The God of Contemporary Christianity! (and others)
"These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought that I was altogether like you! But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face!" (Psalm 50:21).
The God of contemporary Christianity is only slightly superior to the pagan gods of ancient Greece and Rome - if indeed He is not actually inferior to them, in that He is weak and helpless - while they at least had some imagined power.
Among the sins to which the human heart is prone, hardly any other is more hateful to God than idolatry; for idolatry is at bottom a libel on His character. The idolatrous heart assumes that God is other than He is - in itself a monstrous sin - and substitutes for the true God, one made after its own likeness. Always this god will conform to the image of the one who created it - and will be base or pure, cruel or kind, according to the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.
The essence of idolatry, is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow - they are themselves idolatrous. The idolater simply imagines things about God - and acts as if they were true.
If we insist upon trying to imagine Him - we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts. And an idol of the mind, is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand!
Before a Christian Church goes into a decline, there must first be a corrupting of her Scriptural thoughts of God. She simply gives a wrong answer to the question, "What is God like?" - and goes downhill from there. Though she may continue to cling to a sound nominal creed - her practical working creed has become false. The masses of her adherents come to believe that God is different from what He actually is - and that is heresy of the most insidious and deadly kind!
The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God, until it is once more worthy of Him - and of her!
~A. W. Tozer~
____________________________
This Is The God Whom We Adore!
"I know that the Lord is great - that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases Him - in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths!" (Psalm 135:5-6).
God rules all! And though He is concealed by a veil of second causes from common eyes, so that they can perceive only the means, instruments, and contingencies by which He works, and therefore think He does nothing; yet, in reality, He does all according to His own counsel and pleasure, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.
Who can enumerate all the beings and events which are incessantly before His eye, adjusted by His wisdom, dependent on His will, and regulated by His power!
If we consider the heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained; if we call in the assistance of astronomers to help us in forming a conception of the number, distances, magnitudes, and motions of the heavenly bodies - the more we search, the more we shall be confirmed that these are but a small portion of His ways! Without His continual energy upholding them - they would rush into confusion, or sink into nothing! They are all dependent upon His power, and obedient to His command.
To come nearer home, and to speak of what seems more suited to our scanty apprehensions - still we may be lost in wonder. With respect to mankind, God reigns with uncontrolled dominion over every kingdom, family and individual. Before this blessed and only Potentate, all the nations of the earth are but as the dust upon the balance, and the small drop of a bucket - and might be thought (if compared with the immensity of His works) scarcely worthy of His notice! Yet here He presides, pervades, provides, protects, and rules! All changes, successes, and disappointments - all that is memorable in the annals of history, all the risings and falls of empires, all the turns in human life - take place according to His sovereign plan!
In Him His creatures live, move, and have their being. From Him, is their food and preservation. The eyes of all are upon Him; what He gives, they gather - and can gather no more! And at His word they sink into the dust!
There is not a worm which crawls upon the ground,
or a flower which grows in the pathless wilderness,
or a shell upon the seashore -
but bears the impress of His wisdom, power, and goodness!
He preserves man and beast, sustains the young lion in the forest, feeds the birds of the air, which have neither storehouse or barn, and adorns the insects and the flowers of the field with a beauty and elegance beyond all that can be found in the courts of the kings!
All things serve God, and are in His hands - as clay in the hands of the potter. Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints!
This is the God whom we adore! This is He who invites us to lean upon His mighty arm, and promises to guide us with His unerring wisdom!
~Letters of John Newton~
Saturday, October 27, 2018
The Benefits of Meditation
The Benefits of Meditation
Many years ago, it pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost - though now, more than forty years have since passed away.
The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul enjoying the presence and favor of God. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord - but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seeks to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.
Before this time my practice had been at least for ten years previously, as a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer and after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, while meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.
I began, therefore, to meditate on the New Testament from the beginning, early in the morning. The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching, as it were, into every verse to get blessing out of it - not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this: that after a few minutes my soul has been led to confession, thanksgiving, intercession, or supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer but to meditation - yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer. When thus I have been for a while making confession, intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks - I go to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the Word may lead to it; but still continually keeping before me that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation.
The result of this is that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation - and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.
Thus also the Lord is pleased to give unto me that which, very soon after, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word that I gave myself to mediation, but for the profit of my own inner man.
The difference then between my former practice and my present one is this: Formerly, when I rose I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time until breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events, I almost invariably began with prayer, except when I felt my soul to be more than usually barren, in which case I read the Word of God for food, or for refreshment, or for a revival and renewal of my inner man, before I gave myself to prayer.
But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, or even an hour on my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul; and often, after having suffered much from wandering of mind for a hour, I only then really began to pray.
I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart now being flourished by the truth,and about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word. Since God has taught me this, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man.
Now, what is the food for the inner man? - not prayer but the Word of God; and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God - but considering and meditating on what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts.
When we pray, we speak to God. Now prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking, a measure of strength or godly desire. Reading the Word of God is God speaking to us - to encourage us, comfort us, instruct us, humble us, reprove us. We may therefore profitably meditate on Scripture with God's blessing, and thus far less to be feared from wandering of mind.
I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my fellow believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I ascribe to this mode, the help and strength that I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, than I had ever had before. And after having now above forty years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it.
How different when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon us!
~George Muller~
(The End)
Many years ago, it pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost - though now, more than forty years have since passed away.
The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul enjoying the presence and favor of God. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord - but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seeks to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.
Before this time my practice had been at least for ten years previously, as a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer and after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, while meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.
I began, therefore, to meditate on the New Testament from the beginning, early in the morning. The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching, as it were, into every verse to get blessing out of it - not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this: that after a few minutes my soul has been led to confession, thanksgiving, intercession, or supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer but to meditation - yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer. When thus I have been for a while making confession, intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks - I go to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the Word may lead to it; but still continually keeping before me that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation.
The result of this is that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation - and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.
Thus also the Lord is pleased to give unto me that which, very soon after, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word that I gave myself to mediation, but for the profit of my own inner man.
The difference then between my former practice and my present one is this: Formerly, when I rose I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time until breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events, I almost invariably began with prayer, except when I felt my soul to be more than usually barren, in which case I read the Word of God for food, or for refreshment, or for a revival and renewal of my inner man, before I gave myself to prayer.
But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, or even an hour on my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul; and often, after having suffered much from wandering of mind for a hour, I only then really began to pray.
I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart now being flourished by the truth,and about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word. Since God has taught me this, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man.
Now, what is the food for the inner man? - not prayer but the Word of God; and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God - but considering and meditating on what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts.
When we pray, we speak to God. Now prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking, a measure of strength or godly desire. Reading the Word of God is God speaking to us - to encourage us, comfort us, instruct us, humble us, reprove us. We may therefore profitably meditate on Scripture with God's blessing, and thus far less to be feared from wandering of mind.
I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my fellow believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I ascribe to this mode, the help and strength that I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, than I had ever had before. And after having now above forty years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it.
How different when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon us!
~George Muller~
(The End)
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility # 2
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility # 2
2. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Our aim in the present study is to think out the nature of the Christian's evangelistic task in the light of this agreed presupposition that God is sovereign in salvation. Now, we need to recognize right at the outset that this is no easy assignment.
All theological topics contain pitfalls for the unwary, for God's truth is never quite what man would have expected; and our present subject is more treacherous than most. This is because in thinking it through we have to deal with an antinomy in the biblical revelation, and in such circumstances our finite,fallen minds are more than ordinarily apt to go astray.
An "Antinomy" Defined
What is an "antonomy"? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as "a contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable, or necessary."
For our purposes, however, this definition is not quite accurate; the opening words should read "an appearance of contradiction." For the whole point of an antinomy - in theology, at any rate - is that it is not a real contradiction, though it looks like one. It is an apparent incompatibility between two apparent truths. An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be rue on its own, but you do not see how they can both be true together.
Not a Paradox
It appears, therefore, that an antinomy is not the same thing as a paradox. A paradox is a figure of speech, a play on words. It is a form of statement that seems to unite two opposite ideas, or to deny something by the very terms in which it is asserted. Many truths about the Christian life an be expressed as paradoxes. Paul states various paradoxes of his own Christian experience: "sorrowful - yet always rejoicing... having nothing - yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:10). "When I am weak - then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
The point of a paradox, however is that what creates the appearance of contradiction is not the facts, but the words. The contradiction is verbal, but not real. A little thought shows how it can be eliminated and the same idea expressed in non-paradoxical form. In other words, a paradox is always dispensable. Paul might have said that sorrow at circumstances, and joy in God or that he owns no property, there is a sense in which everything belongs to him, because he is Christ's and Christ is Lord of all.
By contrast, however, an antinomy is neither dispensable nor comprehensible. It is not a figure of speech, but an observed relation between two statements of fact. It is unavoidable, and it is insoluble. We do not invent it, and we cannot explain it. Nor is there any way to get rid of it - save by falsifying the very facts that led us to it.
Responding to an Antinomy
What should one do, then, with an antinomy? Please note the following.
Accept it for what it is, and learn to live with it. Refuse to regard the apparent inconsistency as real. Put down the semblance of contradiction to the deficiency of your own understanding. Think of the two principles as, not rival alternatives, but, in some way that at present you do not grasp, complementary to each other.
Be careful, therefore, not to set them at loggerheads, nor to make deductions from either that would cut across the other. Note what connections exist between the two truths and their two frames of reference, and teach yourself to think of reality in a way that provides for their peaceful coexistence, remembering that reality itself has proved actually to contain them both. This is how antinomies must be handled, and this is how Christians have to deal with the antinomies of biblical teaching.
Antinomy: God as King and as Judge
Scripture teaches that, as King, He orders and controls all things. Scripture also teaches that, as Judge, He holds every man responsible for the choices he makes and the courses of action he pursues. Thus, hearers of the gospel are responsible for their reaction; if they reject the good news, they are guilty of unbelief. Paul, entrusted with the gospel, is responsible for preaching it; if he neglects his commission, he is penalized for unfaithfulness. God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are taught side by side, and sometimes in the same text. Both are thus guaranteed to us in the same divine authority; both, therefore, are true.
1. A Man is a responsible moral agent; though he is also divinely controlled.
2. Man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.
God's sovereignty is a reality, and man's responsibility is a reality too. To our finite minds, of course, the thing is inexplicable. It sounds like a contradiction. Paul notices this complaint in Romans 9, and replies. He does does not attempt to demonstrate the propriety of God's action; instead, he rebukes the spirit of the question. "Nay but, O man, who are you that replies against God?" (Romans 9:20).
The Creator is incomprehensible to His creatures. We ought not in any case to be surprised when we find mysteries of this sort in God's Word for the Creator is incomprehensible to His creatures. A God whom we could understand exhaustively, and whose revelation of Himself confronted us with no mysteries whatever - would be a God in man's image, and therefore an imaginary God, not the God of the Bible at all! "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8).
It is necessary to take the thought of human responsibility very seriously indeed. But we must NOT let it drive the thought of divine sovereignty out of our minds. Let us not for a moment forget that God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are both true.
~J. I. Packer~
(The End)
2. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Our aim in the present study is to think out the nature of the Christian's evangelistic task in the light of this agreed presupposition that God is sovereign in salvation. Now, we need to recognize right at the outset that this is no easy assignment.
All theological topics contain pitfalls for the unwary, for God's truth is never quite what man would have expected; and our present subject is more treacherous than most. This is because in thinking it through we have to deal with an antinomy in the biblical revelation, and in such circumstances our finite,fallen minds are more than ordinarily apt to go astray.
An "Antinomy" Defined
What is an "antonomy"? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as "a contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable, or necessary."
For our purposes, however, this definition is not quite accurate; the opening words should read "an appearance of contradiction." For the whole point of an antinomy - in theology, at any rate - is that it is not a real contradiction, though it looks like one. It is an apparent incompatibility between two apparent truths. An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be rue on its own, but you do not see how they can both be true together.
Not a Paradox
It appears, therefore, that an antinomy is not the same thing as a paradox. A paradox is a figure of speech, a play on words. It is a form of statement that seems to unite two opposite ideas, or to deny something by the very terms in which it is asserted. Many truths about the Christian life an be expressed as paradoxes. Paul states various paradoxes of his own Christian experience: "sorrowful - yet always rejoicing... having nothing - yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:10). "When I am weak - then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
The point of a paradox, however is that what creates the appearance of contradiction is not the facts, but the words. The contradiction is verbal, but not real. A little thought shows how it can be eliminated and the same idea expressed in non-paradoxical form. In other words, a paradox is always dispensable. Paul might have said that sorrow at circumstances, and joy in God or that he owns no property, there is a sense in which everything belongs to him, because he is Christ's and Christ is Lord of all.
By contrast, however, an antinomy is neither dispensable nor comprehensible. It is not a figure of speech, but an observed relation between two statements of fact. It is unavoidable, and it is insoluble. We do not invent it, and we cannot explain it. Nor is there any way to get rid of it - save by falsifying the very facts that led us to it.
Responding to an Antinomy
What should one do, then, with an antinomy? Please note the following.
Accept it for what it is, and learn to live with it. Refuse to regard the apparent inconsistency as real. Put down the semblance of contradiction to the deficiency of your own understanding. Think of the two principles as, not rival alternatives, but, in some way that at present you do not grasp, complementary to each other.
Be careful, therefore, not to set them at loggerheads, nor to make deductions from either that would cut across the other. Note what connections exist between the two truths and their two frames of reference, and teach yourself to think of reality in a way that provides for their peaceful coexistence, remembering that reality itself has proved actually to contain them both. This is how antinomies must be handled, and this is how Christians have to deal with the antinomies of biblical teaching.
Antinomy: God as King and as Judge
Scripture teaches that, as King, He orders and controls all things. Scripture also teaches that, as Judge, He holds every man responsible for the choices he makes and the courses of action he pursues. Thus, hearers of the gospel are responsible for their reaction; if they reject the good news, they are guilty of unbelief. Paul, entrusted with the gospel, is responsible for preaching it; if he neglects his commission, he is penalized for unfaithfulness. God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are taught side by side, and sometimes in the same text. Both are thus guaranteed to us in the same divine authority; both, therefore, are true.
1. A Man is a responsible moral agent; though he is also divinely controlled.
2. Man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.
God's sovereignty is a reality, and man's responsibility is a reality too. To our finite minds, of course, the thing is inexplicable. It sounds like a contradiction. Paul notices this complaint in Romans 9, and replies. He does does not attempt to demonstrate the propriety of God's action; instead, he rebukes the spirit of the question. "Nay but, O man, who are you that replies against God?" (Romans 9:20).
The Creator is incomprehensible to His creatures. We ought not in any case to be surprised when we find mysteries of this sort in God's Word for the Creator is incomprehensible to His creatures. A God whom we could understand exhaustively, and whose revelation of Himself confronted us with no mysteries whatever - would be a God in man's image, and therefore an imaginary God, not the God of the Bible at all! "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8).
It is necessary to take the thought of human responsibility very seriously indeed. But we must NOT let it drive the thought of divine sovereignty out of our minds. Let us not for a moment forget that God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are both true.
~J. I. Packer~
(The End)
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility # 1
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility # 1
How both biblical truths coexist in God's grace.
1. Divine Sovereignty
I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in His world. There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe already. How do I know that? Because I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God's sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already and all the good that you hope for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer.
The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts. Every good thing that we desire for ourselves and for others, must be sought from God, and will come, if it comes at all, as a gift from His hands.
If this is true even of our daily bread (and the Lord's prayer teaches us that it is), much more is it true of spiritual benefits. This is all luminously clear to us when we are actually praying. In effect, therefore, what we do every time we pray, is to confess our own impotence and God's sovereignty. The very fact that a Christian prays is thus proof positive that he believes in the Lordship of his God.
Is God Sovereign in Salvation?
Nor, again, am I going to spend time proving to you the particular truth that God is sovereign in salvation. For that, too, you believe already. Two facts show this.
1. You give thanks for your conversion. In the first place, you give God thanks for your conversion. Now why do you do that? Because you know in your heart that God was entirely responsible for it. You did not save yourself, He saved you. Your thanksgiving is itself an acknowledgement that your conversion was not your own work, but His work. You do not put it down to chance or accident that you came under Christian influence when you did. You do not put it down to chance that you attend a Christian church, that you heard the gospel, that you have Christian friends, that the Bible fell into your hands, that you saw your need of Christ and came to trust Him as your Saviour. You do not attribute your repenting and believing to your own wisdom, or prudence, or sound judgment, or good sense.
As you look back, you take to yourself the blame for your past blindness and indifference and obstinacy and evasiveness in face of the gospel message; but you do not pat yourself on the back for having been at length mastered by the insistent Christ. You would never dream of dividing the credit for your salvation between God and yourself.
2. You pray for the conversion of others. In what terms do you intercede for others? Do you limit yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point where they can save themselves, independently of Him? No. I think that what you do is to pray in categorical terms that God will, quite simply and decisively, save them: that He will open the eyes of their understanding, soften their hard hearts, renew their natures, and move their wills to receive the Saviour. You ask God to work in them everything necessary for their salvation. When you pray for unconverted people, you do so on the assumption that it is in God's power to bring them to faith. You entreat Him to do that very thing, and your confidence in asking rests upon the certainty that He is able to do what you ask. You know that it is God's gracious work of drawing them to Himself. And so do all Christian people everywhere.
Is God Really Lord?
There is a long-standing controversy in the Church as to whether God is really Lord in relation to human conduct and saving faith or not. The situation is not what it seems to be. For it is not true that some Christians believe in sovereignty while others hold an opposite view. What is true is that all Christians believe in divine sovereignty, but some are not aware that they do, and mistakenly imagine and insist that they reject it. What causes this odd state of affairs? The root cause is the same as in most cases of error in the Church the intruding of rationalistic speculations, the passion of systematic consistency, a reluctance to recognize the existence of mystery and to let God be wiser than men, and a consequent subjecting of Scripture to the supposed demands of human logic. People see that the Bible teaches man's responsibility for his actions, they do not see how this is consistent with the sovereign Lordship of God over those actions. They are not content to let the two truths live side by side, as they do in the Scriptures, but jump to the conclusion that, in order to uphold the biblical truth of human responsibility, they are bound to reject the equally biblical and equally true doctrine of divine sovereignty, and to explain away the great number of texts that teach it.
The desire to over-simplify the Bible by cutting out the mysteries is natural to our perverse minds, and it is not surprising that even good men should fall victim to it. The irony of the situation, however, is that when we ask how the two sides pray, it becomes apparent that those who profess to deny God's sovereignty really believe in it just as strongly as those who affirm it!
How then, do you pray? Do you ask God for your daily bread? Do you thank God for your conversion? Do you pray for the conversion of others> If the answer is "no", I can only say that I do not think you are yet born again! But if the answer is "yes", well, that proves that, whatever side you may have taken in debates on this question in the past, in your heart you believe in the sovereignty of God no less firmly than anyone else. On our feet we may have arguments about it, but on our knees we are all agreed.
~J. I. Packer~
(continued with # 2)
How both biblical truths coexist in God's grace.
1. Divine Sovereignty
I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in His world. There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe already. How do I know that? Because I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God's sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already and all the good that you hope for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer.
The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts. Every good thing that we desire for ourselves and for others, must be sought from God, and will come, if it comes at all, as a gift from His hands.
If this is true even of our daily bread (and the Lord's prayer teaches us that it is), much more is it true of spiritual benefits. This is all luminously clear to us when we are actually praying. In effect, therefore, what we do every time we pray, is to confess our own impotence and God's sovereignty. The very fact that a Christian prays is thus proof positive that he believes in the Lordship of his God.
Is God Sovereign in Salvation?
Nor, again, am I going to spend time proving to you the particular truth that God is sovereign in salvation. For that, too, you believe already. Two facts show this.
1. You give thanks for your conversion. In the first place, you give God thanks for your conversion. Now why do you do that? Because you know in your heart that God was entirely responsible for it. You did not save yourself, He saved you. Your thanksgiving is itself an acknowledgement that your conversion was not your own work, but His work. You do not put it down to chance or accident that you came under Christian influence when you did. You do not put it down to chance that you attend a Christian church, that you heard the gospel, that you have Christian friends, that the Bible fell into your hands, that you saw your need of Christ and came to trust Him as your Saviour. You do not attribute your repenting and believing to your own wisdom, or prudence, or sound judgment, or good sense.
As you look back, you take to yourself the blame for your past blindness and indifference and obstinacy and evasiveness in face of the gospel message; but you do not pat yourself on the back for having been at length mastered by the insistent Christ. You would never dream of dividing the credit for your salvation between God and yourself.
2. You pray for the conversion of others. In what terms do you intercede for others? Do you limit yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point where they can save themselves, independently of Him? No. I think that what you do is to pray in categorical terms that God will, quite simply and decisively, save them: that He will open the eyes of their understanding, soften their hard hearts, renew their natures, and move their wills to receive the Saviour. You ask God to work in them everything necessary for their salvation. When you pray for unconverted people, you do so on the assumption that it is in God's power to bring them to faith. You entreat Him to do that very thing, and your confidence in asking rests upon the certainty that He is able to do what you ask. You know that it is God's gracious work of drawing them to Himself. And so do all Christian people everywhere.
Is God Really Lord?
There is a long-standing controversy in the Church as to whether God is really Lord in relation to human conduct and saving faith or not. The situation is not what it seems to be. For it is not true that some Christians believe in sovereignty while others hold an opposite view. What is true is that all Christians believe in divine sovereignty, but some are not aware that they do, and mistakenly imagine and insist that they reject it. What causes this odd state of affairs? The root cause is the same as in most cases of error in the Church the intruding of rationalistic speculations, the passion of systematic consistency, a reluctance to recognize the existence of mystery and to let God be wiser than men, and a consequent subjecting of Scripture to the supposed demands of human logic. People see that the Bible teaches man's responsibility for his actions, they do not see how this is consistent with the sovereign Lordship of God over those actions. They are not content to let the two truths live side by side, as they do in the Scriptures, but jump to the conclusion that, in order to uphold the biblical truth of human responsibility, they are bound to reject the equally biblical and equally true doctrine of divine sovereignty, and to explain away the great number of texts that teach it.
The desire to over-simplify the Bible by cutting out the mysteries is natural to our perverse minds, and it is not surprising that even good men should fall victim to it. The irony of the situation, however, is that when we ask how the two sides pray, it becomes apparent that those who profess to deny God's sovereignty really believe in it just as strongly as those who affirm it!
How then, do you pray? Do you ask God for your daily bread? Do you thank God for your conversion? Do you pray for the conversion of others> If the answer is "no", I can only say that I do not think you are yet born again! But if the answer is "yes", well, that proves that, whatever side you may have taken in debates on this question in the past, in your heart you believe in the sovereignty of God no less firmly than anyone else. On our feet we may have arguments about it, but on our knees we are all agreed.
~J. I. Packer~
(continued with # 2)
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Profitable Reading of Scriptures # 2
Profitable Reading of Scriptures # 2
1. Read INTELLIGENTLY, as to the design of the sacred volume. If you do not set out with a clear perception of the author's design, you will be in the dark all the way through. And what is the design of the Bible? As it respects GOD, it is to reveal Himself, not simply in the unity of His essence, but also in the Trinity of His personality. "It is God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself; not the creating, but Redeeming God, which is the great purpose of revelation. It does reveal, and clearly reveals, God as the Creator - but this is subordinate, in purpose and plan, to the exhibition of God manifest in the flesh, redeeming a lost world from sin, satan, death, and hell. Christ, as the medium of making God known, by the salvation of man, is the end of the Bible. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega of revelation. The ceremonial law was the shadow, of which He is the substance - the prophets testified of Him - the Old Testament history contains the records of His ancestors - the Psalms of David celebrate His praises - the evangelists wrote the narrative of His life and death - the Epistles contain the development of His doctrine - and the Apocalypse unfolds His future victories over His foes, and the splendor of His reign to the end of time! All the lines of Revelation center in Christ. In all your studies of the word, keep this in mind. Without allegorizing what is plain matter of fact, and nothing more; without spiritualizing what has one literal meaning; still remember that the general design of the Bible is to testify of Christ, and to reveal the moral character of God through Him.
But a second design of the Bible regards MAN, which is, through this glorious revelation of God, to restore him to the Divine favor and image, which he lost by the fall. Redemption through Christ is not simply to save us from hell, but to restore us to God; not only to His love, but to His likeness. Justification by faith in Christ, is to the end that we might receive sanctification by the Holy Spirit; having these, glorification follows as a consequence. Take this whole design in reading the Scriptures. Be ever looking for the object of faith, which is the death of Christ; for the object of love, which is the image of Christ; and for the object of hope, which is the coming of Christ. Remember that the Scriptures are given to form a particular character; a character which is distinguished by three things - holiness, spirituality, and heavenly-mindedness.
The Bible is intended to form in me a particular character, to fashion my whole self after a prescribed manner; and am I, by reading it, and studying it, answering this end? Have I a Bible-character? Is my mind a Bible-mind? Is my heart a Bible-heart? Is my life a Bible-life? Do others see the fruit and effect of my study of the Scriptures in my likeness to the Scriptures? Do I not only read the Bible, but am I one? - a living, speaking, acting Bible?
2. Read REVERENTIALLY, remembering it is the Word of God. Realize the fact, that it is God speaking to you in every page! Read with that awe, and reverence, and trembling, with which you would listen - if Jehovah were speaking to you with an audible voice! I do not like to see the sacred volume treated with disrespect or irreverence. We are in danger of losing our reverence for the contents, if we treat them with disesteem. How would it aid us in the perusal of the Scriptures if we paused before we opened them, and reflected thus, "I am going to hear God speak to me!" How would it solemnize our minds, check our levity, and prepare us to receive the truth with all its powerful and holy influence.
3. Our perusal of the Scriptures should be HABITUAL AND CONSTANT; and not merely occasional and accidental. Some rarely take up the Scriptures, but in a season of trial or difficulty, or at a time of leisure, to while away an hour. This shows a great neglect, not to say contempt of the Bible. The Bible should be the "everyday" book of Christians.
4. Read the Word of God PRIVATELY. Do not satisfy yourselves with what you hear. You need opportunity for meditation, self-application, self examination, self-reproof, self-stimulus, and self-improvement.
5. Do not read at random, or trust to accident; but read CONSECUTIVELY. You must not pick and choose for some comfortable text. Read regularly through the whole Bible - from Genesis through Revelation.
As to the study of the symbolical and unfulfilled prophecies, contained in the Book of Daniel, and the Apocalypse, this is a legitimate, and a commendable study. We must be much alone with the Bible and give ourselves to the delightful task of poring over its pages - but it is not knowledge alone that we seek but holiness. It is with this precious food of Divine truth we profit greatly.
6. It is important, if you would profit, to mix FAITH with reading. We should also read the Scriptures with earnest PRAYER for the teaching of the Spirit. The teaching of the Spirit is not be be expected apart from the truths of the word. None of us will have any more spiritual understanding than the Spirit gives us; but then He will give us as we seek by earnest and believing prayer. To grow in grace, and in knowledge, we must consult both the Book and its Divine Author. "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength" (Ephesians 1:17--19).
~John Angell James~
(The End)
1. Read INTELLIGENTLY, as to the design of the sacred volume. If you do not set out with a clear perception of the author's design, you will be in the dark all the way through. And what is the design of the Bible? As it respects GOD, it is to reveal Himself, not simply in the unity of His essence, but also in the Trinity of His personality. "It is God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself; not the creating, but Redeeming God, which is the great purpose of revelation. It does reveal, and clearly reveals, God as the Creator - but this is subordinate, in purpose and plan, to the exhibition of God manifest in the flesh, redeeming a lost world from sin, satan, death, and hell. Christ, as the medium of making God known, by the salvation of man, is the end of the Bible. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega of revelation. The ceremonial law was the shadow, of which He is the substance - the prophets testified of Him - the Old Testament history contains the records of His ancestors - the Psalms of David celebrate His praises - the evangelists wrote the narrative of His life and death - the Epistles contain the development of His doctrine - and the Apocalypse unfolds His future victories over His foes, and the splendor of His reign to the end of time! All the lines of Revelation center in Christ. In all your studies of the word, keep this in mind. Without allegorizing what is plain matter of fact, and nothing more; without spiritualizing what has one literal meaning; still remember that the general design of the Bible is to testify of Christ, and to reveal the moral character of God through Him.
But a second design of the Bible regards MAN, which is, through this glorious revelation of God, to restore him to the Divine favor and image, which he lost by the fall. Redemption through Christ is not simply to save us from hell, but to restore us to God; not only to His love, but to His likeness. Justification by faith in Christ, is to the end that we might receive sanctification by the Holy Spirit; having these, glorification follows as a consequence. Take this whole design in reading the Scriptures. Be ever looking for the object of faith, which is the death of Christ; for the object of love, which is the image of Christ; and for the object of hope, which is the coming of Christ. Remember that the Scriptures are given to form a particular character; a character which is distinguished by three things - holiness, spirituality, and heavenly-mindedness.
The Bible is intended to form in me a particular character, to fashion my whole self after a prescribed manner; and am I, by reading it, and studying it, answering this end? Have I a Bible-character? Is my mind a Bible-mind? Is my heart a Bible-heart? Is my life a Bible-life? Do others see the fruit and effect of my study of the Scriptures in my likeness to the Scriptures? Do I not only read the Bible, but am I one? - a living, speaking, acting Bible?
2. Read REVERENTIALLY, remembering it is the Word of God. Realize the fact, that it is God speaking to you in every page! Read with that awe, and reverence, and trembling, with which you would listen - if Jehovah were speaking to you with an audible voice! I do not like to see the sacred volume treated with disrespect or irreverence. We are in danger of losing our reverence for the contents, if we treat them with disesteem. How would it aid us in the perusal of the Scriptures if we paused before we opened them, and reflected thus, "I am going to hear God speak to me!" How would it solemnize our minds, check our levity, and prepare us to receive the truth with all its powerful and holy influence.
3. Our perusal of the Scriptures should be HABITUAL AND CONSTANT; and not merely occasional and accidental. Some rarely take up the Scriptures, but in a season of trial or difficulty, or at a time of leisure, to while away an hour. This shows a great neglect, not to say contempt of the Bible. The Bible should be the "everyday" book of Christians.
4. Read the Word of God PRIVATELY. Do not satisfy yourselves with what you hear. You need opportunity for meditation, self-application, self examination, self-reproof, self-stimulus, and self-improvement.
5. Do not read at random, or trust to accident; but read CONSECUTIVELY. You must not pick and choose for some comfortable text. Read regularly through the whole Bible - from Genesis through Revelation.
As to the study of the symbolical and unfulfilled prophecies, contained in the Book of Daniel, and the Apocalypse, this is a legitimate, and a commendable study. We must be much alone with the Bible and give ourselves to the delightful task of poring over its pages - but it is not knowledge alone that we seek but holiness. It is with this precious food of Divine truth we profit greatly.
6. It is important, if you would profit, to mix FAITH with reading. We should also read the Scriptures with earnest PRAYER for the teaching of the Spirit. The teaching of the Spirit is not be be expected apart from the truths of the word. None of us will have any more spiritual understanding than the Spirit gives us; but then He will give us as we seek by earnest and believing prayer. To grow in grace, and in knowledge, we must consult both the Book and its Divine Author. "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength" (Ephesians 1:17--19).
~John Angell James~
(The End)
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Profitable Reading of Scripture # 1
Profitable Reading of Scripture # 1
The subject of this address is a very common one; for I do not hunt after novelties, but desire to stir up your minds in a way of remembrance. My object now is to point out to you, and enjoin upon you, a profitable method of reading the Scriptures.
What an inestimable treasure is the sacred volume! Well does it deserve the emphatic title by which it is distinguished from all other works, as "THE BIBLE," which means THE Book. Yes , it is indeed the book: the one, and only book for man, as an immortal creature, a lost sinner. It is a book containing God's thoughts, expressed in God's words; or as the great John Locke said, in a description, the comprehension and beauty of which have never been surpassed, "It has God for its author, salvation for its object, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its contents."
What a blessing ought it to be accounted, that we have this Divine revelation in the form of Scriptures, that is, writings, and not merely in oral tradition; that the Divine communications have been translated from the original languages, into our own tongue; that we are delivered from the tyranny of the Church of Rome, which denies the unrestricted use of the Scriptures to the people; and that they are now cheapened down, by various means, to be within the reach of the poorest individual. Never was the Bible so low in price, as it is now. Never was the Bible so much talked about as it is now. It is now the "Bible Age."
From the very nature of things, preaching has some advantages over reading; for not only are difficulties solved, seeming contradictions reconciled, and hidden beauties disclosed - but the combined effect of reasoning and rhetoric, aided by countenance, gesture, and voice - must at once awaken and sustain attention, instruct the judgment, captivate the imagination, impress the heart, and excite the conscience. It is therefore of unspeakable importance, constantly to hear the word preached; for faith comes by hearing; and the preaching of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation, to those who believe. But still it is an indolent and injurious relinquishment of our own inestimable privilege and indefeasible right to search the Scriptures for ourselves, entirely to substitute hearing for reading; and those people will be found to be the most profitable hearers of the word, who are its most devout and diligent readers.
It cannot be denied, that much of the religion of the present day is the religion of public meetings and excitement. The closet is a dull scene compared with the place of public resort; the silent page of Scripture a dull teacher, compared with the living voice of the eloquent preacher; and our solitary self dull company, compared with the trooping multitudes of the great congregation. But still, no one can be an eminent Christian, however frequently, admiringly, or pleasantly he hears his favorite minister, who does not converse much with his Bible in secret. He that would grow in grace and in knowledge, must commune daily with prophets and apostles, through the medium of their own inspired productions, he must drink largely of the pure living waters and undiluted milk of the Word. It will be found to be a weak and sickly piety, unfit to meet the exigencies, to cope with the difficulties and to maintain the conflicts of the Christian life - that depends for its support, exclusively, upon the hearing of sermons; or even the reading of Christian magazines, tracts, and reviews.
God's Word is the food of the soul, and there is more of concentrated nourishment in a single text of Scripture, when it is drawn out by the digestive process of meditation, to strengthen the heart of the believer, than in many pages of uninspired, though otherwise attractive, and even instructive, composition. God's words are life, and they are Spirit. Read the pages of Christian martyology, and while wondering at the noble heroes that stand before you, and admiring their deeds of deathless fame, you will find the secret of their strength in their intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures; they were Bible Christians, and not mere sermon Christians. If you were but deeply experienced in the ways of God, and the devices of satan, you would easily remember times of conflict and of peril, when the perusal of a single chapter or verse without the intervention of a human teacher, sounded like the voice of God and seemed like the coming into your soul of the mightiness of His Omnipotence. If, then, you would relish the uncorrupted sweetness of the Word; if you would realize its strength-giving efficacy; if you would grow to the strength and stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus; if you would be valiant in the fight of faith - you must be much in converse with God alone.
Is not this precious privilege too much neglected by many of you? Does not the Bible lie upon the table, or the shelf, for days, yes weeks, unopened? What excuse have you to offer for so ungrateful a return for this inspired book? Diligence, prayer, and a holy state of mind, and the help of the Holy Spirit, will unlock most of the hidden treasures of inspiration. Those who complain of the darkness of the Scriptures, are generally those who have devoted the least time and attention to the study of them. Many uninspired books are difficult to those who only dip into them occasionally, but which, to the very same people, become easy, when studied with care. The aid of a commentary may be of help to those who have leisure to peruse it.
But, perhaps, you say you have no time. No time to read the Bible! No time to read the book of God! - a book written by God to you, and for you, and of you! The only book which can make you wise to salvation! Have you time to eat, drink, and sleep? And have you no time to read the Scriptures? Have you time to read letters from your friends, and no time to read letters from God! Time to read the newspaper, and not time to read the Bible? Do you not feel ashamed at the idea, especially when actually put into language? You must find time; and, if in no other way, be redeeming it from sleep, business, recreation, conversation, and other pursuits. How much time would it take daily to read, even with serious attention, a whole chapter? How many precious fragments of time might be gathered up from other occupations, which are actually wasted - to be employed on this high and holy engagement!
Probably you wish for some DIRECTIONS for your Bible-reading. A delight in the reading to of the Scriptures, is the best guide. He that is in love with a book, scarcely needs a rule to assist him. He will carry it about with him; make himself acquainted with the book; take it out when a few minutes leisure present themselves; store its contents in his memory; think of them often; and apply them as occasions may present themselves. Love to read the Scriptures - and you will be sure to read them with profit. A real lover of his Bible cannot be an unprofitable one. But it you wish assistance, take the following rules -
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 2)
The subject of this address is a very common one; for I do not hunt after novelties, but desire to stir up your minds in a way of remembrance. My object now is to point out to you, and enjoin upon you, a profitable method of reading the Scriptures.
What an inestimable treasure is the sacred volume! Well does it deserve the emphatic title by which it is distinguished from all other works, as "THE BIBLE," which means THE Book. Yes , it is indeed the book: the one, and only book for man, as an immortal creature, a lost sinner. It is a book containing God's thoughts, expressed in God's words; or as the great John Locke said, in a description, the comprehension and beauty of which have never been surpassed, "It has God for its author, salvation for its object, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its contents."
What a blessing ought it to be accounted, that we have this Divine revelation in the form of Scriptures, that is, writings, and not merely in oral tradition; that the Divine communications have been translated from the original languages, into our own tongue; that we are delivered from the tyranny of the Church of Rome, which denies the unrestricted use of the Scriptures to the people; and that they are now cheapened down, by various means, to be within the reach of the poorest individual. Never was the Bible so low in price, as it is now. Never was the Bible so much talked about as it is now. It is now the "Bible Age."
From the very nature of things, preaching has some advantages over reading; for not only are difficulties solved, seeming contradictions reconciled, and hidden beauties disclosed - but the combined effect of reasoning and rhetoric, aided by countenance, gesture, and voice - must at once awaken and sustain attention, instruct the judgment, captivate the imagination, impress the heart, and excite the conscience. It is therefore of unspeakable importance, constantly to hear the word preached; for faith comes by hearing; and the preaching of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation, to those who believe. But still it is an indolent and injurious relinquishment of our own inestimable privilege and indefeasible right to search the Scriptures for ourselves, entirely to substitute hearing for reading; and those people will be found to be the most profitable hearers of the word, who are its most devout and diligent readers.
It cannot be denied, that much of the religion of the present day is the religion of public meetings and excitement. The closet is a dull scene compared with the place of public resort; the silent page of Scripture a dull teacher, compared with the living voice of the eloquent preacher; and our solitary self dull company, compared with the trooping multitudes of the great congregation. But still, no one can be an eminent Christian, however frequently, admiringly, or pleasantly he hears his favorite minister, who does not converse much with his Bible in secret. He that would grow in grace and in knowledge, must commune daily with prophets and apostles, through the medium of their own inspired productions, he must drink largely of the pure living waters and undiluted milk of the Word. It will be found to be a weak and sickly piety, unfit to meet the exigencies, to cope with the difficulties and to maintain the conflicts of the Christian life - that depends for its support, exclusively, upon the hearing of sermons; or even the reading of Christian magazines, tracts, and reviews.
God's Word is the food of the soul, and there is more of concentrated nourishment in a single text of Scripture, when it is drawn out by the digestive process of meditation, to strengthen the heart of the believer, than in many pages of uninspired, though otherwise attractive, and even instructive, composition. God's words are life, and they are Spirit. Read the pages of Christian martyology, and while wondering at the noble heroes that stand before you, and admiring their deeds of deathless fame, you will find the secret of their strength in their intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures; they were Bible Christians, and not mere sermon Christians. If you were but deeply experienced in the ways of God, and the devices of satan, you would easily remember times of conflict and of peril, when the perusal of a single chapter or verse without the intervention of a human teacher, sounded like the voice of God and seemed like the coming into your soul of the mightiness of His Omnipotence. If, then, you would relish the uncorrupted sweetness of the Word; if you would realize its strength-giving efficacy; if you would grow to the strength and stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus; if you would be valiant in the fight of faith - you must be much in converse with God alone.
Is not this precious privilege too much neglected by many of you? Does not the Bible lie upon the table, or the shelf, for days, yes weeks, unopened? What excuse have you to offer for so ungrateful a return for this inspired book? Diligence, prayer, and a holy state of mind, and the help of the Holy Spirit, will unlock most of the hidden treasures of inspiration. Those who complain of the darkness of the Scriptures, are generally those who have devoted the least time and attention to the study of them. Many uninspired books are difficult to those who only dip into them occasionally, but which, to the very same people, become easy, when studied with care. The aid of a commentary may be of help to those who have leisure to peruse it.
But, perhaps, you say you have no time. No time to read the Bible! No time to read the book of God! - a book written by God to you, and for you, and of you! The only book which can make you wise to salvation! Have you time to eat, drink, and sleep? And have you no time to read the Scriptures? Have you time to read letters from your friends, and no time to read letters from God! Time to read the newspaper, and not time to read the Bible? Do you not feel ashamed at the idea, especially when actually put into language? You must find time; and, if in no other way, be redeeming it from sleep, business, recreation, conversation, and other pursuits. How much time would it take daily to read, even with serious attention, a whole chapter? How many precious fragments of time might be gathered up from other occupations, which are actually wasted - to be employed on this high and holy engagement!
Probably you wish for some DIRECTIONS for your Bible-reading. A delight in the reading to of the Scriptures, is the best guide. He that is in love with a book, scarcely needs a rule to assist him. He will carry it about with him; make himself acquainted with the book; take it out when a few minutes leisure present themselves; store its contents in his memory; think of them often; and apply them as occasions may present themselves. Love to read the Scriptures - and you will be sure to read them with profit. A real lover of his Bible cannot be an unprofitable one. But it you wish assistance, take the following rules -
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 2)
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