Man’s\nreligion & God’s religion<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Man’s\nreligion is to build up the creature.
\nGod’s religion is to throw the creature down in
\nthe dust of self-abasement, and to glorify Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JC\nPhilpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we\nare reduced to poverty and beggary<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How often\nwe seem not to have any real religion,
\nor enjoy any solid comfort! How often are our minds
\ncovered with deep darkness! How often does\nthe
\nLord hide Himself, so that we cannot behold\nHim,
\nnor get near to Him! What a painful path is\nthis
\nto walk in, but how profitable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we\nare reduced to poverty and beggary,
\nwe learn to value Christ’s glorious riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worse\nopinion we have of our own heart, and
\nthe more deceitful and desperately wicked that we
\nfind it\u2014the more we put our trust in His faithfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more\nblack we are in our own esteem\u2014the more
\nbeautiful and lovely does He appear in our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we\nsink\u2014Jesus rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we\nbecome feeble\u2014He puts forth his strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we\ncome into danger\u2014He brings deliverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we get\ninto temptation\u2014He breaks the snare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we are\nshut up in darkness and obscurity;
\nHe causes the light of His countenance to shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now it is\nby being led in this way, and walking
\nin these paths, that we come rightly to know who
\nJesus is; and to see and feel how suitable and
\nprecious such a Savior is to our undone souls!
\nWe are needy, He has in Himself all riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are\nhungry\u2014He is the bread of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are\nthirsty\u2014He says, “If any man thirst,
\nlet him come unto Me, and drink.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are\nnaked\u2014and He has clothing to bestow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are fools\u2014and\nHe has wisdom to grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are\nlost, and He speaks\u2014
\n“Look unto Me, and be saved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus, so\nfar from our misery shutting us out
\nfrom God’s mercy\u2014it is the only requisite for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far\nfrom our guilt excluding His pardon,
\nit is the only thing needful for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far\nfrom our helplessness ruining our souls,
\nit is the needful preparation for the manifestation
\nof His power in our weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We cannot\nheal our own wounds and sores. That is
\nthe very reason why He should stretch forth His arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is\nbecause there is no salvation in ourselves, or
\nin any other creature, that He says, “Look unto Me,
\nfor I am God, and there is no other.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JC Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\npenitent backslider and a forgiving God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“And\nwhile he was still a long distance away,
\nhis father saw him coming. Filled with love
\nand compassion, he ran to his son, embraced
\nhim, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a\nchild of God has enjoyed something of
\nthe goodness and mercy of God revealed in the
\nface of His dear Son, he may wander from his
\nmercies\u2014stray away from these choice gospel
\npastures\u2014and get into a waste howling wilderness,
\nwhere there is neither food nor water\u2014and yet,
\nthough half starved for poverty, has in himself
\nno power to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in\ndue time the Lord seeks out this wandering
\nsheep, and the first place he brings him to is the
\nmercy seat\u2014confessing his sins and seeking mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O what a\nmeeting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\npenitent backslider and a forgiving God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O what a\nmeeting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A guilty\nwretch drowned in tears\u2014and a loving
\nFather falling upon his neck and kissing him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O what a\nmeeting for a poor, self-condemned wretch,
\nwho can never mourn too deeply over his sins, and yet
\nfinds grace super-abounding over all his abounding
\nsins\u2014and the love of God bursting through the cloud,
\nlike the sun upon an April day\u2014and melting his heart
\ninto contrition and love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He\nwill carry the lambs in His arms.” Isaiah 40:11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n C.H.Spurgeon<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our\ngood Shepherd has in His flock\u2014a variety of experiences, some are strong in the\nLord, and others are weak in faith\u2014but He is impartial in His care for all His\nsheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the most advanced of the\nflock. Lambs are accustomed to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow\nweary\u2014but from all the danger of these infirmities, the Shepherd protects them\nwith His arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to\nperish\u2014and He nourishes them until life becomes vigorous. He finds weak minds\nready to faint and die\u2014and He consoles them and renews their strength. All the\nlittle ones He gathers in His arms\u2014for it is not the will of our heavenly\nFather that one of them should perish. What a quick eye He must have to see\nthem all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far-reaching and potent\narm, to gather them all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nHis lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that\nHe dwells in heaven, His loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the\ntimid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How\ngently did He gather me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love!\nWith what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself! Since my\nconversion, how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and once\nagain folded me within the circle of His everlasting arms! The best of all is,\nthat He does it all Himself personally, not delegating the task of love\u2014but\ncondescending Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. How\nshall I love Him enough\u2014or serve Him worthily? I would gladly make His name\ngreat unto the ends of the earth\u2014but what can my feebleness do for Him? Great\nShepherd, add to Your mercies this one more\u2014a heart to love You more truly as I\nought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ninfinite ocean of Christ’s love!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Octavius\nWinslow, “The Emotion of Love in Christ”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nmind has often been sensible of a feeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nawe as we have stood upon the shore, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n gazed\nupon the vast expanse of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With\na similar, yet far transcending emotion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n we\napproach the infinite ocean of Christ’s love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like\nthe eternity of God, we cannot fathom<\/p>\n\n\n\n where\nHis love begins, or where it terminates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nis no other solution to the marvelous<\/p>\n\n\n\n mysteries\nof His Incarnation and Sacrificial<\/p>\n\n\n\n Death\nbut this: Christ has loved us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Love\noriginated all, explains all, illustrates all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Love\nis the interpreter of every Divine mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nis not a circumstance of our Lord’s history<\/p>\n\n\n\n which\nis not another form or manifestation of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nincarnation is love stooping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nsympathy is love weeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\ncompassion is love supporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\ngrace is love acting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nteaching is the voice of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nsilence is the repose of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\npatience is the restraint of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nobedience is the labor of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nsuffering is the travail of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\ncross is the altar of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\ndeath is the burnt offering of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nresurrection is the triumph of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nascension into heaven is the enthronement of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nsitting down at the right hand of God is the intercession of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such\nis the deep, the vast, the boundless ocean<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nChrist’s love! The soul muses in silent awe as<\/p>\n\n\n\n it\ngazes upon this fathomless, limitless sea!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing\nshort of a divine love could or would have<\/p>\n\n\n\n borne\nour sins, and the punishment of our sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nweight of the one, and the terribleness of the<\/p>\n\n\n\n other,\nwould have crushed and annihilated a mere<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘created’\naffection. There existed no love but the<\/p>\n\n\n\n love\nof Jesus equal to the work of salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who\nwas willing, who was able, to bear that heavy<\/p>\n\n\n\n load,\nto endure that overwhelming curse, but Jesus?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh,\nthink, beloved reader, what the love<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nChrist has done and suffered for you….<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nburden it bore,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nsorrow it felt,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nhumiliation it underwent,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ninsults,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nignominy,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nprivation through which it traveled;<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\ngroans,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\nsighs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\ntears,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\ndarkness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n how\ninconceivably it agonized,<\/p>\n\n\n\n how\nfreely it bled,<\/p>\n\n\n\n how\nvoluntarily it died,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nsins it has pardoned,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nguilt it has cleansed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ndeclensions it has restored,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbackslidings it has healed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nsorrows it has soothed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\npatience it has exercised,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ngentleness it has exhibited,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nthen ask, could any other but the love of<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus\nhave done all this, and endured all this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such\nis the love of Christ!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nhave saved us upon such terms…<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\nstoop so low,<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\nhumiliation so profound,<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\nlabor so immense,<\/p>\n\n\n\n mental\nanguish so acute,<\/p>\n\n\n\n bodily\nsuffering so agonizing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\ndeath so ignominious…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was\never love like this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was\nit ever equaled? Where shall we find its parallel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Love\nless divine, less strong, less gentle, could<\/p>\n\n\n\n never\nhave won your heart, uprooted your enmity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n tore\nyou from your idols; enthroning Christ, all of<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ,\nChrist only, Christ supremely, Christ forever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nlove of Christ will be the wonder, the study, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nsong of all pure, holy intelligences through eternity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beloved,\nnothing shall take the love of Christ from you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n or\nseparate you from it. It does not ebb with the ebbing<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nyour feelings; it does not chill with the chill of your<\/p>\n\n\n\n affections;\nit does not change with the changing scenes<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\ncircumstances of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nlove of Christ has depths we cannot sound,<\/p>\n\n\n\n heights\nwe cannot explore, an infinite fulness and<\/p>\n\n\n\n freeness\ntiding over all the sins, infirmities, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n sorrows\nof its blessed and favored objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seek\nto know this love of Christ, though it is so vast<\/p>\n\n\n\n that\nit ‘passes knowledge.’ Infinite though it is, you<\/p>\n\n\n\n may\nexperience its reality, taste its sweetness, and be<\/p>\n\n\n\n influenced\nby its all commanding, all constraining power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do\nnot limit your heart experience of Christ’s love, for<\/p>\n\n\n\n it\nis infinite in its nature, and boundless in its extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nyet, how many of us stand but upon the shore<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nthis ocean! How little do we know, experimentally,<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nthe love of Christ in our souls!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bring\nyour heart with….<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\nprofoundest emptiness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\nmost startling discovery of sin,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\nlowest frame,<\/p>\n\n\n\n its\ndeepest sorrow, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n sink\nit into the depths of the Savior’s love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\ninfinite sea will flow over all, erase all,<\/p>\n\n\n\n absorb\nall, and your soul shall swim and sport<\/p>\n\n\n\n amid\nits gentle waves, exclaiming in your joy<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\ntransport, “Oh, the depths!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nLord direct your heart into the love of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just\nas it is…<\/p>\n\n\n\n hard,<\/p>\n\n\n\n cold,<\/p>\n\n\n\n fickle,<\/p>\n\n\n\n sinful,<\/p>\n\n\n\n sad\nand<\/p>\n\n\n\n sorrowful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s\nlove touching your hard heart, will dissolve it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s\nlove touching your cold heart, will warm it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s\nlove touching your sinful heart, will purify it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s\nlove touching your sorrowful heart, will soothe it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christ’s\nlove touching your wandering heart, will draw it back to Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only\nbring your heart to Christ’s love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Believe\nthat He loves you, and just as love begets<\/p>\n\n\n\n love,\nso the simple belief in the love of Jesus will<\/p>\n\n\n\n inspire\nyou with a reflected, responsive affection;<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nyour soul, like the flower, will burst from its<\/p>\n\n\n\n captivity,\nand bloom, and, soaring in life, liberty,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nbeauty, will float in the sunbeams of Gods full,<\/p>\n\n\n\n free,\nand eternal love; and, in a little while, will<\/p>\n\n\n\n find\nitself in heaven, where all is love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Blessed\nJesus! Your love, like Your agonies, is an<\/p>\n\n\n\n unknown\nand unfathomable depth! It passes knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\nit rise and expand before me, until it fills the entire<\/p>\n\n\n\n scope\nof my soul’s vision; occupies every niche of my heart;<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nbears me onward by its all commanding, all constraining<\/p>\n\n\n\n influence,\nin the path of a holy loving obedience and surrender.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “May\nyou experience the love of Christ, though it is so<\/p>\n\n\n\n great\nyou will never fully understand it.” Ephesians 3:19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nwe are reduced to poverty and beggary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How\noften we seem not to have any real religion, When\nwe are reduced to poverty and beggary, The\nworse opinion we have of our own heart, and The\nmore black we are in our own esteem\u2014the more As\nwe sink\u2014Jesus rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe become feeble\u2014He puts forth his strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe come into danger\u2014He brings deliverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe get into temptation\u2014He breaks the snare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe are shut up in darkness and obscurity; Now\nit is by being led in this way, and walking We\nare hungry\u2014He is the bread of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nare thirsty\u2014He says, “If any man thirst, We\nare naked\u2014and He has clothing to bestow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nare fools\u2014and He has wisdom to grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nare lost, and He speaks\u2014 Thus,\nso far from our misery shutting us out So\nfar from our guilt excluding His pardon, So\nfar from our helplessness ruining our souls, We\ncannot heal our own wounds and sores. That is It\nis because there is no salvation in ourselves, or JC Philpot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Man’s religion & God’s religion Man’s religion is to build up the creature. God’s religion is to throw the creature down in the dust of self-abasement, and to glorify Christ. JC Philpot When we are reduced to poverty and beggary How often we seem not to have any real religion, or enjoy any solid comfort! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5487"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5488,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5487\/revisions\/5488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nor enjoy any solid comfort! How often are our minds
\ncovered with deep darkness! How often does the
\nLord hide Himself, so that we cannot behold Him,
\nnor get near to Him! What a painful path is this
\nto walk in, but how profitable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nwe learn to value Christ’s glorious riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nthe more deceitful and desperately wicked that we
\nfind it\u2014the more we put our trust in His faithfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nbeautiful and lovely does He appear in our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHe causes the light of His countenance to shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nin these paths, that we come rightly to know who
\nJesus is; and to see and feel how suitable and
\nprecious such a Savior is to our undone souls!
\nWe are needy, He has in Himself all riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nlet him come unto Me, and drink.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Look unto Me, and be saved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nfrom God’s mercy\u2014it is the only requisite for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nit is the only thing needful for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nit is the needful preparation for the manifestation
\nof His power in our weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nthe very reason why He should stretch forth His arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nin any other creature, that He says, “Look unto Me,
\nfor I am God, and there is no other.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n