfection of character; and perfection is made up of 'littles'.
Editor's note:
Minced oaths are used to avoid blatant swearing, when expressing surprise or annoyance.
Minced oaths are usually, although not exclusively, religious in nature, and date from the days when it was irreverent and unacceptable to use the name of God, Jesus, or other sacred words in everyday speech. To mince your words, means to choose words so as not to offend anyone—except for God, who sees them as blasphemy! I have been reading the older books for some 45 years, and never once have I come across a minced oath. Now-a-days most all professing Christians use minced oaths on a regular basis!
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain!" Exodus 20:7
John MacArthur:
"God's name is taken more times in vain in churches than anywhere else.
The blasphemy in the sanctuary is worse than the blasphemy in the street!"
Here are a few examples of minced oaths:
Gosh — God
Gosh darned — God damned
Heck — Hell
Jeez — Jesus
Dang — Damn
Darn — Damn
Darnation — Damnation
Doggone — God damn
Gee whizz — Jesus
My goodness — My God
My gosh — My God
Tarnation — Damnation
Good grief — Good God
Goodness gracious — Good God
By golly — By God
By gosh — By God
Cripes — Christ~ ~ ~ ~
The sin of blasphemy!
(Octavius Winslow, 1861) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"I, the Lord, have spoken! I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My Word." Isaiah 66:2
Alas! how prevalent the sin of blasphemy is, even with some professing Christians!
The common use which is sometimes made of sacred words,
the light and flippant manner in which holy phrases are employed,
the carnal use which is frequently made of the words of Scripture itself,
the sprinkling of vain conversation with Scripture phraseology,
and what are intended to be witticisms at the expense of God's holy Word!
These are sins of greater prevalence and magnitude than perhaps, many who are beguiled into their commission are aware!
We can scarcely conceive of anything more grieving to the Holy Spirit, than the manner in which some people deal with His inspired Word. Nor is the low spirituality which this solemn trifling with the Bible manifests, less painful.
A heavenly mind will guard the sacredness and purity of God's Word with holy jealousy! How can it be otherwise?
To the Bible, the instrumentality of God's truth—the believer is indebted . . .
for his quickening,
for his sanctification,
and for his comfort!
To trifle, then, with that holy Word,
to quote it flippantly,
to speak of it irreverently,
to jest with it profanely,
would seem a crime from which a mind stored with its precious treasures, and imbued with its hallowed spirit—would recoil with holy dread!
Oh, beware, reader, how you sport with or trifle with, God's holy Scriptures! Oh, it is a fearful thing to quote with sportive lip, to touch with unhallowed hands—the holy Word of God!
"My heart stands in awe of Your Word! I rejoice in Your Word like one who discovers a great treasure!" Psalm 119:161-162
Editor's note:
It is truly lamentable, that many professing Christians use the holy Word of God to amuse others with 'bible jokes' and in other trifling and irreverent ways. Much of today's pseudo-Christian music, movies and literature—use the Word of God in a flippant manner, if not in a downright profane and blasphemous way!
"Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him!" Leviticus 24:14
"Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death!" Leviticus 24:16~ ~ ~ ~
What tears can quench that fire?
(Thomas Watson) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Sin has . . .
the devil for its father,
shame for its companion,
and death for its wages!
See the evil effects of sin:
1. Sin has corrupted us.
As poison corrupts the blood, so sin corrupts the soul!
2. Sin has degraded us of our honor.
God made us in His own image, but sin has made us like devils! "You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires!" John 8:44
3. Sin disquiets the peace of the soul.
"There is no peace for the wicked." Isaiah 57:21
Whatever defiles, disturbs.
Sin creates fears, and there is "torment in fear."
Sin makes sad convulsions in the conscience.
Judas was so terrified with guilt and horror, that he hanged himself to quiet his conscience. In order to ease his conscience, he threw himself into Hell!
4. Sin produces all temporal evil.
Sin is the Trojan Horse, which has sword, and famine and pestilence, in its belly!
Sin is a coal, which not only blackens, but burns.
Sin creates all our troubles; it puts gravel into our bread, and wormwood in our cup.
Sin . . .
rots the name,
consumes the estate,
buries loved ones!
5. Sin unrepented of, brings final damnation!
The canker which breeds in the rose, is the cause of its perishing.
Just so, the corruptions which breed in men's souls, are the cause of their damning.
Sin's pleasure will turn to sorrow at last.
Like the book the prophet ate—sin is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly.
Sin brings the wrath of God! What tears can quench that fire?~ ~ ~ ~
Fly to the Word of God!
(Octavius Winslow) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
As a system of consolation, Christianity has no equal. No other religion in the wide world touches the hidden springs of the soul, or reaches the lowest depths of human sorrow, but the religion of Christ.
When your hearts have been overwhelmed, when adversity has wrapped you within its gloomy pall, when the broken billows of grief have swollen and surged around your soul—how have you fled to the Scriptures of truth for succor and support, for guidance and comfort! Nor have you repaired to them in vain. "The God of all comfort" is He who speaks in this Word, and there is no word of comfort like that which He speaks.
The adaptation of His truth to the varied, the peculiar and personal trials and sorrows of His Church—is one of the strongest proofs of its divinity. Take to the Word of God whatever sorrow you may; go with whatever mental beclouding, with whatever spirit sadness, with whatever heart grief; whatever be its character, its complexion, its depth unsurpassed in the history of human sorrow—there is consolation and support in the Word of God for your mind.
God will not leave you in trouble, but will sustain you in it, will bring you out of, and sanctify you by it—to the endless glory and praise of His great and precious name!
Christian mourner, let me once more direct your eye, too dimmed perhaps by tears—to behold this divine source of true, unfailing comfort. God's Word is the book of the afflicted. Written to unfold the wondrous history of the "Man of Sorrows," it would seem to have been equally written for you,
O child of grief! God speaks to your sad and sorrowing heart from every page of this sacred volume, with words of comfort, loving, gentle, and persuasive as a mother's. "As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you."
The Bible is the opening of the heart of God. It is God's heart unveiled, each throb inviting the mourner, the poor in spirit, the widow, the fatherless, the bereaved, the persecuted, the sufferer, yes, every child of affliction and grief—to the asylum and sympathy, the protection and soothing of His heart. Oh, thank God for the comfort and consolation of the Scripture! Open it with what sorrow and burden and perplexity you may, be it . . .
the guilt of sin,
the pressure of trial,
or the corrodings of sorrow,
it speaks to the heart such words of comfort as God only could speak.
Have you ever borne your grief to God's Word, especially to the experimental Psalms of David—and not felt that it was written for that particular sorrow? You have found . . .
your grief more accurately portrayed,
your state of mind more truly described,
and your case more exactly and fully met,
probably in a single history, chapter, or verse—than in all the human treatises that the pen of man ever wrote.
Fly to the Word of God, then, in every sorrow! You will know more of the mind and heart of God than you, perhaps, ever learned in all the schools before. Draw, then, O child of sorrow, your consolation from God's Word. Oh, clasp this precious Word of comfort to your sorrowful heart, and exclaim,
"It is mine!
The Jesus of whom it speaks is mine,
the salvation it reveals is mine,
the promises it contains are mine,
the Heaven it unveils is mine,
and all the consolation, comfort, and sympathy which wells up from these hidden springs, is MINE!"~ ~ ~ ~
How Much I Owe!
(Mark Webb) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
When this passing life is done,
When has set yon' glaring sun;
When I stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o'er life's finished story;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
But not 'til then, how much I owe!
When I hear the wicked call,
On the rocks and hills to fall;
When I see them start and shrink
On that fiery deluge brink;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
But not 'til then, how much I owe!
When I stand before Thy throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own;
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
But not 'til then, how much I owe!Lyrics by Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 1813-1843
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He now loved them to the uttermost!" John 13:1
"Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you!" John 15:9
"The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1~ ~ ~ ~
Unquestionably unacceptable and dishonoring to God!
(Octavius Winslow, "The Sigh of Christ") LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Nothing but what is . . .
holy in its sentiment,
spiritual in its tone,
and edifying in its influence,
should be uttered by a Christian's lips.
The magnificent composition of "Handel's Messiah" supplies no exception to this rule. Admitting . . .
the Divine inspiration of the words,
the transcendent genius of the composer,
the sublime character of the music,
and the elevating influence of its skillful and masterly execution,
we must yet maintain that "Handel's Messiah", as performed in modern times by unholy worldlings—should be as distasteful and painful to the Christian and spiritual mind, as it is unquestionably unacceptable and dishonoring to God!
What spiritual mind can listen to the solemn words of Christ, expressive of . . .
His heart-sorrow,
His soul-anguish,
His bodily sufferings,
used to arouse the plaudits of a theater—without indescribable torture of feeling and the most depressing sadness of spirit?
Could we thus listen to a recital of the humiliating insults, the lingering tortures, and dying agonies of one near and the dear to our hearts? Never!
Beware then, of the unholy fascination of music. It may . . .
lead you from God,
allure you from Christ,
and draw you into the world.
It may become a fascinating and a fatal snare to your soul!
Seek the deep sanctification of the gift of music, and its holy and supreme consecration to God. As such, sacred music, breathing from a spiritual mind and a Christ-loving heart, may be a valuable aid to the soul—soothing, sanctifying and elevating!
God can give you a night-song—a song in the gloom of your sorrow, loneliness, and woe. A song . . .
of His unchanging love,
of His unfailing faithfulness,
of His presence sweetening your sorrow, soothing your grief, cheering your solitude, making you submissive, happy, and cheerful in the darkest and most painful path along which your redeeming God is leading you.
Beloved, the chief employment of Heaven is music! Oh, what melody . . .
floats through those bowers,
rings through those mansions,
reverberates through that dome,
from the spirits of just men made perfect!
They sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb! They sing . . .
of the everlasting love,
of the sin-atoning blood,
of the sovereign grace that brought them there!
Around the Lamb once slain they cluster, and upon His head, once filled with bruises, torn and bleeding with the thorn-crown—they bind the diadem of their praise!
And, oh, how worthy is He of . . .
their sweetest anthem,
their loftiest song,
their loudest hallelujahs!
So resplendent will be the unveiling of His divine glory,
so great will appear His love,
so glorious His work,
so rich His grace,
and so precious Himself,
to the heart, that from every creature who is in Heaven will be heard the anthem, "Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever!"
Then O disciple and follower of Christ, separate yourself from all secular, carnal, worldly music; and learn on earth, in the house of your pilgrimage, in the strange land in which you dwell, and amid your trials, sorrows, and conflicts—the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, which will employ your tongue throughout eternity!
Revelation 15:3, 4.
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name! For You alone are holy!"~ ~ ~ ~
Wholly taken up with contriving methods of amusing themselves!
LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
Concerning the performing of "Handel's Messiah" John Newton wrote:
How shall we view the people of our times? I see the great mass of people involved in one common charge of high treason against the omnipotent God! They are already in a state of guilt, but have not yet been brought to their trial. The evidence against them is so plain, strong and pointed, that there is not the least doubt of their guilt being fully proved. Yet they are foolishly unconcerned, that nothing but a free pardon from God can preserve them from their deserved eternal punishment!
In this situation, it would seem in their best interest to avail themselves of every expedient in their power for obtaining God's mercy. But they are entirely heedless of their imminent danger, and are wholly taken up with contriving methods of amusing themselves, that they may pass away their short time on earth with as much levity as possible!
Among other resources, they call in the assistance of music, and they are particularly pleased with the performing of "Handel's Messiah." They choose to make . . .
the solemnities of their impending judgment,
the character of their Judge,
the methods of His procedure, and
the dreadful punishment to which they are exposed,
the themes of their musical entertainment!
And, as if they were quite unconcerned in their upcoming judgment—their attention is chiefly fixed upon the skill of the composer, and in adapting the style of his music to the very solemn subjects with which they are trifling!
The offended King, however, unasked by them, and out of His great mercy and compassion towards those who have no pity for themselves—sends them a gracious message. He assures them that He is unwilling that they should eternally perish; and that He requires—yes, He entreats them to submit to Him! He points out a way in which He offers them a free and a full pardon!
But, instead of taking a single step towards a compliance with His undeserved and gracious offer—they set His message to music! And this, together with a description of their present hopeless state, and of the fearful doom awaiting them if they continue obstinate—is sung for their entertainment, and accompanied with enthralling music!
Surely, if such a case as I have supposed could be found in real life, though I might admire the musical taste of these people—I would certainly commiserate their stupidity and hardness of heart!
Revelation 5:12-14.
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped!~ ~ ~ ~
For what purpose is this "sacred music" performed?
(John Angell James, "Oratorios" 1835) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
With what sentiments may it be supposed that the Son of God beholds the scenes of His suffering life, sin-atoning death, and final appearance in judgment—blended with all the hilarity of a musical festival, and sung by graceless men and women, for the entertainment of the multitude!
Let those whose spiritual vision is not quite obscured by their musical taste, compare the scenes of when "Handel's Messiah" is being performed—and those of the house of God when the Lord's supper is celebrated; and remembering that the subject is the same in both—let them ask if both can be right?
Is the cross on which the Savior loved and died rightly appropriated, when it is used for the purposes of amusement, gaiety and fashionable vanity?
The subject of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, is given:
for the purpose of bringing men to repentance, faith and salvation;
to be the great means, through faith, of overcoming the world with all of its lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eye, and the pride of life;
to give a death blow to the love of the world in the heart of man;
and to subjugate the senses and the imagination to unseen and eternal realities.
While in "Handel's Messiah" the cross of Christ, instead of crucifying us to the world, and the world to us—is employed as an amusement to add new attractions to earth, and to yield new gratifications to sense; and thus to make man more effectually the captive of that world, of which he should seek by faith to be the conqueror.
For what purpose is this "sacred music" performed?
It is for amusement! Purely for amusement! Is it then, done for the glory of God—to convert the most solemn and sacred topics of divine truth, into a source of public entertainment? No! It is done to draw people together to hear the sufferings of the Lord Jesus set forth for much the same purpose as they are called to be entertained by a dramatic representation of the sorrows of Hamlet or Romeo!
Revelation 5:12-13
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"