Apr 23
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A man is never so fit for believing as when he is most unfit. It is unfitness, not fitness, that is really required. What is fitness for being washed? Filth! What is fitness for receiving pardon? Guilt! If you are filthy, if you are guilty, you have all the fitness that is required. So, come and find in Jesus Christ all that meets your greatest need. ~Charles Spurgeon
Filled with folly, vanity,
and vexation!
(Letters of John Newton)
August 28, 1779
My dear friend,
The days speed away apace! Each one bears away its own burden
with it–to return no more. Both pleasures and pains which
are past–are gone forever! What is yet future will
likewise, soon be past.
Our final end will shortly arrive! O to realise the thought, and
to judge of things now in some measure suitable to the opinion which we shall
form of them, when we are about to leave them all! Many things
which now either elate or depress us–will
then appear to be trifles as light as air!
Only one thing is needful—
to have our hearts united to Jesus in humble faith;
to set Him always before us;
to rejoice in Him as our Shepherd and our portion;
to submit to all His appointments, not of necessity, because He
is stronger than us–but with a cheerful acquiescence, because He is wise and
good, and loves us better than we do ourselves;
to feed upon His truth;
to have our understandings, wills, affections, imaginations,
memory–all filled and impressed with the great mysteries of His redeeming
love;
to do all for Jesus;
to receive all from Jesus;
to find all in Jesus!
I have mentioned many things, but they are all comprised in
one–a life of faith in Jesus!
We are empty vessels in ourselves–but we
cannot remain empty. Unless Jesus dwells in our hearts, and fills them with His
power and presence–they will be filled
with folly, vanity, and vexation!
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A religion that satisfies
thousands (Philpot, “The Cry of Jonah out of the Belly of Hell“) “Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:5 Much that passes for religion, is not true religion at all. Much that goes for hopes of salvation, is nothing but lying refuges. Much is palmed off for the teaching of the Spirit, which is nothing but delusion. Vital godliness is very rare. There are very few people spiritually taught of God. There are very few ministers who really preach the truth. Satan is thus daily deceiving thousands, and tens of thousands. A living soul, however weak and feeble in himself, cannot take up with a religion in the flesh. He cannot rest on the opinions of men, nor be deceived by Satan’s delusions. He has a secret gnawing of conscience, which makes him dissatisfied with a religion that satisfies thousands. |
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A religious animal (Philpot, “The Exercise and Profit of Godliness” 1850) “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” Acts 17:22-23 Man has been called, and perhaps with some truth, a religious animal. Religion of some kind, at any rate, seems almost indispensable to his very existence—for from the most civilized nation, to the most barbarous tribe upon the face of the earth—we find some form of religion practiced. Whether this is ingrained into the very constitution of man, or whether it be received by custom or tradition—I will not pretend to decide. But that some kind of religion is almost universally prevalent, is a fact that cannot be denied. We will always find these two kinds of religion . . . false and true, earthly and heavenly, fleshly and spiritual, natural and supernatural. Compare this vital, spiritual, heavenly, divine, supernatural religion . . . this work of grace upon the soul, this teaching of God in the heart, this life of faith within —with its flimsy counterfeit. Compare the actings of . . . real faith, real hope, real love; the teachings, the dealings, the leadings, and the operations of the blessed Spirit in the soul —with rounds of . . . duties, superstitious forms, empty ceremonies, and a notional religion, however puffed up and varnished. Compare the life of God in the heart of a true Christian, amid all his dejection, despondency, trials, temptations, and exercises; compare that precious treasure, Christ’s own grace in the soul—with all mere . . . external religion, superficial religion, notional religion. O, it is no more to be compared than a grain of dust with a diamond! No more to be compared than a criminal in a dungeon to the King on the throne! In fact, there is no comparison between them. |
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A human religion?
(Horatius Bonar, “The Way Of Cain”)
“Woe to them! They have gone in the way of Cain .
. .” Jude 11 Cain is not an atheist, nor an altogether irreligious man. He acknowledges a God, and brings his fruits to the altar. But he brings no lamb, no blood, nothing that speaks of death. He comes with no confession, no cry for mercy. He has a religion, but it is self made; a human religion, something of his own; without Christ, or blood, or pardon. Rejection of God’s religion, and of His Messiah; this is “the way of Cain.” “Woe to them! They have gone in the way of Cain . . .” Jude 11 |
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False religion
(Horatius Bonar,
“False Religion and Its Doom”)
“I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel
before their idols; and I will scatter your bones around about your altars.” Ezek. 6:5 There is such a thing as false religion. It may be earnest and zealous, yet false. No amount of sincerity or zeal will make that true, which is in itself false. False religion is the worship of a false god, or the false worship of the true God. We worship the true God untruly when we give him only half a heart, half a soul. Do not think that the utterance of some true words, or the expression of a little sentimental devotion, is the true worship of the true God. False religion is useless. It profits nothing and nobody, either here or hereafter. It is not acceptable to God. It will not be counted a substitute for the true. It does not satisfy the conscience. It does not make the man happy. It does not fill the heart. It does not remove burdens. It will not stand the fire. It is but wood, and hay, and stubble. The judgment will sweep it all away. It is useless both for time nor eternity, both for earth nor heaven. It is irksome and unprofitable, only cheating the poor worshiper into the belief that he has felt or performed something good and worthy. God abhors false religion. It has not one feature that is pleasing to Him. It is merely external. It is untrue. It is against His revelation. It is dishonoring to Him. It is self exalting. It is pure mockery. It is rottenness and death. It is a mouthful of words, a handful of dust and ashes. Therefore God abhors it. ” I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones around about your altars.” Ezek. 6:5 |
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It was not sects, or
creeds, or doctrines, or churches, or ecclesiastical organizations! (MacDuff, “A Chapter in Providence and Grace”) It is not dead doctrine, dry formulated dogma which the soul needs, but a living Being. Paul thus exults, in what may be called a dying testimony, “I know WHOM I have believed.” It was not . . . sects, or creeds, or doctrines, or churches, or ecclesiastical organizations, that the dying hero clung to, in the hour of departure, but . . . the glorious Person of the divine Immanuel, the living Presence of the ever living, ever loving Savior; the Brother, the Friend on the throne, whom he had learned to love more dearly than all the world beside! |
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Avoid the world’s
religion! The following is from Spurgeon’s sermon, “Abram’s call. Or, Half-Way And All the Way” Will you devote yourself to God and His cause and truth? In matters of religion follow the Lord fully. Let the Word of God be your sole and sure rule and nothing else. That religion which is not according to God’s Word is a false religion. Accept neither doctrine nor ceremony for which there is no Scriptural warrant. Search the Word about it all, “to the Law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Avoid the world’s religion! For if there is one world worse than another, it is the religious world. Be distinctly removed from the religion which is based upon self-will, pride of intellect, and worldly conformity. The world’s religion is as evil as the world’s irreligion. Surrender to the plain teaching of the Spirit of God and resolve in all things to follow your Lord wherever He may lead you. Stand alone, if others will not obey. My brethren, if we thus separate ourselves from the world’s religion, we must expect violent opposition. Severe criticism will not be spared us. Some will say, “The man is mad!” Others more gently will murmur, “He is sadly misled.” Many will accuse you of a liking to be singular, or a weakness for going to extremes. Having once made up their mind that you are foolish and contemptible they will view all your conduct through colored glasses and condemn you up and down. Be not dismayed but endure hardship for the love of Jesus. The life of a consecrated believer involves trials. Avoid the world’s religion! O you, who by Divine Grace are beginners in the heavenly life, make a strong resolve to be the servants of God and endeavor in all things to obey Him. We live here in this world as strangers and pilgrims. We find little to charm us in this foreign land. Our treasure is above and it will be a joy for our souls to rise to the place where our hearts already dwell. If you are now separated unto Him, you shall find your reward in that day when He shall divide the sheep from the goats. You shall be placed at His right hand to hear Him say, “Come, you blessed of My Father.” Avoid the world’s religion! |
One of the most loathsome
sights in the world!
(Don Fortner)
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe
to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should
not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with
the wool and slaughter the choice animals — but you do not take care of the
flock!” Ezekiel 34:2-3
One of the most loathsome sights in the world, is a
self-serving preacher!
No work is so great,
no labor is so noble,
no burden is so heavy,
no honour is so humbling —
as preaching the gospel of the grace of God to eternity bound
sinners!
Let every man called of God to preach the Gospel, disentangle
himself from the affairs of this world — with determined consecration to
Christ, His Gospel and His Church, addicting himself to prayer, study and
preaching.
“He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” Colossians 4:7
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.” Ezekiel. 34:11.
THIS he does at the first when his elect are like wandering sheep that know not the shepherd or the fold. How wonderfully does the Lord find out his chosen! Jesus is great as a seeking shepherd as well as a saving shepherd. Though many of those his Father gave him have gone as near to hell-gate as they well can, yet the Lord by searching and seeking discovers them, and draws near to them in grace. He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for he will find them out also.
The Lord repeats this process when any of his flock stray from the pastures of truth and holiness. They may fall into gross error, sad sin, and grievous hardness; but yet the Lord, who has become a surety for them to his Father, will not suffer one of them to go so far as to perish. He will by providence and grace pursue them into foreign lands, into abodes of poverty, into dens of obscurity, into deeps of despair; he will not lose one of all that the Father has given him. It is a point of honour with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception. What a promise to plead, if at this hour I am compelled to cry, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep!”
C.H.Spurgeon
The separated life!
(Charles Spurgeon)
“Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people
with His own blood, suffered without the gate.
Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the
camp, bearing His reproach.
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to
come.”
Hebrews 13:12-14
Jesus, bearing His cross, went forth to suffer outside the gate.
The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s sin and
the world’s religion, is not because he loves to be singular—but
because Jesus did so, and the disciple must follow his Master. Christ was
“not of the world”—His life and His teachings were a constant protest
against conformity with the world. Never was there such overflowing affection
for men as you find in Him; but still He was “separate from sinners.”
In like manner, Christ’s people must “go forth unto
Him.” They must take their position “outside the camp,” as
witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to tread the straight and
narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching, lion-like hearts, loving Christ
first, and His truth next—and Christ and His truth beyond all the world!
Jesus would have His people “go forth to Him, outside the
camp” for their own sanctification. You cannot grow in grace to any high
degree—while you are conformed to the world. The life of
separation may be a path of sorrow—but it is the highway
of safety. And though the
separated life may cost you many pangs, and make every day a battle—yet
it is a happy life after all. No joy can excel that of the
soldier of Christ; Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet
refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily
strife—than others in their hours of rest!
The highway of holiness is the highway of sweet
communion with Jesus. It is thus we shall hope to win the crown, if we are
enabled by divine grace faithfully to follow Christ “outside the
camp.”
The cross of separation—will be followed by
the crown of glory!
A moment’s shame—will be well recompensed by eternal honour when
we are “forever with the Lord!”