nChrist

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When the bird of thought was let go!

(A.W. Tozer)

Anyone who wishes to check on his true spiritual condition may do so, by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days.
What has he thought about, when free to think of whatever he pleased?
Toward what has his inner heart turned, when it was free to turn wherever it desired?

When the bird of thought was let go, did it fly out like the raven to settle upon floating carcasses--or did it like the dove circle and return again to the ark of God?

Such a test is easy to run, and if we are honest with ourselves--we can discover not only what we are, but what we are going to become. We will soon be the sum of our voluntary thoughts!
 
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nChrist

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Short pithy gems from Elizabeth Prentiss (1818–1878)

~ ~ ~ ~

The longer I live, the more conscious I am of my human frailty--and of the constant, overwhelming need I have of God's grace.

~ ~ ~ ~

The thorny path bears some of the sweetest flowers that adorn life.
When with naked, bleeding feet we walk upon a flinty soil--we often find diamonds!

~ ~ ~ ~

If the loss of your earthly fortune gains Christ for you--it will be a beautiful loss.

~ ~ ~ ~

Dying grace is not usually given until it is needed. Death, to the disciple of Jesus, is only stepping from one room to another and far better room of our Father's house. And how little will all the sorrows of our earthly pilgrimage seem to us, when we get to our home above!

~ ~ ~ ~

You never will be really happy--until Christ becomes your dearest and most intimate friend.

~ ~ ~ ~

Seek Jesus--not joy!

~ ~ ~ ~

What does it matter, after all, from what point of time or space, that we go to our eternal home.
O how we shall smile after we get there--that we ever gave it one moment's thought.

~ ~ ~ ~

In proportion to our devotion to the Savior--will be the blessedness of our life.

~ ~ ~ ~

The more we love Him--the more we see how sinful sin is, and the more sorry we are to have been guilty of it.

~ ~ ~ ~

It is sweet to be in the sunshine of the Master's smile--but I believe our souls need winter, as well as summer.

~ ~ ~ ~

I have lived to see that God never was so good to me--as when He seemed most severe.

~ ~ ~ ~

To love Christ more is my deepest need, and the constant cry of my soul!

~ ~ ~ ~

I am a wayward, foolish child--but He loves me!
I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand times--but He loves me!
I have lost faith in some of my dearest friends and am very desolate--but He loves me!
I do not love Him much--but He loves me!

~ ~ ~ ~

If a glimpse of our Savior here on earth can be so refreshing and delightful--then what will Heaven be?

~ ~ ~ ~

Lay down this principle as a law: God does nothing arbitrary. If He takes away your health, for instance, it is because He has some reason for doing so. This is true of everything you value, and if you have real faith in Him, you will not insist on knowing this reason.

~ ~ ~ ~

All your tears will soon be wiped away. You will see the King in His beauty. You will see Christ your Redeemer, and realize all He is, and all He has done for you. As I think of these things my soul is in haste to be gone!

~ ~ ~ ~

Those words, "daily nearer God," have an inexpressible charm for me. I long for such nearness to Him that all other objects shall fade into comparative insignificance.

~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that there is no happiness on earth, to be compared with that of losing all things to possess Christ!​
 
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nChrist

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A fine pig and a spoiled child!

(Charles Spurgeon)

Give to a pig when it grunts, and to a child when it cries--and you will have a fine pig and a spoiled child!

If you never have headaches through rebuking your children--you shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up!

It is a common thing for a little child to be the idol of the family. Wherever that is the case, there is a rod laid up in store in that house! You cannot make idols of your children, without finding out, sooner or later, that God makes them into rods with which He will punish you for your idolatry!

"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." Proverbs 13:24

"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Proverbs 19:18

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15

"Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." Proverbs 23:13

"Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:17​
 
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Brethren, we have two faults

(Charles Spurgeon)

Brethren, we have two faults:

1. We do not think God to be as great as He is. (His transcendence)
2. We do not think God can be as little as He can be. (His immanence)

We err on both sides. We neither know the height of His glory--nor the depth of His grace!

He who counts the brilliant stars--also numbers the very hairs of our head!
He never fails to hear the heart-lispings of His redeemed people.

I dare say that we think that we magnify Him, but in reality we belittle Him with our highest thoughts.​
 
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Choice pithy sayings of William Tiptaft (1803-1864)

~ ~ ~ ~

Many who died last year are in Hell, who never committed half the sins some of you have!

~ ~ ~ ~

It is of God's grace, if we differ from the mirthful and foolish multitude around us.

~ ~ ~ ~

The world, in its various shapes--is Christ's great enemy!

~ ~ ~ ~

"God knows best!" and "May Your will be done!" are hard lessons to learn!

~ ~ ~ ~

If you were to go about telling people that you had an inheritance worth a million worlds, and yet were out of temper for a trifle--they would not believe you.

~ ~ ~ ~

We come into the world crying,
we go through it complaining,
and we go out of it groaning!

~ ~ ~ ~

O Lord, deliver us from everything that may entangle our affections and harden our hearts.
Grant that we may hold the world with a loose hand.

~ ~ ~ ~

If I love money more than Christ--then woe is me!

~ ~ ~ ~

Pride and covetousness cling very close to us--they influence us more than we can imagine.

~ ~ ~ ~

If rich men only knew when they died, how . . .
their relatives would scramble for their money,
the worms would scramble for their bodies, and
the devil would scramble for their souls,
they would not be so anxious to save money!

~ ~ ~ ~

It is a bad sign when a minister has the smiles of worldly professors.

~ ~ ~ ~

O Lord, keep our hearts, keep our eyes, keep our feet, and keep our tongues.

~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, teach us more what we are by nature--and what we are by grace.

~ ~ ~ ~

If the way to Heaven is so narrow, and so few find it--then what will become of those who never seek it?

~ ~ ~ ~

Are you ready to shake hands with death?

~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever esteemed it a mercy--that you are out of Hell?

~ ~ ~ ~

Let worldly minds the world pursue,
It has no charms for me;
Once I admired its trifles too,
But grace has set me free!

~ ~ ~ ~

I have no stone to cast at the vilest of the vile.
It is all of grace that I am made to differ!​
 
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More choice pithy sayings of William Tiptaft (1803-1864)

~ ~ ~ ~

Some have a clear knowledge of the doctrines--but are evidently void of saving grace.

~ ~ ~ ~

Has your religion cost you anything?
If it has cost you nothing, it is worth nothing.

~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever experienced the new birth?
If not, dying in your present state--to Hell you must go.

~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, look upon those who mourn in Zion--put their tears into Your bottle, and listen to their sighs and groans.

~ ~ ~ ~

Six feet by two-and-a-half, is all the ground that the richest man in England will shortly occupy.

~ ~ ~ ~

When the Lord finds His rod--His people find their knees.

~ ~ ~ ~

If not washed in Christ's blood and clothed in His righteousness--then no Heaven for you, no Heaven for me.

~ ~ ~ ~

How awful to die out of Christ!
How blessed to die in Christ!

~ ~ ~ ~

The least work of grace in the heart is worth a thousand worlds!

~ ~ ~ ~

The cross is not to be escaped--if we are to enter into glory.

~ ~ ~ ~

If you have one grain of grace--you must die to know how rich you are!

~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot touch pitch and not be defiled.
Sin is of a defiling nature.

~ ~ ~ ~

Sinning will stop praying--or praying will stop sinning.

~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing worth living for in this vain world.
Vanity is stamped upon all created good.

~ ~ ~ ~

Show me a man's books and show me a man's companions--and I will tell you what sort of a man he is.

~ ~ ~ ~

Children take more notice of what their parents do, than what they say. Actions speak louder than words.

~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot jump out of Delilah's lap--into Abraham's bosom!

~ ~ ~ ~

Dead fish go with the stream--living ones go against it.

~ ~ ~ ~

O what a narrow way is that which leads to eternal life!​
 
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nChrist

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Here we see what is in every human heart by nature!

(Don Fortner)

"What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" Matthew 27:22

Oh, what a revelation of man the cross is!
Man hating God, and hating Him most when God displayed His love most fully.
Man acting like the devil, taking Satan's side against God!

Yes, the cross was a public declaration of man's hatred for God and His Son.

The cross is proud man spitting in God's face and saying, "I am holy. I need no Savior. To Hell with God and His Son!"

Our Savior asked, "What do you think you of Christ?"
Man's answer was, "Crucify Him!"

Man's heart, his hands, his tongue all combine to scream out hatred for God and His Son.

Calvary's hill displays man's utter hatred for God!

How deep, bitter, universal, and vile is the hatred of the human heart for God! Oh, how fallen man hates God!

The arrest, the scourging, the mockery, the spitting, the smiting, the cries, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!", the wagging the heads, the cruel nails, the thieves' railing--everything was but the outpouring of man's utter hatred for God.

Here we see what is in every human heart by nature!

Man declared his heart, in the crucifixion of God's darling Son.

God seems to have said, "Vent the feelings of your heart." And he did, taking God by the throat, as it were, man snatched the only begotten Son from His Father's heart and crucified Him with hellish delight.

Reckoning the death of the cross the worst of all deaths, man said, "This is the best way to show my contempt for God. This is exactly what I think of the Son of God!" Thus, the enmity of the natural heart speaks out, and man not only confesses publicly that he is a hater of God, but he takes pains to show the intensity of his hatred.

The cross interprets what is in man's heart.

The cross rips the mask of pretended religion off of the face of our race.

The cross of Christ exhibits man's heart as a cesspool overflowing with the malignity of Hell.​
 
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We must in some degree tread the path He trod

(Octavius Winslow, "The Tried Believer Comforted")

"He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief!" Isaiah 53:3

Jesus' life was one continuous trial. From the moment He entered our world He was leagued with suffering. He identified Himself with affliction in its almost endless forms. He seemed to have been born with a tear in His eye, with a shade of sadness on His brow. From the moment He touched the horizon of our earth, from that moment His sufferings commenced.

He did not come to indulge in a life of tranquility and ease.
He did not come to quaff the cup of earthly pleasures.
He came to suffer,
He came to bear sin's curse,
He came to drain the deep cup of wrath,
He came to weep, to bleed, to die!

Our Savior was a cross-bearing Savior. Our Lord was a suffering Lord. Is it to be expected that those who link their destinies with His, who avow themselves to be His disciples and followers--should walk in a dissimilar path from their Lord's?

There can be no true following of Christ as our example, if we lose sight of Him as a suffering Christ--an afflicted Savior. There must be fellowship with Him in His sufferings.

We must in some degree tread the path He trod. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you--leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

Here is one reason why He ordained that along this rugged path His saints should all journey. They must be like their Lord--they are one with Him, and this oneness can only exist where there is mutual sympathy.

Our great and glorious Redeemer sought not, and found not, repose here--this world was not His rest. He turned his back upon the pleasures, the riches, the luxuries, and even the common comforts of this world--preferring a life of obscurity, penury, and suffering. His very submission seemed to impart dignity to suffering, elevation to poverty, and to invest a life of suffering, need, and trial--with an air of holy sanctity.
 
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That restless, invisible, subtle, experienced enemy!

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

"Simon, Simon--Satan Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat!" Luke 22:31

We learn here--what a fearful enemy the devil is to believers.
Satan was near Christ's flock--though they saw him not.
He was longing to accomplish their ruin--though they knew it not.

The devil desires the destruction of souls, more than the wolf craves the blood of the lamb!

The personality, activity, and power of the devil are not sufficiently thought of by Christians.
This is he who brought sin into the world at the beginning, by tempting Eve.
This is he who is described in the book of Job as "going to and fro in the earth."
This is he whom our Lord calls "the prince of this world," a "murderer," and a "liar."
This is he whom Peter compares to a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
This is he whom John speaks of as "the accuser of the brethren."
This is he who is ever . . .
working evil in the churches,
catching away good seed from the hearts of hearers,
sowing tares amid the wheat,
stirring up persecutions,
suggesting false doctrines,
and fomenting divisions!

The world is a snare to the believer.
The flesh is a burden and a clog.
But there is no enemy so dangerous as that restless, invisible, subtle, experienced enemy--the devil!

If we believe the Bible, let us not be ashamed to believe that there is a malicious devil who is ever on a deadly prowl. It is a solemn proof of the hardness and blindness of unconverted men--that they can jest and speak lightly of Satan.

If we profess to have any real religion, let us be on our guard against the devil's evil schemes. The enemy who overthrew David and Peter, and assaulted Christ Himself--is not an enemy to be despised. He is very subtle and malicious. He has studied the heart of man for six thousand years. He can approach us under the garb of an "angel of light." We have need to watch and pray, and put on the whole armor of God.

It is a blessed promise, that if we resist him--then he will flee from us.

It is a still more blessed thought that when the Lord comes--He will bruise Satan under our feet, bind him in eternal chains and cast him into the lake of fire! "The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever!" Revelation 20:10​
 
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A holy antipathy against sin!

(Thomas Watson, "Doctrine of Repentance")

There is no better sign of true repentance--than a holy antipathy against sin.
Sound repentance begins in love to God--and ends in the hatred of sin.

How may true hatred of sin be known?

1. When a man's HEART is set against sin. Not only does the tongue protest against sin--but the heart abhors it. However lovely sin is painted, we find it odious--just as we abhor the picture of one whom we mortally hate, even though it may be well drawn.

Suppose a dish is finely cooked--yet if a man has an antipathy against the meat, he will not eat it. Just so, let the devil cook and dress sin with pleasure and profit--yet a true penitent has a secret abhorrence of it, is disgusted by it, and will not meddle with it.

2. True hatred of sin is UNIVERSAL. There is a dislike of sin not only in the judgment--but in the will and affections. Many a one is convinced that sin is a vile thing, and in his judgment has an aversion to it--yet he tastes sweetness in it, and has a secret delight in it. Here is a disliking of sin in the judgment--and an embracing of it in the affections! Whereas in true repentance, the hatred of sin is in all the faculties, not only in the mind--but chiefly in the will.

He who truly hates one sin--hates all sins. He who hates a serpent--hates all serpents. "I hate every false way!" (Psalm 119:104). Hypocrites will hate some sins which mar their credit. But a true convert hates all sins--gainful sins, besetting sins, the very stirrings of corruption.

3. A holy heart detests sin for its INTRINSIC POLLUTION. Sin leaves a stain upon the soul. A regenerate person abhors sin not only for the curse, but for the contagion. He hates this serpent not only for its sting, but for its poison. He hates sin not only for Hell--but as Hell.

Those who have no antipathy against sin, are strangers to gospel repentance. Sin is in them--as poison in a serpent, which, being natural to it, affords delight. How far are they from repentance who, instead of hating sin--love sin! To the godly--sin is as a thorn in the eye; to the wicked--sin is as a crown on the head! "They actually rejoice in doing evil!" (Jeremiah 11:15).

Loving of sin is worse than committing it. What is it which makes a swine love to tumble in the mire? Its love of filth. O how many there are, who love the forbidden fruit! They love their sin--and hate holiness.

There should be a deadly antipathy between the heart and sin.

What is there in sin, which may make a penitent hate it?

Sin is the accursed thing--the most deformed monster! Look upon the origin of sin, from whence it comes. It fetches its pedigree from Hell: "He who commits sin is of the devil!" (1 John 3:8). Sin is the devil's special work. How hateful is it to be doing that which is the special work of the devil--indeed, that which makes men into devils!
 
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nChrist

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The Great Physician and His patients!

(George Everard, "The Great Physician and His Patients" 1874)

"Those who are well have no need of a Physician, but those who are sick." Luke 5:31

Our Great Physician possesses the most perfect skill to discern the peculiar needs of each case. He sees the working of all this sin and corruption and hardness of heart--and He can counteract it all by His all-sufficient grace. Before you have spoken a word, when you kneel down and cast yourself upon His mercy--He is prepared to forgive and save. Christ knows beforehand all that you are, and cannot fail to support His tempted or afflicted child.

In Christ there is not only Divine wisdom to discern every case of spiritual disease--but He also has Divine power completely to effect a cure. When He was upon earth, none were sent away unhealed. The blind and the lame, the deaf and the dumb, the palsied and the lepers, those possessed with demons and the dead--all alike were healed immediately by the touch of Jesus. "The whole multitude sought to touch Him--for virtue went out of Him, and healed them ALL."

Thus completely and surely does Jesus restore all who come to Him. He can . . .
open the eyes long closed in the night of ignorance,
strengthen those who have yet had no power to walk in God's ways,
unstop the ear long deaf to the sweet voice of the Gospel,
teach the prayerless lips to plead with God,
remove the paralysis of a careless indifference,
cleanse souls from the leprosy of debasing lusts,
cast out the evil spirits of envy, and hatred and unbelief,
save men from the fever of covetousness, and every evil temper.

His power, when on earth, reached to the very worst cases of disease! The man full of leprosy, and the woman whom other physicians had tried in vain to cure--both came, and others just as hopeless, and all were alike healed. Yes, and I see Jesus day by day saving such as man might reckon beyond the reach of His saving arm.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
 
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An excessive anxiety about the innocent things of this life

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

"Be on your guard, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of life--or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap!" Luke 21:34-35

The exhortation before us should teach us the great importance of an unworldly heart. The "cares of this life" are placed side by side with carousing and drunkenness.

Excess in eating and drinking, is not the only excess which injures the soul. There is an excessive anxiety about the innocent things of this life--which is just as ruinous to our spiritual prosperity, and just as poisonous to the soul.

Never, never let us forget--that we may make spiritual shipwreck on lawful things--as really and truly as on open vices! Happy is he who has learned to hold the things of this world with a loose hand, and to believe that seeking first the kingdom of God, "all other things shall be added to him!" Matthew 6:33
 
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What could an unsanctified man do in Heaven?

(J.C. Ryle, "Holiness, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots")

"Without holiness, no one will see the Lord!" Hebrews 12:14

Most men hope to go to Heaven when they die; but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy Heaven if they got there.

Heaven is essentially a holy place;
its inhabitants are all holy;
its occupations are all holy.
To be really happy in Heaven, it is clear and plain that we must be somewhat trained and made ready for Heaven while we are on earth.

We must be saints before we die--if we are to be saints afterwards in glory.
We need the work of the Holy Spirit--as well as the work of Christ;
we need renewal of the heart--as well as the atoning blood;
we need to be sanctified--as well as to be justified.

What could an unsanctified man do in Heaven, if by any chance he got there?

No man can possibly be happy in a place where he is not in his element, and where all around him is not congenial to his tastes, habits and character.
When an eagle is happy in an iron cage,
when a sheep is happy in the middle of a lake,
when a fish is happy on the dry land--
then, and not until then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in Heaven!

The book of Revelation says expressly, "Nothing impure will ever enter it." Revelation 21:27

Suppose for a moment, that you were allowed to enter Heaven without holiness.
What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you experience there?

Now perhaps, you love the company of . . .
the vain and the impious,
the worldly-minded and the profligate,
the reveler and the pleasure-seeker,
the ungodly and the profane.
There will be none such in Heaven!

Now perhaps you think the that saints of God too strict and particular and serious. You rather avoid them. You have no delight in their society. But there will be no other company in Heaven.

Now perhaps you think that praying and Scripture reading and hymn singing--are dull and melancholy and foolish; a thing to be tolerated now and then--but not enjoyed. You reckon the worship a burden and a weariness. But remember, Heaven is never-ending worship. The inhabitants thereof rest not day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," and singing the praise of the Lamb. How could an unholy man find pleasure in occupation such as this?

It seems clear that Heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man! We must be heavenly-minded and have heavenly tastes in the present life--or else we will never find ourselves in Heaven in the life to come!

"Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong;
let him who is vile continue to be vile;
let him who does right continue to do right;
and let him who is holy continue to be holy." Revelation 22:11
 
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nChrist

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A glance into heavenly bliss!

("Solitude Sweetened" by James Meikle, 1730-1799)

All at once I find myself in an unbounded flood of bliss, a spacious sea of glory--lost in wonder amidst ineffable delights, and transported with the raptures of seraphic harmony! While all His saints rejoice in His excellent glory--what ardor glows in every soul, and what rapture swells in every song! O the wondrous displays of His perfections--the manifestations of His goodness--the outlettings of His love!

Here we received out of His fullness--grace upon grace. and glory upon glory.
Our heavenly possession is worthy of our liberal Giver. We have . . .
a kingdom which cannot be moved,
an undefiled inheritance, which does not fade away,
a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God,
garments of glory,
a crown of righteousness,
the tree of life to feed upon,
the fountain of life to drink of,
the garden of God to walk in,
life above the reach of death,
health secured from sickness,
eternal pleasure without pain!

Our bodies are immortal,
our souls are immaculate,
our senses are sanctified,
our conceptions are spiritualized,
our faculties are enlarged, and
our whole soul is glorious!

Our past bliss is with us in the sweet remembrance,
our present bliss enchants us in the enjoyment, and
our future bliss is present with us in the full assurance of our eternal felicity.

Thus we are forever blessed to the highest degree. We are . . .
above all fear,
beyond anxiety and doubt,
and fixed above all change!

Our service is sincere,
our adorations are ardent,
our knowledge is profound and satisfying.

Rapture rushes in at every part!

Our eyes are ravished with seeing the King in His beauty;
our ears are ravished with hearing the songs of the inner temple;
our nostrils are ravished with the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon, the plant of renown;
our feet are ravished with standing in His holy place;
our hands are ravished with handling of the word of life; and
our mouths are ravished with the wine of our Beloved, which goes down sweetly--causing our souls to shout aloud, and our lips to sing and never cease.

Our experience of His fullness, our vision of His perfections and glory--constitute our most exalted bliss, and are the heaven of heavens!

O what torrents of eternal love teem from the glorious throne into our souls!

O the pleasure that is in His presence!

O the exuberant rivers of joy that flow at His right hand!

O love! never to be forgotten--which has brought me safely through so many winding labyrinths and crooked paths, in sight of so many enemies--in spite of . . .
a tempting devil,
the accusations of my sins,
the rebellion of my lusts,
the carnality of my affections, and
the weakness of all my graces--
to dwell at last forever in heavenly bliss!

O eternity! Once the comfort of our longing expectations--now the transport of our enlarged souls! For we are . . .
forever with the Lord,
beholding His unclouded face,
wearing His divine name,
drinking at the streams of His pleasures,
eating of His hidden manna,
sitting beneath the Tree of Life,
basking under the beams of the Sun of Righteousness,
singing hallelujahs to Him who loved us, who washed us from our sins in His blood, and brought us here to be with Him forever!

O state of complete happiness and consummate bliss!​
 
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nChrist

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Sinners in Hell are not the fools they were on earth!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Then He will say to those on His left: Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:41

Sinners in Hell are not the fools they were on earth!

In Hell, they do not laugh at everlasting burnings.

In the pit, they do not despise the words, "eternal fire!"

The worm that never dies, when it is gnawing, gnaws out all joke and laughter.

You may despise and mock God now--but death will change your note!

"Remember, you can laugh your way into Hell--but you can never laugh your way out of Hell!"

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life!" Matthew 25:46​
 
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We fritter away days, weeks, months!

(J.R. Miller, "The Sacredness of Opportunity")

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

"Gather up the fragments that are left over. Let nothing be wasted!" John 6:12

"Time is short!" 1 Corinthians 7:29

Time is made up of golden minutes--not one of which we should allow to be wasted! The Master said that for every idle word that men speak--they must give account. This can be no less true of idle minutes or hours.

Most of us live as if we had a thousand years to stay here in this world! We loiter away the golden hours of our little days--as if the days were never to end! We do not see how swiftly the sun is whirling toward his setting, while our work is but half done, our task perhaps scarcely begun!

We fritter away days, weeks, months--not noticing how our one little opportunity of living in this world is being worn off, as the sea eats away a crumbling bank until its last shred is gone! We set slight value on time, forgetting that we have only a hand-breadth of it--and then comes eternity!

Many of us fail to appreciate the value of 'single days'. "A day is too short a space," we say, "that it cannot make much difference if one, just one, is wasted--or idled away!" Yet the days are links in a chain, and if one link is broken--the chain is broken. In God's plan for our life--each little day has its own load of duty.

How these lost days shame us--as they turn their reproachful eyes upon us, out of the irrevocable past!

Many people are wasteful of time. They fail to realize its value. They appear to have time in such abundance--that they dream it can never end. They do not know that a day lost--may mean misfortune or failure for them sometime in the future. They do not know that squandered hours, minutes spent in idleness--may cost them the true success of their life, bringing failure or disaster!

They should not make the mistake of imagining they have so much time--that they can afford to let days or hours or even minutes be wasted. They cannot afford to lose one golden minute of any day. We do not know what momentous issues, affecting all our future--are involved in any quietest hour of any common-place day. There is 'a time for everything'--but the time is short, and when it is gone, and the thing is not done--it never can be done!

What you make of your life--you must make in a few years at the most; for the human span is short--and any day may be your last one! Every day that passes--leaves life's margin a little less for each of us. Our allotment of time is ever shortening!

There are a great many things it is not worth our while to do. Some of us spend our days in poor trivialities which bless no one, and which will add no lustre to our crown.

Therefore, waste no opportunity! Squander no moment! There is just time enough for you to live your life well--if you spend every moment of it in earnest, faithful duty. One hour lost--will leave a flaw. A life thus lived in unbroken diligence and faithfulness, will have no regrets when the end comes.
 
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nChrist

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A high esteem of yourself?

(Charles Spurgeon)

A high esteem of yourself?

You are not a mature Christian, if you have a high esteem of yourself.

He who boasts in himself is but a babe in Christ--if indeed he is in Christ at all.

Young Christians may think much of themselves.

Growing Christians think themselves nothing.

Mature Christians know that they are less than nothing.

The more holy we are, the more we mourn our infirmities, and the humbler is our estimate of ourselves.

"Though I am nothing." 2 Corinthians 12:11
"Although I am less than the least of all God's people . . ." Ephesians 3:8
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst." 1 Timothy 1:15
Wonderful was the grace that taught the once proud Pharisee thus to speak!

Pride may be set down as "the sin" of human nature.

The demon of pride was born with us--and it will not die one hour before us!

We are never so much in danger of being proud--as when we think we are humble.

There is no sin into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride--and yet there is no more vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture.

We are all proud. Pride can hide under a beggar's rags--as well as under a minister's robes. Pride is a weed that will grow on a dunghill--as well as in a palace garden; but it ought never to be allowed to grow in the heart of a Christian!

No matter how dear you are to God--if pride is harbored in your heart, He will whip it out of you!​
 
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nChrist

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Among the wonders in Heaven, shall be these three

(Charles Spurgeon)

Among the wonders in Heaven, shall be these three:

The first wonder is that we shall see so many there, whom we did not expect to see.

The second is that we shall miss so many there, whom we did expect to see.

But the third wonder will be the greatest wonder of all--to see ourselves there!

And can it be, that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Tis mercy all, immense and free
For O my God, it found out me!
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, should die for me?​
 
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He who believes shall be saved, be his sins ever so many

(Charles Spurgeon)

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life!
He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him!" John 3:36

He who believes shall be saved, be his sins ever so many.
He who does not believe shall be damned, be his sins ever so few.

There is no sin which can damn the one who sincerely believes.
There is absolutely nothing which can save the one who does not believe.

"The only way to be saved is by faith in Christ. Apart from faith in Him--no one, anywhere, at any time, in any culture, at any period in history, at any age, is saved."​
 
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Afflictions!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous." Psalm 34:19

"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives!" Hebrews 12:6

~ ~ ~ ~

Health is the greatest temporal blessing that God ever sends us--besides sickness, which is far better.

~ ~ ~ ~

There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty.
Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles--they believe . . .
that Sovereignty has ordained all their afflictions,
that Sovereignty overrules them, and
that Sovereignty will sanctify them all.

~ ~ ~ ~

I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had, have turned out to be my best days. And when God has seemed most cruel to me, He has then been most kind. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else--it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things, the richest tenderest love has been manifested to me. Our Father's wagons rumble most heavily, when they are bringing us the richest freight of the bullion of His grace.

~ ~ ~ ~

Love letters from Heaven are often sent in black-edged envelopes!

~ ~ ~ ~

I have got more good out of my afflictions, than out of all my prosperity! I would not be without a cross for all the world!

~ ~ ~ ~

I have learned to kiss the stormy waves which throw me up against the Rock of Ages!

~ ~ ~ ~

Those who dive in the sea of affliction--bring up rare pearls!

~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord gets His best soldiers, out of the highlands of affliction.

~ ~ ~ ~

The tears of affliction, are often needed to keep the eye of faith bright.

~ ~ ~ ~

The best remedy for affliction, is submitting to God's providence.

~ ~ ~ ~

To be one of the Lord's saved ones--is joy enough to bear up the heart under every affliction!

~ ~ ~ ~

The discerning of the hand of God in all our afflictions, is a sweet lesson in the school of experience.

~ ~ ~ ~

What can't be cured, must be endured!

~ ~ ~ ~

As for any affliction that you ever can have to endure on earth, it is not merely light, it is absolutely unworthy of mention in comparison with the eternal woe that is the portion of the lost!

~ ~ ~ ~

The furnace of affliction is a good place for you, Christian.
It benefits you--it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for Heaven.

~ ~ ~ ~

Our trials and troubles, afflictions and adversities--are among the best medicines of our Great Physician.

~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering is better than sinning. There is more evil in a drop of sin--than in an ocean of affliction!

~ ~ ~ ~

Some day you will thank God for all your afflictions.

~ ~ ~ ~

The most sympathizing, loving and Christlike--are generally those who have the most affliction.
The worse thing that can happen to any of us, is to have our path made too smooth.
One of the greatest blessings the Lord ever gives us, is a cross.

~ ~ ~ ~

It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me--to think . . .
that I have an affliction which God never sent me,
that the bitter cup was never filled by His hand,
that my trials were never measured out by Him, nor
sent to me by His arrangement of their weight and quantity.

~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble. They must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction--otherwise we shall not truly receive them.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart, upon the black horse of affliction!

~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed affliction it is--which leads us to a Savior's love!

~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions may come distinctly from man, as the result of persecution or malice--and yet they come with even greater certainty from the Lord, and are the necessary outcome of His special love to us.

~ ~ ~ ~

Many believers think that their afflictions were punishments sent from God on account of their sins. The thing is impossible! God has punished us, who are His people, once and for all in Christ--and He will never punish us again! He cannot do it, seeing He is a just God. Afflictions are chastisements from a Father's hand--they are not judicial punishments!

~ ~ ~ ~

I would never have known the Savior's love half as much--if I had never been in the storms of affliction.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is sometimes in the furnace of affliction. The fire will soon be over when he can say, "May the Lord's will be done." It is a sign that the dross has gone, when you can see the image of the Refiner in it--when the heart reflects the face of God and says, "Not as I will, but as You will."

~ ~ ~ ~

Very few of Christians will fully ripen without affliction. The vine produces little fruit--unless it makes acquaintance with the knife, and is sternly pruned.

~ ~ ~ ~

The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions!

~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions become the black velvet on which the diamond of God's love glitters all the more brightly!

~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven shall make amends for all!​
 
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