Jul 16
3
AS THOUGH IT HAD NEVER BEEN!
Beloved, soon, O how soon! all that now loads the heart with care, and wrings it with sorrow—all that dims the eye with tears, and renders the day anxious and the night sleepless, will be as though it had never been! Emerging from the entanglement, the dreariness, the solitude, the loneliness, and the temptations of the wilderness, you shall enter upon your everlasting rest, your unfading inheritance, where there is no sorrow, no declension, no sin, no sunset, no twilight, no evening shadows, no midnight darkness—but all is one perfect, cloudless, eternal day, for Jesus is the joy, the light, and the glory thereof! Octavius Winslow
Simple = ‘Open minded, naïve, and Seducible’
Clay Curtis
When the scriptures speak of the worldly man being “simple” it is translated from a word which means “open-minded, naïve, and seducible.” (Pr 1: 20-23.) It is the way of man that seems right to all men by nature. (Pr 16: 25.) Solomon illustrates this mind by describing a young man wandering through the street, lured by the flattering speech of a married woman (Pr 7:6-23.)
Again, Solomon describes the simple of the world as those taken in by a woman speaking very loudly into the street, who sits in the most affluent part of town appearing reputable so as to gain a following, calling on those who would otherwise continue passing by her in the way they should go. Yet, she insults them as being narrow and promises to teach them a wider understanding by enticing her hearers with bread and water that only she can provide (Pro 9: 13-18.) This is a description of a false gospel, which is designed to please sinful man. That subtle message which mingles ever so slightly our contribution to Christ’s work is the stolen bread and water that is sweet to the sinful desires. Like the adulterous woman, it is a gospel perfumed and adorned with that which most attracts our fleshly understanding– the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I Joh 2: 15, 16.) And it makes good on its promise to widen the insatiable appetite of the carnal mind of man more and more.
On the other hand, when the scriptures speak of the believer being “simple”, it means “single-minded, narrow-minded.” (2 Cor 1: 12; 11: 3.) Such a mind is contrary to the world which teaches us constantly, “Have an open-mind and show tolerance.” The mystery of godliness revealed in the believer is as narrow as Christ alone. It pleased God that in the single person of his Son should all fullness of his glory and our salvation dwell. The narrow-minded desire created in the believer by God is for God to receive all the glory in salvation. The believer knows that we do not glorify God in a wide variety of ways which we perform, but our hope is in Christ alone who has saved us, is saving us and shall yet save us. This mind for Christ is the “one mind” which Paul prayed the saints would continue to have by God’s grace (2 Cor 13: 11; Php 2: 2; 1 Pet 3: ; Col 1: 26, 27.)
Oh that God would be pleased to keep us from the evil by narrowing our minds through his word of truth, closing out all else, that we all may be of one mind, having the mind of Christ (I Cor 2: 12-16.)
The dangers which attend the spiritual life are of the most appalling character. The life of a Christian is a series of miracles. See a spark living in mid ocean, see a stone hanging in the air, see health blooming in a leper colony, and the snow-white swan among rivers of filth, and you behold an image of the Christian life. The new nature is kept alive between the jaws of death, preserved by the power of God from instant destruction; by no power less than divine could its existence be continued. When the instructed Christian sees his surroundings, he finds himself to be like a defenseless dove flying to her nest, while against her tens of thousands of arrows are leveled. The Christian life is like that dove’s anxious flight, as it threads its way between the death-bearing shafts of the enemy, and by constant miracle escapes unhurt. The enlightened Christian sees himself to be like a traveler, standing on the narrow summit of a lofty ridge; on the right hand and on the left are gulfs unfathomable, yawning for his destruction; if it were not that by divine grace his feet are made like hinds’ feet, so that he is able to stand upon his high places, he would long before this have fallen to his eternal destruction. Charles Spurgeon extract from ‘Perseverance of the saints’
Ah! we live in an enemy’s land!
(Letters of John Newton)
“Though he stumbles, he will not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand!” Psalm 37:24
Ah! we live in an enemy’s land! We tread upon enchanted ground, and breathe an infected air! Without the supporting power of God and the preservatives of the Gospel — we would surely faint and fall.
Oh! my Lord, keep me. I adore and wonder that I have been kept, that I stand — for surely I am no wiser or better than some who have fallen.
“Hold me up, and I shall be safe! And I shall observe Your statutes continually.” Psalm 119:117
(extract from) Joseph Hart’s spiritual autobiography
April,1759
Pharisaic zeal, and Antinomian security—are the two engines of Satan, with which he grinds the Church in all ages, as between the upper and the nether millstone. The space between them is much narrower and harder to find than most men imagine. It is a path which the vulture’s eye has not seen; and none can show it us but the Holy Spirit. Here let no one trust the directions of his own heart, or of any other man; lest by being warned to shun the one—he be dashed against the other. The distinction is too fine for man to discern, therefore let the Christian ask direction of his God. These two hideous monsters continually worry and perplex my soul; nor is the former, though appearing in a holier shape, one whit less, but (if possible) more odious to me than the latter. Therefore, from the wonderful dealings of God towards me, I endeavor to draw the following observations:
On the one hand I would observe, that it is “not of him who wills, nor of him who runs—but of God who shows mercy.”
That none can make a Christian—but He who made the world.
That the glory of God is to bring good out of evil.
That whom God loves—He loves unto the end.
That though all men seek, more or less, to recommend themselves to God’s favor by their works—yet “to him who works not, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
That the blood of the Redeemer, applied to the soul by His Spirit—is the one thing needful.
That prayer is the task and labor of a Pharisee, but the privilege and delight of a Christian.
That God does not grant the requests of His people because they pray; but they pray because He designs to answer their petitions.
That self-righteousness and legal holiness keeps the soul from Christ; rather than draw it to Christ.
That they who seek salvation by them, pursue shadows, mistake the great end of the law, and err from the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
That God’s design is to glorify His Son alone, and to debase the excellency of every creature.
That no righteousness besides the righteousness of Jesus (that is, the righteousness of God) is of any avail towards acceptance with God.
That to be a moral man, a zealous man, a devout man—is very short of being a Christian.
That the eye of faith looks more to the blood of Jesus—than to the soul’s victory over corruptions.
That the dealings of God with His people, though similar in the general—are nevertheless so various, that there is no chalking out the paths of one child of God—to those of another. There is no laying down unvarying schemes of Christian conversion, Christian experience, Christian usefulness, or Christian living.
That the will of God is the only standard of what is right and good.
That the sprinkling of the blood of a crucified Savior on the conscience by the Holy Spirit, sanctifies a man, without which, the most moral, self-denying life and rigorous discipline—is unholy.
Lastly, that faith and holiness, with every other blessing, are the purchase of the Redeemer’s blood, and that He has a right to bestow them on whom He will, in such a manner and in such a measure as He thinks best.
The Devil in Sheep’s Clothing
If the devil comes to my door with his horns visible, I will never let him in; but if he comes with his hat on as a respectable gentleman, I would admit him at once. The metaphor may be very strange, but it is quite true. Many men and women has taken in an evil thing, because it has been varnished and glossed over, and did not appear evil; and they had thought in their hearts, there is not much harm in it; so they have let in the little thing, and it has been like the bursting forth of water—the first drop has brought after it a torrent. The beginning has been but the beginning of a fearful end. Charles Spurgeon
An apostolic face and a Judas heart
Many think that a minister is exempt from such
coldness, deadness, and barrenness, as private
Christians feel. And the hypocritical looks and
words of many of Satan’s ministers favor this
delusion. Holiness is so much on their tongues,
and on their faces, that their deluded hearers
necessarily conclude that it is in their hearts.
But, alas! nothing is easier or more common,
than an apostolic face and a Judas heart.
Most pictures that I have seen of the “Last Supper”
represent Judas with a ferocious countenance. Had
painters drawn a holy, meek-looking face, I believe
they would have given a truer resemblance.
Many pass for angels in the pulpit, who if the truth
were known, would be seen to be devils and beasts
in heart, lip, and life at home.
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious
law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful
to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside
you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You try
to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your
hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew 23:25, 28