Hi, I didn't go to Mass yesterday or this morning. I got a couple of last-chance opportunities this afternoon but I don't feel that great in the head. I've felt worse, but I've felt better too. Yet if I don't go to Mass, I feel so awkward.

Greetings,

I have been trying to slowly develop a habit of praying every day (my hope is one day to live up to the ideal of the Didache 3x a day). I struggle to be consistent and it is often a source of guilt and frustration. Anyone have any suggestions on ways to cultivate discipline around prayer.

I have what seems to me to be a reasonable set of plans for what to do in my life in the future. But Proverbs 3:5-6 say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart...lean not unto your own understanding..." I have been mystified by the gray area between God's will and my will. Because of my wavering faith, I may at some points wholeheartedly commit to something like what it says in the passage referred to, but at other times waver away from that and be concentrating on my agenda, all the while fully aware that God can do what he wants with us and our plans. I am living on a shrinking amount of savings and I have some specific plans as to career and as to reversing the outflow of money from me. We all naturally want God to rubber stamp/bless our own plans and projects, but Christians typically warn against such an approach. I am not sure if I will know if God is saying "Go ahead with your plans" or else "Do something else." As to career paths, it seems some Christians just go ahead with their own best thinking/planning while others claim to be clearly called by God to certain paths. Of course, many of those in ministry say they were called by God into the ministry. But, for example, I know of one woman who was a high-powered lawyer who said God clearly directed her to become a counselor in a rehab center in another state for half her income as a lawyer. So, I am cautiously going ahead with my plans while being aware that God could direct me to change them. My question is, how might I know it if God directs my paths?

As some of you know, she is back on the mental facility. She has stopped taking calls and tried to escape around 4am this morning. She refused to take her medication and is becoming extremely argumentative with the care team. She was in with a roommate and was so argumentative towards here that they had to remove my sister into a room by herself. My sister is not a big woman but it took 3 EMT’s to removed her from her couch to the ambulance. My concern is she will become increasingly combative and violent. She told her husband that Jesus accepted her into Heaven so there is fear of another suicide attempt. Please pray for this situation if you think about it. We are all exhausted and worried.

Thank you!

Is it wrong to be a homemaker as a Christian Dad and stay home and watch the kids and have the wife work.

This is in Philadelphia. If you ‘ve ever watched It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia this is in the opening. This is watercolor 12x16 on Arches

Hey there is a healing evangelist out there named Freddy Clark, he travels the country doing tent healing revivals, he stays down south in the winter and then comes up north during the summer, if he is ever within driving distance you should take a road trip and get a hotel room and come. Everyone who he prays for gets instantly healed, 100%! You don't have to tell him what is wrong with you, he already knows. He was up here in Pennsylvania last summer and I went, he told me my IQ was going up and now I am smarter, my mind is sharper! My vision was also blurry and he told me God was healing me and now my vision is back in focus! Someone also got healed of cancer! Some amazing things always happen!

IF you want to see a video of one of his meetings link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHzUP3qwwpk&t=1775s

See Is it a sin for a man to have long hair?

Joe is having a difficult time pandering to both sides.

What do you think the word "perfect" refers to?

consider these things and hopefully you will agree with the truth here,

"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Cor 13:10-12)

To "know" here means -ἐπιγινώσκω epiginṓskō, ep-ig-in-oce'-ko; from G1909 and G1097; to know upon some mark, i.e. recognize; by implication, to become fully acquainted with, to acknowledge:—(ac-, have, take)know(-ledge, well), perceive.

and compare with this similar section

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." ( Philippians 3:10-12).

to "apprehend" here means - καταλαμβάνω katalambánō, kat-al-am-ban'-o; from G2596 and G2983; to take eagerly, i.e. seize, possess, etc. (literally or figuratively):—apprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, (over-)take.

Paul is clearly in both cases referring to being perfect and the resurrection of the dead, when he gets a glorified body and when he shall see Christ face to face. And be "known, and "apprehended" same general meaning, as he is also known and apprehended. The similarity is very strong in these two sections. So the gifts have not ceased and that which is perfect does not refer to the holy scriptures. They already had the holy scriptures OT that were able to make them wise unto salvation through faith and to make them perfect unto every good work 2 Timothy 3.

Joshua prayed in 10:

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still [H1826],

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Strong's Hebrew: 1826. דָּמַם (damam) — 30 Occurrences

Brown-Driver-Briggs:
3. be struck dumb, astounded, in amazement and fear

and the moon stopped [H5975], until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

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How was this possible physically?

It was not possible physically. It was a supernatural event.

How to explain this miracle from a scientific perspective?

The Bible did not explain, and Joshua used poetic language, not a scientific one. It was a sustained miracle similar to the parting of the Red Sea but at an astronomical scale. God created the heavens and earth in the first place. Nothing was too difficult for him.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped [H5975] in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

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Gill commented:

In the Chinese history (g) it is reported, that in the time of their seventh, emperor, Yao [堯帝], the sun did not set for ten days, and that men were afraid the world would be burnt, and there were great fires at that time; and though the time of the sun's standing still is enlarged beyond the bounds of truth, yet it seems to refer to this fact, and was manifestly about the same time; for this miracle was wrought in the year of the world 2554, which fell in the seventy fifth, or, as some say, the sixty seventh year of that emperor's reign, who reigned ninety years.

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(g) Martin. Sinie. Histor. l. 1. p. 25.

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Hi all. My name is Phil. I live in Huntsville, Alabama and have been a Christian for many years now. Thanks for the opportunity to be part of the community here! Hope you all have a great day!

Nice to see John MacArthur remaining true to his calling. In addressing the sloppiness of today's Christian MacArthur dives in the parable...

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. - Matthew 13

The Wayside
The Stony Places
The Thorns
The Good Ground

This upload is only a few days old and will be in my meditations this week...

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Tragic and very hard to read into...

Southern Baptists are the largest Baptist convention. The Southern Baptist Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states:


The American Baptist Churches USA policy statement On Women and Men as Partners in Church and Society takes a different view. The document is rather long. Here is a key phrase related to the topic:


The purpose of this thread is to discuss what Scripture says on the topic. Should wives submit to husbands? Should wives and husbands be equal partners?

The topic is NOT about whether women should be preachers, priests, elders, overseers, bishops, pastors, deacons, should teach, etc. That may be a topic for another thread for Baptists at some point. But this is looking at the relation between wives and husbands.

The English word "save" or "salvation" is polysemantic. It has at least the following meanings:

1. It could mean being physically rescued at a point in time (Exodus 14:13, H3444, יְשׁוּעָה yeshuah). It is being saved from a situation. In this case, you may need to be rescued again. You can be rescued or saved multiple times. The only places in the OT where yeshuah is used unambiguously as saving people from sins are in Eze 36:29 and 37:23.
2. It could mean being officially accepted by a certain church or denomination. When you lose your membership, you lose this salvation.
3. It could describe a shallow Christian who is a Christian in name only (1 John 2:19). He looks like a Christian and talks like a Christian. Instead of serving God, he wants God to serve him, but after a while, he goes away because he no longer finds God useful.
4. It could describe a believer who has been born again but remains infantile and refuses to grow in the Spirit.
5. It could describe a serious believer who regresses temporarily. Peter denied Jesus 3 times. John Mark deserted Paul (Ac 13:13). Demas deserted Paul.
6. It could describe a serious Christian who thinks he has been regenerated. He is in the faith (2 Cor 13:5, Col 1:23) and has performed Christian works sincerely for years but eventually departs from it (1 Tim 4:1).
7. It could mean that your name is written in the Book of Life. Later, God may erase or at least threaten to erase that name, and you may lose this type of salvation, Ex 32:32, Rev 3:5.
8. It could mean that you have the nascent Paraclete dwelling in you, but later on, you abandon him.
9. Finally, it could mean being saved from the physical now onto eternity. The Paraclete dwells in you presently. You keep growing in the Spirit and abiding in Christ for the rest of your life.

Is the doctrine Once Saved Always Saved true?

I don't think so. One potential danger of this belief is that they may think they are free to sin.

Can you lose your salvation?

Yes, in every step of the process of salvation and in many ways: John 15:2, Romans 11:22, Hebrews 6:4, 1 Corinthians 15:2, etc.

Can you lose your Indwelling Paraclete?

It is possible, but I don't think I can. The Paraclete does what he does. He chooses to dwell in a person by directly connecting with the person's human spirit. I only need to walk with him daily, guided by his peace in me. My spirit in the Holy Spirit grows every day. It gets stronger, not weaker. The Paraclete dwells in me permanently. I can know about the assurance of my own salvation. I cannot know if others are. That's between them and God. They also can know their assurance of their salvation, just like I.

Does this mean that we are free to sin?

No, I am not asserting unconditional eternal security. If the Paraclete dwells in you, you naturally abide in Jesus. As long as you abide in Jesus, you are free to serve God and are saved. When you grow your faith daily, your faith strengthens. There is no worry that you might lose it. This is a natural way of life for me.

See also

• Every branch IN CHRIST that does not bear fruit the Father takes away
• What does "fall away" mean?

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After so many years of disobedience, of faithlessness and degradation, I have finally found my home. For more than a decade now I was barely a Christian in even name, paying lip service but failing to live as commanded. I excused every manner of sin within myself and my failure to war against my passions poisoned not only myself but those I loved. For over a decade I wallowed in filth - having squandered my inheritance.
Only Christ was able to free me from this bondage, to break the chains I have forged for myself. He alone changed me, comforted me, released me from the hatred and the shame, the lust and the greed. For the first time in as long as I could remember I have found peace. While this peace, this amazing grace, is free to me - I must now cooperate with it. I must from this moment on obey and follow the path laid out in accordance with His Will. No longer will I trust on my own understanding, for I can do nothing without Christ.

I was baptised a Catholic but cannot reconcile myself with Rome. For most of my life I was a poorly behaved Protestant - but there is only shallowness and the cult of self. Both left my spirit hungry, thirsty and longing for communion with both God and fellow Christians. Finally, I feel at home. Today I attended the Divine Liturgy and I cannot begin to describe how overwhelmed I was. I stood and watched as not a group of people, but one family in Christ raised their voices in love and reverence and together worshiped. How many years I've longed for this. I am an outsider, a stranger, but I felt like after a long journey, I had come home. One of the elder women of the Church introduced herself and we spoke for a time, introducing me to the Abbot. The Abbot, Deacon and elder men of the church were gracious and nurturing of my desire to learn and my need to obey. I didn't know these people, they didn't know me, but they were so kind and open and loving. I spoke openly about my past, my desire to return to God after being faithless for so long; but it honestly didn't feel like a return, so much as it felt I was starting anew. I was encouraged to continue to attend and become part of their community, to be active in the Church and through practical action learn and grow.

I write these things down not to boast or take pride in what I feel, but because I feel so overwalked and joyful that I cannot keep this to myself.

Pray for me, Brothers and Sisters, as I continue down my path to learn obedience to Christ through the Holy Orthodox Church. Pray for me that I learn humility and faith, so as to set aside my pride and arrogance. Pray that I have the courage to walk in faith, not shying away from sharing Christ with others be it in deed or word.


Alone I can do nothing, but I am able to do all things in He who strengthens me.

Judging outsiders is not sound doctrine according to Paul. We are supposed to judge the church instead, as Paul said.

We need to judge the Church for its political division, factions, contention, bitterness, discontent, complaints, covetousness, greed, envy, clamor, gossip, suspicions, conspiracies theories, judging without mercy, judging in hypocrisy, and lording over people's lives instead of serving them in the love of Jesus.

We need to rebuke the church also for its political and economic fears, worries and concerns. This isn't the faith that Jesus and the apostles teach us.

When Jesus spoke of his sheep, he was speaking of his true followers. They hear the voice of the Lord, they listen attentively to his words, they obey what he says, and they follow him wherever he leads them. They find forgiveness and salvation. This is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

A stranger, whom he called a thief and a robber, is a false christ or a false teacher whose mission is to lead the sheep astray into another gospel – a gospel of men. Jesus’ true sheep will not know intimately the voice of a false teacher, in fact, they will discern the error, and thus will not follow the stranger, and, in fact, will run away from him.

My Sheep

An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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Predictions that the U.S. and the world would run out of fossil fuels go back decades, and these predictions have so far turned out to be wrong. A new report shows the U.S. has 227 of oil, 130 years of gas, and 485 years of coal.
or years, activists argued for an energy transition away from fossil fuels because, they said, we were hitting “peak oil,” the point at which we can no longer produce oil because there’s little left in the ground or it’s too expensive to recover.

In 2023, the U.S. produced nearly 13 million barrels per day, more than any other nation in history. Predictions that the U.S. and the world would run out of oil go back decades, and these predictions have so far turned out to be wrong.

Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a free market think tank focusing on energy, told Just the News that anti-fossil fuel activists latched onto “peak oil” to push for alternatives, and with the U.S. leading the world’s production, their rhetoric has evolved.

“First, they said, ‘We don't have the resources. We're big consumers, but we don't have the energy. So we have to get off of the resource.' Then it became evident and clear that that was not the case,” Pyle said.
In 2011, IER produced its first North American Energy Inventory.

“It was really for the purpose of shattering this myth of energy scarcity. To my knowledge, prior to that, nobody had taken the effort to compile, using government data …. the amount of energy that we have in North America,” Pyle said.

In that 2011 report, Pyle stated: “Thanks to new and continuing innovations in exploration and production technology, there’s every reason to believe that today’s estimates of reserves are only a fraction of what will be produced and delivered tomorrow.”

The statement turned out to be accurate. The Shale Revolution, which combined technologies in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, made available large deposits of previously unrecoverable oil throughout the U.S.

The IER’s 2024 North American Energy Inventory update shows that North America has 1.66 trillion barrels of technically recoverable resources, and at current rates of consumption, the report calculates that it would take 227 years to deplete it all.

Maybe this isn't exactly new but it seems like it. I hear preachers talking about financial blessing, physical healing, hell, or prophecy.

Instead of all that, teach and give out literature about the commands of love, forgiveness and mercy. This is the pure gospel. Right? The rest is mostly nonsense the way its taught.

And leave the politics in the rubbish pile of contentious and worldly things that we count as a loss, like Paul did.

What law did Adam and Eve obey? What law did Noah obey? We might conclude that they obeyed what Jesus and his apostles command us because God never changes

What is Jesus law in my opinion?

Its this:

Avoid sexual immorality and foolishness like drunkenness. I'm not saying alcoholism is sin necesarily but acting like a fool is. Being drunk should be avoided obviously but I don't judge alcoholism. I leave it up to God.

We also don't want wealth or luxury but simplicity. We don't look to politics for help but to God. We endure all manner of hardship. We are honest in everything.

We don't judge or condemn. We forgive. We avoid all division, bitterness, clamor, debate, factions, slander, gossip, government rebellion, suspicions, conspiracy theories, hate, hypocrisy, pride, and vanity.

We treat others how Jesus treated us and how we want treated. That's love. We pray for each other and keep our eyes guarded from sin that we stumble by. We guard our words as well. We help widows and orphans.

That's pretty much it. There are other things I suppose but that's it in a nutshell. That's my church in my heart. Im not perfect but I hope to be.

From I. C. Herendeen's (1883-1982) booklet chapters 1 & 2. (Reading my hard copy of this today after Sabbath service and just smitten with conviction. This is so right on target for today)

What Is Sanctification or Holiness?​

It is very important that we know what sanctification or holiness really is. Arthur W. Pink defines it as follows: “Evangelical sanctification is holiness of heart that causes us to love God supremely, so as to yield ourselves wholly up to His constant service in all things, and to His disposal of us as our absolute Lord, whether it be for prosperity or adversity, for life or for death; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Evangelical holiness consists not only of external works of piety and charity, but of pure thoughts, impulses and affections of soul, and an absence of sinful lusts.”

Alexander Cruden says: “True holiness consists of a conformity to the nature and will of God, whereby a saint is distinguished from the unrenewed world, and is not actuated by their principles and precepts, nor governed by their maxims and customs.”

If and when we have been renewed by the Holy Spirit, there has been infused in us a longing and panting to be like Christ in all our ways. We will hate and shun every known sin, and strive to keep every known commandment of God. We will say with David, “I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way” (Psa 119:128). With Paul, we will delight to obey the law of God “after the inward man” (Rom 7:22). We will want and endeavor to have the mind of Christ, and to be conformed to His image. We will be quick to think the best of, to bear with and forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. We will constantly strive to be humble and lowly, denying ourselves so as to be of help to others, meek and patient under trials, keeping ourselves separate from worldly people, religious or otherwise. We will, “come out from among them and be separate” as the Lord commands us. We will be meek, temperate and self-denying. We will be constrained by the love of Christ to abstain from all lying, evil specking, gossiping, dishonesty, swearing, and unfair dealing with our neighbors. We will endeavor to make our religion attractive to others by our outward manner of life. In other words, we will see to it that we are in reality what we profess to be; we will not consciously play the hypocrite. We will aim at all times and in all things to “do all to the glory of God” (1Co 10:31). In the light of this let me ask, Are you holy? Are you?

II. The Necessity of Holiness​

This necessity arises from the fact that we have all been born in sin and “shapen in iniquity” (Psa 51:5) and hence have hearts that hate holiness. The Lord Jesus told the religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees, that “men love darkness (sin) rather than light” (Christ).

In Hebrews 12:24 we read: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.” Since it is quite possible that the reader does harbor the hope and expectation of seeing the Lord someday, this text utters a solemn warning: it brings before us a matter of the greatest importance: it reveals how vitally important it is that we “be holy” since the absence of holiness will bar us forever from the presence of the Lord. This being so, we would be well advised to give this subject our immediate and serious consideration, lest we should be without it, or think that we are holy when we are not. The very possibility of being mistaken as to our spiritual state should make us “fear and tremble,” and cause us to give ourselves no rest till we have sure proof from the Scriptures that we have this holiness. This divine fiat (that we be holy) concerns not only some but every one whoever he is or whatever he is. ALL must be “holy” or, we are warned, we will never “see the Lord.”

These same thoughts are emphasized again in Matthew 5:8 where the Lord Jesus tells us that only “the pure in heart shall see God.” From these scriptures we see that God will not call into intimate communion with Himself any who are corrupt or unholy, for Amos 3:3 asks “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” And again, “What concord hath Christ with Belial?” Or an unholy sinner with a holy God? Our God is “glorious in holiness” (Exo 15:11), and those whom he separates unto Himself must be holy, must be “made partakers of his holiness” (Heb 12:10), for our God is not a God that “hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with him” (Psa 5:4). If we would be saved and dwell eternally with God, we must be both reconciled to Him and sanctified in our inner man. This we cannot accomplish of ourselves by the mere profession of Christianity or the doing of a few good works, for these will not give us access to the Holy One. Unless we be “born of the Spirit” and washed in the precious blood of Christ and are holy, we shall never “see God.” Unless we are justified, regenerated and sanctified we do not have the life of God in us whatever profession we make, we are not true Christians in the sight of God, and will surely miss heaven at last. Do you say, “This is a hard saying, who can bear it?” We must remember that we will not be carried to heaven on flowery beds of ease. Christ, Himself, tells us we must “strive” if we are to “enter in at the strait gate.”

Alas with what mere forms of godliness, mere outward appearances and rituals so many are satisfied with. Faithful preaching of the Word seems to have no effect on them. Nothing will bring them to cry out like Job of old “Behold, I am vile...I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 40:4; 42:6). No, just as long as they keep themselves free from the grosser sins that are punishable among men, their conscience seems dead to all other things, they seem not to be at all troubled by the depravity and defilement of their nature, if indeed they are even aware of their depravity and defilement.

The Spirit of God has revealed to us through Proverbs 30:12 that “There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.” From this we learn that this “generation” has never been cleansed by the Holy Spirit in spite of the good opinion they have of their own state; they think themselves to be pure whereas they are “filthy.” This was true of the Pharisees of Christ’s day who were constantly cleansing their hands and cups, engaged in an endless round of ceremonial washings, and all the time ignorant of the fact that “within they were full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Mat 23:25, 27). It is sad to say that this is true of a multitude of churchgoers today. Perhaps they attend church services regularly, being orthodox in their views as far as they have any; thy give regularly and liberally to the church, but of the all-important matter of the state of their hearts before a holy God, their conscience seems entirely at ease, they are not at all concerned, for they are dead in their profession; having a name that they live but “art dead” (Rev 3:1). They are perfectly satisfied with a worthless, lifeless, fruitless, empty, false profession. All that matters with them is that they appear moral and upright before their fellowmen, and even some are unconcerned about that. They are totally unaware that God is not pleased with their outward performances unless the spirit of holiness sanctifies them. But we know that with such sacrifices God is not well-pleased unless the heart first be changed, so as to be brought into conformity with God’s nature and will. To be acceptable to God, all our activities must spring from a loving and delighting to do the will of God in a cheerful manner without refusing or repining against any duty as though it were a yoke grievous to be borne.

Take heed! Unless we are purged from the pollution of sin as well as cleared from the guilt of it, we will never be fit for communion with God. We read in Revelation 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it (the eternal dwelling place of God and His people) anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie.” We see then that personal holiness is just as imperative for salvation as is the forgiveness of sin. Are we aware of this?

Walter Marshall, who wrote in 1629 said: “Many are prone to imagine nothing else to be meant by salvation but to be delivered from hell, and to enjoy heavenly happiness and glory.” Again, he said:

“God saveth us from our sinful uncleanness here by washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Ti 3:5) as well as from hell hereafter. Christ was called ‘Jesus’ (Saviour) because He saves His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). Therefore deliverance from our sins is part of our salvation which is begun in this life by justification and sanctification, and perfected in glorification in the life to come. We conclude then that holiness in this life is absolutely necessary to salvation, not as the means to the end, but as part of the end itself...without holiness we shall never see God, and are as unfit for His glorious presence as swine for the presence-chamber of an earthly king.”

He goes on to say, “Great multitudes of ignorant people that live under the Gospel harden their hearts in sin and ruin their souls forever by trusting on Christ for such an imaginary salvation as consisteth not at all in holiness, but only in forgiveness of sin and deliverance from everlasting torments. They would be free from the punishments due to sin, but they love their lusts so well that they hate holiness and desire not to be saved from the service of sin...they do not sincerely desire true salvation if they do not desire to be made holy and righteous in their hearts and lives.”

So wrote this godly man some 250 years ago. Would that we had many like him today so faithfully preaching the Word. O that we may cry out earnestly unto the Lord to save us not only from “the everlasting burnings and the devouring fire” but from sin. If we do not so cry, then are we without any real desire for God’s salvation. Let us remember that where there is no practical deliverance from the service of sin in our daily lives, we are strangers to God’s saving grace. Do we realize this?

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