Promised to us is eternal life, but it is promised to the dead; we are assured of a happy resurrection, but we are as yet involved in corruption; we are pronounced just, as yet sin dwells in us; we hear that we are happy, but we are as yet in the midst of many miseries; an abundance of all good things is promised to us, but still we often hunger and thirst; God proclaims that he will come quickly, but he seems deaf when we cry to him. What would become of us were we not supported by hope, and did not our minds emerge out of the midst of darkness above the world through the light of God’s word and of his Spirit? Faith, then, is rightly said to be the subsistence or substance of things which are as yet the objects of hope and the evidence of things not seen.
–John Calvin Commentary on Heb 11:1
Read more on The Contradictions of the Christian Life…
Filed under John Calvin by on Aug 1st, 2009. Comment. 
Manasseh the king was a ringleading sinner, the great idolater, and chief of devilism. The whole land flowed with wickedness, “for he made them to sin” and to do worse than the heathen that dwelt round about them. But when God converted him, the whole land was reformed. Down went the groves, the idols, and altars of Baal, and up went true religion in much of the power and purity of it…The king reformed by [royal] power, and by example too (II Chron. 33; II Kings 17:41).
When God takes hold of the hearts of the most notorious, this would make hell to sign, to the great suppression of sin, the glory of Christ, and the joy of the angels of God.
—John Bunyan “The Jerusalem Sinner Saved.”
Read more on Reformation Means Whole Reformation…
Filed under John Bunyan by on Aug 1st, 2009. Comment.
A spiritual darkness and death came by sin on all mankind… In this state of things the Holy Spirit undertook to create a new world ..wherein righteousness should dwell. And this, in the first place, was by his effectual communication of a new principle of spiritual life to the souls of God’s elect…This he does in their regeneration…All our faith and obedience to God, and all our acceptance with him, depend on our regeneration and being born again.
—John Owen “Discourse on the Holy Spirit.”
Filed under John Owen by on Aug 2nd, 2009. Comment.
What we see, read, hear, etc, has some affect upon us, either for good or for bad. It may not always be discernible just how negatively something we have taken in is affecting us. A christian should be prudent in what they feed upon, for the good and care of their souls.
Though the sweetness of the sauce may yield pleasure to the palaste, yet it is only the soundness of the meat that can administer nourishment to the blood.
—William Secker, “The Nonsuch Professor.”
Filed under Quotes, faith by on Aug 2nd, 2009. Comment.
All Christ’s soldiers should have on the breastplate of righteousness ..Scripture speaks of a… perfect, personal and perpetual obedience… Not the holiest saint that ever lived can stand righteous before the bar [of God's justice]…The second righteousness which the Scripture speaks of is an evangelical righteousness— a righteousness imputed or imparted. The imputed righteousness is that which is wrought by Christ for the believer; the imparted, that which is wrought by Christ in the believer [or] the righteousness of our justification [and] the righteousness of our sanctification.
—William Gurnall “The Christian in Complete Armour.”
Read more on The Believer’s Righteousness…
Filed under William Gurnall by on Aug 3rd, 2009. Comment.
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, inculcates the doctrine of love to the disciples of Christ: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; and everyone that loveth that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him.” As holiness works a likeness to him that begets it, so it works a love to those who enjoy it. It is impossible for any one to love the person of Christ, who does not delight in the picture of Christ. He that loves himself, with not hate his brother. While he is out of charity with his brother, he shews that God is out of charity with him; and we lose more for want of God’s love, than our brethren lose for want of our love.
He is not a covetous man, who lays up something providentially; but he is a covetous man who gives out nothing willingly. He is as prudent a man who sometimes distributes discreetly, as he who accumulates hastily. Men frequently discover more wisdom in laying out, than in laying up.
Reader, the hope of living long on earth should not make you covetous; but the prospect of living long in heaven ,should make you bounteous. Though the sun of charity rise at home, yet it should always set abroad
–William Secker “The nonsuch professor”
Read more on Charity Shouldn’t Start and End at Home…
Filed under Various puritans by on Aug 4th, 2009. Comment.
Another glorious effect of acquaintance with God is, that it makes one to have very low and undervaluing thoughts of the world…He reckons that it is better being rich in grace than rich in purse; and that he who lays up for his body, and provides not for his soul, is the greatest fool in the world.
—James Janeway
Read more on Great Foolishness…
Filed under James Janeway by on Aug 5th, 2009. Comment.
The Nonsuch Professor
06. Another reason why believers should do more than others, is,
Because if they do no more, it will appear that they are no more than others.
As there is no man so vicious, but some relative good may be performed by him to man; so there is no one so religious, but some evil may be committed by him against God. As one swallow does not prove the approach of summer, neither does one good action prove a man a believer. There is in every being a natural tendency to some centre. God is the centre of the saints, and glory is the centre of grace. Now where we do not discover that bias, we may deny the being.
Reader, would you be thought more than publicans and sinners? then beware of living as publicans and sinners. Jesus Christ gives you an excellent mirror in his memorable sermon upon the mount, for you to behold your own likeness in: ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’ There is no ascertaining the quality of a tree, but by its fruits. When the wheels of a clock move within, the hand on the dial will move without. When the heart of a man is sound in conversion, then the life will be fair in profession. When the conduit is walled in, how shall we judge of the spring, but by the waters which run through the pipes?
As a sinner will discover the good he wants; so a saint will shew the good he enjoys. When the sun dawns upon the earth, it is presently known; and when the Sun of righteousness arises upon the heart, it cannot be hid. It is said of the Saviour, that ‘he could not be hid.’ As it is with the head, so it is with the members: ‘Ye are the light of the world.—Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works.’ When Saul was made a sovereign, he had another spirit poured out upon him; a spirit of government, for a place of government: and when a sinner is made a saint, he has also another spirit poured out upon him. As he is what he was not, so he does what he did not.
It is reported of a harlot, that when she saw a certain person with whom she had committed folly, she renewed her enticements; to whom he replied, ‘I am not now what I once was.’ Though she was the same woman that she was before, yet he was not the same man he was before.
Were the sun to give no more light than a star, you could not believe he was the regent of the day; were he to transmit no more heat than a glow-worm, you would question his being; the source of elementary heat. Were God to do no more than a creature, where would his Godhead be? Were a man to do no more than a brute, where would his manhood be? Were not a saint to excel the sinner, where would his sanctity be?
Professor, if you live and walk as a worldling, you subject yourself to that apostolic rebuke, ‘Are ye not carnal, and walk as men?’ If men debase themselves as beasts, the Lord will nominate them beasts; and if Christians walk as men. God will call them men. There is no passing for current coin in heaven, without the stamp and signature of heaven.
Filed under William Secker by on Aug 5th, 2009. Comment.
I have had some quite overwhelming increases in illness of late that last about two weeks or more, out of every four which is the reason for my blog having grown so quiet. As some times I sleep for 22 hours out of 24 during those times, which leaves little time for blogging. The cause which gives these increases in illness should start to be addressed by the latest Novemember and then my hope would be to at least be more stable instead of so up and down.
However a few bits and bobs. I kind of half own another cat. A kitten in fact of about 12 months old. Aptly named becuase of her red hair and the first time I clapped eyes on her she was pilfering poppy’s food, one “Meanie O’Reilly.” She does have a home, in the cul de sac, but she seems to spend as much time with us, soetimes more. But she’s quite adorable. She went up to poppy a couple of nights ago and prompty bopped her on the nose twice. No claws involved, pure mischief. Its like having a two year old around who you never know what they will get up to next. she’s a calico tortoishelle. (Pic below). But sometimes she visitus us through the night also. She comes and knocks on the cat flap in the patio door sometimes every hour throgh the night!
Poppy has also been taking alot of care, even mre than norm. She went to the vets the other day and it seems her diabetes is not tht well controlled at the mo, so we are tying an increase ininsulin. But the vet said, with the two chronic condiitions she has, that even with one oor the other he wouldn’t have expected her to last this long, but with both together its little short of a miracle that she has. She’s almost 15 y.o.
But all of the above and a few other things are the reason my blog has been remarkabley quiet for a sustained period of time. My hope would be to get back into some regular blogging at this site before too long.
And I am also giving my living room a make-over. Having an interior design company in to make my living room into a home office; having the carpet replaced with click flooring, which tho it is laminate and perfectly washable, it both looks and feels like wood. And also getting a new recliner ,slightly smaller than my present one. But the home/office will help me be more organized and to know where things are more exactly. Keep things tidier, and hopefully be more productive, and also able to keep on top of paperwork more easily. It also includes some shelving for books. I still buy a fair few books because currently I am reading perhaps two books per week; All the above should be done within the next month.
Here is Meanie O’Reilly:
Filed under Blagging for England by on Aug 5th, 2009. Comment.
I sought for a text which speaks against covetousness, which I may call the Londoner’s sin… God has given you more than others, which should turn covetousness into thankfulness. Yet as the ivy grows with the oak, so covetousness has grown with riches…who within these walls thinks he has enough, though there be so many that have too much?
This is the devil who bewitches you, to think that you have not enough when you have more than you need…Paul craves your covetousness, that he might bury it… You have found little joy in money, you shall find great joy in the Holy Ghost. You have found little peace in the world, you shall find great peace in conscience. He that will have contentment must leave his covetousness in pawn for it. (1 Tim. 6:6)
–Henry Smith “The Benefit of contentation.”
Read more on Discontentment Stems from Covetousness…
Filed under Henry Smith by on Aug 6th, 2009. Comment.
Powered by FireStats
Recent Comments
September 8, 2010
September 6, 2010
September 5, 2010