CON T eN T S

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 IntroductIon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1. Worship: The Chief end of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2. The Power of Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 3. exhortations and Prophetic Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 4. Jesus Christ: Savior and Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 5. Missions and evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 6. Gods Word and Christian Doctrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 7. Life in the Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 8. Obstacles and Adversaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Author BIogrAphIes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 excerpts tAken From . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Author Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

I N TRODUCTION

FIFteen-yeAr-old Boy

was sitting in the Primitive Methodist

Chapel in Colchester, england, when the preacher turned his way and said: Young man, you look very miserable. You always will be miserablemiserable in life and miserable in deathif you dont obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment you will be saved. The young man on the receiving end of this admonition was Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The text in question was Isaiah 45:22, where God says, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Spurgeon did look unto God in that moment, and what he saw made an immediate and profound impact. I had this vision, he later recalled in his autobiography, not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was. . . . Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment. One moment changed the course of Spurgeons life forever. More, it changed the course of the church he served more than forty years, eventually establishing himself as one of the finest preachers the world has ever known. 11

A short BIogrAphy Born in 1834, C. H. Spurgeon was raised alternately in the homes of his father and grandfather, both of whom were nonconformist (non-Anglican) ministers in the Calvinist mode. even so, the man later called the Prince of Preachers didnt mesh well with the family faith in his early years. In his autobiography, he described his formative years as spiritually depressing: I was years and years upon the brink of hellI mean in my own feeling. I was unhappy, I was desponding, I was despairing. I dreamed of hell. My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost. When Spurgeons spiritual situation changed in 1850 at the Primitive Methodist Church, his attitudes quickly changed with it. In 1851 he broke from the denomination of his father and grandfather, choosing instead a rare hybridization and functioning as a Calvinist Baptist. He began distributing tracts and visiting the poor, and soon he joined the lay preachers association. Herein Spurgeon found his calling. He preached his first sermon at Teversham in Cambridgeshire and accepted his first pastorate, as a teenager, in the village of Waterbeach. He was an immediate success; within two years he accepted a call to fulfill a six-month preaching engagement at New Park Street Chapel in London. He moved to the city and never moved out. Throughout the course of his ministry Spurgeon preached all over Londonincluding the halls at exeter and Surrey Gardens and other parts of england. In 1861 his congregation moved into the newly completed Metropolitan Tabernacle, which could hold nearly six thousand per service. In 1856 Spurgeon founded a pastors college that moved to the Tabernacle in 1861. It subsequently was renamed Spurgeons College in 1923 and still exists today. He also presided over an 12

orphanage, which he founded in 1867, and a publishing arm that distributed books and pamphlets. This latter endeavor quickly became an influential ministry wing. In 1865 Spurgeon began editing a monthly magazine called The Sword and the Trowel, and he continued for twenty-eight years until his death. All told, he wrote and edited more than two hundred books, albums, and pamphletsthe most famous being The Treasury of David (a commentary on Psalms) and a daily devotional called Morning by Morning; Evening by Evening. Most impressive, his sermons were published weekly in various periodicals, a practice that started the year after he arrived in London. Today his collected sermons fill sixty-three volumes, each holding more than fifty sermons. Theres no doubt Spurgeon was a beloved and popular preacherthe most heard of his time, in fact. But his ministry was not without criticism and controversy. He was regularly lampooned by the secular press, most notably a publication called the Saturday Review. And he received regular criticism from fellow Protestants for his dramatic style and affinity for sentimental stories. Spurgeons response to these latter reproaches is telling: I am perhaps vulgar, but it is not intentional, save that I must and will make people listen. My firm conviction is that we have had enough polite preachers. The most notable controversy connected with his ministry is known historically as the Down-Grade Controversy, which began in 1887. In several Sword and the Trowel articles, Spurgeon criticized members of his denomination (and the broader Protestant church) for down-grading biblical doctrine and theology through liberal interpretations. Specifically, he felt three essential doctrines were being abandoned: biblical infallibility, substitutionary atonement, and the finality of judgment for those who die outside of Christ. Spurgeons claims were met with intense opposition and an 13

increasing furor, which he attempted to diffuse by resigning from the Baptist Union. This did not work, and the debate that raged on more than a year ultimately resulted in Spurgeons being censured by the Council of the Baptist Union, the denomination suffering a damaging schism, and Spurgeons own health taking a turn for the worse. C. H. Spurgeon preached his final sermon in June of 1891. He died six months later and was survived by his wife and twin sons. More than sixty thousand came to pay homage during the three days his body was displayed at the Metropolitan Tabernacle; more than a hundred thousand lined Londons streets to watch the funeral parade that officially announced the Prince of Preachers had finished his earthly work and had been faithful. why you should reAd thIs Book C. H. Spurgeon was an extraordinary man, but one of the most remarkable elements of his story is his lack of formal education. His schooling as a youth was spotty at best, and he accepted his first pastorate without having earned a degree. So how did this relatively uneducated man rise to take his place among the most influential preachers the world has ever seen? The primary answer is that Spurgeon was a ferocious learner despite his lack of formal traininga characteristic driven by his voracious capacity for reading. At the time of his death, his library held more than twelve thousand volumes, many of which bore his handwritten comments and notations. Much of Spurgeons intellectual and spiritual formation was contained in those volumes. He committed himself to learning from the spiritual giants whod gone before him, and in part because of his devoted study he took his place among them. Thus this books value. These pages contain more than 150 14

excerpted readings from those whose writings were instrumental in Spurgeons development. The highlighted writers are some of the most famous and influential minds in the history of Christianity, and the excerpts provided below represent the pinnacle of their achievements. Why should you read this material? Because C. H. Spurgeon did, and it played a significant role in his spiritual growth. These served as his textbooks and professors combined, and they can serve you as well. how reAd thIs Book

to

each of this books eight chapters emphasizes a major theme from Spurgeons life and writingsfrom the power of prayer, to evangelism, to Gods Word and Christian doctrine. The short readings themselves focus on subjects that are important to your life and your connection with God. One approach could be to make this book a part of your daily devotional experience. Consider reading one excerpt each day, along with a passage of Scripture. As you do, be sure to allow yourself times of silent reflection in order to think deeply about what each author is communicating. You may even want to read this book in concert with Morning by Morning; Evening by Evening (current editions are titled Morning and Evening) or another of Spurgeons written works, thereby gaining a real-time understanding of how these writers influenced and guided him. This book can also serve as an excellent educational resource. A broader look at each chapter will impart a great deal about the essential doctrines and practices of our faith; it will also help you find wisdom for developing transformative habits and for overcoming many obstacles. If you arent familiar with all the authors represented in the 15

following pages, learning a bit about their stories in the Biographies, near books end, can yield appreciation for what they have to say. In addition, as you identify certain passages and writers you find especially impactful, consider reading the complete volumes from which the excerpts were taken. Youll find the source of each excerpt listed on the same page; you can identify all the books excerpted by each author in the excerpts Taken From . . . section. movIng ForwArd Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a man who desired to be used greatly by Godto bring to light the power of Gods Word and to harvest souls for His kingdom. Hes known as a spiritual giant because he poured all of himself into this desire, and it is well for the church that he succeeded. A significant reason for that success was Spurgeons willingness to be continually discipled by the great men and women of Godthe Puritans, evangelists, writers, and teacherswhod preceded him through centuries of church history. His mentors had one thing in common: in service to Jesus Christ they sought to become physicians working to diagnose and heal the souls of men and women in their care. The Word of God was their medicine, and they delivered it through both word and deed. Take advantage of the opportunity you now have to be similarly discipled. Listen carefully and prayerfully to these teachings of Gods Word. Allow that Word to continue transforming your life. Youand those under your carewill never be the same.

16

Wor sh i p:
T h e C h i e f e n d of M a n

My soul, bow down under a sense of thy natural sinfulness, and worship thy God. Admire the grace which saves thee the mercy which spares theethe love which pardons thee! Morning and Evening

17

W ILLI A M BAT e S
T he Gre at D ut y of Resig nation

And what is man? A little breathing dust. God is infinitely above us, and so strangely condescends, in having a tender care of us, that the psalmist was swallowed up in ecstasy and amazement at the thought of it: What is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? (Psalm 8:4). No, we are beneath His anger, as a worm is not worthy of the indignation of an angel. Now the more we magnify God and exalt His authority in our judgments, the more our wills are prepared to yield to Him. His excellency will make us afraid to oppose His providence. When the Son of God appeared to Saul in His glory and commanded in person, he presently let fall his arms of defiance and said, Lord, what will You have me to do? His resignation was absolute; nothing was so hard to do, nothing so formidable to suffer; but he was ready to accomplish and endure in obedience to Christ. The more we debase and vilify ourselves, the more easy it will be to bear what God inflicts; humility disposes to submission. Our passions are not excited at the breaking of an ordinary glass; but if a vessel of crystal is broken, it moves us. The lower esteem we have of ourselves, the less we shall be transported for any breach that is made upon us. We read in the history of Job many heavy complaints uttered by him of his sufferings, all the sad figures of passionate eloquence 19

made use of to represent them, and the fruitless essays of his friends, which did rather exasperate than appease his spirit. And it is very observable that when the Lord interposed Himself to justify the ways of His providence, He did not charge upon him the guilt of his sins that deserved the severest judgments, but appeared in glory and reminded him of his original nothing. Where were you when I laid the earths foundation? Tell me, if you understand (Job 38:4). He opens to him some of the excellencies of the Deity in the works of creation and providence, and the present effect was that Job adored with humble reverence the divine majesty and acknowledged his own unworthiness: I am unworthyhow can I reply to You? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answertwice, but I will say no more (Job 40:45). The thickest smoke, by ascending, dissipates and vanishes. If the troubled soul did ascend to heaven and consider that even the worst evils are either from the operation or permission of the divine providence, the cloudy disturbing thoughts and passions would be presently scattered. . . . When any impatient thoughts arise, we should presently chain them up, for there are folly and fury in them. What am I, that my sullen spirit should dispute against the orders of heaven? That my passions should resist the will of the highest Lord? That my desires should depose Him from His throne? For that is what they do by implication and consequencethose who are vexed at His providence. A holy soul will tremble at the thought of it. Methinks God speaks to the afflicted and disturbed soul, in the words of the psalm, Be still, and know that I am God. The actual consideration of His supremacy will be powerful to lay the growing storm of passions. Impatience arises from the ignorance of God and ourselves.

20

R ICH A R D SI BBe S
Div i ne Med it ations

The whole life of a Christian should be nothing but praises and thanks to God; we should neither eat nor drink nor sleep, but eat to God and sleep to God and work to God and talk to God, do all to His glory and praise. We glorify God when we exalt Him in our souls above all creatures in the world, when we give Him the highest places in our love and in our joy, when all our affections are set upon Him as our greatest good. This is seen also by opposition, when we will not offend God for any creature; when we can ask our affections, Whom have I in heaven but You? (Psalm 73:25). In the covenant of grace God intends the glory of His grace above all. Now faith is fit for it, because it has a uniting virtue to knit us to the Mediator and to lay hold of a thing out of ourselves; it empties the soul of all idea of worth or strength or excellence in the creature, and so it gives all the glory to God and Christ. To glory in any creature whatsoever is idolatry, first, because the mind sets up something to glory in which is not God. Secondly, it must be spiritual adultery to cleave to anything more than to God. Thirdly, it is bearing false witness to ascribe excellency where there is none. We have a prohibition: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches (Jeremiah 9:23). God will not give His glory to another, and therefore when men will be meddling with that glory which 21

belongs to God alone He blasts them aside as broken vessels and even disdains to use them. All things out of God are only like the grass. When we rejoice in anything out of God, it is a childish joy as if we rejoiced only in flowers; after we have drawn out their sweetness we cast them away. All outward things are common to sinners as well as to saints, and without grace they will surely prove snares. At the hour of death what comfort can we have in them any further than with humility and love to God we have used them well? Therefore if we would have our hearts seasoned with true joy, let us labor to be faithful in our several places, and endeavor according to the gifts we have to glorify God. This life is not a life for the body but for the soul, and therefore the soul should speak to the body: If you move me to fulfill your desires now, you will lose me and yourself hereafter. But if the body be given up to Christ, then the soul will speak a good word for it in heaven: Lord, there is a body of mine in the grave in yonder world that did fast for me and pray with me. It will speak for it as Pharaohs butler to the king for Joseph. It is rebellion against God for a man to make away with himself; the very heathens could say that we must not go out of our station till we be called. It is the voice of Satan, Cast yourself down, but what says Paul to the jailer, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. We should so carry ourselves that we may be content to stay here till God has done that work He has to do in us and by us, and then He will call us hence in the best time.

22

M AT T H eW H eN RY
A S cr ipt u re Cate ch ism i n the Method of the A ssemblys

Question: What is the chief end of man? answer: Mans chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever. Is man a reasonable creature? Yes: for there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8). Has he greater capacities than the brutes? Yes: God teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven (Job 35:11). Is man his own maker? No: it is God that has made us, and not we ourselves (Psalm 100:3). Is he then his own master? No: there is a Lord over us (Psalm 12:4). Is he his own carver? No: should it be according to your mind? (Job 34:33). Is he his own end? No: for none of us lives to himself, or dies to himself (Romans 14:7). Is it your business in the world to serve the flesh? No: for we are not debtors to the flesh, that we should live after the flesh (Romans 8:12). Is it to pursue the world? No: for we are not of the world (John 17:16). Is your happiness bound up in the creature? No: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit (ecclesiastes 1:14). Will the riches of the world make you happy? No: for a mans life consists not in the abundance of the things he possesses (Luke 12:15). Will the 23

praise and applause of men make you happy? No: for it is vain glory (Galatians 5:26). Will sport and pleasure make you happy? No: for the wise man said of laughter, It is mad, and of mirth, What does it do? (ecclesiastes 2:2). Can the gain of the world make you happy? No: for what is a man profited, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26). Is God then your chief end? Yes: for of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things (Romans 11:36). Were you made for Him? Yes: this people have I formed for myself (Isaiah 43:21). Were you redeemed for Him? Yes: you are not your own, for you are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:1920). Is it your chief business to glorify God? Yes: we must glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are Gods (1 Corinthians 6:20). Must this be ultimately designed in all our actions? Yes: do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Is God glorified by our praises? Yes: he that offers praise, glorifies me (Psalm 50:23). And is He glorified by our works? Yes: herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:8). Is God your chief good? Yes: for happy are the people whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144:15). Does all good come from Him? Yes: for with Him is the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9). And is all good enjoyed in Him? Yes: the Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup (Psalm 16:5). Is it your chief happiness then to have Gods favor? Yes: for in His favor is life (Psalm 30:5). Is that the most desirable good? Yes: for His loving-kindness is better than life (Psalm 63:3). Do you desire it above any good? Yes: Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us (Psalm 4:67). And should you give all diligence to make it sure? Yes: herein we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:9). Is communion with God in grace here the best pleasure? Yes: it is good for me to draw near to God (Psalm 73:28). Is the vision 24

and fruition of God in glory hereafter the best portion? Yes: for in His presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Will you therefore set your heart upon this chief good? Yes: Lord, whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You; when my flesh and my heart fail, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:2526).

25

T HOM A S G OUGe
Ch r istia n Di re c tions

At your first awakening in the morning, consecrate unto God the freshest of your thoughts by lifting up your heart to Him in praise and thanksgiving for the comfortable rest and refreshment He vouchsafed unto you last night. For, had not the Lord been the more gracious unto you, you might have slept the sleep of death; yes, you might have awoken with hell-chimes about your ears. What cause have you, therefore, to bless God for the mercies of the nightand the same for the renewing of His mercies with the day! Then heartily beg of God to keep you from all dangers that day, and especially from sinning against Him; also to direct, assist, and bless you in all your lawful undertakings. Having thus consecrated your first waking moments unto God, then let out your heart in a serious meditation of God through some or other of His glorious attributes: of his infinite purity, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity with the least approbation, but hates all sin with a perfect hatred, it being contrary to His nature. A serious consideration of this will, through Gods blessing, prove very effectual for the suppressing of those worldly and impure thoughts that are apt to arise from your corrupt heart. of the almighty power of God, whereby He is able to 26

supply all your wants, to support you under all your trials and temptations, and to carry you through all your undertakings. of Gods continual presence about you, and with you, wherever you are, and whatever you do. For He is about your bed and your path; He takes notice of all your actions, and when no man sees you, yet He sees youthe One before whose tribunal you must one day stand to give an account of all your actions. of the omniscience of God, how he knows all thingseven the secret thoughts of your heart and the inward intentions of your mind. Before God all things are naked and open. There is not an ambitious, worldly, or lustful thought in your heart that God is not privy to; yes, and He will bring every secret thing into judgment (ecclesiastes 12:14). This, if it were seriously considered, would make you watchful over your very heart!

27

T HOM A S G OUGe
Ch r istia n Di re c tions

As you are rising out of your bed, take every occasion for holy and heavenly meditations. To give you some hints: When you see the nakedness of your body, let that mind you of your sins, which caused you first to be ashamed of it. For our first parents, before they had sinned, were not ashamed of their nakedness (Genesis 2:25). And the consideration thereof should stir you up earnestly to long after the robe of Christs righteousness, and to be clothed with that which will make you lovely and amiable in the sight of God. Let your rising out of bed remind you of the resurrection from the death of sin unto the life of grace; likewise the resurrection of your body out of the grave into eternal life at the last day, when you and every one of us must appear before the great Judge to give an account of whatsoever we have done here. Let the light of the day mind you of Jesus Christ, who is often in Scripture described as lightyes, the true Light. When you are putting on your apparel, let out your heart in a serious meditation of the robe of Christs righteousness. And by faith, apply Christ and His righteousness unto yourself, resting and relying upon it for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins here on earth, and for eternal salvation hereafter. 28

This will be a special means to keep worldly, wanton, and impure thoughts out of your heart, so that either they will not dare to come in or they shall more easily be kept out. This way your heart will be exceedingly fenced and guarded against the strategies of Satan, who wants to cast his hellish firebrands into your soul. I say again: good and holy thoughts first let into the heart of a Christian will keep it in better tune all the day after. But some will object to this, saying that to put in practice these rules and directions will take up too much timemore than their callings and employments will allow. True it is that some mens callings and employments do not allow them so much time as others do; yet there are none who cannot find some time for spiritual and heavenly meditations if it be no more than rising out of their beds and putting on their clothes. If you have not time to put in practice all of these directions, at least you may go over some few of them. Yes, I shall give you this as my special advice: if you are strained for time, fix upon one or two of these directions rather than attempting to perform all of them in a perfunctory manner; do not ramble over them all every morning. In addition to these morning meditations, as soon as you get up, go into your closet, or into some private place, and there offer up to God a morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Let anything be omitted rather than this. If your business be urgent and great, rise sooner. Do not attempt anything until you have commended yourself and your affairs to God by prayer. And indeed, how can you with any confidence expect Gods blessing upon your pains and endeavors without it, this being the means sanctified by God for the obtaining of His blessing? If you take any liberty to omit this duty, the devil will so work upon you that, little by little, you will wax weary of it if Gods grace is not the more powerful in you. 29

ST ePH eN CH A R NOCK
Discou rse on the Power of God

Wisdom and power are the grounds of the respect we give to men. And since they are both infinite in God, they create the foundation of a solemn honor to be returned to Him by His creatures. If a man makes an ingenious machine, we honor him for his skill. If another man vanquishes a vigorous enemy, we admire him for his strength. Just so, shall not the efficacy of Gods power in creation, government, and redemption enflame us with a sense of the honor of His name and perfections? We admire those princes that have vast empires, numerous armies, and the power to conquer their enemies and preserve their own people in peace. How much more ground have we to pay a mighty reverence to God, who, without trouble and weariness, made and manages this vast empire of the world by a word and gesture! What sensible thoughts have we of the power of the sun, the storms of the sea! These things that have no understanding have struck men with such a reverence that many have adored them as gods. Just so, what reverence and adoration does this mighty power, joined with an infinite wisdom in God, demand at our hands! All religion and worship stands especially upon two pillars: goodness and power in God. If either of these were defective, all religion would faint away. We can expect no entertainment with Him without goodness, nor any benefit from Him without power. . . . Because this attribute is a main foundation of prayer, the Lords 30

Prayer is concluded with a doxology of it: For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. As God is rich, possessing all blessings, so He is powerful and able to confer all blessings on us, and to make them efficacious to us. We could not, without consideration of it, pray in faith of successnay, we could not pray at allif His power were defective to help us, and His mercy too weak to relieve us. Who would humbly beg, or lie as a prostrate suppliant, to a feeble arm? It was upon this ability of God that our Savior built His petitions: He offered up strong cries unto Him that was able to save him from death (Hebrews 5:7). Abrahams faith hung upon the same string (Romans 4:21), and the church supplicates God to act according to the greatness of His power (Psalm 79). In all our addresses this is to be eyed and considered: that God is able to help, to relieve, to ease me, to let my misery be never so great and my strength never so vigorous. If You will, You can make me clean (Matthew 8:2) was the consideration the leper had when he came to worship Christ. He was clear in His power, and therefore worshiped Him, though he was not equally clear in His will. All worship is shot wrong that is not directed to, and conducted by, the thoughts of this attribute (whose assistance we need). When we beg the pardon of our sins, we should eye mercy and power. When we beg His righting us in any case where we are unjustly oppressed, we do not eye righteousness without power. When we plead the performance of His promise, we do not regard His faithfulness only without the prop of His power. As power ushers in all the attributes of God in their exercise and manifestation in the world, so should it be the target our eyes are fixed upon in all our acts of worship. Without Gods power, all His other attributes would be useless. In the same way, without due apprehensions of His power, our prayers will be faithless and comfortless. 31

OCTAV I US W I NSLOW
Words of Div i ne C om for t

The Lord says, Those who honor Me I will honor (1 Samuel 2:30). How necessary for our instruction and Gods glory that we should accept His Word just as we find it, and not as interpreted by a fallible church or as reflected from a human standard. It is perilous to study the Bible in any other light than its own, or to recognize any other interpreter than its Divine Author. Guided by this precept, let us consider the words of God which suggest our present meditation: Those who honor Me I will honor. They were originally spoken to eli on the occasion of his preferring the sinful indulgence of his sons to the command and glory of God. By retaining them in the priests offices, polluted by their iniquity and scandalized by their sacrilege, eli had greatly dishonored God. It was on this solemn occasion that He spoke these words: Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. The subject is solemn, searching, and instructive. God keep us from elis sin! May His glory be our first and supreme object. God is justly jealous of His honor. He would not be God, righteous and pure, were He to part with one scintillation of His glory. My glory will I not give to another (Isaiah 42:8). How, then, may Itrusting that, through electing love and sovereign grace, I am His adopted child, His chosen servantbest honor Him? 32

First, by fully believing in the divinity of His revealed Word. In magnifying His Word above His Name, God has demonstrated how closely entwined are His honor and His truth. To cast, then, a doubt upon the truth of Gods Word is to cast the highest dishonor upon God Himself. My soul, beware of low views of inspiration, of tampering with the Bible, of caviling at any revealed truth; but, stand in awe of its divinity, adore its majesty, and bow unquestioningly to its authority. Then will God honor you, by making His Word your light in darkness, your joy in grief, your strength in service, your hope in despondency and despair. Thus, the gospel you do implicitly and fully accept will soothe you in life, support you in death, and be your glory and song through eternity. Thus honoring God in His Word, God will honor you by making that Word the joy and rejoicing of your soul. Second, I honor God by trusting Him. As there is not a more God-dishonoring principle than unbelief, so there is not a more God-glorifying grace than the faith that reposes in Him, with a childlike and unquestioning confidencea faith that trusts His veracity to fulfill, and His power to perform, all that He is pledged in His covenant and Word to do. My soul, you are tried, burdened, and in need. Have faith in God! Now is the time to bring honor and glory to His great Name by a simple, unhesitating trust in His power, faithfulness, and love. And this to comfort your sorrow, to counsel your perplexity, and to bring you out of trouble with the richest blessing springing therefrom. Then will your God honor you. . . . Let me honor Christ by fully accepting His salvation. Oh, my soul, beware of placing your sin and guilt and unworthiness beyond the limit of Christs ability and willingness to save. Oh! What dishonor to the Saviora dishonor with which even devils are not chargeableto doubt the efficacy of His blood to pardon and the merit of His righteousness to justify the very chief of sinners. 33

Lord! What honor have You put upon me, to ask me to believe, to accept, and to be saved! What marvelous condescension and grace that, in doing this, You should receive it as an honor done to You at my worthless hands. Blessed Lord! I will trample my own honor in the dust, if Yours be but reared upon its utter ruin. My self shall be uncrowned, that upon Your head the crown may flourish!

34

R ICH A R D BA XT eR
T he Refor med Pa stor

When man was made perfect and placed in a perfect world, where all things were in perfect order, the whole creation was then mans book in which he was to read the nature and will of his great Creator. every creature had the name of God so legibly engraved on it that man might run and read it. He could not open his eyes but he might see some image of God; but nowhere so fully and lively as in himself. It was, therefore, his work to study the whole volume of nature, but first and most to study himself. And if man had held on in this course, he would have continued and increased in the knowledge of God and himself. But when he needed to know and love the creature and himself in a way of separation from God, he lost the knowledge both of the creature and of the Creator, so far as it could beatify and was worth the name of knowledge. And instead of it, he has got the unhappy knowledge that he affected even the empty notions and fantastic knowledge of the creature and himself, as thus separated. And thus, he that lived to the Creator, and upon him, now lives to and upon the other creatures, and on himself. And thus, every man at his best estate (the learned as well as the illiterate) is altogether vanity. Surely every man walks in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain (Psalm 39:56). And it must be well observed that as God did not lay aside the relation of a Creator by becoming our Redeemer, the work of 35

redemption stands, in some respect, in subordination to that of creation, and the law of the Redeemer to the law of the Creator. So also the duties which we owed to God as Creator have not ceased, but the duties that we owe to the Redeemer, as such, are subordinate as well. It is the work of Christ to bring us back to God, and to restore us to the perfection of holiness and obedience; and as He is the way to the Father, so faith in Him is the way to our former employment and enjoyment of God. I hope you perceive what I aim at in all thisnamely, that to see God in His creatures, and to love Him, and converse with Him, was the employment of man in his upright state; that this is so far from ceasing to be our duty that it is the work of Christ to bring us, by faith, back to it; and therefore the most holy men are the most excellent students of Gods works, and none but the holy can rightly study them or know them. His works are great when they are sought out by those who take pleasure in themnot for themselves, but for Him that made them. Your study of physics and other sciences is not worth a rush if it be not God that you seek after in them. To see and admire, to reverence and adore, to love and delight in God, as exhibited in His worksthis is the true and only philosophy. The contrary is mere foolery, and is so called again and again by God Himself. This is the sanctification of your studies when they are devoted to God, and when He is the end, the object, and the life of them all.

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W ILLI A M A M e S
T he Ma n ner of Worsh ip

Before the public and solemn hearing of the word and prayer, private prayer is required. And before private prayer, if it be solemn, there is required some meditation on those things with which our prayers have to dowhether about God, to whom we pray, or about ourselves, who are about to pray, or about the things which are to be prayed for. The concomitant circumstances are reverence and devotion. A certain general reverence for God is part of any obedience that respects the commanding authority of God. But this particular reverence properly has to do with those acts of religion that stress the holiness of the things we do. Such reverence contains, first, a due prizing of the worth of such things; second, a fear of too much familiarity by which such things might be desecrated. Devotion also contains two parts. First, a certain special readiness to perform those things which belong to the worship of God (Psalm 108:13). Second, a proper delight in performing them (Isaiah 58:13). Hence a greater and different concern is called for in hearing the word of God than in receiving the edicts of princesand in calling upon the name of God than in making supplication to any man. The consequent circumstances are two: first, to retain the force and, as it were, the taste of the worship in our minds; second, to fulfill its purpose and put it to use with full effort. The outward circumstances are those which belong to order and decency 37

(1 Corinthians 14:40). The general rule is that these be ordered in a way to make for the most edification (1 Corinthians 14:26). Such circumstances are place, time, and the like, which are adjuncts common to religious and civil acts. These circumstances are likely to be called by some religious and ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies, but they have nothing proper to religion in their nature. Religious worship is not found in them, but the holiness of religious worship is in some way violated by their neglect and contempt. The common matter of order and decency which is equally necessary to religious and civil actions cannot be severed from religious worship without some loss of dignity and majesty.

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T HOM A S M A N TON
A Tre atise on S elf-Den ia l

That self which we must hate or deny is that self which stands in opposition to God, or in competition with Him, and so jostles with Him for the throne. Lay aside God, and self steps in as the next heirit is the great idol of the world ever since the fall, when men took the boldness to depose and lay aside God, as it were, and self succeeded in the throne. Fallen man, like Reuben, went up to his fathers bed. Self intercepted all those respects and embraces which were due to God Himself, and so man became both his own idol and idolater. If we would know when self is sinfully respected, we must consider what are the rights and the undoubted flowers of the crown of heaven; I mean, what are those special privileges and respects that are so appropriated to the godhead that they cannot without treason to the King of all the earth be alienated from Him or communicated to any creature? Now these are four: First, as God is the first cause, so He would keep up the respects of the world to His majesty by dependence and trust. It is the ambition of man to affect an independency, to be a god to himself, sufficient for his own happiness. Our first parents greedily caught at that bait: You shall be as gods (Genesis 3:5). The devil meant it not in a blessed conformity, but a cursed self-sufficiency. And we are all apt to be taken in the same snare, which certainly is a very grievous sin. Nothing can be more hateful to God. This therefore is 39

a great part of self-denialto work us off from other dependences, and to trust in God alone. Second, as God is the chief good, so He must have the highest esteem. Valuing other things above God is the ground of all miscarriage in the business of religion. When anything is honored above God, or made equal with God, or indulged against the will of God, then Dagon is set up, and the ark is made to fall. Third, as God is the highest lord and most absolute sovereign, it is His peculiar prerogative to give laws to the creature; therefore self is not to interpose and give laws to us, but only God. His will must stand. The great contest indeed between God and the creature is just so: whose will shall stand, Gods will or ours? Who shall prescribe to us, self or God? Fleshly nature sets up laws against laws, and our fleshly wills set up providence against providence. Self-will is betrayed by murmuring against Gods providence, by rebellion against His laws, and when we are obstinate in our homage and obedience to self (Jeremiah 18:12). So James (1:14) the apostle makes it to be the root of all sin when a man is drawn away by his own lusts and his own will, which is set up against the laws of God. Fourth, as God is the last end of our beings and actions, the supreme cause is to be the utmost end. God made all things for Himself (Proverbs 16:4). But now, in all that we do, we look to ourselves; vain man sets up self at the end of every action, and so he jostles out God. All the actions of life are but a kind of homage to the idol of self; if they eat and drink, it is to nourish self, a meat-offering and drink-offering to appetite. If they pray or praise, it is but to worship self, to advance the repute of self. The crown is taken from Gods head; He is not made the utmost end. If they give alms, they are a sacrifice offered to the idol of self-estimation. They give alms to be seen of men, says Christ; and in this self is set up, and God is deposed and laid aside.

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R ICH A R D SI BBe S
Div i ne Med it ations

There are four things observable in the nature of love: first, an esteem of the party beloved; second, a desire to be joined to him; third, a settled contentment; fourth, a desire to please the party in all things. So there is first in every Christian a high estimation of God and of Christ; he makes choice of Him above all things, and speaks largely in His commendation. Second, he desires to be united to Him, and where this desire is, there is an intercourse; he will open his mind to Him by prayer and go to Him in all his consultations for His counsel. Third, he places contentment in Him alone, because in his worst conditions he is in peace and quiet if he may have His countenance shine upon him. Fourth, he seeks to please Him because he labors to be in such a condition that God may delight in him. His love stirs up his soul to remove all things distasteful to Him. He asks as David did, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathans sake? (2 Samuel 9:1). We see by experience that there is a succession of love; he that loves for beauty will despise when he sees a better. So it is in the soul respecting heavenly and earthly things; when the soul sees more excellence and a satisfying fullness in heavenly things, then the love of earthly things, like Dagon, immediately falls down. So Paul says, I account all things as dross and as dung in comparison of Christ. 41

When we love things baser than ourselves, it is like a clear stream that runs into a sink. As our love therefore is the best thing we have, and none deserves it more than God, so let Him have our loveyes the strength of our love, that we may love Him with all our souls and with all our mind and with all our strength. The love of a wife to her husband may begin from the supply of her necessities, but afterwards she may love him also for the sweetness of his person. So the soul first loves Christ for salvation, but when she is brought to Him and finds what sweetness there is in Him, then she loves Him for Himself. God comforts us in the exercise and practice of grace; we must not therefore snatch comforts before we be fit for them, when we perform precepts then God will bestow comforts. If we will make it good indeed that we love God, we must keep His commandments; we must not keep one but all. It must be universal obedience fetched from the heart-root, and that out of love. When the love of Christ is manifested to us, and our love again to Christ is quickened by the Spirit, this causes an admiration in the soul when it considers what wonderful love is in Christ, and the Spirit witnesses that this love of Christ is set upon us. From hence it begins to admire: How is it that You will manifest Yourself unto us and not unto the world? What is the reason You so love me, and not others? When the soul has been with God on the mount and is turned from earthly things, then it sees nothing but love and mercy. Such grace constrains us to do all things out of love to God and goodwill to men.

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JOH N COT TON

Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not: Do you not fear Me? says the Lord (Jeremiah 5:2122). We learn from this text what is the best frame of mind with which to entertain Gods judgments. We are to adore the perfections of the glorious God who is displayed in them. We are to be afraid of them, deeply abhorring the divine displeasure and humbling ourselves under His mighty hand. We are to stand in such awe of Him that we renounce and abandon every evil way and rush to the Lord Jesus Christ as our only place of refuge. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:12). We learn from this text that it is not cowardly to be afraid of Gods judgments, but very agreeable to true Christian courage. God is no fit match for us to contend with. No one has ever hardened himself against Him and prospered (Job 9:4). He is our Creator; we are His creatures. We are as clay in the hands of the potter. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. God cannot err on His end, as the princes of this world may in the execution of their displeasure through impotency or want of knowledge, for He is infinite in knowledge, wisdom, and power, and there in no comparison between infinite and finite. It is not cowardly, then, to fear God. 43