I. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced, nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined, to good or evil.
Sunday, March 28, 2021
WCF: Man's Will.
Monday, March 15, 2021
We need Bruising
“After conversion we need bruising so that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks. Even reeds need bruising, by reason of the remainder of pride in our nature, and to let us see that we live by mercy. Such bruising may help weaker Christians not to be too much discouraged, when they see stronger ones shaken and bruised…. The heroic deeds of those great [Bible] worthies do not comfort the church so much as their falls and bruises do….. Hence we learn that we must not pass too harsh judgment upon ourselves or others when God exercises us with bruising upon bruising. There must be a conformity to our head, Christ, who ‘was bruised for us’ (Isaiah 53:5) that we may know how much we are bound unto Him.” ~The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes (Puritan Paperbacks, page 5)
God uses the Hidden Saint
Satan wishes to keep the children of God in a sad, and perplexed state, because he hates Christians, and cannot devour their faith, nor pluck them out of the hand of God.
A notion of God commensurate
If we could
have thoughts of him, as high and excellent as his nature; our conceptions must
be as infinite as his nature. All our imaginations of him cannot represent him,
because every created species is finite; it cannot therefore represent to us a
full and substantial notion of an infinite being. We cannot speak or think
worthily enough of him, who is greater than our words, vaster than our
understandings. No creature, nor all creatures together, can furnish us with
such a magnificent notion of God, as can give us a clear view of him. Yet God in his word is pleased to step below his
own excellence, and point us to those excellences in his works, whereby we may
ascend to the knowledge of those excellences which are in his nature. But the
creatures, whence we draw our lessons being finite, and our understandings
being finite, it is utterly impossible to have a notion of God commensurate to
the immensity and spirituality of his being. --Charnock
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Pronounces People "Just"
Friday, March 12, 2021
WE CANNOT STAND ONE MOMENT
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Eloquent; yet, regarding the lowly.
Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them. ~Luke 15:1, 2