Tuesday, August 29, 2006
"The arraignment of error" by Samuel Bolton
"Divine truth advances God; it sets up God and lays man low; it raises God upon the ruins of self and sin; it makes God great and man little, God all and man nothing; it empties man of himself and makes him seek his fullness in God. That which does this has good evidence that it is truth of God.
Error may advance the creature; it may advance a man's self, but it does not advance God. Nay, error may seek God in the creature, but cannot seek itself in God; it may give the creature tht which is God's but not give to God that which is the creature's; it may take from God to give to the creature, but does not take from the creature to give to God. And error may lessen itself to make the creature greater, but it cannot make itself nothing to make God great. You can see this in Colossians 2:18. Some, in a voluntary humility, worship angels. Here man lessens himself to make a creature great, but he does not make himself nothing to make God great. Here he takes from himself and from God to give to a creature, but he does not take from the creature or from himsself to give unto God. This is genuine property of truth: it advances God; it makes God all and itself nothing; it empties itself of its truth that does not draw the heart up to God, and does not bring the soul to live in Him as its upmost happiness. And that which does so must make all things little and God gret, and be content to lose itself in God and for God that it may find itself in God." p. 268-269
Today a lot of people want to raise man up at the expense of lowering God. They want God to fit in the image they want Him to fit. They do not realize this is idolatry. God is a jealous God and will not stand for this.
(Exodus 34:14) For you shall worship no other god. For Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God;
Related Tags: Samuel Bolton, The arraignment of error, God, self, worship, truth
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Error may advance the creature; it may advance a man's self, but it does not advance God. Nay, error may seek God in the creature, but cannot seek itself in God; it may give the creature tht which is God's but not give to God that which is the creature's; it may take from God to give to the creature, but does not take from the creature to give to God. And error may lessen itself to make the creature greater, but it cannot make itself nothing to make God great. You can see this in Colossians 2:18. Some, in a voluntary humility, worship angels. Here man lessens himself to make a creature great, but he does not make himself nothing to make God great. Here he takes from himself and from God to give to a creature, but he does not take from the creature or from himsself to give unto God. This is genuine property of truth: it advances God; it makes God all and itself nothing; it empties itself of its truth that does not draw the heart up to God, and does not bring the soul to live in Him as its upmost happiness. And that which does so must make all things little and God gret, and be content to lose itself in God and for God that it may find itself in God." p. 268-269
Today a lot of people want to raise man up at the expense of lowering God. They want God to fit in the image they want Him to fit. They do not realize this is idolatry. God is a jealous God and will not stand for this.
(Exodus 34:14) For you shall worship no other god. For Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God;
Related Tags: Samuel Bolton, The arraignment of error, God, self, worship, truth
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Monday, August 28, 2006
"The Fountain of Life" by John Flavel
This is from the second sermon in the series.
"Then I was by him, [as] one brought up [with him]: and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him; — Proverbs 8:30
These words are a part of that excellent commendation of wisdom, by which in this book Solomon intends two things; first, Grace or holiness, Proverbs 4:7. “ Wisdom is the principal thing.” Secondly, Jesus Christ, the fountain of that grace: and look, as the former is renowned for its excellency, Job 28:14, 15, so the latter, in this context, wherein the Spirit of God describes the most blessed state of Jesus Christ, the wisdom of the Father, from those eternal delights he had with his Father, before his
assumption of our nature: “Then was I by him,” etc. that long Evum was wholly swallowed up, and spent in unspeakable delights and pleasures. Which delights were twofold,
(1.) The Father and Son delighted one in another (from which delights the Spirit is not here excluded) without communicating that their joy to any other, for no creature did then exist save in the mind of God, verse 30.
(2.) They delighted in the salvation of men, in the prospect of that work, though not yet extant, verse 31. My present business lies in the former, viz. the mutual delights of the Father and Son, one with and in another; the account whereof we have in the text; wherein consider,
1. The glorious condition of the non-incarnated Son of God, described by the person with whom his fellowship was, “Then was I by him,” or with him; so with him as never was any, in his very bosom, John 1:18, the only begotten Son was in the bosom of the Father, an expression of the greatest dearness and intimacy in the world; as if he should say, wrapt up in the very soul of his Father, embosomed in God."
Related Tags: John Flavel, The Fountain of Life, God the Father, God the Son, salvation of men
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"Then I was by him, [as] one brought up [with him]: and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him; — Proverbs 8:30
These words are a part of that excellent commendation of wisdom, by which in this book Solomon intends two things; first, Grace or holiness, Proverbs 4:7. “ Wisdom is the principal thing.” Secondly, Jesus Christ, the fountain of that grace: and look, as the former is renowned for its excellency, Job 28:14, 15, so the latter, in this context, wherein the Spirit of God describes the most blessed state of Jesus Christ, the wisdom of the Father, from those eternal delights he had with his Father, before his
assumption of our nature: “Then was I by him,” etc. that long Evum was wholly swallowed up, and spent in unspeakable delights and pleasures. Which delights were twofold,
(1.) The Father and Son delighted one in another (from which delights the Spirit is not here excluded) without communicating that their joy to any other, for no creature did then exist save in the mind of God, verse 30.
(2.) They delighted in the salvation of men, in the prospect of that work, though not yet extant, verse 31. My present business lies in the former, viz. the mutual delights of the Father and Son, one with and in another; the account whereof we have in the text; wherein consider,
1. The glorious condition of the non-incarnated Son of God, described by the person with whom his fellowship was, “Then was I by him,” or with him; so with him as never was any, in his very bosom, John 1:18, the only begotten Son was in the bosom of the Father, an expression of the greatest dearness and intimacy in the world; as if he should say, wrapt up in the very soul of his Father, embosomed in God."
Related Tags: John Flavel, The Fountain of Life, God the Father, God the Son, salvation of men
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Sunday, August 27, 2006
"The Fountain of Life" by John Flavel
"INFERENCE 1.
The sufficiency of the doctrine of Christ, to make men wise unto salvation. Paul desired to know nothing else; and, indeed, nothing else is of absolute necessity to be known. A little of this knowledge, if saving and effectual upon thy heart, will do thy soul more service, than all the vain speculation and profound parts that others so much glory in. Poor Christian, be not dejected, because thou sees thyself out-stript and excelled by so many in other parts of knowledge; if thou know Jesus Christ, thou knowest enough to comfort and save thy soul. Many learned philosophers are now in hell, and many illiterate Christians in heaven.
INFERENCE 2.
If there be such excellency in the knowledge of Christ, let it humble all, both saints and sinners, that we have no more of this clear and effectual knowledge in us, notwithstanding the excellent advantages we have had for it. Sinners, concerning you I may sigh and say with the apostle, 1 Corinthians 15:34. “Some have not the knowledge of Christ, I speak this to your shame”. This, O this is the condemnation. And even for you that are enlightened in this knowledge, how little do you know of Jesus Christ, in comparison of what you might have known of him? What a shame is it,
that you should need to be taught the very first truths, “when for the time you might have been teachers of others?” Hebrews 5:12, 13, 14.
“That your ministers cannot speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto
carnal, even as unto babes in Christ,” 1 Corinthians 3:1, 2.
O how much time is spent in other studies, in vain discourses, frivolous
pamphlets, worldly employments? How little is the search and study of
Jesus Christ."
Related Tags: John Flavel, The Fountain of Life, Jesus
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The sufficiency of the doctrine of Christ, to make men wise unto salvation. Paul desired to know nothing else; and, indeed, nothing else is of absolute necessity to be known. A little of this knowledge, if saving and effectual upon thy heart, will do thy soul more service, than all the vain speculation and profound parts that others so much glory in. Poor Christian, be not dejected, because thou sees thyself out-stript and excelled by so many in other parts of knowledge; if thou know Jesus Christ, thou knowest enough to comfort and save thy soul. Many learned philosophers are now in hell, and many illiterate Christians in heaven.
INFERENCE 2.
If there be such excellency in the knowledge of Christ, let it humble all, both saints and sinners, that we have no more of this clear and effectual knowledge in us, notwithstanding the excellent advantages we have had for it. Sinners, concerning you I may sigh and say with the apostle, 1 Corinthians 15:34. “Some have not the knowledge of Christ, I speak this to your shame”. This, O this is the condemnation. And even for you that are enlightened in this knowledge, how little do you know of Jesus Christ, in comparison of what you might have known of him? What a shame is it,
that you should need to be taught the very first truths, “when for the time you might have been teachers of others?” Hebrews 5:12, 13, 14.
“That your ministers cannot speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto
carnal, even as unto babes in Christ,” 1 Corinthians 3:1, 2.
O how much time is spent in other studies, in vain discourses, frivolous
pamphlets, worldly employments? How little is the search and study of
Jesus Christ."
Related Tags: John Flavel, The Fountain of Life, Jesus
Continue reading!
