A coward's castle
A pastor has no right to turn the pulpit into a
coward's castle, and from there attack those
in the congregation, whom he is afraid to meet
face to face privately.
It is cruelly unfair to attack an individual who
cannot defend himselfto hold h ... read more
A disciple of Jesus
A disciple of Jesus is one who is admitted by
the Lord Jesus into His schoolwhom He Himself
condescends personally to instructand who
therefore learns of Him to be meek and lowly
of heart.
A disciple of Jesus is one who sits meekly at
the ... read more
A peculiar people
"But you are . . .
a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a peculiar people." 1 Peter 2:9
May we never forget that the suffering Son of God
gave Himself to purify unto Himself a peculiar people . . .
a peo ... read more
A penitent backslider and a forgiving God!
"And while he was still a long distance away,
his father saw him coming. Filled with love
and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced
him, and kissed him." Luke 15:20
After a child of God has enjoyed something of
the goodness and mercy of ... read more
A penitent backslider and a forgiving God! 2
O what a meeting!
A guilty wretch drowned in tearsand a loving
Father falling upon his neck and kissing him!
O what a meeting for a poor, self-condemned wretch,
who can never mourn too deeply over his sins, and yet
finds grace super-aboundi ... read more
A smoother way to glory?
"They encouraged them to continue in the faith,
reminding them that they MUST enter into the
Kingdom of God through many tribulations."
Acts 14:22
The Lord has chosen that His people should pass
through deep and cutting afflictions, ... read more
A solitary drop of this holy anointing oil
"As for you, the anointing you received from
Him remains in you, and you do not need
anyone to teach you. But as His anointing
teaches you about all things and as that
anointing is real, not counterfeit . . ."
1 John 2:27
Have you e ... read more
A spirit of delusion
A spirit of delusion seems to us widely prevalent . . .
a carnal confidence,
a dead assurance,
a presumptuous claim,
a daring mimicry of the spirit of adoption.
Who that has eyes or heart does not see and
feel the wide spread of this ... read more
A stable, a hovel, a hedge, any unadorned corner
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Although
I sent them far away among the nations and
scattered them among the countries, yet I will
be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries
where they have gone." Ezekiel 11:16
Every place in ... read more
A very different thing from lifeless, barren head knowledge
"We know also that the Son of God has come and
has given us understanding, so that we may know
Him who is true." 1 John 5:20
There is a difference between a gracious, enlightened
understanding of the truth of God which springs out of
the tea ... read more
All are more or less deeply infected with it
"Are you seeking great things for yourself?
Don't do it!" Jeremiah 45:5
As we are led aside by the powerful workings
of our corrupt nature, we are often seeking
great things for ourselves.
Riches,
worldly comforts,
respectability,
to ... read more
All things!
"You crowned Him with glory and honor and put
all things under His feet. In putting all things
under Him, God left nothing that is not subject
to Him." Hebrews 2:7-8
See the sovereign supremacy of Jesus!
There may be circumstances in your ... read more
All trials, all temptations, all strippings, all emptyings
The very trials and afflictions, and the sore
temptations through which God's family pass,
all eventually endear Christ to them.
And depend upon it, if you are a child of God,
you will sooner or later, in your travels through
this wilderness, ... read more
All true religion
Jesus is . . .
our sun, and without Him all is darkness;
our life, and without Him all is death;
the beginner and finisher of our faith;
the substance of our hope;
the object of our love.
It is the Spirit who quickens us . . .
to ... read more
Bitten by this serpent's tooth
No man has ever sounded the depths of the fall.
The children of God have indeed discoveries of the
evil of sin. And they have such views at times of
the desperate wickedness and awful depravity of
human nature, that they seem as if filled with ... read more
Blundering and stumbling on in darkness
After the Lord has quickened our souls, for a
time we often go blundering on, not knowing
there is a Jesus.
We think that the way of life is to . . .
keep God's commandments,
obey the law,
cleanse ourselves from sin,
reform our lives, ... read more
Buried in the grave of carnality and worldliness
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above, where Christ
is seated at the right hand of God." Col. 3:1
How many there are even of those who desire
to fear God who are kept down by the world,
and to whom it ... read more
But our coward flesh shrinks from them!
"I have refined you but not in the way silver
is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the
furnace of suffering." Isaiah 48:10
What benefit is there in afflictions?
Does God send them without an object in view?
Do they come merely, as t ... read more
By His wounds we are healed
Sin has thoroughly diseased us,
and poisoned our very blood.
Sin has diseased our understanding, so
as to disable it from receiving the truth.
Sin has diseased our conscience, so as to make it
dull and heavy, and undiscerning of right and wr ... read more
Cain, Esau, Saul, Ahab, Judas
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that
leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death."
2 Cor. 7:10
These two kinds of repentance are to be carefully
distinguished from each other; though they are often
sadly c ... read more
Can the Ethiopian change his skin?
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the
leopard its spots? Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil."
Jeremiah 13:23
Before the soul can know anything about salvation,
it must learn deeply and experimentally the nature ... read more
Coming up from the wilderness
"Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her Beloved?" Song of Solomon 8:5
To come up from the wilderness, is to come up out
of OURSELVES; for we are ourselves the wilderness.
It is our wilderness heart that makes the world
wh ... read more
Conflicts, trials, painful exercises, sharp sorrows, and deep temptations
"The Lord tries the righteous." Psalm 11:5
To keep water fresh, it must be perpetually
running. And to keep the life of God up in
the soul, there must be continual trials.
This is the reason why the Lord's people have so many . . .
confli ... read more
Continual salvation?
"I cried unto YouSave me, and I shall
keep Your testimonies." Psalm 119:146
If you know anything for yourself, inwardly
and experimentally of . . .
the evils of your heart,
the power of sin,
the strength of temptation,
the subtlety ... read more
Dead in sin
"As for you, you were dead in trespasses
and sins." Ephesians 2:1
To be dead in sin is to have . . .
no present part or lot with God;
no knowledge of Him;
no faith, no trust, no hope in Him;
no sense of His presence;
no reverence of ... read more
Do not fear.
Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do
not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your
enemies. He is coming to save you." Isaiah 35:4
"Do not fear." "Ah! but Lord," the soul says, "I do
fear. I fear myself more than anybody. I f ... read more
Dying?
"As dying, and, behold, we live."
2 Corinthians 6:9
Though we die, and die dailyyet, behold,
we live. And in a sense, the more we die,
the more we live.
The more we die to self,
the more we die to sin.
The more we die to pride an ... read more
Entangled, perplexed and distressed?
How many of the Lord's people are continually under
bondage to evil! What power the lusts of the flesh
have over somehow perpetually they are entangled
with everything sensual and carnal! What power the
pride of the heart has over another! And w ... read more
Even your own relatives think you are almost insane
"The Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him."
John 14:17
The worldthat is, the world dead in sin, and the
world dead in professionmen destitute of the life
and power of Godmust have ... read more
Every kind of sin
"He gave Himself to redeem us from
every kind of sin." Titus 2:14
Sins of heart.
Sins of lip.
Sins of life.
There are five things as regards sin, from
which our blessed Lord came to redeem us . . .
its guilt,
its filth,
its p ... read more
Experimental knowledge
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom You have sent." John 17:3
An experimental knowledge of Christ in
the soul, is the only relief for sin's . . .
poverty,
guilt,
leprosy,
ba ... read more
Familiarity with sacred things
"Take heed unto yourselves!" Acts 20:28
This was Paul's public warning to the elders of
the church at Ephesus. It was Paul's private
warning to his friend and disciple, his beloved
son, Timothy. And do not all who write or speak
in the name ... read more
Fixed and fastened by an Almighty hand.
Truth, as it stands in the naked word of God,
is lifeless and deadand as such, has no power
to communicate what it has not in itselfthat is,
life and power to the hearts of God's people. It
stands there in so many letters and syllables, as
li ... read more
Free!
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
John 8:36
To be made free implies a liberty from the WORLD
and the spirit of covetousness in the heart. If we
were to follow into their shops some who talk much
of 'gospel liberty', w ... read more
Friend, can you understand my riddle?
I find that sin has such power over me, that
though I call on the Lord again and again for
deliverance, I seem to be as weak as ever
when temptation comes.
If a window were placed in my bosom,
what filth and vileness would be seen by all.
"O ... read more
From a burning hellto a blissful heaven!
"I consider that our present sufferings are
not worth comparing with the glory that
will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18
What is to be compared with the salvation of the
soul? What areriches, honors, health, long life?
What are all the pleasu ... read more
God will meet all your needs
"And my God will meet all your needs according
to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19
Until we are brought into the depths of poverty,
we shall never know nor value Christ's riches.
If, then, you are a child of God, a poor and
... read more
Godly sorrow
Godly sorrow springs from a view of a suffering
Savior, and manifests itself by . . .
hatred of self,
abhorrence of sin,
groaning over our backslidings,
grief of soul for being so often entangled by our lusts and passions,
and is accompan ... read more
God's house?
In the New Testament Scriptures, we find mention
made in several places of "the house of the God."
The New Testament never, in any one instance,
means, by "the house of God," any material building.
It has come to pass, through the traditions ... read more
God's purpose
"That no flesh should glory in His presence."
1 Cor. 1:29
Man may glory in himselfbut God has forever
trampled man's glory under foot. God's purpose
is to stain the pride of human glory.
... read more
Have nothing to do with them.
"They mingled among the pagans and adopted
their evil customs. They worshiped their idols,
and this led to their downfall." Ps. 106:35-36
The 'carnal professors' of the day see nothing
wrong, nothing amiss, nothing inconsistent in
their c ... read more
Have we nothing to give to Christ?
Have we nothing to give to Christ?
Yes!
Our sins,
our sorrows,
our burdens,
our trials, and above all
the salvation and sanctification of our souls.
And what has He to give us? What? Why . . .
everything worth having!
everything wort ... read more
He alone can rescue me
"My eyes are always looking to the Lord for
help, for He alone can rescue me from the
traps of my enemies." Psalm 25:15
"Oh, please help us against our enemies,
for all human help is useless." Psalm 60:11
What a mighty God we have to deal ... read more
He can crawl like a serpent, and he can roar like a lion!
"So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are
very familiar with his evil schemes." 2 Cor. 2:11
Satan well knows both how to allure and how to
attack; for he can crawl like a serpent, and he
can roar like a lion! He has snares whereby he
... read more
He has given me a cup of deep sorrow to drink
"He has filled me with bitterness. He has given me
a cup of deep sorrow to drink." Lamentations 3:15
The Lord's people have many hard lessons which they
have to learn in the 'school of Christ'. Each one has to
carry a daily cross, and are bu ... read more
He may talk like an angel, and live like a devil.
There is "a knowledge of the things of God" which a
man may possess without a personal experience of
the new birthwithout any divine operation upon his
soul whatever, or any participation of the grace of God.
>From reading the scriptures and h ... read more
Heavenly dew
"My words descend like dew." Deuteronomy 32:2
The dew falls imperceptibly. No man can see it fall.
Yet its effects are visible in the morning. So it is with
the blessing of God upon His Word. It penetrates the
heart without noise; it sinks dee ... read more
Help from the sanctuary
"May the Lord answer you when you are in
distressmay the name of the God of Jacob
protect you. May he send you help from the
sanctuary and grant you support from Zion."
Psalm 20:1-2
When the soul has to pass through the trying hour
... read more
Here, and here alone
Standing then at the cross of our adorable Lord,
we may see . . .
the law thoroughly fulfilled,
its curse fully endured,
its penalties wholly removed,
sin eternally put away,
the justice of God amply satisfied,
all His perfections glor ... read more
His secret power and influence
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent
Me draws him." John 6:44
"I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself."
Jeremiah 31:3
None can really come to Jesus by faith, ... read more
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